DFS Alerts
Charley Hoffman provides a source of value this week
Due to the fact that The Fort Worth Invitational is a smaller field of only 121 golfers, you will see a larger number of 6 for 6 lineups making the cut this week. Finding value is always a key factor to consider when making lineups, but with a high probability of golfers making the cut this week, we should try to target golfers who provide more upside than just making the cut. Charley Hoffman is not a typical golfer we would look to attack when making rosters on a golf course that demands accuracy. More known for his streaky play, Hoffman has really changed his game over the last few seasons and will enter this week at Colonial looking to improve on his perfect cut record at this event. Hoffman has 4 top 25 finishes in his nine starts at Colonial and at $7,900 DraftKings, could be an elite value play with a very high ceiling. Even though this week will be about staying patient and taking what the course gives you, Hoffman is the caliber of player that can easily pay off his salary on just birdies alone. Due to his low price in comparison to his talent, Hoffman is an elite value play on DraftKings this week.
As reported by: Pga Value Breakdown
Zach Johnson is a horse for this course
Colonial is a golf course that has really held it’s own in comparison to other courses on tour. Modern golf courses are built with the idea of protection coming from adding distance, and Colonial has a design that emphasizes strategy and accuracy. As an older and shorter golf course, the venue still presents a challenge to the professional golfer. Accuracy and not distance will be a key this week, and players will have to play smart patient golf if they have plans on shooting low scores at Colonial. As a two time champion of this event, Zach Johnson knows what it takes to play this venue well. Looking to bounce back from a disappointing MDF at The Players Championship, the price tag of $8,500 for Johnson on DraftKings makes him a great starting point for a cash game roster. In addition to his two wins at Colonial, Johnson is 12 for 12 in cuts made while only finishing outside the top 30 twice in his tenure at this event. Prior to his poor third round at The Players, Johnson had made seven cuts in a row this season and is in a good place to continue his consistent play this week. Balance roster approach could be the way to go in cash games this week, and Johnson’s strong course history makes him an easy place to look in terms of building a cash roster for The 2018 Fort Worth Invitational.
As reported by: PGA Cash Game Breakdown Chesson Hadley ranks as a top play on DraftKings
Chesson Hadley ranks as a top option in terms of PT/$K in the DraftKings RotoGrinders player projection tool for this week’s Fort Worth Invitational. Looking to make the most of his second full-time stint on The PGA Tour, Hadley is having one of his best seasons as a professional. Currently ranked in the 19th position in the FedEx Cup standings, Hadley has 11 top 25 or better finishes in his 18 starts this season. Underpriced in comparison to his recent form, Hadley stands out as one of the better plays in terms of points per dollar this week on DraftKings. Hadley will make his 4th start at Colonial this week, but you should not put too much weight into his past performances at this event. Cleary in a better place in terms of his golf game, Hadley is quietly becoming a player that should be on your radar each and every week. Eager to earn his second career PGA Tour victory, Hadley at a discounted price is worth a look in all formats for this week’s Fort Worth Invitational.
As reported by: Rotogrinders Projections Tool Jordan Spieth a clear cut option at the top
For the second straight week, Jordan Spieth will garner all of the attention as the top-ranked player in terms of a high-end salary spend. Just like last week, Spieth’s high salary will keep his overall ownership numbers down in comparison to the field, but he should still be considered the number one option in terms of high end salary choices. Spieth is 52 under par over his 20 rounds at Colonial and has only failed to break par at this course twice in the last five years. Normally known as a good putter, Spieth has been plagued by inconsistency with the flat stick over the last month. Look for a few more putts to fall from Spieth this week giving him a great opportunity to win his second Colonial jacket. Although both tournaments in this leg of the Texas swing are literally in his backyard, Colonial is a much better fit for Spieth’s game. Fort Worth and Dallas are only separated by an hour drive, but if you look at Spieth’s track record at this event it appears he feels a little less pressure away from his home base of Dallas. .
As reported by: DraftKings PGA Value Rankings Old Man Golfer on an Old Man Layout
This is one of the few courses on the PGA Tour where Stricker can still compete. He’s one of the most accurate drivers of the ball and his lack of length doesn’t hurt on such a short track. He’s always been a good iron player and he’s one of the best putters that we’ve seen on tour in the last ten years. He spends most of his time on the Champions Tour these days, but he’s basically the Tiger Woods of that tour. In his few events on the PGA Tour, he has played well, including his last start at TPC Sawgrass. He has a good track record at this event and is priced fairly across the board.
Five Straight Top 20s on Tour
Hadley was once a top amateur, he played a few years on tour, then he lost his tour card and had to earn it back through the Web.com Tour. He is now having a breakout season and looks primed to be on the PGA Tour for many years. He has made 15-of-17 cuts with five top tens. He has five top 20 finishes in a row and has gained strokes on approaches in 12 straight tournaments. His biggest weakness is his around the green game, but those are somewhat negated by the fact that conditions are expected to be very calm this week. Less wind should result in more greens hit for the field.
One Good Putting Week Away from a Win
Last but not least, we have Hadwin. Dollar for dollar, he is my favorite play of the week and he’s not a bad outright bet at close to 60-to-1. He hits fairways, he’s strong with his irons, and he plays well on these shorter tracks. Much like Jordan Spieth, he’s a good putter that has struggled with the flatstick this season. If you look at splits by grass type, Hadwin is significantly better on Bentgrass, which certainly doesn’t hurt given the fact that they are playing at Colonial Country Club. In three appearance, he has made all three cuts, highlighted by a T5 in 2015.
Good Fit and Good Form
Grillo will also garner quite a bit of ownership this week. While chalky, that doesn’t mean that he’s a bad play. Golf is a volatile sport, but Grillo has made all 15 of his cuts so far this season. He’s ranked seventh in the field in fairways gained, sixth in approaches, and 14th in birdie or better percentage. He has gained 15 strokes on the field on approaches in his las three events and he’s finally starting to putt well. In two appearances at this event, he has made the cut both times with finishes of T55 and T24.
To Anchor or not to Anchor.. That is the Question
Let me start by saying that Jordan Spieth is my favorite spend of the slate. He owns this course and typically putts better on Bentgrass. With that said, I like the balanced approach a little more than the stars and scrubs approach. Most of my lineups will start in this price range with Scott. He needs to get inside the top 60 in the official world golf rankings in the next few weeks to qualify for the U.S. Open. He’s currently 61st. He is finally rounding into form, posting back-to-back top 11 finishes thanks to a strong tee to green game and the use of the long putter (whether or not he is anchoring it is another story). He’s won on this course, he’s in form, and he has motivation to play well.
Matt Kuchar looks to bounce back from a rare missed cut
Year in and year out Matt Kuchar is one of the more consistent golfers on the PGA Tour. Since the 2012 season, Kuchar has played in 161 events posting 49 top ten or better finishes while only missing 11 cuts. Typically priced lower due to his lack of win’s Kuchar is the perfect player to build a cash roster around for most weeks of the season. Unfortunately for Kuchar, last week’s debut of the Byron Nelson at Trinity Forest turned out to be a missed cut. Early week ownership projections have Kuchar currently projected at an ownership level of less than 10%. Ready to bounce back after the very rare occurrence of a missed cut, Kuchar will tee it up in his 11th Fort Worth Invitational looking to improve on his 3 top ten’s including a runner-up finish to 2013 winner Boo Weekly. Kuchar is the type of player that should be on your radar on most weeks, and at potential low ownership, he has the talent and course history to be a very elite play this week. Roster construction could help keep his ownership numbers down this week, and you should not have any doubt about plugging in Kuchar to any format for the 2018 Fort Worth Invitational.
As reported by: DraftKings Projected Ownership A Sneaky Mid-Range Find
The recent form with Harman is somewhat of a cause for concern, but that has him flying way under the radar heading into this week. This course suits his eye much better than some of the others that have been used over the past month or so, and Harman is a great fit on this shorter track. The form will keep ownership in check, making this a fine potential buy-low spot. He has finished inside the top 30 here in each of the last four editions, including a pair of top tens and a career-best seventh place finish last year. Shhhhhhh.
Nice Upside at a Great Price
Lee is a local resident who generally feels comfortable at Colonial. That makes him an intriguing value option based on course history alone, as he has finished 10th, 22nd, and 6th here over the last three seasons. What adds to his potential boom this week is the fact that he is fully healthy now for the first time in a while, and he is coming off an impressive top ten finish at THE PLAYERS in his last start. Lee is notoriously streaky, and this could be the start of a summer upswing with an event that he loves to play. He’s my favorite GPP value this week, but he does come with some risk. That’s just fine in tournament formats. The FanDuel and FantasyDraft price tags are also ridiculously cheap.
An Elite Point Per Dollar Play
I expect Zach Johnson to be one of the most popular mid-range plays here, but I will happily grab some exposure to him and differentiate my lineups via other methods. Johnson is the all time money leader at this event. He’s played it 12 times. He has made the cut 12 times. Five of those have gone for top ten finishes. Two of them have been wins. He’s a beast on short courses like this given his dialed in short iron and wedge game. Don’t overthink it — get some exposure to ZJ this week.
Back to the Well
Jordan Spieth made TWENTY birdies last week despite not making a SINGLE PUTT from outside of 15 feet. That’s remarkable. He’s dialed in on approach and ranks seventh in strokes gained in that category this season, and this is a course that caters to his game perfectly. His remarkable course history shows it, too, with finishes inside the top 15 in each of the last five years, including a win and two runner-ups in the last three editions. The putter just needs to be reasonably cooperative. If it is, he’s a virtual lock to be in contention come the weekend.
Strike While The Irons are Hot
It wasn’t love at first sight for Piercy and Colonial but he’s 4-for-4 over his last four Colonial starts including a T7 last year. He’s signed for red numbers in 10 of those 16 rounds. With approach play being vital here at this second-shot course, Piercy pops off the page again. He’s gained strokes approaching-the-green in 13 of his last 14 ShotLink events. It’s an easy decision to keep throwing some shares his way until his irons cool off.
