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While the PGA Tour had some early-week issues with players and caddies testing positive for COVID-19 that switched up the field a few times, the drama on Sunday was all on the course at the Travelers Championship, where Dustin Johnson claimed the win joining Webb Simpson ($11,000) and Daniel Berger as winners since the PGA Tour’s Return to Golf. This week, there will be another solid field in play as the bubble moves to Detroit for the second annual Rocket Mortgage Classic, which will be played on the Donald Ross-designed Detroit Golf Club, which opened over 100 years ago but was upgraded with the PGA Tour’s arrival last year. The course yielded low scores last season with a -5 cutline the lowest in any tournament on the schedule. While the rough is expected to be thicker, we should get very low scores again this weekend.
Like last week, you’ll want to monitor golfers’ status right up until they tee off since there is still the potential for the field to shift if there are more positive COVID-19 tests for players or those in their immediate circle. Coming into the week, we have a solid player pool, although the field isn’t quite as elite as the ones we have gotten to enjoy the past few weeks. The highest-priced options are Bryson DeChambeau ($11,700), Simpson, Tyrrell Hatton ($10,700), Patrick Reed ($10,500) and Hideki Matsuyama ($10,200). Even though there aren’t quite as many big names, you may still find your salary cap stretched thin since everyone’s salary is adjusted upward relative to the strength of the field. If you’re looking in the bargain bin for a play or two, you’ve come to the right place. To help you find the best cheap plays, I’ll highlight four plays each week that can contribute to your team and have very affordable salaries under $7,500.
To continue to celebrate the return of golf, DraftKings is hosting another PGA Tour millionaire tournament that pays out $2.5 million in total prizes, including $1 million to first place. For only $20, draft six golfers for a shot to win the $1 million top prize. This contest is also part of the DraftKings Championship Series – Fantasy Tournament of Champions. In addition to the $1 million top prize, the winner will also earn a ticket to the Big Game in Tampa in February 2021 to compete for another $1 million top prize.
The millionaire slate locks at 6:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, July 2. Set your lineups here: $2.5M Millionaire [$1M to 1st].
Brian Stuard, $7,400
Stuard has been playing well since the restart with three made cuts in the three events. Last week, he shot consistently at TPC River Highlands with a 65-67-68-68, which was good enough to earn him a T20 finish and 85.0 DKFP, his best one-week total in all of 2020.
In addition to his good form, Stuard has familiarity with the course since he played in last season’s event and earned a T5. He had three excellent rounds and could have been in contention for the win if it wasn’t for a slip-up in Round 2, when he shot a 72. The 37-year-old was born and raised in Jackson, Mich., which is just over an hour west of Detroit and played his college golf at Oakland University in Rochester, Mich. He’ll have a little bit of a home-field advantage, and the event should carry some extra significance for him as for just the second time in PGA Tour history an event will be held in the city limits of Detroit.
Curious about when major leagues and events will return? Check out our DraftKings Sports Calendar for the latest updates.
Tyler Duncan, $7,000
While it seems like a long time ago, it was just earlier this season that Duncan claimed his first PGA Tour victory at the RSM Classic in Georgia last November. Duncan kept his PGA Tour card with a T4 in the final event of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals not long before that and then got that big win by holding off Webb Simpson and Brendon Todd, who had won the previous two events.
Duncan hasn’t been near the top of the leaderboard since the restart but has made the cut in all three events finishing T38, T28 and T32. He finished last week with a strong 67 on Sunday and will look to carry that momentum to Detroit, where he played last year but missed the cut. There are some similarities between the metrics at Sea Island Resort and Detroit Golf Club, so I expect Duncan to continue his recent run of solid results.
Cameron Tringale, $6,600
Tringale knocked the rust off last week in Connecticut after not playing for almost four months. He missed the cut with a 70-73, but is still worth a look at this bargain salary this week. He was a consistent cut-maker before the layoff, playing the weekend in 11-of-12 events earlier this season.
Last year at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Tringale had his best finish of the season with a T5. He finished the season strong as well, earning his first trip to the FedEx Playoffs in three seasons. He has totally overhauled the mechanics of his swing and has seen big increases in clubhead speed, driving distance and Shots Gained: Off-the-Tee. He should be ready to find more success in returning to an event where he looked good last year after his tuneup last week.
Peter Kuest, $6,000
Diving all the way down to the minimum salary, there is a flier play I like quite a bit. Kuest was putting the finishing touches on a great college career at BYU when the pandemic wiped out the rest of the spring season and left him looking for tournaments to play in. He and Sahith Theegala ($6,400) were considered two of the top amateur golfers before the stoppage and are now trying to launch their professional careers.
Kuest shot a disappointing opening-round 73 last week at the Travelers Championship, his first event as a pro, but he bounced back with a strong 68 in the second round while still missing the cut. He has the length and iron play to contend on the PGA Tour in the future, and this kind of course should fit his game well and allow him to pile up birdies in bunches. He’s an ultra-cheap, high-risk play, but he has a high ceiling and a chance to make the cut and round out your roster if you have the rest of your team set just the way you want it.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Z.Thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.