Fantasy Advice
Olympics golf DFS picks 2024: The major winner our expert loves
The 2024 Olympics head to France, and golfers will find themselves at a familiar venue in Le Golf National. Located just outside of Paris, Le Golf National was conceived in 1991 by the French Golf Federation to be the hub of French golf and host high level professional golf tournaments. Outside of its yearly hosting duties for the French Open on the DP World Tour, Le Golf National was also home to the 2018 Ryder Cup, and it will now be center stage again for the 2024 Summer Games.
After an 100-year absence, golf returned to the Olympics in 2016 at Rio where Justin Rose captured the gold medal. In 2020, Xander Schauffele defeated Rory Sabbatini securing gold at Kasumigaseki Country Club in the Tokyo. Coming off an Open Championship victory in his last start, Schauffele is playing some of the best golf in his career. The Champion Golfer of the Year is the second-highest priced golfer on DraftKings, topped by Scottie Scheffler, who put together a strong performance at Royal Troon in his own right. While the United States have a formidable duo at the top, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg will all be looking to steal glory for their respective countries.
$10,000 range
Play: Collin Morikawa, $10,200:
Collin Morikawa has put together a remarkably consistent season, and all that is missing from his resume is a victory. The two-time major winner has now gained over three strokes ball-striking in seven straight starts, and he is coming off his best ball-striking week of the season at the Open Championship. Morikawa’s elite driving accuracy and approach play should play beautifully at Le Golf National, and he remains my pick to take home gold.
Fade: Xander Schauffele, $11,600:
Harry How
Xander Schauffele is an incredibly tough man to fade at the moment, but I’m hoping there is some sort of emotional letdown coming off his victory at the Open Championship. This will be Schauffele’s first appearance at Le Golf National, and it can be a tricky golf course to figure out on debut. A second gold medal in the next start after winning the Open feels like a big ask.
$9,000 range
Play: Tommy Fleetwood, $9,500:
Ross Kinnaird
Tommy Fleetwood is both a former winner at the French Open at Le Golf National, and he was also one of the stars of the 2019 Ryder Cup, also hosted at the French venue. Fleetwood’s success at Le Golf National makes sense on paper, as he is an incredibly accurate driver of the ball and a great mid-iron player. I expect the Englishman to bounce back at a familiar venue after a disappointing Open Championship.
Fade: Viktor Hovland, $9,700:
Outside of a top-five finish at the PGA Championship, it has been an incredibly forgettable 2024 season for Viktor Hovland, who still appears to be searching and tinkering with his swing. Hovland lost strokes on approach for the second straight week in a disappointing missed cut at the Open Championship, and his short game remains an even more pertinent issue.
$8,000 range
Play: Sepp Straka, $8,500:
Icon Sportswire
I am always intrigued by Sepp Straka on courses that feature a high missed fairway penalty, and Le Golf National is no different. Straka is one of the most accurate drivers in the field, and an excellent approach player as well. It should not come as a surprise that he has performed so strongly on other difficult driving courses such as TPC Sawgrass, PGA National, Muirfield Village and TPC Southwind. I’m expecting a big week out of the Austrian in Paris.
Fade: Wyndham Clark, $8,100:
Though Wyndham Clark had an excellent start to the season, his ball-striking has taken a turn for the worst. Clark bottomed out at the Open Championship with his worst ball-striking week of the season, and I have serious concerns about his ability to consistently stay out of trouble on another golf course in Le Golf National with a very high missed fairway penalty.
$7,000 range
Play: Guido Migliozzi, $7,400:
Andrew Redington
Guido Migliozzi is a former champion at Le Golf National in the 2022 French Open, and he is quietly playing some excellent golf on the DP World Tour. The Italian recently won the KLM Open, and he has now gained strokes over 4.5 strokes ball-striking in four of his past six starts. Migliozzi possesses the rare combination of strong recent form and course history at a very reasonable price point.
Fade: Nicolai Hojgaard, $7,700:
Nicolai Hojgaard has been in a bit of a funk over the past couple of months, and he has not recorded a top-20 finish on any tour since the Masters. The major concern with Hojgaard is that he is not driving the ball in play and really struggling on the greens. Le Golf National is not a particularly soft landing for a player who is having difficulty finding the fairway.
$6,000 range
Play: Sami Valimaki, $6,600:
Stacy Revere
It’s challenging to find formidable options in the $6,000 range this week, but I’ll gladly take my chances on Sami Valimaki’s upside. The 26-year-old has recorded a 20th-place finish already at Le Golf National in 2022, and he remains one of the better mid- to long-iron players in this field, ranking top 10 in proximity from 175 yards.
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