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 handicap trending upwards (since my son, James, arrived it’s skyrocketing!) and a nose for analytics — according to Rotogrinders, I’m one of the top daily fantasy golf players and ranked inside the top five of all players. Come check out all of my analysis at Awesome.com — this year I’ve been able to profit over $100,000!
The Tournament: Valero Texas Open
Course: TPC San Antonio
Average Winning Score: -15
Average Cut: +1
Yardage: 7,430
Par: 72
Last year’s top finishers
Andrew Landry
Trey Mullinax
Joaquin Niemann
Jimmy Walker
Andrew Putnam
Skills emphasized: TPC San Antonio punishes players who are wild off the tee, and strokes gained on the approach has been absolutely paramount for winners since 2013.
The Favorite(s):
Rickie Fowler (Odds: 10/1, DraftKings $11,700, FanDuel $12,500) Rickie skipped last week’s match play, opting instead to play the week before a major, something he’s said he likes to do. It’s very possible that he made a trip to Augusta while the rest of the Tour was battling it out in Austin. Now he heads to San Antonio, with a charter waiting waiting the wings Sunday evening. It’ll be an even nicer ride if he’s also celebrating his second victory of the year.
Going Streaking: Players entering this week in great form
Jhonattan Vegas (Odds: 40/1, DraftKings $8,700, FanDuel $10,400) Jhonny has put together a nice stretch of golf, where he’s earned four straight top 30s, highlighted by a tie for third at the Players. He has a mixed bag of results in this event, but his form should supersede those poor finishes this time around.
Austin Cook (Odds: 80/1, DraftKings 8,200, FanDuel $9,200) Cook won a Fall Series event as a rookie, but he’s had a rough start to his sophomore season. But he cracked the top 10 at the Valspar, and he had a top-30 here last year, which adds to my confidence. The strength of the field really dictates these types of plays, and Cook provides a bit of safety if he continues to play well.
“Looks good off the tee:” A golfer in good form who may be in for a bad week
Matt Kuchar (Odds: 15/1, DraftKings $11,200, FanDuel $12,100) Look, Kuchar has been playing some great golf this year, but at this price tag off off a long week in Austin — and with Augusta looming — I just can’t pay the price this week.
“Out of Bounds:” A golfer who isn’t well known but may surprise
Scottie Scheffler (Odds: 150/1, DraftKings $6,900, FanDuel $8,100) This rising star placed second on the Web.com last week, so he’s playing well. He’s having a nice season down on the Web, and looks poised to join the PGA Tour full time next year, if not sooner. San Antonio offers a chance for him to make a move.
Mulligans: A player who has struggled but expects to play better
Jordan Spieth (Odds: 19/1, DraftKings $10,300, FanDuel $11,700) At this point, Spieth has taken up residence in my mulligan section. Last week he rallied from a big deficit against Billy Horschel to squeak out a tie, then beat Kevin Na. All he had to do was tie Bubba Watson, who had nothing to play for, and Spieth would advance. Then Spieth started four down through four and that was essentially it. Maybe this will be the week he puts the train back on the tracks, and maybe, just maybe the top-10 car will stop at Augusta.
Where to play this fantasy golf this week:
DraftKings:
1. $5 buy-in called “Drive the Green” with a top prize of $100,000 and a guaranteed prize pool of $400,000.
2. $ 444 buy-in called “Pressure Putt” ith a top prize of $50,000, and a guaranteed prize pool of $050,000.
3. $44 buy-in called “Club Twirl” with a top prize of $100,000 and a guaranteed prize pool of $250,000.
FanDuel:
1. $3 buy-in called “Stinger,” with a top prize of $1,500 and a guaranteed prize pool of $15,000
2. $7.77 buy-in called “Eagle,” with a top prize of $10,000 and a guaranteed prize pool of $60,000.
3. $333 buy-in called “Monster,” with a top prize of $10,000 and a guaranteed prize pool of $20,000.
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 golf show at 9 PM Wednesdays.
