GOLF

Daily Fantasy Golf Helper for the AT&T Byron Nelson

Bud Cauley is running hot, and he's cheap on FanDuel. Who else should be on your PGA radar this week?

By now, you've probably dabbled in daily fantasy sports, but if not, don't worry. Now is a great time to start, especially with FanDuel now offering a brand new sport: PGA golf.

Golf can be one of the most exciting DFS sports to follow, as tournaments span four days and allow ample time to prepare each week, so be sure to familiarize yourself with the basics of building a lineup on FanDuel, the scoring setup, and advanced stats to know about the PGA.

But whether you're brand new to the PGA or daily fantasy sports in general, we have you covered.

Let's take a look at some golfers to target for the AT&T Byron Nelson.

Stats to Target

Based on the course makeup and field for TPC Four Seasons, these are some of the most vital stats to target this week. For a more detailed explanation why, check out our course primer for this week.

Key Stats for the AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Four Seasons
Greens in Regulation
Good Drive Percentage
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
Scrambling
Official World Golf Rankings


So, who has the right combination of stats, recent form, course history, and salary this week?

Best of the Best

Sergio Garcia (FanDuel Price: $10,200) - Garcia is going to be popular. He's a two-time winner (2004 and 2016) at this course and had a T20 in the only time he played here between 2008 and 2016 (in 2011). Having made 9 of 12 cuts at TPC Four Seasons, Garcia has course form. We all know he has recent form. And he also grades out well statistically, sitting 5th in the field in good drive rate, 4th in greens in regulation, 27th in scrambling, 13th in birdie or better, 11th in bogey avoidance, and 1st in strokes gained: off the tee among players in the field. Just prepare for high ownership.

Jordan Spieth ($10,500) - Last week, Spieth and Garcia were nearly identical in ownership at THE PLAYERS. Spieth missed the cut and continues to struggle. Still, he's seventh in the field in good drive rate, second in greens in regulation, and first in birdie or better and bogey avoidance among players in the field. He's made six of six cuts at his hometown course, though the results have been lacking. In sum, he'll probably be lower owned than he should be.

Louis Oosthuizen ($9,000) - Oosthuizen is 17th in the field in strokes gained: off the tee, 45th in good drive rate, 25th in greens in regulation, and 29th in scrambling. He's 18th in the Official World Golf Rankings and 28/1 to win, per bet365. Oosthuizen has made all 10 cuts this season on the PGA Tour and was T2 last week at THE PLAYERS. He missed the cut at this course last year but bounced back from an opening-round 73 with a 67 in Round 2.

Patrick Reed ($8,800) - Reed, the 15th-ranked golfer in the world, was nearly unowned last week at THE PLAYERS and finished T22. His price is up $600 on FanDuel this week, and he's still a solid 35/1 to win outright. The stats aren't great, as he's outside the top 100 in the field in good drive rate, greens in regulation, and scrambling, but Reed remains a world-class golfer and won't be popular this week. That's enticing in a volatile sport like PGA DFS.

Mid-Range Options

Jason Dufner ($8,000) - Dufner just continues to make cuts, having missed just one this season and three total dating back to February 2016. Dufner has reeled off six straight cuts at TPC Four Seasons, including three top 10s (one of which was a win in 2012). He also grades out strong in the stat categories we're looking at: 15th in the field in good drive rate, 37th in greens in regulation, 12th in birdie or better, and 21st in strokes gained: off the tee.

Tony Finau ($7,700) - Finau missed the cut at THE PLAYERS, and that's really all that might keep his ownership in check. He is 21st in the field in good drive percentage and 10th or better in greens in regulation, birdie or better rate, bogey avoidance, and strokes gained: off the tee. He's $9,200 on DraftKings, so we get some arbitrage action with Finau on FanDuel. Finau has shot 68 or better in all eight rounds at TPC Four Seasons, resulting in a T12 last year and a T10 in 2015.

Ryan Palmer ($7,200) - Palmer also missed the cut at THE PLAYERS but has three other top 11s in recent weeks and five of seven made cuts. Similar to his recent form, he missed the cut here last year but had been T10, T22, T33, T9, and 2 prior to that. He's 50/1 to win outright and looks like a strong mid-range play on FanDuel.

Keegan Bradley ($6,900) - Bradley, like Palmer, missed the cut in 2016 at this course but had been T22, T29, 2, T24, and a winner dating back to 2011 here. He's just 12 of 17 on cuts this season and has just a trio of top 10s. However, he remains 16th in good drive rate and in greens in regulation, 22nd in birdie or better rate, and 9th in strokes gained: off the tee. The stats and course history line up, and sometimes you just have to overlook recent form.

Low-Priced Picks

Bud Cauley ($6,400) - Cauley will be popular this week, but it's for good reason. He's cheap, and he's been top 10 in his past three events and was top five here last season. He is a strong 40/1 to win, which may not really be reflective of his true talent (he's just 85th in the field in good drive rate, 93rd in scrambling, 43rd in birdie or better, and 40th in strokes gained: off the tee), but even if he doesn't push for the top of the leaderboard, he should be able to outperform a $6,400 price tag.

Graham DeLaet ($6,100) - DeLaet costs $7,600 on DraftKings and is just 75/1 to win -- well off the mark of Cauley. However, he does have good form here, with a T22 in 2015, and a T7, T10, and T41 the four prior years. He did miss the cut last season but shot a 74 in Round 1 before bouncing back with a 65 in Round 2. DeLaet is a strong statistical play, too, ranking 6th in good drive rate in the field, 10th in greens in regulation, 15th in birdie or better, and 5th in strokes gained: off the tee.

Sung Kang ($6,100) - Kang at an identical price is also enticing. He's had some good results, including a T30 at THE PLAYERS last week. He's 21st in greens in regulation and 20th in birdie or better and strokes gained: off the tee. He's also a top-25 putter among players in the field. At $7,400 on DraftKings and 66/1 to win, Kang's $6,100 tag on FanDuel is probably something to take advantage of.

Robert Garrigus ($5,300) - Garrigus is primarily in play because of his course form. He has made seven of his past eight cuts at TPC Four Seasons. He's also 13th in the field in greens in regulation, 26th in birdie or better rate, and 28th in strokes gained: off the tee. He's 225/1 to win, so don't expect a finishing bonus, but he's $7,100 on DraftKings and looks like a nice arbitrage play to punt with in Rounds 1-2 on FanDuel.