Danny Willett

In this edition of PGA DFS picks, we’ll explore some of the top golfers in the CJ CUP focusing on closers who can finish in the Top 10.

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Quick Course Notes:

• Course: The Club at Nine Bridges (Par: 72 – Yardage: 7,184 – Greens: Bentgrass)
• The Club at Nine Bridges is on Jeju Island – 60 miles south of mainland South Korea and hosts the CJ Cup for the third consecutive year.
• No-cut event featuring 78 golfers.
• Wind could be a factor this week.
• Top stats we’ll focus on are Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, Par 5s Gained, Scrambling & Strokes Gained: Approach

The Picks:

Elite PGA DFS (DK $10K and up):

Brooks Koepka (DK $11,400, FD $11,900) – He won here last year and this course sets up perfectly for him – especially since we can remove the variables of a slow start. Koepka checks all the boxes and can handle adverse conditions anywhere in the world. Even if he’s not hitting fairways, he’s an excellent scrambler with patience and the ability to get strokes back in a hurry.

Justin Thomas (DK $11,700, FD $12,000) – If you don’t play Koepka, you should play Thomas, who won here in 2017. He’s been incredibly steady lately with nothing worse than Top 12 finishes in his last seven starts worldwide, including a T4 at the Safeway Open a few weeks ago. Taking Koepka & Thomas leaves you with $6,725 per golfer on DK in a studs-and-scrubs approach, and I’ll be building more than a couple lineups this way with no cut looming over the scrubs.

Tommy Fleetwood (DK $10,300, FD $10,900) – Pairing Koepka with Fleetwood leaves us $7,075 per golfer, and the Englishman’s form is solid – with a T5 at the Alfred Dunhill Links championship in late September. He’s currently fifth on the European Tour in GIR and sixth in scoring average, and he ranked 12^th in SG: Off the Tee in 2019. I might have some GPPs with just Fleetwood ($7,940 per the remaining five golfers), or Koepka ($7,720 per the remaining five) among the elite picks and go for a more balanced approach with the remaining five golfers.

Hideki Matsuyama (DK $10,700, FD $11,100) – Matsuyama is the weakest golfer of these elite picks, and his form isn’t great (three MC in his last eight starts). But with no cut, maybe he can find his game and use his strengths (power/ball-striking combo and precision approaches) to dominate Nine Bridges, where he debuted with a T18 last year.

Also consider: Colliin Morikawa, Victor Hovland

Mid-Range PGA DFS (DK $8K to $10K):

Sungjae Im (DK $9,700, FD $10,300) – There’s probably not a harder working golfer around, and Im’s packed schedule certainly keeps him busy. But the top-ranked South Korean national hasn’t missed a cut since The Open Championship and he finished in second place at Sanderson Farms in mid-September. He took a rare but much-needed week at the Shriner’s after a T49 at the Safeway, and his recharged batteries could provide a nice narrative if he can contend at home.

Sergio Garcia (DK $9,100, FD $9,800) – We’re getting Garcia in excellent form, at a considerable discount from some of his European peers, and without a cut – a consequential footnote considering his predilection for poor behavior and insane blowups. While he failed to advance to the BMW Championship during the recent FedEx Cup Playoffs, he has since posted a Top 25 at the Omega European Masters, won the KLM Open on the European Tour in mid-September and most recently finished T7 in the Spanish Open.

Rafa Cabrera-Bello (DK $9,600, FD $10,100) – Garcia isn’t the only Spaniard we have to watch in this tourney. RCB has improved on a couple of key stats recently (GIR and SG: Putting), and he arrives in good form after a solo second in the Spanish Open a couple weeks ago. He’s also nabbed a T11 and T3 at the CJ CUP. I worry that he’s not the best closer, but there’s a good chance at a Top 10 finish and if he fits, I’ll use him.

Matthew Wolff (DK $8,800, FD $9,300) – Wolff is a star on the rise with a big, quirky swing that belies a balanced game and interesting fit to this golf course. He’s making his debut here, but he finished T10 at the Safeway Open and should benefit from the no-cut structure and he might improve each day he plays this stunning layout.

Chez Reavie (DK $8,300, FD $9,200) – Reavie might get chalky at his affordable price, but if he’s not, I’ll have some exposure. He’s got two Top 15s here but missed the cut at the Shriner’s – something I’m hoping the game log watchers buy into.

Also consider: Danny Willett, Joaquin Niemann, Tyrell Hatton, Kevin Na (GPP only)

Value PGA DFS (DK $8K and under):

Pat Perez (DK $7,500, FD $8,900) – While he initially cited his last-minute WD from the Houston Open as due to a wrist injury, he later clarified that he just wanted to get a head start ion arriving in Korea for this personal favorite (where he earned a T5 in 2017 and T7 in 2018). He gained entry on a sponsor exemption and I’m counting on lower ownership than his course fit (and obvious value) would suggest, because some folks got burned by his WD last week.

Jazz Janewattananond (DK $7,000, FD $8,100) – One of the best Asian golfers who also plays events on the Euro tour, Jazz sits atop the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit with two wins, and he’s posted an incredible 17 top-six finishes worldwide in the last 12 months, including victories at the 2019 SMBC Singapore Open and 2019 Kolon Korea Open.

Rory Sabbatini (DK $7,900, FD $8,700) – Sabbatini is among my favorite GPP options on Bentgrass, as his putting improves considerably on that surface. He’s among the best in the field in Par 4 Scoring and Birdies or Better Gained on courses that feature Bentgrass greens and he’s coming off a T10 at the Italian Open.

Joel Dahmen (DK$7,100, FD $8,200) – He finished T9 at the Shriners two weeks ago and performed well in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and par-4 scoring. While Dahmen placed T29 in his debut at Nine Bridges last year and remains a longshot to win, his stats models trend up for this course, and he’s a value option that I’ll have some exposure to in the hopes he can nab a top 10 finish.

Also consider: Ian Poulter, Abraham Ancer & Sung Kang (GPP only)

The Fades:

Jason Day (DK $9,500, FD $10,400) – The former world No. 1 (seems like ages ago, doesn’t it) enters the week ranked 27rd in OWGR, and it’s been a tough descent to watch, as I’m a huge fan. He tied for fifth last year and 11th the year before, so he could garner higher ownership than his form warrants.

Gary Woodland (DK $9,400, $10,200) – 2019 was a big year for Woodland, who was the runner-up to Koepka last season before he snagged his impressive U.S. Open victory. He’s still got some upside, but there’s something missing from his game and he’ll get lots of ownership because of last year’s finish at this venue.

Spades’ Fade of theWeek:

Jordan Spieth (DK $10,000, FD $10,600) – “He’s a self-destructing crybaby who only knows how to putt, and he hasn’t played this year yet.” – Mark “Spades” Spada 

Yep. I’m right there with you, Spades. It’s been a while since he finished 37th at the BMW Championship and was eliminated from the FedExCup playoffs, and the only thing that scares me is the no-cut aspect, because a fellow who relies this heavily on his putter has MC-equity I can dig.

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