The PGA TOUR has a brand new Signature Event on the schedule this week. The Cadillac Championship will debut this week at The Blue Monster Course at Trump National Doral, just outside Miami. The course hosted a PGA TOUR event from 1962 to 2006 and a WGC event from 2007 to 2016, but this will be its first appearance on the schedule in 10 years.
The course is extremely long and can be very difficult, with water hazards prominent throughout the course, earning the venue its name. The forecast is for plenty of wind this week as well, so par is likely to be a good score on many holes this week. As a Signature Event, the tournament offers an elevated purse and does not have a cut. All 72 golfers will play four rounds (barring withdrawal or disqualification). For more info on the field, the format, and the unique challenge at Harbour Town, check out this First Look from RotoGrinders.
Especially in large-field GPP tournaments, you’ll want to make sure to target players who have lower ownership projections than their potential performance suggests. Finding high-leverage plays is critical for GPP success, so the picks here go against the grain, looking for under-owned options.
Usually, I rely heavily on the Strokes Gained Model in FantasyLabs, which is very predictive of results. I also tend to lean toward players who excel in Strokes Gained: Approach, which is more sustainable week to week than a hot putter.
Since these are GPP picks, we can accept more risk in exchange for getting a higher ceiling. High-risk, high-reward options with low ownership create the “boom-or-bust” style lineups that often lead to large-field success. To find guidance for all contest types, check out our full Daily Fantasy Golf coverage each week.
No matter what type of format you prefer, be sure to use the FantasyLabs PGA Models to help you make the best choices. These models use stats and simulations to highlight different players’ strengths and weaknesses. A few critical new stats for GPP play are Perfect% and SimLeverage, which are further explained here.
As you dig into the numbers, you can enjoy the many tools FantasyLabs offers, including the Lineup Optimizer, which effortlessly creates up to 300 lineups. Alternatively, you can use the Lineup Builder if you prefer a more hands-on approach.
Check out my top picks in each price range listed below.
Editor’s note: SimLeverage and Perfect% numbers may change after this piece is published. Be sure to check the PGA Models for any updates to the sims.
High-Priced PGA DFS Picks
Scottie Scheffler $13,600
Without Rory McIlroy in the field this week, Scottie Scheffler is the overwhelming favorite, according to Vegas, and he once again comes with a very hefty salary as a result. He costs over $3,000 more than any other player, but he brings so much win equity that he still has the highest Perfect% in the field.
His elevated Perfect% means that, in our thousands of sims, he is in the perfect lineup more than any other player, despite his salary forcing the rest of the lineup to be value plays. He has the highest median, ceiling, and floor projections on the slate by a wide margin, and he brings the fourth-highest SimLeverage of players with a salary of $7,000 or higher.
His ownership projection is the highest of any player on the slate, but he stands out so much from the rest of the field that he still brings leverage since he’s more likely to be in winning lineups than his ownership projections indicate he’s getting credit for. In short, his ownership projection is not nearly as high as it “should be,” given his likelihood of being in the perfect lineup.
Scheffler still hasn’t won since The American Express, his first tournament of the season, but he has continued to turn in excellent results. He has finished in the top 25 in each of his seven events since his win, including runner-up finishes at the Masters and the RBC Heritage in his two starts since taking almost a month off for the birth of his second child.
He has the game to contend on any course, but this driver-forward, long layout should play to his strengths. Over the last three months, he ranks second in the field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, second in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, and first in Total Strokes Gained. His driving distance and strong work off the tee should set him up well to tame the Blue Monster this week.
The No. 1 golfer in the Official World Golf Rankings has a great chance to deliver a win this week, and if you can find the right value plays (including those highlighted below), “Scottie and scrubs” may be the right lineup strategy for all formats this week.
Jake Knapp $9,500
Jake Knapp has the second-highest SimLeverage of players over $7,000, and he brings a very high ceiling from the group of top players just behind Scottie. Knapp has the third-highest Perfect% in the field behind only Scottie and Cameron Young, but he has the sixth-highest ownership projection, showing there’s definitely an opportunity to get some leverage with Knapp time this week.
In his nine PGA TOUR events this season, Knapp has posted seven top-25 finishes, including five top-10 finishes. He missed the cut at THE PLAYERS after withdrawing from the Arnold Palmer Invitational after lineups locked. Knapp also struggled at the RBC Heritage two weeks ago, finishing with a T74, which has made the general public a little skittish about going back to him this week.
Knapp’s form this season has been outstanding, though, aside from the RBC and THE PLAYERS. He finished T6 at the Texas Children’s Houston Open right after THE PLAYERS and will look for a similar bounce-back performance this week.
Over the last three months, he ranks fourth in the field in Total Strokes Gained and third in driving distance, which will be key this week on the long layout. He is in the top 15 in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, so he has the right skill set to survive at the Blue Monster.
Knapp has been a little volatile lately, but for GPP lineups, we can definitely take on the risk to gain the leverage and upside he provides.
Now available: our PGA DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.
Mid-Priced PGA DFS Picks
Justin Rose $8,700
Justin Rose has the highest SimLeverage of all players over $7,000, and the 45-year-old veteran is one of the few players in the field with experience at The Blue Monster. He is an excellent play under $9,000 and is being overlooked since there are so many exciting younger stars packed around him in the salary structure.
Rose played 10 events at The Blue Monster Course earlier in his career and put up five top-25 finishes, including his win at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship in 2012. He finished T17 in 2016, the last time the PGA TOUR played on this track. He and Adam Scott are the only previous winners on this course in the field this week.
Rose comes in with excellent form as well, with a T13 at THE PLAYERS and a T3 at the Masters in his last two events. Earlier this season, he also ran away with a seven-stroke victory at the Farmers Insurance Open, which was held at Torrey Pines South Course, the only course that is longer than the Blue Monster on this year’s schedule. The conditions and layout will be different this week, but he’s proven he has the skills to compete on long layouts.
He leads the PGA TOUR in greens in regulation this season, and he ranks second in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach and fifth in Total Strokes Gained over the last three months.
Rose did miss two cuts in Signature Events earlier this year, so he does bring some bust potential. However, like with Knapp, his upside is worth that risk for GPP builds, especially since he knows the track so well while most of the field will be playing their first tournament at the venue.
Min Woo Lee $8,600
Of the players over $7,000, only Rose and Knapp have higher SimLeverage than Min Woo Lee, who has a low ownership projection this week after a couple of disappointing showings. The models point to a solid bounce-back week, though, and his low ownership makes him a strong GPP leverage option.
Lee missed the cut at the Masters and finished T60 at the RBC Heritage, which is why he comes into this week under the radar. Before those down weeks, though, he was rolling with four top-15 finishes in his previous five events, including a runner-up at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and a T6 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in a pair of Signature Events.
Lee finished T3 at the Texas Children’s Houston Open in his title defense just before his two disappointing starts, so his strong form isn’t too far in the distant past. Over the last three months, he ranks third in the field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, fifth in driving distance, and in the top 10 in Total Strokes Gained and Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. In his two down weeks, his iron play and putting let him down, but this course should allow him to excel with his driver and get back on track.
In his international career, Lee has played a wide variety of courses, and international players have typically played well at the Blue Monster, including wins by Lee’s fellow Australians Geoff Ogilvy and Adam Scott when it was a WGC event. While LIV Golf played on this track last year, Aussie Marc Leishman got the win.
The course is long and tough, but Lee has a great ceiling if he can get his flat stick back on track this week.
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Value PGA DFS Picks
J.J. Spaun $7,800
J.J. Spaun has the highest SimLeverage of players between $7,000 and $8,500 and the fourth-highest Perfect% of players under $8,000. Spaun’s ownership projection is well under 10%, and he can be a solid value pivot play with good upside this week.
Spaun won his first PGA TOUR event of the year less than a month ago at the windy Valero Texas Open, where scoring was extremely difficult. This week’s setup is different, but the potential wind and high scores do create some correlations. Spaun also won the U.S. Open last year in an elite field in tough scoring conditions as well, so there are definitely some reasons to take a look at the 35-year-old from San Diego State this week.
While he had that big win, Spaun has had his bumps in the road this year, missing the cut at the Masters and in half of his 10 tournaments. However, he does have three top-25 finishes as well, including in his last event at the RBC Heritage.
Over the last three months, Spaun ranks sixth in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach and 17th in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. His putting has been what has let him down when he struggles, but this course has typically rewarded shot-makers over putting specialists.
He’s been a boom-or-bust play, but enough factors indicate a “boom” week that he’s definitely worth a look for GPP lineups under $8,000.
Pierceson Coody $7,300
Of the 20 players with a salary in the $7,000s, Pierceson Coody has the fifth-highest Perfect% and the third-highest SimLeverage. He also has the fifth-highest Pts/Sal of the group.
Earlier this season, the 26-year-old was showing signs of a true breakthrough season after rejoining the PGA TOUR as a full-time member through the Korn Ferry Tour Points List. He started the year with four straight top-20 finishes, including a runner-up finish to Justin Rose at Torrey Pines. After a T16 at the Signature Event at The Genesis Invitational, he cooled off a little bit with missed cuts in Florida and was forced to withdraw due to a back injury from the Texas Children’s Houston Open. He also had to sit out the Valero Texas Open before returning at the RBC Heritage.
He looked like he was ready to return to form at the Signature Event at Harbour Town with a 69-68-65 start to the week. His final-round 73 dropped him to T16, but it was still his best finish since February.
When he’s in form, Coody is a driver-forward player, and he ranks 11th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee over the last three months. At the RBC Heritage, he also led the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, setting him up well for the demanding test tee to green this week in Doral.
After cooling off, he’ll look to get back to his breakout now that he’s healthy, and The Blue Monster should be a solid fit for his skillset.
Updated on 4/29/26
Sleeper PGA DFS Picks
Matt McCarty $6,800
Matt McCarty has the third-highest ceiling projection and the second-highest Perfect% of the 30 players under $7,000 this week. He also has the highest SimLeverage of the players between $6,500 and $7,000.
McCarty has exceeded salary-based expectations in six of his last eight tournaments, making the cut in each of those six weeks and posting three top-25 finishes. He is coming off back-to-back top-25 finishes at the Masters and the RBC Heritage in his last two individual events and posted a T10 last week at the Zurich, playing alongside Mac Meissner.
At the RBC Heritage, McCarty finished 10th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and T8 in Driving Accuracy. He’ll need his driver to stay sharp in order to tame the Blue Monster this week. He has turned in strong finishes at longer courses, and the 28-year-old lefty is a good spot to look for value if you need to balance out spending on Scottie or other big names this week.
Aldrich Potgieter $6,300
It’s a driver-forward course this week, and on that style of layout, Aldrich Potgieter typically stands out in our models. He has the highest SimLeverage in the entire field, since his ownership projection is remarkably low.
His recent form has been choppy, with a bad missed cut at the Masters and missed cuts at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and THE PLAYERS Championship as well. However, he has also had a couple of good finishes. He finished T21 at the Texas Children’s Houston Open and T25 at the RBC Heritage. He posted four-under rounds of 67 in each of the first three rounds and entered the final round T6 before fading with no birdies in Round 4.
The 21-year-old South African leads the PGA TOUR in Driving Distance this season and ranks third in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee. His approach game and scrambling are always an adventure, but he has proven he can contend with his driver carrying the load, and he’ll look to use that formula again this week.
For GPP, he makes a lot of sense at only $6,300 since he’ll be a better value than almost every player he finishes ahead of on the leaderboard. Even another finish in the middle of the pack will be excellent value for Potgieter this week.
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Pictured: Jake Knapp
Photo Credit: Imagn
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