Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for THE PLAYERS Championship

THE PLAYERS Championship Fantasy Preview

When it comes to getting your draft locked in and looking super tight, it really does make sense to put in the hard yards doing the research (or subscribing to Golficity Premium and letting us do the work for you!).  Never has that sentiment been more in evidence than at the Wells Fargo Championship last week.

Brian Harman is an excellent pro but not exactly somebody you would class as an obvious event winner; this was just his second PGA TOUR level win in his sixth full career as a pro – with just six top-10s to call upon – but we dug out some old tweets and interviews where it was mentioned that he had scouted Eagle Point GC a while ago, liked what he saw and that old chestnut had ‘suited his eye’.  The rest is history.

 
In fairness, Harman showed a tremendous amount of fortitude to win in Wilmington.  He and our top-tier pick, Jon Rahm, both had chances to win heading down the eighteenth ahead of clubhouse leader Dustin Johnson, and while the Spaniard would surprisingly only muster a par five on the last hole Harman held his nerve, bunted his third shot close(ish) before knocking home a clutch 28-foot putt to claim his first title since the John Deere Classic of 2014.

We’d earmarked Harman in our Wells Fargo Tuesday Sleeper Report, as well as the likes of Alex Noren, Patrick Reed, and Brian Gay, who all flirted with the lead or featured in the top ten throughout the week.  That good form is very handy heading into this week’s event, THE PLAYERS Championship from the majestic TPC Sawgrass.

This is the unofficial fifth major, and a quick look at the field confirms that this is an event that all the big guns want to win.  If the weather holds, a spectacular week of elite golf awaits….and coming off such a big win week, we simply cannot wait!

Last Weekend’s Fantasy Results from the Wells Fargo Championship

What a week it was at the Wells Fargo for our fantasy picks and boy were we glad to see lots of Premium Members cashing in big time!

Our Top Tier pick was John Rahm who was in contention before paring 18 when he needed an eagle to force a playoff.  Regardless, Rahm was a cheaper option than DJ by $2,000 in DraftKings and he put up 91.50 fantasy points while DJ grabbed 93.5.

As mentioned earlier, our Tuesday Sleeper Report was the real winner last week as all five sleeper picks mading the cut including the winner Brian Harman who we had high hopes for last week.  In case you missed it, here’s what we had to say about Harman heading into the week:

Harman is on a list of ‘scouts’ who visited Eagle Point a few weeks ago, and for a player who is rounding up to some nice form that’s a handy angle in.

His last four starts read T13-MC-T9-T14, and while we’re happy enough to overlook the last number at the team-based Zurich Classic his T9 at the RBC Heritage – played in windy South Carolina – cannot be missed.

A brilliant putter who comes alive on and around the green, if Harman performs off the tee this week he should create plenty of chances to birdie up.

Harman was a brilliant putter indeed, as he came alive with an enormous event winning putt on 18 which catapulted him to 106 fantasy points, earning DFS players enough to bank some nice coin.

As for our FanDuel picks, well, someone used our picks and mixed and matched them almost to perfection.   Take a look at the following roster.  Someone out there used our FanDuel picks in combination with our Sleeper Report picks and cruised right into a $20,000 winning weekend.

THE PLAYERS Championship Field

The field list this week reads like a who’s who of golf in 2017.  Name a top pro and you can rest assured they are in this field, with members of last season’s top 125 on the FedExCup invited alongside anybody that has won a tournament in the past year (including Justin Rose as defending Olympic champion), anyone that features in the OWGR top 50 and any winners of The Open, THE PLAYERS, and the Arnold Palmer Invitational that don’t feature in any of the above categories.  It’s mighty stacked, put it that way.

There are some interesting narratives to watch unfold as well.  Dustin Johnson, who has finished no worse than T2 in each of his last four starts, has only recorded one top-30 finish in seven starts at Sawgrass; will that run continue this week?

Jason Day equalled the course record here 12 months ago on his way to victory, and he became just the fifth wire-to-wire winner in the event’s history.  Can he recapture his best form at a track he so loves?

Sergio Garcia tees up for the first time since slipping into the Green Jacket, while Rory McIlroy will make his first bow since slipping a wedding ring on the finger of his new wife.

The likes of Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama, Rickie Fowler, and Henrik Stenson will be looking for a morale-boosting victory ahead of the US Open, while young pretenders such as Brooks Koepka, Tony Finau, and Tyrell Hatton will be looking to cash in on some handy recent form to get their hands on a prestigious piece of silverware.

As non-majors go, it doesn’t get much better than this.

This Week’s Course Preview

What superlatives can be bestowed upon TPC Sawgrass that haven’t already been given?

It all began in the 1970s when then PGA TOUR commissioner Deane Beman wanted a permanent home for THE PLAYERS Championship, and Pete Dye was tasked with constructing a course with the specific aim of devising a stretch that a) didn’t favor a single style of play, and b) requires players to play a variety of shots.

From those blueprints, TPC Sawgrass was born.

After the 2016 edition of the event some changes were made, with TifEagle Bermudagrass planted on the greens to provide a sterner, quicker test of resolve, and the transformation of the 12th hole into a risk-and-reward driveable Par 4 with a new bunker and wider lake implemented.

One feature of Sawgrass that hasn’t changed is the iconic seventeenth, with its island green offering a test of intestinal fortitude as much as accurate iron game.  In 2016, some 36 players succumbed to a watery grave here.

Today, TPC Sawgrass is a 7,215 yard stretch that remains steadfast to Beman’s original vision.  Bombers have no advantage here, and instead it is those who are accurate off the tee – and can navigate their way from fairway to green in a creative and precise way, who tend to prosper.

The greens are minuscule by PGA TOUR standards, and approximately half the holes are wood or iron off the tee.  Hitting tons of dancefloors and putting well on speedy surfaces is a must this week.

Weather Forecast for Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

It’s a similar feel this week in Florida as to what has been experienced on tour for the recent past, with sunny spells, high winds and occasional thunderstorms predicted.

Thursday and Friday are set fair enough with ‘Mostly Sunny’ the reasonably optimistic forecast offered by the weathermen.  Winds of 12-16 mph will be a factor, however.

On Saturday the long range forecast is suggesting morning thunderstorms; keep an eye on this though as of course this is subject to change in the coming days.  With winds tickling 18 mph, Saturday can be christened ‘Moving Day’ for a variety of reasons.

The good news is that, for now at least, Sunday is set fair with sunny spells and the lightest winds of the week; albeit a still considerable 11 mph.

Last Year’s Results from THE PLAYERS Championship

An opening round of 63 set the tone for Jason Day 12 months ago….and he never looked back from that point onward.

He followed up with a 66 on Friday to assert his authority on the rest of the field, and at the halfway point only Francesco Molinari and Shane Lowry offered any competition despite being five and six shots back respectively.

Day stumbled at the weekend with rounds of 73 and 71, but in truth the damage had already been done with only five players – Kevin Chappell (-11) and Ken Duke, Colt Knost, Matt Kuchar and Justin Thomas (all -10) – within a handful of shots of the Aussie.

Where to Play Fantasy Golf for THE PLAYERS Championship this Week

We all know that daily fantasy sites up their game for the big tournaments, and DraftKings has certainly come up with the goods this week with their varied array of contests.  But, don’t forget to check out FanDuel as well, as they’ve also thrown their hat in the ring by offering fantasy golf contests this year.

Whether you play for fun or big bucks, you will find the perfect contest for your needs this week.

• PGA $40k Albatross: The beauty of compiling a well-researched line-up is that you have the edge over less informed players, who might have a financial edge over you but not one as far as drafting a solid team goes.  So, single entry contests are where you will prosper; this one features a top prize of $4,000 for a $12 buy in.
• PGA $700K Pressure Putt: This won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but if you enjoyed a decent cash haul courtesy of our selections last week then why not reinvest them here: for a $444 stake, you could be $100k better off by the close of Sunday.

This Week’s Fantasy Notes for THE PLAYERS Championship

Surprisingly given all we know about Sawgrass, Jason Day actually topped the charts for Driving Distance – which goes against everything we thought about the venue as a ‘pick and place’ kind of track.

But then the rest of the top five of that stat – Shane Lowry, Brooks Koepka, Brendan Steele and Sean O’Hair – finished T16, T35, T57, and T64 respectively, so perhaps that should be used a guide rather than evidence of something concrete.  The fact that Day hit 58% of fairways to go with his length helped.

The Aussie hit 72.22% of greens in regulation (T15) and ranked thirteenth for Putting Average, so the organisers of this event have stayed true to their word of presenting an all-round test of skill.

It will come as no surprise to learn that Day gained a huge amount of strokes on the field from tee to green (+2.783) and on the greens themselves (+1.455).  He played the Par 3s in +1, the Par 4s in -9 and the Par 5s in -7.

A link between THE PLAYERS Championship and RBC Heritage (Harbour Town Links) has been mentioned a few times by the players.  Harbour Town is a short track designed by Pete Dye which tests all round ball striking in windy conditions, so clearly the link is there.  Matt Kuchar has won both events, Jim Furyk has won at Harbour Town and finished second at Sawgrass, while both Kevin Kisner and Zach Johnson have finished runner up in both events.  This seems a decent angle of attack to us.

Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win THE PLAYERS Championship

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Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2016-2017)

Total Top 3s

Total Top 10s

Total Top 25s

Total Winners Picked

Total Runners-Up Picked

Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)

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