Our PGA DFS series continues with our British Open Championship PGA DFS Core Plays, which includes a look at Xander Schauffele, among others.
The year’s final major championship is upon us, as the 152nd Open Championship is set to commence at historic Royal Troon. This will be the 10th time the Old Course at Royal Troon plays host to the famed championship.Â
2024 British Open Championship PGA DFS Core Plays
British Open Championship DFS Course & Tournament Preview
A par 71 measuring in at 7,300 yards, it’s on the shorter end in terms of major championship golf courses. Don’t confuse ‘shorter’ with easier though however. Thin fairways, small greens, and thick fescue grass provide a difficult challenge. Accuracy off the tee is an absolute must in order to avoid the strategically placed bunkers and thick fescue that line the fairways. Distance off the tee will certainly help, but I won’t be ruling out shorter hitters so long as they are accurate.Â
As is normally the case with links style golf overseas, Mother Nature will add another layer of defense to the course. Located directly off the Firth of Clyde, winds can sweep in unimpeded by any natural barriers to provide an added challenge. Being able to control trajectories both off the tee and into greens will be a vital skillset to succeed.
As of now the forecasts are rather tame, with sustained winds hovering between 12-16mph most of the week. It does appear there is a strong chance for precipitation for most of the day on Saturday, but nothing that will stop play. While there doesn’t appear to be any significant wave advantage at the moment, coastal forecasts can change on a dime. I’d be surprised if there wasn’t some sort of wave advantage when it’s all said and done. Be sure to check the forecasts leading up to lock to ensure you have the most up to date information.
As is the case every week, Scottie Scheffler will not be featured in the core plays below. You didn’t click on this article for me to tell you why you should consider playing the #1 golfer in the world. He’s a good play every week, and the favorite in every tournament he plays in. How you handle him is a strategic preference based on your risk tolerance, contest selection, and play style.Â
Outside of Scottie, I’ve used the Stokastic PGA Sim tool to identify four players that I’ll be building my lineup portfolio around this week. This tool has been on fire lately, with three Stokastic users taking down $50k or more over the last four weeks!Â
Our hole-by-hole simulation technology allows me to take every golfer in the field’s range of outcomes into consideration, along with what I project the competition’s lineups to look like. By simulating the lineups against each other tens of thousands of times, the best plays on the slate reveal themselves. The players that appear most in the highest ROI lineups are the ones I want to build my portfolio around.
Our sim tool is the core of my weekly DFS process and is something I highly recommend for those looking to take the next step in DFS. Without further ado, below are the players I’ll be building around as my core plays for The British Open Championship
2024 British Open Championship DFS Core PlaysÂ
Xander Schauffele – $11,200
Xander Schauffele has been a staple of my core plays this season, which has worked out extremely well to this point. His 2024 campaign has been nothing short of spectacular. This year he’s made every cut, and only has one finish outside of the top 25 including 11 finishes inside the top 10, and his first major victory at Valhalla in May. As I’ve said all season, his game is tailor made for major championship golf.
As solid as they come across the entire bag, he rarely succumbs to the difficulties these golf courses throw at the game’s best players. Over the last 24 tracked rounds, he ranks inside the top 12 in strokes gained off the tee, strokes gained approach, birdie or better percentage, and bogey avoidance. That is the profile that keeps you in the mix week in and week out. I see no reason why Xander Schauffele won’t be in contention again this week as he tries to capture his first Claret Jug.
Collin Morikawa – $9,900
If you’ve been reading all season, you know we’ve been out in front of Morikawa’s resurgence over the last few months. Since his 75th place finish at the Valero Texas Open in April, Morikawa has been on an absolute tear. He has nine consecutive finishes inside the top 16, a stretch that includes five top 5 finishes. He has finished inside the top 5 in two of the three majors this season to date, and sets up perfectly to make it three out of four this week at Royal Troon.Â
With a 70% driving accuracy percentage, he’s one of the most accurate players off the tee in the entire field. When you combine that with top five rankings in this field in strokes gained on approach, birdie or better percentage, and bogey avoidance over the last 24 rounds; you have one of the best course fits in the field. He checks every box I’m looking for, and will be featured on a ton of my rosters this week.
Corey Conners – $7,300
Conners is another player who has yet to miss a cut this season. As one of the game’s best pure ball strikers, he sets up extremely well to attack the Old Course at Royal Troon. As I mentioned previously, driving accuracy is a key metric I’ll be monitoring this week. The potential for big numbers await those who land in the numerous pot bunkers and thick fescue grass areas that line these thin fairways. With a driving accuracy north of 65%, and a 22nd place ranking in this field in fairways gained, I feel very comfortable with him game off the tee. He’s also elite on approach, with a 5th place ranking in that metric over the last 24 rounds.
Conners’ achilles heal has always been his putter, where he consistently ranks near the bottom of the field. However, all the underlying data points to putting being one of the least correlated metrics associated with success on Open Championship style golf courses. The slower fescue grass greens serve as a great equalizer, which plays out perfectly for Conners. I’m not sure he has the upside to win this event given the strength of the field, but I love his chances of cracking the top 15 and serving as a key piece on high ROI rosters this week.
GPP Flier
Davis Thompson – $6,900
As ownership projections started to take form this week, I was surprised to see Thompson coming in around the single digits. I was on him for his break through win at the John Deere Classic a couple weeks back, and I’m going to run it back again this week.
I think it’s clear that Thompson is a rising star on the PGA Tour, and has the game to compete in majors. Look no further than the U.S. Open a mere four weeks ago, where he finished 9th in one of the toughest fields on Earth. Over the last 24, he ranks 18th in strokes gained off the tee, 4th in birdie or better percentage, and 2nd in strokes gained around the green amongst this field. He’s a fantastic driver of the golf ball averaging over 305 yards with a driving accuracy north of 63%. I think he sets up very well here. If the ownership projections hold true, it’s the type of play that could win a GPP come Sunday.Â
These are a few of the key players who will make up my player pool for my 2024 British Open Championship DFS lineups. I’ll favor them significantly when I build lineups using the PGA Sims. In addition, don’t forget to take advantage of the odds boosts sportsbooks are offering.
