RADIO
Jens Christenson Round 3 PGA DFS showdown slate picks for the 2025 Charles Schwab Challenge. His top in-tournament DFS lineup picks and top plays for DraftKings and FanDuel.
Hello, Rotoballers! I hope everyone is doing well and is ready for another exciting year of PGA DFS. Showdown has returned for another season on DraftKings alongside the PGA Tour, and we’re here to help guide you, whether you’re looking to continue your journey from where you left off in 2024 or are new to this particular DFS format.
Ben Griffin took a commanding lead during the early wave today, shooting a 7-under 63. In the afternoon wave, Matti Schmid matched this with a 7-under 63 of his own, leaving both tied at the top of the leaderboard at 11-under as we head into the weekend. Following them are John Pak at 9-under, Chris Gotterup at 8-under, and Ryo Hisatsune and Akshay Bhatia, both at 7-under. One of the biggest surprises of the first two rounds has been Scottie Scheffler, who is tied for 49th at 1-under. Scheffler made the cut by just one stroke, and it will be interesting to see if he can climb up the leaderboard tomorrow on moving day.
Unlike standard golf DFS, which covers the entire tournament, Showdown focuses on each round as an individual event. It's crucial to find players who excel on approach shots, but it’s also important to make roster decisions that provide ownership leverage by selecting riskier players who may not have been performing their best recently but could have a strong bounce-back round. In other words, this is a sprint, not a marathon.
Weather, Course Conditions, and Tee Times
The forecast for tomorrow predicts windier conditions throughout the day than what we've seen in the first two rounds. The course played slightly over half a stroke easier in Round 2 compared to Round 1.
Round 3 Strategy
The key to success in showdowns is to look for ball strikers who can have a standout putting performance. Having two exceptional putting days in a row is quite challenging, so we should focus on golfers who have been consistent with their approach shots and created birdie opportunities but fell short in converting them.
It’s also beneficial to target players who need to improve their position on the leaderboard, as they often push harder on moving day. Additionally, golfers who have shown some positive form in the first two rounds are great candidates to consider.
Keep in mind that ownership levels tend to decrease as the morning's first tee time approaches, so identifying players who are likely to bounce back is crucial for achieving significant wins.
$10,000+
Favorite Play: Tommy Fleetwood has played around solid golf through the first two rounds. He's only carded two bogeys and dropped six birdies and one eagle. He was excellent around the greens and with the flat stick in Round 1, gaining 2.018 strokes around the green and 1.775 strokes putting. In Round 2, he was solid on approach and excellent off the tee, gaining 1.955 strokes off the tee and 1.622 strokes on approach. Fleetwood has carded a 3-under 67 in both rounds and I'm riding that consistency tomorrow.
It’s heating up at Colonial! Who do you have winning!? 🏆 #CharlesSchwabChallenge pic.twitter.com/EI6WXE3np6
— Charles Schwab Challenge (@CSChallengeFW) May 23, 2025
$9,000+
Favorite Play: J.T. Poston has picked up right where he left off from the PGA Championship and continued playing well. He dropped seven birdies, but one double-bogey in the first round and followed that up in the second round by sinking four birdies and another double-bogey. He's been solid with the flat stick in both rounds, gaining 3.546 strokes putting in Round 1 and 1.487 strokes putting in Round 2. He hasn't been spectacular with his game in any other aspect, BUUUUUUT he's dropped eleven birdies through the first two rounds, and I'll take my chances on someone who's got the birds chirpin.
Other Options: Hideki Matsuyama, Harris English
$8,000+
Favorite Play: J.J. Spaun has been outstanding around the greens, been solid on approach AND dropped 10 birdies through the first two rounds. In the first round he gained 1.487 strokes around the green and 0.863 strokes on approach. He followed that up in Round 2 by gaining 1.194 strokes around the green and 0.417 strokes on approach. With the windy conditions expected tomorrow, give me someone who has shown they can execute on approach and drop birdies ALL DAY.
Other Options: Robert MacIntyre, Akshay Bhatia, Andrew Novak
First hole-out together for this player-caddie duo! 🤝
Tom Kim eagles from 102 yards on the par-5 11th @CSChallengeFW.
📺 @PGATOURLIVE pic.twitter.com/F5hHCBvLor
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 23, 2025
$7,000+
Favorite Play: Emiliano Grillo carded a bogey-free 4-under 66 in Round 2. He's dropped 10 birdies and been one of the best on approach and off the tee through the first two rounds. In Round 1, he gained 1.057 strokes off the tee and 1.955 strokes on approach. In Round 2, he gained 1.019 strokes off the tee and 2.400 strokes on approach. Someone who has been excellent off the tee and on approach is exactly the kind of guy we want to target. The birdie opportunities are there, let's just hope he saves a few more pars and cards a few less bogeys tomorrow.
Other Options: Max Greyserman, Matti Schmid, Mark Hubbard, Doug Ghim
$6,000+
Favorite Play: Pierceson Coody dropped three birdies and carded no bogeys in the second round today. In the first round, he also dropped three birdies and only two bogeys. He hasn't been spectacular with any aspect of his game except on the greens in the first round, gaining 2.257 strokes putting. In Round 2, he gained 0.981 strokes on approach and 0.344 strokes putting. He's someone who's shown he can get it done with his approach play and can have a spike putting day on the greens which is exactly what we want, especially in this salary range.
Other Options: Carson Young, Victor Perez, Chris Gotterup, Henrik Norlander
Guy I'm Playing That You Shouldn't
This will be an every-week addition to my article where I'll pick a golfer who I believe has shown he can go nuclear but has every chance he could dud and should generally be reserved for the largest field GPP tournaments.
Kris Ventura fired a pedestrian even par 70 in the second round today, BUUUUUT through the first two rounds he's hit 75% of greens in regulation and has definitely given himself plenty of birdie opportunities. In the first round he gained 1.685 strokes putting but followed that up in Round 2 by losing 2.055 strokes putting. He's shown he can get the ball on the dance floor and have the type of spike putting day we want to target in this section of the article.
The field is tightening 🏌️♂️ After two rounds at Colonial, the leaderboard is taking shape! Who’s your pick for the weekend? #CharlesSchwabChallenge pic.twitter.com/Knef0lBEuT
— Charles Schwab Challenge (@CSChallengeFW) May 23, 2025
This lineup is for demonstration purposes only.
Showdown Optimizer
The optimizer works nicely with the projected ownership from the model. If you are unsure how to use it, there is a video at the top of the "PGA Lineup Optimizer" page on how to get my projected ownership and/or projected points into your optimizer.
Good luck, and may the odds ever be in your favor.
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