The WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play is the first of two Match Play events we’ll have this season (barring another shutdown) with the Ryder Cup coming later this year. With the Men’s and Women’s NCAA Basketball Championship tournaments in full swing, the PGA TOUR will have its own bracket-style setup, and with it, some potential upsets.
Per Justin Ray (Twitter: @JustinRayGolf), since the Match Play moved to Austin CC, only 36 percent of groups were won by the top seed (players 1 through 16), and seven players seeded 50th or lower made the quarterfinals or further. Unlike March Madness brackets, we should see a good number of upsets this week.
Course history, current form or your favorite golf tout has pumped up the projected DraftKings ownership for individual golfers throughout the week. This article will look at the projected chalk and pivot in each significant salary range when entering lineups in GPPs on DraftKings.
For a full course preview and who I like in the betting market, please refer to the DraftKings Preview article. Here are the pivots we should be considering this week on DraftKings.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $750K Flop Shot [$200K to 1st]
$10,000+ Range
Projected Popular Golfer: Jon Rahm ($10,700)
Pivot: Xander Schauffele ($10,000)
Would we be surprised if we see Rahm and Xander meet up in the quarterfinals? No. Personally, Scottie Scheffler ($7,900) is my favorite in the $7,000-range, and to advance out of this group, but just a couple of weeks ago, Xander was arguably playing the best of any golfer, ranking sixth in SG: Total over the previous 36 rounds. Rahm should have a clear path to the quarterfinals and hasn’t finished worse than 36th over his past 14 tournaments. Still, we shouldn’t mind throwing some proverbial shares on Xander with his Match Play experience here in 2018 and 2019 and the 2019 President’s Cup. His career singles record is 4-2-1.
$8,000 to $10,000 Range
Projected Popular Golfer: Paul Casey ($8,900)
Pivot: Jason Day ($8,400)
Since the last week of January, Casey has been on an absolute heater with a win and multiple top 10s worldwide. A fan-favorite, Casey also has a favorable group draw with a struggling Webb Simpson ($9,100), who’s uncharacteristically lost strokes with his irons in two of his past three events. Simpson is also a suitable pivot off Casey, but Day, who’s won this event twice as well as once here at Austin CC in 2016, should be a contrarian consideration. Day also was very off-brand at TPC Sawgrass, losing 7.7 strokes on the greens. He was positive in all major strokes gained statistical categories and is in Group 15, which we should target for potential upsets.
$7,000 to $8,000 Range
Projected Popular Golfer: Abraham Ancer ($7,700)
Pivot: Matthew Wolff ($6,900)
You don’t have to go down $800 to find value, but this might be the last time we see Wolff’s price and projected ownership this low. Jordan Spieth ($9,300) is playing exceptionally well compared to what he was doing just a few months ago. Like the DraftKings Sportsbook article laid out, Wolff excelled in this format at Oklahoma State just a few years ago. The damage of Wolff’s potential blowup holes is minimized with this format and could be the type of environment that gets him back on track. Just remember, Wolff earned a fourth-place finish at The PGA Championship and a runner-up at the U.S. Open last season and is fully capable of beating the best. He just needs to regain the same confidence as he had back then, and it could be off to the races.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $750K Flop Shot [$200K to 1st]
Bracket Challenge
- The brackets are live for the 2021 World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play
- Get your picks in before play starts Wednesday, March 24th for your chance to win a VIP Tournament Experience to the 2022 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play!
- VIP Experience includes (2) VIP tickets, (2) Hotel nights, Pin Flag signed by the 2021 tournament champion and $100 merchandise gift to spend on-site at the PGA TOUR Fan Shop (more details below)
· Two (2) VIP tickets for 3 days of winner’s choice
· Two (2) consecutive nights stay at the tournament host hotel
· Pin flag signed by the 2021 tournament champion
· $100 merchandise gift to spend on-site at the PGA TOUR Fan Shop
- The World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, March 24-28
- To fill out your bracket, visit https://fantasybracket.pgatour.com/#/picks/mine
Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game.
For sports betting, head over to DraftKings Sportsbook or download the DraftKings Sportsbook app.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is reidtfowler) 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 I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL).
Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA/MI), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (NH/CO), 1-800-BETS OFF(IA), 1-888-532-3500 (VA) or call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN).
21+ (18+ NH). CO/IL/IN/IA/NH/NJ/PA/TN/VA/WV/MI only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.