3 months agoAdam Svensson has been a popular play for fantasy managers over the past few months. The 30-year-old Canadian got off to a hot start in the fall swing, making the cut in all of his starts and picking up three top-20 finishes along the way. But Svensson is likely headed for trouble this week, especially on the heels of an ugly missed cut where he lost strokes in every statistical category. Pebble Beach is very predictive when it comes to course history, and Svensson's only two starts here resulted in a missed cut and a T49. And while he does have the 11th-best greens-in-regulation percentage over the last 36 rounds, he finds himself ranked in the bottom third of the field in around-the-green play, scrambling, and putting on Poa annua. Fantasy managers should seek value elsewhere in the $6,000 range on DraftKings.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
3 months agoThere's a lot to like about Tony Finau's form right now. The 34-year-old star has kicked off his 10th year on Tour with four-straight made cuts, including a T4 at the Hero World Challenge and a T6 last week at the Farmers Insurance Open. But Finau may have a tough time contending this week, as he ranks outside of the top 20 golfers in key statistical categories, including overall approach and around-the-green play, greens-in-regulation percentage, par five scoring, birdie-or-better percentage gained, and putting on Poa annua. He's also lost strokes putting in 12 of his last 18 events dating back to the 2023 Masters Tournament. That could be a recipe for disappointment, even at his attractive $8,800 price tag on DraftKings. Fantasy managers should tread lightly with Finau this week.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
3 months agoIf fantasy managers are anticipating a wedge-fest and putting contest this week, Andrew Putnam should be a name circled in their potential player pool. The 35-year-old Pepperdine alum missed the cut here last year, but he finished with a T6 in 2022 and has gained strokes putting in six of his seven starts at Pebble Beach. Despite being the 51st-most expensive golfer in the field, Putnam ranks 14th in good drive percentage, 13th in approach from 75-100 yards, fifth in greens-in-regulation,19th in scrambling, and 8th in Poa annua putting over the last 36 rounds. He has also posted two top-10 finishes in his six starts this season. There are few golfers who possess Putnam's upside in DraftKings' $6,000 range, and fantasy managers would be wise to get some exposure to him this week.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
3 months agoSomething has got to give for Brian Harman this week. Pebble Beach is a notoriously predictive venue in terms of course history, and that would point to trouble for him this week. Currently ranked ninth in the OWGR, the Tour veteran has teed it up five times at Pebble Beach and has yet to post a finish inside of the top 20. From a statistical perspective, these results are a bit of an enigma given his well-rounded form and strengths in the short game. Perhaps 2024 is the year he finds himself in contention on Sunday, given that he is arguably playing the best golf of his career. Following his major victory at The Open Championship in July, Harman has notched five top-25 finishes in just seven PGA Tour events. He's also coming into Pebble Beach ranking ninth in good drive percentage, 12th around-the-green, and 26th in Poa annua putting over the last 36 rounds. We'll see if 2024 can be the year the Pebble Beach stars align for Harman.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
3 months agoAfter an injury-plagued start to the 2023 calendar year, Cam Davis finally began to flash glimpses of his former self. The 28-year-old Aussie finished the season eight top-10 finishes in his final 19 events, including a T4 at the PGA Championship, a T7 at the Wyndham Championship, and a T6 at the FedEx St. Jude. But Davis has cooled off in the 2024 calendar year, finishing T52 at The Sentry, a T30 at the Sony Open, and a missed cut at The American Express in his most recent start. And while he is elite with his wedges and short irons, he's also one of the worst golfers in the field scrambling and putting on Poa greens. Fantasy managers will likely be tempted by Davis' $6,700 DraftKings price tag, but limited exposure may be the way to go at Pebble Beach this week.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
3 months agoThanks to his T37 finish at the Farmers Insurance Open last week, Maverick McNealy earned enough FedExCup points to play the remainder of the season out of the Major Medical category. At a near-minimum $6,200 price on DraftKings, fantasy managers should be licking their chops to roster him this week. McNealy is a California kid and always plays his best golf in his home state, and Pebble Beach has been no exception to that narrative. He withdrew in the third round of this event last year, but his previous three years included a T5, a solo runner-up finish, and a T33 in 2022 where he uncharacteristically lost close to a stroke on the greens. McNealy enters this year's tournament ranking 17th in scrambling and fourth in putting on Poa greens over the last 36 rounds, both categories which have traditionally been involved in the recipe for success at Pebble Beach. McNealy is worth the risk for fantasy managers this week and should have plenty of scoring opportunities over the course of four guaranteed rounds.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
3 months agoChristiaan Bezuidenhout does have a top-10 finish this season already. His runner-up result at The American Express drew some notice. He putted well and had all four rounds at 67 or better. Most any other week, that likely gets the job done. Bezuidenhout was playing in ideal conditions, however. This week at Pebble Beach will be quite different and all over the place. The concern with the South African golfer is his missed cut at the Farmers Insurance Open last weekend. So many missed putts and errant tee shots could be a theme heading into this week. Several inches of rain and wind is not what Bezuidenhout wanted to see.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
3 months agoSepp Straka missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open. The Austrian golfer won last year at the John Deere then had a shot at The Open. Narrow fairways and potentially swirling conditions could play havoc with Straka's game come the weekend. With rain potentially being in the forecast every day, Getting off the tee well will be important. Straka struggled at times with tee shots (101st in strokes gained in 2023). He was better at getting on the greens (68.24 at greens in regulation). Again, this week may be more about survival than anything else.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
3 months agoRory McIlroy won twice in 2023. The golfer from Northern Ireland has had some below average results at Pebble Beach. He did finish ninth there in 2019 (US Open). The last time he played at the AT&T was back in 2018. McIlroy missed the cut then. This event is his 2024 debut. From the PGA to the Ryder Cup last season, the golfer ended up in the top ten every single time. The course may not suit him optimally and McIlroy may have to shake off a little rust this week. Contending is not impossible here.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
3 months agoViktor Hovland has six career wins on the PGA Tour. The golfer from Norway finished just outside the Top 10 at last year's Pebble Beach event. Expectations are higher after three wins and a FedEx Cup triumph in 2023. After a decent result at The Sentry, Hovland is ready to battle the winds and changeable conditions in Pebble Beach. The narrow fairways suit his ability off the tee which ranked eighth last year in strokes gained. Furthermore, If he can minimize putts (1.716 per hole in 2023), Hovland has a chance to contend and win no matter the weather.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
3 months agoAfter an elite fall, Ludvig Aberg has struggled to start this season. Aberg didn't handle his Hawaiian debuts earlier this month with T47 and T30 finishes. This week Aberg makes his Torrey Pines debut and he profiles as the type of player that should have success at the course. Aberg is an accurate, long driver with the skills to scramble and save par. With a week off following two poor performances, Aberg could have slightly less ownership this week.
--Rob Rose - RotoBallerSource: PGATOUR.com
3 months agoThere's no reason to bet against Xander Schauffele this week. He has the game to win this event, regularly requiring elite scrambling skills. Schauffele has some of the best short-game statistics on the PGA Tour and has the course history to back that up. What has escaped Schauffele at Torrey Pines is a win and that's what will be required for the most expensive player on DraftKings.
--Rob Rose - RotoBallerSource: PGATOUR.com
3 months agoJ.J. Spaun was one of the bigger disappointments at the Sony Open two weeks ago -- firing rounds of 71-70 to miss his first cut in nearly seven months. The Southern California kid will have a chance to rebound at Torrey Pines: a venue that sits less than 20 miles from his alma mater at SDSU. Spaun has made four of seven cuts here at the Farmers since 2017, including a ninth-place finish on debut. Given his familiarity on poa annua greens and the emphasis placed on long-iron play at Torrey Pines, Spaun would seem to be a premier bounce-back candidate. At just $7,300 on DraftKings, he's worth a look if you need a pivot off of chalkier options around him.
--Ian McNeill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
3 months agoAfter a seven-start stretch from July to January that saw Billy Horschel record five finishes of 20th or better, last week's missed cut at the American Express poured a bit of cold water on his projected resurgence. There will be no rest for the weary this week at Torrey Pines, however, as Horschel will make his third consecutive start at a venue that routinely ranks as one of the most difficult on the PGA Tour. Horschel has experienced a fair amount of success around Torrey Pines: Recording three finishes of 11th or better in seven starts since 2016. On the surface, a 7,800-yard golf course with poa annua greens doesn't profile as the optimal course fit, but Billy has shown us on many occasions that he's capable of mixing it up on tracks that conventional wisdom would tell you are over his head entirely. I remain cautiously optimistic about his prospects this week.
--Ian McNeill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
3 months agoThe meteoric rise of 25-year-old Min Woo Lee has been one of the top stories of the last year in the golfing world. The flamboyant Australian has firmly established himself as one of the premier up-and-coming prospects not just with two titles in Australia and Macao, but also with two marquee finishes at the PLAYERS Championship and U.S. Open. His elite driving/short game combination should suit the formidable links of Torrey Pines to a tee, but time will tell if he can match his lagging approach play to the established assets already in his toolkit. Players with his tools don't come around very often, but until we get a full measure of him around these PGA Tour venues, it's difficult to treat Min Woo as anything more than a volatile projection. At the very least, spectators to his debut will be treated to one of the greatest airshows in the game.
--Ian McNeill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
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