GOLF

Daily Fantasy Golf Helper for the St. Jude Classic

Phil Mickelson has reeled off strong results at TPC Southwind. Who else can you target the week before the U.S. Open?

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 St. Jude Classic.

Stats to Target

Based on the course makeup and field for TPC Southwind, 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 St. Jude Classic at TPC Southwind
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
Strokes Gained: Approach the Green
Scrambling
Greens in Regulation
Par 4 Scoring


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

Best of the Best

Rickie Fowler (FanDuel Price: $10,500) - Rickie is the odds-on favorite (8/1 to win, per bet365), and he'll likely be super popular in a weak field after his strong finish last week. Statistically, he's a cut above the field and ranks 7th in par 4 scoring, 9th in greens in regulation, 10th in scrambling, 1st in birdie or better, 4th in bogey avoidance, and 3rd in strokes gained: tee to green among 129 qualified players in the field. Fowler finished T13 at TPC Southwind in his only appearance here in 2014.

Phil Mickelson ($9,700) - Mickelson has finished T2, T11, T3, and T2 in the past four seasons here. He's shot a sub-70 in six of his past eight rounds, the other two being even 70s. Statistically, Mickelson has his shortcomings (80th in greens in regulation and 81st in strokes gained: off the tee in the field) but does sit 4th in birdie or better and 9th in strokes gained: tee to green. Still, you can't argue with the past results here.

Daniel Berger ($9,000) - Berger's ownership will be inflated because of his win here last year (his odds jumped to 25/1 from 33/1 already), but he's got strong stats for this course again this year. He's 9th in par 4 scoring, 13th in scrambling, 10th in birdie or better, 10th in bogey avoidance, and 15th in strokes gained: off the tee and approach the green. His win last year was his only start at TPC Southwind, but he was a consistent producer, shooting a 67, 64, 69, and 67 in his four rounds.

Francesco Molinari ($8,700) - Molinari doesn't have the same statistical concerns as Brooks Koepka, making him an interesting pivot. He's the best par 4 player in the field and is 18th in greens in regulation and 22nd in scrambling. He's also first in strokes gained: tee to green. At 14/1, he's got terrific odds to win and could be a pivot option from Koepka. Molinari finished T34 here last year in his lone start at TPC Southwind. He's also first in the field in strokes gained: tee to green in the past 12 events, per FantasyGolfMetrics.

Mid-Range Options

Billy Horschel ($7,700) - Horschel missed the cut in 2009 and 2011 and was T72 in 2012, but since then, he was T10, T6, and T8 from 2013 to 2015. He didn't play this event last year and carries somewhat terrible form into this year's iteration. In his past seven events, Horschel missed five cuts (including the Zurich format) but did win the Byron Nelson in a playoff and was T34 at the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational. The stats are still promising, however. He's 13th in the field in par 4 scoring, 3rd in greens in regulation, 24th in bogey avoidance, and 31st in strokes gained: tee to green. Horschel is 33/1 to win and could have depressed ownership because of his missed cuts of late. Horschel is a much more expensive $9,500 on DraftKings this week.

Ryan Palmer ($7,700) - Palmer is 45/1 to win this week and has strong form at TPC Southwind. Prior to a T68 in 2016, Palmer finished T22, T32, 4, T3. In all, he's played the course nine times and has figured things out after some missed cuts earlier in his career. The majority of his stats are ugly, but he's fourth in the field in strokes gained: tee to green, fifth off the tee, and ninth in approach the green. Palmer could be a strong tournament play in a crowded part of the pricing pool.

Russell Henley ($7,600) - In three tries at TPC Southwind, Henley finished T27 in 2013, missed the cut in 2014, and was T7 in 2016. He's 25/1 to win and is a pretty clear bargain at just $7,600 on FanDuel as opposed to $9,800 on DraftKings. Henley is 2nd in par 4 scoring in the field, 8th in greens in regulation, 8th in birdie or better rate, 5th in bogey avoidance, 8th in strokes gained: tee to green, and 10th in strokes gained: off the tee.

Peter Uihlein ($7,000) - Uihlein is easy to overlook because he doesn't populate on the PGA Tour stats page due to just three tournaments on tour this year, but his results sure catch your attention. He's finished T5 at the Puerto Rico Open in March, T23 at the Shell Houston Open in April, and T25 last week at the Memorial in those events. All three were top 25s, and he's 60/1 to win outright. He gained strokes off the tee versus the field in the Memorial and the Shell Houston Open, so maybe we can find a low-owned gem at a reasonable price here.

Low-Priced Picks

Kyle Stanley ($6,800) - The stats will pinpoint Stanley for the rest of the season at this point, but he's just too solid not to mention. He's 4th in the field in par 4 scoring, 1st in greens in regulation, 27th in scrambling, 12th in birdie or better, 8th in bogey avoidance, 2nd in strokes gained: tee to green, 1st off the tee, and 3rd approaching the green. He opened at 40/1 but has moved down to 33/1 already.

Seung-Yul Noh ($6,400) - Noh is $8,100 on DraftKings, so we're getting arbitrage here. He opened at 75/1 to win but is down to 60/1 as of Tuesday morning. Noh has finished top 10 three times in the past four years (T7, T3, and T7 with a missed cut and a no-show in 2014). He shot a 72 in the second round two years running. Avoiding that could be all he needs to post another top-10 this year.

Chad Campbell ($5,600) - Campbell sits 28th in par 4 scoring in the field, 23rd in greens in regulation, 3rd in scrambling, 1st in bogey avoidance, and 15th in strokes gained: tee to green. He's just 98th in birdie or better, but the safe play is worth a good bit this week. Further, he's got great form here. Campbell has made seven straight cuts at TPC Southwind and does have some upside, with a T3 in 2012 and a T8 in 2015.

Brian Gay ($5,700) - Gay is a tournament-only type of option, as he's missed the cut three times in his past five tries at this course. However, Gay was 6th last year, T15 in 2010, and a winner in 2009. He's 70/1 to win, the best odds of any player priced at $6,500 or below on FanDuel. He ranks 29th in par 4 scoring, 18th in scrambling, 11th in bogey avoidance, and 8th in strokes gained: putting in the field. If you're digging deep, you could do a lot worse.