John McNutt

PGA DFS Course Preview: The Masters

The Masters week is finally here! We have FULL coverage of the biggest PGA DFS Tournament of the year coming your way, starting out with the course preview of Augusta National from a DFS Perspective. Upcoming content for Draftkings, Fanduel, & Yahoo for both cash games & GPP!

The author of this article may play in Daily Fantasy Contests using these picks and picks not mentioned in this article. It is also possible that the author may change their opinion on some of the picks listed based on new information not available during writing. These are recommendations meant to assist, but are not guarantees. If you have any questions, please contact us.

FSI PGA DFS preview

ZOZO Championship @ Sherwood

Course Preview:

This week the PGA Tour heads to Thousand Oaks, California for the re-located ZOZO Championship.  The Sherwood Country Club will play host after the pandemic caused the Tour to re-work the schedule and move this event from Japan to the U.S.  This course is no stranger to the PGA Tour, having hosted the Hero World Challenge from 2000 through 2013.  Golfers will be facing a 7,100 yard, par 72, Jack Nicklaus design with bentgrass greens.

The ZOZO Championship is a no cut event with 78 golfers this year.  Many of the world’s best golfers will be competing including Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, and Rory McIlroy.  We will also get to see the 2019 winner, Tiger Woods, and last week’s winner, Jason Kokrak.

This week we will be focusing on the best ball strikers in our stat models with a premium on approach.  We expect the winning score to be around 16 under, so we are targeting birdie makers as well.  The course features 5 par 5s and 5 par 3s, so we will add par 5 and par 3 scoring to the model.  Other stats that we will be reviewing include T2G and putting on bentgrass.

Field Size:           78

Cut/No-Cut        NO CUT

2019 Top 5:

-19 Tiger Woods

-16 Hideki Matsuyama

-13 Sungjae Im

-13 Rory McIlroy

-12 Gary Woodland

Initial players we are focusing on:

• Jon Rahm: Rahm has only played 2 events in the new PGA Tour season, but he did get warmed up last week at the CJ Cup with a 17^th place finish.  He is one of the most consistent golfers on tour and hasn’t missed a cut since the Charles Schwab in June.  Over his last 36 rounds, Rahm ranks 3^rd on par 5 scoring, 2^nd GIR, 3^rd T2G and 6^th ball striking.
• Xander Schauffele: Xander is one of the hottest golfers on tour right now with three straight top 5s including 5^th at the U.S. Open and 2^nd at the TOUR Championship.  Over his last 36 rounds, Xander ranks 1^st in par 5 scoring, 5^th T2G, and 5^th birdie or better percentage.  We think a win is coming soon for Xander as he has finished runner-up six times since his last win at the 2019 tournament of champions.
• Matthew Fitzpatrick: Fitzpatrick recently finished 2^nd place at the EURO Tour’s BMW PGA Championship.  He also tends to play very well at no cut events finishing 12 at the CJ Cup and 6^th at the WGC – St. Jude earlier this year.  Over his last 36 rounds, Fitzpatrick ranks 11^th in birdie or better percentage and 15^th in GIR as well as 1^st in putting.
• Russell Henley: Henley has quietly been playing some great golf lately with 5 straight top 30 finishes including 3 top 10s.  Although the putter carried him last week, he has been gaining strokes in all categories over his past 10 events.  Over the last 36 rounds, Henley ranks 3^rd ball striking, 4th GIR and 4th T2G.
  

Others to consider:

Tyrrell Hatton, Collin Morikawa, Webb Simpson, Matthew Wolff, Jason Kokrak.

The author of this article may play in Daily Fantasy Contests using these picks and picks not mentioned in this article. It is also possible that the author may change their opinion on some of the picks listed based on new information not available during writing. These are recommendations meant to assist, but are not guarantees. If you have any questions, please contact us.

PGA DFS preview

Sanderson Farms Championship

Course Preview:

The PGA Tour heads back to the states to the Country Club of Jackson in Jackson, Mississippi for this year’s edition of the Sanderson Farms Championship.  CC of Jackson is a 7,400 yard par 72 with fast bermuda grass greens.  The fairways are harder to hit this week, but with short rough we are expecting another birdie fest.  Previous winners have finished around -19 the past few seasons with the cut between even par and 2 under.

Each of the last 6 winners of the Sanderson Farms Championship were first time winners on tour.  With all of the young talent in the field including some of the Korn Ferry Tour’s best, we could see the same this year.  Some veterans who plan to spoil this trend include Sergio Garcia, Zach Johnson, and the young, but very experienced Sungjae Im.  Im finished runner-up at Sanderson Farms last year, losing in a playoff to Sebastian Munoz.

Stats we are focusing on this week: T2G, BS, Bermuda putting, GIR, Birdie or better, SG par 5s, Driving Distance/Good Drives gained.

Field Size:           144

Cut/No-Cut        Top 65 + Ties

2019 Top 5:

-18 Sebastian Munoz (win in playoff)

-18 Sungjae Im

-17 Byeong Hun An

-16 Kevin Streelman

-16 Carlos Ortiz

Last 5 winners:

2019 -18 Sebastian Munoz

2018 -21 Cameron Champ

2017 -19 Ryan Armour

2016 -20 Cody Gribble

2015 -18 Peter Malnati

Initial players we are focusing on:

• Will Zalatoris: Last week was another great showing for the Korn Ferry Tour pro, finishing T8.  That is back-to-back top 10 finishes which has earned him an invitation to this week’s Sanderson Farms.  At Corales Puntacana, Zalatoris was top 5 in driving distance, top 10 GIR, and led the field in scrambling.  Over his last 24 rounds, Zalatoris ranks #1 GIR, #1 good drives gained and #4 birdie or better.
• Scottie Scheffler: Scheffler missed out on the last couple events including the U.S. Open after testing positive for COVID-19.  He has passed the PGA Tour’s protocol and is set to make his third start in Jackson.  Scheffler finished 16^th last year and 45^th in 2018.  Prior to his positive test, Scheffler was one of the hottest golfers on tour finishing top 5 in 3 of his last four events including the PGA Championship and TOUR Championship.  Over the last 24 rounds, Scheffler ranks top 10 in T2G, Ball Striking, Birdie or Better, GIR, and par 5 scoring.
• Cameron Percy: Percy has made 5/6 cuts at this event including two top 10 finishes.  He had a great finish last week at the Corales Puntacana playing -5 on Sunday to move up to T8 for the week.  Percy was 4^th in GIR last week as well.  Percy does most of his work off the tee which is critical this week.  We have been playing Percy for a few weeks now and we don’t plan to jump off him this week.
• Carlos Ortiz: Ortiz is a course horse having finished T4 last year and T3 in 2018.  He finished 25^th at the BMW in August and followed that up with 46^th at the Safeway Open.  Ortiz gains the most strokes on these easy courses where scoring is low.  At the Sanderson Farms Championship last year, Ortiz ranked 3^rd in T2G, 2^nd off the tee, and 6^th

Others to consider:

Sam Burns, Sungjae Im, Doc Redman, Cameron Davis, Jhonattan Vegas

The author of this article may play in Daily Fantasy Contests using these picks and picks not mentioned in this article. It is also possible that the author may change their opinion on some of the picks listed based on new information not available during writing. These are recommendations meant to assist, but are not guarantees. If you have any questions, please contact us.

FSI’s PGA DFS preview

Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship

Course Preview:

After a brutally difficult U.S. Open, the PGA TOUR is headed to the Dominican Republic for this year’s Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship.  Low scores will be much easier this week, as we have seen the winner each of the past two years shoot 18 under par.  The biggest difference this year is that Corales Puntacana is no longer an alternate event, instead golfers will be competing for full FedExCup points.  The Corales Golf Course is a long 7,600 yard, par 72, with paspalum grass greens.

This week’s field of golfers is not strong as the game’s best are taking a rest after the grueling U.S. Open.  One golfer that has the golfing community talking is Korn Ferry Tour pro, Will Zalatoris.  Zalatoris has been playing extremely well on the Korn Ferry Tour this past year and finished T6 at this past week’s U.S. Open.  Although there is a lot of hype surrounding his ability and future on tour, he currently does not have his PGA Tour card and has not qualified for most of this season’s events.  Other top golfers in this week’s field include the 2019 winner Graeme McDowell, 2019 runner-up Mackenzie Hughes, and Corey Conners.

The Corales Golf Course is a long course with easy to hit fairways, short rough and lots of water hazards.  We will be targeting golfers who are long off the tee, as the extra distance should give them an advantage this week. With scores expected to go low, we will be adding birdie or better percentage to our models.  The four par 5s are the easiest holes on the course, so shots gained on par 5s will be important to factor in this week.  Stats: Ball Striking, T2G, Good Drives Gained, GIR, SG Par 5s, Birdie or Better percentage.

Field Size:           144

Cut/No-Cut        Top 65 + ties

2019 Top 5:

-18 Graeme McDowell

-17 Chris Stroud

-17 Mackenzie Hughes

-16 Jonathan Byrd

-15 Kelly Kraft

-15 Chip McDaniel

Previous winners:

2019 -18 Graeme McDowell

2018 -18 Brice Garnett

2017 -20 Nate Lashley (Web.com Tour)

2016 -24 Dominic Bozzelli (Web.com Tour)

Initial players we are focusing on:

• Will Zalatoris: We were not shy about selecting Zalatoris last week at the U.S. Open and we will not miss out this week either.  Over the last 36 rounds, he ranks 5^th in ball striking, 7^th in approach, 6^th T2G, and 2^nd in GIR. His last 5 events, including the U.S. Open, he finished T18, T5, T19, T2 and T6 (U.S. Open).
• Corey Conners: Our stat model absolutely loves Conners this week.  Over the last 36 rounds, Conners ranks 1^st in ball striking, 1^st in Good Drives Gained, 1^st T2G, 3^rd on approach, and 5^th on par 5 scoring.  Conners did miss the cut at this event in 2019 but finished T13 in 2018.  Although he missed the cut at the U.S. Open, he had solid performances at the BMW Championship (33^rd) and the Northern Trust (25^th).  We expect Conners to be a popular option in DFS this week.
• Emiliano Grillo: Grillo has been impressive over the past 2 months making his last 4 cuts and finishing 3^rd at the 3M Open.  He always seems to be dialed in off the tee and on approach, but the putting is not good as he can lose strokes in bunches.  Over his last 36 rounds, Grillo ranks 5^th on approach, 2^nd ball striking, 6^th T2G, and 133^rd
• Jhonattan Vegas: Vegas finished 26^th at this event in 2019 and he is one of the elite ball strikers in this week’s field.  Over the last 36 rounds, Vegas ranks 8^th in ball striking, 12^th T2G, 13^th good drives gained, and 9^th in birdie or better percentage.  Since the pandemic stoppage he has made 4/7 cuts with two top 25 finishes.  Vegas’ strength is his off the tee and we think that can carry him up the leaderboard this week.

Others to consider:

Mackenzie Hughes, Adam Long, Henrik Norlander, Charley Hoffman, Luke List, Sam Burns, Kristoffer Ventura.

The author of this article may play in Daily Fantasy Contests using these picks and picks not mentioned in this article. It is also possible that the author may change their opinion on some of the picks listed based on new information not available during writing. These are recommendations meant to assist, but are not guarantees. If you have any questions, please contact us.

FSI’s PGA DFS Preview

U.S. Open

Course Preview:

This week is the 120^th U.S. Open Championship and golfers will head to the very difficult Winged Foot Golf Club (West Course).  Winged Foot is a 7,400 yard par 70 course located in Mamaroneck, New York.  The U.S. Open was last held at this course in 2006 with Geoff Ogilvy winning by one stroke over Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson, and Colin Montgomerie.  The main topic that is being discussed leading into the week is the length of the rough.  We expect the rough to be extremely long and very penal to golfers who miss fairways this week.  The greens are a poa/bentgrass mix.

Due to COVID-19, this year’s U.S. Open will feature a completely exempt field of 144 golfers.  Instead of the typical qualifying events, the USGA added additional exemption categories that helped to fill the field.  This means that the field from top to bottom is chalk full of the world’s best golfers.

Besides needing to be accurate off the tee, golfers will need to handle long par 3s (200+ yards) as there are 3 on the course including the 240+ yard hole #3.  The course has 7 pars 4s that are 450-500 yards so we will add shots gained at this distance to our models.  The last time the U.S. Open was held at Winged Foot, the cut was +10.  We expect conditions to be similar so we will be targeting golfers who can avoid bogeys.  Stats: Fairways gained, Approach, T2G, par 3s 200+, Par 4s 450-500, GIR, Bogey avoidance.

Field Size:           144

Cut/No-Cut        Top 60 + ties

2019 U.S. Open Top 5:

-13 Gary Woodland

-10 Brooks Koepka

-7 Jon Rahm

-7 Xander Schauffele

-7 Justin Rose

-7 Chez Reavie

Last 5 U.S. Open winners:

2019 Gary Woodland

2018 Brooks Koepka

2017 Brooks Koepka

2016 Dustin Johnson

2015 Jordan Spieth

Initial players we are focusing on:

• Dustin Johnson: There is not a golfer in better form than Johnson right now.  He is coming off a win at the TOUR Championship and has 4 straight events finishing top 2.  Johnson won the U.S. Open in 2016 and has 4 top 5 finishes in 8 tries.  Over his last 50 rounds, he ranks 9^th in ball striking, 10^th tee to green, 10^th GIR, and 17^th in bogey avoidance.
• Xander Schauffele: Schauffele always seems to show up at the top of the leader board at the U.S. Open.  In the last 3 U.S. Opens, he has finished 5^th, 6^th, and 3rd in 2019.  He is one of the most consistent golfers in the field having finished outside the top 25 just once since January.  Over his last 50 rounds, Xander ranks 1^st in bogey avoidance, 1^st in GIR, and 5^th in par 4 scoring.
• Daniel Berger: Berger is another golfer that is in great form.  Just like Schauffele, he has only finished outside the top 25 once since January.  In 5 U.S. Open appearances, Berger has missed one cut and has 1 top 10 (2018).  Over his last 50 rounds, he ranks top 10 in approach, ball striking, tee to green, and bogey avoidance.
• Paul Casey: Casey is in good form right now having finished runner-up at the last major, the PGA Championship, in August.  He followed that up with a couple solid performances in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, including a 16^th place finish in his last event, the BMW Championship.  Casey has participated in 10 U.S. Opens including the 2006 event played at Winged Foot where he finished 15^th.  Over the past 50 rounds, Casey ranks 5^th in ball striking, 5^th GIR, and 8^th in bogey avoidance.

Others to consider:

Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Webb Simpson, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Harris English

The author of this article may play in Daily Fantasy Contests using these picks and picks not mentioned in this article. It is also possible that the author may change their opinion on some of the picks listed based on new information not available during writing. These are recommendations meant to assist, but are not guarantees. If you have any questions, please contact us.

FSI’s PGA DFS Preview

Safeway Open

Course Preview:

The first event of the new PGA Tour season starts Thursday as the Silverado Resort and Spa (North Course), hosts this year’s Safeway Open.  Silverado is a 7,100 yard par 72 course in Napa, CA.  This week golfers return to firm poa grass greens along with difficult to hit fairways. The par 5 5^th hole is the easiest on the course allowing birdie to nearly the field.  Silverado also has 7 holes between 400-450 yards, so we can add shots gained at this length to our stat models this week.

This year’s Safeway Open field is highlighted by Phil Michelson, Jordan Spieth, and Sergio Garcia.  Brendan Steele also returns looking for his 3^rd career victory at Silverado.  This will be Sergio Garcia’s first Safeway Open along with Jordan Speith as they both look to improve on disappointing ends to their 2019-20 seasons.

Stats: Approach, Poa putting, Prox 200+, Tee to Green, Fairways Gained, Greens in Regulation, Ball Striking.

Field Size:           156

Cut:                       Top 65 + ties

2019 Top 5:

-17 Cameron Champ

-16 Adam Hadwin

-14 Marc Leishman

-13 Charles Howell III

-13 Justin Thomas

-13 Zac Blair

 Last 5 winners:

2019 -17 Cameron Champ

2018 -14 Kevin Tway

2017 -15 Brendan Steele

2016 -18 Brendan Steele

2015 -15 Emiliano Grillo

Initial players we are focusing on:

• Harold Varner III: Varner has a good history on this course making the cut each of the last 5 years and finishing top 20 three times including 2018 & 2019.  Over his last 50 rounds, Varner ranks 1^st ball striking, 6^th approach, 2^nd GIR, and 3^rd in proximity from 200+ yards.  Poa greens are his best putting surface.  We think Varner could be a popular DFS choice this week, but for good reason.
• Brendan Steele: Steele won at Silverado in 2016 & 2017 and in total has made all 5 cuts.  His form is very good as well with solid finishes in extremely tough fields at the BMW (33^rd place), Northern Trust (44^th place), PGA Championship (22^nd place), and the Memorial (13^th place).  Over his last 50 rounds, he ranks 10^th ball striking, 8^th GIRs, and 2^nd proximity 200+ yards.
• Doc Redman: Redman missed the cut in 2019 at the Safeway Open but has been trending up ever since.  Over his last 50 rounds he ranks 8^th on approach, 6^th ball striking, 4^th GIR, and 8^th in par 4 scoring.

Others to consider:

Henrik Norlander, Erik Van Rooyen, Kyle Stanley, Joel Dahmen, Marin Laird, Chris Baker

The author of this article may play in Daily Fantasy Contests using these picks and picks not mentioned in this article. It is also possible that the author may change their opinion on some of the picks listed based on new information not available during writing. These are recommendations meant to assist, but are not guarantees. If you have any questions, please contact us.

FSI’s PGA DFS Preview

BMW Championship

Course Preview:

After a complete blowout win by Dustin Johnson at the Northern Trust, the PGA Tour moves on to round 2 of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.  This week’s event, the BMW Championship, will be played at Olympia Fields County Club (North Course) located in Olympia Fields, Illinois.  Olympia Fields has hosted 4 major championships including the 2003 U.S. Open won by Jim Furyk (-8).  The course was also host to the 2015 U.S. Amateur, won by Bryson Dechambeau.  This is a par 70, 7,300 yard course with bent grass greens, long & thick roughs, and lots of tree lines fairways.

This week, driving distance will not be as important as driving accuracy.  We will be focusing on golfers who rank well in fairways gained.  With all the fairway and greenside bunkers, we will add sand saves to our models this week.  Like most every week, shots gained on approach will be important as well.

Field Size:           70

Cut/No-Cut        No Cut

2019 Top 5 (BMW @ Medinah CC):

1^st Justin Thomas

2^nd Patrick Cantlay

3^rd Hideki Matsuyama

4^th Tony Finau

T5 Brandt Snedeker

T5 Jon Rahm

 Initial players we are focusing on:

• Justin Thomas: Thomas has been struggling with the putter lately, losing a total of nearly 10 strokes over his last 3 events.  Since the pandemic stoppage, he ranks 2^nd on approach, 7^th GIR, 4^th sand saves, and 30^th in fairways gained.  If we look long-term, over the last 75 rounds, he ranks #1 on approach, #1 on par 4s, #1 BS, and #1 T2G.  We believe Thomas has a great chance to finish at the top of this week’s leaderboard.
• Collin Morikawa: After missing the cut at the Northern Trust, Morikawa now has 2 career missed cuts to go along with his 2 wins as a pro.  He had a terrible week losing 4.3 strokes on approach, a career worst.  We expect a quick bounce back him this week.  Over his last 24 rounds, he ranks #2 in fairways gained, #10 GIR, and #21 on approach.  We expect Morikawa’s accuracy off the tee and on approach to carry him up the leaderboard this week.
• Kevin Kisner: Kisner is in fantastic form right now with 4 straight top 25 and back to back top 5s.  Although the putter has been a big help to his recent success, he has also been gaining a ton of strokes on approach with 14.8 strokes gained in his last 3 events.  Kisner is an accurate driver as well ranking 20^th over the last 24 rounds.  Currently ranked 23 in the FedEx Cup standings, Kisner will need a solid week to keep his spot in the top 30 punch his ticket to the TOUR Championship.
• Russell Henley: Henley will be a popular DFS choice this week due to his current form.  He finished top 10 in his last 2 events where he gained strokes OTT, APP, ARG, & Putting.  His irons have been red hot lately ranking #1 in approach and GIR over the last 24 rounds.  He also ranks #7 in fairways gained since the pandemic stoppage.

Others to consider:

Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele, Daniel Berger, Harris English, Viktor Hovland.

The author of this article may play in Daily Fantasy Contests using these picks and picks not mentioned in this article. It is also possible that the author may change their opinion on some of the picks listed based on new information not available during writing. These are recommendations meant to assist, but are not guarantees. If you have any questions, please contact us.

FSI PGA DFS Preview

The Northern Trust

Course Preview:

Week one of the FedEx Cup Playoffs takes place this week at TPC Boston in Norton, MA.  This is a par 71, 7,300 yard course with very fast bent grass greens.  Arnold Palmer is the course designer, thus the course has small greens and course management will be key.

This FedEx Cup Playoff Round 1 of 3 includes the top 125 golfers from the 2020 FedEx Cup points list.  Golfers will be trying to earn enough points to finish in the top 70 after the Northern Trust to qualify for next week’s BMW Championship.  This leaves golfers like Rickie Fowler (88^th), Tommy Fleetwood (89^th), and Brooks Koepka (97^th) in need of a good week if they wish to continue into the playoffs.

Golfers with long drives will have an advantage this week, so we have added driving distance to our models.  Ball striking and greens in regulation will be key this week as well.  The three par 5 are not the easiest, but we will be targeting golfers who can score on these, giving themselves an advantage on the field.  Other stats we like this week include good drives gained, T2G, Proximity from 175-200 and scrambling.

Field Size:           125

Cut/No-Cut        Top 65 + Ties

2019 Top 5 (at Liberty National, GC):

-16 Patrick Reed

-15 Abraham Ancer

-14 Jon Rahm

-14 Harold Varner III

-13 Adam Scott

Last 5 winners (Dell Technologies Championship):

2018 -16 Bryson Dechambeau

2017 -17 Justin Thomas

2016 -15 Rory McIlroy

2015 -15 Ricky Fowler

2014 -15 Chris Kirk

Initial players we are focusing on:

• Bryson Dechambeau: Bryson will be a popular choice this week due to his current form and course history. He finished 30^th  in 2017 and won the Dell Technologies Championship in 2018. His last 10 PGA events resulted in 8 top 10s, a runner-up and one win at Rocket Mortgage.  Since the pandemic stoppage, Bryson ranks #1 in this field in driving distance, #1 on par 4s, #2 putting, and #4 ball striking.
• Jason Day: Day has quietly been playing incredible golf over the last month.  He has 4 straight top 10s including his 4^th place finish at the PGA Championship and 4^th place at the Memorial.  Day has played this course numerous times leading to 6/7 cuts made and 5 top 25 finishes.  Since the pandemic stoppage, he ranks #2 on par 5s, 7^th T2G, 8^th in scrambling, and 21^st
• Paul Casey: Casey is another golfer who has had a lot of success on this course.  He finished 2^nd in 2016, 4^th in 2017, and 21^st in 2018.  He is also in good form with his runner-up finish at the PGA Championship followed by a 31^st place finish last week.  Putting has always been Casey’s weakness, but he gains strokes on bent grass greens.  In this field since the pandemic stoppage, he ranks top 20 in T2G, BS, OTT & APP.  Looking at his long-term rankings, he is 7^th on approach over his last 75 rounds and 5^th in GIR.
• Abe Ancer: Ancer has been a popular option for DFS players lately, and we do not expect that trend to stop this week. He is up to 15 made cuts in a row including 4 top 15s in his last 6 events.  Ancer has played this course once, finishing 7^th place in the 2018 Dell Technologies Championship.  Looking at how he ranks in this field since the pandemic, Ancer is 14^th on approach, 14 BS, 24^th T2G, and 28^th  His weakness is around the greens, but thankfully he so good at finding the greens in regulation (rank 19^th), he spends most of his holes putting for birdie.

The author of this article may play in Daily Fantasy Contests using these picks and picks not mentioned in this article. It is also possible that the author may change their opinion on some of the picks listed based on new information not available during writing. These are recommendations meant to assist, but are not guarantees. If you have any questions, please contact us.