GOLF

Daily Fantasy Golf Helper: CIMB Classic

Is Justin Thomas a no-brainer pick this week on FanDuel in a no-cut event? Who else should we roster in DFS?

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 -- and we have daily fantasy golf projections and lineup building tools, too.

Let's take a look at some golfers to target this week.

Key Stats

Key Stats for the CIMB Classic at TPC Kuala Lumpur
Strokes Gained: Approach
Birdie or Better Rate
Bogey Avoidance
Greens in Regulation
Par 5 Scoring


For a deeper look at the course this week, check out our course primer from Mike Rodden.

Stats cited below come from FantasyNational and include the past 50 rounds on the PGA Tour unless noted. Ranks are among the field.

Best of the Best

Justin Thomas (FanDuel Price: $13,000 | Paddy Power Win Odds: 5/1) - Thomas is a heavy favorite in a weak field, and you can make the case for fading him just due to game theory, but Thomas enters ranked 2nd in strokes gained: approach, 1st in birdie or better rate, and 2nd in strokes gained: on par 5s over the past 50 rounds on tour. Thomas owns two victories at Kuala Lumpur (2016 and 2017) and was 17th in 2018. There are some course alterations to factor in this year, but Thomas stands out as the favorite for a reason.

Ryan Moore ($11,600 | 12/1) - Moore lost in a playoff last week at the Safeway but could be back in the mix for a win here, a place he's already secured two victories (2014 and 2015). He also has a T10 and a T17 at Kuala Lumpur to his name (2016 and 2017). Moore ranks top-three in strokes gained: approach, greens in regulation, and bogey avoidance over the past 50 rounds. He's a safe play and a possible pivot from Thomas in tournaments.

Rafael Cabrera-Bello ($11,100 | 30/1) - RCB has been off the radar for a bit, as he was cut off from playing in the TOUR Championship, but he returns to Kuala Lumpur, where he's returned a pair of T10s in his two tries (the past two years). Cabrera-Bello ranks 9th in birdie or better rate and 12th in strokes gained: approach over the past 50 rounds, and he's been a positive Bermuda putter in his career over 21 events, per FantasyGolfMetrics.

Paul Casey ($10,900 | 18/1) - Casey has finished well here in the past with improving results (37th, 24th, 21st, 7th) and grades out well with the recent stats: 6th in approach, 4th in birdie or better rate, and 5th on par 5s. The only real concern for him is his back injury. He did finish 11th at the TOUR Championship after he pulled out of the BMW, and he played in the Ryder Cup to help quell some of those concerns.

Mid-Range Options

Billy Horschel ($10,400 | 14/1) - Horschel's recent stats have been fiery, and he leads the field in greens in regulation gained and bogey avoidance over the past 50 rounds. He's also eighth in approach in that span. That's led to a T3 at the Northern Trust, a withdrawal at the Dell Technologies Championship, a T3 at the BMW Championship, and a 2nd at the TOUR Championship. He hasn't played here the past three years but did finish T11 in 2014 and T37 in 2015.

Thomas Pieters ($9,700 | 60/1) - Pieters has played here three times, trending down with this results (8th, 16th, 44th). Pieters has been off the PGA Tour radar since a T28 at the British Open and a T6 at the PGA Championship. Since then, he was 34th at the Made in Denmark, cut at the European Masters, and 60th at the the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Pieters, though, enters 7th in approach over his past 50 rounds and stands out a bit among this rather barren range.

Emiliano Grillo ($9,000 | 30/1) - Grillo is a little too cheap at this price, if you ask me. He's missed just 2 of 22 cuts in the 2018 calendar year, both of which were majors (the US Open and the British Open). He's also played here twice (T17 and T54). Grillo doesn't stand out statistically in any category over the past 50 rounds, but he's solid across the board.

Cheng-Tsung Pan ($8,500 | 45/1) - Pan opened at 40/1 before sliding to 45/1, but that's still a solid number for someone priced where he is. Pan is top-15 in approach, greens in regulation, and bogey avoidance in our split and finished T17 here a year ago. Pan has made 13 of his past 14 cuts and has 3 top-15 outings in his past 5 events.

Low-Priced Picks

Sam Ryder ($7,800 | 50/1) - Ryder hasn't played Kuala Lumpur before but enters with a really promising stats profile, including ranking 8th in approach, 4th in greens in regulation, and 10th in bogey avoidance. The biggest red flag for Ryder is his putting performance on Bermuda, but he's had just 12 such events in his career, and he's fresh off of a T4 at the Safeway Open.

Keith Mitchell ($7,700 | 80/1) - Mitchell ranks 8th in greens in regulation and 10th in birdie or better rate. Despite being a cheap option, he's missed just 4 of 23 cuts in 2018 and has just as many top-10s as missed cuts. That consistency and ability to get to greens in regulation could help him score well over 72 guaranteed holes this week.

Bronson Burgoon ($7,600 | 70/1) - Burgoon has scored well on par 5s (6th) over the past 50 rounds and ranks 16th in approach despite being a cheap option on FanDuel. Burgoon has been a positive putter on Bermuda, too, and his struggles have primarily come from around the green.

Joel Dahmen ($7,200 | 90/1): Dahmen is a course debutant, which is a little bit of a concern when you combine that with two missed cuts in the FedEx playoffs and a T46 at the Safeway Open. He's lost a boatload of strokes on the green over those three events, though, and when he was nearly neutral last week, he made the cut. Dahmen ranks 5th in approach and 11th in par 5 scoring, plus 9th in bogey avoidance over the past 50 rounds. If he brings the putter, he's in play to make a run at a strong fantasy weekend due to the birdie potential in the no-cut event.