PGA DFS Core Plays - DraftKings & FanDuel: Zurich Classic
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.
Zurich Classic
The Zurich Classic is always a nice break from the traditional stroke play events, but it can be a pain for content (two names really complicates matters when trying to pull in data for projections, ratings, salaries, etc.) and it is incredibly difficult to predict. We have such a small sample size with team events that we really don’t know which golfers shine in team situations and which golfers perform better on their own. Additionally, there will be some teams that show up looking to have a good time and others that are grinding trying to find every edge on the field.
Rather than trying to go through each team and trying to predict which ones will be the most motivated, I am throwing all narratives out the window. I got caught up at this event last season trying to chase teams with good chemistry and it was one of my worst weeks of the year. My plan is to let my model do the hard work for me and to load up on the teams that rate out best at TPC Louisiana. This course is a Pete Dye design and is a Par 71 that measures 7,425 yards. It’s a tad longer than most Dye designs, but still a course where any type of golfer can contend.
The average driving distance here is significantly lower than tour average, while the average driving distance is significantly higher than tour average. This tells us that many will be clubbing down off the tee in order to improve their chances of hitting the fairways. The greens themselves are easy to hit, scrambling isn’t overly difficult, and there are very few three-putts at this event each year. In terms of approach shots, there tend to be a lot of wedges (75-125 yards) and a lot of long irons (200+ yards) at this course.
As far as the format of the events, there are 80 teams in the field and the top 33 and ties will make the cut after the second round. The first and third round will feature best ball, while the second and fourth rounds will feature alternate shot. We can expect some very low scores on Thursday and Saturday and quite a few blowup rounds on Friday and Sunday. Again, I’m not overthinking this week. I am going to play my favorite duos on a per-dollar basis and go from there. I’m also placing very little emphasis on course history given the format of the event.
“Noto’s Downloadable and Customizable Model for the RBC Heritage”:
Tournament Info
Field Size:
- Team Event — 80 teams of two golfers
Event Format:
- Rounds 1 and 3 = Best Ball
- Rounds 2 and 4 = Alternate Shot
Cut Rule:
- Top 33 teams plus ties
Key Statistics for the Week
- Strokes Gained Approach
- Strokes Gained Off the Tee
- Birdie or Better %
- Strokes Gained Around the Green
- Experience on Pete Dye Courses
Weather Forecasts
Hole Yardage Specialists (based on holes at TPC Louisiana)
- Patrick Cantlay
- Scottie Scheffler
- Sam Burns
- Talor Gooch
- Sungjae Im