6 days agoAmongst the mostly disappointing starts for Adam Hadwin this season have been random spurts of good play. In those weeks, everything seems to be firing on all cylinders. However, those instances have not been anywhere close to one another and the events in between have seen breakdowns in both ball striking and the game on and around the green. Couple that with the fact his best finish at Harbour Town was a T22 in 2017, and the premise of working Hadwin into a lineup becomes hard to justify. He's lost strokes off the tee in his last three starts and lost them on approach in two. At $8,200 on FanDuel, there are more reliable options elsewhere.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
6 days agoExcept for a brief scare at the WM Phoenix Open, Kurt Kitayama has been a mainstay on the bottom half of leaderboards, almost weekly. If safely getting all six guys to the weekend is your strategy, he's your guy. Just know that in this case, a high floor comes with a low ceiling, especially at an event that has turned into a birdie fest occasionally. On paper, Harbour Town fits Kitayama's game like a glove, as he ranks 25th in strokes gained off the tee (0.425), 34th in strokes gained on approach (0.435), and is one of the best long iron players on tour for proximity between 150-200 yards that make up almost 47% of the approaches. At $8,200 on FanDuel, he's a fine addition to a lineup, however, the evidence is there to temper expectations for what DFS players will get in return.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
6 days agoTom Kim has shown some spurts of strong play in 2024, like his six-under round on Sunday at The Masters, but he hasn't been able to put it all together like some expected he might thus far in his age-21 season. A T17 finish at the Waste Management was Kim's best finish of 2024 thus far, which might have some questioning the South Korean's upside, but we know from his late-summer to fall stretch in 2023 that the sparks can fly in a hurry if his irons and putter work together. Kim missed the cut in his debut at Harbour Town Golf Links last season, but this should be a track that fits his ball-striking prowess well. Fantasy managers could find themselves with quite the reward on their hands if they take a chance on Kim at just $7,400 on DraftKings this week.
--Tommy BellSource: PGA Tour
6 days agoIt was a messy two days at The Masters for Emiliano Grillo to say the least. An uncharacteristically putrid performance losing an average of nearly three shots off the tee made everything else impossible for the Argentinian. It was so bad, that it feels almost impossible to have anything close to the same outcome this week given that he has notoriously been one of the straightest hitters on tour for quite a while now (currently ranked 27th in driving accuracy). The cold putter at ANGC (-1.67 strokes lost putting) could have been the aftermath of the poor play getting to the green, and he has historically performed better with the putter at Harbour Town than at Augusta National. There is certainly risk to take on with Grillo at $8,100 on FanDuel, but those willing to do it should expect a much better performance than what we saw a few days ago.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
6 days agoChris Kirk should be one of the safest options on the board this week. The 38-year-old PGA Tour veteran has made the has made the cut in eight out of nine starts so far this calendar year, including his sixth Tour victory at The Sentry in January to go along with five additional top-30 finishes. He played well at the Masters last week, gaining over five strokes to the field en route to a T16 finish. Kirk should also put himself in solid positions at a course that requires precision off the tee, as he ranks 18th in driving accuracy and seventh in good drive percentage over the last 24 rounds, and he's capable of spike rounds with his irons and putter on any given week. He missed the cut in two of his last four RBC Heritage starts, but he did notch T7 here back in 2021. Kirk's recent form and win equity should be coveted by fantasy managers this week and could handsomely reward managers choosing to invest at his $7,700 DraftKings salary.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
6 days agoAdam Schenk is enjoying an excellent stretch of golf heading to Hilton Head, and he's likely on the radar of the fantasy community as a result. The 32-year-old Purdue University alum enters the RBC Heritage on the heels of four consecutive made cuts, including a T19 at The Players Championship, a T33 at the Valspar Championship, a T5 at the Valero Texas Open and a T12 in his Masters debut last week. Of note, the self-proclaimed "grinder" has gained strokes across the board in his last two starts, including on approach which is typically not where he makes his bread. Harbour Town should mitigate his off-the-tee vulnerabilities, and he's one of the best short game players in the field, ranking 15th around-the-green, 11th in scrambling, and 10th in Poa putting. In a year with plenty of first-time and long-shot winners, it would not be out of the realm of possibilities to see Schenk chasing down first PGA Tour victory on Sunday, and fantasy managers should like his upside at a mere $7,100 salary on DraftKings.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
6 days agoYou certainly won't be finding Lucas Glover's name on any course horse lists this week. The PGA Tour veteran and current OWGR No. 35 has an average finish position of 33rd over his last seven starts at the RBC Heritage, and he missed the cut here last year while losing a disastrous 11.8 strokes in the short game. But Glover has experienced a renaissance as of late and enters this year's tournament in solid form. His last three events have led to finishes of 11th, T25, and a T20 at the Masters last week, the latter start which saw him gain over three strokes ball-striking and putting at the always challenging Augusta National. Statistics also point to Glover contending this week, as he enters the week ranking 10th in driving accuracy, sixth on approach from 150-200 yards, 14th around-the-green, and 12th in opportunities gained. With six Tour victories under his belt and the ability to spike with the putter, fantasy managers should strongly consider being having overweight exposure to the field with Glover's $6,800 salary on DraftKings.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
6 days agoTaylor Moore will likely be a popular pick for fantasy managers this week, and rightfully so. The third-year PGA Tour pro hasn't missed a cut since The Open Championship in July of 2023, a string of 15 events in which he posted seven top-25 finishes. He was a popular value play at the Masters last week and certainly delivered, finishing T20 while gaining strokes around-the-green and from tee-to-green in all four rounds. That was Moore's fourth-straight start where he gained strokes ball-striking and around-the-green, both of which will be crucial to success this week. In his only RBC Heritage appearance last year, Moore gained over eight and a half strokes in the short game. With his iron play showing signs of life recently, Moore could find himself contending for his second Tour victory come Sunday evening.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
6 days agoMax Homa quieted the doubters last week who said he doesn't contend in Major tournaments. His T3 at the Masters was his first major finish inside of the top-10, and the fan favorite went toe-to-toe with Scottie Scheffler through the front nine on Sunday. But fantasy managers should be leery of a Masters hangover, literally since he drank alcohol for the first time in a long time on Sunday evening, and figuratively as he surely experienced a gauntlet of emotions being in contention over all four rounds. This narrative played out to an extent in 2023, where he followed his T43 at the Masters with a missed cut at the RBC Heritage the following week. Homa is certainly in excellent form with two top-10 finishes in his last four starts, and no one can argue he has the all-around game to contend at Harbour Town. But fantasy managers may want to limit their exposure to Homa if they decide to invest in him this week.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
6 days agoRickie Fowler enjoyed a bit of a renaissance in the first half of 2023. The 35-year-old PGA star posted 16 finishes inside of the top-25 in 21 starts leading up to the Tour Championship, including his sixth PGA Tour victory at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in July. But he's experienced a fall from grace so far in the 2024 calendar year, with his best finish in 10 starts being a T30 at the Masters last week. Fowler has also lost strokes ball-striking in nine of those starts, while entering the week ranked outside of the top-50 golfers in the field in driving accuracy, approach, opportunities gained, putting on Poa greens, and par 5 scoring. His T15 finish at this event last year is appealing along with his $6,800 DraftKings salary, but fantasy managers may want to hold off investing in Fowler until they see signs of a return to top-25 form.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
6 days agoEric Cole was a diamond in the rough for fantasy managers during the Fall Swing. The second-year PGA Tour pro and current OWGR No. 40 impressively rattled off four top-5 finishes in his five starts before the turn of the calendar year and seemed to be heading toward his first Tour victory. But recent weeks haven't been as kind, as Cole has missed the cut in three out of his last six events with zero finishes inside of the top-20. Statistics don't point toward a return to form at his first RBC Heritage appearance, as he enters the week ranking 64th in driving accuracy, 48th in overall approach, 55th in opportunities gained, 63rd in bogey avoidance, and 66th in par 5 scoring over the last 24 rounds. Cole is only priced at $6,700 on DraftKings and will likely carry sub-5% ownership, but fantasy managers may find the risk is not worth the reward for Cole this week.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
6 days agoNothing seems to stay the same when determining Sepp Straka's golf game, other than the superb play off the tee, ranking 46th in strokes gained off the tee. Everything else has the potential to be miles in either direction. Ranking 12th in the field at Augusta National in strokes gained on approach is amazing. But the reality of knowing he was dead last in the same stat at the API (-1.73) and close to last at the Valspar (-1.69) makes it tough to judge. Throw in the solid history at Harbour Town, where he has a best finish of T3 and only one missed cut in four appearances--although coming last season--and there are as many reasons to put him in a lineup as there are reasons to not.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
6 days agoComing off a T22 at The Masters and the best performance with his irons all season (1.44 strokes gained on approach), Keegan Bradley is rolling into Hilton Head this week and is looking to raise his current best finish of T44 at this event. It should play well to his strengths as an accurate ball-striker, as he ranks 57th on the season in driving accuracy (65.34%) and 18th in greens in regulation (69.73%). It will be important for the New Englander to find success on the greens, as he was coming off two of his worst putting performances going into the year's first major. However, gaining 0.69 strokes with his putter around Augusta National should have helped right the ship enough to consider playing him at $8,400 on FanDuel.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
6 days agoTony Finau's approach numbers have been strong to start 2024, and he's always going to be a stroke-gainer off the tee, but it's the putting that has held the 34-year-old back both of late and in his history at Harbour Town Golf Links. Finau has gained strokes on the field on the greens just three times in his 10 appearances, and he's lost strokes putting in all four of his trips to the RBC Heritage, failing to eclipse a 31st-place finish. Having to keep his driver in the bag, and facing a lot of 12-15 foot birdie putts seems to be what holds Finau back at this track, so it's likely that fantasy managers can look elsewhere on DraftKings in this $8,000-$9,000 price range.
--Tommy BellSource: PGA Tour
6 days agoWill Zalatoris is quietly picking up right where he left off when an injury cut his 2023 campaign short. The 27-year-old added his third top-10 finish at The Masters last week, and his reliable approach numbers have once again anchored his play. The only question mark in Zalatoris' game is his putting, and that has slowly become a bit more consistent week-to-week, with the occasional down week to be expected. The California native has only played the RBC Heritage once, but there was plenty to like about his approach and putting numbers in that 2021 outing. With his game in a great place and the course fit on his side, Willy Z will be a popular choice on DraftKings at $9,000.
--Tommy BellSource: PGA Tour
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