The PGA Tour is in Ridgeland, South Carolina, for this week’s Palmetto Championship at Congaree ahead of the 2021 U.S. Open. Congaree Golf Club plays host to the Tour for the first time.
The event is being played in place of the canceled RBC Canadian Open as the final tune-up to 2021’s third men’s major championship. Due to the timing, location and lack of prestige around the Palmetto Championship, an extremely watered-down field will be teeing it up. Dustin Johnson, No. 6 in the Golfweek/Sagarin world rankings, is the top name in attendance.
It would be fair to question Johnson’s motivations this week, as well as those of two-time U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka, as they look ahead to Torrey Pines in San Diego, California. The power rankings take this into consideration and as such, it’s a good week to target long shots.
Below, we look at the fantasy golf power rankings and odds for the 2021 Palmetto Championship, with PGA Tour picks and predictions.
Odds provided by BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Odds last updated Tuesday at 6:04 p.m. ET.
Fantasy golf rankings
20. Doc Redman (+7000)
Made the cut in three straight events after a rough start to 2021. He has struggled around the greens this season, but he averaged 0.21 Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green per round in tough conditions at the Memorial Tournament.
19. Richy Werenski (+7000)
Earned his first PGA Tour win against a weak field at the Barracuda Championship last summer while ranked 210th in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). He peaked at 101st in the world earlier this year following The Honda Classic.
18. Nick Taylor (+10000)
The 33-year-old has two career PGA Tour wins but is being given just a 0.99% implied win probability by these odds against the soft field. He tied for 42nd last week with quality play off the tee and around the greens.
17. Harold Varner III (+4000)
Averaging 0.97 SG: Tee-to-Green and 0.43 SG: Approach for the 2020-21 season. He has risen from No. 130 to No. 79 in the OWGR since the end of 2020 with a top finish of T-2 against a much stronger field than this at the RBC Heritage.
16. Jhonattan Vegas (+6000)
Gaining 0.67 strokes per round off the tee through 45 measured rounds this season. He tied for ninth at the AT&T Byron Nelson a few weeks ago and was the runner-up in a weak field at the Puerto Rico Open earlier this year.
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15. Tommy Fleetwood (+2500)
Fallen from No. 17 to No. 32 in the OWGR since the end of 2020 with three missed cuts in his last six events, including the PGA Championship. He has just one top-10 finish in a PGA Tour strokeplay event this year, and he’s averaging 0.05 strokes lost off-the-tee per round for the 2020-21 season.
14. Lucas Glover (+4000)
The 2009 US Open champ hasn’t won since the 2011 Wells Fargo Championship but has two top-10 finishes against fields much better than this through 14 events this year. He’s averaging 0.77 SG: Tee-to-Green for the season.
13. Luke List (+5500)
Missed back-to-back cuts at the Memorial Tournament and the Charles Schwab Challenge, but tied for sixth against a very strong field at the Wells Fargo Championship a month ago. Averages 0.62 SG: Off-the-Tee per round.
12. Garrick Higgo (+5000)
The South African is making a rare non-major PGA Tour appearance off of a T-64 finish at the PGA Championship. He has two wins on the European Tour this year and four international victories since February 2020.
11. Keith Mitchell (+4500)
My pick to win this week at lofty odds, Mitchell tied for third at the Wells Fargo Championship last month. His lone PGA Tour win to date was at the 2019 Honda Classic; PGA National and Congaree were both designed by architect Tom Fazio.
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10. Dustin Johnson (+750)
The No. 1 player in the OWGR won the European Tour’s Saudi International in February but has just one top-10 finish and two missed cuts in nine PGA Tour events this year. He missed the cut at the Masters and the PGA Championship, and will surely be looking ahead to next week.
9. Brandt Snedeker (+4500)
The nine-time PGA Tour champ has struggled with the driver and his irons this season, but his short game and putting are still very strong. He made the cut in each of his last five events with a top finish of T-6 at the Valero Texas Open ahead of the Masters.
8. Kevin Kisner (+4500)
Dropped from No. 25 to No. 50 in the OWGR since the end of 2020 but snapped a stretch of four straight missed cuts with a T-40 finish at the Charles Schwab Challenge. He was the runner-up in a weak field at the RSM Classic in the fall.
7. Alex Noren (+3300)
Riding a streak of six made cuts with a T-13 finish at the Memorial Tournament last week. He averaged 0.87 SG: Tee-to-Green per round last week.
6. Harris English (+2800)
Enters this week 26th in the OWGR after peaking at a career-best 16th in January following victory at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and a T32 at the Sony Open. He has no top-10 finishes and three missed cuts in 11 events since, but he’s 15th this season in scrambling and an excellent putter.
5. Ian Poulter (+3300)
The Englishman is third on Tour and first in this field in scrambling while ranking 29th on Tour in sand save percentage. He tied for third at the Charles Schwab Challenge with 0.83 SG: Around-the-Green per round.
4. Brooks Koepka (+800)
Ranked eighth in the OWGR; however, he’s just 64th in the Golfweek rankings. He shares many of the same motivation concerns as Johnson, but he’s coming off a T-2 finish at the PGA Championship and will be preparing in a bid to knock off reigning US Open champ Bryson DeChambeau next week.
3. Matt Fitzpatrick (+1200)
Averaging 1.40 total strokes gained on the field per round for the 2020-21 season. He has four top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this year and this will be one of the weakest North American fields against which he has played.
2. Tyrrell Hatton (+1200)
Like with Fitzpatrick and Poulter, Hatton feels a safer play than Johnson and Koepka ahead of the US Open. He’s 21st in the Golfweek rankings, and he won on the European Tour to open his 2021 schedule. He’s 10th on Tour in sand save percentage and will be able to handle Congaree’s primary challenges.
1. Sungjae Im (+1600)
Im has two top-10 finishes this year but is coming off back-to-back missed cuts following a T-17 finish at the PGA Championship. He won the 2020 Honda Classic and could have an advantage at another Tom Fazio course. He’s averaging 0.72 SG: Off-the-Tee and 0.76 SG: Tee-to-Green for the season.
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