PGA DFS is back! The tour returns after the most extended break in over two years, so getting back to the DFS golf grind might be a bit different this year. With the Sentry Tournament of Champions being the first tournament to be played in 2022, it is time to sharpen fantasy golf skills and review all the data.
As the clocks turn into a new year, the winners of the last season ascend into Maui. Cut out of the most northwest corner of the second-largest island of Hawaii, the town of Kapalua embodies the Hawaiian spirit like no other. Magnificent, picturesque beaches, hikes along the rocky coast and a world-class golf course are all part of the ambiance of Kapalua. The Four Seasons resort is where all the players stay and arguably the easiest access the players’ fans have all year.
PGA DFS & Fantasy Golf Preview: Sentry Tournament of Champions
Since 1999 the Tournament of Champions has been held in Maui. Sentry, the title sponsor of the event, signed a 10-year deal in 2020 to remain as such. This tournament has a unique setup that offers the chance for any golfer that won a PGA Tour event last season to compete for four rounds in a no-cut event to kick off the year. The Kapalua Plantation course has plenty of remarkable sights and sounds and also offers a unique layout as the only par 73 on the PGA Tour’s course rotation.
Kapalua Plantation Course
The North Course at Silverado Resort & Spa is the actual venue for the week. It is a par 72 measuring just shy of 7,200 yards and was not all that much of a test for the golfers last year, with a scoring average of 70. 1. That was good for 1.8 under par, ranking it eighth easiest on the PGA Tour.
Par and Yardage
- Par 73: 7,600 yards
Course Difficulty
- 20/41 or 72.27 -.75 average
Hole Dispersion:
- Par 3’s: 218, 203, 164
- Par 4’s : 520, 380, 424, 422, 516, 354, 420, 407, 305, 365, 549
- Par 5’s: 532, 521, 555, 663
Grass Types & Hazards
- Grass Type: Tifeagle Bermuda on the greens and Celebration Bermuda everywhere else.
- Average Green: 8,700 square feet
- Water Hazards: They call them ravines, and there are plenty.
- Bunkers: 93
- Rough Length: 2.5 inches
Designer
- Coore & Crenshaw
Best Stats for DFS Golf Picks This Week
- Off the Tee: Missing the fairway will not be a problem this week, as golfers hit almost 80% each ye r. Inevitably that will lead to higher greens in regulation as well, as pro golfers do not often miss the green when in the fairway.
- Approach to the Green: Above-average fairways hit will mean above-average greens in regulation, coming in around 80% last year.
- Around the Green: The green complexes at Kapalua are the defense of the course, boasting difficulty around the green complexes and larger-than-standard greens.
- On the Green: An average size of 8,700 feet, these greens are some of the biggest on the PGA Tour. That will inevitably lead to a few three-putts this week.
Course History at Kapalua Plantation Course
Thirty-nine golfers are scheduled to tee it up this week, and none that have at least four starts in the event have a better 18-hole scoring average than Jordan Spieth. His four trips have yielded a first, second, a third and a ninth. Patrick Reed has seven starts since 2014 and has two-second place finishes, a win and a sixth-place finish, but his other three events saw him finish outside of the top five. Jon Rahm also gets a note, as he has come in the top 10 in all four trips to Kapalua, coming in second, eighth, 10th and seventh in his four tries. He and Spieth are the only two that can say that.
PGA DFS Golf Sweat Sheet and Fantasy Golf Preview
Slate Preview
To open up the season, DraftKings puts out a solid offering, albeit a smaller one than last year’s slate. The top GPP is $100,000 to first with $500,000 guaranteed and $15 to buy-in.
Sweat Sheet
Sentry Tournament of Champions PGA DFS Player Preview
Seven of the world’s top 10 will assemble in Maui this week, making it one of the strongest fields ever for the Tournament of Champions. In total 28 of the top 50 are playing, including world No. 1 Jon Rahm. Xander Schauffele has been close a few times at Kapalua Plantation course. Justin Thomas will be looking for his second win on Maui and his third on the Islands of Hawaii. Brooks Koepka returns for the first time since his wrist injury at Kapalua. That injury curtailed his entire season, announcing surgery just a few weeks later. Ten of the 39 golfers will be making their first trip out to Maui, and for Phil Mickelson this is his first since at least 2005. Other first timers include Cam Davis, Erik van Rooyen, Joel Dahmen and Sam Burns.
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Sentry Tournament of Champions Strokes Gained Review
Harris English showed how important the rest of the game is outside putting at Kapalua: Not very important at all. He gained just shy of seven strokes putting for the week and did not eclipse three strokes gained in any of the other three categories, finishing in a tie for 11th in strokes gained tee to green. Predicting the best putter for the week is undoubtedly the hardest thing in PGA DFS, but the best putters seem to putt well at Kapalua. Lastly, due to how wide these fairways are, there are not many strokes to be gained off the tee. Only Bryson DeChambeau and Sergio Garcia gained over a stroke on average per round last year.
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