PGA DFS Golf: 2018 CIMB Classic DRAFT Rankings

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – OCTOBER 15: Pat Perez of the United States in action during the final round of the 2017 CIMB Classic at TPC Kuala Lumpur on October 15, 2017 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Photo by Stanley Chou/Getty Images) PGA DFS Golf

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Welcome to this edition of PGA DFS Golf rankings for DRAFT.com from FantasyCPR, covering the 2018 CIMB Classic. The DRAFT app can be downloaded to your mobile device through your app store, or you can access their desktop site here.

I play quite a bit on DRAFT, and have always been a big fan of the snake draft format. On DRAFT, for PGA, you simply roster five golfers. They offer head-to-head, 3-man, 6-man and 8-man drafts that start upon filling. In the DRAFT lobby, you will find me in the six-man and eight-man contests, which payout to the top two spots.

The always evolving DRAFT app now offers auctions for PGA, but I personally have not dabbled in those quite yet. Also making quite a bit of change this week is those good old projections which I use to tier my targets. Since the CIMB Classic is in Malaysia, and will actually be underway Wednesday evening, I don’t have time for a writers block. So here is what will change. This week, you will get two targets in what will now be called the early rounds, two in the mid rounds, and two for the late rounds . I will also of course throw out some others to consider based on where they are being drafted. There are basically no more low-tier players available according to projections, so this format should be just as easy to follow.

The Event:

Before we get to the targets, let’s talk a little bit about the history of the CIMB Classic, and where it takes place. This event has taken place at TPC Kuala Lumpur and it’s west course in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia since 2013. Despite the short history, we have an odds on favorite in Justin Thomas, who is looking for a third victory here, after winning in the 2015 and 2016 PGA seasons. We also have another back-to-back winner of this event looking for a third, and that is 35-year-old Ryan Moore. Finally, last years champ Pat Perez is back, looking to keep that narrative of back-to-backs in tact.

The Field:

The CIMB Classic is a 78-person invitational event with no cut. After Justin Thomas, who is your clear cut, no questions asked #1 pick this week, it immediately can go plenty of different ways. Last years third place finisher Xander Schauffele is back, and figures to be in the hunt. Also playing is FedEx Cup Playoff darling Billy Horschel, who is having a turn-back-the-clock type run. Paul Casey and Brandt Snedeker round out the top names in the field, but there are plenty of mid-tier golfers playing great golf to target this week. With that said, let’s move along to this weeks CIMB Classic targets!

NORTON, MA – AUGUST 31: Ryan Moore of the United States plays his shot from the first tee during the first round of the Dell Technologies Championship at TPC Boston on August 31, 2018 in Norton, Massachusetts. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

PGA DFS Golf Early Round Targets:

Ryan Moore – (2)

I seem to be higher on him than most in my drafts, as I haved grabbed him as late as seventh, and also as high as third. My first draft I grabbed Paul Casey ahead of Moore, but if I had to do that one over, I would go Moore. Of course there is the back-to-back titles he won here in 2013 and 2014, but that was four years ago, and this course is actually a bit different. What I am more focused on, is how dialed in he was last weekend at the Safeway Open. Moore shot four rounds of -5, and had one bad round in which he posted a +1. He ended up in a playoff with eventual winner Kevin Tway, and scored exactly 100 DP’s.

Kevin Tway – (8)

Speaking of Tway, I am not a fan of chasing a guy after a victory normally, but Tway is swinging a hot stick, and is a streaky golfer to boot. Up until his victory last weekend, he was consistently making cuts, but a T-43 finish at the Dell Technologies Championship kept him out of the BMW Championship, and September golf. He shot all four rounds under par en route to his victory, and has to be feeling good making his second trip to TPC Kuala Lumpur. He will be looking to build on his early FedEx Cup lead, and his T-32 finish last year at the CIMB Classic.

Also Consider: Xander Schauffele (4), Brandt Snedeker (5)

POTOMAC, MD – JULY 02: Kyle Stanley of the United States plays his shot from the 15th tee during the final round of the Quicken Loans National on July 2, 2017 TPC Potomac in Potomac, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

PGA DFS Golf Mid-Round Targets:

Kyle Stanley – (15)

One of my top targets here this week, it seems Stanley can be had pretty consistently here in the third round. The knock on Stanley is his final round struggles when he has a shot at cracking the top five. Most recently, final round +3’s at the TOUR Championship and BMW Championships left him out of contention for a FedEx Cup Playoff victory. He did however, notch two top-15’s in the playoff’s and has been playing fairly stellar golf for the most part as of late.

Final note on Stanley, this will be his fourth appearance at the CIMB Classic at TPC Kuala Lumpur, and he has three exact T-19 finishes. As crazy as it would be for four straight T-19’s, it isn’t crazy to think top-20 easy here, making Stanley a perfect third round pick.

Cheng-Tsung Pan – (16)

Pan had a solid second season as a pro, making 16 out of 20 cuts, and making a run at the Fed Ex Playoff Cup. He ended up finishing just short of the cut-line of the TOUR Championship, but was fantastic at the Dell Technologies event shooting all four rounds at -2 or better, and finishing T-4. Another third round pick on average, Pan made his debut here at the CIMB Classic last year, notching a top-20 and finishing T-17. The 26-year-old’s accuracy should help him here, and if he can putt well, he should be in contention.

Also Consider: Pat Perez (17), Cameron Smith (12), Kevin Na (13)

ST LOUIS, MO – AUGUST 11: Thomas Pieters of Belgium plays his shot from the fifth tee during the third round of the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club on August 11, 2018 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

PGA DFS Golf Late Round Targets:

Thomas Pieters – (19)

As we get into the later rounds, we can kind of go two different ways with our last couple selections. Depending on how our first three draft picks shake out, you may have a ton of confidence in your early picks and want to maybe take some risk, or if your team looks a little risky from the start, and go with the more balanced guys. If you want a solid in-between golfer, I say look no further than Pieters.

Pieters plays primarily on the European Tour, but he did play ten events on the PGA Tour last season. He made 9 of 10 cuts, saving his best finish of the year for the PGA Championship, where he finished T-6. Pieters had a bad round three here at the CIMB Classic last year, and finished T-49, after being -9 through the first two rounds. That great start here last year gives me a little confidence Pieters could find his complete game and contend here this weekend. I have seen him go in the third round a couple of times, but he could make a great fourth rounder if you can get him there.

Danny Lee – (24)

Our last target this week played some solid golf last weekend at the Safeway Open, and had a decent end to the 2018 season. Lee finished T-49 at the Dell Technologies, and did not qualify further in the FedEx Cup Playoff. Well he must have been eager to get back into the swing of things, as three rounds of -3 golf or better led to his T-10 finish last week. The 28-year-old has been up-and-down throughout his career, but was solid here at TPC Kuala Lumpur last year, where he T-7. With that top-10 finish here last year and coming off a top-10 at the Safeway Open, Lee is quietly in a great spot as a sneaky last round pick. With the weaker field and nobody on him, I am guessing I will have plenty of shares.

Also Consider: JB Holmes (22), Chez Reavie (25), Kiradech Aphibarnrat (27)

NAPA, CA – OCTOBER 06: Brandt Snedeker plays his shot from the eighth tee during the third round of the Safeway Open at the North Course of the Silverado Resort and Spaon October 6, 2018 in Napa, California. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

PGA DFS Golf DRAFT Rankings: Top 40

My rankings are pretty easy to follow. I have ranked the top 40 overall. Following each golfer is their DRAFT fantasy point projection in parenthesis.

1. Justin Thomas – (74.7)

2. Ryan Moore – (58.5)

3. Paul Casey – (63.6)

4. Xander Schauffele – (69.8)

5. Brandt Snedeker – (57.2)

6. Rafael Cabrera-Bello – (65.3)

7. Billy Horschel – (56.9)

8. Kevin Tway – (57.5)

9. Gary Woodland – (61.0)

10. Keegan Bradley – (62.4)

More from FanSided

11. Emiliano Grillo – (62.7)

12. Cameron Smith – (59.4)

13. Kevin Na – (61.6)

14. Marc Leishman – (62.8)

15. Kyle Stanley – (59.1)

16. Cheng-Tsung Pan – (57.2)

17. Pat Perez – (58.2)

18. Branden Grace – (60.9)

19. Thomas Pieters – (56.9)

20. Byeong-Hun An – (59.6)

21. Louis Oosthuizen – (56.3)

22. JB Holmes – (53.7)

23. Stewart Cink – (57.8)

24. Danny Lee – (50.5)

25. Chez Reavie – (56.2)

26. Beau Hossler – (56.3)

27. Kiradech Aphibarnrat – (55.2)

28. Peter Uihlein – (47.3)

29. Brendan Steele – (54.1)

30. Austin Cook – (59.6)

31. Charles Howell – (59.2)

32. Abraham Ancer – (55.3)

33. Joel Dahmen – (53)

34. Jimmy Walker – (55.8)

35. Keith Mitchell – (58.6)

36. Jason Kokrak – (57.6)

37. Chesson Hadley – (53.2)

38. Kevin Chappell – (56)

39. Troy Merritt – (51.7)

40. Bronson Burgoon – (49.5)

That is all for this weeks PGA DFS Golf DRAFT rankings for the 2018 CIMB Classic. If you have any questions, give me a follow on Twitter using the link at the top of the page. You can also leave a question right here in the comments, and I will do my best to respond before lock. Good luck this weekend, enjoy your golf, and happy drafting on DRAFT!