Fantasy Golf Tournament Preview- Hero World Challenge
I never thought I would be so excited for the Hero Challenge, but last week was brutal without any fantasy golf, don’t you agree? I have no idea how I am going to cope with the next few weeks without any action, especially while those weeks will involve temperatures here in the 20s and gatherings at the in-laws. The first week in January is circled on my calendar and I am looking forward to the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. It is only a few weeks, but it will seem like an endless stint in purgatory. Well let’s just enjoy this week while we can. Be sure to check out Zach’s article, which will be posted to the site very soon. It will focus on the winning rosters of GPP tournaments on Draftkings and identify commonalities and key aspects to arm you with the information necessary to take one down this coming year.
The Hero World Challenge is an 18 player event that features the biggest names in the world. Since it is a non-cut, tiny field, take it for what it is- entertainment. Put a few bucks in play, but please do not invest anywhere near your weekly bankroll that you would for a normal event. I would say under 5% of your total bankroll should be in play this week. We have worked hard to remain profitable and we do not want to blow it on a quirky event like this. That does not mean that I am not going to put a few bucks into play and enjoy watching the big guys. Personally, I will not be playing in cash games this week. I will be playing in some GPPs for enjoyment, but it will be a fraction of my normal weekly bankroll. This week we will not have an edge over the field like we do with full-field, cut events. I would encourage you to play in a few GPPs, see if you can catch some breaks, and have fun, I certainly will!
This tournament originally began in southern California, but moved to Isleworth Golf & Country Club in Windermere, Florida, last season. This year the host will be the Albany Resort in the Bahamas, which is a Par 72 and measures 7,400 yards. The craziest thing about this course is that it contains five Par 5s and five Par 3s. For this reason we are going to look at Par 3 and 5 scoring in addition to our regular strokes gained tee-to-green and strokes gained putting. Tournament history will mean virtually nothing as we have a completely new course and quite a different field than in the past, although there are a few of the same names. Last year Jordan Spieth made a mockery of the field and ran away with a 10 stroke victory over the runner-up Henrik Stenson. In four rounds of golf he was able to defeat Hunter Mahan and Tiger Woods by 26 strokes. Not sure if that says more about Spieth –or- Mahan and Woods.
For GPPs you are going to need to hit your roster pretty much perfect and have a lower ownership guy surprise. Current Form will be valuable, so be sure to look at our Who’s Hot Tool. Some guys have been playing often and having a lot of success while others have not played much since the FedEx Cup playoffs and might have some rust. With such a small field, there is going to be a lot of duplicate lineups in large GPPs. Be sure to differentiate a bit by choosing one or two lower owned guys –or- leave a little bit of your salary cap left over. I would not leave much more than $1,000, but anywhere under that would be smart because not many people will be doing it.
For access to our Top picks, value picks, sleepers, and more, become a premium member.
[cointent_lockedcontent view_type=”condensed buyButtonOff”]
The Picks:
Jordan Spieth – This is the obvious choice in this field so let’s talk about him for a minute. He is the best player in the world and everybody knows it. He won the Tour Championship in September, looked great in the Presidents Cup, and then showed very little rust in posting a T7 at the WGC HSBC last month and a runner-up finish at the Australian Open just a few days ago. The one concern you would have of Spieth is that he has a long trip over from Australia, but he made the same trek last year and won this event by ten strokes, so that argument is probably not valid. The pricing structure is a bit interesting on Draftkings because it makes it very easy to roster Spieth ($11,200). For this reason, I believe he will be very heavily owned. If you decide that you have to have Spieth, I would make sure to differentiate your lineup by choosing a couple under the radar guys as well.
Justin Rose- I just really like Justin Rose. One reason is he is really freaking good. He had his four consecutive tournament Top 10 streak (T7 BMW Masters, 1st at Hong Kong Open, T6 at Frys.com, and T2 at Tour Championship) snapped by his T22 at the DP World Tour Championship a couple weeks back. The other reason I usually like Rose is that he is always one of the lowest owned players in the Top tier and I would assume that will be the same this week. Players like Spieth, DJ, and Fowler will be the popular selection of the masses, so I really like going with Rose in this tournament.
Dustin Johnson- If there was ever an event tailor made for DJ this is the one. A guy who when pressure is on, huddles up into the fetal position, DJ will not have a bit of pressure this week. Just a few fun rounds in paradise, I can see Johnson finishing really well. Plus there are five Par 5s for DJ to eat up. Outside of a weird missed cut at The Hong Kong Open, Johnson has been outstanding the past several months including a T5 at WGC HSBC, T5 at the Tour Championship, and T7 at BMW. He is capable of racking up points in DFS, especially if he does not choke.
Patrick Reed- For those of you who have not been paying real close attention to golf this Fall, especially worldwide golf, let us tell you that Patrick Reed is RED Hot right now. In his last five events he ahs a T3 at the UBS Hong Kong Open, T10 at CIMB Classic, T7 at WGC HSBC, 2nd at BMW Masters, T10 at DP World Tour Championship. Truly gaudy numbers and since current form is really the overriding variable this week, we need to strongly consider Reed. I like Reed a lot this week and think he is an excellent option.
Hideki Matsuyama- A winless 2015 for Matsuyama, however he did have 19 Top 25s and 9 Top 10s worldwide. Being in contention that many times means it is only a matter of time before Matsuyama gets to the winners circle, and often. We predict that happens in 2016 as he is far too talented of a player not to win.This fall he has a T17 at Frys.com, 5th at CIMB Classic, WD at WGC HSBC, and 2nd at The Dunlap Phoenix on in Japan. He is priced right next to Fowler, which I think is going to take a bit of attention away from Hidecki. I do not think he will be low owned however, so be sure to pair him with one of the guys listed below.
J.B Holmes- It seems like an eternity ago, but Holmes ended last season playing really well with a T8 at the Tour Championship and T4 at the BMW. For those of you who watched the Presidents Cup, you will know that he played really solid there as well. The reason I like Holmes most this week is I believe he will be as overlooked as anybody. Surrounded by other names like Kuchar and Koepka, Holmes is not typically as popular of a player. The name of the game this week is to identify the guys who are going to be lowest owned that can place in the Top 6. I believe Holmes is probably the best bet that fits into this category. Having five Par 5s on the course definitely will benefit Holmes this week and frankly I think he looks like one of the better values.
Anirban Lahiri- Do I think that Lahiri is going to win this tournament? Probably not. But do I think he will be one of the lowest owned players in the field, with a chance to crack the Top 6? Yes. Surrounded by household names like Kirk, Haas, and Walker, Lahiri will not be a popular choice. The only way to stand out in an event this small is by identifying the lowest owned golfers and being fortunate enough to have them perform well.
Brooks Koepka- Finally, a guy who normally who is guaranteed to play four rounds is gold because of his ability to rack up points in DFS. Most recently a MC at Shriners, T41 at Frys.com, and runner up at Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Even if Koepka does not finish in the Top 6, he still might deliver Top 6 fantasy points. His pricetag of $7,500 is really cheap, plus he is usually a popular name, so I expect him to be heavily owned.
Billy Horschel- One very interesting item to note is there is an “o” next to Billy Horschel’s name on Draftkings, meaning “out of the tournament”. As of right now Horschel is in the field, although that could change so pay close attention. He has been suffering from a sore back, but if he is able to play, a lot of people will avoid him for that reason. This will present us with an opportunity to get a guy who will be very under-owned, which is tough to do in this tournament. I absolutely love this as a total contrarian play. Now he has not been playing well combined with a bad back, but definitely worth a shot on a couple GPP teams.
Best of luck to all of you this week and let us know how you are doing so we can send you our positive vibes.
-Fantasy Golf Insider
[/cointent_lockedcontent]
Follow Us
