This article is part of our FanDuel PGA DFS Picks series.
A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier
The Old White TPC (7,292 yards, par-70)
$7.5M purse
$1,350,000 and 500 FedEx Cup Points to the winner
Tournament Preview
The 2019-20 PGA Tour campaign kicks off at the Old White TPC in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia as a Military Tribute at the Greenbrier Classic assumes the Safeway Open's usual spot on the schedule as the season opener. Only seven contenders from the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking will be in attendance, headlined by No. 10 Bryson DeChambeau, but the entire rookie class should help draw interest, as names like Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler peg it. The Old White TPC is a lengthy par-70 that could play even longer if scattered thunderstorms find their way to the area from Friday to Sunday as expected, but there are plenty of birdie opportunities as evidenced by last year's champion Kevin Na compiling an average of six par-breakers per round en route to victory in 2018.
Recent Champions
2018 - Kevin Na
2017 - Xander Schauffele
2015 - Danny Lee
2014 - Angel Cabrera
2013 - Jonas Blixt
2012 - Ted Potter, Jr.
2011 - Scott Stallings
2010 - Stuart Appleby
Key Stats to Victory
GIR percentage
SG: Putting
Birdie average
Par-4 scoring
FanDuel Value Picks
The Chalk
Jason Kokrak, $11,500 - Priced nearly $1,000 less than Bryson DeChambeau and $600 less than Viktor Hovland at the top of the board, Kokrak presents intriguing value if you elect not to anchor your lineup with either of the two options north of $12K. Kokrak led the entire field in GIR percentage at the Old White TPC last year en route to a T3 finish, and he gained at least 3.7 strokes from tee to green in five of his last six starts.
Sungjae Im, $11,200 - The Rookie of the Year plans to pick right back up where he left off after amassing 16 total top-25s through a hefty 35 starts during his 2018-19 campaign, ultimately qualifying for the TOUR Championship, where he tied for 15th. Im rose to 26th in birdie average, 33rd in SG: Tee-to-Green, seventh in scrambling and 23rd in par-4 scoring during a stellar rookie season. The putter has been especially hot for Im as of late -- he has gained strokes putting in nine of his last 10 tournaments.
Joaquin Niemann, $11,000 - While the Class of '19 now fosters plenty of attention as the young guns on Tour, Niemann is still just 20 years old and already has 43 starts under his belt. The Chilean notched a quartet of top-10s during the 2018-19 season and ultimately finished 74th in the FedEx Cup standings, but he also impressively ranked top-25 in SG: Approach, SG: Tee-to-Green, proximity and par-4 scoring. Niemann tallied 20 birdies on the way to a T5 result at the Greenbrier last year.
Scottie Scheffler, $10,200 - The University of Texas product absolutely tore it up on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019, leading the KFT in the all-around ranking, birdie average, scoring average and earnings. Scheffler opened the KFT Finals with a win at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship and went on to add top-11s at the Albertsons Boise Open and Korn Ferry Tour Championship, ascending to a career-best 87th in the OWGR.
Longer Shots Worth a Risk
Robert Streb, $9,900 - A horse for the course with finishes of T11-2-T2 in his last three trips to the Old White TPC, Streb now heads to White Sulphur Springs with top-5s in two of his last four starts. He tied for third at the Barracuda Championship and then tied for fifth three weeks later at the KFT Finals' Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship, a much-needed performance after falling just shy of the top 125 in the FedEx Cup standings at the end of the 2018-19 regular season. Streb recently gained strokes on his approach shots in five consecutive measured events before missing the cut at the Wyndham Championship.
Harold Varner III, $9,700 - Varner began his week at the 2018 Greenbrier with scores of 66-64-66 to grab a share of the lead heading into the final round, but a two-over 72 in Round 4 would ultimately drop him into a tie for fifth. Nonetheless, he ranked third in both driving distance and GIR percentage at the Old White TPC, also pacing the field in par-3 scoring throughout the tournament. During the recent FedExCup Playoffs, Varner tied for third at the Northern Trust before faltering down the stretch at the BMW Championship.
Sepp Straka, $8,900 - Straka's relatively quiet rookie campaign included just one top-10 at the inconsequential Barbasol Championship, and he ultimately ended the season at 115th in the FedExCup standings. However, his ball-striking statistics could make him a DFS weapon throughout the upcoming fall series. He ranked 22nd on Tour in driving distance, 26th in GIR percentage, 28th in SG: Off-the-Tee and 16th in birdie average. He hasn't lost strokes off the tee in a single event since the Valero Texas Open in early April.
Kevin Chappell, $8,300 - Making his first start on the PGA Tour during the 2019 calendar year at the Old White TPC this week, there's a ton of risk associated with Chappell in his return from a back injury that required surgery. He turned in a couple of warmup performances at the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, but he finished just T62-T51 at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship and Albertsons Boise Open. When at full strength, Chappell was easily a top-30 player on Tour in 2016 and 2017, when he totaled nearly $8M in earnings across the two-season stretch. He also posted a win and four runner-up results during this span.
