1 day agoIn a bizarre development, World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler was detained by Louisville Police on Friday morning following a traffic incident. Scheffler was en route to Valhalla Golf Club for the second round of the PGA Championship, when an apparent misunderstanding with traffic flow as police worked an unconnected car accident led to the 27-year-old Texan eventually being placed in handcuffs and detained by officers. As details still emerge, it is unclear if Scheffler will be charged or if he'll be able to continue in the year's second major championship. The reigning Masters champion currently sits five shots back of tournament leader Xander Schauffele.
--Joe Nicely - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Darlington - ESPN
4 days agoSepp Straka performed well at last week's Wells Fargo Championship, finishing tied for eighth. This was his third consecutive top-15 finish and his second top-10 finish in his previous four appearances. After failing to make the cut at the Valspar Championship in March, Straka seems to have found his form just in time for this week's PGA Championship at Valhalla. Straka has a good track record at past PGA Championships, finishing tied for seventh in 2023, 78th in 2022, and T66 in 2020. However, it's worth noting that over the past year, Straka has ranked in the 16th percentile in proximity to the hole on approach shots from over 150 yards in the rough. Despite his struggles with approach shots from the rough, his recent form suggests that he could be a valuable addition to DFS lineups this week.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
4 days agoTom Kim finished T47 at last week's Wells Fargo Championship and has now made the cut in four straight appearances after missing the cut at last month's Valero Texas Open. Kim also finished T18 at the RBC Heritage and T30 at the Masters Tournament over that same period. However, he has had a tough time in his three previous PGA Championship appearances, missing the cut in 2023, 2022, and 2020. Despite his recent good form, Valhalla may challenge Kim, especially with his approach shots. The course has small greens, and over the last year, Kim ranks in the 38th percentile in proximity to the hole on approach shots from over 150 yards in the rough. While Kim has been playing well, trusting him in DFS lineups may be difficult this week.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
4 days agoTyrell Hatton has been in great form lately. He has achieved three top-10 finishes in his last four LIV Tour appearances. Although he has only participated in three PGA Tour events in 2024, he performed well in those, finishing T14 at The Sentry, T13 at the Sony Open in Hawaii, and tied for ninth at the Masters Tournament. In addition to his strong performances at PGA Tour events this year, he has excelled at past PGA Championships. In 2023, he finished T15, T13 in 2022, and T38 in 2021. However, Hatton may struggle with the challenges at Valhalla Golf Club; over the past year, he ranks in the 45th percentile in proximity to the hole on approach shots from over 150 yards in the rough. However, Hatton's historical success at the PGA Championship and recent form could make him a vital inclusion in DFS lineups this week.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
4 days agoJordan Spieth's performance at the Wells Fargo Championship last week landed him at T29. His 2024 season has been inconsistent, with four missed cuts in his previous seven appearances and one top-10 finish. Despite this inconsistency, Spieth has historically performed well at past PGA Championships, finishing T29 in 2023, T34 in 2022, and T30 in 2021. Over the past year, Spieth has excelled in his approach play from the rough, ranking in the 75th percentile in proximity to the hole on approach shots from over 150 yards in the rough. While his recent struggles pose a risk, his track record at the PGA Championship suggests he could be a solid addition to DFS lineups.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
4 days agoJoaquin Niemann has been outstanding on the LIV Tour this year. He has seven straight top-25 finishes, including four top-five finishes, two top-10 finishes, and one win. His most recent appearance on the PGA Tour was at the Masters Tournament, where he finished T22. Niemann's performance at the PGA Championship has been mixed; he missed the cut in 2023 but finished T23 in 2022 and T30 in 2021. One important thing to note is that over the last year, Niemann ranks in the 93rd percentile in proximity to the hole on approach shots from over 150 yards in the rough. Niemann could be overlooked this week, but his recent form makes him worth considering for DFS lineups.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
4 days agoCollin Morikawa has been performing well recently, with two top-10 and two top-25 finishes in his last four appearances. After a rough patch, he seems to have found his form. He struggled at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and missed the cut, finished T45 at THE PLAYERS Championship, and T75 at the Valero Texas Open. However, he has had success at the PGA Championship, finishing T26 in 2023, T55 in 2022, and tying for eighth in 2021. It's worth noting that Morikawa's greens in regulation percentage on approach shots from over 150 yards in the rough ranked in the 70th percentile over the past year. This could be crucial due to the small size of the greens at Valhalla. Morikawa's recent good form and past success at this event make him a strong contender for DFS lineups this week.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
4 days agoScottie Scheffler will tee it up in the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club this week, returning to action after his victory at last month's RBC Heritage. Scheffler has been in incredible form in 2024, winning four of his previous five tournaments. Notably, he secured a second-place finish at last year's PGA Championship. Over the past 12 months, Scheffler ranks in the 84th percentile in proximity to the hole on approach shots from over 150 yards in the rough. Given his recent success and past performance at this event, Scheffler could be a valuable addition to DFS lineups this week.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
4 days agoThere has been a sizable shift in the golf game of Russell Henley over the last month and a half. He began the year by saving most of his rounds on the greens, which has now transitioned to the irons, as he is averaging 1.102 strokes gained on approach over his last four starts. The flat stick has still kept up, though only at 0.207 strokes gained over that same span compared to the 1.27 average he gained in the three events he played in March. He may not do much off the tee distance-wise, but accuracy is usually the name of the game in major championships. It remains to be seen whether this one will play out similarly, however, being the 8th most accurate player off the tee on the PGA Tour means Henley should have more opportunities from the fairway than most in the field, which is exactly what you want at such a demanding venue like Valhalla.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
4 days agoIn the world of "safe plays," it doesn't get much better than Corey Conners. He's 12-for-12 on made cuts in 2024 and is coming off a solid performance at Quail Hollow, ranking second in the field in strokes gained on approach (1.75) and fifth in strokes gained from tee to green (1.86). The course setup at Valhalla fits Conners' game as well, as any major venue could. He's inside the top 100 in nearly all approach yardages for the year, most notably ranking eighth from 200-225 yards. That distance was seen 20.2% of the time here in 2014 and is the median yardage for most par-threes. The 32-year-old will need to find a little magic on and around the greens, as do most notoriously gifted ball-strikers. However, the intangibles everywhere else make him an extremely intriguing play at $8,900 on FanDuel.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
4 days agoIt has been a good run for Sungjae Im over his last three events. A few quality finishes to go along with a win on the KPGA circuit have him riding some high waves into Louisville, Ky. Most of the recent success has resulted from a scorching-hot putter that gained him over six strokes on the field at Quail Hollow. What's more impressive is the pedestrian approach numbers he's put up over that same span that has statistically only measured out to 0.315 strokes gained on approach over his last two PGA Tour starts. That is a testament to how well the flat stick is rolling. However, it's also the glaring issue that makes him hard to trust this week. Im is nowhere near long enough to overpower Valhalla (134th in driving distance: 292.9), and his play into greens--aside from a 38th ranking in approaches from 200-225 yards--leaves much to be desired. Expect him to do enough to play the weekend but not enough to be worth the chalk at $9,200 on FanDuel.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
4 days agoDean Burmester played his last tournament on the PGA Tour at the PGA Championship in 2023. The South African golfer wound up a respectable 54th shooting all four rounds above 70. Oak Hill Golf Club was a different animal compared to Valhalla. The Louisville, Kentucky course offers room for a few more birdies. However, Burmester did win the LIV Golf event at Miami this year. He can drive the ball long and is pretty accurate when it comes to greens in regulation (74.87% on the LIV Tour). His form seems to suggest more than his previous results.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
4 days agoStephan Jaeger appeared primed to contend on Sunday at the Well Fargo Championship. However, a 75 on Sunday derailed his hopes for a second win in 2024. The other concern is how he played at The Masters a mere two weeks after winning the Texas Children's Houston Open. Even in this latest three-tournament stretch, the German golfer had room for improvement. Valhalla requires good approaches, and Jaeger is merely average (102nd on tour) in approach to the green. He does rank 11th on tour with 4.42 birdies per round. The question is all about Sunday for Jaeger.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
4 days agoKeegan Bradley has not had the best 2024 season. However, the American golfer did have a playoff runner-up result at The Sony Open in January. Bradley also has two Top 25 results in his past three events. It comes down to that putter for the golfer. Strokes gained to putting is a woeful -0.576 (174th on tour). However, he is 25th getting balls on the green in regulation and his approaches from inside 100 yards are the best on the PGA Tour. If the weather remains unsettled long enough, Bradley can get shots close for prime birdie chances. That +20000 number to win includes a +1200 for Top 10.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
4 days agoAside from a two-week run in March and riding his fellow Irishman's coattails in New Orleans, Shane Lowry has been playing frustrating golf in 2024. It's mostly due to horrendous outings with the putter (168th in strokes gained putting: -0.506), but the around-the-green game has also been lacking in spots (103rd in strokes gained around the green: -0.022). When looking at what's required at Valhalla, Lowry will face incredibly long par-3s that will test his 185th ranking on par 3 scoring average (3.19). His position outside the top 100 in approach numbers longer than 200 yards will put even more stress on that point, along with all the other long looks he'll have this week. Fade Lowry at $9,600 on FanDuel.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
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