Hello RotoBaller PGA crew! It's great to be back with you guys and I appreciate you joining us here at RotoBaller for your PGA DFS research. A change of pace this week as we head to Mexico for a brand-new event on the schedule, the Mexico Open at Vidanta.
In this article, we'll discuss some of the standout PGA DFS plays available on FanDuel for the RBC Heritage. While it's impossible to hit on every player, we'll touch on some different plays across all price ranges, breaking the groups down into "High", "Mid", and "Low" price options that are worth considering.
Like always, the purpose of this piece is to help you put together your optimal daily fantasy golf lineups for FanDuel, whether that be from a GPP perspective or a cash-game mentality. Be sure to also read all of our other top-notch weekly PGA DFS and betting articles to help you win big!
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2022 Mexico Open at Vidanta - PGA DFS Overview
The Course: Vidanta Villarta
Par 71 - 7,456 Yards, Greens: Paspalum, Designed By: Greg Norman
Other than the nuts and bolts - this is a Par 71, 7,456-yard Greg Norman design with Paspalum throughout - breaking down Vidanta Villarta is basically guesswork. This week will mark the first time it's held a PGA Tour event. Tour officials have done their best to make this Mexican layout worthy of the pros by adding over 200 yards, shifting the scorecard from a Par 73 to a Par 71, and almost doubling the number of bunkers on the property. Despite their best efforts, I look for the best players in the world to light this track up, as no matter what tournament officials do, it is still a resort course at heart. With forgiving fairways, I look for the bombers to have a noticeable advantage this week. I'll also target players that possess a high birdie percentage, as I expect the ability to go low will be crucial. Paspalum greens have historically proven to be a true equalizer in other events that feature the rare grass type, so I have very little concern with putting this week. The same can be said for around the green ability. In a nutshell, my target group will be long off the tee with sharp approach play and the ability to rack up birdies in bunches.
For an in-depth breakdown of this week's course, check out RotoBaller's PGA Premium Course Breakdown by Josh Bennett!
Let's Look At The Stats
Stat | Vidanta Villarta | Tour Average |
Driving Distance | N/A | 282 |
Driving Accuracy | N/A | 62% |
GIR Percentage | N/A | 65% |
Scrambling Percentage | N/A | 57% |
Average Three-Putts Per Round | N/A | 0.55 |
Key Stats
- SG: Approach
- Driving Distance
- SG: Ball Striking
- Birdies or Better Gained
Fantasy Golf Lineup Picks for FanDuel (PGA DFS)
We have tons of great weekly PGA articles, DFS analysis, tools and DFS advice. Be sure to read our other fantastic articles regarding this week's event including DFS lineup picks for DraftKings/FanDuel, betting advice and DFS prop picks.
High-Priced FanDuel DFS Plays
Jon Rahm ($12,200)
It's honestly tough to express just how head and shoulders above the rest of this Mexico Open field Jon Rahm is. Over his last 100 rounds, the Spaniard has gained 189.2 strokes total against the competition, a total that's more than double that of the next closest player teeing it up this week (Abraham Ancer at +90). From an odds perspective, Rahm is floating around as roughly a 3.5-to-1 favorite to win this event, a number that's basically unheard of in the modern game. So...there's no question that he is the class of this week's watered-down field. The question is, how do we handle him in DFS? I have to imagine his ownership will be pretty astronomical - especially on FanDuel - which makes a calculated fade fairly intriguing, because golf tournaments are, ya know, pretty darn hard to win. That said, gaining leverage in GPP formats is basically the only argument I can find against Rahmbo this week, as he's off the charts from a statistical and talent perspective.
Gary Woodland ($11,300)
I know there are lots of Gary Woodland "truthers" out there, and while I certainly respect his talent, I'm not normally on board from a DFS perspective. However, I'm hopping on the bandwagon this week. For the first time in a long time, Woodland looks fully healthy and it has led to some very nice results this year. The Kansas alum blazed through the Florida Swing with a pair of top-five finishes across four starts in the Sunshine State and followed up with a strong T8 outing at the Valero Texas Open. He comes into the week ranked first in the field in SG: Approach over his last 24 rounds, while also grading out fifth in Birdies or Better Gained.
Cameron Champ ($10,400)
I'm certainly not here to make the argument that Cameron Champ is a consistent player or a "safe" DFS play this week, as outside of an impressive T10 at the Masters in his most recent start, he has been on a milk carton this year. However, as he now moves into his fourth season on the PGA Tour, we've learned that it's just kinda Champ's M.O. to play terrible a large portion of the time, only to pop up and win an event. He has three victories on his resume since 2018, which is a helluva lot more than the majority of the players in this week's field. The problem from a DFS perspective is figuring out when those spike weeks are going to happen. While I don't have a crystal ball, I do like how things shape up for him here, as he's coming in with some positive momentum off his Masters performance, his prodigious length will be a huge advantage on this Vidanta layout, and his shortcomings on the greens should be aided by the Paspalum surfaces. This is a pure "GPP Only" type of play, as we're simply looking to catch lightning in a bottle here.
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Mid-Priced FanDuel DFS Plays
Davis Riley ($9,800)
I firmly believe this is the type of event in which we must simply "embrace the volatility" from a DFS perspective. As evident by the inclusion of the aforementioned Cam Champ in this article, I'm willing to sacrifice consistency in the name of upside this week. That thought process leads me to Davis Riley, a 25-year-old that's dripping with talent but is still finding his footing on the PGA Tour. Riley's coming-out party was a runner-up finish at the Valspar last month, an event where he fell to Sam Burns in a playoff. That outing was a nice snapshot of what the youngster is capable of and I like his explosiveness on this week's layout. Riley grades out 22nd in this field in Birdies or Better Gained over his last 24 rounds and stands 23rd in Driving Distance over the same timeframe.
Sahith Theegala ($9,800)
The youth movement for this article continues with Sahith Theegala, a PGA Tour rookie that has gone through the usual growing pains of adjusting to life in the big leagues. The Pepperdine product has been uneven on the whole, but we've seen some flashes of his firepower against strong fields at the WM Open (T3) and the Valspar (T7). This will be the first time since Corales - where he recorded a top-25 - that Theegala will be teeing it up against less-than-stellar competition. I think that will be reflected in his result this week and I like the course fit for the streaky player that has the ability to go on birdie binges (18th in Birdies or Better Gained last 24 rounds).
Mark Hubbard ($9,600)
A unique position here with Mark Hubbard, a veteran of the PGA Tour that's been playing a ton on the Korn Ferry Tour this year. Three of Hubbard's last four starts have been on the KFT, where he's gone T5-T9-T12 since mid-March. He's always been a streaky player and he's in a very nice groove at the moment, although that's not going to translate to most statistical models since those rounds weren't logged on the PGA Tour. Hardcore DFS grinders won't overlook Hubbard this week, but there's a chance he gets ignored by most casual fans.
Low-Priced FanDuel DFS Players
Chad Ramey ($9,300)
If we feel like the closest course comps to Vidanta are Corales Puntacana and the Puerto Rico Open, the Chad Ramey might be our guy this week. The PGA Tour rookie captured the Corales crown last month and also scored a T5 at Puerto Rico in early March. After a terrific 2021 on the KFT, the 29-year-old has been uneven on the PGA Tour but has showcased the ability to excel in low-scoring environments. He grades out second in this Mexico Open field in Birdies or Better Gained over the last 24 rounds and I believe his recent experience with KFT courses will be helpful this week.
Nate Lashley ($9,200)
A streaky vet that's posted some encouraging results in recent starts, Lashley is squarely on my GPP radar this week. He grades out eighth in this week's field in SG: Total over his last 24 rounds, which makes his $9.2k price tag in this field very enticing. Prior to a missed cut at Hilton Head, Lashley had finished 27th or better in four consecutive starts with a T7 in Puerto Rico standing as the highlight. He stands 18th in Overall Proximity and 21st in Birdies or Better Gained over the last 24 rounds.
Tyler Duncan ($9,100)
Another ride-the-hot-hand type of play here with Tyler Duncan. The 32-year-old has been firing on all cylinders as of late and makes for an interesting salary saver on this slate. Duncan comes to Mexico off a T12 at Hilton Head, his fourth top-35 result since the beginning of March. He grades out 10th against this week's field in SG: T2G over the last 24 rounds and has dropped some low rounds over that time frame, including rounds of 65 at both the RBC Heritage and the Valspar. Duncan grades out fourth in Overall Proximity and has racked up enough birdies over the last 24 rounds to stand 24th in this week's field in Birdies or Better Gained.
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