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Joe Nicely breaks down the FanDuel DFS lineup picks for the 2022 Honda Classic. Daily fantasy golf advice on under-owned golfers and who to avoid for your lineups.
Hello RotoBaller PGA crew! It's great to be back with you guys and I appreciate you joining us here at RotoBaller for your PGA DFS research. With the PGA Tour's stay on the West Coast now in the books, we head cross country to the Honda Classic and the start of the Florida Swing. Can't wait to dive in!
In this article, we'll discuss some of the standout PGA DFS plays available on FanDuel for the Honda Classic. While it's impossible to hit on every player, we'll touch on some different plays across all price ranges, breaking the groups down into "High", "Mid", and "Low" price options that are worth considering.
Like always, the purpose of this piece is to help you put together your optimal daily fantasy golf lineups for FanDuel, whether that be from a GPP perspective or a cash-game mentality. 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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Honda Classic - PGA DFS Overview
The Course: PGA National
Par 70 - 7,125 Yards, Greens: Bermuda, Designed By: Tom & George Fazio (Renovations by Jack Nicklaus)
The Champion course routinely ranks as one of the most difficult layouts on the PGA Tour schedule. The Honda is an "anti-birdie fest" event, with winning scores that often end in the single digits in relation to par. The infamous 'Bear Trap' is a brutal three-hole stretch (Holes #15,16,& 17) that can destroy a players' scorecard at the end of a round and ranks as the fourth-toughest three-hole stretch on the PGA Tour schedule.
Water is prevalent at PGA National and in play on 15 holes! There are also over 65 sand traps placed throughout the course. As if all that weren't enough, the Florida wind can always wreak havoc when it starts gusting. If you want to dig into some key stats for this tournament, golfers this week will face SEVEN Par-4s that measure between 400-450 yards, and the largest number of approach shots will fall in the 150-200 yard range. I'm looking for players that have the ability to succeed on hard courses, can avoid bogeys, and are solid ball strikers with strong proximity numbers in the 150-200 yard range. We can also throw in a dash of Bermuda putting splits, as it can prove to be a tricky surface for those without years of experience with Florida golf.
For an in-depth breakdown of this week's course, check out RotoBaller's PGA Premium Course Breakdown by Josh Bennett!
Let's Look At The Stats
| Stat | PGA National | Tour Average |
| Driving Distance | 272 | 282 |
| Driving Accuracy | 60% | 62% |
| GIR Percentage | 59% | 65% |
| Scrambling Percentage | 54% | 57% |
| Average Three-Putts Per Round | 0.48 | 0.55 |
Key Stats
- SG: Approach
- SG: T2G
- SG: Ball Striking
- Bogey Avoidance
- Proximity (150+ Yards)
- SG: Around The Green
- SG: Putting (Bermuda)
Fantasy Golf Lineup Picks for FanDuel (PGA DFS)
We have tons of great weekly PGA articles, DFS analysis, tools and DFS advice. Be sure to read our other fantastic articles regarding this week's event including DFS lineup picks for DraftKings/FanDuel, betting advice and DFS prop picks.
High-Priced FanDuel DFS Plays
Sungjae Im ($12,000)
In an event that fills loaded with landmines, Sungjae Im stands out as something of a safety net this week. Im is so good, so often that perhaps we don't appreciate him enough. The young Korean snagged a win during the Swing Season and has quietly posted top-11 finishes in three of his five 2022 starts. His penchant for Bermuda putting surface have led to a tremendous track record both at the Honda (T8-Win in last two years) and on Florida golf courses as a whole (Nine top-30 finishes in 11 career starts in Florida). This tough PGA National can randomly bite any given player on any given week, but Sungjae's consistent T2G ability (second in field SG: T2G last 50 rounds) makes him worth every penny of his $12k price tag.
Daniel Berger ($11,800)
Daniel Berger is truly the "X-Factor" on this slate, as his health remains a legitimate question mark. Berger opened the year with an impressive top-five result at the Sentry Tournament of Champions but was forced to settle for a T20 at the Farmers after aggravating his back during the tournament. The injury was serious enough to prevent him from defending his title at the AT&T Pebble Beach. He tried to come back a week after his WD at Pebble but didn't look sharp en route to a missed cut at the WMPO. I never take back injuries lightly, as one swing can result in a reaggravation and lead to a WD. Bottom line...Berger is a serious gamble this week. However, there is a very nice potential payout, as he's certainly one of the more elite talents in this week's field, possesses a game that's well-suited to this PGA National layout, and he's had some previous success in the Honda with a pair of top-fives across six career starts.
Keith Mitchell ($10,400)
The strength - or lack thereof - of this week's Honda field makes for some uncomfortable DFS price tags. That's the feeling I get with Keith Mitchell, a player that I desperately want to get exposure to this week, but whose $10.4k price tag makes me feel a little queasy. It's the nature of the beast in PGA DFS and I'm going to shake off any worries of overspending in this instance, as Mitchell stands out as a strong option at PGA National. He's a former Honda Classic winner (2019), has historically been a much better putter on Bermuda greens such as he'll face this week, and he comes in playing his best golf in years. The UGA alum has gained strokes T2G and posted top-12 finishes in three of his four 2022 starts. His ball-striking has been the true catalyst for his recent success and he grades out first in this Honda field in SG: Ball Striking over the last 12 rounds.
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Mid-Priced FanDuel DFS Plays
Jhonattan Vegas ($10,200)
Like the aforementioned Keith Mitchell, Jhonattan Vegas' price tag feels inflated, but like with Mitchell, I'm willing to overpay in the pursuit of potential upside on this lackluster slate. PGA National is an unquestionably-tough track that produces volatility, but Vegas has been remarkably consistent on the Palm Beach Gardens layout throughout his career. Over nine career Honda starts, the Colombian has played the weekend on eight occasions and enters this year's edition having made the Honda cut in each of his last five attempts - a run that was highlighted by a T4 in 2017. In addition to his track record, his recent ball-striking numbers are encouraging. Vegas has gained strokes T2G, OTT, and on Approach in each of his last two starts with his +3.9 mark with the irons last week at Riviera ranking 14th in the elite Genesis field.
Mackenzie Hughes ($9,600)
Sometimes in PGA DFS we can get stuck in a statistical vacuum, failing to even consider players that might not pop in statistical categories we feel are important. This close-mindedness can be detrimental in some instances and Mackenzie Hughes this week might be the perfect example. The Canadian is never going to blow us away with his ball-striking, but his elite short game (fourth in this field in SG: Short Game last 50 rounds) and grind-it-out style make him a threat on difficult layouts such as what he'll see this week in PGA National. He's made the cut in four of five career Honda starts with a runner-up finish coming in 2020. Hughes has showcased his ability to handle tough golf courses on multiple occasions last year, with a top-five result in a difficult ZOZO Championship event, as well as a T6 at the Open Championship and a T15 at the U.S. Open feeling especially noteworthy.
Low-Priced FanDuel DFS Players
Lucas Glover ($9,300)
The fact that I'm writing up Lucas Glover is a pretty strong reflection of exactly how I view this event...volatile. Glover is a player that I never fully trust, but that can be said of most options as we work our way down the Honda salary scale. On the plus side, he's a veteran with lots of experience at PGA National, and the notoriously inconsistent Glover has been surprisingly consistent in the Honda. He's managed to log top-25 finishes in four of his last five trips to PGA National, with a T4 coming in 2019. In addition to the strong track record, the former U.S. Open champion has looked solid in 2022 by making the cut in four of his five starts this year, with a top-five at the Sony being the highlight. He grades out third in this field in SG: Approach over the last 12 rounds and 16th in SG: Ball Striking...numbers that make him feel like a bargain at this $9.3k price point.
Michael Thompson ($9,100)
Fear the beard! I don't know what impact Michael Thompson's facial hair legitimately has on his game, but the newly-bearded Thompson came storming out of the gates in 2022, notching a T5 at the Sony Open and a T11 at the Farmers Insurance Open! While he has cooled off a bit - missing the cut in each of his last two starts - the flash of last month, combined with his track record at the Honda, is enough to put him squarely on my radar this week. Since winning the Honda Classic title back in 2013, Thompson has remained remarkably steady at PGA National in subsequent years. He's made the cut in four consecutive attempts on this difficult layout, carding top-25 finishes in three of those outings.
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