The PGA TOUR remains in Hawaii this week for the Sony Open. Waialae Country Club (par 70, 7,044 yards, Bermuda greens) in Honolulu is the host of this event, which has been the home of the Sony Open since the event’s inception in 1965. The late Grayson Murray won this event last season at -17, defeating Keegan Bradley and Byeong Hun An in a playoff. This week’s field consists of 144 golfers and there will be a top-65 and ties cut following the first two rounds.
Waialae CC is a short par 70 that features palm tree-lined fairways, big Bermuda greens, 83 bunkers and water in play on five holes. This is a less-than-driver venue where being in the right spot in the fairway is far more important than being long. Waialae is a second-shot course that requires a hot putter and strong work around the greens. Of the last five winners at this par 70, three have finished the tournament top-16 in SG ARG and two have led their fields in SGP.
Last but not least, as a classic par 70 with 12 par fours, being efficient on the par fours is unsurprisingly very important at Waialae CC. Four of the past five victors at this coastal track have finished tournament top-six in par four efficiency and strong par four players need to be a priority this week.
Below, I have featured four of my favorite DraftKings bargain plays for the Sony Open, all of which cost less than $7.5K.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $500K Pitch + Putt [$100K to 1st]
Andrew Novak ($7,400) – Novak heads to Hawaii this week coming off an outstanding fall swing, finishing T-16th, second and T-35th, in that order. During this three-start stretch, the 29-year-old gained strokes on approach at every event and he shot under par 10 of his 12 rounds, most notably with a 9-under 62 at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, which marked Novak’s career low on the PGA TOUR.
This impressive run moved the veteran up 32 spots in the world golf rankings and he ranks sixth in SGT2G when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds. Novak finished T-12th at Waialae CC two years ago and he brings similar upside this week considering his excellent form.
Andrew Putnam ($7,400) – Putnam should come with low ownership coming off back-to-back missed cuts and a trip to Waialae CC is exactly what the veteran needs to get back on track. Putnam has finished T-4th and T-10th at this par 70 the past two years and he finished runner-up here in 2019. The 35-year-old has made 6-of-8 cuts at Waialae CC and he has carded an 8-under 62 twice at this track, which is tied for the lowest score of his career.
Putnam clearly loves competing at Waialae CC and he is a terrific GPP play at this cheap salary. Before missing his past two cuts, Putnam had made six of his previous seven, including four top-30 finishes.
Matt Kuchar ($7,200) – Kuchar will be making his 20th career start at Waialae CC this week and is an awesome bargain at this low salary, which is the cheapest he has ever been on DraftKings for a Sony Open. Including a dominating four-shot win in 2019, Kuchar has finished inside the top-eight in seven of his last 11 appearances at Waialae CC.
In addition to his elite resume at the Sony Open, Kuchar has made six of his last eight cuts, with four of these finishes being top-15 results. The veteran’s resurgence has been a direct product of some elite ball striking – Kuchar ranks fifth in SG APP and SGT2G when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds – and his putting has notoriously been at its best on Bermuda grass throughout his career, which is evident by his terrific results at Waialae CC. The 46-year-old is vastly underpriced at only $7,200 and is arguably the best value on the board for the Sony Open.
Patrick Fishburn ($7,200) – Fishburn should make some noise in his Sony Open debut this week. Last season was his first full-time season on the PGA TOUR and after a rough start, Fishburn really came alive in the second half of his campaign, making 10 of his final 13 cuts, with seven of these finishes coming inside the top-25.
Fishburn’s most recent start was a T-8 at the RSM Classic in late November, which was a very impressive result for it being his first attempt at the multi-course event. Fishburn has shot under par in 10 consecutive rounds and he needs to be rostered at this low salary.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $500K Pitch + Putt [$100K to 1st]
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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.
