This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
THE PLAYERS Championship
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
TPC Sawgrass - Par 72 - 7,352 yards
Field - 123 entrants
Purse - $25M
The Preview
A trend of difficult and inconsistent scoring conditions follows the PGA Tour's Floridian Swing trek from Bay Hill to TPC Sawgrass this week for the volatile PLAYERS Championship, where leaning into risk tolerance always makes for entertaining roster construction from a daily fantasy perspective. We've come to see longer rough in Ponte Vedra Beach since the "fifth major's" scheduling move to March, emphasizing driving accuracy as the 123-man field plots away from water hazards in order to keep this a second-shot golf course. In addition to being tested throughout the bag, Thursday's weather forecast is dicey at best, possibly lending an advantage to those in the AM/PM wave as the wind dies down Friday afternoon.
Recent Champions
2025 - Rory McIlroy
2024 - Scottie Scheffler
2023 - Scottie Scheffler
2022 - Cameron Smith
2021 - Justin Thomas
2020 - None
2019 - Rory McIlroy
2018 - Webb Simpson
2017 - Si Woo Kim
2016 - Jason Day
Key Stats to Victory
SG: Approach
Driving accuracy
Par-5 scoring
Bogey avoidance
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Rory McIlroy - $45
The defending champion's health is suddenly in question after lower-back spasms forced him to withdraw prior to his third-round tee time at last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational, but McIlroy is expected to give it a go this week at TPC Sawgrass, albeit without a typical practice regimen. Yahoo's $45 maximum salary remains a bargain, and this time around, McIlroy should come with an ownership discount due to the back concerns.
Scottie Scheffler - $44
Scheffler is catching heat for failing to finish top-10 in back-to-back starts for the first time in 12 months while also uncharacteristically losing a collective 3.54 strokes on approach over his last eight rounds, but at just $44, the two-time past champ is still going to serve as a "free square" in many lineups. He's No. 1 among this field in SG: Off-the-Tee and third in SG: Around-the-Green this season.
Collin Morikawa - $42
Morikawa has added three miles per hour to his ball speed from last year to this year, and he's gaining a career-high 1.61 strokes ball-striking per round in 2026. He followed up his win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with a T7-5 run at Riviera and Bay Hill, and Morikawa tied for 10th here at TPC Sawgrass last season when he finished third among the field in SG: Tee-to-Green.
Glue Guys
Ludvig Aberg - $35
Aberg showed signs of returning to the level of play that we expect from him throughout his final three rounds at The Genesis Invitational, and he maintained the momentum with a T3 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational where he paced the field in overall proximity while gaining 9.8 strokes from tee to green. Sampling just his past two starts, Aberg is third in SG: T2G, fifth in total driving and No. 1 in overall proximity from 150-200 yards.
Si Woo Kim - $34
The 2017 PLAYERS champion is enjoying a career year in 2026, gaining 1.95 strokes from tee to green per round while leading this field in both SG: Approach and overall proximity. He's also one of the most accurate drivers on Tour, which is extremely beneficial at TPC Sawgrass compared to the average venue.
Min Woo Lee - $31
Typically hampered by pedestrian approach play, Lee has actually spiked with the irons in two of his last three starts, notably ranking fourth among the API field in fairway proximity and fifth in SG: APP last week at Bay Hill. He's No. 1 on Tour in total driving this season, and 21st in bogey avoidance.
Bargain Bin
Sahith Theegala - $20
Theegala continued his resurgence with a T6 at last week's API where he finished fourth in both SG: T2G and par-4 scoring, gaining a season-high 4.02 strokes on approach in the process as well. He's up to 17th in the early FedExCup standings, and Theegala tied for ninth here in 2024 when he led the event in SG: Putting.
Brooks Koepka - $20
Koepka rebounded from a missed cut in Scottsdale with a top-10 effort at the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches, where he gained 4.86 strokes with his ball striking. The native Floridian drew what appears to be a favorable Thursday tee time in the AM/PM wave, which could make him the highest-owned $20 punt.
Keith Mitchell - $20
Coming off a T6 finish at the Cognizant Classic, Mitchell ranked fourth among the API field in SG: Approach and T8 in GIR percentage at Bay Hill, ultimately ascending to fifth in SG: APP over his past 12 rounds. He's more likely than not to lose strokes putting, but Mitchell's ball-striking upside is worth a $20 dart throw.
Looking for the best golf picks on Yahoo? Find the top Yahoo PGA DFS picks and value plays for every tournament from RotoWire golf expert Bryce Danielson.
