PGA DFS Picks: This column is a quick-hitter article to give you the stats you need to make informed decisions for your PGA DFS lineups and give you a couple of recommendations. Not a member of Awesemo+? Sign up HERE to get access to Awesemo’s premium projections and rankings for DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo and FantasyDraft, as well as Jason Rouslin’s in-tournament models.
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Tournament Update
DraftKings is offering $10,000 to first for the second-round slate, and $2,000 for the late-round slate.
Friday WeatherÂ
The run of great weather since the Sony Open should continue.
PGA DFS Round 1 Recap
J.B. Holmes, a two-time winner of the event, sped out to an early lead. And while it looked like Jon Rahm might catch him on the back nine, a late bogey stopped that. But then Wyndham Clark took the stage for the best round he may ever have as a professional. He gained 9.6 strokes on the field. Billy Horschel scraped together a bogey-free 63 and sits just two back. Byeong Hun An had another good opening round here, and could put himself into a position to win again.
PGA DFS Statistical AnalysisÂ
Clark was superb but wasn’t even the top gainer tee to green. That title went to Sung Kang, who gained 5.69 but lost two-putting. J.J. Spaun hit every green, the only man to do so, but was also bad with the putter. Five other golfers, including Talor Gooch, Patrick Rodgers and Hudson Swafford, all came in hitting 16 of 18 greens. Now we turn to the pivotal shots gained ball strikings versus shots gained putting (SG: BS vs. SG: P), where the aforementioned Kang gained 6.74 more strokes ball striking than putting. Cameron Tringale wasn’t far behind, gaining six more strokes, with Tyler Duncan, Christ Stroud and Joel Dahmen all gaining at least five more strokes ball striking. Keith Mitchell also gets an honorable mention.
For the full list of statistics, click here.
PGA DFS Second-Round PicksÂ
Top-10 Pick
On our show on Wednesday, Ben’s hot take was that a South Korean would win. We mentioned Sungjae Im, Hun An and Kang, but we didn’t mention K.J. Choi. And it was a superb round from the oldest Korean on tour, who gained almost four strokes putting on the day. I want someone going out early though, and as much as it pains me, I’m going to Billy Horschel.Â
Billy Horschel ($7,500)
Horschel is a form golfer and a good putter. While his putter is the engine, once that gets rolling and his irons click, he’s dangerous. At $7,500, he allows you to play any pair or trio of studs you so choose and you get a guy that knows these greens better than most. He gained almost two on the approaches and five with the flat stick, but even if that regress to more normal territories, his salary won’t be hard to pay off.
PGA DFS Stud or Value Pick Outside of Top 10
Xander Schauffele ($9,500)
Playing on PGA Tour live this morning, I was able to watch Schauffele bounce back from a missed cut. He, Rahm and Justin Thomas will obviously be popular tomorrow, seemingly in much better form than Webb Simpson. Schauffele was a bit off with his irons, only gaining .18 on the day, but his off-the-tee game was superb, gaining 2.52 strokes.
Sneaky Pick Outside of Top 10
Keith Mitchell ($6,300)
I’m ready to buy back in, as I did in the week long. Mitchell gained 4.3 strokes ball striking, something we hadn’t seen for a little bit. He also matched the field in putting, or almost, losing only .05, hence why he had a good round shooting 68. He also gives you a ton of salary flexibility and plenty of birdie looks. He just needs to clean up his around-the-green game.
PGA DFS Lineup Fill-InsÂ
Collin Morikawa ($9,400)
Nate Lashley ($6,800)
Sam Burns ($6,600)
