Patrick McDonald reminded listeners that distance is helpful at Detroit Golf Club but not essential. He pointed to last year’s leaderboard, where precision players Eric Cole and Aaron Rai contended alongside bombers. Rai’s track record on Donald Ross designs—highlighted by his T-2 at Ross-built Sedgefield—makes him a sneaky fit. McDonald noted that the subtly crowned Ross greens reward elite iron play and wedge proximity more than raw length, giving accurate fairway finders like Rai upside at depressed ownership and triple-digit outright numbers.

Patrick McDonald named Justin Thomas as his pick to win, emphasizing how TPC River Highlands rewards players who "pin their ears back" off the tee and lean on wedge play—Thomas’s calling card. JT spent Saturday afternoon grinding on the Pinehurst range despite missing the cut, then stayed for the player charter to Connecticut, signaling he’s locked in. Thomas ranks 3rd on TOUR in proximity from 100–125 yards and is gaining nearly a stroke per round around the greens, tools McDonald believes translate to another 20-under style shootout. At longer odds than the Big Three, Thomas is Patrick’s favorite outright ticket and core DFS play.

McDonald advised that even at a short 3-1 number, Scottie Scheffler deserves serious betting consideration. Scheffler has made a habit of contending immediately after majors, winning both the RBC Heritage and Travelers in the weeks following majors last season. Despite five missed putts inside five feet and seven three-putts at Oakmont, he still finished top-10 thanks to steady driving that improved as the week progressed. McDonald thinks a neutral putter could be enough to put Scheffler back in the winner’s circle at TPC River Highlands, recommending outright wagers or anchoring parlays around Scheffler’s top-5/top-10 floors.

McDonald pegged Daniel Berger as his 55-1 sleeper play. Berger hasn’t teed it up in Cromwell since 2019, but McDonald stressed the course still suits his "fairways-and-greens" DNA. The analyst noted that Berger appeared to "find something" in his putting stroke last week, an important development because the rest of the bag—especially controlled tee shots and crisp irons—has remained reliable. If the newfound confidence on the greens carries over, McDonald believes Berger can shock the field and lift the trophy, making him a worthwhile long-shot outright and each-way wager.

Patrick McDonald labeled Russell Henley a live contender at 45-1. He pointed out that TPC River Highlands is a short par-70 where fairways and dialed-in wedges matter more than length—exactly Henley’s profile. The recent Arnold Palmer Invitational champion endured a minor spring slump but has posted back-to-back solid outings heading into Cromwell. McDonald thinks Henley’s elite driving accuracy and short-iron precision translate perfectly, calling this layout a “much better fit” than Oakmont and signaling bettors should keep him in outright and top-10 markets.

Patrick McDonald said Keegan Bradley is his outright pick at 40-1 to win the Travelers. McDonald highlighted that Bradley ranks second only to Scottie Scheffler in strokes gained tee-to-green over the last three months and noted a clear uptick with the putter in his past two starts. The New England native already owns a Travelers title, giving him proven comfort on TPC River Highlands’ quirky Poa-bentgrass mix. McDonald believes the improved putting plus elite ball-striking and familiar green complexes give Bradley a strong chance to grab a summer win and strengthen his case to serve as a playing captain on the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

Patrick McDonald tabbed Harris English as his under-the-radar sleeper, arguing that the Georgian’s recent major résumé makes him a sharp top-20 wager. English is one of only four players to finish inside the top-15 at both the Masters and PGA this season, and he owns a historically solid U.S. Open record highlighted by a 4th-place finish at Winged Foot. McDonald likes that English’s controlled fade keeps him in the short grass, limiting Oakmont’s brutal recovery shots, while a vastly improved putter (gaining 0.6 strokes per round since February) can hold its own on the slick greens. With books still hanging 5-1 or longer for a top-20, McDonald recommends grabbing that number and sprinkling English into DFS GPP pools as a low-owned pivot off the bigger names in his price range.

Patrick McDonald planted his flag on Scottie Scheffler to win the U.S. Open by three shots, even laying the exotic –2.5-stroke spread. McDonald said Scheffler is statistically the most complete player he has ever seen: over the last three months the Texan ranks inside the top-20 of every single strokes-gained category, sits #1 on TOUR in bounce-back percentage, and #1 in bogey avoidance. Those traits matter at Oakmont because there will be, in McDonald’s words, “a boatload of bogeys.” Scheffler’s ability to erase mistakes immediately and limit crooked numbers gives him multiple paths to victory on a course where danger lurks before and after every swing. McDonald contrasted this year’s measured prep with 2024, noting Scheffler arrived fresher and with tighter wedge gapping, and concluded that bettors should pay the short price in outright, winning-margin, and head-to-head markets while making him a DFS cash-game cornerstone.

Patrick McDonald labeled Xander Schauffele the quiet value of the week, urging bettors to pounce on subdued top-10 prices and use him as a DFS ownership pivot. Citing Justin Ray’s research, McDonald emphasized Schauffele’s eight-year streak of U.S. Open top-15 finishes—the longest active run and topped only by Jack Nicklaus and Sam Snead since WWII—as well as his championship-best career scoring average of +2.84 strokes gained per round. Although Schauffele’s putting has lagged and an intercostal strain cost him starts earlier in 2025, his tee-to-green numbers remain elite, and Oakmont historically rewards that exact profile. With public buzz muted by a winless season, McDonald thinks sportsbooks will shade prices, making top-10 bets and steady-Eddie DFS exposure the sharp way to play Schauffele.

Patrick McDonald said Collin Morikawa is still a bet-worthy contender at Oakmont even though the Californian admitted at Muirfield Village that he is "searching for something." McDonald argued Morikawa’s Tour-best fairway-finding will be at a premium because hitting short grass eliminates most of Oakmont’s brutal scrambling tests—the place where U.S. Open scorecards usually implode. He referenced past leaderboards where straight hitters like Jim Furyk and Zach Johnson hovered despite bomber winners, then pointed to Morikawa’s second-place driving-accuracy rank and iron play that nearly won the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines before a rash of missed short putts. While extremely baked-out conditions could blunt the edge, McDonald still prefers Morikawa in top-10 and top-20 betting markets and sees him as a balanced DFS core piece rather than an outright ticket.

Patrick McDonald planted a flag on Keegan Bradley at roughly 90-1 outright. Bradley owns a T8 at last month’s PGA, another top-10 at Muirfield Village, and is ‘driving the absolute crap out of the golf ball’ while cutting his around-the-green strokes lost in half versus 2024. McDonald added the Vermont native’s patriotic streak and desire to impress Ryder Cup selectors make the U.S. Open his personal Super Bowl. He prefers Bradley’s triple-digit number over several middling 50-80-1 names, advising sprinkled outrights and heavy exposure in DFS GPP builds that reward tee-to-green consistency.

Patrick McDonald warned against chasing Bryson DeChambeau’s single-digit outright odds, calling Oakmont the hardest of the venues where Bryson could notch a third U.S. Open. McDonald set the over/under on DeChambeau’s career U.S. Open titles at 3.5 and immediately took the under, arguing that Oakmont’s sloped fairways, links-style run-offs, and demand for imaginative short-game shots neutralize Bryson’s bomb-and-gouge approach that worked at Winged Foot and Pinehurst. He pointed to DeChambeau’s middling links record, the requirement to hit more creative recovery shots, and the likelihood of finding uneven lies after 350-yard drives. Although Bryson arrives with a freshly built driver and an analytics-heavy game plan, McDonald believes the need for precision wedges and touchy lag putting will expose his weakest areas. At current 8-1 prices, he prefers fading DeChambeau in outright markets and limiting DFS exposure to large-field GPPs only.

Patrick McDonald pegged Joaquin Niemann as the most appealing first-time major winner candidate and a must-bet outright at roughly 30-1. Oakmont has crowned first-time major champions in five of its last six U.S. Opens, and McDonald noted Niemann’s form dwarfs the other ‘best-without-a-major’ names. The Chilean has won three of six LIV starts in 2025, leads that tour in strokes-gained tee-to-green and driving distance, and quietly back-doored a top-10 at Quail Hollow—another 7,500-yard, penal-rough layout. McDonald believes Niemann’s low, piercing fade will handle Oakmont’s expected softness, while his top-5 LIV scrambling stats cover inevitable misses. He is taking outright and top-10 tickets and plans to anchor DFS builds around Niemann, ranking him above fellow first-timers Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland, and Patrick Cantlay.

Patrick McDonald urged bettors to ignore Phil Mickelson in every market—outright, top-20, even make-the-cut—because Oakmont remains the lone classic U.S. Open venue where Lefty has never sniffed contention. Mickelson’s career line here is T47-MC-MC, and he will turn 55 the Monday after the championship. McDonald highlighted that only one of the last 53 major winners came from outside the OWGR top-50 (Phil himself in 2021), making a repeat outlier run highly improbable. Oakmont’s 7,400-yard, narrow fairway setup demands driver speed and accuracy Mickelson no longer owns—his 287-yard average on LIV ranks outside the tour’s top-40. Although Phil has posted three LIV top-6 finishes this season, McDonald called them "smoke-and-mirrors results on wide-open courses." The tout recommends treating Mickelson as a heavy underdog to reach the weekend and leaving him out of DFS player pools entirely.

Patrick McDonald said Rory McIlroy will make the cut at Oakmont even though the driver has been a mess since Augusta. McDonald leaned on McIlroy’s sneaky-good U.S. Open resume—six straight top-10s, the longest active streak and already longer than any Tiger Woods stretch, one shy of Jack Nicklaus’ career best. He acknowledged the red flags: a missed cut at Oakmont in 2016, three-event missed-cut streak back then, and last week’s ugly second-round 80 at the Canadian Open. Still, McDonald believes the two bonus practice days after that MC, McIlroy’s revamped major prep that prioritizes grinding on firm, fast setups, and his much more complete overall game compared to 2016 make a weekend appearance the likelier outcome. He does not expect full-blown contention but sees "struggling driver, still plays the weekend" as the most probable script—an angle bettors can exploit in make-the-cut markets and DFS player-pool decisions.

Patrick McDonald tossed Ryo Hisatsune onto his out-there winners list, citing the 21-year-old’s eye-opening run at Valhalla—where he flirted with the PGA Championship lead—and a follow-up top-30 at Colonial. McDonald believes the Japanese star’s combination of controlled length and fearless iron play fits TPC Toronto, which features a short par-3 and a strategic drive-and-pitch par-4 that demand precise wedges. Hisatsune gained 1.4 strokes on approach at both events and ranked 7th in Birdie Rate at the PGA, signaling upside if scoring conditions soften after Canada’s wet spring. With books hanging triple-digit odds, McDonald views Hisatsune as a perfect long-shot lottery ticket in outright or each-way markets.

Patrick McDonald labeled Ryan Fox a live outright because "he’s winning another tournament—ball-striking has been great." Fox ranks inside the top 25 on Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee over the last two months, and McDonald stressed that TPC Toronto will reward players who can drive it long and straight given the near four-inch rough and minimal bunker protection. The course’s par-5 18th and potentially drivable 15th increase the importance of power, areas where Fox historically gains more than half a stroke per round on the field. Given the Kiwi’s recent form—three top-25s in his last four worldwide starts—and an outright price north of 50-to-1, McDonald thinks Fox profiles as a high-value bet to lift the trophy Sunday.

Patrick McDonald placed Cameron Young at the top of his "can-win" card, arguing the bomber’s confidence is peaking after he successfully survived the 36-hole qualifier on "the longest day in golf" to punch his U.S. Open ticket. McDonald compared Young to a hot NBA wild-card team—one elite players like Scottie Scheffler would prefer to avoid—because his ceiling rounds can spike at any time. TPC Toronto’s layout includes a move-up drivable par-4 and a par-5 finisher, scenarios that accentuate Young’s length and aggressive tendencies. With the course featuring only 38 bunkers (third-fewest on Tour) and thick four-inch rough similar to tracks where Young has excelled, McDonald expects the New Yorker to parlay Monday’s momentum into a breakthrough PGA Tour victory at attractive 70-to-1 betting odds.

Patrick McDonald warned bettors off Ludwig Aberg, noting the Swede added the Canadian Open only because his form has cratered. McDonald highlighted across-the-board regression: negative strokes gained in approach and off-the-tee in four of his last five non-major starts, short-game still middling, and putting trending down. Even the trademark driver that routinely touches 330 yards has been slipping, culminating in a poor driving performance at Valhalla. While Aberg’s talent keeps his ceiling high, McDonald sees no statistical evidence of an imminent bounce-back and will wait until the irons and driver turn before investing again.

Patrick McDonald said Sam Burns should be on bettors’ short lists for TPC Toronto. McDonald noted that the new 7,400-yard par-70 has almost four-inch rough and ranks third-fewest in bunkers on Tour, making total-driving paramount. Burns, who already ranked top-20 last season in both driving distance and strokes-gained off-the-tee, showed signs of heating up with a low Friday round at Colonial and a week of clean ball-striking. McDonald expects the beefy setup to accentuate Burns’ biggest edge—long, accurate tee shots—and thinks early prices will be attractive before the market fully bakes in the course fit.

Patrick McDonald recommended Robert MacIntyre at 80-to-1, citing the left-hander’s "good performance at the Chuck Schwab" and his tendency to heat up this time of year. McDonald believes MacIntyre has emerged from a brief lull and is now poised to "keep piling up results," making him a worthwhile long-shot outright or each-way wager at the Memorial.

Patrick McDonald tabbed Keegan Bradley as his favorite deep challenger to Scheffler, noting that Bradley ranks 2nd only to Scheffler in strokes-gained tee-to-green over the past three months and is the only player in the Memorial field sitting inside the top-20 in both driving accuracy and driving distance. Bradley’s putting has been shaky in 2025, but Muirfield Village’s relatively straightforward bentgrass greens have treated him well – he has gained strokes putting here in four straight starts. McDonald pointed to Bradley’s field-average putting week at the PGA Championship that still produced a top-10 finish as proof that merely neutral putting unlocks winning upside. He believes a positive week with the flat stick would put Bradley firmly in contention and makes him an appealing outright ticket or mid-range DFS play.

Patrick McDonald said Scottie Scheffler is the clear cut play at Muirfield Village because the course demands exactly what Scheffler is doing better than anyone right now. Over the last three months Scheffler ranks 1st in this field in total strokes gained, tee-to-green, off-the-tee, and on approach, and he is even a top-10 putter – a club that had been his lone weakness earlier in the season. McDonald added that Jack Nicklaus designs typically favor a left-to-right ball flight, which is Scheffler’s natural shot shape. Scheffler’s recent form at the Memorial is 3rd, 3rd, 1st, so McDonald expects “another run at the title” and views him as worth paying up for in DFS builds or as the justified betting favorite in outrights and top-5 markets.

Patrick McDonald placed Keegan Bradley on his "can win" list, calling him a "tee-to-green menace" who has been playing "awesome golf" of late. McDonald believes Bradley’s elite ball-striking numbers give him the ideal profile for demanding Muirfield Village tests. If the putter behaves even marginally, McDonald thinks Bradley can convert that form into an outright victory ticket this week.

Patrick McDonald said Scottie Scheffler would "run away from the field" and capture the Memorial by roughly five strokes. McDonald joked that Scheffler "hasn't won in a week" and is therefore "thirsty" for another trophy, pointing to the world No. 1's unrelenting tee-to-green dominance and recent history of lapping leaderboards when the putter cooperates. Bettors looking at outright or winning-margin markets were urged to treat Scheffler as the clear class of the field.

At 300-1, Brian Campbell earned McDonald’s 'Sleeper' tag. Despite ranking among the shortest hitters on Tour, Campbell made the cut at both 2025 majors (Masters and PGA) thanks to a scorching run with his irons. The Mexico Open winner has gained strokes on approach in five straight starts and his putter is heating up as well. McDonald pointed out that Colonial rewards precision over power; therefore Campbell’s lack of distance is less penal, making him a viable longshot to threaten the leaderboard or hit top-20 props.

McDonald listed Daniel Berger as a live outright at 25-1, labeling him a clear 'Contender.' Berger won this event in 2020 and returns with elite recent ball-striking metrics—he has been, in McDonald’s words, 'striking the cover off the golf ball for months.' The only blemish has been inconsistent putting, but Colonial’s relatively tame greens give him a realistic path to spike with the flat stick. The analyst noted that multiple predictive data points (strokes-gained approach trend, top-20 rate) signal an impending victory and believes a comfort level on the layout where he already owns a trophy could be the tipping point.

Patrick McDonald said Scottie Scheffler is worth backing at 5/2 to win Colonial. Scheffler has ripped off back-to-back five-shot victories (CJ Cup Byron Nelson, PGA Championship), joining Tiger Woods as the only player since 1985 to post consecutive wins by 5+ strokes. He has finished T2, T3 and 2nd in his last three starts at Colonial, so course fit is proven. McDonald emphasized the world No. 1’s ability to mentally reset the week after a major—he also won the 2024 RBC Heritage seven days after the Masters—which makes a post-PGA let-down unlikely. Sweeping both Dallas-Fort Worth events is a publicly stated goal, and Colonial’s precision layout accentuates the tee-to-green dominance that currently leads the PGA Tour. All arrows point to another win on home turf.

Patrick McDonald placed Bryson DeChambeau third, arguing that Oakmont’s brutal rough actually highlights Bryson’s unique skill set. DeChambeau’s current combo of raw ball speed and vastly improved iron play allows him to fly past most of the church-pew bunkers, leaving shorter approaches than the field. McDonald sees Bryson’s floor as a top-10 and is happy to invest in top-5 markets while sprinkling an outright given his two prior U.S. Open wins.

Patrick McDonald ranked Rory McIlroy second, citing the Northern Irishman’s deliberate effort to solve U.S. Open setups. McIlroy owns back-to-back runner-up finishes and four straight top-10s, a far cry from the missed-cut stretch that included Oakmont 2016. McDonald believes that sharper course-management mindset, paired with Rory’s current driving form, positions him for another serious run despite Bryson’s recent dominance. He prefers Rory in head-to-head markets over DeChambeau and likes him for a plus-money top-5 finish.

Patrick McDonald placed Jon Rahm fourth, stressing that just having Rahm back in contention elevates any major. Oakmont’s deep bunkers and shaved greens accentuate short-game touch, an area Rahm rediscovered down the stretch at Valhalla. McDonald believes the recent close call re-ignited Rahm’s competitive ‘sensations,’ making him better prepared for the grind at Oakmont than he was earlier in the season. He views Rahm as a viable outright and top-5 ticket given the Spaniard’s two-way shot-making and historical success on brutal setups.

Patrick McDonald slotted Xander Schauffele fifth on his Oakmont board and said bettors should expect another rock-solid finish. McDonald rattled off Schauffele’s U.S. Open record—T5, T6, T3, 5th, T7, T14, T10, T7—emphasizing that the Californian has never finished worse than 14th in eight career appearances. Because Oakmont demands both length and accuracy, McDonald thinks Schauffele’s controlled driving and long-iron play create an exceptionally high floor. Even if Schauffele shows only his B-game, McDonald believes top-20 and top-10 props are almost automatic and views him as a safe DFS cornerstone.

Patrick McDonald went ‘very, very deep’ and tabbed Brian Campbell as his sleeper. Campbell has made both major-cut lines this season without the luxury of bomber-friendly courses. McDonald says Colonial, which demands fairways first and rewards hot irons, lines up perfectly with Campbell’s strength – he called Campbell’s approach play ‘in fuego.’ The suggestion is to sprinkle on a top-20/40 market or use Campbell as a min-priced DFS pivot.

For his official winner pick, Patrick McDonald again backed Scheffler. He noted the precedent: after Scheffler won the 2024 Masters he immediately captured the RBC Heritage the next week, so repeating a ‘major-then-regular-event’ double is well within his comfort zone. McDonald added that Scheffler has ‘been close’ at Colonial before and would relish adding a Texas-based title with his name on the trophy. The combination of elite approach play, prior course success, and personal motivation keeps McDonald on a Scheffler outright despite the short number.

Patrick McDonald listed Harris English in his ‘can-win’ bucket, pointing to the veteran’s recent surge that has him ‘playing himself into the Ryder Cup conversation.’ English closed with a 65 last Sunday and has gained strokes with the flat stick in five straight starts. At a ball-striking-centric Colonial where mid-irons and scrambling matter, McDonald believes English’s combination of recent confidence and course fit justifies an outright ticket in the 30-to-40-1 range or aggressive DFS exposure.

Patrick McDonald placed Scottie Scheffler on his short ‘can-win’ list despite the skinny odds. McDonald stressed that Scheffler is "one hot putter away" from another trophy and reminded listeners that Scheffler already owns a victory at Colonial. Course familiarity, elite tee-to-green form, and recent dominance – wins at the Byron Nelson and the PGA Championship – make Patrick comfortable betting Scheffler even at ultra-short prices, especially in single-entry DFS or one-and-done pools.

In a Thomas-Rahm-Spieth head-to-head, McDonald advised backing Rahm. The Spaniard has “the driver on a string” and has quietly logged back-to-back top-15s in majors. Given Thomas’s driving woes and Spieth’s volatility, Rahm is projected to finish highest of the trio and is a playable matchup or group bet.

McDonald labeled Thomas the big name most likely to disappoint. He noted JT is enduring the worst driving season of his career, a recipe for disaster at trouble-laden Quail Hollow. Over his last 11 majors Thomas owns five missed cuts and five finishes outside the top-30, reinforcing the fade despite his 2017 win here.

McDonald called McIlroy the "free square" for placement markets. Rory has won four times at Quail Hollow, arrives with elite form and no longer carries the mental burden after completing the career grand slam at Augusta. His huge carry distance is even more valuable after early-week rains lengthened the course, making a top-10 finish the analyst’s safest wager.

McDonald highlighted Reed at 90-1 as his favorite sleeper. Reed finished runner-up when the PGA was last held at Quail Hollow (2017), has four top-10s in his past five worldwide starts, and pairs his trademark short-game with vastly improved ball-striking in 2025. The Masters champion returns "as complete a player as ever," giving him real win equity at long odds.

Patrick McDonald said Schauffele is mispriced at 22-1 because Bryson DeChambeau’s surge has pushed his number longer. Schauffele "found something with his driver" last weekend in Philadelphia, owns back-to-back runner-up finishes at Quail Hollow, and is in elite major form with 12 straight top-20s, five straight top-10s, and two victories including last year’s PGA. McDonald believes those course and recent-form indicators make Xander the best outright bet on the board.

Patrick McDonald endorsed Xander Schauffele as his outright winner at +2200 for this week's PGA Championship. McDonald said the market has discounted Schauffele because recent steam on Bryson DeChambeau pushed other names down the board. He noted Schauffele 'found something with his driver' last weekend in Philadelphia, which fixed the club that had been holding him back. The driver tune-up matters even more at Quail Hollow, where Schauffele has finished runner-up in each of the last two PGA Tour stops. McDonald believes that combination of rediscovered tee-ball confidence and elite course history makes Schauffele mispriced, calling him a must-bet at 22-1.

Patrick McDonald tabbed Ludvig Aberg as his favorite dark-horse outright because Quail Hollow is, in his words, “a pure driving test.” Aberg sits second on Tour in strokes-gained off the tee and is one of the few players who can match Bryson, Brooks and Rory on a rain-softened 7,600-yard setup. McDonald reminded listeners that when Aberg has been healthy in U.S. majors he has flashed serious upside—T2 at the Masters and a 36-hole lead at Pinehurst. While the Swede’s iron play and short game remain inconsistent, recent PGA champions (Koepka, DeChambeau, Schauffele) prove you can ride elite driving to the Wanamaker. McDonald is sprinkling Aberg in outright cards at 60-1, playing him in top-20 markets, and using him as a boom-bust tournament pivot on DFS sites.

Patrick McDonald said Xander Schauffele finally solved the lone leak in his game—the driver—just in time to defend his PGA crown. After looking lost off the tee for most of 2025 following a rib injury and an ill-timed equipment change, Schauffele led last week’s Truist Championship in strokes-gained off the tee with a brand-new head in the bag. McDonald noted that Schauffele already owns elite major splits (top-10 scoring average since 2022) and has multiple top-5s at Quail Hollow. With the course stretching past 7,600 yards and favoring bombers, McDonald expects the defending champ to pick up two-plus strokes off the tee over four rounds. He is locking Schauffele into outright tickets at 14-1 or longer, backing him in top-10 markets, and anchoring DFS builds around him now that the driver concerns have evaporated.

McDonald highlighted Bryson DeChambeau as a sneaky ceiling play because Quail Hollow’s rain-softened, 7,600-plus-yard layout puts a premium on raw power. On the redesigned 16th, players now face a bunker that requires roughly 330 yards of carry; DeChambeau is one of the few who can clear it and leave a short iron while most of the field lays back and hits seven-woods. Patrick expects the soft fairways to accentuate that gap, projecting Bryson to pick up multiple strokes off the tee over four rounds. He recommends targeting DeChambeau in DFS showdown slates and adding him to top-10 and top-20 betting markets.

Patrick McDonald pushed back on the course-history worries and argued Scheffler is still a top-tier play because the putter—formerly his only weakness—has become a weapon in 2025. With caddie Teddy Scott on the bag, Scheffler has spent extra practice-round hours at Quail Hollow to close the familiarity gap. McDonald noted Scheffler already ranks first in strokes-gained tee-to-green and is now gaining with the flat stick, a combo that makes him a realistic threat for his first non-Augusta major. He advises keeping Scheffler in outright betting cards and anchoring high-salary DFS builds despite the unfamiliar venue.

Patrick McDonald pushed Justin Rose as the sneaky value play for Quail Hollow. McDonald noted that Rose is the ONLY player to finish inside the top-15 at each of the last five PGA Championships, a run of consistency no one else in the field can match. Over that span he ranks second in birdie average at the PGA (trailing only Bryson DeChambeau), eighth in strokes-gained approach and fourth in strokes-gained putting. McDonald hammered the putting angle even harder, citing data that shows Rose gaining more strokes on the greens at PGA-setups than any other player since 2022. The Englishman also owns the best overall putting numbers across all majors in that window. The only red flag is last week’s illness-related WD, but McDonald framed it as a possible “rest vs. rust” gift that will have Rose fresher than most of the field. He suggested sprinkling outright tickets at long numbers and targeting top-10/20 props plus low-owned DFS exposure because the market is still sleeping on how reliable Rose has been in modern PGAs.

Patrick McDonald identified Patrick Reed as his favorite off-the-radar play, arguing Quail Hollow’s underrated around-the-green difficulty plays directly into Reed’s elite scrambling. When the course hosted the 2017 PGA, the field converted only 48 percent of up-and-downs—the toughest short-game test on tour that year—yet Reed rode his short game to a runner-up finish. With majors historically lowering GIR rates and the weather forecast to soften surfaces, McDonald expects another chipping contest that neutralizes Reed’s distance deficit. He recommended top-20 wagers at +300 or better, sprinkling each-way outright tickets at 80-to-1 or longer, and slotting Reed into salary-saving DFS builds for differentiation.

Patrick McDonald doubled down on his Bryson DeChambeau exposure after hearing Justin Ray’s numbers. DeChambeau has finished T10 or better in both of his previous Quail Hollow starts (2018, 2021) while averaging a ridiculous +1.75 strokes-gained putting per round. During those eight rounds he holed 64 percent of his putts from 10–15 feet—more than double the field’s 28 percent conversion rate. McDonald argued that combining that proven Quail eye with Bryson’s current 195-mph ball speed and top-3 ranking in major-championship strokes gained makes him a slam-dunk outright and top-10 bet. He advised locking in tickets at 14-to-1 or better and using Bryson as a DFS captain in bomber-plus-hot-putter builds.