Up next is the WM Phoenix Open at the Stadium Course (par 71, 7,261 yards, poa trivialis/bentgrass/ryegrass overseed greens) of TPC Scottsdale, which has been the host of this event since 1987. There will be 121 golfers competing this week and a top-65 and ties cut after the first two rounds. At last year’s WM Phoenix Open, Thomas Detry (-24) won by seven strokes.
The PGA DFS Breakdown offers data-driven analysis for each week’s slate, using the FantasyLabs Tools and metrics to highlight notable golfers.
I’ll be highlighting the best cash game/single-entry plays on the DraftKings main slate, but these players are often great options in any contest.
My analysis will frequently reference Strokes Gained, a set of proprietary metrics generated by the PGA TOUR using millions of data points to calculate how many shots, on average, it takes a player to get the ball in the hole from every distance and situation.
Strokes Gained is now available in the FantasyLabs PGA Models.
There are a variety of Strokes Gained-related metrics, but the six main categories you need to know include:
- Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (SG: Off-the-Tee)
- Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: Approach)
- Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green (SG: Around-the-Green)
- Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: Putting)
- Strokes Gained: Ball-Striking (SG: Ball-Striking), which is SG: Off-the-Tee + SG: Approach
- Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (SG: Tee-to-Green), which is SG: Ball-Striking + SG: Around-the-Green
Don’t forget to check out two key metrics in our models — Perfect% and SimLeverage. You can find an explainer on those metrics here.
The Cliffs Notes version is that you can use SimLeverage to quickly find leverage plays in tournaments, while Perfect% is great for finding the best price-considered plays for cash games.
And don’t forget to utilize our various PGA DFS tools like our Lineup Optimizer, Lineup Builder, PGA Correlation Dashboard, and our Trends tool.
The following players listed are based on DraftKings scoring and pricing.
PGA DFS Cash Game Thoughts
DraftKings $10,000 Range
Scottie Scheffler ($14,500)
While Scheffler’s salary is extremely high, fading him in cash games is way too risky at TPC Scottsdale. In his last five starts at the desert track, Scheffler has finished T7, first, first, T3, and T25. The world No. 1 has shot 65 or better four times at TPC Scottsdale—including a 9-under 62 in 2022—and he ranks first among this field in Strokes Gained per round at the course. Scheffler is coming off a four-shot win at the American Express two weeks ago, and he has ridiculously won four of the last six tournaments he has competed in. Scheffler’s +225 odds to win this event on DraftKings Sportsbook give him a 30.7% implied chance to win the Phoenix Open this weekend, and eating the chalk with the powerhouse in cash games is the right move for this event.
Now available: our PGA DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation
Updated on 2/3/26
DraftKings $7,000 Range
Kurt Kitayama ($7,600)
When you roster Scheffler this week, the average remaining salary per player for the rest of your lineup is just $7,100, so for the rest of this piece, I will be focusing on some of my favorite value plays to roster around Scheffler in cash games, and Kitayama is easily one of the best. The UNLV graduate is coming off a missed cut at the American Express, but he only missed the cut by one shot that week, and leading up to this, Kitayama had made 10 straight cuts. During this span, he produced six top-20 finishes, including a win at the 3M Open, marking his second win on the PGA TOUR. Kitayama ranks in the top 10 in both SG: Tee-to-Green and SG: Off-the-Tee when we analyze this field’s last 24 rounds, and he has never missed a cut at TPC Scottsdale in three starts, with his best finish at the par 71 being a T8 two years ago. Impressively, Kitayama has shot 68 or better in seven of his 12 rounds at TPC Scottsdale.
Keith Mitchell ($7,400)
Mitchell is 6-for-7 in made cuts at TPC Scottsdale, including a T25 last season, which is just one of his four top-25 finishes at the venue. The reason behind Mitchell’s success at TPC Scottsdale is his elite skills with his driver. This par 71 is a driver-heavy course and when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds, Mitchell ranks third in SG: Off-the-Tee. Mitchell extended cut streak to six in a row with a T11 at the Farmers Insurance Open last week and he brings similar upside at TPC Scottsdale.
Andrew Novak ($7,300)
Novak finished T8th in his Phoenix Open debut two years ago and he returns to TPC Scottsdale on the heels of a T7 at the Farmers Insurance Open last week. Novak closed this event with a 6-under 66 at the South Course of Torrey Pines and he gained a career-high 2.2 strokes on approach for the week, which ranked second for the event. Novak has only missed two cuts in his last 14 starts, and he has finished inside the top seven three times in his past seven starts.
Sam Stevens ($7,200)
Stevens has been awesome, finishing T7th, T31st, T6th and T30th in his last four starts. Stevens has short under par in all but one of these past 16 rounds, including a 7-under to close out the RSM Classic in November, which was one stroke shy of his career low. Stevens ranks eighth in SG: Tee-to-Green when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds and he is poised for a career-best finish at TPC Scottsdale this week. In his two starts at the Phoenix Open, Stevens has finished T28th and T44th.
DraftKings $6,000 and Below Range
Mac Meissner ($6,800)
Meissner missed the cut in his Phoenix Open debut last year, but it’s safe to ignore this, as he returns to TPC Scottsdale a totally different player. Meissner sits 40 spots higher in the world golf rankings now and he has made 10 consecutive cuts entering this week. Highlighted by a runner-up at the Wyndham Championship in August, Meissner has finished inside the top-30 six times during this cut streak and he ranks 26th in Total Strokes Gained when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds.
Brian Harman ($6,800)
Harman missed the cut at the American Express in his last start, but we can’t hold this against the former Open Champion, as he was penalized a two-stroke penalty in the first round for mistakingly hitting one of his group member’s balls. Harman finished with a 73 in the first round as a result and while he was able to fight back in shoot under par in his next two rounds, his efforts weren’t enough, as he missed the cut by three shots. Harman very well could have made the cut if he avoided the debacle in the first round and the veteran should put this behind him with a quality finish at TPC Scottsdale. Harman has made 16 of his last 20 cuts entering this week, including nine top-30 finishes and at TPC Scottsdale, he has been extremely reliable, missing only one cut in 13 starts, most recently with a T25 last season.
Adam Schenk ($6,200)
Schenk would have been viable near $7,000 this week, and he is a strong punt play for cash games at this near-minimum salary. Schenk has been great at TPC Scottsdale, finishing T23rd, T17th, and T25th at this course the last three years. The 34-year-old opened last year’s Phoenix Open with a 5-under 66, and Schenk is in strong form. He has made six of his last nine cuts, including his first PGA TOUR win at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in November and a T11 at last week’s Farmers Insurance Open. Schenk finished this event fifth in SG: APP, and he shot under par in all four of his rounds at Torrey Pines.
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Pictured: Scottie Scheffler
Photo credit: Imagn
