GOLF

Daily Fantasy Golf Helper: BMW Championship

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's daily fantasy golf offering.

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. It's a great balance between time to research and time spent tracking your team.

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 BMW Championship at Medinah CC
Strokes Gained: Approach
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
Par 4s from 450 to 500 Yards
Par 5 Scoring
Proximity from 175+


A lack of consistent course data at this course makes this more of an assumption week rather than a what-happened-in-the-past-here week.

We do know some things, of course, though. Three of the four par 5s are at least 578 yards (two are 609 yards and 617 yards). The 10 par 4s are divvied up between 390 and 440 and 449 and 509. That means there's a combination of short and long par 4s here. All of the par 3s are at least 190 yards -- one is 245.

The overall course yardage grades out above 7,600 yards, and distance is going to matter at Medinah. However, accuracy will matter as well, so strokes gained: off the tee is on the list.

Overall, we should be seeking ball-strikers, so we can't overlook the importance of approach play, especially with an emphasis on proximity from 175-plus yards. Long irons and bombs off the tee should be the recipe for success here.

For a more detailed breakdown on the course, 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

Rory McIlroy (FanDuel Price: $12,100 | FanDuel Sportsbook Win Odds: 17/2) - Rory again stands out as the best process play in the field, though Brooks Koepka ($12,200; 17/2) is a strong tournament play in his own right. Rory, though, ranks first in the field in strokes gained: off the tee and birdie or betters gained over the past 50 rounds. He's also second in par 4 and par 5 scoring and driving distance in that sample, as well.

Patrick Cantlay ($11,200 | 20/1) - Cantlay ranks second in adjusted stroke average in 2019 behind only McIlroy, and he ranks top-15 in all four strokes gained stats over the past 50 rounds. Cantlay also has distance (eighth) and can get out of trouble (first in scrambling). He also leads the field in proximity gained from 175 to 200 yards over the past 50 rounds.

Adam Scott ($10,900 | 22/1) - Scott missed the cut at The Open Championship when he lost 8.1 strokes off the tee. In just two rounds. Woof. He followed that up with a 40th at the WGC-St. Jude (when he still gained 4.7 strokes via approach play). He bounced back with a fifth last week at THE NORTHERN TRUST. Scott has been selective with the events he's played, and he appears locked in again. He offers safety and upside.

Paul Casey ($10,100 | 45/1) - Casey is one of three golfers in the field to rank top-10 in both strokes gained: off the tee (seventh) and approach (eighth) in our sample. He's actually a solid putter on bentgrass, and he's sixth in opportunities gained in our sample, as well. While not long off the tee (34th), he's not a short hitter and is priced like an afterthought after sitting out last week's playoff event.

Mid-Range Options

Bryson DeChambeau ($10,000 | 37/1) - Bryson is mired in drama but could quiet the crowd a bit this week. He's 30th in distance and 23rd off the tee -- but 44th in approach over the past 50 rounds. When swapping that to difficult courses, he's 14th in his past 50 rounds in approach. With the lack of results for so long, DeChambeau stands out as a strong tournament play.

Hideki Matsuyama ($9,900 | 45/1) - Hideki had finished top-25 in six straight events before missing the cut at The Open. He followed that up with shoddy results: 43rd at the WGC-St. Jude and cut at the Wyndham before finishing 30th at THE NORTHERN TRUST last week. He lost 4.6 strokes gained: approach in that ordeal. However, the larger sample has Hideki top-16 in both key ball-striking stats and sixth in proximity from 200-plus yards.

Collin Morikawa ($9,500 | 50/1) - Morikawa, 57th in the FedEx Cup standings, needs to make some moves, and with his elite ball-striking, that should lead to birdie chances. Even if he tanks by being overly aggressive, we're guaranteed four rounds of Morikawa, barring a withdrawal. He's 18th in approach and 10th in opportunities gained over the past 50 rounds.

Jason Kokrak ($9,100 | 50/1) - Kokrak is sixth off the tee and seventh in approach in our sample, and we're getting four rounds of that ball-striking. That should have to convert into scoring opportunities -- which mean fantasy points (he's 12th in opportunities gained in our 50-round sample). Kokrak is also 17th in distance to help separate him from the field on this long course.

Low-Priced Picks

Joaquin Niemann ($8,700 | 80/1) - Niemann ranks 28th off the tee and 25th in approach to culminate in sitting 15th in opportunities gained in our sample. He's also back on bentgrass, where he's become a positive putter. He doesn't figure to be in the mix for an outright win, but that profile should get him scoring chances over 72 holes.

Byeong-Hun An ($8,300 | 70/1) - An leads the field in strokes gained: around the green and is top-25 in both ball-striking stats. An is just dead last in putting over the past 50 rounds. He's "best" on bentgrass (still averaging a loss of 0.18 strokes per round with the putter on bentgrass), but at this price, he's a standout value play in a no-cut event.

Corey Conners ($7,700 | 130/1) - Conners sits top-10 in both ball-striking stats and is 24th in distance. He also leads the field in greens in regulation and is second in good drive rate. There are worse plays in this range than Conners. Emiliano Grillo ($7,600) has basically the same case to be made as Conners: great ball-striker, awful putter.

Keith Mitchell ($7,000 | 260/1) - Mitchell ranks second in strokes gained: off the tee and is fourth in distance. A full punt in a no-cut event gives us extra chances for more studs. Sitting 35th in birdie or better rate, Mitchell should outperform his finishing position due to his up-and-down scoring. It's worth a shot in tournaments, but in cash games, you probably don't need to dip below Niemann or An.