1 month agoIt's been a rough start to the 2024 campaign for Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick, as our 2022 U.S. Open Champion has missed three of seven cuts and recorded no finish better than 14th through the first two-and-a-half months of the New Year. The going doesn't get much easier this week in Ponte Vedra, either, as TPC Sawgrass will present a stern test to even the game's most in-form commodities. Of course, Fitzpatrick was a winner last season at a similarly positional Pete Dye design at Harbour Town, but until the game shows some sustained life, it's difficult to project a repeat performance this week.
--Ian McNeill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
1 month agoSahith Theegala has long been regarded as one of the PGA Tour's premier microwaves: a birdie-making machine that can contend on the sport's biggest stages when the game gets hot. However, historic deficiencies with his ball-striking (particularly off of the tee), have robbed the young American of a stable week-to-week baseline through his first two seasons as a professional. To start the New Year, however, Theegala seems to have found the proper formula with his driver: rating out positively off-the-tee in six of seven starts in 2024. Theegala already possesses so many tantalizing traits, but the driver will once again be tested around Sawgrass's penal layout. If he can conquer the test ahead of him this week, there will be no further questions regarding his inevitable ascension to the top of the game.
--Ian McNeill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
1 month agoAfter an up-and-down 2023 campaign that saw him dip nine spots in the Official World Golf Rankings, Sam Burns has come flying out of the trap in the New Year. He recorded four straight top-ten finishes between California and Arizona during the Tour's West Coast Swing, and
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1 month agoSungjae Im logged his first top-20 finish since the Sentry last week, logging a T18 at the Arnold Palmer. The 25-year-old finally gained strokes on approach (1.9), and simply didn't lose strokes anywhere else. If the South Korean can keep this iron improvement at TPC Sawgrass while adding in some success off-the-tee and on the greens, we could be looking at top-5 upside again. Im has only played in THE PLAYERS four times, but he's made the cut in each of the last three, including a T6 last year. At a depressed price tag of $8,400 on DraftKings, it could be a sneaky valuable spot to jump back on the Im wagon.
--Tommy BellSource: PGA Tour
1 month agoJason Day uncharacteristically lost 4.8 strokes on approach at the Arnold Palmer last week, and he'll have to turn it around quickly heading to TPC Sawgrass, a track he's found success at many times before. Day's around-the-green game has anchored his strong play of late, but his irons were also great in February, leading to two top-10 finishes. The 36-year-old had three top-10s at THE PLAYERS, including a victory, from 2016 to 2019, but some putting trouble the last three years has left him outside the top-18 in each appearance. Day will look to find his strokes gained approach prowess early this week and ride it to a strong finish on Sunday, which he'll need to pay off a $8,900 price tag on DraftKings.
--Tommy BellSource: PGA Tour
1 month agoTom Hoge is swinging some of the hottest irons on tour of late, having gained strokes on approach in all nine events he's appeared in to start the year. The North Carolina native had been putting well, too, until he blew up last week, losing 4.8 strokes with the flat stick at the Arnold Palmer Invitational while still finishing 12th in the field thanks to 8.2 strokes gained on approach. The 34-year-old brings some of the best form of late to a track that he's loved each year since 2019, finishing 33rd or higher in his last four appearances, including a T3 showing last year. At $7,800 on DraftKings and in the 60-70/1 range in the betting markets, it's a great week to take a shot on Hoge's strong iron game.
--Tommy BellSource: PGA Tour
1 month agoMin Woo Lee has rolled over his strong finish from 2023 into some impressive numbers to start 2024. The 25-year-old has made all five cuts thus far, including a T2 finish at the Cognizant Classic two weeks ago. Lee has extreme upside with both his irons and his putter. To end 2023, the Australian was consistently gaining strokes with the flat stick, including two events where he eclipsed 6.0 strokes gained putting. This year, he's already shown great strokes gained approach ability multiple times, so it's clear he has what it takes to take down a tournament on any given weekend. Lee placed sixth in his PLAYERS debut last season, and with strong form coming in, golf bettors and DFS managers alike are flocking to the value option this week.
--Tommy BellSource: PGA Tour
1 month agoWelcome back, Will Zalatoris. After missing most of last season due to injury, Zalatoris announced his return to form with two high finishes at the past two signature events. Zalatoris' new swing to his back has taken a few yards off his driver distance but increased his accuracy. A switch to the broomstick putter also turned him into a player who's now gaining strokes on the greens. His skills and form suggest a win is possible at the Players Championship.
--Rob Rose - RotoBallerSource: pgatour.com
1 month agoIt seems like so long ago Viktor Hovland appeared poised to be among Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy as the PGA Tour's best players. The reigning champion had a solid winter on the DP World Tour but just hasn't had success to start the season. While Hovland has stopped losing strokes on approach in consecutive events, he's nowhere near his best. Also, Hovland has started to lose strokes around the green again and his usually elite ball striking can't cover it up right now.
--Rob Rose - RotoBallerSource: pgatour.com
1 month agoAfter a great week at Genesis, Patrick Cantlay had another confusing week at API. Cantlay managed to make the cut but wasn't a factor from the first round. The biggest issue for Cantlay is that each week a different part of his game has been the problem. To start his putter struggled, but when he fixed that his driver fell off. After he started to perform better off the tee, his short game started to cause issues. It's possible Cantlay can clean everything up, but the inconsistency makes him hard to trust on a tough course with a talented, deep field.
--Rob Rose - RotoBallerSource: pgatour.com
1 month agoAfter a well-documented stint of struggles last season, Justin Thomas is back in form. Thomas ranks No. 8 on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: Tee-to-Green. Thomas still battles some inaccuracy off the tee, but his approach and around-the-green skills are sharp again. Whether or not he can convert the chances into birdies determines if he will win, but Thomas has ended the concerns about the state of his game.
--Rob Rose - RotoBallerSource: PGATOUR.com
1 month agoFrom tee to green this season, only Scottie Scheffler and Tony Finau have been better than Xander Schauffele. The problem for Schauffele has been his putting. On the greens, Schauffele ranks No. 126 on the PGA Tour but has still posted four top-10 finishes despite the issues. After two straight improved performances and a great weak at last year's event, things could click for Schauffele finally this week.
--Rob Rose - RotoBallerSource: PGATOUR.com
1 month agoKevin Yu is set to debut at The Players Championship this week as he gears up to tee it up at TPC Sawgrass. Yu's recent performance at the Cognizant Classic was impressive, where he finished tied for ninth. Yu has had an exceptional start with three top-ten and one top-five finish this season. However, the TPC Sawgrass test might prove to be challenging for Yu, with his proximity to the hole on approach shots from 100-150 yards ranking in the 19th percentile over the past 12 months. This is significant since more than 30% of approach shots at last year's tournament came from this distance. While Yu has shown his ability to compete with the best, adding him to DFS lineups this week might be risky.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
1 month agoFrom a statistical standpoint, Nick Taylor has played more consistently than his turbulent finishes have reflected. In his last five starts, he's finished T12, T39, first, T71 and with a missed cut. The Canadian is butchering courses with his irons and putter, as he is ranked 19th in strokes gained putting (0.639) and 20th in strokes gained on approach (0.560). His Achilles heel has been off the tee, but what else would we expect from a guy with an average drive under 290 yards? Luckily, the Stadium Course is far from the longest track on tour at 7,276 yards, and most of a player's success off the tee comes from well-placed shots rather than a bomb and gouge. As long as we get the same player we've seen all season, Taylor is a strong play at $8,300 on FanDuel.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
1 month agoBilly Horschel finished tied for ninth at the Cognizant Classic two weeks ago but did not participate in last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational. This week, he's all set to tee it up at TPC Sawgrass for The Players Championship. However, his performance at this tournament has been mixed in the past. In 2023, he missed the cut, and in 2022, he withdrew from the tournament. Considering his performance over the past 12 months, Horschel ranks in the 45th percentile in proximity to the hole on approach shots from 100-150 yards in the fairway. Over 30% of approach shots were taken from this distance at last year's tournament, which may make it quite challenging for him. Though his recent form has been solid, including Horschel in DFS lineups this week comes with some risk.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
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