PGA Ownership Report: HSBC Champions

by Sean O'Donnell (hokie2009) Last Updated 2016-10-30 16:42:42

Here’s the data for this week’s $3 Birdie at the World Golf Championship – HSBC!!

Full field ownerships (for the $3, the $33, and cash games) can be found here!

And we have a co-ownerships matrix that shows who the highest owned pairs of golfers were in this week’s $3 Birdie:

So we have the return of all the big hitters for this week’s WGC event! A short field means high-er ownerships all around, but lots of big names to choose from will make for a lot of suitable guys being overlooked!

Rafael Cabrera-Belo (28% GPP, 46% Cash) – In this star-studded field, featuring former “Big Four, er, Five, er, let’s not talk about that any more” member Rickie Fowler for a paltry mid-$8k’s salary – as well as red piping hot DJ, Rory, Scott, and Casey — not to mention Hideki Matsuyama — features none other than Rafael Cabrera Belo taking the cake as the unanimous “must have” selection in cash games and the GPP chalk. He had a great Wyndham (ancient history, oddball course) and a good CIMB last week, and some really uninspiring European performances inbetween, but when you glance at it, I can see how he’d seem like a no-brainer for $7600. Hard to say anything bad about anyone in a WGC field – who are we kidding most everyone is here because they’ve been successful! I still didn’t expect him to crowd out all of the other guys mentioned – but this is a case of price point dynamics, all of those high-dollar guys are competing against each other for roster space, whereas most people probably rostered multiple guys around RCB’s price point, and it became harder to “avoid” him.

Adam Scott (23% GPP, 45% Cash) – Adam Scott was the guy when I glanced down the list I thought to myself “chalk” … he took a price dip after I suppose “underwhelming” last week with a 10th place finish. Before that he absolutely RAMPAGED the PGA Tour playoffs, despite not taking the crown in any of the events, it definitely seemed like a steal to roster him at $9,400. It seems kind of silly to somewhat “punish” a guy salary wise for a 10th place finish – I’m tuned in until he really falls off, but he seems totally dialed in right now and I don’t think anyone could be surprised if he notches another top 10 or top 5 performance.

Russell Knox (17% GPP, 17% Cash) – This was a guy I was interested to see this week. Nothing to complain about for several weeks and the Win here last year – I really thought this would be a recipe for over-ownership. The price tag was up but not WAY up, typically people can find a way to roster an $8600 returning champ. I’m almost to the point where in my mind it’s very hard for me to roster a returning champ, just because it seems like they get an unnecessary “public opinon boost” – it’s just such a cliche thing, their vegas odds are affected and thereby their salary is affected, and while certainly there’s SOME shred of an idea that it matters, I prefer to try to find gems less obvious than “last year’s winner” to hang my hat on. Since it’s such an easy angle to take, it’s already built into the salary, and that seems to mitigate most of the value. I’d consider him a break-even play at best, but 17% in a short field isn’t a really scary number, and with his first round performance I’m sure his owners are jumping for joy right now!

Rickie Fowler (13% GPP, 12% Cash) – This was the guy, when I was scanning an analyzing, I was like “YOUUUUUUU MEAN TO TELL ME … I can have Rickie Fowler for the same price as Russell Knox!?!?!” Oh how far the mighty have fallen. But things do change. Knox has played very well at times over the past year, and Fowler has … not. It still seemed to underline the idea that Fowler is kind of at rock bottom and Knox is flying high with his reputation of having won here last year. I chose to go with Fowler … and per usual, the answer (so far!) was not A OR B, it was A AND B!

Hideki Matsuyama (15.5% GPP, 9% Cash) – This was one that jumped out to me – Hideki has been in GREAT form lately, and seems to be comfortable on this half of the globe, BUT MAN – what an elite price. I mean he’s up there with some truly proven names … I’ve kept thinking for the past couple years of following golf that Hideki could, can, and should “join” their ranks, if he could get a few things to click (he’s still really young), but even coming off last week’s 2nd place it just didn’t quite feel right having him priced above so many other guys – who have all been playing well lately, too, might we add. I didn’t end up biting on him much, just because of so many other good options for less money, but maybe Hideki really is going to prove this is the year he belongs as an elite world golfer!! It’s only been one round played overnight, but he’s earning his salary so far. It seems like most people, especially in cash, were afraid to spend the money on somebody who’s been known to throw such epic duds so often in the past.

Best of luck to everyone!