DFS PGA PLAYBOOK - CareerBuilder Challenge
Published: Jan 19, 2017
Well, the Sony Open did not exactly turn out the way we would have hoped but there was still a lot of good stuff in that playbook. I did say that I would not fault you for playing Hideki or Justin Thomas as they were both good options. Really expected JT to be higher owned coming off the win but most thought like me and stayed away thinking he could not repeat. Congrats to Justin Thomas on another impressive victory to start the 2017 season.
Well, it is onto another week and this we head back to the continental United States for the Career Builder Challenge in La Quinta, California. This tournament is unique in that it is played on three courses over the course of the weekend. Each of the golfers will play one course each day for three days and then we have our cut after Saturday's round. Sunday will feature only the Top 70 players that will compete for the title.
Here are the three courses in a nutshell ...
TPC STADIUM COURSE: 7,159 yards / Par 72
There is water all over this track and when there is no water, these players have to deal with bunkers all around the fairways and greens. We need to target players who keep the ball on the fairways and greens which means ball strikers (strokes gained: tee-to-green; SG:TG). There is no scrambling from the water. This is the course where the final round will be played.
NICKLAUS TOURNAMENT COURSE: 7,159 yards / Par 72
This is another course that favors ball strikers. It features a mix of narrow and wide fairways and gives the players a lot of risk/reward situations involving water. Iron play is vital on this course which means we need players with consistent ball striking ability. Also, we want players who have good sand game as there are bunkers all over the place. Most Nicklaus courses reward players who can avoid the hazards and give these players a chance to go low.LA QUINTA COUNTRY CLUB: 7,060 / Par 72
This course is considered the easiest of the three. The fairways are a bit narrower than the Nicklaus course but the track is shorter. We continue to target ball strikers on this course because players must stick the greens to go low.
I have given you plenty of options for this week's tournament which features a field of 156 players. You'll notice that I gave you a ton of options between $9900 and $6600 because that's where I feel the best value lies. I think you can build really strong GPP lineups using a lot of 9, 8, and 7K players. I'll have a few of the studs mostly Haas and Johnson in my lineups but I love the middle tier this week.
Finally, lets check in with Paige as she gets ready for a bounce back week at the Career Builder Challenge.
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!
DFS PGA PLAYBOOK:
| PLAYER | ACES | DRAFTKINGS | BREAKDOWN |
| Bill Haas | $5,750 | $10,500 | 2-Time Champ (2010 & 2015). All Time Money Leader. 39 straight sub-par rounds since 08. T20, T4, T13, T13 to start the year |
| Zach Johnson | $5,800 | $10,200 | T6 last week at Waialae (4 rounds in the 60s w/a 61). 2nd best scoring average here at 67.69. Up & Down Record Here |
| Charles Howell III | $5,650 | $9,900 | 4 Top 15s in this event (T11 last year). T8 at the Sony (4th straight Top 15 finish). He can still bomb it. CASH or GPP |
| Emiliano Grillo | $5,500 | $9,800 | 2015-16 Rookie of the Year! Finished the Fall Schedule with 4 Straight Top 20s Worldwide. He is a SG:TG Master. |
| Jamie Lovemark | $5,300 | $9,600 | T7 at the 2016 Sony & T4 in 2017. He had a T6 at the RSM. 2nd Place here last year going into Final Round finished T6. |
| Brendan Steele | $5,400 | $9,300 | T2 here in 2015, T10 heading into last round finished T34 last year. T6 at Kapalua. 20th in GIR & 6th in Scrambling |
| Luke List | $4,900 | $8,600 | BOMBER! T13 at the Sony (5th consecutive Top 15). 9th in Par 5 Scoring & 21st in Birdie or Better %. Finished T6 last year |
| Webb Simpson | $5,150 | $8,200 | T13 at the Sony. 5 Top 25s in 7 Trips to this Event (3 straight). The putting scares you always but he's on point right now |
| Ryan Palmer | $5,150 | $8,000 | Bummed us all out last week but again a great track record here. 4 Top 10s & a T17 last year since 2011. |
| Kevin Streelman | $5,100 | $8,100 | 4/5 Cuts Made in the Fall Schedule. T10 (2015) & T11 (2016) at the Career Builder. 2nd in GIR & T12 in par breakers here last year |
| Martin Laird | $4,950 | $7,800 | He hasn't missed the cut here since 2010. (4 Top 25s). Good Ball Striker and always up there in SG:TG, can his putter bring it home |
| Lucas Glover | $5,100 | $7,700 | Another Ball-Striker with a GREAT record here. 5 Top 20s in 8 Trips (Back to Back 2015 & 2016). Back to Back Top 5s this season |
| Brian Harman | $4,800 | $7,600 | Terrific Putter & you can thrive here with that in your bag. T20 at the Sony (3rd in SG:Putting). T11 last year at the Career Builder. |
| Chez Reavie | $5,050 | $7,500 | A Top 10 before the holidays and Top 10 at the Sony (Final Round 61, 2nd 61 of the season). T17 here last year (T9 in GIR) |
| Sean O'Hair | $4,750 | $7,300 | T10 at the Shriners & T11 at the Sony in his last 2 starts. He tied for the Top Spot in GIR at Waialae last weekend. |
| Cameron Smith | $4,650 | $7,000 | 5/5 Cuts Made this season. T27 at the Sony (T13 in Greens Hit & 3rd in Proximity). The value is great for this young talent |
| Jhonattan Vegas | $4,550 | $6,900 | Winner here in 2011, but his career fell off a cliff after that. He has had a resurgance since his 1st child was born. |
| Henrik Norlander | $4,500 | $6,800 | Playoff loss at RSM & T20 at the Sony (4 rounds in the 60s, 23 birdies). He can really go low! Great value option (GPP) |
| Cameron Tringale | $4,500 | $6,700 | 6/6 Cuts Made at Career Builder (T14 last year). He was 4/4 in cuts made on the Fall Schedule. CASH OR GPP Option |
| Michael Thompson | $4,550 | $6,600 | T28 last year (Finished 2nd in Total Par Breakers). T13 at RSM & T20 at the Sony Open. Under the Radar GPP Option |
| Bud Cauley | $4,250 | $6,000 | Came in last year slumping & finished T14. He's a streaky risky guy you can play in a 3 round cut event. GPP FLIER! |
| Brandon Hagy | $3,600 | $5,900 | Web.com last year - 2nd in Driving Distance, 14th in Birdies, & 1st in Eagles. Cal Grad from Santa Monica. GPP FLIER! |
DRAFT KINGS OPTIMALS:
| DRAFT KINGS CASH | PRICE |
| Bill Haas | $10,500 |
| Luke List | $8,600 |
| Webb Simpson | $8,200 |
| Ryan Palmer | $8,000 |
| Martin Laird | $7,800 |
| Cameron Tringale | $6,700 |
| DRAFT KINGS GPP | PRICE |
| Emiliano Grillo | $9,800 |
| Brendan Steele | $9,300 |
| Luke List | $8,600 |
| Webb Simpson | $8,200 |
| Chez Reavie | $7,500 |
| Michael Thompson | $6,600 |
FANTASY ACES OPTIMALS:
| ACES CASH | PRICE |
| Bill Haas | $5,750 |
| Ryan Palmer | $5,150 |
| Martin Laird | $4,950 |
| Luke List | $4,900 |
| Cameron Smith | $4,650 |
| Cameron Tringale | $4,500 |
| ACES GPP | PRICE |
| Zach Johnson | $5,800 |
| Bill Haas | $5,750 |
| Charles Howell III | $5,650 |
| Luke List | $4,900 |
| Bud Cauley | $4,250 |
| Brandon Hagy | $3,600 |
ONE & DONE PICK:
| ONE AND DONE PLAY | FINISH |
| SBS - Jimmy Walker | T9 |
| Sony - Charles Howell III | T8 |
| Career - Bill Haas | ? |