2 weeks agoIf the game of golf was only from tee to green, Keegan Bradley would be a rockstar in 2024. He's gained over 11 shots on the field on approach over his last two starts and is currently 37th on the season in strokes gained on approach (0.407). The bad part is we have to keep counting once we've made it to the green, and so far, Bradley is bleeding strokes with the putter at a clip even his great ball striking can't keep up with. He lost over seven shots on the greens at TPC Sawgrass and nearly four shots on the greens a few weeks ago at Harbour Town. It's an annoying situation for us to watch, as it surely is for him to perform. Nevertheless, all it takes is a few solid rounds with the flat stick to put together a solid week; just not on a fantasy roster.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
2 weeks agoIt has been a feast or famine year for Billy Horschel, with his recent victory at the Corales Puntacana Championship bookended by missed cuts. Many of his poor performances this season can be attributed to poor iron play, though he's still ranked in a respectable 70th spot in strokes gained on approach (0.145). His work with the putter has been the backbone of most rounds as he is ranked 14th in strokes gained putting (0.578). His misses--while they have been small--have been plentiful, but his ceiling is gaining over 16 strokes on the field as he did in his win. He's an interesting choice this week simply because it is a no-cut event and he leads the tour in final round scoring average, but having to count everything together makes him a scary play at $9,100 on FanDuel.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
2 weeks agoTaylor Moore appeared to be playing well. The American golfer barely finished inside the Top 60 at the RBC Heritage. That included a rough weekend culminating in a final round 74. After missing the cut at the Zurich Open, Moore may have an opportunity to rebound at the Wells Fargo Championship. The last time Moore put four rounds together was in Houston where he finished tied for second. He is 32nd when it comes to GIR (Greens In Regulation) at 68.99%. It is vital that Moore gets approaches on the green with regularity. If he putts reasonably well, the golfer could be a reasonable DFS play this weekend.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
2 weeks agoLucas Glover enjoyed a career renaissance of sorts in 2023. The American golfer won two tournaments (Fed Ex St. Jude and the Wyndham Championship). 2024 has been different as Glover has zero Top 10 results. He has been close, however. Glover finished 11th at the Valspar in March but subpar final rounds have plagued him the past three events. Glover's metrics are all over the place. He is sixth in driving accuracy but drives the ball only 286.2 yards. Glover ranks ninth in strokes gained approaching the green but is 170th when it comes to putting. Putts that fell last year might this weekend at the event one state north of his native South Carolina.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
2 weeks agoSi Woo Kim had an impressive performance at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, finishing T13 and securing his fourth top-20 finish in his previous five starts. Kim hasn't missed a cut in 2024 and has achieved eight top-25 finishes. This week, he will be playing at Quail Hollow for the Wells Fargo Championship. Last year, he finished T43 at the same event. In the previous Wells Fargo Championship, over 44% of approach shots were made from 150-200 yards, and Kim ranks in the 58th percentile in proximity to the hole on approach shots from this distance in the fairway over the previous 12 months. Considering his recent and overall 2024 form, Kim could be an excellent addition to DFS lineups this week.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
2 weeks agoKurt Kitayama has played well enough to come close to contending without truly contending in 2024. He has a T-8 at Phoenix with several Top 25 results. The American golfer has only missed one cut in 2024. Total driving is where Kitayama excels ranking tenth overall. His driving distance of 303.8 yards is useful on the long Wells Fargo Championship course (7,538 yards). The one concern is the 3.78 birdies per round (123rd). Now, if the weather cooperates and birdies increase, that may keep Kitayama lurking and little else.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
2 weeks agoAndrew Putnam enjoyed a better April with two performances inside the top 20 (T14 and T18). Those came in stroke-play tournaments. The American golfer could be worth a look at the Wells Fargo Championship. With a longer course playing out to a par 71, Putnam may have a chance if he can be accurate with his shots. Do not discount him because of his driving distance (281.9 yards). His accuracy to the greens ranks 27th (69.37%) overall. If the weather knocks birdies down, Putnam averages 3.87 birdies per round, but his scoring average ranks 34th at 69.74. He is a golfer to watch in North Carolina.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
2 weeks agoAfter a couple of weeks off, Akshay Bhatia comes to the Wells Fargo Championship this week looking to pick things up where he left off. He has played well since his win in Texas finishing T35 at The Masters and T18 at the RBC Heritage. Hopefully, the time off allowed the 33rd-ranked player in the world to rest and heal from dislocating his shoulder during his winning celebration at Valero. On paper, the play he's shown over the last month-and-a-half fits Quail Hollow like a glove. His approach numbers with mid to long irons are inside the top 30 for the year, and the 0.783 strokes gained around the green over his last three starts is higher than the current season leader in that same statistic. Barring another setback from his ailing shoulder, it is full steam ahead with Bhatia at $9,400 on FanDuel.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
2 weeks agoAdam Hadwin seems to have a really good performance every few tournaments. The Canadian golfer has four Top 10 results this season but no wins. The 7,538 yard Quail Hollow course sets up well for Hadwin. However, the Par-71 offers up its own set of twists and turns. Look at some of the winning scores the past few years. A 265 won last year but the five previous editions saw worse numbers. Hadwin carries very average metrics going into the Wells Fargo Championship but he is Top 30 in putts per round and one-putt percentage. If he can get shots close, he could be an interesting DFS pick.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
2 weeks agoBy now, we get that Corey Conners is a premier iron player, especially over 200 yards (fourth in strokes gained on approach at 0.798), and he isn't typically a slouch off the tee, either. But to have lasting success on the PGA Tour, guys have to do more than that on occasion to notch some high finishes. The Canadian hasn't done much of either so far this season other than a Sunday push at The Players to finish in a tie for 13th after starting the day outside the top 20. His biggest struggles have come from on and around the green, as he ranks 137th in strokes gained around the green (minus-0.187) and 160th in strokes gained putting (minus-0.472). It's doubtful that he doesn't play well enough to score DFS points for all four rounds, but at $9,400 on FanDuel, his troubles this season make him a less appealing play than other guys around him.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
2 weeks agoCollin Morikawa is ready to tee it up in this week's Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow. Although he missed the cut at last year's tournament, he has been in outstanding form lately. In his previous three tournaments, he has secured one top-five finish, one top-ten finish, and one top-25 finish. At last year's tournament, more than 44% of approach shots came from 150-200 yards, and in the previous 12 months, Morikawa has secured a rank in the 98th percentile for approach shots from this distance while in the fairway. Despite his recent excellent form and strong iron play, Morikawa might be overlooked this weekend. However, he could be a valuable addition to DFS lineups.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
2 weeks agoThis week, Rory McIlroy will play at Quail Hollow for the Wells Fargo Championship. He has been doing exceptionally well this year, with one win, one top-five finish, and five top-25 finishes. In the previous edition, McIlroy finished T47, which was quite disappointing. However, he still ranks in the 61st percentile for proximity to the hole on approach shots from 150-200 yards in the fairways in the previous 12 months. Despite last year's setback, McIlroy has been one of the top performers on tour this year. Therefore, he could be a valuable addition to DFS lineups this week.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
2 weeks agoIn three career attempts at this event, Alex Noren has a lone finish of T31 in 2017 along with two missed cuts. His downfall has come by losing a combined total of over six strokes on approach over his eight competitive rounds, and out there, that's all you need for a bad day at the office. Focusing on the season at hand, however, and the approach play is now one of the strongest parts of his game, ranking 45th in strokes gained on approach (0.352). It is also worth noting that he ranks 12th in strokes gained around the green (0.391). It would be far-fetched to expect another top-three performance, especially given his history at this event, but at $9,800 on FanDuel, he should give DFS players enough through all four rounds to be worth the pickup.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
2 weeks agoBesides the fact that Cameron Young followed a T2 here in 2022 up with a T59 in 2023, his game, as a whole, has things that both excite and bewilder. He continues to be one of the best ball strikers on the PGA Tour, as his 29th ranking in strokes gained tee to green (0.390) and on approach (0.477) suggests, but the things happening on and around the green make this young star a difficult one to judge, this week in particular. His longer approach shots are hit or miss from one distance to the next, which, is something that needs to be sharp around Quail Hollow. And should that part struggle or be off completely, he hasn't shown a strong enough short game to compensate. Would it surprise anyone to see Young on the first page of the leaderboard this week? The answer is probably no. However, DFS payers torn on which way to go should only pivot to him for ownership leverage; if there is any.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
2 weeks agoIt was a deflating performance at the RBC Heritage for Tommy Fleetwood after a solid run of finishes in Texas (T7 at Valero) and The Masters (T3). He never got anything going over the first two rounds due to losing three-and-a-half shots on the greens and over four shots on approach. Luckily, those areas drastically improved over the weekend, but the Englishman was too far back to matter. Because of that, he comes into this week's Wells Fargo Championship perhaps even more looked over than usual, but not without proper justification. He is well outside the top 125 in approaches from 150-200 yards, which, has historically made up 44.4% of approach shots since 2015. Fleetwood isn't known for making a slew of birdies (137th in birdie average: 3.72), and with the forecasted weather through Thursday's round possibly making for soft and scorable conditions, it's unlikely he does enough to warrant taking him at $10,700 on FanDuel.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
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