DFS Alerts
Course History - Exhibit A
If you are a course history buff, this pick is for you. He’s a Vegas native and his results at this course show that he loves golfing at home. He has played here every year since 2009, making eight of nine cuts along the way. Six of those eight made cuts have resulted in top 25 finishes, and he is about as steady as they come around these parts. By the way, he also happens to be coming off a solid fifth place finish at the CJ Cup a few weeks ago, too. When form meets course history for a hometown golfer, I’ll gladly buy in.
On the Upswing
I’ve always been a fan of Gary Woodland, and his downswing in 2017 is a distant memory at this point. That slump was a product of struggles in his personal life, and it goes to show you how important mental state is with this game of golf. Woodland has been locked in for the better part of 6-8 months now, and his first two starts of the fall swing have both resulted in top five finishes. He ranked third on the PGA Tour in ball striking in the 2018 season and finished inside the top 20 in his debut at this course. A win is coming soon, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him grab one here. He should be able to generate plenty of birdie chances around this place.
Kevin Tway ranks as a great value play on DraftKings
Kevin Tway started off his season in style by winning The Safeway Open a few weeks ago. As the son of a successful PGA Tour player, Tway has long been regarded as a talented player to pay attention to in terms of long-term expectations. Making his fourth start of this young PGA Tour season, Tway stands out as a great value play on DraftKings for the week. When you compare the Tway’s cost of 17.8% of the salary cap on FanDuel to his 14.6 % of the salary cap on DraftKings this newest member of the PGA Tour’s winner’s club makes sense a great value play on DraftKings. Currently ranked in the number two overall spot in the third tier pricing range on DraftKings by our experts, Tway could provide for a great pivot off other popular options in this range.
As reported by: DraftKings PGA Value Rankings
Andrew Putnam is no longer in the field
Andrew Putnam withdrew from The Shriners Open late on Tuesday afternoon and has been replaced by Curtis Luck. At this time we have no injury news associated with Putnam, but you could assume that with a full-time preferred playing schedule locked up, the choice to rest after travel from playing in Asia over the last three weeks facotored into his decision. Curtis Luck will not be in the DFS pricing pool this week.
As reported by: Rob Bolton Twitter Martin Laird stands out as a solid value play with good course history
At this point in his career, it’s safe to say that we know Martin Laird is about average in terms of PGA Tour talent. With three career wins and almost 17 million in earnings, Laird plays the type of golf that can make cuts and occasionally post a top ten or better. The sample size of his run at this event is a great example of his career. In nine starts at The Shriners Open, Laird has seven made cuts including a win and a second place finish. Priced accordingly to his talent level Laird is a player who makes sense as a value play for the week. While you should not expect a win from party Marty this week his range of outcomes makes this PGA Tour veteran a solid source of salary relief for the week. A top 25 or better on course that Laird has played well in the past should do the trick in terms of paying off his salary.
As reported by: Pga Value Breakdown DraftKings projections are live and Anders Albertson ranks as a top play
The wrap around season presents a great opportunity for players to get a leg up on the season. Web.com Tour standout Anders Albertson heads into this week looking to build on the momentum gained from last week’s top five finish. Like many other Web.com Tour graduates, Albertson understands what a fast start can do for your chances of keeping a PGA Tour card moving forward. In 23 starts on The Web.com Tour last season, Albertson amassed 14 top 25 or better finishes including a win at the Lincoln Land Championship. Priced a bit lower than his current form would indicate, Albertson stands out as a top play in or DraftKings projection model for the week. Already gaining steam from many in the industry Albertson will by no means be a sneaky low owned option for the week.
As reported by: Rotogrinders Projections Tool Ernie Els is no longer in the field
Ernie Els has withdrawn from this week’s Shriners Hospital Open. He has been replaced in the field by Josh Teater. At this time there is no injury news associated with this move. Els should have not been on the radar of many, but if he was a deep GPP flyer please remove him from your build.
As reported by: Rob Bolton Twitter Going Against the Grain
Lee is going to fly under the radar this week. Almost everyone that plays DFS looks at course history. Lee has played here four times and has never made the cut. Why on earth would I want to play him? For starters, three of those were one or two shots away from making the cut. The second (and most important) reason is that he has made seven straight cuts on tour, a feat that he hasn’t accomplished in nearly a year and a half. He has gained strokes tee to green in each of those seven cuts and has historically been a very good putter on bentgrass. It’s a classic case of form vs. course history and I’m siding with the former.
Talent from the Web.com Tour
Albertson could very well become everyone’s sexy play of the week. If that’s the case and he becomes the chalk, I may have to reconsider. With that said, he’s one of the top Web.com Tour graduates that has his sights on playing full time on the PGA Tour. He played incredibly well last week at the Sanderson Farms Championship and could have easily won the event if his putter would have been more cooperative. He gained three strokes off the tee and ten strokes on approaches. He’s less than 100-to-1 to win in the betting markets and that number continues to drop (everyone is betting it down).
Bad Form Led to a Cheaper Price Point
Niemann went on that crazy run toward the end of last season, leading many to believe that he was poised for a big win soon. After a slow start to the fall swing season, hopefully the buzz has died down a bit. The two weaknesses in his game are chipping (110th in this field in strokes gained around the green) and putting. The good news is that these greens are easy to hit, so hopefully he won’t have to get up and down all that often. It’s also good that he’s putting on bentgrass, as he typically struggles with the flatstick on poa and bermuda. Niemann is an elite ball striker with winning upside. I’ll take the discount and play the talent, even though he’s never played this course.
Bombs Away in Vegas
Woodland is another golfer that’s been in great form recently. In his last four events, he’s finished in 12th, 11th, 5th and 2nd. Much like Finau, he’s a bomber that tends to putt better on bentgrass than on any other surface. Woodland is ranked first in this field in strokes gained off the tee, third in birdie or better percentage, and first in par five scoring. While he’s only played here one time (last year), he finished in a tie for 18th, gaining six strokes on the field with his approaches. As crazy as it sounds, you can actually make some really nice lineups starting with both Finau and Woodland.
Just Win Baby
Finau came so close to recording his biggest win on tour last week at the WGC-HSBC Champions. He took the lead into Sunday and played fairly well. Ultimately, Xander Schauffele made a big run and beat him in a playoff. It’s only a matter of time before Finau picks off a big event, but for now, we’ll settle for the Shriners. You certainly can’t argue with his form — 2nd, 4th, 8th, 15th, and 2nd in his last five events. He’s ranked first in this field in birdie or better percentage, first in par four scoring, and second in par five scoring. His preferred putting surface is bentgrass (he actually gains 0.1 strokes per round) and he’s never missed a cut at this event. It’s a good week to employ a stars and scrubs approach, as there are a number of intriguing value plays.
Twenty minutes to roster lock and no major news to report
The PGA Tour is set to start the last event of its three-week swing in Asia. Twenty minutes until roster lock and no major news to report. With plenty of other sports to pull our attention this time of year please take the time to make sure your lineups have been set. Good luck this week grinders, and results DB will have results up and running shortly after lock.
Hideki Matsuyama flying under the radar
With just a few hours before rosters lock on the last event of the Asian swing of the PGA Tour, it appears that Hideki Matsuyama could garnish a low ownership in his price range. Matsuyama withdrew from the CIMB classic with an injury but returned to post a very respectable top 20 finish at last week’s CJ Cup. Matsuyama closed the 2018 season on a positive note by posting five consecutive top 15 or better finishes. With projected ownership trending towards other players in the same price range, this past champion of The WGC-HSBC could end up being a sneaky play for the week. There is enough salary relief on this slate where you could possibly pair him with another top end spend or if you wanted or you could take a different route and make a roster with Matsuyama as your highest priced golfer.
As reported by: DraftKings Projected Ownership Kyle Stanley looks to bounce back from a down week
Kyle Stanley is the type of player that always pops in models due to his elite ability to strike a golf ball. Last week at somewhat of a high ownership number Stanley disappointed many in the field with a very poor showing. When Stanley plays bad it’s usually his putter, and last week was no exception. Looking to get his game back on track Stanley stands out as a great roster choice on a course that tends to favor great ball strikers. If Stanley can make a few more putts this week then he should have no problem paying off his discounted salary. Despite his poor performance at last week’s CJ Cup, Stanley’s projected ownership has actually increased a bit since Monday. While it’s hard to really quantify what that movement actually means, there is a strong case to be made for positive ownership movement in Stanley’s favor.
As reported by: PGA Cash Game Breakdown