3 weeks agoThere have been spurts of good form this season from Russell Henley, but there has certainly been more evidence on the opposite side of that coin. He has struck the ball horribly from tee to green, ranking 96th in strokes gained off the tee (-0.011) and 114th in strokes gained on approach (-0.145). The 30th ranking in strokes gained putting (0.440) has been a saving grace for most rounds, but he'll need more than that to compete in the decently strong field this week at the Valero. At $10,000 on FanDuel, Henley is a bit too pricy to take the chance on this week given his current ailments.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
3 weeks agoThere is only one way to summarize Harris English's last 16 months: he's done everything but win a tournament. He has several top 10s that include a few second and third-place finishes, but getting over the hump to get a W has been a struggle. Much of that has come in the final round, as English currently ranks 129th in final-round performance. Statistically, he is inside the top 50 in all strokes gained metrics except strokes gained on approach (currently ranked 103rd in strokes gained on approach: -0.057). However, much of the poor performances with the irons came earlier in the season, as the former Georgia Bulldog has averaged 0.723 strokes gained on approach over his last three tournaments. At $10,100 on FanDuel, consider English a good addition to fantasy lineups.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
3 weeks agoDavis Riley had an excellent finish at the Texas Children's Houston Open last week, finishing T14. He will be looking to continue his superb form at the Valero Texas Open, held at TPC San Antonio this week. Although he had trouble consistently making cuts before last week, he has performed well in the past at TPC San Antonio, finishing in second place in 2022. While he had to withdraw in 2023, he has the skill set to replicate his 2022 performance. In fact, over the past 12 months, Riley has ranked in the 83rd percentile in proximity to the hole on approach shots from 100-150 yards. This is an important stat because over 25% of last year's tournament approach shots came from this distance. Despite his strong performance last week, Riley has been inconsistent at times, so including him in DFS lineups this week could be risky.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
3 weeks agoSam Ryder finished T64 at last week's Texas Children's Houston Open. He played well in three of his four rounds but carded a disappointing 74 in round 3. This week, he will tee it up for the Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio and look to put that behind him. Ryder tied for third at last year's tournament but missed the cut in 2022. He will aim to replicate the form he displayed in 2023 as he has the skill set to do so. Ryder ranks in the 79th percentile in proximity to the hole on approach shots from 100-150 yards in the fairway over the past 12 months. This is important because over 25% of approach shots last year came from this distance. Despite his disappointing finish last week, Ryder is worth considering for DFS lineups.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
3 weeks agoAndrew Putnam is looking to bounce back after missing the cut at the Valspar Championship two weeks ago. He is set to tee it up at TPC San Antonio for the Valero Texas Open this week. Putnam is familiar with this course and has played well here. He finished T28 in 2023 and T41 in 2022. Putnam has a great skill set and can perform well again this year. In the past 12 months, he has ranked in the 89th percentile for proximity to the hole on approach shots from 100-150 yards in the fairway. This is important because over 25% of approach shots came from this distance at last year's tournament. Despite missing the cut at the Valspar Championship, Putnam could still be a solid addition to DFS lineups this week.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
3 weeks agoMaverick McNealy is set to play at the Valero Texas Open in TPC San Antonio. McNealy has previously done well at this tournament, finishing T36 in last year's edition and T35 in 2022. Before this week, he has made the cut in his previous seven appearances, including two top-ten finishes. Although McNealy has been performing well in 2024, it's important to note that at last year's tournament, over 25% of approach shots came from 100-150 yards. Over the past 12 months, McNealy ranks in the 26th percentile in proximity to the hole on approach shots from this distance in the fairway. Given his recent form and past success at this tournament, McNealy could be a great addition to DFS lineups this week.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
3 weeks agoEric Cole returns to TPC San Antonio for the Valero Texas Open after finishing T33 in the Valspar Championship two weeks ago. During the start of the 2024 season, Cole performed exceptionally well, with three straight top-25 finishes. However, he has cooled off since then and has missed the cut in two of his last four starts. Cole is familiar with the challenges TPC San Antonio presents to golfers and has the necessary skill set to perform well again at this course. During last year's tournament, over 25% of approach shots were taken from 100-150 yards, and over the past 12 months, Cole ranks in the 92nd percentile in proximity to the hole on approach shots from the fairway. Cole may go overlooked this week, but he is worth considering for DFS lineups.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
3 weeks agoRickie Fowler returns to action this week after finishing T68 at last month's THE PLAYERS Championship. After missing the cut in the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February, Fowler's game has shown consistency recently. Since then, he has made four consecutive cuts. However, in his last four starts, Fowler has gained strokes on approach shots only twice, so he must perform at his best at TPC San Antonio. It is important to note that Fowler ranks in the 68th percentile in proximity to the hole on approach shots in the fairway from 100-150 yards in the last 12 months, and this is significant because over 25% of approach shots were from this distance in last year's tournament. Although Fowler has not missed a cut in four consecutive appearances, including him in DFS lineups this week will come with some risk.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
3 weeks agoAfter a strong start to the season, Adam Scott has stalled over his last two starts, missing a cut and finishing T45. The former Masters champion had been uber-consistent with his irons before losing minus-1.30 strokes on approach at The Players Championship. TPC Sawgrass has a way of creating irregularities, so don't make it the sole basis of playing or not playing Scott in DFS lineups. He does have a win to his credit at TPC San Antonio in 2010, and his work with the flat stick is arguably better now than back then, as he ranks 55th in strokes gained putting (0.259) on the year. Consider the Australian an asset to lineups at $9,900 on FanDuel.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
3 weeks agoIt's been a few years since Brian Harman has played at TPC San Antonio, and it's no understatement that he's in a whole other stratosphere now than he was five years ago. The left-hander is coming off a missed cut at the Valspar where he lost strokes everywhere except around the greens (0.33 strokes gained around the green). However, he had played great in the two previous events at both The Players and the API where he averaged 2.11 strokes gained on approach and 0.61 strokes gained putting over those weeks. Fantasy players should understand that this is a warm-up event for guys like Harman in preparation for next week at Augusta. This means he should bounce back from his last outing but with bigger fish to fry, keep expectations mild.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
3 weeks agoMark Hubbard has long been known as one of the PGA Tour's premier microwaves -- as his elite iron play allows him to create birdie chances on holes other pros are aiming merely for the putting surfaces themselves. There has perhaps never been a better example of this than two weeks ago at TPC Sawgrass, as Hubbard gained a whopping 8.3 shots to the field with his irons (10.5 from tee-to-green), and outpaced even the great Scottie Scheffler with his approach play. Of course, the 6.4 shots Hubbard lost to the field with his putter resulted in a more muted finish than his ball-striking deserved, but it should not be understated just how rare this type of upside is for a player in Hubbard's price range. Memorial Park figures to be a bit too demanding off the tee for his lackluster driving profile, but if Hubbard can find the range off of the tee, there aren't many players in the field better suited to attacking these pins.
--Ian McNeill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
3 weeks agoThe results haven't quite matched up for young Davis Thompson, but looking strictly at the underlying stats, the former UGA Bulldog seems to be primed for a breakout finish. Thompson ranks inside the top 40 in each of the four strokes gained metrics over his last 50 rounds, and Memorial Park's demanding 7400-yard layout should be a perfect fit for his power game. In 2022, Thompson recorded one of the best driving weeks of his career at the Houston Open (+3.8 Strokes Gained), and with the spring overseed slowing down fairways and rough cut down by 50%, this course should be ripe for Thompson to once again take advantage of his elite length. Recent putting woes have robbed Davis of better results through Florida, but perhaps a change of scenery can allow his potential to shine through once again.
--Ian McNeill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
3 weeks agoThe Florida Swing didn't get off to the best start for 22-year-old Akshay Bhatia, as missed cuts at PGA National and TPC Sawgrass extended his streak to three straight truck slams. However, last week's Valspar Championship may have breathed some life into his profile heading into the Lone Star State, as a 17th-place finish in Palm Harbor represented the best result we've seen from Akshay since the Farmers Insurance Open in January. Of course, Bhatia's prolific ball-striking prowess makes him an ever-present threat to contend -- particularly in a field with just four of the OWGR top 20 in attendance. Last week, he also gained strokes in both short game categories for the first time since last October. If he can sustain these performances on and around the greens, you'd have to think the tee-to-green game will eventually find its range.
--Ian McNeill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
3 weeks agoDespite a spectacular run of play in Europe from the Fall of 2023 until January of 2024 that included five top 10 finishes and a win over nine starts, Thorbjorn Olesen hasn't been able to translate that form across the pond. He's made just one cut out of three across Mexico, Palm Beach, and Palm Harbor, and has surprisingly found most of his struggles on the greens (losing a combined 3.5 strokes putting in eight recorded rounds). The short game will need to be revived quickly for the Dane here in Houston, as Oleson's historic struggles off of the tee won't exactly be met with the most welcoming confines at 7400-yard Memorial Park. Still, we're not too far removed from him making a case as the most in-form player on the DP World Tour, so I remain optimistic on his long-term prospects.
--Ian McNeill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
3 weeks ago2024 has been an up-and-down season thus far for Patrick Rodgers, as the former Stanford standout has recorded three top 15 finishes in nine starts but missed three of his last five cuts. Positive signs could be on the horizon, however, as Memorial Park's lengthy layout should suit the big-hitting Rodgers' game to a tee. He finished 16th here the last time the Houston Open was played in 2022, and two of his best results thus far this year have come on similarly driver/long-iron-heavy venues (Torrey Pines and Vidanta Vallarta. In this rather beleaguered field, who knows? Maybe P-Rodge can make another run at that long-awaited breakthrough win.
--Ian McNeill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
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