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The new PGA Tour year is already underway as a full field of golfers descend upon The Fortinet Championship. This tournament comes with some headliners like Jon Rahm, but also features plenty of new names who have just obtained their PGA Tour cards. Tune into the Win Daily PGA Show at 8:00 TONIGHT for everything on all the players and course dynamics. In short, I’ll be looking for a combination of ball strikers and scorers (BOB Gained and Par 5 scoring in particular). Now, let’s get to the Fortinet Championship Initial Picks.
Jon Rahm (12100) – The best in the world coming out to play this tournament is a bit of surprise, but I expect his foot to be on the pedal and the main reason to fade him is if you’re trying to get different in a big GPP.
Will Zalatoris (10500) – We saw WillyZ cool off a bit toward the back end of the PGA Tour season and a lot of that had to do with the putter. Over the last two tournaments he’s gained pretty significantly with the putter so I’m willing to dive back in on the rookie of the year.
Charley Hoffman (8800) – Hoffman’s game was a little erratic toward the back half of the season but there’s no question he’s an elite ball striker when he’s on. I think he has a shot to contend in this field. You’ll notice I didn’t write up anyone in the 9k range, but Hoffman actually belongs in that price range.
Emiliano Grillo (8900) – Grillo is a great course fit in spite of middling results at The Fortinet Championship (previously the Safeway). I’m going to lean on the ball striking upside and hope for a decent putter. I’m guessing he won’t be rostered much and therefore I like him more as a GPP play only.
Maverick McNealy (8600) – The numbers haven’t been great as of late and his price is a bit high, but I’m hoping that makes him a somewhat unpopular play. If so, I’ll throw him into some GPP’s as I’m a fan of his scoring and birdie upside.
Chez Reavie (8500) – The putting can go sideways with Reavie but the ball striking is great. He’s made his last 4 cuts here and recent form looks very solid. A nice course fit at the Fortinet Championship.
Mito Pereira (8000) – He burst onto the PGA Tour scene a few months back. He’s tailed off a bit but certainly has the upside to contend here. The putter is likely to be the main issue with Mito. Other than that he rates out well. I only like him for GPP.
Doug Ghim (7900) – Pretty much a perfect course fit who showed promise last year with a 14th place finish. His putter is a big issue, but he’s been ok in that department as of late. If he’s good with the putter, don’t be surprised if he is in the mix on Sunday.
Brian Stuard (7600) – A short and accurate striker who can really putt. His main issue is that he may not score as well on the Par 5s as some of these other guys, but I like his all-around game and I expect him to make the cut.
Adam Schenk (7300) – You may recall I was on Schenk a handful of times last year and I’ll try him again at the Fortinet Championship as well. He comes in just above average OTT and APP, but he’s Top 10 in SG Par 5 and 12th in PUTT. I like this price especially if he’s super low owned.
Chad Ramey (7000) – I’m throwing Ramey into the article because that’s what the bookmakers are telling me to do. For some reason Ramey is 70 to 1, but he is in a Draftkings price range with golfers who are mostly 100 to 1 or longer. These types of discrepancies should not be ignored. Add to that Ramey has been very good on the KFT Tour and is a good ball striker.
Bo Hoag (6800) – I’m convinced this guy is better than people think and I’m hoping we see it this week. He rates out great in my model and I think there is some upside at this price. He rates out well on APP, BOB Gained and SG Par 5. His history here isn’t bad either. A GPP play only.
Mark Hubbard (6500) – In this field Hubbard should probably be in the 7k range. He’s no superstar but he’s Top 30 on APP, PUTT, ARG, Good Drives and SG Par 5.
Jim Herman (6500) – We are definitely in the punt range, but I’m a pretty big fan of Herman. He’s been great OTT and solid on APP. He’s also Top 25 in BOB Gained and SG Par 5.
Secret Weapon (less than 7k/less than 5% owned) – Current record is 43-12. No SW with the short field and no cut.
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