This article is part of our DraftKings PGA DFS Picks series.
TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Purse: $8.25M
Winner's Share: $1.485M
FedEx Cup Points: 2000 to the Winner
Location: Atlanta
Course: East Lake Golf Club
Yardage: 7,307
Par: 70
Defending Champion: Billy Horschel
Tournament Preview
The elite 30 players who have survived will now head to East Lake for the official season-long FedEx Cup finale, the winner taking home a cool $10 million and (impractical) five-year exemption on the PGA Tour. The par-70 East Lake is the childhood course of Bobby Jones and hosted the 1963 Ryder Cup, but lost its luster for a few decades only to be revived in 1993 when it was restored as a tribute to Jones. The FedEx Cup points reset for the final leg, mathematically ensuring each player a chance to win the FedEx Cup. Newly-crowned World No. 1 Jason Day, along with Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Henrik Stenson, and Bubba Watson are guaranteed the title with a victory this week because of their top-5 status in the standings. All others will need to win and get help from those ranked higher to claim the massive annuity.
Key Stats to winning at East Lake
• Recent Form
• Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green
Past Champions
2014 - Billy Horschel
2013 - Henrik Stenson
2012 - Brandt Snedeker
2011 - Bill Haas
2010 - Jim Furyk
2009 - Phil Mickelson
2008 - Camilo Villegas
2007 - Tiger Woods
2006 - Adam Scott
2005 - Bart Bryant
Champion's Profile
East Lake has been the annual stop for the Tour Championship since 2004, producing great champions by default of the 30-player exclusive field. However, it's pretty clear the past champions know a bit about striking it well tee-to-green, with the possible omission of elite putter Brandt Snedeker. In a small field of elite players who outperform a typical PGA Tour field, the winner is almost certain to be an elite ball striker who brings an unusually hot putter. As we saw last week, players like Jason Day who have found form the last month and are top 10 in the standings are obvious targets that can't be ignored.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Jason Day - $12,500 (Odds: 10/3)
Rory McIlroy - $11,700 (13/2)
Jordan Spieth - $11,000 (8/1)
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Justin Rose - $9,800 (Odds: 11/1)
Dustin Johnson - $9,100 (16/1)
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Zach Johnson - $8,500 (Odds: 18/1)
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Paul Casey - $7,500 (Odds: 50/1)
Brooks Koepka - $7,300 (50/1)
Scott Piercy - $7,100 (75/1)
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Cash Game Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Rickie Fowler - $10,300
Justin Rose - $9,800
Zach Johnson - $8,500
Daniel Berger - $7,200
Scott Piercy - $7,100
Kevin Na - $7,100
With the salary structure this week there are no ultra-safe lineups given the heavy-tailed distribution, so I mirrored the lineup accordingly with three safe players and three trending but risky options. Fowler, Rose and Zach Johnson are elite players in great form, each winning at least once this season. Piercy and Berger finished second and third respectively at the prestigious BMW Championship last week, and Na posted a nice T10 effort. The hope is for two of the risky guys to repeat last week's form while the top three safe guys do their normal thing to form a nice blend of predictability and risk.
Higher-Risk Tournament Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Jason Day - $12,500
Dustin Johnson - $9,100
Paul Casey - $7,500
Brooks Koepka - $7,300
Jimmy Walker - $6,900
Steven Bowditch - $6,700
In case you haven't heard, Jason Day is now World No. 1 after another dominating win at the BMW last week to post his fourth win in six events. Even with just 30 players in the field, it's ludicrous to ignore Day in the name of differentiation. There will be plenty of duplicate lineups regardless of how crafty you might get, so focusing on the best players is your best bet. Dustin Johnson is fresh off a top-10 last week and was fifth in his last trip to the TOUR Championship in 2013. Paul Casey has enjoyed a revival season and was T4 in his only appearance at East Lake back in 2010, an eerily similar year to this one. Brooks Koepka found his form this summer, but despite a slight drop-off the last month, is a good course fit for East Lake. Finally, Jimmy Walker and Steven Bowditch have just one combined year of experience at East Lake and mediocre form, but this is the necessary evil for selecting Day and DJ as the top two in the lineup.
