Jim Sannes pointed out that Scottie Scheffler has lengthened from +280 to 3-1 in the outright market since the Monday open. Sannes said the lack of early steam on Scheffler is "kind of annoying" after he grabbed +280, but it only makes the wager more attractive for listeners. He reiterated the same core case—defending champion, field-leading true strokes-gained at Muirfield Village, elite off-the-tee and iron splits, and a 72-man field with no Rory—but emphasized that a slightly longer number offers a few extra percentage points of expected value. If he were forced to make win picks, Sannes would still start with Scheffler at 3-1 alongside Daniel Berger at 40-1, confident that Scheffler’s statistical dominance offsets the short but now improved price.

Jim Sannes recommended Nick Taylor as an alternative $7,300 punt for DFS players who want to jam two studs up top. Taylor owns a similar profile to Glover—accurate driver and solid irons—but brings a markedly better putter and a track record of gaining with the approach game at Muirfield Village. That combination makes him slightly less volatile than Glover while still freeing the salary needed for Scheffler-plus-Thomas or Scheffler-plus-two-10K builds. Sannes views Taylor as a viable one-lineup inclusion when chasing ceiling without sacrificing too much cut-making safety.

Jim Sannes highlighted Lucas Glover as a $7,300 salary saver that makes Scheffler-Thomas lineups viable. Glover’s calling card is elite accuracy off the tee, and his irons remain "really good right now" while his around-the-green game rates as a plus—both crucial on Muirfield Village’s 24-yard-wide fairways and shaved run-offs. The putter is still a liability, but Sannes believes the ability to "downplay putting a bit this week" mitigates that risk. By sliding Glover into a stars-and-scrubs roster, players still have roughly $9.1K per slot left to re-ascend the salary ladder, giving Glover an outsized lineup-construction value even if his individual win equity is modest.

Jim Sannes tabbed Corey Conners as his preferred target in the $10K salary band at $10.9K. Conners checks the key Memorial boxes with hyper-accurate driving and consistently plus iron play, giving him scoring upside regardless of whether rain makes Muirfield Village play longer or favors precision. Sannes conceded Conners remains "not great" around the green—his lone red flag—but argues the Canadian’s tee-to-green consistency outweighs that weakness in a range where alternatives such as Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka and Daniel Berger have either poorer iron form or less accuracy. Conners is not a lock the way Thomas is in the $11K tier, yet he leads the 10K cluster for Sannes when DFS roster builds need a stable mid-priced anchor.

Jim Sannes said Justin Thomas is the runaway No. 2 play behind Scottie Scheffler on FanDuel this week. At an $11.4K salary, Thomas supplies the small-green skill set Muirfield Village demands: over a large sample he is “very, very good around the green” and continues to flash elite irons despite a missed cut at the PGA Championship. Sannes noted Thomas has gained strokes putting in recent starts and still posts positive off-the-tee numbers even without pinpoint accuracy. Because the analyst is less enamored with the rest of the $11K tier (Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Ludvig Aberg, Tommy Fleetwood), he wants to jam Thomas into most non-Scheffler builds and is even tinkering with stars-and-scrubs constructions that squeeze in both Thomas and Scheffler.

Jim Sannes mentioned Christiaan Bezuidenhout as a fringe value option but warned listeners not to overreact to two good starts. Bezuidenhout gained at least a stroke on approach at both the PGA Championship and Charles Schwab and owns strong Memorial finishes—4th last year, plus 22nd, 37th, and 38th previously—powered largely by a hot putter. Sannes remains skeptical because the South African’s ball-striking sample before those events was poor, making it hard to trust a true turnaround. While he prefers Bezuidenhout over Matt Kuchar in the same salary band, Sannes still ranks several other sub-$9K plays ahead of him and advises limiting exposure until the iron play proves sustainable.

Jim Sannes sees Russell Henley as a classic buy-low at +360 for a top-10. Henley missed the cut at the PGA and limped to 46th at Quail Hollow, but Sannes argued neither course suited his profile. Muirfield Village, by contrast, prizes accuracy and short-game touch—two areas where Henley excels. Despite recent struggles, Henley still ranks top-15 in this field in fairways gained and around-the-green play over the last six months. Sannes expects the putter, which hemorrhaged nearly a stroke per round at Quail Hollow, to rebound toward Henley’s established positive baseline on bentgrass. If the driver and putter normalize, Henley’s typically sharp irons and wedges could translate into a sneaky high finish at a number Sannes deems several points too long.

Jim Sannes is pairing Scottie Scheffler with Daniel Berger at 40-1 in his outright card. Although Berger has lost strokes putting in four consecutive events, Sannes pointed out that the Floridian is third in the field in driving accuracy and sits second only to Scheffler in DataGolf’s strokes-gained stabilization metric, which weights larger-sample ball-striking more heavily than volatile short game. Berger is gaining off the tee and on approach, carries above-average distance for an accuracy specialist, and owns a proven short-game around the green—skills Sannes deems critical at Muirfield’s narrow corridors and shaved run-offs. With ball-striking trending and the putter due for mean regression, Sannes thinks Berger is mispriced as a true win candidate in a 72-man field.

Jim Sannes recommended Aaron Rai at $8,600 as a sneaky DFS play. Rai ranks first in this field in driving accuracy over the last six months and continued to gain strokes on both approach and off the tee despite a missed cut at Colonial. Sannes chalked that MC up to a disastrous putter week—an issue that could be mitigated at rain-soaked Muirfield Village, where precision tee-to-green is paramount. With a recent run of 18th, 23rd, and 19th prior to Colonial and the course expected to play longer but softer, Sannes believes Rai’s fairway-finding driver gives him both cut-making safety and top-20 upside at a bargain salary.

Jim Sannes highlighted J.J. Spaun as his favorite sub-$9K DFS option and a live top-10 bet. Spaun is just $8,800 despite finishing T-6 at last week’s Charles Schwab on the back of +4.1 strokes gained on approach. The Californian has now gained with his irons in five straight starts, mixes in above-average driving, and rates 20th in this field in true strokes-gained over the past three months. Around-the-green play is mediocre, but Sannes noted Muirfield’s soft, receptive greens should lessen the penalty. Given Spaun’s recent ball-striking surge and a betting number he plans to attack in the top-10 market, Sannes views him as a core DFS value with upside.

Jim Sannes called Keegan Bradley one of the best mid-tier DFS plays at $9,600. Bradley is gaining strokes both off the tee and on approach over the past three months, profiles as one of the most accurate drivers in the field, and ranks top-10 in strokes-gained tee-to-green at DataGolf. Sannes stressed that Muirfield Village’s 24-yard-wide fairways and tiny bentgrass greens reward elite ball-striking while allowing us to "downplay putting"—Bradley’s lone weakness. With rain expected to soften the course, Sannes thinks Bradley’s high-launch irons and strong around-the-green play set up for a ceiling week and make him an ideal secondary spend for lineups anchored by Scottie Scheffler.

Jim Sannes recommended fading Sam Burns in both DFS and betting markets because Burns’ recent success is almost entirely putter-driven—a trait Sannes wants no part of at Muirfield Village. With the course demanding elite approach play, stout around-the-green work, and accurate driving on 24-yard-wide fairways, Sannes warns that hot putting can’t mask ball-striking deficiencies here. Burns currently ranks near the field average in strokes-gained approach and around the green, and his off-the-tee numbers lack the accuracy bump Sannes prioritizes. Given the venue’s historically tough scoring (cut line +3 or worse the last five years) and the premium on tee-to-green skill, Sannes is steering clear of Burns’ mid-range outright odds and will leave him off his DFS player pool.

Jim Sannes endorsed Patrick Cantlay at 22-1 and $11.3K on FanDuel because the two-time Memorial winner remains a perfect stylistic match for the track. Cantlay captured titles here in 2019 and 2021, added a 3rd-place in 2022, and ranks top-five in career strokes-gained at the venue. Sannes downplayed Cantlay’s missed cut at the PGA Championship, noting he was 4th at Quail Hollow the week prior and routinely gains off-the-tee plus on approach—both premium stats in Muirfield Village’s narrow fairway, small-green setup. With elite course history and a mild odds drift, Sannes views Cantlay as a legitimate outright and upper-tier DFS pivot off the Scheffler/Xander chalk.

Jim Sannes advised caution with Collin Morikawa at 16-1 outright because the normally elite ball-striker has gone cold. Morikawa lost strokes with his irons at both the PGA Championship and the Charles Schwab—an alarming deviation from his spring surge. Although he owns two runner-up finishes and the second-best career strokes-gained mark at Muirfield Village, Sannes argues that bettors would be paying for past glory and praying for immediate positive regression. Until Morikawa’s approach play rebounds, Sannes is avoiding him in outrights and leaning on other options in DFS lineups.

Jim Sannes said Scottie Scheffler is a justifiable bet even at a skinny +280 outright number because everything lines up. Scheffler is the defending Memorial champion, finished 3rd here in both 2023 and 2021, and leads the entire field in true strokes-gained per round at Muirfield Village according to DataGolf. The course rewards total strokes-gained off the tee and precise iron play on tiny greens—areas where Scheffler already ranks No. 1 on TOUR this season. With Rory McIlroy absent, Sannes believes Scheffler’s combination of elite recent form, perfect course fit, and a reduced 72-man field makes the price too long, framing him as both the safest DFS spend-up and a viable outright wager despite the short odds.

Jim Sannes took Keith Mitchell for a top-20 at +350, citing a perfect blend of current form, course fit, and distance. Mitchell has posted four straight PGA Tour top-20s—powered unusually by his irons—while still bringing his trademark length off the tee. He owns two previous Quail Hollow top-10s (2019, 2021) and ranks 35th in DataGolf’s current ratings, inside the historic winner profile cutoff of 30th since 2019. With wet fairways further rewarding carry distance and Mitchell’s irons trending up, Sannes believes the top-20 market captures the upside without forcing bettors to bank on a career putting week.

Sannes admitted he sprinkled Daniel Berger outright at 100-to-1 purely as a price enforcement play. Although he doubts Berger’s limited length produces a true ceiling week, Sannes argued the market should have him shorter than triple digits given his ranking of 17th in DataGolf’s pro ranks, across-the-board strokes-gained profile, and solid Quail Hollow history. He views it as a small-stake, high-payout add to an outright card otherwise focused on Xander Schauffele and bigger hitters, reasoning that Berger’s baseline form makes 100-1 mispriced relative to the rest of the mid-tier.

Jim Sannes echoed the Berger love, calling the +260 top-20 ‘the second-best non-outright on the board.’ Berger is gaining in all four strokes-gained categories despite average length, even picking up off-the-tee thanks to accuracy—important on Quail Hollow’s 28-yard fairways. He has gained at least one stroke on approach in three straight events, one of which was the Masters, and has turned those gains into three consecutive top-25 finishes. Because superior carry distance remains questionable, Sannes sees the top-20 as the sweet spot, giving bettors exposure to a player whose floor is higher than the market implies.

Jim Sannes went a step further, taking Corey Conners for a top-10 at 5-to-1 (with the FanDuel-No Laying Up finishing-position boost). Sannes highlighted Conners’ torrid iron run: he gained 1.63 strokes per round on approach last week—the fourth event since March clearing +1.0—including +1.52 per round at Augusta where he finished eighth. The Canadian has identical eighth and 13th-place results in his last two Quail Hollow trips despite modest distance. Sannes noted Conners ‘contends despite not being super long’ because his irons give him ceiling; with wet conditions neutralising rollout, he sees realistic top-10 upside and used the profit boost to juice the payout.

Jim Sannes said Xander Schauffele is the single outright ticket he is locking in at the current odds of 22-1. Schauffele has finished T-14, 2nd and 2nd in his last three trips to Quail Hollow, losing only to Rory McIlroy by five and Wyndham Clark by four while beating everyone else by at least three shots in both runner-up showings. Sannes emphasized that if those two champions merely played average, Schauffele could be arriving with back-to-back three-shot victories on this course. The rib injury that wrecked his PLAYERS Championship is behind him—since returning he has gained 19.9 yards off the tee versus the field (his biggest distance edge since the 2021 WM Phoenix Open) and posted +0.7 strokes per round on approach with +1.07 putting last week. DataGolf still rates him as the best major performer since the start of 2023, and majors have historically been won by golfers ranked top-10 globally, a threshold Schauffele comfortably meets. Sannes called him a "generational" major player who combines newfound distance, elite irons, and a top-15 putter, adding that if this version shows up he would never be priced longer than 15-1. Bottom line: Schauffele at 22-1 is the only outright Sannes will recommend at current markets for Quail Hollow.

Jim Sannes called Sepp Straka a ‘really, really rock-solid’ DFS play at $9,000. Straka is fresh off a win in last week’s signature event and ranks inside the top-15 in strokes gained approach over the past three months while gaining more than half a stroke putting per round. Sannes admitted the Austrian lacks the 320-yard howitzer normally preferred at Quail Hollow, but said Straka’s elite iron play and spike-putting profile offset the distance gap for DFS purposes. He projects Straka to make the cut roughly 76% of the time and finish top-20 in DraftKings scoring in one out of every four simulations—excellent numbers for a mid-range roster spot when you only need him to hold up behind two expensive studs.

Jim Sannes said Joaquin Niemann is the first name he wants to click once he drops out of the five-figure range on FanDuel. Niemann is just $9,600 yet already ranks 7th in salary-adjusted win odds and 11th in Sannes’ Strokes-Gained-Stabilization model, a metric he trusts for identifying true ball-striking form. Although the Chilean’s career major record is shaky—only 1.02 true strokes gained per round since 2020, 37th in this field—Sannes argued that three wins in seven LIV starts and a driving-distance advantage of roughly 20 yards on the Quail Hollow average make him a much different player now. With a bomber-friendly 7,626-yard setup and Niemann’s long-iron proficiency, Sannes is comfortable building DFS cores around him and letting the major-sample haters fade away.

Jim Sannes argued that Justin Thomas is mis-tagged at just $10,600 on FanDuel—"way too low" given both recent form and Quail Hollow pedigree. Thomas has gained strokes on approach in nine straight measured events, owns a win at the 2017 PGA Championship on this very course, and ranks second only to Scottie Scheffler in Sannes’ ceiling metric over the past 50 rounds. By dropping nearly $1,000 below the Bryson/Xander tier, JT unlocks a Rory-plus-JT build with two comfortable $8k value plays, a roster construction Sannes says fits the slate perfectly. He plans to bypass the entire $11k range if he is not on Bryson, instead jumping straight to Thomas as the anchor of his mid-high tier exposure, projecting him for a top-5 DFS score 16% of the time—roughly double what his salary tier implies.

Jim Sannes labeled Bryson DeChambeau the first click after the Scheffler-McIlroy tier, preferring him to Xander Schauffele despite only a $100 FanDuel salary gap. Sannes conceded Bryson’s irons were "pretty rough" at Augusta, costing him a chance to win, but pointed out the rebound at LIV Korea where DeChambeau gained 1.27 strokes per round on approach and 2.40 off the tee, good for 3.67 strokes of ball-striking dominance en route to victory. That surge, combined with his 189-mph ball speed and 25-yard distance edge on the field, makes Quail Hollow’s 7,626-yard layout “tailor-made” for Bryson’s game. Sannes projects DeChambeau for an 8% outright win probability—better than Xander’s 6%—while ownership projections have Bryson only modestly higher, cementing him as the superior DFS tournament play. He is comfortable pairing Bryson with Rory in stars-and-scrubs builds or using him as the lone stud when paying up for balanced mid-range pieces.

Jim Sannes said the cleanest way to gain leverage at the very top of PGA Championship DFS builds is to start with Scottie Scheffler instead of Rory McIlroy. Scheffler is $200 cheaper on FanDuel, projects for roughly 22-25% roster rate versus McIlroy’s 32-35%, and is, in Sannes’ words, “technically in better form than Rory right now.” Scheffler has gained a combined +3.2 true strokes per round over the past three months and led the field tee-to-green in three of his last four starts, whereas Rory’s form spike is tightly tied to Quail Hollow history. Sannes acknowledged Scheffler’s lack of course reps but feels the ownership discount more than covers that gap in single-entry tournaments. He will still use McIlroy in cash games and head-to-head markets, yet in GPPs he wants Scheffler on every lineup where he is only playing one superstar, expecting the Texan to outscore Rory at least 40% of the time while coming in 10 percentage points lighter in ownership.

Jim Sannes explained that he will roster Joaquin Niemann in DFS but is steering clear of a 35-1 outright ticket. Niemann enters in blistering form—three LIV wins in seven 2025 starts and a T29 at the Masters—yet his major record is glaringly poor: only four top-25s and zero top-10s in 23 career majors. Sannes compared the situation to Patrick Cantlay’s perpetual major letdowns and noted Niemann has never truly contended on a Sunday. With Quail Hollow demanding long-iron excellence under final-round pressure, Sannes thinks the Chilean is more likely to post a solid finish than to defeat every elite bomber in the field. He is open to top-10 props and heavy DFS exposure but is leaving Niemann off outright cards until he shows real closing equity in majors.

Jim Sannes said he will finally pull the trigger on Rory McIlroy if books drift the outright price to +550. That number drops Rory’s implied win probability to roughly 15%, which is the first point his model shows a tangible edge after accounting for vig. Sannes emphasized that McIlroy’s Quail Hollow resume—four victories, nine top-10s, and nearly +3.0 strokes gained off the tee per round—perfectly matches the bomber-friendly 7,626-yard par-71. Should the price appear, Sannes will keep his card lean, pairing Rory with only one longer shot such as Xander Schauffele and ignoring the rest of the favorites in order to keep total exposure under five units.

Jim Sannes said he will wait for a +550 number before adding Scottie Scheffler to his outright card. Scheffler leads the field at an absurd +3.16 true strokes gained per round over the last three months—more than a full shot better than anyone else—but Sannes noted that betting into the current +450 price leaves no edge when you still have to get past Rory McIlroy and other elite bombers. If books lengthen Scheffler to +550, his implied win probability (15.4%) would finally lag Sannes’ projection, making him a viable add. Sannes applied the same threshold to McIlroy, but Scheffler’s iron play and arrest-revenge narrative make him the first click should the line drift.

Jim Sannes added Corey Conners at 70-to-1 to his outright card even though he typically avoids longshots at majors. Sannes reasoned that Conners’ elite iron play—seventh in strokes-gained approach over the last three months—and back-to-back top-13 finishes at Quail Hollow give him true spike-week equity. Conners has gained at least 1.6 strokes per round on approach since February and historically gains nearly a stroke tee-to-green at this course despite average distance off the tee. With respectable recent form and proven course comfort, Sannes believes the Canadian’s path to contention is cleaner than most triple-digit names and that 70-to-1 offers enough win equity to justify a small wager.

Jim Sannes locked in Xander Schauffele at 22-to-1, calling the number a blatant mis-price. Sannes pointed out that Schauffele gained 19.9 yards per drive on the average Tour pro last week—his best four-round distance showing since early 2024—signaling the rib injury is no longer an issue. He paired that pop with +0.74 strokes per round on approach and +1.07 putting, indicating the short-game rust that plagued his rehab is gone. The course résumé is eye-popping: back-to-back solo seconds at Quail Hollow in 2023 and 2024, where he beat the rest of the field by three shots each time. Schauffele also ranks top-4 tee-to-green in those two events and, as a two-time major winner last season, brings proven closing chops. Sannes’ model gives Xander a 6.5% win probability, well above the 4.5% implied at 22-to-1, and he would bet the Californian down to 18-to-1 before looking elsewhere.

Jim Sannes revealed he grabbed Bryson DeChambeau at 10-to-1 early in the week but can no longer recommend a wager now that books have shortened him to 7-to-1. While DeChambeau’s 189-mph ball speed and top-3 ranking in strokes gained off the tee over the past 50 rounds make him a textbook Quail Hollow fit, Sannes stressed that the new number offers little edge when bettors still have to beat co-favorites Scheffler and McIlroy. His process requires at least double-digit odds before investing in a bomber-only thesis; at 7-to-1, DeChambeau’s implied win probability (12.5%) now exceeds his projection. The tout’s advice: hold existing 10-to-1 tickets but pass on any price shorter than 9-to-1 and pivot to Xander Schauffele or other double-digit names instead.

Jim Sannes said Rory McIlroy is the unquestioned core play for DFS but unbettable at his current +450 outright price. Sannes rattled off McIlroy’s absurd Quail Hollow resume—four wins (2010, 2015, 2021, 2024), 12 made cuts in 13 starts, nine top-10s, and an average of nearly three strokes gained off the tee per round at this course. The length advantage remains massive, and data-golf’s new records page shows McIlroy’s 2024 season tracking as one of the 12 best strokes-gained years since 1983. That sets up perfectly for a major where driving distance historically correlates with winning. However, Sannes argued the market has correctly priced that ceiling, leaving no edge at +450 when bettors still have to get past Scottie Scheffler and other bombers. His takeaway: jam Rory into cash-game builds and single-entry DFS stacks, but allocate outright bankroll elsewhere unless the number drifts closer to +700.

Jim Sannes said he is "back" to leaning on Lucas Glover as his preferred low-salary DFS option at $8,600. Sannes joked that eight or nine years of data always pull him toward Glover, underscoring the veteran’s long-term ball-striking reliability. Slotting Glover in allows Sannes to jam expensive anchors like Rory McIlroy and Russell Henley while staying out of the riskier $8K range. In a no-cut, 72-man field where steady tee-to-green play can surface across four guaranteed rounds, Sannes trusts Glover’s consistent fairways-and-greens profile to provide both floor and the occasional spike week without blowing up roster construction.

Jim Sannes argued that Will Zalatoris is finally priced to buy at $9,000. Zalatoris is gaining strokes off the tee and ranks top-10 in the field in approach over the past 20 rounds, yet his salary has cratered because of a brutal ‑0.35 strokes putting per round over the last six months. Sannes compared the profile to Scottie Scheffler’s pre-breakout slump, noting that putting is the noisiest stat and should eventually regress toward Zalatoris’s long-term baseline. Given the elite ball-striking, a no-cut format, and small bent-grass greens where approach play is paramount, Sannes is willing to tolerate the red-flag putter for one week, especially in GPP lineups that need ceiling outcomes more than floor. He even booked a head-to-head FanDuel points bet versus Akshay Bhatia to back his conviction.

Jim Sannes highlighted Akshay Bhatia as his favorite low-9K DFS play, citing a skill profile tailor-made for Philadelphia Cricket Club. Bhatia ranks 20th in this field in strokes-gained approach over the last 50 rounds and sits 26th in sand-save percentage across the past two seasons—an underrated edge on a course sporting 118 bunkers. Sannes also noted Bhatia’s putter remains a weapon (inside the top third in overall putting) and that the left-hander’s accuracy-over-distance driving style should keep him out of the worst fairway traps. Because Bhatia flashes true spike-week upside when both irons and putter heat up, Sannes views him as an ideal tournament leverage play at $9,000 who can realistically contend while freeing salary for a Rory or JT anchor.

Jim Sannes placed Michael Kim at the top of his betting card for a +180 Top-20, pointing to the Korean-American’s elite ball-striking and recent breather after a demanding spring schedule. Despite admitting Kim looked “burned out” while chasing a Masters invite, Sannes highlighted that Kim still gained on approach both at Augusta and the RBC Heritage. With two weeks of rest now in the bank, Sannes expects the irons that rank inside the top 15 of this field over the last three months to pop again. Kim combines a ‘decent’ driver with those razor-sharp wedges, giving him the fairway-through-green profile Sannes wants on Cricket Club’s smaller bent-grass targets. At plus money in a 72-man field, Sannes views the number as simply too generous for Kim’s current tee-to-green form.

Jim Sannes said Russell Henley is the first name he clicks after locking Rory McIlroy into DFS line-ups, calling the $10.9K salary ‘pretty nice’ given Henley’s win equity and all-around profile. Henley already owns a signature-event victory this season and continues to gain off the tee despite average distance, a trait Sannes believes is tailor-made for an unknown layout that may de-emphasize bombers. The Georgia Bulldog ranks top-15 in approach, putting, and around-the-green over the past three months and still gains strokes off the tee through accuracy. Sannes noted that pairing Rory with Henley leaves roughly $9K per remaining roster spot—easily workable in a stars-and-balanced build—while maintaining legitimate upside to win if McIlroy slips. He is comfortable passing on the $11K tier altogether and building Rory-Henley cores in the majority of his entries.

Jim Sannes grabbed Daniel Berger at +330 for a Top-10, citing the Floridian’s across-the-board strength and the smaller 72-man field. Berger sits sixth in Sannes’ strokes-gained stabilization model—built to identify sustainable form—because he gains in all four categories. Since January 1 he owns two Top-5s (including third at RBC Heritage) and has finished 30th or better in every start except one missed cut, illustrating both ceiling and floor. Berger also ranks 13th in Sannes’ ceiling metric, ahead of bigger names like Tommy Fleetwood, showing he still has spike-week potential even if he is perceived as a ‘steady’ player. With several elites carrying question marks and Philadelphia Cricket Club presenting an unfamiliar test, Sannes prefers locking in Berger’s versatility at a juicy Top-10 price rather than chasing a long-shot outright.

Jim Sannes added Xander Schauffele to his outright card at 16-to-1, arguing that the market has not yet caught up to Schauffele’s return to full health. Since battling a back injury earlier this spring, Xander has posted elite iron numbers—gaining on approach at the Valspar, Augusta, and RBC Heritage—and his distance off the tee has held steady even while the driver accuracy lags. Sannes believes the softer driver requirement at Philadelphia Cricket Club mitigates that weakness, letting Schauffele’s tee-to-green ceiling shine on a no-cut track where birdie makers win. With Scottie Scheffler absent and Rory McIlroy a short price, Sannes pegs Schauffele as the next most likely winner in the field, noting he would sit closer to +1200 in a fully healthy sample. He is willing to buy before the data fully stabilizes, expecting those numbers to pop once workload ramps back up ahead of the PGA Championship.

Jim Sannes cosigned Brandon Gdula’s Justin Thomas recommendation, slotting JT onto his own outright card at 16-to-1. Sannes emphasized Thomas’ combination of a high baseline and proven winning ceiling, underscored by his recent playoff victory over Andrew Novak and sustained elite approach numbers. With Rory McIlroy possibly looking ahead to Quail Hollow, Collin Morikawa experimenting with a new caddie, Xander Schauffele nursing injuries, and Patrick Cantlay ‘not allowed to win,’ Sannes views Thomas as the cleanest profile in the betting pool and is comfortable passing on a short Rory ticket to make room for JT.

Jim Sannes said the DFS conversation on Rory McIlroy is "the quickest discussion of all time" because you simply jam him in. At a $13,000 salary on FanDuel, Sannes argued Rory is still too cheap relative to his current form: a DataGolf-adjusted +2.56 strokes gained per round over the last three months, four wins in his past eight stroke-play starts, and the second-largest performance gap in the field (0.68 strokes per round better than Collin Morikawa). In a no-cut, 72-man signature event where elite tee-to-green skill should separate, Sannes expects heavy win equity and labeled Rory a lineup anchor even if it means punting elsewhere. He dismissed course-fit concerns and said “just use him” rather than overthinking roster allocation.

Jim Sannes recommended Max McGreevy at $8,300 as a high-risk, high-reward punt that frees salary for Scheffler-plus-Bridgeman or Scheffler-plus-Tom Kim constructions. Over the last six months McGreevy ranks top-10 in this field when combining strokes gained off-the-tee (+0.30) and approach (+0.55), exactly the ball-striking mix Sannes wants for a projected −23 winning score. The Oklahoma native’s short game is ugly, but Sannes downplayed that weakness, noting TPC Craig Ranch historically minimizes around-the-green importance in favor of giving yourself 10-foot birdie looks. He will avoid McGreevy in cash games, yet views him as the perfect leverage piece in single-entry tournaments where a cheap spike week opens the door to two legitimate win candidates up top.

Jim Sannes said Jacob Bridgeman is the first name he clicks after Scottie Scheffler in DFS lineups. At just 25, Bridgeman has paired a locked-in short game with legitimately improving irons, gaining strokes on approach in three of his last four individual starts and shrugging off the RBC Heritage clunker as a one-off. Sannes noted that Bridgeman’s $10,600 salary lands in a mini-tier by itself—above Ryan Gerard but well below the Scheffler/Tom Kim level—making him the natural “second stud” before a pronounced drop-off in win equity. Because Scheffler absorbs most of the lineup’s ceiling requirement, Sannes only needs Bridgeman to deliver a high-end finish, something his balanced tee-to-green profile and reliable putter project to do on TPC Craig Ranch’s oversized, birdie-friendly greens.

Jim Sannes bet Ryan Gerard +550 for a top-10, citing a well-rounded skill set suited for TPC Craig Ranch. Gerard combines an above-average putter inside 15 feet with excellent lag putting and sits fifth on DataGolf’s approach-skill metric from 150+ yards over the past 12 months—one of Brandon’s key distance buckets. While his irons have cooled the last couple of weeks, the short game has picked up, giving Sannes confidence Gerard can score even if one club misfires. With a neutral driver that avoids disasters and genuine birdie potential when the wedges heat up, Sannes believes the 5.5-to-1 number underrates a golfer who only needs one spike week to cash.

Sannes took Ryo Hisatsune +600 for a top-10, doubling down on the rookie he and Brandon have been touting in DFS. Hisatsune owns three straight top-20 finishes and ranks sixth in the field at +1.07 true strokes gained per round over the last three months, driven primarily by crisp irons. The driver is quietly above average and his short game is serviceable, giving multiple paths to score. He posted T-13 here a year ago—done mostly with the putter—but Sannes believes the ball-striking is now good enough to replicate that finish organically. In a week where −23 or better could be required, Sannes likes Hisatsune’s ability to pile up birdies and views 6-to-1 as mis-priced upside.

Jim Sannes grabbed Max McGreevy at 4-to-1 for a top-20, arguing the Oklahoma native’s ball-striking is being ignored. Over the past six months McGreevy is gaining 0.30 strokes off the tee and 0.55 on approach per round—top-10 in this field when you combine them—yet books have lengthened him because of ugly putting and around-the-green numbers. Sannes noted that TPC Craig Ranch historically turns into a birdie fest where wedges matter less than giving yourself ten-footers, something McGreevy’s approach game does in bunches. In a shallow field, Sannes is willing to live with the short-game volatility and sees clear value in four-to-one for merely cracking the top 20.

Jim Sannes fired on Henrik Norlander +350 for a top-20, pointing to the Swede’s scorching irons. Norlander has gained strokes on approach in eight straight starts and has cleared the one-stroke-per-round threshold in seven of those, a consistency level Sannes called “elite for anyone not named Scheffler.” Although Norlander is short off the tee and owns only middling course results (MC, T-34, 64th in three trips), TPC Craig Ranch’s oversized greens let precise iron players hide sub-par short games. Sannes thinks asking merely a top-20 in a watered-down field gives ample wiggle room for Norlander’s lack of distance and rates the wager as the best way to monetize his current ball-striking heater.

Jim Sannes is passing on Taylor Pendrith this week, citing a glaring weakness around the greens. Pendrith has lost at least 0.50 strokes per round in six of his last seven tournaments in SG: Around-the-Green and now ranks 138th in that category over a 50-round sample. While acknowledging the premium ball-striking (top-6 Off-the-Tee and Approach) and distance, Sannes notes that Pendrith’s short-game struggles are finally dragging down his overall Stabilization number to −0.92, putting him behind cheaper long-shot options who possess more balanced profiles. Until Pendrith posts a neutral week with the wedges—something he has not done since the Farmers in January—Sannes prefers to allocate outright bets and DFS exposure elsewhere.

Jim Sannes made Jacob Bridgeman his lone outright at 55-1. Bridgeman has parlayed elite short-game work into three top-3 finishes since March—2nd at the Cognizant Classic, 3rd at Valspar, and T10 in the Zurich team event—but Sannes is encouraged by a recent up-tick in approach play (positive SG: App in three of his last four individual starts). Using his Stabilization metric, Sannes has Bridgeman second in the entire field (only Scheffler is higher) and at +0.96 true strokes gained per round over six months. With putting already a weapon and irons trending, Sannes believes Bridgeman’s complete profile warrants a wager in a top-heavy event where most books are ignoring his ceiling.