GOLF

Daily Fantasy Golf Helper: The Honda Classic

Rory McIlroy is a former winner at this course, but are there better high-priced options to pick on FanDuel?

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 this week.

Key Stats

Key Stats for The Honda Classic at PGA National
Strokes Gained: Tee to Green
Strokes Gained: Approach
Strokes Gained: Putting (on Bermuda)
Greens in Regulation
Scrambling


For more on why we're targeting these stats, check out our course primer.

Best of the Best

Rickie Fowler (FanDuel Price: $12,300 | bet365 Win Odds: 8/1) - There are quite a few top-flight golfers in action this weekend, but Fowler, Justin Thomas, and Rory McIlroy stand out as the clear top trio by bookmaker odds. Fowler won here last year and was 6th the year prior -- after a 41st, 24th, 13th, and 7th. Per FantasyGolfMetrics, Fowler ranks 16th in the field in strokes gained: tee to green over the past 12 weeks; at PGA National, he's 9th in career strokes gained: tee to green among the 115 golfers who have played here before. He also ranks fifth in birdie or better rate on Bermuda greens. There aren't many reasons to avoid him, frankly, and your best case for fading him in tournaments is that Fowler is always one of the most popular picks, regardless of course or format.

Justin Thomas ($12,100 | 11) - Thomas boasts four top-25 finishes over the past seven weeks, and he finished third at PGA National in 2016. The issue? He missed the cut here in 2015 and 2017. However, he's 10th in tee-to-green play as well as 6th in strokes gained: approach over the past 12 weeks. Thomas won't be entirely overlooked, but he should wind up lower owned than Fowler. In tournaments, that could make a huge difference.

Rory McIlroy ($12,100 | 10) - Rory actually has the second-best odds here, but other than the top three and Sergio Garcia (18/1), nobody else has odds shorter than 28/1. That's a massive drop to the rest of the field. Rory's coming on, too. He's 8th tee-to-green and 17th in approach over the past 12 weeks, as well as 22nd in scrambling. Working backward from 2016, Rory's finishes at PGA National are cut, cut, 2nd, withdrawal, 1st. Banking on his upside -- again, as a pivot from Fowler -- could really help out your tournament lineups.

Rafael Cabrera Bello ($10,800 | 55) - Cabrera Bello has just one attempt at PGA National: 37th last season while losing half a stroke off the tee. Rafa has ripped off 12 straight cuts, including consecutive T26s after a T6 in Dubai. Cabrera Bello's recent form has him ranking 4th tee to green and 10th in approach over the past 12 weeks.

Mid-Range Options

Gary Woodland ($10,700 | 30) - Woodland has a pair of top-six finishes here, albeit quite a ways apart. He was sixth in 2011 and second a year ago. He also was cut here in 2009, 68th in 2013, and 61st in 2016. Woodland ranks 14th tee-to-green over the past 12 events, including a recent win, and is 10th at PGA National in strokes gained: tee to green among golfers in the field. He's weak with the putter on Bermuda (101st in the field in career strokes gained: putting), but he's 14th in birdie or better and 17th in approach on such courses over 98 events.

Jason Dufner ($10,300 | 55) - Dufner's got a long history at PGA National, reeling off all eight cuts since 2007, when he started with a 13th and a 9th. His past three were 17th, 61st, and 14th. The case for Dufner is that he doesn't really show any glaring holes in his game for what we're seeking here. He's 13th in scrambling over the past 12 weeks. The best case to make for him is the consistency here and the strong standing on Bermuda courses (18th in birdie rate, 31st in approach, and 21st around the green).

Charles Howell III ($9,700 | 66) - Howell has had some consistency here, too -- just not a lot of upside. He's missed just one of the past eight cuts but also has just one top 25 (10th in 2011). However, Howell does have a 20th and a 6th in his past three events, spanning five weeks. He sits 16th in strokes gained: tee to green and scrambling at this course in his career and enters ranking 13th tee-to-green over the past 12 weeks.

Russell Knox ($9,400 | 50) - Knox' course form puts him on the map, though his finishes have gotten worse each of the past four years. He was 2nd in 2014, 3rd in 2015, 26th in 2016, and cut a year ago. He still ranks 6th tee to green, 11th in approach, 3rd in scrambling, and 5th in proximity at PGA National among this field. He's also 11th tee to green over the past 12 events. He's got four top 30s in his past five events.

Low-Priced Picks

Bud Cauley ($9,100 | 80) - Cauley ranks second in scrambling and ninth tee to green in the past 12 weeks. He's racked up two missed cuts here (2012 and 2013) before a 27th last year. Despite the missed cuts, he's 30th tee to green at this course. The primary issue is putting on Bermuda (he's 102nd in strokes gained) -- but he's 5th in strokes gained: around the green on Bermuda.

Graeme McDowell ($9,100 | 75) - McDowell is a course horse. He's got five top-25 finishes in eight tries, most recently finishing 14th a year ago. He's a strong Bermuda putter (20th) and birdie maker (20th). He's golfing well enough (33rd in strokes gained: tee to green in the past 12 weeks) to take a chance on, as he's 15th tee to green at PGA National among this field.

Keegan Bradley ($9,000 | 90) - You can never feel confident with Keegan on your rosters. However, he's got three top-12 finishes at PGA National since 2012 (12th, 4th, and 12th in 2012 through 2014). Since then, he's missed three straight cuts. Bradley ranks 3rd in strokes gained: tee to green over the past 12 weeks and 11th at this course in his history here. He'll just need to sink the putts.

Dylan Frittelli ($8,900 | 60) - Frittelli is the world's 47th-ranked golfer and has five consecutive top 20s on a handful of tours. He placed 6th in Dubai and 19th in Abu Dhabi of late, which were tough fields. He should be a low-owned pick, and the odds and ranking make him a clear value dart throw this week.

Chris Kirk ($8,800 | 100) - Kirk ranks 7th in approach, 17th tee to green, and 18th in scrambling over the past 12 weeks. That works. He's missed consecutive cuts at PGA National and didn't play here last year, yet he does have a 12th-place finish here in 2014. He ranks 19th in birdie or better rate on Bermuda courses, so he could score well enough to take a risk on.

Sean O'Hair ($8,300 | 200) - O'Hair is a longshot to win -- rightfully so -- but he has five top-25 finishes at PGA National over the past seven years. O'Hair hasn't cracked the top 50 in six events. The past form here is what makes him a viable punt play, as he's 28th tee to green and 22nd in approach at PGA National among the field.