Welcome to the Fantasy Six Pack! If this is your first time joining us, we highlight six golfers to use in two popular fantasy golf platforms, DraftKings and FanDuel. On each, you must select six golfers for your lineup under a specific salary cap. (DraftKings $50,000, FanDuel $60,000.) A little about me: I’m a golf nut with a 1.3 handicap and a nose for analytics — according to Rotogrinders, I’m one of the top daily fantasy golf players and ranked inside the top 25 of all players. Come check out all of my analysis at Awesemo.com.
Recap of last week
All four picks finished inside the top 10, and although we didn’t pick the winner it was a pretty good showing. On to the Sony!
The Tournament: Sony Open
Course: Waialae Country Club
Average Winning Score: -17
Average Cut: -1
Yardage: 7,000 yards
Par: 70
Last year’s top finishers
Patton Kizzire
James Hahn
Tom Hoge
Brian Harman
Brian Stuard
Skills emphasized: Unlike last week at Kapalua, where driver was arguably the most important club in the bag, Waialae is shorter and tighter. Thus, a heavier emphasis has been put on Strokes Gained Approach, and of course, putting.
The Favorites:
Justin Thomas (Odds: 6/1, DraftKings $11,400, FanDuel $12,300) Thomas has played some incredible golf in Hawaii over the last few years, including a round of 59 at Waialae on his way to victory in 2017. Thomas placed third last week in Kapalua but led the field in approaches. If he carries that into this week, he could dominate the field.
Going Streaking: Players entering this week in great form
Abraham Ancer (Odds: 40/1 DraftKings $8,800, FanDuel $9,300) Ancer won the Australian Open last fall, capping a run of three top fives in nine starts on the PGA Tour. He enters this Sony in much better form than last year, where he missed the cut. The price is right, and I look for Ancer to kick off ‘19 with a strong performance.
Patton Kizzire (Odds: 50/1, DraftKings $7,900, FanDuel $8,800) Kizzire stays on our list after finishing 10th last week as the third-cheapest golfer on the board. He carded an ace in the first round and carried that momentum forward, save for Friday’s round when the wind was howling. He now jumps over to Oahu to defend his Sony Open title. With good form and a cheap salary, I’m dialing him up this week.
Scott Piercy (Odds: 50/1, DraftKings $7,600, FanDuel $9,500) Piercy heads to one of his favorite stops after firing a Sunday 69 to finish T-19 in Maui. Last week he gained almost a half stroke with his approaches, and that kind of performance would serve him even better this week.
Andrew Putnam (Odds: 60/1, DraftKings $7,400, FanDuel $9,600) Quietly, Putnam is putting together a fantastic stretch of golf. He’s made 21 of his last 22 cuts, with 10 top-25s. That includes his win at the Barracuda Championship, a runner-up at the Fed Ex St. Jude and a fourth-place finish at the HSBC Champions. He also gained just about 1.75 shots on his approaches on Sunday at Kapalua, which should translate well on Oahu.
Mulligans: A player who has struggled but expects to play better
Jordan Spieth (Odds: 16/1, DraftKings $10,300, FanDuel $11,400) Since I started playing fantasy golf, this is the cheapest I’ve seen Spieth in a non-major/WGC/Players Championship. But he’s coming off a letdown of a season. It all started in Hawaii last year, where he announced he was recovering from mono, and really never hit his stride. Of course, a new year is here, and it’s his chance at a fresh start.
Where to play this fantasy Golf this week
1. $5 buy-in called “Tee To Green,” with a top prize of $30,000 and a guaranteed prize pool of $300,000.
2. $333 buy-in called “Club Pro,” with a top prize of $50,000, and a guaranteed prize pool of $150,000.
3. $33 buy-in called “Dogleg,” with a top prize of $30,000 and a guaranteed prize pool of $150,000.
1. $7 buy-in called “Eagle,” with a top prize of $10,000 and a guaranteed prize pool of $40,000.
2. $333 buy-in called “Monster,” with a top prize of $10,000 and a guaranteed prize pool of $60,000.
That’s it for this week, folks! As always, check my bio below if you’d like to get in touch.
Jason Rouslin is the lead golf analyst for Awesemo.com. He has been playing golf for the last 20 years, betting on golf for the last five and writing about golf for the last two. Connect with him on twitter @dfsgolfer23 or check him out on the @rotogrinders live golf show on Tuesday’s @ 8 PM and on the live @Awesemo_Com betting show at 11:30 AM.
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