Daily Fantasy Golf Tips
Take advantage of the data, predictions, and insights from this article to help with your fantasy golf picks for the Shriners Children’s Open, and try out our PGA Lineup Optimizer to make more informed player selections for your DFS lineups. All the best this week!
The Shriners Children’s Open
Recap from the Sanderson Farms Championship: I was all over Sam Burns last week and he sure did pay off in DFS and in the betting world too with a huge win – his second career PGA Tour victory in the last 5 months. There were lots of surprise names at the top including veteran Nick Watney pulling off a T2, and some young bucks in Cameron Young and Hayden Buckley finishing in the top 5 – I felt last week was a tad unpredictable with a weak field on tap, and it proved to be just that in the end. Big congrats to Sam Burns though regardless of field strength as it’s always hard to win a golf tournament no matter who or how many players are involved.
Preview for the Shriners Children’s Open: The PGA Tour moves from Mississippi to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the first of two tournaments in the area starting this week at the Shriners Children’s Open, and next week will be THE CJ CUP. This event has been on the PGA Tour since 1983 when it debuted as the Panasonic Las Vegas Pro-Celebrity Classic where Fuzzy Zoeller won over Rex Caldwell by four strokes with a score of -18. Shriners does wonderful things for children and has been part of this event since 2007 in collaboration with Frys.com, and this tournament has been played at TPC Summerlin for almost two decades now. Winners of the Shriners Children’s Open over the past five years include Martin Laird in 2020, Kevin Na in 2019, Bryson DeChambeau in 2018, Patrick Cantlay in 2017, and Rod Pampling in 2016.
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Tournament purse: The prize money for this year’s event is set at $7M, the winner receives $1.26M and also earns himself 500 FedEx Cup points.
Course and key stats: TPC Summerlin is 7,255 yards in length, is a par 71, and the greens are bentgrass. The winning score at the Shriners Children’s Open over the past decade ranges from -9 to -24, so it’s typically a birdie fest here unless the weather plays a significant part as it did in 2017 when strong winds led to Patrick Cantlay winning with a score of just -9. The past two years here we have seen a winning score of -23, so expect something similar again this week given the weather forecast looks excellent throughout. Some of the core key stats to pay attention to this week, in order, are strokes gained: putting, strokes gained: around the green, driving distance, strokes gained: approach and driving accuracy.
The field: This tournament typically attracts a pretty decent-looking field and we will see that again this year with Louis Oosthuizen, Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama, Patrick Reed, Abraham Ancer, Will Zalatoris, and other talented players in action this week. We will again have 144 players competing this week, and as per usual, the top 65 golfers plus ties after round 2 will have the honor of playing rounds 3 and 4 on the weekend. On a scale ranging from A to D, I rank the field strength to be a B.
Three questions I have about the Shriners Children’s Open this week:
1. Will we see a three-time winner on Sunday evening? Kevin Na and Martin Laird have both won this tournament two times, and they are both back this year with hopes of winning for the third time here. Jim Furyk is the only player who has won this tournament three times, so one of Na or Laird could tie him for the most wins all-time at this event, and Laird is looking to go back-to-back this year after winning in 2020.
2. Will we see another playoff win? The past two years have seen the winner get it done via a playoff, and three of the past four years have gone for extra holes. You may want to consider betting the win comes as a result of a playoff, check out your favorite sportsbook and others to check for the best odds if you are considering this potential wager.
3. Will a solid putter win again? The most important key stat this week is putting, and taking a look at the winner list over the past several years you will notice that almost every one of them is superb in the putting department overall or they had a big putting week here to come out on top. Be sure to get lots of talented putters into your lineups this week.
Lineup construction strategy this week: As per usual, I’m looking at doing hybrid builds mostly, but I’m going to do my best to stay away from the $6K range as much as possible since it’s quite weak in my humble opinion. You will want to keep an eye on ownership projections this week, and I have a feeling that Brooks Koepka will be low-owned given his recent play and being the most expensive golfer on the slate, so if you are willing to pay up for the big name and be a bit contrarian – go for it.
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 performances at the event over the last 5 years, and add in some tasty pieces of information, also.
The $10K+ Range
Sam Burns (Salary: DraftKings – $10.9K) – Burns has now won twice in his last 11 starts at the Valspar Championship and at the Sanderson Farms Championship last week where he gained 14.45 strokes ball-striking, wow! The last time he won he followed it up with a 2nd place finish, and I can see him doing something like that again now that he has his full confidence and knows how to win now. He has finished no worse than T21 over his past five starts and has a T2, an 8th, and a win during that stretch – he’s starting to quickly gain elite status and you need to be on him, even at high price points. Shriners Children’s Open finishes over the last five years: 2020 – T34, 2019 – Cut, 2018 – Cut, and 2017 – T20.
Abraham Ancer (Salary: DraftKings – $10.4K) – Much like Burns above, Ancer is also a recent first-time winner on the PGA as he won the WGC-FedEx St.Jude Invitational just four starts ago. He had back-to-back T9’s in the final two playoff events and he just keeps hitting excellent approach shots along with having a solid putting game which is a recipe for success. He has two top 5’s at this event over the last three years, and could put up another one this year too since his game is very balanced and sustainable. Shriners Children’s Open finishes over the last five years: 2020 – 4th, 2019 – Cut, 2018 – T4, and 2017 – Cut.
Will Zalatoris (Salary: DraftKings – $10.1K) – We were all waiting for Zalatoris to get his stuff together on the greens as everywhere else he’s solid, and he now has gained at least 2.64 strokes putting in three out of his last four starts including gaining 3.90 strokes last week. He has three top 14’s in his last four starts including a T8 at the most recent WGC event in a stacked field, and it’s just a matter of time before he wins his first PGA Tour tournament. Shriners Children’s Open finishes over the last five years: 2020 – T5.
The $9K Range
Si Woo Kim (Salary: DraftKings – $9.4K) – I’m typically not a big Kim kind of guy, but I can’t ignore what he has been doing lately with a T8 last week and a T11 two starts ago, plus he had a T2 at the Wyndham Championship just a month and a half ago, as well. He gained almost 5 strokes with his approach last week, he’s one of the best around the green players on the PGA Tour, and his putting has been shifty since late June but he did gain 3.12 strokes putting last week and has gained in that department in two straight starts. I also like that he has a good history at this tournament including a T8 last year where he gained strokes in all major stat categories except for approach. Shriners Children’s Open finishes over the last five years: 2020 – T8, 2019 – T55, and 2018 – T15.
Louis Oosthuizen (Salary: DraftKings – $9.9K) – Oosthuizen had a heck of a season in 2020-2021 including having four top 2’s, a 3rd, and a T8 during a seven tournament stretch from late April to late July. He cooled off a bunch down the stretch but still did quite well including a T17 at the WGC event in early August. We haven’t seen him since the Tour Championship, so I’m a bit cautious with him this week, but he’s a gamer and should put up a top 20 at the very least this week. Shriners Children’s Open finishes over the last five years: 2020 – T19.
Sungjae Im (Salary: DraftKings – $9.2K) – The good thing about Im is that he typically makes the cut every week he tees it up and has made 11 cut lines in a row with two top 8’s during that time span including a 3rd three starts ago at the BMW Championship in a loaded field. I do have some concern with him as he has lost strokes putting in five out of his last six starts and good putting is vital this week, but he did gain 6.16 strokes at the BMW Championship just over a month ago and has two top 15’s here over the past three years. Shriners Children’s Open finishes over the last five years: 2020 – T13 and 2018 – T15.
The $8K Range
Erik Van Rooyen (Salary: DraftKings – $8.0K) – Van Rooyen is another player that I typically don’t put into my lineups but he stands out this week given his salary price with a win five starts ago at the Barracuda Championship, and he has two top 7’s in his last three starts – both of them at playoff tournaments including a 5th at the BMW Championship where he gained 6.53 strokes in approach. His salary number would be higher this week if he had a good track record at this tournament, but he hasn’t played here, so you can get him at a decent price point as a result. Shriners Children’s Open finishes over the last five years: None.
Cameron Tringale (Salary: DraftKings – $8.5K) – He hasn’t had a top 10 since early May, but he is a consistent performer and a pretty good mid-tier value play with six top 26’s in his last seven starts. He has gained strokes across the board in his last two starts aside from losing a mere 0.29 strokes off the tee at the Fortinet Championship, and he’s a solid bet to finish top 25 this week given his complete game. Shriners Children’s Open finishes over the last five years: 2020 – T19, 2017 – Cut, and 2016 – T31.
Patrick Reed (Salary: DraftKings – $8.6K) – We want superb putters this week and Reed is certainly one of those players that fit the profile as he almost always gains strokes in that department, plus he’s solid around the greens and that’s the second most important key stat this week. He had some health scares recently, but he has had over a month now to feel normal again since the Tour Championship, so his health shouldn’t be a factor this week. He has eight top 34’s over his last nine starts including a 5th at the Memorial Tournament, and while he lacks experience at this tournament, it should be right up his alley given his strong short game. Shriners Children’s Open finishes over the last five years: None.
The $7K Range
Brian Harman (Salary: DraftKings – $7.6K) – We haven’t seen Harman since the BMW Championship where he finished T29, but he put up a lot of teen finishes and better last season, and if he gets back his great putting stroke this week, then he should do quite well. His track record at this tournament is solid with three top 18’s in as many starts over the past five years, and I can see him getting his 2021-2022 campaign off to a great start this week. Shriners Children’s Open finishes over the last five years: 2020 – T13, 2019 – T18, and 2016 – T15.
Mito Pereira (Salary: DraftKings – $7.8K) – The only thing holding back Pereira from a top 10 last week was a cold putter as he lost 4.70 strokes on the greens and settled for a T31. Prior to last week, however, his putting was fine and he had four top 6’s in six starts including a solo 3rd at the Fortinet Championship two starts ago. He’s so solid off the tee, in approach, and even around the green he has gained strokes in six straight events that had shot tracker technologies in place, so as long as he’s decent with the flat stick this week, he should be in the mix to finish top 10. Shriners Children’s Open finishes over the last five years: None.
Maverick McNealy (Salary: DraftKings – $7.7K) – McNealy has really taken off since late May with eight top 30’s in his last nine starts including a solo 2nd at the Fortinet Championship in his most recent start just three weeks or so ago where he gained strokes across the board. He’s a really good putter, and I’m a tad surprised that he has missed two cuts here in three starts, but his game is at a new level now and you shouldn’t judge him based on past years when he was young and figuring out the PGA Tour. Shriners Children’s Open finishes over the last five years: 2020 – Cut, 2019 – T37, and 2017 – Cut.
The $6K Range
Denny McCarthy (Salary: DraftKings – $6.7K) – McCarthy is often a magical putter, but hasn’t been quite as good in that stat category since July, but has gained three times in his last five outings including 5.65 at the Wyndham Championship four starts ago when he finished T15 and he gained 3.58 last week en route to a T17. He seems to be finding his path to success again now and does have two top 15’s here over the past three years. Shriners Children’s Open finishes over the last five years: 2020 – T57, 2019 – T9, 2018 – T15, and 2017 – Cut.
Peter Malnati (Salary: DraftKings – $6.5K) – He went through a brutal stretch of play where he only made three cut lines in ten starts, but he has made three straight cuts including a T47 at THE NORTHERN TRUST and he had a T22 two starts ago at the Fortinet Championship. I have to admit it though – he likely wouldn’t be on my list if he didn’t have good results at this tournament including a T5 last year and he has three top 32’s over the last four years. The $6K range is weak this week, but Malnati should be looked at as an option for stars and scrubs and hybrid lineups, as well. Shriners Children’s Open finishes over the last five years: 2020 – T5, 2019 – Cut, 2018 – T15, 2017 – T32, and 2016 – Cut.
Hayden Buckley (Salary: DraftKings – $6.7K) – If you’re looking for high risk/high reward players down low, then check out Buckley as he finished T4 last week and he gained across the board including 5.08 strokes on the greens. Last week’s high finish could be an outlier, but don’t be shy to toss him into a lineup or two if you want some potential punch from a scrub player – plus not many $6K players this week are poppers, so put him on your shortlist. Shriners Children’s Open finishes over the last five years: None.
