PGA DFS Core Plays - DraftKings & FanDuel: Sentry Tournament of Champions
Top-ranked DFS player, Notorious, breaks down his favorite PGA DFS plays at various salary ranges for the coming week’s golf tournament. Who should you be building around? Find out below.
Sentry Tournament of Champions
Ladies and gentlemen, it is good to be back!
While this isn’t the best tournament on the PGA Tour, it is still one of my favorites. For starters, it’s the first real event that we’ve had in nearly six weeks. The long wait naturally makes the first tournament back that much better and from a viewing standpoint, it’s hard to complain about the incredible scenery that Hawaii offers. It has been snowing in Utah for 10 straight days, so I can’t wait to watch this event. It’ll be good to have the golf sweat back and this is a nice warm up for the full-field event next week.
The hardest part of this tournament is not knowing the form of any of these golfers. A few of them played in December, but those were exhibition events. It’s been months since we’ve seen some of the golfers in this field, so there are plenty of question marks. I’m sure many were out there grinding on the range during the break, but I’m sure others used the time to rest and recharge the batteries. It’s hard to blame any of them for taking it easy in December, as the PGA Tour is essentially on a non-stop rocket from now until September.
The Plantation Course at Kapalua is a Par 73 that measures nearly 7,600 yards. It doesn’t play nearly as long as it appears on the scorecard, as the elevation changes and undulating fairways lead to some extremely long drives. There are also four par fives, which help tame the length of the course. This is an extremely unique setup, as the Plantation Course features the widest fairways and the largest greens on the PGA Tour. Driving accuracy doesn’t matter much, as golfers will have very little trouble finding the short grass off the tee. Distance is certainly a premium, but not a prerequisite.
The longer you are off the tee, the shorter your approach shots will be and the more likely you will be able to reach the par fives in two. Many golfers have said that this is a driver, wedge, and putting competition and that’s exactly what we have seen play out over the last few years. Even if you aren’t long off the tee, you will still have plenty of birdie opportunities. Wind is really the only defense of the course and the current forecast looks very moderate in terms of the wind we usually expect in Hawaii. The course is unlikely to be as soft as it was a year ago when Cam Smith won at 34-under par, but this should still be a birdie-fest.
With these bermuda greens being so large, they will be easy to hit for the majority of the field. Generally, the higher the rate of greens hit in regulation, the more important putting becomes. Golfers will need to make putts to contend in an event where the winning score will likely be around 25-under par. With everyone hitting greens at a high clip, there will be fewer scrambling opportunities this week. Additionally, golfers that are consistently missing greens will likely be behind the eight ball to begin with. The two statistics that I am fine leaving out of the model this week are driving accuracy and strokes gained around the green.
Keep in mind that there are only 39 golfers in the field and that this event doesn’t feature a cut after 36 holes. There is going to be a lot of overlap in terms of DFS rosters, so be mindful of how you construct your lineups. The larger the field, the more you should be willing to leave salary on the table and/or roster lower-owned golfers. I want this article to be as interactive as possible, so if you have any questions or if you have any intel on specific golfers, leave a comment below.
Let’s start 2023 off with a bang!
Model Video & Download Link for the Sentry Tournament of Champions
Tournament Info
Field Size:
- 39 golfers
Cut Rule:
- No cut
Weather Forecasts
Course Breakdown: Plantation Course at Kapalua
| Hole | Par | Length | Avg Score | Eagles | Birdies | Bogeys | Doubles+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 520 | 4.06 | 0.0 | 10.3 | 16.3 | 0.3 |
| 2 | 3 | 219 | 3.10 | 0.0 | 10.3 | 22.3 | 0.3 |
| 3 | 4 | 424 | 3.97 | 0.3 | 22.0 | 13.7 | 1.2 |
| 4 | 4 | 422 | 3.99 | 0.0 | 22.0 | 15.7 | 1.2 |
| 5 | 5 | 526 | 4.28 | 6.3 | 96.3 | 7.0 | 0.0 |
| 6 | 4 | 424 | 3.95 | 0.0 | 28.3 | 17.3 | 0.7 |
| 7 | 4 | 522 | 3.99 | 0.0 | 21.0 | 16.3 | 0.7 |
| 8 | 3 | 199 | 3.07 | 0.3 | 19.0 | 17.3 | 2.7 |
| 9 | 5 | 550 | 4.60 | 1.7 | 67.0 | 7.0 | 1.7 |
| 10 | 4 | 384 | 3.91 | 0.0 | 31.0 | 13.3 | 1.0 |
| 11 | 3 | 161 | 3.02 | 0.0 | 20.7 | 21.3 | 0.3 |
| 12 | 4 | 424 | 3.79 | 0.7 | 34.7 | 5.7 | 0.2 |
| 13 | 4 | 383 | 3.98 | 0.3 | 27.7 | 18.7 | 1.3 |
| 14 | 4 | 301 | 3.77 | 1.7 | 49.7 | 12.3 | 1.8 |
| 15 | 5 | 541 | 4.41 | 5.7 | 81.0 | 6.7 | 0.3 |
| 16 | 4 | 369 | 3.82 | 0.0 | 38.7 | 9.0 | 0.7 |
| 17 | 4 | 550 | 4.15 | 0.3 | 14.7 | 23.3 | 2.7 |
| 18 | 5 | 677 | 4.61 | 3.0 | 62.7 | 9.0 | 0.8 |
| Total | 73 | 7596 | 70.47 | 20.3 | 657.0 | 252.3 | 17.8 |