Rick Gehman highlighted Francesco Laporta as a dependable $7K-range option whose all-around game travels. Laporta owns finishes of 11-27-7-10-7 in the same European events populating this field, powered by spike approach weeks—+8.0 strokes at both the BMW International and KLM Opens and +6.0 at the SoDa Championship. Unlike many bargain plays, Laporta’s strengths are spread evenly: he gains off the tee, on approach, and has held a neutral short game over his last 36 rounds. Gehman believes that floor, coupled with upside iron surges, makes Laporta a strong cash-game piece and an inexpensive path to a balanced six-of-six lineup that still carries top-15 potential.

Gehman admitted he knew little about Kristoffer Reitan until his custom model spit the Norwegian out as the No. 1 or No. 2 course-fit golfer—trailing only Scottie Scheffler—at the Renaissance Club. Reitan hasn’t missed a cut since March and has stacked a runner-up at the Henan Classic, a win at the SoDa, another runner-up in Austria, and a fourth last week. The stat profile reminds Gehman of a "European Max Greyserman": elite off-the-tee power plus a hot putter, with acceptable approach play and slightly positive around-the-green numbers. That combination tends to spike in windy, firm conditions, so Gehman views Reitan as a perfect mid-range leverage piece in both DFS and top-20 betting markets.

Gehman dubbed it “Matteo Manassero season” again, pointing to five straight made cuts (four if you ignore Zurich team play) capped by a T6 at the Canadian Open. Manassero gained nine strokes on approach in last year’s Scottish Open en route to T15 and has evolved into a consistently positive tee-to-green performer with a tidy short game. At just $7,300, Gehman believes the Italian offers a rare combination of recent form, prior venue success, and name-recognition leverage—most DFS players remember his early-career hype but not the 2024 resurgence. On a course that demands touch around massive greens, Manassero’s +0.38 SG: Around-the-Green clip over his last 20 measured rounds gives him both cut-making security and a top-10 ceiling.

Rick Gehman said he is eager to roster Aldrich Potgieter at $7,400 as long as last week’s WD was precautionary. Potgieter followed his T6 at the Rocket Mortgage with a victory at Detroit Golf Club, then sat inside the top 10 through 36 holes of the International Open before a disastrous Saturday 78 preceded the withdrawal. Gehman suspects a minor tweak—similar to Viktor Hovland’s neck issue earlier this summer—because the South African had gained strokes in nine of his previous ten competitive rounds, many of them by multiple shots. The Renaissance Club rewards raw carry distance, a perfect fit for Potgieter’s 185-mph ball speed profile, and Gehman noted the youngster allegedly won an amateur event on the property. If reports confirm he’s healthy, Gehman plans to be overweight in GPPs, banking on sub-5 % ownership created by the WD uncertainty.

Gehman pegged Jordan Smith as a high-floor cash-game anchor in the low-7K range. Smith is fresh off a runner-up last week where he gained 8.0 strokes with the putter and another 5.2 tee-to-green, mirroring the +5.1 T2G number he posted at the Italian Open the week prior. The Englishman has three top-7 finishes since May and routinely flirts with 5-10 stroke tee-to-green gains on the DP World Tour. While Smith has lost strokes putting in five of six Scottish Open starts, Gehman reminded listeners his baseline flat-stick numbers are far better (+0.28 on the DPWT this year) and expects positive regression on fescue greens. Given the reliable ball-striking and a price that fits balanced roster constructions, Gehman is willing to forgive past Renaissance Club putting woes and lock Smith into builds that prioritize six-of-six lineup completion.

Rick Gehman labeled Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen the premier sub-$8K dart throw thanks to an eye-popping trend line. Neergaard-Petersen has gained a combined 20 strokes tee-to-green in back-to-back starts—T12 at the U.S. Open and T14 at last week’s BMW International—numbers Gehman called "flush, flush" for any price tag. Using his Trends Tool, Gehman showed the Dane is gaining 0.67 strokes per round more over his last 35 rounds than his 100-round baseline, ranking second in this entire field behind only Scottie Scheffler. While the stat is not field-strength adjusted, Gehman reminded viewers that Neergaard-Petersen’s best recent finish came in a major, proving the form can travel. At $7,600 and virtually unknown to casual PGA-only players, Gehman wants exposure before the rising strokes-gained tide pushes his salary into the 9K range later this summer.

Rick Gehman highlighted Maverick McNeely as a sneaky upside play at $8,100. Since returning from his spring injury layoff, McNeely has gained strokes tee-to-green in every start but one, something Gehman noted has never been the strength of McNeely’s profile—historically it’s the putter (career +0.47 SG: Putting). The recent ball-striking jump paired with a hot flat stick makes the Stanford product dangerous on fescue greens he already likes; his lone Scottish Open appearance produced a T16 while gaining in three of four categories despite a slight approach deficit. Gehman called that finish the floor given McNeely’s sharper iron play of late and thinks the industry will overlook him because his ceiling rounds have come outside national TV windows. In large-field DFS Gehman wants McNeely exposure before the inevitable ownership catch-up.

Rick Gehman advised taking another look at J.J. Spaun in the low-$8K DraftKings tier. Gehman admitted Spaun was an automatic fade heading into the Travelers because of the post-U.S. Open hangover, and the prediction looked spot-on when Spaun lost four strokes to the field on Thursday. What impressed Gehman was the response: Spaun gained 8.4 strokes over the weekend at TPC River Highlands, one of the best Saturday-Sunday tee-to-green totals in the entire field. The bounce-back tells Gehman Spaun’s ball-striking baseline is intact. Spaun owns only one Renaissance Club start (T59 in 2022), but Gehman stressed the course’s distance-friendly layout neutralizes Spaun’s shorter length because nobody hits many fairways anyway. With ownership glued to shinier names in the same price band, Gehman framed Spaun as a quietly in-form GPP differentiator who just proved he can fight through bad starts and still score fantasy points.

Gehman noted that Harry Hall’s driver remains below average but no longer fatal—he’s losing roughly one stroke over four rounds instead of four. Everywhere else he’s surging, gaining in approach, around-the-green, and putting in four of his last five starts (Detroit, Travelers, Canadian Open, PGA Championship). The Charles Schwab Challenge, where he finished T6, was the only event he didn’t hit all four stat buckets, underscoring the ceiling. As a low-salary punt who grinds out fantasy points through scrambling and hot putter streaks, Hall is on Gehman’s radar as a contrarian lineup filler at the Genesis Scottish Open.

Rick Gehman highlighted Matt Fitzpatrick as the prototypical ‘all parts clicking’ play at $8,600. Since missing the cut at the Zurich Classic, Fitzpatrick hasn’t missed a weekend, posting four top-25s and two top-10s. He has gained on approach in five of his last seven starts, around the green in eight of ten, and putted positively in three of five while adding strokes off the tee in back-to-back events. Fitz has never lost strokes putting at Renaissance and is +7.0 with the flat stick over his last six rounds there, including a runner-up during his pre-major breakthrough stretch. Gehman sees the complete-game profile he trusts most when the Englishman peaks and expects a “nice solid week” with upside.

Gehman thinks it’s finally a Sam Burns week. Early-season pricing baked in 2023 form, but the recent stat profile looks like vintage Burns: two ‘complete gains’ in his last four starts, positive strokes in both approach and putting, improved around-the-green play (gaining in four of five), and steadier driving. At the Renaissance Club he owns finishes of 18-66-19 and has never lost strokes putting on its fescue greens. With ownership gravitating toward local hero Robert MacIntyre, Gehman sees Burns as a well-rounded $8K option capable of contending while others chase nationality narratives.

Rick Gehman is bullish on Viktor Hovland after the Norwegian’s precautionary WD at the Travelers. Hovland had already gained 8.2 strokes on approach through three rounds before a neck tweak forced him out, and Instagram swings over the last two weeks show full speed. Over his past 50 measured rounds he ranks third in this field in SG: Approach (+0.99 per round), trailing only Scottie Scheffler and Sepp Straka. Gehman reminded viewers that Hovland is comfortable putting from well off the green—a valuable skill at the Renaissance Club—and expects another high-end tee-to-green performance with upside for an outright win at muted ownership.

Gehman admitted he is a “glutton for punishment” with Collin Morikawa but laid out several reasons to buy. Morikawa’s ball-striking remains outrageous—10.5 SG: Tee-to-Green at Detroit and 16 at the U.S. Open—while the putter is trending the right way (-9.0 at Oakmont, ‑1.3 at Travelers, less than ‑1 at Detroit with positive strokes the final three days). At the Renaissance Club he has flipped from losing seven strokes putting in 2021 to gaining 3.0 in 2022 and 4.1 in 2024. Most intriguing, Billy Foster—one of the most respected links caddies—will be on the bag for both Scottish and Open weeks. Gehman expects Foster’s local knowledge plus Morikawa’s elite iron play to pay immediate dividends despite the $9,600 tag.

Rick Gehman called Justin Thomas “the biggest trap of the week.” The narrative that JT’s elite short-game creativity automatically translates to links golf is not backed by results: at the Renaissance Club he followed solid showings in 2019 and 2021 with MC-T60-T62 the last three trips. His Open Championship resume is equally middling—outside of an 11th at Portrush in 2019 he lacks another top 30. Gehman thinks Thomas simply hasn’t figured out how to score in firm-and-fast conditions and cautioned listeners against paying the $8K-plus salary just because of name value or short-game reputation.

Rick Gehman warned that Tommy Fleetwood will be one of the slate’s highest-owned golfers at $9,900, and he understands why. Fleetwood gained 10.5 strokes tee-to-green at the Travelers while losing nothing with the putter—exactly the pristine stat profile DFS players crave. He has never missed a cut at the Renaissance Club (or the Scottish Open at any venue since 2012) and owns three top-six finishes in five starts since the tournament moved to this course. Gehman added that European-player narratives will artificially boost Fleetwood’s ownership further, but emphasized that the numbers completely justify eating the chalk in cash games or small-field GPPs.

Rick Gehman framed Xander Schauffele as the perfect DraftKings pivot in the upper-$9K tier. Industry ownership is expected to flow toward Tommy Fleetwood and Collin Morikawa, allowing Schauffele to slip through the cracks even though his baseline numbers remain elite. Gehman admitted the Travelers Championship was a train-wreck—Schauffele lost strokes in every category and imploded on Sunday—but reminded listeners that the Renaissance Club is a totally different test. Xander already owns the 2022 trophy and has finishes of 15th or better in three of four career visits, never losing strokes tee-to-green at the venue. With proven links chops, top-tier strokes-gained metrics everywhere except the one off week at TPC River Highlands, and likely single-digit ownership, Gehman called him “the guy who is your kind of pivot option.”

Rick Gehman sees no red flags with Rory McIlroy heading into the Scottish Open. The "equipment chaos" narrative has faded; McIlroy gained strokes off the tee at Oakmont and at the Travelers despite River Highlands' lack of driver holes. More importantly, he has picked up nine strokes putting in his last two starts and gained with the flat stick in four of his last five. A former Scottish Open winner who almost defended in 2024, McIlroy has the motivation reset before next week’s Open at Royal Portrush. Gehman framed him as a strong DFS cornerstone and a legitimate outright bet.

Rick Gehman called Scottie Scheffler a DraftKings "all-you-can-eat" at $13,100 despite his hefty salary. Since July 2023 Scheffler has jumped from 1.5 to 2.5 strokes gained per round, improving around the green (+0.1) and flipping his putting from negative to positive. Gehman compared the profile to Tiger Woods-level dominance and noted Scheffler possesses every short-game shot required for links creativity. Although Scheffler lost strokes both putting and around the green in his three prior Scottish Open appearances (MC-T12-3rd), Gehman believes it is "probably unlikely" he repeats those short-game losses given his year-over-year improvement. The tout’s bottom line: do not overthink it—Scheffler is worth paying up for in DFS or betting outright.

Rick Gehman said Nico Echavarria is exactly the kind of high-variance swing you want in large-field DraftKings GPPs at TPC Deere Run. Over his last five starts Echavarria has gained at least four strokes on approach three separate times, a ceiling only a handful of sub-$8K players possess this week. The putter has complemented the irons, picking up 2.3 strokes or more in three of those events. The volatility shows in the finishes—T6 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, missed cut at the U.S. Open, 59th, 41st, and T25—but Gehman stressed that the top-10 upside is real when both clubs cooperate. Given the course’s emphasis on approach play and bent-grass putting, Gehman is comfortable treating Echavarria as a boom-or-bust differentiator in the $7,800 range.

Although Chris Gotterup is amid the best run of his career—eight top-30s in his last nine starts—Rick Gehman urged caution this week. TPC Deere Run minimizes Gotterup's main weapon (power) and punishes his occasional inaccuracy. While he has gained on approach in four straight and around the green in four of five, the putter remains unreliable. Gehman sees a middling floor and limited ceiling unless Godderup produces a surprise spike week with the flatstick; therefore he recommends fading the likely elevated ownership and reallocating to better course fits in the mid-$9K range.

Rick Gehman circled Mark Hubbard as a core lineup piece after noticing converging form and course history indicators. Since the AT&T Byron Nelson, Hubbard has been on a steady upswing highlighted by multiple top-25s built on reliable fairway-first driving and precise wedges—two skill sets rewarded at TPC Deere Run, one of Hubbard’s statistically best venues. Gehman’s weighted model, which double-counts accuracy and leans on recent bent-grass putting, ranked Hubbard third overall behind only Ben Griffin and Luke Clanton. At $7,700, Gehman believes Hubbard offers a balanced floor/ceiling combo that fits both cash games and GPPs.

Rick Gehman pitched Philip Knowles as a usable salary saver at $6,200. The 27-year-old has split time between the Korn Ferry and PGA Tours yet still posted finishes of T8 (UNC Health Championship), 35th (Wichita Open), and 34th (Rocket Mortgage Classic) in his last four outings. Knowles gained 4.5 strokes tee-to-green in Detroit and was nearly nine strokes ahead of the field through two rounds before a Saturday implosion. Gehman said he would ‘sign right now for T34’ at this price and sees a realistic path to that outcome if Knowles simply keeps the driver and irons at recent levels.

Rick Gehman labeled Kris Ventura a worthwhile dart in the low-6K range. Ventura has gained strokes against the field in three consecutive starts, highlighted by a T16 at Colonial and a seven-plus-stroke ball-striking explosion last week in Detroit. Although the short game was uncharacteristically poor at the Rocket Mortgage, Ventura had been positive around the greens in the prior two events, suggesting a quick bounce-back is plausible. Gehman is willing to overlook a 2021 missed cut at TPC Deere Run given Ventura’s current trend and the dearth of viable options below $6,500.

Rick Gehman recommended jumping on Cameron Champ at $7,200 while the mercurial bomber is actually clicking. Champ followed a T9 at the Canadian Open with a T19 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, gaining more than six strokes tee-to-green in both starts. Gehman’s adjusted 36-round course-fit model even grades Champ as the No. 1 fit in the field, an eye-opening ranking given his price. Because Champ’s form historically runs hot-and-cold, Gehman wants to capitalize now before the inevitable regression arrives, calling the three-time PGA Tour winner one of the few sub-$7.5K names that legitimately ‘brings winning equity’ to DFS line-ups this week.

Rick Gehman identified Thriston Lawrence as a confidence-driven upside play in the mid-7K range. The South African has strung together a T8 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and a T12 at the U.S. Open book-ended around a T4 at the Soudal Open on the DP World Tour, all of which were complete-gain performances. Across those four events Lawrence gained five strokes ball striking at Detroit and four in Belgium while remaining positive with the putter every week. Gehman believes seeing compatriot Aldrich Potgieter lift a trophy last week provides an extra motivational spark—‘if he can win, I can win.’ With plus driving, steady putting, and real momentum, Gehman sees Lawrence as a live top-10 candidate who will fly under the radar.

Rick Gehman urged viewers to pump the brakes on Tom Kim despite the Korean star’s attractive price tag. Kim lost roughly five strokes ball striking en route to a missed cut at last week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, and Gehman admitted ‘we are lost and have not yet been found.’ While TPC Deere Run would have been a picture-perfect track for Kim 12 months ago, Gehman no longer sees evidence of the precision iron play or reliable putting that fueled his early career surge. Until Kim shows any positive trend—particularly in approach play—Gehman is taking a firm fade stance even in single-entry builds.

Rick Gehman spotlighted Kevin Roy as a quietly consistent value who brings both cut-making safety and sneaky upside at $7,400. Roy has not missed a solo PGA Tour cut since the Houston Open in March, a streak that now includes a T8 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and a T18 at the Canadian Open where he registered elite tee-to-green numbers while putting exactly neutral. Gehman noted Roy’s stat profile—multiple weeks of +5 strokes ball striking since April—suggests the ceiling needed to crash a GPP if the putter warms. He also owns a T31 in his lone trip to TPC Deere Run, further easing course-fit concerns. Because he projects for minimal industry chatter, Gehman wants to be early before the market catches up.