DFS Alerts
Alex Cejka is no longer in the field
Alex Cejka is no longer in the field and has been replaced by Brendon Todd. At this time there is no immediate injury news associated with this move, and due to the timing of the withdrawal, Todd will not be available in DFS pricing for the week.
As reported by: Rob Bolton Twitter
Abraham Ancer is no longer in the field
With a string of solid recent tournaments, Abraham Ancer has earned a spot in the year’s third major championship. Ancer opted for rest this week and has removed his name from the field after DFS pricing had been set. Will MacKenzie has also withdrawn early from this event and appears no closer to returning from injury. Stephen Bowditch and Arjun Atwal gained entry into the field this week as alternates, but neither player is eligible in the DFS pricing pool this week.
As reported by: Rob Bolton Twitter Other tagged players: Will MacKenzie Five minutes to roster lock and no major news to report
Five minutes until roster lock and no major news to report.Good luck this week grinders, as always if any late news breaks we will provide the updates needed.
Weather update for The Greenbriar
Kevin Roth’s weather report for The Greenbriar is up in the main forum. With light winds both days and a chance of rain each afternoon it looks like there is a very little edge in terms a tee time wave advantage this week. Rain on Friday afternoon could be heavier than Thursday, but for DFS purposes we are more concerned about the wind. Good luck this week grinders, we will keep an eye on the weather and provide any updates if anything changes.
As reported by: Kevin Roth Weather Report Bubba Watson flying under the radar
With three wins already this season, Bubba Watson is having one of the best seasons of anyone on Tour. Finally, over the disappointment of not making the Ryder CupTeam in 2016, Watson has all but stamped his ticket for this year’s team, and is in a great spot to win again this week. Pricing will make it hard for people to fit in two top-end players this week, thus having most in the DFS community searching for value in top end spends. As Watson’s projected ownership numbers trend under the 10% barrier, the opportunity to buy low on a very hot player becomes a great leverage play for the A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier. Watson has yet to crack the top ten at this event, but if his most recent win means anything there is little doubt that this multiple tour winner is nothing short of confident as he looks to continue this great comeback season.
As reported by: DraftKings Projected Ownership Andrew Putnam looks to continue his solid play
Andrew Putnam is quietly having a very good season on the PGA Tour. Like many other young players before him, Putnam struggled in his first full-time attempt on Tour. After losing his PGA Tour card following the 2015 season, Putnam spent some time back down on the Web.Com Tour and eventually played well enough to earn a spot on the tour this season. Currently ranked inside the top 60 in the FedEx Cup standings, Putnam has a very solid chance to make a deep run in this year’s FedEx Cup race. Heading into this week’s A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier Putnam has the recent form and price we are looking for in terms of finding value in a cash game build. Having made seven out of his last eight cuts including five top 30 or better finishes, Putnam stands out as a great option in what is considered by many to be a watered down field.
As reported by: PGA Cash Game Breakdown Joaquin Niemann trending towards high ownership
Former number one ranked amateur in the world Joaquin Niemann heads into his eight professional PGA Tour start with a ton of interest and confidence. In his 7 starts, this season Niemann has 4 made cuts including 3 top 10 or better finishes. After putting himself in contention to win a few times this season, Niemann has started to gain the trust of many in the DFS community. As the shiny new object, Niemann has a projected ownership higher than other more proven players in his price range. While the sample size is way too low to say one way or the other if Niemann is worthy of such early praise there is a case to make for fading this young player as his ownership numbers increase. It’s easy to see the upside Niemann brings to the table, but we also must factor in that he has missed three cuts this season. The lack of big names in the field will make it easy to want exposure to this explosive young player, but from a game theory standpoint, his projected high ownership makes this a great spot to pivot in tournaments this week. With other proven players in his price range that have much lower predicted ownership numbers, it makes sense to take a risk and fade this very talented young player in order to gain leverage in case Niemann struggles to play well this week. While the long-term forecast on Niemann is without a doubt very promising, both is price and ownership numbers are inflated due to his early success.
As reported by: DraftKings Projected Ownership A Horse for the Course
The form is quietly starting to turn around, as he had a sixth place finish in his last start, and this is the perfect golf course for his game — especially if he can get the flat stick rolling. He owns back-to-back top five finishes at this event, as well. When he is a horse for a course, Henley tends to play very well, and when you combine that with his current form, he is one of my favorite selections of the week. The price tag on FanDuel is ridiculously cheap, so he is a borderline must play for me in all formats over there, but I like him on all sites.
Lining Up Nicely for This Course
I almost never peg Holmes correctly, so feel free to swerve the other way if you believe my streak will continue. However, I really like the way Holmes lines up on this course. The wide fairways will help by allowing him to bomb it off the tee, and his ownership will likely be very low after he missed the cut a week ago at the Quicken Loans. I’m not really concerned about that, as Holmes is a much better fit for this venue. He has four consecutive top 30 finishes at the Old White TPC course, and he ranks well above average statistically in every category I am looking at this week. The relatively steep price will also keep some people away. I love this pivot from some of the chalkier high-end plays.
A Fine Mid-Range Option
This mid-range price tag on Keegan Bradley is very fair, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in contention this week. He’s another golfer who is perfectly suited for this layout, and he currently ranks behind only Tommy Fleetwood on Tour in total driving. His tee-to-green game is very much capable of keeping him in this event, and he has made the cut here all five times he has played this event, with one top five finish as well. There hasn’t been a lot of chatter about Keegan lately, and he did face plant at the U.S. Open, but I’ll gladly take my GPP chances here, especially if he is going to clock in at 10% ownership or less.
Go Bob Go!
I’m 1-for-1 pegging this guy in my DFS golf content career, so I am hesitant to break that streak, but it feels like as good a time as any to put the Garrigus love to the test. He played well last week and has as much “go low” potential as any of the value plays on the board. The weaker field helps his outlook, and he has made the cut in both of his previous appearances at this event. He’s very long off the tee and should have a ton of wedges into these greens. It’s all going to come down to whether or not he can make a few putts, and that can be an adventure with him. I love the boom/bust GPP appeal here. Let’s go Bob!
Norman Xiong set to make his PGA Tour debut
With only one year of collegiate golf under his belt 19-year-old Oregon Duck standout, Norman Xiong will make his pro debut at this week’s Military Tribute at The Greenbrier. The 2018Haskins Award winner should fly under the radar this week but has more enough game to make waves at a discounted price this week. In what is turning out to be a very watered down field, Xiong makes sense as a value play that could also have GPP upside this week. Xiong’s college coach Casey Martin claims that he has not seen a golfer this talented at this age since Tiger. Martin was a fellow teammate of Tiger at Stanford and a very good player in his own right has been the coach at Oregon for the last 12 years. Fear of the uncertain will keep the ownership low on Xiong, but as we have seen with other heralded young players before him, top-ranked young golfers are ready to transition into professional golf and seem to be ready to seize the opportunity given.
As reported by: Pga Value Breakdown John Peterson playing with his career on the line
As one of the more socially active players on tour, John Peterson has not been shy about speaking his mind via Twitter. Like many other successful college players before him, this former NCCA champion has yet to have the same type of success on the PGA Tour. Playing on the tour via a major medical exemption, Peterson has been very vocal about retiring from the tour if he does not earn enough money to keep his status. This week’s start at The Military Tribute at The Greenbrier represents Peterson’s last start of his major medical. Peterson will need $260,000 for a full exemption or $60,000 to earn starts as a conditional member. The odds are stacked against Peterson as he would need at least a top 25 or better to reach conditional and most likely a top 7 to earn full status. If Peterson does not keep his cards then he plans to retire and work in real estate. Peterson is six for seven in cuts made this season, but unfortunately has only one finish inside the top 35.
As reported by: John Peterson Twitter Great Fit Statistically
Pan has been playing some excellent golf recently. In fact, he’s all the way up to 51st in the Official World Golf Rankings. He does everything well statistically, which is always nice. When you take good putters, you are in danger of them having a bad week on the greens. When you take elite ball strikers, you are in danger of them being slightly off. With golfers like Pan, he can afford to have a weakness in his game, as the other parts can make up for it. He has posted three top 20 finishes in his last four events on tour and he made the cut here in his only appearance (T68).
All we Need is One Good Week with the Putter
Many DFS golfers are addicted to playing Spaun because his statistics always jump off the page. He is tremendous off the tee and he’s great with his irons. The problem is his short game. He’s one of the worst on tour on and around the greens. While that’s always a concern, he may be able to ball strike his way to a top finish at the Greenbrier. Despite losing four strokes with his short game last week at the Quicken Loans National, he still managed to post a T27. He played in this event last season and posted a solid T29 where he gained three strokes putting. If he can replicate that effort on the greens this week, we could have a darkhorse on our hands come Sunday afternoon.