DFS Alerts
Kevin Tway flying under the radar
FedEx Cup points leader and first time PGA Tour winner Kevin Tway enters this week looking to keep his early season success going. As one of the longer hitters on Tour, Tway is the type of golfer that could really attack the four par fives this week. Currently projected at a sub 10% ownership Tway makes for a great value pivot off other players in his price range. In Tway’s last 10 starts he has posted a top 30 six times including a win two weeks ago at The Safeway Open. With somewhat of a low price in comparison to his recent performance Tway makes for a great play at predicted low ownership.
As reported by: DraftKings Projected Ownership
J.B. Holmes looks to stay hot
Currently ranked in the 8th position in the FedEx Cup standings J.B. Holmes enters this week’s CJ Cup with hopes of continuing his solid start to the 2019 season. This former Ryder Cup team member looks ready to break out of a two-year slump and is a very intriguing value option for the week. With four par fives in play this week, players with distance like Holmes should be in play this week. Holmes played great tee to green last week and has the par five scoring prowess to pay off his salary regardless of finishing position. Holmes is 28 under par over his last 8 rounds of golf, and with somewhat of a depressed price across the industry this makes for a great spot to invest in a player trending in the right direction.
As reported by: Pga Value Breakdown Charley Hoffman gaining steam amongst our experts
PGA Tour veteran Charley Hoffman enters this week’s CJ Cup looking to rebound from a down season. While he still managed to earn over 1.5 million and finish inside the top 80 in the FedEx Cup standings, Hoffman was unable to post a top 10 or better finish for in his career last season. Always known for his ability to rack up scoring points via birdies, Hoffman at a depressed price is gaining steam as a strong value option for the week. Driving distance and accurate iron play are two skill sets that should serve him well at Nine Bridges, and if Hoffman can somehow creep inside the top 25 for the week then he will absolutely crush value. The guaranteed four rounds of golf formant in play for The CJ Cup makes it easier to attack value plays who carry risk in a normal event but barring injury Hoffman has a ton of upside at this price and makes for a terrific source of value on the week.
As reported by: DraftKings PGA Value Rankings Sungjae Im continues to gain steam
PGA Tour rookie Sungjae Im did very little to disappoint in his debut at The Safeway Open. This Web.com standout played near the lead on the weekend narrowly missing out on a chance to win the tournament on Sunday. Playing at his home course this week, Im is starting to gain interest as a popular roster choice for The CJ Cup. Having played a ton of rounds at Nine Bridges the narrative a home game for Im is alive and strong, and he is among the leaders in ownership gained for the week. While it’s still too early to make a definitive call on Im’s long-term forecast, the early prognosis looks good for this budding South Koren golfer. Im lead the Web.com Tour money list wire to wire last season and is off to a great start to his PGA Tour career. Reasonably priced across the industry Im will be a sought-after roster option for The CJ Cup, and his performances up to now definitely makes this a spot to be at least equal with the field in terms of ownership.
As reported by: DraftKings Projected Ownership Stewart Cink is a great source of value this week
With a few bigger names in this week’s field, the demand for value plays that allows for a stars and scrubs roster construction increases significantly. Looking to post another solid start to his 2019 campaign former major winner Stewart Cink heads into this week as once such value option. Throughout his career, Cink has always been an accurate striker of the golf ball and has an overall game that should suit this course well. Reasonably priced across the industry this tested veteran has more than enough upside to pay off his salary, and evident by his play at last week’s CIMB classic Cink could crush value with a top 15 or better finish.
As reported by: PGA Cash Game Breakdown Late-Year Warrior
When it comes to the percentage of “good rounds” recorded, Poults ranks 12th in this field from a long-term view. There is no denying that steady play. That might lend him to more of a cash-game play but he also brings upside, especially at this time of the year. Looking at his worldwide winning profile, he has 8 wins in the months of September through November. Four of those came in Asia. This is the time of year and region of the world where he feels very comfortable.
Bentgrass Fever
I will keep going back to this quote from him last year at TPC Potomac, “I love bent greens and these ones are really good and they roll real true, so just sticking to the process.” We have bentgrass greens on hand this week which gives Ancer a slight bump. Looking at his long-term performance, his Bentgrass performance is more than half a shot better per round compared to his baseline. I will continue to toss some shares on him on bentgrass, until that split corrects itself. There is no way he remains THAT much better on bentgrass as the sample increases, but it’s obvious that he prefers the surface.
Steady Striking a Safe Play
The young Chilean has been quiet since a top 25 at the John Deere Classic. His putter has gone cold which has led to four straight finishes outside the top 30. We shouldn’t get too worked up about it because he’s still gained strokes in SG:Ball Striking (off-the-tee plus approach) in every start of his career (ShotLink starts only). His elite striking makes him a safe play at this price range while his short game will determine whether he pays off his value or crushes his value.
Joaquin Niemann looks to bounce back from a poor start
Many in the world of golf consider Joaquin Niemann a talent worth betting on in the future. This former number one amateur burst onto the scene last season by earning his Tour card in only a limited amount of starts. Touted by many to be a great play at The Safeway Open, Niemann left the masses disappointed with an MDF finish at both a very high ownership an expensive salary. Fast forward a few weeks and the price for Niemann has dropped quite a bit on DraftKings making him a very interesting GPP play for this week’s event. Still extremely talented but also really unproven in the long run Niemann at a discount in a non-cut limited field event makes a ton of sense. A great ball striker like Niemann should fit this course well, and if he can hole a few putts this young star could find himself in contention on the weekend.
As reported by: PGA GPP Breakdown Safe Play with Upside
The final pick of the week is a staple in this article when it comes to the swing season. Don’t worry, Charles Howell will be featured soon enough (although I do like him a bit this week). Cink isn’t the most accurate driver of the golf ball, but he has decent distance and he’s one of the best on tour with his irons. He’s ranked second in this field in strokes gained approach. He’s not a golfer that I expect to be in contention on Sunday, but a top 20-30 finish will easily pay off his salary. He’s a safe option that you can use in all formats.
Trending in the Right Direction
Pan is a golfer that I’ve been high on over the last few months. He really doesn’t have a weakness in his game. He’s ranked in the top 35 in this field in every single statistic that I’m looking at this week — off the tee, approach, birdie or better percentage, par four scoring, par five scoring, around the green, and putting. He has two top five finishes over the last couple of months and played fairly well in Malaysia, finishing with a T30. It doesn’t hurt that he played this even last season, finishing T47.
Bounce-Back Opportunity
RCB was a letdown last week at the CIMB Classic, but he put together a six-under round on Sunday. There may not be any credence to this, but I always like golfers that finish with a good round the week before. Looking at the statistics from last week, RCB was 71st in driving accuracy and 60th in putts per green in regulation. Those are typically two of his strong suits, so I like his chances to bounce back this week. He played here last season and finished in a tie for 11th.
Point-Per-Dollar Value
In my PGA DFS model (which is featured in my weekly video), Stanley grades out as the top point-per-dollar play of the tournament. He’s been in good form recently (top 15s in three of his last four events), he’s an excellent ball striker, and he posted a top 20 finish at this event last season. We’ve never thought of Stanley as a good putter, but he’s been better of late. At least to the point where we shouldn’t be surprised to see him gain strokes on the greens. I like the price point, the course fit, and the form.
Home Cooking
Benny An is from South Korea, so he’ll have the fans’ support this week at Nine Bridges. I’m not sure if he’s played this course a ton in the past, but he played here last year and finished in a tie for 11th. His ball striking has been terrific all year, he’s just been awful on the greens, which has led to some disappointing finishes recently. As we all know, putting is by far the most volatile statistic in golf and one that can flip in the right direction any given week. We don’t have ShotLink data from the CIMB Classic, but it’s encouraging that he posted a top 15 finish.
Bomber in Good Form
Woodland was tied for the lead heading into the final round of the CIMB Classic, but he fell apart on the back nine and ended up in a tie for fifth. While we may have wanted a win, there is certainly nothing wrong with his finish. He’s been in great form over the last few months, specifically when it comes to his tee to green game. He’s ranked third in this field strokes gained off the tee and first in par five scoring. That should certainly come in handy this week — there are four reachable par fives and two drive-able par fours.