Welcome back, fellow Golf DFS enthusiasts! We’ve now got one week of golf under our belt in 2026, so now there can be no more excuses when we inevitably go -50% in the lotto. As Discord data scientist laxachussetts might tell you, PGA DFS can often leave players befuddled as to how anyone can consistently win at this game. Well, there are ways to do it, and that’s what this article sets out to do: detail how to win. While that didn’t necessarily work for me last week, we have years of proven results and data to show that PGA DFS is in fact beatable. Let’s talk about last week’s slate a little bit before we move on to what looks to be our first premier event of the year.
Sony Open – Recap
As I mentioned, last week was not very kind to me, as I notched a -65% return or so in the lotto. The lotto is a tough game, but it offers huge upside if you’re willing to stray away from what the field does. Unfortunately, if you have a losing week, you often get smoked. Luckily, it wasn’t a disaster, but it certainly wasn’t good. Anyways, congrats to known DFS nuker nerdytenor for winning the season-opening Sand Trap. Let’s take a look at the lineup:
- It featured a normal build, starting with Russell Henley up top and going 10/9/8/7/7/6 from there. I was actually surprised when I saw that Henley was in the winning lineup, as he finished in the top 20 but didn’t really have a slate-breaking score. I am often asked, “What place does this guy need to finish to be optimal?” And I think this lineup shows that there really is no answer to that. It really depends on the builds and the results of the other price points, which is why I have always said, “lineups, not players.”
- The lineup featured a 72% cumulative ownership, right within the range of 60-80% that we normally see in these lottery tournaments. You simply don’t have to get TOO different to move to the top. This is important to remember, as DFS players sometimes get too cute and put together lineups that have six KFT players at 5%. Oh, wait, that’s just a typical “Sky Hook” lineup.
Alright, enough about the previous week. We’re trying to win some money this week.
The American Express – Preview
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