4 days agoAlex Noren is in the field for The American Express. It will be Noren's first-ever start in the California event. The Swede had an abysmal 2018-19 season by his standards, but has been slowly finding his form over the last few months and has posted multiple top-25 finishes this fall. He recorded a T32 at last week's Sony Open despite gaining 7.4 strokes tee to green, as he struggled badly on the greens. If Noren can find some semblance of a putting stroke this week, he carries intriguing DFS upside at the AmEx.
--Joe Nicely - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
6 days agoJason Kokrak is in the field for this week's American Express event. It will be his first start of 2020. The 2018-19 season was Kokrak's best as a pro. He made 23 cuts in 24 starts with five top-10 finishes en route to qualifying for the season-ending TOUR Championship. The 34-year-old has played sparingly this winter, but did record a T8 in the WGC-HSBC Champions event back in November. He will look to knock the rust off in this week's American Express, a tournament in which he logged a T18 last year. Kokrak's lack of recent activity makes him a DFS wild card, but he is one of the stronger players in this week's field.
--Joe Nicely - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
6 days agoThe Sony Open was Brendan Steele's tournament to lose and that's exactly what happened Sunday at a soggy Waialae Country Club. Steele headed into the final round with a fairly commanding lead, but faltered down the stretch by playing his last six holes in two-over par for a final-round 71. The young Australian Cameron Smith birdied the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Steele and eventually won the tournament with a par in the sudden-death playoff. While it was a disappointing ending for Steele, it was still his best finish on the PGA Tour in recent memory. He will tee it up in the upcoming American Express, a tournament in which he owns a strong track record.
--Joe Nicely - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
6 days agoPhil Mickelson will make his first start of 2020 at this week's American Express. In addition to teeing it up, Mickelson will also serve as tournament host this week. 'Lefty' last played at the WGC-HSBC Champions event in November, so we're basically guessing as to his current form. He has been dominant in this event throughout his career and logged a runner-up finish in last year's edition. The 49-year-old looked his age over the latter portion of 2019, but has started the season strong over the last couple of years. If you plan on rostering Mickelson at any point this season, this might be the week to do it.
--Joe Nicely - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
1 week agoBranden Grace captured the South African Open in spectacular fashion Sunday. Grace fired a blistering final-round 62 to overcome fellow South African Louis Oosthuizen in Johannesburg. The 31-year-old is coming off one of his worst seasons as a professional in 2019. This victory might indicate a return to form for Grace in the upcoming year. DFS regulars should keep an eye on the gritty Grace when he tees it up on the PGA Tour in the near future.
--Joe Nicely - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
1 week agoFollowing a near-win at last week's Sentry Tournament of Champions, Patrick Reed seemed primed to make a run at the Sony Open this week. However, Reed was undone by a front-nine 40 during the second round that led to a score of 74. He finished at three-over par through 36 holes, two shots off the weekend cut line. The former Masters champion struggled badly on Waialae's greens, losing over two strokes putting in his two rounds of play. Reed is not in the field for next week's American Express event.
--Joe Nicely - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
1 week agoMatt Kuchar headed to this week's Sony Open as the defending champion, but the veteran won't be playing the weekend this year. Kuchar looked to be in cruise control after an opening-round 69, but a 73 on Friday left him at two-over par through 36 holes, one-stroke shy of the cut line. He's not scheduled to tee it up in next week's American Express and will most likely play next at the Farmers Insurance Open. We shouldn't read too much into his early exit this week due to the heavy wind at Waialae. Kuchar remains a solid DFS option going forward.
--Joe Nicely - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
1 week agoNo huge surprises here, as Tiger Woods announced that he would begin 2020 by playing the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines at the end of January. Woods has won eight times at Torrey over the course of his career, including the legendary 2008 U.S. Open. The 44-year-old also confirmed that he would be in the field for the Genesis Invitational in February. We can expect a rather limited schedule for Woods this year, but he'll be a viable DFS option on the weeks he does tee it up.
--Joe Nicely - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
1 week agoPatrick Reed is in the field for the Sony Open. It's been a wild winter for Reed, who sparked controversy with a blatant rules infraction at the Hero Challenge a few weeks ago. The former Masters winner has been heckled by fans in subsequent appearances at the President's Cup and the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Reed almost seems to relish his role as the villain and fought his way into a three-man playoff last week at Kapalua, where he was eventually defeated by Justin Thomas. He recorded a T13 in last year's Sony Open and must be considered a serious contender at Waialae this week.
--Joe Nicely - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
1 week agoMarc Leishman is set to tee it up in the Sony Open. Leishman has thrived in his previous Sony starts and has made five consecutive cuts on this Waialae layout, with a T3 finish in last year's edition. Despite his strong course history, the Aussie appears to flying under the radar in the DFS community this week, with a shaky President's Cup appearance and some noticeable weight loss over the winter causing concern among fantasy players. This all adds up to Leishman being an intriguing contrarian option this week.
--Joe Nicely - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
1 week agoJoaquin Niemann is set to make his Sony Open debut this week. Niemann heads to Honolulu in sharp form on the heels of a T5 in last week's Sentry Tournament of Champions. The 21-year-old phenom captured his first win on the PGA Tour during the fall season at Greenbrier. His world-class ball striking should pay huge dividends on this week's Waialae layout. Niemann is streaky with the putter, but his strong tee-to-green game makes him an elite option in DFS tournaments this week.
--Joe Nicely - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
1 week agoCollin Morikawa is set to make his Sony Open debut this week. Morikawa has taken the PGA Tour by storm since turning pro last summer. The Cal product captured the Barracuda Championship in July to secure his Tour Card and ended the season with a perfect nine-for-nine made cut mark. The 22-year-old has displayed elite-level ball striking and a pure putting stroke in his short time as a pro. Morikawa doesn't have any experience on this Waialae layout, but it's a great fit for him on paper. He's a player to watch both this week and into 2020.
--Joe Nicely - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
1 week agoSungjae Im is set to play in the Sony Open. It will be Im's second career start in the Hawaiian event. He logged a T16 in his Sony debut last year and heads to Waialae in sharp form this week. The 21-year-old earned the PGA Tour's Rookie of the Year award last season and is primed for a breakout 2020 campaign. The South Korean is solid in every aspect tee-to-green and is a tremendous putter. Im is an elite option in all DFS formats.
--Joe Nicely - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
1 week agoWebb Simpson is set to tee it up in the Sony Open. Simpson has an elite track record in the Hawaiian event with three T13s and a T4 in four Sony starts since 2015. He played well in limited starts this fall, logging top-10 finishes in all three of his Swing Season appearances. The 34-year-old made 20 of 21 cuts last season and is as consistent as it gets on the PGA Tour. He'll be a very popular option in all DFS formats this week.
--Joe Nicely - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
1 week agoMatt Kuchar is in the field for the Sony Open. Kuchar enters the week as the defending Sony champion, as he emerged victorious with a score of 22-under par last year. The veteran didn't look sharp at the end of the 2019 season, but he has managed to record three T14 finishes recently. Despite his middling form, Kuchar deserves serious DFS consideration on this Waialae layout, as he hasn't finished worse than tied for 13th in this tournament since 2015.
--Joe Nicely - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
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