Ian Poulter Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

Poulter missed the cut his last time out and many of us that dive into weekly statistics suggested to stay away from him after the Workday Charity Open. Essentially, all of the strokes he gained that week were with his short game. Now, he’s a grinder that can gain strokes in all facets of his game, but putting is the most volatile of the stats week to week. I’m back on board with Poulter this week, as he’s much cheaper in a much smaller field. This is also a much better course fit for him. He tends to play well on Par 70 courses and he putts his best on bermuda greens. As noted above, strong all-around golfers tend to play well at TPC Southwind. In his last two appearances here, he finished T8 and T31.

I'm honestly fine with either "Postman" this week. The original (Poulter) or the newer version (Poston). I'll have shares of both, but only consider the former a core play. Poulter did exactly what we expected him to do last week -- make the cut and grind out a respectable finish (T29). He seems to do this on all types of golf courses and then has upside on the shorter tracks where distance isn't a big advantage. That _should_ be the case this week at Harbour Town, which takes the driver out of golfers' hands on many holes. Poulter clearly likes this place, as evidenced by three straight top 11 finishes here. He's in good form, he's good on bermuda (lives in Florida), and he's a safe bet with upside.

Poulter might be what we consider a Euro Tour regular, but he owns a home in Orlando and spends a lot of his time in the area. This is essentially a home away from home type of game, which makes me trust his course history. He has played here each of the last nine years and has never missed a cut. In fact, he has never finished worse than T41 and has six top 25 finishes during that stretch. He clearly likes the course and fits the mold of being a grinder. It’s going to be windy and you will have to gain strokes in all facets of your game in order to contend. He played well last week at the Honda Classic, finishing T27 while gaining strokes off the tee, on approach, around the green, and putting. Most of his top finishes on the PGA Tour have come on Bermuda, which is just another reason to like him this week. He offers safety and upside at a relatively cheap price point.

What does Ian Poulter need to do in order to get a price increase in DFS? I know he’s not the most popular guy out there, but Poulter has started the Asian swing with back-to-back top 16 finishes. He is a solid tee to green player who always minimizes his mistakes, and that has value on a course with water in play on 11 holes. His last three trips here have resulted in finishes of 6th, 21st, and 30th, which is solid for his mid-range price tag. He is unlikely to tank your lineup and has top ten upside with the way he is currently striking it. He’s a nice option in a relatively muddled middle tier.

Poulter was essentially the defending champion at both events last week. He won the Houston Open in 2018 and he won the Italian Open the last time it was held at that course. He decided to play on the Euro Tour, likely because he is playing in the events in Asia the next two weeks. It was a bit of a surprise, but he missed the cut last week. I’m hoping that will help keep ownership down. Well, that and the fact that Americans seems to despise Poulter, so he’s rarely highly owned. For what it’s worth, he missed the cut right on the number and was in solid form the four previous events. Much like Putnam, Poulter is very good with his irons and he can get hot with the flatstick. He clearly has an eye for this course, finishing T10 and T15 here the last two years. He’s fairly safe in a no-cut event and has quite a bit of upside this week.

Poulter was in contention last week at The Masters, but I worry about him less than I do some of the other golfers in this field. He’s a grinder and one that we can rely on each and every week. His statistics don’t jump off the page at us, but he doesn’t really have a weakness in his game. He’s good with his irons and he has a great short game. He has made four straight cuts here and has posted three top 20 finishes during that stretch. I always love targeting cut makers with upside, especially when they are affordable. This is a play that we don’t have to overthink.

Poulter was one of my favorite plays last week and he’s one of my favorite plays again this week. I love him in DFS as a play in all formats and I love him has an outright bet at 50/1. He lives in Florida and is in as good of form as nearly any golfer on the planet. He finished with a T23 last week and had four top six finishes worldwide before the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Poulter is gaining strokes in all facets of his game (which is always a big plus) and he has made the cut here in five straight years. He’s a grinder with upside, much like Kuchar in that regard.

Poulter might be my favorite play of the week and that’s truly saying something given how rarely he is on my radar. He has four straight top six finishes worldwide (three of which were on the European Tour) and quietly rates out well in the key statistics. Many will be hesitant to pay this much for Poulter, but he has made eight straight cuts at this event and unknown to many, he lives in the area. Basically, he checks every single box this week — form, course history, and course fit. The icing on the cake is that bermuda is his preferred putting surface.

Poulter might be the hottest golfer in the world not named Rory McIlroy right now. His last four worldwide starts have all netted top six finishes, and that’s nothing to sneeze at. While he has never been known as the longest hitter, he ranks a solid 58th in driving distance and 15th in par five scoring this year, and he sits 4th in ball striking. I’m not the biggest fan of his personality, and I often let that cloud my DFS judgment of him. However, his recent play has certainly made a statement. He has made the cut in eight straight editions of this event, and I would be shocked if that streak ended given his current form. This is one of the best combinations of form and course history that you will find this week, and the price tag isn’t overly outrageous. He’s tough to fade right now.