PGA Draftkings: Careerbuilder Challenge Picks

This week’s tournament is a slightly different beast compared to other weeks on the PGA Tour, in that the Careerbuilder Classic is played on three different courses and has its cut on Saturday, rather than Friday. This means that, as for overall strategy, you can take more risks because your golfers will have an extra day to make the cut, or to just make you some extra points even if they miss the cut. When a tournament is played on three separate courses, I like to target those players that will be playing on the easier course on Thursday. Once a player gets rolling on Thursday, it is easier for them to tame a tougher course on Friday and Saturday. That being said, lets take a look at the courses.

TPC Stadium Course

Par 72, 7113 yards and a lot of water. As with most weeks on tour, hitting fairways and greens will be crucial. The TPC stadium course uses water as its main protection from high scores, so make sure you pick guys who can keep the ball safe and dry. There is nothing worse than following your players on the PGA tour app, only to see the words “Shot 1: in the water” appear on your screen.

Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course

Par 72, 7204 yards and more sand than a day at the beach. Jack protects this course with bunkers, which means that this course is well suited for great ball strikers and good scramblers. Being the longest course on the rotation, a little bit of distance off of the tee couldn’t hurt.

La Quinta Country Club

Par 72, 7060 yards and traditionally the easiest course in this rotation. Nothing too challenging, which is why it is worth looking into which players will be beginning their week on this course. Momentum goes a long way when it comes to the psyche of PGA Tour players.

$11,200- $9,000

Zach Johnson ($10,200) — Zach is a past winner of this tournament which does not come as much of a surprise because he is one of the classiest ball strikers on tour, and has been known to get hot with the putter. Given his pedigree at this course and his good form coming off of a solid finish last week, I think he is a great play here.

Emiliano Grillo ($9,800) — He hits fairways and greens with the best of them. If he can get the putter going WATCH OUT. He has four straight top 20’s in worldwide events leading up to this tournament.

Jon Rahm ($9,700) — I touted this guy as one of my players to watch this season. He has a short, goofy, compact swing and he hits the ball a mile. He was among the most consistent golfers on tour last season and I think he will be low-owned this week because this is his first start of the season and his price is nearly $10,000. I’m not scared to pick him, and you shouldn’t be either.

Jamie Lovemark ($9,600)- T4 last week and finished T6 last year at the Careerbuilder Challenge. His form is too good to ignore right now at a sub-$10k price point.

Russell Henley ($9,500) — Loves the West Coast swing on the PGA Tour, and I will keep riding the hot hand while he is playing well. He was fourth in driving distance last week and also hit 84 percent of greens in regulation (GIR). That’s a combination for success if I’ve ever heard one. He has had 4 straight top-25 finishes coming into this week, and I think he rides that form to another great finish.

$8,900- $7,500

Luke List ($8,600) — Fifth consecutive top-15 last week, and he finished T6 with Lovemark last year. He is a sneaky long hitter who ranks ninth in Par-5 scoring and can really take advantage of the Par 5’s this week.

Scott Piercy ($8,300) — I’m kind of glad that Piercy had a mediocre week at the Sony Open, because it will likely make DFS players forget that his guy is a stud. He can drop a 60 without even breaking a sweat. He started last week with two 66’s and then faded slightly; he clearly has the form, he just needs to put four rounds together. He currently sits at 11th in the FedEx Cup and is 36th in the world rankings. $8,300 is way too low in a weakish field like this one.

Hudson Swafford ($7,900) — Hudson led the field in driving distance last week and had a solid finish. This guy knows how to make cuts and should be able to take advantage of the Par 5’s this week to another solid finish. Take advantage of the price before it exceeds $8,500.

Chez Reavie ($7,500) — His salary did not increase after his 8th place finish last week. I touted his tee-to-green game last week and he did not disappoint, finishing fifth in strokes gained tee-to-green. Take advantage of the price point oversight and the lack of name recognition.

$7,400- $6,500

David Lingmerth ($7,300) — His recent form is far from superior, but he has a fantastic track record at this tournament. When a player finds a course that he likes, he always tends to play well there regardless of his form leading up to the the tournament.

Sean O’Hair ($7,300) — His price increased a WHOPPING $100 since his 11th place finish last week. I considered putting him on my list last week but chicken’d out. After finishing 18th in strokes gained putting, and leading the field in GIR last week, I think O’Hair will get his third straight top-15 finish this week.

Henrik Norlander ($6,800) — I’ve always had an eye on this guy since he came on tour a few years ago. This big Swede is above average in most statistical categories, including driving scoring average and putting, both of which will be key to keeping pace with the field this week. He had a solid 20th place finish last week and I look for him to ride the momentum into his week.

Brian Gay ($6,500) — Gay seems to be having somewhat of a resurgence on tour right now. He has always been known as a fantastic ball striker and putter and is finally playing some good golf. His price DROPPED $400 after a solid 13th place finish last week where he made the third fewest amount of birdies and hit the fourth most fairways. Steal of the week.

$6,400- $5,900 — (when it comes to finding value down in this range, your best bet is to go with someone riding momentum from the week prior)

Seamus Power ($6,400) — Just have a feeling he is going to have a solid week at this price. Decent 49th place finish last week, which could have been much better if not for his Sunday round of 70.

Kelly Kraft ($6,300)- Solid 27th place finish last week with four sub-70 rounds on the card.

Andrew Loupe ($6,200) — One of the longest hitters on tour that no one knows. He placed third here last year, largely as a result of his performance on the Par 5’s. At this price, he has the ability to make value even if he misses the cut, but I expect him to see Sunday. He should have a solid tournament and feed off of the good vibes from last year.

Jon Curran ($6,000) — Jon is always one of my cheap targets in GPP’s. His price is consistently disrespectful for a guy who makes cuts and is average across most statistical categories. DraftKings has him priced at $100 more than Steven Bowditch who is by far the worst player on the tour. I won’t have too much exposure to Jon but may sprinkle in a lineup or two.