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Hi RotoBallers and welcome to Power Pivots! In this article we'll discuss some players that are currently projected to be popular (Chalk) options in this week's DraftKings PGA tournaments and highlight some pivot options that will come with less ownership.
All DraftKings PGA DFS ownership projections for this week are courtesy of our partners over at Fantasy National and are always subject to change as the week progresses. OK, let's tee it up!
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Sony Open Notes
This will be the first full-field event of 2020. The 36-hole cut rule is in effect at the Sony Open. Matt Kuchar is the defending champion and last week's winner Justin Thomas will be in the field.
You can also find out who the smart money is on by checking out Spencer Aguiar's PGA DFS: Vegas Report every week.
The Chalk: Chez Reavie / The Pivot: Brandt Snedeker
$8,400 - Projected Ownership: 15.8% / $8,600 - Projected Ownership: 7.5%
It's no surprise to see Chez Reavie garnering attention this week, as he has a strong track record at the Sony Open and will pop in a lot of long-term driving accuracy models. However, there are some reasons to be concerned about Reavie this week. He heads to the Sony in lagging form, having lost strokes total in five of his last six starts and is also in the midst of an equipment change to PXG.
At a similar price point, you can consider a pivot to Brandt Snedeker. Like Reavie, Sneds has a solid history in the Sony, going T16-MC-2nd in three starts at Waialae since 2015. He's seen limited action during the fall swing, so we are taking a small leap of faith here, but with rain and sustained winds of over 20mph expected throughout the tournament, we should feel comfortable rostering a guy that's considered one of the best "bad weather" players in the world.
The Chalk: Joaquin Niemann / The Pivot: Charles Howell III
$9,400 - Projected Ownership: 20.4% / $9,100 - Projected Ownership: 10.6%
We all love Joaquin Niemann. He's a ball-striking beast and captured his first PGA Tour victory back in the fall at Greenbrier. Niemann played well last week at the Sentry and brings a lot of momentum to this week's tournament. However, what he doesn't bring is any experience on this Waialae layout. That inexperience, combined with a projected ownership that would make him one of the most popular options on the slate, makes Niemann an interesting fade.
We're usually talking about Charles Howell III in a chalky context, but he's currently projected at around 10% ownership this week...half of Niemann. CH3 is a pretty vanilla player, but his fairways-and-greens style has served him very well at the Sony Open over the years. He's made five-straight Sony cuts since 2015, with top-10 finishes in two of the last three years.
The Chalk: Sebastian Munoz / The Pivot: Brian Harman
$7,900 - Projected Ownership: 16.4% / $8,200 - Projected Ownership: 10.8%
Sebastian Munoz has turned into a trendy DFS play over the last couple of months and he's rewarded his backers handsomely. Though his results have been strong, it might be time to hop off the train this week. Munoz is currently projected to be the most popular sub-$8k player in the field, and his recent results and T10 in last year's Sony make it easy to understand, but he did LOSE 5.4 Strokes on Approach at last week's Sentry TOC, and was bailed out by a hot putter. That questionable ball-striking performance is enough for me to look at options outside of Munoz here.
Brian Harman is a "Jekyll & Hyde" type of player, but the diminutive one has been playing well as of late. Harman is averaging 2.5 Strokes Gained: T2G and 2.3 Strokes Gained: Approach over his last five tournaments. He's also played well at Waialae, recording four-straight top-20 finishes before missing the cut last year. Harman's inconsistency makes him a player that I'm usually willing to fade when he's projected to be popular, but his upside makes him a very viable way to gain leverage in large-field GPPs this week.
