GOLF

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Golf Helper: WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play

This week's match-play format brings a change in DraftKings scoring. Who should you build your lineups around for the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play?

Daily fantasy golf requires a new approach for each and every event.

The course and field change week after week, making no two contests alike. That means you need to refine your approach for each PGA Tour event to try to find golfers who are primed to excel for your daily fantasy golf lineups.

Each week, we have a course primer, and our daily fantasy golf projections and lineup builder can help you get started, but these golfers stand out specifically on DraftKings for the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club.

A note on the scoring for this event on DraftKings: a new scoring format accompanies the switch to match play. Golfers will receive points for how they perform relative to their opponent regardless of how they play a particular hole. Be sure to reference the rules for the full scoring, and keep in mind that the best way to gain points is by winning a particular matchup by as many holes as possible.

Key Stats for the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club
Strokes Gained: Tee to Green
Strokes Gained: Approach
Scrambling Gained
Birdies or Better Gained
Strokes Gained: Par 4s

For details on why these stats stand out this week, check out the primer.

Golfers are sorted into 16 groups of four, with the winner of each round-robin group stage moving on to a bracket-style tournament to determine the winner. Given the weight on winning matches, you'll want to make sure you don't make a DraftKings lineup that includes two players from the same group or two players who are on the same side of the bracket. You should be targeting golfers who can eventually win their groups and meet in the knockout round and, hopefully, the Championship Round.

Let's get to the picks.

All stats are from Fantasy National Golf Club and are for golfers in the field over the last 50 rounds, unless otherwise noted.

High-Priced Studs

Rory McIlroy (DraftKings Price $11,700 | FanDuel Sportsbook Win Odds 17/2) - The hottest player in the world arrives fresh off a win at THE PLAYERS and gets a pretty good draw in the group round. Matthew Fitzpatrick is the second-highest ranked golfer in the world in Group 1, and he is just 34th. Rory is first in the entire field in strokes gained: tee to green and strokes gained par 4s. He's also second in bogeys avoided, and sixth in birdies or better gained. He is in an entirely different class from the rest of Group 1 and is the safest bet on the board to make the knockout stage.

Dustin Johnson ($11,400 | 12/1) - Johnson is 2nd in both strokes gained: tee to green and strokes gained: approach, 4th in birdies or better gained, 12th on par 4s, and 20th in scrambling gained. DJ has gained more total strokes in the last 50 rounds than the rest of his group combined -- and by a huge margin.

Brooks Koepka ($10,300 | 19) - Focus is always a question for Koepka, but a chance to go head to head against the world's best will surely get his attention. The rest of Group 3 is comprised of golfers who spend the bulk of their time on the European Tour. While that is not a reason to discount them, Koepka consistently plays in stronger fields and more difficult events and gets the edge on American soil. He advanced to the knockout round in each of his two trips to Austin CC (he missed 2018 with a wrist injury). He is a three-time major winner and ranks inside the top 12 in strokes gained: tee to green, birdies or better gained, and scrambling gained.

Mid-Priced Options

Tiger Woods ($9,200 | 24) - Tiger's match play record is weighted heavily toward his dominance in the early 2000s, but it is hard to ignore a 33-10 record with three wins at this event. He has not played here since the event moved to Austin CC, but with a week off after THE PLAYERS, Tiger has had ample time to familiarize himself with the layout. He's no worse than 11th in any key stat, and Group 16 is filled out by golfers with either underwhelming or no match-play experience.

Matt Kuchar ($8,100 | 46) - Arguably having his best season in a decade, Kuchar has plenty of big-game experience and has made the knockout stage in two of the three years since Austin CC took over as host. He is 10th in scrambling gained, 12th in strokes gained: approach, and 13th in strokes gained: par 4s. Each of those ranks is markedly higher than the highest-priced golfer in Group 8, Jon Rahm. Rahm is a formidable opponent coming off three strong rounds at TPC Sawgrass, but Kuchar at a significant discount is a good bet to advance to the knockout stage.

Phil Mickelson ($8,000 | 70) - Mickelson has match-play swagger after taking down Tiger in The Match, and his risk-reward style lends itself well to this format. With guilt-free shots at every pin, he can let loose and build a big lead on anyone. If he falls behind, his birdie-making ability can always keep him in play. He is 16th in birdies or better gained, 24th on par 4s, and 27th in scrambling gained. Coming off two missed cuts and in a loaded Group 12, it's easy to forget Phil already has a win and a runner-up showing this year.

Low-Priced Options

Charles Howell ($7,400 | 70) - Howell has reached the knockout round in each of the past two years, and his form so far this year has been far more consistent than that of his group-mates. His well-rounded game suits Austin CC as well as the match-play format, and he ranks fourth in both scrambling gained and strokes gained: par 4s.

Billy Horschel ($7,300 | 75) - Horschel is the third-priced golfer in Group 15, which features defending champion Bubba Watson and walking tire fire Jordan Spieth. Small-sample alert but cool stat: each of the last two winners have gone 0-3 in group play the year following their win. If Bubba succumbs to the winner's curse and Spieth unable to get out of his own way, the path could be clear for Horschel to advance. He is 8th in scrambling gained and 14th in birdies or better gained.

Kevin Kisner ($7,000 | 70) - Kisner has been remarkably consistent lately, with six straight top-28 finishes on Tour. He is a great pivot off two golfers in Group 14 who will draw attention: Tony Finau is always a popular DraftKings player and his birdie-making ability stands out even in the different format; and Ian Poulter has a well-earned match-play reputation. Kisner finished runner up last year and boasts the consistency and upside to take down the group, giving DraftKings owners a ton of leverage against opponents who pick Finau or Poulter.

Bargain Basement

Keith Mitchell ($6,400 | 120) - Mitchell is 16th in strokes gained: tee to green, 17th in strokes gained: approach, and 21st in birdies or better gained. He proved his win at the Honda was no fluke with a T6 at Bay Hill. Like his group-mate Kisner, he avoids a truly elite player in Group 14. Just don't put Kisner and Mitchell together in the same lineup!

Byeong-Hun An ($6,300 | 120) - An gets a decent draw, with Tommy Fleetwood the lead man in Group 11. Fleetwood is an excellent player, but he is prone to a round or two every week where things go poorly. An has gained strokes tee to green in 12 of his last 14 rounds, and he ranks eighth in this field in strokes gained: tee to green. He is also 19th in scrambling gained, 20th in strokes gained: approach, and 29th in birdies or better gained.

Aaron Wise ($6,000 | 240) - For the bare minimum, Wise brings Texas bonafides from his win at the Byron Nelson last year. He is making his debut at Austin CC, but he is a great wind player and is in a winnable group if Tiger drops a match and decides to pack it in. He is 18th in birdies or better gained and 35th in strokes gained: tee to green.



Mike Rodden is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Mike Rodden also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mike_rodden. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.