Segment 2 of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by PGA TOUR Superstore begins with THE PLAYERS Championship. It’s the first of 11 tournaments contributing to the center of the fantasy season. Starts for all golfers for all gamers have been reset to three.

The fantasy preview for the starting point of every segment doubles as a primer for the entire phase because decisions now will impact decisions later. So, it’s important to look ahead. Judicious roster management relies on it.

In most formats over the years, I’ve always advised to deprioritize THE PLAYERS because it hosts the deepest field on the PGA TOUR on a course that doesn’t discriminate. We prefer reliable biases, but any angles interpreted at TPC Sawgrass tend to be more coincidental than reliable. This tournament is in the same lane that elicits the kind of elevated caution familiar at The Open Championship, match-play events and team competitions.

However, in the context of the fantasy game on this website, you have leverage because of the bench. It’s not just a potential safety net, it’s insurance.

Of the tournaments in Segment 2, THE PLAYERS and the first two majors of the season kick back 75 FedExCup bonus points to their winners. Another three stops are Signature Events yielding 70 FedExCup bonus points. Of those six, the Truist Championship and the PGA Championship will be contested at different sites than where they were in 2024. For all of the other four returning to their familiar spots, Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion – THE PLAYERS, the Masters, the RBC Heritage and the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. You can review the fantasy schedule here.

The Masters and the Memorial jump out as automatic starts where he should be your captain, so the question is where to burn the third. You know he’s going to plan to appear in all six, and he’s going to be a favorite, if not the favorite every time like he has been.

So, consider my strategy below in how to manage him as we dive into Segment 2, and consider applying it to others for balance and a favorable starting position for what promises to be a dynamic Segment 3.

Captain

Sepp Straka … Taking a page out of my approach outlined above, it’s an opportune time to leverage a red-hot hand who isn’t Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy or another obvious favorite. The similar formula was in play last week because of how wind was expected to disrupt scoring at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. Lo and behold, surging Russell Henley took the title.

Straka is atop the FedExCup standings and already has recorded a pair of top-15 finishes at TPC Sawgrass. Despite his imposing size, he’s not a long hitter and it doesn’t matter. What’s more, he’s been entirely comfortable in his ascent. That comportment plays for days in this tournament.

Other considerations

• Scottie Scheffler … Only if you’re in position where you’re compelled to burn this start without hesitation. Ignore the fact that he’s going for the three-peat because he is.
• Hideki Matsuyama … Arrives in terrific form, recorded top 10s in the last two years at TPC Sawgrass (with four since 2016) and carded what would have been officially a record-tying 63 to open the canceled 2020 edition, so he presents as reliable a veteran piece just outside the most popular.

Rounding out the roster

While all of these guys populate the top of my Power Rankings, the mission is to get all four starters to the weekend so that I’m not in a position to burn Scheffler to avoid a zero. He’s on the bench solely to be a closer on Sunday.

My starters

• Shane Lowry
• Hideki Matsuyama
• Collin Morikawa
• Sepp Straka (C)

My bench

• Ludvig Åberg (1)
• Scottie Scheffler (2)

Careful

For almost every tournament, a usually impressive subset of the field warrants avoiding, and it might be represented in my Power Rankings which is not written in the context of any fantasy golf format. In this section, I single out who demands pause and why.

Xander Schauffele ... While Bay Hill was a brute, it was a smart spot to return to action because of the friendly cut line. He survived it on the number and closed with a 3-under 69, his best score of the tournament. The T40 is irrelevant until you consider how it could pay forward into this week. It’s encouraging and even hopeful, but if there’s any crack in the confidence, he’ll pay for it at TPC Sawgrass.

Jordan Spieth ... It’s probably unfair to lean too much on course history at TPC Sawgrass, especially if it’s not impressive, but the evidence for him is overwhelming. He debuted in 2014 with a T4, but since, he’s just 3-for-9 with one top 40 (T19, 2023). The flipside is that he’s healthy and has two top 10s in four starts since returning to action.

Tony Finau ... At last check, he was rostered by a hair more gamers than Spieth, 6.6%-6.5%, so the tall drink of water remains relevant. However, in eight appearances, he’s managed just two top 40s and hasn’t connected red numbers on the course since 2019.

Patrick Cantlay ... Although he’s been healthy, the narrative is similar to Spieth’s. Cantlay is just 3-for-7 at TPC Sawgrass with one top-65 finish in his last five tries, coincidentally also a T19 in 2023. Don’t sweat it, though. These studs will emerge as Starters as we navigate Segment 2.

Notable W/Ds

Tiger Woods ... This is the last edition of the five for which his Masters victory in 2019 yielded entry, but he hasn’t appeared at TPC Sawgrass since a month prior that year. His PGA TOUR season debut in 2025 remains on ice.

Alex Noren ... The 42-year-old remains sidelined due to a hamstring and glute tear at the top of the year. As a result, he’s yet to compete anywhere in five months and he’s missed the first four Signature Events. For finishing inside the top 50 of the 2024 FedExCup, he’s eligible for all of them.

Lee Hodges ... Nursing an injured rib. Also withdrew early from the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, so he’s been out a month now. Sits 67th in the FedExCup with a pair of top 10s contributing to a 5-for-5.

Brendon Todd ... Second consecutive early withdrawal (Puerto Rico Open). An explanation hasn’t been reported. Just one payday in five starts this season (78th, Pebble Beach).

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