DFSR is proud to bring you our newest contributor Chris Durell. He'll be bringing weekly PGA picks, analysis and breakdowns to help you cash on DraftKings. If you are new to DraftKings PGA DFS be sure to click on the banner below.
Want to see how these picks and more fit into lineups for The OHL Classic at Mayakoba? Chris is selling lineups only $5. He covers DraftKings and Fantasy Feud. Just scroll to the bottom of the picks. This is a separate service than our traditional monthly membership.
El Camaleon Golf Club - Playa del Carmen, Mex
Par 71, 7,039 Yards
Another PGA Tour event to start the new year, and another first time winner. Russell Knox took home the hardware and was rewarded with a nice payday after winning the WGC-HSBC Champions event this past weekend. He became only the second player to win his first WGC event and did it surrounded by the worlds best players. It was the 5th tournament on the PGA Tour in the wrap around portion of the new season and all five winners are first timers. The sport is definitely in great shape right now with so many young players in contention week in and week out. The fields for the final two tournaments before the winter break will the weakest of the year which can give us an edge with some additional statistical research.
After two weeks on the other side of the world, the PGA Tour makes the trip back to North America for the OHL Classic at Mayakoba hosted at Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It is Mexico's only PGA Tour event and has been played at the El Camaleon Golf Club every year it has been held in Mexico. The field will consist of 3 of the worlds top 50(Kuchar#16, Knox#31, Hoffman#42) and 13 of the Top 100 players. The course is a 6,987 yard, Par 71 layout made up of three different cohesive landscapes(Tropical Jungle, Dense Mongroves, Sand Lined Oceanfront). For the most part it has been the accuracy players and good putters who have done well here but the past two years the tournament has been won by golfers typically known for distance(English, Hoffman). For the most part we will want to roster strong ball strikers and key on the accuracy. The other stats I will be weighing heavily this week are Strokes Gained: Tee to Green and Putting, Greens in Regulation, and Scrambling.
*Stat rankings are from the 2015 season*
Jason Bohn
Vegas Odds - 20/1
Draftkings - $10,300
Fantasy Feud - $186,000
Going down the list a bit for my top pick this week and for good reason. He checks all the boxes this week. He has started the new season with a T3(Frys.com), T2(Shriners), T39(Sanderson Farms) and is in good form. He has played this tournament three times and gone T19, T3, and T7 last year. His success here is in large part to his game matching the course perfectly. He is top 50 in all statistical categories below except Scrambling where he is 51. He is safe in all formats.
Matt Kuchar
Vegas Odds - 12/1
Draftkings - $11,700
Fantasy Feud - $193,000
The top priced player over at DraftKings and is making his first appearance at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba. He does however seem to fit the kind of player we are looking for this week. He is an experienced, accurate player who was top 10 in Par 4 Performance last year, top 15 in Scrambling, and 33rd in Strokes Gained Putting. He finished the year strong at the Tour Championship with a T10 and was on the winning Presidents Cup team in October. Look for a strong week from Kuchar. Because of the price, I will only be suing Kuchar in large field tournaments.
Brendan Steele
Vegas Odds - 25/1
Draftkings - $9,900
Fantasy Feud - $172,000
He sandwiched a missed cut at the Shriners between a T17 at the Frys.com Open and a T3 CIMB Classic. He already has 7 rounds shooting under 70 in his first 10 rounds this season. He was ranked inside the top 20 in SG:T2G, Ball Striking, and Par 4 Performance last year with his weak spot being the putter(121st in SG:P). If he can sink a few putts this week he will be around the top of the leaderboard. He has finished T16, T37 the last two years here. Safe in all formats.
Chris Stroud
Vegas Odds - 28/1
Draftkings - $9,300
Fantasy Feud - $137,000
Besides Jason Bohn, Stroud is my #1 Horse for the Course play this week. He has played here in each of the last 5 years and has a T40, T4, T5, T3 and T23 last season. He was a very good Ball Striker last year(22nd) and also inside the top 60 in Driving Accuracy. He is another guy that struggles at times with the putter but when he can get it together for 3 or 4 rounds he can contend, especially here at the OHL Classic.
Brendon de Jonge
Vegas Odds - 55/1
Draftkings - $8,600
Fantasy Feud - $123,000
I will be using de Jonge in most of my cash games this week as he is a consistent option going 22-9 last season on cuts made to cuts missed. He has started the new season with a MC at the Frys.com but followed it up with a T13 at the Shriners and a T27 at the CIMB. He is average in most statistical categories but stands out with a 44th ranking in Driving Accuracy last season. He played here 5 years ago and made the cut with a T40.
David Hearn
Vegas Odds - 50/1
Draftkings - $8,400
Fantasy Feud - $123,000
He is another cash game recommendation this week as a very consistent option as long as he is still using the anchored putter. He was ranked top 30 last season in SG:P and has 2 months remaining before the anchoring ban is in place. He started the year with a MC at the Frys.com Open and has now gone T25 and T29 in his last two tournaments. He has played here three of the last four years and has a T35, T49, and a T16 last year.
Spencer Levin
Vegas Odds - 60/1
Draftkings - $7,800
Fantasy Feud - $123,000
I absolutely love this mid tier for cash games this week and here is another pick that fits the bill as a safe option. He has made the cut here in each of the last five trips to Mexico highlighted by a T2 four years ago. He has started the new season off making the cut in each of his first three tournaments with two top 25 finishes.
Shawn Stefani
Vegas Odds - 125/1
Draftkings - $7,000
Fantasy Feud - $81,000
It was low end target Russel Knox picking up the win last week, which saw his price climb $3,000 this week. Back to the $7,00 range with Stefani this week. He is far from a lock that Knox was last though, as he has been struggling lately after a solid 2015 season where he only missed 5 cuts. I will look for him to get back on track this week at a tournament where he finished 2nd last year in his only trip to Mexico. He was ranked inside the top 42 in SG:T2G, Ball Striking and GIR last season, which is a great recipe for success at this course. I will only be using him in GPP formats this week.
Want to see how these picks and more fit into lineups for The OHL Classic at Mayakoba? Chris is selling lineups for only $5. He covers DraftKings and Fantasy Feud. Fill out the form below or click here to purchase using PayPal. This is a separate service than our traditional monthly membership.
WGC-HSBC Champions
Chris Durell has been playing Daily Fantasy Sports for three years and fantasy in general for more than a decade. He is active player in college football, NFL, NBA and of course PGA. He lives in Saskatchewan, Canada with his wife and two daughters. You can follow him on Twitter at @jager_bombs9 for advice, strategy, answers to any PGA questions and how he copes with the winters up north.
Week 12 DraftKings and FanDuel cash game NFL plays.
DraftKings and FanDuel Week 11 cash game NFL plays
Week 10 NFL cash game picks for DraftKings and FanDuel
Daily Fantasy DraftKings and FanDuel NBA Picks & Projections Playing NBA DFS Nightly? Join one…
Week 9 NFL DFS plays for DraftKings and FanDuel
Packed slate of NBA action on FanDuel and DraftKings