Following Bryson DeChambeau’s memorable win at Bay Hill, the Florida swing continues this week with THE PLAYERS Championship. Since its origin back in 1982, TPC Sawgrass (par 72, 7,189 yards) in Ponte Vedra has been the host of this event, which is referred to as golf’s fifth major, considering the strength of this field and its season-high purse. A year ago, only one round of this tournament was played before the PGA TOUR cancelled the remainder of the tournament. The COVID-19 pandemic that we are still currently dealing with today had just begun in the United States and the uncertainty of the issue left the PGA TOUR and all other major sports leagues no choice but to pause their seasons. Along with many other PGA TOUR events, most notably the Open Championship, the PLAYERS was cancelled and not rescheduled for the 2020 season. So, by default, Rory McIlroy is the defending champion of this PGA TOUR stop, winning the 2019 PLAYERS at -16.
Similar to the Florida courses we have seen the last two weeks, TPC Sawgrass can be a tricky test of golf. The Pete Dye design presents a ton of water and sand hazards, and as usual at a Dye track, the greens are on the smaller side. Hitting these Bermuda putting surfaces on a consistent basis is difficult, which not only makes your iron play critical, but also your skills around the green. Over the last eight years, only one of the golfers to capture the lucrative prize here in Ponte Vedra didn’t finish the week inside the top-16 in SG APP. Furthermore, McIlroy was the third PLAYERS champion in a row to rank T11 or better in SG ARG. As for distance, we have seen both long and short hitters succeed here, and we shouldn’t be putting much of an emphasis on off-the-tee stats this week. After your ball striking and scrambling, you must be an efficient par four player to contend at Sawgrass. In fact, three of the last four players to card a win here have led their fields in SG on the par fours at this par 72. The final stat that I will be focusing on this week is bogey avoidance. Staying out of trouble is key at this Florida venue, evident from the fact that five of the past eight PLAYERS winners have ended the week T3 or better in least bogeys, with three of those golfers leading their fields.
As previously mentioned, this an elite field of players we have on tap this week. Of the top-50 ranked golfers in the world, only Brooks Koepka (knee) and Matthew Wolff will not be teeing it up at Sawgrass. There will be 154 players in total competing and a standard top-65 and ties cut line taking place after the second round. Given the depth of this field, we have some very appealing value plays at our disposal, and these are four of my favorites that are priced at $7,400 or lower on DraftKings.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: $2.5M Fantasy Golf Millionaire [$1M to 1st + ToC Entry]
Lee Westwood, $7,200
Westwood is going to gain attention in all formats this week, but he is a hard value to overlook at this soft of a price. His runner-up finish last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational marked his 17th made cut in his last 20 starts worldwide, and his tenth top-20 during this stretch. At Bay Hill, the veteran had one of the best statistical performances of his career, leading the field in SGT2G, GIR and SG on the par fours, while also ranking 3rd in SG APP, T4 in SG ARG and T10 in bogeys avoided. It was simply an incredible showing from Westwood and he will look to carry this momentum over to TPC Sawgrass, where the English pro has made 10 of 14 cuts and has five top-tens on his resume.
No matter his age, Westwood is a player that knows how to grind out quality finishes in world-class fields and I was shocked to see him so cheap this week.
Ian Poulter, $7,100
Poulter gets slept on every week and is always underpriced for his safety. Following his T26 at Bay Hill last week, the 45-year-old has now made it through the cut at 18 of his past 21 PGA TOUR events. He has been playing on the weekend at five consecutive PLAYERS Championships, including a T2 in 2017. Overall, Poulter is 13/16 at TPC Sawgrass and hasn’t missed a cut at a Dye design in nearly six years.
At the Arnold Palmer Invitational, he was only owned by 4.4% of the field in DraftKings’ $800K Flop Shot tournament, and I highly doubt Poulter cracks double-digit ownership in any GPP this week on DraftKings.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout, $7,100
There’s a ton to like about Bezuidenhout this week. Fresh off a T7 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the South African is currently in the midst of an 11 made-cut streak. During this run, we saw him win back-to-back events at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and South African Open, and Bezuidenhout currently sits at 34th in the world golf rankings. Still, he is only the 54th highest priced golfer on DraftKings this week and the promising 26-year-old’s odds to win the PLAYERS are at +7500 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
This is a very intriguing number for a player who only costs $7,100 and to put this into perspective, these are better odds than Adam Scott, who is $8,100 in the DraftKings player pool. Before the event was shut down last year, Bezuidenhout fired off a seven-under 65 in his first career round at TPC Sawgrass. No player in this field has gained more strokes around the green than him over his last 12 rounds and I am in love with Bezuidenhout at this low of a salary.
Emiliano Grillo, $6,700
Grillo just posted a T21 at Bay Hill and his $6,700 price tag is the cheapest he has been in 18 events. Over that time, the 28-year-old has made 15 cuts and has produced eight top-30 finishes. Additionally, Grillo’s ball striking has been solid, gaining strokes T2G in back-to-back starts, and he ranks 4th in SG on par fours when we compare the past 12 rounds of all of these golfers.
Before the cancellation last year, Grillo had made three cuts in a row at TPC Sawgrass with an average finish of 25th place. His putter is his usually biggest flaw, but Grillo has actually gained strokes with his flat stick in two of his past three starts. If he can manage another solid effort on the greens this week, Grillo should smash value at his current salary.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: $2.5M Fantasy Golf Millionaire [$1M to 1st + ToC Entry]
Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game.
For sports betting, head over to DraftKings Sportsbook or download the DraftKings Sportsbook app.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) 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.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL).
Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA/MI), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (NH/CO), 1-800-BETS OFF(IA), 1-888-532-3500 (VA) or call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN).
21+ (18+ NH). CO/IL/IN/IA/NH/NJ/PA/TN/VA/WV/MI only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.