Fantasy Golf: Frys.com Open Expert Picks
Frys.com Open Preview
The offseason in golf is by far the shortest (and the best for daily fantasy). After the finale of the 2013-14 season at the Tour Championship only three weeks ago, the 2014-15 season kicks off this week at the Frys.com Open in Napa, California. This tournament actually features a pretty strong field and is loaded with Web.com graduates which should make for a very interesting start to the season. Web.com graduates had great success at this event last season and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few of them in contention on the weekend.
This year’s event will take place at the Silverado Resort and Spa’s North Course. This is the first time that the event will be played at this course so you can throw out prior history at this event. The Silverado North Course measures 7,203 yards and is a rare standard Par-72 with 4 Par 3’s and 4 Par 5’s. The course features tree-lined fairways with bunker and water hazards galore. It does sound like the rough is fairly short though so you may want to target players with a combination of distance and accuracy. Since most of these players have never played on this course, we are going to target good ball strikers that can also putt.
Frys.com Open Picks
Studs
Matt Kuchar: $11,600 – Jimmy Walker is a close second to Kuchar this week as the top overall play, but I’ll give the edge to Kuchar as he is slightly more accurate off the tee. Kuchar finished the 2013-14 season with 10 Top-10 finishes. He finished the season ranking 5th in adjusted scoring, 12th in scrambling, and 15th in strokes gained putting. This is a fairly short track that should work in Kuchar’s favor as he isn’t the longest hitter off the tee. After playing in the FedEx Cup Playoffs and the Ryder Cup, he should be able to take advantage of a much weaker field to open the season.
Brooks Koepka: $9,700 – Koepka is now equipped with a PGA Tour Card and he’s primed for a monster season on tour. He has finished in the Top-11 in each of his last 3 starts in Europe and he has made 6 consecutive cuts on the PGA Tour. Koepka is ranked 6th in driving distance which could give him a big advantage on this short track as long as he can keep the ball in the fairway. Koepka may not be a big name yet, but I have him ranked higher than guys like Brandt Snedeker, Graham Delaet, and Lee Westwood this week.
Charles Howell III: $8,600 – Howell is a go-to golfer when you need a player to make the cut (especially early in the season). Howell has been a player that has consistently excelled during the first half of the season throughout his career. He has great odds from Vegas at 50/1 and should be a good fit for the course. Howell is ranked 53rd in ball striking, 9th in driving distance, and 93rd in strokes gained putting. Howell posted 6 Top-10 finishes last season and should be able to start off his 2014-15 campaign with another one.
Other Studs to Consider: Kevin Chappell: $9,200, Harris English: $8,700
Values
Jason Kokrak: $7,600 – Kokrak is one of my favorite plays this week. He finished the season with one of his best starts with a T-16th at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Kokrak was ranked in the Top-75 in ball striking, driving distance, and strokes gained putting last season. He’s a little more expensive than most of these Web.com graduates, but has a better shot of making the cut and potentially posting a Top-10 finish.
Robert Streb: $7,100 – Streb had a very successful 2013-14 season. He made 17 of 21 cuts and posted 2 Top-10 finishes. Streb is also ranked in the Top-75 in ball striking, driving distance, and strokes gained putting. He has plenty of experience on the PGA Tour and should be able to take advantage of a weaker field. Streb should be able to make the cut which is all that you can ask for at his price point.
Adam Hadwin: $6,400 – Hadwin is one of the many Web.com graduates in the field this week. He finished atop the money list on the Web.com Tour with 2 wins and 7 additional Top-10 finishes. He finished the season strong and has all of the required skills to play well on this course. He’s a good ball striker, he’s long and accurate off the tee, and he’s a good putter as well. At only $6,400, he may be the best value on the board.
Other Values to Consider: Brendan Steele: $6,700, Luke Guthrie: $6,100, Ben Martin: $6,100