DraftKings offers salary-cap based fantasy golf games and a roster of six golfers is required for this week’s Greenbrier Classic on the US PGA Tour. Participants have a fixed salary cap of $50,000 to be used to draft their line-up. Golfers will accumulate points for scoring on each hole and tournament finishing positions from first to 50th place. There are also bonus points to be awarded for streaks and specific special circumstances.
This year sees the fifth renewal of the tournament and again the host course is the Old White TPC at White Sulphur Springs in West Virginia. The course is one of the easiest par 70s on the schedule and puts a premium on accuracy over distance. In winning last year Angel Cabrera was fourth for driving accuracy and first for greens hit. However, good putting is also important as the last two winners were fourth or better for birdies.
The key to identifying potential winners of golf tournaments is focusing on the three main areas of course form, current form and suitability to the host course which can be identified with reference to Tour statistics. The term horses for courses can be applied to golf as some players are suited to a test of accuracy while others excel when there is more need for distance. With the three elements of scoring in mind here are six players for this week’s roster:
This Week’s Golf Fantasy Selections
Brendon de Jonge has yet to win on Tour and realise the potential that he showed in 2008 when he was the Nationwide Tour Player of the Year. He has wasted some winning opportunities and until he gets the job done on a Sunday there will be doubts that he can win at this level. However, if he is to claim that elusive first title this time of the year between the US and British Opens will give him the best window. He is the only player in the field in the top 50 for driving accuracy, greens in regulation and total birdies. He also boasts strong course which means he has the best profile this week.
Carl Pettersson has made the cut in each of the five Greenbrier Classics at Old White TPC so clearly has a game suited to the course. His best effort was in 2011 when he finished five shots behind the winner. He looks to have the profile to contend again this week in a relatively weak field due to the tournament’s place in the schedule. Many of the leading players are honing their games away from the competitive arena ahead of facing the demands of links golf in the British Open at St Andrews in two weeks. Pettersson scores highly for total birdies and made the top ten last week.
Tony Finau is an emerging talent who has begun to figure on leader boards on Sunday afternoon. He is a graduate of the Web.com Tour where he won one tournament last season. He finished 12th in the Tour Finals which earned him his PGA Tour card for this year and he is taking advantage of the opportunity. He has made his last two cuts including when finishing seven shots off the pace in the US Open. He is no more than average for accuracy but leads the Tour for birdies and that stat makes him a leading contender this week.
Graham Delaet is another player who has been knocking on the door in pursuit of his first PGA title. He has now played in 123 events and had three second places, each in the last two years. He has missed five cuts in 18 weeks this season but has a great deal in his favour in the context of the Greenbrier Classic. He was just two shots out of the play-off last Sunday and had a run of three cuts made leading up to the US Open. Despite not having an ideal game for the Old White TPC he combines solid current and course form.
Kevin Na can be unpredictable and sometimes lets his emotions get the better of him especially when things are going wrong on the greens. He takes ages over putts and gives his caddie a stare when the ball does not run how he anticipates. However, he has won on Tour and can compete at this level on a course suited to his game. His form has dipped after a good run in May and he has made three cuts in five years in this week’s tournament. That consistency allied to good numbers for birdies can get him in the mix this week.
Keegan Bradley does not figure in the top 50 for the two key accuracy skills but is another player in a good run of form who is proven over a number of years on the course. He won the USPGA Championship in 2011 in his first appearance in a major and has become the cheerleader for the US Ryder Cup team. The latest of Bradley’s 3 PGA Tour wins was in 2012 but he is a consistent cut maker who can win at this level. He is a top 25 player for total birdies and that aptitude can compensate for average accuracy statistics.
Click here for PGA Tour statistics.
