Daily fantasy golf requires a new approach for each and every event.
The course and field change week after week, making no two contests alike. That means you need to refine your approach for each PGA Tour event to try to find golfers who are primed to excel for your daily fantasy golf lineups.
Each week, we have a course primer, and our daily fantasy golf projections and lineup builder can help you get started, but these golfers stand out specifically on DraftKings for the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links.
Key Stats
These stats have proven vital to success at Harbour Town Golf Links.
Key Stats for the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links |
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Strokes Gained: Approach |
Strokes Gained: Par 4s |
Opportunities Gained |
Birdies or Better Gained |
Scrambling Gained |
Let's get to the picks.For details on why these stats stand out this week, check out the primer.
All stats are from Fantasy National Golf Club and are for golfers in the field over the last 50 rounds, unless otherwise noted. Another important note this week is that because August National does not record strokes gained data, golfers who played last week do not get the statistical benefit (nor do they get dinged) for how they performed at The Masters.
High-Priced Studs
Dustin Johnson (DraftKings Salary $11,600 | FanDuel Sportsbook Win Odds 15/2) - After a Sunday charge to finish in a tie for second, Johnson heads to Harbour Town for one of his sponsorship events. DJ has dominated the other RBC event, the Canadian Open, for the past half decade, and after dipping his toe in the Heritage last year with a T16, he'll look to repeat the trend at this event. He is first in strokes gained: tee to green and strokes gained: approach, and he is second in strokes gained: par 4s. Johnson is also 4th in birdies or better gained, 5th in opportunities gained, and 22nd in scrambling gained.
Francesco Molinari ($11,300 | 15/1) - A ball in the water on the 12th at Augusta National spoiled an otherwise stellar run from Molinari, who led the Masters through 65 holes. His bogey-free streak on Thursday and Friday was reminiscent of a similar stretch last year that culminated with the Italian hoisting the Claret Jug. When Molinari gets going with the ball-striking, he hops from the tee to the middle of the fairway to 10 feet from the hole over and over again, and few can keep up with him. He is 5th in strokes gained: par 4s, 8th in strokes gained: tee to green, 9th in approach, and 14th in scrambling gained.
Matt Kuchar ($10,000 | 24) - Remember a time before Kuchar was winning or finishing in the top 15 every week? Before he was stiffing caddies and refusing to concede putts in Match Play? Before he was getting roasted by Phil Mickelson on Twitter? Way back then, he was just plain old dominant at the RBC Heritage. Over the last five years, he has finished T23 or better in each, including a win in 2014. Kuchar has more strokes gained at Harbour Town than any other golfer in the field over that span, and it's not particularly close as only two golfers are within 10 strokes. Course history aside, his recent form is stellar: 3rd in strokes gained: approach, 11th each in birdies or better gained and opportunities gained, and 15th on par 4s.
Mid-Priced Options
Webb Simpson ($9,300 | 31) - Last year, Simpson carried over a T20 at The Masters to finish in fifth at the RBC Heritage the week after. Last week, he finished T5 at Augusta, and his all-around game is well suited for Harbour Town. He's not a bomber off the tee, but he gets it done with his irons (21st in strokes gained: approach) and is arguably the best around-the-green player and scrambler in the field.
Tommy Fleetwood ($9,200 | 24) - Fleetwood did not get quite the finish he wanted at The Masters, and he'll look to bounce back this week in his debut at Harbour Town. He is one of the elite ball-strikers in the field, and he's an underrated scrambler. He's 3rd in strokes gained: tee to green, 7th in birdies or better gained, 12th in strokes gained: par 4s, and 22nd in strokes gained: approach. That's all expected. Surprising: he's 10th in strokes gained: around the green.
Jason Kokrak ($8,800 | 50) - Jason! We missed you, buddy. One week off and already the DFS community is hankering to get Kokrak back in their lineups. Such is life in 2019. Kokrak is 2nd in strokes gained: approach, 4th in opportunities gained, 6th in strokes gained: tee to green, 7th in strokes gained: par 4s, and 10th in birdies or better gained. With four top 10s in his last five events, Kokrak should get right back on the saddle after a week off. He's missed back-to-back cuts at Harbour Town the last two years, but he has fine course history otherwise, with three top 25s before the missed cuts.
Sungjae Im ($8,400 | 50) - Another DFS favorite who failed to qualify for The Masters, Im has lived up to the hype so far in his young career. He is 7th in strokes gained: tee to green, 14th in birdies or better gained, 15th in strokes gained: par 4s, and 18th in strokes gained: approach. While his lack of distance is often considered his weakness, distance is not a factor at the RBC Heritage. He's just 85th on Tour so far this year in driving distance, but he is still able to put himself in great position and is all the way up to 23rd in strokes gained: off the tee.
Byeong-Hun An ($8,200 | 50) - An is also back in action this week and has been one of the elite tee-to-green players in the world recently, trailing only Johnson in this field. He's also 7th in strokes gained: approach, 9th in opportunities gained, and 26th on par 4s. An is just 31st in scrambling gained, but he is actually 1st in strokes gained: around the green.
Low-Priced Options
Cameron Smith ($7,900 | 50) - Smith is balanced if not exceptional in any specific category, but he ranks 37th or better in all the key stats. He was 51st at The Masters and 56th at THE PLAYERS in his last two times out, making him a sneaky play who is actually quite safe given his cut-making ability (just one missed cut worldwide since last year's U.S. Open). Ownership leverage is essential in tournaments, but even in cash games, having a steady play who is low owned can be key to maximizing profits, especially in head-to-head formats.
Lucas Glover ($7,800 | 55) - Glover has the overall tee-to-green game to contend this week if he can just sink some putts. He's finished T17 or better in 10 of his last 12 events, with the only two missed cuts being when he lost 3.4 and 4.4 strokes putting at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and THE PLAYERS. He's 2nd in strokes gained: par 4s, 5th in scrambling gained, 12th in strokes gained: approach, and 22nd in both birdies or better gained and opportunities gained.
Russell Knox ($7,700 | 55) - Knox is 16th in strokes gained: approach, 23rd in strokes gained: tee to green, and 30th in opportunities gained. His birdie and scrambling numbers are dinged by how poor a putter he is, but he's actually had some success on these greens. Two of his eight best putting performances over the last five years were at the 2014 and 2016 RBC Heritage. He finished T9 and T2, respectively, in those years. He's also eighth in total strokes gained on Pete Dye-designed courses in his last 50 rounds on such tracks.
Daniel Berger ($7,400 | 100) - Oddsmakers are not believers, but that number should keep Berger's DFS ownership low and create a terrific leverage spot. He's been very up and down over the past year, specifically fighting off an injury in the early part of this season. He's 20th in strokes gained: approach, and that's about where the positives with the key stats end. But Berger is ninth in the field in total strokes gained on Pete Dye designs.
Keith Mitchell ($7,300 | 90) - Mitchell has professed his love of bermuda, and after a week on the bentgrass at Augusta, he gets another crack at his favored surface this week. He is 10th in strokes gained: tee to green, 12th in approach, 16th in birdies or better gained, and 25th in opportunities gained. He was 55th here last year in his debut. Like Luke List last year, Mitchell is a bomber who can get the benefit of increased control by clubbing down off the tee. If he rolls in some putts, he should push for a top 10, which would be a terrific outcome at this price.
Bargain Basement
Brian Stuard ($6,700 | 160) - Stuard has popped recently with some nice finishes, especially a T4 at the Valero Texas Open his last time out. Before that, he had two top 20s and two missed cuts, so he is not without the inherent risk of a golfer in this price range. But with upside and decent course form (four straight made cuts, including a T5 in 2014), he is a solid value play this week. Stuard is 8th in scrambling gained, 19th in strokes gained: approach, 24th in opportunities gained, and 33rd in strokes gained: par 4s.
Ryan Armour ($6,600 | 190) - Like Stuard, Armour is one of the shortest hitters on Tour (Armour is 204th in average driving distance this season, and Stuard is 210th). Armour is 3rd in driving accuracy (Stuard is 16th), and at a course where almost everyone will find themselves playing Ryan Armour-style golf, it makes sense to plug the man himself into DFS lineups. He is 13th in opportunities gained and 20th in scrambling gained.
Mike Rodden is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Mike Rodden also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mike_rodden. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.