St. Jude Classic: DraftKings picks for TPC Southwind

Francesco Molinari — $10,500

He’s not the biggest name in this week’s field, but given the way Molinari’s been playing, perhaps he should be. The Italian has been on a tear over the past month or so, so he looks more than capable of anchoring a fantasy lineup, even if he lacks experience at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.

With four consecutive top 25 finishes to his name, including a tie for sixth at the Masters and a solo second at the BMW PGA Championship, Molinari has risen all the way up to the No. 16 slot in the Official World Golf Ranking. That represents a big step forward for this Italian — he fell out of the top 80 at points last year. A statistical stud, he currently ranks second on the PGA TOUR in strokes gained: approach-the-green and 29th in strokes gained: off-the-tee. Those impressive figures will help make up for his unfamiliarity with TPC Southwind, and besides, he tied for 34th in his tournament debut last year.

Molinari is red-hot with his irons right now, so he could probably contend for just about any trophy he wants. He still won’t draw the biggest galleries, but in fantasy golf, function always supersedes form. His $10,500 DraftKings price tag is expensive, but it won’t kill you.