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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
WGC Bridgestone Invitation Recap
Jason Day – GPP – (T24 – 74.5 DK Points)
I felt as if Day was a safe bet to have one of the lowest ownership percentages among high-end salaries. I also thought Day fit the course well and was showing improvement in his game as of late. Day finished with the 12th most points for the week and all at a reasonable $9400 price tag.
Thomas Pieters – GPP – (4th – 90 DK Points)
Being a birdie maker was enough to get me on Pieters in a no cut event. Up until Sunday, the tournament looked to be Pieters but he ultimately fizzled out on Sunday and finished in fourth. Given his price Pieters turned out to be a great player for the week.
Charley Hoffman – Cash – (3rd – 103.5 DK Points)
Hoffman has been playing great golf lately and came into the event trending in the right direction. Hoffman finished with the second most Draftkings points for the week and certainly helped vault lineups into the money.
Justin Thomas – GPP – (T28 – 64 DK Points)
Thomas was one of my favourite plays of the week due to his ability to score fantasy points. Thomas did not perform as well as I had hoped but still finished in the upper half of players for the week.
Justin Rose – Fanduel – (T63 – 43.5 DK Points)
Rose’s price did not make sense on Fanduel and came in much lower than what we are used to seeing. However, golf is a volatile game and in any week you can see even one of the best in the world struggle.
Course Preview
The fourth and final major of the year sees the tour head Quail Hollow in North Carolina. If you are looking for course history take a look at the Wells Fargo Championship, the usual host of Quail Hollow. There are a few differences this year, some of the holes have been changed/redesigned and the greens have been changed to Bermudagrass. Regardless, course history will still be quite relevant as it has been a great indicator for success over the years at Quail Hollow.
With the changes, the course is now a par 71 measuring 7,600 yards. The course is incredibly long for par 71 standards and favours players with distance off of the tee. However, I will not be ruling out anyone simply because of a lack of distance this week. We are going to see thicker and longer rough than we are used to at Quail Hollow as conditions are changed as a result of hosting the years fourth major.
As always Shots Gained: Approaching the Green is an important stat in indicating players that could have success at an event. This week I think the stat is even more integral as ball strikers have continually performed well at Quail Hollow year after year.
I will also be looking for players who score well on longer par fours. Quail Hollow is a mammoth of a course and sees eight par fours over 450 yards (and one more that’s 449). Looking for players who not only avoid bogeys but score on these holes will be huge for a successful week.
Finally, if you are looking for an advantage putting you can target players who have performed better on Bermuda Greens. I wouldn’t be getting off of any players simply for this statistic but finding guys that regularly gain strokes on these greens will certainly help lead your teams in the right direction.
PGA Championship Picks
Jordan Spieth – GPP – DK: $12000 FD: 10200
With all of the buzz around Rory, Fowler, and Matsuyama this week why not take a chance on a guy with two wins and a T13 in his last three starts? In any GPP finding strategical spots to differentiate is important and Spieth is a great way to do so and still roster an elite talent.
Phil Mickelson – Cash – DK: $8500 FD: $7500
In the last eight years at Quail Hollow Phil has finished no worse than T26 and has come top ten six times. His recent form has been good except for The Open Championship but I’m sure Lefty is looking to rebound from that disappointing performance.
Kevin Chappell – GPP – DK: $7000 FD: $6000
In a range on Draftkings with many viable plays I like Chappell as someone who will likely go under owned. Chappell has made five consecutive cuts at Quail Hollow and although he has no top tens he has course experience which will be crucial. As far as key stats go our VIP Spreadsheet has him third in the field in field adjusted driving distance over his last eight starts. He is also right up at the top of the field in Shots Gained: Approach recently after field adjustment and is a better putter on Bermuda than other surfaces. With names like Kisner, Finau, and Poulter at the same price and a bunch more within a few $100 dollars, Chappell should see low ownership with the game and skill set to contend here.
Zach Johnson – All Formats – DK: $6800 FD: $6600
ZJ is coming in with great form, and a good course history despite not seeming to be the prototypical player to succeed here. In his last six starts at Quail Hollow, Johnson has made all six cuts and finished inside of the top 15 three of the six times. In his last three events, Johnson has finished 2, T14 and T5 and is coming in with lots of momentum. Although not the longest player off of the tee Johnson is accurate and should be able to navigate Quail Hollow well.
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