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.

Joseph LaMagna pushed back on the Conners hype, highlighting two red flags: the wrist injury that prompted his Oakmont withdrawal and a short-game profile ill-suited to Portrush’s massive, slow greens. LaMagna said he is “not excited to watch Corey Conners lag-putt from 65 feet in wind and drizzle” and added that the Canadian has never finished better than T-49 in an Open Championship. Until Conners proves healthy and shows touch on long Texas-wedge putts, LaMagna would bypass outright tickets and fade him in matchups against more complete players.

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.

Joseph LaMagna floated Sergio Garcia as a deep sleeper, pointing to the Spaniard’s historically elite Open Championship resume—10 career top-10s and a playoff loss at Carnoustie—as proof he still thrives on links setups. LaMagna said Sergio “always finds the center of the clubface,” remains top-tier off the tee, and owns the shot-making chops to flight the ball under Portrush’s cross-winds. While recent form is spotty, he believes Garcia’s comfort in chop and pot bunkers makes a top-5 or top-10 ticket worth a sprinkle at triple-digit odds, especially if conditions turn cold and bouncy where creativity trumps raw distance.

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.

Joseph LaMagna said Jon Rahm has rediscovered the "mojo" he briefly flashed during a 45-minute charge on Sunday at Quail Hollow and called him a "pretty significant threat" to lift the Claret Jug. LaMagna likes Rahm over Rory McIlroy specifically because Rahm drives it far straighter, a trait he believes Royal Portrush will reward given its 25–30-yard fairways and deep pot bunkers. Although Rahm has not posted a win since joining LIV, LaMagna argued that Scheffler’s absolute A-game is less likely to travel fully to Portrush, narrowing the gap and making Rahm’s current outright price attractive in both head-to-heads versus Rory and full-tourney markets. He cautioned listeners to monitor wave splits but said Rahm still profiles as the third-best player in the world and the most likely to match Scheffler if the Texan is merely “very good” instead of “historic.”

Joseph LaMagna argued that Jon Rahm is being undervalued relative to Rory McIlroy in Open futures. Rahm’s Bookmaker number currently trails McIlroy by more than 2-to-1, a spread LaMagna believes should be "much narrower." He pointed to Rahm’s sneaky strong spring—runner-up finish at Quail Hollow and a late charge at Oakmont where he briefly rattled Scheffler—plus the fact the Spaniard’s top-10 streak on LIV remained intact until last week. LaMagna said he sensed Rahm’s old "mojo" during that 45-minute Quail stretch when Scheffler bettors legitimately sweated, and added that Rahm’s penetrating ball flight and heavy right-to-left shot shape suit Portrush’s preferred lines. With course-fit boxes checked and motivation questions swirling around McIlroy, LaMagna likes scooping Rahm outright and head-to-head versus Rory before the market corrects.

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.

Joseph LaMagna ran through Scheffler’s links resume and made the case that the only thing standing between the world No. 1 and another claret jug is the flatstick. Across three Open Championships and two Scottish Opens, Scheffler is averaging roughly +1.0 SG-Off-the-Tee and +1.5 SG-Approach per round; extrapolated over four rounds at Portrush, LaMagna expects a baseline of +4 OTT and +4.5–5 on approach. Because past winners generally need 12–13 total strokes gained, Scheffler cannot bleed strokes with the putter. LaMagna said he would be “shocked” if Scheffler gained 8+ strokes putting but believes a modest +1 to +2 on the greens makes a top-5 finish “almost automatic,” while a +5 week with the putter would make him a prohibitive favorite to win. Bettors uncomfortable with a +300 outright can instead attack Scheffler top-5 markets or anchor DFS builds, hedging with exposure to spike-putters if they doubt his blade on slower, grainier links greens.

Joseph LaMagna highlighted Shane Lowry as an ideal course-fit for Royal Portrush, noting that the Irishman’s "burly" build and elite hand strength allow him to chop the ball out of the wispy native rough and control flight in cross-winds. LaMagna pointed out Lowry’s previous success on similar setups—most notably winning the 2019 Open Championship—and argued that Lowry’s ability to vary trajectories makes him an attractive outright wager and core DFS play if the weather turns cold and blustery.

Kirschner rounded out his card with Kevin Velo at 150-to-1 with ten-place each-way terms. Velo has popped on enough recent leaderboards for Kirschner to view the price as a clear mis-tag in a field lacking star power. While hard stats were scarce, Kirschner emphasized Velo’s consistent ball-striking run on the Korn Ferry Tour and believes the 7,000-yard par-70 sets up well for a player whose strengths lie in precise iron play rather than raw distance. The wager is small-stake, high-ceiling, but Kirschner insists Velo is live for a surprise top-10 and offers major DFS salary relief.

At 150-to-1, Hayden Buckley is Matthews’ favorite flyer. Buckley’s career spikes almost exclusively come on par-70s: a top-5 at Sony, a top-5 at Colonial and even a T14 at the U.S. Open. Born in neighboring Tennessee and a Missouri alum, Buckley’s five-hour drive to Louisville gives him regional comfort. Matthews also cited Buckley’s penchant for popping in opposite-field events—7th at Myrtle Beach and a top finish at Barracuda—as proof he can outperform weak fields. With the driver back on song and the course demanding position over power, Matthews is betting outright, top-20 and sprinkling DFS shares.

Matthews pegged Will Gordon—born in Kentucky before moving to North Carolina—as his favorite mid-range outright. Now safely inside the PGA Tour top-125, Gordon can free-wheel, and Matthews thinks family in the gallery will only help. Gordon’s past par-70 highlights include a top-three at the Travelers, another short, strategic layout. Add in his solid driving and streaky putter, and Matthews believes the 40-to-1 range underrates a player who could thrive on a course that mirrors Colonial in length and demands.

Martin Matthews is back on Rico Hoey after Hoey lost this tournament in a playoff a year ago. Different course, same recipe: Hoey ranks near the top of the field in greens-in-regulation and driving accuracy, tools Matthews believes are vital for plotting around a short, tree-lined par-70. Hoey flashed form again last week, and Matthews trusts his iron consistency to create another birdie barrage. With odds in the mid-20s and eight-place each-way markets available, Matthews considers Hoey a must-have outright and DFS staple.

Brian Kirschner singled out Patrick "Fish" Fishburn as his favorite mid-tier outright at 28-to-1. Fishburn hung around the first page of the leaderboard last week and owns proven success on par-70 layouts such as Sony. Kirschner’s research shows Chick Adams’ redesigned, 7,000-yard track will yield a ton of wedges plus a handful of long-iron approaches—exactly the two distance buckets where Fishburn’s strokes-gained numbers pop. Add in strong recent form and a weaker-than-Tour average field, and Kirschner is building both his betting card and DFS cores around Fishburn’s blend of short-game touch and high-end approach play.

Brian Kirschner pushed back on the Thorbjornsen hype, saying 16-to-1 is unpalatably short for an amateur in an alt-field event. While he is a believer in the talent and would gladly root for Thor with small "support win" bets, Kirschner prefers to "spread bullets" across the board rather than tie up significant bankroll in a single sub-20-to-1 ticket. He argued that the ISCO has enough variance and unknowns—new course, weaker field—that paying a premium for the favorite offers little betting value, so he is fading Thorbjornsen in outrights and DFS cash builds.

Martin Matthews said he simply cannot pass on Michael Thorbjornsen at 14–16-to-1 in this alternate-field ISCO Championship. Matthews noted that opposite-field events are routinely won by "quality youngsters"—he name-checked Viktor Hovland in Puerto Rico and Vincent Norrman in this same tournament two years ago—and believes Thorbjornsen is the next in that lineage. The Stanford amateur ranks top-tier in old-school greens-in-regulation and iron play, traits Matthews expects to shine on a 7,015-yard, tree-lined par-70 that demands plotting more than power. Thorbjornsen fired a low Sunday round last week and only a double on 17 kept him from a place finish, signaling form is there. With benign weather and a thin field, Matthews thinks sheer class will separate and is betting Thorbjornsen outright despite the compressed number.

Martin Matthews closed his card with a gut-feel flyer on Nicolas Echavarria at 200-1. The Colombian repeatedly spikes whenever a course sits on the ocean: a win in Puerto Rico, top-15s at the RSM, Sony and Mexico Open. Renaissance features five par-3s—more than a standard tour stop—and Echavarria leads the entire PGA Tour in Par-3 Scoring Average this season while ranking top-20 in SG:Putting. Matthews argued those two elite skills matter even more with minimal wind in the forecast, turning the event into a wedge-and-putt contest. Having already stared down Justin Thomas to win in Puerto Rico, Echavarria owns proven closing chops. Matthews is sprinkling outright, top-20 and first-round-leader bets, calling him the perfect long-odds coastal wildcard.

Martin Matthews flagged Scotsman Connor Syme as a sneaky each-way at 250-1 with 10 places. Syme earned his first DP World Tour win two starts ago and now tees it up on home turf where he finished T15 last year. The 29-year-old is not yet exempt for The Open, and three spots go to the highest non-qualified finishers this week, giving Syme enormous incentive. Matthews expects the Renaissance’s generous fairways and calm forecast to accentuate Syme’s accurate irons while minimizing his mediocre around-the-green play. Even if winning is a long shot, a Sunday ‘back-door’ top-10 would cash the place portion and potentially punch his Open ticket—exactly the upside Matthews wants in deep-odds outrights and DFS punt pool.

Martin Matthews added Max Greyserman to his card at triple-digit odds, noting the journeyman’s form surge: back-to-back runner-up finishes followed by another high finish last week. Whenever Greyserman posts a podium, he historically backs it up in his next start. Putting is his calling card, and Matthews believes these slower fescue greens accentuate that edge. Greyserman already owns an over-par-field T25 at last year’s Scottish and proved he travels well with a top-25 at the Zozo in Japan. Matthews sees 150-1 (with 10-place each-way) as mis-priced for a player gaining strokes on approach and ranking top-15 in SG:Putting over the last 24 rounds. In a likely birdie-fest, an elite putter on a heater is worth the gamble in outrights, top-20s, and low-cost DFS cores.

Martin Matthews said Maverick McNealy checks every Renaissance-Club box and should be on outright and DFS short lists. Matthews highlighted McNealy’s long-standing ‘water-in-sight’ success—wins or top-5s at Pebble Beach, Hilton Head, Torrey Pines and last year’s RSM Classic—plus the fact the Californian actually grew up with a house on Pebble, so coastal wind never bothers him. McNealy finished T15 in his only prior Scottish Open start and arrives fresh after skipping everything since the U.S. Open and Travelers. Matthews framed motivation as the key word this week: McNealy still lacks a 2024 victory and wants to crash the Ryder Cup conversation, making this tune-up a perfect stage. A neat-and-tidy iron game paired with a top-tier putter fits the forecasted benign conditions where birdies decide things. Matthews is betting the 60-1 outright and building DFS cores around him.

Brian Kirschner planted a flag on Ryan Fox for both the Scottish Open and next week’s Open at Portrush. Fox is the prototypical driver-putter threat and enters with sneaky form: T20 at the U.S. Open, T20 at the Travelers, and a top-5 in Canada earlier this summer. Kirschner highlighted Fox’s history of low rounds on coastal setups and his comfort in windy conditions—‘New Zealand is basically Scotland.’ With outright odds sitting around 60-1, he sees a bet-now window before Fox inevitably becomes a trendy pick next week. Kirschner is betting the outright and sprinkling top-10 props, convinced the Kiwi can add a third worldwide win in 12 months.

When asked about the 45-1 range, Martin Matthews passed on Sam Burns. He acknowledged Burns’ recent form surge and Ryder Cup buzz but emphasized that the Louisianan has yet to prove he can close overseas. Burns’ best Open finish featured a Saturday 65 followed by an implosive Sunday 80, and his résumé is still dominated by ‘Bermuda Burns’ results in the Southeast U.S. Matthews does not trust Burns’ short-game creativity or wind management at Renaissance and sees better value on Europeans with links track records. He is fading Burns in outrights and matchups, expecting the American to finish outside the top-20.

Martin Matthews grabbed Matt Fitzpatrick each-way at 40-1 (eight places) because the Englishman is running out of time to impress Luke Donald before Ryder Cup picks. Fitzpatrick owns strong course history at Renaissance and arrives with dialed-in ball-striking—his irons have gained in three straight starts. The normally reliable putter has lagged, but Matthews expects the slower fescue greens, which Fitz knows well, to act as a reset. With only the Scottish, Open, and perhaps Wyndham left to state his case, Matthews believes Fitzpatrick’s motivation is unmatched in this mid-tier range. Mild weather forecasts eliminate the heavy-wind variable Fitz dislikes on true links, further boosting his outlook.

Brian Kirschner argued that 30-1 is a fair outright on Ludvig Aberg even though the Swede has cooled off since winning the Genesis. Aberg was in Sunday’s final group at last year’s Scottish Open, so course fit is proven. Kirschner noted that Aberg continues to gain both off-the-tee and on approach—elite ball-striking that travels—while the recent missed cuts are mostly short-game driven. The Renaissance Club rewards driving and iron play more than scrambling, and calm weather should reduce around-the-green exposure. Kirschner trusts Aberg’s high ceiling if he sniffs the lead again and prefers betting the talent at a discounted number rather than chasing short PGA Tour favorites.

Martin Matthews backed Collin Morikawa as his first outright because he sees multiple catalysts lining up. The two-time major winner has Billy Foster on the bag for this two-week Euro swing, and Matthews framed Foster’s experience as an immediate plus after Morikawa has shuffled through caddies all season. He cited the ‘new-caddie pop’ we have recently seen from Justin Thomas with Joe Greiner and Will Zalatoris at St. Jude. Morikawa’s iron play remains elite—he gained over five strokes on approach at both the U.S. Open and Detroit—but the putter has been ice-cold. Matthews thinks faster fescue greens combined with Morikawa’s constant putter tinkering could mask that weakness. He also likes the change of scenery; Morikawa has dealt with relentless U.S. media pressure and should enjoy looser vibes in Scotland. On a firm, second-shot track where accurate long irons rule, Matthews believes Morikawa’s profile plus Foster’s course-management chops make the Californian a live outright at 20-1 and a core DFS play.

Brian Kirschner said he is comfortable fading Scottie Scheffler at the Scottish Open. Kirschner pointed out that Scheffler’s Open Championship record is the weakest of the three majors and that the Texan has almost no course history at the Renaissance Club after skipping the event last season. Kirschner stressed that Scheffler’s putting numbers plummet once he leaves the perfectly-manicured U.S. Bent-grass surfaces, and this week’s slower fescue greens will not do him any favors. He also noted the pricing angle: Scheffler is still sub-3-1 in outright markets despite traveling overseas and playing his first competitive round in two weeks. Finally, Kirschner argued that elite players rarely want to ‘peak’ the week before a major and expects Scheffler to treat this more as a tune-up than a must-win. All of those factors make Scheffler an underlay in outrights and a player to avoid in DFS cash builds.

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.