For those who love Golf DFS, Christmas has arrived. Masters Week is finally here! This week feels like a gift after grinding and handicapping random PGA Tour events like last week’s Valero Texas Open. This is the week when all casual golf fans come out of the woodwork and give their undivided attention to professional golf.
The Masters always seems to deliver. Historic wins, elite fields, and a spectacular course make for must-watch television all week. And this year is ripe with storylines. A Tiger Woods comeback? Rory’s career grand slam in play? Will JT, Rahm or Xander win their first Green Jacket?
Augusta National has proven to be a place where course history and experience matters. Here are the number of starts at Augusta National that the past five champions had prior to their victory:
- 2021: Hideki Matsuyama – 10
- 2020: Dustin Johnson – 11
- 2019: Tiger Woods – 23
- 2018: Patrick Reed – 5
- 2017: Sergio Garcia
Some changes have been made to Augusta National over the past year. The 11th and 15th holes will play longer and more difficult in 2022. That, along with recent weather conditions, is likely to make this one of the longest Masters ever. Length is proven to have a definitive edge at Augusta National. I expect that to be important again this week.
Augusta is also known for its blistering fast and undulating bent grass greens. Although greens books are now banned on the PGA Tour, they were never allowed at this event. That is another reason why experience on these greens are as important as ever. Another thing to keep an eye on is that historically bad putters have won this event. Hideki, Sergio, and Adam Scott come to mind in this category.
Without further ado, let’s get into my favorite DFS plays for the 2022 Masters.
2022 Masters DFS – $10,000 + Range
Dustin Johnson $10,500
The 2020 Masters Champion is due for another high finish and is the best DFS play in this range. It was not that long ago when we saw Dustin Johnson set the new Masters scoring record en route to his first Green Jacket. Johnson has some of the best course history of anyone in the field this week.
From 2015 to 2020, he never finished worse than 10th at The Masters. This includes a win and three Top 4 finishes. Another reason to back DJ is that he is rounding into form. DJ came in 10th at the Players Championship, tying the course record on Sunday. He then backed that up with a 4th place finish at the WGC-Match Play while taking out top competitors.
I expect JT, Rahm, and Rory to garner a lot of ownership this week. I project DJ to come in around 16% ownership. That level of ownership is optimal for our DFS lineups at the 2022 Masters.
2022 Masters DFS – $9,000 Range
Will Zalatoris $9,200
Will Zalatoris will win a Green Jacket at some point in his career. Let’s hope it is this week. This 26-year old is unequivocally one of the best tee-to-green players on the PGA Tour. Over the past three months, he ranks only second to Jon Rahm in ball striking.
Will Zalatoris put a new putter in the bag at the WGC-Match Play. The switch paid dividends immediately. It helped Zalatoris win his group and advance to the Quarterfinals. I like him to continue the momentum this week. It is no secret that he struggles with the flat stick. However, this was not the case last year. At the 2021 Masters, Zalatoris had one of the best putting performances of his career. He gained 1.22 strokes per round on the greens at the 2021 Masters. These fast bent grass greens seem to favor sub-par putters. He should take advantage of that again.
Zalatoris has contended several times in 2022 despite a balky putter. If he can combine an average putting week with his typical ball-striking, Hideki Matsuyama will slip the Green Jacket onto Will Zalatoris. Zalatoris is a great DFS play for the 2022 Masters.
2022 Masters DFS – $8,000 Range
Shane Lowry $8,700
If you are a fan of my articles, you know that I love Shane Lowry. Shane Lowry has been a staple of my Golf DFS lineups because he is on a spectacular run. In his last three start, he has gained 10.1, 5.7, and 6.8 strokes tee-to-green. These are absolutely insane numbers.
Lowry is also a golfer that has shown that he can win big events. He won the 2019 Open Championship and the 2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. He is no stranger to a pressure-packed win. The knock on Lowry is his middling results at Augusta National. In six starts, he has failed to crack the Top 20. However, Lowry was never coming in this great of form. Maybe 2022 will be different.
The weather also might be in Lowry’s favor. Reports this week show cold temperatures and heavy winds. That will always favor a past Open Champion. Play Shane Lowry in your DFS lineup at the 2022 Masters. You won’t regret it.
2022 Masters DFS – $7,000 Range
Marc Leishman $7,300
The 7K range is where your lineups are going to be won and lost this week. It is consistently proven to be an extremely important range in winning GPPs and being profitable in DFS. My favorite Golf DFS 7K play at the 2022 Masters is Marc Leishman.
I except Russell Henley, Matthew Fitzpatrick, and Corey Conners to garner an extraordinary amount of ownership this week. This leaves Marc Leishman as the pivot play. He has tremendous course history at Augusta National. He finished Top 5 at the 2021 Masters and nearly won the 2013 tournament too. Leishman is known for his incredible short game. That is vital to success at Augusta National. Marc is proven to excel in windy conditions. I love that aspect of his game this week.
Experience at The Masters has always proven to be important. As referenced earlier, Marc has four Top 13 finishes at this event. I expect another one this week. There might be some concerns about his recent form. But despite poor form leading into the 2021 Masters, he still rose to the occasion. I have little concern for Leishman this week. Use him in your DFS lineup at the 2022 Masters.
2022 Masters DFS – $6,000 Range
Brian Harman $6,800
Left handed golfers do well at Augusta National. Brian Harman is another lefty that has shown promising results at The Masters. Brian Harman recorded his best career finish at Augusta National in 2021 with a T12 finish. He also recently finished 5th at the Valspar Championship while gaining a whopping 7.6 strokes putting.
This is a great price for someone who has shown consistent improvement at the Masters and is in great form. Play him in your DFS lineup at the 2022 Masters.
Optimal Lineup:
Dustin Johnson $10,800
Will Zalatoris $9,200
Shane Lowry $8,700
Marc Leishman $7,200
Si Woo Kim $7,100
Brian Harman $6,800
