X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

RotoBaller PGA DFS: Horse For The Course - 2019 Open Championship

What's up guys? Y'all heard anything about a golf tournament overseas this week? We'll dive into the Open Championship in just a second, but I do want to recap the John Deere Classic just a bit.

We knew going in that the JDC field was one of the weakest we've seen this season. Dylan Frittelli outlasted the likes of Russell Henley and Andrew Landry to capture his first victory on the PGA Tour. Frittelli gained over seven strokes on the greens at TPC Deere Run, despite ranking just 139th on the PGA Tour in SG: Putting this season. It serves as a strong reminder that these elite ball strikers just need one hot putting week to do some serious damage.

The other thing that sticks out for me from the JDC is that the Tour's crop of youngsters showed up yet again. Collin Morikawa, Joaquin Niemann, and Viktor Hovland all overcame slow starts to log solid finishes. As the season winds down, these young guys will continue to be a great source of DFS scoring for us.

Featured Promo: Get any DFS Premium Bundle for for 50% off using code SUMMER! Win more with expert advice from proven winners and exclusive DFS tools. Get instant access to RotoBaller's Lineup Optimizers, Research Stations, daily picks and VIP chat rooms across 10 sports! Go Premium, Win More!

 

2019 Open Championship Overview

You guys know what's at stake this week in Northern Ireland. After a reshuffle of the schedule, the Open Championship now stands as the last major of the year and serves as the last chance of 2019 for players to change their lives with a major championship win.

Of course, every elite player in the world has turned up at Royal Portrush (though I wish Morikawa, Wolff, and Hovland were in the field) for the club's first Open in over 60 years. There are a couple of notable 'hometown' narratives at play this week, with Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell being the most obvious examples of guys that will have an advantage with 'course knowledge'. Franceso Molinari is the defending Open champion and he'll be joined by all the usual suspects this week.

I try to make HFTC more than just a regular 'picks' article (though you can certainly use it that way if you need to) and while I often use course history as a foundation, there are no 'rules' here other than to get you the best PGA DFS info possible. We had a really nice week last week, let's do it again!

You can also find out who the smart money is on by checking out Spencer Aguiar's PGA DFS: Vegas Report every week.

 

The Course: Royal Portrush (Dunluce Course)

Par 71 - 7,344 Yards, Greens: Bentgrass

The one thing we know about Royal Portrush this week is that there's a lot that we don't know about Royal Portrush this week. The course last hosted an Open in 1951, which is no help to us here. Portrush did play host to the 2012 Irish Open, but, besides being seven years ago, has undergone significant renovations in preparation for the Open.

The fairways are fairly wide, but are flanked by the most penalizing Open rough that we've seen in years. Fairway bunkers will also add another degree of difficulty to tee shots at Portrush. Length could be a big advantage, as it can take some of the bunkers out of play, but 'bomb and gouge' won't work with this rough. Another big unknown this week is the weather. At the moment conditions look as though they will be fairly benign this week, which would favor the bombers, but weather can materialize at any time at Portrush. The greens are tricky, but will feel slow to the Americans in the field.

This is a tough week to target specific traits, but I'll definitely be leaning toward ball strikers that find fairways. Great iron play will be a must and it never hurts to have some prior Open experience and hot form.

 

The Horse

Henrik Stenson (DK - $8,400 & FD - $10,100)

Notable Open Championship History: Win (2016), T35 ('18), 2nd ('13), 3rd ('08)
Recent Form: T4 (Scottish Open), T9 (U.S. Open), T8 (RBC Canadian Open), T37 (Memorial)

Before we dive into the players here, let me urge you to check out my 2019 Open Championship DFS Bible, where you will find a more in-depth look at all the golfers in this week's field.

Ok, with that out of the way, let's talk about my Horse this week...Henrik Stenson. As I mentioned in the course breakdown above, I'm targeting ball strikers with great iron play, Open experience, and strong recent form this week. 'The Iceman' checks every one of those boxes for me.

Stenson slumped at the end of 2018 and the beginning of this year as he fought through a nagging elbow injury, but the Swede has been firing on all cylinders recently. With no disrespect to Tiger Woods, Stenson is the best iron player in the world at the moment. He ranks first in this elite field in Strokes Gained: Approach over his last 24 & 50 rounds. The dude hasn't lost strokes with his irons in a tournament since FEBRUARY!

Stenson is never going to rate out well in SG: Off The Tee, just because of his lack of length, but he's super reliable with his infamous 3-wood. He ranks fifth in the field in both Fairways Gained & Good Drives Gained. If (and I'm just guessing here) the weather or rough force the bombers to keep driver in the bag, I really like Stenson's chances on an even playing field.

He brings both excellent form and a strong record of Open success to Portrush. Stenson has went T4-T8-T9 in his last three starts and in addition to his Open win in 2016, he's missed just two cuts in 14 Open starts.

 

The Ponies

Rory McIlroy (DK - $11,600 & FD - $12,000)

Notable Open History: Win (2014), T2 ('18), T4 ('17), T5 ('16)
Recent Form: T34 (Scottish Open), T9 (U.S. Open), Win (RBC Canadian Open), M/C (Memorial)

Rory McIlroy is probably a pretty obvious player to highlight, but there are just too many positives here to ignore. He comes from Northern Ireland and he holds the Royal Portrush course record of 61, which he shot when he was 16-year-old. Yep...I think it's safe to say that Rors will be pretty comfortable with his surroundings this week.

He's playing the best golf we've seen from him in years in 2019. He won both the Players and the RBC Canadian Open, and has only finished outside the top 10 in THREE tournaments the entire year. McIlroy hits it long and straight off the tee (first in SG: OTT), has exhibited sharp iron play (second in SG: Approach) and has putted good enough (43rd in SG: Putting). His Open record is elite, as he's ran off three-straight top-five finishes since winning at Royal Liverpool in 2014.

My only hesitance when it comes to Rory (and I touch on this in the Open Bible) is that it just all seems too perfect. That might sound a little paranoid, but how often do these "perfect situations" actually pan out? Yes, it's his home country and a course he's very familiar with...but with those advantages also comes TONS of expectations and pressure. Now, there's no doubt that Rory can rise to the occasion, he didn't get where he is by shrinking away from pressure and expectations, but it is worth considering before spending all the way up to $11.6k.

 

Adam Scott (DK - $8,800 & FD - $10,500)

Notable Open History: T17 ('18), T10 ('15), T5 ('14), T3 ('13), 2nd ('12)
Recent Form:T7 (U.S. Open), 2nd (Memorial), T8 (PGA), T18 (Masters)

Man...I still get sick to my stomach when I think about Adam Scott gifting the 2012 Open Championship to Ernie Els. Sickening. Anyway, moving on...I think that Scotty has a great chance for redemption at Portrush this week.

We've always known the Aussie has 'win many major championships' type of talent, but at 39-years-old he still has just one on his resume. After some years with golf on the back burner, Scott has refocused on the game over the last two years and the results have been impressive. He played very well in the last major of 2018 and has carried that momentum into this season, missing just two cuts in 2019 with runner-up finishes at the Farmers and Memorial, a T18 at the Masters, and top-10s at both the PGA Championship and U.S. Open.

Scott's strong finishes have been powered by his rejuvenated short game. He ranks first in the field in SG: Around the Green over his last 24 rounds and his much-derided putting troubles have all but vanished, as he's gained strokes putting in all but two of his 2019 starts. He's world-class tee to green (second in the field SG: T2G) and has a tremendous history of success in Open Championships.

Like Stenson, Scott will probably be really popular on DK, but I'm willing to swallow the chalk and attempt to differentiate my lineups in other spots. There are some players that I really like in the $9k price range (Xander & Cantlay, specifically), but I will basically be camped out in this $8k range when constructing rosters this week. With Stenson and Scott as my linchpins, I'll also be mixing in very heavy doses of Matt Kuchar ($8.7k) and Hideki Matsuyama ($8.5k).

 

Rafa Cabrera-Bello (DK - $7,500 & FD - $9,300)

Notable Open History: 74th ('18), T4 ('17), T39 ('16)
Recent Form: T9 (Scottish Open) T4 (Irish Open), T3 (BMW International), 65th (U.S. Open)

Those of you that are considering rostering Rory, Brooks, or one of the other high-priced options will need to familiarize yourselves with this price range. If we are looking at current form, Rafa Cabrera-Bello is definitely worth consideration.

Rafa started off 2019 in hot form with four-straight top-25s to kick off the year, including a T3 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The Spaniard cooled off as we headed into the meat of the PGA Tour schedule, but he has regained his form since crossing the Atlantic after a 65th-place finish at the U.S. Open. Rafa has went T9-T4-T3 in his three most recent starts in Europe, a strong indicator that he's found something with his game.

His Open record is solid, but not spectacular. One interesting note is that Cabrera-Bello recorded a 14-under par second-place finish in the 2012 Irish Open that was held at Royal Portrush. So while the course has undergone some changes, Rafa is one of the few players in this week's field that have actually played the course in tournament conditions.

He won't pop in many statistical models, because his recent Euro Tour rounds weren't recorded in most stat engines, but I don't think he'll go overlooked at this price.

 

Patrick Reed (DK - $7,200 & FD - $8,200)

Notable Open History: T28 ('18), M/C ('17), T12 ('16), T20 ('15)
Recent Form: T23 (3M Open), T5 (Rocket Mortgage), T30 (Travelers), T32 (U.S. Open)

Sticking in the mid-$7k price range to round out the week, I'm gonna give Patrick Reed some serious consideration in this spot. In seemingly every major championship there is at least one player that seems seriously underpriced. It was Matt Kuchar at the Masters and Webb Simpson at the U.S. Open. This week, it feels like Reed is wearing the crown of 'guy that's just too cheap'.

We all know the personality issues that surround Reed. He's got a checkered past and a seemingly complicated personal life, but you have to respect what the guy's done in the game of golf, as he's went from getting on the PGA Tour by playing Monday qualifiers to winning the Masters last year. Reed hasn't found the winner's circle since slipping on the green jacket and we know that the guy is a proven winner.

Like the aforementioned Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Reed isn't going to pop statistically (he never does), but after his game seemingly went off a cliff back in the spring, he's been steadily rounding back into form. He's gained over six strokes on approach in each of his last two starts (that's massive) and when Reed's iron game is clicking he's one of the best players in the world. His Open resume is solid and he's shown himself to be comfortable playing links golf. Reed could easily find himself in the mix this weekend if his putter cooperates at Portrush.

More PGA Analysis and DFS Lineup Picks

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Michael Lorenzen

Royals Put Michael Lorenzen on Injured List With Oblique Strain
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Stefon Diggs

Likely to Begin Camp Working on the Side
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Xavier Legette

Should be More Productive
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Cole Bishop

has Good Shot to Win a Starting Job
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Nate Wiggins

Ravens Think Nate Wiggins has Star Potential
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Kel'el Ware

Collects 21 Points in Summer League Loss on Sunday
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Cam Spencer

Contract Being Restructured
Drew Timme

Scores 30 Points in Summer League Loss to Wizards
Quinshon Judkins

More Details Emerge on Quinshon Judkins' Arrest
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Alexandre Sarr

Logs Impressive Outing in Summer League Action on Sunday
Junior Tafa

Unsuccessful in his Light-Heavyweight Debut
Kaden Elliss

Could be Atlanta's Most Impactful Pass-Rusher
Kyle Filipowski

Scores 21 Points in Summer League Loss to Warriors
Darius Robinson

Ready to Make his Mark in 2025?
Jauan Jennings

Expected to Report for Training Camp
Trey Smith

the Only Player Still on the Franchise Tag
Cody Williams

Collects 22 Points in Summer League Loss on Sunday
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Jauan Jennings

Seeking New Deal or Trade From 49ers
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Tosses Gem Against Giants
Shota Imanaga

Shuts Down Yankees on Sunday
Nathan Eovaldi

Dominant Again in Seventh Win
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
A.J. Dillon

Not a Lock for a Roster Spot?
Chicago White Sox

Billy Carlson Goes 10th Overall to White Sox
Cincinnati Reds

Steele Hall Selected Ninth by Cincinnati
Toronto Blue Jays

Blue Jays Select JoJo Parker with Eighth Overall Pick
Boston Celtics

Damian Lillard Drawing Interest from the Celtics
Miami Marlins

Marlins Select Aiva Arquette With Seventh Overall Pick
Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates Select Seth Hernandez with Sixth Overall Pick
Kyle Stowers

Punishes Former Team with Three-Homer Game
St. Louis Cardinals

Cardinals Select Liam Doyle with Fifth Overall Pick
Daniel Gafford

Agrees to Contract Extension with Dallas
Colorado Rockies

Rockies Select Ethan Holliday Fourth Overall
Seattle Mariners

Kade Anderson Selected Third Overall by Seattle
Ha-Seong Kim

X-rays on Ha-Seong Kim's Foot Come Back Negative
Los Angeles Angels

Tyler Bremner Selected Second Overall by Angels in 2025 MLB Draft
Washington Nationals

Nationals Select Eli Willits First Overall
Jake Meyers

to Miss More Than Three Weeks With Calf Injury
Cooper Flagg

Shut Down for Rest of Summer League
LeBron James

Hasn't Requested a Trade
Quinshon Judkins

Following Quinshon Judkins Arrest, NFL Declines Comment
Travis Hunter

Earning Praise in Jaguars Camp for Work Ethic
Memphis Grizzlies

Cole Anthony, Grizzlies Agree to Contract Buyout
Edward Cabrera

Hopeful to Avoid Injured List
Oneil Cruz

Absent on Sunday
Lars Nootbaar

Placed on 10-Day Injured List
Jake Burger

Scratched on Sunday
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Julius Chestnut

Kalel Mullings Competing for RB3 Role
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
Kimani Vidal

Fighting for No. 3 Job
Cam Hart

Recovering From Shoulder Surgery
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
Quentin Johnston

Might Not Get Many Chances to Prove Himself
Tre Harris

Officially a Holdout
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
Travis Etienne Jr.

Needs to Bounce Back in 2025
Wan'Dale Robinson

Wants More Downfield Opportunities this Season
Quinshon Judkins

Arrested on Saturday for Battery and Domestic Violence
Alexandre Sarr

Plays Well in Summer League Loss to Phoenix
Yang Hansen

Looks Good on Friday Night
Erik Karlsson

Open to Move Away From Pittsburgh
Zach Hyman

Hopes to be Ready for Start of Next Season
SJ

Jeff Skinner Joins Sharks on One-Year Contract
Kon Knueppel

Struggles in Summer League Win
Walter Clayton Jr.

Plays Well on Friday Night
Cody Williams

Scores 21 Points in Summer League Loss
Kyle Filipowski

Leads the Way on Friday Night
Isaiah Jackson

Signs Three-Year Extension
Marvin Bagley III

Joining the Wizards
Herbert Jones

Signing Extension with Pelicans
Jacob Toppin

Returning to Hawks
Ryan Reaves

Traded to Sharks
Vladislav Kolyachonok

Moves to Dallas
Matt Dumba

Lands in Pittsburgh
Mackie Samoskevich

Re-Signs with Panthers on One-Year Deal
Josh Manson

Inks Two-Year Extension with Avalanche
EDM

Isaac Howard Signs Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract With Oilers
Tallison Teixeira

Set For His First UFC Main Event
Derrick Lewis

Set To Headline UFC Nashville
Gabriel Bonfim

Looks For His Third UFC Win
Stephen Thompson

Returns At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Calvin Kattar

In Dire Need Of Victory
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere A Favorite At UFC Nashville
Nate Landwehr

Aims To Bounce Back
MMA

Austen Lane Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Gary Woodland

Looking to Find Rhythm at Scottish Open
Aaron Rai

Brings Consistent Play to Scottish Open
Maverick McNealy

a Solid Value Play at Scottish Open
Aldrich Potgieter

Making Scottish Open Debut
Tom Kim

Looks to Rebound at Scottish Open
Brian Harman

a Safe Option at Scottish Open
Luke Clanton

a Sneaky Value Play at Scottish Open
Sam Burns

Looking to Stay Hot at Scottish Open
Nicolai Hojgaard

May Feel More at Home in Europe
Harry Hall

Showing Fine Form Heading to Scotland
Ryan Fox

Playing Well Since Early Spring Struggles
Max Greyserman

has Solid History at the Genesis Scottish Open
Harris English

Aims High for Scotland Next
Corey Conners

Primed for the Genesis Scottish Open
Daniel Brown

Attempts the Scottish Swing Again
Jacob Bridgeman

Needs Putter to Work at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Headlines Field at Genesis Scottish Open
Rory McIlroy

a Smart Play for Scottish Open
Adam Scott

Looking to Build on History at The Renaissance Club
Justin Rose

Hopes Month Hiatus Helps Him Bounce Back at Scottish Open
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF