1 week agoMatt Kuchar has missed the cut in six of his first seven events in 2024. The American golfer has nine career wins but has shown none of that form lately. Actually his last PGA tour came more than five years ago at the Sony Open. The 45-year old is in the red in most major metrics. He averages 285 yards a drive. Now, the 7,340 yard Par-71 Valspar course can be unforgiving. Kuchar has a scoring average of 71 which is 161st on the tour. Considering winning scores at this Florida course are around 268 (-16). Kuchar may struggle again this week trying to make enough birdies to see Saturday. Source: PGATour.com
1 week agoAfter Brian Harman started the season strong in Hawaii, it had been a struggle. Harman's best finish in February was a T44, but things changed once he got to Florida. Harman struggled over the weekend at the Arnold Palmer Invitational but nearly chased down a win at The Players on Sunday. Harman's ball-striking and putting have improved, and he can scramble with anyone. His form and skills line up well this week to contend once again.Source: pgatour.com
1 week agoThe Jordan Spieth experience is never a straightforward one, but this season has been a lot, even for him. Spieth ranks No. 9 in total strokes gained on the PGA Tour this season but is losing strokes on approach. His putting (No. 9) and around-the-green skills (No. 14) are doing the heavy lifting for Spieth, and while scrambling is important this week, his wild ball-striking may be too much to overcome.Source: pgatour.com
1 week agoIt has been a quiet first half of the season compared to the noise Lucas Glover made at the end of last year. The play with his irons has been as spectacular as ever, as he ranks 10th in strokes gained on approach (0.637). However, the bookend pieces haven't cooperated nearly as much, as the former US Open champion ranks 93rd in strokes gained off the tee (-0.013) and 161st in strokes gained putting (-0.734). He has a wealth of course history from the Copperhead Course to look back on, and while he hasn't come close to winning, he has made the cut in all but four of his 18 starts. At $8,900 on FanDuel, he's a safer pick to get you to the weekend, but anything past that is suspect.Source: PGA Tour
1 week agoDespite a second missed cut at a signature event, Justin Thomas' game is in good shape. Thomas ranks No. 6 in strokes gained this season and No. 10 tee to green. Thomas' putting is very sporadic and he hits a few errant drives per event, but covers it up with elite iron play and scrambling skills. The latter are the two most important metrics this week and explain why he has three top-10 finishes at the event in seven starts. If his ownership is done after last week, he's certainly worth playing.Source: pgatour.com
1 week agoIt has been a quietly successful run over the last four events for Jimmy Stanger, with a most recent finish of T35 at The Players. The PGA Tour rookie has been a beast with the driver, as he ranks 15th in strokes gained off the tee on the season (0.603). His poor ranking of 122nd in strokes gained on approach (-0.175) is heavily impacted by his first four events of the season where he averaged -1.15 strokes gained on approach. That metric has improved to an average of 0.41 over his last 10 rounds played. For the way the season has gone other than Scheffler's dominance the last couple of weeks, Stanger seems like a perfect candidate to take advantage of the weaker field this week.Source: PGA Tour
1 week agoSam Burns' statistics suggest he should already have a win this season. Burns went on a run of top-10 finishes after Sentry but had two disappointing finishes in Florida. At the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship, Burns struggled on Sunday and plummeted down the leaderboard after solid previous rounds in both. Burns also could have won the American Express if not for one shot that found the water on hole 17. This course where he's already won twice might be just what he needs to put four rounds together.Source: pgatour.com
1 week agoAnother great week for Xander Schauffele ended just short of a win. While Schauffele has struggled to secure wins at the rate his skills suggest he should, he's on a tear to start this season. The putter had been the club holding Schauffele back but he's gained strokes each event since the Florida swing began. There's no player in the field better than Schauffele this week, but being priced atop the field means he likely needs to win to be worth playing.Source: pgatour.com
1 week agoComing off his best finish of the season with a T11 at The Players, Taylor Montgomery is making his tournament debut at the Copperhead Course with a ton of momentum. The 29-year-old from Vegas gained strokes in every category at TPC Sawgrass, highlighted by 1.65 strokes gained putting (3rd best in the field) and 0.63 strokes gained around the green (9th best in the field). Taylor is handicapped some by his length off the tee with an average drive of 291.4, currently ranked 120th on year, and at 7,340 yards, it certainly isn't the shortest course on the circuit. At $9,600 on FanDuel, Montgomery is certainly worth considering this week.Source: Data Golf
1 week agoThorbjorn Oleson is making just his third PGA Tour start of the season this week at the Copperhead Course, but his knack for finding ways to play well on American soil can't be overstated, though his two performances in 2024 haven't exactly reflected that. A three-week tournament run in January on the DP World Tour concluded with a win at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship, where he gained 1.79 strokes putting, 1.33 strokes on approach, and a whopping 4.02 total strokes gained. With only two events played since then, it's hard to know exactly where his game is coming into the week. At $9,900 on FanDuel, he's an expensive dart throw that could go either way.Source: Data Golf
1 week agoIn three attempts at the Copperhead Course, Andrew Putnam has missed the cut in horrendous fashion on all three occasions. However, those examples have been in the middle or end of bad stretches which dilutes the idea that he doesn't particularly enjoy this course. From a momentum standpoint, Putnam is coming into the week with more than we have seen in years past. He'll need to keep the strong play going on and around the greens to have any chance, as he is ranked 34th in strokes gained putting (0.350) and 48th in strokes gained around the greens (0.207). But what's more intriguing is that he has averaged 1.41 strokes gained on approach over his last two events. If there's ever a time to have high hopes for the former Pepperdine U golfer at this event, now would be it.Source: PGA Tour
1 week agoNothing about Taylor Moore's game in 2024 jumps out at you on paper other than his knack for playing the weekends, as he is six for six on made cuts. But a T25 at the Sentry as his best finish doesn't exactly push the needle for those looking to play him in DFS tournaments. However, the Valspar is notorious for repeated success in players, and the fact that the former Arkansas Razorback is coming off a week at The Players where he gained strokes in every strokes gained statistic is intriguing. Moore has gained an average of 0.742 strokes on approach over his last four tournaments and has averaged 0.917 total strokes gained over the same span. It seems like a relatively high floor, but at $9,300 on FanDuel, it's hard to know exactly where the ceiling is.Source: Data Golf
1 week agoOther than the Sentry, the first half of the season has been one to forget for Sepp Straka. He has lost considerable strokes on the greens (currently 140th in strokes gained putting: -0.405) and seems to either be red hot or ice cold with his irons, which is a recipe for frustrating rounds, both as a player and for those placing him in their fantasy lineups. The 30-year-old Austrian has performed well in the Florida swing historically, though he hasn't shown much interest in this event with a lone finish of T46 in 2019. He seems like the perfect reflection of winners this season minus the past two weeks, and if the superb ball striking we saw at The Players (1.35 strokes gained on approach) hangs around, it could be another solid week.Source: PGA Tour
1 week agoAfter a strong start to the year, Patrick Rogers is looking to bounce back from a missed cut at The Players. He didn't play badly at the Stadium Course, but hanging around even par at most events on tour doesn't typically make a lot of cuts. On the year though, he has been fairly steady, ranking just inside the top 50 in strokes gained off the tee (0.292) and strokes gained tee to green (0.428). His history around the Copperhead Course is a cause for concern, with four of six tries resulting in a missed cut and a best finish of T36 last year. Those willing to take a shot on him this week at $9,800 on FanDuel will be hoping that the good form will be enough to overcome the historical trend, and in this field, it's completely possible.Source: PGA Tour
1 week agoComing off a T9 at The Players Championship where he led the field in strokes gained around the green (1.98) and was 12th in strokes gained tee to green (1.92), Maverick McNealy is coming into this week's Valspar Championship with a full head of steam. It was clear he wasn't quite ready for the moment on Sunday, but with two top 10s and a top 15 in three of his last four starts, it's hard to argue he isn't one of the hottest players in the field coming in. The Stanford Alum is inside the top 35 in all strokes gained categories except strokes gained on approach (currently ranked 141st: -0.355), so if he can even somewhat right the ship with his irons, he is a strong play at $9,600 on FanDuelSource: Data Golf