Alex Hunter provides his top DraftKings fantasy golf value plays for the Procore Championship at the North Course of the Silverado Resort.
After a short two-week break, the PGA TOUR is back this week with the Procore Championship, which is the first event of the fall swing. The Procore Championship will be played at the North Course (par 72, 7,138 yards, Poa annua/bentgrass greens) of Silverado Resort in Napa, California, which has been the home of this fall tournament since 2015. Patton Kizzire (-20) is the defending champion of the Procore Championship, after winning by five shots a year ago. There are 144 golfers competing this week and there will be a top-65 and ties cut after the first two rounds. Notably, all nine members of the USA Ryder Cup team are competing at the Procore Championship this week, as a final tune up before the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black next week.
The North Course of Silverado is a short, tree-lined parkland course that presents narrow fairways, small greens, 53 bunkers and water in play on two holes. Given how short the North Course is, any length of player can contend at this venue. With the North Course featuring small putting surfaces, not only do you need to be in strong form with your irons, but you also need to be an efficient player around the greens, as missing these tiny putting surfaces will happen. For three years running, the winner at the North Course has finished the week top-seven in SG ARG.
The North Course always yields low scoring – three of the last five victors here have shot -19 or better – and having a great showing with your putter is a must at this birdie fest. At the last two Procore Championships, the winner has finished second and first in SGP. Lastly, with six of the 10 par fours at the North Course ranging from 400–450 yards, being efficient on these holes is essential for success at this par 72. Kizzire finished sixth in efficiency on the 400-450-yard par fours of the North Course during his Procore Championship win last year, making him the third consecutive victor of this event to rank top-seven in the category.
Below, I have featured four of my favorite DraftKings bargain plays for the Procore Championship, which all cost less than $7.5K.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $300K Sand Trap [$100K to 1st]
Top DraftKings PGA TOUR DFS Bargain Plays for the Procore Championship
Cameron Champ ($7,400) – Champ picked up his second career PGA TOUR win at the North Course in 2020. He is coming off an impressive run of golf this summer. Champ has only missed one cut in his last six starts, and all of these finishes were top-30 results, most notably with a T9 at the RBC Canadian Open in June. That week, Champ gained strokes across the board at TPC Toronto, and he posted an 8-under 62 in the first round, which was one stroke shy of his career-low.
Champ has shot under par in 19 of his past 22 rounds. He ranks 10th in total strokes gained when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds. Champ’s salary has dropped $500 since his last start, and he is a stellar value play at only $7,400.
Doug Ghim ($7,300) – While Ghim has missed his past two cuts, he should get back on track at the North Course. At this par 72, Ghim has made 4-of-5 cuts with two top-20 finishes. Ghim has made 12-of-20 cuts this season – including five top-25 finishes – and his ball striking has been excellent, as he ranks top-20 in both SGT2G and SG APP.
Additionally, Ghim is a crafty short game player, who ranks 34th in SG ARG, setting him up well for his return to the North Course this week. Ghim brings top-20 upside this weekend, and he should fly under the radar after missing his last two cuts of the summer.
Vince Whaley ($7,200) – Whaley has finished inside the top-25 in two of his six starts at the North Course, and the 30-year-old has advanced to the weekend in each of his last 11 solo starts. During this run, Whaley has carded five top-30 finishes, and he has shot under par in 34 of his 44 rounds.
Whaley ranks 13th in total strokes gained when we analyze this field’s last 50 rounds, and he is way underpriced for his safety this week.
Sam Ryder ($7,200) – Ryder has flashed strong upside at the North Course, with a T4 finish in 2019 and a T14 finish in 2023. The veteran is on the heels of a T19 at the Wyndham Championship last month, which marked his third made cut in a row.
At Sedgefield CC that week, Ryder led the field in SG ARG, and he carded two 4-under 66s. Ryder has now made 14-of-20 solo cuts this season. He has produced seven top-25 finishes. Ryder’s flat stick has been incredible this season, with him ranking fourth in SGP, and he should thrive at the susceptible North Course this week.
