Welcome back DFS Golfers! It is always a good feeling to start a season off on the right foot as two of my three optimals cashed on Draft Kings for the SBS Tournament of Champions. Hopefully, that is a sign of things to come this year.
We finally get our first real tournament of the PGA Tour season with the Sony Open. The Sony is played at Waialae Country Club, which is just an island hop from the SBS in Maui to Honolulu. The course is a Par 70 which stretches out 7,068 yards with tight fairways (ranked 12th hardest on Tour last season) and average size greens with Bermuda grass. There will be plenty of obstacles for these players from palm trees to tropical vegetation all over the course. You always have to take into account the wind whenever playing on an island especially Hawaii. The weather forecast as of Tuesday night is calling for less than 10 mph winds throughout the weekend, which should lead to lower scores.
The keys to winning this weekend starts with driving accuracy. This is not a very long course but it can punish you if you consistently miss the fairway. This also means that hitting the greens is vital, so look for good greens in regulation stats as well. The wind does not look like it will be much of a factor this weekend, so to me, scrambling should not be as important. We are looking for good ball strikers, and not necessarily bombers.
I would just like to point out that you won't see Justin Thomas or Hideki Matsuyama in my playbook this weekend. Of course, both of these players are coming in red hot and both are definitely worthy of being played but I am personally choosing to avoid them. I will not completely fade them, I'll have small shares of both but that's it. These two will both be extremely highly owned especially Matsuyama but he has only broken par here twice in nine rounds at Waialae. Justin Thomas is coming in riding high off his victory at the SBS but rarely do players repeat victories and his accuracy off the tee scares me. Again, I will not fault you for using either of these players, but I am choosing to stay away for the most part.
Finally, we say hello to our good friend Paige. She is excited after a great first week and hoping that we can keep the momentum going into The Sony Open.
Good Luck!
DFS PGA PLAYBOOK:
| PLAYER | ACES | DRAFTKINGS | BREAKDOWN |
| Jordan Spieth | $6,050 | $11,500 | 1st trip back since 2014 but his game fits perfectly here. Shot 65 Sunday (Bogey Free) at Kapalua last week, finished T3 |
| Jimmy Walker | $5,650 | $9,900 | 2-Time Winner at Waialae (Won by 9 in 2015) & T13 last year. 66.1 Scoring Average last 16 rounds here. T9 Last Week |
| Brandt Snedeker | $5,700 | $9,700 | Lost in a Playoff Last Year Here (Led Field in Scrambling). T14 last week despite not putting well. Cash & GPP Option |
| Gary Woodland | $5,300 | $9,100 | T3 & T13 in last 2 Trips Here. 2nd place at Mayakoba to finish the Fall. 66.4 scoring average in last 7 rounds |
| Scott Piercy | $4,950 | $8,900 | 5/8 in his trips to Waialae (A 2nd Place & 3 other Top 15s). Nice Fall run has him at 9th in FedEx Cup Points. GPP |
| Ryan Palmer | $4,950 | $8,300 | 2010 Winner at the Sony & finished T8, T17, & T13 between 2014-2016. T4 at the BMW (Top 25s in all 3 Playoff Starts) |
| Marc Leishman | $4,750 | $8,200 | 7/7 Cuts Made at Waialae (4 Top 20s - 2 Top 10s). Scoring Average in 28 rounds is 67.8. 5th & 2 Top 25s in the Fall |
| Keegan Bradley | $4,750 | $8,000 | Honeymoon Boost! 4/4 this season with 4 Top 25s (2 Top 10s). SG-Approach/Accuracy/SG-Around the Green |
| Pat Perez | $4,900 | $8,000 | He will be highly owned. 8 Top 20s in 13 cuts made at Waialae (3 since 2013). T3 last week at Kapalua |
| William McGirt | $4,700 | $7,900 | T13 last year at Waialae (Best finish in 5 trips). T9 in debut at Kapalua last week. 4th on TOUR in Fairways & GIR |
| Charles Howell III | $5,150 | $7,800 | 15/15 Cuts at Waialae (2 Runner Ups and 10 Top 15s overall). 3 Top 15s to Finish Last Fall. Cash or GPP option |
| Chez Reavie | $4,200 | $7,500 | 4/4 in the Fall Schedule (3 Top 25s). 4/6 Cuts Made at Waialae with a T23 in 2009. Great Ball Striker, under the radar |
| Harris English | $4,850 | $7,500 | 5/5 in Trips to Waialae (Top 5s in 2014 & 2015). Scoring average of 67.7 in 20 rounds. T4 in Vegas (2 months ago) |
| James Hahn | $4,550 | $6,800 | 4/4 in his trips to Waialae (Scoring Average of 68.3). 4 Top 25s in 5 Starts heading into the Holidays. |
| Cameron Smith | $4,350 | $6,800 | 4/4 in the Fall Schedule (2 Top 15s). He also has a T2 & T15 in native Australia. Form play over course history here |
| Jerry Kelly | $4,450 | $6,800 | Approach and Driving Accuracy numbers we want to see on this course. 8 Top 10s in 18 appearances here. |
| Wesley Bryan | $4,400 | $6,700 | UNDER PRICED! 1st in Putting & 2nd in Scoring on the Web.com Last Year. Tee-to-Green Player that can be CASH Played |
| Brian Stuard | $4,300 | $6,600 | 3/4 Cuts made at Waialae (T25 in 2010, T5 in 2013 & 6th in 2014). T22 at the SBS last week. |
| Steve Marino | $3,950 | $6,200 | Underrated year in 2016. 3 Top 10s at Waialae (2nd, 4th, & 7th). That price just screams a play in a GPP or two |
| Brandon Hagy | $3,600 | $6,100 | If you are looking to really go Stars & Scrubs, his Scoring Upside would be worth throwing into a GPP. |
DRAFT KINGS OPTIMALS
| DRAFT KINGS CASH | PRICE |
| Jimmy Walker | $9,900 |
| Ryan Palmer | $8,300 |
| Marc Leishman | $8,200 |
| Pat Perez | $8,000 |
| Charles Howell III | $7,800 |
| Harris English | $7,500 |
| DRAFT KINGS GPP | PRICE |
| Jordan Spieth | $11,500 |
| Brandt Snedeker | $9,700 |
| Keegan Bradley | $8,000 |
| Harris English | $7,500 |
| Wesley Bryan | $6,700 |
| Steve Marino | $6,200 |
FANTASY ACES OPTIMALS
| ACES CASH | PRICE |
| Jimmy Walker | $5,650 |
| Charles Howell III | $5,150 |
| Ryan Palmer | $4,950 |
| Pat Perez | $4,900 |
| Marc Leishman | $4,750 |
| Jerry Kelly | $4,450 |
| ACES GPP | PRICE |
| Jordan Spieth | $6,050 |
| Brandt Snedeker | $5,700 |
| Jimmy Walker | $5,650 |
| Brian Stuard | $4,300 |
| Chez Reavie | $4,200 |
| Steve Marino | $3,950 |
ONE & DONE PLAY
| ONE AND DONE PLAY | FINISH |
| SBS - Jimmy Walker | T9 |
| Sony - Charles Howell III | ? |