DFS Alerts
Xinjun Zhang looks to build on an excellent start to his season
The former bad boy of The Chinese PGA Xin-Jin Zhang will look to build on a solid start to his 2020 PGA Tour season. Fresh off winning the money list on the Korn Ferry Tour, Zhang has started off this season with 4 out of 5 made cuts including 3 top 20 or better outings. Trending as a strong value option for the week, Zhang has played in this event the previous four seasons so he will have a bit of experience to rely on this week. Zhang relies on a steady type of game, but at his price tag we could see value crushed with a top 20 type finish.
As reported by: Pga Value Breakdown
Tony Finau looks to bounce back from a disappointing week
Tony Finau did not exactly set the world on fire in his start at last week’s ZOZO Championship. At this point in his career, Finau will always garnish a fair share of ownership, and if there is always a chance that some in the community will not add this top 15 player in the world to a roster after last week’s disappointment. Finau narrowly missed getting his second career win at last year’s HSBC WGC event and has a great skill set to compete again this year. Finau is both long off the tee and great with his approach making him an ideal fit for Sheshan International Golf Club. Even at a high price tag, Finau has the type of game that can pay off his salary despite a top 10 type finish. In his two previous starts at this event, Finau has shot under par in six of his eight rounds. If you are not quite high on taking Finau in your builds this week, then there is always merit for attacking this golfer in showdown slates as he has a very high 28% birdie rate in his 8 rounds at this course.
As reported by: PGA GPP Breakdown Henrik Stenson flying under the radar despite excellent course history
Currently projected to have a sub 8% ownership Henrik Stenson is a player you can look to target in terms of GPP leverage this week. With so many other popular top-end spends to pick from in this field, Stenson is simply going to have less curb appeal than he probably should. In his last four starts at this event, Stenson has not finished worse than T25 including a pair of runner up showings. During that span, he has gained 40 shots tee to green and with 11 of his last 16 rounds at Sheshan International Golf Club falling at 70 or under Stenson has a great chance to be a difference-maker this week.
As reported by: DraftKings Projected Ownership Bubba Watson stands out as a great value play this week
Bubba Watson is one of the few players on tour that plays his own style of golf. A self-taught artist that does things his own way Watson is without a doubt one of the more fascinating players to watch in the world of golf. If you have not seen the shot he hit during last week’s ZOZO Championship please do yourself a favor and google the shot, it’s well worth your time. Due to somewhat poor recent form, we find Watson priced somewhat low in comparison to his actual talent level. As a past winner of this event, Watson should garnish some interest this week and he stands out as a top player in our projection model in terms of Pt/$/K. Par 5 scoring has always been a key to playing Sheshan International Golf Club. When Watson won this event ( 2014), he played the par 5’s at 14 under par for the week. At his current price, Watson does not need a top-end finish for the week. A decent week of par 5 scoring and we could see Watson as the top overall play in terms of value for the last event of the Asian swing.
As reported by: Rotogrinders Projections Tool Francesco Molinari has a new caddie on the bag
More times than not the firing of a caddie does very little in terms of scratching the surface in terms of golf news. The major exception to this type of change is when a big name in the world of golf makes this type of change. A few weeks ago Francesco Molinari and his caddie of four years announced that they would no longer work together. Molinari has decided to part ways with Pello Iguaran and will begin working with Justin Rose’s old caddie Mark Fulcher to start the 2020 calendar year. The plan for the remainder of this season is to have Jason Hempleman on the bag to finish out this year. Player caddie changes happen often, and despite the change to his team, we should still expect great things from Molinari moving forward. Lost in the shuffle of this very strong field Molinari could fly under the radar this week.
As reported by: GolfWorld Kevin Na is no longer in the field
Kevin Na is no longer in this week’s field. At this time there is no injury news associated with his departure from the tournament. There will be no field replacements this week. Please removed him from your lineups.
As reported by: Rob Bolton Twitter Majors and WGC Events
My last play of the week could dip below 10% ownership, although that could be a pipe dream. Oosty has the reputation of a golfer that withdraws every other tournament. While he does WD more than most, it’s typically when he gets off to a bad start, so it’s not like he would have helped your lineups anyway. I love targeting him in two types of events — majors and WGCs. He seems to play his best on the biggest stage and on the most difficult courses. He finished last season on a high note, but then took two months off before returning to action last week. There was a little rust, but he did hit over 70% of greens in regulation and finished the week with 12 birdies and an eagle. He has played this event seven times over the last 10 years, posting four top 15 finishes during that stretch.
Don't Let His PGA Tour Stats Fool You
RCB doesn’t have the best statistics, but that’s only if you are looking at data from the PGA Tour. He spends about half of his time on the European Tour where he has been a top 10 machine. In his last five events, he has four top 30 finishes including a sixth and a second. He played in last week’s Zozo Championship where he made 15 birdies and an eagle en route to a T30 finish. I always seem to gravitate toward him on tougher tracks and specifically in WGC events. He has played here each of the last three seasons, posting finishes of T19, T5, and T14. His ownership should be reasonable even though he’s been in great form and even though he’s a good fit for the course.
Elite Ball Striker that Can Make Putts
Scott had some strange issues off the tee for a few tournaments at the start of the swing season, but those seem fixed at this point. That was to be expected, as he’s long been known as one of the best drivers of the ball on tour. His iron game has been as good as anyone’s over the last six months and that’s evident in his statistics above — second in strokes gained approach and third in greens in regulation. He gets a lot of heat for his putting, but he makes a ton of long putts. Many might be surprised to see that he’s ranked 11th in this field in strokes gained putting over the last 50 rounds. There wasn’t anything spectacular about his T33 finish last week, but he did finish in a tie for third in greens in regulation. He should be able to keep that going this week on a course where he has four top 20s in his last seven appearances.
King of Cash Games
If you haven’t been following the European Tour, then you may not know that Casey picked up a win at the Porsche European Open early in September. Since then, he’s had two top 20 finishes and a missed cut. He played in last week’s Zozo Championship (T17) where he was tied for third in greens in regulation. He’s one of the best ball strikers on tour and he typically plays his best on difficult tracks. It’s no surprise that he loves this course, as you have to keep it in play and avoid all the hazards to contend. He has played here eight times in the last 10 years and has never finished worse than T23. I’d say that’s a pretty good track record. He’s got the form, he’s got the course fit (top nine in this field in all of the key stats except for putting), and he’s got the course history.
Solid Value With Upside
Okay, I can’t avoid doing this. How can I miss a chance to write up a player with ZUIDEN in his last name. I’m all aboard the BEZUIDENHOUT train. This isn’t all about his last name, though. My namesake will have almost no ownership given the fact that he never plays on the PGA Tour, but he did log six top 10 finishes in just 24 starts on the European Tour this year. That’s impressive upside. He won the Andalucia Masters back in June and finished third in a strong field at the BMW PGA Championship last month. I don’t expect him to win here, but a top 15 finish would be more than enough at this price tag, and the no cut nature of the event helps out with a stars and scrubs build.
The Price Tag is Just Too Cheap
What does Ian Poulter need to do in order to get a price increase in DFS? I know he’s not the most popular guy out there, but Poulter has started the Asian swing with back-to-back top 16 finishes. He is a solid tee to green player who always minimizes his mistakes, and that has value on a course with water in play on 11 holes. His last three trips here have resulted in finishes of 6th, 21st, and 30th, which is solid for his mid-range price tag. He is unlikely to tank your lineup and has top ten upside with the way he is currently striking it. He’s a nice option in a relatively muddled middle tier.
Out For Revenge After Last Year's Close Loss
Finau has a reputation as a bomber, and he’s certainly plenty long off the tee. That will help him on the par fives and shorter par fours around Sheshan — at least one of which could be drive-able throughout the week. However, despite his reputation as a bomber, Finau has a solid approach game as well. He ranks second on Tour in strokes gained on approach throughout the fall swing, and his combination of distance and approach play should serve him very well this week. He has finished 11th and 2nd in his two previous trips here, and you know he is itching to get back at it after losing to Schauffele in a playoff a year ago. I hope his poor showing at the Zozo last week will help to keep ownership down, as I am fully aboard the Finau express in GPP formats.
Perfect Course Fit
On a course that emphasizes all around game and limiting mistakes with water in play on 11 holes, Casey will always pop as a potential option. He has posted top 25 finishes here in each of the last four editions of the event, and he has 11 top 25 finishes in 12 career trips to this course. That’s not too shabby. Combine that with the fact that he won on the European Tour just a month ago and finished with a solid 17th place last week in Japan, and you have all the makings of an elite play. There’s really nothing to dislike here, making Casey a top option in all formats.
Thirty minutes to roster lock and no major news to report
For the second straight week we get primetime PGA Tour golf to sweat. Rosters lock at the same time as NBA today so please make sure to edit any lineups that you may have set earlier in the week. You check back to see how your lineups stack up against the field as ResultsDB contest listed fifteen minutes after lock. As always we will post any late-breaking news before lock. Again roster lock is at 7:00 P.M. eastern time, so please get those rosters set.