DFS preview: Big names to back, fade at The American Express

The return to the mainland and The American Express will provide another shootout to open the 2024 season and the West Coast Swing.

PGA WEST, home of Pete Dye’s Stadium Course (host) and the Nicklaus Tournament Course, will comprise two of the three courses used this week for a field of 156 players. Old faithful La Quinta Country Club joins the three-course rotation for a record-setting 52nd time.

Concluding Round 3, the field will be cut after all participants have played each 18-hole layout. The top 65 players return to the Stadium Course for the final round.

Here’s a look at the players you should give some extra consideration when building out your DFS lineups this week in Palm Springs:

Top of the board: DraftKings leaders

With overseeded Poa annua on the greens, I’m leaning on Californian Patrick Cantlay ($10,800) to lead the line this week. Last season saw his streak of top-10 finishes end at three straight with T26. Nobody has posted a lower round than his 61 at the Stadium Course. The rusty putter should be in better shape after T12 at The Sentry.

Part of the success in shootouts is eliminating the fear of banging out consecutive rounds under par and circling as many birdies as possible. Tom Kim ($9,900) has proven to gamers that he’s more than capable of checking both boxes. Winning three times on TOUR, where all three victories have required a winning total of 20-under or better, including two wins in the desert at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas.

Rust or rusty: Caution when it comes to season-starters

Sam Burns ($9,400) “only” made 19 birdies to open the season at the Plantation Course on Maui (T33). Struggling tee-to-green to hit the biggest fairways and greens on TOUR, he ranked T53 (of 59 players) in Fairways and T51 in GIR. There will be plenty of pressure on his putter this week if those numbers don’t improve.

I’ll save Tony Finau ($9,300) for Torrey Pines, Golf Course where his ball-striking and power will make a bigger difference at the Farmers Insurance Open. Although he has cashed in his last four here, the only year he was in contention was the 2021 edition when the Stadium Course hosted three of the four rounds.

It’s hard to believe Shane Lowry ($8,700) only produced one top-10 finish on the PGA TOUR last season. Opening his new campaign at a notorious birdie-fest on an unfamiliar course, where he is making his first-ever appearance, will force the Irishman to quickly get into the swing of things.

Daniel Berger ($8,000) has not played a tournament since the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club. The 54-hole cut has ranged from 7 under to 10 under in three of the last four years on this rotation. Like Will Zalatoris last week, I will let the former Ryder Cup player form a baseline before jumping on board.

Makers or breakers: 59 club has value

Adam Hadwin ($8,300) has played all 72 holes in this rotation since it began in 2016. Cashing in the top 10 in his first four attempts, he joined the “59 club” by posting 13-under at La Quinta in 2017. After three consecutive podium paydays, the Canadian has drifted to T18-T25-T32 over the last three years.

Taylor Pendrith ($7,800) provides the recent heat necessary to run all week. Cashing T3 a Shriners Children's Open last October, he backed up that podium payday with T8 in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship and T10 at the Sony Open in Hawaii last week. The big-hitting Canadian should be able to overpower these three tracks.

The champion at the Sony Open lands in a soft spot this week. In six previous visits to PGA WEST, Grayson Murray ($7,100) has cashed T14, T12 and T10 in half of them. The other three were only 54-hole excursions. Coming off his first win since 2017, he finished second last week, hitting 58 of 73 (one-hole playoff winner) GIR, plus he was 12 of 12 on sand saves.

Paul Barjon ($6,300) shared the 54-hole lead on 18-under during his 2022 debut. Playing in the final group, he posted 73 and drifted to 10th place. The winner of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance missed the cut last week at the Sony Open.

Former champion and runner-up Andrew Landry ($6,000) might jump off the page at this price tag on this three-course rotation. Dealing with a nagging wrist injury, he withdrew at The RSM Classic last November.

The lineup

Here’s a look at how I would style a six-man roster this week, with everyone needing to get deep into red figures to contend in the California desert:

• Justin Thomas ($9,900)
• Tom Kim ($9,800)
• Adam Hadwin ($8,300)
• Taylor Pendrith ($7,800)
• Sam Ryder ($7,200)
• Patton Kizzire ($7,000)

Good luck with your lineups and contests!

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