This column is a quick-hitter article to give you the data to make informed PGA DFS picks for your DraftKings and FanDuel daily fantasy golf lineups. Alongside the data, we will also provide a few player recommendations for round three of the RSM Classic at Sea Island. There is plenty of PGA DFS action available, even if you missed the main slate on Thursday.
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PGA DFS Preview: The RSM Classic Round 3 | DraftKings + FanDuel
The RSM Classic used a multi-course rotation for rounds one and two but will now pivot to the Seaside Course for the weekend.
Round 2 Roundup: Seaside Course
Joel Dahmen had one of the rounds of the week so far. His nine-under 61 has a good chance of standing as the low round of the week when the tournament ends. Dahmen gained in every facet of his game, and on the seaside course to boot. He’s still seven-back heading into the weekend, but if Robert Streb stumbles and Dahmen continues this form, he can certainly get back into this in a hurry. In fact, dating back to last year, in three rounds at the Seaside Course Dahmen was top-five in strokes gained tee-to-green.
Keegan Bradley continued his fine form, gaining almost four strokes tee-to-green in round two. But the putter deserted Bradley, as he lost just over three strokes on the green for the day.
Brian Stuard and Matthew NeSmith both carded 63s for their rounds, joining Dahmen as the only three scores from golfers on the Seaside Course that landed inside the tournament top-10. The plantation course played far easier in round two. In fact, Stuard and NeSmith had the wave that played the Plantation course on Friday have a 1.3 stroke advantage over the other wave, a pretty large dispersion.
The scoring average for round two on the Seaside Course was 69.78 or -0.22.
Round 2 Roundup: Plantation Course.
Winds were reduced across the Plantation for round two and three of the par-fives played downwind from tee-to-green, opening avenues to much lower scores. There were two nine-under 63s and another six scores that were at 66 or better. 2015 RSM Classic Champion Robert Streb has hit 81% of his greens over the first two rounds and sits atop the leaderboard, with a two-stroke lead over Camilo Villegas. PGA Tour live coverage picked Steb up today around hole eight, along with Bronson Burgoon and Will Gordon. Gordon provided another epic cut sweat as a core play of mine this week. When the cut failed to fall back to two-under, Gordon and I were on the outside looking in.
Kyle Stanley and Sepp Straka, who carded a back-nine 29 on Friday, also put themselves into position for a weekend run. Local residents Harris English, Patt Kizzire and Zach Johnson, all played the plantation course at five-under or better to remain in contention as well. If you were able to avoid a ton of chalk this week, while dodging the cut six of six times, with a lineup that features a couple of these guys, then congratulations; you’ve got a chance this weekend.
via CutSweats
PGA DFS Slate Preview | DraftKings + FanDuel
Contest Preview
Lock Time
9:50 a.m. EST
DraftKings
- $20,000 to first and an $80,000 guaranteed prize pool for the RSM Classic third-round fantasy golf Showdown slate.
- $10,000 to first and a $50,000 guaranteed prize pool for the RSM Classic weekend-long PGA DFS Showdown slate.
FanDuel
- $2,000 to first and an $8,000 guaranteed prize pool for their RSM Classic third-round fantasy golf slate
- $1,000 to first and a $5,000 guaranteed prize pool for their RSM Classic weekend-long slate
General Strategy and PGA DFS Picks
With conditions a bit lighter in round two, scores got better. The winds are supposed to stay away as warmer weather moves back in over the weekend. This should only help with scoring. In terms of catching the leaders, it’s all about what Streb will do from the top of the leaderboard. Can he extend the lead and distance himself? Or, will Seaside get the best of him tomorrow, opening up the tournament? If Streb goes out and shoots 71, that would mean someone at five-under could get back to the lead with a 65. We’ve seen that score or better a few times already here this week.
PGA DFS Picks: Golfers Inside the Current Top-10
I think the rooting interests of most of the golf world are understandably with Camilo Villegas this weekend. Then there’s a four-pack of locals that all will be gunning for the title. With that local knowledge and their respective games in form, I like all four of them to stay involved. Taking ownership into account, I would rank them:
- Zach Johnson
- Patton Kizzire
- Kevin Kisner
- Harris English.
PGA DFS Picks From Outside the Top-10
- Joel Dahmen ($7,100) All-in on Joel Dahmen this week for all the reasons I said above. He has the added benefit of being cheap.
- Keith Mitchell ($6,300) Another local who has found some form this week, Mitchell can get himself into it with a good round on Saturday. He gained over two strokes tee-to-green in round one on the Seaside Course. If his putter cooperates the way it did in round two on the Plantation Course, Mitchell could make a great weekend play.
- Peter Malnati ($7,300) Here we are again. Malnati has commented multiple times how hard he’s been working and how good he feels on the course. He’s in the thick of the tournament, sitting just seven-back of Streb. Malnati didn’t finish great today, but his work from Thursday’s round at the Seaside Course bolstered him and he should be relevant for daily fantasy golf this weekend. The full tournament field moves back to Seaside for the final two rounds, which could play to Malnati’s advantage.
- Webb Simpson ($10,400) The round of the day is likely to come from either Simpson, Tommy Fleetwood, or Ty Hatton. They are simply the three best players left in this field. At least, that’s what I’m surmising. We typically see the best players make a run over the weekend, and this trio is familiar with that. Fleetwood has already done it a few times on the European Tour. I will try to play all three in a a few of my lineups tomorrow.
PGA DFS Lineup Fill-Ins
- Tommy Fleetwood ($9,800)
- Charles Howell II ($7,700)
- Cameron Tringale ($7,600)
- Matt Wallace ($7,700)
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