RADIO
Ian Christenson's Round 3 PGA DFS showdown slate picks for the 2025 Tour Championship. 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.
It's the last weekend of the regular season, and things are heating up. Tommy Fleetwood shot a 7-under 63 to catch Russell Henley at the top of the leaderboard. They'll head into Round 3 tomorrow tied for first. Cameron Young had the best round of the day with an 8-under 62, moving him into third. Robert MacIntyre and Patrick Cantlay are tied for fourth at 10-under, while Scottie Scheffler sits just behind them in sixth at 8-under. Seven more players are tied at 7-under. With a tight leaderboard and scorable course, the finish should be thrilling.
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Weather, Course Conditions, and Tee Times
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: Scottie Scheffler came out firing in the first round, posting a bogey-free 7-under 63. However, he followed that up with a 1-under 69 in the second round. Scheffler lost 0.125 strokes on approach but gained 1.389 strokes off the tee and 2.897 strokes putting in the first round.
The second was a completely different story as Scheffler lost strokes all over the board. He lost 0.167 strokes on approach, 0.846 strokes off the tee, and 0.052 strokes putting.
When was the last time we saw Scheffler lose strokes across the board? He's an expensive piece for our lineup builds tomorrow, but I expect him to bounce back with a performance more like his first round.
Knocking on the door once again ... pic.twitter.com/vcozV7sECJ
— TOUR Championship (@TOURChamp) August 22, 2025
$9,000+
Favorite Play: Justin Thomas made eight birdies in his first round, with his only mistake coming on hole 16, where he double-bogeyed from 134 yards out in the fairway. Thomas lost 0.055 strokes on approach and 1.145 strokes off the tee, but gained 4.134 strokes putting in Round 1.
In Round 2, he gained 0.006 strokes off the tee but lost 1.908 strokes on approach and 0.330 strokes putting. Despite inconsistency, his ability to rack up birdies gives him strong upside for DFS. Thomas may be a lower-owned option in this salary range, who we know can go low on this course.
Other Options: Russell Henley
There’s a lot of golf left. No quit. pic.twitter.com/AX4YlopXsN
— TOUR Championship (@TOURChamp) August 22, 2025
$8,000+
Favorite Play: Patrick Cantlay has been outstanding with all facets of his game so far, except for his putter in Round 2. In Round 1, he gained 0.983 strokes off the tee, 0.616 strokes on approach, and 1.182 strokes putting. In Round 2, he gained 0.644 strokes off the tee and 2.039 strokes on approach but lost 0.486 strokes putting. Cantlay has also hit 82.14% of fairways, 75% of greens in regulation, and is averaging 1.56 putts per green in regulation. If his putter heats up, he could card seven or eight birdies.
Other Options: Sam Burns, Collin Morikawa
$7,000+
Favorite Play: Ben Griffin has been solid through the first two rounds, only carding one bogey in his first round. In the first round, he gained 0.478 strokes off the tee and 0.777 strokes putting, but lost 0.316 strokes on approach. In Round 2, he gained 0.502 strokes off the tee and 1.557 strokes on approach but lost 2.258 strokes putting.
Given his strong approach play this season and ability with the flatstick, Griffin is a strong candidate to go low tomorrow and has potential for the bogey-free bonus on DraftKings.
Other Options: Harris English, Harry Hall, Maverick McNealy, Robert MacIntyre
$6,000+
Favorite Play: Jacob Bridgeman has posted consecutive 3-under 67 rounds. In Round 1, he gained 0.333 strokes off the tee, 2.347 strokes on approach, and surprisingly lost 1.950 strokes putting. In Round 2, he gained 0.610 strokes off the tee and 1.071 strokes putting, but lost 0.436 strokes on approach. Bridgeman has hit 75% of fairways, 77.78% of greens in regulation through two rounds, and he's been one of the best putters on tour this season. At this salary range, I'm in.
Other Options: Keegan Bradley, Chris Gotterup, Nick Taylor
SHANE FROM 97’6” ‼️
The longest putt in FedExCup Playoffs history belongs to @ShaneLowryGolf.
— TOUR Championship (@TOURChamp) August 22, 2025
Guy I'm Playing Who 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.
Justin Rose has underperformed so far. Despite usually being strong in approach and putting, he's lost 0.211 strokes putting and 3.520 strokes on approach over the first two rounds. I'm betting on him rebounding tomorrow. Rose often improves under pressure, so this pick is more of a gut call.
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.
Golf DFS News and Player Outlooks
More PGA Analysis and DFS Lineup Picks
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