This column is a quick-hitter article to give you the stats you need to make informed PGA DFS picks for your DraftKings and FanDuel daily fantasy lineups and find a couple recommendations for the second round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic. In a typical Showdown GPP, DraftKings will offer upwards of $50,000 to first place for rounds 2 and 3 tournaments and sometimes up to $100,000 for the final-round contests. They also provide weekend-long contests that have been offering $25,000 to first place on the average. Lastly, FanDuel has also tried to get into the weekend-long and final-round contests, offering $10,000 and $5,000 to first place in their PGA DFS showdown contests.
Mayakoba Golf Classic Round 2 DraftKings PGA DFS Showdown Picks
Previous Round Recap
Morning Wave
With very early birdies from Rickie Fowler, I thought that we’d be in for another low scoring affair. But the winds, pun intended, changed quickly, and El Camaelon put up a tough test. Fowler would not continue his hot play, his volatility showed up quickly, directly after the two birdies he made triple bogey. He added another double bogey to his card and a couple of other bogeys, but made enough birdies to erase a few of them and sits at one under par. The leaders from this wave – who will have to sit and watch overnight leader Russell Knox go to work before them in the morning – are Emiliano Grillo & Joaquin Niemann. Niemann will be playing with Viktor Hovland who is also in position here in Mexico, along with Justin Thomas, who could not get it going in round one, shooting a one-over 72.
Grillo and Niemann shared a two-shot lead when their day was done, but conditions seemed to get easier as the day went on.
Afternoon Wave:
Everyone is chasing Russell Knox here after round one, but he’ll have plenty of close competitors from his wave going out early with him tomorrow morning. In fact, everyone in the top-10, other than Niemann and Grillo, is from this wave. That includes Tony Finau, Akshay Bhatia, past champion Brendon Todd and Mexico’s own Carlos Ortiz.
PGA DFS Showdown Slate Preview
Lock Time
6:50 a.m. EST
Fantasy Golf Contest Preview
DraftKings
- DraftKings is offering $20,000 to first and $60,000 guaranteed for the second-round slate.
FanDuel
- FanDuel is offering $2,000 to first and $12,000 guaranteed for the second-round slate.
General Strategy and Mayakoba Golf Classic PGA DFS Picks
With the course playing abnormally hard, golfer’s short games and putting will definitely be more in focus. Although quality ball-striking can prevail, we still want someone that has the skills to save themselves around these tough green complexes.
Top-10
Viktor Hovland & Brendon Todd
While one might think these guys get it done in vastly different ways, there aren’t really two ways of getting it done on this course. You have to be accurate off the tee and, assuming you are, hit the greens after that. Todd and Hovland did just that in round one, leading the field in greens in regulation and both in the top-10 in driving accuracy, while Todd led the field in the category. I like both to anchor lineups tomorrow, they may not even be heavy targets with Niemann, Finau and Grillo right there as well.
PGA DFS Picks From Outside the top 10:
- Austin Cook ($7,200) A quick glance at the stats we have for this tournament shows us that Cook putted horribly in round one. He was 10th in driving accuracy, and in the mid-thirties in terms of GIR, but his putting? He ranked 103rd! Let’s bet on that coming around tomorrow.
- Rickie Fowler ($9,100) He may be volatile, but Fowler also led the field in birdies in round one. If he can clean up his tee game and keep giving himself putts. His new putter is rolling right now, you don’t want to stop Rickie when he’s on a roll. He’s one of the best.
- Brian Stuard ($6,900) Typically a good putter, Stuard has been off lately with the flat stick. But his ball-striking seems to be there, ranking third in driving accuracy and 36th in greens in regulation. His putts per GIR? Not so much, he ranked 113th. Tied with another golfer that’s also typically a very good putter, Andrew Putnam.
Lineup Fill-Ins
Justin Thomas ($10,600)
Daniel Berger ($9,700)
Rory Sabbatini ($7,400)
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