Before heading to Augusta National for the Masters next week, the PGA TOUR is hosting the Valero Texas Open at the Oaks Course of TPC San Antonio (par 72, 7,428 yards, POA trivialis greens). This has been the home of the Valero Texas Open since 2010, and Brian Harman (-9) is the defending champion after winning by three strokes a year ago. There will be 132 players competing this week and a top-65 and ties cut after the first two rounds.
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 $9,000 Range
Jordan Spieth ($9,500)
Instead of rostering a $10,000 player, focusing on the stacked $9,000 range is the right move for cash games this week. Jordan Spieth has been awesome at TPC San Antonio. The Texas native has made 9 of 10 cuts and produced five top-12 finishes at this par 72. Spieth won here by two shots in 2018; he finished runner-up in 2015 and produced a T12 last season. Spieth is gaining 2.3 strokes per round at TPC San Antonio, which is first among this field, and it’s not even close. Ranking second is Denny McCarthy at 1.82. Spieth returns to TPC San Antonio this week riding a five-made-cut streak and finishing inside the top 12 in three of his last four. Spieth ranks ninth in Total Strokes Gained when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds, and he should produce his first T10 finish of the season this week.
Collin Morikawa ($9,400)
Collin Morikawa shockingly withdrew from THE PLAYERS Championship with a back injury after playing one hole, but this was three weeks ago, and the two-time major champion should be ready to go for the Valero Texas Open, which is his final tune-up before the Masters. Before the debacle at TPC Sawgrass, Morikawa was on fire, finishing first, T7, and fifth in his previous three starts. The Cal product’s ball-striking has been incredible, leading the PGA TOUR in Strokes Gained: Approach and ranking fourth in total driving. Morikawa finished T75 in his only start at TPC San Antonio two years ago, but he is playing far better golf heading into this year’s Valero Texas Open and is just too cheap at only $9,400. Competing in a much stronger field for THE PLAYERS Championship in his last start, Morikawa was $9,800 on DraftKings.
Editor’s note: Morikawa was a WD after this was written.
Maverick McNealy ($9,000)
Maverick McNealy has never missed a cut in three starts at TPC San Antonio, with his best finish coming last year with a T3, and he has been very reliable as of late. McNealy has made 10 of his last 12 cuts and none of these finishes have been worse than T32. The veteran has finished inside the T15 in three of his last six starts, and he ranks fifth in Total Strokes Gained when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds.
Now available: our PGA DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.
DraftKings $8,000 Range
Keith Mitchell ($8,500)
Keith Mitchell has made 12 straight cuts, and he has finished inside the T20 five times during this streak. Mitchell just finished T14 at the Houston Open last week, and he ranks ninth in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee this season, setting him up nicely for his return to TPC San Antonio. Three of the last four winners here have finished the event inside the T12 in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee. At this track, Mitchell has never missed a cut in four tries, and he has finished T17 or better in each of his last three visits.
Denny McCarthy ($8,200)
Denny McCarthy has been stellar at TPC San Antonio, making 5 of 6 cuts with four top-20 finishes, including a runner-up two years ago. McCarthy lost in a playoff to Akshay Bhatia that week; to force that playoff, McCarthy shot a 9-under 63 in the final round, which was one shot shy of the course record at TPC San Antonio. The 33-year-old ranks second only to Spieth in strokes gained per round at TPC San Antonio, and McCarthy is in great form right now. The veteran has only missed two cuts in his last 13 starts and he has finished T26 at the Valspar Championship and T12 at the Houston Open the past two weeks. McCarthy shot under par in seven of these eight rounds, and he gained strokes on approach and with his putter at both these events.
Updated on 3/31/26
DraftKings $7,000 Range
Jordan Smith ($7,700)
Jordan Smith has no previous history at TPC San Antonio, but we should have no hesitations about rostering the Englishman at this price. Excluding one withdrawal, Smith has made 13 of his last 15 cuts worldwide with nine T30 finishes. The 33-year-old just finished third at the Valspar Championship two weeks ago, and he ranks top-20 in both Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and par-four performance this season, making Smith a great match for TPC San Antonio. Three of the last four winners at this venue have finished the event inside the T12 in both Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and par-4 scoring.
Tony Finau ($7,400)
Tony Finau has made 5 of 6 cuts at TPC San Antonio – including a T3 in 2017 – and he has only missed one cut in his last seven starts. Finau has finished inside the T30 four times this season, and his irons are trending up, gaining strokes on approach at back-to-back events. Finau ranks eighth among this field in strokes gained per round at Texas courses, and this salary is very low for him at a Valero Texas Open. For this event last season, Finau was priced up to $8,800 on DraftKings.
Bud Cauley ($7,300)
Bud Cauley has only missed three cuts in his last 12 starts. Cauley has carded seven T40 finishes during this span, and he has been excellent at TPC San Antonio. Cauley finished T5 here last season, and he has made 5 of 7 cuts at the track with three T20 finishes. Among this field, Cauley ranks 11th in strokes gained per round at TPC San Antonio.
DraftKings $6,000 and Below Range
Beau Hossler ($6,800)
After missing the cut in his first start at TPC San Antonio in 2017, Beau Hossler has made seven straight cuts at the track. The former Texas Longhorn finished T4 at TPC San Antonio in 2021, and Hossler is in strong form. He has made three of his last four cuts with two T25 finishes, most recently with a T21 at the Houston Open last week, in which Hossler gained strokes both on approach and with his putter.
Andrew Putnam ($6,800)
Andrew Putnam has made eight of his last 10 cuts, and he was close to picking up his second PGA TOUR win back in January, finishing runner-up at the American Express. Putnam ranks first in driving accuracy this season, and his history at TPC San Antonio is impressive. Putnam has made 6 of 8 cuts and produced three T30 finishes at the par 72.
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Pictured: Jordan Spieth
Photo credit: Imagn
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