Daily Fantasy Golf FanDuel Picks (PGA DFS) - Sony Open

Joe Nicely breaks down the FanDuel slate for the Sony Open, providing information of not only who will come into the week under-owned but also who should be avoided 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!

In this article we'll discuss some of the standout PGA DFS plays available on FanDuel for the Sony Open in Hawaii. 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, as well as a couple of GPP Value Plays 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 - Designers: 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 rather 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 player's will still find their ball in short grass more often than not.  For an extensive, in-depth look at Kapalua, check out RotoBaller's Premium Course Breakdown, an article by Josh Bennett that uses Google Earth images to dissect every hole of this week's layout.

Let's Look At The Stats

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Approach
• Proximity: 150-175 Yards
• Birdie or Better %
• Par 4 Efficiency: 400-450 Yards & 450-500 Yards
• Course History
• Putting: Bermuda Greens

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 Players 

Webb Simpson ($12,000)

Webb Simpson sits atop the FanDuel salary scale this week and it's tough to argue with his placement there, as he's been one of the PGA Tour's most consistent performers over the last few years and owns a pristine track record in the Sony Open. Simpson has never missed a cut in 10 career starts at Waialae and has posted top-five finishes in his last two Sony appearances (2020 & 2018). The vet isn't long off the tee, but that's not a big deal on this layout that demands precision and placement off the tee. One key stat category this week is Par-4 scoring, as Waialae has five Par-4s of 400-450 yards and five of 450-500 yards (with only two Par-5s). Webb comes into the week ranked second in the field in Strokes Gained in the 400-450 yards bucket and first in 450-500 yards.

Collin Morikawa ($11,800)

I was basically "all in" on Morikawa last week at the Sentry and he came soooo close...playing beautifully from tee to green (seventh in the field SG: T2G), but coming up short on the greens (24th in SG: Putting). That's the concern with Morikawa from week to week, as he's a routinely pristine ball striker, but a streaky putter. This week's layout sets up well for him. He logged a T21 in his Sony debut last year and was actually the first-round leader after firing a sizzling Thursday 65. He's a deadly iron player, which is a big piece of the puzzle this week, but the concern is the putter.

Daniel Berger ($11,400)

In true Berger fashion, he was able to grind out a workman-like top-10 last week at the Sentry ToC without making many waves. It was a great example of the consistency that makes him such a rock-solid DFS option on a weekly basis, but also keeps him flying a bit under the radar. I doubt that Berger will go overlooked though, as he stands out as one of the strongest options on this slate. He's never missed a cut in five career Sony starts and his coming off an impressive ball-striking performance (+4.7 SG: T2G) at Kapalua. I wouldn't be a be surprised to see Berger in serious contention this weekend.

Sungjae Im ($11,200)

Sungjae Im suffered through a post-restart funk last year, but a runner-up performance at the Masters, coupled with a T5 last week at the Sentry ToC, indicate that he’s emerging from the doldrums that plagued him down the stretch last year.

The Korean led last week’s Sentry in SG: T2G, gaining a MASSIVE 9.5 strokes at Kapalua. Im was also impressive on Approach ( +5.1 strokes), but was held back by a balky putter that placed him 35th in the 42-man field in SG: Putting. He's historically putted best on Bermuda greens like he'll see this week at Waialae, so we can expect/hope for some improvement in that area. He doesn't quite have the safety of a Simpson or Berger, but Sungjae might be my favorite spend-up option on the slate for GPPs due to the ball striking that he showcased last week.

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Mid-Priced FanDuel DFS Players

Joaquin Niemann ($10,900)

One of my favorite young players, Joaquin Niemann fired a final-round 64 to earn a spot in a playoff in last week's Sentry ToC. Though Niemann lost to Harris English in sudden death, the young Chilean certainly made a statement with his impressive performance. He comes into the Sony ranked second in the field in SG: Ball Striking and we're starting to expect, rather than hope for, consistently great tee-to-green output from him, as he's now gained strokes T2G in each of his last six starts. This week I'm a little worried about the "hangover effect" of losing in a playoff, as well as his spotty putter. Despite those concerns, Niemann still grades out as a strong option in this Sony field.

Cameron Smith ($10,700)

Smith is the defending Sony champion and has proven himself to be something of a "Course Horse" at Waialae, making the cut in all five of his career Sony starts, with two top-25s preceding last year's victory. I rode Smith heavily at the close of 2020 and he paid off handsomely with a top-five at the ZOZO and a runner-up finish at the Masters. The catalyst for those results was the improvement of his iron play, but unfortunately that trend didn't continue last week at the Sentry, where Smith lost over three strokes on Approach. The course history coupled with his gritty all-around game makes me want to hang with the Aussie this week, though his iron play of last week does make me a bit lower on him than I originally anticipated.

Kevin Kisner ($10,600)

Kiz is the opposite of a "bomber", which takes him out of consideration on lots of courses on the PGA Tour schedule. However, I imagine this week's 7,000-yard Waialae layout is a "circle the calendar" event for Kisner, as the short track offers him an honest shot to win. After a sluggish start to his Sony career (Kiz missed the cut in his first three Sony appearances), the South Carolina native has excelled at Waialae in recent years, posting top-five in three of his last five Sony starts. He's not a player we want to target every week, but this certainly qualifies as a spot where we can fire Kisner up.

Ryan Palmer ($10,500)

A former Sony Open champion, Ryan Palmer, is undoubtedly a streaky player that’s tough to depend on, but it seems as though we’re catching him in good form this week. He’s coming in off an impressive fourth-place outing at last week’s Sentry ToC, a tournament where he gained just over six strokes on Approach and ranked fifth in SG: T2G for the tournament. The vet also closed out 2020 with a top-five at the ZOZO Championship, so while there’s some inherent volatility that comes with rostering him, his game appears to be in a good place at the moment and his course history at Waialae strongly indicates that he likes this golf course.

Russell Henley ($10,400)

Russell Henley is another former Sony winner, but since taking down the title in his 2013 Sony debut, he's logged more missed cuts (three) than top-25s (two). Henley was an absolute BEAST for us in 2020, with ball-striking numbers that rivaled any player in golf. He gained strokes on Approach in an amazing 12-straight starts last year, before the streak was finally snapped at Mayakoba in his last start of 2020. It feels as though Henley has been kinda "outta sight, outta mind" and I'll keep an eye on his ownership as the week progresses. If it looks as though he's going overlooked I won't hesitate to hop on, as he possesses the type of sharp iron play that we're looking for at Waialae.

Low-Priced FanDuel DFS Players

Zach Johnson ($9,900)

I normally like the upside that comes with young, hungry Tour players, but there are some weeks on the schedule where I'm happy to consider vets. This week's Sony is definitely one of those events and Zach Johnson stands out as really solid option on this slate. After an abysmal 2019, ZJ bounced back in 2020 by logging three top-10s in the fall stretch, including a surprising T8 at the U.S. Open. The two-time major champion is a former Sony Open winner ('09) and he's made the cut in four of his last five starts at Waialae with two top-10s mixed in. His once-lethal putting stroke has returned and been the driving force behind his improved results as of late (he's also gained strokes on Approach in five of his last six), as Johnson has gained an average of 3.9 strokes putting over his last five tournaments.

Emiliano Grillo ($9,800)

The always-gross-to-roster Emiliano Grillo is on my radar this week. He won't get anywhere near my cash-game lineups, but he's in GPP consideration due to both his record at the Sony (4/4 cuts with two top-25s) and his recent form (sixth in the field in SG: Approach last 24 rounds and has made the cut in 10 of his last 11 starts). There's upside here, but it's scary upside that comes with lots of baggage, as the Argentinian is unquestionably one of the worst putters on the PGA Tour. This is a "click his name and hope he makes some putts" situation.

Charles Howell III ($9,700)

CH3 gets a mention here thanks to his staggeringly-good course history at the Sony. The 41-year-old has logged 96 top-10s over his impressive career, with an astounding 10 of those coming at the Sony Open! He closed out 2020 in middling form, but he’s the definition of a “Course Horse” in this spot.

Brian Harman ($9,600)

Brian Harman is a consistent enough player to regularly earn DFS consideration from us, but this is truly the type of track on which he can shine. His "fairways and greens" style fits nicely on a layout like Waialae. That’s reflected in his track record at the Sony, as he’s made the cut in eight of nine career starts on this golf course, with four top-20s spread over those appearances. In addition to the course history, the vet closed out 2020 in rock-solid form, gaining strokes on Approach in each of his last seven ‘20 starts, with just one missed cut against four top-25s since August.

Russell Knox ($9,100)

After missing the cut in his first three career starts at the Sony, Russell Knox has settled in nicely at the Hawaiian layout, making the cut in five of his subsequent six starts and logging three finishes inside the top-13 since 2015. After a disastrous summer, we saw him rebound a bit during the Swing Season. Knox was erratic - missing three cuts in seven starts since September - but also demonstrated some upside by posting a top-10 at the Safeway and three additional top-25s to close out the year. He's definitely a "boom or bust" prospect, but the bottom of this week's salary scale is fairly spotty, so Knox profiles as a viable GPP option.

GPP Value Options

Matthew NeSmith ($9,000)

I'm hoping Matthew NeSmith is a player that will go under the radar this week. At $9k, I love the upside here. NeSmith's iron play has been sharp as of late, he grades out fourth in this field in SG: Approach over the last 24 rounds (and fifth in SG: T2G!) and has gained strokes with his irons in his last NINE starts. As there usually is with these cheaper plays, there's a "BUT" coming...as NeSmith consistently loses strokes with his short game, especially around the green...a pretty serious issue when we consider how small the greens are at Waialae. No value play is going to be "perfect", so I'm more than willing to roll with the upside that comes with his superb ball striking.

Tom Hoge ($8,900)

Hoge is an often-erratic player that possesses upside. That is reflected in not only his results as a whole, but specifically his output at the Sony, where over his last four starts he has two missed cuts, a T3, and a T12. He logged a top-five outing at Mayakoba (a nice comp course for Waialae) in his last start and heads to Honolulu ranked inside the top-20 in this field in SG: T2G, Approach, and Short Game over the last 24 rounds.

Brian Gay ($8,300)

The 49-year-old veteran is one of the shortest hitters on the PGA Tour and is a player that we're almost never going to target as a result. However, the Sony is one of the handful of tournaments a year that we can actually consider Gay due to the layout's lack of length. In 17 career Sony starts he's only missed two cuts and posted a top-25 as recently as 2019. Gay proved that he can still get it done under the right circumstances with a win at a wind-swept Bermuda Championship in October, and while the weather forecast for this week's tournament is fairly mild, he's a terrific guy to have in your lineups if the Hawaiian winds start gusting.

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