Lack loves Davis Thompson as a $6,400 sleeper. While the former Georgia Bulldog has limited links reps, the price already bakes in that risk. Thompson’s driver and mid-iron play have been quietly excellent this season, and his best finish came at TPC Sawgrass, Lack’s favorite American corollary to Portrush. He views Thompson as a live punt for stars-and-scrubs builds.

At $7,200 Conners is Lack’s favorite flier thanks to his fairway-finding driver, elite irons, and a noticeably better putter in 2025. Lack believes the Canadian is "bound to fairway-and-green his way" onto a major leaderboard soon and sees Portrush’s demand for precision as an ideal setup for that breakout.

Lack expects regression from Justin Rose, who costs $7,600 after a flashy Sunday charge to sixth at the Genesis Scottish Open and last year’s magic at Troon. For most of 2025 Rose has been "very below average," logging only three top-25s. Calling him a classic boom-or-bust profile, Lack forecasts a letdown and is fading him in DFS builds.

Despite lingering injury chatter, Lack is willing to risk Jordan Spieth at $7,700 because of his sterling Open track record. Spieth finished 20th at Portrush in 2019 and owns a runner-up at Royal St. George’s (a comp course) in 2021. Lack believes Spieth’s creative shot-making and proven links success outweigh the health concerns at this salary.

Lack is off Brooks Koepka this week at $8,000, pointing to a T-32 at LIV Andalucia where Koepka lost strokes in both ball-striking categories. The five-time major champ has not posted a top-10 on LIV since March and, according to Lack, has "failed to garner any momentum" heading into Portrush. Without evidence of peak form, he is an easy fade.

Cantlay’s $8,100 salary is his cheapest in years, and Lack sees that discount as a perfect ownership pivot. The Californian gained 5+ strokes on approach at the Rocket Mortgage and is "playing far better than the results suggest." With most DFS players gravitating to flashier names in the $8k band, Lack wants Cantlay’s well-rounded profile and hot irons in GPPs.

Although Aberg’s talent is undeniable, Lack listed him as his least-favorite $9k option because Royal Portrush places a premium on scrambling. Aberg’s short game remains an obvious weakness, and on Colt’s tiny greens that tilt into tight run-offs Lack expects those around-the-green deficiencies to be exposed, making the Swede an avoid at $9,100.

Lack labeled Xander Schauffele a core play at $9,700, noting the American is coming off his best iron week of the season at the Genesis Scottish Open. Over the past five years no one has a better cumulative record at Open Championships, and Xander rolls into Portrush attempting to defend his 2024 Claret Jug with his ball-striking trending sharply upward.

Lack advised fading Bryson DeChambeau at $10,100 despite the potential ownership leverage. DeChambeau has lost strokes putting in four consecutive LIV events and is fresh off a mediocre 30th at LIV Andalucia where he also bled strokes around the green and with his irons. Lack questioned Bryson’s overall links resume and believes his shaky flatstick makes him an unnecessary risk when paying five figures.

Andy Lack said Jon Rahm is the premier spend-up at $10,400 on DraftKings because the Spaniard checks every box for Royal Portrush. Rahm has finished inside the top-15 at all three majors in 2025, nearly won the PGA Championship, and owns an 11th-place finish the last time the Open was held here in 2019. Lack highlighted Rahm’s "extreme comfort" in links golf and noted that his driver remains "as strong as any in the field," a critical weapon on Portrush’s narrow fairways. The combination of recent major consistency plus proven course fit makes Rahm his favorite play in the $10k tier.

Andy Lack doubled-down on his earlier Conners love and actually laid out a gentleman’s bet: Corey Conners vs. Cameron Young straight-up at Royal Portrush. Lack said the current 90-to-1 outright number is already longer than DataGolf will hang once their model is posted, so he sees immediate line value. The only caveat is health—if Conners’ wrist flares up and he withdraws from the Scottish Open, the bet is void. Otherwise, Lack prefers Conners’ elite driving accuracy and established comfort on U.K. turf to Young’s more volatile profile and is willing to back him in outrights, matchup bets, and DFS exposure whenever the Canadian finishes all four rounds in Scotland.

Andy Lack argued Corey Conners is one of the rare sub-tour-average distance players who still gains consistently off the tee—thanks to pinpoint accuracy—and said that profile can win at Portrush. Conners has gained strokes putting in six of seven measured rounds on native UK grasses, and Lack noted his tight right-to-left ball flight should bore through wind. He downplayed Conners’ shaky chipping, reasoning that Texas-wedge options and neutral sand conditions often mute short-game weaknesses on links. If the wrist injury that forced a WD at Oakmont has healed, Lack believes Conners is live for an outright at 80-to-1 or better and is an undervalued DFS GPP piece.

Andy Lack called Bob MacIntyre’s 20-to-1 number at Royal Portrush “a big wow” and advised bettors to stay away unless the Scot drifts to at least 35-to-1. Lack loves MacIntyre’s power—he noted Bobby Mac can push 180-plus ball speed—but said the market is pricing in a near-peak outcome simply because of the sixth-place finish here in 2019. With Scheffler, Rahm, Rory, Bryson and a deep international field in attendance, Lack argued you are paying favorite-tier odds for what is realistically a 3-to-4% win probability. He prefers waiting for sharper books to reopen at 30-plus or attacking top-20 props instead of tying up outright capital at an inflated number.

Andy Lack said the betting market still has not caught up to how large the gap is between Scottie Scheffler and the rest of the world. He cited Bookmaker’s sharp line of +485 on Scheffler versus +700 on McIlroy and argued that spread should be wider—Scheffler around 4-to-1 with Rory closer to 9–10-to-1. Lack pointed to Scheffler’s unmatched "stone-cold-killer" mentality, immediate return to the grind after each victory, and elite ball-striking that travels to any venue. Given Scheffler’s baseline of roughly +8 strokes gained tee-to-green over four rounds (per Joseph LaMagna’s earlier numbers) and neutral putting being enough for a top-5, Lack is comfortable anchoring outright cards, Top-5 props, and DFS builds around the world No. 1 even at a short price.

Andy Lack advised staying away from Rory McIlroy outright tickets at the current 6–7-to-1 range for Royal Portrush. Lack said McIlroy’s post-Masters let-down was predictable given the decade-long grind to complete the career-grand-slam, noting the Irishman openly admitted to losing motivation and even took weeks off after Augusta. Since that win, McIlroy has failed to contend in either subsequent major and looked "totally uncompetitive" at Quail Hollow despite historically treating that venue as a personal ATM. Lack added that Portrush is not an obvious course fit—tight fairways and creative mid-iron requirements negate McIlroy’s biggest edge, power. Historically McIlroy still averages two top-10s in majors each season, but Lack argued you are paying peak price for a floor outcome. He wants at least 14–1 before considering an outright bet and prefers fading McIlroy in matchup markets until the killer instinct returns.

Andy Lack flagged Ludvig Aberg as a futures and outright value before the FedEx Cup Playoffs. He argued Aberg’s recent metrics—top-20 in strokes gained off the tee over the last 24 rounds and trending positively in approach—suggest his results are lagging behind the underlying form. The Renaissance Club sets up perfectly for Aberg’s power-plus-putter profile, and Lack hinted at sprinkling an outright ticket this week while the market still hangs 45-1 or longer. More importantly, Lack expects Aberg to peak over the next six weeks when driver-heavy venues dominate the playoff rota, making him a timely purchase in one-and-done pools and season-long formats that still allow adds.

Andy Lack called Victor Perez a sneaky top-20 and each-way outright bet. Perez gained over six strokes tee-to-green en route to a top-15 at the U.S. Open at Oakmont and owns multiple DP World Tour wins on coastal layouts. Lack reminded listeners that Perez has positive history at the Genesis Scottish and routinely pops on slow, undulating greens—ranking inside the top-15 in strokes-gained putting on U.K./Ireland surfaces over the last two seasons. With markets still pricing him 80-1 in a field where Lack sees only a half-dozen true elite names, Perez offers both ceiling and coastal course familiarity at a fraction of the ownership of more popular Euro options like Robert MacIntyre or Nicolai Hojgaard.

Andy Lack said he will lock Conners into Scottish Open DFS lineups even though the Canadian withdrew from the Travelers with a hand injury. Conners still ranks third in Lack’s model because his elite fairway-finding actually gains strokes on driver-heavy layouts, and his season-long strokes-gained putting numbers are quietly positive for the first time in his career. Add in proven long-iron excellence—nearly 0.6 strokes gained per round from 175+ yards—and Lack believes Conners’ profile breaks the usual distance bias at the Renaissance Club. He will not click an outright ticket until seeing one healthy round, but in DFS he prefers Conners at sub-10 percent ownership over similarly priced bombers who bring a lower floor if the wind kicks up.

Andy Lack told listeners that Scheffler remains flawless tee-to-green, but the single point of failure on a driver-putter track like the Renaissance Club is how he handles the slower, bumpier fescue surfaces. Scheffler is enjoying the best putting season of his career, yet all of that data comes on faster American greens. Lack noted that links venues historically produce Scheffler’s only neutral or negative putting weeks and the prevailing 10–12 mph winds could accentuate those woes. Because DFS fields may still jam Scheffler at 25-plus percent ownership—especially if Rory McIlroy soaks up less interest after a shaky iron stretch—Lack recommended fading Scotty in large-field GPPs unless Thursday’s early wave shows he’s comfortable with the flat stick. In his words, “if you’re hunting for a chink in the armor, this is it.”

Andy Lack pushed back on the popular fade-Scheffler narrative for links golf. He noted Scheffler owns four straight top-25 finishes at Open Championships (8th, 21st, 23rd, 7th) while gaining heavily tee-to-green in every appearance. The issue has been putting, but 2025 marks Scheffler’s best statistical season with the flat stick, and Lack’s model still ranks him No. 1 this week. With the Renaissance Club playing easier and slower on the greens, Lack expects Scheffler’s improved putting to travel, making him every bit the favorite his ball-striking numbers imply. In betting markets or DFS, Lack advised not docking Scheffler for supposed overseas struggles and treating him like the clear top play he is in the States.

Andy Lack said Matt Fitzpatrick is his early pick to lift the trophy at the Scottish Open. Fitzpatrick shows up first on Lack’s U.K.–and–Ireland putting splits, ranking inside the top-five in strokes-gained on the slow, bumpy fescue greens that trip up so many Americans. Lack reminded listeners that the Renaissance Club turns into a pure “driver-putter” test in calm weather, and Fitzpatrick checks both boxes: longer than average off the tee, elite at gaining strokes inside five feet, and comfortable shaping mid- and long-irons in coastal wind. With 70% GIR expected and a target winning score around 20-under, Lack believes Fitzpatrick’s ability to convert birdie putts gives him real win equity and makes him a core DFS play and an outright bet at anything 25-1 or longer.

Andy Lack put Corey Conners in the same rare category as Morikawa and Rai—players so precise that they still gain significant strokes off the tee on bomber-friendly layouts. Lack emphasized that this week’s driver-heavy Scottish Open will have minimal rough penalty, so Conners’s ability to stripe fairways and attack from the ideal 175-plus yardage windows should translate to birdie looks in the projected 20-under winning environment. Because most of the field will lean on pure distance models, Lack sees Conners as strong leverage in DFS and a viable top-10 wager given his past positive results at the Renaissance Club.

Andy Lack highlighted Aaron Rai as another accuracy outlier capable of thriving at the Renaissance Club despite its distance bias. Under this week’s projected calm weather, the course rewards length, but Lack noted Rai consistently gains off the tee through precision—an edge when the only real danger is finding a random pot bunker. With nearly 60 percent of approaches coming from 175-plus yards, Rai’s reliable long-iron play and previous Scottish Open success make him a high-leverage DFS option at likely modest ownership and an intriguing top-20 or each-way outright bet.

Andy Lack said Collin Morikawa is one of the three PGA Tour players accurate enough to gain strokes off the tee at the Renaissance Club even when the setup clearly favors distance. Lack explained that calm, firm conditions turn the course into a "driver-putter" layout where most players bomb away, yet Morikawa’s elite fairway-finding lets him hang with the long hitters while avoiding the penal pop bunkers. He added that 57-60 percent of approaches come from 175 + yards, a proximity bucket where Morikawa’s long-iron prowess is already elite. Morikawa has posted strong Scottish Open results in prior years, reinforcing Lack’s comfort using him in DFS cores and as an outright bet despite average length off the tee.

Andy Lack expects Seamus Power to rebound after last week’s missed cut at the Rocket Mortgage. Power’s best results historically come on soft, low-scoring tracks where his streaky bentgrass putter and tidy wedge game shine—exactly the environment projected at TPC Deere Run. Lack plans to mix Power into DFS player pools and consider top-20 props, convinced the Irishman’s profile as a proven birdie maker outweighs the one bad week in Detroit.

Andy Lack reiterated that Eric Cole’s wedge-and-putter profile is tailor-made for Deere Run but said he still cannot trust Cole to contend after back-to-back withdrawals. Lack will sprinkle Cole into GPP lineups because the field is weak and his ownership should crater, yet he is steering clear of outrights or heavy exposure until Cole proves the health scare that forced him out of the Travelers and Rocket Mortgage is fully behind him.

Andy Lack identified Emiliano Grillo as one of the two best wedge players in the John Deere field—alongside Lucas Glover—and a priority outright bet. Grillo combines pinpoint irons from 100-150 yards with above-average bentgrass putting and plus driving accuracy, the exact skill set Lack believes wins at TPC Deere Run. Because wedges and putting are "the two biggest things here," Lack plans to start his card with Grillo, arguing that many books are still hanging mid-30s prices that underrate how well Grillo’s strengths map to a projected 20-under birdie fest.

Andy Lack said Denny McCarthy is the clear spend-up option in DFS cash builds this week, rating him ahead of Sungjae Im, Ben Griffin, Jason Day, Davis Thompson, Luke Clanton and Si Woo Kim. Lack noted that McCarthy checks every Deere Run box: he is "the best putter in the field," is striking wedges better than at any point in his career, and owns strong recent course history. While Lack refuses to bet McCarthy outright at prices shorter than 20-to-1, he still expects McCarthy’s elite bentgrass putting and 100-125-yard proximity numbers to translate into high DraftKings scoring. His plan is to anchor lineups with McCarthy once ownership projections settle and to look elsewhere—likely Lucas Glover or Emiliano Grillo—for outright tickets at more palatable odds.

Revisiting last week’s stance, Andy Lack now believes the 2025 John Deere is McCarthy’s ideal breakthrough spot. McCarthy leads the field in spike-week putting percentage on bentgrass and is having his best iron season, gaining consistently from 100-125 yards. Lack called this "the worst field and the best course fit" imaginable for McCarthy, noting that winning scores in the low 20-unders amplify the value of elite putters. He is comfortable betting McCarthy outright despite short numbers because the combination of birdie conversion, improved wedge play, and a depleted field creates a rare path to a maiden victory.

Andy Lack is buying back into Rico Hoey’s elite ball-striking—he gained 1.5 strokes off the tee and on approach in just two rounds at Detroit—but is limiting exposure to top-10/20 props and DFS instead of outright tickets. Hoey lost six strokes putting at the Rocket Mortgage and currently ranks near dead last in this field from 5-15 feet, the distance Lack says decides the Deere. Given that Deere Run’s L93 bentgrass surfaces are among the easiest on Tour, Lack expects Hoey could regress to neutral putting and ride his driver-plus-wedge combo to a high finish, yet he doubts Hoey can sink enough birdie looks to win.

Andy Lack warned listeners to tread lightly with Eric Cole. Deere Run fits Cole’s profile—elite wedges and bent-grass putting—but Cole withdrew from both the Travelers and Rocket Mortgage, leaving his health status murky. Lack said he “doesn’t really know if Eric Cole is fully healthy at the moment” and will stay away in outright markets while capping DFS exposure until Cole proves the injury that prompted back-to-back WDs is behind him.

Andy Lack likes Ben Griffin as a DFS tournament option but only if last week’s mega-chalk ownership falls back into the mid-teens. Griffin finished fifth here as a rookie in 2024 and has since added 8–10 yards off the tee while maintaining elite wedge play and a hot putter. He gained 5.4 strokes tee-to-green through three rounds at the Rocket Mortgage and now returns to another soft bent-grass setup where birdie runs are mandatory. Lack said that if the industry cools on Griffin after a non-winning chalk week, he will gladly go back for the upside at sub-20% ownership rather than fade him again.

Andy Lack moved Lucas Glover from “DFS value” to outright-bet consideration and said he will likely land on his betting card. Glover ranks No. 1 in Lack’s model this week thanks to pristine driving accuracy, top-2 proximity from 100-150 yards over the last 24 rounds, and a recent ninth-place finish at the Travelers where he gained in both SG:Off-the-Tee and SG:Approach. Lack compared Glover’s Deere-friendly skillset to Zach Johnson and Steve Stricker, both multiple winners here, and argued that Deere Run’s benign greens neutralize Glover’s only weakness (putting). With ball-striking “straight flushing” and comfort on the layout as a former champion, Lack believes Glover is live to collect a second John Deere trophy at 40–50/1 odds.

Andy Lack called Denny McCarthy one of the three best fits at Deere Run, citing his No. 1 spike-week putting percentage on bentgrass and top-10 proximity from 100-125 yards over the past year. However, Lack warned that bookmakers could open McCarthy as short as 16/1 in this depleted field—odds that leave little value given McCarthy’s lack of a Tour win. Lack’s plan: wait for 22/1 or better before betting the outright, and otherwise prioritize McCarthy in DFS cash builds where his safe floor and birdie upside play nicely under DraftKings’ scoring system.

Andy Lack highlighted Lucas Glover as a prime mid-tier target. Glover notoriously struggles with the flat stick, but Lack pointed out that Deere Run’s pure L93 bentgrass greens run only around 12 on the Stimp and historically allow below-average putters to pop—Glover gained 7.3 SG:Putting here in his 2021 win. Combine that with Glover’s accurate driving and elite proximity from 100-150 yards (4th in the field over the last 24 rounds) and Lack believes Glover offers both outright value in the 40-to-50/1 range and under-rostered DFS upside in a weak field headlined by Ben Griffin.

Andy Lack advised staying away from Sungjae Im in both betting and DFS despite the Korean opening near the top of the odds board. Lack called Im’s approach play “the worst iron run of his career,” noting that he continues to hemorrhage strokes on shots inside 150 yards—the exact wedge range that dominates Deere Run. While Im’s driver and short game remain solid, Lack emphasized that TPC Deere Run rewards elite wedge play and hot putting, making Im’s current form a poor fit. Until his irons rebound, Lack will not roster or wager on him.

Andy Lack likes Xander Schauffele at 16-1, pointing to a back-door top-15 at Oakmont where he gained strokes in all four major categories. Schauffele is a past Travelers winner and, in Lack’s view, is inching back toward peak form exactly when the Tour hits a layout that fits his controlled distance and wedge prowess.

Andy Lack told listeners to pass on Rory McIlroy at the Travelers, framing the four-time major winner as an elite talent caught in a predictable motivational valley. Since completing the career Grand Slam at Augusta, McIlroy has looked mentally taxed—snapping drivers, bristling at media questions, and posting what Lack called 'wasted' results at both the PGA and U.S. Open. While Rory’s swing remains intact—Lack still projects a floor-level T20 at demanding setups—the analyst argued that mental sharpness, not ball-striking, separates winners at birdie-fest Dye venues. With books often listing McIlroy barely behind Scheffler and DFS pricing only $1,000 cheaper, Lack sees no reason to eat ownership in GPPs or chase outrights until the Northern Irishman shows renewed fire, likely closer to the Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

Andy Lack advised jumping back on Corey Conners after the perplexing Oakmont withdrawal. Conners is sixth on Tour in driving accuracy and eleventh in greens-in-regulation, two stats Lack considers non-negotiable at a venue where missed fairways lead to lay-ups and wedges decide birdie chances. Because the WD torpedoed recency models, Lack expects Conners to open in the 50-to-1 range with depressed DFS ownership. He plans to exploit that over-reaction in both outright markets and single-entry DFS, projecting Conners for a T15 floor and legitimate win equity if the Canadian posts even an average putting week (he gained 2.1 strokes putting at this event in 2023).

Andy Lack called TPC River Highlands a 'Justin Thomas golf course' and a textbook flop-lag opportunity after JT burned the DFS community at Oakmont. Thomas still ranks top-10 on Tour in birdies-or-better from 100-150 yards and gains nearly a stroke per round around the green, two assets that map directly to River Highlands’ small, raised putting surfaces. Lack expects ownership to crater into single digits because of the recent missed cut, creating strong GPP leverage. He is looking to back Thomas in head-to-head match-ups versus equally volatile bombers and will sprinkle outrights if the market offers 35-to-1 or longer, noting JT has converted six of his last ten starts on courses where driver is not mandatory.

Andy Lack flagged Daniel Berger as the best mid-tier outright on the board. Berger’s controllable cut driver and surgically precise wedges have historically crushed Pete Dye ‘short-course specials’—he owns three career top-10s on tracks under 7,100 yards and sits inside the top-25 in fairways gained since returning from injury. TPC River Highlands forces lay-ups on roughly 60 percent of holes, neutralising Berger’s lack of raw length and letting him lean into his tour-average +0.65 strokes-gained approach from 75-150 yards. With sportsbooks still hanging 60-to-1 after a quiet U.S. Open, Lack believes the number implies only a 1.6 percent win probability—far too low given the fit and Berger’s proven closing chops (four PGA Tour wins, each on sub-7,200-yard layouts). He plans to pair Berger outrights with Scheffler top-of-board exposure and will lock the Floridian into cash DFS builds at any sub-$8K salary.

Andy Lack said Collin Morikawa is back on the short list for TPC River Highlands but only at the right price. Morikawa’s irons remain world-class—he still gains over a stroke per round on approach this season and will see nearly 60 percent of shots inside 175 yards, a wheel-house that historically produces spike weeks for him. However, Lack reminded listeners that Morikawa has failed to beat Scottie Scheffler across four rounds for two straight years, so any outright shorter than 30-to-1 is, in Lack’s words, 'mis-priced by at least a full tier.' The plan is to monitor books that over-react to Morikawa’s missed putts at Oakmont; if a ‘3’ shows up in front of his number, Lack will fire outrights and anchor DFS GPP builds, trusting the iron ceiling on a less-than-driver track where putting variance is muted.

Andy Lack urged listeners to stay away from Collin Morikawa outright and in high-priced DFS builds. While River Highlands is theoretically perfect for Morikawa’s elite short- and mid-iron game, the Californian keeps squandering chances with what Lack called “completely gutless putting.” Morikawa lost over 4 strokes on the greens at Oakmont—his worst performance in more than two years—and similar surface types await in Cromwell. Lack noted Morikawa has not beaten Scottie Scheffler over four rounds in any event for two full seasons, and his only Travelers start in that span produced a T54 despite strong tee-to-green numbers. Without evidence of a hot putter, Lack argued Morikawa’s ceiling is capped at a back-door T20, making a 20-to-1 outright tag and a probable 10K DraftKings salary overpriced. He will look to short Morikawa in matchups and fade him in DFS unless the flatstick shows real life early in the week.

Andy Lack conceded Patrick Cantlay has been a bankroll-draining “scumbag” but still ranked him No. 2 in his Travelers model, pointing to elite course history and classic flop-lag dynamics. Cantlay owns four top-15 finishes in his last five trips to TPC River Highlands and ranks top-5 in the field in both fairways gained and birdies-or-better on Pete Dye designs over the last three seasons. Lack expects single-digit ownership after Cantlay’s ugly Oakmont showing, making him an intriguing GPP pivot and a live outright at roughly 18-to-1 if books overreact to the missed cut. The angle: accurate driving plus a proven knack for low-scoring Dye tracks sets up a likely T9 floor with legitimate win equity, so Lack plans to buy the dip despite recent frustrations.