DraftKings PGA DFS Picks: PGA Championship Cash and GPP Strategy

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

Purse: $20M
Winner's Share: $3.6M
FedEx Cup Points: 750 to the Winner
Location: Newtown Square, Penn.
Course: Aronimink Golf Club
Yardage: 7,394
Par: 70
2025 champion: Scottie Scheffler (Quail Hollow)

Tournament Preview

It's kind of snuck up on us, flown a bit under the radar, but there's a little trend developing in the men's major golf tournaments right now. Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy have won four of the past five entering this week's PGA Championship at famed Aronimink Golf Club, where Scheffler will look to defend his title.

With McIlroy capturing his second straight Masters last month and Scheffler picking off the Open Championship last year two months after the PGA, the only one standing in the way of a clean sweep by the world's two best golfers is that noted giant killer, J.J. Spaun. Spaun won the 2025 U.S. Open, with Scheffler tying for seventh and McIlroy for 19th.

While Scheffler and McIlroy still are the clear favorites any time they tee it up, two other golfers maybe have a big say in what transpires this week outside Philadelphia. Cameron Young and Matt Fitzpatrick -- ranked third and fourth, respectively, in the Official World Golf Ranking -- have been the big winners on the PGA Tour so far in 2026, each winning multiple titles.

That's the backdrop heading into another major week filled with all sorts of juicy storylines, and not just for those four golfers.

• Scheffler: Still the overwhelming world No. 1 and in some ways (statistically) still even the best golfer this season, Scheffler won his first tournament of the year, the Amex, back in January, and that's been it. Of course, there are the three straight runners-up he carries into this week. The man simply does not have an off-week. Fun Scheffler fact: Like this year, he had won only once last year heading into the PGA (see: ravioli, Christmas), then proceeded to win two of the next three majors.

• McIlroy: Coming off his second straight win at Augusta National, McIlroy should be much more even-keeled this time around, as opposed to last year's life-altering exhale nearly two decades in the making. He took two Signature Events off after this Masters, and returned only last week at his beloved Quail Hollow. Having turned 37 last week, McIlroy does not seem to have a care in the world, now a made man in golf history, sitting on six career majors. Sometimes, playing free and easy is the simplest path to victory.
• Young: Even though Young has really broken through this year by winning THE PLAYERS Championship and Cadillac Championship, he's been contesting in majors for virtually all of his still-brief career. This is his fifth year as a full-time Tour member, and he already has top-5 results in every major, including a tie for third behind McIlroy last month, matching his result at the 2022 PGA.
• Fitzpatrick. After narrowly losing to Young at THE PLAYERS in March, Fitzpatrick responded by winning three of his four starts at the Valspar, RBC Heritage and the Zurich Classic team event with younger brother Alex Fitzpatrick. The elder Fitzpatrick already has a major title to his name, the 2022 U.S. Open. And now he's playing far better than he ever has, with an iron game that has soared from ranking 127th in Strokes Gained: Approach two years ago to fifth right now.
• Xander Schauffele. Remember him? A two-time major winner in 2024 -- the PGA And Open Championship -- Schauffele was hurt at the start of 2025 and never really got going, even though he eventually won a tournament, the Baycurrent Classic in Japan, late in the year. This season, he has come close to returning to his elite form, with two top-5s, four top-10s and seven top-25s in 10 starts. Schauffele's record in major championships is spectacular: In his past 16 majors, he has two wins, seven top-10s and 15 top-20s.
• Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm. Oy, where to start? As the two biggest names in LIV Golf, this week they will bear the brunt of questions about the possible demise of the breakaway circuit. As if carrying that weight isn't enough of burden while playing a major golf tournament, they both flamed out at the Masters last month amid high expectations. Rahm tied for 38th and DeChambeau didn't even make the cut. Rahm's impact in majors has been non-existent since he left for LIV. Not so for DeChambeau, who has finished T4-2-T2 in the past three PGAs. Will either of them reside on the first page of the leaderboard come Sunday?
• Jordan Spieth. Just to dot all the i's and cross all the t's, we should note that this will be Spieth's 10th attempt at the career grand slam. He won't win, and this will be a topic again in 12 months.

Aronimink is a 1928 Donald Ross design that the famed golf-course architect considered his career "masterpiece."

The Aronimink club originated in the late 1800s, and the present course location dates to Ross in 1928. History has it that Aronimink was named for the chief of Lenape Native American tribe, and each hole is similarly named, such as Apache (No. 1), Navajo (No. 3), Cherokee (No. 10) and Sioux (No. 16).

This will be the first men's major contested there since Gary Player won the PGA in 1962 (the women's PGA was there in 2020). The PGA Tour has returned three times since then, at the 2010 and 2011 AT&T National and the 2018 BMW Championship playoff event. Gil Hanse and his team did a 2016 restoration to Ross' original vision.

Keegan Bradley won that 2020 BMW at 20-under, though the course was especially soft with a Monday finish in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Gordon. Probably more closely aligned to what we'll see this week, Justin Rose won in 2010 and 10-under and Nick Watney in 2011 at 13-under. Watney set the course record of 62, which doesn't sound very major-like, but that also means he shot only 5-under the other three rounds.

The track features dog legs and narrow tree-lined fairways with 3.25 inches of fescue rough, 180 bunkers covering 200,000 square feet (yes, those numbers are correct), water on two holes (Nos. 10 and 17) and large, slick, undulating bentgrass greens averaging 8,200 square feet, per the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America fact sheet. There are only two par-5s, including No. 9, which plays at 605 yards.

Padraig Harrington, the 2008 PGA Championship winner, took a turn through Aronimink last week and offered his thoughts. He didn't make it sound all that tough, which could result in the PGA of America thinking, "Oh, yeah? Check back on Thursday."

In the 2010 and 2011 tournaments, the four hardest holes were, in order, Nos. 8, 10, 17 and 14. Nos. 8, 17 and 14 are all long par-3s exceeding 215 yards and No. 10 was a 454-yard par-4 (it's now 472).

Long par-3s and par-4s requiring long iron play are the hallmarks of Ross designs.

As for the weather, the high temperature is forecast to change significantly during the tournament, from the upper-60s on Thursday and Friday, when some rain is in the forecast, to the low-80s come Sunday. But there's not enough precipitation right now to suggest choosing lineups by tee time. As always, check back before the lock. The wind is expected to be light to moderate.

Key Stats to Winning at Aronimink

The most important indicators every week are current form and course history. "Key Stats" follow in importance.

• Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee/Driving Accuracy
• Strokes Gained: Approach/Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green/Greens in Regulation
• Strokes Gained: Putting
• Par-3 Scoring 200-225 yards
• Par-4 Scoring 450-500 yards
• Bogey Avoidance
• Sand Saves

Past Champions

2025 - Scottie Scheffler (Quail Hollow)
2024 - Xander Schauffele (Valhalla)
2023 - Brooks Koepka (Oak Hill)
2022 - Justin Thomas (Southern Hills)
2021 - Phil Mickelson (The Ocean Course)
2020 - Collin Morikawa (Harding Park)
2019 - Brooks Koepka (Bethpage)
2018 - Brooks Koepka (Bellerive)
2017 - Justin Thomas (Quail Hollow)
2016 - Jimmy Walker (Baltusrol)

Champion's Profile

We know that being long with driver and irons will help. So will be being accurate with such clubs. With the enormous number of bunkers on the course -- more than 10 on some holes, many ringing the greens -- accurate iron play will be paramount. We could see more bunker shots this week than in any tournament since, well, the PGA Tour last played at Aronimink in 2020.

But Ross, the Aronimink architect, wanted to put a premium on putting, too. The bentgrass greens are very large and crowned, and there will be difficult pin placements, giving golfers small areas to properly land their approach shots.

In 2010 at the AT&T National, winner Rose ranked third in the field in both scrambling and Strokes Gained: Putting. At the 2011 AT&T, winner Watney ranked first in SG: Putting. Watney also ranked fourth in driving distance while still ranking 10th in driving accuracy, an unheard of combination.

For all the ball-striking chops needed to contend this week, the tournament may very well be won, or lost, on the dastardly greens.

DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS

Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap

$10,000 and up

Scottie Scheffler - $13,900 (Winning odds at the DraftKings Sportsbook: +340)
Scheffler has won only once all season. But as mentioned above, that was the same scenario leading into last year's PGA, which Scheffler won en route to a two-major season. He's finished second in his past three starts, which, last we checked, is still pretty good. In six PGAs, Scheffler has finished outside the top-8 just once.

Bryson DeChambeau - $10,900 (+1750) 
You can't do much better at the PGA than what DeChambeau's done the past three years: T4-2-T2. He's coming off a missed cut at the Masters and it's also fair to wonder how he and the other LIV golfers will respond to the reported demise of their league. But overall, DeChambeau's been the most successful LIV golfer in majors.

Xander Schauffele - $10,100 (+2100) 
Schauffele almost never has a bad week at a major. In his past 16 starts, he's won twice, finished in the top-10 seven times and in the top-20 15 times. That's right, one missed top-20. The two wins came in 2024 at the PGA and Open Championship. Schauffele's game is strong in every phase – 19th in SG: Off-the-Tee, 19th in Approach, 15th in Tee-to-Green and 43rd in Putting.

$9,000-$9,900

Justin Rose - $9,500 (+4300)
The fact that Rose won at Aronimink in 2010 has no bearing on this pick. But it can't hurt. He's been outstanding at the PGA and in big tournaments in general, even now at age 41. He had a run off five straight years ot T13 at the PGA or better before a missed cut last year. This season, Rose has won at Torrey Pines, tied for 13th at THE PLAYERS and then for third at the Masters. He's ranked 24th on Tour in SG: Approach.

Brooks Koepka - $9,300 (+3400) 
There are six players who finished top-15 in the first two big tournaments of the season, THE PLAYERS and the Masters. Scheffler and McIlroy are not, but Koepka -- a three-time PGA Championship winner -- is. So even though he has had some severe putting issues this season, he can still figure out how to get around a major-like setup. Koepka's approach play has been elite, to say the least -- he's ranked first on Tour.

Hideki Matsuyama - $9,200 (+7400) 
Matsuyama has five top-15s in his 10 starts this season, including a T12 at the Masters. The key to his season, besides his always awesome ball striking --  top-20 positions in Approach and Around-the-Green -- is his putting. Matsuyama is ranked 76th in SG: Putting, and it's understandable to do a double-take because in the past it would've been 176th. He had made 12 straight cuts at the PGA, with half of them top-25s, before missing last year.

8,000-$8,900

Jordan Spieth - $8,600 (+5700) 
As we mentioned above, this be Year 10 in which Spieth tries to complete the career grand slam. He won't win this week, but at $8,600, he doesn't have to. He's playing good golf this season, with six top-25s -- but no top-10s. Spieth is ranked 46th in SG: Total and 34th in SG: Putting, two good numbers, so it's a bit perplexing why he hasn't had a top-10 all season.

Sam Burns - $8,100 (+6200) 
Burns had never been much of a "big tournament player." But now, at age 29, maybe that's changing. He tied for 13th at THE PLAYERS Championship and then for seventh at the Masters. And he tied for 19th last year at the PGA. Burns is one of the best putters on Tour, ranked 10th.

Sepp Straka - $8,000 (+9600) 
Straka's recent play in majors is perplexing -- he's missed four of his past nine cuts with just one top-20. For one, he had some great major results earlier in his career, such as T7 at the 2023 PGA. And second, he's a great all-around golfer, someone who does everything at least pretty well. In other words, perfect for major golf courses. Straka is ranked top-15 this season in SG: Approach, and he's a decent putter.

$7,000-$7,900

Si Woo Kim - $7,900 (+5300)  
Kim missed the cut 7 of the first 9 times he played in the PGA. And then last year, he tied for eighth. And we all know how elite; he's been playing in 2026. He has six top-10s and eight top-25s in 13 starts. Kim is ranked top-5 in both SG: Approach and Tee-to-Green.

Akshay Bhatia - $7,600 (+9200)  
This is pick is based what Bhatia has done in 2026, his stats and his DFS price, but surely not on what he's done in majors. So there is a leap of faith here. Bhatia took his career to a next level by winning the Signature Event at Bay Hill in March and then he tied for 13th at THE PLAYERS. But he missed the cut at the Masters, and has missed 5 of 10 in majors in his career. It's hard to see that trend continuing for much longer. Bhatia is ranked 23rd on Tour in SG: Approach and fifth in SG: Putting.

$6,000-$6,900

Nicolai Hojgaard - $6,500 (+8600) 
Hojgaard has made his past three cuts in PGAs and 8 of his past 10 in majors overall. The only misses have been at the Masters. This season. he has seven top-25s in 10 starts and his strokes-gained metrics are outstanding across the board, highlighted by ranking 14th in SG: Approach and 11th Tee-to-Green. He's also ranked seventh in driving distance. Hojgaard is coming off a shared runner-up at the Truist Championship.

David Puig - $6,200 (+11000)
Puig has been among the more active LIV golfers outside of LIV, which can only help in majors. He won the Australian PGA late last year and is now ranked 59th in the world. He was also the runner-up to Rahm at LIV Mexico City. The Spaniard has played in five career majors, making three cuts, including last year's PGA (T60).

Sam Stevens - $6,100 (+21000)
Stevens has played six majors in his career and has made every cut. That includes the Masters last month and the PGA last year. He's good at making cuts, playing the weekend 12 times in 13 chances this season, while notching six top-25s. He is a very long and accurate driver, which is a useful skill set to bring to Aronimink.

$5,000-$5,900

Ryan Fox - $5,900 (+33000)
Fox in the $6,000s? Okay, we can see that. But $5,000s? The guy has made the cut at the PGA the past four years and 6 of 7 in his career, including a tie for 28th last year. This season, he's made 7 of 9 cuts with five top-25s, including a top-10 at Riviera. Fox remains one of the longest hitters on Tour, and he's very sound statistically across the board.

Matt Wallace - $5,600 (+32500)  
Wallace has a real knack for making cuts in majors, no matter which one. He's 17-of-23 lifetime, including a perfect 7-for-7 at the PGA. He tied for 17th last year. Wallace has a runner-up this year the Valero and was top-25 a couple of weeks back at the Cadillac Championship. 

Perusing the picks for the PGA Championship? See how they look in RotoWire's PGA DFS Lineup Optimizer.