DFS Alerts
Rolling Well in 2019
I keep waiting for Sabbatini to slow down, but he simply hasn’t put the brakes on at all. I was surprised that his tee-to-green statistics were as poor as they were given his 2019 results, but they still grade out nicely in this field. He has not missed a cut since February, with 11 straight top 45 finishes on his resume. That kind of form is noteworthy for a golfer who used to be known for inconsistency. The price tag is cheaper than I would have expected, too, which is a nice bonus.
Rounding Into Form
When he is going right, Moore hits a ton of fairways and greens and rarely makes mistakes. He’s also proven capable of contending in a shootout, as he showed a few years ago at the John Deere Classic when he won with a score of 22-under par. Moore also has a history of success on Donald Ross designs, which helps boost him up a bit in this field. He hit 88% of fairways last week (including 14-for-14 on Sunday) and nearly 80% of greens in regulation. He’s healthy and thriving again, and I will happily continue to buy in with Moore as a solid high-end play in GPP formats.
Safe and Steady Top End Play
Consistency is the name of the game with Matsuyama, as he has not missed a cut all year and is currently sporting a streak of 12 consecutive top 35 finishes. That’s incredible for any golfer, and there’s a nice combination of floor and ceiling here. Given the weak field, it would be a massive surprise to see Matsuyama flop in this spot, as he ranks near the top of the field in almost every statistical category I am looking at, including top 20 ranks in total driving and ball striking. His tee to green game is elite. Ride the wave of momentum.
Five Minutes to roster lock, no major news to report
Five minutes until roster lock and there is no major news to report. This is the first week in a long time where there has been no player movement to report. Good luck this week. ResultsDB will be up and running within 15 minutes of roster lock. Make sure to check out how your lineups stack up against the field.
Weather update for The Travelers Championship
Rotogrinders Own Cheif Meteorologist Kevin Roth has the weather report up for the Travelers Championship up in the main forum. With a little bit of rain in play over the first two days, we could see weather have an effect in terms of a tee time advantage this week. The problem this week is the timing of such storms. Depending on when storms hit could mean even a delay in tee times over the first two days of play. If the weather forecast holds true then Roth thinks there could be a slight edge to the late Thursday/ early Friday tee time wave. For now, the edge is not big enough to consider making major changes to any roster build process. Just in case there is an edge you can allocate a few stacked lineups in each wave assuming you are multi-mass entering for the week. As always we will check the weather prior to lock making sure to inform you of any changes to the forecast.
As reported by: Kevin Roth Weather Report Justin Thomas still searching for his form after returning from injury
Prior to injuring his wrist earlier this season, Justin Thomas was almost an automatic roster consideration in an event he entered. Despite an ailing wrist, Thomas posted a 12th place finish at The Masters leaving many to believe the injury was not overly severe. To the surprise of many Thomas pulled out of the PGA Championship due to that wrist and did not return until The Memorial. In his three starts since returning, Thomas is two for three in cuts made with a T20 at The RBC Canadian Open. Playing again this week after a missed cut at the U.S. Open Thomas is trending as one of the more popular golfers for the week. With undeniable talent, it’s easy to see why many in the industry are willing to put continued faith behind Thomas, but with his high projected ownership, this could be a good spot to merit a fade in large field GPP’s. Wrist injuries can take some time for a player to feel comfortable with in terms of both a mental and physical sense.
As reported by: DraftKings Projected Ownership Bryson DeChambeau appears closer to snapping out of a slump
Bryson DeChambeau is no stranger in regards to having to play his way out of a slump. Shortly after turning pro DeChambeau struggled to find his game on the PGA Tour and haad to eventually earn his way back to the tour through success on the Web.com Tour. With five international wins since June of last season, DeChambeau has quickly made a case for being one of the better young players on tour. Poor play over the last few months has lead to frustrating results leaving the very talented DeChambeau in search of his first top 15 or better since February. In terms of a great DFS GPP play DeChambeau has all of the qualities we are looking for this week. Still a very talented golfer with the game to win on this course, DeChambeau has both a low salary and low ownership. If you are looking for a pivot off other popular players in the same price range, DeDhambeau could end up being the difference maker for the week.
As reported by: PGA GPP Breakdown Collin Morikawa looks to make the most of his limited opportunities
For standout collegiate golfers such as Collin Morikawa, the transition to professional golf seems easier than ever before. While a tour card is a hard thing to get at this point in the season, golfers such as Morikawa are more prepared than players of past generations. Morikawa chose to finish his four-year degree prior to chasing his dream of playing on the Tour, so at 22 he is a bit older than some of the other players making the same transition. Playing in last week’s U.S. Open, Morikawa was able to follow up his 14th place showing from his professional debut at the Canadian Open with a T35 in his first appearance in a major championship. Priced down in the value range, Morikawa is starting to gain traction as a popular source of relief on this slate. Not the longest player, Morikawa has the accuracy game that should play well at TPC River Highlands. With only a handful of sponsor’s starts left this season, Morikawa understands that his chances of making enough money to earn a tour card are very small. In a way, this free’s Morikawa up to play without fear of failure as he knows the most likely path to play on the PGA Tour card is via his play next season on The Web.com Tour.
As reported by: Pga Value Breakdown Emiliano Grillo continues to provide upside at a discount
As the owner of five top 35 or better finishes in his last seven starts on tour, Emiliano Grillo could end up being one of the more popular cash game targets of the week. Priced down in comparison to his recent play, Grillo offers both consistency and upside. Prior to last week’s U.S. Open Grillo had three straight top 25 or better finishes highlight by a 9th place showing at The Memorial. Known for his great ball striking ability, Grillo’s only major weakness lies in his putting. The good news for Grillo is that he putts much better on bentgrass greens and should be in a good spot to improve on his top 20 showing at last year’s Travelers Championship.
As reported by: PGA Cash Breakdown Brandt Snedeker in a great spot to bounce back at low ownership
Fueled by three straight top 20 or better finishes, Brandt Snedeker found his way into a ton of roster builds for last week’s U.S. Open. Even with a made cut at The U.S. Open Snedeker probably did not live up to the expectations of his DFS owners. As one of the more popular value plays on the week, Snedeker underperformed in comparison to his expectations. Snedeker is currently projected to go under-owned for the week and is in a good spot to provide leverage in a bounce-back situation. With three top tens in his last four starts at TPC River Highland Snedeker has the game to fit this second shot course. The combination of great current form and very solid course history should weigh more than one poor performance. Priced up do to his great form, Snedeker at low ownership represents a great spot to pivot off popular golfers in his price range.
As reported by: DraftKings Projected Ownership Monday qualifiers now have projections and are available in LineupHQ
As of Wednesday morning, the only player movement for this week’s Travelers Championship consists of four golfers who earned their way into the field via Monday qualifying. Corey Conners win as a Monday qualifier earlier this season served as a great reminder that the line between success and failure is very small on The PGA Tour. Chip McDaniel made headlines this week by qualifying for his 3rd event this season. McDaniel played in last week’s U.S. Open and then had to make the cross country trip from Pebble Beach to Cronwell Connecticut with no guarantee of playing this week. McDaniel shot 67 on Monday and survived a nine for three playoff to make it into this week’s field. McDaniel and the other three Monday qualifiers have been added to the field and are now available to use in LineupHQ. At this point, they should only be considered as dart throw type plays in large field GPP’s, but as we have seen at other times this season any one player in the field can compete with the best players in the world on any given week.
As reported by: Rotogrinders Projections Tool Other tagged players: Jim Renner, Ryan McCormick, Mike Miller Matthew Wolff set to make his professional debut
With almost nothing left to prove in the world of college golf, Matthew Wolff has decided to turn pro. Like many other Oklahoma State Cowboys before him, Wolff will make the jump to the PGA Tour with hopes of playing well early and often. With only six sponsors exemptions left this season, Wolff will have a very daunting task of trying to earn a PGA Tour card for next season. That being said this golfer with a very unique swing has the talent to compete with the best players in the world. Even if he does not earn a Tour card via starts this season, Wolff will have a place to play on The Web.Com Tour next season. In terms of DFS Wolff could fly under the radar in comparison to the excellent play of his former teammate Viktor Hovland at last week’s U.S. Open. Priced less than Hovland, Wolff could be considered as a GPP option for the week. Wolff made the cut as an amateur in his only start of the season at this year’s WPMO. If nothing else it’s important to pay attention to college players making the jump to professional golf, as many of these players will be at the forefront for years to come.
As reported by: PGA Expert Rankings Other tagged players: Viktor Hovland Trending In The Right Direction
Chez Reavie has always been a streaky golfer, and he has put his underwhelming 2018 season in the rear view mirror at this point. He has made five of his last six cuts, and four of those have gone for top 20 finishes. That included an impressive T-3 at last week’s U.S. Open, and that should give him plenty of confidence moving forward. Reavie currently ranks 19th on Tour in par four scoring and 24th in strokes gained on approach, and this course fit is solid. When you combine that with his current form, Reavie makes for a fine mid-range GPP option this week.
Buying Low On The Young Golfers
This summer is going to be different than a lot of previous ones, as we have four amateurs that are turning professional after dominating the college ranks. Expect to see a lot of sponsor’s invitations given to Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, Justin Suh, and Matthew Wolff over the next few months. All four absolutely have the game to contend on the PGA Tour level, but everyone takes a different path. Expect bumps in the road along the way. Hovland is the most well-known name here, especially after his spectacular performance at the U.S. Open last week. The problem with Hovland is that the sites have pro-actively priced him up into the mid-range this week. When you combine that price with the fact that some people will likely be on him, I’m not that interested in Hovland. I’d rather take a chance on the other three, and all of the others will likely be in my GPP pool. I’ll highlight Morikawa here as my favorite point per dollar option thanks to the fact that he has already started with a top 15 in Canada and an impressive showing at the U.S. Open. He’s cheaper than Hovland, and I project them with similar baselines here.
Banking On GPP Upside
His ownership is in the tank on a weekly basis now, as Bryson has not logged a top 15 finish since February. However, the recent signs have been positive, with a 22nd place finish at The Memorial and a 35th place finish last week with some real bright spots in his U.S. Open performance. He’s saying all the right things publicly about his game getting back to where it needs to be, and I’m inclined to believe his statements on that front. He still ranks inside the top 50 on Tour in strokes gained on approach, and his finishes have gotten better at TPC River Highlands in each of his three previous trips. I like Bryson as a sneaky contender this weekend.