Next up for the fall swing is the inaugural Black Desert Championship. This brand new PGA TOUR event will be played at the Black Desert Resort (par 71, 7,371 yards, bentgrass greens) in Ivins, Utah. This is the first time this track has hosted a PGA TOUR event and the first time the PGA TOUR has visited Utah since 1963. The Black Desert Championship is hosting a field of 132 players this week and there will be a standard top-65 and ties cut following the first two rounds.
The Black Desert Resort is a scenic desert track that is surrounded by Utah’s red rock mountains. This beautiful venue is a long and flat course that is very susceptible to wind with no tree on the grounds. Furthermore, the Black Desert Resort sits about 3,100 feet above sea level and features large greens, short rough, 44 bunkers and water in play on only two holes. Given this track’s extreme elevation, every golfer is going to gain some extra distance this week and any length of player should be able to succeed at this par 71. As always, strong iron players need to be our primary targets—plus, we should be targeting golfers who are in convincing form with their flat sticks, given the large putting surfaces at the Black Desert Resort. This par 71 presents an interesting collection of holes and all three of the par fives land between 550-600 yards, making this a length of hole to focus on for research.
Below, I dive into four of my favorite DraftKings bargain plays for the Black Desert Championship that all are priced under $7.5K.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $300K Sand Trap [$100K to 1st!]
Bud Cauley ($7,400) – Cauley impressed with a T5 at the Sanderson Farms Championship last week while gaining strokes in every major category at the Country Club of Jackson. Additionally, the veteran finished the event second in least-bogeys recorded. This performance came after Cauley’s T32nd at the Procore Championship last month, and he has now advanced to the weekend in four of his last six starts.
Evident from last week, Cauley has a strong prowess for contending in the fall and he is underpriced for his upside in this weak field. On the DraftKings Sportsbook, Cauley boasts +5500 odds to win the Black Desert Championship, which are the best among all the players priced under $7.5K for DFS.
Nick Hardy ($7,300) – Hardy continues to be too cheap for his safety. The Illinois product finished T28th at the Sanderson Farms Championship last week—while gaining strokes in every major category expect ARG—and he has only missed two of his last 10 cuts. Furthermore, Hardy has only shot over par twice in his past four starts and he ranks top-25 in SGT2G, SG: Approach, SG OTT and par-5 efficiency when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds.
Hardy is a great match for the Black Desert Resort and he brings top-25 upside this weekend.
Ben Kohles ($7,300) – Looking to build off his T16 at the Sanderson Farms Championship last week, Kohles is one the best values available for the Black Desert Championship. The veteran was one of only 10 players to gain strokes in every major category at the CC of Jackson last week and he finished the event second in birdies.
Kohles has now made 11 of his past 13 cuts and he has carded six top-30 finishes during this stretch. Kohles has gained at least 2.1 strokes on approach in three consecutive starts and is vastly underpriced for his form.
Austin Smotherman ($7,100) – You can’t go wrong with Smotherman at this cheap salary. The 30-year-old has made 11-of-12 cuts this season, with two top-25 finishes in his last four starts. At the Sanderson Farms Championship last week, Smotherman gained 7.3 strokes on approach, good enough to rank him third in the metric for the tournament.
Smotherman has now gained at least 2.3 strokes on approach in four of his last five starts and he ranks sixth in SG: Approach when we analyze this field’s last 24 rounds. Additionally, Smotherman ranks 12th in 550-600-yard par five efficiency during this time, which bodes extremely for well for the Black Desert Resort, where all three of the par fives fall in this range. If Smotherman can find some luck with his putter this week, the 30-year-old could contend.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $300K Sand Trap [$100K to 1st!]
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
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.
