PGA DFS Core Plays: Bank of Utah Championship
Top-ranked DFS player, Notorious, breaks down his favorite PGA DFS picks at various price ranges on DraftKings and FanDuel for the Bank of Utah Championship. Which golfers should you be building your lineups around? Find out below!
Wow… how amazing was the Presidents Cup?
To quote Dumb and Dumber, “Just when I think you couldn’t possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this… and totally redeem yourself!” After a brutal first 3 days where the U.S. couldn’t hold onto any leads, they had a near-perfect Sunday to complete the comeback and beat the International Team.
That was fun, but we’re here to talk about the Bank of Utah Championship, or, as many are calling it, the Noto’s Backyard Classic. Ok fine, this event isn’t exactly in my backyard, but it’s in Utah. It’s about a 4-hour drive south from Salt Lake City. This is my favorite event during the FedExCup Fall because the course is unlike any other on the PGA TOUR. There are only 120 golfers in the field this week, so we could see a slightly higher 6-of-6 percentage than at most events.
Editor’s Note: For more tournament notes, recent form, and course notes for the Bank of Utah Championship, check out this week’s PGA DFS First Look. To get access to Noto’s PGA DFS Model Breakdown & Download link, which allows you to create your own projections, click here.
Black Desert Resort is a Par 71 that measures 7,421 yards. It’s located in the middle of the desert, and all of the holes are surrounded by volcanic rock. If you haven’t seen the course, make sure to tune in to the coverage this weekend. The course features extremely wide fairways (45 yards on average) and very little rough. If you do happen to miss the fairway, you will be at the mercy of the volcanic rock. Most balls hit into it will be unplayable and/or unfindable. The course is easy if you hit the ball well, but there are always big numbers lurking.
The greens at Black Desert are large (7,000 square feet) and feature bentgrass. They are easy to hit in regulation, especially from the fairway. The scrambling success rate has been low at this event over the last 2 years, but I’m not focused much on around-the-green play, since the field will be hitting 73-75% of greens in regulation. This course has been a ball striker’s paradise in the first two years, which is another reason why I love this event.
Top PGA DFS Picks on DraftKings & FanDuel for the Bank of Utah Championship
Core Plays
Benjamin James
DraftKings: $9,900 / pOWN%: 9%
FanDuel: $11,400 / pOWN%: 13%
Course History L5 Years: N/A
Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee: 16
Strokes Gained: Approach: 8
Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green: 38
Strokes Gained: Putting: 10
Expected Hole Performance: 3
James had one of the best college careers ever. He won 7 times as an individual, he was a 4-time All-American; he was #1 in the PGA TOUR University Rankings, and he set a ton of records. He hasn’t gotten the same hype as Koivun, but the two are close in terms of talent. James has already started to make noise on the PGA TOUR, posting top 5 finishes in 3 of his last 5 events, including a runner-up finish at the Biltmore Championship two weeks ago. I love betting on young talent during the FedExCup Fall, especially on these easier courses. It’s only a matter of time before James picks up his first win on TOUR.
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