GOLF

Daily Fantasy Golf Helper for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

Rory McIlroy has dominated this course prior to 2015. Can he do it again in 2017?

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 revamped version of 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 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Stats to Target

Key Stats for WGC Bridgestone at Firestone CC (South)
Par 4 Scoring
Strokes Gained: Approach the Green
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
Greens in Regulation
Scrambling


For more information on why we're targeting these, scope our course primer for the week.

Best of the Best

Rory McIlroy (FanDuel Price: $9,600 | bet365 Odds: 10/1) - Rory hasn't played at Firestone since 2014, but the results are too tough to ignore. He was 68th in 2009 here but from 2010 to 2014, McIlroy finished 9th, 6th, 5th, 27th, and 1st. According to FantasyNational, McIlroy is first in the field in strokes gained: off the tee in his past 24 rounds, plus ninth in strokes gained: approach in that span. At 10/1, his odds are just behind Jordan Spieth (8/1) and Dustin Johnson (9/1), and it's tough not to like him this week.

Jordan Spieth ($9,900 | 8/1) - Spieth is the odds-on favorite to win here, and like Rory, 67% of his attempts at Firestone have resulted in top-10s. Spieth has had just three tries, though, compared to six for Rory. Still, Spieth was 49th in 2014, 10th in 2015, and 3rd last year. The Open Champion is 6th in the field in his past 24 in strokes gained: approach and 14th in strokes gained on par 4s. He'll be popular, but there are enough elite names to think that the ownership won't be quite what it should be.

Brooks Koepka ($8,600 | 16/1) - Brooks' odds are actually fourth behind the big three, and his price is ninth-highest on FanDuel. So, people matching odds to salary might be all over Koepka, the U.S. Open champ. But Brooks comes to play in tough tournaments. He's got 11 top 25s in his past 14 majors, so that's something. He withdrew at this event last year because of an ankle injury but finished sixth in 2015 at Firestone. Koepka is 20th in strokes gained: off the tee in this field and is 8th in strokes gained: approach at this course (among 50 golfers with course history in the past five years) in his four rounds.

Rickie Fowler ($9,000 | 18/1) - Rickie always has big ownership, but it's justified because he either fits the course well or is playing well or has played at that particular course well. Fowler has finished top-10 (10th, 10th, 8th) in the past three years at this event and was 2nd back in 2011. He was 2nd at the Memorial, cut at the St. Jude, 5th at the U.S. Open, 3rd at the Quicken Loans, 9th at the Scottish Open, and 22nd at The Open. He just makes sense yet again.

Mid-Range Options

Adam Scott ($8,200 | 30/1) - Scott won at Firestone in 2011 and has finished top 15 in three of the past four years (14th, 8th, 45th, 10th). In the past 10 years, 40% of his events here were top 10s, so course form is the easiest way to justify him this week. He was T22 at The Open and sits fifth among players in the field in strokes gained: off the tee at this course in his past 12 rounds.

Justin Rose ($7,900 | 25/1) - Rose has also finished in the top 10 in 40% of his tries here in the past 10 years, and three have come since 2012: 5th, 17th, 4th, 3rd, 46th. He's 24th in the field in strokes gained: off the tee in his past 24 rounds and 8th in his past 12 at Firestone. After some underwhelming finishes in big tournaments (65th at THE PLAYERS, cut at the U.S. Open, and 54th at The Open), Rose could be overlooked.

Justin Thomas ($7,400 | 45/1) - Thomas finished 33rd here last year, his first try at Firestone. He also walloped a 413-yard drive on the 16th last year, too. After two straight top-10s at the Memorial and U.S. Open, Thomas has missed three straight cuts and isn't in the best form. That could make him a strong tournament choice. Just don't put him in cash games.

Daniel Berger ($6,900 | 40/1) - Berger ranks 18th in the field in strokes gained: off the tee in his past 24 rounds; he's 3rd in approach and 6th in par 4 strokes gained in that span, too. Whew. He withdrew after his opening tee shot at this event last year. So, yeah. Berger did miss the cut at the U.S. Open but won the St. Jude the week prior and bounced back to finish second at the Travelers the week after. He was 5th at the John Deere and 27th at The Open.

Low-Priced Picks

Jason Dufner ($6,200 | 60/1) - Dufner ranks 10th in strokes gained: off the tee, 11th in approach, and 8th on par 4s in his past 24 rounds among players in the field. At this course, he’s 23rd, 34th, and 25th, respectively, in his past 12 rounds. Dufner’s past two tries at Firestone have been lacking (51st last year and 66th in 2014), but he was 4th in 2013 and 7th in 2012. He has four top-15s in his past seven events, including a win at the Memorial and a 14th-place finish at The Open. Dufner looks too cheap this week.

Kevin Chappell ($5,700 | 60/1) - Chappell finished third here last year, his first event at Firestone. After two straight top-25s, Chappell missed two cuts. He bounced back and was eighth at the Canadian Open last week. He's 4th in the field in strokes gained: approach in his past 24 rounds and 25th off the tee.

Bubba Watson ($5,900 | 80/1) - Watson hasn't had the best results here in his seven tries since 2010, but he's finished top-30 six times: 22nd in 2010, 21st, 19th, 27th, 37th, 2nd, and 14th. That's a sturdy return at just $5,900. He's picking up strokes on the field off the tee (16th in his past 24 rounds) and is 2nd in the field in strokes gained at Firestone in his past 12 rounds (and 12th in approach). That's worth a tournament flier at this price.

Xander Schauffele ($5,500 | 110/1) - Schauffele has reeled off seven straight cuts and has four top-25s in his past five, including a win at the Greenbrier. He's fifth in the field in strokes gained: off the tee in his past 24 rounds. There are some stronger names right above him in salary, but the recent form is on point.

Kyle Stanley ($5,000 | 110/1) - Hey, if Stanley is in the field, he's worth a look. He's 8th in the field in strokes gained: off the tee in his past 24 and 16th in approach. Stanley also played here in 2012 and finished 16th. Don't forget about the Quicken Loans winner even after he burned us at The Open.