GOLF

Daily Fantasy Golf Helper: Sentry Tournament of Champions

Which golfers look primed to start 2019 off right at the Sentry Tournament of Champions?

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 Sentry Tournament of Champions at the Plantation Course at Kapalua
Strokes Gained: Approach
Strokes Gained: Par 4s (Especially 350-400 yards)
Par 5 Birdie or Better Rate
Strokes Gained: Putting on Bermudagrass


As always, strokes gained: approach stands out here as the go-to stat, which should be given the most weight this week. We can also hone in on par 4 scoring on the par 73, and via FantasyNational, five of the 18 holes are par 4s that span between 350 and 400 yards.

The greens and fairways are easy to hit, allowing us to focus more on scoring potential for golfers who can convert on the par 5s and not cede birdie opportunities on those.

Greens are Bermudagrass, and putting matters a bit more here than on other courses, via datagolf. So we can factor that into our selection this week.

Stats cited below come from FantasyNational and include the past 36 rounds (strokes gained: putting is for the past 100 rounds) on the PGA Tour unless noted. Ranks are among the field.

Best of the Best

Dustin Johnson (FanDuel Price: $12,000 | FanDuel Sportsbook Win Odds: 5.5/1) - First things first: almost all golfers are viable this week because the field is just over 30, and anything can happen. Johnson, last year's winner, finally converted here after a 6th, 10th, and 6th in his three prior tries. That stellar course form also comes with the best approach play over the past 36 rounds among golfers in the field. Johnson is worth the salary this week, despite worrisome putting splits on Bermuda (28th in strokes gained: putting on Bermuda over the past 100 rounds).

Justin Thomas ($11,200 | 8.5/1) - Thomas has a win here in 2017 but bookended that trophy hoisting with a 21st in 2016 and a 22nd in 2018. Still, Thomas sits 2nd in approach and 7th on par 4s over the past 36 rounds, and he's always a threat to score on par 5s.

Bryson DeChambeau ($10,900 | 12/1) - Bryson couldn't cling to the FedEx Cup championship but polished off a 2018 that proved he could hang with anyone. He enters 6th in approach and 4th on par 5 strokes gained, plus 8th in par 4 strokes gained over the past 36. He finished 26th here last year but actually gained strokes off the tee (7th-most).

Jon Rahm ($10,500 | 7/1) - Just noting that Rahm was runner-up here last year and has great win odds even for his price. He recently finished 4th at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in mid November and won the Hero World Challenge in early December. The recent stats aren't super great over the past 36, but he's viable at the top for his still-recent form.

Mid-Range Options

Webb Simpson ($10,000 | 21/1) - Simpson finished 3rd here back in 2014. He hasn't played here since then but leads the pack in strokes gained on all par 4s and par 4s from 350 to 400 yards over the past 36 rounds. He also is 13th in Bermuda putting over the past 100 rounds and is also 9th in approach in our split.

Matt Kuchar ($9,000 | 44/1) - Kuchar was 6th and 15th in 2014 and 2015 in his most recent tries, but he won the OHL recently. Kuchar ranks 5th in strokes gained: putting on Bermuda and 2nd in strokes gained on par 4s.

Brandt Snedeker ($8,900 | 55/1) - Snedeker is a solid play this week at his price. He's second in strokes gained: putting on Bermuda in the field, although 23rd in approach. Sneds also has finished 11th, 3rd, and 14th here in his three tries since 2014.

Low-Priced Picks

Keegan Bradley ($8,300 | 48/1) - Keegan's dead last in putting on Bermuda over a pretty large sample, which is a problem, but at his price, we can jive with it. He's 5th in approach and 2nd in par 4 strokes gained in our selected range. Even though he's had a recent uptick in no-cut or small-field events, Bradley has finished 1st (BMW Championship), 26th, 19th, 6th, 17th, and 15th in his past six.

Billy Horschel ($8,100 | 48/1) - Horschel has finished 6th (2014), 22nd (2015), and 11th (2018) here in recent years and ranks 11th in putting in our sample. He's also 4th in approach and 7th in strokes gained on par 5s, giving him some upside if he can sink putts.

Troy Merritt ($7,200 | 210/1) - Merritt's not without flaws (21st in approach, 28th in strokes gained on par 4s) but is 9th in strokes gained: putting on Bermuda and 7th in strokes gained on par 5s in our split. He's a longshot punt play with a path to success who finished 18th here in 2016.