Miles Bennett
Daily Fantasy Golf (DFS Golf) is a fantasy golf game where players aim to build the best golf lineups and score as many fantasy points as possible. The game is unique as each tournament is played on a different course, with varying dimensions, distances, and obstacles. Players must consider course history, recent form, and weather conditions, as well as golfer stats and their likelihood of making the cut. DFS Golf salaries also correlate closely with betting markets, with sites like DraftKings and FanDuel pricing up betting favourites. To gain an edge, players can use simulation tools like Stokastic's PGA DFS Sims to estimate the return on investment of specific lineups and individual golfers.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Goal | To score as many fantasy points as possible |
| Strategy | Getting all six golfers through the cut at the end of Round 2 |
| Sites | DraftKings, FanDuel, RotoGrinders, Stokastic |
| PGA TOUR players' median cut rate | 62% |
| PGA TOUR players who play every week | 0 |
| Factors that influence strategy | Course setup/length, driving accuracy, GIR, making the cut percentage, course history, recent form, weather |
| Simulation tools | Stokastic's PGA DFS Sims, PGA Contest Generator |
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What You'll Learn
Getting golfers through the cut
Firstly, it's important to understand the cut system in PGA Tour events. Most PGA tournaments operate a 36-hole cut, where the top golfers after the first two rounds advance to the final rounds over the weekend. The specific number of golfers who make the cut can vary, but it typically includes the top 50 players, and those tied with the 50th-placed golfer also advance.
DFS golf is unique in that each tournament is played on a different course, which presents a range of variables, including dimensions, distance, and the number of bunkers or water hazards. This means that certain courses will favour golfers with specific skill sets. Therefore, when selecting golfers for your DFS team, it is essential to consider their performance on similar courses in the past. Examining course history can provide valuable insights, as some golfers may consistently perform well or poorly on certain courses.
Additionally, it's crucial to assess a golfer's range of potential outcomes rather than solely focusing on raw data. DFS simulation tools can be incredibly beneficial for this purpose, helping you predict golfers' performances and estimate their return on investment (ROI). These tools enable you to customise your lineup based on the golfers you want to prioritise or avoid, allowing you to make informed decisions and adapt to the inherent randomness of DFS golf.
While it may be tempting to focus solely on high-priced, favourite golfers, it's important to strike a balance. Blindly rostering the winner can be a mistake, as it may result in a weaker overall team. Instead, aim for a solid all-around team with a mix of talents. It's recommended that each of your golfers has at least a 60% chance of making the cut.
Finally, stay informed by utilising reputable sources and PGA experts' picks for each event. Understanding the reasoning behind their selections can provide valuable insights into course fit, golfer confidence, and potential dark horses.
By combining these strategies and staying adaptable, you can increase your chances of getting your golfers through the cut in DFS golf.
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DFS salaries and pricing
When it comes to DFS salaries and pricing in golf, there are several factors to consider. Firstly, different DFS platforms, such as DraftKings and FanDuel, will offer varying salaries and pricing for the same golfers. For example, in a comparison between the two platforms for the Memorial Tournament, Matsuyama was considered a favourable play due to his affordability on both sites. Additionally, the "DK & FD Cap %" column on these sites indicates the percentage of the respective salary that each golfer costs on each platform, helping users make informed decisions about their lineups.
Another factor influencing DFS salaries and pricing is the specific golf tournament and the golfers' performance and history. For instance, during the Masters, Scottie Scheffler was priced at $12,400 despite not having won in 2025 up to that point. His strong performance in previous Masters tournaments, winning 2 of the last 3, and his recent gains in ball striking and putting made him a favourable pick. Jon Rahm, the 2023 Masters Champion, was priced at $10,400, also based on his strong track record.
The buy-in level of the contest also affects the salary cap and pricing considerations. In a $10 contest with 470,000 lineups, the goal is to build a perfect lineup to increase the chances of winning. This may involve leaving salary off the table or constructing unique lineups to avoid duplication. On the other hand, a $3,333 contest with only 1,334 entries allows for more flexibility in using up the salary cap, although it still requires a strong player pool.
Certain tools and platforms can assist in optimising DFS lineups within salary constraints. For instance, Rotowire's PGA DFS optimizer uses advanced algorithms to generate competitive lineups based on matchups, projections, and salary cap constraints. Similarly, FantasyLabs offers tools like the Lineup Optimizer, Lineup Builder, and PGA Correlation Dashboard to aid in creating lineups within pricing parameters. These tools help users make the most of their salary caps and identify golfers who provide the best value for their respective prices.
When evaluating DFS salaries and pricing, it's essential to consider recent form, course history, and golfer statistics. For example, Sam Burns, with a salary of $8.5K on DraftKings, was highlighted as a potential mid-tier value play due to his recent form, despite seeing East Lake for the first time. Similarly, Xander Schauffele, with a salary of $8.9K on DraftKings, was noted for his impressive finishes at the tournament over the past four years, including a win. Sergio Garcia, priced at $7.6K on DraftKings, was considered an intriguing low-cost play due to his five straight top 26 finishes before a playoff event.
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Course setup and history
The course setup and history are crucial factors in DFS golf. Each tournament in DFS golf is played on a different course, which means the dimensions, distance, and number of bunkers and water hazards vary for each course. This gives golfers with different skill sets an advantage from week to week.
Researching the course setup and history can help identify golfers who are a good fit for a particular course. For example, if a course has thin fairways lined with trees and thick rough, golfers who are inaccurate off the tee should be avoided, even if they can hit the ball a long way. Other factors to consider include driving distance and accuracy, greens in regulation, ball striking, strokes gained putting, scrambling, and adjusted scoring.
Strokes gained data is another tool that can be used to compare players' performance relative to the rest of the field. This data takes into account the number of shots it takes to get the ball in the hole from different distances, lies, and locations on a golf course.
Course history can also be a significant factor, as some golfers may perform consistently well or poorly at certain events or courses. For example, Jordan Spieth at Augusta National—Spieth's weakness is his off-the-tee game, but the extremely wide fairways at Augusta National mitigate this.
Weather conditions can also significantly impact scoring conditions and tee-time advantages. For example, favourable weather conditions can make a course more attackable, while wind or thunderstorms can make playing conditions more difficult.
Some specific examples of course setups and their histories include the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club, a par-70 course measuring approximately 7,100 yards with southeastern traits like Bermudagrass greens, water hazards, and severe penalties for missed fairways. Another example is the PGA TOUR Championship at East Lake, a standard parkland-style golf course designed by Bobby Jones that has been around since 1904. East Lake is known for being a birdie fest due to its course setup and favourable weather conditions.
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PGA research and picks
Daily Fantasy Golf (DFS) is a unique game because each tournament is played on a different course. The dimensions, distance, and number of bunkers/water hazards vary for each course, giving advantages to golfers with different skill sets.
DFS salaries correlate almost exclusively with the betting market, but it's important to remember that golfers are priced in relation to others in the field that week. A good example is when an otherwise average PGA TOUR golfer is priced above $10,000 on DraftKings because they are one of the betting favorites.
The ultimate goal in daily fantasy golf is to score as many fantasy points as possible, and to do that, you need to have as many of your golfers make the cut as possible. A key strategy is to ensure all six of your golfers get through the cut at the end of Round 2. There is no steadfast rule on how to do this, but a mistake many DFS players make is attempting to roster the winner by stacking multiple high-priced golfers on a single lineup.
There are plenty of reputable sites that have PGA Experts provide their picks for each event. Derek Farnsworth (aka Notorious), a lead RotoGrinders Expert, is one of the most recognizable names in DFS. He provides expert NBA, NFL, MLB, and PGA analysis for RotoGrinders Premium members on a daily basis.
Stokastic also provides expert PGA DFS picks for major tournaments, including the Masters at Augusta National, the US Open, the British Open, and the 3M Open. Stokastic's PGA Lineup Generator tool provides users with player news and updates, course analysis, and matchup analysis.
To achieve sustained success in PGA DFS, you must account for the range of outcomes of every golfer in the field, along with what your competitors' lineups will look like. Fantasy point projections offer insight into what a golfer can accomplish on a given weekend, while ownership projections estimate how popular they’ll be.
Stokastic's PGA DFS Contest Generator uses industry-leading ownership projection data to build a pool of lineups that closely reflect the actual lineups you are likely to face from your competition.
Rotowire's PGA DFS optimizer helps streamline the PGA DFS process by using advanced algorithms to generate the most competitive lineups based on matchups, projections, and salary cap constraints.
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DFS simulation tools
Stokastic
Stokastic's DFS Contest Simulators are advanced simulation tools that let you simulate contests thousands of times to find the best-performing lineups. You can upload a .csv file featuring 250, 500, 1000, 1500, or 2000 lineups, which can be built using an optimiser or a contest generator. You can then tailor your simulations using your own custom projections or Stokastic's default projections. Within minutes, you gain access to data points at both the player and lineup levels, helping you make informed decisions about which lineups to enter for any given slate. Stokastic also provides a Top Golfers Tool, which allows you to directly compare each golfer's probability of making it into the optimal lineup to their PGA DFS ownership in the contest.
FTN
FTN offers accurate projections, sharp tools, and real-time insights from professional golfer Alex Blickle and stats specialist Josh Culp. Their contest simulation technology simulates entire DFS contests tens of thousands of times, incorporating field-wide ownership, scoring distributions, and payout structures to evaluate your lineups. FTN's PGA DFS optimizer lets you build lineups with ease using the same projections and ownership data that power their analyst exposures. They also provide a Discord server where subscribers can get answers to their questions, break down slate-specific strategies, and discuss real-time updates.
GitHub - PGA-DFS-Tools
This is a free tool created for DraftKings PGA tournaments, with FanDuel simulations to be provided in the future. It uses Python and creates Monte Carlo simulations using the provided fantasy point projections and standard deviations. It also takes into account the tournament_lineups.csv file and samples from the provided ownership projections to fill the rest of the contest. The max_pct_off_optimal configuration allows users to specify which generated lineups are kept and which are discarded based on the lineup's total projected fantasy points.
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Frequently asked questions
DFS stands for Daily Fantasy Sports.
The goal of DFS golf is to score as many fantasy points as possible. This is achieved by having as many of your golfers make the cut as possible.
There are several strategies you can use to pick a winning team. Some factors to consider include course history, recent form, weather, and golfer stats. You can also use DFS simulation tools to estimate the return on investment of specific lineups and individual golfers.
