PGA DFS Picks: Noto’s Ryder Cup Breakdown - DFS Strategy, Core Plays, Conviction Picks, Best Bets
Top-ranked DFS player, Notorious, breaks down his favorite PGA DFS picks at various price ranges for this week’s tournament. Who should you be building lineups around? Find out below!
PGA DFS Picks: DraftKings Core Plays for the Ryder Cup
The fall typically isn’t my favorite time of year for PGA DFS, but we have a special treat this week. The Ryder Cup is back on U.S. soil after Team Europe annihilated Team USA in 2023. For those unfamiliar with the event, here’s a quick refresher on the format:
Format:
- Friday AM: 4 four-ball matches (16 of 24 golfers play)
- Friday PM: 4 foursome matches (16 of 24 golfers play)
- Saturday AM: 4 four-ball matches (16 of 24 golfers play)
- Saturday PM: 4 foursome matches (16 of 24 golfers play)
- Sunday: 12 singles matches (all 24 golfers play)
Event Notes
- Each match is worth one point; ties result in half points
- To win the Ryder Cup outright, a team must collect 14.5 of the 28 points
- If it results in a 14-14 tie, Team Europe would retain the trophy
- Team Europe hasn’t won the Ryder Cup in the US since 2004
Editor’s Note: For more tournament notes for the Ryder Cup and a complete list of Match Play records, check out this week’s PGA DFS First Look.
Ryder Cup Strategy
As you can see above, 4 golfers from each team sit out each of the first 4 sessions. This creates a strategic angle when it comes to DFS. The key is maximizing the number of matches in your lineups. Since we want to maximize the shelf life of this article, I’m writing it before the first session’s pairings are announced. For now, I’m doing some guesswork as to who will be out there for the first session and for the pairings.
My favorite plays will absolutely hinge on the first session pairings. I will update my Core Play tags in our PGA DFS optimizer, LineupHQ, after we see the first pairing and matchups. There are a few strategy notes that I want to cover before getting to my favorite plays. The first is that I’m unlikely to roster any golfer who’s not playing in the first session. Right off the bat, you are limiting the number of matches that your lineup will have. If you are building 20+ lineups, you can certainly start to sprinkle those who sit in the first session, but that’s not my plan.
The second is that I won’t be targeting golfers who are facing each other in the first session. Again, you are limiting your upside if you have golfers on opposite teams who are facing each other on Day 1. And finally, I will be utilizing a lot of stacks when it comes to the pairings for the first session. For example, if Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay are paired together, playing both will allow you to get double points from the match. Additionally, if they play well together, they will likely be paired again in the upcoming sessions.
This is expected to be one of the closest Ryder Cups in recent memory. Team USA is favored (-155) since the event is being held in America (Bethpage Black in New York), but this one is truly up for grabs. While it’s possible that one team could run away with it, that’s not how I’m building my lineups in DFS. I will likely have 4-2 stacks on both sides. For example, I’ll have 4 golfers from Team USA and 2 from Team Europe, or 4 golfers from Team Europe and 2 golfers from Team USA.
This is going to be an incredible week of golf. If you have any questions, reach out to me in the RG Discord or on Twitter.
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Core Plays
Scottie Scheffler
DraftKings: $11,400
Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee: 1
Strokes Gained: Approach: 1
Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green: 3
Strokes Gained: Putting: 4
Birdie or Better %: 1
Bogey Avoidance: 1
Scheffler is the best golfer in the world. He hasn’t finished outside of the top 10 since THE PLAYERS Championship and has racked up 6 wins since then. This is a rare slate where he’s not significantly more expensive than the other golfers in the field. Regardless of who he is paired with in the first session, he’s going to be my favorite spend of the slate. In this field, he’s 4th or better in all 4 of the Strokes Gained metrics. The fact that he’s become an above-average putter makes him that much tougher of an opponent in match play.
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