The 2026 PGA TOUR season begins next week and one of the best ways to get in on the action all season long is competing in one and done golf pools.
Below, I break down the ins and outs of one and done pools for players who are new to the format, along with some strategies for this upcoming season.
What is One and Done?
Just like NFL survivor pools, golf one and done pools are a very simple format. For every weekly tournament of the PGA TOUR season, you will select a golfer, and that will be the only time you can use that golfer all season.
What that golfer earns in money at that event is how much you accrue for picking him in your pool, and the person with the most total prize money at the end of the season wins the top prize. Additionally, many one and done pools provide prizes for second and third place. At tournaments that feature a cut, if your golfer misses the cut, you will accrue no money for the week.
Most one and done pools feature 31 tournaments, beginning with the Sony Open next week and concluding with the BMW Championship in mid-August. A majority of one and done pools don’t include the Zurich Classic in April, as it is a team formatted event. Every tournament features a different prize purse, some much larger than others. The four majors, the eight Signature events, THE PLAYERS Championship and the two FedEx Cup playoff events to finish the season all feature purses of at least $17 million.
2026 PGA TOUR Schedule
| Tournament | Date | Purse |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | January 15 | $9,100,000 |
| The American Express | January 22 | $8,800,000 |
| Farmers Insurance Open | January 29 | $9,300,000 |
| WM Phoenix Open | February 5 | $9,200,000 |
| AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | February 12 | $20,000,000 |
| The Genesis Invitational | February 19 | $20,000,000 |
| Cognizant Classic | February 26 | $9,200,000 |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | March 5 | $20,000,000 |
| The Players Championship | March 12 | $25,000,000 |
| Valspar Championship | March 19 | $8,700,000 |
| Texas Children’s Houston Open | March 26 | $9,500,000 |
| Valero Texas Open | April 2 | $9,500,000 |
| Masters Tournament | April 9 | $21,000,000 |
| RBC Heritage | April 16 | $20,000,000 |
| Cadillac Championship | April 30 | $20,000,000 |
| Truist Championship | May 7 | $20,000,000 |
| PGA Championship | May 14 | $19,000,000 |
| The CJ Cup Byron Nelson | May 21 | $9,900,000 |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | May 28 | $9,500,000 |
| Memorial Tournament | June 4 | $20,000,000 |
| RBC Canadian Open | June 11 | $9,800,000 |
| U.S. Open | June 18 | $21,500,000 |
| Travelers Championship | June 25 | $20,000,000 |
| John Deere Classic | July 2 | $8,400,000 |
| Genesis Scottish Open | July 9 | $9,000,000 |
| The Open Championship | July 16 | $17,000,000 |
| 3M Open | July 23 | $8,400,000 |
| Rocket Classic | July 30 | $9,600,000 |
| Wyndham Championship | August 6 | $8,200,000 |
| FedEx St. Jude Championship | August 13 | $20,000,000 |
| BMW Championship | August 20 | $20,000,000 |
One and Done Tips and Strategy
Create a routine:
Set a time each week to make your pick so never forget to do it. Eating a zero is a massive loss, especially if its a big purse. Most one and done pools you need to have your pick in by the official start time of that tournament on Thursday morning, and you can not pick a golfer based on their tee time. So, if you forget to put your pick in, but Tony Finau has yet to tee off, you more than likely that can’t pick him.
Always be aware of the prizes:
As discussed above, every event features a different purse, so saving the best golfers for the biggest tournaments is always a wise move. It is a long season and it takes five weeks before we see a Signature Event and our first major of the season doesn’t come until April with the Masters, so try not to be overly aggressive with using big names early in the season.
Always be aware of your opponents:
Paying attention to what golfers the other players in your pool have used is crucial, as it will put you in a better position to gain an edge. For example, by the time of the Open in August, which is the fourth and final major of the season, it is pivotal to know who your opponents have left of the big name players to use, so you can see which players will give you the best chance to move ahead of the pack.
Playing Contrarian:
Try to do your research on who will be the trendy picks each week. The golfers with the best odds to win are always popular picks, so be sure to be checking the odds for each tournament on DraftKings Sportsbook. Golfers with the best odds obviously have the best chance to win the event, and eating the chalk with the popular name of the week is sometimes a viable move, especially if you have a lead in your pool. However, for the most part, pivoting off the most popular the play of the week is wise, particularly if you’re way back in the standings. Golf is an extremely volatile game and often the trendy pick of the week doesn’t live up to expectations.
Plan ahead, but don’t over-plan:
Saving the best golfers for the biggest tournaments is the right move, and having a general idea of where you might use someone like Scottie Scheffler ahead of time makes sense, but being flexible is key. For example, last season, I saved Rory McIlrloy for the PGA Championship because it was being played at Quail Hollow, which is a course the Irishman has won four times at, but he ended up finishing a mediocre T47th and was a very popular pick that week. Was the logic viable given his love for the venue? Yes. But, I should have more open to considering him at other big tournaments and known that he would have been the trendy pick of the week. Current form is also extremely important in golf. Say you had it set in your mind before the season that you wanted to pick Xander Schauffle at the Masters. That’s totally viable given he is previous major champion who has nearly won at Augusta many times, but if Schauffele isn’t playing by his standards in his starts leading up to the Masters, forcing Schauffele just because it was your original plan isn’t smart.
Don’t force LIV golfers at majors:
The only opportunities this season you will have to use LIV golfers such as Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau is at the four majors. Picking a LIV golfer at any of the four majors is always tempting and can sometimes be a great move, but if the LIV golfer you are eying is in questionable form, or if the course at that major doesn’t set up well for their game, don’t feel like you have to force a LIV player just because you only have four chances to deploy them throughout the season.
Don’t give up:
One of the best parts of one and done pools is that you can always make a comeback. Say you have a bad first few months of the season and are at the bottom of your pool, picking the winner of a few big events will put you right back in the mix, so try to not get discouraged during bad stretches and remain focused.
Useful DraftKings Resources
- DraftKings Network – The site will be filled with detailed golf content for every tournament, including my one and done column, which will feature my pick for every tournament, so be sure to be checking back to DraftKings Network every week throughout the season!
