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Joe Nicely breaks down the FanDuel DFS lineup picks for the 2022 Sony Open. Daily fantasy golf advice on under-owned golfers and who to avoid for your lineups.
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. We head to the beautiful Waialae Country Club this week for the Sony Open.
In this article, we'll discuss some of the standout PGA DFS plays available on FanDuel for the Sony Open. 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!
Sony Open - PGA DFS Overview
Waialae Country Club
7,044 Yards - Par 70 - Greens: Bermuda - Designer: Seth Raynor
We get another beautiful Hawaiian golf course this week in Waialae Country Club, the long-time host of the Sony Open. It would be easy to lump this course in a similar bucket as last week's Kapalua layout, but that would be a huge mistake, as the courses are drastically different. Waialae's fairways routinely rank as some of the toughest to hit on the PGA Tour (while Kapalua's fairways are hard to miss!), but missing these fairways isn't super penalizing, as players will still find their ball in short grass more often than not. As always, approach play will be of huge importance this week, with sharp DFS players zeroing in on those golfers that are strong from 150-200 yards. Par-4's measuring between 400 and 500 yards comprise 10 of the 18 holes players will face at Waialae this week.
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 | Waialae CC | Tour Average |
| Driving Distance | 285 | 282 |
| Driving Accuracy | 52% | 62% |
| GIR Percentage | 65% | 65% |
| Scrambling Percentage | 59% | 57% |
| Average Three-Putts Per Round | 0.49 | 0.55 |
Key Stats
- Driving Accuracy
- SG: Approach
- Proximity: 125-200 Yard Ranges
- SG: Putting (Bermuda)
- Par-4 Scoring (400-450 & 450-500 Yards)
- Course History
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
Webb Simpson ($11,700)
With FanDuel's top-priced option, Cameron Smith, coming off a win in last week's Sentry Tournament of Champions, my inclination is to kick things off with Webb Simpson. While Smith is a good enough player to win back-to-back tournaments, the odds are against it. As a result, I'll happily take the $300 discount and drop down to Simpson, a player with an elite track record on this week's Waialae Country Club layout.
The Honolulu track is an exceptional fit for Webb's light-hitting, fairway-and-greens style. It shows in the results, as the veteran has finished T13 in six consecutive Sony starts, with finishes of T4 or better in each of his last three appearances at Waialae. My biggest concern with Simpson is the fact that he didn't tee it up in last week's Sentry (seven of the last eight Sony winners have played the previous week), but he's experienced enough to have his game ready to roll this week and stands out as an elite option in all game formats.
Marc Leishman ($11,200)
Unlike the aforementioned Webb Simpson, Marc Leishman did tee it up at Kapalua last week. He looked sharp, posting an eye-opening 27 birdies en route to a T10 at the Sentry. Leishman brings that positive momentum to a Waialae layout on which he's been elite throughout his career. The Big Aussie has never missed a cut in 12 career Sony Open starts and owns an impressive career scoring average of 67.42 in this event. The vet's strengths lie in his sharp Approach play - he grades out first in this field in Proximity from 150-175 yards - and his excellence on Bermuda greens (12th in SG: Putting Bermuda)...both traits that are huge assets at Waialae.
Kevin Kisner ($10,700)
Several factors combine to put Kevin Kisner in serious consideration this week. Waialae is one of a handful of courses on the PGA Tour schedule on which distance doesn't matter, which makes it a green-light stop for Kisner. His Sony history reflects the great fit, as he's scored top-five finishes in an astounding 40% of his career starts in this event. We also have to love the form that the UGA alum displayed in last week's Sentry on a Kapalua course that's really not suited to his game. Kiz finished the week top-five in the field in SG: Putting and - perhaps more importantly for his prospects this week - he ranked inside the top ten for the week in SG: Approach. On the heels of a brilliant final-round 65 at Kapalua, he arrives at Waialae this week with loads of positive momentum.
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Mid-Priced FanDuel DFS Plays
Russell Henley ($10,300)
Winner of the Sony Open in 2013, Russell Henley arrives in Hawaii this week on the heels of a rock-solid 2020-21 season. Henley finished the season ranked 20th on the PGA Tour in SG: T2G and sixth in SG: Approach. He also played beautifully throughout the Swing Season, banking a top-10 and three top-25s across five starts in the fall. The putter is always the major concern Henley, but Bermuda greens like he'll face this week have historically been his best surface by a wide margin.
Charles Howell III ($9,400)
There's good course history and then there's "Charles Howell III at the Sony Open" course history. The veteran has simply been amazing in this event throughout his career. Howell leads the Sony Open in career earnings despite - in classic CH3 fashion - never having actually won the tournament. The numbers are astounding...20 cuts made in 20 career starts, seven top-five finishes, 3 top-10s, and a career scoring average of 67.50. I don't know that Howell's recent form even matters this week, but just as a bonus he heads to Waialae on the heels of three consecutive made cuts during the Swing Season.
Low-Priced FanDuel DFS Players
Denny McCarthy ($9,100)
Like several players we've touched on this week, Denny McCarthy owns a pretty specific skill set that isn't one-size-fits-all when considering the majority of courses on the PGA Tour schedule. Surprisingly, this will be McCarthy's first career start at Waialae. While the lack of course experience is a bit concerning, this Seth Raynor design is a terrific fit for him in theory. D-Mac's strength lies in his elite putting ability - he grades out first in this field in SG: Putting on Bermuda over long-term measurements - and not necessarily his distance or ball striking. It's a skill that can pay huge dividends on this layout. We're also catching the putting wizard in sharp form, as he heads to the Sony on the heels of top-15 finishes in each of his last three starts.
Stewart Cink ($9,000)
With a rather boring, meat-and-potatoes style, Stewart Cink is never a guy that we're gonna be super-pumped to roster. Despite the lack of excitement that comes with clicking the veteran's name, he deserves serious consideration in this spot. Cink came out of nowhere to book two victories on the PGA Tour last season (Safeway & Heritage) at the age of 48. While he did appear to run out of gas down the stretch last year, he certainly looked rejuvenated last week at the Sentry en route to a four-day total of 18-under par. Throughout his career - even when his game appeared to have left him - the veteran has managed to consistently play well at Waialae. He's recorded three top-20 results in the Sony over the last seven years and has played the weekend in 12 of his 15 career trips to Waialae.
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