When filling out a DraftKings lineup, picking among the favorites is a fairly safe proposition. It’s when you have to choose between a pool of golfers down the line is where you make or break your chance to win big.
Here’s the critical decisions you’ll face as you fill out your DraftKings lineup this weekend:
Golfers Valued $8,000-$8,900
- Branden Grace – $8,900
- Shane Lowry – $8,800
- Adam Hadwin – $8,700
- Matthew Fitzpatrick – $8,600
- Sungjae Im – $8,400
- Rafa Cabrera-Bello – $8,300
- Brandt Snedeker – $8,200
- Russell Knox – $8,100
- Cameron Champ – $8,000
The three golfers in this group that I like this week are Matthew Fitzpatrick, Sungjae Im and Brandt Snedeker. Matthew Fitzpatrick routinely shines on the European Tour but struggles when he travels over the pond to play in the United States. This is his first time playing Pebble Beach as a professional and while that might be seen as a negative, he should fit right in at a place that values good putting and short game – the strengths of his game. He’s also played well at Harbour Town, another short track where better putters and scramblers usually fare better than those who aren’t. He’s played well of late on the European Tour, ranking 8th in Strokes Gained – Putting and 4th in Par 4 Scoring, and if his continues his good ball-striking then he could be an overlooked solid option for your lineup.
Sungjae Im’s remarkable rookie season continued last week at TPC Scottsdale when he notched his second Top 10 of the season. So far this year he’s averaged 0.84 Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green and has recorded positive Strokes Gained – Putting in five of eight events. He’s also putted well on slower surfaces this year, averaging 1.5 Strokes Gained – Putting on the slow Poa Annua greens of the Safeway Open and 0.80 Strokes Gained on the slow bermuda greens of the Desert Classic. He’s played a ton of golf lately and there’s the possibility he could hit the rookie wall, but I’ll continue to ride his solid play until he busts.
Brandt Snedeker will likely be a popular play in DraftKings this weekend due to his solid history at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Snedeker hasn’t missed a cut at the event since 2014 and has four Top 20 finishes in his last six starts, including a pair of wins in 2013 and 2015. While he’s been up and down for the last year, Snedeker tends to rise to the occasion during poor weather tournaments like we’ll see this weekend in Monterey. Snedeker has also been rolling the rock well, ranking 17th on tour in Strokes Gained – Putting. While I don’t forsee another win in his future, he should be a valuable asset to your DraftKings lineup this weekend.
Golfers Valued $7,500 – $7,900
- J.B. Holmes – $7,900
- Andrew Putnam – $7,900
- Scott Piercy – $7,800
- Kevin Kisner – $7,800
- Lucas Glover – $7,700
- Russell Henley – $7,600
- Doug Ghim – $7,500
- Dylan Frittelli – $7,500
- Nick Watney – $7,500
- Charley Hoffman – $7,500
There’s not a lot to get excited about anyone on this list, but the guys who pique my interest the most are Andrew Putnam and Dylan Frittelli. A lot of Putnam’s stats has been inflated by an outstanding performance at the Sony Open and he was pretty miserable last week. But so far this year he’s putted best on slower surfaces like those he’ll face in the event, and he’s improved on his sand saves in 2019. As the missed cut last week might depress his ownership percentages a bit, that might present a good buy low opportunity for him.
Dylan Frittelli has yet to really make his mark on the PGA Tour after a successful European Tour career, but he’s made cuts at a fairly high rate and has demonstrated some good ball-striking and scrambling so far in 2019. He’ll have to be better with the flatstick if he wants to make it to Sunday, but after three mediocre putting performances in ShotLink measured events at the Safeway, Sanderson Farms and the Sony Open he ranked 25th in the field and averaged 1.43 Strokes Gained on the slow greens of the Desert Classic. He won’t be the flashiest member of your lineup, but he could be a useful low-owned member of it by the end of the weekend.
Bottom of the Barrel (Golfers <$7,500)
Chesson Hadley – $7,100: Chesson has been a little up and down with his ball-striking, but has still managed to follow up a solid 2018 season by ranking 42nd in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green in 2019. And though he only ranks 70th in Strokes Gained – Putting in 2019, that’s dragged down by a really bad performance at the Desert Classic. Otherwise, he putted very well at the Shriners Open, the RSM, the Farmers Insurance Open and last week at the Waste Management. His T20 finish last week might make him a little more popular in DraftKings, but that won’t stop me from utilizing him in lineups.
Scott Brown – $6,900: Brown’s about as milquetoast as a PGA Tour professional can be. But he’s made the cut in four of his last five starts, including an impressive T9 at the Farmers Insurance Open two weeks ago. He also is having a fine season so far in 2019 ranking 35th in Strokes Gained – Putting and 64th in Sand Save %. His good performance at the Farmers might have escaped the memory banks of DraftKings participants this week, so his ownership % might be lower than you’d expect.
