DFS Alerts
Make Or Break Week
This is the “make or break” pick for me for the BMW Championship. As I stated last week, the key to winning in DFS golf often relies on getting the star golfers that people are afraid to play because of brief dips in form. Finding the breakout spot is imperative. While I was somewhat confident in Dustin Johnson a week ago, I don’t have quite the same level of conviction surrounding Cantlay. His short game has simply been abysmal of late, and he lost over three strokes putting in two rounds once again last week. It’s hard to gauge because he’s usually an average to above average putter, so perhaps it is simply a confidence issue right now. If this tournament was being contested two months ago, Cantlay would undoubtedly be the highest owned golfer in this field at these salaries. However, since he is riding in with four straight finishes outside the top 30, everyone is afraid to play him. This is a classic case of long-term skill vs. current form, and I’ll give Cantlay one more shot.
Ready To Get Back On Track
While current form is definitely a bonus as the Tour heads to a venue that nobody has seen in a long time, I have no qualms about targeting Morikawa after a missed cut. In fact, his “hangover” missed cut last week was almost predictable as he came down from the high of winning his first career major. He still has more wins (three) than missed cuts (two) in his brief career. That is simply remarkable. Morikawa will not be at an experience disadvantage on this course, and his elite ball striking should shine on a more difficult layout. He ranks inside the top 50 on Tour in total driving, ball striking, and par four scoring, and the only major weakness in his game is the occasional short game slip up. I expect him to get back in the mix this week, and he is a great option in any format.
Top Spend On The Board
If this course is going to play long and difficult, I’ll give plenty of edges to Rahm. He is not shy about pulling driver when he needs to, and that should serve Rahm nicely around this beast of a golf course. He grades out very well statistically (2nd in total driving, 10th in par four scoring) and should be in the mix come the weekend. He is my one priority spend at the top this week, as he tends to excel on harder courses. He showed signs of life last week with four steady rounds and a top ten finish, and I like the trends heading into the second playoff event. Rahm is definitely my favorite top end spend of the week.
Brendon Todd looks to make a strong playoff push
At this point, last season Brendon Todd was considering quitting professional golf and investing in a pizza franchise. With help from one-time tour pro now turned teaching professional Bradley Hughes, Todd has a revamped swing and a new life in the world of golf. With two wins already this season, Todd currently sits in the 13th position in this year’s FedEx Cup race and should be in a great spot to play in the Tour Championship next week. Since the restart, Todd has four top 25 or better finishes and could very well have a shot at another strong finish for this week’s BMW Championship. Olympia Fields is shaping up to be a course that rewards accuracy and perhaps a style of golf that relies on just hitting the fairway and playing smart steady golf from that point forward. Todd is one of the more accurate drivers on tour (3rd this season), so despite his weakness in length, we could see players who rely on accuracy have a chance to be a factor. Currently projected at sub 5% ownership Todd has a proven track record of upside to make for a strong leverage pick this week’s BMW Championship.
As reported by: DraftKings Projected Ownership
Bryson DeChambeau returns to the site of his U.S. Amateur win
Bryson DeChambeau took to Instagram today as he returns to the site of perhaps his biggest win in the world of golf. DeChambeau won the 2015 U.S Amateur at Olympia Fields and will look to build on his past experiences for this week’s BMW Championship. With a revamped game that now exploits his ability to hit the ball as far as possible, it will be interesting to see how DeChambeau plays this course in comparison to his first visit at Olympia Fields. DeChambeau will not be the only golfer in the field from the 2015 U.S Amateur. Other notable names in this week’s field that played in the 2015 U.S. Amateur are also tagged in this post. Jon Rahm lost in the round of 16 narrowly missing out on a chance to win his first USGA event.
As reported by: Bryson DeChambeau Instagram Other tagged players: Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Maverick McNealy, Robby Shelton, Scottie Scheffler Webb Simpson is no longer in the field.
Webb Simpson has decided to take a pass on this week’s BMW Classic. Currently ranked in the 3rd position in the FedEx Cup race, Simpson can afford the luxury of taking the week off. Battling a bit of an undisclosed rib injury Simpson will use the week to rest up for East Lake.
As reported by: Rob Bolton Twitter Third Event Back Since the Restart
Scott was one of the many golfers who had one awful round at the Northern Trust that really ended up hurting his finishing position. He shot a 75 on Saturday when everyone else was shooting well under par. He bounced back on Sunday with a round of three-under par to finish T58. His underlying statistics were encouraging, as he gained 2.9 strokes ball striking and lost 3.4 strokes with his short game. As we know, it’s much easier for the short game to turn around, especially for a world class golfer like Scott. This is his third event since the restart, so he should be close to shaking off all the rust at this point. He loves poa and bentgrass greens, he loves long golf courses, and he tends to play well in the playoffs. According to the FedEx Cup scenarios, he’ll likely need to finish T7 or better to make it back to East Lake.
Time for All Four Parts of his Game to Fire on the Same Week
Matsuyama continues to churn out top 30 finishes and he continues to have one part of his game let him down every week. As crazy as it sounds, he has actually gained over four strokes putting in the last two events combined. We can almost always expect him to gain strokes with his irons and over the last 50 rounds, he’s one of the best when it comes to around the green play. On a long golf course like this, it might come down to his driver. If he hits it well off the tee and can continue to putt well (his favorite surfaces are poa and bentgrass), he could be in the mix on Sunday. It’s been far too long since we’ve seen him in the winner’s circle. While the “due” factor is never a reason to play someone, Matsuyama is more of a winner than he’s given credit floor. I like his floor and ceiling in a no cut event like this.
One Good Approach Week Away from Winning
There are so many good options up top this week, but I keep landing on Xander as the first golfer in my main lineup. He’s cheaper than some of the other studs at the top, which really helps round out your lineups at the bottom. He’s currently 11th in the FedEx Cup standings, so he’ll have a real shot to win the whole thing if he plays well this week. There isn’t a golf course that doesn’t fit him well, as he can gain strokes in all facets of his game. He’s one of the best off the tee, he loves poa and bentgrass greens, and his around the green game has been superb over the last few months. His approach play has held him back a bit over his last three events, which can be taken one of two ways — the rest of his game can’t make up for the irons forever… or as soon as the irons show up he is going to win. I’m a glass half-full kind of guy, so I am hoping it’s the latter.
Five minutes to PGA roster lock and no major news to report
With just under five minutes to roster lock, there is no major news to report this morning. Brooks Koepka and Vaughn Taylor both withdrew prior to the start of this event so please double check to make sure they are out of any lineups. ReusltsDB will be up and running a few minutes after lock. Good Luck this week Grinders !!!!
Other tagged players: Vaughn Taylor Brooks Koepka is no longer in the field
In what is a bit of shocker, Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from this week’s Northern Trust. Ranked outside the top 90 in this year’s FedEx Cup race, it looks like Koepka will decide to rest his knee until the U.S. Open.
As reported by: PGA Tour Louis Oosthuizen continues to fly under the radar
Louis Oosthuizen does not have the best reputation in the world of DFS golf. For a player who is known for traveling with his own custom mattress, the bad back withdrawal narrative is very much alive in the mid of the DFS golf gamer. If you can put that narrative to the side, Oosthuizen has both the talent level and course fit to really be a difference-maker at The Northern Trust Open. In 20 rounds at TPC Boston Oosthuizen has gained almost an average of 2 shots total per round. Currently, outside the projected bubble to play in next week’s BMW Championship, Oosthuizen will need a good week if he has any hopes to extend his season. With a current projected ownership level of less than 6%, it would not take much to gain a bit of leverage on the field for those who like to MME large-field tournaments. With Doc Redman and Harris English expected to soak up a ton of ownership in the sub $7,600 price range, the addition of Oosthuizen to your player pool is a great way to differentiate your lineups this week.
As reported by: DraftKings Projected Ownership Vaughn Taylor is no longer in the field
Still battling a rib injury Vaughn Taylor will not compete in this week’s Northern Trust. This is Taylor’s fourth straight week to withdraw due to an injury. There will not be an alternate added to the field in replace of Taylor.
As reported by: Rob Bolton Twitter Chalk Doesn't Always Have to Taste Bad
Ancer has quietly made 15 straight cuts on the PGA Tour, which is the third longest streak behind Patrick Cantlay (19) and Rory McIlroy (16). He’s always had the ability to get red-hot with his ball striking, but his consistency has really improved this season. In this field, he’s 17th in strokes gained off the tee and 27th in strokes gained on approach. He’s a good putter on bentgrass (32nd in this field) and he clearly rates out well in my hole yardage statistic. In his first and only appearance at TPC Boston, he finished in a tie for seventh. Good form, good course fit, good course history, and a cheap price point. He should be popular this week, but we can look to differentiate our lineups elsewhere.
World Class Golfer Priced at a Discount
Scott didn’t play a professional event in nearly five months, but was just fine coming off the long layoff. At the PGA Championship, he finished in a tie for 22nd. It’s worth noting that his best ball striking round of the four days came on Sunday, so perhaps the rust will be fully off coming into this week’s event. He’s currently 36th in the FedEx Cup standings, so he has some work to do over the next two events if he wants to make it back to the Tour Championship. He’s a good driver of the ball, he’s terrific with his long irons (there will be plenty of those hit this week), and he plays his best in strong fields. It’s hard to find a negative here, especially at this price point.