Daily Fantasy Golf Course Primer: The Greenbrier
The Open Championship is now just two weeks away, but we certainly can't overlook The Greenbrier this week, formally known as A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier.
The Old White TPC is a somewhat recent addition to the rotation (in 2010), but that still gives us plenty of past data to dig into when researching our FanDuel lineups, even when we factor in the cancellation in 2016 due to flooding.
Let's dive in and see how this course impacts our DFS decision-making.
Course and Tournament Info
The Old White TPC is a par 70 that spans 7,286 yards. It boasts bentgrass greens, which register an 11 on the stimpmeter. The greens are also pretty large. The fairways and greens both register as pretty easy to hit, as well.
For that reason, this course is generally one of the easier on the tour, at least grading out as a mid-level course in terms of difficulty.
| Year | Difficulty Rank | Course | Par | Yards | Avg Score | Avg O/U Par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 27 | The Old White TPC | 70 | 7,286 | 69.861 | -0.139 |
| 2015 | 35 | The Old White TPC | 70 | 7,287 | 69.168 | -0.832 |
| 2014 | 26 | The Old White TPC | 70 | 7,287 | 70.101 | 0.101 |
| 2013 | 25 | The Old White TPC | 70 | 7,287 | 69.868 | -0.132 |
| 2012 | 27 | The Old White TPC | 70 | 7,274 | 69.781 | -0.219 |
| 2011 | 13 | The Old White TPC | 70 | 7,274 | 70.593 | 0.593 |
| 2010 | 42 | The Old White TPC | 70 | 7,031 | 68.536 | -1.464 |
The reason there's no 2016 on that table is because the event was canceled due to severe flooding. The course was fixed up, naturally, for the 2017 version, and some changes were made, but it didn't play drastically differently than what it had in the past.
We've got more than 140 golfers in the field, meaning that making the cut won't be a given for our picks, though this tends to be a weak field (which is again the case this year).
Which stats stand out, then, as vital for success at the Greenbrier?
Key Stats
These stats look to be vital at The Old White TPC, based on past tournament results.
| Key Stats for The Greenbrier at The Old White TPC |
|---|
| Strokes Gained: Off the Tee |
| Strokes Gained: Approach the Green |
| Birdie or Better Rate |
| Proximity from 175+ Yards |
| Scrambling |
With easy-to-hit fairways, we'll want golfers with some distance. Via FantasyGolfMetrics, golfers finishing top-25 here have averaged 301.9 yards per drive, compared to 294.7 for those missing the cut. Fairway hit rates are 71% and 66%, respectively.
Strokes gained: off the tee combines both, and last year's winner -- Xander Schauffele -- ranked third in strokes gained: off the tee, while Jamie Lovemark ranked second in the stat and finished tied for third in the tournament.
Four golfers in last year's top 10 finished inside the top seven in strokes gained: approach, including Kelly Kraft (T5, 1st in strokes gained: approach), Danny Lee (T9, 2nd), Alex Cejka (T9, 5th), and Sebastian Munoz (T3, 7th).
The par 3s at this course run 170, 205, 218, and 231 yards, so efficiency from that distance could yield birdie opportunities.
Course History Studs
Via datagolf, Russell Henley (+1.85) leads the tour in adjusted strokes gained average at The Old White TPC.
He's followed by Ted Potter (+1.81), Brendan Todd (+1.45), Danny Lee (+1.41), Robert Streb (+1.27), Bill Haas (+1.23), and Pat Perez (+1.21).
The past winners here are Schauffele, Lee, Angel Cabrera, Jonas Blixt, Potter, Scott Stallings, and Stuart Abbleby.
Webb Simpson has made five of seven cuts here, with three top-10 finishes and four top-25 finishes. No other golfer has more than two top-10s at the Greenbrier since 2010.
