RADIO
Welcome back RotoBallers! I'll be looking to get back on my winning ways and correctly pick the winner this week. I will be providing you with my PGA DFS DraftKings lineup picks for the Masters Tournament. My goal as always is to help put together your optimal daily fantasy golf lineups.
Russel Henley shot a final-round 7-under overcoming a four- stroke deficit to win the Shell Houston Open by three- strokes at 20-under. It was his third career victory on tour and with the win becomes the 94th and final player to qualify for the Masters this week. But don't be so quick to choose him. No player has ever won the Masters the week after winning the Houston Open and subsequently qualifying.
Editor's Note: Interested in RotoBaller's PGA DFS Cheat Sheet with expert picks, DFS prices, vegas odds, official world golf rankings, course history, past results and more advanced stats by PGA DFS Experts Seth Finkelstein and Chris Durell? Let us know here.
Reviewing Last Week's Pick
Jordan Spieth ($12,000): Cut. Wow.
Henrik Stenson ($10,400): Cut.
Rickie Fowler ($10,000): T-3, 16- under. Strong performance from Fowler ahead of the Masters.
Phil Mickelson ($8,900): T-55, Even. Pretty surprising he was even par for the tournament.
Rafael Cabrera Bello ($7,900): 5- over. Cut.
Bryson DeChambeau ($7,600): T-44, 2- under.
Jhonattan Vegas ($7,300): T-15, 7- under.
Ollie Schniederjans ($6,700): Cut
The Masters
The NCAA Tournament has ended so now the focus can finally shift to golf, at least for this weekend only. The first major and unofficial start of Spring is officially here! The 2017 Masters gets underway Thursday, but not with a little weather affecting the forecast. Golf expert Geoff Shackelford– who is currently in Augusta, GA– said on his podcast, ShackHouse, there was a, "nasty little storm" on Monday morning. There is a thunder storm in the forecast tomorrow, Wednesday, but there is no rain expected over the four-day tournament according to The Weather Underground. However, the rain expected before the tournament will make the greens soft, leading to lower scores and more birdies.
There are also supposed to be high winds, and according to Schakelford, the players you want to target in windy conditions are Dustin Johnson, Ricky Fowler, Jordan Spieth, and Brandt Snedeker, but don't include Rory McIlroy. He isn't the best wind player.
I will be targeting players with a good history at Augusta, who are in good form, and who rank high in Strokes Gained: Putting, Stroked Gained: Tee-to-Green, and Birdie or Better Percentage (birdies are expected with the wet conditions).
Let's get right to the picks.
High Cost Players - Fantasy Golf Lineup Picks for DraftKings (PGA DFS)
If you want a DraftKings lineup that finishes in the money this weekend, hitting the high-priced players are crucial. The last five Masters champions have been ranked inside the Top-20 in the Official World Golf Rankings. The elite players usually finish around the top, so don't expect too many sleepers to break through.
The number-one player in the world Dustin Johnson ($11,300) is the hottest player coming into the Masters. He's won three consecutive tournaments he's played in, Genesis Open, WGC- Mexico Championship, and WGC- Match Play. He's going to be an extremely popular pick, especially coming off two consecutive top-1o Masters finishes. But Johnson isn't even the highest-priced player, because DraftKings believes Jordan Spieth ($11,500) is the stronger player for this tournament. I'm going to avoid Spieth in this tournament completely. I really hope Spieth can rebound at Augusta after last year's fiasco, but I don't think he will produce for his price. The fact that Johnson is $200 cheaper than Spieth is erroneous. I think Johnson is a must play in at least one lineup.
Hideki Matsuyama ($9,900) #4 World Golf Ranking
The advanced stats point towards this man. He may not be the best putter, 185th in SG:P, seventh in SG:T2G, and fourth in birdie or better percentage. He's finished top-10 the last two years at Augusta, but has not played the greatest of golf since winning the Phoenix Open the first week of February. I remember watching him last year and he looked confident showing good poise. I expect him to finish top-10 again.
Justin Rose ($9,200) #14 WGR
Here's my pick to win. At the Masters, Rose is a perfect 11 for 11 in cuts made including four top-10s, with the worst finish being T-39 back in 2003, the first time he competed at Augusta. He's also finished top-10 in the past two Masters. His average round at Augusta the past 12 years is 71.7, with an average finish of 14.6. That's astonishingly good.
He finished T-15 in Houston this past week, which is a perfect practice round for Augusta. He's 74th in SG:P and 11th in T2G, but the wet conditions should make it easier to putt to start the tournament. He's also T-10th in birdie or better percentage. Combine that with the putting, and his early tee time (11 a.m.) and I expect him to be around the top of the leaderboard after Thursday.
Middle Cost Players - Fantasy Golf Lineup Picks for DraftKings (PGA DFS)
Brandt Snedeker ($8,000) #22 WGR
He has not played since the Match Play tournament, which saw him go 2-1 failing to make it out of the group. He's played the Masters nine times, made seven cuts, with three-10 finishes, last year being the most recent. Him being a good wind player makes him tremendously more valuable. He's 37th in SG:P, 73rd in T2G, and 25th in birdies.
He's grouped up with Jason Day and Rose, a hell of a group.
Tyrrell Hatton ($7,600) 15th WGR
I hate taking a player making his Masters debut, but he's come through time and time again when I picked him. It also isn't his first time playing in a major. Last year, he finished T-5 at the British Open and T-10 at the PGA Championship. He's first in SG:P, 19th in T2G, and 21st in birdie or better percentage. He's been playing such good golf this year. He's competed in five tournaments this year with four top 10's and a T-13. The last tournament was the Match Play where he finished T-17th.
Matt Kuchar ($7,400) #21 WGR
Kooooch is a perfect seven for seven in cuts made at Augusta including a string of three consecutive top-10 finishes from 2012-4. He was cut at Houston this past week, but he's a veteran and will bounce back. His stats are iffy, but Kuchar likes to play Augusta. He is a fan favorite which is always helpful if in need of some momentum.
Low Cost Players - Fantasy Golf Lineup Picks for DraftKings (PGA DFS)
Lee Westwood ($7,200) #54 WGR
Westwood has gotten so so close to winning a major so many times. He's 10 for 12 in made cuts at the Masters. His Masters finishes since 2010: 2nd, T-11, T-3, T-8, 7, T-46, 2. He doesn't qualify for PGA stats because he didn't play much on the Tour so far, but he plays his best in the biggest stages.
Bill Haas ($7,200) #39 WGR
Seven for seven in cuts made. He's yet to finish in the top- 10 all year, but did make it to the semifinals of the Match Play tournament. He's T-81 in SG:P, 16th in T2G, and 50th in birdie or better percentage. His Masters finishes since 2010: T-26, T-42, T-37, T-20, T-12, T-24. He may not finish top-five or top-10, but he will surely finish in the top-25.
Marc Leishman ($7,100) #27 WGR
The last couple of weeks have been good to the Aussie. He won the Arnold Palmer Invt'l, and then won his group, losing in the quarterfinals, in the Match Play tournament. He's third in SG:P, 58th in T2G, and 17th in birdie or better percentage.
I don't like any players from $6,900 mark or below.
Best of luck!
