After back-to-back events in Mexico, the PGA TOUR heads to Texas for the inaugural Austin Championship at the Fazio Canyons Course (par 72, 7,451 yards, Bermuda greens) of the Omni Barton Creek Resort. This will be the Fazio Canyons Course’s debut at the PGA TOUR level and this is the second-to-last event of the FedEx Cup Fall series. There will be 120 golfers competing and a top-65 and ties cut after the first two rounds this week.
The Fazio Canyons Course was designed by Tom Fazio and is a long course that features wide fairways, large greens, 43 bunkers and water in play on six holes. Long hitters should have an advantage at this track, but any length of player should be able to succeed if they perform well with both their irons and putter. The Fazio Canyons Course should yield some low scoring and per usual with a par 72, capitalizing on the four par fives at this track will be crucial. With this being a brand new course that we have no previous data on, targeting players who have performed well at Fazio-designed tracks or at Texas-based courses in the past is wise.
Let’s dive into three of my favorite DraftKings bargain plays for the Austin Championship, all costing less than $7.5K.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $125K Sand Trap [$25K to 1st]
Top DraftKings DFS Bargain Plays for the Austin Championship
Luke Clanton ($7,200) – Clanton has had an impressive fall swing. After opening this stretch with a missed cut, the former top-ranked amateur in the world has finished T-7, T-11, T-29 and T-33 in his last four starts. Clanton has shot under par in all 15 of his rounds during this time, including a 9-under 62 at the Black Desert Resort, which tied his career low. Clanton has also gained strokes on approach and with his putter in three of these past four starts, and he ranks eighth in total strokes gained when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds.
Last week at El Cardonal, Clanton ranked top-15 in both SG APP and SGP for the event. The 23-year-old has never missed a cut in Texas in four starts and Clanton finished runner-up at the 2024 RSM Classic, which is very notable, as 3-of-4 rounds for this event are played on the Fazio-designed Seaside Course. Clanton’s game sets up well for the Fazio Canyons Course and he should put his best foot forward this week, as this is a very important stretch of golf for him. Clanton currently sits 126th in the FedEx Cup Fall standings and only the top 125 following next week’s RSM Classic will earn conditional status for the 2027 PGA TOUR season.
Mackenzie Hughes ($7,400) – Hughes should bounce back at Fazio Canyons after missing the cut at the World Wide Technology Championship this past week. Before this, the Canadian finished a season-best T-4 at the VidantaWorld Mexico Open the week prior. Hughes has only missed three cuts in his last 12 starts and he has carded six top-30 finishes during this stretch.
Hughes ranks top-30 in SGP and par five performance this season, and he has a long history of thriving at Fazio courses. Hughes won the 2016 RSM Classic and he finished runner-up at the event in 2021 and 2023. Hughes also finished runner-up at the 2019 Corales Puntacana Championship and at the 2020 Honda Classic, both of which are played at Fazio designs.
Emiliano Grillo ($7,000) – Grillo has been reliable, making 11 of his last 13 cuts with six finishes of T-31 or better over this time. Grillo is coming off a T-21 finish at the World Wide Technology Championship this past week and he ranked fifth in SG APP for the tournament.
Grillo ranks fourth in SG APP when we analyze this field’s last 24 rounds and the 34-year-old is a previous winner in Texas, taking home the big check at the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge. Grillo’s resume also features eight top-20 finishes at Fazio designs. Grillo should provide a quality finish at the Fazio Canyons and he is a great bargain at only $7,000. Just three weeks ago, Grillo was priced up to $7,700 for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
