The Winning Element: PGA DFS Optimizer Picks & Projections for Sony Open DraftKings & FanDuel Lineups

All of the PGA DFS content and picks this week are geared toward providing information that will help with DraftKings and FanDuel daily fantasy golf and PGA odds and betting decisions in the best way possible. With the help of the Awesemo expert , this is the last of the week-long written PGA fantasy picks material for DraftKings and FanDuel at the 2022 Sony Open in Hawaii.

DraftKings & FanDuel PGA DFS Optimizer Picks & Projections | Sony Open

This column will include 6 to 12 players as part of the core, which earns my highest allocation on DFS and is matched with bets across the board. After all of my favorites, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay teed it up last tournament, none of them decided to play this week.

PGA Weather Forecast

For the second straight week in Hawaii, the pros will have absolutely perfect conditions with little wind. Expect low scoring once again.

Slate Preview

Total expected player pool: 56

Expected number of lineups created: 100-300

Sony Open PGA Fantasy Golf Picks for DraftKings & FanDuel

These golfers will have anywhere between 20% and 50% allocation.

Sungjae Im ($10,300 DraftKings/$11,500 FanDuel)

The Im run is well underway, as elite golf and top-end consistency seem to be here to stay. Last week he did not excel in any category but was positive in all four measured strokes gained statistics. If his irons click just a tad more this week, he should be in line for another top-five finish here this week. Right now he is projected to be the third-highest-owned golfer in the slate, but with a full field, that ownership should get above 25%. I will not get a full 2x on him with his projected ownership, but he will still come in as one of the highest-owned golfers in the player pool this week.

Marc Leishman ($10,000 DraftKings/$11,200 FanDuel)

While his price on DraftKings is a bit high, it keeps ownership down a bit — below 20% — for a guy who clearly loves this course and is in good form. He is a bit easier to fit into the lineup over on FanDuel and easiest on Yahoo. He is a core play this week regardless of the DFS site being played or sportsbook being bet on.

Corey Conners ($9,600 DraftKings/$11,000 FanDuel)

If one were to make a top five “learn how to putt” list, Conners would be at the top of it. His ball striking is elite — top five on the PGA Tour — which should yield way more victories than he has in his career: Just one. But with one of his best finishes on tour coming here at the Sony Open, a place that in the past where he has putt the best of anywhere in his career, he seems like one of the safest plays on the board. If the money is there, I will slide up to Leishman or Im, but if it is not, Conners is my third choice. Kevin Na and Abraham Ancer provide nice GPP targets this week, with lower ownership heading their way. They would be the second one in the lineup if skipping out on the $10,000-and-above section, pairing with Conners.

Erik van Rooyen ($8,200 DraftKings/$9,900 FanDuel)

One bad swing and one unlucky break are all that separated van Rooyen from a top-15 (or better) performance last week. Instead, he tied for 25th. The scoreboard was tight, and a three-hole stretch played in 3 over moved van Rooyen way down the leaderboard. So write that off and jump on low ownership for a golfer that seemed to be playing well last week; it is an easy decision.

Cam Davis ($8,000 DraftKings/$10,000 FanDuel)

The one lousy swing did not happen to Davis, as he finally bounced out of a nasty streak and came in the top 10 last week. Not only that, but he scored great and looked good in most of his strokes gained categories, just a bit lacking with his approaches. But those should level out this week against a weaker field and should carry a ton of momentum here this week, a place where he already has a top-10 in his career. Lastly, his ownership is below 10%. All these signs point to Davis this week.

Joel Dahmen ($7,600 DraftKings/$9,500 FanDuel)

While a few mental lapses cost him a few shots last week, Dahmen still put up over 110 DFS points and looked solid in his ball striking. He struggled with his short game, losing over five strokes for the week, something that should be negated due to easier green complexes at Waialae.

Denny McCarthy ($7,400 DraftKings/$9,100 FanDuel)

The month of November was great to McCarthy, who struggled for a bit up until then. He played three times and came in the top 15 in all three, carrying over a bit of a swing change from the offseason. He started working out with Bryson DeChambeau and added distance to his game, which has clearly helped him. He was not long nor accurate prior, so the added distance helps add a bit more to his strokes gained off the tee number. McCarthy is a great putter on top of all that, and he should be in line for a good finish in his first trip to the Sony Open.

Fantasy Golf Picks: $7,000 or less

While none of these golfers are strong enough to earn 20% allocation, they are the four highest-owned golfers in my player pool under $7,000 this week.

K.H. Lee ($7,000 DraftKings/$8,600 FanDuel)

Lee got better every day last week, capping off his tournament with a bogey-free 66. In Round 1 he lost 2.86 strokes tee to green; in Round 2 he lost 1.26; and in Round 3 he lost 0.62. Then finally he gained 1.22 on Sunday. That type of momentum should translate nicely this week, especially coming off a top-20 here last year.

Nick Hardy ($6,600/$7,900)

One of the better, if not the best, ball striker to graduate from the Korn Ferry Tour to the PGA Tour this year. His fall swing could have gone better, as he made three of four cuts, but his best finish was a tie for 26th at the Sanderson. He got to play here last year after Monday qualifying and came in 14th, showcasing his ball-striking skills by gaining over 5 1/2 strokes, split evenly between his approach play and off-tee play. Combine that with a solid foundation as a PGA Tour member now, and he has one of the highest upsides of anyone priced below $7,000 this week.

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PGA DFS Chalk Zone (Projected for 10%+ ownership)

E = Equal-Weight to projected ownership

U = Underweight to projected ownership

O = Overweight to projected ownership

1. Cam Smith (U)
2. Hideki Matsuyama (E to U)
3. Webb Simpson (E)
4. Kevin Na (O)
5. Harris English (U)
6. Billy Horschel (E)
7. Jason Kokrak (E to U)
8. Russell Henley (U)
9. Matt Jones (E to U)
10. Charles Howell III (E to U)
11. Christiaan Bezuidenhout (E to U)
12. Si Woo Kim (E)

Fringe PGA DFS Picks (12-17% of Lineups)

1. Abraham Ancer
2. Kevin Kisner
3. Brendan Steele
4. Tom Hoge
5. Keith Mitchell
6. Takumi Kanaya
7. Patton Kizzire
8. Branden Grace
9. Chad Ramey
10. Alex Smalley
11. Max McGreevy

Alternates (6-11% of Lineups)

1. Keita Nakajima
2. Sahith Theegala

Holes in One (1-5% of Lineups)

1. Hayden Buckley
2. Cameron Young
3. Greyson Sigg
4. Tyler Duncan
5. Kyle Stanley
6. Peter Malnati
7. Sepp Straka
8. Vincent Whaley
9. Chase Seiffert
10. Stephan Jaeger
11. J.T. Poston
12. Brandon Wu
13. Andy Ogletree
14. Adam Svensson
15. Trey Mullinax
16. David Lipsky
17. Austin Cook
18. Wesley Bryan
19. Jim Knows
20. Beau Hossler
21. Satoshi Kodaira
22. Hao-Tong Li

Of all of these golfers, Hayden Buckley has the most projected points. Click here to view the full field and his projection for the week.

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