by Well, last week was another typical week at Torrey Pines where you had to avoid the missed cut of one of your studs (Day, DJ, etc.). This week should be a bit easier to trust some of the big names as most of them have great course history. That makes the decision of how you want to construct your DraftKings lineup very interesting. Do you take 2 studs and fill in the rest or do you go for a balanced lineup? Either way, you may want to plug any of these three players into your lineup:
Ryan Moore $8,600
In his last 7 starts at this event, he has recorded 5 top 20 finishes (making the cut each year). Moore continued his hot form from the fall by finishing 3rd at Kapalua in his only start this year. At $8,600, Moore is almost a must play.
Matt Kuchar $7,400
This might be the lowest price I’ve ever seen for Kuchar, the 21st ranked player in the world. This is his first start since finishing 3rd at the Hero World Challenge in December. Even though he may be a bit rusty and doesn’t have amazing course history (made last 4 cuts but only one top 20 finish) you can count on Kuchar to make the weekend. There are not many guys at $7,400 who have a guarantee like that. Similar to last week, I expect very few lineups to have all 6 guys make the cut, so having a $7,400 player make the cut could be very important.
Brendan Steele $8,200
Steele has finished in the top 26 in his last 5 starts at this event including 3 top 6 finishes. He has been consistent of late with 3 straight top 20s to start the year. At $8,200, you can’t pass up that combination of upside and consistency.
One and Done
This is another week with a few obvious options. I expect the majority of people to choose one of the first two players listed below:
Hideki Matsuyama
Unless you plan on saving Matsuyama for a major, this is the week to use him. As you well know, he has been on a tear the last few months finishing top 2 in 6 of his last 8 starts worldwide. In his 3 starts at this event, he has gone 4th, 2nd and 1st. Enough said.
Jon Rahm
Rahm will be a very popular play this week fresh off of his victory at Torrey. He is very familiar with the course as he attended nearby Arizona State University. He recorded a top 10 as an amateur here last year! If you don’t go Hideki, Rahm is the next plausible choice. More on Jon Rahm.
Brooks Koepka
If you want to stay away from the high owned Rahm and Matsuyama this week and want to save those guys, it may make sense to go with Koepka. He won here in 2015 and his game suits the course perfectly as he bombs the ball off the tee and is great with the flatstick.
Longshot:
Grayson Murray 125-1
He fits the pedigree of many of the players who have had success on this track (Koepka, Watson, Holmes etc). Bombers tend to do very well at TPC Scottsdale as it allows them to carry many of the doglegs and bunkers while taking advantage of the reachable par 5s. He is one of the longest players on Tour averaging 316 yards off the tee. He also has a bit of an advantage in that he attended nearby Arizona State University. More on Grayson Murray.
