Hello JET LAG! Back in the states for less than 24-hours and still getting acclimated to the time difference, so let’s get down to business!
It is all about the “Golden Bear” this week at Muirfield Village which plays host Jack Nicklaus’ tournament known as The Memorial. The course measures out 7,392 yards which is not really considered long or short on the PGA Tour. This place is known as a golfers’ golf course because it really does not favor any specific type of player. You can beat this course in different ways from a risk/reward style to a more patient approach. The greens are not big but they are fast, measuring 13 on the Stimpmeter. This golfers will only have to pick a line and give it just a push.
If you look at players that have had success in this tournament, we notice that most all of them are good total drivers of the golf ball. Players would be better served to keep the ball on the fairway but it is not the end all be all. One stat that has stood out amongst the successful players has been proximity to the hole. We want guys who can get it in nice a tight.
We’ve got another invitation field of just 120 golfers which means in general you can take more risks in your lineups. When you look at this field, there are only 100 players who have a legitimate chance of winning this weekend and the Top 70 plus ties will make the cut. Keep that in mind when setting those lineups.
When setting those cash game lineups, you would be smart to keep a more balanced approach of 10K, 9K, and 8K players to limit the amount of 6K golfers you’ll have to roster.
One other factor that you will have account for this weekend is weather! We hate hearing about weather but it could play a role early and late in this tournament. We’ve seen potential thunderstorms in the forecast on Thursday and Sunday. The temperatures should be in the high 70s which is very seasonable for this time of year in Ohio.
A reminder for anyone that did not read last week’s article: Draft Kings is now offering DFS games for European Tour events. I just wanted to let everyone know that I will not be putting up a playbook for those games in the near future. Personally, I don’t know enough about the Euro tour to put up quality information for the Fantasy Alarm readers. Once I feel confident and comfortable with the game, I’ll look into posting a playbook for those games.
And in conclusion, Paige! We could not go an article without our spiritual guide. It was a solid week at the Colonial especially going back and riding Jordan once again despite his collapse the week prior. Let’s hope for more good things moving forward this season … The U.S. Open is JUST around the corner!
GOOD LUCK THIS WEEK!
DFS PGA PLAYBOOK:
PLAYER | ACES | DRAFTKINGS | BREAKDOWN |
Jason Day | $6,150 | $12,400 | If I'm riding a top guy 12K guy, it's the #1 player in the world and I'm not worrying about course history. |
Hideki Matsuyama | $5,800 | $10,600 | Won in 2014, 5th in 2015. He hasn't finished worse than T11 in last 4 stroke play starts. CASH, very highly owned |
Dustin Johnson | $5,900 | $10,100 | 7/8 Cuts Made at Memorial (4th High Finish). No Missed Cuts this year (worst finish 41st). Great GPP Value |
Matt Kuchar | $5,850 | $9,900 | He's just playing really well & loves his tournament. 9/10 Cuts Made (5 Top 10s with a 1st & 2nd). HIGHLY Owned! |
Bubba Watson | $5,800 | $9,600 | 7/9 Cuts Made at Memorial (3rd High Finish). He will be overlooked this week but should be. Love the GPP Price Upside |
Paul Casey | $5,200 | $8,800 | 5/5 Cuts Made at Memorial (2 Top 20s). Only Missed 2 Cuts in last 14 Worldwide. Will be highly owned (CASH or GPP) |
Chris Kirk | $4,950 | $8,300 | 3/5 Cuts Made at Memorial (4th & 2 Top 25s). T15 Last Week; 5 Top 15s in Last 8 Starts. Playing really good golf |
Kevin Na | $5,150 | $8,100 | Burned people last week, should be low owned. 5/6 Cuts Made at Memorial (2nd in 2014). Fantastic Putter/Scrambler. |
Charl Schwartzel | $5,550 | $8,000 | 7/8 Cuts Made at Memorial (2 Top 10s). 1 Missed Cut this year (The Masters). Love the value on DK. |
Marc Leishman | $5,250 | $7,900 | 6/7 Cuts Made at Memorial (5th High Finish). 8/10 Cuts Made on Tour (13th last week). Total Driver & 88th in Proximity |
Daniel Berger | $5,300 | $7,800 | Top 20s in 6 of his last 7 starts. He isn't best with driving accuracy but that doesn't hurt here. Nice GPP Play |
Bill Haas | $5,250 | $7,700 | 8/10 Cuts Made at Memorial (18th, 8th, & 4th in Last 3). 4 Top 10s this year. He loves short courses. |
Kevin Chappell | $5,000 | $7,500 | Everyone loved him a few weeks ago, but CUT last week caused a price drop. Great Fit (Finished 2nd) & Nice Value |
Danny Lee | $5,000 | $7,500 | 0/2 Cuts Made at Memorial will scare people off but 6 straight cuts made (T9 at Quail & Top 25s in Texas). GPP Flier |
Kyle Reifers | $4,750 | $7,400 | T10 & T5 last 2 Weeks in Texas. T25 in 2012 at Memorial. Nice under the radar play in GPPs |
Ryan Moore | $4,700 | $7,300 | 9/10 Cuts Made at Memorial (3 Top 10s & 2nd Last Year). Hits the ball straight & hits greens. CASH or GPP Play |
Jamie Lovemark | $4,750 | $7,000 | 5 Top 10s this season. 11th - Distance of all Drives, 28th - Par 5 scoring & 5th - Scrambling. Will be popular! |
Bud Cauley | $4,500 | $6,900 | 2/2 Cuts Made at Memorial (T34 in 2013). T4 at TPC Four Seasons. 3 Made Cuts this season, all 3 Top 25 finishes. |
David Hearn | $4,400 | $6,700 | 3/4 Cuts Made at Memorial (21st, 25th & 28th). 4/5 Cuts Made on Tour. Safe Play, Game Fits (CASH or GPP) |
Smylie Kaufman | $4,550 | $6,700 | GPP FLIER PLAY … He is just too good of a player not to be at least mentioned at this price. Throw him in a few GPPs |
Jon Curran | $3,850 | $6,400 | Since T9 at the Valero, 5/5 Cuts Made (15 Red Numbers - 7 of Last 9 Sub 70s). Form play & fits the course (Low Owned) |
Alex Cejka | $4,200 | $6,200 | 5/7 Cuts Made at Memorial. He's got 3 Top 10s this year. When he makes the cut, he doesn't usually fade. |
K.J. Choi | $4,600 | $6,000 | Winner in 2007 & Made 7/8 Cuts Since (4 Top 22s). He's a nice bargain Cash game or GPP play |
DRAFT KINGS OPTIMALS
DRAFT KINGS CASH | PRICE |
Hideki Matsuyama | $10,600 |
Matt Kuchar | $9,900 |
Paul Casey | $8,800 |
Ryan Moore | $7,300 |
David Hearn | $6,700 |
K.J. Choi | $6,000 |
DRAFT KINGS GPP | PRICE |
Jason Day | $12,400 |
Dustin Johnson | $10,100 |
Charl Schwartzel | $8,000 |
Jamie Lovemark | $7,000 |
Alex Cejka | $6,200 |
K.J. Choi | $6,000 |
FANTASY ACES OPTIMALS
ACES CASH | PRICE |
Matt Kuchar | $5,850 |
Bill Haas | $5,250 |
Paul Casey | $5,200 |
Ryan Moore | $4,700 |
K.J. Choi | $4,600 |
David Hearn | $4,400 |
ACES GPP | PRICE |
Jason Day | $6,150 |
Dustin Johnson | $5,900 |
Kyle Reifers | $4,750 |
Ryan Moore | $4,700 |
Smylie Kaufman | $4,550 |
Jon Curran | $3,850 |
ONE AND DONE OPTIMALS
ONE AND DONE PLAY | FINISH |
Hyaundai: Patrick Reed | 2nd - $688,000 |
Sony: Harris English | T56 - $12,818 |
CareerBuilder: Bill Haas | T9 - $162,400 |
Farmers: Nick Watney | Missed Cut |
Phoenix: Ryan Moore | T11 - $149,500 |
Pebble: J.B. Holmes | T11 - $143,500 |
Northern Trust: K.J. Choi | T5 - $258,400 |
Honda: Luke Donald | T61 - $13,115 |
WGC-Cadillac: Dustin Johnson | T14 - $120,000 |
Valspar: Kevin Na | T22 - $52,959.09 |
Arnold Palmer: Francisco Molinari | T9 - $170,100 |
Puerto Rico: Scott Brown | T5 - $109,500 |
Shell Open: Charley Hoffman | T33 - $36,720.00 |
The Masters: Phil Mickelson | Missed Cut |
RBC Heritage: Matt Kuchar | T9 - $147,500 |
Valero: Billy Horschel | T4 - $233,740 |
Zurich: Justin Rose | Missed Cut |
Wells Fargo: Gary Woodland | T24 - $62,232.50 |
Players: Sergio Garcia | T54 - $24,150 |
Byron Nelson: Ryan Palmer | Missed Cut |
Colonial: Chris Kirk | T15 - $117,250 |
Memorial: Hideki Matsuyama | ??? |