Daily Fantasy Golf Tips
Pull in data and insights from this article to help with your fantasy golf picks for the Open Championship, and try out our PGA Optimizer to make more educated player selections for your DFS lineups. Best of luck this week!
The Open Championship
Recap from last week: It was a wide-open week last week at the John Deere Classic since the field was weak and almost every player had question marks, but Lucas Glover answered a lot of those questions by winning the tournament by two strokes over Ryan Moore and Kevin Na – congrats to him!
Preview for the Open Championship: It has been a long-time coming as the 2020 edition was canceled due to COVID-19, but here we are at the final major of the season – number six on the campaign for the Open Championship. This tournament first started way back in 1860 and as you might have guessed, is the world’s oldest golf event in the world. The PGA Tour heads from Illinois to Sandwich, Kent, England, and will be played on a historic course that last presented this tournament ten years ago in 2011 and this year marks number 15 for the total times it has played host. The field is loaded, of course, and this year will see Shane Lowry defending his title from two years ago. The tournament record is held by Henrik Stenson who shot a -20 in 2016 at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland, beating Phil Mickelson by three strokes. Winners here over the past five editions include Shane Lowry in 2019, Francesco Molinari in 2018, Jordan Spieth in 2017, Henrik Stenson in 2016, and Zach Johnson in 2015.
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Tournament purse: The prize money for this year’s event is set at $11.5M, the winner receives $2.070M and also earns himself 600 FedEx Cup points.
Course and key stats: Royal St.George’s Golf Club is 7,211 yards in length, is a par 70, and the greens are bentgrass. The winning score at the Open Championship over the past ten installments ranges from -3 to -20, so the winning score largely depends on where the tournament is played, and as we all know, conditions for this event can be downright nasty with chilly temperatures, rainy conditions, and the wind, my god the wind – is usually a factor every year. The winning score here on this track in 2011 was -5 by Darren Clarke who beat Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson by three strokes – expect something similar this year. Some of the core key stats to include in your custom models this week are strokes gained: approach, good drive percentage, strokes gained: putting on bentgrass, strokes gained: around the green, and bogey avoidance.
The field: Every major tournament has a strong field and this week will be no different for The Open Championship with all of the top 30 players in the world in the field, except for Sungjae Im who has opted out to focus instead on The Olympics tournament coming up in just two weeks time in Japan. On a scale ranging from A to D, I rank the field strength to be an A+.
Lineup construction strategy this week: We have a full 156-player field competing this week, and with a loaded field top to bottom, you can go top-heavy with stars and scrubs, go the hybrid route, or look at balanced configurations. The top 70 plus ties make the cut, so at least 45% of the players will have the opportunity to play the weekend rounds. I’ll be looking at a hybrid mindset but will go more top-heavy than I usually do in normal tournaments as the winner and top 10 will be full of elite golfers. Pay attention to the projected ownership numbers on Wednesday, and you can easily leave at least $500 on the table for each lineup with the impressive field on tap to ensure your lineups are unique or just lightly duplicated.
All the best in your journey to win or at least be in the money in some contests this week – here are my 15 DFS golf picks which feature my top 3 players from each tier on DraftKings (DK) in no particular order, plus I include player salaries for DK, as well. I consistently provide recent and seasonal finishes for each of my picks, their performance’s at the event over the last 5 years, and add in some tasty pieces of information and stats, also.
The $10K+ Range
Jon Rahm (Salary: DraftKings – $11.3K) – The #2 ranked player in the world had a solid win at the U.S. Open two starts ago, he’s coming off a T7 at the Scottish Open last week, and he has an incredible ten top 10’s this season in 17 starts. His stats are super-impressive, there are no holes in his game, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him win his second career major this week as he has all of the tools and confidence needed to be a multiple major championship winner right now. Open Championship finishes over the last five years: 2019 – T11, 2018 – Cut, 2017 – T44, and 2016 – T59.
Brooks Koepka (Salary: DraftKings – $10.7K) – Koepka will be licking his lips this week because we won’t be having another major championship to play at until next April when The Masters rolls around again, so you can bet he will be bringing his A-game this week as he normally does for the world’s biggest tournaments. He’s coming off of a T5 at the Travelers Championship, he had a T4 at the U.S. Open, a runner-up at the PGA Championship, and at the WGC-Workday Championship, he won the Phoenix Open earlier this year, and he had a T7 at The Masters last year. If his short game is in fine order this week then he will be a serious threat on the leaderboard all week long, and could certainly win his fifth major championship on Sunday. Open Championship finishes over the last five years: 2019 – T4, 2018 – T39, and 2017 – T6.
Xander Schauffele (Salary: DraftKings – $10.1K) – Schauffele is heating up again as he’s coming off a top 10 at the Scottish Open last week, he had a T7 at the U.S. Open, a T11 at the Memorial Tournament, a T3 at The Masters in April, and half of his finishes this season have been top 10’s – eight of them, in total. His short game has been unusually quiet recently, but every other stat is solid. He has all of the skills needed to become a major champ, he just has to do what Rahm recently did – bust down the door and show everyone just how elite he really is. He also came close to winning this tournament three years ago when he finished two strokes behind Francesco Molinari. Open Championship finishes over the last five years: 2019 – T41, 2018 – T2, and 2017 – T20.
The $9K Range
Jordan Spieth (Salary: DraftKings – $9.0K) – Spieth won this event four years ago by three strokes over Matt Kuchar, and with the way he has been playing this year, he could add Open Championship victory number two this week. He won seven starts ago at the Texas Open, he has seven top 9’s in his last twelve starts with six of those being top 4’s, and his stats are better looking than any other player’s right now. If his putter is working for him this week then he could be drinking from the Claret Jug once again on Sunday evening. Open Championship finishes over the last five years: 2019 – T20, 2018 – T9, 2017 – Won, and 2016 – T30.
Louis Oosthuizen (Salary: DraftKings – $9.9K) – Oosthuizen won this tournament in 2010 by beating Lee Westwood by a staggering seven strokes to win with ease. He has been playing exceptionally well recently with three runner-up or co-runner-up finishes over his last five PGA Tour starts and another T8 during the same time frame, he had a T3 at the U.S. Open last year, and is perfectly positioned to win another Open Championship this week. Open Championship finishes over the last five years: 2019 – T20, 2018 – T28, 2017 – Cut, and 2016 – Cut.
Collin Morikawa (Salary: DraftKings – $9.2K) – Morikawa has been scorching hot on the PGA Tour with a win at the WGC-Workday Championship in late February, he has seven top 7’s in his last thirteen starts including a T4 at the U.S. Open in his most recent PGA Tour start and he had a T8 at the PGA Championship four starts ago, plus he won the PGA Championship last year. He is coming off a bad finish at the Scottish Open last week, but let’s chalk that up as a tune-up for this week and for him to adjust to links-style play overseas. His stats are god-like other than his short game, but it pops from time to time as well and that could happen this week to lead him to victory in his first Open Championship start. Open Championship finishes over the last five years: None.
The $8K Range
Scottie Scheffler (Salary: DraftKings – $8.2K) – Scheffler has been performing very well on golf’s biggest stages recently with three straight top 8’s at the past three major championships including the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship, and The Masters. It would be pretty crazy for him to win his first tournament on the PGA Tour at a major event, but he has the skill and demeanor to do it. I also like that he’s coming off a T12 at the Scottish Open last week, and I really think his salary number should be a bunch higher than it is – take advantage while you can. Open Championship finishes over the last five years: None.
Patrick Cantlay (Salary: DraftKings – $8.9K) – Cantlay is a recent winner on the PGA Tour as he took down the Memorial Tournament three starts ago to win it for the second time in his career – he followed that up with a T15 at the U.S. Open, then a T13 at the Travelers Championship. He has five top 10’s on the campaign with several other top 25’s, as well. He’s statistically sound, and has only lost strokes in one major stat category over his past three times out – I’m certainly bullish on Patrick both short and long-term. Open Championship finishes over the last five years: 2019 – T41 and 2018 – T12.
Patrick Reed (Salary: DraftKings – $8.8K) – The 2018 Masters champion consistently brings the best version of his golf play to major tournaments, case in point, he has been inside the top 19 at majors in seven straight, and had a top 10 two years ago at the Open Championship. I’m a stats junkie, but I tend to ignore Reed’s since his aren’t impressive but he’s such a grinder and just knows how to perform well to manufacture good finishes when it matters the most. Open Championship finishes over the last five years: 2019 – T10, 2018 – T28, 2017 – Cut, and 2016 – T12.
The $7K Range
Matthew Fitzpatrick (Salary: DraftKings – $7.9K) – When it comes to tough tracks, I look to players who thrive on them, and Fitzpatrick is one of those golfers who fits the profile. He’s coming off a co-runner-up finish last week at the Scottish Open after losing in a three-man playoff, and he has seven top 11’s in his last twelve starts. He should feel right at home this week in his native England, and I think he’s a very good mid-tier value play since pricing came out before his high finish last week, so he really should be a mid $8K player this week as a result, in my opinion. Open Championship finishes over the last five years: 2019 – T20, 2018 – Cut, 2017 – T44, and 2016 – Cut.
Harris English (Salary: DraftKings – $7.3K) – English now has two wins on the PGA Tour this season as he won the Tournament of Champions earlier this year and he won in his most recent start at the Travelers Championship beating Kramer Hickok in eight playoff holes. He has seven top 10’s in 20 starts including a T3 at the U.S. Open two starts ago, has had other solid finishes in the teens and 20’s, and his stats have been quite solid over his past five starts. Open Championship finishes over the last five years: 2016 – T46.
Shane Lowry (Salary: DraftKings – $7.7K) – Lowry is the most recent winner of this tournament and now finally gets to defend his title some two years later. He had missed the cut four straight times at the Open Championship leading up to his victory in 2019, but did have a T9 in 2014, and two other top 37’s since 2010. He has been a beast with his approach, ball-striking, and tee-to-green for quite some time now, and I like his prospects for a top 20 finish this week which is good value at his price tag. He also had a T23 at the Irish Open two weeks ago in his most recent start, so he should be well-rested and focused this week. Open Championship finishes over the last five years: 2019 – Won, 2018 – Cut, 2017 – Cut, and 2016 – Cut.
The $6K Range
Lucas Herbert (Salary: DraftKings – $6.8K) – The Aussie is on a great four tournament heater right now with a win at the Irish Open two starts ago, he had a T4 last week at the Scottish Open, a T18 at the Memorial Tournament, and a T19 at the Travelers Championship. Herbert keeps gaining strokes across the board, and has a decent opportunity to finish top 25 this week with upside. Open Championship finishes over the last five years: 2018 – T51.
Stewart Cink (Salary: DraftKings – $6.9K) – I never would have thought that Cink would win a golf tournament this season, let alone two, but it has happened – his most recent came six starts ago at the RBC Heritage and he won the Safeway Open earlier this campaign. His approach game has been out-of-this-world lately gaining strokes in eight straight starts and five of those were over 4.4 strokes. He won the 2009 edition of the Open Championship, and since then he has only missed the cut twice since with five top 30’s including his T30 at this course in 2011. I think he’s a good candidate to finish somewhere between 20th and 40th this week, and is a nice-looking scrubs pick in my eyes. Open Championship finishes over the last five years: 2019 – T20, 2018 – T24, and 2017 – Cut.
Johannes Veerman (Salary: DraftKings – $6.1K) – If you need an ultra-low scrubs player this week, then take a look at Veerman who you have likely never heard of until right now, but he had a T3 at the Irish Open two starts ago and is coming off a T8 last week at the Scottish Open. I barely have any data on him so he’s certainly a flier, but I’m liking his recent play, and he seems to be digging the links-style of play lately and that could carry over to this week again. Feel free to look at other low-cost options including Sam Burns, Talor Gooch, or a handful of others in the $6K range, but if you want super-high upside stars and scrubs lineups, then Veerman could be an intriguing fit for one or two of them. Open Championship finishes over the last five years: None.
Results of the 15 players I picked for last week’s John Deere Classic
The 10K+ Range
- Daniel Berger – T34
- Brian Harman – Cut
- Cam Davis – T55
The $9K Range
- Seamus Power – T8
- Russell Henley – T11
- Aaron Wise – T69
The $8K Range
- Hank Lebioda – T8
- Troy Merritt – Cut
- Zach Johnson – T34
The $7K Range
- Kyle Stanley – T41
- Beau Hossler – Cut
- Pat Perez – Cut
The $6K Range
- Chris Baker – Cut
- Roger Sloan – 71st
- Robert Streb – Cut
