If you are like me and are always looking for valuable information every week when competing in daily fantasy golf contests, then I hope this article is of value to you and your lineups. I plan on doing a fairly regular piece every Tuesday with regards to which PGA players to invest in, so be sure to keep your eyes open for my insights.
This week the PGA is in Dallas for the AT&T Byron Nelson tournament, and players will do battle with the Trinity Forest Golf Club for just the second straight year. This par 71, 7,371-yard course is wide open by having no trees, no water, no rough, and the big greens average over 13,000 square feet – so in theory, strong putting is at a premium this week.
10 Elite Players To Target
Scottie Scheffler (Salaries: DraftKings – $7,900, FanDuel – $9,600) – He’s certainly not a household name yet on the PGA Tour but he might be one day soon! The Dallas-native is absolutely sizzling on the Web.com Tour with four top 10’s including two 2nd place finishes, and last month he played the Valero Texas Open and earned a 20th. Golf is all about confidence, and there may not be many golfers with more of it at the moment than Scottie.
Charles Howell III (Salaries: DraftKings – $8,500, FanDuel – $10,400) – He’s usually a player you can rely on to make the cut, but he has actually missed it in the last two events he competed in including the RBC Heritage and the Wells Fargo Championship last week. Before those tournaments though, he had 10 straight top 35 finishes including a win at The RSM Classic back in November. He earned a 9th place finish at this tournament last year, and if his irons and putting get back on track, he should have another top 10 finish this week.
Hideki Matsuyama (Salaries: DraftKings – $11,000, FanDuel – $11,500) – Captured a 16th at last year’s edition of the AT&T Byron Nelson, and hasn’t missed a cut in the 12 events that he has competed in this season – including 3 top 9’s, and his worst finish was a 51st earlier this year. If his putter is working well again like it was last year when he was 5th in strokes gained: putting, then another solid finish is coming on Sunday evening.
Aaron Wise (Salaries: DraftKings – $9,400, FanDuel – $10,900) – The defending champ from last year by three strokes will look to defend a PGA title for the first time in his career. He had a hot weekend at The Masters to secure 17th and last week he had an 18th at the Wells Fargo Championship. The odds are against him to win again, but another impressive finish is looking pretty likely.
Scott Piercy (Salaries: DraftKings – $8,400, FanDuel – $9,800) – Has only missed two cuts this season while playing in 14 tournaments, and finished 3rd just three weeks ago at the RBC Heritage. Sits 36th in the FedEx Cup standings, and was 32nd last year at the AT&T Bryon Nelson when his form wasn’t as good as it is right now. Offers very good value for his price tag.
Keith Mitchell (Salaries: DraftKings – $9,100, FanDuel – $10,200) – Has three top 8 finishes over his last 6 starts, including winning The Honda Classic in March. Is coming off an 8th last week thanks to his impressive 3rd round 66, and in his rookie season last year, he secured 3rd place honors by leading the field in proximity to the hole.
Rory Sabbatini (Salaries: DraftKings – $9,000, FanDuel – $10,100) – Has made 8 consecutive cuts, and has finished no worse than 39th over his last 7 tournaments. Despite a bad opening round of 76 last week, he still finished 18th by going 66-67-70 over his last three rounds. Was 13th here last year, and his golf game is in better shape this time around.
Marc Leishman (Salaries: DraftKings – $10,000, FanDuel – $10,800) – Had the first and second round lead last year on this track, and co-led after round three – en route to a 2nd place finish. Doesn’t have a top 5 finish since February, but this course is right up his alley based on his skillset. Has five top 10’s this season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he adds a sixth one this week.
Brooks Koepka (Salaries: DraftKings – $11,400, FanDuel – $12,600) – Will be defending his PGA Championship next week, and this week will be a good tuneup to get his game and demeanor where he wants it to be. He’s a big spotlight player and is coming off a 2nd at The Masters last month. The last time he finished 2nd he followed it up with an 85th, but that won’t be the case this week. This course is ripe for the taking for him, and I expect Brooks to be right in the hunt Sunday afternoon.
5 Value Players To Target
Nick Taylor (Salaries: DraftKings – $7,000, FanDuel – $8,500) – Has made 8 straight cuts, his most impressive finish during that time period was a 16th at The
Jimmy Walker (Salaries: DraftKings – $7,700, FanDuel – $9,400) – The Texas-native has earned a paycheck in 5 consecutive tournaments, including a 36th at The Masters. Was 6th here last year after finishing 16 under par.
Brian Gay (Salaries: DraftKings – $7,300, FanDuel – $8,900) – Has only missed a couple of cuts this season despite playing in a whopping 16 tournaments. His 12th from last year may not be topped this year, but he’s still a fantastic pick up based on his salary numbers.
Matt Jones (Salaries: DraftKings – $7,500, FanDuel – $8,900) – His 8 cuts in a row are impressive, and while he doesn’t have a top 10 finish this season yet, he has been consistently in the teens and 30s in terms of results. Was 13th last year here despite only shooting par in his final round and he should be more prepared this year.
Adam Schenk (Salaries: DraftKings – $7,000, FanDuel – $8,500) – The last time he competed in Texas he had a 7th and that was just last month at the Valero Texas Open. Was 13th last week, and I’m betting that he tops his 59th finish from last year when he was a rookie – he’s much more polished now so it will be interesting to see what he puts together this week.
All the best this week, and be sure to check-in back here again next week for my PGA Championship article where I’ll offer more juicy intel – sure to help you build winning DFS lineups!
