The US Open at Los Angeles Country Club was an incredible television product that ended with an emotionally charged victory for 29-year-old Wyndham Clark. It was his first Major win and the second of the season for Clark, who was universally touted by the crew here at In-Between Media (IBT).
This week, the PGA Tour is headed from coast to coast for another staple event with a shiny new elevated purse. The conditions will be a lot more ripe for scoring this week, with the golfers shifting from four-wheel drive to racetrack mode.
I hear New England is gorgeous this time of year, so why not leave this weekend with a wallet bulging with cash?
PGA DFS: Travelers Championship 2023 Breakdown
The Travelers Championship is held at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. The par-70 design is only 6,840 yards, making it one of the shortest courses on the PGA Tour. The winning score is normally between 15 and 20 strokes under par, but the elevated purse has enticed quite a few more of the best golfers this season. There will be a heavy emphasis on converting birdie opportunities and carding low scores all four days.
Winning at PGA DFS carries plenty of caveats. Naturally, you want all six golfers on your roster to make the 36-hole cut (top 60 and ties after round two). After that, scoring is about making birdies and avoiding bogeys (or worse). Bonus points are awarded for higher standings and birdie streaks of three consecutive holes.
You’ll hear me say the word ‘leverage’ a lot when speaking about PGA DFS. Leverage is about positioning. It isn’t so much who you play but rather who you don’t. It’s risky to roster a golfer who is also rostered heavily by opposing lineups. There’s almost no reward when that player succeeds, par at best, to use a golf analogy. To make money playing DFS, it requires taking chances and making birdies when others are settling for par.
A popular player is deemed ‘chalky.’ Good chalk is a popular player who is nearly certain to succeed. Bad chalk is a risky player that too many people have hitched their wagons to. A profitable DFS lineup will have a nice blend of good chalk and successful leverage. A leverage play is a good play that isn’t rostered by many… “lifting” it above the field. Here’s how I’m attacking PGA DFS for the Travelers Championship.
PGA DFS: Travelers Championship 2023 Picks
(Prices courtesy of DraftKings)
High-Priced ($9,000 & Higher)
Good Chalk: Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele
Bad Chalk: Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Collin Morikawa
Leverage: Rickie Fowler, Wyndham Clark, Tony Finau
Mid-Priced ($7,600 – $8,900)
Good Chalk: Si Woo Kim, Tom Kim, Sahith Theegala, Min Woo Lee
Bad Chalk: Russell Henley, Corey Conners, Harris English, Denny McCarthy, Hideki Matsuyama
Leverage: Max Homa, Keegan Bradley, Sungjae Im, Justin Thomas
Value-Priced ($7,500 & Lower)
Good Chalk: Austin Eckroat, Aaron Rai, Ludvig Aberg, Eric Cole
Bad Chalk: Brian Harman, Mark Hubbard, Andrew Putnam
Leverage: Byeong Hun An, Stephan Jaeger, J.J. Spaun, Joseph Bramlett, K.H. Lee, Dylan Wu, Brandon Wu
Thanks for checking out my PGA DFS picks for the Travelers Championship 2023! Find all my work on Twitter, @Bo_McBigTime, and check out my huge collection of decadence at BigTime FlavorCo.