4 weeks agoKevin Yu's first PGA Tour victory at the Sanderson Farms Championship two weeks ago certainly feels like fools' gold. Prior to that win, dating back to July, the OWGR No. 74 missed the cut in three of seven starts, while failing to finish inside of the top-20 in those appearances. In his only start following his lone victory, Yu missed the cut in a watered-down field at the Shriners Children's Open, losing 1.5 strokes on approach and 3.5 strokes putting. He finished T59 in his only start at this event last year, and there's no reason to think his result will be any different this year based on his statistical course fit. Of note, he ranks 41st in good drive percentage, 36th on approach, 43rd around-the-green, 50th in bogey avoidance, and 65th in Bentgrass putting. Fantasy managers should avoid Yu at the 2024 Zozo Championship.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
4 weeks agoMax Greyserman should be on the radar of fantasy managers this week. Dating back to July, the second-year PGA Tour pro rattled off seven consecutive made cuts, with zero finishes outside of the top-33, and with back-to-back runner-up finishes in the strong fields present at the 3M Open and the Wyndham Championship. The current OWGR No. 52 ranks third in strokes gained off-the-tee, 14th in opportunities gained, sixth in Bentgrass putting, and ninth in bogey avoidance over the last 36 rounds, all of which should be a recipe for success at Accordia Golf Narashino. Despite the lack of course history, Greyserman profiles as a high-upside option in the $8,000-range on DraftKings.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
4 weeks agoIn recent years, Hideki Matsuyama appeared to be the definition of a course horse for Accordia Golf Narashino, having posted a T2 at this event in 2020 and an outright victory in 2022. Despite middling course history over the past two years, the 32-year-old Japanese star is poised to return to an elite finishing position, as he ranks eighth in strokes gained off-the-tee, seventh on overall approach play, 16th in opportunities gained, and 11th in bogey avoidance over the last 36 rounds. His notorious short game includes massive spike putting weeks, and although he hasn't teed off in the Fall Swing, his four most recent appearances, excluding the Presidents Cup, include a bronze medal at the Olympics, his 10th Tour victory at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, and a T9 at the Tour Championship. Fantasy managers should roster Matsuyama with confidence this week, as another victory in Japan is absolutely in the range of outcomes at Accordia Golf Narashino.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
4 weeks agoIt was a close call last week in Vegas for Doug Ghim, who needed one more birdie to force a playoff with J.T. Poston. Nonetheless, it was an impressive week for the 28-year-old and one that shouldn't come as a shock given how well he's performed across the board in every fall series event, posting positive strokes gained metrics in almost every category outside of putting. He got the flat stick woes off his back at TPC Summerlin, averaging +0.73 strokes gained putting through the four rounds while also leading the field in strokes gained on approach (+1.66). The strong performance will undoubtedly draw some eyes this week at the Zozo Championship, and those looking to play him in DFS will have to deal with a pretty high ownership.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
4 weeks agoIt's been rough for Andrew Novak over the last couple of weeks. He withdrew from the Black Desert Championship and missed last week's cut in Vegas. The WD is mostly unknown other than he was on track to miss the weekend anyway, but his performance at the Shriners Open was due to bad iron play, averaging -0.77 strokes gained on approach through two rounds. This was his first time losing strokes in this metric in nine starts. It is a troubling sign considering he's averaging -0.69 strokes gained putting over his last four starts, and at $9,000 on FanDuel, chances are there is better value elsewhere.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
4 weeks agoUntil last week's missed cut in Vegas, Seamus Power was a name seemingly on the verge of contending for a win with two T11s and a T10 in three of his last four starts. However, a poor second round on Friday saw the Irishman packing his bags early to head across the pond for his first start at this week's Zozo Championship. From a statistical point of view, the 37-year-old stacks up well for Narashino Country Club considering his accuracy off the tee (64.74%: 37th on the PGA Tour) and ability to have incredible approach and putting numbers at times. Given the recent dip in form, taking him at $10,200 on FanDuel carries some level of risk, but the ceiling is a top-10 finish or higher.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: PGA Tour
4 weeks agoKnowing how to feel about Will Zalatoris having not seen him since the BMW Championship is a real struggle. On the one hand, he finished the regular season with back-to-back top-15 finishes and averaged +0.705 strokes gained with the putter and +0.645 on approach over the two events. However, on the other hand, he went ll events straight without a top 40 finish that included five missed cuts and a WD that ran up to his two solid tournaments to end the season. At $10,800 on FanDuel, the talent is still there to throw him in a lineup and see what happens, but know that the range of outcomes is undoubtedly wide.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
4 weeks agoMac Meissner has played steady golf in the past two tournaments. The young American golfer is only 25 years old and far from a rookie. However, this is his first full year on the PGA Tour and first trip to the Narashino Country Club in Japan. In Utah, Meissner closed with a 66 after an opening 66 which launched him into the Top 25. He does have a Top 5 and two other Top 10 results but last week may be significant. He is a golfer who ranks 18th in approach to the green in terms of strokes gained (0.472). If he putts well like last week, Meissner might be able to stay in contention longer this weekend.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
4 weeks agoRico Hoey has played better golf over the past two weeks. The golfer from the Philippines nearly finished inside the Top 20 two weeks ago in Utah. Hoey followed that up with a T-3 at the Shriners Children's Open last week. Hoey was in the 60's for all four rounds and that 66 on Sunday featured opportunities for an even better score. He started off 2024 with four straight missed cuts but this is a no-cut event. It boils down to birdies. Hoey showed at the ISCO Championship in July (-22) that he can get hot with the putter. That vaulted him into a playoff. The golfer could be a good choice from a DFS perspective in Japan.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
4 weeks agoMaverick McNealy has a path to get into the top 50 for the FedEx Fall Cup. The American golfer currently ranks 55th but comes off is coming off a top-20 finish at the Shriners Children's Open. McNealy closed with a 67-64 to keep himself in contention. This performance came on the heels of two missed cuts, where the golfer had issues with approaches and putting. He finished T12 at the ZOZO Championship last season, where a 71 knocked him out of the top 10 in the final round. McNealy must keep errant approaches to a minimum. He ranks 124th on tour in strokes gained (minus-0.124). Getting on the green early will be a huge priority for McNealy.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
4 weeks agoSi Woo Kim is one of those golfers who can contend at any time. The Korean golfer only has two Top 10 results in 2024 but the last one came at his last PGA event (BMW Championship). Since COVID, Kim has won at The American Express in 2021 and The Sony Open in 2023. He did finish inside the Top 20 (T-18th) in 2021 on the Japanese course. Kim stands around +3500 at BetMGM to win the tournament. Honestly, it may depend on the weather and course conditions. If Kim can start well, that may pave the way to contention. An early 69 in 2021 kept him in the tournament early. He is 149th in strokes gained to putting in 2024 (-0.291) but is comfortable with the Narashino Country Club course.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
4 weeks agoMin Woo Lee surprised some fans, experts, and bettors alike in 2023. The Australian-born golfer delighted the crowds and finished tied for sixth in his debut at the ZOZO Championship. Lee has won four times internationally and none on the PGA Tour. He did have two runner-ups at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and the Cognizant Classic at the Palm Beaches. Those were courses that featured fewer birdie opportunities. This shorter Narashino Country Club presents chances to go -20 or even better. Lee showed at The American Express (-20) that he can get to that level. Conditions could be more like 2019 this weekend where the winning score was -19 (Tiger Woods).
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
4 weeks agoSungjae Im is another golfer who has performed consistently since the U.S. Open. However, the Korean golfer has not won in 2024 despite eight Top 10 results. Im has not missed a cut but this is a no-cut event. He comes in fourth among betting options at +1400 and has finished par or better in nine of his 12 rounds at Narashino Country Club. At several events in 2024, Im has showed the ability to drain a large volume of birdies. He was -25 at The Sentry and even -18 at the Tour Championship in early September. The one concern with Im may be his approach to the green which ranks 97th on tour (-0.065 strokes gained). Expect an improvement this week.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
4 weeks agoXander Schauffele comes into the ZOZO Championship as the favorite over the defending champion, Collin Morikawa. The American golfer has won nine times overall and twice in 2024 (PGA and The Open Championships). Schauffele has 20 Top 25 results in 21 events. This includes five straight Top 10 results (15 in 2024). It is that consistency which has vaulted Schauffele to a +400 favorite at most betting sites. Furthermore, the Par-70 (7,041 yard) course plays to plenty of the American's strengths including scrambling where he ranks number one on tour at 70.41%. Add in his second at strokes gained (2.068) and Top 10's in several key metrics and it is easy to see why bettors and experts are enamored.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: PGATour.com
1 month agoIt's been a turbulent run in the fall swing for Eric Cole, as he's now recorded two missed cuts in three starts. Sound ball striking is typically the norm as the 36-year-old lives and dies by the flat stick. However, he lost over six shots on approach last week in Vegas. That doesn't spell success at a demanding course like Narashino Country Club, which boasts greens that are smaller than the tour average. Even with a high finish here in 2023 (T2), his game at the current moment doesn't create much excitement for him at $9,800 on FanDuel.
--Todd McGill - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
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