Sunday Showdown
DraftKings created the single round showdown format last year for the PGA, and it has caught on enough to come back again for this year! Much to my surprise as well, the contest sizes are not bad at all! This column is meant to be a quick hitter article, give you the stats you need to make informed decisions, and give you a couple of recommendations to start your lineup.
Tournament Update- Tournament of Champions Round 3
Gary Woodland matched the field’s lowest score, with a 68 yesterday, highlighted by a massive eagle putt on 15. It’s likely someone in that pack that’s four behind will need a 65 or better to catch him today.
Round 3 Recap:
- Scoring Average: -2 (71.24) The lowest of any of the three days, and gets even lower when you X out Michael Kim’s 80, the worst score by 5.
- The 15th hole played the easiest of the day- yielding 22 birdies and one eagle.
- Followed by the 5th which yielded 19 birdies and two eagles while the 9th gave up its least amount of the tournament in round 3 surrounding only 14.
- There were four eagles made on the day.
- Matt Kuchar had the only bogey-free round
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Sunday Weather: in a word… Perfect
Expect some very low scoring today with little to no wind affecting the players.
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Round 4 Preview:
Model:
In Case the model didn’t load, here’s a snapshot of it.
Commentary:
Patton Kizzire continued his strong play, showing us that maybe round 2 was the outlier, rather than the standard. He and Andrew Landry seemed to get back most of the form they found on Thursday, and subsequently lost Friday. Satoshi Kodaira seems to be heading in the right direction, as well as Billy Horschel.
My Final Round Showdown Picks:
Stud Pick:
Bryson Dechambeau ($10,600) This is definitely an ownership play more so than a statistical one here, as he’s the highest priced golfer, and sits 5 back of woodland. With DJ returning to form yesterday, while JT and Rahm both played well, I suspect a lot of people will opt to fade Bryson. If I’m right, it’ll be a great pivot option for your lineups.
Value Pick:
Billy Horschel ($6,500) Billy hasn’t quite put together a round in which all of his game is clicking, but did manage to rebound in round 3 turning positive from tee 2 green, and just about matching the field in putting as well. With the wind expected to die down considerably today, look for his iron game to drastically improve, his worst performing stat yesterday. Price will dictate ownership here.
Sneaky Pick
Charles Howell III ($7,100) Howell has gotten better every round from Tee to Green, gaining 1.51 yesterday. This is the player we like to focus on, one that has found his stride a little bit more each round, add that to a cheap salary and he’s a must own for Sunday Showdown lineups.
My Final Round Head 2 Head matchups:
Since we get head to head matchups every day it can add a nice sweat to the already amazing viewing experience Hawaii golf provides. Below is the list (found on Sportsbook.com) that I like for today. * Also note that Sportsbook offers a spread on the match as well.
Bold is our pick to win.
Watson -.5 vs. Kim
Howell -.5 vs Merritt
Casey -.5 vs Putnam
Rahm -235 vs. Kizzire (parlay this with Watson -.5) or the next one
Johnson (-235) vs. Tway
That’s all for this week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions. Check back tonight for a full preview on the Sony Open, our first FULL-FIELD event of the new year!
