Draftkings PGA: Travelers Championship Primer
DraftKings PGA: Travelers Championship
What a fun course last week! Shinnecock Hills played more difficult than even the USGA could have imagined. The blowing wind, green speed, and supreme length challenged the best golfers in the world, but Brooks Koepka (+1) outlasted the field to secure a back-to-back US Open championship. After taking a beating at Shinnecock, the PGA will return to TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.
River Highlands is no joke, playing as the 21st most difficult tract last season. However, after Shinnecock Hills, River Highlands will be a welcoming sight for the field. River Highlands is a Par-70 Pete Dye designed course playing around 6,900 yards (more than 500 yards shorter than Shinnecock’s Par-70). The bentgrass greens are small, but slow, requiring precise approaches. Look for the winner to be driving the ball straight and attacking the pins with wedges. If you are the type of DFS player that stacks Friday/Saturday tee times, opt for the earliest tee times to take advantage of the soft greens before they firm up in the afternoons (similar to Shinnecock).
Key Stats
The keys stats that I am focusing on this week for Travelers Championship DraftKings PGA GPP contests:
Approach: Strokes Gained
Ball Striking: Strokes Gained
Tee to Green: Strokes Gained
Birdie or Better Par 4: Strokes Gained
Pete Dye – Future of Fantasy stat
As always, you should be building your own models. FantasyNational.com and FutureOfFantasy.com are great tools to use.
The reason why I chose these key stats is because I believe this course will suit elite ball-strikers that are accurate with a wedge. The greens are slow and will favor better putters, but if players are sticking the approach, then putting is less important. I weight SG:BOB Par 4 because its a par 70 course (12 par 4’s) and DK scoring favors BOB. The Future of Fantasy Pete Dye stat is based on the trend that Pete Dye course horses tend to play better across Pete Dye designs.
Travelers Championship – Golfers to Target
Justin Thomas $11,500
My model loves Justin Thomas all across the board. JT ranks number one in the field in SG:BS and SG:BOBP4. JT is one of only two players that ranks in the top 40 of every category in my model. He is playing stellar this year with 2 wins and 15/15 top 25’s. If you are willing to swallow that price-tag, he deserves to make your lineup.
Paul Casey $9,600
Casey shed the “he doesn’t win” moniker this year at the Valspar Championship, another ball-strikers course. Casey is a tremendous ball-striker (ranks 2nd in SG:BS) and he is an excellent Pete Dye performer. In his last three trips to River Highlands, Casey boasts a 5th, 17th and 2nd. If his putting can be above average this week, then he has a great shot at getting his 2nd victory this season.
Webb Simpson $9,100
Webb has already won at a TPC tract this season. His form is solid (14/16 made cuts), sandwiching a MC between a 10th at the US Open and 1st at the Players – two of the toughest fields this season. Webb will look to improve on an 8th at TPC River Highlands last year.
Brendan Steele $7,600
Steele is a technician off the tee (8th SG:OTT) and on his approaches (32nd SG:Approach). His form is solid (14/15 made cuts) and his game really suits TPC River Highlands, with 3 top 25’s in his last three attempts. If his ball-striking is once again elite this week, then he could hoist his second trophy this season.
Bounce-Back Values to Target
Shinnecock Hills sucked the life out of the field last week. The guys who made the weekend are going to be physically and mentally drained this week. Here are 4 golfers that missed the US Open cut and are elite plays this week (you also may get lower ownership):
Jordan Spieth $10,600
Spieth is the defending champion at the Travelers. Last year he hit every fairway and displayed surgical precision with his wedges. Even though his form is shaky, he is still a top player and can turn it on at any time. The course suits his eye and his ownership may be single digits.
Keegan Bradley $7,900
Bradley has excellent course history (8th, 25th, and 39th since 2015) and he is 1st SG:Approach this year. The US Open missed cut was only his 3rd MC this season in 18 PGA events. He is from Vermont, so I am hoping the proximity narrative propels him to a top finish.
Emiliano Grillo $7,700
Grillo has been excellent this year! The US Open missed cut was his first this season. Grillo strikes his irons pure (22nd SG:A), he is an superb driver of the golf ball (25th SG:OTT), and his putting has been excellent (11th SG:P). Look for Emiliano to bounce back this week at a course that he finished in 43rd in his first ever appearance.
Chesson Hadley $7,300
My model absolutely loves Chesson Hadley. He ranks in the top 40 of every category that I am looking at and his recent history is top notch. Hadley missed the cut in 2016 (his only appearacne), a time when his game was struggling. Look for Hadley to display his excellence on Pete Dye tracts this week.
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