While it wasn’t as straightforward as he would have drawn it up, Hideki Matsuyama ($9,300; 126.5 FPTS) emerged with a win in the first event of the FedExCup Playoffs. His triumph at the FedEx St. Jude Championship gives him 10 career PGA TOUR wins and his second victory of the season after also winning The Genesis Invitational back in February.
Matsuyama started the Final Round with a five-stroke lead but struggled and was tied for the lead before going birdie-birdie to finish. His 26-foot putt on No. 17 put him back in front to stay. He finished with an even-par 70 in the Final Round, which was enough to hold on after he went 65-64-64 to start the week.
Matsuyama’s week got off to a turbulent start before his impressive finish. Two weeks ago, he won the bronze medal at the Olympics, but last week, he and his team were robbed while eating dinner during a stopover in London. While Matsuyama lost his wallet, he didn’t lose his medal or passport. Unfortunately, though, his caddie and coach had their passports and visas taken. As a result, he played this week with a different caddie, but he overcame the adversity to still get the win.
With all the extra drama, Matsuyama was +3000 to win this week when the tournament began. For DFS contests, Matsuyama was 12.4% owned in the PGA TOUR $1M SUMMER SAND TRAP [$200K TO 1ST], and as you would expect, he was in the entry that finished the day in the lead.
Matsuyama finished two strokes ahead of Xander Schauffele ($9,500; 110 FPTS) and defending FedExCup Champion Viktor Hovland ($9,500; 110 PTS), while World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler ($12,400; 108.5 FPTS) finished solo fourth. Sam Burns ($8,300; 113.5 FPTS) and Nick Dunlap ($8,300; 113.5 FPTS) rounded out the top five.
Xander shot the round of the day with a -7 with seven birdies and no bogeys. Matching him for the best round of the day, Eric Cole ($6,700; 80 FPTS) and Max Greyserman ($6,900; 72 FPTS) both shot up the leaderboard as well.
Cole’s low round was enough to help him climb from No. 54 in the FexEdCup Standings to No. 46. That’s especially significant because the top 50 in the standings advance to next week’s BMW Championship. The BMW Championship is the second of the three playoff events, and the top 30 in the standings will advance to the TOUR Championship in the regular season finale in two weeks.
Cole and Dunlap were the only players to move from outside the top 50 to inside the cutoff point for next week. The two golfers that fell out of position were Tom Kim ($8,900; 71.5 FPTS) and Mackenzie Hughes ($6,200; 61 FPTS) while a furious rally from Maverick McNealy ($6,900; 79 FPTS) came up just short of being enough for him to advance next week. Kim was in position to move on until this disastrous finish:
Next week’s BMW Championship will take place at Castle Pines Golf Club in Colorado. Jack Nicklaus designed the par-72, which also hosted The International—a unique championship that utilized the Modified Stableford scoring system from 1986 until 2006 on the PGA TOUR—but has not hosted an event since.
Make sure to check back on DraftKings Network for Golf Picks and DFS Plays throughout the week. The biggest DFS contest available is the $800K Summer Sand Trap, where one $25 entry will claim the top prize of $200K. You can also bet on the winner and many other PGA TOUR props and plays on DraftKings Sportsbook.
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) 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 skill 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.
