Daily fantasy golf: FanDuel picks – The 2019 Houston Open
Daily fantasy golf: FanDuel PGA – Mid-tier picks ($10,000-$11,000)
Brian Harman – $10,900 – (Cash/GPP)
Harman has not played well here in Houston, and those that live or die by course history alone will not have him in mind this week. When we have a big sample like this it is certainly hard to ignore, but Harman is playing arguably the best golf of his career right now. Even though he has missed the cut here four times in six tries, I still believe whole-heartedly that his recent form will carry him to a much better finish here at the Houston Open this season.
The 32-year-old had an up-and-down 2018-2019 season and was usually flirting with a top-ten, or missing a cut. He ended the regular season with a T-6 at the Wyndham Championship, but could not make it past the Northern Trust where a T-52 ultimately ended his season. It is the way that he has started this season though that has me believing in him as a cash play this week.
Harman kicked things off with a T-3 at the Greenbrier, highlighted by opening and closing rounds of 65. He then T-14 the following week at the Sanderson Farms Championship, skipped the Safeway Open, and finished inside the top-20 once again with a T-18 last week at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.
I can see the argument as GPP play only here so I will give the dual tag. However, I believe Harman is just playing too good right now and that will trump his poor history here. I do not think he will be a popular cash play, but he will be in my lineup.
Russell Henley – $10,500 – (Cash)
Fade Henley at your own risk here as this is basically the exact opposite play of Harman in terms of course history. Henley won the Houston Open two years ago in 2017 and is currently riding a five-year top-ten streak in this event. The 30-year-old T-8 here last year, and that was his worst finish since his T-45 back in 2013. With a win and the consistency here at the Golf Club of Houston, I would only steer clear of him if he has not been playing well. At first glance, it may not look great, but Henley seems to have righted the ship since his awful mid-season stretch in which he missed six cuts in seven events at one point.
Henley made his most recent noise at the John Deere Classic, as only a Saturday round of 72 held him from catching eventual champ Dylan Frittelli. He came into that week off of four straight missed cuts, but things really clicked on Sunday when he fired a 61 to creep all the way up to a solo second-place finish. The better news for us is that he has still has not missed since having made the weekend in seven straight now, and is 3-for-3 to start the fall swing. Henley comes into this week off of a T-37 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open last week.