RADIO
Charley Hoffman won his first PGA Tournament since 2014, holding off Patrick Reed by one stroke. If you just want to see my picks for this coming tournament, then you can scroll past this introduction.
For my picks; Brandt Snedeker (T25, 5- under), Bryson DeChambeau (missed cut), Jason Kokrak (missed cut), Daniel Summerhays (T13, 7- under), Freddie Jacobson (withdrew after the third round), Aaron Baddeley (T29, 4- under), Jerry Kelly (T65, 2- over), and Justin Leonard (T55, even). I was very surprised to see DeChambeau miss the cut after a great Masters and RBC Heritage showing.
This week the tour heads to Avondale, LA for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. TPC Louisiana will be hosting on its par 72, 7,341 yard course. Per its website, "Open for the public to enjoy, TPC Louisiana brings championship golf to New Orleans. Master architect Pete Dye designed the course, working in conjunction with PGA TOUR players Steve Elkington and Kelly Gibson – a New Orleans native... The breathtaking scenery at TPC Louisiana’s golf course, stretches over 250 acres of wetlands along the Mississippi River delta, This championship golf course meets the highest course conditions is a grand representation of the natural local habitat. The golf course layout incorporates stately stands of cypress and oak trees – with Dye adding plenty of water hazards and bunkers to make for a highly interesting game. The golf course features over 100 bunkers as well as five ponds, which come into play. TPC Louisiana boasts a series of short but compelling par-4 holes to balance the longer ones and delivers a great blend of challenge and playability. The signature hole on the golf course is the par-5, 18th hole. Water is in play for the entire right side of the hole, making for a challenging finish for golfers of all skill levels."
PGA Stats To Look At for Daily Fantasy Golf (DFS)
Driving Distance- Justin Rose finished 12th in this category last year. Jason Day was the leader in driving distance and finished T4. In 2014, Seung-Yul Noh won the tournament and finished T3 in this category.
Strokes Gained: Putting- Rose was 12th last year in SG:P. Weekly leader Steve Weathcroft finished T12. In 2014, Noh was 11th, and weekly leader Retief Goosen finished T21.
Scrambling- Rose as T4 and weekly leader Steven Bowditch finished T12. In 2014, Noh was 3rd, and weekly leader Andrew Svodoba finished runner-up.
Birdie or Better Percentage
Fantasy Golf Lineup Picks for DraftKings (PGA DFS)
Rickie Fowler ($11,100)
Driving Distance- T29
Strokes Gained: Putting- 26
Scrambling- 41
Birdie or Better Percentage- 6
Last Year's Result- Cut
Despite being cut at this tournament the past two years, I really like Fowler. He has not played since his disastrous Masters showing, but prior to that Fowler had four consecutive top 10's. He finished T10 here in 2011, and I expect him to have a really strong showing with the time he took off.
Marc Leishman ($9,100)
Driving Distance- 32
Strokes Gained: Putting- 44
Scrambling- 26
Birdie or Better Percentage- 26
Last Year's Result- T28
Leishman's stats are great for this tournament. The Aussie rebounded nicely after missing the cut at Augusta, finishing T30 at the RBC Heritage. Besides for the Masters he had good showing at the Northern Trust, WGC-Cadillac, and Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Danny Lee ($8,500)
Driving Distance- 146
Strokes Gained: Putting- 130
Scrambling- T61
Birdie or Better Percentage- 53
Last Year's Result- T22
Lee was cut at the RBC Heritage two weeks ago, but finished T17 at The Masters. I hope he can make enough birdies to keep pace in this tournament, if he does, then he'll finish in the Top 10.
Ben Martin ($7,900)
Driving Distance- T119
Strokes Gained: Putting- 57
Scrambling- 180
Birdie or Better Percentage- 33
Last Year's Result- DNP
Martin finished T15 at this tournament two years ago. He hasn't had a good showing since finishing T12 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but I expect a top-20 finish this week.
Jonas Blixt ($7,400)
Driving Distance- 78
Strokes Gained: Putting- 21
Scrambling- 60
Birdie or Better Percentage- T76
Last Year's Result- Cut
His best finish here was T13 in 2012. He was cut at the Houston Open prior to the Masters and hasn't played since. I like the time off and he's coming back to play at a birdie- friendly course.
Jhonattan Vegas ($7,100)
Driving Distance- T20
Strokes Gained: Putting- 80
Scrambling- 73
Birdie or Better Percentage- T102
Last Year's Result- T36
He was cut at the Texas Open last week, but was playing good golf prior to that. He finished T19 at the Houston open and T26 at the Puerto Rico Open. He'll build on his solid performance from last year.
Martin Piller ($6,900)
Driving Distance- T102
Strokes Gained: Putting- 18
Scrambling- 77
Birdie or Better Percentage- 155
Last Year's Result- DNP
I was so impressed with this past week at the Texas Open as he finished T4. That was his best showing of the season and I think he will carry his momentum to this week.
Andrew Loupe ($6,400)
Driving Distance- 10
Strokes Gained: Putting- 25
Scrambling- 195
Birdie or Better Percentage- 13
Last Year's Result- Cut
Based on stats, Loupe is the sleeper of the tournament. His best finished was back in the middle of January finishing T3 at the CareerBuilder. If he putts well, and makes enough birdies, his price will pay off huge dividends.
