Tag Archives: Golf

Oakmont Country Club – Par 70 – 7,257 Yards

It’s Millionaire Maker Week so this week we will focus on GPP plays and strategy for trying to separate yourself and win BIG money.  With over 200K entries you are going to have to find a player or two that is low owned and will finish pretty high and have 6/6 players make the cut.  To get a good idea who some low owned players may be I would suggest listening to a few DFS Podcasts and perusing the internet and looking for US Open DraftKings DFS picks.   Make some notes do some stats research and see if you can find that guy that no one is talking about that fits your stat requirements.

Onto the tournament.  Oakmont Country club last hosted the US Open in 2007 when Angel Cabrera shot a 1-under 69 on the final day to come back from 4 behind Aaron Baddeley and hold off Jim Furyk and “Sunday” Tiger Woods down the stretch. “El Pato” Cabrera ended up winning with a total 285 / 5 over.    The course itself has 209 bunkers which includes the famous Church pew style bunkers that run between the 3rd and 4th holes and down the 15th fairway. Many of the remaining bunkers are very deep and will require players just to get out of the bunker and not go at the green.  Also you are going to see more shots from the wrong fairway than you normally do due to the fact the course is pretty open and not many trees to divide the fairways.  You can be sure the rough will be brutal and there will be many shots hit from the rough that will travel short distances.  After the players navigate their way to the greens it isn’t going to get any easier.  In-fact it will probably get more difficult.  The greens will run 14-15 on the stimpmeter so it is fitting that Oakmont is where the stimpmeter was first thought up.   When you get down to it this week is going to be about survival.  We may see a 90 + this week!

Stats to Focus on this week – Driving Accuracy (DA), Bogey Avoidance (BA), Strokes Gained Tee to Green (SGT2G), Par 4 scoring, Strokes gained putting (SGP), 3 putt avoidance, Scrambling

 

 

 

 

10,000+

Rickie Fowler $10,700 –  Fowler’s ownership #’s may be lower than usual coming off of 2 MC’s in a row.  I think what Rickie has going for him this US Open is the fact that he is not being touted as a potential winner.  Rickie played well in all of the Majors in 2014 when expectations were not nearly as high but by the time 2015 came around he was being hyped big time.  He ended up missing the cut last years US Open at Chambers Bay.  Rickie has the stats to fit what it will most likely take to win the US Open.  He ranks #1 in BA, #2 in par 4 scoring, #4 in SGT2G, #19 in Scrambling.  I’m hoping he learned something at the Masters this year and may ease off trying to ram the ball into the back of the hole, if he does this I think he has a legit chance to win in 2016 and add his name to the list of great players to win at Oakmont.

 

$8,000 – $9,900

Brandt Snedeker –  Sneds is a grinder type player as is evidenced by his recent US Open finishes. His last 4 have resulted in top 17 or better finishes with the last two being top 10 finishes.  Coming into these last 4 US Opens Snedeker had not been on any sort of substantial consecutive cut roll, no different than this year.  Hopefully people will fail to notice this fact and overlook him a bit due to his recent form.  I see several names in his price range that could draw more attention (Oosthuizen, Koepka, Reed, and Furyk).  Snedeker ranks in the top 15 in BA, Par 4 scoring, and Scrambling.  If he can keep the ball in the fairway and get his pop-shot putter rolling another Top 10 is a real possibility.

$7,900 -$6,500

Martin Kaymer $7,600 –  Two years ago Kaymer ran away with the US Open. He was a master of using his putter from off the greens and he kept the ball in the fairway pretty regularly.  Then last year while competing as the defending champ he ended up with a MC.  Kaymer has not played much here in the states this year which should keep him off of most people’s radar. But when you look at his play recently in Europe, albeit against lesser talent overall he has recorded 3 straight Top 10’s.  His driving accuracy #’s do not suggest a guy who is overly accurate but when the German gets his swing righted he can be as accurate as anyone on tour for a stretch of 4 days.  Honestly he doesn’t have a bunch of stats that scream pick me, but he has been making cuts consistently for the last 3+ months.  At the price he is listed at he will make a good contrarian play to Charl Schwartzel who is likely to be owned a a much greater %.  Kaymer has won big tournaments in the past and he fits the mold of guys who will most likely be under owned with winning upside.

$6500 and below

David Toms $6,300-   He has made 7 of his last 8 cuts on tour which only includes one top 20 a 14th place finish at RBC Heritage.  That being said 5 of his other cuts made have resulted in finishes ranging from 25th-39th.  Not bad for a guy who be eligible for the Senior Tour in 6 months.  I know it was almost 10 years ago when the US Open was last played at Oakmont but that year Toms finished T5 so that has to count for something.  He is ranked 16th on tour in scrambling and 21st in driving accuracy 38th in Par 4 scoring and 40th in Bogey avoidance.  At $6300 making the cut and eking out a top 25 could be large for you.  Not saying he should be a GPP Staple but I think he will be overlooked and could provide solid value.

 

 

Good luck to all this week!

 

FedEx St. Jude Classic PGA Draftkings Picks

June 9 – June 12

Gabe D

 

Salary $9,000+  :

 

Brooks Koepka: ($11,000)

All three options at the top seem like great plays, have the course history and stats that fit the bill, but the other two options seem to have more risk.. Dustin Johnson withdrew from this event last year after starting the first round with three straight bogeys. He was apparently “sick”. Mickelson hasn’t been shaky as of late, however, his  Par 4 Scoring ranking is not the best at 91st. That leaves me left with Koepka in the 11k range, and his current form, course history and stats all line up. In the past couple years, Koepka has competed at this course twice and he has a T19 and a T3. He is definitely a solid pick heading into the weekend.

 

Salary $7,000 – $9,000:

Chad Campbell: ($7,800)

 

Campbell has been on fire lately as he has had back to back top 15 performances. This puts him up to five Top 25’s this year. The slight concern is that he has missed 7 cuts this year, however, in the past five years at this event, he has made the cut all five times including a T8 last year, and a T3 in 2012. Overall, Campbell is a solid pick for GPP lineups this weekend.

 

Tim Wilkinson: ($7,200)

Wilkinson is a top value on the board again this week. The 37-year-old lefty is having a career year with 8/10 cuts made and three Top 25s. He’s also chasing a spot on New Zealand’s Olympic team, so there’s added incentive for Wilkinson to keep performing at this level. We love his fit for this course; he ranks 5th in Par 4 Scoring, 8th in proximity and 3rd in scrambling on the PGA Tour this season. Additionally, his past results at this event are decent as he has finished T45, T32 in his past two years. At a price like this, Wilkinson is definitely going to be one of the highest owned golfers this weekend, but his recent statistics are too good to fade.

 

Salary < $7,000:

Alex Cejka: ($6,700)

Here is another guy who has extremely solid stats that do not compare to the guys in his price range. Alex Cejka ranks third in my weight stat ranking, lead by his stroke gained on approaches (18th), par 4 scoring average (23rd), birdie or better percentage (27th) and scrambling (26th). Stats alone, Cejka has value play written all over him. He was a T22 at this event last year. Expect him to make the cut and finish in the top 50.

TPC Southwind – Par 70 – 7,244 Yards

2015 Champion – Fabian Gomez

 

This week I will be again focusing on Cash Tournaments. Due to the US Open being played next week we are getting a subpar field this week.  The result is overpriced golfers, some of whom you may have to pay up for even if it makes you feel wrong for doing so.  I think there is a real possibility that even if you lose a guy or two on Friday evening you may be able to cash still.

The course this week is TPC Southwind located in Memphis, TN.  It is hosted by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital so if you cash big this week maybe you will be generous enough to donate a little of those winnings to help fund their research.  As far as the course goes there is a fair share of water on the course and will penalize errant tee and approach shots. The weather doesn’t look like it will be too much of an issue outside of the fact that it is going to +90 degrees Fahrenheit and pretty humid so take that as you will.

Stats to Focus on this week – Strokes Gained Tee to Green (SGT2G), Birdie or Better Percentage (BoB%) , Good Drive Percentage (GD%), Strokes Gained Putting (SGP) , Proximity ,  Prox 150-175  , Prox 175-200

10,000+

Ryan Palmer $10,800 –  Palmer comes in streaking.  Making 13/14 cuts and 5/8 here with 3 tops tens (also has made 4 straight here).   He ranks 18th in BOB% , 28th SGT2G, 31st in proximity from 175-200 yds and 40th in overall proximity.  His last time out he finished 3rd at the Colonial.  Palmer is going to head my Cash lineups this week.

GPP Options-  Phil Mickelson $11,300 ,  Brooks Koepka $$11,100

$8,000 – $9,900

David Hearn  $8,400 –  The Canuck has made 5 of his last 6 cuts and is 4/5 at TPC Southwind.  He appears to be improving with his putting after shedding the long putter that he had previously used.  He is #1 overall in proximity and ranks 22nd from 150-175 yds and 23rd from 175-200 yds, the two most common approach distances on this course.  He will not be hurt by the fact that he ranks 14th in GD%.  Plug in Hearn and make that $$.

GPP Options- Harris English $9,900 , Graeme McDowell $8,200 , Francisco Molinari $8,100,  Boo Weekley $8,000

$7,900 and below

Chad Campbell  $7,800 –  He has made his last 3 cuts on the tour which included a 10th and 12th place finish.  He is also 6/8 at TPC Southwind. Currently he ranks  27th in SGT2G , 52nd in GD%  and 66th in 150-175.  This is a play mainly based on current form and course history more so than a stat fit.

Retief Goosen $7,600 –  Retief has made 10 straight cuts entering this event and is 5/7 at TPC Southwind.   He ranks 25th in SGP , 25th in proximity from 150-175 yds and 35th from 175-200 yds.  Goosen most likely isn’t going to go out and challenge for the top of the leaderboard but odds are pretty good he will make the cut and score a Top 25 finish.

 

GPP Options-  Will Wilcox $7,400 ,  Scott Stallings $7,100 , Robert Garrigus $7,000 , Ben Crane $7,000 , Camilo Villegas $6,900 ,  John Merrick $6,200 ,  Arjun Atwal $6,000

 

Follow me on Twitter

@wedge2424

Dean and Deluca Invitational – Fantasy Picks

Colonial Country Club –  7,204 yards Par 70

2015 Winner – Chris Kirk

Follow me on Twitter @wedge2424

Let me know you read this here and I’ll answer any questions you may have about PGA DK DFS

 

This is only my 2nd week doing a DraftKings PGA write up so I’m going to try something different than last time.  This week’s write up will focus on Cash games with some names in each Tier you may want to consider for GPP’s.  The course this week is a Par 70 so there are going to be some bonuses handed out for all 4 rounds under 70 this weekend.  This course rewards accuracy over length, and has smaller than average and flat greens.  The field is about 30 players smaller than normal so there will be a premium on getting at least 5 of 6 players through to the weekend in cash games.

 

Stats to consider: SGT2G=Stroke Gained Tee to Green, BoB%=Birdie or Better Percentage, Par 4 Scoring, Scrambling, SGP=Strokes gained putting, Driving Accuracy, Bogey Avoidance

 

Top Tier  ($10,000+)

Matt Kuchar $11,000 –  If you wanted you could start every DK Cash game with Kuchar.  He has missed only 2 cuts in the last 2 calendar years.  He has posted back to back Top 3’s and has 3 top 10’s in his last four tournaments.  He is top 25 on the tour in SGT2G, BoB%, Par 4 Scoring, Bogey avoidance, scrambling and….well you get the idea. Start your Cash game lineup with him with confidence.

 

GPP OptionsAdam Scott $11,300  |  Patrick Reed $10,000

Middle Tier   ($9,900 – $8,000)

Kevin Na $9,200 –  Made 4 of last 5 cuts and his MC was an on the number cut.  9 of 11 at Colonial with 3 top 10’s, his most recent being last year.  Number 2 in Par 4 scoring, 19th in scrambling, 22nd in BoB%, 23rd in Bogey avoidance.  Look for Na to bounce back after his MC at the Players, play him with confidence.

 

Danny Lee $8,800 –  Starting to round into form as is evident by his 4 straight cuts made.  2 for 2 at Colonial with a T10 last year.  This year he is 25th in driving accuracy,  36th in SGT2G , 23rd in SGP and  27th on tour in BoB%.  Top 15 upside with a high floor=CASH GAME PLEA$E.

 

GPP Options:  Kevin Chappell  $9,600  |   Charl Schwartzel $9,000  |  Colt Knost $8,300  | Ryan Palmer $8,100

 

 

Lower Tier ($7,900 and below)

William McGirt $7,000 – Solid current form with 4 straight cuts made.  Has made 4 of his 5 cuts at Colonial.  Top 35 in SGT2G, Bogey avoidance, Par 4 scoring and Driving accuracy.  Dirt McGirt probably isn’t going to challenge for a victory on Sunday but he should be playing on Sunday and a Top 25 is a real possibility.

David Hearn $6,400 –  3 of last 4 cuts made and 4 of last 5 at Colonial with 2 top 25’s.   Even after the switch from the long putter Hearn still ranks 27th in SGP.  Ranks 26th in driving accuracy and is 4th in approach distance.

GPP Options:  Marc Leishman $7,800 | Bryce Molder $7,100 | Daniel Summerhays $7,000 | Adam Hadwin $6,600  |  Chris Stroud  $6,500 | Johnson Wager $5,800

 

 

Daily Fantasy Golf Weekly Picks – TPC Four Seasons

Course- TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas Par 70 – 7,167 yards

Steven Bowditch is back to the site of his 2nd PGA tour victory and the location he celebrated his wedding in 2011 TPC. This week we have over 100 players priced at or below $6900. So we need to find some guys that stand out in one or two key stats.
Weighted Stats : SGT2G, SGP, 150-175 yds , Driving Distance, BoB%

$10,000 +
Dustin Johnson, $11,900- DJ will look to continue his streak of winning at least 1 tournament in every season since 2008 this week. He owns the longest active cut made steak on tour at 18. Shockingly as it may seem, he is 37th on the tour with .380 SGP. Last year he posted a SGP 1.340 here at TPC Four Seasons. Also ranks 3rd in BoB% and not suprisingly 4th in Driving distance.
Matt Kuchar , $10,500- Kuuuuch is 7 for 7 here. Owns 2 top 10’s in his last 3 PGA starts . He is 19th on the tour in SGT2G, and 39th in BoB%. He needs to putt better than he has this year to make him worth the investment. I believe that he will.
$8000-$9,900
Ryan Palmer $8,900 – The Texas native has made his last 5 cuts here including 3 top 10’s. He ranks 19th in BoB%, and 11th in Driving Distance. When he gets his putter going he is not afraid to go low, something that you have to do to win here. 10 of the last 16 tournament winners have broken 7 all 4 rounds.

Gary Woodland $8,500– Last year he had a hole in one on a Par 4, well it was initially a par 4 until the PGA had to change the hole to a Par 3 due to half the fairway being under water. This made 2015’s edition the first PGA Tour event to play to a listed par of under 70 (69). Woodland is 18th in SGT2G , 3rd in Driving distance and 3rd in proximity from 150-175 yds. Just needs to have the putter co-operate and he could be in line for a big week.

$6000- $7900
Jonas Blixt $7,700- Yeah I know, this guy is a lineup killer. I think it’s a good week to use that fact to your advantage. He is 31st in BoB% and is 12th in SGP. He posted a 3rd here in 2012 to go along with a 30 last year. Has made 5 of his last 6 cuts with 3 top 30’s.

Tim Wilkinson $6,800- Has made 4 straight cuts heading into Irvine TX with a season best T11 2 weeks ago at Quail Hollow. 9th in SGP and 1st in scrambling and 6th on the tour on Par 4’s . All 5’8” and 155 lbs of him are in line to make the cut and secure a Top 25 finish.
Under $6K flyers to consider
Rod Pampling $5,700- T22 here last year and 4oth in BoB%
Brice Garnett $5,700- 25th in SGP 49th in BoB%

 

Follow the author on Twitter: @wedge2424