The time has arrived for our first major championship of the season, as we head to the world famous Augusta National Golf Club (par 72, 7,545 yards, bentgrass greens) in Augusta, Georgia, for the 88th edition of the Masters. Augusta National has been the home of this major since the Masters’ inception in 1934—John Rahm won the second major title of his career at last year’s Masters, winning by a comfortable four shots at -12. Following Akshay Bhatia’s dramatic playoff win at the Valero Texas Open this past week, the Masters field is set at 89 players and there will be a limited cut of the top-50 with ties advancing after the first two rounds.
The legendary Augusta National is a long par 72 that presents bentgrass greens, 44 bunkers and water in play on five holes. While Augusta National is third longest venue we have seen so far this season, both short and long hitters have won the Masters in recent years and it is safe to target any length of golfer this week. Coming out victorious at Augusta National primarily boils to having an incredible showing with your irons. Each of the last five Masters champions have ranked top-seven in SG: Approach during their wins at Augusta National, with two of these players leading their field in the metric. Avoiding the large numbers on your scorecard is also vital at this challenging par 72, as four straight Masters winners have finished the major top-four in bogey avoidance.
Per usual with a par 72, we need to be prioritizing elite par-five players at Augusta National, with four consecutive victors at this illustrious venue finishing the event top-three in par five efficiency. While not as important as the par fives, it is also a sharp move to seek out golfers who score well on 450-500-yard par fours. Five of the 10 par fours at Augusta National fall in this range and three of the past four Masters winners have ranked top-four in 450-500-yard par-four efficiency during their victories.
For this anticipated major, DraftKings is running out two Millionaire Maker contests this week, with entry fees of $10 and $100. Below, I break down four of my favorite DraftKings bargain plays for the Masters, that all cost less than $7.5K.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: $4M FANTASY GOLF MILLIONAIRE [$1M TO 1ST] (PGA)
Russell Henley ($7,200) – While likely to be popular, Henley is a difficult fade at this cheap salary and is good chalk to embrace for the Masters. The former Georgia Bull Dog has been excellent at Augusta National. Henley posted a career-best T4 finish at last year’s Masters, which marked his sixth straight made cut at the major and third top-15 finish in his last four appearances at Augusta National. Henley’s current form is also very encouraging, with him on the heels of a T4 at the Valero Texas Open last week, in which he ranked second in SG: Approach for the tournament, only trailing the eventual winner in Bhatia.
Henley has now carded two top-five finishes in his last three starts and has only missed one cut in nine starts this season. Furthermore, the 34-year-old ranks 11th on the PGA TOUR in bogey avoidance, which bodes well for Augusta National. Henley is far too cheap at $7,300, which is very clear when we compare DFS salaries to odds to win the Masters. On the DraftKings Sportsbook, Henley carries +5500 odds to take home the green jacket this weekend, which are the best odds of any player priced under $7.5K and the same odds as Max Homa—who is significantly more expensive for DFS at $8,300.
Si Woo Kim ($7,100) – Kim has been vey reliable this season. The veteran has yet to miss a cut in nine starts and has produced six top-25 finishes. Notably, Kim’s last two finishes have been a T6 at THE PLAYERS and a T17 at the Houston Open, in that order. Overall, the 28-year-old has shot impressively shot under par in 30 of his 36 rounds this season (83%) and he ranks third on the PGA TOUR in SG: Tee-to-Green, which is by far the highest Kim has ever ranked in the stat during his career.
Additionally, the four-time PGA TOUR winner ranks fifth in bogey avoidance this season and he boasts an awesome resume at the Masters. Kim has made six cuts in a row at Augusta National, including four top-30 finishes. Despite being in better form this time around, Kim costs $400 less than he did for last year’s Masters and is a sensational value at only $7,100.
Adam Scott ($7,100) – Scott must be considered at this low price point, which is the cheapest the Aussie has ever been on DraftKings for a Masters. Scott has competed at the last 23 Masters and has only failed to make the cut twice. The 43-year-old has carded 10 top-25 finishes at Augusta National—most notably with a win in 2013 —and returns to the famous track fresh off a T17 at the Valero Texas Open last week.
Scott has now made 5-of-6 cuts this season—with four of those finishes being top-20 results—and ranks second in SGP and 11th in par-four efficiency over his last 50 rounds. Scott is a safe bet to make the cut this week and can be trusted for all formats.
Sergio Garcia ($6,800) – Just like Scott, this is the cheapest Garcia has ever been for a Masters on DraftKings and he has a ton of merit at this low price tag. The Spaniard has advanced to the weekend in nine of his last 14 starts at Augusta National, including five top-25 finishes, one of which was his Masters win in 2017. As for his current form, Garcia is in the midst of his best season as a member of the LIV Golf league, ranking fourth in points among the 54-player circuit. The 43-year-old nearly won the LIV Miami tournament this past week, losing in a playoff to Dean Burmester, which marked Garcia’s second runner-up finish in five starts this season. Statistically, the veteran ranks top-eight in GIR%, driving accuracy, birdies and scrambling on the LIV Golf tour.
On the DraftKings Sportsbook, Garcia presents +11000 odds to win the Masters, which are great odds relative to his $6,800 DFS salary. For some perspective, these are better odds than Tom Kim, who costs $7,400.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: $4M FANTASY GOLF MILLIONAIRE [$1M TO 1ST] (PGA)
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
