For the second major of the season, we head to Valhalla Golf Club (par 71, 7,609 yards, bentgrass greens) in Louisville, Kentucky, for the 2024 PGA Championship. This course was designed by Jack Nicklaus and hosted the PGA Championship in 1996, 2000 and 2014, with Rory McIlroy winning that latter year at -16—one shot clear of Phil Mickelson. For this year’s PGA Championship, some of the holes at Valhalla have been lengthened and the track will play 151 yards longer than it did in 2014. This field will feature 156 of the world’s best players and there will be a slightly expanded cut compared to a standard PGA TOUR event, with the top-70 and ties advancing after the first two rounds. Notably, Scottie Scheffler will be teeing it up after missing last week due to the birth of his first child, and Tiger Woods is also in the field, making his first start since his T60 at the Masters last month.
Valhalla is a long par 71 home to very small greens, 62 bunkers, and water in play on only five holes. This venue is the third longest course we have seen so far this season and elite drivers of the golf ball will have an advantage at Valhalla. Even with the course playing 151 yards shorter in 2014, seven of the top-10 finishers in driving distance that week carded top-15 finishes, including McIlroy, who lead the field in SG: Off The Tee and finished second in driving distance. Now, this doesn’t mean we should only be rostering true bombers this week, but avoiding short players is a wise move. As expected, targeting players who are in strong form with both their irons and putter is a must at Valhalla. When McIlroy won the PGA Championship at this Nicklaus’ design a decade ago, he finished the tournament top-12 in both SG: Approach and SGP. Finally, with six of the 11 par fours at Valhalla ranging from 450-500 yards for this major, seeking golfers who are efficient on this length of hole has a ton of merit.
Below, I have featured four of my favorite DraftKings bargain plays for the PGA Championship that all cost less than $7.5K.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA $600K DRIVE THE GREEN [$100K TO 1ST]
Russell Henley ($7,300) – Henley is a tough fade at this cheap salary, which is a huge $1K drop from last week’s Wells Fargo Championship. The veteran has only missed one cut in 11 starts this season and has displayed strong upside, with five top-12 finishes. Three of these top-12s have come in Henley’s last four starts and he collectively gained strokes off the tee and on approach during all three of these high finishes. Henley missed the cut at the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla, but he only did so by one shot. Plus, he is a far better player this time around as the No. 17 ranked golfer in the world, compared to the No. 59 ranking he held heading into the 2014 PGA Championship.
Despite being the No. 17 ranked player in the world right now, Henley is only the 44th most expensive golfer on DraftKings this week, which is clear evidence that he is far too cheap at only $7,300.
Adam Scott ($7,300) – Scott finished T15th at the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla—while gaining strokes in every major category—which is just one of his 12 top-30 finishes in 23 appearances at this major. Additionally, Scott’s T15 at Valhalla isn’t the only time he has shined at a Nicklaus’ design. Scott has five top-10 finishes at Muirfield Village on his resume and he ranks fifth in total strokes gained when we compare this field’s histories on Nicklaus’ tracks.
Scott has supplied seven top-30 finishes in nine starts this season and is a safe choice this week.
Alex Noren ($7,200) – Noren’s game is firing on all cylinders right now and the swede is a stellar value at this price point. Noren hasn’t missed a cut in 11 starts this season and has finished inside the top-25 at seven straight events. The 41-year-old’s success has been a product of him becoming one of the best ball strikers on the PGA TOUR this season, with him ranking eighth in SGT2G. Furthermore, Noren has been excellent with his driver, ranking 35th in SG: Off The Tee. Prior to this season, Noren had never ranked inside the top-50 in either SGT2G or SG: Off The Tee since becoming a full-time PGA TOUR player in 2016.
The veteran has made 7-of-11 cuts at the PGA Championship for his career and is criminally underpriced for his current form.
Tom Hoge ($6,400) – Hoge is in the midst of an awesome season and absolutely shouldn’t be this cheap. His $6,400 price tag is a season low and a $800 decrease from the Wells Fargo Championship last week, which also featured a world-class field as one of the PGA TOUR’s signature events. Hoge has been incredible with his irons this season, ranking second in SG: Approach, only trailing Scheffler in the category. Thanks to his brilliant ball striking, Hoge has made 13-of-15 cuts this season and has recorded seven top-20 finishes.
Hoge also has never missed a cut in four attempts at the PGA Championship—including a T9 two years ago—and he ranks 12th in 450-500-yard par-four efficiency over his last 50 rounds. This great news for Valhalla, where six of the 11 par fours land in this range. Plain and simple, Hoge is very underpriced for his chances of making the cut this week and needs to be utilized at only $6,400.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA $600K DRIVE THE GREEN [$100K TO 1ST]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
