RADIO
The PGA RotoBaller staff digs into their One and Done selections for both the WGC Mexico and Puerto Rico Open. Here are some under the radar plays and picks for this week's event.
Here at RotoBaller, we are always searching for ways to give our readers the best fantasy sports content possible. With that goal in mind, we are very proud to announce the weekly PGA “One and Done” column will be back for a second season. In this feature, our golf staff of Joe Nicely, Spencer Aguiar and Josh Bennett will provide their weekly golf picks every Wednesday. The purpose of this article is to present you with alternative options to consider and hopefully make your selection a much easier process weekly. With that plan in mind, let's get started!
The Genesis Invitational was our first real slip-up spot of 2020 for the entire team. While Joe suffered a missed cut with Bubba Watson, I don't think he should be too upset about the outcome of the entire event, as Dustin Johnson provided an error-filled day on Sunday to finish in a share of 10th place for both Josh and myself. Johnson's $234,825 payday is fine on the surface, but you always hope for a little more bang for your buck when deploying one of the best golfers in the world. This competition is still as wide open as it can be, and it will be interesting to see who the guys will use in our first WGC event of the year. Every person in the field is guaranteed a payday, so will that change how any of the three of us treat the week? Let's find out!
For an in-depth breakdown of the top DraftKings and FanDuel plays, check out Joe Nicely's weekly Horse For The Course that highlights the best fits for the week's course. And you can also find out who the smart money is on by checking out Spencer Aguiar's PGA DFS: Vegas Report every week. Be sure to also read all of our other top-notch weekly PGA DFS and betting articles to help you win big!
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One and Done Selections
Joe Nicely - Dustin Johnson
Alternate - Tommy Fleetwood
I’m not gonna lie...last week hurt! I spent days grinding over my OAD decision for the Genesis, but my (bad) choice ultimately resulted in my first missed cut of the year in this competition, as Bubba Watson bogeyed his final hole of the second round to miss the cut by a shot. Frustrating!
This week I’m going with another player that’s won multiple titles at the event for which I’m choosing to play him. Dustin Johnson has emerged victorious from the WGC Mexico Championship in two of three years since this tournament was moved to Mexico City from Miami. DJ hasn’t necessarily been in beast mode, but he’s played well in 2020 since recovering from an offseason procedure on his knee. Johnson gained an impressive 6.3 strokes T2G last week at Riviera in what was his most complete performance of the new year. I love his chances this week in the high elevation of Mexico City which only enhances his legendary ability off the tee. As an added bonus in this contest, Spencer & Josh both used DJ last week, which means I have a great opportunity to gain some ground on them with a strong performance in this WGC event that has some juicy payouts!
Puerto Rico - Alex Noren
Alternate - Cameron Davis
Like almost everyone else, the Puerto Rico Open is on the backburner for me this week. Most of us will spend our time and energy on the WGC Mexico Championship and its elite field, but there are some interesting players teeing it up in the opposite-field event. Viktor Hovland is a young player that I love and rostered many times in DFS formats at the end of last season, but the young star hasn’t looked as elite (yet) in 2020. So, my selection is the other “elite” level player in the field, Alex Noren. The Swede would normally be teeing it up in this week’s WGC event, but a truly disastrous 2019 took its toll on his OWGR standing. He seems to have regained his form over the last few months and I expect big things from him against this watered-down field. - Joe Nicely
Yearly Earnings - $1,352,718
Yearly Cuts Made - 5/6
Spencer Aguiar - Justin Thomas
Alternate - Jon Rahm
After a few weeks of sticking to a conventional script, did you really think I wasn't going to shake things up again?! I realize Justin Thomas isn't completely off the beaten path, but I do think most gamers will be hesitant about going back in his direction after a missed cut last weekend at the Genesis Invitational.
When we look at the kind of tracks and situations where Thomas has historically found success, we find a ton of the same underlying factors. Seven of Thomas' 12 wins have either come outside the core-48 states or at a no-cut event, and it doesn't hurt that we have both of those circumstances coming into play in Mexico.
The American has provided two 62s in his 12 rounds at Chapultepec and has a chance to challenge for the title if he can get his putter to cooperate for him once again. If you are worried about the missed cut Thomas generated last weekend, just remember that his only WGC victory at the Bridgestone in 2018 came after a failure to make the cut in his prior event.
Puerto Rico - Jhonattan Vegas
Alternate - Xinjun Zhang
Jhonattan Vegas' high price tag on DraftKings is going to take a lot of people off of him this weekend, but it shouldn't alter your thought process for OAD contests. Vegas graded out fourth for me in my model when I attached a 65% weight to statistics from 2019 and 35% onto this year, and he was the only player inside the top-10 for me who wasn't expected to generate lofty ownership percentages for DFS contests.
While the two things aren't directly correlated, knowing he will be under-owned on DFS sites should allow us to grasp that he won't be a popular pick for other contests either. Vegas has three career PGA Tour wins and possesses the firepower off the tee and consistency to score on par-fives that should generate a ton of birdie looks. - Spencer Aguiar
Yearly Earnings - $1,843,914
Yearly Cuts Made - 6/6
Josh Bennett - Tommy Fleetwood
Alternate - Shane Lowry
It feels like a short field and no cut events should be easy to pick but I found this one difficult. A lot of guys at the top of the board with good history in this event I either have ideas for them for future events or I’ve used them up already. This course really benefits guys with good short games because of the handful of drive-able par 4’s and small greens on the non-drive-able par 4’s, so that personally limits my choices even more. I also think if you don’t have a long hitter that can carry trees and cut holes even shorter that you need a great ball-striker. All of these facts landed me on Tommy Fleetwood.
Tommy is a world class ball-striker, plus has some decent length off the tee (that part doesn’t matter as much to me). He should be able to keep it in play off the tee and he’s got one of the best short games in the event. I also like that he can get on some wild birdie streaks which is key in a no-cut event for both overall leaderboard position as well as DFS. My last point to liking Tommy this week is there is a very limited amount of events he plays on the PGA Tour so I want to catch him at an event he’s shown he can compete in before. He finished second here three years ago and topped off the last two years with two top 20 finishes, so he’s shown his style of play works here so that’s good enough for me to pull the trigger on him.
Puerto Rico - Alex Noren
Alternate - Maverick McNealy
Not only is the WGC event a good place for a guy with a good short game, so is the event in Puerto Rico this week. Alex Noren is at the top of the class in this event and he’s also got the right skill set to make a run at a win in this event. He has an elite short game and he’s a decent ball striker, both of which will at least keep him in the hunt for the week. He’s been playing in some of the bigger PGA events this season and has done very well in those events, so I think he goes into a field much weaker than what he’s used to seeing and makes a run at a victory. - Josh Bennett
Yearly Earnings - $2,149,612
Yearly Cuts Made - 6/6
Running Totals
| Joe Nicely | Spencer Aguiar | Josh Bennett | |
| Sony Open | Webb Simpson $455,400 | Abraham Ancer $27,390 | Webb Simpson $455,400 |
| American Express | Sungjae Im $162,475 | Paul Casey $63,399 | Sungjae Im $162,475 |
| Farmers Insurance | Tiger Woods $181,875 | Hideki Matsuyama $22,950 | Jon Rahm $817,500 |
| Waste Management | Jon Rahm $170,768 | Webb Simpson $1,314,000 | Hideki Matsuyama $97,212 |
| Pebble Beach | Jason Day $382,200 | Patrick Cantlay $181,350 | Jason Day $382,200 |
| Genesis Invitational | Bubba Watson $0 | Dustin Johnson $234,825 | Dustin Johnson $234,825 |
