The First Tee – Shell Houston Open by Jason Rouslin

A week before the big one, and I am writing my last edition of The First Tee which will cover the Shell Houston Open as I have chosen to move on to other pursuits at this time. When Zach and Jeff brought me the idea of The First Tee, it was purely focused on increasing the likelihood of helping you all make informed decisions – and hopefully I’ve accomplished that over the last year. I know that this article will continue to carry on long after my time writing it (Adam Davy will be taking over next week @adalyfrey), and you never know maybe you’ll still see my name on the pros list.

DraftKings Pro Results:  

JAE686-

Yearly Results:

• Wins: 1
• Top 10’s 300: 2
• Top 5’s 1060: 2
• Top 3’s 5300: 4
• Top 20’s (Low $ GPPs): 3
• Top 5’s (Low $ GPPs): 2 

Weekly Results: Runner ups for Jason in the big dollar buy-ins. 

Contest Results:

• 3/4 Dollar Entries: 150
  • Best Finish: 154^TH
• 33 Entries:150
  • Best Finish: 23^rd
• 300, 333 or 400 Entries: 25
  • Best Finish: 19^th
• 1060/1500- 2^nd
• 5300- 2^nd

• Golfers Used: 3/33
  • Bryan-38%
  • DeLaet*-30%
  • McDowell*-28%
  • Kirk-27%
  • List-25%
  • Poston-22%
  • Lee/Hearn/Spaun-20%
• Players Used & Ownership–
  • Total Players Used: 54
  • Average Core 4 Ownership Total: 135%/400
  • Average Number of Players Used: 49
  • Average High Ownership: 42
  • Players Above 20% Ownership- 9
  • Lineups w/ 6/6- 8

SaahilSud –

Yearly Results:

• Wins:3
• Top 10’s 300: 6
• Top 5’s 1060/Top 3’s 5300 (High $$$ GPPs): 3
• Top 30’s (Low $ GPPs):6
• Top 5’s (Low $ GPPs): 1

Weekly Results:  Yea no back to back here.

• Contest Results:
  • 3/4 Dollar Entries: 150
    • Best Finish: 13400
  • 33 Entries:144
    • Best 1628
  • 300, 333 or 400 Entries: 25
    • Best Finish: None in the top 25
  • 1060/1500: None in the top 25
  • 5300-1^st
• Core Golfers Used: 3/33 contests
  • List-100%
  • Kirk-97%
  • Stefani-64%
  • Power*-47%
  • DeLaet*-46%
  • Jones*- 45%
  • Blaum-32%
  • Garrigus-26%
  • Flores-22%

• Players Used & Ownership–
  • Total Players Used this Week: 31
  • Average Core 4 Ownership Total: 300%/400%
  • Average Number of Players Used: 30
  • Average High Ownership: 96%
  • Players above 20%-10
  • Lineups with 6/6- 0 the ole goose egg

Jetblackx –

Yearly Results:

• Wins: 3
• Top 10’s $300: 3
• Top 5’s 1060/Top 3’s 5300 (High $$$ GPPs): 4
• Top 20’s (Low $ GPPs): 2
• Top 5’s (Low $ GPPs): 2

Weekly Results: 2 more wins on the card this week

• Contest Results:
  • 3/4 Dollar Entries: 150
    • Best Finish: 138^th
  • 33 Entries: 15
    • Best Finish: 20^th
  • 300, 333 or 400 Entries: 25
    • Best Finish: 4^th, 7^th, 10^th
  • 1060-1^st
  • 5300-1^st
• Core Golfers Used: 3 & 33 15 lineups…
  • List-80%
  • Uihelin-74%
  • Dechambeau-47%
  • Brehm*-40%
  • Kirk/Varner-33%
  • Reifers/Spaun-27%
  • Poulter*/Lee/Sabbatini/Peterson/Kang/Blaum/Bryan-20%
• Players Used & Ownership–
  • Total Players Used: 26
  • Average Core 4 Ownership Total: 190%/400%
  • Average Number of Players Used: 54
  • Average High Ownership: 64
  • Players Used Over 20% Ownership-6
  • Lineups with 6/6- 40

FlavorFlav-  

Yearly Results:

• Wins: 3
• Top 10’s 300: 6
• Top 5’s 1060/ 5300 (High $$$ GPPs): 4
• Top 10’s (Low $ GPPs): 1
• Top 5’s (Low $ GPPs): 1

Weekly Results:  Another bad week.

• Contest Results:
  • 3/4 Dollar Entries: 150
    • Best Finish: 534^th
  • 33 Entries: 150
    • Best Finish: 83^rd
  • 300, 333 or 400 Entries: 25
    • Best Finish: None in the top 25
  • 1060- None in the top 25
  • 5300- 10^th
• Core Golfers Used: 3 & 33
  • Graham DeLaet*- 65%
  • Luke List-64%
  • Kang-56%
  • Power*-53%
  • Poston-34%
  • Spaun-30%
  • Mullinax-28%
  • Hagy*-23%
  • Varner-20%

• Players Used & Ownership–
  • Total Players Used:25
  • Average Core 4 Ownership Total: 200%/400%
  • Average Number of Players Used: 34
  • Average High Ownership: 62
  • Players Used Over 20% Ownership:9
  • Lineups with 6/6: 7

Jrozzinri–

Yearly Results:

• Wins: 2
• Top 10’s 300: 1
• Top 5’s 1060/ 5300 (High $$$ GPPs): 0
• Top 25’s (Low $ GPPs): 9
• Top 5’s (Low $ GPPs): 1

Weekly Results:  What looked to be an incredible week on Saturday, turned into a good week come Sunday. Still my results of 6/6 was much more than the average had – I was about 20% of my lineups. Let’s see how I did this week:

• Contest Results:
  • 3/4 Dollar Entries: 150
    • Best Finish: 76^th
  • 33 Entries: 150
    • Best Finish: 10^th, 13^th, 17^th, 19^th, 25^th
  • 300, 333 or 400 Entries:2
    • Best Finish: 60^th cashed
  • 1060- 8^th cashed
  • 5300- DNP
• Core Golfers Used: $33
  • List-44%
  • Varner-41%
  • Lee-28%
  • Zanotti**-27%
  • Spaun-26%
  • Gomez/Dechambeau-23%
  • Uihelin/Bryan/Poston/Weekly-20%

• Players Used & Ownership–
  • Total Players Used this Week: 53
  • Average Core 4 Ownership Total:150%/400%
  • Average Number of Players Used: 50
  • Average High Ownership: 44%
  • Players Above 20%- 11
  • Lineups with 6/6- 20%
  • *My top 13 guys made the cut, if you count Zanotti as a made-cut.

Scout326-

Yearly Results:

• Wins: 2
• Top 10’s 300: 0
• Top 5’s 1060/ 5300 (High $$$ GPPs): 0
• Top 20’s (Low $ GPPs): 1
• Top 5’s (Low $ GPPs): 3

Weekly Results:  Another bad week for Scout.

• Contest Results:
  • 3/4 Dollar Entries: 150
    • Best Finish: 1100^th
  • 33 Entries: 150
    • Best Finish: 268^th
  • 300, 333 or 400 Entries:12
    • Best Finish: None in the top 25
  • 1060- None in the top 25
  • 5300- DNP
• Core Golfers Used: 3 & 33 $ contests
  • Poston-41%
  • Kirk-34%
  • Spaun-30%
  • Hagy*-28%
  • Olesen*/Garrigus*/Power*/DeLaet*/Brown/List-25%
  • Flores-22%
  • Poulter*/Bozzelli*-20%

• Players Used & Ownership-
  • Total Players Used this Week: 44
  • Average Core 4 Ownership Total:155%/400%
  • Average Number of Players Used: 50
  • Average High Ownership: 49%
  • Players Used Above 20%- 13
  • Lineups with 6/6- 1

DK-Contest Stats & Trends: In this section, I’m going to provide some quick stats and trends and sometimes a few peculiar facts.  

• 12 users maxed the $33 Dogleg, 103 users maxed the $3 Birdie, and 8 maxed out the $333 Club Pro.

Current Tourney:

Yardage: 7441

Par:72

Cut: 36-hole cut.

Stats: 

• Scrambling
  • Fowler, Blair, Peterson, Wiesberger, Kuchar
• Strokes Gained Around the Green
  • Mickelson, Collins, Tringale, Blair, Donald
• Strokes Gained Putting:
  • Thompson, Kim, Mickelson, Donald, Fowler
• Par 4 scoring
  • Spieth, Rahm, Wiesberger, Dufner, Uihlein
• BOB
  • Spieth, Mickelson, Uihlein, Rahm, List

Trends:

• Average Winning Score: -16
• Average Cut Score: -1
• Stats from Last Year’s Winner: Strokes gained putting and strokes gained around the green

Player Focus:  

• Percentage of Picks that Made the Cut – 80%
• Number of Winners Picked – 3
• Number of Top 10’s Picked 7 Events – 19
• Average Salary of Winner: $9,200

***Note- the following players may be on there for a few reasons. Recent form/course history/ownership projections are all considered. Because this is a Monday column, things can change over 3 days, which may, or may not affect my personal ownership percentages. For a more in depth look at the players I like this week please click here. You will need a premium subscription to view the content.

Players: Top 5 Guys and a Pick to Click this Week

Last Week’s Result: Well I went 4.5/6! T17, 32, T37, T56, MDF, MC  

• Phil Mickelson ($8,900) What a nice little run Phil put on in the Match Play. He comes here in high spirits and comes to a course he’s 7/8 since 2009. Since 2011, no start has resulted in anything worse than a 17^th place finish, with a first-place mixed in. Could Phil parlay a 3 week stretch ending with another green jacket?
• Russell Henley ($8,700) Three top 10’s here and coming off 3 straight made cuts with a top 10 at Valspar. Everything seems to be pointing to a 4^th straight top ten at the SHO.
• Rafa Cabera-Bell ($7,900) I saw Nick Watney at 8100, and thought that was pretty good value, but then I saw Cab-Bello priced 200 lower, and I just can’t pass that up. His lone start here came last year where he placed 4^th, which actually got him into the Master’s field. He won’t need to do that again, as he’s already earned his spot into next week’s field, but first let’s see if he can get his first win on the PGA Tour.
• Kyle Stanley ($7,400) A really decent season brewing for Stanley, and I’ve been on him since the beginning. He pops again this week coming to the SHO where he has a 4/5 record. I think we see him beat his 19^th place finish here last year.
• A. Points ($6,500) Coming off a win in PR, how can he not be put on here at 6500! Get this he’s won here as well, back in 2013 for his lone PGA Tour victory! His other form here is rather spotty with an overall record of 4/8.

Pick to Click: 4 Guys above 10k this Week.

• Jordan Spieth ($12,000) If you didn’t see the picture floating around, Spieth already has gotten his practice rounds in @ Augusta, and he was in some good company, the GOAT himself Tom Brady, and Kevin Plank CEO of UA. I think that should allow him to focus on this week and get his mind ready to win again. A good CH 3/4 with a second place in 2015, he’s my pick to take him the W this week.

Fades:

Last Week’s Results: Brown played well. Kirk was marginal.

• Lee Westwood 8200- 2 straight poor performances here has me worried. Not for this price.
• Stenson $10,400- Where is his game? We can’t play him until we know.

Names to know, or I had to look up- Campos top 10.  

• Ben Willman ($6,400) Hailing from England, Ben, sports an 0/2 record in his two starts on Tour. I don’t expect much from Ben this week.
• Patrick Cantlay ($8,600) Honestly, I should leave him on here forever. I think I forced DK’s hand and they priced him this high so I wouldn’t take him. BUT THEY ARE WRONG. Nothing scares me away from Cantlay.

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