2 days agoIt has been a better start to the year statistically for Billy Horschel than has translated to scores and finishes through his first seven events of the season. Aside from mediocre play around the greens (ranked 95th in strokes gained around the green at minus-0.014), he is ranked inside the top 60 in every other strokes-gained metric, with highlights of 17th in strokes gained putting (0.621) and eighth in total strokes gained (1.114). Coming off a T12 at the Valspar, Horschel may be hitting that optimal "peak" going into the year's first major. He is familiar with this event, coming in second in 2013. The biggest question mark is whether he can carry his game to a more impressive field, and four players inside the top 20 in the world are slightly stronger than last week and his other solid performance at the Cognizant Classic (T9). At $10,100 on FanDuel, Horschel is less appealing than those around him, which should lower his ownership percentages and make him a more worthy play for risk/reward players.Source: PGA Tour
3 days agoJoseph Bramlett has played pretty well this year and has two top-25 results in 2024. The American golfer has been a bit unlucky. However, Bramlett has kept an even keel. Other than missing putts in bunches at the WM Open, he has only blown in two rounds all year. One was most recently at The Players Championship where Bramlett opened with a 77. He drives the ball well ranking 14th on the tour averaging 306.5 yards a drive. However, Bramlett is accurate 52.74% of the time (158th on tour) and the red numbers add up when it comes to his 133rd ranked putting average. Now, he just needs to keep the ball on the fairway.Source: PGATour.com
3 days agoMatt Wallace had a long rough patch before winning last year at the Corales Puntacana Championship. The English golfer has endured this odd pattern where he makes the cut twice, misses twice, then makes twice. Last week, Wallace made the cut and finished tied for 17th at the Valspar Championship. This was the best result of 2024 for Wallace. The Houston golf course penalizes golfers who are a bit short and inaccurate on their drives. Unfortunately, Wallace is 166th in driver accuracy at 51.39%. Wallace will need to putt extremely well especially given the 7.435 yard course. Source: PGATour.com
3 days agoChandler Phillips is primed and ready for the Houston Open this week. The American golfer comes off his best performance of the season (T-3rd at the Valspar Championship). Phillips was a stroke short on Saturday of shooting all four rounds in the 60's. It would have been the second time Phillips had accomplished that this season. Though he is a bit up and down, some forget he shot a 66 at the Cognizant Classic before having to withdraw. The concern with Phillips is similar to Peter Malnati. The course sets up long and he drives the ball accurately just 58.91% of the time at an average of 294.7 yards. Phillips will have to scramble often. Source: PGATour.com
3 days agoPeter Malnati won the Valspar Championship with a 68-67 weekend last week. The American golfer started out poorly in 2024 missing the cut in four of the first five tournaments. Malnati's only misstep since was that horrid 81 at The Players Championship. The Houston Open course is a long one at 7,435 yards and is a Par-70. Malnati might have issues off the tee where he is 160th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained. Worse, the golfer drives the ball an average of 290.1 yards on a course with several long Par-5's and some nearly 500 yard Par-4's. This could be a challenging week for the now two-time Tour winner. Source: PGATour.com
1 week agoDon't believe anyone who tells you they have figured out a solid strategy for rostering Greyson Sigg in Daily Fantasy Golf. The 29-year-old University of Georgia alum is in his third season on the PGA Tour, and he has almost as many missed cuts to his name as he does top-25 finishes. This season is a perfect example, as Sigg has four top-25 finishes and five missed cuts in his 12 starts so far. However, that is the type of volatility fantasy managers often choose to embrace, especially at a mere $6,300 on DraftKings. There are certainly highlights statistically for the test awaiting at Copperhead, as he ranks sixth in good drive percentage, 21st on approach, ninth in bogey avoidance, and first in par 3 scoring over the last 20 rounds. On the flip side, he ranks 117th in par 5 scoring, 107th on approach from 200-225 yards, and almost dead last in Poa putting. Limited exposure to Sigg at the Valspar may be the safest option for fantasy managers weighing their options in the $6,000-range on DraftKings.Source: PGA Tour
1 week agoFantasy managers will face a tough decision on whether or not to roster Davis Riley this week. He earned his first Tour victory with partner Nick Hardy at the Zurich Classic back in April of 2023, but his form since then has left plenty to be desired. Inread more...
1 week agoAlexander Bjork was on fire on the DP World Tour last year. The 33-year-old Swede racked up nine finishes inside of the top-10, and an additional five finishes inside of the top-20, in just 23 starts in the 2023 calendar year. Unfortunately, those results haven't quite carried over to the PGA Tour this season. Bjork has missed the cut in three of six starts, with additional finishes of T70, T47 and a lone bright spot of T11 at The American Express in January. He also ranks outside of the top 100 golfers in this field in a number of key statistics required for success at Innisbrook, including strokes gained from tee-to-green, around-the-green, scrambling, putting on Poa, par 5 scoring, opportunities gained, and strokes gained on difficult courses over the last 24 rounds. Fantasy managers would be wise to wait for a return to form and a better course fit before choosing to roster Bjork.Source: PGA Tour
1 week agoFantasy managers should pay close attention to Garrick Higgo news leading up Thursday tee times. The 24-year-old South African withdrew in the second round of The Players Championship last week due to a wrist injury, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him withdraw from the Valspar Championship as a result. Even if he does choose to tee off, he offers little upside heading into Innisbrook. Higgo had only one top-10 finish in 33 starts last season, and he's yet to finish inside of the top-15 in his 12 Tour starts so far this season. He's also lost strokes on approach in nine of his last 10 measured starts, and that is a recipe for disaster at Copperhead. There are plenty of golfers with higher upside around Higgo and his $6,400 DraftKings price tag, and the injury risk is not worth any potential reward for fantasy managers.Source: PGA Tour
1 week agoBud Cauley will be making his third PGA Tour start following a three-plus year layoff following injuries stemming from a car accident. Impressively, he made the cut in his previous two starts, including a 65th-place finish at the WM Phoenix Open and a T21 at the Cognizant Classic. He's also reportedly had the upper hand in recent money games in South Florida with his lifelong friend, Justin Thomas. The former top-ranked junior and University of Alabama standout certainly has the pedigree and Tour track record to be a consideration for fantasy managers, but he carries significant risk with the lack of recent data to rely on. And while he does have a T16 to his name at Innisbrook back in 2012, his three most recent Valspar starts between 2017 and 2019 ended with a T58 and back-to-back missed cuts. Cauley contending over the weekend would a great feel-good-story for fans, but fantasy managers may want to look for value elsewhere in the $6,000-range on DraftKings.Source: PGA Tour
1 week agoMatt Wallace found himself in top form on the DP World Tour in the second half of the 2023 calendar year. The 33-year-old Brit racked up four top-10 finishes in his final eight starts, culminating with a T2 finish at the DP World Tour Championship in November. Unfortunately, those results haven't been replicated on the PGA Tour, as he's failed to post a top-25 finish in 22 consecutive starts since his victory at the Corales Puntacana Championship in March of 2023. But Wallace looks to be a solid course fit for Copperhead, and could potentially replicate his T7 finish at last year's tournament. His inaccuracy driving should be mitigated with golfers opting to club-down off-the-tee, and over the last 24 rounds, he ranks 24th in par 5 scoring, 30th in scrambling and 9th overall on difficult courses. Wallace should be on the radar of fantasy managers this week at a mere $6,400 on DraftKings.Source: PGA Tour
1 week agoBefore the final four holes on Sunday, Tony Finau was in position for a solid finish at The Players. Finau was under par before a pair of double bogeys pushed him down the leaderboard to a T45. One wild drive and a water ball on 17 hurt Finau's finish, but the positive from the week was another improved performance on the greens. Finau ranks No. 8 in strokes gained tee-to-green, so Finau could be trending toward contending.Source: pgatour.com
1 week agoSeamus Power's performance at The PLAYERS Championship last week was somewhat disappointing, as he finished T64 despite scoring 69 in the second and fourth rounds. Unfortunately, his 78 in round three impacted his chances of a better finish. This week, he is participating in the Valspar Championship at the Copperhead Course for the first time since 2019, when he failed to make the cut. It seems that Power could have a tough time this week, as his proximity to the hole on approach shots from 150-200 yards in the fairway ranks in the 36th percentile, and over 34% of approach shots at last year's tournament came from this distance. Although Power has performed well this year, his statistics suggest he might not be the most reliable choice in DFS lineups.Source: Data Golf
1 week agoWebb Simpson missed the cut at last week's The PLAYERS Championship, his first missed cut this year. However, he will have the opportunity to bounce back when he tees it up for the Valspar Championship at the Copperhead Course. Simpson has previously performed well at this tournament, finishing tied for seventh in 2023 and T48 in 2022. However, his statistics indicate that he may have a challenging time this week, as he ranks in the 31st percentile in proximity to the hole on approach shots from 150-200 yards in the fairway over the last 12 months. Last year's tournament saw over 34% of approach shots come from this distance. Simpson has played well this year but may not be the safest choice for DFS lineups this week.Source: Data Golf
1 week agoAndrew Novak, who had been in excellent form with three consecutive top-10 finishes, missed the cut in his last appearance at The Players Championship. However, he is back in action this week at the Valspar Championship, where he finished T27 last year. Novak's performance on his approach shots from 150-200 yards while in the fairway indicates that he could repeat last year's finish. He ranks in the 54th percentile in the previous 12 months on these shots, which is significant since over 34% of approach shots in last year's tournament came from this distance. While Novak has been playing well lately, he has also missed the cut in four of seven tournaments this year, and including him in DFS lineups this week could be risky.Source: Data Golf