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Daily Fantasy Golf: 2019 PGA Sony Open in Hawaii DRAFT Rankings (DRAFT.com)

By Chris Aliperto

CROMWELL, CT - JUNE 25: Jordan Spieth of the United States chips in for birdie from a bunker on the 18th green to win the Travelers Championship in a playoff against Daniel Berger of the United States (not pictured) at TPC River Highlands on June 25, 2017 in Cromwell, Connecticut. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)
CROMWELL, CT - JUNE 25: Jordan Spieth of the United States chips in for birdie from a bunker on the 18th green to win the Travelers Championship in a playoff against Daniel Berger of the United States (not pictured) at TPC River Highlands on June 25, 2017 in Cromwell, Connecticut. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images) /
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HONOLULU, HI – JANUARY 14: James Hahn of the United States plays a shot on the 16th hole during the final round of the Sony Open In Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 14, 2018 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) Daily Fantasy Golf
HONOLULU, HI – JANUARY 14: James Hahn of the United States plays a shot on the 16th hole during the final round of the Sony Open In Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 14, 2018 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) Daily Fantasy Golf /

Why do you need another Daily Fantasy Golf site? Because DRAFT combines the excitement of a season-long draft into one set of games!

Welcome to the first edition of Daily Fantasy Golf DRAFT rankings for DRAFT.com from FantasyCPR, covering the 2019 Sony Open in Hawaii. 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.

My goal here will be to give you my targets in tiers, based upon their DRAFT projections. Followed by that, will be my top 30 overall rankings. The strategy of course here, is that 30 golfers will be drafted for 6-man contests, and these rankings will have you covered. After having completed my rankings for this week, and having completed a few 6-man drafts, let’s talk about the course for a second before we move on to the targets.

About the Course:

The Sony Open in Hawaii is held at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii every season. It became the Sony Open in 1999, and it kicks off the 2019 PGA season as the first full field event with a cut. The course is a Par-70, and plays at 7,044 yards. Expect some heavy winds at times throughout the weekend, and possibly some showers as well.

This isn’t really a course for bombers off of the tee, nor will strokes gained tee-to-green give you much of an advantage. I am instead focusing on who has putt well here in the past, and once again the players that consistently get it done in the wind. Let’s proceed and take a look at the high-projected targets. Click the bar below for the next slide!

SILVIS, IL – JULY 16: Bryson DeChambeau speaks with his caddie in the 18th fairway during the final round of the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run on July 16, 2017 in Silvis, Illinois. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
SILVIS, IL – JULY 16: Bryson DeChambeau speaks with his caddie in the 18th fairway during the final round of the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run on July 16, 2017 in Silvis, Illinois. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

Daily Fantasy Golf: 2019 Sony Open – High Projected Targets (75-90)

Bryson DeChambeau – (85.97)

I am going to write three PGA articles this week for three different DFS sites. Therefore, the top overall play in the field in my opinion, Justin Thomas, will be saved for one of those articles. Let’s instead focus on the second overall play on the board, in Bryson DeChambeau.

Nobody hit the flat stick better than DeChambeau last weekend at the Sentry TOC in Maui, as he led the field in strokes gained putting, which is the exact stat to target this week. He played this event in 2017, and finished T-49th and 8-under for the tournament. There may be nobody hotter as of late overall however, as DeChambeau has a win and three top-15’s since the start of November.

Gary Woodland – (76.37)

A couple of years ago, Woodland was just a guy who could hit it a long ways. What a difference a couple of years honing skills and a boost of confidence can make. Woodland has now morphed into one of the best all around players on tour, and he is another player putting on another level at the moment.

Woodland led most of the Sentry TOC at Kapalua in Maui last weekend, but a late run and amazing final round by Xander Schauffele slid him in to a disappointing solo 2nd place finish. It was his second top-10 finish in his last two times out, and he has also had some recent success here at Waialae C.C. Woodland finished T-6 in 2017, and T-7 last year, and he is easily a first round, top- five overall pick this week.

DraftKings PGA
WESTBURY, NY – AUGUST 27: Jordan Spieth of the United States putts on the 18th green during the final round of The Northern Trust at Glen Oaks Club on August 27, 2017 in Westbury, New York. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images) /

Daily Fantasy Golf: 2019 Sony Open – Mid Projected Targets (65-75)

Jordan Spieth – (65.6)

Spieth is the main reason why it is nice to play on DRAFT. We all know about the struggles last year, but we also all know what this guy is capable of. This isn’t exactly a star-studded field, and Spieth is one of the few names in the field that the masses will recognize. I won’t play him on the other DFS sites this weekend, but I have him ranked third overall this week, and I have gotten him as late as pick ten. He has had success here at Waialae, and that fact alone has me interested. Spieth finished third here in 2017, and T-18 last year.

Charles Howell III – (68.35)

I recommended Howell last week at Kapalua, and a strong final round made it a solid play, now this week happens to be the week where you want to target him even more. If there was ever a definition of horse for the course, this is it. Howell is 17-17 making cuts here at Waialae, with six top-five finishes which is absolutely incredible. Couple that with the fact that he is playing solid golf as of late with a win and T-14 in his last two outings.

Hideki Matsuyama – (71.5)

I don’t have him ranked as high as most, as he currently is ranked 9th for me this week. I have been in a spot where I have to choose between him and Brian Harman, and it is proving to be a difficult choice. Like Spieth, Matsuyama has had some well documented struggles over the last season plus, but he is a cut-maker, and finished no worse than T-30th in his last three events of 2018. Matsuyama is another golfer great for the DRAFT format, because he isn’t a guy you want to take too early, but if he is sitting there late second / early third round, he becomes a possible steal.

ST LOUIS, MO – AUGUST 10: Kevin Kisner of the United States plays his shot from the seventh tee during the second round of the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club on August 10, 2018 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO – AUGUST 10: Kevin Kisner of the United States plays his shot from the seventh tee during the second round of the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club on August 10, 2018 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) /

Daily Fantasy Golf: 2019 Sony Open – Low Projected Targets (50-65)

Kevin Kisner – (58.68)

Another horse for the course, Kisner has had some success here in the Sony Open as well. In 2016, he shot 15-under and finshed T-5th. He notched another top-five in 2017 shooting 18-under, which was good for a T-4th finish. Last season he took a slight step back finishing T-25, but he still among the best in strokes gained putting. I have Kisner ranked seventh overall at the moment, and I already have a few shares on DRAFT for this week.

Brian Harman – (64.11)

The theme continues. It’s early in the season, and plenty of the data we are using for these early weeks is based off of past results. I always consider course history, and Harman has been solid here for four years straight. He finished T-4th here last year, and has finished no worse than T-20 in that span. He may drop a few spots in my rankings as the week progresses, but for now he is my 11th ranked golfer this week.

Chez Reavie – (64.32)

Reavie is turning out to be a bit sneaky in this DRAFT format this week, as he ended 2018 solid making five straight cuts, and T-7 at the CJ Cup. He has finished T-18 or better here at Waialae over the last two years, and tied for 8th here in 2017. I have been able to draft him as late as the fourth round on average, and he currently ranks 10th overall for me this week.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, MEXICO – NOVEMBER 11: Cameron Champ of the United States reacts to his eagle on the fifth green during the final round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic at El Camaleon Mayakoba Golf Course on November 11, 2018 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, MEXICO – NOVEMBER 11: Cameron Champ of the United States reacts to his eagle on the fifth green during the final round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic at El Camaleon Mayakoba Golf Course on November 11, 2018 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Daily Fantasy Golf: 2019 Sony Open – Under Projected Bonus Picks!

Cameron Champ – (45.48)

The 23-year-old from Sacramento, California is doing big things in his young career. A win at Sanderson Farms last year earned him a trip to Maui last weekend for the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua, and just a disappointing third round held him out of contention. Champ shot a +1 on Saturday, but bounced back with a 6-under on Sunday to finish T-11th. Previous to that, Champ last played two events in November of last year, and notched two top-10 finishes as well.

Sungjae Im – (40.61)

This one is more for the deeper 8-man tournaments, but Im is another young gun who could make some noise here at Waialae. The 20-year-old, South Korean turned professional last season, and his last action was in mid-November at the RSM Classic. Im shot all four rounds under par in that one, and finished T-37th. He will likely be very active as a rookie this season, as he looks to make his mark on the tour.

HONOLULU, HI – JANUARY 15: Justin Thomas of the United States celebrates with the trophy after winning the Sony Open In Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 15, 2017 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
HONOLULU, HI – JANUARY 15: Justin Thomas of the United States celebrates with the trophy after winning the Sony Open In Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 15, 2017 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /

Daily Fantasy Golf: 2019 Sony Open DRAFT Rankings: Top 30

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 – (86.47)

2. Bryson DeChambeau – (85.97)

3. Jordan Spieth – (65.6)

4. Gary Woodland – (76.37)

5. Marc Leishman – (80.8)

6. Charles Howell – (68.35)

7. Kevin Kisner – (58.68)

8. Patrick Reed – (71.68)

9. Hideki Matsuyama – (71.51)

10. Chez Reavie – (64.32)

11. Brian Harman – (64.11)

12. Zach Johnson – (68.77)

13. Kyle Stanley – (65.63)

14. Cameron Champ – (45.48)

15. Paul Casey – (75.7)

16. Andrew Putnam – (64.38)

17. Adam Scott – (68.77)

18. Emiliano Grillo – (72.87)

19. Kevin Tway – (67.97)

20. Matt Kuchar – (73.76)

21. Cameron Smith – (67.99)

22. Patton Kizzire – (59.9)

23. Brandt Snedeker – (64.35)

24. Sungjae Im – (40.61)

25. Stewart Cink – (61.07)

26. Keegan Bradley – (74.51)

27. Bubba Watson – (70.4)

28. Abraham Ancer – (67.36)

29. Chris Kirk – (65.03)

30. Ryan Blaum – (54.83)

Next. DraftKings PGA - Sony Open Breakdown. dark

That is all for some bonus PGA Daily Fantasy Golf coverage for DRAFT. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as i did writing. I moreso hope I guided us all to some success on DRAFT! If you have any questions, give me a follow on Twitter at @JuanBondDFS. You can also leave a question right here in the comments, and I will do my best to respond before lock Thursday morning. Good luck this weekend, enjoy your golf, and happy drafting on DRAFT!