Paulie’s Picks: 2021 CJ Cup

The PGA Tour loves Las Vegas so much it has decided to stay another week. The host course for the upcoming CJ Cup is the Summit Club, an exclusive private course just outside of the city. The 78-player field should find plenty of birdies at this par-72 Tom Fazio design.

Here are a few players to target in DraftKings this week:

Collin Morikawa $10,800

No doubt you’ve heard this a million times already, but it bears repeating: Collin Morikawa is a member at the Summit Club. His familiarity with the course gives him a massive edge, especially considering that Summit has never hosted a tour event before. It also doesn’t hurt to sleep in your own bed and have friends and family in the gallery. But home-field advantage is not the only reason to pick Morikawa. He leads the field in approach and is simply one of the best players on the planet, coming in rested and healthy.

Sam Burns $9,800

Burns has been on a roll, finishing first and 14th in his past two starts. It’s crazy to say, but I think he actually underachieved in those events. While he gained 21 strokes combined off the tee and on approach, he actually lost strokes putting on both weeks—and he’s normally a great putter! If Burns can combine his usual excellence on the greens with his current ball-striking form, he may win again this week. $9,800 is steep, but since he leads the field in birdie rate and par-5 scoring, he’s still an attractive DraftKings play.

Talor Gooch $7,200

Gooch has flown under the radar lately, but he has made 16 of 18 cuts and finished 11th and fourth in his past two starts. He ranks sixth in approach and 11th in par-5 scoring, which is a strong combination for a player priced as low as $7,200.