You have to give it up to Tony Finau for his performance on Sunday. He started the final round in a tie for third down five strokes to Scott Piercy but fired a final round 67 to claim a three shot victory over Sungjae Im. Piercy imploded in the fourth round shooting a five over 76 to fall into a tie for fourth place. I found it surprising that this was Tony’s only third career PGA Tour victory. This 32-year-old still has a lot of game to win more and maybe even a major down the road. He will tee it up once again this weekend in Detroit.
The PGA Tour made its return to the Motor City for the first time in seven years in 2019. That did make me a little sad because it meant Washington D.C. lost its yearly event. This week also marks my eighth year writing the PGA DFS Playbook for Fantasy Alarm. I want to thank everyone at Fantasy Alarm for continuing to support me as their DFS PGA Golf writer and especially all of you who have continued to read my articles. We have grown together and become smarter and better players. Let's continue to win together.
The Detroit Golf Club is set up as a stock par 72 and stretches out 7,340 yards. This will be the first tournament in a while to have a full stock of par 5s. Two of those Par 5s are reachable in two by most every player in the field while one of them is 635 yards and was ranked as the hardest Par 5 on Tour. This course also features poa greens that are hard to land and stick. The rough around the greens will give these players fits, so scrambling will be important and getting on the greens in regulation will be at a premium. Also, having a nice history on poa greens is always a plus but not a dealbreaker. When you look over the history at this event, you will see lots of great iron players in the mix come Sunday. Players will need to go low each round to keep up as the average winning score over the first three editions is 22 under.
The biggest change as the calendar moves to July on the PGA Tour Schedule is the field strength. We've seen fantastic fields up until last week but this one takes a step backwards. We've got only one player inside the Top 10 in the World Golf Rankings which is Patrick Cantlay. While some of the big names like Rory, Rahm, Thomas, and Spieth take a break, we've still got a really nice young crop of talented players in Detroit this weekend. It should make for an exciting tournament. When you’ve got a lackluster field like this one, it immediately tells me I’ll go with more of a stars and scrubs approach and try to get as many of those limited stars into my lineups as possible.
The 2021-2022 PGA Tour season is coming to an end. We’ve got two weeks left for players to make it into the Top 125 of the FedEx Cup Standings. That’s a factor you should take into account when picking players at the Detroit Golf Club. There are a lot of guys who are making a last minute push to get into the 125 man field at the Fedex St. Jude Championship. The golfers who have already locked up spots in the FedEx Cup Playoffs are taking a break until the start on August 11th.
There is nothing much to talk about when it comes to the forecast this weekend. The temperatures will be in the mid-80s throughout with no rain in the forecast. The winds won’t get over 10 miles per hour at any point during the tournament. Obviously any of those things can change but as of now, this is how it stands.
ONE & DONE PICK OF THE WEEK: Taylor Pendrith
Pos (Click to sort ascending) | Player (Click to sort ascending) | DK (Click to sort ascending) | Draft % (Click to sort ascending) | FD (Click to sort ascending) | Draft % (Click to sort ascending) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | Tony Finau | 10600 | 23.9% | 11900 | 29.4% |
He was the top priced option last week and paid off his owners with a win. This week he’s the second highest, can he do it again? He made the cut in his one trip to the Detroit Golf Club. He has also made the cut in five of his last six starts with three Top 5 finishes including his win last week. All of his stats went up from last week ranking 16th in Off the Tee, 12th in Approach, 7th in Tee to Green, 8th in Greens in Regulation, 17th in Scoring Average, and 26th in Birdie Average. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | Cameron Young | 10100 | 29.9% | 11700 | 33.0% |
Just when we counted him out, he pulled us back in with his amazing runner up performance at the Open Championship. This will be the first time he’s teed it up since St. Andrews but I love his fit on this course. It will be his first trip to the Detroit Golf Club but when you see he’s ranked 2nd in Off the Tee, 9th in Birdie Average, 15th in Scoring Average, and 21st in Tee to Green. He’s the son of a PGA Professional and playing like a seasoned veteran this year. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | Cameron Davis | 9700 | 17.3% | 11100 | 16.1% |
I usually try to stay away from the defending champions because one it’s hard to repeat and two they are usually highly owned but I just couldn’t stay away. He is one of the hottest players on the PGA Tour with three Top 10s and a Top 20 in his last six starts. Cam’s taking advantage of weak field events like this one. While ranking 41st in Birdie Average, 62nd in Approach, 68th in Off the Tee, and 72nd in Tee to Green doesn’t sound impressive, it is when you look at where he was about two months ago. Davis won this event after missing the cut in his first two trips, just shows that anyone can get hot on this track. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | Kevin Kisner | 9100 | 17.7% | 10700 | 18.3% |
After missing four straight cuts, he made back to back at the Travelers (8th place) and Open Championship (21st place). The reason Kisner will be quite popular this weekend is because he’s made the cut all three times including back to back Top 10 finishes. While this course is not short, it isn’t necessarily long which puts him in play. He currently ranks 13th in Putting, 20th in Driving Accuracy, 26th in Around the Green, 32nd in Birdie Average and 53rd in Greens in Regulation. Kisner is just hitting his stride. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | Maverick McNealy | 8800 | 18.4% | 10400 | 24.4% |
Another guy who is starting to hit his stride at the right time. McNealy has made the cut in four straight events with two Top 10 finishes at the Barracuda and John Deere. He’s also made the cut in his two trips to the Detroit Golf Club with finishes of 8th and 21st. We spoke about the importance of going low on this course and he’s second on the PGA Tour in eagles. He’s also 20th in Birdie Average, 32nd in Putting, 35th in Scoring Average, and 47th in Off the Tee. When you look at this field, I think he’s pretty fairly priced as well. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | Davis Riley | 8600 | 18.2% | 10900 | 18.9% |
You are probably asking yourself, why in the hell would I put him back in my playbook after a missed cut for us last weekend. I believe his lackluster performance at the 3M Open was due to rust. He had taken a month off and was working himself back into form. I think he’ll be ready to go this weekend in Michigan. That missed cut ended a streak of eight straight made with four Top 10 finishes. This will be his first trip to the Rocket Mortgage but ranking 16th in Birdie Average, 36th in Scoring Average, 47th in Off the Tee, 48th in Tee to Green, and 50th in Driving Distance makes me feel confident he’ll be able to perform this weekend. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | Chris Kirk | 7800 | 16.3% | 10000 | 13.0% |
This guy has had a very good under the radar PGA Tour season with four Top 10 finishes. Two of those have come over his last six starts in which he’s made every single cut. Kirk has also made the cut in both of his trips to the Detroit Golf Club with finishes of 21st in 12th. He has one of the premiere short games on the tour ranking Top 5 in Around the Green, also 11th in Tee to Green, 18th in Eagles, 21st in Off the Tee, 37th in Scoring Average, and 51st in Approach. He makes for a great mid-tier play in cash or tournaments. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | Scott Stallings | 7700 | 18.5% | 9500 | 16.8% |
Normally, there are only a few tournaments where I’d recommend playing Scott but it is hard to ignore his play. Stallings has been very boom or very bust over the last two months with three Top 10s and three missed cuts. He’s never missed the cut at the Detroit Golf Club and has improved his finish in each of his trips. Scott ranks 43rd in Putting, 57th in Scoring Average, 60th in Birdie Average, and 66th in Approach. I’m going to keep him to my tournament lineups. Game Type: GPP | |||||
G | Taylor Pendrith | 7500 | 12.0% | 9400 | 20.0% |
It’s been a long season for Tayor. He’s battled back from a rib injury which cost him four months of the season. It looks like he’s getting closer and closer to 100 percent with back to back Top 15 finishes coming into this weekend. When he’s played, he’s shown the ability to compete with the best in the world. While he has never been to the Detroit Golf Club, his skills fit this course well ranking 9th in Greens in Regulation, 14th in Driving Distance, 17th in Off the Tee, 51st in Birdie Average and 64th in Tee to Green. This 31-year-old Canadian is a name to watch out for next season if he comes in at 100 percent health. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | Troy Merritt | 7600 | 15.8% | 9700 | 10.8% |
Troy is one of those guys who I usually target in weaker field events like this one. He has shown an ability to stand out amongst the second and third tier players. While he isn’t a bomber, he has shown the ability to have success at this course. Troy has back to back Top 10 finishes at this event including a runner up to Cam Davis last year. He ranks 33rd in Putting, 40th in Scoring Average, 66th in Driving Accuracy, and 77th in Off the Tee. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | Rickie Fowler | 7300 | 2.5% | 9000 | 2.1% |
No, this is not a misprint, I put Rickie Fowler into my playbook. He has earned his spot with his recent play. This former Top 5 player in the world has had a real fall from grace but has made the cut in six of his last seven starts but only two finishes inside the Top 25. Rickie has made the cut in all three of his trips to the Rocket Mortgage with a Top 12 finish in 2020. The stats are not good this season but I’m going to throw him into some tournament lineups. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | Wyndham Clark | 7200 | 9.7% | 9200 | 3.3% |
There are two things we know for sure when it comes to Wyndham, he can hit the ball a mile and putt better than about 90 percent of the tour players out there. The problems come with inconsistencies with his ball striking and iron play. Clark has made the cut in four straight starts with a Top 20 at the Scottish Open. He finished Top 20 in his one previous trip to the Detroit Golf Club. I like him a lot this weekend and I’d even be willing to throw him in cash. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | Callum Tarren | 7100 | 11.1% | 8800 | 8.7% |
Tarren has quickly become one of my favorite value options week in and week out on the PGA Tour. He has two Top 10 finishes in his last four starts including just last week at the 3M Open. Tarren ranks 11th in Eagles, 19th in Driving Distance, and 69th in Off the Tee which all make me confident in his play at the Detroit Golf Club. I’d actually be willing to fire him off in both cash and tournaments. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | Trey Mullinax | 7000 | 1.5% | 8700 | 1.8% |
There’s one thing you can trust when it comes to Trey, he can straight up rip the ball off the tee. He’s Top 10 in Driving Distance and Top 25 in Off the Tee against the best in the world on the PGA Tour. Mullinax picked up his first career PGA Tour victory just a few weeks ago at the Barbasol and followed that up with a 21st place at the Open Championship. I know he can go low ranking 22nd in Eagles and 33rd in Birdie Average. I love his upside especially if he makes the weekend. Game Type: GPP | |||||
G | Chesson Hadley | 6900 | 5.0% | 8300 | 3.7% |
I’m mad at myself for not spotting his run sooner. Hadley has made the cut in six straight starts with three finishes of 10th or better including just last week. He is one of the players that is trying to battle his way into the Top 125 for the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Chesson currently ranks 130 and scoring another Top 20 would go a long way to getting into that field. The overall stats don’t impress except one, putting, he ranks inside the Top 25 on the tour. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | Lee Hodges | 6800 | 1.9% | 7700 | 2.4% |
I love the value here. Lee has made the cut in five of his last six starts with two Top 25 finishes including last weekend at the 3M Open. While he hasn’t been to the Detroit Golf Club, this course should not phase him. I bet you did not know he’s Top 20 in Greens in Regulation amongst the best on the PGA Tour. Hodges also ranks Top 80 in Off the Tee, Approach, Tee to Green and Driving Accuracy. Game Type: GPP | |||||
G | Aaron Baddeley | 6200 | 0.6% | 7000 | 0.9% |
If you are looking for a dirt cheap option this weekend, you could do a lot worse than the 41-year-old Australian. He’s made the cut in seven of his last eight events across the PGA and Korn Ferry Tours. Baddeley made the cut at this event last year and scored a Top 20 at the Valero Texas Open. He has always been a terrific putter which usually evens the playing field and even more against a field like this one. Game Type: GPP |
G | Tony Finau, G | 10600 | 11900 | ||
He was the top priced option last week and paid off his owners with a win. This week he’s the second highest, can he do it again? He made the cut in his one trip to the Detroit Golf Club. He has also made the cut in five of his last six starts with three Top 5 finishes including his win last week. All of his stats went up from last week ranking 16th in Off the Tee, 12th in Approach, 7th in Tee to Green, 8th in Greens in Regulation, 17th in Scoring Average, and 26th in Birdie Average. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | 10100 | 11700 | |||
Just when we counted him out, he pulled us back in with his amazing runner up performance at the Open Championship. This will be the first time he’s teed it up since St. Andrews but I love his fit on this course. It will be his first trip to the Detroit Golf Club but when you see he’s ranked 2nd in Off the Tee, 9th in Birdie Average, 15th in Scoring Average, and 21st in Tee to Green. He’s the son of a PGA Professional and playing like a seasoned veteran this year. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | 9700 | 11100 | |||
I usually try to stay away from the defending champions because one it’s hard to repeat and two they are usually highly owned but I just couldn’t stay away. He is one of the hottest players on the PGA Tour with three Top 10s and a Top 20 in his last six starts. Cam’s taking advantage of weak field events like this one. While ranking 41st in Birdie Average, 62nd in Approach, 68th in Off the Tee, and 72nd in Tee to Green doesn’t sound impressive, it is when you look at where he was about two months ago. Davis won this event after missing the cut in his first two trips, just shows that anyone can get hot on this track. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | Kevin Kisner, G | 9100 | 10700 | ||
After missing four straight cuts, he made back to back at the Travelers (8th place) and Open Championship (21st place). The reason Kisner will be quite popular this weekend is because he’s made the cut all three times including back to back Top 10 finishes. While this course is not short, it isn’t necessarily long which puts him in play. He currently ranks 13th in Putting, 20th in Driving Accuracy, 26th in Around the Green, 32nd in Birdie Average and 53rd in Greens in Regulation. Kisner is just hitting his stride. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | 8800 | 10400 | |||
Another guy who is starting to hit his stride at the right time. McNealy has made the cut in four straight events with two Top 10 finishes at the Barracuda and John Deere. He’s also made the cut in his two trips to the Detroit Golf Club with finishes of 8th and 21st. We spoke about the importance of going low on this course and he’s second on the PGA Tour in eagles. He’s also 20th in Birdie Average, 32nd in Putting, 35th in Scoring Average, and 47th in Off the Tee. When you look at this field, I think he’s pretty fairly priced as well. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | Davis Riley, G | 8600 | 10900 | ||
You are probably asking yourself, why in the hell would I put him back in my playbook after a missed cut for us last weekend. I believe his lackluster performance at the 3M Open was due to rust. He had taken a month off and was working himself back into form. I think he’ll be ready to go this weekend in Michigan. That missed cut ended a streak of eight straight made with four Top 10 finishes. This will be his first trip to the Rocket Mortgage but ranking 16th in Birdie Average, 36th in Scoring Average, 47th in Off the Tee, 48th in Tee to Green, and 50th in Driving Distance makes me feel confident he’ll be able to perform this weekend. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | Chris Kirk, G | 7800 | 10000 | ||
This guy has had a very good under the radar PGA Tour season with four Top 10 finishes. Two of those have come over his last six starts in which he’s made every single cut. Kirk has also made the cut in both of his trips to the Detroit Golf Club with finishes of 21st in 12th. He has one of the premiere short games on the tour ranking Top 5 in Around the Green, also 11th in Tee to Green, 18th in Eagles, 21st in Off the Tee, 37th in Scoring Average, and 51st in Approach. He makes for a great mid-tier play in cash or tournaments. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | 7700 | 9500 | |||
Normally, there are only a few tournaments where I’d recommend playing Scott but it is hard to ignore his play. Stallings has been very boom or very bust over the last two months with three Top 10s and three missed cuts. He’s never missed the cut at the Detroit Golf Club and has improved his finish in each of his trips. Scott ranks 43rd in Putting, 57th in Scoring Average, 60th in Birdie Average, and 66th in Approach. I’m going to keep him to my tournament lineups. Game Type: GPP | |||||
G | 7500 | 9400 | |||
It’s been a long season for Tayor. He’s battled back from a rib injury which cost him four months of the season. It looks like he’s getting closer and closer to 100 percent with back to back Top 15 finishes coming into this weekend. When he’s played, he’s shown the ability to compete with the best in the world. While he has never been to the Detroit Golf Club, his skills fit this course well ranking 9th in Greens in Regulation, 14th in Driving Distance, 17th in Off the Tee, 51st in Birdie Average and 64th in Tee to Green. This 31-year-old Canadian is a name to watch out for next season if he comes in at 100 percent health. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | Troy Merritt, G | 7600 | 9700 | ||
Troy is one of those guys who I usually target in weaker field events like this one. He has shown an ability to stand out amongst the second and third tier players. While he isn’t a bomber, he has shown the ability to have success at this course. Troy has back to back Top 10 finishes at this event including a runner up to Cam Davis last year. He ranks 33rd in Putting, 40th in Scoring Average, 66th in Driving Accuracy, and 77th in Off the Tee. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | 7300 | 9000 | |||
No, this is not a misprint, I put Rickie Fowler into my playbook. He has earned his spot with his recent play. This former Top 5 player in the world has had a real fall from grace but has made the cut in six of his last seven starts but only two finishes inside the Top 25. Rickie has made the cut in all three of his trips to the Rocket Mortgage with a Top 12 finish in 2020. The stats are not good this season but I’m going to throw him into some tournament lineups. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | 7200 | 9200 | |||
There are two things we know for sure when it comes to Wyndham, he can hit the ball a mile and putt better than about 90 percent of the tour players out there. The problems come with inconsistencies with his ball striking and iron play. Clark has made the cut in four straight starts with a Top 20 at the Scottish Open. He finished Top 20 in his one previous trip to the Detroit Golf Club. I like him a lot this weekend and I’d even be willing to throw him in cash. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | 7100 | 8800 | |||
Tarren has quickly become one of my favorite value options week in and week out on the PGA Tour. He has two Top 10 finishes in his last four starts including just last week at the 3M Open. Tarren ranks 11th in Eagles, 19th in Driving Distance, and 69th in Off the Tee which all make me confident in his play at the Detroit Golf Club. I’d actually be willing to fire him off in both cash and tournaments. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | 7000 | 8700 | |||
There’s one thing you can trust when it comes to Trey, he can straight up rip the ball off the tee. He’s Top 10 in Driving Distance and Top 25 in Off the Tee against the best in the world on the PGA Tour. Mullinax picked up his first career PGA Tour victory just a few weeks ago at the Barbasol and followed that up with a 21st place at the Open Championship. I know he can go low ranking 22nd in Eagles and 33rd in Birdie Average. I love his upside especially if he makes the weekend. Game Type: GPP | |||||
G | 6900 | 8300 | |||
I’m mad at myself for not spotting his run sooner. Hadley has made the cut in six straight starts with three finishes of 10th or better including just last week. He is one of the players that is trying to battle his way into the Top 125 for the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Chesson currently ranks 130 and scoring another Top 20 would go a long way to getting into that field. The overall stats don’t impress except one, putting, he ranks inside the Top 25 on the tour. Game Type: CASH & GPP | |||||
G | Lee Hodges, G | 6800 | 7700 | ||
I love the value here. Lee has made the cut in five of his last six starts with two Top 25 finishes including last weekend at the 3M Open. While he hasn’t been to the Detroit Golf Club, this course should not phase him. I bet you did not know he’s Top 20 in Greens in Regulation amongst the best on the PGA Tour. Hodges also ranks Top 80 in Off the Tee, Approach, Tee to Green and Driving Accuracy. Game Type: GPP | |||||
G | 6200 | 7000 | |||
If you are looking for a dirt cheap option this weekend, you could do a lot worse than the 41-year-old Australian. He’s made the cut in seven of his last eight events across the PGA and Korn Ferry Tours. Baddeley made the cut at this event last year and scored a Top 20 at the Valero Texas Open. He has always been a terrific putter which usually evens the playing field and even more against a field like this one. Game Type: GPP |