The First Tee – PGA Championship

So if I gave you 2/1 odds and said “I’ll take Vegas to win you can have the field…” I bet a lot of you would have taken it. But to no avail the last 5 guys that had a chance to tie or beat Vegas, failed in the pursuit. From back to back bogeys to a chip left 2 feet short, it was a lot of fun to watch Vegas score his second PGA Tour victory and the second time my “on the rise” player took down the trophy.

Weekly Roundup– The British Open

Eagles GALORE! Birdie or better and par 5 % ended up being 2 HUGE stats as there were 74, that’s right 74, eagles made this week. When something like that happens you can expect to see a plethora of guys score a TON of fantasy points. I’ll highlight that more below.

My Fantasy Week Recap: A crazy last day for DraftKings seeing as more than 7 different golfers either had a share of the lead or the lead by themselves late in the round. Crazy! I ended up having a close to breakeven week even with my overweight on Vegas, albeit not severely overweight, I missed him in the $33. Luckily, bankroll management and a good amount of money invested, being returned, I should have a good chunk this week.

The Winning Strategy: Well 3/4 of the top 3 salaried guys on Draft Kings ended up in the top 10 with Day being the loner who ended in 14th. If you were able to match DJ and/or Sneds up with Rahm and/or Vegas you had a great start to your team. So a high price guy with a mid-price. The finds of the week were Laird, Barnes & Wheatcroft all had less than 2% ownership across the board.

Right & Wrong
• Where I went Wrong- Not enough Rahm & Cejka, 0 Laird, 0 Barnes,
• Where I went Right- Jonny Vegas

Player Ownership Analysis

At one point on Sunday, our rising star Priestapp, had 1st,2nd,8th,and 12th in the $33 dogleg, but as I mentioned the craziness of the leaderboard, it didn’t end that way. Let’s take a look.

SaahilSud – A very interesting top 4 this week for Saahil. 3/4 were priced lower than 8K. A 70% weighting on DJ was sure to help his results.

o $3- 150 Entries entered: Best Finish- 212th
o $33- 150 Entries entered: Best Finish- 24th, 48th, 55th , 62nd,70th,71st, 94th
o $333- 60 Entries Entered: Best Finishes- 3rd, 6th, 8th, 10-12th, 14,15th, 18 -20th, 23rd, 25-27th, 35th,36th, 45th, 55th, 56th, 81st, 86th, 117th He was 25/25 this week. Wow super impressive.

• Players Used-
o $3- 27 Players used
o $33- 27 27 Players used
o $300- 19 Players used

• Player Own %-
o Jimmy Walker- 80%
o DJ-72%
o Vaughn Taylor- 62%
o Luke List- 56%
o Matt Kuchar 55%
o Jason Day- 40%
o Ryan Palmer- 32%
o Chad Campbell-28%
o Bud Cauley-28%
o Vijay Singh- 22%
o Michael Johnson*-22%
*Denotes MC

Jetblackx – The profit made last week were re-invested this week into max lineups across the board. A high weighting on Colt Knost who missed the cut was sure to impact his results.

• Results:
o $3- 150 Entries- Best Finishes: 341st
o $33-150 Entries-Best Finishes: 42nd
o $300- 22 Entries- Best Finishes: 12th, 21st, 23rd , 40th, 51st , 67th, 70th.

• Players Used-
o $3- 57 Players used.
o $33- 57 Players used.
o $300-33 Players used
• Player Own % 3$- 33$
o Jason Day- 64%
o Jimmy Walker- 63%
o DJ-60%
o Ryan Palmer-55%
o Colt Knost-53%
o William McGirt-52%
o Daniel Summerhays-50%
o Luke List-21%

PriestsApp– Wow, it was almost an incredible weekend for our rising star. Let’s see how he finished.

Results:
o $3- 150 Entries entered: Best Finishes- 76th
o $33- 150 Entries entered: Best Finish- 7th,23rd, 65th
o $333- 25 Entries Entered: Best Finishes- 9th, 38th, 47th, 48th,52nd 60th, 65X2, 75th, 76th

• Players Used-
o $3- 51 Players used*Second straight week at the number.
o $33- 51 Players used
o $300- 30 Players used
• Player Own %-
o Dj-63%
o Jason Day-57%
o Daniel Summerhays*-38%
o Sean O’Hair*-25%
o Ryan Palmer-22%
o Colt Knost*-21%
o Emiliano Grillo-21%
*Denotes MC

SeesarPalachey – A new addition to the list, this user was maxed out in the lower of the two contests and had some participation in the $300. This user was really stung when he didn’t wake up to check the wires before opening tee off, as he had Charley Hoffman in 30% of his lineups. If you’re going to invest the money, invest the time as well as it can be critical to your success. Even a switch to Adam Hadwin, the player closets in salary would have earned his teams 66 more points. Imagine if he had gone one more down the list to Jon Rahm @ 8,600 who was the top Draft Kings point scorer this week with 116.50 points… Wow.

o $3-150 Entries entered: Best Finish- 2116th
o $33- 150 Entries entered: Best Finish- 260th
o $333- 6 Entries Entered: Best Finishes-155th

• Players Used-
o $3- 69 Players Used
o $33- 71 Players used
o $300- 25 Players used
• Player Own %-
o David Hearn*-59%
o Emiliano Grillo-41%
o Matt Kuchar-40%
o GrahamDeLet*-33%
o Charley Hoffman* -28%
*Denotes MC

JAE686– Maxed out again last week after placing in the top 50 in each of the 3 contests last week. Let’s see if he could make it back to back.

Results:
o $3- 150 Entries entered: Best Finish- 555th
o $33- 150 Entries entered: Best Finish- 70th
o $300- 60 Entries Entered: Best Finishes- 2nd, 62nd, 78th, 88th

• Players Used-
o $3- 73 Players used
o $33- 73 Players used
o $300- 42 Players used
• Player Own %-
o Jason Day- 53%
o Dustin Johnson-45%
o Jon Rahm-26%
o Matt Kuchar-21%
o William McGirt-18%
o Matthew Fitzpatrick*-17%

I_SlewFoot_u– ¼ users to max out on all three contests, this user makes his way back onto the list. Using the most amount of players amongst the large volume players, let’s take a look and see if that helped his results.

Results:
o $3-150 Entries entered: Best Finish- 473rd
o $33- 150 Entries entered: Best Finish- 150th
o $300- 25 Entries entered: 22nd

• Players Used-
o $3- 71 Players Used
o $33- 82 Players used
o $300- 58 players used
• Player Own %*33 is the example used. No real difference sited. –
o DJ-62%
o Jday-61%
o Bronson Burgoon-15.3%
o Daniel Summerhays*/Fitzpatrick*/Knost*/Campbell-14%
o Jon Rahm-11%

Mazwa– This user was back in full force netting ANOTHER W to his card. Wow what a breakout 2 weeks this user has had. Let’s take a look and see how he was able to manage another huge week.

Results:
o $3- 150 Entries entered: Best Finish: 141st
o $33- 150 Entries entered: Best Finish- 16th, 20th, 29th, 40th, 45th 86th, 94th .
o $300-10 Entries entered: Best Finish-1st ,29th, 34th ,45th, 68th, 90th.

• Players Used-
o $3-31 Players Used
o $33- 31 Players used
o $300-18 Players used

• Player Own %-
o DJ- 83.3%
o Hudson Swfford-79%
o George Coetzee-74%
o Brian Harman/Varner III*/ Summerhays*/Grillo- 40%
o Vijay Signh-32%
o Jim Furyk-26%
o Ben Crane/Tony Finau-22%
o Jon Rham-14%
o Jonathan Vegas-2%

PSBC22– This week’s breakthrough performer scored multiple top 25’s and a first place in the $33 dogleg contest. Lets see how he did it.

Results:
o $3- 150 Entries entered: Best Finish: 15th, 22nd, 78th
o $33- 150 Entries entered: Best Finish- 1st, 2nd, 8th, 71st.
o $300-1 Entries entered: Best Finish-69th

• Players Used-
o $3-52 Players Used
o $33- 52 Players used
o $300-6 Players Used

• Player Own %-
o Emiliano Grillo-65%
o Jon Rahm-54%
o Tony Finau-42%
o Kuchar-41%
o DJ-35%
o Mcgirt-31%
o David Hearn*-26%
o Jason Day-22.7%
o Hudson Swafford-20%
o Vegas-10%

The PGA Championship

Ahhhh, what’s better than a haunted golf course. Golf gods have already been out in full force in the Majors this year I.E Phil Mickelson’s putt for 62, add a nice ghost story to that and we have the makings of a fun Championship. (For more info and funny jokes check out @baltusrolghost, last week he played @trooncoffintrap and was mentioned on air) Maybe not as much interest or prestige as the other Majors, however when it’s hosted at a course like Baltusrol, I don’t think it’s far behind. This will be the second time the PGA Championship is held here the first coming in 2005, won by no one other than Phil the Thrill, but prior to that it hosted The US Open 7 times with Jack Nicklaus being a 2 time winner (63’ & 80’), among a host of other big tournaments. It plays to a par 70 and over 7400 yards. Crazy but its 400 yards longer than last week’s course, yet plays to a par 70, so needless to say I don’t expect to see 74 eagles this week. Only 2 par 5’s, but ready for the kicker that one of them is over 650 yards long. HA! I don’t even think DJ can get it there in 2. The difference however, between Baltusrol and say Oakmont is the rough isn’t quite as long especially in the first 2 cuts. Narrow fairways and a small first cut off rough will make driving accuracy an important trait this week. Let’s take a look at some stats I’m focused on. *Birdie or Better and Strokes Gained Putting have been removed from this list as I believe they are a given each week.

1. Greens in Regulation – Participating in this Tournament:Stenson-2nd, Garcia-4th, Knox-9th, Streelman-11th, Castro-13th

2. Bogey Avoidance – Players Participating in this Tournament – Strickere-2nd, Molder-2nd, Mickelson- 6th, Fowler-8th, DJ-11th

3. Total Driving – Accuacry+Distance+Good Drive % *Note Stenson for some reason didn’t show up under this specific statistic but from the looks of it he’d rank in the top 5 as his three are: 7th, 66th, 1st respectively in the three listed stats above. Players Participating in this Tournament – Grillo-2nd, Keegan Bradley-4th, Russel Henley- 6th, Mcilroy-7th, Herman-8th

4. Ball Striking – We saw what good ball striking can do with Martin Laird this past weekend. With approach shots coming from longer than normal distances ball striking will be key – Players Participating in this Tournament – Stenson- 1st, Bradley-4th, Garcia-5th, Steele-8th, Grillo-12th

5. Tee to Green – Well last but not least this stat showed up as a common stat for the 2005 Championship – In Order 1-5 – Scott, DJ, Mcilroy, Rose, Watson

Player Focus

Well last week was probably one of the best for this segment. I had the 1st & 2nd place finishers as well as 9th & 14th. Overall I was 8/10 on making the cut.

On the Rise: With all big 4 playing I’d like to take all of them, but I think that would be cheating. So for this purpose DJ, Day, Rory, and Jordan will be left off.

• Phil Mickelson – $10,200 – Hopefully losing to Stenson in the shootout didn’t take too big of an emotional toll on Phil as he returns to Baltusrol where he won the Wannamaker in 2005. If he’s mentally there, I expect him to be in contention yet again.
o Target Finish-top 5

• Sergio Garcia – $9,400 – He didn’t let us down at the British with yet another top 5 finish, and with success in this tournament in the past on courses similar to this, I like Sergio a lot this week. His price even came down from the Open so all in all a good investment.
o Target Finish- Top 5

• Matt Kuchar – $8,600 – I’m sticking with Kuuuuuch this week as his recent form at non-links courses is just too stellar to pass up. He’s ranked 12th in tee to green and 30th in GIR this year on tour, and we know he’s accurate off the tee. I like Matt to contend for his first major this weekend.
o Target Finish- Top 5

• Brandt Snedeker – $7,500 – A bad second shot on 18 and a subpar final round lost Sneds a chance to win at the RBC. His recent form is trending upwards, he is ranked 23rd in the world and I love his value here. He’s ranked 34th in bogey avoidance and 46th in strokes gained tee to green.
o Target Finish- Top 10

• Jason Dufner – $7,100 – Jason’s game seems to fit this course length and set up. His recent form is 3/3 in his last three starts including an 8th place finish at the US Open. He’s 13th in ball striking, 14th in GIR and 24th in both good drive % and tee to green. Look for Dufner to be in the hunt come Sunday a former winner of the Wannamaker Trophy in 2013.
o Target Finish-Top 10

• Gary Woodland – $6,700 – Good recent form and stellar stats (16th in bogey avoidance, 14th in tee to green, and 23rd in GIR) I really like Woodland’s value here. A good finish here might get him some Ryder Cup consideration.
o Target Finish-Top 15

• Harold Varner – $6,600 – A MC at the RBC doesn’t scare me here as HV3 is in the field because of Tiger’s WD. I like his stats on Total Driving ranking 23rd on tour and 49th in tee to green. Look for him to be in the hunt for a T20 finish come Sunday.
o Target Finish-Top 20

• Francesco Molinari – $6,100 – Coming with some good form over the last month with a 36th at the Open mixed in with a second and 8th in last 3 appearances his game seems to be trending in the right direction. He also sports a 17th ranking in Tee to Green. He’s also 2/2 on similar courses in the Championship.
o Target Finish-Top 15

• Charley Hoffman – $6,000 – He did right by avid DFS’ers as he WD prior to his tee time on Thursday gave owners a chance to replace him. Looks like he was just a bit under the weather so I don’t expect that to hinder him this week. A winner at the Valero earlier this year, Baltusrol’s length compares very well to that of the TPC San Antonio. He’s also 33rd in strokes gained tee to green. I like him to contend for a top 15 this weekend.
o Target Finish Top 15

• David Toms – $5,600 – Truthfully, he ranked second in my research this week. I have different weightings than most, but needless to say I found it interesting. First, his recent form is trending in the right direction coming in 11th at the Barbasol, he finished in 10th in 2005 here at Baltusrol, and he’s had other success at the PGA Championship with a 7th in 2013 and 4th in 2011. He ranks 15th in driving accuracy and 24th in Good Drive % matched up with his 11th ranking in scrambling makes him a viable flier worthy pick.

Recently Added

1. Jhonattan Vegas– $6,500 Here because of his Win last week at The RBC, Vegas comes in EL FUEGO. Winning last week, shooting 60 the previous week and coming in 4th, I love his recent form. His major experience is limited so that might be why his price is so low. It’s hard to bet against him though at this price.

2. Jonas Blixt– $5,800 – Here as the third alternate (Woods, Love III, Ian Poulter, Charles Howell) Blixt has made four of his last five cuts, but his best finish was a 19th. He is 2/2 at the PGA Championship carding a 4th place finish on a similar course in 2013.

3. Rick Schuller– $5,500 – Here because he won the PGA Professional Championship this past June in New York. He will be the second oldest player in the field at 53 years old. I think it’s a safe bet to say he’s a long shot.

Heading South – Fades

2/2 again last week as both Garrigus and Reifers suffered MC’s. Let’s see if I can make it three weeks in a row.

• Louis Oosthuizen – $8,300 – His recent form is lackluster for a high priced guy mixed with his lackluster stats, I will be fading him this week.

• Danny Willet – $8,200 – Literally he’s done nothing good since the Masters except lose to Rory in the Irish Open. I just can’t justify spending that money for him with his recent form.

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That’s it for this week be sure to follow me on Twitter @DFSXpert23 for some fun facts info! Got a question on who to start or sit feel free to message @DFSXpert23. Good luck!