It’s that time of the year for another major PGA tournament, and DraftKings did not disappoint once again. This time, they have given us huge PGA DFS contests for the second round of the PGA Championship. $50,000 to first is on the line, as the golfers get ready to go to battle with the Ocean Course at Kiawah again. The course today was an incredibly tough and fair test, with the scoring average coming in right around 74.85, or +2.85 over par. The golfers that teed off today in the afternoon are expected to have an advantage turning right around in playing tomorrow morning, which is expected to be the calmest conditions of the day.
Be sure to check out the Round 2 PGA Championship Awesemo’s expert PGA DFS Showdown projections and ownership.
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Round 2 DraftKings Showdown PGA DFS Picks for the PGA Championship
Previous Round Recap
Morning Wave
Cameron Tringale got the excitement going bright and early, setting the pace and holding the lead for much of the morning. However, a late bogey on the 15th put him right back to two-under, where he’d finish the day. Keegan Bradley continued his hot form, as did Viktor Hovland and Aaron Wise, as both remained patient throughout the round and finished with a 69. Bradley found his putting stroke in Round 1- something that’s been virtually non-existent the last few years. Brooks Koepka also came to play this week; his knee injury didn’t seem to bother him much in the opening round, and that’s after making  a double-bogey on the opening hole. Even with the injured knee, Koepka took it to his playing partners Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy today, who shot a 75 apiece.
A few other notables with good rounds in the morning included Collin Morikawa and Martin Laird.Â
Afternoon Wave
The tees would flip, and the afternoon wave would tee off with similar conditions as the morning groups. The constant breeze of about 15 miles per hour throughout the round with gusts up to 20. That didn’t stop Corey Conners from putting on an absolutely gorgeous showing; he now holds a two-shot lead after Round 1. Conners only bogeyed one hole on the day, and that came after a poor iron shot on the 9th caught a gust of wind and led to the misnomer.
A couple of golfers making their PGA Championship debut, Cameron Davis and Sam Horsfield, had splendid opening rounds by going out and shooting 69. They, along with Conners, were the only ones to shoot a score in the 60s from this wave. However, other notable rounds were shot by Phil Mickelson, Gary Woodland, Kevin Streelman and Sungjae Im, who finished with a flurry eagling the 7th and birdieing the 8th, helping him bounce back from an earlier double to finish the day inside the Top-10.
Round 2 Cut Prediction
With the average score coming in at 74.82 today, and heavier winds expected in the afternoon tomorrow, I expect the cut will trend towards four-over. Those that shot four-over today will be in good shape if they can stay somewhere around even-par tomorrow. I think they’ll have a good shot to play the weekend a, remember, it’s the Top-70 and ties making the weekend- not the Top-65.
Round 1 Stat Recap
Those who have been following my Showdown articles know I like to target golfers that are gaining strokes in all facets of their game; if one part goes south, they have others to fall back on. In Round 1, the following gained strokes in all four facets:
- Corey Conners (including over three strokes putting)
- Viktor Hovland
- Aaron Wise
- Sam Horsfield
- Cameron Davis
- Phil Mickelson
- Branden Grace
- Kevin Streelman
- Talor Gooch
- Paul Casey
- Stewart Cink
- Richy Werenski
- Bubba Watson
- Jon Rahm
PGA DFS Showdown Picks: Slate Preview
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- DraftKings is offering $50,000 to first place and $200,000 guaranteed for the second-round slate.
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The PGA Championship PGA DFS Picks
The early weather reports this week have stayed almost exactly true. All week it said the heaviest winds for the first three rounds will be felt starting around noon tomorrow. Golfers going out bright and early will heave rather calm conditions, especially those that are playing the back nine first. Some will have to play 9 straight holes in the wind, but it could end up being a massive advantage with calmer conditions in the morning.
However, late afternoon it is supposed to die down again, leaving the chance for those playing then to catch those same holes in easier conditions.
PGA DFS Picks for Round 2 of PGA ChampionshipÂ
- Jordan Spieth ($10,100)Â Â There are only three golfers in the entire field of 156 that gained strokes in all three facets of their tee-to-green game but lost over a stroke putting. Spieth was the worst, losing almost two strokes putting on the day, as absolutely nothing went in;Â Tom Lewis and Bryson DeChambeau were the other two. There’s no chance Spieth will lose over a stroke putting again, so now we hope the tee-to-green game stays intact.
- Shane Lowry ($7,400)Â One of the most unlucky breaks that I witnessed today was Lowry’s tee shot on 17. While he hooked it up a bit in the bunker, in between the dunes and actually rolling back in the bunker, that all cost him a bit. Lowry had to pitch it down into the bottom of the bunker before skulling one across the green and two-putting. Take that shot out, and his ball-striking stats maybe some of the best in the field. He gained over two strokes off the tee and almost a stroke on his approaches.
- Gary Woodland ($7,300) After following Woodland in Round 1 at the Valspar Open, where his game looked completely out of sorts, I thought it would be a while before we saw him return to form. But, after a long-range session after that round, it gave him some confidence to get back on track. That momentum carried into the Wells Fargo Championship, where he looked really pretty damn good. That continued here in Round 1 as his approach game was one of the best in the field. Given that Woodland also gained over as stroke off the tee, I feel comfortable going right back to him in Round 2. Looking to stay at the top of the leaderboard and maybe put a little pressure on Conners early in the morning.
Sneaky Pick for the Round 2 ShowdownÂ
- Brendan Grace ($6,800) It was an inconsistent day from Grace in Round 1, but he was able to gain strokes in all four categories. Although, it was marginally on the approach, and a combined 4.18 on the short, this isn’t necessarily something that has me overly excited. Grace has been in good form for a while now and presents some nice salary savings for tomorrow’s second round.
DraftKings and FanDuel Fill-Ins for the PGA Championship
- Jon Rahm ($9,500)
- Cameron Davis ($7,000)
- Will Zalatoris ($8,900)
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