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Every week of the year the PGA Tour plays on a new course. There are some examples in other DFS Sports of environments impacting performance, such as Coors Field in Baseball; Golf, however, offers an entirely unique environment each and every week. This article will break down the week’s PGA course and attempt to find what skill sets are needed for success. This article will then combine the course breakdown with the DFS Army Domination Station and give a few players to target in both Cash Game and GPP formats. For more updates throughout the week follow me on twitter @_bschnarr
The Open Championship Recap:
Matt Kuchar – All Formats – 2nd 100 DK Points
Kuchar held the lead heading into the 14th hole at Royal Birkdale but came up short after Jordan Spieth’s incredible run. Regardless, Kuchar was in a good spot to perform well and he did just that. Kuchar finishes with the second most fantasy points for the week and propelled cash and GPP teams into the money.
Sergio Garcia – All Formats – T37 61.5 DK Points
Sergio was looking like the safest play on the high end of salaries with good recent form and great history at The Open Championship. Although Sergio underperformed expectations he still made the cut, helping propel cash line-ups into the money.
Henrik Stenson – GPP – T11 66 DK Points
I liked the way Stenson’s game lined up for the course and thought he was a perfect pivot away from more popular players in his price range. Stenson ended up with 4 more DK Points than Rickie which is good enough for me to call the pick a success.
Kyle Stanley – GPP – MC 17 DK Points
I was all over Stanley and his 3% ownership in GPP’s. After Thursday the pick was looking great, then Friday came. Stanley blew up with the bad weather and missed the cut.
RBC Canadian Open Course Preview
The PGA Tour is making its annual trip to my home and native land. Playing host this week is Glen Abbey Country Club, which is hosting for the third straight year. The course is a par 72 designed by Jack Nicklaus, playing at 7253 yards.
We have seen in the past Nicklaus courses and Pete Dye designed golf courses share a similarity in the type of player that succeeds. That correlation can be seen at Glen Abbey with good Tee-to-Green players rising to the top.
The course is pretty short by PGA standards and although we have seen bombers like Day, DJ and Bubba have success here, driving distance isn’t a prerequisite for success. With over 100 bunkers and plenty of water on the course, accuracy is crucial for success. This week, I will be looking at overall driving and trying to find players who combine accuracy and distance.
The course features four par fives that are all reachable and scoring on these holes will be essential for success in DraftKings and FanDuels scoring systems. If players can take advantage of the par fives they can see themselves in contention and you can see yourself in contention in DFS Contests. For reference, last year Dustin Johnson came second in the tournament losing by a stroke to Jhonattan Vegas. DJ was -11 for the tournament and played the par fives at -13 with 2 eagles for the week.
The course also features six par fours measuring between 400-450 yards. Finding players that perform well on holes in this yard range can be a key to success.
Finally, although the course features these scoring holes the course can also be a challenge with all of the sand, water and undulation around the course. Players who can save their pars when they have a wayward shot will give themselves a chance to contend. As a result, I will also be prioritizing Scrambling for the week, with a bit of added emphasis on sand save %.
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Picks
Dustin Johnson – GPP – DK: $12600 FD: $10600
DJ showed the form was back at the Open Championship despite faltering a little on Sunday. With back to back runner up finishes at this event DJ has shown success at a course the suits his game perfectly. With four reachable par fives and some short par fours, DJ can rack up the fantasy points for you in a hurry.
Tony Finau – All Formats – DK: $9500 FD: $9200
He’s got to win eventually right? Finau has been gaining well over a stroke on the field tee to green according to our VIP PGA Spreadsheet, which shows field adjusted statistics. Finau has played here twice and although the results haven’t been spectacular but Finau has still made both cuts. Finau is also second in the field in par 5 birdie or better %, which will be crucial to success for the week. With a solid mix of good recent form and a setup for this course, I will be all over Finau in all formats this week.
Ian Poulter – Cash – DK: $8700 FD: $7400
Poulter continued his streak of good play at the Open Championship with a T14 finish. Poulter is among the elite in Shots Gained: Approach and Shots Gained: Scrambling this season which makes him a safe play and perfect for cash. Our VIP PGA Spreadsheet also shows that Poulter is gaining strokes on the field in Greens in Regulation, although it is great to have a good scrambler it is better if your players are hitting the greens in the first place and giving themselves birdie opportunities. I like Poulter for cash (especially on FanDuel) and think given his recent play he’s as close to a lock as we’ve got this week.
Seasmus Power – GPP – DK: $6800 FD: $6400
The Irishmen has been playing good golf lately making 8/9 cuts dating back to April. He is trending upwards with his finishes and Glen Abbey sets up well for his game. Power is a par five scorer, ranking 14th on tour on par fives. If you’re looking for a cheap GPP option Power is certainly worth a look and a portion of your ownership.
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