Patrick Waters 
The Range is a course breakdown for the upcoming PGA tournament with a DFS perspective. This week the tour is in Florida as the players face off at THE PLAYERS Championship.
The Basics
Course: TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course
Par: 72
Length: 7,189 yards
Greens: TifEagle Bermuda
Fairways: Celebration Bermuda
Architect: Pete Dye
Past five winners: ’19 McIlroy (-16), ’18 Simpson (-18), ’17 Kim (-10), ’16 Day (-15), ’15 Fowler (-12)
For a hole by hole breakdown, please visit the PGA Tour website here.
Course Breakdown
Last week at the API the wind really took hold of the tournament and the scoring was drastically affected by it. While I predicted last week the winner would be around -14, I’m going back to that guess for The Players. Wind will be present but nothing too worrisome so let’s look at golfers that perform well on average scoring courses.
Throughout the course some holes will take advantage of a golfer’s ability off the tee and others will really test their approach game. We’ll be looking at ball striking this week as it combines both statistics and is generally the go-to stat for models.
Bermuda once again will reign over The Players Championship. Here are the top golfers over the last 24 rounds.
Here are the best of the field over the last 24 rounds with all three-course conditions combined.
Player Fit
Three of the toughest holes come from the Par 4s in the 450 – 500-yard range. Being able to save par will be instrumental in finding the weekend. On the flip side the Par 5s from 500 – 550 are the easiest. Being able to birdie or even eagle on these holes will be crucial. I want to look at the golfer that has excelled from 150 – 200 yards in proximity as this where the bulk of approach shots will come from.
Opportunity Gained, Birdie or Better and Bogey Avoidance will have their role as well. On top of them, adding in DK scoring will be huge.
Here is a list of the top golfers that her performed will with all theses stats combined over the last 24 rounds.
Final Recap of THE PLAYERS Championship
First and foremost, don’t feel comfortable with your golfers until they’re officially done as the final 3 holes can swing the whole tournament. The 16th hole is the easiest on the course, a shorter Par 5 that plays almost a half stroke below par. Hole 17 is the infamous Island Green, while the distance will be handled by a wedge for most golfers, the surrounding lake and stadium seating will test everyone’s nerves. The finale hole is the hardest test on the course with water all the way down the left side. No lead is safe.
Course Setup
Average Scoring
Average to hit fairways
Bermuda Greens
Player Efficiencies
Par 4 Scoring: 450 – 500 yards
Par 5 Scoring: 500 – 550 yards
Proximity: 150 – 200 yards
Opportunity Gained
BOB
Bogey Avoidance
Thanks for reading and I hope this article is a great starting place for your DFS research at THE PLAYERS Championship. Look out for the Insight Sheet dropping Wednesday. It will include my personal player pool and reasoning why each golfer was chosen. Also Wednesday night you can find me in the Win Daily Discord helping members with their lineups and last-minute questions.
Stat Source: Fantasy National
