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The RSM Classic: Top PGA DFS Picks, Values, and Sleepers for Large-Field GPPs on DraftKings

The PGA TOUR has reached the final stop in the FedExCup Fall and the final official tournament of 2025 before heading into the holiday break. The RSM Classic at Sea Island Golf Club is always a compelling event for both the names at the top of the leaderboard and the players battling for improved status on next year’s PGA TOUR. With fully exempt spots on the 2026 PGA TOUR and places in Signature Events on the line, in addition to the regular prizes and points, there’s sure to be plenty of drama all weekend long.

The event is held on two courses for the first two rounds due to limited daylight hours at this time of the year. Players will play one round on the Plantation Course and one round on the Seaside Course before the cut reduces the field to the top 65 and ties for the weekend, when the par-70 Seaside Course will be the focus of the final two rounds. For more info on the course, the field, and what to look for from a statistical perspective this week, 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.  Finding high-leverage plays is critical for GPP success, so the picks here go against the grain, looking for under-owned options.

All Strokes Gained metrics referenced are from the Rabbit Hole.

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.

Become an All-Access Member Today

Lineup builder and optimizer

Real-time DFS models & projections

Data-driven analysis & tutorials
Become an All-Access Member

High-Priced PGA DFS Picks

Note: FantasyLabs has partnered with Betsperts Golf and the Rabbit Hole! Sign up for the biggest database of golf stats available on the internet and get 25% off a yearly sub with our link! 

Unless otherwise noted, all Strokes Gained metrics referenced in this article come via the Rabbit Hole.

Tool Highlights

  • Build unlimited custom stat models with official PGA TOUR data.
  • Hundreds of filters to find the exact data split you’re looking for.
  • Save custom reports and run them again with next week’s field.
  • Download anything right to your computer with the click of a button.
  • See expert models each week.
 

Michael Thorbjornsen $10,200

At the top of the salary structure and the projections, Harrish English is an easy pick to get behind. However, he has only played two events since the TOUR Championship (the Ryder Cup and a T43 at the Procore Championship). He also has the highest ownership projection in the field, so he’s someone to consider fading in GPP builds. Instead, Michael Thorbjornsen looks like he could be the sharp play with an ownership projection more than 10% lower than English.

Thorbjornsen has the second-highest SimLeverage in the field, and he brings the second-highest Perfect% and second-highest ceiling projection, while only having the fifth-highest ownership. It’s a classic contrarian pivot play, but the 24-year-old comes to Sea Island with enough momentum that he could break through for his first PGA TOUR win this week after a very solid late-season run.

Thorbjornsen made 17 cuts in his 25 events this season and is No. 72 in the FedExCup Fall. With a big week that moves him into the top 60, he would lock up his spot in the first two Signature Events of 2026 via the Aon Next 10. The last two champions at this event, Ludvig Aberg and Maverick McNealy, have used their breakthrough win to vault them to the next level on the PGA TOUR, and Thorbjornsen could follow the same script this week.

He posted seven top-25 finishes and four top-10 finishes, highlighted by a runner-up finish in the Corales Puntacana Championship back in April. He’s looked strong in the FedExCup Fall as well, making the cut in all five of his events and finishing solo third at the Baycurrent Classic in Japan.

Thorbjornsen leads the entire field in Total Strokes Gained per round over the last six months, and he ranks third in the field in Total Strokes Gained and in the top 10 in Strokes Gained: Approach over the last 20 rounds.

The elite ball striker should thrive at Sea Island, where he posted a top-10 finish last year in his debut. As one of the members of the “Sea Island Mafia,” he’ll be virtually playing a home game this week since he has a home in the area.

Brian Harman $9,600

Besides Thorbjornsen, Harman is the only other player over $9,000 with a positive SimLeverage, and the lefty has enough course history at this venue to be a solid GPP play that brings both a high floor and a high ceiling.

The 38-year-old from Georgia claimed his fourth career PGA TOUR victory earlier this season and finished with 10 top-25 finishes and four top-10 finishes on the season. He hasn’t played any tournaments since the TOUR Championship, but he was on a nice roll before that, with four straight top-25 finishes from The Open Championship through the end of the playoffs. He did tee it up for a DP World Tour stop a month ago, finishing T26 at the DP World India Championship.

Harman has played this event 13 times in his career and has made 10 cuts, five top-25 finishes, and a runner-up finish in 2023, when he finished two strokes behind Adam Svensson. The courses are set up to be “less than driver” layouts, and that setup plays to Harman’s strengths as a ball striker, allowing him to have plenty of success over the years.

He already has his PGA TOUR card locked up, of course, but he has had enough success this season overall and on this course specifically to still be an outstanding option. The fact that he hasn’t played in a while is likely part of the reason his ownership is lower than many other options over $9,000. He’s another member of the Sea Island Mafia to watch this week.

Now available: our PGA DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.

Mid-Priced PGA DFS Picks

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Valero Texas Open Top PGA DFS Picks, Values and Sleepers for Large-Field GPPs on DraftKings PGA DFS Picks: Bailey’s Brief Breakdown of the Wells Fargo Championship AT&T Byron Nelson Top PGA DFS Picks, Values and Sleepers for Large-Field GPPs on DraftKings PGA DFS: Top Cash Game Picks for the PGA Championship

The PGA TOUR has reached the final stop in the FedExCup Fall and the final official tournament of 2025 before heading into the holiday break. The RSM Classic at Sea Island Golf Club is always a compelling event for both the names at the top of the leaderboard and the players battling for improved status on next year’s PGA TOUR. With fully exempt spots on the 2026 PGA TOUR and places in Signature Events on the line, in addition to the regular prizes and points, there’s sure to be plenty of drama all weekend long.

The event is held on two courses for the first two rounds due to limited daylight hours at this time of the year. Players will play one round on the Plantation Course and one round on the Seaside Course before the cut reduces the field to the top 65 and ties for the weekend, when the par-70 Seaside Course will be the focus of the final two rounds. For more info on the course, the field, and what to look for from a statistical perspective this week, 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.  Finding high-leverage plays is critical for GPP success, so the picks here go against the grain, looking for under-owned options.

All Strokes Gained metrics referenced are from the Rabbit Hole.

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.

Become an All-Access Member Today

Lineup builder and optimizer

Real-time DFS models & projections

Data-driven analysis & tutorials
Become an All-Access Member

High-Priced PGA DFS Picks

Note: FantasyLabs has partnered with Betsperts Golf and the Rabbit Hole! Sign up for the biggest database of golf stats available on the internet and get 25% off a yearly sub with our link! 

Unless otherwise noted, all Strokes Gained metrics referenced in this article come via the Rabbit Hole.

Tool Highlights

  • Build unlimited custom stat models with official PGA TOUR data.
  • Hundreds of filters to find the exact data split you’re looking for.
  • Save custom reports and run them again with next week’s field.
  • Download anything right to your computer with the click of a button.
  • See expert models each week.
 

Michael Thorbjornsen $10,200

At the top of the salary structure and the projections, Harrish English is an easy pick to get behind. However, he has only played two events since the TOUR Championship (the Ryder Cup and a T43 at the Procore Championship). He also has the highest ownership projection in the field, so he’s someone to consider fading in GPP builds. Instead, Michael Thorbjornsen looks like he could be the sharp play with an ownership projection more than 10% lower than English.

Thorbjornsen has the second-highest SimLeverage in the field, and he brings the second-highest Perfect% and second-highest ceiling projection, while only having the fifth-highest ownership. It’s a classic contrarian pivot play, but the 24-year-old comes to Sea Island with enough momentum that he could break through for his first PGA TOUR win this week after a very solid late-season run.

Thorbjornsen made 17 cuts in his 25 events this season and is No. 72 in the FedExCup Fall. With a big week that moves him into the top 60, he would lock up his spot in the first two Signature Events of 2026 via the Aon Next 10. The last two champions at this event, Ludvig Aberg and Maverick McNealy, have used their breakthrough win to vault them to the next level on the PGA TOUR, and Thorbjornsen could follow the same script this week.

He posted seven top-25 finishes and four top-10 finishes, highlighted by a runner-up finish in the Corales Puntacana Championship back in April. He’s looked strong in the FedExCup Fall as well, making the cut in all five of his events and finishing solo third at the Baycurrent Classic in Japan.

Thorbjornsen leads the entire field in Total Strokes Gained per round over the last six months, and he ranks third in the field in Total Strokes Gained and in the top 10 in Strokes Gained: Approach over the last 20 rounds.

The elite ball striker should thrive at Sea Island, where he posted a top-10 finish last year in his debut. As one of the members of the “Sea Island Mafia,” he’ll be virtually playing a home game this week since he has a home in the area.

Brian Harman $9,600

Besides Thorbjornsen, Harman is the only other player over $9,000 with a positive SimLeverage, and the lefty has enough course history at this venue to be a solid GPP play that brings both a high floor and a high ceiling.

The 38-year-old from Georgia claimed his fourth career PGA TOUR victory earlier this season and finished with 10 top-25 finishes and four top-10 finishes on the season. He hasn’t played any tournaments since the TOUR Championship, but he was on a nice roll before that, with four straight top-25 finishes from The Open Championship through the end of the playoffs. He did tee it up for a DP World Tour stop a month ago, finishing T26 at the DP World India Championship.

Harman has played this event 13 times in his career and has made 10 cuts, five top-25 finishes, and a runner-up finish in 2023, when he finished two strokes behind Adam Svensson. The courses are set up to be “less than driver” layouts, and that setup plays to Harman’s strengths as a ball striker, allowing him to have plenty of success over the years.

He already has his PGA TOUR card locked up, of course, but he has had enough success this season overall and on this course specifically to still be an outstanding option. The fact that he hasn’t played in a while is likely part of the reason his ownership is lower than many other options over $9,000. He’s another member of the Sea Island Mafia to watch this week.

Now available: our PGA DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.

Mid-Priced PGA DFS Picks

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Valero Texas Open Top PGA DFS Picks, Values and Sleepers for Large-Field GPPs on DraftKings PGA DFS Picks: Bailey’s Brief Breakdown of the Wells Fargo Championship AT&T Byron Nelson Top PGA DFS Picks, Values and Sleepers for Large-Field GPPs on DraftKings PGA DFS: Top Cash Game Picks for the PGA Championship

About the Author

Zach Thompson writes NBA, MLB, NFL, golf and soccer content for Fantasy Labs. Zach's fantasy experience dates all the way back to high school when he would manually tabulate fantasy football scores using Tuesday morning's newspaper. Even though he was raised on the island of Guam on the opposite side of the world, Zach is a hardcore Boston sports fan who loves playing fantasy sports in almost any format. He's always in search of a great bargain play and keeps a close eye out for rising talent that can provide leverage. Zach joined the FantasyLabs team in 2022 and is also a contributor for DraftKings Network.