PGA Championship DFS Guide: 2 Underdog Slips for Thursday, May 15

Welcome back, readers, to another Major Championship PGA week! Quail Hollow is no joke, and this will test all the golfers. It’s long, tough, has some teeth, and historically favors elite ball-strikers who can survive one of the lowest greens-in-regulation rates on Tour.

The “Green Mile” finish (holes 16–18) is brutal, and I am hoping for a close finish so we can see a showdown down the stretch. Without many options on Underdog currently out, I have put together two strong DFS slips I am confident we can make some money on!

3-Leg Finishing Position Slip (4.3x Payout)

• Rory McIlroy – Better than 5.5
  
• Bryson DeChambeau – Better than 20.5
  
• Xander Schauffele – Better than 20.5

Rory McIlroy enters in perhaps his best form in his career, and he now faces his favorite course on tour. Rory is historically dominant at Quail Hollow as he’s the all-time strokes gained leader here (+2.86 strokes per round since 2014), with multiple wins including the 2010 and 2015. He’s playing confident, he can overpower this course and give himself a real edge. If his ball striking and putting is locked in, it could be a long weekend for the rest of the field!

Bryson DeChambeau is a lock on almost every major golf course. To add to that, he is trending as one of the most dangerous major performers over the last 2 years. He’s finished T5, 1st, 2nd, and T6 in four of his last five majors, with the lone miss coming at The Open, a venue type that doesn’t suit his style. Quail Hollow does. He is a long bomber and has shown an ability to improve at tough golf courses. He has finishes of T9 and 4th in his last 2 turns here, he can win this thing!

Xander Schauffele is almost a regular play for me at this point. We had him last week to finish Top 10 and he finished 11th; he owes us this week! He looks to be back in form after his slow start to the season due to injury. He has been a consistent contender in majors and big events, going back the last few years. Now he’s quietly rattled off four straight top 18 finishes on Tour and he has back-to-back 2nd place finishes here!

4-Leg Make the Cut Slip (2.06x Payout)

• Corey Conners – Higher than 0.5 Cut
  
• Tommy Fleetwood – Higher than 0.5 Cut
  
• Viktor Hovland – Higher than 0.5 Cut
  
• Patrick Reed – Higher than 0.5 Cut

Corey Conners has made 10 straight cuts and has quietly played Quail Hollow very well. His last four finishes here: T13, T8, T43, T42. Conners is not long, but he has a crafty short game around the green. His ball-striking gives him a strong baseline week in and week out, as he is one of the highest greens in regulation players on tour. He has shown a positive track record here and has been in terrific form all season!

Tommy Fleetwood has been a cut-making machine. He hasn’t missed a weekend since last year’s Open Championship, a stretch of 18 consecutive made cuts. His form at Quail Hollow is rock solid as well with finishes of T13, T5, and T14 in his last three trips. He is accurate, has a solid approach game, and ranks 9th in putting average. He thrives in tough conditions and has the scrambling skills to survive missed greens.

Viktor Hovland might not be lighting up leaderboards lately, but he’s made four straight cuts and has never missed a cut at Quail Hollow. His finishes: T3, T43, T24. Despite some inconsistencies, his ball-striking added with his length could help him score well. If he can find the fairway he may make some noise this weekend!

Patrick Reed is a perfect dark horse pick for cut survival. I am shocked his odds are so low on the finishing position side. He has destroyed this course in past years finishing T6, T28, 8, and T2 in his last four Quail Hollow starts. He has the short game to survive any missed greens, he is crafty around the greens and can find a hot putter. He should be accurate enough here and he may just find another Top-20 here!