RADIO
Joe Nicely digs into his Horse for the Course for the Scottsdale AZ Open, an under the radar golf DFS selection for this week's DraftKings tournament.
Hello again golf family! If you're like me, you are waiting for the return of the PGA Tour like a kid waiting on Christmas morning to arrive. We have been pretty lucky though, as these mini-tour events have scratched our golf itch a bit. This week, we'll take a look at the Scottsdale AZ Open, an event that isn't affiliated with any tour, but carries the biggest purse and strongest field that we've seen since play on the PGA Tour was postponed.
In the absence of PGA golf, these little-known tours have stepped in to somewhat fill the void. These events are really small and the fields are comprised of a mixture of professional golfers that are either trying to play their way on to a bigger tour or are at the end of professional careers, as well as some amateurs that want to test their games on a tougher level.
Horse For The Course is an article that highlights players in this week's field with elite course history and is part of our free PGA content here at RotoBaller. For my favorite DFS plays of the week check out my Core Four article here at RotoBaller every Wednesday. It's part of our amazing PGA Premium package that includes an all-new PGA Research Station, Lineup Builder & Optimizer, and some of the best articles in the PGA DFS industry! You can sign up now using Promo Code: NICE for an extra discount at checkout!
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Scottsdale AZ Open Overview
This event isn't listed on the newly-popular Outlaw Tour's website and is really an independent tournament that benefits Phoenix Children's Hospital. The Scottsdale AZ Open is in its fourth year and offers a pretty legit purse of $125k.
With the event's established nature and solid purse comes the strongest field we've seen in months. PGA Tour regulars Joel Dahmen, Kevin Streelman, and Nate Lashley headline this week's field, with some familiar names like Alex Cejka, Dylan Wu, and JJ Spaun also set to tee it up.
Some other interesting names in the field include former Tour pro Colt Knost, the father and son combo of Kirk & Sam Triplett, and noted Vijay Singh fan Brady Schnell. Overall, this should be a fun little event and a great way to feed your DFS golf appetite!
The Course: Talking Stick Golf Club (O'Odham Course)
Par 70 - 7,133 Yards - Greens: Bermuda
Talking Stick is a resort facility with multiple golf courses, but the AZ Open will be played on the O'Odham Course. It was designed by the popular Coore & Crenshaw design team that we are familiar with through some courses on the PGA Tour schedule like Trinity Forest.
It's a Par 70 with just two Par-5's, but multiple short Par-4's that will be scoring holes. Last year's Scottsdale AZ Open was played on this track with a 54-hole winning score of 10-under par, so while we can expect some great scores, it's probably not going to be the pure birdie-fest that some expect.
The Horse
Joel Dahmen (DraftKings - $11,000)
Notable Course History:
Probably not a big surprise that Joel Dahmen is the head honcho this week. I know you guys don't need me to tell you that he's the top player in this field, but I think it would be pretty disingenuous of me to ignore Dahmen in this spot.
Dahmen's game kinda comes and goes, but the 32-year-old was locked in when the PGA Tour was halted. He headed into the Players Championship on the heels of back-to-back top-five finishes at the Genesis and Arnold Palmer Invitational, which brought his top-10 total for the season to four.
As if we need an extra excuse to roster him this week, Dahmen has apparently stayed sharp during the layoff, as he fired a smooth little 58 (!!!) during a round last week! He is one of the most consistent Par-4 scorers on the PGA Tour and this Talking Stick layout should be right up his alley. You'll have to make some sacrifices to squeeze him into your lineup, but he brings a ton of upside to the table this week.
The Ponies
Matt Picanso (DraftKings - $10,000)
Notable Course History:
If you want to avoid the big-name Tour pros, Matt Picanso is a player that's worth paying up for. The 30-something pro defines the term "journeyman", as he's been in and out of the game throughout his life, but has knocked around multiple tours as a player (and caddie) since committing himself to golf in his mid-twenties.
Picanso might not have the pedigree of some of the PGA Tour pros in the field, but the dude can play. He's ripped off multiple Golden State Tour wins this year, including the Mackenzie Tour Q Prep event in February, and more recently the Legacy Classic last week with a score of 18-under par.
It might feel weird to pay $10k for Picanso when you can grab a player like Dylan Wu at $9.8k, but he's a well-traveled, seasoned veteran of these type of events. You also have to think that the no-joke money that's on the line this week would be huge for a guy like Picanso. He's in great form and will be highly motivated.
KK Limbhasut (DraftKings - $9,000)
Notable Course History:
No way I was writing this tournament up and not including my man KK! He's my guy! I want to get #GiveKKASponsorsExemption trending on Twitter. The former Cal Bear is no-joke talented and has been lighting up the Outlaw/Golden State events over the last couple of months.
He heads to Scottsdale off a recent win at the GCU Championship, an event where he fired a sizzling opening-round 61 en route to victory. KK had logged back-to-back top-three finishes in the two Outlaw events prior to closing the deal at the GCU and brings explosive scoring ability to the table this week.
He's basically the polar opposite of the aforementioned Matt Picanso, as the four-time All Pac-12 performer is a youngster that actually could have a bright future in professional golf. KK has racked up 56 birdies over his last 11 rounds of tournament golf and that's the type of player I want in this single-round format.
Jimmy Gunn (DraftKings - $8,500)
Notable Course History:
Even though Jimmy Gunn sounds like he's straight out of the wild-west Arizona desert, he actually hails from Scotland. His name has proven to be appropriate as of late, as he's shown himself to be something of a gunslinger on the mini-tour scene.
Gunn has logged top-15 finishes in his last three starts on the Outlaw/Golden State circuit, racking up 39 birdies over his most recent eight tournament rounds. Unfortunately, DraftKings doesn't have a full-tournament format for this event, but the Scot is exactly the type of explosive player that we should target in single-round DFS.
He's an experienced veteran that has spent multiple seasons on the KFT and also sports what qualifies for good recent form due to his tournament action over the past month.
Colton Yates (DraftKings - $7,900)
Notable Course History:
This article is supposed to be about course history right? Well, I've got some for you in the form of Colton Yates, a player that finished fifth in last year's Scottsdale AZ Open at Talking Stick Golf Club. Yates has been banging around on these mini-tours since his college playing days at Colorado State and has found a decent amount of success, but he's been unable to secure status on any mainstream professional tour.
In addition to the course history narrative, Yates brings solid form to Scottsdale. He just missed the cut at three-under last week, but scored back-to-back top-10 finishes in his two prior starts. I like the blend of recent form and course experience at this sub-$8k price tag.
