DraftKings European Tour: 2019 Saudi International Golf Picks
Hey I am always in the mood to try something new when it comes to articles, and since I have been playing the DraftKings European Tour golf contests for a few weeks this year, and a little bit last year, I have decided to share my thoughts here.
Of course we have the Waste Management Phoenix Open PGA action going on this weekend, along with something called the Super Bowl, but there will also be some solid golf with some huge names taking place in Saudi Arabia. It all gets underway around 10PM or so our time depending on your time zone Wednesday night, and the DraftKings European Tour golf contests are just as good as any.
The European Tour is debuting a new tournament this week, as this will be the first time an event will be held in Saudi Arabia. The course is known as Royal Greens Golf and Country Club, in King Abdullah Economic City, and is a short par-70, at just 7,010 yards.
Of course there is controversy surrounding this event and whether or not golfers should be there or not, but this is a daily fantasy sports article, and in many ways the escape from topics just like that for some of us. So out of respect to those here for a GPP sample lineup or some picks, let’s get right to it.
I should add that I am by no means an expert on the Euro Tour, nor do I pay nearly as much attention to this tour as I do to PGA. I have been able to profit a little bit the last couple weeks in tournaments with the old “stars and scrubs” approach, and since this looks like the the best week to do it thus far, I decided to sneak in a little artice about it. Sound good? Okay let’s really get to it this time.
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DraftKings European Tour: 2019 Saudi International – Top Plays
Bryson DeChambeau – $11,200
As I mentioned in the introduction, we have quite the star-studded field here in Saudi Arabia for this inaugural event. The fact that there is no course history to go off of, means recent play will have a lot to do with these picks. And while Justin Rose is coming off of an impressive win at the Farmers Insurance Open, DeChambeau is coming off an even more impressive victory at last weeks Dubai Desert Classic.
I think it is basically a toss-up between Rose and DeChambeau, but Bryson was incredible last weekend, finishing at 24-under and beating runner-up Matt Wallace by seven strokes. I tried to roster both for this one but it just wasn’t working out. There is plenty of value between $7,000 and $7,500 this week, but not much below $7K. Instead I will save the $300 on DeChambeau who is my pick to win this one, and pair him with an under priced Brooks Koepka.
Brooks Koepka – $10,200
Koepka has to be considered every time he is in an event, and the fact that he struggled a bit at the Sentry Tournament of Champions had some a bit concerned the 28-year-old 2018 Player of the Year was going to regress to the mean a bit. He teed it up two weeks ago at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, and looked just fine finishing 11-under, while grabbing a top-10 finish with a T-9.
You only have to go back to October to find Koepka’s last win. He won the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges, which at the time catapulted him up to the world’s number one ranking. Justin Rose has since overtaken that spot, but for this discount, I almost consider Koepka a value play.
As far as the other targets go, I really love Ian Poulter down there for his price, as he has been playing solid golf as of late. There is plenty of Sergio Garcia love out there, and Patrick Reed is also in this field. I think Koepka offers so much more for just a couple hundred more than those guys, and Poulter also is just a better play for much cheaper, so I will pass on Reed and Sergio here.
***Also Consider: Justin Rose $11,500 – Ian Poulter $9,500***
DraftKings European Tour: 2019 Saudi International – Value Plays
Shubhankar Sharma – $7,200
Now that we are past the names everyone has heard of, let’s talk about a couple of names you maybe haven’t heard of. Sharma is a 22-year-old from India, who already has two career wins on the European Tour. He turned professional in 2014, and played on the Asian Tour from 2015-2017. I first heard of and got to watch him a little bit during The Open Championship last year, and he was a name that stuck with me.
Sharma got his first win at the Joburg Open in December of 2017, and it only took him a couple of months to pick up his second. In February, he won the Maybank Championship firing 21-under, and holding off Jorge Campillo by two strokes. More recently, Sharma tied for sixth at the Hong Kong Open, and finished T-29 in last weeks Dubai Desert Classic.
Nicolas Colsaerts – $7,200
Colsaerts is a 36-year-old Belgium native, who has been around and been a solid golfer for quite some time. He did spend some time on the PGA tour and will still play an event or two along with majors, but he primarily plays on the European Tour. It has been a while since he last won an event, but has been consistent making cuts, and scoring some DK points.
He was just okay the last couple of weeks in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, finishing both tournaments in the mid-40’s. He is currently ranked 47th on the European Tour, but is another guy that could still pull off a win if he gets hot. His best finishes of recent note were a T-14 at the Hong Kong Open and a T-10 back at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championships last season.
***Also Consider: Ryan Fox $7,600 – Jorge Campillo $7,400 – Bradley Dredge $7,100 – Gaganjeet Bhullar $7,000***
DraftKings European Tour: 2019 Saudi International – Sample GPP Lineup
The line-up below is meant to be illustrative only to further back-up the logic laid out in previous slides. It is not an optimal line-up. It is in fact, just a “Sample Lineup.”
G – Bryson DeChambeau – $11,200
G – Brooks Koepka – $10,200
G – Shubhankar Sharma – $7,200
G – Nicolas. Colsaerts – $7,200
G – Bradley Dredge – $7,100
G – Gaganjeet Bhullar – $7,000
Next. FanDuel PGA: 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open Picks. dark
That is all for this weeks DratKings European Tour coverage for the 2019 Saudi International. If you have any questions, give me a follow on Twitter with the link at the top of the article. Thank you for reading, be sure to check out my PGA articles, and may your golf tilt be minimal this weekend!