Daily Fantasy Golf: The 2019 Genesis Open – PGA DRAFT Rankings (DRAFT.com)
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Welcome to this edition of Daily Fantasy Golf DRAFT rankings for DRAFT.com,from FantasyCPR, covering the 2019 Genesis Open. The DRAFT app can be downloaded to your mobile device through your app store, or you can access the 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.
About the Event:
The Genesis Open is in its third year under the current sponsor and name, and is a long-standing event held in the Los Angeles area since 1926. It was most recently known as the Northern Trust Open from 2008 to 2016, and prior to that, it was the Nissan Open in some way shape or form of that name from 1987 to 2007.
The event has been played at the very challenging and luxurious Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California for most of its existence, but it has been replaced here and there over the years. You have to go back quite a ways however to find two consecutive years where the Riviera was not the host. The last time this event was not held here was in 1998.
If you do a little digging this week, you will notice experts comparing The Riviera to Augusta. There may be enough correlation there to say those that play well at both courses look to be in the best shot to win here this weekend. The Riviera plays at par 71, and is a lengthy 7,322 yards. It looks like it may be wet and cold once again, but not as bad as last week at Pebble Beach.
We are back to normal two-day cuts of 70 plus ties. So rostering golfers who make cuts will be essential. Without further delay, let’s talk about where I am targeting a few guys in my drafts before we get to the rankings.
Daily Fantasy Golf: PGA 2019 Genesis Open – High Projected Targets (75+)
Justin Thomas – (88.35)
Much like last week, I already talked about the top play of the week this week in my other article which focuses on FanDuel PGA, so in order to mix it up a little bit, let’s skip Dustin Johnson and talk about my second ranked target.
Even with this loaded field, Thomas is still going first or second in every draft I do. He skipped the pro-am last week, and is coming off a solo 3rd at the WMPO, in which he struggled in the rough weather on Sunday, and shot his first round over par on tour since October. The third place was JT’s third top-five in six events since the fall season began.
Rory McIlroy – (75.06)
Although McIlroy wasn’t playing last week, it didn’t keep him from making a few headlines around the golf world. He seemed to have an unpopular opinion on Ho-sung Choi, and almost mocked his swing after pretending to have never heard of him. With all of the heat Matt Kuchar is getting this week, he can do what he wants with his money as far as I am concerned. McIlroy’s smugness and perceived holier than thou attitude is just worse in my opinion, but that is neither here nor there.
My personal beliefs have nothing to do with golf rankings and daily fantasy golf thankfully, and who knows maybe they are both great people with a couple of flaws, but either way, I like both for golf purposes, and McIlroy is getting closer and closer to pulling off a victory.
Rory has notched back-to-back top-fives, but has only played twice thus far this season. He finished T-20 here at the Riviera last year, and is currently my fourth ranked golfer this week.
Tommy Fleetwood – (79.7)
I was all set to move Fleetwood way down in the rankings this week after his poor Thursday performance at Pebble Beach, as it looked like a missed cut was imminent. However, he was able to right the ship, and shoot 4-under on Friday to get back in it.
Fleetwood looked to have his usual solid ball-striking game from what I saw, but he missed some putts. It should be noted that he was using a new putter this week. It looked like a basic mid-2000’s Odyssey, but it was later revealed to be a prototype. I think the conditions had much more to do with it than the equipment however.
I currently have Fleetwood ranked eighth overall, and have been able to land him late in the second round, and even in the third round of some six-man drafts up to this point. I expect him to improve on his T-45 finish last week, and hopefully slide his way into the top-ten.
Daily Fantasy Golf: PGA 2019 Genesis Open – Mid Projected Targets (65-75)
Xander Schauffele – (73.45)
The popular opinion and one that I am behind 100% this week, is the fact that course history is bigger this week than most weeks, and most first timers do not have the best results. However, Schauffele was the exemption to this rule last year, as he T-9 finishing 7-under par.
Xander can be erratic at times, and kind of falls in the riskier category more than the safer one, but the fact that he has two wins and five straight top-25’s has me a little higher on him than most considering the rest of the field. He is coming off of a T-10 at the Farmers Insurance Open, and I currently have him ranked fifth this week.
Bubba Watson – (67.31)
Yes it is Bubba week, and despite the low projection, most folks drafting over on DRAFT have a good idea that Watson should be ranking much higher than his projection this week. A three-time champ of this weeks Genesis Open, Bubba will be trying to win this event for the fourth time in six years.
After a missed cut at the Sony Open, Watson was in solid form at the Waste Management Phoenix Open two weeks ago, where he led the field in strokes gained, tee-to-green, and finished T-4th. While he is slipping to mid-second round for the most part, I have seen him go as high as 1.4, and as late as 3.4.
It all depends on your opponents this week I guess, but if you want him, you may have to grab him early. I currently have him ranked sixth overall, but will likely pass on him here and there in hopes of him slipping into the third round.
Daily Fantasy Golf: PGA 2019 Genesis Open – Low Projected Targets (60-65)
Jason Kokrak – (65.84)
I guess I should start this one by saying I know I am cheating. Technically, Kokrak doesn’t fall in this projection range, but there really wasn’t a lot to choose from this week. So I figured I would rather talk about somebody that I am actually drafting as opposed to somebody I am not.
In every six-man draft I have done, Kokrak has been there for me in the last round, and I bet I have drafted him more than half of the time. He skipped last week citing “illness” and is coming off of three straight top-20’s. He also T-20th here at the Riviera last year.
Branden Grace – (60.77)
Grace hasn’t had the type of success here at the Riviera as others have had, but he was able to finish 1-under and finish T-37 last year. I am surprised he isn’t getting a little more noticed this week, as he was able to fight through the elements last week at Pebble Beach, and follow-up his second place at the WMPO with a T-28.
His recent form alone is enough to garner attention in 8-man drafts, but he likely will not make the cut for me in my six-mans. I currently have him ranked 24th, but I like a lot of golfers ranked in my 20-30 range this week, and plan to have a little exposure to each.
Daily Fantasy Golf: PGA 2019 Genesis Open – Under Projected Targets (Sub-60)
Sergio Garcia – (49.25)
Since I cut open a small vein on my opinion on Matt Kuchar and Rory McIlroy, let’s touch on Garcia’s antics in Saudi Arabia as well why not? Personally, I am a bad golfer for the most part, but I am 39-years-old and it has been at the very least fifteen years since I have had a tantrum on a golf course like he had in that bunker. Well I have never had one like that, but maybe I broke a club once and tossed it in the woods, and I think I was still a teenager.
Regardless of him maybe being a slight baby at times, Garcia has been playing well, and his game translates well this week. Despite the low projection, he isn’t sneaking by many in my drafts up to this point. I was hoping to grab him in the last round of my six-mans, but it just isn’t happening, as he is consistently going in the fourth round.
Martin Laird – (58.46)
One more Laird week for me, as he is shaping up to be my last man drafted in my 8-man’s this week. He didn’t make it to the final round last week at Pebble Beach, but once again, this is another course he has had some success at over the years.
The three most recent years in particular have been good to Laird. He is coming off of back-to-back top-10’s here at the Riviera, and also added a T-11 finish in 2016. Finishing in the top 11 three straight years is no small feat, and I will have no problem drafting Laird late in larger field drafts once again this week.
Sung Kang – (48)
My last target this week before we get to the rankings, is another that I am setting aside for 8-man drafts, but the more six-mans I do, I am seriously considering sliding him into a couple. Sung Kang is another veteran golfer who has had some success here at The Riviera the last three years, and is also coming off of a solid T-14th at last weeks AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Kang T-8 here in 2016, and followed that with a T-22 in 2017. He shot 4-under last year, which was good for a T-16 finish, giving him three straight top-25’s in this event. With him and Laird getting mostly overlooked in this deep field, my 8-man drafts will likely heavily depend on how they finish.
Daily Fantasy Golf: 2019 Genesis Open – DRAFT Rankings: Top 30
My rankings are pretty easy to follow. I have ranked the top 30 overall. Following each golfer is their DRAFT fantasy point projection in parenthesis.
1. Dustin Johnson – (88.84)
2. Justin Thomas – (88.35)
3. Jon Rahm – (81.04)
4. Rory McIlroy – (75.06)
5. Xander Schauffele – (73.45)
6. Bubba Watson – (67.31)
7. Bryson DeChambeau – (83.52)
8. Tommy Fleetwood – (79.76)
9. Tony Finau – (78.12)
10. Matt Kuchar – (73.76)
11. Phil Mickelson – (75.90)
12. Paul Casey – (70.89)
13. Patrick Cantlay – (75.61)
14. Rafael Cabrera-Bello – (76.38)
15. Tiger Woods – (75.88)
16. Marc Leishman – (78.07)
17. Cameron Smith – (69.04)
18. Charles Howell – (69.24)
19. Adam Scott – (67.42)
20. Hideki Matsuyama – (73.65)
21. Adam Hadwin – (66.56)
22. Jason Kokrak – (65.84)
23. Sergio Garcia – (49.25)
24. Branden Grace – (60.77)
25. Tyrell Hatton – (65.88)
26. Jordan Spieth – (65.94)
27. Keegan Bradley – (70.46)
28. Martin Laird – (58.46)
29. Sung Kang – (48)
30. Louis Oosthuizen – (67.66)
dark. Next. FanDuel PGA: 2019 Genesis Open Picks
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 more so 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!