This coming weekend, fantasy golf is shifting its attention away from the PGA, and looking to the Olympics. The best in the world will be competing, even if many of the big names from the PGA Tour are absent. This is one of the biggest stages in the world, even for golf, and drafting a strong fantasy team is a must if you want to be competitive for this tournament.
Henrik Stenson: Ranked number one by DraftKings, with a salary of $12,400, is Henrik Stenson. Stenson has had a strong season, and there’s no surprises in him being ranked number one. He has made the cut 15 out of 18 times, and has made the top ten 9 times. He has two wins on the season, including The Open Championship where he had one of the most impressive wins in the history of the Major Championships. Stenson has an average stroke count per round of 70.2, and although this isn’t the best in the field, it is still fairly strong. He is a contender for a medal, and the only thing holding us back from strongly recommending that you draft him is his steep price tag. If you can fit him in your roster, go ahead. Most people will not be able to do so without making big sacrifices elsewhere.
Rickie Fowler: Fowler has the lowest average stroke per round in the entire field with his 69.6, and with a salary of $10,900, he’s probably one of the best value picks entered here. He has made 14 out of 19 cuts, has 8 top ten finishes, and a win. Fowler has struggled a bit with some of the bigger tournaments this season, but his form was greatly improved at the PGA Championship, despite a T33 finish. Fowler is not the strongest pick here, but with a salary so low, you would be foolish to pass by on him without at least seeing if he fit in with your other golfers.
Bubba Watson: Watson is one of the most talented golfers in the field, and his salary is even lower than Fowler’s at $10,500. Watson has had a weaker than expected season thanks to an injury early in the season. He missed a few tournaments, and those that he did compete in, he did not show himself to be as strong as he has been in the past. Even with all of this against him, he’s made 15 out of 15 cuts, and has made the top ten on 4 occasions. Watson is primed to do well here, and with his price tag, that’s a risk that we are very comfortable taking on.
Matt Kuchar: Kuchar is one of the few golfers with an average stroke count under 70, and this is extremely surprising considering how cheap he is with a salary of $10,100. Kuchar has made the cut in 19 out of 21 tourneys, and has placed in the top ten 8 times. He also has a very strong fantasy point total at 72.3. That’s certainly not the best there is seeing as Stenson’s number stands up over 80, but Kuchar is consistent, and he’s cheaper than some of the bigger names that have performed worse than him.
Danny Willett: Willett is a strong golfer, and he has an attractive price tag at $9,900. He has a lower average stroke count per round than Stenson with a 70.1, and he has some nice stats in other places, too. He has made 13 out of 16 cuts, and has made the top ten 6 times. Even with a record like this, we are a bit wary of Willett, simply because he seems to be hit or miss. He had a surprise win at The Masters, but was cut the next tourney at The Players Championship. At his most recent event—the PGA Championship—he finished T79. Willett is a good golfer, but he’s not consistent enough for our liking, even at this price.
