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2017 Masters Guide to DFS


This week we have a field of elite PGA golfers for the Masters Tournament. A bulk of the 94 entrants include the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings, major champions, and amateur champions. This is your guide for playing the Masters on daily fantasy sports.

I mainly play guaranteed prize pool (GPP) PGA Daily Fantasy contests on FanDuel. I will include Draft Kings pricing as a guide and most of this info you can use on both sites depending on your cap constraints and value. Both sites have different scoring categories and FanDuel's roster construction includes four unique golfers for rounds one and two and four unique golfers for rounds three and four. You may not be able to include all of my target golfers this week into your lineup, but the information below is a guide to help make you more money in GPP.

Statistics to Target

Driving Distance

Par 5 score

Strokes Gained on Approach

Proximity to the Hole from 200+ yards

Birdie or Better %.

Picks

(Numbers in parenthesis are their current FanDuel price)

Dustin Johnson (11,000) - #1 golfer in the world, three wins in a row, top 13 in all "statistics to target" and has made six of seven cuts at Augusta including a 4th place finish last year. Not really more to say, DJ is on fire and has to be considered for cash games and GPP even with high ownership.

Jordan Spieth (10,600) - Worlds # 6 golfer and has never finished worse than 2nd in three tries at Augusta. I wouldn't let last weeks missed cut cloud your judgement on Spieth and his capabilities. He had made all seven cuts prior to the Shell Houston Open and won at Pebble Beach. Where he lacks in driving distance this year (94th) he makes up for in strokes gained on approach (1st), par 5 scoring (1st), and birdie or better % (2nd). Spieth will contend this week as he looks to redeem his collapse from last year at Augusta.

Rory McIlroy (10,400) - #2 in the world, three for three in cuts this year with a 4th place finish at the Arnold Palmer Classic. He has also made seven of eight cuts at Augusta with six top 25 finishes. He can win this week and is one of my favorites.

Rickie Fowler (9,200) - A favorite of ours here at The Pass Line, and currently ranked 8th in the world and is coming into Augusta making seven straight cuts, which included winning the Honda Classic. Fowler is 3rd in strokes gained on approach and 7th in birdie or better %. Although he missed the cut last year after making his first five at Augusta, Fowler is a bounce back candidate and contender this week.

Justin Thomas (8,900) - He hasn't really impressed lately and has only made five of seven cuts this year and finished 38th last year in his only Masters attempt, but hear me out. This is the same golfer who is currently ranked 7th in the world and has won twice already this year (SBS and Sony Open). Thomas also ranks 11th in driving distance, 6th in proximity from the hole 200+ yards out, and 1st in birdie % or better. Take a look at JT and give him a chance on your roster this week.

Here are a few players I like ranked below Thomas but are not quite considered Value Plays

Louis Oosthuizen (8,500) - Top 25 last three years at Augusta and has made all seven cuts this year on tour.

Tyrell Hatton (7,600) - First Masters, worst finish on tour this year is 17th and ranks 6th overall in strokes gained on approach.

Bill Haas (7,200) - Has made seven straight Masters cuts (best finish was 12th in 2015), six for six on cuts this year with four top 20 finishes. Currently ranked top 50 in strokes gained on approach (22nd), par 5 scoring (34th), and birdie or better % (50th).

Gary Woodland (6,900) - Has had some tough luck at Augusta (two of four cuts made), but he has made seven of eight cuts this year with two top 5 finishes. He also ranks in the top 50 of all categories we want to target, including 4th in proximity to the hole 200+ yards out.

Kevin Kisner (6,800) - Way too cheap. He has not missed a cut on tour this year and finished 37th last year in the Masters. His stats setup well for Augusta, 7th in strokes gained on approach, 8th in proximity to the hole 200+ yards out, and 39th in birdie % or better.

Value Plays

Pat Perez (5,500) - Coming back and trying to complete his first full season since his shoulder surgery, Pat Perez is currently ranked #64 in the world. He has only played in two Masters tournaments with his best finish being 45th in 2003. He is currently in great form, he won the second tournament of his career at the end of 2016 (OHL Classic) and has two top 5 finishes on tour this year. I also like that he makes up for his average driving distance with being ranked 5th in par 5 scoring and 15th in birdie % or better.

Hideto Tanihara (5,400) - You might not know Tanihara as a household name because he plays most of his events on the Japan or Asian tour, but he performs well here in the States. Last year he had fifteen top 10 finishes in 28 events, which is pretty impressive. He also finished 4th in the WGC Matchplay two weeks ago and has made all six of his cuts this year. He might have more ownership than I would like to see for a GPP, but he should be considered.

Hudson Swafford (5,000) - He has never played at Augusta and has only made five of eight cuts on tour this year. He did however win the Career Builder Challenge and also has two top 10 finishes this year. Swafford is also 14th in par 5 scoring, 15th in driving distance, and 29th in proximity to the hole from 200+ yards out. For 5,000 Swafford is a decent punt who has a chance to make the cut at Augusta this week.

Birdies are worth 3.1 points on FanDuel and here are a list of players who can help you earn the birdie points (all ranked in top 30 for Birdie % or Better):

Adam Hadwin, Brooks Koepka, Marc Leishman, Scott Piercy, and Thomas Pieters.

Good Luck this week and enjoy a tradition unlike any other... The Masters.

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