The Cadillac Championship suffered another blow to the strength of the field as Patrick Cantlay withdrew from the event at Trump National Doral due to illness.

Cantlay is the latest big name to miss the Cadillac Championship, which sees the return of Trump National Doral to the PGA Tour for the first time since 2016.

The 34-year-old joins the likes of Rory McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele, Robert MacIntyre ​and Ludvig Aberg all missing the event in Miami.

Cantlay is replaced in the field by Michael Thorbjornsen, who will play alongside Canadian Corey Conners in the first two rounds - starting at 1.30 pm ET on Thursday.

It also raises the hopes of Brooks Koepka getting a late spot in the field, as he's now the second alternate for the tournament and will be keeping a keen on the news from Doral.

It's another blow to the Cadillac Championship, the fifth PGA Tour Signature Event of the season, which still does have World No.1 Scottie Scheffler leading the field.

Despite the $20m prize fund, many of the world's top golfers are skipping the event, which has led to questions about holding Signature Events back-to-back right before the PGA Championship.

In total there's three Signature Events in between The Masters and PGA Championship, with the Truist Championship coming up next week and seen by some as a better prep for Aronimink.

Before his withdrawal, Cantlay was one of the marquee names willing to tee it up to build on his promising form, which saw him finish eighth at the RBC Heritage a couple of weeks ago.

The World No.32 also tied for 12th at Augusta National and finished seventh at the Valspar as he showed some signs of getting back to his best.

His withdrawal is good news for former Stanford star Thorbjornsen though, who was originally in the field but was knocked out as a result of Alex Fitzpatrick getting in for winning the Zurich Classic of New Orleans alongside brother Matthew on Sunday.

Thorbjornsen was in the mix at The Players Championship before finishing T22 and looks to be ready to make a big leap forward this season as he chases a maiden PGA Tour victory.

The Travelers Championship, as it has been known since 2007, is best known for its huge crowds and low scoring at TPC River Highlands one week after the US Open.

The second-best attended event on the PGA Tour calendar - behind the WM Phoenix Open - attracts over 250,000 spectators throughout the week, with a record 400,000 people coming through the gates in Cromwell, Connecticut in 2002.

Once they arrive, fans are regularly treated to plenty of birdies and engaging entertainment. In the tournament's entire history, dating back to 1952, the winning score has been 20-under or lower on nine occasions and the scoring record has been reset multiple times.

Since 2000, the tournament scoring record has been broken twice at TPC River Highlands while the single-round course record has been matched or surpassed on an incredible six occasions in the same timespan.

Notah Begay III shot a seven-under 64 in 2000 before Phil Mickelson's 61 blew that score out of the water the very next year. Renowned putting coach, Brad Faxon shot a 61 on Sunday at the 2005 Buick Championship while 2009 champion, Kenny Perry equalled the number in the first round four seasons later.

However, it was in 2011 that a 19-year-old from UCLA called Patrick Cantlay went one better in just his second PGA Tour start.

During round two, the amateur star catapulted himself into the lead following an outstanding score of 60 at TPC River Highlands.

As well as being an outright course record at the time, Cantlay became the first amateur to shoot a 60 in a PGA Tour event courtesy of no bogeys, an eagle and eight birdies.

Speaking after making three birdies inside his final five holes, Cantlay said: "I hit it really good this afternoon. I only hit a couple bad drives, and they didn’t put me in any trouble. And then on the greens I felt really, really comfortable, and I felt like I could roll almost any putt I had in.”

TPC RIVER HIGHLANDS COURSE RECORD

Unlikely ever to be beaten, Jim Furyk holds the course record at TPC River Highlands thanks to a magical 58 during the final round of the 2016 Travelers Championship.

The seventh sub-60 round on the PGA Tour at the time fired Furyk up from almost last to a T5th finish, although it was a 12-under score and technically not as impressive as the American's 13-under 59 at the 2013 BMW Championship.

Coincidentally, Germany's Stephan Jaeger had shot the Korn Ferry Tour's first-ever 58 on his way to winning the Ellie Mae Classic just a week earlier.

Furyk's extraordinary performance was even more surprising given he had actually struggled to just make the cut days prior. He shot a three-over 73 in round one before scraping through on the number via a 66 on Friday.

A two-over total in the third round left him one-over for the tournament and 70th out of 73 players to make it through to the weekend - 16 strokes behind 54-hole leader, Daniel Berger.

With nothing to lose, the 2003 US Open champion teed off early on Sunday alongside Miguel Angel Carballo and made par at the first after missing a 14-footer for birdie.

He then birdied the second and eagled the third via a hole-out from the fairway to reach three-under through three holes before sending a 4-iron to four feet from 206 yards for another gain at the next.

After recording a par at the fifth, Furyk turned in birdies on consecutive holes between the sixth and 12th, moving to 11-under through a dozen holes. Unfortunately for the 17-time PGA Tour winner, he would par five of the closing six to end on 12-under after a number of his approaches left him too much to do.

While 58 was still incredibly impressive, it could have been one stroke better if his seven-foot birdie chance at the 15th hadn't lipped out.

Furyk hit all but one of the 14 fairways at TPC River Highlands - he still made birdie at the seventh anyway - and found all 18 greens in regulation, taking just 24 putts.

Extraordinarily, the round almost didn't exist because Carballo incorrectly marked Furyk down for a birdie three at the 14th hole. Thankfully, the Argentine noticed before submitting the scorecard and changed it, avoiding a disqualification for the man who ended up three strokes behind winner, Russell Knox.

JIM FURYK 58 SCORECARD AT TPC RIVER HIGHLANDS

Patrick Cantlay says reports that Team USA all want paying to play in the Ryder Cup is all part of a "media narrative" that has created such a big debate.

Ever since reports broke suggesting the PGA of America has agreed to pay Team USA $400,000 a man to play in next year's Ryder Cup - the debate has raged on about whether that's the right thing for the competition.

Players have been sharing their thoughts on the thorny issue at the Hero World Challenge this week, with Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas and Scottie Scheffler having their say.

Cantlay has been seen as a main instigator in possible Ryder Cup payments, but he was not being drawn into commenting on the subject when asked after his first round in the Bahamas.

"My thoughts on the Ryder Cup are really simple: I'm there to represent my country and I'm there to win points for my teammates and that's it," said Cantlay.

European Ryder Cup fans in Rome last year mocked Cantlay after the 'Hatgate' reports of him allegedly not wearing a Team USA cap in protest over not being paid.

That's why Cantlay is closely associated with the pursuit of player payments for next year's Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, but that was also rubbished by the World No.11.

"I think that's a media narrative and I'm not going to fall into that," he responded when asked about whether events in Rome being linked to player payments frustrated him.

It's a devisive issue though, with Paul McGinley among those strongly opposed and Rory McIlroy saying he would happily pay for the privilege of playing.

Scheffler said he had no issue with players being paid, but was also keen to point out that "every one of our [Team USA] players would pay to play in the Ryder Cup".

No official confirmation either way has yet been released by the PGA of America, so the debate will continue to rage until the scale of payments, if any, is revealed.

The 2024 Presidents Cup sees Jim Furyk’s Team USA take on Mike Weir’s International Team at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Canada, where the country is looking to extend its number of wins at the match to 13 from 15 editions.

To help with that ambition, Furyk is turning to eight of the 12 players who appeared for Team USA in the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone a year ago, including the player who was shrouded in a controversy during the match that became known as HatGate.

Back then Patrick Cantlay was reported to have led a split in a ‘fractured’ US Ryder Cup team over player payments. Cantlay didn't wear a hat during the match, which was supposedly a means of "demonstrating his frustration" that the team was not being paid for its appearance – something that is also the case at the Presidents Cup.

Eventually, Cantlay dismissed the report as “complete lies” and “totally unfounded.” He also explained that, far from a protest, he didn’t wear the hat because it wasn’t the right size, saying: “It just doesn’t fit. It’s as simple as that. I didn’t wear it at Whistling Straits because the hat just doesn’t fit so that’s really all it is.”

Regardless, the incident became one of the enduring memories of the contest, particularly after tensions boiled over when Cantlay’s caddie Joe LaCava waved his hat to celebrate a crucial putt of Cantlay’s in the Saturday afternoon four ball session, an action that displeased Rory McIlroy, who was lining up a big putt of his own.

Given Cantlay’s involvement in the Presidents Cup, it was perhaps inevitable the subject would be raised, and sure enough, in his press conference ahead of the match, Furyk was asked how he had persuaded Cantlay to wear a hat this week.

His lighthearted answer seemed to add weight to the 32-year-old’s explanation that his Ryder Cup hat simply wasn’t a good fit.

Furyk joked: “We finally had one that had that odd of a shape that it would actually fit on there,” before adding: “I think a lot of it's our vendors. He wore a hat two years ago in Charlotte. We had the same vendors on the PGA Tour, and he seems to be comfortable.”

The 54-year-old then insisted that whether any of his players wear hats or not this week, it won’t bother him, with the focus on ensuring they are comfortable. “If my guys are comfortable in hats, they can wear hats," he added. "If they're not comfortable in hats, it doesn't matter.

“It doesn't work out too well for me, I'll just say. My head will turn purple after a day, but I want them comfortable. I think we would both say that the clothing this year, my guys love it.”

Whether or not HatGate was a distraction, the US lost to Europe 16.5-11.5 in the Ryder Cup, meaning it has now only won three of 11 editions since the turn of the century, and Furyk tried to pinpoint why it sometimes struggles in that match, but enjoys such a dominant Presidents Cup record.

He said: “I think a lot of it is our team room looks different in both events. I think the guys put a lot of pressure on themselves. They try a little too hard. They push in the Ryder Cup. They want to prove everyone wrong, and sometimes maybe when you try too hard, you kind of get in your own way. I think in this event we play a little bit more loose, we play a little more free.”

The final round of the US Open is going to be full of drama and fascinating storylines throughout the final day's play, but one thread that will likely lead to a considerable amount of broadcast time and chatter among the fans is the pairing of Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay.

The two - who could not be classed as good friends - will tee off on Sunday at 2:10pm ET (7:10pm BST) looking to quickly close the three-shot gap up to leader Bryson DeChambeau and set up their own respective Major tilt at Pinehurst No.2.

As they do so, Cantlay and McIlroy will have to park their contrasting views on the world of golf and their differing styles of play - all while trying to ignore the events of last October at the Ryder Cup.

Late on during the duo's brief time on the PGA Tour board together, McIlroy was leading Team Europe's charge towards regaining the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club just outside of Rome, Italy.

After a report broke on the second morning that Cantlay was refusing to wear a Team USA cap due to a dispute over whether players should be paid for their appearance at the biennial competition, European fans supporting McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick taunted the eight-time PGA Tour winner by waving their hats in the air whenever he was near.

Ironically, it appeared to spur Cantlay on and the Californian enjoyed a fantastic day alongside Wyndham Clark - ultimately holing a clutch putt on the 18th that would give Zach Johnson's men faint hope of a miracle recovery on Sunday.

Once said putt dropped, and clearly fed up by his player's treatment, Joe LaCava - Cantlay's caddie - began fervently waving his cap above his head while standing close to McIlroy. The four-time Major winner was upset by LaCava's ill-judged moment and an argument, which would ultimately spill over into the car park later on, arose.

McIlroy and Fitzpatrick both missed their tying putts, but the incident left such a sour taste in the Northern Irishman's mouth that he walked onto the course the following day with a steely determination seldom seen even at a Major. Sam Burns was the victim that day, falling 3&1 after putting up a decent but forlorn fight.

The bitterness between McIlroy and LaCava was quickly smoothed over, however, with the 35-year-old revealing that Cantlay's caddie had patched their relationship up shortly after Luke Donald's men lifted the trophy.

McIlroy said: “Joe LaCava came into the European team room on the Sunday night and had a drink and a chat. I've had a great relationship with Joe over the years when he caddied for Tiger (Woods) and that wasn't going to change.

“For me, the incident happened, I purposely didn't want to meet anyone on the Sunday morning because I wanted what had happened to fuel me for that day. My whole focus was let's make sure Europe win the Ryder Cup and then we will sort all the other stuff out afterwards. And it's all fine. We're all friends now.”

It did not appear as though McIlroy and Cantlay had made up, though, as the Northern Irishman was later quoted calling his PGA Tour rival a d*** during an interview with the Irish Independent’s Paul Kimmage.

In the story, published in December 2023, McIlroy was asked about the 'hat gate' incident. He said: “Here’s what angered me. My relationship with Cantlay is average at best. We don’t have a ton in common and see the world quite differently.

"And they [Jim ’Bones' Mackay] are trying to defuse the situation, but I start having a go at them. Joe LaCava used to be a nice guy when he was caddying for Tiger, and now he’s caddying for that d–k, he’s turned into a … I still wasn’t in a great headspace.”

Credit to Cantlay, the American chose to pour cold water over the aforementioned comments in a later interview with Golf.com, stating that it was "taken out of context."

He said: “I think we’re both highly competitive and we’re both trying to be the absolute best,” he told Golf.com during a wide ranging interview. “I think we both admire that part of each other.

"As far as the Policy Board goes, we’ve worked really closely together and had a really good working relationship over my year on the board.

“Look, I talked to him post-Ryder Cup and, y’know, everything was cordial and all good.”

On Saturday night, with both Cantlay and McIlroy in a tie for second on four-under, only Cantlay was asked about the hotly-anticipated penultimate grouping on Sunday.

He would not be drawn into saying much, however, quickly deflecting on to his own chances of picking up a maiden Major. Cantlay said: "Yeah, should be great. To be just -- I don't know what Bryson is finishing up at, but to be in second or T2nd, I'm in a great spot come tomorrow.

"It's a golf course that's a challenge. If you can make some birdies, you can gain a lot of ground. I'm really happy with how I played today, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

I'm sure a lot of other people concur with the final part of that last sentence, Patrick.

Heading into round two of the 2024 US Open, Patrick Cantlay was co-leader thanks to a magnificent round of 65 on Thursday that put him right alongside Rory McIlroy. 

Both Ryder Cup rivals managed to avoid any bogeys in their respective rounds, thus becoming the second and third players ever to do so at a Pinehurst-hosted US Open.

And along the way, Cantlay joined a whole host of others who recorded hole-outs from a greenside bunker on day one. Nick Dunlap managed it at 16, Hideki Matsuyama avoided the need for his putter at 12, and Collin Morikawa recovered from sending his ball off the ninth green with a marginally over-hit sand shot by dropping his golf ball into the cup on the 17th.

But in the aftermath of the first day's action, Golf Channel analyst Johnson Wagner opted to head out on to the 11th at Pinehurst No.2 and see if he was able to replicate anything like Cantlay's spectacular effort earlier on. 

The first-round co-leader had short-sided himself with the pin on the front left, but magic hands and a quick whip through the sand sent Cantlay's golf ball skipping onto the green before quickly finding its target for birdie.

A matter of hours later, Golf Channel's highly-popular analyst almost repeated the feat, leaving his only live effort around three feet from the hole next to a pin location that Wagner had only just labelled as "the toughest" players will face on that green all week.

As he hit the shot, Wagner innocently let out a surprised "oh!" before chuckling as his ball checked and came to a halt within gimme range. "That was pretty good. Pretty happy about that," he said.

Going on to illustrate Matt Fitzpatrick's relative struggles on the same hole but in a different spot, Wagner - who had previously admitted to suffering from the chipping yips in a prior analytical piece for Golf Channel - moved over to an area of grass to the left of where Cantlay escaped from and showed more of his prowess with wedge in hand.

Admitting he was "not brave enough to hit a 60-degree off this into-the-grain lie," Wagner swapped out his club and explained that he had received a chipping lesson from Todd Anderson alongside Billy Horschel recently, and he was planning to put those tips into practice.

Just before hitting, Wagner said out loud: "embrace the ground" - going on to dig his wedge into the floor and sending the ball up towards the hole. The shot was excellent despite Wagner initially stating it was "not my best technique", although he did go on to say he was very happy with the result.

Wagner finished his piece-to-camera by saying: "It feels good to get a win tonight, guys" - likely in reference to a couple of occasions this year where his entertaining explanations have not been coupled with the ideal example stroke.

Long after a couple of duffed chips at TPC Sawgrass during The Players Championship in March, Wagner headed down to the 18th at Valhalla to see if he could reproduce the extraordinary second shot Xander Schauffele played in the closing stages of his PGA Championship victory last month.

The eventual champion defied a particularly awkward stance in a bunker to whip his ball to safety and then go on to make a title-clinching birdie on the par-5 18th, helping him beat Bryson DeChambeau by one.

But Wagner - cheered on by a small crowd - was unable to exactly replicate Schauffele's genius and sent his commendable attempt into the right rough, leaving a tough wedge shot into the green. Not that he minded, though. Wagner said: "That wouldn't have been a very good shot, I caught it a little high on the face. But, hey, I'm kinda of beaming right now. I made contact and I've got a little crowd out here."

Patrick Cantlay has become one the top players in the world in recent years, accumulating 8 PGA Tour wins in seven seasons. With a consistent game that is strong across all the major statistical categories, his swing is a text book example of great technique and control... so, what can we learn?

In this article, World No.8 Patrick Cantlay shares his eight favorite tips in order to help you play better golf...

1. Beating A Slice

Strengthening your grip a little is one obvious way to improve things a bit. Beyond that, it’s important to complete your swing so try to really think about following through to a full finish, rather than thinking too much about just impact. That could really help get your club travelling on a better line through the ball.

2. Reading Greens

If you’ve got time, then always read putts from the other side of the hole too. It’s hard to always see it from 30ft away, but going round to the other side, where you can get a good look from perhaps ten feet, can really help you see what happens in that critical final six feet, and help you work out where the ball is going to be dropping into the hole from.

3. Match Play

Think of each hole as an individual match – it’s very different to stroke play. The key thing is to not give trivial holes away. You’ve got to make them win holes rather than giving holes to them.

4. Holing Out From Three Feet

The first thing is just hours and hours of practice. Other than that, really narrow your target down from just the hole to something much smaller – perhaps a blade of grass or a blemish at the back of the hole. In terms of a target on those short putts, the narrower your focus, the better.

5. Increasing Power

Tension is a real power killer. I see a lot of golfers really tensing everything up when they’re trying to hit further, when actually just the opposite is much more likely to help. Lots of golfers could hit it further by relaxing a little more at address and getting rid of all the tension they mistakenly believe they need to hit it a long way.

6. Bunker Play

Set-up is the big thing – a lot of golfers set up to bunker shots in too similar a way to normal full shots. For bunker shots, I would recommend flexing your legs a little more and getting more weight on to your lead leg. That will get you bringing the club back into the ball a little steeper.

7. Creating More Wedge Spin

You’ve got to get the ball first and one way to improve your chances of doing that would be to move it back a little in the stance. Not too far, but just far enough to improve your chances of getting ball rather than ground or turf first.

8. How To Practise

You can improve just by ‘being there’ in terms of concentration on the range. Twenty minutes where you focus on every shot is far better than standing there for two hours and hitting ball after ball without really focusing. 

Every shot counts on the course. You’re practising to improve, so you should really think in terms of every shot counting on the range as well.

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An anonymous tournament director on the PGA Tour has called for Rory McIlroy to make a triumphant return to the Policy Board as a player-director in order to save incumbent servant Patrick Cantlay from "ruining" the US-based circuit.

McIlroy left his governance role in November 2023, citing personal and professional commitments as his primary reasons, and Cantlay took over as the player-director's key spokesman thereafter.

But just months later, the four-time Major winner shocked much of the golfing world by stating that he was looking to rejoin the board as he believed he could help tie up a unification deal between the PGA Tour and the LIV Golf League's backers, the Saudi PIF.

However, in the days before the Wells Fargo Championship and PGA Championship, McIlroy revealed that he was denied access to return via a vote as there was "a subset of people on the board who were uncomfortable with me coming back on."

Prior to this news, an anonymous source via Golfweek's Adam Schupak was quoted as saying that the Northern Irishman must return to a position of power at the PGA Tour or his Ryder Cup rival would continue to kibosh any kind of peace deal - something the future of men's pro golf desperately needs.

The source said: “We need Rory back on the board. Had he stayed on he could’ve neutered Cantlay. He’s the only one with the power to neuter Cantlay. We need Rory to try to keep Cantlay from ruining the Tour… Webb [Simpson] is too nice. A lot of people at the Tour at a very high level are thrilled that Rory is going back on the board for that reason."

Part of McIlroy's dream scenario for the future of men's pro golf involves a greater emphasis on a worldwide tour that features plenty of smaller-field events outside of the United States.

And while McIlroy's opinion might not be to everyone's taste, the anonymous tournament director believes the PGA Tour is going to have to change its ways to some degree or find itself in trouble further down the line.

They continued: “Rory wants the Irish Open and other international events to be promoted and smaller fields and larger purses. There’s a lot we don’t like about Rory and his deal.

"But the main thing is Cantlay and we’ve got to get a deal done with the PIF. LIV’s got to go away. If we don’t get a deal done, we’re all screwed in the end. We all know it. (Cantlay) is against it. Rory is for it. So let’s get a deal done and get these (guys) put to bed.

"Do any of us want to work with the Saudis, no? But, on the other hand, none of us want to fight against them and their money for the rest of our careers, either. Cantlay is blocking any type of deal they try to put together.

"Rory wants (independent director) Jimmy Dunne to be the negotiator, not the players. The players should only be voting on what happens inside the ropes and rules and stuff. They are not businessmen.

"If you have a high school education, how the hell can you vote on multi-billion-dollar finance situations and investment properties? They don’t have a clue. They don’t know the business. Hire the top business guys in the world to do your deal. Put them in place and be done with it.”

After the quotes became public, PGA Tour pro Michael Kim posted on social media to say he finds it "hard to believe" that Cantlay is the one in charge of proceedings.

In a post on X, Kim said: "Idk where the Cantlay is running the board thing originally came from but I just find that really hard to believe." Asked by one fan why he thinks that, Kim replied: "Just from knowing all the personalities on the board and from some of the things I’ve heard."

Golf Monthly has approached Patrick Cantlay's representatives for comment.

A unique event on the PGA Tour, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, takes place at TPC Louisiana.

The event sees 160 players form 80 teams of two with rounds alternating between fourball and foursomes and a 36-hole cut that sees the top 33 teams and ties progress.

Last year, Davis Riley and Nick Hardy beat the Canadian pairing of Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin for their maiden PGA Tour titles. That also handed them a first prize of $1,242,700 each from the overall purse of $8.6m.

This year, there’s even more on offer, with an overall prize money payout of $8.9m, meaning each of the winners will receive $1,286,050.

Among the other incentives are 400 FedEx Cup points for each of the winners and a two-year PGA Tour exemption. They will also claim spots at the PGA Championship and signature events, as well as next year’s Sentry and Players Championship. However, unlike most other PGA Tour events, winners won’t receive either a Masters invite or world ranking points.

Below is the prize money payout for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Zurich Classic Of New Orleans Prize Money Payout

Who Are The Star Names In The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans?

Some of the biggest names in the game are in the field, including four-time Major winner Rory McIlroy, who has teamed up with Shane Lowry for his first appearance at the tournament.

The defending champions are Davis Riley and Nick Hardy, who beat Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor in 2023, and all four also return as part of the same teams.

The pair who won in 2022, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, team up again too. Last year, 2022 US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick joined forces with his brother Alex after a text exchange, and they also return.

Elsewhere, two-time Major winner Collin Morikawa plays alongside 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational winner Kurt Kitayama, while World No.17 Sahith Theegala is in a team with Will Zalatoris.

Team Europe Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald also appears, and he teams up with one of his vice-captains from the 2023 edition at Marco Simone, Francesco Molinari, while fresh from his Corales Puntacana Championship win, Billy Horschel, who has two victories at the tournament, plays alongside Alexander Tyson.

After Hideki Matsuyama claimed $4m for his win at the third of the PGA Tour’s signature events of 2024, the Genesis Invitational, it’s back to a regular event this week with the Mexico Open at Vidanta Vallarta.

As a result, many of the world’s best players have opted not to head south from LA, while the prize fund of $8.1m if significantly lower than the $20m available at the Riviera Country Club tournament.

Despite that, there is still an eye-catching first prize on offer, with the winner set to claim $1.458m – over half of the entire purse of $2.5m for the other big men’s tournament taking place this week, the Magical Kenya Open on the DP World Tour.

The purse is also $400,000 higher than the 2023 edition of the tournament, when Tony Finau held off the challenge of Jon Rahm to win $1.386m. This week’s runner-up will have the consolation of an $882,900 payday. There are also 500 FedEx Cup points for grabs.

Below is the full prize money payout for the 2024 Mexico Open at Vadanta Vallarta.

Mexico Open Prize Money Payout 2024

Who Are The Star Names In The Mexico Open?

Four of the world’s top 50 are competing at the tournament, including defending champion Tony Finau. Last year, the American beat Spaniard Jon Rahm to claim the trophy by three shots, and he will be confident of a similar outcome given he is the highest-ranked player in the field at World No.24.

Ten places beneath Finau in the rankings is Team Europe Ryder Cup player Nicolai Hojgaard, who is still looking for his maiden PGA Tour win. Will this be the occasion?

Emiliano Grillo, who won the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge, and Ryan Fox who was one of 10 DP World Tour players to secure PGA Tour cards for the 2024 season, also play.

Rahm, who won the title in 2022, is unavailable after signing LIV Golf, and that also applies to Mexico’s two best players, Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz, but there is a place in the field for another Mexican, 2021 winner Alvaro Ortiz, whose three-shot win came in the tournament’s last as a PGA Tour Latinoamerica event.

Eight-time DP World Tour winner Thorbjorn Olesen, another member of Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup team, Robert MacIntyre, and Charley Hoffman, who finished runner up at the WM Phoenix Open, also play.

Patrick Cantlay What's In The Bag?

A multiple PGA Tour champion, including two victories at the Memorial Tournament and a FedEx Cup win in 2021, Patrick Cantlay used to be a Titleist staff player and had a full bag from the brand. However, that partnership ended in 2023, so what clubs is he playing now? Let's take a closer look at his equipment lineup for 2025.

Driver

What Driver Does Patrick Cantlay Use? 

Cantlay is currently using a Titleist GT2 driver with a Mitsubishi Diamana ZF60 TX shaft. He has a 9° head set into the C1 setting on Titleist's SureFit hosel, which has lowered the stated loft by 0.75° and flattened the driver by 0.75°, too.

Fairway Woods

What Fairway Wood Does Patrick Cantlay Use?

Like many other professionals, Cantlay rarely changes his fairway wood slot in the bag because it can be a hard club to get right. As such, he continues to use a Titleist 915F model (three wood), which first showed up on Tour back in June 2014. This has 15° of stated loft and, like his driver, is in the C1 position on the SureFit hosel, thus taking away 0.75° of loft and also making it 0.75° flatter.

Back then, the feature that raised some eyebrows was the Active Recoil Channel (ARC). It was a slot cut into the sole of the club, which was said to allow more flex at impact. This was designed to increase ball speed on thin shots and reduce spin for a lower flight. 

Cantlay also carries a Titleist TS2 five wood with 21° of loft in the B1 setting, keeping it at the same 21° of stated loft but making it 0.75° flatter. It is worth noting that he likes carrying a hybrid with this loft as well, and it's quite likely that this section of his bag can change from time to time. Both of his fairway woods are fitted with Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 70 TX shafts.

Irons

What Irons Does Patrick Cantlay Use?

At the top end of the bag, Cantlay carries a Srixon ZX5 4-iron, his only non-Titleist club. His main weapons of choice are still the Titleist 718 AP2 irons (5-9), which are fitted with True Temper Dynamic Gold 120 Tour Issue X100 shafts. This is a model that we first tested back in 2017, and clearly Cantlay sees no reason to change what was one of the best golf irons on the market at the time. 

Wedges

What Wedges Does Patrick Cantlay Use?

Having previously used different generations of Vokey wedges (he once had an SM5, SM6 and SM7 in the bag at the same time), Cantlay now has two SM7s in the bag - 47° (10F) and 52° (08F). He also has two Titleist Vokey SM9 wedges - 57° (08M) and 61° (T-grind). His wedges are fitted with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S300 shafts, and he has had them personalized with his initials. 

Putter

What Putter Does Patrick Cantlay Use?

One club in the bag that Cantlay does appear more willing to experiment with is the putter. The Ryder Cupper used to be a Newport blade player, but in 2021 he switched to a mallet design. It would appear that he continues to putt with a Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto, which has a SuperStroke grip. 

Ball

What Ball Does Patrick Cantlay Use?

Cantlay plays the Titleist Pro V1x golf ball, one of the best premium golf balls on the market 2024. The latest iteration of the Titleist Pro V1x delivers in all areas of the game. In testing, we noticed a jump in ball speed off the tee which, combined with a strong flight, offered superb distance.

Apparel/Shoes

What Shoes Does Patrick Cantlay Wear?

Cantlay wears FootJoy shoes, specifically the FootJoy DryJoys Tour BOA. Sometimes when you find a comfortable pair of shoes - and we're not just talking golf shoes here - then it just doesn't make sense to change. In terms of his choice of golf clothing, B.Draddy and Zero Restriction are two of his partners. 

Patrick Cantlay WITB: Full Specs

Driver: Titleist GT2, 8.25°, Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 60 TX shaft.
Three wood: Titleist 915F, 14.25°, Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 70 TX shaft.
Five wood: Titleist TS2, 21°, Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 70 TX shaft.
Irons: Srixon ZX5 (four iron), Titleist 718 AP2 (5-9), all with True Temper Dynamic Gold 120 Tour Issue X100 shaft.
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM7, 47° (10F), 52° (08F), Titleist Vokey SM9, 57° (08M), 61° (T grind), all with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S300 shaft.
Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto, SuperStroke grip.
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x.
Apparel & glove: B.Draddy & Zero Restriction, Titleist.
Footwear: FootJoy DryJoys Tour BOA.

Joe LaCava has been on the bag for Patrick Cantlay since May 2023, with the pair joining up together at the Wells Fargo Championship. Now on the American's bag full-time, the duo have previously worked together at the 2021 Northern Trust, with LaCava joining Cantlay after the 31-year-old split with long time caddie, Matt Minister, after the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

If LaCava is a recognizable name to some, it is likely due to the fact that he used to caddie for Tiger Woods, specifically from 2011 until the pair split in mid-2023. What's more, LaCava was, in fact, on the bag when Woods claimed the most recent of his 15 Major wins at the 2019 Masters. 

Previously, Cantlay had been working with Minister for the majority of his career, with the pair playing collegiate golf at Ohio State University. Minister remains quite the golfer now as his handicap is currently 2, with the American on the bag for Cantlay during his The Memorial Tournament win in 2019, as well as the Ryder Cup in 2021.

In May 2023, LaCava joined the Cantlay team full-time, with the pair already securing a number of top-10 finishes. At the PGA Championship, the American finished in a tie for ninth, with Cantlay losing a playoff to Lucas Glover at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August.

However, LaCava is best known for his time with World Golf Hall of Famer, Woods, and in fact asked Woods for his approval before signing on the line with Cantlay. 

According to Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg: "Joe called Tiger to ask him and get his approval. Of course, Tiger gave it. Tiger and Joe are like brothers, tremendous friends. You shouldn't read anything more in to that other than Joe wants to caddie. He loves it. It's his passion. He's great at it and one of the best."

A legend in the caddying game, LaCava made his name as a caddie while working for Fred Couples in the 90s and early 2000s. In fact, he spent 20 years working for the 1992 Masters Champion and helped Couples win a total of 12 events. The two split when Couples told LaCava to go and work for a younger player.

In addition to working for Couples, LaCava had a four-year spell with Dustin Johnson that saw Johnson rise steadily through the ranks, before LaCava joined Woods in 2011. From that time, he remained loyal to the 15-time Major winner, even when Woods spent long periods out with chronic back and other injuries. 

Along with Couples, Johnson and Woods, LaCava also worked alongside Nelly Korda at the Cognizant Founders Cup on the LPGA Tour in May 2023.

How To Watch Genesis Scottish Open Live Stream 2023

Rory McIlroy, who has not won in Scotland in his career, leads going into the final round by one a shot after a three-under par third-round. He was four under after 11 holes but, in his own words, “made that first bogey on 12 and it was a little scrappy coming in from there.”

It is congested at the top of the leaderboard with 17 players within 5 shots of the lead. There is a competition-within-a-competition in that the final three qualifying places for The Open will go to the three highest finishers at the Genesis Scottish Open who have not already qualified. Eric Cole and Byeong Hun An lead the chase for these places.

To make sure you miss none of the action, below are all the streaming and broadcast details on how to watch a Genesis Scottish Open live stream from wherever you are, as well as today's tee times.

The Genesis Scottish Open boasts a stellar field including defending champion Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland, Max Homa, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Jordan Spieth. Eight of the world’s top-10 ranked golfers will be playing with only Jon Rahm and LIV Golf’s Cam Smith absent. The field also includes the current US Open champion, and world number 11, Wyndham Clark, and past Major champions Justin Thomas, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry and Adam Scott.

The Genesis Scottish Open is co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour. This, allied to it being played the week before the Open Championship with a prize fund of $9,000,000, has attracted many top golfers from the US circuit.

It is a modern course on the East Lothian coast adjacent to Muirfield, designed by American Tom Doak. It opened in 2008, and was extensively remodelled a few years later. Built with the intention of attracting top professional events, it has been home to the Scottish Open since 2019, and has also hosted the 2017 Scottish Senior Open and the Ladies Scottish Opens of 2019 and 2020.

The course is “packed with variety, originality and wow-factor,” according to our reviewer Rob Smith. Although not a true links course, it does blend aspects of links and inland golf, as it runs through and beside ancient pine woodland, along cliffs and over drystone walls. It opens with several holes carved through the forest before heading towards the Firth of Forth where the best holes are found around the turn.

If you're looking for a Genesis Scottish Open live stream, the article below will tell you how to watch the latest tournament from the DP World Tour.

UK TV Schedule – How To Watch Genesis Scottish Open Live Stream

All times BST

Thursday, July 13: 8am-6.30pm (Sky Sports Golf)

Friday, July 14: 8am-6.30pm (Sky Sports Golf)

Saturday, July 15: 7am-2pm (Sky Sports Golf)

Sunday, July 16: 7am-2pm (Sky Sports Golf)

In the UK, Sky Sports should be your first port of call as Sky Sports Golf will televise action from the event. At the moment Sky has some great deals on Sky Sports for those looking to upgrade and those looking to sign up to Sky for the first time.

You can get all eight Sky Sports channels in HD for just £25 a month which not only includes all the golf action, but you can also watch the football, cricket, Formula 1, NFL and a whole host of other sporting events.

Genesis Scottish Open Live Stream Live Stream: How to watch from outside your country

There are loads of easy ways to watch golf in 2023 including in the US, UK and almost anywhere else but you won't be able to tune into your regular streaming service if you're away from home because of geo-blocking. Fortunately, VPNs allow you to tune in from abroad and let you watch the same legal, high-quality golf live stream you would at home.

ExpressVPN is one of the best out there. It's easy to use, boasts strong security features, is very easy to setup and is compatible with most major streaming devices, including the  Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox and PlayStation.

Best of all, ExpressVPN comes with a 30 day money back guarantee. This is the #1 rated VPN in the world right now. You can try it out for a month for free or sign up for an annual plan and get 3 months absolutely free.

US TV Schedule – How To Watch Genesis Scottish Open Live Stream

All times EDT

Thursday, July 13: 8.30am-12.30pm (Golf Channel)

Friday, July 14: 8.30am-12.30pm (Golf Channel)

Saturday, July 15: 4am-6am (Golf Channel)

Sunday, July 16: 4.30am-6.30am-12pm (Golf Channel) 

NBC's Golf Channel will televise the action from the Genesis Scottish Open. If you already have the Golf Channel as part of your cable TV package, then you're all set.

No cable? No problem. Try a cord-cutting TV service such as fuboTV ($74.99), AT&T TV Now ($80/m) or Sling ($51/m) to watch the Golf Channel. There are no long contracts with these services. You can try them and cancel whenever you've had enough. FuboTV has a 7-day free trial.

For Sling you'll need the Sling Blue package plus the Sports Extra add-on which usually has a very reasonable introductory price for your first month. Again, just cancel when you're done.

Australia TV Schedule – How To Watch Genesis Scottish Open Live Stream

All times AEST

Thursday, July 13: 5pm-3.30am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Friday, July 14: 5pm-3.30am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Saturday, July 15: 7.30pm-5am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Sunday, July 16: 7.30pm-5am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

As ever in Australia the most comprehensive golf coverage is offered by Kayo Sports where you can watch Fox Sports that broadcasts the PGA Tour coverage. Not only can you watch the action from North Berwick here, it also has all the PGA Tour, DP World Tour events and the Majors. It also has events on the LPGA as well.

It also offers access to over 50 sports live and on-demand, with some its big name channels including Fox Sports, ESPN, and beIN Sports.

It's also good value at either $25 for Kayo One, $30 for Kayo Basic or $35 for Kayo Premium. Basic lets you stream sport on two devices at once, while Premium allows you to watch on up to three screens simultaneously, so it represents great value if your household has different sporting tastes or you're splitting the cost of the subscription. There's even a free 7-day trial.

As ever, Aussies out of the country can access their favourite streaming service just like they would at home can use a VPN to watch their Tour live stream of choice.

Genesis Scottish Open tee times and pairings: Round 4

Leading players’ tee times (in PT/ET/BST/AEST) and scores:

* = not currently qualified into this year’s Open Championship

• 12.02am/3.02am/8.02am/5.02pm Xander Schauffele (-7), Tyrrell Hatton (-8), Sebastian Soderberg* (-8)
• 12.13am/3.13am/8.13am/5.13pm Joakim Lagergren* (-8), David Lingmerth* (-8), Robert MacIntyre (-8)
• 12.24am/3.24am/8.24am/5.24pm Max Homa (-9), Harry Hall (-9), Tom Hoge (-9)
• 12.35am/3.35am/8.35am/5.35pm Byeong Hun An* (-10), Scottie Scheffler (-10), Shane Lowry (-10)
• 12.46am/3.46am/8.46am/5.46pm JT Poston (-10), Eric Cole* (-10), Brian Harman (-11)
• 12.57am/3.57am/8.57am/5.57pm Tommy Fleetwood (-11), Tom Kim (-12), Rory McIlroy (-13)

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The 2023 Genesis Scottish Open will get underway from the Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland, United Kingdom. After a couple of weeks without golf’s top players, the vast majority of the FedExCup and OWGR top ten will be competing in the Genesis Scottish Open field, headlined by World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Other notable names include Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, defending champion Xander Schauffele, and 2021 winner Min Woo Lee, who more than doubled Schauffele’s winning scorecard during his victory two years ago.

While the Genesis Scottish Open has been an event since opening in 2007, this is only the second year with the PGA Tour serving as a co-sanctioning entity, along with the DP World Tour, which is Europe’s version. 75 players from each Tour are set to compete at Renaissance Club this week, where the coastal winds, big greens, tall fescue, and deep-walled sand bunkers will be a stark contrast from the birdie fests we’ve watched during the Rocket Mortgage Classic and John Deere Classic the last couple of weeks. 

Ball striking will be huge, along with quality putting, per usual. Look for players from the United Kingdom, such as McIlroy, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, and Matt Fitzpatrick, to feel a bit more comfortable competing at this links course, which is what most of them grew up playing on. That’s not to say fading players from other countries is a smart decision, as California native Xander Schauffele secured the outright win here a year ago with his sharp iron play. However, Rai, a British golfer, won this event in 2020.

Let’s explore the outright betting odds leaderboard as it currently sits, then recap previous winners, a few relevant betting stats, and an in-depth course overview of the Renaissance Club. Finally, I’ll reveal my favorite golfers with lucrative outright odds to wager ahead of Thursday’s first round from North Berwick, Scotland.

Before we get into our picks for the Genesis Scottish Open, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. We have teamed up with OddsChecker to ensure that you turn $6 into $400 worth of guaranteed bonuses, or you can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Genesis Scottish Open selections this week.

Genesis Scottish Open Betting Odds

2023 Genesis Scottish Open Betting Preview

Previous Winners

• 2022 - Xander Schauffele (-7)
• 2021 - Min Woo Lee (-18)
• 2020 - Aaron Rai (-11)
• 2019 - Bernd Weisberger (-22)
• 2018 - Brandon Stone (-20)

Relevant Betting Stats

• Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee
• Strokes Gained Approaching the Green
• Greens in Regulation percentage
• Sand Save percentage
• Scrambling
• Total driving

Course Layout

The Renaissance Club is a par 70 that runs over 7,200 yards with all of the signature designs of a British golf links course. Designed by Tom Doak and opened in 2007, the Renaissance Club will use coastal winds, deep sand bunkers, and massive greens to challenge golfers throughout the event.

Greens in regulation remains an important stat to focus on from an outright betting perspective, but hole proximity needs to be factored in as well. The deep walled sand bunkers are another staple of British golf links, punishing errant lies, along with the tall fescue serving as the primary rough, demonstrating why strong tee shots and approach shots will determine the fate of a player’s round. There are more trees located at Renaissance Club than seen at other golf links, while the doglegged fairways and lengthy par 3s are other difficult aspects to overcome on the quest of winning the 2023 Genesis Scottish Open. 

Top Players To Bet For Outright Genesis Scottish Open Winner

Rory McIlroy (+750) (Bet $100 to collect $850) Go to DraftKings for the best Rory McIlroy odds

It’s a bit chalky to start, but I like the form we’ve seen from Rory McIlroy during his last five events. The 34-year-old native of Northern Ireland struggled for a duration but has since tallied finishes of T7, T7, T9, second, and T7 entering the Genesis Scottish Open. McIlroy is well-known for his powerful driver, and strokes gained off-the-tee, ranking first in driving distance. However, his irons are pristine and do not get discussed enough. McIlroy ranks second tee-to-green, second off-the-tee, eighth approaching the green, and 13th around the green in strokes gained metrics. However, his putter is a liability on links courses with bigger greens than the standard 5,500 square foot average on the PGA Tour. This could wind up being an advantage for McIlroy. Let’s jump on these +750 odds now before McIlroy begins to climb the leaderboard.

Matt Fitzpatrick (+2200) (Bet $100 to collect $2,300) DraftKings has the best Matt Fitzpatrick odds

Last year, Matt Fitzpatrick logged a T6 finish at the Genesis Scottish Open, going -4-under-par in the second round to pull himself out of an over-par opening round. Fitzpatrick had an outright win at the RBC Heritage earlier this spring while ranking 18th in strokes gained putting, 24th in strokes gained around the green, and 38th tee-to-green. He’s a quality driver, ranked 42nd, which will be helpful at a links course like Renaissance. At 22/1, oddsmakers are bullish on Fitzpatrick, as we should be. He’s ranked 17th in scrambling, 11th in total putting, and 21st in bogey avoidance. Let’s lay a unit on Fitzpatrick to ball on a course layout he’s well versed in, relying on his irons and sound putting to go on a run this week at Renaissance.

Sungjae Im (+4000) (Bet $100 to collect $4,100) Head to DraftKings for the best Sungjae Im odds

Sungjae Im went +7 and missed the cut at the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open, but I have faith in his outlook this week. He’ll be seeking revenge, which starts with making the cut. We’ve seen the 25-year-old South Korean native dip down a bit lately, but he’s still got seven T10 finishes this season. Plus, Im ranks as one of the best overall iron players, going 28th strokes gained tee-to-green, 21st off-the-tee, and 30th around the green. His putter is an asset, not a weakness, ranked 48th in strokes gained putting, along with ranking 22nd in total driving. Im has converted over 34 percent of birdie attempts, which is top-15 on the PGA Tour this year. I’m betting on a strong bounce-back but only laying half a unit, which is more than enough to remain valuable at 40/1 odds.

Aaron Rai (+7500) (Bet $100 to collect $7,600) For the best Aaron Rai odds go to DraftKings

2020 Genesis Scottish Open winner, Aaron Rai, has enjoyed a strong campaign on the PGA Tour in 2023. The 28-year-old Englishman has three T10 finishes, two of which have come in the last three events Rai has competed in. He’s ranked 24th in strokes gained tee-to-green, 36th approaching the green, and 33rd in total driving. His driving accuracy percentage is ranked sixth, which affords Rai the ability to avoid bad lies, such as fescue and sand traps. Rai’s strongest asset is finding greens in regulation, ranking 12th at a 69 percent conversion rate, but his putter will have to perform better in order to secure his second victory at this event in four years. 70/1 is pure value, so even sprinkling Rai’s outright odds is enough to return value on investment this week.

Seamus Power (+10000) (Bet $100 to collect $10,100) DraftKings has the best Seamus Power odds

We’re digging deep into the high-value with Seamus Power’s outright 100/1 odds to win the Genesis Scottish Open. The 36-year-old Irishman has three T10 finishes this season, alongside two career wins, including earlier this season at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Power just logged a T13 finish at a birdie fest at TPC Deere Run, but he’s another UK golfer who should feel comfortable early on adapting to the links course. Power ranks 48th in strokes gained around the green, 24th in strokes gained putting, and 18th in total putting. He converts over 32.8 percent of birdie attempts, which is 42nd on the PGA Tour, and he’s 15th in three-putt avoidance. A hot flat stick usually keeps a player in contention, even with other mediocre aspects to their game, so sprinkling on Power’s 100/1 odds feels like an obligatory longshot wager to place. Plus, he’s ranked 31st in par breakers, 12th in bounce back, eighth in par 3 scoring average, and 23rd for consecutive greens in regulation. This number is too long, and we need to take advantage of it before Power gets off to a solid start on Thursday at the Renaissance Club.

Let’s look at how the teams currently look in the 2023 Ryder Cup standings, the pinnacle of team golf, being held in Italy at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome.

Team Europe, captained by Luke Donald, will host Zach Johnson’s Team USA in the showpiece event from September 29 – October 1, 2023, as the visitors defend the trophy they won so convincingly at Whistling Straits in 2021.

Let’s see how the Ryder Cup teams are lining up and how players can book their place on the 12-man teams for the 44th edition of golf’s biggest team event.

European team Ryder Cup standings & qualification

Qualification for the European team for the 2023 Ryder Cup started after the 2022 BMW PGA Championship on September 11, and runs until September 3, 2023.

The big change for this year is that skipper Donald will have six Captain’s Picks to make instead of the three Padraig Harrington had for the last Ryder Cup in Wisconsin.

Automatic Ryder Cup qualification will still come from two points lists, but this time just three players will qualify from the European Points List, with a further three qualifiers being the top three on the World Points List that aren’t already qualified.

Current Team Europe Ryder Cup standings

(Players in bold qualify automatically | Q = qualification confirmed)

European Points List:
1. Rory McIlroy (4033.5) Q
2. Jon Rahm (3417.23) Q
3. Robert MacIntyre (1743.57)
4. Yannik Paul (1652.9)
5. Adrian Meronk (1614.21)
6. Tommy Fleetwood (1534.37)
7. Victor Perez (1527.95)
8. Rasmus Hojgaard (1516.86)
9. Adrian Otaegui (1430.01)
10. Shane Lowry (1290.23)

World Points List:
1. Rory McIlroy (399.29)
2. Jon Rahm (392.72)
3. Viktor Hovland (321.67) Q
4. Tyrrell Hatton (199.17)
5. Tommy Fleetwood (180.52)
6. Matt Fitzpatrick (178.62)
7. Sepp Straka (144.46)
8. Shane Lowry (105.21)
9. Justin Rose (100.32)
10. Robert MacIntyre (92.32)

Team USA 2023 Ryder Cup standings & qualification

Team USA had six Captain’s Picks for the last Ryder Cup, which worked out rather well, so Johnson will have the same option this time around.

The American Ryder Cup qualification system comprises of just one qualifying list, with points allocated over a longer stretch of golf – with seven big events in 2022 including the four Majors having points attached to them.

Ryder Cup qualification points are then awarded at all PGA Tour events from January 2023 with double points awarded for winners of the four Majors.

Current Team USA Ryder Cup standings

(Players in bold qualify automatically)

1. Scottie Scheffler (27,617.735) Q
2. Wyndham Clark (13,738.920) Q
3. Brian Harman (11,100.539) Q
4. Patrick Cantlay (10,946.750) Q
5. Max Homa (9,638.764) Q
6. Xander Schauffele (9,450.269) Q
7. Brooks Koepka (9,421.145)
8. Jordan Spieth (8,188.332)
9. Cameron Young (8,127.308)
10. Collin Morikawa (7,683.230)
11. Keegan Bradley (7,642.974)
12. Sam Burns (7,334.703)
13. Rickie Fowler (7,116.241)
14. Denny McCarthy (6,761.272)
15. Justin Thomas (6,539.195)
16. Lucas Glover (6,341.609)
17. Kurt Kitayama (5,918.269)
18. Russell Henley (5,551.880)
19. Will Zalatoris (5,529.134)
20. Harris English (5,456.686)

Qualifying will end after the second FedEx Cup play-off event on the 2023 PGA Tour schedule, the BMW Championship, on August 20, 2023, with the top six eligible players on the points list securing spots on Team USA.

Johnson will then announce his six Captain's Picks after the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.

The PGA Tour gets back to its regularly scheduled programming this week as players head East for the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut. However, you’d expect a drop off in the field’s talent following the third Major of the year, this week’s elevated status, and the $20 million in prize money that’s involved.

With eight of the top 10 in the world scheduled to tee it up this week, let’s take a closer look at the five I have at the top of my 2023 Travelers Championship power rankings.

Before we get into our picks for the Travelers Championship power rankings, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. With the offers below, you can turn $6 into $350 worth of bonuses, or you can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Travelers Championship selections this week.

Travelers Championship Odds

Travelers Championship Course - TPC River Highlands - Cromwell, CT

Coming in just over 7,400 yards, long hitters will have less of an advantage this week than they did last week at Los Angeles Country Club. Coming in as a Par-70, TPC River Highlands features just two Par 5s, with 10 of its 12 Par 4s coming in at less than 450 yards. Approach shots will be key, as will putting, as the best putters on Tour have a great shot this week. 

Travelers Championship Power Rankings

Scottie Scheffler (+650) Bet $100 to collect $750 Go to DraftKings for the best Scottie Scheffler odds

For Scottie Scheffler, when the putter is going, no one on Tour can beat him. We started seeing flashes of it again on Sunday at LACC, and I think he puts it all together this week. 

Jon Rahm (+1200) Bet $100 to collect $1,300 DraftKings has the best Jon Rahm odds

Jon Rahm has been awfully quiet as of late, by his own standards, and it should be just a matter of time before he pieces it all back together. With the playoffs approaching, expect that to be soon.

Rory McIlroy (+1200) Bet $100 to collect $1,300 For the best Rory McIlroy odds got to DraftKings

It became a two-man race on Sunday at the US Open with Rory McIlroy and eventual champ Wyndham Clark. Taking one step closer to his first Major since 2014, and Rory has plenty to build on in this one. 

Xander Schauffele (+1600) Bet $100 to collect $1,700 Head to DraftKings for the best Xander Schauffele odds

If it were not for a triple-bogey early on Sunday, Xander Schauffele could very well have been in the mix late. The game is there, and he’s firmly in the mix nearly every week at this point. 

Tommy Fleetwood (+3500) Bet $100 to collect $3,600 DraftKings has the best Tommy Fleetwood odds

While many don’t think he has a chance in this stacked field, as the odds suggest, Tommy Fleetwood has some of the best value on the board as I’m concerned. Back-to-back top 5s in even more stacked fields than this week, and Fleetwood should have all the confidence in the world to post some low numbers this week.

The 2023 US Open is set to begin at Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles, California. The PGA Tour’s third major event of the season will return to the West Coast, where LACC will provide a unique layout compared to traditional major events, with a few elongated par 3 holes and wider fairways. Of course, the par 70 track, which is a first-time US Open host venue, has thick rough, which is a signature at major events, and some areas of LACC will be unforgiving with errant tee shots and approach shots.

We’ve seen Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka win the first two majors this year, with Rahm surging late at The Masters to claim his first green jacket and outright win at Augusta National. Koepka was in the mix at Augusta until he fell flat in the final round, but he kept his foot on the pedal at the PGA Championship as the LIV golfer looks to add his third US Open win since 2017. 

World No. 1 ranked golfer Scottie Scheffler leads the outright winner odds at 7/1, followed by World No. 2 Jon Rahm at 11/1, while Koepka (13/1), Rory McIlroy (13/1), and Patrick Cantlay (17/1) round out the top five favorites at FanDuel Sportsbook. From a DFS perspective, major events offer huge opportunities to acquire cheap value in the lower salary ranges, with a talented field from top to bottom. The downside is that major courses, traditionally, yield few birdies or eagles while rolling out difficult par 4s and lengthy par 3s to keep scorecards modest. 

Let’s jump right into a few of my favorite players to target during your DraftKings and FanDuel DFS builds in order to cash contests by the end of the weekend. Here are my top prospects to insert into your DFS lineups ahead of Thursday’s opening round from the 2023 US Open at Los Angeles Country Club.

Before we get into our US Open DFS Picks and Targets, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 US Open selections this week.

DraftKings $50,000 Maximum Salary

Viktor Hovland ($10,000)

Fresh off of his first outright win of the season at The Memorial Tournament, a newly Designated event, 25-year-old Norwegian Viktor Hovland is one of my favorite blue-chip prospects in this event. Hovland posted finishes of T12 and T13 at the 2019 and 2020 U.S. Open events before withdrawing in 2021 and missing the cut in 2022. He’s equipped with some of the best irons on the PGA Tour, ranked 13th in total strokes gained, including seventh off-the-tee, and 10th approaching the green. His putting has improved, so especially on Bermudagrass greens, which run a bit slower, Hovland is a fantastic asset to start your lineup builds at $10K on DraftKings. 

Max Homa ($9,400)

Max Homa seems to play better when he’s competing in his native state of California. The 32-year-old has two outright wins this season on the PGA Tour, both in California, while earning a runner-up behind Jon Rahm at Genesis Invitational, which was another event in the Golden State. Homa endured a rough stretch but has two T10 finishes in his last three events played, plus he’ll have spent a couple of weeks off to rest and practice to attempt to secure the first major win of his career. I like this salary for Homa, who is ranked fifth in strokes gained putting, along with 17th tee-to-green and 12th approaching the green. Take advantage of the current low value on Homa, and watch him pile up birdies, averaging 4.39 per round, which is sixth best on the PGA Tour this year.

Tommy Fleetwood ($7,900)

After a heartbreaking loss following four playoff holes against Nick Taylor at the RBC Canadian Open last weekend, Tommy Fleetwood will likely have a chip on his shoulder. Or, he could perform terribly. Admittedly, this is a risky pick due to these extenuating circumstances, but the Englishman is a terrific ball striker and an excellent putter. These are always skillsets to acquire in DFS builds, as they are arguably the two most important factors for navigating a difficult course with small surface area greens like the ones featured at LACC. Fleetwood has previously placed fourth and second at US Open events in 2017 and 2018, so he can play quality golf on big stages, just like we watched at the RBC Canadian Open a few days ago.

FanDuel $60,000 Maximum Salary

Brooks Koepka ($11,900)

There’s almost no argument for fading Brooks Koepka other than his expensive salary. Koepka has been a mainstay atop major leaderboards for the majority of his career, including two consecutive outright wins at the 2017 and 2018 U.S. Open, while proceeding to log runner-up and T4 finishes in 2019 and 2021. Koepka’s blend of power and finesse, plus a strong putter, makes him a player worth the significant capital it takes to acquire his production. Even if he doesn’t win outright, Koepka has been dominant in the previous two major events played this season, so he should be in quality shape by Thursday’s first round. Fire Koepka up with confidence in your FanDuel lineups.

Adam Scott ($9,400)

Adam Scott may be the most consistent golfer on the PGA Tour this season. The 42-year-old Aussie has competed in 20 U.S. Open events, so don’t expect him to waver when he plays his first round at LACC on Thursday. Scott has six T20 finishes at the U.S. Open while going T38, T35, and T14 in his three recent appearances. At $9,400, we’re landing a massive discount on Scott, ranked 15th in strokes gained off-the-tee, 32nd putting, and averaging 4.23 birdies per round. He tends to deflate in the middle rounds but starts and finishes strong, so plug Scott into lineups at a good value as one of the most tenured players at this event.

Wyndham Clark ($8,800)

Wyndham Clark has not had a good start to his U.S. Open career, missing the cut in 2021 and 2022, but there’s enough reason for optimism with his third appearance set to occur this week. The 29-year-old American has six T10 finishes this season, including his first career outright win at the Wells Fargo Championship. Clark was contending for the outright win at The Memorial until a final round of 76, but he’s ranked 15th in total strokes gained, including 28th tee-to-green and 23rd approaching the green. He has a solid putter, ranked 49th in strokes gained putting while finding greens in regulation at nearly a 68 percent rate, which is 26th on the PGA Tour. Clark is a solid value at under $9,000 on FanDuel, especially with four T25s and three T12s in his last six solo events played.

The US Open returns to Southern California at a spectacular venue right in the heart of Los Angeles. The George Thomas designed Los Angeles Country Club is an oasis that sits right off Wilshire Boulevard, one of the busiest streets in the country. Yet the club nicknamed “L.A.C.C.” rarely lets the public in to see its majesty, as this will be the first Men’s professional major champion held at the ultra-private venue. 

We, as fans, have had very limited exposure to the Thomas masterpiece, as it has only hosted five L.A. Opens over 50 years ago, the 1930 U.S. Women’s Amateur, the 1954 U.S. Junior Amateur, and the 2017 Walker Cup. Los Angeles Country Club is not just a unique venue due to its location and exclusivity, it’s a singular golf course that does not even remotely resemble many US Open venues that we have seen in the past. With some fairways measuring over 80 yards in width, a large barranca traversing through the property, and molar-shaped greens, Los Angeles Country feels like an Australian Sand-belt course placed in the heart of one of the biggest metropolitan cities in the country. 

As is the case with any major championship, storylines are abound this week, and the recent PGA Tour-LIV merger will be a conversation topic on the grounds that will be hard to avoid. From a golf standpoint, many intriguing questions remain as well. Can Brooks continue his momentum and pick up major number six? Can Scottie Scheffler finally capitalize on what has been a historic ball-striking season? Can Jon Rahm pick up both his second major of the year and his second major in California? Can players with Los Angeles ties, such as Collin Morikawa, Max Homa, and Patrick Cantlay, deliver for the hometown fans? All of this remains to be seen, but fireworks are sure to ensue at what will be one of the most anticipated major championships in recent memory.

Before we get into our picks for the US Open, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. We have teamed up with OddsChecker to ensure that you turn $6 into $400 worth of guaranteed bonuses, or you can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 US Open selections this week.

US Open: Course Preview

Los Angeles Country Club

Los Angeles Country Club is a one-of-one. Designed in 1928 by George Thomas and later restored by Gil Hanse, Jim Wager, and Geoff Shackleford, the sacred venue is finally opening its gates to Men’s professional golf. Playing as a par 70 and tipping out to just over 7,400 yards on the scorecard, Los Angeles Country Club is a beast, but length is far from the defining feature here. With the firmness of the tough and the elevated changes, I would still expect the Thomas design to play shorter than it’s scorecard yardage. Let’s also consider the multitude of set-up options that Los Angeles Country Club provides. For example, in the Walker Cup, the 133-yard 15th hole played as short as 78 yards one day. 

USGA officials have already been open about the fact that they may set the course up very differently from day to day. Unlike previous US Opens, I do not believe this venue can be reduced to a long-drive contest. The width in the fairway and the brutal consequence of big misses should favor more accurate driving than sheer power. Many mistake wider fairways as being advantageous for a bomb and gauge strategy, but it’s actually the golf courses such as Torrey Pines, Bay Hill, Oak Hill, and Winged Foot, with incredibly narrow fairways but little consequence for large misses that give way to the aforementioned boring style of golf. 

Los Angeles Country Club is far more about angles and certainly more of a second-shot golf course than we have seen from US major venues in the past. There will still be an extremely large plurality of long iron approach shots here, and those who miss greens will be penalized by incredibly deep bunkers and comically thick greenside Bermuda rough. The putting surfaces also have far more tilt and character to them than recent major venues such as Torrey Pines and Oak Hill, and players will be hard-pressed to find a flat putt on the entire golf course. This week, I am primarily looking for players that avoid wide misses off the tee, are elite with their long irons, possess tremendous creativity around the greens, and have a proven track record of success on firm golf courses.

US Open Key Stats

• Strokes Gained Total: Firm Golf Courses
• Proximity 200 yards plus
• Strokes Gained Around the Green: Firm Golf Courses

US Open: Outright Winner

Patrick Cantlay (+1700) (Bet $100 to collect $1,800) FanDuel has the best Partick Cantlay odds

I understand that many golf bettors have become frustrated with backing Patrick Cantlay at such short notice, particularly in major championships where he has failed to truly contend. Yet I would exercise patience and look at the track record of many of the world’s best prior to their big breakthrough. Winning has actually not been the problem for Cantlay, who already owns eight PGA Tour victories, with five of them coming in extremely strong fields. Yet his major record still leaves much to be desired. On the surface, with 12 top-25s in 25 major starts, Cantlay has been an incredibly consistent performer in these events, but it’s the lack of truly high-end finishes that leaves bettors frustrated. 

I am far from deterred, and I have a strong feeling that Cantlay is going to make a major statement this week on a golf course where he has already fired a 62 before in the PAC-12 Championships when he was at UCLA. There are many reasons for my bullishness on Cantlay this week, but his driving ability deserves the first mention. 

Cantlay has morphed into a top-three driver of the ball in the world, gaining over 3.5 strokes off the tee in seven of his last nine starts. His ball-striking has allowed him to develop an extremely high floor, with 12 top-30 finishes in 13 starts, including six top-10s. Cantlay has also vastly improved his long iron play this year, ranking ninth in proximity from 200 yards plus this season. Of the elite players, I also still trust his putter the most. 

Cantlay has remained the number one Bent-grass putter in the world over the last two years, and he ranks seventh in putting from five to ten feet, an incredibly underrated skill that is crucial to keeping rounds from de-railing at golf courses this challenging. Cantlay is too good of a player to remain major-less for much longer, and I would actually wager that this is the first of multiple major victories for the former UCLA standout.

As you can see from OddsChecker's odds comparison above, Patrick Cantlay's odds range from +1400 to +1700. Cantlay is +1400 on DraftKings but +1600 at Ceasares and BetMGM and +1700 at FanDuel. Claim an additional $300 in profit just by betting your $100 on FanDuel this week rather than other popular sportsbooks.

Xander Schauffele (+2000) (Bet $100 to collect $2,100) Go to FanDuel for the best Xander Schauffele odds

Many of my same frustrations present with Cantlay likely apply to Xander Schauffele. The key difference is that Schauffele’s record at US Opens has been second to none, with five top-10s in six appearances. While I do believe that this will be unique from previous USGA set-ups, the one recent US Open venue I would point to as a strong reference point is Shinnecock Hills, where Schauffele finished sixth. A contending performance at Carnoustie, a 13th at Southern Hills, and a sterling track record at Augusta National leave me feeling incredibly optimistic about his ability on firm golf courses. 

In fact, the San Diego native ranks third in this field on golf courses that I would categorize as firm. From a statistical standpoint, the case for Schauffele is incredibly simple. He remains one of the most well-rounded players in the world and is now returning to a firm golf course in his home state at a major that he is always relevant at. Xander ranks 13th in good drive percentage on firm golf courses, fifth in overall approach play, second in proximity from 200 yards plus, top-40 in every short game metric I am looking at, and 15th in Bent-grass putting. He’s done just about everything but cross the finish line this year, with 11 top-25s in 14 starts. Schauffele’s numbers look a whole lot similar to last year right before he reeled off back-to-back wins, and if he continues to put himself in the mix, I’m extremely confident the cards will break in his favor at one of the big ones. 

Once again, you can see the power of odds comparison. OddsChecker has flagged that Xander Schauffele is +1800 at Caesars but +2000 at DraftKings, BetMGM, and FanDuel. Claim an additional $200 in profit just by betting your $100 on FanDuel this week.

The Memorial Tournament 2023 Live Stream

The PGA Tour heads to Ohio this week for the Memorial Tournament, an elevated event with an outstanding field. The world's top-5 players are competing - Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. One man who isn't is Max Homa who is going to his sisters wedding. 

Of course there are then a whole host of top-quality players in the field as well - players like Viktor Hovland, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Matt Fitzpatrick. We also get another look at top amateurs Sam Bennett and Aldrich Potgieter as well. 

We also have a golf course that will provide a clear test for these top players. Muirfield Village is known for its thick rough and firm greens, and the 2023 tournament will mark the event's third playing since another renovation. 

The tournament also has an illustrious history. Hosted by Jack Nicklaus, this event is one of the longest on Tour held at the same venue, having debuted at the course in 1976. Below are all the broadcast and streaming details for the event.

The Memorial Tournament Live Stream: How to watch from outside your country

There are loads of easy ways to watch golf in 2023 including in the US, UK and almost anywhere else in the world. Below we have a full list of options but anyone away from their home country can still watch the action by using VPNs.

VPNs allow you to get around any geo-blocking and and let you watch the same legal, high-quality golf live stream you would at home.

ExpressVPN is one of the best out there. It's easy to use, boasts strong security features, is very easy to setup and is compatible with most major streaming devices, including the  Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox and PlayStation.

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US TV Schedule - 2023 The Memorial Tournament

All times EST

Thursday, June 1: 2pm-6pm (Golf Channel)

Friday, June 2: 2pm-6pm (Golf Channel)

Saturday, June 3: 12.30pm-2.30pm (Golf Channel), 2.30pm-6pm (CBS)

Sunday, June 4: 12.30pm-2.30pm (Golf Channel), 2.30pm-6pm (CBS)

NBC's Golf Channel will televise action during the week and CBS will takeover when the tournament heats up over the weekend. Bearing this in mind you can access the Golf Channel through streaming options such as AT&T TV Now and fuboTV.

AT&T TV Now starts at around $55 a month but does have a 7-day free trial. While fuboTV also offers the Golf Channel and 100+ other channels and also has a 7-day free trial.

We also recommend Sling TV in the US as well. At $51 per month, Sling Blue with the Sports add-on brings NBC and Golf Channel, and it is also half price for your first month.

UK TV Schedule - 2023 The Memorial Tournament

Thursday, June 1: 5pm-11pm (Sky Sports Golf)

Friday, June 2: 5pm-11pm (Sky Sports Golf)

Saturday, June 3: 4.30pm-11pm (Sky Sports Golf)

Sunday, June 4: 4.30pm-11pm (Sky Sports Golf)

In the UK, Sky Sports should be your first port of call as Sky Sports Golf will televise action from the event. At the moment Sky has some great deals on Sky Sports for those looking to upgrade and those looking sign up to Sky for the first time.

You can get all eight Sky Sports Channels in HD for just £25 a month which not only includes all the golf action, but you can also watch the football, cricket, Formula 1, NFL and a whole host of other sporting events.

Australia TV Schedule - 2023 The Memorial Tournament

Thursday, June 1: 9.30pm-8am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Friday, June 2: 9.30pm-8am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Sunday, June 4: 2.30am-8am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Monday, June 5: 2.30am-8am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

The PGA Tour coverage in Australia obviously means getting something great to watch early in the morning. As ever in Australia the most comprehensive golf coverage is offered by Kayo Sports where you can watch Fox Sports that broadcasts the PGA Tour coverage. Not only can you watch the action from Ohio here, it has all the PGA Tour, DP World Tour events and the Majors. It also has events on the LPGA as well.

It of course also offers access to over 50 sports live and on-demand, with some its big name channels including Fox Sports, ESPN, and beIN Sports.

It's also fantastic value at either $30 for Kayo Basic or $35 for Kayo Premium. Basic lets you stream sport on two devices at once, while Premium allows you to watch on up to three screens simultaneously, so it represents great value if your household has different sporting tastes or you're splitting the cost of the subscription. There's even a free 14-day trial.

As ever, Aussies out of the country can access their favorite streaming service just like they would at home can use a VPN to watch their PGA Tour live stream of choice.

The Memorial Tournament Tee Times

(Selected)

• 7.53am - Emiliano Grillo, Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland
• 8.05am - Jason Day, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa
• 8.17am - Sam Burns, Si Woo Kim, Rickie Fowler
• 8.29am - Adam Scott, Zach Johnson, Cameron Young
• 8.41am - Nick Hardy, Sungjae Im, Shane Lowry
• 12.41pm - Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel, Hideki Matsuyama
• 12.53pm - Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Tyrrell Hatton
• 1.05pm - Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example

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As things stand Brooks Koepka sits in second place on the US Ryder Cup standings following his recent win at the PGA Championship. With the two-shot win he became the first LIV Golf player to win a Major and he might easily be going for the third leg of the Grand Slam at this month's US Open having tied for second at The Masters.

So the question that is now popping up more than it was is whether a LIV golfer should be allowed to feature in the Ryder Cup in Rome? With six captain's picks a team without Koepka would seem a ridiculous option if you are of the opinion that a LIV player should feature in Italy and, judging by this week's press conferences at Muirfield Village, his team-mates are behind the move. 

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who has played on one Ryder Cup team, would happily have Koepka or whoever it took to finally get a win in Europe – the Americans incredibly last won an away match in 1993.

"I want to win the Ryder Cup. I don't care about tours or anything like that. I want to win the Ryder Cup. It's something we talked about when we finished (at Whistling Straits in 2021), we want to beat those guys in Europe. It's been a long time since we've beat them," Scheffler said.

"Whoever the best 12 guys that make a complete team, it's different than individual tournaments. We want a team of guys that are going over there together to bring the Cup back home, and that's all I really care about."

Patrick Cantlay, the next ranked American at fourth in the world, would echo Scheffler's thoughts.

"I just want the best 12 Americans on the team. I don't think the US has won a Ryder Cup over there since '93. So I'm looking to change that." 

Even Rory McIlroy believes that Koepka, who has also won twice on the LIV Golf League and is now ranked 14th in the world, should be worthy of a place on Zach Johnson's side. 

"I certainly think Brooks deserves to be on the United States team. I think with how he's played, he's second in the US standings, only played two counting events. I don't know if there's anyone else on the LIV roster that would make the team on merit and how they're playing. But Brooks is definitely a guy that I think deserves to be on the US team," explained the World No. 3.

But McIlroy wasn't budging on the possibility of the Europeans playing for Luke Donald's side.

"But I have different feelings about the European team and the other side and sort of how that has all transpired and, yeah, I don't think any of those guys should be a part of the European team."

Back in September McIlroy reiterated his thoughts on how the European team should shape up, with an injection of younger players the way forward as opposed to the likes of Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter or Lee Westwood representing Europe again.

“I have said it once, I've said it a hundred times, I don't think any of those guys should be on the Ryder Cup team. I think we were in need of a rebuild, anyway. We did well with the same guys for a very long time but again as I just said, everything comes to an end at some point. I think Whistling Straits is a good sort of demarcation, I guess," McIlroy said.

“I think the European Team has a core of six or seven guys that I think we all know are pretty much going to be on that team, and then it's up to some of the younger guys to maybe step up. Instead of filling those three or four spots with older veterans, let's blood some rookies and let's get them in and build towards the future. I think that's important.”

While it would take some leap of faith to give a captain's pick to Westwood or Poulter, Garcia is the one whose absence will likely be felt the most by his peers. The Spaniard, who along with Dustin Johnson won the inaugural Nicklaus-Jacklin award at Whistling Straits for best typifying the right spirit, is the record points scorer in the competition with 28.5 points and has a ready-made partner in Jon Rahm.

Reportedly Garcia had a conversation with captain Donald who told him that he had no chance of making his side, something that has upset Rahm.

"I'm going to miss him. We had a great partnership at Whistling Straights. I'm going to mention history again one more time. A Spanish duo in the Ryder Cup I think to me is embedded into the roots of the Ryder Cup. Look with Seve and Ollie were able to do throughout their partnership, right. So it's a little sad to me that politics have gotten in the way of such a beautiful event," Rahm added.

"Again, it's the best Europeans against the best American, period. And whatever is going on, who is playing LIV and who is not playing LIV to me shouldn't matter. It's whoever is best suited to represent the European side. And I have a hard time to believe that the best player Europe has ever had, the most successful player Europe has had on the Ryder Cup isn't fit to be on the team. So, it's unfortunate. I will miss him. But with that said I want to be hopeful, there's a couple of Spanish guys playing really good right now, so hopefully they can join me on the team."

Matt Fitzpatrick, who will defend his US Open crown later this month, spoke earlier this year about not being bothered who made the European team.

"I think there definitely are a few personal relationships that have been dented by this [the LIV vs PGA Tour civil war]. I'm not bothered, I just want to win, and I'm sure those boys do too. Sergio would be the one that would stand out for me, particularly," Fitzpatrick told Sky Sports.

"I don't know the details of [his relationship with McIlroy]. I'm happy to share a room with him, if that's going to be the case, I can corner him off for everyone else."

The 2023 Memorial Tournament presented by Workday will be the latest Designated event on the PGA Tour. The purse sits at $20 million, with $3.6 million reserved for the outright winner, plus 550 FedExCup points, which will prove invaluable with only a dozen events remaining before the top 70 ranked golfers qualify for the FedExCup playoffs. 

The event will take place at the same course it’s always located at, which is Muirfield Village Golf Club. Designed by Jack Nicklaus, the legendary golfer and course architect, it was opened back in 1976 but just received its Designated event status, drawing the best golfers on the PGA Tour. It will be a field of 120 players ready to compete for the record winnings, led by World No. 1 and World No. 2 ranked golfers Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm. Scheffler has yet to win at Muirfield, but Rahm accomplished that feat at -9-under-par in 2020. Scheffler came close during his last visit in 2021, going -11-under-par and finishing two strokes behind Patrick Cantlay and Collin Morikawa, with Cantlay ultimately winning the event. 

Patrick Cantlay has won the Memorial Tournament twice since 2019 and will look to three-peat this week. The 31-year-old Californian has been dominant on the golf course this season, but it hasn’t translated into any outright wins yet. He’s right behind Scheffler and Rahm for outright betting favorites at 10/1 odds, so we should expect another dominant performance from Cantlay, whose last outing at the PGA Championship resulted in a T9 finish.

Designated event slates mean we can get a lot of value on good players being overshadowed by the superstars, making it the perfect time to build a few DFS lineups to cash some contests at one of the most iconic events on the PGA Tour. I’ve found six of my favorite golfers to insert into DraftKings and FanDuel lineups ahead of Thursday’s first round at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. 

Before we get into our Memorial Tournament DFS Picks and Targets, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Memorial Tournament selections this week.

DraftKings $50,000 Maximum Salary

Patrick Cantlay ($10,500)

Whether ranking first in total driving, 16th in strokes gained putting, or seventh in strokes gained tee-to-green, Patrick Cantlay has been a dominant player on the PGA Tour this season. He has yet to claim an outright win, but the 31-year-old Californian has 20 percent of his career wins at Muirfield Village as Cantlay looks to add his third outright win here since 2019. He’s $800 cheaper than Scheffler and has a game built for Muirfield's demands, making Cantlay my favorite blue-chip prospect to roster at the Memorial Tournament this week. 

Matt Fitzpatrick ($9,000)

Matt Fitzpatrick is only a couple of years removed from logging a solo third-place finish at The Memorial Tournament, going five-under-par to finish behind only Jon Rahm and Ryan Palmer in 2020. The Englishman has two outright wins in his career. Still, he notched his first at the U.S. Open last season and beat Jordan Spieth at RBC Heritage a couple of months ago, brandishing strong irons to position himself for an event-winning tap-in birdie. He’s cooled off with T35 and MC finishes in his last two events, which is why we’re landing a discount on Fitzpatrick for this event. Plus, he’s missed the cut at Muirfield for two consecutive years following his third-place finish in 2020, so Fitzpatrick is due for a breakout on a difficult course that rewards precision. Lock him into lineups at a solid value of $9,000 on DraftKings. 

Wyndham Clark ($8,200)

I’ve hardly recommended Wyndham Clark this season, but he already secured an outright win at the Wells Fargo Championship a month ago for his first career victory on the PGA Tour. Clark averages 75.4 FPPG on DraftKings and has five solo T10s entering The Memorial Tournament, where he placed T37 in 2022, MC in 2021, and MC in 2020. He’s equipped with some good irons, ranking 16th in total strokes gained, including 24th tee-to-green and 21st approaching the green. Clark also hits 68 percent of greens in regulation, which is top 30 on the PGA Tour, and is a quality scrambler. The most enticing stat is his 4.07 birdie average, which translates into a lot of points in DraftKings DFS contests. Clark is a quality salary-saver option positioned for his tenth T25 finish this season.

FanDuel $60,000 Maximum Salary

Xander Schauffele ($11,400)

Xander Schauffele typically hovers near the top of the leaderboard this season. The 29-year-old Californian has previous finishes of T18, T11, and T13 at The Memorial Tournament, as it fits his game nicely. Schauffele ranks fifth in total strokes gained, including eighth tee-to-green, sixth approaching the green, and 11th putting. His driver tends to be shaky, but he finds greens in regulation at a 69.6 percent clip, which is 10th-best on the PGA Tour. Even when he doesn’t hit greens in regulation, Schauffele is ranked 25th in scrambling. He also converts 33.3 percent of birdie or better attempts, which ranks 30th. Overall, Schauffele is the perfect blue chip prospect to insert into FanDuel lineups for this event since he consistently finishes in the top 20 at this course and across the 2023 PGA Tour season. Lock him into your FanDuel lineups with confidence.

Rickie Fowler ($10,000)

It’s been a bounce-back year for Rickie Fowler so far this season. The 34-year-old has five T10 finishes this season and is seeking his first outright win in four years. Fowler has had a mixed bag of finishes during recent appearances, going T64, T11, MC, and T14 in his past four outings at Muirfield Village. Fowler is averaging 76.7 FPPG on FanDuel and has only missed two cuts, including recently at the PGA Championship. However, he just bounced back with a T6 finish at the Charles Schwab Challenge last weekend, plus Fowler ranks 11th in total strokes gained, including 14th tee-to-green and ninth approaching the green. Fowler is ranked inside the top 40 for greens in regulation and scrambling as well, plus he averages a lucrative 4.2 birdies per round, which is 15th-best on the PGA Tour. At $10,000 on FanDuel, we’re getting decent value on Fowler’s salary. We should expect another T20 finish based on his current form and historical finishes at a challenging par 72 course like Muirfield Village.

Adam Scott ($9,700)

Adam Scott has been playing great golf lately, going T5, T8, and T29 across his last three events entering The Memorial Tournament. The 42-year-old Aussie is ranked 19th in strokes gained off-the-tee, 10th in driving distance, and is among the best when it comes to landing approach shots near the proximity of the hole location. Scott needs to work on his greens in regulation and scrambling ability, but if he can fine-tune these parts of his game just a bit, expect another T10 finish from the Aussie at an event he’s fared well at in the past. Previous finishes at Muirfield Village go T67, T16, and runner-up. At $9,700, let’s invest confidently in Scott’s ability to crack his third T10 finish last month. 

The 2023 Memorial Tournament presented by Workday is set to get underway at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. Patrick Cantlay will try to secure his third outright win at the Memorial Tournament in the past five years. He’s currently 10/1 to pull off the win, which would be his first of the 2022-23 PGA Tour season. Of course, Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm, the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked golfers in the world, sit atop the outright betting leaderboard. 

It’s a newly Designated event, which means the 120 golfers in the field are among the best on the Tour. We get action from all of the top performers, plus a ton of value on quality players that are flying under the radar based on current form or historical performances at Muirfield. Jack Nicklaus designed this course in his hometown of Dublin, Ohio, and he’s made continuous tweaks to it over the decades since its inception on the PGA Tour in 1976. 

Precision will continue to be the way to stay atop the leaderboard at this course, as the doglegged fairways, fast-paced Bentgrass greens, and various hazards will challenge all phases of a player’s game. It will be worth it, with an elevated purse worth $20 million with $3.6 million reserved for the outright winner, plus 550 FedExCup points that will be crucial down the stretch with only a dozen events remaining before the FedExCup playoffs invite the top 70-ranked players on the PGA Tour later this summer. 

Before we get into our picks for the Memorial Tournament, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. We have teamed up with OddsChecker to ensure that you turn $6 into $400 worth of guaranteed bonuses, or you can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Memorial Tournament selections this week.

Memorial Tournament Betting Odds

2023 Memorial Tournament Betting Preview

Previous Winners

• 2022 - Billy Horschel (-13)
• 2021 - Patrick Cantlay (-13)
• 2020 - Jon Rahm (-9)
• 2019 - Patrick Cantlay (-19)
• 2018 - Bryson DeChambeau 

Relevant Betting Stats

• Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green
• Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee
• Driving Accuracy percentage
• Scrambling
• Sand save percentage

Course Layout

Muirfield Village Golf Club is a par 72 that tips over 7,500 yards. Designed by Jack Nicklaus and Desmond Muirhead and opened nearly 50 years ago, this course has undergone several restoration efforts to implement a modern feel on a track that was inspired and named after Nicklaus' Open Championship win several decades ago. The greens are now fully Bentgrass, removing the old Poa Annua mixture, while several tee boxes have been adjusted with moves closer and further from certain holes. The final five holes on the back nine at Muirfield will be the toughest test, with what’s known as the hardest hole saved for last on the par 4 18th. 

There are four par 5s this week, creating more birdie and eagle opportunities, while the greens are roughly 5,000 square feet in regulation, putting them on the smaller side of average on the PGA Tour. The rough is nearly four inches in some spots, while water hazards, including a few creeks, rear up along and across certain fairways. High temperatures should keep the Bentgrass moving quickly, while the fairways will need to be hit to avoid deep rough that could create havoc on approach shots. Ultimately, precision off the tee and approaching the green will be paramount to success. Unless of course, players can navigate the high-velocity Bentgrass with their putter. 

Top Players To Bet For Outright Memorial Tournament Winner

Patrick Cantlay (+1000) (Bet $100 to collect $1,100) Get the best Patrick Cantlay odds at FanDuel

It might be a bit too obvious, but taking Patrick Cantlay’s outright odds at 10/1 feels like a steal, especially since he’s won twice in the past four events at Muirfield Village. The Californian is still seeking his first outright win of the season, but he’s collected seven T10 finishes, including a T9 at the second major during the PGA Championship. There are numerous metrics backing Cantlay this week, whether he’s ranked fourth in total strokes gained, seventh tee-to-green, first in total driving, and finding greens in regulation at over a 70 percent clip. Confidently back Cantlay’s precise irons and accurate putting into getting him his third win at The Memorial Tournament since 2019. 

Jason Day (+2800) (Bet $100 to collect $2,900) Go to FanDuel for the best Jason Day odds

Jason Day hasn’t won at The Memorial Tournament, but he came close in 2020, drawing a T4 finish here in July 2020. The 35-year-old Aussie just ended his five-year win drought at the AT&T Byron Nelson, so expect his confidence and game to be fully dialed in and rolling at one of the most difficult par 72 courses that he’ll face this season. Day is ranked 13th in strokes gained putting, 16th in total driving, and second in scrambling, and averages 4.36 birdies per round, which is seventh-best on the PGA Tour. At 28/1, we’re getting fantastic value betting on Day to collect his 14th career win, his second outright of the year, and first at Muirfield Village.

Sahith Theegala (+6000) (Bet $100 to collect $6,100) FanDuel has the best Sahith Theegala odds

Sahith Theegala is due for his first outright win on the PGA Tour. He’s earned seven T10 finishes this season and secured a T5 finish at Muirfield Village in 2022. The Californian has slipped outside the top 50 in his last two events played, including the second major of the season at the PGA Championship, which is why Theegala is such an immense value at 60/1 entering this Designated event. His metrics aren’t as eye-popping as other players. Still, Theegala had a lot of success at The Memorial Tournament in his debut last year and should rebound nicely, so don’t hesitate to sprinkle on his longshot 60/1 odds for his first career win on the PGA Tour. 

The PGA Tour returns to another designated event this week, as Muirfield Village Golf Club will play host yet again to the Memorial Tournament, this year presented by WorkDay. With the elevated status, the stars will be out, as this year’s field is headlined by the top two players in the world; Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm are scheduled to tee it up Thursday in Ohio. 

Rory McIlroy will also be looking to get back on track following a brief hiatus from the Tour, as he and 149 others of the world’s best look to get in shape ahead of the season’s third major in just two weeks. Let’s dive into the top five on this week’s PGA Power Rankings at the Memorial Tournament. 

Before we get into our picks for the Memorial Tournament power rankings, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. With the offers below, you can turn $6 into $350 worth of bonuses, or you can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Memorial Tournament selections this week.

Memorial Tournament Odds

Memorial Tournament Course - Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, OH

Coming in at just over 7,500 yards, Muirfield is designed by Jack Nicklaus, both originally in 1974 and via the redesign in 2020. With Bentgrass greens, the course features bunkers and water on almost all 18 holes and provides the world’s best challenges from the opening tee box. 

Memorial Tournament Power Rankings

Jon Rahm (+750) (Bet $100 to collect $850)

A past winner here, I give Jon Rahm the slight edge over Scottie Scheffler not just because of that, but he had last week off to rest while Scheffler ground another top five. 

Scottie Scheffler (+600) Bet $100 to collect $700 The best Scottie Scheffler odds are at DraftKings

With three top-fives in the last three outings, no one is playing more consistent golf than Scottie Scheffler. He also had a third-place finish in his last time here back in 2021. 

Patrick Cantlay (+1000) (Bet $100 to collect $1,100) Head to DraftKings for the best Patrick Cantlay odds

A perfect six for six in terms of cuts made here, Patrick Cantlay is the only player in this event’s history to win it twice. He also has two other top-fives in those six starts. Definition of a horse for the course here at Muirfield.

Rory McIlroy (+1200) (Bet $100 to collect $1,300) Find the best Rory McIlroy odds at DraftKings

Rory McIlroy’s T7 at the PGA championship largely went unnoticed, as it looks like the time off served him well. Look for a strong showing with a handful of top 10s in 11 appearances here.

Xander Schauffele (+1200) (Bet $100 to collect $1,300) Go to DraftKings to get the best Xander Schauffele odds

Xander Schauffele is another guy quietly playing great golf despite the narratives around him, with eight top 10s already this season.

The latest of the PGA Tour’s designated events gets underway at the much-loved Muirfield Village aka Jack’s Place.

The Ohio home of the legendary Jack Nicklaus will play host to many of the world’s top players, including those who currently occupy the top five of the Official World Golf Ranking. 

Top of the list is Scottie Scheffler who, like 2022, is experiencing a stellar year on the Tour with two wins so far. His impressive form continued in last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge, where he finished T3 for his third top-five finish in succession.

The player immediately beneath him in the world rankings is Spaniard Jon Rahm. After appearing unstoppable for large parts of 2023, Rahm could only manage a tie for 50th at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill. However, he won this tournament three years ago and will be confident of claiming his fifth win of the year. 

One player whose form had been more of a concern is Rory McIlroy. After missing the cut at The Masters, the World No.3 had still seemed out of sorts at a tournament he has won three times, the Wells Fargo Championship. Those concerns were at least partially put to one side with T7 at the PGA Championship. With the US Open just a couple of weeks away, he will be keen to produce another solid display here.

Patrick Cantlay is a two-time winner of the Memorial Tournament, with his most recent success in it coming just two years ago. Despite not winning a tournament since last year’s BMW Championship, Cantlay has remained in characteristically consistent form, including a tie for ninth at the PGA Championship. He will be hoping to turn another solid performance into a win this week.

Completing the world's top five is Xander Schauffele. Like Cantlay, wins have been hard to come by for the American in recent months, but top10 finishes have been commonplace. There’s nothing to suggest he won’t have another impressive week here.

As well as Rahm and Cantlay, the field is scattered with more former winners of the tournament, including Billy Horschel, who claimed victory over Aaron Wise by a commanding four shots last year. Elsewhere Jason Dufner, who won in 2017, 2016 winner William McGirt, David Lingmerth, who won eight years ago and 2014 champion Hideki Matsuyama, also play.

Last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge was won by Emiliano Grillo, and the Argentinian will be buoyed by that success heading into this week’s event. 

That tournament at Colonial Country Club also had PGA Championship hero Michael Block in the field. Not to be outdone, this week’s event has another underdog who claimed plenty of headlines in a recent Major. Sam Bennett appears thanks to his status as US Amateur champion, and he will be hoping to replicate the form that saw him finish tied for 16th in The Masters at Augusta National.

As a designated event, there are many more familiar names teeing it up this week including World No.7 Viktor Hovland, who came so close to claiming his first Major title at the PGA Championship before succumbing to LIV Golf player Brooks Koepka. Matt Fitzpatrick, who recently won the RBC Heritage, also appears as he prepares to defend his US Open title at Los Angeles Country Club in mid-June. 

Players are competing for a purse of $20m. Of that, the winner will claim $3.6m.

Below is the prize money breakdown and field for the 2023 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village.

Memorial Tournament Prize Money 2023

Memorial Tournament Field 2023

• An, Byeong Hun
• Bennett, Sam
• Bezuidenhout, Christiaan
• Bhatia, Akshay
• Bradley, Keegan
• Bramlett, Joseph
• Buckley, Hayden
• Burns, Sam
• Cantlay, Patrick
• Choi, K.J
• Cink, Stewart
• Clark, Wyndham
• Cole, Eric
• Conners, Corey
• Daffue, MJ
• Dahmen, Joel
• Davis, Cam
• Day, Jason
• Detry, Thomas
•  Donald, Luke
• Dufner, Jason
• Echavarria, Nico
• Eckroat, Austin
• English, Harris
• Fitzpatrick, Matt
• Fowler, Rickie
• Fox, Ryan
• Frittelli, Dylan
• Glover, Lucas
• Gordon, Will
• Gotterup, Chris
• Griffin, Ben
• Griffin, Lanto
• Grillo, Emiliano
• Hadwin, Adam
• Hardy, Nick
• Harman, Brian
• Hatton, Tyrrell
• Henley, Russell
• Herbert, Lucas
• Higa, Kazuki
• Higgo, Garrick
• Hoag, Bo
• Hodges, Lee
• Hoge, Tom
• Hojgaard, Nicolai
• Horschel, Billy
• Hossler, Beau
• Hovland, Viktor
• Hughes, Mackenzie
• Im, Sungjae
• Jaeger, Stephan
• Johnson, Zach
• Kim, S.H.
• Kim, Si Woo
• Kim, Tom
• Kirk, Chris
• Kisner, Kevin
• Kitayama, Kurt
• Kuchar, Matt
• Lawrence, Thriston
• Lee, K.H.
• Lingmerth, David
• Lipsky, David
• List, Luke
• Long, Adam
• Lower, Justin
•  Lowry, Shane
• Malnati, Peter
• Matsuyama, Hideki
• McCarthy, Denny
• McGirt, William
• McIlroy, Rory
• McNealy, Maverick
• Merritt, Troy
• Micheluzzi, David
• Mitchell, Keith
• Molinari, Francesco
• Montgomery, Taylor
• Moore, Taylor
• Morikawa, Collin
• Mullinax, Trey
• NeSmith, Matt
• Noren, Alex
• Pendrith, Taylor
• Poston, J.T.
• Potgieter, Aldrich
• Power, Seamus
• Putnam, Andrew
• Rahm, Jon
• Ramey, Chad
• Reavie, Chez
• Riley, Davis
• Rodgers, Patrick
• Ryder, Sam
• Schauffele, Xander
• Scheffler, Scottie
• Schenk, Adam
• Scott, Adam
• Shelton, Robby
• Smalley, Alex
• Snedeker, Brandt
• Spaun, J.J.
• Spieth, Jordan
• Stallings, Scott
• Stevens, Sam
• Straka, Sepp
• Streelman, Kevin
• Suh, Justin
• Svensson, Adam
• Taylor, Ben
• Theegala, Sahith
• Thomas, Justin
• Thompson, Davis
• Todd, Brendon
• Wallace, Matt
• Willett, Danny
• Woodland, Gary
• Wu, Brandon
• Young, Cameron

The Memorial Tournament has been one of the staples of the PGA Tour since 1974, and it always attracts one of the strongest fields in golf. Part of the reason for this is the widespread admiration for tournament host Jack Nicklaus, and another factor is that Muirfield Village is one of the most well-respected and adored venues on Tour. For this reason, it was an easy decision for the Tour to grant this event elevated status, and as a result, we will be graced this week with many of the best players in the world. 

Billy Horschel will return to defend his title, and he will be challenged by two-time Memorial champion Patrick Cantlay, former Memorial champion Jon Rahm, and Collin Morikawa, who has also won at Muirfield Village. We will get our eyes on Rory McIlroy again for the first time since an up-and-down PGA Championship, and Scottie Scheffler will also look to continue his historically consistent season. The Memorial is an event with a ton of wonderful history, and we are surely in store for one of the best weeks of the entire season.

Before we get into our picks for the Memorial Tournament, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. We have teamed up with OddsChecker to ensure that you turn $6 into $400 worth of guaranteed bonuses, or you can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Memorial Tournament selections this week.

Memorial Tournament: Course Preview

Muirfield Village

Muirfield Village is one of the longest and most difficult golf courses on the PGA Tour, and it got even tougher in the last two years after an extensive remodel. After Patrick Cantlay won this event at 19-under par, Jack Nicklaus decided that he really needed to beef up the course to account for advances in modern technology. Many of the greens were re-modeled, bunkers were re-positioned, fairways were pinched in, and over 150 yards were added to the total scorecard. Muirfield Village is a true tee-to-green test, ranking top-eight in strokes gained off the tee difficulty, strokes gained approach difficulty, and strokes gained around the green difficulty. While the fairways are fairly wide, like most Nicklaus designs, the penalty for missing them is dire. 

Muirfield Village ranked first out of 38 courses last year in missed fairway penalties. There is a massive correlation between playing from the fairway and hitting greens in regulation at Muirfield Village. The Ohio track features one of the lowest greens in regulation percentage on Tour and a comically low greens in regulation percentage from the rough. Accurate driving is paramount to being able to play offense on this course, but even those who find the fairway will still find themselves with some of the most challenging approach shots on Tour. 

Last year, Muirfield Village ranked fifth out of 38 courses in strokes gained approach difficulty, and over 50% of all second shots came from over 175 yards. All four of the par fives got lengthened in the renovation, which explains why a whopping 16% of approach shots now come from over 250 yards. As one can gather from a course with a sub-60% greens in regulation percentage, the short game is also incredibly paramount at Muirfield Village. 

The Nicklaus design features some of the deepest and most treacherous bunkers on Tour, and the greenside rough doesn’t provide much of a respite either. This week, I will be prioritizing accuracy off the tee, long iron play, and overall short game, as putting has actually proven to be less essential at this golf course.

Memorial Tournament Key Stats

• Good Drive Percentage
• Long-term Proximity 175 yards plus  
• Strokes Gained: Around the Green

Memorial Tournament: Outright Winner

Xander Schauffele (+1400) (Bet $100 to collect $1,500) Go to BetMGM for the best Xander Schauffele odds

Xander Schauffele has done just about everything but find the winner’s circle this season, and as we saw last year when he reeled off back-to-back wins in July if he continues to put himself in the mix, it’s only a matter of time. Putting himself in the mix is just what Schauffele has done, as he has failed to finish outside of the top 20 in seven straight starts. This is truly some of the best and most consistent golf that we have seen out of the San Diego native in his entire career. Schauffele has gained over five strokes ball-striking in four straight starts, and he even ranks above Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, and Patrick Cantlay in the model I have created for Muirfield Village. 

The Nicklaus design is a perfect spot for the World No. 5, who ranks eighth in good drive percentage, 10th off the tee on long golf courses, fifth in overall recent approach play, first in proximity from 200 yards plus, 11th in Bent-grass putting, third in par five scorings, and second in strokes gained total over the last five years on long and difficult golf courses. It’s an absolutely flawless resume for the seven-time PGA Tour winner, and this is the ideal spot for Schauffele to pick up his first win of the 2022-2023 season.

As you can see from OddsChecker's odds comparison above, Xander Schauffele's odds range from +1200 to +1400. This means if you were to bet $100 on Schauffele to win at DraftKings or FanDuel you would be giving up $200 worth of additional profit you could make just from betting with Bet365 or BetMGM!

Hideki Matsuyama (+4000) (Bet $100 to collect $4,100) BetMGM has the best Hideki Matsuyama odds

Already with one victory under his belt at Muirfield Village, Hideki Matsuyama is in a prime position to contend again at Jack’s place. The former Masters champion is coming off a 29th at the PGA Championship, where he gained 1.9 strokes off the tee, 4.1 strokes on approach, and 4.5 strokes around the green. It was an incredibly impressive and well-balanced tee-to-green performance and the exact type of form that I am looking for heading into a golf course of this nature. Matsuyama has once again returned to complete form with his irons, gaining over 2.5 strokes on approach in four straight starts. 

He ranks top-30 in overall approach play, long iron play, recent strokes gained around the green, sand save percentage, par five scoring, and strokes gained total on long and difficult golf courses. While it has been a quiet, injury-plagued season for Matsuyama, his results have actually been far more impressive than many would expect, given the lack of respect he receives in the betting markets. Matsuyama is, without a doubt, the best value on the board, and I fully expect him to be in the mix come Sunday afternoon in Ohio.

Once again you can see the power of odds comparison. OddsChecker have flagged that Hideki Matsuyama is +4000 on BetMGM Sportsbook and +3500 everywhere else. Claim an addtional $500 in profit just by betting your $100 on BetMGM this week, rather than other popular sportsbooks.

Thomas Bjorn believes rangefinders could help to stop slow play on the PGA Tour and at the Majors. 

Recently, several players including Patrick Cantlay and Scottie Scheffler have been slammed for taking too much time on the golf course. 

Cantlay was heavily criticised following this year's Masters, with Brooks Koepka, who was playing in the group behind him on the final day, hitting out at the 2021 FedEx Cup champion for the amount of time he took to complete his round. 

World No 1, Scheffler was also recently rebuked for taking over five minutes to hit a shot at the PGA Championship.  

Rangefinders are currently prohibited on the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour, the Masters, the US Open and the Open Championship, but golf fans may have seen some players using DMDs at this month's PGA Championship. 

That's because back in 2021 the PGA of America decided to lift the ban on rangefinders at the event, in order to improve the flow of play around the course, and it seems some players believe they should be used in all events.  

Yesterday, three-time Major winner Padraig Harrington took to Twitter to call on golf's governing bodies to allow players to use the distance measurement tools in all tournaments. 

"After using a rangefinder for the last 2 weeks [at the] PGA Championship and the Senior PGA Championship, I’ve come round to believing that we should use them in all tournaments," the Irishman said. 

"They really help with pace of play when players are out of position with an awkward yardage."

His comments were then echoed by Bjorn who, despite being initially unsure over their use, wrote: "I agree with this. I was sceptical but it works…"

Their opinions have attracted some reaction from Twitter users, too, with many agreeing that golf needs to implement new rules that can help ensure the game flows better. 

One Twitter user wrote in the comments: "Anything to help the pace of play."

While another added: "The range finder plus yardage books is a perfect combo. For sure it will help with the pace of play. This should have been implemented a long time ago."

Devices conforming to Rule 4.3a (1) are allowed at the PGA Championship. It says: 

Rule 4.3a (1) Distance and Directional Information.

• Allowed: Getting information on distance or direction (such as from a distance-measuring device or compass).
• Not Allowed: Measuring elevation changes, or Interpreting distance or directional information (such as using a device to get a recommended line of play or club selection based on the location of the player's ball).

Some of the best golf rangefinders have slope settings on them, but players are not allowed to utilise these elevation measurement features during the tournament. 

Rangefinders are also allowed at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship and while it can be argued that they do assist players to make judgements on their distances, they certainly can stop the bane that is slow play, by giving players fast and accurate distances to their targets, enabling them to play their shot quicker. 

The Memorial Tournament is one of the most recognized on the PGA Tour circuit, with 18-time Major winner, Jack Nicklaus playing host at Muirfield Village in Ohio.

With it being an elevated event, the field is stacked as the World's Top five of Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele head to the $20 million tournament. 

Last year, it was Billy Horschel who dominated the event, with the American claiming a four shot victory over Aaron Wise as he secured a seventh PGA Tour title. The previous year, Jon Rahm was infamously forced to withdraw from the tournament when, with a six shot lead going into the final day, he tested positive for Covid.

Following the withdrawal, Cantlay went on to defeat Collin Morikawa in a playoff for his second Memorial title and, what's more, in 2020, it was Rahm who came out on top as he picked up a three shot victory over Ryan Palmer.

Certainly it's a venue that suits the best players and, as it's one of the elevated tournaments, we are set to see the majority of the World's top 50 feature. However, because it is an elevated event, players are allowed to miss one week and, in the case of Tommy Fleetwood, Max Homa and Tony Finau, that is the case, with the trio deciding to skip the tournament.

The 2023 PGA Championship heads back to Oak Hill Country Club this week for the first time since 2013, as 156 of the world’s best players will be teeing it up. It will also mark the second time this year that the PGA Tour’s best will meet LIV Golf’s best, as the outcast Tour’s players will be allowed to compete (if they qualified) in the 105th edition of the PGA Championship. Let’s take a closer look at my top five in the field this week with the potential to take home the top prize. 

Before we get into our PGA Championship power rankings, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 PGA Championship selections this week.

PGA Championship Odds

PGA Championship Course - Oak Hill Country Club, Pittsford, NY

Designed by legendary golf architect Donald Ross, Oak Hill Country Club outside of Rochester, New York is made for events like this one. Already having hosted a Ryder Cup, US Open, US Amateur, and major Senior events, this is the fourth time it’s hosted the PGA Championship. With greens featuring entirely bentgrass, they also come in smaller than average at just 4,500 square feet on average.

PGA Championship Power Rankings

Scottie Scheffler (+360) Bet $100 to collect $460 The best Scottie Scheffler odds are at DraftKings

Coming into the week as No. 1 on Tour in SG: Tee-to-Green, Scottie Scheffler plays best when the lights are brightest. In 13 events played this season, he has made all 13 cuts, finishing in the top 25 in all but one event, and in the top 10 nine times, including two outright wins. 

Jon Rahm (+750) Bet $100 to collect $850 DraftKings has the best Jon Rahm odds

Just as we saw in his Masters win just last month, Rahmbo might just still be getting better. A threat to rattle off a run of birdies anywhere at any time, Jon Rahm is a real contender here.

Patrick Cantlay (+1600) Bet $100 to collect $1,700 Head to DraftKings for the best Patrick Cantlay odds

For me, Patrick Cantlay is the best guy playing every week yet to win a Major. He’s been dialed as of late as well, finishing top 25 or better in eight straight events, including four top 5s. 

Xander Schauffele (+1600) Bet $100 to collect $1,700 Go to DraftKings for the best Xander Schauffele odds

Seemingly always the bridesmaid and never the bride, Xander Schauffele knows how to score in majors, and this course fits his game even better than most. 

Tony Finau (+2200) Bet $100 to collect $2,300 For the best Tony Finau odds head over to DraftKings

Arguably the second-best player in the world without a Major, Tony “Big Tone” Finau has four outright wins in the past 12 months coming into this one. If he can get the putter going, anything can happen here.

Tiger Woods and his longtime bagman Joe LaCava officially parted ways last week after it was confirmed the veteran caddie had moved onto the bag of Patrick Cantlay for the foreseeable future.

And it seems LaCava is in high demand as he's been spotted with Nelly Korda at this week's Cognizant Founders Cup on the LPGA Tour in New Jersey.

The World No.1's usual caddie Jason McDede is taking time off this week, having just had a baby boy with his wife and four-time Solheim Cup player Caroline Masson, who has wins on both the LPGA and Ladies European Tours.

LaCava and Korda's stint together will be just for the Founders Cup, with his new boss Cantlay practising at home before the second men's Major of the year next week at the PGA Championship.

Korda recently regained her World No.1 spot from Lydia Ko after posting a third-place finish at the first women's Major of the year - the Chevron Championship - where she finished with a closing eagle. 

The eight-time LPGA Tour winner will be hoping for a boost and a continuation of her form this week alongside LaCava, who was on the bag of Tiger Woods from 2011 up until this year. They won 12 titles together, including Woods' 15th Major title at the 2019 Masters. He previously had spells with Fred Couples and Dustin Johnson.

Woods' agent Mark Steinberg last week confirmed to ESPN that the pair had gone their separate ways, with the 15-time Major winner currently sidelined after undergoing a subtalar fusion surgery on his foot/ankle after withdrawing from The Masters prior to the final day's play.

"Joe called Tiger to ask him and get his approval," Steinberg said. "Of course, Tiger gave it. Tiger and Joe are like brothers, tremendous friends. You shouldn't read anything more in to that other than Joe wants to caddie. He loves it. It's his passion. He's great at it and one of the best.

"Tiger said repeatedly he's going to play a very limited schedule around the Majors, his events, the father-son, assuming that everything goes well in the rehab and recovery. Joe wants to work, and so I think Tiger got that. We're just moving on."

LaCava and new boss Cantlay, the current World No.4, got off to a solid start at last week's Wells Fargo Championship with a T21st finish.

Wells Fargo Championship 2023 Live Stream

The PGA Tour heads to the Wells Fargo Championship this week and it will take place once again at Quail Hollow Club, after a one-year hosting at TPC Potomac. This was due to Quail Hollow hosting the Presidents Cup in 2022.

This tournament is now a designated event and will feature a purse of $20 million as a result. Of course, as a result the field is of a high-quality, despite Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler skipping the event. Rory McIlroy returns to action for the first time since The Masters, Max Homa is the defending champion and Jordan Spieth will compete at the tournament for the first time since 2013. Then you have players like Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Tony Finau, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. 

The course was first laid out by George Cobb before getting upgraded by Tom Fazio before the 2017 PGA Championship. The last time it hosted the tournament it was ranked as the fifth-toughest golf course on the PGA Tour and its famed 'Green Mile' closing stretch will undoubtedly test the top players this week.

Below are all the broadcast and streaming details for the event.

Wells Fargo Championship Live Stream: How to watch from outside your country

There are loads of easy ways to watch golf in 2023 including in the US, UK and almost anywhere else in the world. Below we have a full list of options but anyone away from their home country can still watch the action by using VPNs.

VPNs allow you to get around any geo-blocking and and let you watch the same legal, high-quality golf live stream you would at home.

ExpressVPN is one of the best out there. It's easy to use, boasts strong security features, is very easy to setup and is compatible with most major streaming devices, including the  Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox and PlayStation.

Best of all, ExpressVPN comes with a 30 day money back guarantee. This is the #1 rated VPN in the world right now. You can try it out for a month for free or sign up for an annual plan and get 3 months absolutely free.

US TV Schedule - 2023 Wells Fargo Championship

All times EST

Thursday, May 4: 2pm-6pm (Golf Channel)

Friday, May 5: 2pm-6pm (Golf Channel)

Saturday, May 6: 1pm-3pm (Golf Channel), 3pm-6pm (CBS)

Sunday, May 7: 1pm-3pm (Golf Channel), 3pm-6pm (CBS)

NBC's Golf Channel will televise action during the week and CBS will takeover when the tournament heats up over the weekend. Bearing this in mind you can access the Golf Channel through streaming options such as AT&T TV Now and fuboTV.

AT&T TV Now starts at around $55 a month but does have a 7-day free trial. While fuboTV also offers the Golf Channel and 100+ other channels and also has a 7-day free trial.

We also recommend Sling TV in the US as well. At $51 per month, Sling Blue with the Sports add-on brings NBC and Golf Channel, and it is also half price for your first month.

UK TV Schedule - 2023 Wells Fargo Championship

Thursday, May 4: 6pm-11pm (Sky Sports Golf)

Friday, May 5: 6pm-11pm (Sky Sports Golf)

Saturday, May 6: 5pm-11pm (Sky Sports Golf)

Sunday, May 7: 5pm-11pm (Sky Sports Golf)

In the UK, Sky Sports should be your first port of call as Sky Sports Golf will televise action from the event. At the moment Sky has some great deals on Sky Sports for those looking to upgrade and those looking sign up to Sky for the first time.

You can get all eight Sky Sports Channels in HD for just £25 a month which not only includes all the golf action, but you can also watch the football, cricket, Formula 1, NFL and a whole host of other sporting events.

Australia TV Schedule - 2023 Wells Fargo Championship

Thursday, May 4: 9.30pm-8am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Friday, May 5: 9.30pm-8am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Sunday, May 7: 3am-8am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Monday, May 8: 3am-8am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

The PGA Tour coverage in Australia obviously means getting something great to watch early in the morning. As ever in Australia the most comprehensive golf coverage is offered by Kayo Sports where you can watch Fox Sports that broadcasts the PGA Tour coverage. Not only can you watch the action from North Carolina here, it has all the PGA Tour, DP World Tour events and the Majors. It also has events on the LPGA as well.

It of course also offers access to over 50 sports live and on-demand, with some its big name channels including Fox Sports, ESPN, and beIN Sports.

It's also fantastic value at either $30 for Kayo Basic or $35 for Kayo Premium. Basic lets you stream sport on two devices at once, while Premium allows you to watch on up to three screens simultaneously, so it represents great value if your household has different sporting tastes or you're splitting the cost of the subscription. There's even a free 14-day trial.

As ever, Aussies out of the country can access their favorite streaming service just like they would at home can use a VPN to watch their PGA Tour live stream of choice.

Wells Fargo Championship Tee Times

(Selected)

• 7:23am - Max Homa, Patrick Cantlay, Sahith Theegala (10)
• 7:34am - Matt Fitzpatrick, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day (10)
• 7:45am - Tony Finau, Corey Conners, Harris English (10)
• 12:43pm - Tom Kim, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth (1)
• 12:54pm - Keegan Bradley, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler (1)
• 1:05pm - Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa, Cameron Young (1)
• 1:16pm - Sam Burns, Adam Scott, Shane Lowry (1)
• 1:27pm - Si Woo Kim, Trey Mullinax, Tyrrell Hatton (1)

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After a weak but exciting field in Mexico over the weekend, the PGA Tour heads back north to the East Coast as Quail Hollow plays host to the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship. Yet another Tour-designated event, the Wells Fargo features a stacked field full of killers, with the action teeing off Thursday morning. Notably absent, Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm won’t be in this week’s field, leaving the other top players with a better chance than usual to bring home the first-place purse.

Let’s take a closer look at this week’s course and the five players I think have the best chance of winning.

Before we get into our Wells Fargo Championship power rankings, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Wells Fargo Championship selections this week.

Wells Fargo Championship Odds

Wells Fargo Championship Course - Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, NC

Widely regarded as one of the most difficult courses these guys see regularly, Quail Hollow comes in well above the Tour average at 7,540 yards (Par 71). A former host of a Presidents Cup, Quail Hollow demands accuracy off the tee in addition to the distance, as the thick rough can tank even the best iron players in the world. 

Wells Fargo Championship Power Rankings

Rory McIlroy (+750) (Bet $100 to collect $850) Head over to DraftKings to get the best Rory McIlroy odds

Opting to take a few weeks off, including missing a designated event for which he was fined, Rory McIlroy makes his return following a missed cut at The Masters nearly a month ago. A winner here in 2021, McIlroy will be looking to become the first player in this event’s history to win it twice. 

Xander Schauffele (+1400) (Bet $100 to collect $1,500) Go to DraftKings to get the best Xander Schauffele odds

Already with a Top 15 (T14) finish here in 2021, Xander Schauffle comes into this year’s edition amongst the hottest players in the world with four straight finishes of T10 or better.

Patrick Cantlay (+1200) (Bet $100 to collect $1,300) DraftKings has the best Patrick Cantlay odds

Coming into this week, Patrick Cantlay trails only Rahm on Tour in Birdie Average at 5.06 per round. Well above the Tour average of 3.7, look for Cantlay to get on the board early this week. 

Viktor Hovland (+1800) (Bet $100 to collect $1,900) For the best Viktor Hovland odds go to DraftKings

Finishing T3 at the 2021 edition, Viktor Hovland got better as the week went on and comes into this year’s event red hot with three top 10s in the last four outings.

Jordan Spieth (+2000) (Bet $100 to collect $2,100) Get the best Jordan Spieth odds at DraftKings

While Jordan Spieth hasn’t played here via Tour event since 2013, he was part of the 2022 President’s Cup team that won here, as he played great throughout the week.

Tiger Woods and his long-time caddie Joe LaCava have reportedly parted ways. 

LaCava had been working with Woods since 2011, and was on the bag when he claimed the most recent of his 15 Major wins at the 2019 Masters. 

However, Woods' most recent Augusta National appearance, which saw him withdraw during the third round, looks like being the last time LaCava caddied for him. Woods is currently out of action following ankle surgery and, with no estimated return date, per the Golf Channel's Todd Lewis, LaCava has now teamed up with Patrick Cantlay, starting with this week's Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow.

Woods' agent Mark Steinberg also confirmed that was the case. He told ESPN: "Joe called Tiger to ask him and get his approval. Of course, Tiger gave it. Tiger and Joe are like brothers, tremendous friends. You shouldn't read anything more in to that other than Joe wants to caddie. He loves it. It's his passion. He's great at it and one of the best."

LaCava teams up with the World No.4 as he experiences a solid season on the PGA Tour, which has included top-five finishes in three designated events. However, Cantlay split with his long-time caddie Matt Minister after he and Xander Schauffele finished tied for fourth in last month's Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Cantlay and Minister had enjoyed success over a number of years, including victories in the 2019 Memorial Tournament, 2021 Tour Championship and, most recently, last August’s BMW Championship, but that wasn't enough to keep the working relationship going. 

Meanwhile, although Cantlay form has been excellent in recent months, he has made headlines for another reason – perceived slow play. After the Masters, joint runner-up at Augusta National, Brooks Koepka, declared Cantlay’s group in the final round as “brutally slow,” with most observers suggesting it was the American rather than his playing partner Viktor Hovland who was most at fault.

Cantlay has worked with LaCava in the past, albeit on a temporary basis, during the 2021 Northern Trust Open. LaCava has also caddied for Fred Couples, while he was on the bag for Steve Stricker at TPC Louisiana two weeks ago. 

The PGA Tour returns stateside following its second annual stop at the Mexico Open at Vidanta, where Tony Finau avenged his loss to Jon Rahm last season with a three-stroke victory over the Spaniard, finishing at -24-under-par for his first outright win of the season. Vidanta was a birdie fest, but this week’s newly designated event, the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship, will be a much more arduous test.

Quail Hollow Club is the course that will host the field of 156 players this weekend, returning here after the event was moved to TPC Potomac in 2022 due to the President’s Cup. Its location in Charlotte, North Carolina, promises to deliver good weather, which is a huge factor in a course that ranks as tough as Quail Hollow. We’ve only seen two winners during the previous three events, with Max Homa winning at Avenel Farm in 2022 and at Quail Hollow in 2019. The 2020 event was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic but returned here in 2021, where Rory McIlroy logged his third outright win of his career at this course, finishing at -10-under-par. 

DFS is always more fun when we get a designated event, attracting the sport’s best competitors for maximum lineup production. Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm won’t be in attendance. Still, virtually every other star golfer will be at the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship, including McIlroy, who hasn’t been on a course since missing the cut at The Masters with a final scorecard of +5. Other notable names include Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau, and Jordan Spieth. 

After analyzing Quail Hollow Club’s course difficulty and the players in attendance, I’ve identified six of my favorite prospects to invest in on DraftKings and FanDuel ahead of Thursday’s opening round tee times. Let’s find out why each golfer deserves to be prioritized in DFS lineups as they prepare to tee off at the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship.

Before we get into our Wells Fargo Championship DFS Picks and Targets, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Wells Fargo Championship selections this week.

DraftKings $50,000 Maximum Salary

Xander Schauffele ($10,700)

Xander Schauffele logged a T14 finish at Quail Hollow in 2021, so he’s comfortable playing on this difficult course, especially with his current form. The 29-year-old Californian has gone T19, T10, and fourth in his previous three solo stroke play events, delivering 15-19 birdies during each of these outings. It helps that Schauffele is ranked seventh in total strokes gained, including fourth approaching the green and ninth tee-to-green, combined with a confident putter. He’s a blue-chip prospect worth investing in despite the high salary on DraftKings. 

Jordan Spieth ($9,600)

While we haven’t seen Jordan Spieth compete in the Wells Fargo Championship in several years, he dominated the President’s Cup at this course last season. Combine that performance with his inability to close out Matt Fitzpatrick at the RBC Heritage sudden-death playoff during his last event played. We can expect an explosive performance from Spieth at Quail Hollow Club this weekend. Spieth is the definition of consistent, logging four T5 finishes in his past five events played. Don’t hesitate to pounce on Spieth’s value and get him locked into lineups.

Tommy Fleetwood ($8,000)

The last time we saw Tommy Fleetwood at Quail Hollow during this event, he logged a T14 finish alongside Schauffele. The 32-year-old Englishman has had a variety of finishes this season, with only two T10s through 10 events, but he’s among the best iron players on the PGA Tour. Fleetwood is ranked 10th in total strokes gained, including third around the green and 14th tee-to-green, while efficiently scrambling to either save par or deliver a par breaker, averaging 4.03 birdies per round this season. At $8,000, Fleetwood is a rock-solid value to acquire, so get him into lineups.

FanDuel $60,000 Maximum Salary

Viktor Hovland ($10,600)

Viktor Hovland is a great investment amongst the cheaper blue-chip options this week. The Norwegian golfer logged a T3 finish here at Quail Hollow during the 2021 Wells Fargo Championship, going -7-under-par across the final two rounds to surge up to a T3 finish alongside Keith Mitchell. Hovland has a few flaws in his game, and it’s just the consistency aspect that can burn us in DFS. He’s ranked seventh in strokes gained off-the-tee, fourth in total driving, and hits over 68 percent of greens in regulation, which makes Hovland a considerable asset that could win a few contests by inserting him into lineups this weekend.

Sahith Theegala ($9,800)

Sahith Theegala continues to improve each week on the PGA Tour. Since it’s only his second season, he missed out on Quail Hollow at this event back in 2021, but Theegala is built for this course. Plus, he’s a birdie machine, averaging 4.34 per round, ranked 14th on the PGA Tour. His metrics don’t pop as much as some other players that have been recommended, but Theegala has logged two consecutive T10 finishes, including a T5 at the RBC Heritage. A couple of weeks off to rest and practice should result in the 25-year-old Californian manufacturing another strong outing to collect his eighth T10 finish this season. Plug Theegala into FanDuel lineups at a relatively nice value.

Keith Mitchell ($9,600)

Surprisingly, Keith Mitchell has been consistently good at the Wells Fargo Championship throughout his recent appearances at the event. Mitchell logged a T3 finish at -8-under-par with Hovland at Quail Hollow during McIlroy’s win in 2021 while previously delivering a T8 finish during Max Homa’s outright win in 2019. Mitchell is ranked sixth in strokes gained off-the-tee, 30th tee-to-green, and first overall in total driving. Of course, a 4.1 birdie average also boosts his appeal in DFS, where birdies are king. At $9,600, we aren’t overpaying for Mitchell’s past success, so let’s lock him into FanDuel lineups with confidence. 

The Wells Fargo Championship has been a staple on the PGA Tour for the last two decades and is annually held at Quail Hollow Golf Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. This tournament nearly always attracts a strong field, but this year might be its best one yet, as the event has been granted elevated status. Unfortunately, the top-two players in the world and winners of the two biggest events of the season, Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler, have both opted to skip this event and spend their time preparing for the upcoming PGA Championship at Oak Hill. 

Rory McIlroy, three-time winner of this event, will still be in attendance to defend his 2021 Quail Hollow title. He will be met by a worthy crop of challengers that includes Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland, Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, Justin Thomas, Sungjae Im, Cameron Young, Jason Day, and Matt Fitzpatrick, amongst others. Many of the top American and International players will be extremely familiar with the task at hand this week, as the President’s Cup was held at Quail Hollow back in September. While course conditions will differ, the George Cobb design always presents a difficult test.

Before we get into our picks for the Wells Fargo Championship, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. With the offers below, you can turn $6 into $350 worth of bonuses, or you can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your Wells Fargo Championship selections this week.

Wells Fargo Championship: Course Preview

Quail Hollow

The Quail Hollow Club was designed in 1961 by George Cobb but has undergone a number of changes in the last decade by Tom Fazio. The famed architect changed the first hole from a short par five to a long par four and divided the par-five fifth hole into a new par three fourth hole and par four fifth hole. The course now plays as a par 71 and stretches over 7,500 yards on the scorecard, making it one of the longest and toughest golf courses on the entire PGA Tour. All four of the par threes at Quail Hollow traditionally play over par, and the sixth hole can tip out to over 250 yards. Two par fours, eight and fourteen, can be drivable, but the other nine par fours all measure greater than 450 yards! In fact, five par fours measure 480 yards, with the ninth and sixteenth holes both topping out at over 500 yards. Overall, only five holes at Quail Hollow feature over a 15% birdie rate, while 13 holes feature over a 15% bogey rate!

Quail Hollow is a big and brawny golf course, and since the Fazio changes ahead of the 2017 PGA Championship, all four of the champions here, Justin Thomas, Jason Day, Max Homa, and Rory McIlroy have averaged over 313 yards off the tee. McIlroy and Thomas both finished top two in driving distance, and Day and Homa finished top 20. Distance off the tee is incredibly helpful at the Cobb track, as is long iron play, as over 50% of all approach shots come from over 175 yards. I will primarily be looking to identify players who average over 310 yards off the tee and are elite long-iron players with a passable short game and a strong track record of success at long and difficult golf courses.

Mexico Open Key Stats

• Proximity 175 yards plus
• Driving Distance
• Strokes Gained on Long Golf Courses

Wells Fargo Championship: Outright Winner

Sungjae Im (+2500) (Bet $100 to collect $2,600) Get the best Sungjae Im odds at DraftKings

I have been riding Sungjae Im for multiple weeks now, and after extremely close calls at the RBC Heritage and Zurich Classic, I see absolutely no reason to hop off. The two-time PGA Tour winner is playing some of the best golf of his career, and he is riding a string of six straight top-25 finishes, including a 16th at the Masters and a sixth at the Players Championship. 

I love his fit on this golf course as well, as Im ranks seventh in this field off the tee on long golf courses, sixth overall on long golf courses, fourth in difficult scoring conditions, and 21st in overall long iron play. The 25-year-old gained 4.4 strokes off the tee and 2.8 strokes on approach in his last stroke play event and has done just about everything this season but find the winner’s circle. Quail Hollow is the perfect track for the young Korean to pick up PGA Tour win number three.

Justin Thomas (+2200) (Bet $100 to collect $2,300) DraftKings has the best Justin Thomas odds

By Justin Thomas’ standards, 2023 has been his most disappointing season in years. I still have a ton of reason for optimism given the fact that his ball-striking remains intact, and what better venue to regain form than where he won the PGA Championship in 2017? Even in a down year, Thomas still has seven top-25 finishes in nine starts this season, and he has gained over five strokes ball-striking in three of his last five starts. 

While the biggest reasons for his struggles this season include a downturn in iron play and an incredibly shaky flat-stick, he still statistically possesses the best short game in this entire field, and he is driving the ball great as well. The approach play is certainly not up to his lofty baseline, but it is still strong enough to lead me to believe he is close enough to winning golf tournaments again if he can just find himself a positive putting week. I’ll gladly take my chances on one of the best players in the world at depressed odds returning to form at a familiar and welcome venue.

Patrick Cantlay generated controversy at The Masters thanks to perceived slow play during the final round. 

However, even though joint runner-up at Augusta National, Brooks Koepka, described the group Cantlay was in as “brutally slow,” he has not been without his supporters in the aftermath.

The latest to defend Cantlay is Michael Kim. The 2018 John Deere Classic champion pointed out on Twitter that Cantlay is far from the slowest player and suggested a novel way to persuade others to speed up. He wrote: “Y’all think Cantlay is slow… you should see some others… I think there should be a monthly report of the slowest players on @PGATOUR. Public shaming won’t work on Cantlay but might work on others."

Kim's tweet came days after another PGA Tour pro, Byeong Hun An, also suggested plenty of others are guily of slow play. An tweeted: “It’s not fair for Cantlay to take all the blame for slow play because there are many slow guys who is just not on tv. It’s hard to tell them to hurry up if they are over the ball and not firing the trigger but i don’t get how it takes more than 45secs to choose what club to hit.”

Cantlay himself has alluded to the wider scale of the issue in recent weeks. Before he teed it up in the RBC Heritage, he responded to the slow play criticism he received at The Masters by saying: “We finished the first hole, and the group in front of us was on the second tee when we walked up to the second tee, and we waited all day on pretty much every shot. We waited in 15 fairway, we waited in 18 fairway. I imagine it was slow for everyone.”

Last week, Cantlay played again, this time in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Before that tournament, he admitted he is "definitely slower than average", but reiterated the point he’d made the week before, saying: “I don’t know how you would want even the groups that I’ve been in to play faster when our groups are in position and can’t go faster because the group in front of us is right in front of us."

Regardless of the scale of the issue, according to Kim, calling out Cantlay over his perceived slow play is unlikely to cut any ice in any case. Whether his suggestion to speed others up would have the desired effect remains to be seen.

Slow play has been rearing its ugly head recently in the golf world, with the likes of Brooks Koepka stating at The Masters: “The group in front of us was brutally slow," in relation to Patrick Cantlay's pace of play.

Now, at the Chevron Championship, it has been reported by Golf Digest that LPGA Tour Rookie, Lucy Li, has been handed a slow play fine after her third round of the first Major of 2023, with the fine related to slow play on the seventh hole.

“The group received a warning and was timed, as is our policy, before the fine,” an LPGA spokesperson said in a text, with the official then explaining that Li's group received a warning "several" holes prior to the fine being handed out.

Li, who shot a four-over round of 76, was not given a penalty for the slow play, but it is currently unknown as to how severe the fine was. It was also reported by the Tour that the 20-year-old's playing partners, Gaby Lopez and Pavarisa Yokutan, were not fined.

According to Golf Digest, Li was informed by a Rules Official after she had signed her scorecard with a five-minute conversation then taking place. From there, the American, with her caddie, walked towards the clubhouse where she then met her agent, Jonathan Chafe, with Li reportedly expressing frustration by removing her visor. 

Currently, Li sits in a share of 52nd place, with the American three-over for the tournament. In her first round, the 20-year-old shot a two-over-par 74, before firing a three-under 69 to make the cut and the weekend.

Back in 2014, Li broke Michelle Wie's record of being the youngest player to ever qualify for a US Women's Open at just 11-years-old and, not only did she break that record, but she is also the youngest qualifier for the US Women's Amateur. In August 2022, she secured her LPGA Tour card after she accumulated enough points on the Epson Tour; this was despite the fact that there were two months of the season left to go at the time.

Zurich Classic of New Orleans 2023 Live Stream

This week on the PGA Tour we have something slightly different. Instead of the usual tournament of individual competitors we have teams of two. There are eighty teams with 160 golfers and some of the world's best have teamed up, including last year's winners Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. We also have Max Homa teaming up with Collin Morikawa, Billy Horschel with Sam Burns, Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim, and also a cool pairing of RBC Heritage winner Matt Fitzpatrick with his brother Alex.

A pair of major champions John Daly and David Duval will be paired together too!

Format wise this is something to be aware of. Each two-man team will start by playing Four-ball (best ball) on Thursday, followed by Foursomes on Friday. After the cut is made – only 33 teams and ties find the weekend – they will play Four-ball again before the Sunday drama unfolds with Foursomes.

Below are all the broadcast and streaming details for the event.

Zurich Classic of New Orleans Live Stream: How to watch from outside your country

There are loads of easy ways to watch golf in 2023 including in the US, UK and almost anywhere else in the world. Below we have a full list of options but anyone away from their home country can still watch the action by using VPNs.

VPNs allow you to get around any geo-blocking and and let you watch the same legal, high-quality golf live stream you would at home.

ExpressVPN is one of the best out there. It's easy to use, boasts strong security features, is very easy to setup and is compatible with most major streaming devices, including the  Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox and PlayStation.

Best of all, ExpressVPN comes with a 30 day money back guarantee. This is the #1 rated VPN in the world right now. You can try it out for a month for free or sign up for an annual plan and get 3 months absolutely free.

US TV Schedule - 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans

All times EST

Thursday, April 20: 3pm-6pm (Golf Channel)

Friday, April 21: 3pm-6pm (Golf Channel)

Saturday, April 22: 1pm-3pm (Golf Channel), 3pm-6pm (CBS)

Sunday, April 23: 1pm-3pm (Golf Channel), 3pm-6pm (CBS)

NBC's Golf Channel will televise action during the week and CBS will takeover when the tournament heats up over the weekend. Bearing this in mind you can access the Golf Channel through streaming options such as AT&T TV Now and fuboTV.

AT&T TV Now starts at around $55 a month but does have a 7-day free trial. While fuboTV also offers the Golf Channel and 100+ other channels and also has a 7-day free trial.

We also recommend Sling TV in the US as well. At $51 per month, Sling Blue with the Sports add-on brings NBC and Golf Channel, and it is also half price for your first month.

UK TV Schedule - 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans

Thursday, April 20: 8pm-11pm (Sky Sports Golf)

Friday, April 21: 8pm-11pm (Sky Sports Golf)

Saturday, April 22: 1.45pm-11pm (Sky Sports Golf)

Sunday, April 23: 3.30pm-11pm (Sky Sports Golf)

In the UK, Sky Sports should be your first port of call as Sky Sports Golf will televise action from the event. At the moment Sky has some great deals on Sky Sports for those looking to upgrade and those looking sign up to Sky for the first time.

You can get all eight Sky Sports Channels in HD for just £25 a month which not only includes all the golf action, but you can also watch the football, cricket, Formula 1, NFL and a whole host of other sporting events.

Australia TV Schedule - 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans

Thursday, April 20: 10.30pm-8am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Friday, April 21: 10.30pm-8am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Sunday, April 23: 3am-8am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

Monday, April 24: 3am-8am Kayo Sports (Fox Sports)

The PGA Tour coverage in Australia obviously means getting something great to watch early in the morning. As ever in Australia the most comprehensive golf coverage is offered by Kayo Sports where you can watch Fox Sports that broadcasts the PGA Tour coverage. Not only can you watch the action from Louisiana here, it has all the PGA Tour, DP World Tour events and the Majors. It also has events on the LPGA as well.

It of course also offers access to over 50 sports live and on-demand, with some its big name channels including Fox Sports, ESPN, and beIN Sports.

It's also fantastic value at either $30 for Kayo Basic or $35 for Kayo Premium. Basic lets you stream sport on two devices at once, while Premium allows you to watch on up to three screens simultaneously, so it represents great value if your household has different sporting tastes or you're splitting the cost of the subscription. There's even a free 14-day trial.

As ever, Aussies out of the country can access their favorite streaming service just like they would at home can use a VPN to watch their PGA Tour live stream of choice.

Zurich Classic of New Orleans Teams

(Selected)

• Patrick Cantlay – Xander Schauffele
• Collin Morikawa – Max Homa
• Billy Horschel – Sam Burns
• Matt Fitzpatrick – Alex Fitzpatrick
• Si Woo Kim – Tom Kim
• Sahith Theegala – Justin Suh
• Kurt Kitayama – Taylor Montgomery
• Sungjae Im – Keith Mitchell
• Zach Johnson – Steve Stricker
• Tom Hoge – Harris English

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example

1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service) 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad

We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. 

Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing. 

Patrick Cantlay has admitted that he’s slower than the average player as the controversy over the pace of play in the final round of The Masters continues.

During the Sunday at Augusta National, Cantlay was in a group with Viktor Hovland, and directly behind them were leaders Brooks Koeopka and Jon Rahm. After the tournament, Koepka was critical of the pace of play, saying: “The group in front of us were brutally slow. Jon [Rahm] went to the bathroom like seven times during the round and we were still waiting."

Many considered the American, rather than the Norwegian, had been mainly at fault, and, as Cantlay prepares to defend his trophy in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, he admitted he is slower than most. He said: “Yeah, I’m definitely slower than average, have been my whole career. I definitely take my time. And when I hit my ball on a bulkhead, I’m definitely going to take my time to make sure I make the right decision and try to get the ball back into the right spot."

Before last week’s RBC Heritage, Cantlay was also asked about the issue, and remarked that his position on the PGA Tour’s Player Advisory Council offered him a unique insight into the pace of play, and he reiterated the findings this week. He said: "I mean, like I said, being on the PAC’S been interesting because the times that it’s taken to play rounds has been pretty much the same for the last ten or even longer years. So trying to speed it up, I’d be curious to know how they’d want to do that."

He also explained that he hadn’t received any warnings about slow play during either The Masters or at Harbour Town. He said: “I played the last two tournaments, and my group hasn’t been warned at all. So we’ve been in position the entire time.“

Last week, Cantlay also suggested that the group in front of him had been holding play up during The Masters, and he again stressed that can be an issue during tournaments, saying: “I don’t know how you would want even the groups that I’ve been in to play faster when our groups are in position and can’t go faster because the group in front of us is right in front of us."

Cantlay teams up with Xander Schauffele this week, and his partner also weighed in on the debate, saying: “We’re not playing like the local muni that sort of the average Joe compares our time par to. We’re playing for a couple million - you know, $3.6 million. If you’re going to spend an extra minute to make sure you put yourself in the right spot, we’re going to do it.”

The PGA Tour returns this week to the New Orleans area for its annual team event, the Zurich Classic. Located at TPC Louisiana, the course has hosted this event for the past six years. In this year’s edition, 16 of the top 50 in the world are in the field, with the (pair of) winners competing for a $2.485 million top prize to split amongst them. 

With the different format, the field is also largely expanded, featuring 80 teams of two players each, with the top 33 teams (and ties) advancing to play the weekend. Let’s take a closer look at the course they’ll be competing on and my power rankings heading into this unique event

Zurich Classic Odds

Zurich Classic Course - TPC Louisiana, Avondale, Louisiana

The Par 72 Pete Dye-designed course comes in 200+ yards above the Tour average at 7,425 yards and is one of the longest on Tour each season. It also features plenty of hazards on both sides of the fairways, as accurate drivers will be more rewarded than guys who simply crush the ball. 

Zurich Classic Power Rankings

Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay (+850) (Bet $100 to collect $950) Get the best Schauffele/Cantlay odds at DraftKings

Even at this price, it’s tough to look away from this one, with both guys finishing in the top four last week. Playing together last year, they had two rounds at 60 or under. 

Max Homa/Collin Morikawa (+900) (Bet $100 to collect $1,000) DraftKings has the best Homa/Morikawa odds

Ball striking city with this duo. Max Homa is coming off a missed cut last week as well and will be eager to get after it early and often. 

Tom Kim/Si Woo Kim (+1400) (Bet $100 to collect $1,500) Head to DraftKings for the best Kim/Kim odds

Hard not to love a team with two guys who have already won this season. Friends off the course, the chemistry shouldn’t hurt either. 

Sam Burns and Billy Horschel (+1400) (Bet $100 to collect $1,500) Get the best Burns/Horschel odds at DraftKings

It’s well documented, if by nothing else his results, that Billy Horschel loves this event. A winner here in 2018, he’s now joined by the red-hot Sam Burns who is coming off a statement win in Austin a few weeks ago. 

Joel Dahmen/Denny McCarthy (+3500) (Bet $100 to collect $3,600) Head to DraftKings for the best Dahmen/McCarthy odds

These odds seem long for this spot, but these two guys’ strengths complement each other well coming into this event. If Joel Dahmen can get his putter going, know his drive will be there early and often.

Slow play is back in the golf news cycle following The Masters where two balls on the final day took nearly five hours to complete their rounds.

Brooks Koepka, playing in the final twosome, called the group ahead "brutally slow" after his round and Patrick Cantlay has come under the spotlight for his pace of play. The American was in the group ahead of Koepka at Augusta and playing partner Viktor Hovland was seen playing shots with Cantlay still behind him in what looked like a sign that he was indeed holding up play.

Cantlay defended the criticism ahead of last week's RBC Heritage, though, saying that he was waiting on the group ahead numerous times throughout the round. “Yeah, I mean, we finished the first hole, and the group in front of us was on the second tee when we walked up to the second tee, and we waited all day on pretty much every shot," he said. "We waited in 15 fairway, we waited in 18 fairway. I imagine it was slow for everyone.”

Cantlay was again criticised at the RBC Heritage, where he played in the final group with Matt Fitzpatrick and Jordan Spieth. Fitzpatrick, speaking to Sky Sports News, said that pace of play on tour is "a disgrace" and "appalling" but also admitted that nothing will be done about it.

"For me the times need to be changed," the Englishman said. "I think that times to need to be much less and then that way, you know, when you're not within those times, then you could be penalized and properly punished for being slow.

"I think they give us way too much leeway to get round. If you're in a three ball in my opinion you should be round in four hours, four-and-a-half absolute maximum, it's a disgrace to get anywhere near that. You're talking five-fifteen, five-and-a-half at some venues and it's truly appalling.

"The problem is though, you know this conversation has gone on for years and years and years and no one's ever done anything. So I feel like it's almost a waste of time talking about it every time.

"I've got my opinions, they're probably strong opinions but you know, PGA Tour, DP World Tour, no one's going to do anything about it. It's just the way it's going to be"

Fitzpatrick plays with his younger brother Alex in this week's Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

He defeated Jordan Spieth in a playoff at Harbour Town last week to win his second PGA Tour title and move up to a career-high of 8th in the world.

A unique tournament in the PGA Tour calendar takes place at TPC Louisiana as 80 teams of two compete in fourballs (best ball) in the first and third rounds and foursomes (alternate shot) in the second and final rounds.

Last year, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele cruised to victory over Sam Burns and Billy Horschel by two shots to claim the title, and the World No.4 and World No.5 rekindle that partnership this week. Undeterred by that narrow defeat in 2022, Burns and Horschel also team up again, hoping to go one better this year.

In last week’s RBC Heritage, Matt Fitzpatrick won a thrilling playoff to edge out Jordan Spieth for his first win since last year’s US Open, and the new World No.8 joins forces with brother Alex.

Two years ago, players now on the LIV Golf circuit dominated as Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman beat Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel. However, following their decision to join the PGA Tour's rival, they will instead be teeing it up in Australia this week. 

The tournament was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, meaning you need to go back to 2019 to find the most recent winner before Cantlay and Schauffele in this week’s field. That man was Ryan Palmer, who teamed up with Jon Rahm back then as they claimed a three-shot victory over Tommy Fleetwood and another player who has since joined LIV Golf, Sergio Garcia. 

There’s no Rahm this week following his appearances in successive tournaments The Masters and RBC Heritage. Palmer instead teams up with Scott Piercy, who won the tournament in 2018 alongside Horschel. 

As well as Cantlay, Schauffele and Matt Fitzpatrick, another player in the world’s top 10 also plays this week, World No.7 Max Homa. He’ll fancy his chances of success too, as he plays alongside two-time Major winner Collin Morikawa.

Another intriguing team will be the one comprising World No.17 Sungjae Im and World No.58 Keith Mitchell, while World No.19 Tom Kim will also be confident of success alongside World No.40 Si Woo Kim. Arnold Palmer Invitational champion Kurt Kitayama also plays, alongside Taylor Montgomery.

Away from the most recognisable names, another team to look out for will be the one made up of Michael Thompson and a man making his PGA Tour debut, 43-year-old former US army soldier Paresh Amin, who appears on a sponsor exemption.

Teams are competing for a purse of $8.6m, with the winners earning $1,242,700 each.

Below is the breakdown of the prize money and field for the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Zurich Classic Of New Orleans Prize Money 2023

Zurich Classic Of New Orleans Teams 2023

• Matt Fitzpatrick and Alex Fitzpatrick
• Collin Morikawa and Max Homa
• Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim
• Sam Burns and Billy Horschel
• Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay
• Kurt Kitayama and Taylor Montgomery
• Ryan Brehm and Mark Hubbard
• Joel Dahmen and Denny McCarthy
• Tyler Duncan and Hank Lebioda
• Harris English and Tom Hoge
• Jim Herman and Ryan Armour
• Sungjae Im and Keith Mitchell
• Andrew Landry and Austin Cook
• Luke List and Henrik Norlander
• Taylor Moore and Matthew NeSmith
• Trey Mullinax and Scott Stallings
• Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer
• JJ Spaun and Hayden Buckley
• Robert Streb and Troy Merritt
• Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin
• Michael Thompson and Paresh Amin
• Brendon Todd and Patton Kizzire
• Erik Van Rooyen and MJ Daffue
• Matt Wallace and Callum Shinkwin
• Richy Werenski and Scott Brown
• Jason Dufner and Kevin Chappell
• Zach Johnson and Steve Stricker
• Jimmy Walker and DA Points
• Thorbjørn Olesen and Nicolai Hojgaard
• John Daly and David Duval
• Edoardo Molinari and Luke Donald
• Sam Saunders and Eric Cole
• Victor Perez and Thomas Detry
• Ryan Palmer and Scott Piercy
• Sahith Theegala and Justin Suh
• Davis Riley and Nick Hardy
• Taylor Pendrith and Michael Gligic
• Wyndham Clark and Beau Hossler
• Lee Hodges and Robby Shelton
• Brandon Wu and Joseph Bramlett
• Dylan Frittelli and Matti Schmid
• David Lipsky and Aaron Rai
• Russell Knox and Brian Stuard
• Sam Ryder and Doc Redman
• Greyson Sigg and Brice Garnett
• Callum Tarren and Ben Taylor
• Max McGreevy and Sam Stevens
• Chesson Hadley and Ben Martin
• Nick Watney and Charley Hoffman
• Doug Ghim and Kramer Hickok
• Kevin Tway and Kelly Kraft
• Matthias Schwab and Vincent Norrman
• Austin Smotherman and Harry Higgs
• Justin Lower and Dylan Wu
• Zac Blair and Zecheng Dou
• Ben Griffin and Ryan Gerard
• Davis Thompson and Will Gordon
• Byeong Hun An and SH Kim
• David Lingmerth and Jonas Blixt
• Tyson Alexander and Carl Yuan
• Harry Hall and Akshay Bhatia
• Harrison Endycott and Aaron Baddeley
• Michael Kim and SY Noh
• Austin Eckroat and Scott Harrington
• Brent Grant and Kevin Roy
• Paul Haley II and Cody Gribble
• Carson Young and Kyle Westmoreland
• Tano Goya and Trevor Werbylo
• Augusto Núñez and Fabián Gómez
• Brandon Matthews and Sean O'Hair
• Trevor Cone and Andrew Novak
• Chad Collins and DJ Trahan
• Cameron Percy and Greg Chalmers
• Bill Haas and Jonathan Byrd
• Chris Stroud and William McGirt
• Ricky Barnes and Kyle Stanley
• Wesley Bryan and Grayson Murray
• Geoff Ogilvy and Kevin Stadler
• Sung Kang and Sangmoon Bae
• Derek Ernst and Robert Garrigus

The PGA Tour will trade the coastal shores of Hilton Head Island in exchange for the warm, flat marshes of Louisiana ahead of the 2023 Zurich Classic. It’s a break from the standard stroke play format once again, but unlike Match Play, golfers will be teamed up to play better ball (Four-Ball) and alternate shot (Foursomes) while navigating a cut line after the first two rounds. Last year, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele set a course record at TPC Louisiana with a final scorecard of -29-under-par, which is why they are once again the outright betting favorites to defend their title in 2023. 

DFS sites still designate salaries for individual players; however, they have a ‘PTR’ tag associated with their production since Better Ball and Alternate Shot require both players to work in tandem to get the lowest score possible. Players are individually priced but identical in terms of salary on DraftKings so that we can opt to roster a player from a different pairing without needing to pay more for Sahith Theegala compared to Justin Suh. Since FanDuel doesn’t have Zurich Classic contests available at this time, we will focus strictly on DraftKings ahead of this unique event. 

I’ve scoured the Zurich Classic slate and identified a few of my favorite teams that can help us cash our DraftKings lineups at TPC Louisiana. Let’s find out why each team should be prioritized in DFS ahead of Thursday’s opening tee times from Avondale, Louisiana.

Before we get into our Zurich Classic DFS Picks and Targets, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Zurich Classic selections this week.

DraftKings $50,000 Maximum Salary

Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele ($11.1K)

It’s an expensive, chalky investment, but we have a duty to pay up for the defending champions at Zurich. Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele have some of the best irons on the PGA Tour, so when they’re combined, it’s nearly unfair. Cantlay is among the best players with par 5 scoring average, and there are four par 5 holes at TPC Louisiana, which rewards strong drivers, precise irons, and of course, putting. After setting a course record at -29-under-par in 2022, plus with each of them coming off of a T4 finish at RBC Heritage, there’s plenty of momentum and confidence to go around for both players ahead of Thursday’s opening tee times. Cantlay has sunk 15-21 birdies in each of his previous five events, which is the most lucrative currency in DFS, while Schauffele isn’t far behind, averaging 70 - 107 DraftKings fantasy points since The Players Championship. Pay up to land this coveted blue-chip tandem.

Si Woo Kim/Tom Kim ($9.7K)

I like the value we’re landing with the Kim pairing at this event. Si Woo Kim had a disappointing turnout at RBC Heritage, missing the cut at +2, but he’s looked good before just his second missed cut of the season, logging two T30 finishes at The Masters and The Players Championship. His teammate and fellow South Korean native Tom Kim takes this pairing to the next level. The 20-year-old also failed to make the cut at Harbour Town last week despite going -1-under-par, but he yielded a T16 finish at Augusta National the week before in much more difficult conditions and a course with much faster putting surfaces. Kim is a wizard with his irons, ranking 16th in strokes gained tee-to-green, 16th in approaching the green, and 37th in strokes gained around the green. He’s a finesse player, and Si Woo Kim isn’t far behind, ranking 29th in total strokes gained, with an emphasis on tee-to-green play. If one of them can resolve their putting woes, expect the Kim team to be highly competitive and near the top of the leaderboard by Sunday evening, flooding DraftKings lineups with production.

Tom Hoge/Harris English ($8.8K)

When it comes to strokes gained tee-to-green, approaching the green, and total driving, Tom Hoge is among the best to do it. While he did wind up missing the cut at Zurich in 2022, his new teammate, Harris English, is equipped with a top-30 putter and nice touch around the greens to be an asset instead of a liability during the alternate shot round on Friday. Hoge is also a top-12 player in finding the green in regulation. In contrast, English is terrible, so he’ll balance out their weaknesses at converting greens in regulation, while English can lean on his putter to deliver birdies and red scorecards. If you’re a bit cautious about investing in this team in DFS, it helps to know that English is ranked 31st in scrambling while also ranking 31st in total putting, so he can save par and overcome errant lies and approach shots. English hasn’t competed at TPC Louisiana since 2019 when he missed the cut. A few years away may have done him some good, with his most recent notable finish occurring at Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he logged a T2 finish. We’re getting this team discounted for a reason, but I believe in their upside enough to label them a strong salary-saving pair to invest in ahead of Thursday’s opening-best ball round. 

The final round of an enthralling Masters wasn’t without controversy. As Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka battled it out for the title, they were kept waiting at various points by the group in front comprising Patrick Cantlay and Viktor Hovland.

Many have suggested the American, rather than the Norwegian, had been largely to blame. However, Byeong Hun An has come to Cantlay's defence, pointing out that he is far from the only player who could be accused of taking too long over his shots.

The 31-year-old wrote on Twitter: “It’s not fair for Cantlay to take all the blame for slow play because there are many slow guys who is just not on tv. It’s hard to tell them to hurry up if they are over the ball and not firing the trigger but i don’t get how it takes more than 45secs to choose what club to hit.”

After the Augusta National tournament, Koepka in particular was critical of the pace of play, saying: “The group in front of us were brutally slow. Jon [Rahm] went to the bathroom like seven times during the round and we were still waiting”.

Cantlay responded to the slow play criticism before last week’s RBC Heritage. The world No.5 said: “Yeah, I mean, we finished the first hole, and the group in front of us was on the second tee when we walked up to the second tee, and we waited all day on pretty much every shot. We waited in 15 fairway, we waited in 18 fairway. I imagine it was slow for everyone.”

That appeared to back up the South Korean’s point that the number of players taking their time would have been greater than the TV cameras suggested. Later, the 2015 BMW PGA champion continued the discussion, responding to one follower: “I average 31 seconds per a shot and I’m 250 out of 269 players. Which means there are 19 players who play faster than me. Is 45 seconds enough? Definitely. Sometimes I wonder what they have in the yardage book that they stare at for ages”.

The pace of play issue is one that frequently bubbles to the surface. Indeed, just a few weeks before The Masters it proved a big talking point at The Players Championship after it was reported that the two ball of Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler took over an hour to play three holes, which led to four groups playing the par 5 11th at TPC Sawgrass.

With the issue sure to resurface at some point, the World No.143 was adamant about one thing, though – it’s up to the rules officials to address. When it was suggested he could try to get slower players to hurry up, he responded: “We don’t have to tell them to hurry the f*** up. Rules officials do. Do u think they are going to listen when we tell them.”

An teams up with SH Kim in this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana, where Cantlay and Xander Schauffele are defending their title.

The RBC Heritage will be a tough act to follow after watching Matt Fitzpatrick mount a three-hole playoff comeback over defending champion Jordan Spieth. Still, the PGA Tour moves onto the 2023 Zurich Classic in New Orleans, Louisiana, for its next event. Known primarily for its unique scoring format, players will be teamed up throughout the event and will engage in a better ball and alternate shot scoring every other round at Zurich. 

Last year, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele set a course record, recording a -29-under-par final scorecard to win by two strokes and never relinquishing a hold on their lead throughout the four rounds played at TPC Louisiana. It’s why they are once again heavy outright betting favorites at +290, followed by Collin Morikawa and Max Homa at +750, while Sungjae Im and Keith Mitchell round out the top three at 13/1 odds. We’re not getting as many prominent names as we did during last week’s designated event; however, there’s still plenty of firepower and talent to go around at a course like TPC Louisiana, which is built for distance and accuracy.   

Let’s look at the top-ten betting odds, course layout, and a couple of teams with the experience, skill set, and current form to secure an outright win ahead of Thursday’s opening tee times at the 2023 Zurich Classic.

Before we get into our picks for Zurich Classic, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Zurich Classic selections this week.

Zurich Classic Odds

2023 Zurich Classic Betting Preview

Previous Winners

• 2022 - Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay (-29)
• 2021 - Marc Leishman/Cameron Smith(-20)
• 2020 - Cancelled
• 2019 - Ryan Palmer/Jon Rahm (-26)
• 2018 - Scott Piercy/Billy Horschel (-22)
• 2017 - Jonas Blixt/Cameron Smith (-27)

Relevant Betting Stats

• Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee
• Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green
• Greens in Regulation percentage
• Sand Save percentage
• Scrambling

Course Layout

TPC Louisiana is a par 72 that stretches north of 7,400 yards that feature overseeded Bermudagrass greens that are on the smaller side in terms of square foot surface area. It’s similar to Harbour Town based on the putting surfaces and the reduced rough, standing at two inches, but there are a few more water hazards and doglegged fairways to enforce the importance of strokes gained off-the-tee. Naturally, approach shots take on a significant role, as the small greens are flanked by plenty of sand bunkers. Longer par 3s but the shorter par 5s balance players’ ability to save par and sink birdies, while the par 4 holes tend to mostly run shy of 450 yards. 

The greens are prepared to run up to 12 feet via the Stimpmeter, which is the same surface and pace we saw at Harbour Town last weekend, which has reduced putting velocity in comparison to the lightning-fast Bentgrass greens played at Augusta National during The Masters. Rough stands at a manageable two inches, so errant approach shots have a solid chance of being scrambled with excellent short-game play around the green from many of the teams competing at Zurich this week. Equivalent distribution of four par 3s and four par 5s throughout the front and back nine, including a par 5 on the second hole and 18th hole, creating birdie opportunities early and late in the round.

Top Players to Bet for Outright Zurich Classic Winner

Kim/Kim (+1700) (Bet $100 to collect $1,800) Head over to DraftKings for the best Kim/Kim odds

Two of the PGA Tour’s best iron players are teamed up at Zurich, which emphasizes accuracy off of the tee. At 17/1 odds, Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim have formed a South Korean duo that offers plenty of reasons to invest, as Si Woo Kim is ranked seventh in approach shots from 150-200 yards, while Tom Kim is ranked first in approaches from 125-150 yards. As I said, these guys can dial it in perfectly from the fairway. Tom Kim is also ranked as the second-most accurate driver and first in scrambling off of the fringe while standing 16th in strokes gained tee-to-green. You won’t find much more iron accuracy than this team at Zurich, which is why they have the fourth-shortest odds of logging an outright win. 

Horschel/Burns (+1700) (Bet $100 to collect $1,800) Go to FanDuel for the best Horschel/Burns odds

Sam Burns returns to his native state for another event that departs from the traditional stroke play format used during individual events. He’ll be joined by Billy Horschel, who has been consistently good at Zurich in previous appearances, including an outright win with Scott Piercy back in 2018 and runner-up behind Cantlay/Schauffele in 2022. Horschel has been cold lately, missing the cut or falling outside of the top 50 in three of his past four events. He managed a T9 finish during the WGC-Dell Tech Match Play event in Austin, Texas, as the only notable finish, which also saw Burns dominate against a loaded field with his first outright win of the season. Both players have performed better outside of traditional stroke play, so at the Zurich Classic, expect them to make noise early and often while seeking an outright win at 17/1 odds, which is too much value for us to pass up. 

Kitayama/Montgomery (+2400) (Bet $100 to collect $2,500) The best Kitayama/Montgomery odds at FanDuel

The chemistry between UNLV alumni Kurt Kitayama and Taylor Montgomery should combine into a potent force at TPC Louisiana. Kitayama already has an outright win at Bay Hill, holding off Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler in impressive fashion, while Montgomery, a rookie, has collected four T10 finishes while only missing three cuts in 17 events played this season. Kitayama has the irons dialed in pretty well, ranking fourth in approach shots inside of 275 yards, while Montgomery is ranked third in strokes gained putting, relying on the flat stick to get the job done. It shows up in other metrics too, as Montgomery is ranked first in one-putt percentage, putts per round, and overall putting average. Kitayama can lay it up nicely from the fairway, while Montgomery can deliver the closer once they reach the greens. At 24/1, we’re landing solid value here, so you can confidently lay a unit on Kitayama and Montgomery to compete for the outright win at Zurich this weekend. 

The Zurich Classic is a unique tournament on the PGA Tour, as while it used to be a regular individual stroke play event, it shifted formats in 2017. The field now consists of 80 two-man teams who play better ball in rounds one and three and alternate shots in rounds two and four. The top 33 teams plus ties will advance to the weekend. 

The tournament has been held at the Pete Dye-designed TPC Louisiana since 2004. Super team Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele will return to defend their title. Still, they will be met this year by an interesting crop of challengers, including returning tandems such as Sam Burns and Billy Horschel, as well as new duos such as Max Homa and Collin Morikawa and Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim. A change of pace is always welcome on the PGA Tour, and the Zurich Classic always seems to deliver.

Before we get into our picks for the Zurich Classic, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. With the offers below, you can turn $6 into $350 worth of bonuses, or you can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your Zurich Classic selections this week.

Zurich Classic: Course Preview

TPC Louisiana

TPC Louisiana was designed in 2004 by Pete Dye, and although we do not have strokes gained at this event for obvious reasons, we still possess some limited data from when a stroke play event was held here prior to 2017. There have been some notable changes to the course since 2017, including a lengthening of over 200 yards. Truth be told, the extra length didn’t change much of the character of the course, but it’s certainly worth mentioning. There are ample opportunities for players to take advantage of TPC Louisiana, which is by no means a difficult golf course despite the added length and high volume of long iron shots. 

In 2015 and 2016, TPC Louisiana ranked as one of the seven easiest courses on the PGA Tour. There is not a ton of trouble off the tee, the rough is nearly non-existent, the course is extremely flat, and there is very little undulation to the greens and surrounding greenside areas. For this reason, teams will need to be incredibly comfortable going low, especially on Thursday and Saturday in the best ball format. I will be focused this week on identifying the teams that are the best overall long iron tandems, are comfortable in easy scoring conditions, and generate the most birdie opportunities per round.

Zurich Classic Key Stats

• Proximity 200 yards plus
• Opportunities Gained
• Birdies or Better Gained

Zurich Classic: Outright Winner

Sungjae Im & Keith Mitchell (+1400) (Bet $100 to collect $1,500) Head to DraftKings for the best Sungjae Im & Keith Mitchell odds

While Sungjae Im and Keith Mitchell have never played this event together before, both players are well antiquated with TPC Louisiana and fit this course ideally from a numbers standpoint. Sungjae Im is clearly one of the best talents in this field and playing some of the best golf of his career. The World No. 17 is coming off a contending seventh-place finish at the Heritage, where he gained 4.8 strokes off the tee and 2.5 strokes on approach, good for his sixth top-25 finish in a row. Im has done just about everything but finds the winner’s circle this year. He has already recorded top-six finishes at the Farmer’s Insurance Open, Waste Management Open, and Players Championship. 

The possibility of a different format and a worthy partner may help him cross the finish line. While Keith Mitchell may not have the pedigree of Im, he is a player I have been high on all season that I fully expect to break through at this level. The University of Georgia product remains one of the best drivers of the ball in this entire field, and he also ranks top-15 in both opportunities gained and birdies or better gained. Both players combine to rank as the third most formidable duo in my team rankings and present a fair amount of value in the outright market.

Davis Riley & Nick Hardy (+4000) (Bet $100 to collect $4,100) Get the best Davis Riley & Nick Hardy odds at DraftKings

Davis Riley and Nick Hardy are a new duo this year, but both players fared incredibly well at this event last year, with Riley finishing fourth alongside Will Zalatoris and Hardy finishing 21st alongside Curtis Thompson. Both players have elevated their games since then and now enter as a worthy duo at an appetizing price. Riley and Hardy are certainly undervalued in the market, coming off near-missed cuts at the RBC Heritage. 

My numbers suggest that the tandem are the fourth most formidable pairing in this field and course fit for TPC Louisiana. Riley is one of the absolute best in the field at generating birdie opportunities and an incredibly worthy long-iron player as well. Hardy, on the other hand, is an excellent long iron player as well, provides plenty of pop off the tee, and is one of the biggest risers in easier scoring conditions. Ultimately, I believe this team, at their current number, presents the most value in the entire field, and I will gladly take my chances on a breakthrough performance from two young talents.

The PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans takes place this week as teams of two compete. 

One noteworthy partnership was confirmed last month when Matt Fitzpatrick revealed he will team up with his brother Alex following a funny text exchange. However, another involves a sponsor exemption, former US army soldier and GPro Tour member Paresh Amin, who will partner Michael Thompson.

Amin, who is a member of Sea Island Golf Club in Georgia, spent 15 years in the US army and navy before turning his hand to golf and has competed in 28 GPro Tour events over the last three years. However, during that run he didn't enjoy the best of fortunes, with a tie for 79th in the 2020 Columbia Open his best finish among 26 missed cuts and one withdrawal.

Thompson, of course, has considerably more pedigree, with two PGA Tour wins and a career-high ranking of World No.43. Still, it's almost three years since his most recent win, the 2020 3M Open, while he currently sits at World No.227. Thompson has enjoyed some encouraging results of late, including a tie for 29th in the PGA Tour’s most recent designated event, the RBC Heritage, There's no doubt he and his PGA Tour debutant partner will be considered long shots at TPC Louisiana though.

That’s not to say that Amin won’t have plenty of goodwill going into the tournament. As well as the respect that will come his way considering his former career, Minor League Golf Tour pro Peter Bradbeer had nothing but warm words for him in a Twitter response to the news he would play. He wrote: “I played with Paresh in a gpro last year. Guy is all class. Happy he’s getting a shot at the big leagues! Couldn’t happen to a better dude.”

While some of the world's best players including US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, two-time Major winner Collin Morikawa and World No.4 Patrick Cantlay are in the field this week, the appearance of an army veteran will surely be one to keep an eye on – particularly for anyone with a soft spot for the underdog.

Over the weekend, Matt Fitzpatrick revealed that Harbour Town is his second favourite golf course, behind Augusta National, with the 28-year-old visiting Hilton Head every year since he was six-years-old.

Now, after defeating Jordan Spieth in a gripping playoff, Fitzpatrick becomes just the second Englishman, after Sir Nick Faldo, to win the RBC Heritage.

It was a fantastic final round to watch, with many top names battling it out for the win but, at the third playoff hole, Fitzpatrick produced a candidate for the shot of the year, with his 9-iron finishing mere inches away for an eagle and an eventual victory.

Beginning the final day, it was Fitzpatrick who held the lead after an eight-under-par round of 63 on Saturday gave him a one shot advantage over Patrick Cantlay and a two shot margin over Spieth.

Out of the gates, it was Spieth who made the early running though, with the three-time Major winner carding four birdies in his first six holes to tie lead. Just one hole later, following a bogey from Fitzpatrick, Spieth found himself with the outright lead, something which he held going into the back nine.

It seemed as if it was going to be a two-horse race but, with a birdie at the 10th, Cantlay joined the party. However, the American would rue two bogeys at the 13th and 14th, one of which came from a wooden sleeper, as he finished one shot back of the eventual winner.

For Spieth, he appeared to be in control and, with a birdie at the 13th, he held a two-shot advantage, his biggest lead of the final round. Fitzpatrick though wasn't lying down and, with back-to-back birdies on the 15th and 16th, the US Open champion found himself back in a share of the lead with two holes to go.

Playing the last two, it appeared to be advantage Fitzpatrick as he struck a tee shot at the par 3 17th to around eight feet. However, his pushed putt stayed right, meaning we headed to the 72nd hole all-square. Once again, both followed each other in, with both making pars that meant we headed to a playoff.

At the first playoff hole, Spieth was left wondering how the title wasn't his, as his putt from 12-foot rolled over the right edge when it seemed destined to drop. It meant we headed to the 17th and a second playoff hole and, once again, the American was wondering how he hadn't wrapped up the trophy, as his putt to win, once again, dribbled past on the right side.

The two misses proved costly, especially when Fitzpatrick stuck his approach at the 18th to a few inches for a certain birdie. What's more, Spieth couldn't follow and, when his second finished past the flag, he was unable to convert the birdie opportunity. That left his opponent to tap-in and pick up a title that will certainly be up there with his US Open victory.

During his final round whilst in contention at the RBC Heritage, Patrick Cantlay was dealt a peculiar incident when his chip shot from the edge of the green looked destined for the water, but somehow stayed up via the assistance of a wooden sleeper. 

It turned out to be a huge stroke of luck for the American, as he somehow played a miraculous chip shot from the sleeper, which could have gone anywhere, as it finished just a few feet away for what was, in the end, a very good bogey. 

Over the past few weeks, Cantlay has come under fire for his pace of play, with the American at the centre of a social media barrage at last week's Masters. At the tournament Brooks Koepka, who was in the group behind Cantlay, stated that: “The group in front of us was brutally slow."

At the RBC Heritage, Cantlay fired a jibe of his own back at those who called him out, as the 31-year-old made a hole-in-one before sharing a video of the ace with the caption: "Playing Faster!"

Now, during the final round, after three birdies in his first 10 holes, he found himself in contention. However, a bogey at the par 4 13th dropped him two back of then leader, Jordan Spieth, with Cantlay incurring a bizarre incident at the very next hole, the 197-yard par 3.

Pulling his tee shot, the normally reliable Cantlay then misjudged his chip shot completely, as his ball careered towards the water but, as mentioned earlier, it miraculously stayed up via one of the sleepers.

Faced with a chip shot that could have gone anywhere, due to the ball being suspended between the two bits of wood, Cantlay discussed, in depth and time, with his caddie, before deciding against a drop that would have put him out of contention.

What followed was a ridiculously good chip shot that landed on the green and rolled to a few feet. Although he tapped in for bogey, the damage limitation meant he was still in contention with just a handful of holes remaining.

Over the past week, many viewers have called out Patrick Cantlay over slow play, with Masters runner-up, Brooks Koepka, stating at Augusta National: “The group in front of us was brutally slow. Jon went to the bathroom like seven times during the round, and we were still waiting.”

Now though, at the RBC Heritage, Cantlay has responded, with the American making a hole-in-one at the par 3 seventh, his 16th hole of the day, as the 31-year-old vaulted up the leaderboard on Friday afternoon.

Cantlay, who isn't the biggest social media user in the world, couldn't resist a dig at the recent controversy surrounding pace of play either, with the eight-time PGA Tour winner taking to Twitter to simply comment: "Playing faster!" as he shot a six-under-par round of 65.

Speaking after his ace, the American stated: "It was just a perfect 6-iron number, a little into the wind, high 190s to the hole. A one-yard cut that just came off perfect. They (the crowd) went nuts. There's a bunch of fans around that 7th green, so it was nice to show off for them a little bit."

Making his third ace on the PGA Tour, Cantlay had been going along nicely during his second round, with five birdies and two bogeys on his front nine rounding of a three-under-par 32.

From there, he made yet another birdie at the par 5 fifth, his 14th hole of the day, as he then approached the par 3 seventh and the hole he would make an ace on. Striking his six-iron, the ball never really left the flag as it landed softly on the green and rolled towards the flag like a putt.

Celebrating with his fellow playing partners, Cantlay then parred in for a six-under round of 65, with the 31-year-old currently four back of round two leader, Jimmy Walker.

This week, we’re back for another exciting stop on the PGA Tour at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The 2023 RBC Heritage just became a designated event, which means the majority of the best golfers on the Tour will head eastward from Augusta to the coastal shores of the low country in South Carolina for a chance to compete at Harbour Town Golf Links. It’s a par 71 track that runs just over 7,200 yards, featuring 3,700 square foot Bermudagrass greens, which is a much different test than players were dealt during The Masters. Ball striking and accuracy off of the tee and tee-to-green become more critical at the RBC Heritage, as the putting surfaces are a bit slower on Bermuda at 12.5 feet via the Stimpmeter.

It was exciting to watch Jon Rahm win his first Green Jacket after strong opening and closing rounds, battling the elements and delivering sensational iron play, and putting in to outplay Brooks Koepka down the stretch. My recommended DFS plays were a mixed bag of results. Jordan Spieth could’ve been in contention if not for a +4 round on Saturday, delivering a six-under-par closing round to climb into a T4 finish. Patrick Cantlay (T14), Sungjae Im (T16), and Justin Rose (T16) all logged T16 finishes or better, while Rory McIlroy suffered a huge disappointment by missing the cut at +5. Even Jason Day, who began The Masters at -5-under-par, imploded after making the cut, winding up T39 (+5) due to an absurdly high round of 80 on Sunday. Despite McIlroy and Day falling flat, the other four plays were commodities in DraftKings and FanDuel lineups, so hopefully, you tailed them and wound up cashing a few DFS contests. 

I’ve scoured the RBC Heritage slate and have identified six of my favorite prospects who can help us cash our DraftKings and FanDuel lineups at the RBC Heritage. Let’s find out why each player should be prioritized in DFS lineups ahead of Thursday’s opening tee times from Harbour Town Golf Links. 

Before we get into our RBC Heritage DFS Picks and Targets, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 RBC Heritage selections this week.

DraftKings $50,000 Maximum Salary

Jordan Spieth ($10,400)

We’ve heard Jordan Spieth talk about the mental exhaustion he’s experiencing due to an increased PGA Tour schedule, but that won’t stop me from recommending the defending champion at RBC Heritage. Spieth can be a bit volatile at times, but he’s one of the best bounce-back players on the PGA Tour and ranks 27th in strokes gained tee-to-green, which is a significant metric to adhere to when playing a short, precision course like the one we’re getting at Harbour Town. Spieth is also ranked 19th in strokes gained around the green, and the intermediate cut surrounding most of the Bermudagrass greens creates ideal conditions for him to collect his fifth T10 finish in 12 events played this season. He’s nearly $1K cheaper than Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler, so consider Spieth a high-value blue-chip prospect to insert into DraftKings lineups this week. 

Tony Finau ($9,400)

Tony Finau has been a bit underwhelming since the 2023 PGA Tour season began; however, he’s consistently hovering around T25 finishes in 10 of 11 events played. The 33-year-old has some of the best irons, ranking fourth in total strokes gained, including fifth tee-to-green, third approaching the green, and 22nd in strokes gained putting. Finau has produced 12-21 birdies in each of his previous five events, yielding anywhere from 61.5 - 89.5 DraftKings fantasy points in DFS lineups. The last time Finau competed at RBC Heritage, he logged a T33 finish, staying below par in all four rounds. At $9.4K on DraftKings, we’re getting solid value by inserting Finau into lineups, so go ahead and add him with confidence, especially since his skill set aligns with the challenges of a course like Harbour Town. 

Justin Thomas ($8,900)

I have to be fully transparent here; recommending Justin Thomas is not something that I do a lot. However, he’s among the best strokes-gained tee-to-green players on the PGA Tour, ranking 11th, while no one performs better around the green. The putter has been Thomas’ Achilles heel this season, as he’s ranked 145th in this metric, but at Harbour Town, irons reign supreme. Few players do it better and more consistently than Thomas, so at an $8.9K salary on DraftKings, consider Thomas a massive value addition to lineups. Previous finishes of T35 and T8 at the RBC Heritage, combined with the motivation we can expect from Thomas after missing the cut at Augusta National last week, make him an ideal candidate to roster in DFS lineups. 

FanDuel - $60,000 Maximum Salary

Scottie Scheffler ($12,100)

It’ll be fun to watch Scottie Scheffler acclimate to Harbour Town for the first time in his career. You read that correctly. The World No. 1 ranked golfer will make his debut at RBC Heritage following its recent upgrade as a designated event on the PGA Tour. Scheffler is the best player when it comes to strokes gained tee-to-green, which we saw at Augusta, but the putter flared up and prevented him from contending on Sunday. That won’t be the case at Harbour Town, where irons and play around the green can reward players with red scorecards. We’re paying up for Scheffler at $12,100 on FanDuel, but he’s still $100 cheaper than Jon Rahm, plus his strengths fit the layout of Harbour Town. It’s always a bit nerve-wracking backing a player making his debut at a course, but we’re talking about Scheffler, not a value bin commodity. Let’s ride the hot hand, which hasn’t dipped below a T12 finish since October. 

Tommy Fleetwood ($9,700)

Since RBC Heritage tends to reward quality iron players, 32-year-old Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, is someone to prioritize in DFS lineups. Not only are we landing good value at a reduced salary, but Fleetwood has been solid in previous outings at Harbour Town, logging a T10 finish here in 2022 and a T25 back in 2019. He’s ranked 12th in strokes gained tee-to-green, second in strokes gained around the green, and 25th approaching the green. He’s one of the rare quality iron players who possess a consistently good putter, ranking 53rd in strokes gained putting. The key to Fleetwood’s success will be scrambling on the small greens, as he ranks outside the top 100 in hitting them in regulation while performing well with scrambling closer than 30 yards and from the rough. At a sub-$10K salary on FanDuel, I like Fleetwood’s floor and ceiling quite a bit, so plug him in. 

Chris Kirk ($9,600)

Staying in the mid-$9K range, Chris Kirk jumps off the board in terms of value. The 37-year-old is recently removed from his fifth outright win at The Honda Classic, which he’s followed up with two more T25 finishes, including a T10 at Valero. Kirk missed the cut at RBC Heritage last year but drew a T7 finish in 2021, staying below par in all four rounds and saving his best for the second and fourth rounds to climb into the top ten. He’s ranked 16th in total strokes gained, which includes 32nd tee-to-green, 12th around the green, and 24th putting. Kirk is also ranked inside the top ten when it comes to sand save percentage, which bodes well for him confronting the dozens of sand traps scattered throughout Harbour Town. Kirk is the best player in three-putt avoidance and has 63 - 84 FanDuel fantasy points in three of his previous four events, so he’s another rare player with quality putting and irons blended together to form an ideal prospect at RBC Heritage.