Fantasy Golf: DraftKings Honda Classic
This week’s DraftKings Honda Classic PGA event will take us to PGA National, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. PGA National will play at 7,158 yards, and a par 70. Known as one of the more difficult course on tour, PGA nationals is a shorter track, where accuracy is critical in avoiding many hazards. I don’t think we should completely avoid bombers, but the weight in which we normally attribute to driving distance should be tapered down a bit. This sets up as a classic, “second shot” course. Expect golfers who excel in strokes gain on approach to excel here. Last year’s winner, Adam Scott, non-coincidentally finished as the number one ranked golfer for stokes gained on approach.
DraftKings did a much improved job with pricing this week, and therefore ownership shouldn’t be as concentrated as it was last week. The $7000 and $8000 range offer most of the value and I think most of my lineups will fall into the “balanced” lineup designation.
The weather looks terrific from a precipitation stand point. It will rain on Wednesday, possibly softening the course up a bit, but as always, be sure to check on weather closer to lineup lock. PGA National is subject to wind, and there should be plenty throughout the tournament. Targeting European golfers and/or those that can keep the ball low, may be something to consider.
DraftKings Honda Classic: Top Tier: $12,000 – $9,000
Sergio Garcia – $10,900
Unlike last week, with DJ garnering much of the top end ownership, I believe ownership will be a bit more spread out among the elite group. If we remove ownership from the equation, I think Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott are the two best plays in this price range.
We’ll have to wait and see how ownership projects, but I’m currently projecting Garcia to have the highest ownership of this tier, and I’ll be playing him regardless. I think the public ownership is enough to not go head over heals for him, but I will have more exposure than the field. Barring a mediocre outing last week, Garcia has been in fairly solid recent form, and has the course history to make him an elite play. Sergio hasn’t missed a cut, in his last six appearances here.
Russell Knox – $9,000
If you’re looking to target accurate golfers, consider Russell Knox. Outside of missing the cut at the Waste Management Open, Knox has been in tremendous form of late. If we combine that with his outstanding course history, he shapes up to be one of the most appealing plays on the slate. Knox has played this event three times, recording a 26th place finish in ’16, a 3rd place finish in ’15, and a 2nd place finish in 14′.
Others to have exposure to: Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen
DraftKings Honda Classic: Mid Tier: $9,000 – $7,600
Brendan Steele – $8,100
Brendan Steele, while more of a bomber, does draw a comparison to Knox from a recent form and course history perspective. Steele has been sharp of late, and has made the cut every time he’s played in this event. Steele is a bomber to consider, as he still rates well in GIR and DA, hitting 69.1% of GIR, and 61.3% of fairways.
Charles Howell III – $7,800
Charles Howell III is playing some of his best golf, and has failed to miss a cut since last year’s Safeway Open. Howell’s distance gives him access to more birdies, and therefore allows him to score well on DraftKings. Howell averages 14.5 course and field adjusted birdies per round. I’d expect Howell to garner a healthy chunk of ownership.
Kevin Kisner – $7,700
This $7500 to $8000 range offers most of the value from the field, and how you go about directing your ownership will be critical to your success this week. With more accurate pricing, and many justifiable options in this range, I’ll be hoping that ownership flat lines enough to go over weight on golfers like Kevin Kisner. Kisner has really turned it on of late, finishing 10th, 25th, and 4th in his last three outings. Hopefully this is a sign of more positive showings to comes. Vegas has favorable projection for Kisner, giving him a 2.4% chance of winning.
Others to have exposure to: Paul Casey, Tyrrell Hatton, Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Jason Dufner, Sean O’Hair, Daniel Berger, Branden Grace
DraftKings Honda Classic: Bottom Tier: $7,500 – $6,400
Brooks Koepka – $7,500
Ah, the big tilt from last week. Boy, did Brooks Koepka ruin a ton of sweet lineups? If you can find a way to stomach the let down of last week, I’d highly consider going back to the well and targeting Brooks. While you can argue that he may be showing the early signs of a downhill slope, let me make a very brief case for why you should tuck away the panic button. First off, Brooks’ finds himself in trouble when he loses control with the driver. Given Brooks’ length, he’ll be able to leave the driver in the bag a bit more here at PGA National, and thus, possibly improving his accuracy off of the tee.
More from FanSided
- MLB Rumors: Justin Verlander has a clear suitor, but it comes with a catch
- MLB Rumors: Braves trade grade, Cardinals trade bait, Red Sox selling
- USMNT news: Turner to Forest, Trusty to Sheffield, Reynolds to Westerlo
- Inside the Clubhouse: What I’m hearing as the MLB Trade Deadline nears
- Yankees: Luis Severino has blunt assessment of another miserable outing
Second, I think you’ll see recency bias play a factor and his ownership may be depressed, especially in lower stakes tournaments. Brook’s has elite level talent, and were now in a spot where he’s under priced and potential under owned, therefore making him an ideal tournament play. Vegas also has a favorable projection, giving him a 2% chance of winning. This is far more than anyone in this price range.
Anirban Lahiri – $6,600
Anirban Lahiri is one of my off the board flyers for this week. I wouldn’t suggest a snap call, all in move, but a little sprinkle may make your weekend. Lahiri has played primarily overseas and has had tremendous success of late. Lahiri doesn’t stand out in any categories, but ranks well in most, including: ADJ RD score, DD, GIR, PPR, and birdie scoring. Expect the ownership on Lahiri to rise as you increase the buy in levels.
Others to have exposure to: Graeme McDowell, Billy Horschel, Lucas Glover, Jhonattan Vegas, Patrick Rodgers, Seung-yul Noh, Daniel Summerhays, Seamus Power, Stewart Cink
Best of luck!
Best of luck in this weekend’s DraftKings PGA contests and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR each day for all your DFS news and analysis across the NBA, NHL, PGA and EPL!