DFS Alerts
Chalky Cut Maker
I expect Taylor to be a popular target this week given the fact that he’s cheap and that he has posted five straight top 35 finishes on tour. There isn’t a single part of his game that stands out statistically, but he doesn’t really have any weaknesses. He’s decent off the tee, he’s above-average with his irons, and he has a good short game. He’s a grinder that should be able to make the cut and hopefully make some noise on the weekend. He has played in this event three times, posting two top 25 finishes during that stretch.
A Little Extra Motivation Never Hurt Anyone
Old man Furyk nearly survived the group of death at the WGC-Dell Match Play, but ran into Henrik Stenson on Friday. I watched the match and Stenson hit at least five approach shots within gimme range. I was still impressed with the way Furyk played and he was obviously in great form prior to last week after his solo second finish at The PLAYERS Championship. While he’s not the longest off the tee, he’s great with his long irons and he leads the field in bogey avoidance. When we are dealing with these difficult courses, being able to save par is a huge premium. He’s a perfect four-for-four at this event with two top six finishes. He also has plenty of motivation, as a win would get him into the Masters next week.
Arguably the Best Form of any Golfer in the Field
It’s hard to argue against playing Kokrak in all formats right now. For months, I have heard DFS players say that they were going to fade Kokrak because eventually he will regress. Those naysayers have missed out on some great finishes. Kokrak hasn’t missed a cut since the Open Championship and has posted three top 10 finishes in his last four starts. He’s ranked seventh or better in this field in strokes gained off the tee, strokes gained approach, birdie or better percentage, and bogey avoidance. That’s a lethal combination. He’s one good putting week away from finally breaking through with a win. He clearly has an eye for this course, as he’s made five of his last six cuts here, highlighted by three top 15 finishes during that stretch.
Safest Stud to Pay Up for this Week
It’s been a while since Tony Finau has made my article, which is very unusual given how many times he was featured last season. It feels like his form has been off, but his game log says otherwise. He missed the cut at the Waste Management Open (where he always misses the cut), but has quietly posted three top 25 finishes in a row, two of which were less than driver courses. He’ll get to air it out at TPC San Antonio on a course that features four par fives. He’s ranked second in this field in strokes gained off the tee and fourth in birdie or better percentage. Perhaps the craziest stat when it comes to Finau is that he has gained 17 strokes putting over his last four tournaments. If he keeps that up, it’s only a matter of time before he finds the winner’s circle.
Sleeper In Texas
It took a couple years, but it looks like Wyndham Clark is finally starting to capitalize on the potential that everyone thought he had when he first came to professional golf. He’s still blossoming at just 25 years of age, and he has made his last six cuts save a disaster and a DQ at The PLAYERS a few weeks back. He currently ranks fifth on the Tour in driving distance, behind only big names like Champ, Watson, List, and McIlroy. This course should suit his eye nicely, and his recent momentum has him playing well at the right time. He’s a great sleeper pick this weekend.
Short Game Stud
He missed the cut in the high profile event at Sawgrass a few weeks ago, but outside of that Baddeley has quietly been thriving. He finished 7th at Corales last week. He finished 17th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He finished with runner up honors at the Puerto Rico Open. Yes, I understand that two of those are lesser tier events, but there is still some merit to a golfer who is playing well, especially with how Baddeley can get rolling with the short game. That’s dangerous at this course, and he currently ranks 4th on Tour in scrambling and 13th in bogey avoidance. There’s sneaky top five upside here, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that he has racked up four straight top 20 finishes at this venue.
Great Fit On A Tough Track
I am generally not a Horschel fan, so it really pains me to list him here. However, Horschel checks in as my favorite point per dollar option on the board. He always thrives in events where scoring is more of a grind, and he has a solid history here with four top 11 finishes over the last seven editions, including three of the last four. He hasn’t missed a cut this season and doesn’t carry the massive price tags of the likes of Fowler and Kuchar. He ranks inside the top quarter of this field in scrambling and bogey avoidance, and he carries a nice combination of safety and upside at this event.
Top Play on the Board
There is a little worry with almost all of the high end selections this week. How motivated will Rickie Fowler and Matt Kuchar be given the major next week? It’s always a risk the week before a big tournament, but it’s heightened the week before Augusta. A lot of players withdrew on Monday, and we might see more before the event tees off. For now, I’ll side with Finau as my option here. He’s still looking to fine tune his game after a hit-or-miss start to 2019, and he appears to be on the verge of doing that with three straight top 25 finishes. His struggles on Bermuda greens are well documented, but he did manage a third place finish here two years ago in his most recent trip. He ranks near the top of the field in all three key statistical measures that I am monitoring this week (driving distance, scrambling, and bogey avoidance), making Finau a solid selection as your roster anchor.
Fifteen minutes to roster lock and no major news to report
With a little over fifteen minutes until the roster lock, it’s quiet on the news front. Outside of Angel Cabrera, Shaun Micheel, and Ken Duke withdrawing earlier in the week, there has been no player movement to report. Weather for the first two rounds looks to be fairly similar, so there is no need to stack either tee time wave. ResultsDB will be up and running within 10 minutes of roster lock. Make sure to check out how your lineups stack up against the field.
Other tagged players: Shaun Micheel, Ken Duke
Peter Uihlein in need of a good week
Secondary tour events like this week’s Corales Championship are all about making the most of the opportunity at hand. Having played in last year’s Match Play Championship, Peter Uihlein represents a player who desperately needs to make the most of this week. Playing in his second full season on tour, Uihlein has struggled to play at the level displayed last season. With a handful of W/D’s and only 2 top 25 or better finishes this season, it’s easy to look past Uihlein when narrowing your roster pool. Still considered by many to be a talented player, even a poor form version of Uihlein is still worthy of a value option for The Corales Championship. If Uihlein can figure out his poor iron play then there is a strong chance he can crush his price for the week. The greens at Corales Golf Club have known to be very sticky in terms of receiving second shots, so for a player who is struggling like Uihlein, there is a chance to score despite sharp iron play.
As reported by: Pga Value Breakdown Weather update for The Corales Puntacana Resort & Championship
Kevin Roth’s Weather report for the second tour event of the week is up in the main forum. With similar weather patterns on both Thursday and Friday, there appears to be no projected benefit to either tee time wave. With winds not expected to pass 15mph each day and only a chance for some thunderstorms late Friday the weather should rank very low in your roster choices this week.
As reported by: Kevin Roth Weather Report Trey Mullinax looks to continue improved play
Former University of Alabama standout Trey Mullinax enters this week with a bit of momentum. After missing the first three cuts of the fall season, Mullinax enters this week having made 8 out of his last nine cuts including three top 25 or better finishes. Mullinax has always been a great ball striker, and his game should travel well to Corales Golf Club. The only weak spots in Mullinax’s game in terms of strokes gained occurs when he gets close to the green. Mullinax is a bomber who excels at gaining shots tee to green. If a few more putts drop this week, then Mullinax should be in a great spot to improve on his previous top 25 or better finishes at this event.
As reported by: PGA Cash Breakdown Adam Schenk stands out as a strong source of value
Alternate PGA events are very hard to handicap in terms of pricing. With a large majority of the best players participating in another event, we often see many golfers jump significantly in price. Looking to improve on what was a very average rookie season, Adam Schenk has played well to start the 2019 campaign. The 27-year-old Schenk has made 11 out of 15 cuts including 4 top 25 or better finishes. Prior to last week’s missed cut at The Valspar, Schenk had posted 3 top 30 or better finishes and enters this week with overall respectable form. Priced as he would be for a normal full-field event, Schenk stands out as one of the better point per dollar plays in our projection model for the week. Of the players in this week’s field, Schenk ranks 4th in DK scoring for the season making his $7,400 price tag stand out as one of the bigger oversights for the week.
As reported by: Rotogrinders Projections Tool Fifteen minutes to Match Play lock and no major news to report
Just a quick reminder that the first of two PGA events locks in less than 15 minutes. As expected there is no major news to report in terms of player movement for this event. Please make sure to have your lineups set prior to lock. For optimal lineup construction, it’s very important to have only one player from each group. ResultsDB will be up and running shortly after lock.
Charl Schwartzel looks to bounce back from poor recent play
Former Masters Champion Charl Schwartzel enters this week’s Corales Championship as one of the more recognizable names in the field. Having missed two straight cuts prior to this event, it appears that Schwartzel will garnish low ownership despite his past success in golf. Currently projected under 5% ownership, Schwartzel is the type of player worth having exposure to in GPP’s this week. Faced with the same scenario earlier in the year, Schwartzel bounced back from consecutive missed cuts to post a sixth-place finish at The Puerto Rico Open. Falling out of the top 80 in the official world rankings for the first time since the 2007 season, a player of Schwartzel’s caliber is playing in this event for a reason. Motivated to play his way back into form, the combination of talent and low ownership makes the addition of Schwartzel to your roster builds is a great way to create leverage in GPP’s for the week.
As reported by: DraftKings Projected Ownership