DraftKings PGA: 2020 Players Championship picks and analysis
DraftKings PGA: 2020 Players Championship
Welcome to the 5th major, or the 1st unofficial major of the year: the 2020 Players Championship. This is one of the strongest fields, with every PGA pro wanting a piece of the $12,500,000 purse. Tiger is the only big name sitting out this week, with the rest of the OWGR top-20 golfers in the field this week. The 2020 Players Championship is truly up for grabs.
TPC Sawgrass will host The Players Championship in March for only the second time in recent history (the first 33 editions were held in March, then the event was shifted to May). The Pete Dye designed course is a classic Pete Dye course: it is set up to intimidate you off the tee, punish you for mistakes, and favors no specific golfer.
That is why we have yet to see a golfer repeat winner at this event. Rory Mcilroy is the defending champion, holding the lead the final two rounds after separating from the field with a 67, 65 through his first 2 rounds. Rory has been playing incredible golf, so he is the defending champion and unanimous favorite to go back-to-back.
Webb Simpson won the 2019 Players Championship by 4 strokes despite shooting a 73 on his final 18. Rory may be the most dominant golfer on the Tour right now, but Webb’s win was the most dominant performance at one of the 5 2018 majors. Si Woo Kim won the event in 2017, Jason Day (fresh off a WD at the API for the second year in a row) in 2016, and Rickie Fowler in 2015.
The course is set in Ponte-Verda Beach, Florida, with a traditional Florida feel. The course showcases fairways lined by trees, swampland, and lots of sand. Bermuda is the dominant grass-type this week. The Bermuda is overseeded with Bent, Rye, and Poa, but the overseeeded aspect will not be in full bloom due to this year’s March start. TPC Sawgrass sits at 7,189 yards.
The par-72 challenges the world’s best by many different means. Bombers will be subdued by dog-legs and hazards. Short hitters will be challenged with long par-5’s and a should-I-go-for-it par 4. Due to the Pete Dye design, every golfer will be shaping their approaches in from similar distances.
The greens are small, fast, and surrounded by Bermuda, so missing the greens is a huge penalty. This week, like most weeks, I will be focusing on shots gained Approach.
Key Stats
Approach Gained
Tee to Green Gained
Bermuda Gained
Pete Dye Gained
DK Scoring Gained
As always, you should be building your own models. FantasyNational.com and FutureOfFantasy.com are great tools to use.