PGA DFS Picks: The Houston Open

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In this edition of PGA DFS picks, I’m looking at golfers from all the price ranges in the Houston Open to find the right mix and get you six golfers to make the cut and win you some green on Sunday!

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Quick Course Notes:

• The Houston open has returned (in October) to the PGA Tour, but the schedule change has eliminated a lot of the bigger names from this event. We do have Henrik Stenson in the field, and he’s the favorite.
• It’s hosted by the Tournament Course at the Golf Club of Houston – which has some penalizing rough and Bermuda greens.
• No major weather issues this week.
• Large field (144 golfers) with cut line at Top 65 and ties – so having 6/6 will be a challenge.

The Picks:

Elite PGA DFS

Russell Henley (DK $10,100, FD $10,500) – Henley is a course horse of the highest order, with 5/5 cuts in the past five years. He’s also made 7/7 cuts since the John Deere Classic. Hopefully he’s not stumped by the longer rough and climate change from spring.

Daniel Berger (DK $10,400, FD $11,000) – The Floridian has lots of great finishes in Houston and is coming off a T18 at the Shriners. A complete golfer without any major flaws who loves the grainy Bermuda.

Pat Perez (DK $9,700, FD $10,600) – Perez is a little expensive for my liking but that’s not enough to get me to fade him in GPPs. He’s a fan of Bermuda, has a T11 in his only appearance here and is coming off a solo 3rd finish in Las Vegas at the Shriners.

Sebastian Munoz (DK $9,400, FD $10,200) – Munoz went to college at North Texas and he might not draw very high ownership after missing the cut at the Shriner’s in Vegas. But he won at Sanderson Farms a few weeks ago and finished 33rd at the Safeway. It’s a good week and location for a Top 10 rebound for Munoz.

Mid-Range PGA DFS

Kyle Stanley (DK $9,200, FD $10,100) – Stanley is 3/3 in cuts at this event and is a top-notch ball striker who shouldn’t be flummoxed by the date change or the longer rough. He finished 8th here in 2017.

Sam Ryder (DK $8.800, FD $9,100) – Ryder is a Stetson alum who finished in fifth place finish here as a rookie in 2018, when he had been struggling. Hes got a win under his belt, he clearly likes the venue and he just finished T18 at the Shriners after a couple of missed cuts to start the season.

Bronson Burgoon (DK $8,400, FD $8,800) – Burgoon went to Texas A&M and finished 24^th here last season in his debut appearance. He’s a streaky player who can make a lot of birdies, and he’s perfect as a mix-in for GPPs.

Beau Hossler (DK $8,300, FD $9,600) – Another Texas (Longhorn) golfer with solid finishes here (2/2: 39th in 2017; 2nd in 2018), Hossler’s form is decent, his pricing is fair and he’s an exceptional putter – the number one thing I look for in DFS after ball-striking and the correlative Strokes Gained stats.

Value PGA DFS

Robbie Shelton (DK $7,900, $9,300) – The youngster is off to a good start this season and has a good track record on bermuda. He’s a perfect mid-range value option but there’s some risk associated with his ball-striking and lack of experience at this venue.

Brian Gay (DK $7,600, FD $9,100) – He’s my buddy Mark Spada’s favorite under-the-radar DFS golf play and he’s been hotter than a pistol recently. He’s trending up since the start of the season but has thus far just been palatable at the Golf Club of Houston: 3/3 with his best finish as a T26 in 2009. Gay finished 43rd in 2014, his last time here.

Michael Thompson (DK $7,300, FD $8,700) – Thompson loves GC of Houston and is 4/4 in cuts. He’s finished 14, 12 in his last two times here.

Sepp Straka (DK $7,100, $8,300) – Straka is my wild card, and he’s not on many of the “golfers to watch” lists this week because he prefers poa annua greens to bermuda. He’s also making his tournament debut here at GC of Houston and has yet to make a cut this season. But there’s just so much promise to this young Austrian’s game that I’ll mix him into a few lineups at what promises to be very low ownership.

Five more GPP options: Keegan Bradley (DK $9,000, FD $9,800), Luke List (DK $8,500, FD $9,700), Lanto Griffin (DK $8,000, FD $9,500), Richy Werenski (DK $7,700, FD $9,000), Robert Garrigus (DK $6,200, FD $7,000)

The Fades:

Brian Harman (DK $10,600, FD $10,900) – His course record is bad, his price is too high, and his ownership will be high given his current form. No thanks.

Russell Knox (DK $9,200, $10,300) – Knox makes for a great GPP play in certain venues, but he’s expensive, he missed the cut in his only appearance here last season and his T48 at the Shriner’s doesn’t inspire confidence.

Spades’ Fade of the Week:

Cameron Champ (DK $10,800, FD $11,100) – “He shouldn’t be second in price and he has too many bad rounds.” – Mark “Spades” Spada 

I couldn’t agree more, Spades. Plus, this big hitter will most definitely be finding some of the extra-long rough and he’s not known as a great scrambler.