The PGA Tour heads to Jacksonville, Florida, for The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. 123 golfers will compete in this non-Signature Event field for a chance to win $4.5 million out of an elevated $25 million purse.
TPC Sawgrass has a lot of traditional Florida design under Pete Dye. Overseeded Bermudagrass blankets every surface, with plenty of water hazards to overcome. Par 72 runs 7,352 yards in length, with 4.5-inch rough and average green sizes measuring 5,500 square feet on average. Putting velocity is projected to be fast at up to 13 feet via Stimpmeter.
Rory McIlroy returns as the 2025 champion. The Northern Ireland native and Scottie Scheffler have won three straight tournaments at TPC Sawgrass, although McIlroy is dealing with back spasms that forced an early withdrawal from Bay Hill.
My PGA DFS Lineup Advice: Top Golfers (2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational) had a poor showing overall. Two withdrawals from McIlroy and Jake Knapp put us behind, while both of my Tier 3 prospects, Aldrich Potgieter and Tom Hoge, missed the cut. Tommy Fleetwood carded a shockingly bad 49th-place finish, while Kurt Kitayama was the lone bright spot with a T18 finish.
Let’s aim for a better outing at The Players Championship ahead of Round 1 on Thursday. I’ve found six golfers to target in DFS lineups this week based on production, salary, and course fit.
The PGA Tour heads to Jacksonville, Florida, for The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. 123 golfers will compete in this non-Signature Event field for a chance to win $4.5 million out of an elevated $25 million purse.
TPC Sawgrass has a lot of traditional Florida design under Pete Dye. Overseeded Bermudagrass blankets every surface, with plenty of water hazards to overcome. Par 72 runs 7,352 yards in length, with 4.5-inch rough and average green sizes measuring 5,500 square feet on average. Putting velocity is projected to be fast at up to 13 feet via Stimpmeter.
Rory McIlroy returns as the 2025 champion. The Northern Ireland native and Scottie Scheffler have won three straight tournaments at TPC Sawgrass, although McIlroy is dealing with back spasms that forced an early withdrawal from Bay Hill.
My PGA DFS Lineup Advice: Top Golfers (2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational) had a poor showing overall. Two withdrawals from McIlroy and Jake Knapp put us behind, while both of my Tier 3 prospects, Aldrich Potgieter and Tom Hoge, missed the cut. Tommy Fleetwood carded a shockingly bad 49th-place finish, while Kurt Kitayama was the lone bright spot with a T18 finish.
Let’s aim for a better outing at The Players Championship ahead of Round 1 on Thursday. I’ve found six golfers to target in DFS lineups this week based on production, salary, and course fit.
Follow me on X at Matt_MacKay_ for more DFS picks and insight during the 2026 PGA Tour season.
PGA DFS: Top Golfers (2026 The Players Championship)
DraftKings Salary: $50,000 | FanDuel Salary: $60,000
TIER 1
| Golfer |
DK $ |
FD $ |
| Collin Morikawa |
$9,800 |
$12,600 |
| Si Woo Kim |
$9,300 |
$11,100 |
Collin Morikawa is a great place to start for DFS lineups this week. He ended his win drought with a one-stroke victory at Pebble Beach a few weeks ago. Now, Morikawa aims for a fourth consecutive top 10 finish ahead of Round 1 at TPC Sawgrass.
Morikawa has a pair of T13 finishes or better in two of his previous three appearances at The Players Championship. He’s currently firing on all cylinders, ranked fifth in SG: Approach, ninth in driving accuracy, and 22nd in proximity.
Pivoting to Si Woo Kim gives us another strong tee-to-green golfer in our lineups. Kim won this event in 2017, and in 2026, he’s amassed five top 20 finishes in seven events.
The South Korean native ranks second in SG: Approach, 20th in SG: Off-the-Tee, and fourth in driving accuracy. Kim is also hitting greens in regulation at 72.8 percent, 25th-best on the PGA Tour.
Pacing all golfers in proximity is a huge plus for Kim this week. He’s been able to dial up birdies due to his iron accuracy, despite a streaky putter. Plug Kim into lineups this week as another prime Tier 1 prospect.
TIER 2
| Golfer |
DK $ |
FD $ |
| Jacob Bridgeman |
$7,900 |
$9,400 |
| Akshay Bhatia |
$7,700 |
$10,600 |
In Tier 2, we’ll start with Jacob Bridgeman at $7.9K and $9.4K, respectively. He broke through with his maiden win at The Genesis Invitational, beating a loaded field in that Signature Event at Riviera Country Club.
Bridgeman has only played TPC Sawgrass once on the PGA Tour, carding a T50 finish in 2025. However, he’s ranked 14th in SG: Approach and second in SG: Putting. This combination has led to top-five marks in scoring average, par 4 scoring average, and birdie average this year.
It’s mind-blowing that we’re landing Akshay Bhatia at a fairly cheap salary. The 24-year-old just beat Daniel Berger at the Arnold Palmer Invitational thanks to a flurry of birdies down the stretch on Sunday.
Bhatia also logged a T3 finish at The Players Championship a year ago. In 2026, he ranks sixth in total strokes gained, notably 22nd in SG: Approach, 12th in SG: Putting, and 30th in scrambling.
Finding a pair of 2026 PGA Tour winners, both claiming victory in Signature Events, is a huge value addition in this Tier 2 salary range. Insert Bridgeman and Bhatia for high-floor and high-ceiling production in DFS lineups.
TIER 3
| Golfer |
DK $ |
FD $ |
| Harry Hall |
$6,900 |
$8,700 |
| Keith Mitchell |
$7,000 |
$8,600 |
I’m really digging this Tier 3 duo of Harry Hall and Keith Mitchell. Let’s start with Hall, who is slightly more expensive on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
Hall has not made a cut in two attempts at TPC Sawgrass. So why the optimism? The Englishman ranks 28th in SG: Putting, 22nd in scrambling, and 13th for sand save percentage.
The problem with Hall is maintaining tee-to-green accuracy. Despite this massive flaw, he’s been able to card a pair of top 10 finishes in 2026, including T9 at Bay Hill on Sunday.
Hall is known for his elite putting skills. He’s also phenomenal around the greens, albeit forced due to poor approach play. I’m willing to back Hall in this spot, especially coming off a top 10 finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Keith Mitchell has taken a step forward with his scoring thanks to a putting change. Mitchell regressed from the Cognizant Classic’s T6 finish with a T33 finish at Bay Hill last week.
Notable metrics for Mitchell include 10th in SG: Off-the-Tee and 35th in SG: Approach. He’s also 25th at finding greens in regulation and 21st in driving distance.
Tee-to-green is typically where Mitchell thrives. In seven trips to TPC Sawgrass, he’s carded one top 20 finish, along with two missed cuts, including in 2025.
In Tier 3, we have to take chances and invest in golfers with weaknesses in certain areas. Harry Hall and Keith Mitchell have enough talent to return value in lineups, although they are both low-floor, high-ceiling golfers this week.
Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for BettingPros and FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.
