DFS Alerts
FanDuel Rd 1-2 scoring could be in the negative for several golfers at The Masters
FanDuel scoring is very penal when golfers go over par. A full fantasy point deduction occurs for each bogey and 3 fantasy points for each double bogey (or worse) on FanDuel. On the RotoGrinders DFS Golf Show-Masters Edition aired this evening on SiriusXM, Justin Van Zuiden shared an interesting concept. If FanDuel’s scoring was applied to the 2016 Masters, of the players that missed the cut only 9 golfers would have scored positive points through the opening two rounds. Strong winds battered golfers on Thursday and Friday last year at Augusta National. This year’s winds could be even worse. Justin also added that it’s not out of the question to roster Tiger Woods for Rd 1-2 on FanDuel this week. You’re guaranteed a zero when rostering the withdrawn Woods, but that could be a better score than many golfers certain to finish over par through Friday. It’s an intriguing concept, one worth considering.
As reported by: RotoGrinders
Masters weather update: Thursday afternoon wind gusts near 40mph per NWS
The afternoon winds could be brutal tomorrow for Round 1 of The Masters. The Thursday PM wave of golfers includes Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Marc Leishman, Bill Haas, and Justin Thomas. Those seeking to avoid golfers experiencing the brunt of the heavy winds are pivoting to Thursday AM tee time golfers including Jordan Spieth, Adam Hadwin, Rickie Fowler, and Kevin Kisner. Watch for RotoGrinders Chief Meteorologist Kevin Roth’s full Masters forecast later tonight.
As reported by: Kevin Roth via Twitter The Masters is less than a day away! Stay up to date on all things PGA via the Alerts App, which includes our excellent premium content
We’re now less than 24 hours from the biggest golf tournament of the year, and with multiple sites now running massive PGA tournaments, tonight is the night to take advantage of all of our PGA offerings. The Alerts App will keep you updated on any scratches/weather issues in addition to providing strategy content in reference to player news – the app also includes all of our free and premium PGA content available on the site. Our Expert Survey, Consensus Value Rankings, Weather Forecast, Strokes Gained article and Daily Fantasy Foursome (video) are all excellent avenues to find some of the best values on the board. Best of luck to all of our users this weekend!
As reported by: RotoGrinders Consensus Value Rankings
Dustin Johnson cancels dinner appearance scheduled for Wednesday night
Fears of Dustin Johnson withdrawing from The Masters continue to grow. Johnson was scheduled to receive a Player of the Year award from the Golf Writers Association of America tonight. But he has canceled his appearance putting his participation tomorrow further in doubt. Making the uncertainty worse, Johnson is in the last pairing scheduled to tee off at 2:03 PM on Thursday afternoon. Confirmation of his status may not arrive until after roster lock. We’ll continue to monitor the news surrounding Johnson’s injury. Stay tuned.
As reported by: Jason Sobel via Twitter Top pivots from injured Dustin Johnson (lower back) include Spieth, McIlory, and Fowler
Dustin Johnson’s line movement is aggressively drifting, falling to 10/1 on some sites within 15 minutes of the news of his injury. Both Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth’s odds have improved to near 8/1 during that time span. Spieth has the more advantageous tee times, going off at 10:34 AM on Thursday potentially avoiding some the heavier afternoon winds. McIlroy tees off at 1:41 PM on Thursday when the winds are currently projected to be near full strength. Rickie Fowler also has a morning tee time on Thursday morning at 10:12 AM. Jason Day and Hideki Matsuyama saw only slight improvements to their odds after the Johnson injury news. Ricky Fowler’s odds have jumped to 20/1, just behind Jason Day. McIlroy was projected to have higher ownership than Spieth prior to the Dustin Johnson injury news. However, Spieth could gain more pivots from Dustin Johnson due to his superior course history and advantageous tee time on Thursday. Ownership projections will be updated on RotoGrinders.com by 6:30 PM Eastern.
As reported by: RotoGrinders Dustin Johnson injures lower back after a fall; manager says he's "hopeful" to play tomorrow
Johnson apparently had a fairly serious fall this afternoon that is putting his Masters presence in some jeopardy. His manager notes that Johnson is still “hopeful” to be able to participate tomorrow, but we’ll now have to track this situation closely up until lock to ensure the world’s top player is taking part in the action. Stay tuned.
As reported by: Doug Ferguson The Masters: Wednesday's practice rounds suspended due to inclement weather
The weather is becoming a significant factor for the 2017 Masters. Wednesday rains will soften the course at Augusta National perhaps benefiting the bombers off the tee and slowing down the fast greens. But it’s the strong winds on Thursday and Friday that is most concerning. Current forecasts project the strongest winds on Thursday afternoon creating an expected tee time advantage. Interest in the Thursday AM / Friday PM wave of golfers is growing. Early Thursday morning tee time favorites include Adam Hadwin, Tommy Fleetwood, and Kevin Kisner.
As reported by: The Masters Tournament via Twitter Windy weather, potentially limited scoring increases focus on putting for The Masters
Putting is generally regarded as the most volatile aspect of golf and often overlooked when considering golfers during roster construction. However, the extremely fast, undulating greens at Augusta National Golf Club paired with very windy conditions which could limit scoring as it did in 2016 is causing many in the DFS community to reconsider the importance of putting for the 2017 Masters. Last year, limited scoring enabled several shorter hitters who were riding hot putters to crack the top-10 including Brandt Snedeker, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Lee Westwood, and winner Danny Willett. The winning score was just five under par in 2016, where Spieth won at 18 under par in 2015. Fitzpatrick is among the PGA Tour leaders in SG: Putting this season, registering at 1.145 through the Shell Houston Open. DraftKings Milly Maker late additions Marc Leishman and Russell Henley are also in the top-10 for SG: Putting. But the year to date leader in this category is Tyrrell Hatton at 1.415. This is Hatton’s first crack at the Masters but he is in very good form and the unfavorable weather conditions could create opportunities for him to climb the leaderboard.
As reported by: RotoGrinders Tee times and groupings announced for first two rounds of The Masters
Thursday and Friday will be very windy days in Augusta. Current weather forecasts have winds starting at 12-15mph for the early Thursday morning tee times but quickly escalating to over 20mph+ by noon. Some weather sites suggest winds could occasionally gust over 40mph on Thursday afternoon. Friday wind forecasts currently look similar, but with the Friday afternoon gusts being “only” 20-30mph. So it would appear the Thursday PM wave will experience the harshest wind conditions. The Thursday PM wave includes several popular plays such as Dustin Johnson, Marc Leishman, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Sergio Garcia.
As reported by: Masters.com via Twitter Jason Day ready for return, mother's prognosis improving
Jason Day’s mother, Dening, has recently received a more optimistic outlook for her recovery from lung cancer. She’s now resting comfortably in Ohio and Jason Day is in the field for The Masters. Following a weekend practice session at Augusta National he stated, “For the first time in about a month and a half I was happy to be on the golf course. I was enjoying myself again. It’s been really, really hard to enjoy myself. But I think things are starting to brighten up. So it would be nice to get back on track here.” After his WD and emotional statement to the press at the WGC-Dell Match Play event, the DFS community was expected to overlook Day for The Masters. But Day is now emerging as an intriguing pivot in the top salary range. Originally projected to have less than 10% ownership for the DraftKings Milly Maker, Day’s popularity is rising in DFS as well as in Vegas. Day’s line movement is among the most positive through Tuesday morning, improving to near 20/1. He knows his way around Augusta National finishing at T10 last year. While privately coping with his mother’s ordeal, Day’s form has been understandably inconsistent. But’s he’s one of the most talented golfers in the world and we’ve seen athletes emotionally excel during similar circumstances before. “I haven’t had the prep that I needed or usually have. But I’ll do the best job I can preparing from here,” Day added. “I’m hitting it well so far so hopefully that can continue and get even tighter by Thursday.”
As reported by: Ben Everill of PGATOUR.com Jimmy Walker coping with mononucleosis
Finally, we may have an explanation for Jimmy Walker’s poor recent form. Walker recently disclosed that he has been coping with mononucleosis with the first symptoms appearing back in November of 2016. The disclosure certainly helps to explain why Walker has shot under par only once on a Sunday all season long (a 69 at the Genesis Open). “I’ve just been totally lethargic,” Walker said. “I’ve had no energy. I get to the golf course, and I just want to sit down. I was not about to say anything. I just kept plugging along.” Walker said the only remedy is rest, “and I don’t have time for that.”. Walker’s DraftKings GPP projected ownership is at just 3% and this development could push it even lower. Walker’s vegas odds line movement has drifted on Monday moving from near 110/1 in the morning to near 130/1 by day’s end.
As reported by: ESPN Golf The Masters, DraftKings Milly Maker projected ownership: Rory McIlroy takes early lead
Rory McIlroy is quickly emerging as the chalk play for the DraftKings $3.5M Fantasy Golf Millionaire contest. Heavy ownership is anticipated in the top salary range, with the top 3 golfers easily exceeding 20% ownership due to softer pricing and significant uncertainty with two, usually popular golfers: Jason Day (uncertain mental state due to family illness) and Henrik Stenson (horrific recent form). Even though Jordan Spieth has exceptional course history at Augusta National, last week’s missed cut and the Sunday implosion on the 12th Hole at the 2016 Masters is causing hesitation during roster construction/exposure settings. Dustin Johnson’s recent form has been incredible, winning his last three events. Ironically, this is decelerating his ownership due to anticipated (and inevitable) regression. In lower salary ranges; Jon Rahm, Paul Casey, Marc Leishman, and Adam Hadwin are quickly building strong ownership momentum. Ownership projections for the DraftKings Masters Tournament Milly Maker are now live on RotoGrinders.com. Numerous pOwn% updates are made throughout the week up to 30 minutes before roster lock. The complete projections are viewable for DraftKings Golf Premium subscribers in the “PGA Lineup Builder” and “Golfer Projections” sections of the daily research console.
As reported by: RotoGrinders Gary Woodland in the field for The Masters, thoughts remain focused on family
Woodland immediately withdrew from the WGC-Dell Match Play event upon learning of complications arising in his wife’s pregnancy. Sadly, Woodland and his wife, Gabby, lost one of the twins she was carrying. Gabby is on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy, both her and a baby boy in stable condition. Woodland thought of staying by her side this week, but Gabby has urged him to play at The Masters. He has been a very popular play this season, peaking at over 35% GPP ownership on DraftKings for the Valspar. But Woodland should carry low ownership this week. “It’s hard,” Woodland said today after his practice round. “But it puts golf into perspective. Bogeys don’t mean much right now.” We wish the Woodland family all the best.
As reported by: Jason Sobel, ESPN Bad weather disrupts practice rounds at Augusta National on Monday, more storms expected on Wednesday. 20+ mph winds likely on Thursday and Friday.
Players and patrons were forced to evacuate Augusta National Golf Club twice on Monday as thunderstorms rolled through the area. Practice rounds resumed after a two-hour delay earlier in the day but another wave of storms soon set in. Tournament officials suspended play for the rest of the day around 2:30 pm local time. Extended weather forecasts include a high probability of more storms on Wednesday and strong winds over 20mph expected on Thursday and Friday. European Tour veterans are often favored in windy conditions and early week narratives are already building for players such as Tyrrell Hatton, Sergio Garcia, and Thomas Pieters. Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, and Phil Mickelson have also performed well in windy conditions in recent years. Kevin Roth’s forecast on Wednesday may be very important in identifying a Tee-Time advantage for The Masters based on wind patterns.
As reported by: Weather.com John Peterson WDs from the Shell Houston Open
John Peterson joins David Hearn as the only golfers on DraftKings to have withdrawn. In addition to Hearn and Peterson, Dustin Johnson and Jon Curran are options on FanDuel but have also withdrawn. We’ll continue monitoring news from the Shell Houston Open and promptly relay any WD developments up to roster lock.
As reported by: Rotoworld Golf