Zurich Classic DraftKings picks: Best PGA DFS golf lineup

Breaking down our Zurich Classic DraftKings picks with plays and fades at each pricing tier and building a PGA DFS golf lineup for the team event.

Not only does the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and the PGA Tour’s trip to TPC Louisiana mean it’s the only team event on the calendar, but it also offers up one of the most unique formats for making our DraftKings picks and building our PGA DFS lineup for the week.

When you look at the slate on DraftKings, every golfer playing will be listed as the same price as their teammate. However, you can only have one player from a team in your lineup because that player will give you the team’s score if he’s in your lineup. Thus, there’s no doubling up and trying to do something like that with your lineups this week in PGA DFS contests.

Having said that, with an 80-team field at this event, that means you have to be really sharp with your DraftKings picks — you know, sharper than saying to fade Jordan Spieth at the RBC Heritage before he goes out and gets a win. What idiot could’ve done something like that…(my bad!).

We’re going to rebound this week and we’re breaking down the Zurich Classic and our DraftKings picks with the top plays and fades from each pricing tier before building our winning lineup for this week.

DraftKings picks for Zurich Classic PGA DFS lineups: Top Plays

$10,000: Viktor Hovland/Collin Morikawa ($10,700) – Hovland and Morikawa are my pick to win this event as co-favorites and it’s not difficult to ascertain why. These are two elite players in the world and two of the best ball-strikers on the planet. Their collective short games can be worrisome at times but they could go out in best ball and shoot something absolutely ridiculous and separate themselves. I know it’s expensive but I can’t pass up on this group this week. Also Consider: Sam Burns/Billy Horschel ($10,000)

$9,000: Joaquin Niemann/Mito Pereira ($9,200) – Team Chile is going to be a popular selection this week and I don’t care. This duo is being undervalued far too much at the bottom of the $9K range. Niemann has already won this season and has remained in strong form. Pereira, meanwhile, has been surging with his ball-striking and has some of the best recent approach numbers in the field. They have a legitimate chance to win and should fit snugly into any lineup construction. Also consider: Shane Lowry/Ian Poulter ($9,500), Talor Gooch/Max Homa ($9,100), Harold Varner III/Bubba Watson ($9,000)

$8,000: Graeme McDowell/Seamus Power ($8,600) – There’s no question that Graeme McDowell isn’t going to wow anyone but, on a course that isn’t too long and where you just want to keep partners in good spots, McDowell is a great fit. And he’s playing alongside Seamus Power, who has plenty of length and continues to establish himself as a rising star. This team feels like a real sleeper in that their roster percentage should be low but the upside is obvious. Also consider: Tyrrell Hatton/Danny Willett ($8,800), Byeon Hun An/Sungjae Im ($8,700), Chris Kirk/Brendon Todd ($8,200), Adam Hadwin/Adam Svensson ($8,000)

$7,000: Harry Higgs/Austin Smotherman ($7,100) – This might look like a random pairing to pluck out of the $7K range but Higgs and Smotherman are being undervalued. Higgs missed the cut at the Heritage but was T14 at The Masters and, overall, has shown some flashes recently. Smotherman has also popped recently. This duo is also one of my Green on the Greens co-host and BetSided’s Iain MacMillan’s dark horse picks for this week.

"The people love Harry Higgs! And after a T14 at the Masters a couple of weeks ago, he gave them even more reason to be a fan. He has shown spurts of excellence throughout his career, and he compliments his teammate, Austin Smotherman, well.You may not have heard of Smotherman’s name considering he’s a rookie on the PGA Tour, but he’s been solid so far this season. Especially in the ball striking department. He ranks 32nd in strokes gained: off-the-tee and 18th in strokes gained: approach. He struggled with his short game, but that’s exactly where Higgs excels. These two fit together like a puzzle piece, so don’t be surprised if they’re in contention on the weekend."

I love that reasoning and the subsequent value this team offers at just $7,100. Also consider: Troy Merritt/Robert Streb ($7,800), Scott Brown/Kevin Kisner ($7,600), Rafa Cabrera Bello/Emiliano Grillo ($7,300), Doc Redman/Sam Ryder ($7,100), Tom Hoge/Paul Barjon ($7,000)

$6,000: Peter Uihlein/Richy Werenski ($6,900) – If at all possible, I would try to avoid dipping below this $6,900 team in this range if at all possible. Put simply, it gets kind of ugly down in the $6K range this week. With that said, Uihlein has played pretty well of late between the PGA and Korn Ferry Tours with six made cuts in a row and four Top 40 finishes along that road. Werenski has also quietly been decent in really recent events as well. This is the best bargain bin target you’re going to find for my money. Also Consider: Lee Hodges/Vince Whaley ($6,700), Justin Lower/Dylan Wu ($6,300)

DraftKings picks for Zurich Classic PGA DFS lineups: Top Fades

$10,000: Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele ($10,400) – Much like Morikawa and Hovland this year, everyone looked at this pairing a year ago and thought they were going to run away with it in the Bayou. They struggled early, though, and dug too deep of a hole to fully recover from. At that time, Schauffele was playing much better golf than he has been lately too. Given that they are the second-most expensive team on this slate, I’m steering clear as there’s more risk here than meets the eye based on name-brand value alone.

$9,000: Ryan Palmer/Scottie Scheffler ($9,700) – For this week’s episode of Green on the Greens in the video just above, the Palmer/Scheffler team was my pick to miss the cut. Part of that is due to the odds that will have but there’s also some merit to it. Scheffler has obviously been unbelievably hot with four wins in his last six starts including The Masters. But is he going to have that same motivation for the Zurich? I’m dubious of that. Throw in the fact that Palmer has been losing strokes per round in his recent form and I don’t think this team is worth the price you’d have to pay to roster them.

$8,000: Keegan Bradley/Brendan Steele ($8,500) – If we’re solely talking about a ball-striking contest, then you could definitely talk me into the team of Bradley and Steele. Unfortunately, they also make you putt on the PGA Tour, even in a team event like the Zurich Classic. And that’s where this team falls apart. These are two notorious riders of the struggle bus on the greens and, in an event where you have to score low on best ball days, that worries me a tremendous amount, too much to have them in any lineup.

$7,000: Alex Noren/Henrik Norlander ($7,500) – Noren has been my guy over the past few weeks and, overall, I love the way he’s playing. With that said, his T42 last week does worry me, especially when he’s paired with Norlander. The latter has been quite bad of late, having not finished in the Top 50 of an event since Mayakoba in early November and with seven missed cuts over that span as well. There’s some upside in the $7K range that I don’t believe this group offers in any capacity.

Zurich Classic PGA DFS picks: Best DraftKings golf lineup

• Viktor Hovland/Collin Morikawa ($10,700)
• Joaquin Niemann/Mito Pereira ($9,200)
• Harold Varner III/Bubba Watson ($9,000)
• Harry Higgs/Austin Smotherman ($7,100)
• Doc Redman/Sam Ryder ($7,100)
• Peter Uihlein/Richy Werenski ($6,900)

Four of the six teams in this lineup have already been discussed and we’re clearly going with a stars and scrubs approach to our Zurich Classic DraftKings picks, but I love the upside of the proverbial “scrubs”. Higgs and Smotherman are great complements to one another and could pop while Redman and Ryder just need to keep their short games intact to capitalize on good ball-striking.

The big one here is Varner and Watson at the bottom of the $9K range. Watson has excelled at TPC Louisiana and HV3 is in arguably the best form of his career. More importantly, this team knows how to put birdies on the scorecard in droves. That’s why they’re one of Iain MacMillan’s picks to win this week and why I love them in PGA DFS contests.

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