DFS Alerts
Jordan Spieth continues to search for answers
Jordan Spieth’s last win was two years ago this week. Spieth held off Matt Kuchar down the stretch to win the 2017 British Open. Mired in almost a two-year slump many in the DFS world have sworn off Spieth until further notice. For those willing to take a chance on Spieth there is a strong case to made for buying a one time top player in the world at both a discount in price and ownership. Currently projected at less than 5% ownership, Spieth is one of the few players in this field with multiple major championships under his belt. While the negative’s in his game has been covered over and over during this prolonged slump there are few things to look at in terms of possible reasons to add Spieth to your roster builds this week. The greens at Royal Portrush are drawing early week comparisons to courses like Augusta. Steep false fronts will require players to think their way around this historic venue. Spieth always seems to play his best golf at Augusta, so if he can avoid trouble off the tee and make it to the green then he should feel at home on Royal Portrush putting surfaces. Hitting fairways this week could be easier for Spieth and his erratic off the tee game as it appears players can hit less than driver and still have a chance to compete. The volatility in his game makes this multiple major champion a GPP only type play, but as he has proven over and over in his career Spieth can compete and win with the best in the game.
As reported by: DraftKings Projected Ownership
Webb Simpson looks to continue solid play in Major Championships
Currently, in the 26th position in this year’s FedEx Cup race, Webb Simpson is quietly putting together another solid PGA Tour season. Since the start of the 2017 season, Simpson has been one of the more consistent golfers on tour. With 38 top 25 or better finishes in his last 69 starts on tour, Simpson is the type of player you can roster with a ton of confidence week in and week out. Priced-down in this very strong field Simpson stands out as one of the better points per dollar plays in our projection model for the week. Simpson’s excellent play is not just limited to regular tour events. In his last 14 starts in major championships, Simpson has 7 top 15 or better showings. Looking to add a second major championship to his resume Simpson is a value play worth paying attention too for the years last major championship.
As reported by: Rotogrinders Projections Tool U.S. Open Champion almost skipped the year's last major
One of the great underlying stories behind Gary Woodland’s victory at Pebble Beach was the joy that his triumph brought to a family that had suffered a great loss. Gary and his wife Gabby lost one of their two twins in a miscarriage almost a year and a half ago. Their son Jaxson survived both the miscarriage and premature birth. The Woodland’s are expecting twins yet again, and Gabby is expected to give birth in the next two weeks. The newest member to the major champion club almost did not make it to Royal Portrush as he seriously considered staying home with his wife. Woodland is ready to play this week as his wife Gabby urged him to make the trip over. The Woodland’s are pretty confident that the twins will not come this week, but it’s worth noting that Gary will have more than golf on his mind as he settles into the year’s final major.
As reported by: Golf Channel Zach Johnson looks to improve on a solid Open Championship resume
Zach Johnson is on a very short list of players to have won both The Masters and The British Open. Coming off what many would consider a very disappointing finish at last week’s John Deere Classic, Johnson could fly under the radar the year’s final major. Priced-down due to an overall disappointing season, Johnson has a major resume worth taking note of as you build rosters for the week. After missing the cut at his first three Open appearances, Johnson has made 12 straight cuts in golf’s oldest championship. In addition to his win at St. Andrews during the 2015 season, Johnson has six top 25 or better finishes at The Open Championship. While his game may lack the flash that many in the DFS community look for when picking golfers for a major championship it’s worth noting that Johnson has only missed one cut in the last 14 majors. During that period Johnson has managed to finish inside the top 25 or better six times. Johnson is used to making the long trip over to play in this event after The John Deere and is once again in a spot to provide value as he prepares to take on the year’s final major.
As reported by: PGA DFS Core Plays Euro Tour Sleeper
I like taking a shot at some lower-owned European Tour players in The Open Championship, and Van Rooyen is one of my favorite sleepers this time around. Both Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Bernd Wiesberger (discussed above) are fine options, but they will be chalkier than some of you might like in GPP contests. I’ll happily pivot some GPP ownership to Van Rooyen. He’s a talented player who made the cut in the last two majors on U.S. soil, and he has top 16 finishes at the BMW and the Scottish Open on his European Tour resume over the past four weeks. At a fraction of the ownership of RCB and Wiesberger, this is a really intriguing contrarian pick — especially since Van Rooyen sits at a similar salary as the other two on most sites. He carries a little more risk but sneaky upside.
Solid Value
Another major brings another chance for us to grab a talented golfer at a cheap price tag. All Cabrera-Bello does is make cuts consistently, and he has an intriguing combination of safety and upside. He has missed just two worldwide cuts in 21 starts this season, and the last three starts have all resulted in top ten finishes. His ball striking metrics in his PGA Tour starts aren’t great, but he has found his game in Europe, and that takes priority this week. He’s also very solid on par fours, as he ranks 25th on the PGA Tour in that department this year. I’m definitely a buyer at this reasonable price tag, especially since he has made the cut in six of his previous seven Open appearances.
Winning Upside At A Reasonable Price
This all sets up perfectly for Adam Scott. I like him more on courses that require a little more thought, and Portrush fits exactly that moldH. Scott is also riding an extended run of great form, with five straight top 20 finishes on his resume, all of which came in strong field events (three majors plus the Memorial and the PLAYERS). That’s pretty incredible stuff. His putter is working much better these days, and the tee to green ability has never been in question. He has reportedly already been at Portrush for a week, and his links track record is better than you might think. Statistically speaking, he ranks inside the top 55 on Tour in all the key statistical measures I am looking at for this event, and that includes a sparkling rank of 4th in strokes gained around the green. His short game is light years ahead of where it was last year at this time. His DFS price tag is borderline shocking, and I think Scott is perhaps the top point per dollar play on the board this week. Hop aboard.
Upside to Win Another Major
This could be the first time I’ve written up Tiger Woods since his return. I’m ready to buy in this week. Woods was posting online around a week ago with a time stamp of 1:00 to 2:00 in the morning, getting himself ready for the time change before he even crossed the pond. You can tell that he REALLY wants to win another major in 2019. He was spotted practicing at Royal Portrush last weekend, and the nature of this course makes it to where he won’t have to pound driver on every hole. That “stinger” off the tee should really come in handy on a links layout. Woods has finishes of 9th and 21st in his last two events since the missed cut at the PGA Championship, and he should be rested and ready to go for this event. His game remains solid all around, and his imagination should come in handy here.
Might be the Most Popular Play of the Week, but this is Good Chalk
Simpson has made the cuts in 10 straight majors and fits the same mold that the other four core plays have — all parts of his game are solid heading into the year’s final major. Simpson isn’t elite off the tee, but he hits a lot of fairways, which will be critical given the thick rough that surrounds these fairways. He’s great with his irons and has one of the best short games on tour. He has six straight top 30 finishes on tour and should be able to continue that trend this week. The icing on the cake is that Webb has posted progressively better finishes at the Open Championship in four straight years. He offers a high ceiling and a high floor, which puts him in play for cash games and tournaments.
Gained Strokes on Approach in 19 Straight Events
I would like to say that Matsuyama is my favorite play of the week, but I’m having a hard time separating these five core plays. I love each and every one of them and will be way overweight on the field on all five. Hideki has missed two of his last three cuts at the Open Championship, but has three top 22 finishes in six career attempts. He hasn’t missed a cut since last year’s Open Championship and he’s gained strokes on approach in 19 straight events. He has also gained strokes off the tee in 13 of his last 14 events and his short game has made big strides over the last few months. Basically, all aspects of his game are firing on all cylinders and the slow greens should only help a below-average putter like Matsuyama.
Good Form, Good Links Player, and a Career Year on Tour
Kuchar is having a career year, even though his off the course drama has been a distraction all season. Maybe Kuchar as the bad guy on tour is helping his game. I always love him in the majors, especially on courses that don’t require you to hit a ton of drivers. He has a great links track record and nearly won his first major two years ago when Jordan Spieth made that miraculous comeback on Sunday. Kuchar has been in great form heading into the week, posting top 20 finishes in seven of his last eight events. He gains strokes in all aspects of his game and he’s made seven straight cuts at this tournament. Kuchar is typically a better option for cash games, but he’s a serious contender this week.
Noto's Pick to Win the Open Championship
There is a popular trend getting throw around the industry this week that the winner of the Open Championship over the last many moons has always played at least one tournament in between the U.S. Open and the Open Championship. We haven’t seen Scott since the U.S. Open, so that means he can’t win, right? Of course not, trends are only trends until they are broken. Scott has played a light schedule this season, but it is really working for him. All parts of his game have been solid and he’s posted five straight top 18 finishes and three straight top eight finishes. He’s a great links player, as highlighted by four top 22 finishes in the last five editions of the Open Championship.
Top 25 in Every Strokes Gained Statistic this Season
At this point, how do we argue against Cantlay? Sure, he doesn’t have a ton of links experience, but he had none before last year’s Open Championship and he was still able to post a T12 finish. He picked up a big win at the Memorial and then backed it up with top 25 finishes at the U.S. Open and the Travelers Championship. Do you want to hear a crazy statistic? Cantlay is ranked in the top 25 in every strokes gained category on the PGA Tour — off the tee, approach, around the green, and putting. He doesn’t have a weakness in his game and he’s significantly cheaper than a number of golfers that he’s played better than this season. He’s number three in my model this week, yet he’s the 13th and 12th most expensive golfer on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Dustin Johnson is back with his old swing coach ahead of The Open Championship
PGA Tour players make swing coach changes often throughout a typical year without much fanfare from the media. Being on the worlds best golfers Dustin Johnson is not your normal tour player, so when he makes a swing coach change the media pays attention. Johnson had a very public split from swing coach Claude Harmon III earlier this season. The split between Harmon and Johnson did not last long as the two were seen working together ahead of this week’s major. From a DFS standpoint, this should not move the needle much, but it’s still worth keeping an eye on as the week unfolds. For all, we know the two could have reunited earlier but this is the first time they have worked together in a public setting.
As reported by: Golf Channel Charles Howell is no longer in the field
One day after a strong finish at The John Deere Classic, Charles Howell has decided to skip the year’s final major. Howell will be replaced in the field by Brian Harman. At this time there is no injury news associated with this move. Harman will get added to LineupHq once he is added to the DFS pricing pools.
As reported by: The Golf Channel Other tagged players: Brian Harman