An Introduction to FanDuel Golf
Golf!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry for all the exclamation marks, but… golf! The game of daily fantasy golf has been growing for the last several years, and we have now hit a new high with FanDuel officially launching their golf product March 13th, 2017. If you scour through the rules and offerings from FanDuel, you will notice that the format is a bit different than what you will see on sites like DraftKings and FantasyDraft (whose offerings are very similar to each other). This article is intended to give you an introduction to the FanDuel golf format and scoring. By the time you get done reading, hopefully you feel more comfortable dipping your toes into this new product!
Before we dip into the FanDuel golf format, let’s take a look back at what we already know about the daily fantasy golf game. Below is the scoring format used by DraftKings for their golf game (per the DraftKings rules and scoring page):
DraftKings Per Hole Scoring
Double Eagle (DBe): +20 PTs
Eagle (EAG): +8 PTs
Birdie (BIR): +3 PTs
Par (PAR): +0.5 PTs
Bogey (BOG): -0.5 PTs
Double Bogey (DBB): -1 PT
Worse than Double Bogey (DBW): -1 PT
DraftKings Tournament Finish Scoring
1st: 30 PTs
2nd: 20 PTs
3rd: 18 PTs
4th: 16 PTs
5th: 14 PTs
6th: 12 PTs
7th: 10 PTs
(8th through 50th place finishes also pay out smaller amounts of bonus points)
Streak of 3 Birdies of Better (MAX 1 Per Round) (BIR3+): +3 PTs
Bogey Free Round (BOFR): +3 PTs
All 4 Rounds Under 70 Strokes (A4U70): +5 PTs
Hole in One (ACE): +10 PTs
For those of you that have played DraftKings golf for a while, you know the intricacies of the scoring system. Holes in one are extremely over-valued, and that is one thing that I wish DraftKings would change. The scoring is also heavily weighted on birdies, as one birdie followed by five consecutive bogeys will actually score you 0.5 positive points, even though the golfer would have gone four over par in that six hole stretch. Again, these are just a few of the things that you can notice quickly about the DraftKings format.
Now, let’s compare that to the FanDuel scoring system:
FanDuel Per Hole Scoring
Eagle (or better) = 7pts
Birdie = 3.1pts
Par = 0.5pts
Bogey = -1pt
Double Bogey (or worse) = -3pts
FanDuel Tournament Finish Scoring
1st Place Bonus (Overall tournament finishing position) = 20pts
2nd–5th Place Bonus (Overall tournament finishing position) = 12pts
6th–10th Place Bonus (Overall tournament finishing position) = 8pts
11th–25th Place Bonus (Overall tournament finishing position) = 5pts
Bogey Free Round (A round with no holes over par) = 5pts
Five+ Birdies or Better (A round with 5+ holes under par) = 4pts
Streak Bonus (Two holes in a row under par) = 0.6pts
Bounce Back (Hole under par after hole over par) = 0.3pts
You will notice a lot of similarities in the scoring systems, but there are also a few notable differences. There is no additional bonus for a hole in one outside of the points you will get for an eagle. There is no additional bonus for an albatross compared to an eagle. The DFS players who think DraftKings rewards these items too much will be happy to see that. Also, the FanDuel scoring system is less heavily weighted towards birdies. Remember the scenario I laid out earlier, where a birdie followed by five bogeys would score you positive 0.5 points on DraftKings? Well, that same six hole stretch would offer up -1.9 points on FanDuel. There is more reliance placed on saving par on FanDuel, with bogeys being worth -1 compared to -0.5 on DraftKings. I like the FanDuel scoring format very much from that perspective.
The remainder of the scoring system is relatively similar between the sites, but there is one major difference with regard to the setup of the game as a whole. On DraftKings, you pick six golfers for the week, and those are the golfers you have. On FanDuel, you pick eight golfers: four for Rounds 1 and 2 and four for Rounds 3 and 4. You cannot use golfers for both segments. That is a very unique setup. The finishing position bonuses will apply to all eight golfers you select, no matter which side of the draw for which you roster them. This format will offer plenty of strategy opportunities, and there is an obvious one that you need to understand right off the bat.
It is much more beneficial to roster your highest cost players in Rounds 3 and 4, especially in cash games.
This statement is short, but it packs a powerful punch. Obviously, higher cost players are inherently more likely to make the cut in any given event. Therefore, they will be more likely to be able to score fantasy points for you in Rounds 3 and 4. If you roster your lower cost players in Rounds 3 and 4, it will be a “contrarian” approach for GPPs, but keep in mind that a missed cut from one of those cheap players will mean that you earn zero points from them for the week. It’s going to be nearly impossible to win a GPP with a zero. If you roster the cheaper players in Rounds 1 and 2, you know you are getting two rounds from those players.
Again, it’s totally logical to roster your more expensive players during the final two rounds.
The good news for all of us is that this product is new for everyone. Different strategies will be tried by a lot of people, so it will be important to study the winning rosters each week. Take notes. See what is working and what isn’t. Adapt your game more quickly than other players, and you will find yourself making a profit. Everyone is starting at square one, and nobody is at an inherent advantage!
Quick Scoring Comparison
If you want a quick reference guide to compare the scoring, I ran some numbers from the WGC Mexico event that was played two weeks prior to FanDuel’s golf release (as part of FanDuel’s beta testing). Here is how it shook out:
Dustin Johnson (won tournament)
1 eagle
22 birdies
40 pars
8 bogeys
1 double bogey
DraftKings total score = 119 points
FanDuel Rds 1/2 score = 72.6 points (includes 20 point win bonus)
FanDuel Rds 3/4 score = 70.9 points (includes 20 point win bonus)
FanDuel total score, when removing double win bonus = 123.5 points
Russell Knox (finished 70th)
14 birdies
39 pars
13 bogeys
5 double bogeys
1 worse than double bogey
DraftKings total score = 49 points
FanDuel Rds 1/2 score = 19.3 points
FanDuel Rds 3/4 score = 18.4 points
FanDuel total score = 37.7 points
As you can see, FanDuel’s scoring is more punishing for poor holes that end in bogey or worse. That’s the first thing that stood out to me about the differences in scoring between the two sites.
Now, let’s go out there and watch our golfers rack up some birdies! Swing away!