Presidents Cup DFS picks 2024: The sneaky American who will win you money

The 2024 Presidents Cup returns to Canada and Royal Montreal for the first time since 2007. The Dick Wilson design played host to the 2007 Presidents Cup in which the United States triumphed 19.5-14.5. While American dominance (12-1-1) has told the story of this event, the U.S. has only won the past two Presidents Cups on International soil by a combined 3.5 points. With that being said, the Americans boast the top two players in this event by any metric in Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, who have combined for nine PGA Tour wins and three out of the four majors this season.

It’s also important to note that DraftKings contests for the Presidents Cup will deploy a slightly different format: Captain Mode. NFL daily fantasy players will be familiar with this format change, but to reiterate, each lineup will require a captain. The captain can be any of the 24 players competing in the event, but their salary will be 1.5x the salary of any other player, and their points will be 1.5x that of any other player as well. Essentially, the captain selection is incredibly crucial, and it’s not quite as simple as just selecting the best players. Obviously, Scottie Scheffler is the highest priced player for a reason, but those who choose to deploy Scheffler as captain will be severely limited in terms of the salary remaining to fill out their lineup. Let’s dive into the slate.

Presidents Cup DFS picks 2024:

Captain: Sam Burns, $12,600:

The rationale for Sam Burns this week is simple. I believe that he will be the go-to partner for Scottie Scheffler, and a Scheffler/Burns duo will be favored against any potential International pairing. Burns has the ability to ride Scheffler’s coattails and score just as much as the World No. 1 if the duo succeeds, and he is coming in at a much cheaper price tag. Outside of the potential Scheffler pairing, I love the way that Burns is playing in his own right, recording three top-12 finishes in a row in the FedEx Cup playoffs, and he boasts a stellar record in Canadian Opens.

Watch The Read The Line video below, and you can shop the Presidents Cup team gear here:

High Priced Play: Xander Schauffele, $10,800:

I’ve already highlighted the potential domination of a Scheffler/Burns duo, but a Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay pairing might be an even safer bet. I would be fairly surprised if captain Jim Furyk split this duo up, as they have been a rock-solid anchor for the Americans dating back to the 2019 Presidents Cup. Schauffele is also playing some of the best golf in his career, and his strength on the greens cannot be understated.

High Priced Fade: Hideki Matsuyama, $9,400:

While Hideki Matsuyama has a strong claim as the International team’s best player, he has surprisingly disappointed in previous Presidents Cups, recording a 7-10-5 record. Matsuyama’s volatility on the greens scares me in this format, and I would rather take my chances on Internationals with higher putting upside.

Flier: Taylor Pendrith, $4,200:

If the International team is leaning into analytics, they will be utilizing Taylor Pendrith, who provides some of the highest upside on this team. Pendrith is a phenomenal total driver of the ball, an excellent putter, and he has been striking his irons beautifully lately. At this cheap of a price tag, I’m willing to take a chance that Pendrith becomes an unsung hero of the International squad.

Listen to Golf Digest's weekly betting podcast, "The Loop," where we interview the industry's leading experts (and sometimes tour pros) to help you make your bets and pick your fantasy lineups. And be sure to subscribe to "The Loop" wherever you get your podcasts! 

Andy Lack is a PGA Tour writer and podcaster from New York City who now resides in Los Angeles. He hosts Inside Golf, a twice weekly podcast focused on the PGA Tour, betting, daily fantasy, golf course architecture, and interviews, as part of the BlueWire podcast network. As well as contributing to Golf Digest, Andy is also a data analyst and writer for Run Pure Sports, where he covers PGA Tour betting and daily fantasy. He came to Golf Digest’s betting panel after previously writing for RickRunGood.com, the Score and GolfWRX. In his free time, Andy can likely be found on a golf course. Follow him on Twitter: @adplacksports