Playoffs? We’re talking about PLAYOFFS!
The PGA TOUR has reached the FedExCup Playoffs and is lined up for a big week at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. After this first week of the postseason, the top 50 in the FedExCup standings advance to Baltimore next week for the BMW Championship. If you’re looking to build your bankroll as the season winds down over the next three tournaments, one option to consider is playing cash games or double-up contests on DraftKings. If that’s the format you’re looking to attack this week, my top fantasy golf cash game picks for the FedEx St. Jude Championship are Hideki Matsuyama ($8,800), Daniel Berger ($7,800) and Kurt Kitayama ($7,200).
Make sure to also check out my top-three pivot plays for tournament lineups at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in a companion piece to this post. Pivot plays for tournament lineups are usually more aggressive, while fantasy golf cash game picks are safer with higher floors and lower risk. The picks in this post generally have higher ownership than my pivot plays, but they are good selections for contests where the uniqueness of your lineup is less important. Think of cash game picks as laying back and playing a par 5 as it was designed, taking three shots before reaching the green in search of a solid birdie. Tournament picks are like going driver off the deck to try to reach the green in two — more reward if it works, but much more risk as well.
These fantasy golf cash game picks are best used in “cash games,” which are contests that pay out to about the top half of entries. Typically, they are in the 50/50s & Double Ups or Head-to-Head sections of the DraftKings lobby.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR Single Entry $25 Double Up!
Hideki Matsuyama ($8,800)
You probably don’t need another article pointing out that Scottie Scheffler ($13,000) is good at golf, so I’ll bypass him this week, even though he’s obviously an outstanding play at TPC Southwind just like he is every time he tees it up.
This week’s course places a high emphasis on shot-making and approach play, so players like Matsuyama will be in a great place to produce results. He has a high floor and a high ceiling as the defending champ at TPC Southwind. He has an outstanding course history, including last year’s victory. He finished runner-up in 2021 and T16 in 2023 before getting the win last yar.
He started off the year red-hot with a huge Signature Event win at The Sentry and four top-25 finishes in his next six events. He had a few health issues and a slower spring before catching fire again with three straight top-20 finishes in his last three events with a T13 at the Rocket Classic, a T16 at The Open Championship and a T19 at the Wyndham Championship.
He ranks fourth in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach over his last 16 rounds and is an ideal option in this week’s fantasy golf cash game picks, whether alongside Scottie or as an anchor to a balanced lineup across the board.
Daniel Berger ($7,800)
About the only player in the field who has a better course history at TPC Southwind than Matsuyama is Daniel Berger, who claimed back-to-back victories on this course for his first two PGA TOUR career wins. Berger notched two more top-five finishes in his five career appearances and truly seems to be a “Horse for the Course.”
There’s one huge caveat to Berger’s success, though: it was all before 2022. Berger hasn’t played the event in the last three years because he has not qualified for the playoffs while working his way back into form after a back injury. He made the cut in 15 of his 19 events with nine top-25 finishes, highlighted by a runner-up finish back at the WM Phoenix Open.
He hasn’t had any high finishes lately, making the cut but finishing outside the top 25 at the British Open, Scottish Open, Travelers Championship and U.S. Open. Before that, he missed back-to-back cuts at the Charles Schwab Challenge and the Memorial.
Even after his slow finish, he ranked sixth in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach and ninth in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green in all rounds played in 2025. He also ranks sixth in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, but his short game and putter have been a little shaky. If “walking in Memphis” again can get his game back in gear, this week could definitely be Berger time once again.
Kurt Kitayama ($7,200)
Kitayama is another shotmaker who has just the right kind of game for this layout. The 32-year-old from UNLV dominated in Minnesota on his way to a win at the 3M Open two weeks ago and then looked solid again last week with a T31 at the Wyndham Championship.
Even before he got his second career PGA TOUR victory, Kitayama was on the rise with a more complete game than he showed before this season. He finished T5 at the John Deere Classic and a T5 at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson while posting a total of five top-25 finishes on the season.
He starts the week at No. 52 in the FedExCup standings, so he’ll need a strong finish at TPC Southwind to move up into the top 50 and move on to next week while also securing a spot in all of next year’s Signature Events.
He hasn’t been great at TPC Southwind in the past, but that’s because his approach game hasn’t been quite this hot. He missed the cut in 2022 (back when there was a cut) and then finished T52 in 2023 before not qualifying for this event last season.
He comes in hot enough to expect him to improve on those results this week. He ranks third in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach over the last 20 rounds, fourth in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, and fifth in Total Strokes Gained. His driver was a liability early in his career, but he has become much more accurate and also kept his irons in good form. His all-around game and recent form make him a strong way to save salary.
