Be sure to follow me on Twitter /X @TeeOffSports to get more answers this week. Also, if you aren't doing so already, I'd love for you to consider signing up for my RotoBaller premium subscription. There are numerous tools available, including my heralded 'PGA Rankings Wizard Model.'
PGA DFS Rankings Wizard - The PLAYERS Championship
We have some exciting changes that we are implementing this year over at RotoBaller. There will be multiple subscription-based tiers for our readers to enjoy, including my very own TeeOffSports VIP Package that will include the following items:
PGA Rankings Wizard Model (Pre-Tournament)
- A powerful and interactive data spreadsheet that allows user inputs to create custom rankings and models for golf. If you are considering signing up, take a look at this how-to guide of everything you can find weekly inside my pre-tournament model. The sheet is loaded with sortable and weighable information to help you in all sectors of the market.
- The PLAYERS Championship
Vegas Report (All Pre-Tournament Bets)
- Top Pre-Tournament H2H Pick: (104-60-9) 63.41%
- All Pre-Tournament H2Hs: (265-194-25) 57.73%
- Total H2Hs Since 2017: (518-361-71) 58.93%
- Outright Winners Since 2017: 42
- Units: +327.863 Units
- All Totals Are Entering 2024
- Click here to see an example
In-Tournament Model (Updated Stats + User Configuration Ability)
- Here, you will find updated stats for the particular tournament -- all sortable and weighable when you make a copy of your own under the file tab. The purpose of this is to provide an area where you can research the daily proceedings for DFS strategy or find outright or daily head-to-head wagers. There are over 25 weighable categories by the time round four comes around, including the ability to add back in your pre-tournament research for every day.
In-Tournament Head-To-Head Bets For Rounds 1,2,3 and 4
- Lifetime Record: (253-167-46) 60.24%
- Click here to see an example
First-Round Leader Article
- Eight first-round leader wins in 2022.
- Click here to see an example
One & Done (Deep-Dive Into Potential Options To Consider)
- 10+ million in earnings during two of the past three seasons while providing information for contests. We will take a comprehensive look into a handful of options to consider.
- Click here to see an example
Late DraftKings Article (Condensed Player Pool)
- We will build off the Monday article throughout the week and consolidate selections toward a more concrete player pool for everyone to consider by Wednesday.
- Join the community! You will be able to talk to fellow subscribers and have real-time weekly chats with the team.
- $224.99 per year - Sign up today for all the tools I provide!
- You can also try things out for $14.99 per week or get the complete PGA Platinum package from everyone on the team for $299.99. I believe that deal is one of the best offers in the space since it includes top-notch work from the likes of Joe Nicely, Byron Lindeque, others, and myself!
Field
Field Size: 144
Cut: Top 65 & Ties
Top 20 Entrants: 18
Last Five Winners Of The PLAYERS Championship
2023 | Scottie Scheffler | -17 |
2022 | Cameron Smith | -13 |
2021 | Justin Thomas | -14 |
2020 | Rory McIrloy | -16 |
2019 | Webb Simpson | -18 |
Expected Cut-Line
2023 | 3 |
2022 | 3 |
2021 | 1 |
2020 | 0 |
2019 | 0 |
TPC Sawgrass
7,189 Yards - Par 72 - Greens Bermuda (Overseeded Rye - Think of your Bent/Poa mixtures)
TPC Sawgrass has always been a challenging course to handicap. You don't have to look any further than the erratic course history of every golfer in the field to realize the volatility is heightened at the venue. Nevertheless, the move from May to March a few years ago has provided more predictably since the facility was always best suited to be played in colder weather conditions.
The summer temperature in May gave us a Bermuda surface that was still dormant (but playable) from the winter and created this fiery test that made stopping your irons on these smaller-than-average greens nearly impossible. The fast/lightning surface we have become accustomed to over the years will still be in play, but more of where I am going with this is that the Bermuda grass gets overseeded on all parts of the course, creating much softer landing areas that should allow shot-shaping and control with your irons from anywhere on the track.
Strokes gained around the green will still be amplified because of the smaller putting surfaces, but it is hard to weigh properly since shaved run-off areas allow multiple options to be considered when attempting to get up and down. There are 17 holes with water and 88 bunkers that are put into place to cause havoc, and while the rough is anything but penal, the Pete Dye nature will cause a handful of forced lay-ups for the field. Golfers who can be creative, salvage par, avoid critical mistakes and control their irons will be most equipped to find success at this grueling test.
Let's Look At The Stats
Stat | Sawgrass | PGA Average |
Driving Distance | 278 | 283 |
Driving Accuracy | 62% | 61% |
GIR Percentage | 62% | 65% |
Scrambling Percentage | 53% | 57% |
Average Three-Putts Per Round | 0.63 | 0.54 |
Key Stats
Let's quickly run through how I built my model.
Weighted Strokes Gained: Total (30%)
Strokes Gained Total - TPC + Pete Dye (10%)
Strokes Gained Total - Short Par 72s (10%)
Strokes Gained Total - Fast But Soft Greens (10%)
Weighted Scrambling (20%)
Weighted Scoring (20%)
Total Number Of Top-10's Out Of The Six Categories: Two-Year Running Model
I will dive deeper into what went into these totals later in the week on my podcast. If you aren't doing so already, you can follow Bettor Golf Podcast on X.
First Look Into Outright Bets
Outright | Odds | Unit Risk | Potential Win |
Sam Burns | 40 | 0.24 | 9.6 |
Jordan Spieth | 40 | 0.18 | 7.2 |
Max Homa | 33 | 0.22 | 7.26 |
Brian Harman | 70 | 0.11 | 7.7 |
Fantasy Golf Lineup Picks for DraftKings (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.
High-Priced DraftKings DFS Players
***There are five players priced above $10,000. Please remember that my DFS article is always a first look at the field. Opinions might shift as the week goes on, and I am more than happy to discuss anyone further on Twitter/X.
I'd like to see where ownership lands because that is going to be the ultimate decider for a volatile course like TPC Sawgrass. It does appear like the course's combustible nature could shift some of these higher-priced options into land mines. However, my early math would be in on two of these players before we get a better idea of popularity.
Scottie Scheffler ($12,800) is going to follow one of two paths this week for gamers. Do you believe the putter is back and the field is playing for second? Or is this price hike too much for a golfer looking to break this historical trend that players looking to repeat have struggled at TPC Sawgrass in the past?
Scheffler's ball-striking acumen isn't like that of past champions, making this increased price still worth considering because of the easy nature of constructing builds around him.
There is also something to be said about Xander Schauffele ($11,300) and his 41 consecutive made cuts. If the streak were to end, this is a likely location, but Schauffele's lack of perceived win equity might be garnering too large of an influence in this market. A lower-price would have been preferred, but Xander is a Dye specialist who excels on these fast but soft greens.
Currently In: Scottie Scheffler
Playing: Xander Schauffele
Did you know RotoBaller has a Premium DFS PGA subscription? Like what you read today? You can show your support for Spencer by using the discount code TEEOFF when purchasing a PGA Premium Pass. You get 10% off and full access to all of our Premium PGA articles, DFS tools, and Lineup Optimizer! You also get access to weekly betting picks from Spencer Aguiar, one of the top betting minds in the industry.
End of the Season Totals: @rotoballer @BettorGolfPod
2017 +54.26 Units
2018 +55.88 Units
2019 +27.743 Units
2020 + 37.015 Units
2021 + 68.846 Units
2022 +67.485 UnitsTotal Winnings: +311.229 Units
Total Outright Wins Since 2017: 36
H2H Totals Inside Thread… https://t.co/pNQrSK1rFE
— Spencer Aguiar (@TeeOffSports) December 12, 2022
Mid-Priced DraftKings DFS Players
$9,000 Range
There is a ton to like between Max Homa, Jordan Spieth, Ludvig Aberg and Sam Burns.
Max Homa ($9,600) enters the weekend trending after posting back-to-back top 16 finishes on tour and has generated consecutive top 13 results here at Sawgrass over the last two years. It shouldn't hurt matters that he landed next to Sam Burns as one of only two players to render top-five results for weighted strokes gained total and scrambling inside of my model.
Jordan Spieth ($9,500) is not typically my cup of tea in the $9,000 range, but the recent surge in par-five scoring could blend exceptionally well with his scrambling nature. If the American can be safer than expected with his irons, a high-end finish could be in the cards.
Ludvig Aberg ($9,300) was disappointing last weekend at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. A respectable Saturday and Sunday moved him up the leaderboard and inside the top 25, but there are reasons to believe that the PLAYERS could be equally as enticing of a course if he can be better on the par-five locations.
And one of my favorite plays this week is Sam Burns ($9,200). The most notable return for him was the fact that he increased his expected weighted proximity by 90 spots over his baseline projection, which will include additional top 10 totals entering the mix for weighted total driving, scrambling, and TPC + Pete Dye success.
I assume Burns' struggles on Sunday at Bay Hill will keep this ownership in check. Had that performance not happened, we might be looking at the most popular player on the board.
Playing: Max Homa, Jordan Spieth, Ludvig Aberg, Sam Burns
Mid-Priced DraftKings DFS Players
$8,000 Range
Russell Henley ($8,600)
My model noticed this massive increase for success from those who could scramble and hit their irons from 0-150 yards.
Si Woo Kim ($8,000) Bay Hill: 9.1 strokes gained tee-to-green. Negative-8.6 putting. While the putter hasn't always been perfect at Sawgrass, it only took him needing to gain 1.2 strokes in 2017 to capture this title. Similar totals this week could put him on the first page of the leaderboard when diving into how well he is striking the ball.
We can get into more conversation about this section on this week's Bettor Golf Podcast.
Playing: Russell Henley, Si Woo Kim
Low-Priced DraftKings DFS Players To Consider ($7,000+)
Check out my model for everything in this section. There, you will get individual rankings on all players and be able to weigh the data to create your very own model when you make a copy. Please consider signing up for this tool that I am very proud to share with the public!
We are early in the week, but my five favorite plays so far in this section would be Tom Hoge, Eric Cole, Brian Harman, Adam Hadwin, J.T. Poston.
Brian Harman ($7,900) is going to lead that group in exposure because of his upside shown on similar courses in the past. I didn't find Bay Hill to be the best venue for his skills last week, which makes his 12-place finish at the API all that more enticing. Look for Harman to build off of his two top-eight finishes at this course over the past four years.
$6,000 Options To Consider
$5,000 Options To Consider
Win More With RotoBaller
Win more with expert tools and advice from proven winners! RotoBaller's PGA Premium Packages feature several savvy analysts and proven winners for DFS and betting.
Our very own Joe Nicely took down a big DraftKings DFS tournament for the Travelers Championship. And as an encore, RotoBaller subscriber @tenndolly2 won $100K on FanDuel with the help of Joe and the rest of our Premium PGA team:
If you read my articles @RotoBaller or listen to @TheTurnGolfPod I’ve been telling y’all it was #WinningSeason when golf came back! Shoutout to the entire @RotoBallerPGA squad and all you guys that support my work for all the ❤️ pic.twitter.com/07a4ynvbSU
— Joe Nicely (@JoeNicely) June 28, 2020
Between all the incredible Premium PGA DFS and Betting content and tools we put out each week, and our Premium Slack Community where we chat with our subscribers before lineups lock, RotoBaller PGA subscribers are armed with the tools, analysis, and advice to win more.Congrats @tenndolly2 ???
— RotoBaller PGA (@RotoBallerPGA) August 10, 2020
Thanks for being a @RotoBaller PGA DFS Premium subscriber & checking out all the amazing golf content that @JoeNicely produces every week! https://t.co/tHKZVsPbbt