PGA DFS: 2022 PGA Masters Tournament Coverage
It's the first major championship of the PGA Tour season and it's the best. The 2022 Masters Tournament is this weekend and we've got so much to talk about. Is Tiger Woods playing in the 2022 Masters tournament? This is the biggest question everyone wants to have answered this week as he arrives at Augusta National but also we have Rory McIlory looking to complete the career grand slam, Brooks Koepka looking for his first green jacket, talented young players like Scottie Scheffler, Victor Hovland, and Patrick Cantalay looking for their first major title, Hideki Matsuyama hoping to defend his title, and so much more to discuss.
The NFL has the Super Bowl, NASCAR has the Daytona 500, College Football has their playoff, College Basketball has March Madness, and golf has the Masters. I know there are three other major championships but none of them have the prestige of The Masters. The players themselves hold this major in the highest regard when you hear them speak about it. There is something almost religious about the grounds of Augusta National. When you hear that soft gentle music play, see those azaleas in full bloom over the top of the Par 3 12th and Jim Nantz say, "a tradition unlike any other”, it gives you all the feels.
Unlike the other major championships, this field is extremely exclusive. If you are not a previous winner, you have to earn your spot in this event. There are only around 90 players in the field but you can basically ignore all of the amateurs and the old-timers playing this weekend. There are about 50 players that have a legitimate chance to win. My job will be to narrow down that 50 to around 18-20 players that have the best combination of DFS price, ownership projection, course history and current form to dawn the green jacket come Sunday evening. It's extremely tough to narrow down these players to a select few especially in the top tier because almost anyone $9000 and above could win this weekend.
As far as my coverage of the Masters this week, we've got lots planned. First, you'll see my Tiger Woods preview come out on Monday. That article talks about his history at the Masters and his comeback from that horrific car crash that nearly cost him his right leg. On Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, you'll hear me on the airwaves of SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio at 12:30a ET on Alarm After Hours with Justin Fensterman and Adam Ronis talking about the betting side of the Masters. My PGA DFS Playbook comes out on Wednesday morning at 10:00am ET which gives you all my official top plays. At 2:30pm ET you'll see my PGA Example Lineups released for the Masters with cash and GPP plays for DraftKings, Fanduel and Yahoo. Finally, you'll hear me back on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio at 7:30pm ET on the Fantasy Alarm show with Howard Bender and Jim Bowden discussing DFS strategy. Of course, you can chat with me directly anytime you want using the discord chat. I will be there as much as possible answering questions or having strategy discussions.
I cannot wait to see this tournament and hopefully make lots of cash while doing it.
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Justin Thomas arrived at the Travelers Championship amidst a bit of a slump but left with 25 birdies to manage a T9 finish, his first top 10 since March.
Thomas is known for his stellar rate of big finishes over the course of his career but that changed recently with six straight finishes landing outside of the top 10. A cold putter has been the culprit for much of the downturn but he managed to fight through the flat-stick woes this week. Thomas lost 1.9 strokes putting at TPC River Highlands but ranked 3rd in strokes gained tee-to-green. It was a promising result to rebuild some confidence but he still has some work to do in the putting department. Despite the nice finish this week, Thomas is just 66th in the FedExCup race.
Brian Harman tossed together a 6-under 64 on Sunday at the Travelers Championship, posting a piece of second place on the final leaderboard (-20).
Harman entered the week with just one top 25 in his last 14 stroke-play events. It's been a slump for the straight shooter but TPC River Highlands was the perfect cure. The Georgia Bulldog gained 4.4 strokes on approach, 3.5 strokes around-the-green, and 4.9 strokes putting. All three ranked 13th or better for the week. This was far from his first taste of success at the course, going in the books as his sixth career top 10 at TPC River Highlands.
Chez Reavie started the day just one shot off the pace but stumbled with a 1-over 71 to drop back to a share of fourth place on the final leaderboard.
Reavie and overnight leader Keegan Bradley were in a tier of their own to begin the day. Reavie dropped a rung with seven pars and two bogeys before the turn. His driver remained steady (12-of-14 fairways) but lost strokes in each of the other three categories of strokes gained today. It was a day to forget but a week to remember for Reavie who still managed a T4 finish, vaulting him from 114th to 95th in the FedExCup race.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler steadied a 5-under 65 on Sunday at the Travelers Championship, ending the week on 19-under 261, good for a slice of fourth place.
The Texan piled up 21 birdies and a pair of eagles this week at TPC River Highlands. He ended the week ranked second in strokes gained tee-to-green (+11.08). He's now gained at least 10.6 strokes in that department in six straight events. Scheffler carded three sub-66 rounds this week but a two-birdie 70 on Friday is what held him back from truly contending. The World No. 1 now has six straight top-5 finishes and you have to go back to October to find the last time he finished worse than 12th. It's safe to say he's been the most consistent golfer on the planet over the last nine months.
Rory McIlroy raced out of the gate on Sunday at the Travelers Championship before slowing his pace to record a 6-under 64, ending his week in a share of seventh place (18-under 262).
McIlroy circled birdies on five of the first seven holes today. He couldn't maintain that pace but still bettered the field average by more than three shots today. McIlroy tossed together four sub-69 rounds this week at TPC River Highlands but didn't even sniff contention over the weekend. "I don't particularly like when a tournament is like this. Unfortunately technology has passed this course by, right? It sort of has made it obsolete, especially as soft as it has been with a little bit of rain that we had." The Northern Irishman now has five straight top-10 finishes and has his game trending back toward the winner's circle just in time for the season's final major and the FedExCup Playoffs.
Patrick Cantlay gave the leader a small scare down the stretch was swallowed two late bogeys to finish on 19-under this week at the Travelers Championship, four shots off the winning tally of Keegan Bradley.
Cantlay was slow out of the gate with eight pars and a birdie before the turn. He applied some pressure with four birdies on the next six holes, all while Keegan Bradley was starting to leak with three straight bogeys. That shrunk the lead to just three shots be Cantlay stumbled home with two bogeys and a par. "I thought I struck the ball very solid all day. Played smart. Not the finish I wanted obviously, but my game is in a good spot and a lot of big tournaments left this summer." The UCLA alum carded four sub-69 rounds this week and led the field in strokes gained tee-to-green. Cantlay now has six straight top 15s at TPC River Highlands. He collected two victories last season but still searching for his first win of the 2022-23 campaign.