2 years agoCameron Champ heads to the Byron Nelson coming off a sixth-place finish at the Mexico Open. It was his first top-five finish since he won the 3M Open in 2021. Champ has gained strokes on the field in his past two events and is trending in the right direction. When he is clicking, his major weapon is his driver. He ranks first in driving distance in the field and has the ability to overpower a golf course, which makes him an enticing DFS option. Despite his recent form, his price tag may be too rich for some because of the inconsistency he has shown over his career. He is a boom-or-bust DFS play that has shown the ability to close out events when he's in the hunt.Source: https://www.pgatour.com/
2 years agoAlex Noren arrives in Texas riding a streak of seven made cuts. During that stretch, he has gained stokes from tee-to-green in all seven events and posted two top-10 finishes. He has been getting it done with the putter, gaining over 2.5 strokes putting in his last two starts. He has some history at TPC Craig Ranch as well, finishing T21 at the 2021 Byron Nelson. Noren will be a popular fantasy option because of his recent form, but with a loaded field, his ownership should be reasonable. He is a solid DFS play and is a worth a look as an outright bet.Source: https://www.pgatour.com/
2 years agoMarc Leishman enters the Bryon Nelson fresh off a missed cut at the Wells Fargo Championship a week ago, just his second missed cut this season. He has not been playing his best golf lately, losing strokes from tee-to-green in three of his last four starts. Despite the recent struggles, Leishman has shown flashes at this event. He finished T21 at the Byron Nelson in 2021, the first year the event was held at TPC Craig Ranch. His recent form will bring his ownership down, making Leishman a solid undervalued DFS option in a strong field.Source: https://www.pgatour.com/
2 years agoHideki Matsuyama has struggled with a few injuries earlier this year. The winner of The Sony Open, had to withdraw from the Valero Texas Open earlier this year. He was able to recover enough to finish in a solid 14th place at The Masters. Matsuyama has not played since Augusta and has had plenty of time to focus on his health. His layoff will likely keep his ownership down this week. He is an interesting play in GPP formats. Source: PGA Tour
2 years agoBrooks Koepka arrives in Texas after a disappointing missed cut at The Masters last month. Koepka was a popular play at Augusta and was thought to be in good form. Koepka finished in 12th-place at The Valspar Championship, his final tune-up before The Masters. This will be the first time Koepka will play competitively in over a month. Koepka figures to be a nice course fit. For those interested in playing him this week in DFS, his layoff will likely keep his ownership low. He is a high-risk high-reward type play this week. Source: PGA Tour
2 years agoKeith Mitchell hit a rough patch at the Zurich Open and Wells Fargo where he just could not string enough birdies together. Mitchell missed the cut both times as a result. Previously, the American golfer had been playing well. He drives the ball well off the tee and accurately. Mitchell even gains almost two tenths of a stroke with the putter. Off the tee, the American ranks fourth in strokes gained at 0.737. His birdie average is favorable at 4.23 per round (21st). This course at almost 7,500 yards may be suited well for Mitchell to find his long game just in time for Southern Hills the following week. Source: PGATour.com
2 years agoAaron Rai has enjoyed a nice upswing over the past few tournaments. Aside from the second round bottoming out (76) at the Wells Fargo, Rai had finished in the top 30 in three straight appearances. That included a tie for fourth at the Zurich Classic. Rai was leading the New Orleans tournament at one point in the final round before a final round 72 knocked him back a bit. Final rounds have been a bit of an issue for the English golfer with rounds ranging from 72 to 75. Rai can get on a roll even with his putter. If he can stay accurate driving, the Englishman could be a surprise contender come the weekend. Source: PGATour.com
2 years agoFrancesco Molinari has endured a tough time on the PGA Tour of late missing cuts in three straight tournaments. The last time the Italian golfer got his putter going was at The American Express in January. He shot -19 then and that was his last top-ten result (tied for sixth). Since then, it has been a series of worsening issues for Molinari. Everything from putting to hitting off the tee has suffered. Could he put it together for a week as the PGA Championship approaches? Yes. The long layout this week means Molinari must get off to a hot start.Source: PGATour.com
2 years agoMatthew Wolff has struggled mightily in 2022. The American golfer has missed four cuts and has three finishes outside the top 60. Wolff managed a tied for 25th last week at the Wells Fargo. Wolff can hit more than 315 yards with ease. The problem is accuracy. The American lands the ball on the fairway just 51.17% of the time. That ranks 200th on tour. Wolff can putt well when he gets the ball in position and gains 0.47 strokes (26th). The American also only makes 3.85 birdies per round. Considering winners at the Byron Nelson lately was making at least 6-7 a round, Wolff again may be facing a tall order. Source: PGATour.com
2 years agoRyan Palmer improved his putting a little at the Zurich Open a few weeks back and enjoying a top-20 result. Even then, his final-round 71 likely knocked him out of a spot in the top ten. His overall putting ranks 204th losing nearly 0.7 of a stroke. Also, his driving accuracy ranks 165th (54.75%). At the Byron Nelson, driving with some accuracy is needed. The 7.468 yard course aids golfers who hit long and accurate. It further rewards golfers who putt well. With an average winning score of -23 the past three times, Palmer could have an uphill battle this weekSource: PGATour.com
2 years agoAt a golf course that demands accuracy off the tee, Si Woo Kim has the accuracy and length to overcome one of TPC Potomac's main defenses. Kim has lost strokes off the tee in only three of his 15 starts this season, gaining over 0.3 strokes per round in the other 12 events. In addition to his success off the tee, he has also been gaining consistently on approach this year. If Kim can avoid catastrophes on the greens, his recent form and course fit should give him a fantastic chance to win this week's Wells Fargo Championship.Source: PGA Tour
2 years agoSepp Straka has gained over half a stroke putting per round in his last six stroke-play starts. His white-hot putter is gaining the majority of his strokes each week. He has been consistent with his ball striking but has only gained over a stroke once this year, when he won The Honda Classic in February. At a course that has seen top-tier ball strikers flourish in the past, Straka will have to find a few extra gears on the ball striking front if he looks to contend this week. Source: PGA Tour
2 years agoJason Day has struggled to find any sort of consistency with his approach play this season, gaining on approach only twice in his nine starts. Although his off the tee stats are not as poor as his approach numbers, he has yet to gain strokes off the tee in back-to-back events this season. His inconsistent ball striking has put a lot of pressure on his world-class short game. TPC Potomac's statistical correlations lean towards ball strikers this week, which does not bode well for Day. Source: PGA Tour
2 years agoGary Woodland has lost strokes putting in four of his last five starts. He gains most of his strokes off the tee as a result of his distance while sacrificing accuracy. At a course that demands more accuracy off the tee than tour average, Woodland's driving inaccuracies may haunt him this week. If he can keep his drives in the fairway, he can lean on his impressive approach play, gaining over half a stroke per round in most of his starts this year. Source: PGA Tour
2 years agoThis may come across as a bold statement, but compared to Jon Rahm in Mexico last week, Rory McIlroy's form and course fit do not drastically separate him from the rest of the better players in the field. He has been playing well, though, gaining over a stroke per round ball striking in his limited starts this year. Other than losing on the greens in his last four starts, his game is in great shape, but not exceptional enough to bite at either of his expensive DFS or outright price tags. Source: PGA Tour