There is plenty of debate as to which of the other three Majors is the best Major. Yet there's nearly universal agreement that it's not the PGA Championship. But the fact remains it is still a Major and therefore has a great field.
Also, being a major, it means you as an F6P reader receive the first glimpse of my 2021 PGA Championship DFS Value Picks.
The pricing is actually pretty soft this week. Depending on how low you are willing to go, you can absolutely get three primo players atop your lineup with three strong options to fill out your roster.
Rory McIlroy is the favorite to win and rightfully so. He won two weeks ago and is coming in hot. Furthermore, the last time Kiawah Island hosted the PGA Championship, not only did McIlroy win, he won by eight strokes! I'll be mixing it up a bit, but I will definitely have more Rory shares than anyone else.
McIlroy is definitely a low leverage pick as he will (and should be) highly owned. That means we need to definitely look for some leverage plays further down the roster, making my value picks key.
Like the Masters, value picks must be below the $7500 line of DraftKings AND below $8500 on FanDuel. Now that you know the rules, let's talk about some golfers that might make some waves on the shores of Kiawah Island this week.
2021 PGA Championship DFS Value Picks
Cameron Champ (FD $8500, DK $7100)
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We start with a repeat value player golfer, who just makes the cut for our FD line. But I definitely think he also makes the cut line and plays the weekend as well. Always one of the longest hitters in any field, Champ is currently third in driving distance behind Rory and Bryson DeChambeau. But he's more than just a "big stick", as he has already shown some prowess on the big stage. Champ has a couple top-25 finishes at Augusta, plus a top-10 in last year's PGA Championship. I will remind you that this week's Ocean Course is the longest course in PGA history.
Ian Poulter (FD $8200, DK $7100)
"Poultry" is definitely a better play for those that favor course history over recent play. His ball-striking has been downright awful this year. He's not even in the top 100 in this field for SG: OTT or SG: Approach. Yet last time at Kiawah Island, he shot 69 on Sunday to finish T-3. I don't see him finishing that high this week, but he obviously knows how to play this course and a Top 25 is possible. That might be a little optimistic, but I do foresee him at least playing on Sunday, which can't be said of many down in this price range.
Charles Schwartzel (FD $8300, DK $6800)
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The South African comes in hot, fresh off a T3 at the Byron Nelson and four Top 25s in his last four tourneys. He is also a solid 46th in driving distance and 57th in GIR (greens in regulation), giving him a strong statistical profile for this course. He did miss the cut at the Players Championship back in mid-March, which gives us pause. However, that was the last cut he missed. I'm buying the career revival and current hot streak.
Thomas Pieters (FD $7900, DK $6800)
Easily my favorite value on the board. He missed the cut last week, but this week's course is a far better match for his skill set. The 'Belgian Bomber' brings not only exceptional length, but has shown the ability to handle windy conditions that we will likely see this week coming from the nearby ocean. He hasn't played enough on this side of the pond to qualify for any particular stat this year, but with four Top 25s in five PGA appearances, is there really any more you need to know?
Garrick Higgo (FD $XXXX, DK $7400)
For some reason, FD did not have Higgo included in the field of submission time.....But I am all aboard the Higgo ship, even placing a small wager for him to win outright. Because that's exactly what he has been doing lately. Since play resumed last summer, he's won three times on the European tour already.
A champion for a second time in three weeks 🏆@garrick_higgo closes out a six shot victory at the #CanaryIslandsChampionship pic.twitter.com/aPZttWVh5J
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) May 9, 2021
Despite being 51st in OWGR, many DFS players don't even know who he is, making him a great sneaky play.
Jason Dufner (FD $7100, DK $6300)
This is a pure punt play and I would not go any lower regardless of what studs it enables you to play. However, playing the 44-year old Dufner allows you to play this quad of young guns: Hovland, Zalatoris, Schefler and Niemann. I love all four this week. Furthermore, it allows you to still play Rory or anyone lower on FanDuel; and if you are playing DraftKings, you can play Tony Finau for example who will likely be low-owned this week.....and still leave some money on the table.
But Dufner is no duffer!
First off, he did play the PGA Championship last time it was in Kiawah Island in 2012 and finished a respectable T-27. He is 54th in scrambling and 39th in sand saves, which will come in handy on this course. He's also coming off two made cuts in a row, which is all we are asking him to do this week. It's gonna be close, but don't be surprised if he's still playing on Saturday.
Good luck with your 2021 PGA Championship picks!
