DFS Alerts
Field update for The PGA
Past PGA Champion Vijay Singh is the latest golfer to withdraw from this year’s tournament. He will be replaced in the field by J.T. Poston. Due to the timing of this move, it remains to be seen if Poston will get added to DFS pricing pools. Kelly Kraft gained entry into the event yesterday when Justin Thomas withdrew and has been added to DFS pricing pools.
As reported by: Rob Bolton Twitter Other tagged players: Kelly Kraft, JT Poston
Big Hitter a good fit at lengthy Bethpage Black
It’s great to project course fit but sometimes it’s best to just go straight to the course. Back in 2016, Vegas said this about Bethpage Black, “I love it to be honest. It’s a super challenging golf course. No matter where you are, you get really hard shots around here. It tests you mentally, which is the biggest thing here. I like it. I love it. It’s my type of course. I’m having a good time.” He went on to finish T22 that week. This time around he arrives with some of the best ball-striking form in the field. He’s gained 23.4 strokes tee-to-green over the last 3 months which ranks 15th in the field over that time frame. Only five golfers have gained more total strokes over that time. Good form mixed with a love of the course should produce fireworks.
South African Striker
Frittelli does everything you want in a value pick, except for putt well. Playing his first full season on the PGA TOUR, the South African has gained strokes tee-to-green in 11-of-12 measured events. He’s not a bomber but he mixes above-average distance with precision, kinda like a Tommy Fleetwood. His ball-striking should keep him near the top half of the leaderboard and if warms up the putter than a top 20 is definitely in the cards.
Getting Better in Majors
Kokrak finally had the blowup round that everyone was waiting for, but it was after he made the cut at the Wells Fargo Championship. We can forgive a single bad round, especially since he’s played so well all season. He still hasn’t missed a cut since last year’s Open Championship and he’s been a top 20 machine all year. We shouldn’t put a ton of stock into course history for the PGA Championship, but he has progressively better finishes at the event in each of the last three seasons. And finally, poa is his preferred putting surface, which never hurts.
Wait, did you Say Six Straight Events?
I don’t expect Scott to get overlooked completely, but he should definitely get lost in the shuffle. With Cantlay and Matsuyama priced right above him and Garcia and Stenson priced below him, Scott will get passed over by many. He’s always been one of the best ball strikers in the world and he’s always shown up for the majors. He plays difficult courses well and over his last six tournaments, he’s done something that he’s never done in his career — gained strokes putting in every tournament. Leaving the flagstick in has really helped his game on the greens this season.
Top 20 Machine
Cantlay has missed two cuts this season and both were thanks to rough starts on Thursday. Outside of those rare off weeks, he hasn’t finished outside of the top 20. In fact, he has seven top 10 finishes in his last 10 events. His consistency is unmatched when you compare it to other golfers in his price range. Much like Matsuyama, he has an elite tee to green game, he’s just one good putting week away from winning a big tournament. Cantlay might be popular this week, but he’s the type of chalk I like to play. I like to fade the volatile golfers that garner high ownership.
Gaining Strokes Everywhere Except the Greens
Matsuyama has been trending in the right direction for month. His tee to green statistics are incredible right now. In fact, he has gained strokes off the tee, on approach, AND around the green in eight straight tournaments. Do you know how hard it is to gain strokes in all facets of your game each and every week? Obviously, his putter has been the only thing holding him back. However, poa is his preferred putting surface, so he could easily post a top 10 finish if he’s not giving up strokes on the greens. He always plays well at the majors and his price is affordable across the industry.
Always Shows Up in Majors
Fleetwood is everyone’s favorite DFS play. He has yet to win on the PGA Tour, but he’s been in contention a number of times. He rarely misses cuts, he makes a lot of birdies, and he seems to get better as the courses get more difficult. He’s one of the best total drivers of the ball on tour, which should be a huge plus this week. These fairways are thin and the course is over 7,400 yards, so golfers will need a combination of length and accuracy. The only concern that I have is that he hosted the British Masters last week, so he may not have as much practice time on the course as most of the field.
The King of Poa Greens
DJ is my pick to win this week. I’m not exactly going out on a limb here, but I will be betting him outright and will have a ton of exposure to him in DFS. He’s ranked first in my stat model, first in long-term form, first in short-term form, and he just passed Tiger Woods as the betting favorite. It’s hard to believe that Johnson has only won a single major given how many times he’s been in contention, but it’s only a matter of time before that changes. You can rarely go wrong with DJ, especially on poa annua greens. He’s ranked first in this field in strokes gained putting on poa. If he’s anywhere near the top of the field in putting, he could run away with this one.
Elite Value At This Salary
If you lined up every golfer in this field based on talent, there is no way that Suri would be this low in salary. His statistical ranks are rock solid on the European Tour, and his form is percolating at the right time, as well. Over the last month and a half, he has four straight top 20 finishes in Europe, and they are in relatively strong field events. Now, even the strongest European Tour events have weaker fields compared to this PGA Championship, but that is reflected in the price tag. Suri is a phenomenal value at this tag, and I think he’s worth an outright betting look at crazy 200-to-1 odds. He has the talent to contend here, and he finished 19th at last year’s PGA Championship at Bellerive.
Steady With Upside
Fleetwood has been knocking on the door for a while now, from his 3rd place finish at the Arnold Palmer to his 5th place finish at The PLAYERS to his 8th place finish at the British Masters last week. His game is coming around, and he brings a nice combination of safety and upside to the table. His stats are just fine for this course, and he’s one of the better all around golfers in the game. I like him better on these courses that are difficult tests, and he’s a dark horse contender to win this week.
Time For A Major Win
Thanks to the price discount you get from Woods, DJ, McIlroy, and Rose, I’ll actually opt for Fowler as my top point per dollar play on the board here. I know he has a history of running into problems at major tournaments, particularly on the weekend, but he has the talent to win one. He ranks inside the top 30 in driving distance and total driving, and he finished 7th at the Barclays here in 2016. Hopefully his time to win a big event is upon us. His statistics have been trending up over the last couple months, and this is his time to grab one.
The Elite Skills Remain
If everyone in the field plays their absolute best four rounds of golf, I’m fairly confident that it would be McIlroy coming out on top. He just needs to put four rounds together. His putter failed him over the two weekend rounds at the Wells Fargo, which found Rory fading to eighth place by the time it all ended. Still, a “weekend fade” managed to net him a top ten finish. That’s how electric he is capable of being on the golf course. You can see from his stats that he is elite almost everywhere else with top six rankings in driving distance, strokes gained approach, and strokes gained from tee to green. If I am spending top dollar for a golfer this week, I’ll still side with McIlroy over Woods and Koepka.
Justin Thomas is no longer in the field
In a bit of surprising news, Justin Thomas has withdrawn from The PGA Championship. Still nursing a wrist injury from earlier this season, Thomas will skip the years second major. He will be replaced in the field by Kelly Kraft. Updates to the various DFS pricing pools should take place within the next 24 hours. Thomas released a statement on his twitter feed that he is optimistic to return soon, but for now, he is just not ready.
As reported by: Rob Bolton Twitter Thirty minutes to roster lock and no major news to report
Thirty minutes until roster lock and no major news to report. As of now, tee times are still on track to start at 6:50. Pin Placements for the day have been posted on The PGA Tour’s twitter feed, it looks like business as normal for a Thursday. 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.