PGA DFS First Look: PGA Championship
ScoresAndOdds
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PGA Championship Preview
We don’t need to waste time covering last week’s birdie fest in Texas because the year’s second major is on tap this week in Kiawah Island. The Ocean Course will be the longest course in major history, checking in at 7,876 yards. While this is a Par 72 and while they will utilize different tee boxes throughout the week, make no mistake about it — this is a mammoth of a golf course. It was designed by Pete Dye in 1991 and has one of the highest slope ratings in the country. There are very few flat lies here and the course is right on the coast, which amplifies the impact of the wind.
Off the tee, golfers will see generous fairways that were fairly easy to hit in the 2012 rendition of the PGA Championship. Hitting these fairways will be critical, as the greens in regulation numbers from the fairway compared to the rough/bunkers/fescue differed by nearly 30%. The greens are elevated and feature severe run-offs that will repel wayward approach shots. The fairways and greens both feature seashore paspalum grass, which is essentially a cousin of bermuda that is better suited to deal with all of the salt by the ocean.
In addition to the raw length, the wind will be a primary defense of the course. This is essentially an Americanized version of links golf where there are very few trees on the property. With this being right on the coast, there always seem to be winds that impact both shots and putts. I’ve checked the weather a number of times already and the forecast seems to change every few hours. This is one of those weeks where monitoring the weather could pay large dividends if one wave ends up having a much better draw.
If you like comp courses, I’ve heard PGA Tour players mention four similar venues — Whistling Straits, Chambers Bay, PGA National, and TPC Sawgrass. In terms of course fit, distance off the tee doesn’t hurt, but I’m not sure being a bomber is a prerequisite for success here. Rory McIlroy won here in 2012, but the rest of the leaderboard was filled with grinders and European Tour players. I am looking for strong all-around golfers that gain strokes off the tee, on approach (especially with long irons, and around the green. Experience on Pete Dye tracks and on long, difficult golf courses is also preferred.
Cut Rule:
- Top 70 and ties (156 in the field)
Key Statistics (In Order of Importance)
- Strokes Gained Approach
- Strokes Gained Off the Tee
- Strokes Gained Around the Green
- Bogey Avoidance
- Strokes Gained Putting
Yardage Specialists (Based on Holes at Kiawah Island)
- Patrick Reed
- Dustin Johnson
- Corey Conners
- Xander Schauffele
- Louis Oosthuizen
Salaries, Odds, and Recent Form (Last Five Events)
| Golfer | Odds | DK | FD | YH | DK % +/- | FD % +/- | YH % +/- | -1 | -2 | -3 | -4 | -5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rory McIlroy | 10 | $11,500 | $12,100 | $46 | 0% | 0% | 300% | 1 | 68 | 28 | 143 | 10 |
| Jon Rahm | 13 | $10,500 | $11,800 | $46 | 100% | 50% | 100% | 34 | 96 | 5 | 5 | 9 |
| Justin Thomas | 13 | $11,300 | $11,900 | $48 | -33% | -33% | -67% | 26 | 13 | 21 | 42 | 1 |
| Jordan Spieth | 14 | $10,100 | $11,400 | $36 | 50% | 50% | 425% | 9 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 48 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | 14 | $10,200 | $11,600 | $48 | 0% | 0% | -80% | 55 | 9 | 46 | 42 | 3 |
| Dustin Johnson | 17 | $10,900 | $11,700 | $48 | -50% | -33% | -83% | 48 | 13 | 61 | 28 | 48 |
| Xander Schauffele | 19 | $9,600 | $11,300 | $45 | 14% | 0% | -14% | 14 | 3 | 18 | 113 | 39 |
| Viktor Hovland | 20 | $9,300 | $11,000 | $43 | 38% | 13% | 25% | 3 | 3 | 21 | 42 | 84 |
| Collin Morikawa | 27 | $9,800 | $10,900 | $44 | -22% | 11% | -22% | 7 | 18 | 56 | 41 | 1 |
| Daniel Berger | 28 | $8,700 | $10,300 | $40 | 70% | 60% | 60% | 3 | 13 | 56 | 18 | 9 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | 32 | $9,400 | $10,800 | $42 | -9% | 0% | 0% | 39 | 1 | 30 | 42 | 73 |
| Patrick Reed | 33 | $9,100 | $10,700 | $42 | 8% | 0% | -8% | 6 | 71 | 8 | 28 | 22 |
| Webb Simpson | 35 | $9,200 | $10,500 | $44 | -8% | 8% | -46% | 9 | 12 | 28 | 84 | 6 |
| Tony Finau | 35 | $8,600 | $10,400 | $41 | 29% | 7% | 0% | 96 | 10 | 81 | 28 | 100 |
| Cameron Smith | 36 | $8,900 | $9,900 | $34 | 0% | 33% | 67% | 9 | 10 | 28 | 17 | 11 |
| Brooks Koepka | 37 | $9,500 | $11,200 | $44 | -44% | -50% | -56% | 105 | 61 | 2 | 38 | 1 |
| Patrick Cantlay | 38 | $9,000 | $10,600 | $42 | -18% | -24% | -35% | 80 | 76 | 75 | 18 | 120 |
| Scottie Scheffler | 41 | $8,500 | $9,500 | $37 | 6% | 56% | 6% | 47 | 29 | 18 | 54 | 2 |
| Abraham Ancer | 44 | $7,900 | $9,800 | $38 | 37% | 16% | -11% | 2 | 5 | 18 | 26 | 23 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | 44 | $8,000 | $10,200 | $41 | 20% | -15% | -30% | 39 | 18 | 56 | 73 | 21 |
| Sam Burns | 45 | $7,500 | $9,400 | $29 | 67% | 43% | 52% | 2 | 1 | 39 | 106 | 147 |
| Will Zalatoris | 47 | $8,800 | $10,100 | $34 | -27% | -18% | 14% | 17 | 96 | 42 | 2 | 28 |
| Matthew Fitzpatrick | 51 | $8,400 | $9,900 | $35 | -13% | -13% | 4% | 113 | 4 | 34 | 18 | 9 |
| Paul Casey | 52 | $7,700 | $9,800 | $36 | 25% | -8% | -13% | 21 | 76 | 26 | 28 | 5 |
| Louis Oosthuizen | 52 | $8,000 | $9,600 | $29 | -4% | 4% | 28% | 8 | 26 | 61 | 41 | 6 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | 52 | $8,200 | $10,000 | $34 | -15% | -27% | -4% | 14 | 67 | 46 | 5 | 84 |
| Corey Conners | 57 | $7,600 | $9,300 | $29 | 19% | 19% | 19% | 43 | 21 | 4 | 8 | 14 |
| Sungjae Im | 59 | $8,300 | $9,700 | $36 | -25% | -14% | -25% | 132 | 29 | 13 | 84 | 42 |
| Joaquin Niemann | 59 | $7,800 | $9,600 | $31 | -3% | -10% | 3% | 18 | 8 | 40 | 18 | 25 |
| Marc Leishman | 61 | $7,600 | $9,500 | $24 | 7% | -7% | 67% | 21 | 5 | 28 | 73 | 89 |
| Shane Lowry | 68 | $7,800 | $9,100 | $21 | -10% | 16% | 110% | 65 | 9 | 21 | 42 | 36 |
| Justin Rose | 71 | $8,100 | $9,700 | $27 | -28% | -25% | 25% | 135 | 7 | WD | 54 | 2 |
| Keegan Bradley | 73 | $7,300 | $8,900 | $21 | 27% | 24% | 97% | 18 | 2 | 23 | 30 | 29 |
| Adam Scott | 74 | $7,900 | $9,400 | $30 | -24% | -12% | -9% | 54 | 13 | 48 | 54 | 38 |
| Sergio Garcia | 78 | $7,600 | $9,200 | $27 | -9% | -3% | 14% | 92 | 85 | 56 | 5 | 9 |
| Brian Harman | 81 | $7,400 | $9,000 | $28 | 6% | 6% | -3% | 18 | 13 | 12 | 5 | 3 |
| Bubba Watson | 82 | $7,500 | $9,000 | $26 | -5% | 3% | 14% | 18 | 13 | 26 | 9 | 84 |
| Gary Woodland | 83 | $7,500 | $8,800 | $24 | -8% | 16% | 32% | 5 | 143 | 40 | 6 | 84 |
| Matt Wallace | 84 | $7,400 | $8,900 | $20 | -3% | 5% | 110% | 6 | 18 | 34 | 3 | 28 |
| Charl Schwartzel | 87 | $6,800 | $8,300 | $20 | 73% | 50% | 105% | 3 | 14 | 21 | 26 | 69 |
| Si Woo Kim | 88 | $7,200 | $9,100 | $24 | 10% | -12% | 22% | 55 | 33 | 12 | 23 | 56 |
| Jason Day | 91 | $7,700 | $9,300 | $28 | -29% | -24% | -17% | 73 | 80 | 78 | 42 | 35 |
| Harris English | 92 | $7,200 | $8,900 | $38 | 5% | -5% | -60% | 13 | 43 | 113 | 21 | 42 |
| Garrick Higgo | 94 | $7,400 | $25 | -14% | 2% | 1 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 112 | ||
| Jason Kokrak | 96 | $7,100 | $8,700 | $28 | 11% | 2% | -22% | 13 | 49 | 42 | 9 | 8 |
| Lee Westwood | 99 | $7,400 | $9,000 | $33 | -17% | -17% | -39% | 21 | 63 | 61 | 18 | 118 |
| Max Homa | 105 | $7,300 | $9,200 | $28 | -11% | -28% | -26% | 147 | 6 | 56 | 18 | 84 |
| Robert Macintyre | 106 | $7,000 | $8,600 | $21 | 15% | 0% | 35% | 8 | 59 | 12 | 9 | 100 |
| Matt Kuchar | 107 | $7,000 | $8,600 | $25 | 12% | -2% | -8% | 17 | 18 | 56 | 12 | 3 |
| Billy Horschel | 108 | $7,200 | $8,800 | $37 | -10% | -12% | -62% | 25 | 50 | 1 | 58 | 89 |
| Cameron Tringale | 111 | $7,100 | $8,600 | $22 | -2% | -6% | 16% | 80 | 3 | 9 | 13 | 100 |
| Rickie Fowler | 122 | $7,000 | $8,300 | $22 | 6% | 15% | 13% | 73 | 116 | 17 | 65 | 125 |
| Emiliano Grillo | 126 | $7,000 | $8,500 | $23 | 4% | -2% | 8% | 14 | 71 | 2 | 6 | 73 |
| Christiaan Bezuidenhout | 131 | $6,800 | $8,500 | $28 | 28% | -4% | -35% | 33 | 40 | 56 | 41 | 7 |
| Ryan Palmer | 135 | $6,900 | $8,700 | $33 | 13% | -16% | -49% | 47 | 63 | 34 | 17 | 17 |
| Charley Hoffman | 136 | $7,300 | $8,600 | $21 | -25% | -14% | 16% | 18 | 18 | 2 | 34 | 17 |
| Stewart Cink | 139 | $6,900 | $8,100 | $25 | 9% | 19% | -21% | 37 | 1 | 12 | 19 | 84 |
| Alexander Noren | 139 | $6,600 | $7,800 | $20 | 45% | 33% | 41% | 21 | 21 | 25 | 46 | 113 |
| Cameron Champ | 141 | $7,100 | $8,500 | $21 | -15% | -12% | 10% | 55 | 26 | 34 | 113 | 105 |
| Kevin Na | 142 | $6,900 | $8,300 | $26 | 3% | 0% | -30% | 29 | 113 | 12 | 42 | WD |
| Branden Grace | 143 | $6,800 | $8,400 | $20 | 13% | -8% | 34% | 54 | 42 | 23 | 100 | 26 |
| Matt Jones | 148 | $7,100 | $8,500 | $20 | -19% | -16% | 32% | 37 | 26 | 1 | 55 | 78 |
| Chris Kirk | 153 | $7,000 | $8,400 | $24 | -13% | -11% | -21% | 99 | 7 | 6 | 25 | 48 |
| Russell Henley | 156 | $7,200 | $8,200 | $25 | -30% | 0% | -30% | 72 | 126 | 9 | 28 | 3 |
| Aaron Wise | 164 | $7,200 | $8,000 | $20 | -31% | 9% | 26% | 55 | 9 | 122 | 44 | 13 |
| Thomas Pieters | 167 | $6,800 | $7,900 | $20 | 5% | 14% | 24% | 73 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 10 |
| Ian Poulter | 167 | $7,100 | $8,200 | $24 | -24% | -3% | -24% | 96 | 21 | 48 | 26 | 9 |
| Carlos Ortiz | 168 | $6,900 | $7,900 | $26 | -9% | 10% | -38% | 21 | 65 | 85 | 78 | 42 |
| Cameron Davis | 183 | $6,900 | $8,200 | $22 | -10% | -7% | -14% | 26 | 126 | 25 | 69 | 33 |
| Kevin Streelman | 185 | $6,700 | $7,700 | $20 | 9% | 16% | 17% | 26 | 99 | 33 | 9 | 36 |
| Francesco Molinari | 187 | $6,800 | $8,400 | $20 | -3% | -21% | 15% | 96 | 52 | 100 | 111 | 8 |
| Brendon Todd | 189 | $6,700 | $8,000 | $25 | 6% | -1% | -38% | 39 | 46 | 42 | 35 | 57 |
| Victor Perez | 195 | $6,900 | $8,000 | $22 | -15% | -3% | -19% | 72 | 4 | 9 | 68 | 52 |
| Zach Johnson | 205 | $6,800 | $8,000 | $20 | -7% | -4% | 11% | 51 | 29 | 76 | 72 | 81 |
| Phil Mickelson | 207 | $6,700 | $8,200 | $21 | 1% | -15% | -13% | 69 | 71 | 21 | 96 | 25 |
| Sebastian Munoz | 212 | $6,600 | $8,100 | $21 | 11% | -11% | -14% | 55 | 132 | 67 | 40 | 9 |
| Kevin Kisner | 215 | $7,000 | $8,400 | $24 | -29% | -27% | -35% | 71 | 107 | 61 | 18 | 125 |
| Martin Kaymer | 222 | $7,000 | $8,100 | $20 | -29% | -13% | 5% | 120 | 3 | 139 | 18 | 44 |
| Harold Varner | 225 | $6,600 | $7,600 | $23 | 6% | 8% | -28% | 80 | 2 | 81 | 19 | 61 |
| Dylan Frittelli | 227 | $6,500 | $7,800 | $20 | 15% | -4% | 3% | 56 | 68 | 9 | 91 | 22 |
| Lanto Griffin | 228 | $6,600 | $7,500 | $24 | 4% | 9% | -38% | 26 | 99 | 61 | 34 | 61 |
| Danny Willett | 237 | $6,700 | $7,800 | $20 | -7% | -6% | 0% | 11 | 89 | 18 | 61 | 81 |
| Henrik Stenson | 243 | $6,900 | $8,300 | $20 | -25% | -28% | -1% | 63 | 38 | 96 | 139 | 152 |
| Bernd Wiesberger | 245 | $6,700 | $7,800 | $20 | -10% | -8% | -2% | 34 | 40 | 96 | 42 | 73 |
| Talor Gooch | 248 | $6,600 | $7,600 | $21 | -1% | 0% | -24% | 39 | 26 | 135 | 56 | 46 |
| Joel Dahmen | 255 | $6,400 | $7,700 | $20 | 16% | -6% | -5% | 18 | 74 | 1 | 84 | 99 |
| Dean Burmester | 257 | $6,300 | $7,300 | $20 | 24% | 9% | -6% | 6 | 4 | 1 | 38 | 91 |
| Brendan Steele | 257 | $6,500 | $7,500 | $22 | 6% | 1% | -32% | 70 | 77 | 3 | 41 | 18 |
| Sam Horsfield | 267 | $6,700 | $7,500 | $20 | -15% | -1% | -8% | 21 | 71 | 4 | 15 | 3 |
| John Catlin | 267 | $6,800 | $7,500 | $20 | -22% | -1% | -8% | 73 | 5 | 52 | 1 | 76 |
| Thomas Detry | 270 | $6,600 | $7,400 | $20 | -8% | 1% | -10% | 43 | 71 | 13 | 9 | 28 |
| Erik Van Rooyen | 273 | $6,500 | $7,700 | $21 | 0% | -12% | -29% | 126 | 96 | 99 | 14 | 9 |
| Maverick McNealy | 277 | $6,500 | $7,100 | $21 | -1% | 9% | -30% | 96 | 4 | 107 | 147 | 49 |
| Steve Stricker | 278 | $6,500 | $7,100 | $20 | -2% | 7% | -13% | 13 | 100 | 63 | 4 | 60 |
| Adam Hadwin | 280 | $6,300 | $7,600 | $21 | 14% | -11% | -32% | 96 | 115 | 85 | 23 | 8 |
| Mackenzie Hughes | 287 | $6,500 | $7,700 | $21 | -4% | -16% | -32% | 96 | 126 | 52 | 40 | 9 |
| Antoine Rozner | 290 | $6,600 | $22 | -13% | -39% | 73 | 128 | 15 | 18 | 1 | ||
| Andy Sullivan | 304 | $6,400 | $7,000 | $21 | 2% | 6% | -34% | 6 | 71 | 42 | 19 | 68 |
| Martin Laird | 304 | $6,300 | $7,200 | $20 | 10% | 1% | -16% | 61 | 126 | 38 | 30 | 69 |
| Tom Lewis | 307 | $6,400 | $7,400 | $20 | 0% | -8% | -18% | 73 | 96 | 48 | 25 | 54 |
| Byeong Hun An | 336 | $6,400 | $7,300 | $21 | -1% | -6% | -36% | 80 | 67 | 67 | 132 | 70 |
| Rasmus Hojgaard | 350 | $6,700 | $20 | -25% | -20% | 99 | 71 | 12 | 101 | 67 | ||
| Kurt Kitayama | 357 | $6,600 | $7,400 | $20 | -18% | -11% | -20% | 105 | 72 | 15 | 101 | 2 |
| Jazz Janewattananond | 357 | $6,500 | $7,000 | $20 | -11% | 1% | -20% | 11 | 2 | 80 | 50 | 57 |
| George Coetzee | 360 | $6,400 | $7,000 | $20 | -5% | -1% | -22% | 101 | 16 | 83 | 10 | 60 |
| JT Poston | 373 | $6,100 | $7,000 | $20 | 24% | -2% | -23% | 26 | 54 | 76 | 28 | 112 |
| Brandon Stone | 373 | $6,300 | $7,000 | $20 | 1% | -3% | -23% | 7 | 44 | 94 | 2 | 112 |
| Kalle Samooja | 383 | $6,400 | $20 | -7% | -24% | 9 | 3 | 72 | 12 | 28 | ||
| Denny McCarthy | 386 | $6,200 | $7,000 | $21 | 9% | -5% | -40% | 143 | 39 | 13 | 34 | 3 |
| Sami Valimaki | 403 | $6,700 | $20 | -31% | -25% | 21 | 27 | 22 | 64 | 125 | ||
| Harry Higgs | 407 | $6,400 | $7,000 | $20 | -10% | -6% | -26% | 73 | 80 | 59 | 81 | 19 |
| Aaron Rai | 407 | $6,300 | $7,000 | $20 | -3% | -6% | -26% | 30 | 24 | 83 | 18 | 97 |
| Padraig Harrington | 413 | $6,300 | $7,300 | $20 | -4% | -16% | -27% | 105 | 69 | 56 | 129 | 31 |
| Richy Werenski | 423 | $6,300 | $7,000 | $20 | -5% | -9% | -28% | 37 | 135 | 113 | 70 | 132 |
| Takumi Kanaya | 430 | $6,300 | $7,000 | $20 | -6% | -10% | -29% | 53 | 9 | 74 | 41 | 62 |
| Jason Dufner | 437 | $6,300 | $7,100 | $20 | -7% | -13% | -29% | 43 | 57 | 76 | 132 | 53 |
| Adam Long | 453 | $6,200 | $7,000 | $20 | 2% | -11% | -30% | 147 | 99 | 107 | 81 | 28 |
| Chez Reavie | 453 | $6,400 | $7,300 | $20 | -15% | -19% | -30% | 132 | 126 | 127 | 99 | 113 |
| Lucas Herbert | 453 | $6,300 | $7,000 | $20 | -8% | -11% | -30% | 123 | 117 | 46 | 70 | 79 |
| Peter Malnati | 473 | $6,200 | $7,000 | $20 | -1% | -13% | -32% | 43 | 89 | 107 | 96 | 132 |
| Rikuya Hoshino | 487 | $6,200 | $7,000 | $20 | -2% | -14% | -32% | 72 | 11 | 45 | 51 | |
| Robert Streb | 500 | $6,200 | $7,000 | $20 | -2% | -15% | -33% | 80 | 52 | 68 | 13 | 100 |
| Jimmy Walker | 500 | $6,200 | $7,000 | $20 | -2% | -15% | -33% | 73 | 72 | 29 | 56 | 59 |
| Chan Kim | 500 | $6,200 | $7,000 | $21 | -2% | -15% | -47% | 35 | 60 | 62 | 80 | 46 |
| Jason Scrivener | 513 | $6,300 | $7,000 | $20 | -14% | -17% | -34% | 120 | 41 | 97 | 41 | 2 |
| Brian Gay | 517 | $6,200 | $7,000 | $20 | -6% | -17% | -35% | 99 | 76 | 75 | 126 | 46 |
| Daniel Van Tonder | 527 | $6,100 | $21 | 3% | -49% | 1 | 80 | 71 | 81 | 39 | ||
| Hudson Swafford | 530 | $6,500 | $7,200 | $20 | -28% | -23% | -36% | 113 | 115 | 67 | 82 | 6 |
| Jim Herman | 730 | $6,100 | $7,000 | $20 | 2% | -19% | -36% | 154 | 85 | 53 | 53 | 151 |
| Vijay Singh | 917 | $6,100 | $7,000 | $20 | 1% | -20% | -37% | 86 | 112 | 121 | WD | 62 |
| Y.E. Yang | 1000 | $6,200 | $7,000 | $20 | -9% | -21% | -37% | |||||
| John Daly | 1300 | $6,000 | $7,000 | $20 | 8% | -21% | -38% | |||||
| Frank Bensel | 1857 | $6,000 | $20 | 8% | -38% | |||||||
| Shaun Micheel | 1867 | $6,200 | $7,000 | $20 | -11% | -22% | -39% | 136 | ||||
| Rich Beem | 1867 | $6,000 | $7,000 | $20 | 7% | -22% | -39% | 151 | 69 | 55 | ||
| Omar Uresti | 1900 | $6,000 | $7,000 | $20 | 5% | -24% | -40% | 119 | 106 | 66 | 95 | 86 |
| Brett Walker | 1929 | $6,200 | $20 | -13% | -40% | |||||||
| Ben Cook | 1933 | $6,000 | $7,000 | $20 | 4% | -25% | -41% | |||||
| Ben Polland | 1933 | $6,100 | $7,000 | $20 | -5% | -25% | -41% | |||||
| Joe Summerhays | 1958 | $6,100 | $20 | -6% | -41% | |||||||
| Daniel Balin | 1967 | $6,000 | $7,000 | 1% | -26% | 88 | 141 | |||||
| Stuart Smith | 1967 | $6,000 | $7,000 | 1% | -26% | |||||||
| Rob Labritz | 1967 | $6,000 | $7,000 | $20 | 1% | -26% | -42% | 127 | ||||
| Sonny Skinner | 1967 | $6,100 | $20 | -7% | -42% | |||||||
| Alex Beach | 1967 | $6,000 | $7,000 | $20 | 1% | -26% | -42% | |||||
| Patrick Rada | 2036 | $6,200 | $20 | -18% | -44% | |||||||
| Tim Pearce | 2036 | $6,100 | $20 | -10% | -44% | |||||||
| Brad Marek | 2036 | $6,100 | $20 | -10% | -44% | |||||||
| Derek Holmes | 2036 | $6,100 | $20 | -10% | -44% | |||||||
| Greg Koch | 2036 | $6,100 | $20 | -10% | -44% | |||||||
| Peter Ballo | 2036 | $6,000 | $20 | -2% | -44% | |||||||
| Tyler Collet | 2036 | $6,000 | $20 | -2% | -44% | |||||||
| Larkin Gross | 2038 | $6,100 | $20 | -14% | -46% |