After watching Scottie Scheffler pick up his second win of the season at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Florida swing continues this week with THE PLAYERS Championship at the illustrious TPC Sawgrass (par 72, 7,256 yards, Bermuda greens), located in Ponte Verda Beach. This Pete Dye-designed par 72 has been the lone home of THE PLAYERS since 1982, and this event was moved from May to March on the annual PGA TOUR schedule three years ago. Last season, Justin Thomas came out on top with a winning number of -14. The previous year, THE PLAYERS was unfortunately canceled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic, beginning over a two-month pause for the PGA TOUR.
With 88 bunkers on-site, water in play on 16 of 18 holes and wind always becoming a factor, TPC Sawgrass is truly a demanding test of golf. Like most of the courses on the Florida swing, TPC Sawgrass favors accuracy over distance. Most players will play it safe and primarily use less than driver this week, and like most Dye creations, TPC Sawgrass is a second shot course that requires elite iron play. Including Thomas last season, three of the last five PLAYERS champions have finished the week inside the top-10 SG APP. As for what holes are most important for success at this par 72, the par fours are no doubt the most critical. Of the last five golfers to secure a win at TPC Sawgrass, three led their fields in SG on the par fours. More specifically, five of the 10 par fours land between 450-500 yards, certainly making this a specific range to focus on this week. Lastly, with TPC Sawgrass always being one of the most difficult and unpredictable venues on the PGA TOUR, we need to be targeting players who have been avoiding the huge numbers on their scorecard. Before Thomas last season, the previous four PLAYERS winners all ranked in the top-three in bogeys avoided during their victories.
Given its massive purse and star-studded field, THE PLAYERS Championship is regarded as the “fifth” major by most golf fans. 47 of the top-50 ranked players in the world will be competing in Ponte Verda this week, with first-place taking home a whopping $3.6 million. In total, this is a field of 144 golfers, with a standard top-65 and ties cutline following the second round. With almost all of the best players in the world in attendance, there is a plethora of compelling cheap value plays to consider for THE PLAYERS, and below, I have featured four of my favorite options priced under $7.5K on DraftKings.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: $2.5M Fantasy Golf Millionaire [$1M to 1st + ToC Semifinal Entry] (PGA TOUR)
Sergio Garcia, $7,400
At this low salary, which is the cheapest Garcia has ever been for a PLAYERS Championship, Garcia is an elite value play. The veteran is currently riding a five-made cut streak, with four of these finishes being top-25s. On top of the appealing form, Garcia owns an extremely impressive resume at TPC Sawgrass. Including a win back in 2008, the Spaniard has carded 12 top-25s and made 19 of 21 cuts at the par 72.
Garcia ranks fifth in this field in career strokes gained at TPC Sawgrass and holds +4000 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook to win THE PLAYERS this weekend. To put in perspective how strong of odds these are relative to his low DFS price tag, Garcia’s outright odds to win on DraftKings Sportsbook are better than Jordan Spieth’s, who costs $9,000 for DFS purposes.
Si Woo Kim, $7,300
Last week at Bay Hill, Kim gained over two strokes from T2G and on APP, en route to a T26 finish. For the season, the 26-year-old has only missed one cut in 12 starts and has finished in the top-30 on eight occasions.
Now, Kim will look to continue his impressive 2022 campaign at TPC Sawgrass, where he has never missed a cut in five tries. Most notably, Kim won the 2017 PLAYERS by three strokes and he also finished T9th a year ago. Relative to his upside at this venue, Kim is vastly underpriced and is a must-have for GPPs.
Chris Kirk, $7,000
Kirk has been very successful at TPC Sawgrass, making 9/10 cuts with three top-20s, and he should add another quality finish to his resume in Ponte Verda this week. As of late, Kirk has been playing excellent golf, finishing T14th, T7th and T5th in his last three starts. During this run, the 36-year-old’s ball-striking has been brilliant, ranking seventh in SGT2G. He has also been an outstanding scorer, ranking fourth in BOB% when we compare this field’s last 12 rounds. Additionally, Kirk has been extremely efficient on 450-500 yard par fours, ranking 12th in SG on this specific length of hole.
Kirk brings much better upside than his low salary suggests and is one of the best values on the board this week.
Alex Noren, $7,000
Noren’s game is trending up right now and his salary simply doesn’t reflect his compelling form. In his last start, the Swede gained 5.4 strokes with his irons at the Honda Classic, lifting him to a T5 finish. Noren has now finished inside the top-six twice in his past three starts and has gained strokes on approach in five straight.
Furthermore, over his last 24 rounds, Noren ranks fourth in SG on par fours that range from 450-500 yards, setting him up perfectly for his return to TPC Sawgrass. In four starts at the Dye design, Noren has produced a pair of top-20 finishes.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: $2.5M Fantasy Golf Millionaire [$1M to 1st + ToC Semifinal Entry] (PGA TOUR)
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