I’m just gonna say it … the Genesis Open sucked! The weather put everyone on tilt, from the players on the course to the DFS players watching at home. It ruined what could have been a great weekend for the Playbook. I’m so glad that the Tour has left the west coast and heads to Florida for what should be a perfect weather weekend. Let’s move on and talk about the Honda Classic.
PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida has played host to the Honda Classic since 2007. That means you can ignore everything that happened prior to that year. The winning score has been anywhere between five-under to 13-under par but on average, it ends up around eight- or nine-under. The course is a Par-70 and is not long, measuring out at 7,140 yards. There is water all over the course and it features extremely narrow fairways. This means, you should be targeting ball-strikers, fairways and greens are the name of the game at PGA National. If these players are missing the greens, scrambling is also a nice skill to have in their bag. Distance is not an advantage this week as this course features holes which force players to lay up. You should be looking to target strong mid and long iron players. The last thing to worry about at PGA National is the wind. I have looked at the forecast and it is not supposed to get over 15 mph at any point over the weekend. Marc Leishman and Luke Donald have good history on this course because of their ability to play in windy conditions. There will be bogeys on this course, a lot of them, so be prepared.
There is one more thing to mention about this course, the “Bear Trap.” The Par-3 15th, Par-4 16th, and Par-3 17th are affectionally known as the “Bear Trap” because water comes into play on every full shot. These holes are not to be messed with as they are all ranked in the PGA Tour’s 50 toughest holes. As I mentioned, bogeys are going to happen this weekend but what these players have to avoid are the blow up holes which can happen very easily at any time.
We’re looking for straight shooters this weekend!
Finally, our friend Paige is back but she’s also disappointed about the awful weather at the Genesis Open. It just ruined the weekend for everyone and we all can just hope for a bounce back at the Honda Classic.
DFS PGA PLAYBOOK:
| PLAYER | DRAFT KINGS | BREAKDOWN |
| Adam Scott | $12,200 | Defending Champ! He hasn't shot above Par at PGA National in his last 8 Rounds. 6 Straight Top 15s since October of 2016 |
| Sergio Garcia | $10,900 | PIVOT from Fowler (who will be popular) should be lower owned. 2016 runner up (6/6 Cuts Made - 3 Top 15s). 5 Top 20s in last 6 Starts |
| Russell Knox | $9,000 | Playoff Loss in his PGA National Debut back in 2014. He's gone T3 & T26 in his last 2 trips. 4 Top 11 finishes this season. |
| Daniel Berger | $8,900 | Playoff Loss at PGA National in 2015 (64 final round didn't get it done). T7 at the Waste Management. LOVES Bermuda Greens. |
| Paul Casey | $8,700 | Not in the best form which should push people away from him. PIVOT from Hatton. 3 Top 15s in 5 Trips to PGA National. |
| Gary Woodland | $8,300 | 4/4 Cuts Made at PGA National (T6 in 2011). 3 Top 20s in 2017 (T5 in last outing at Pebble). 25th in GIR & 17th in SG:Putting. |
| Brendan Steele | $8,100 | 6/6 Cuts Made at PGA National (Top 15s in last two editions). 12 Straight Cuts Made with a Win, 2 T6s & 4 more Top 25s. |
| Rafa Cabrera Bello | $8,000 | DEBUT at PGA National but Top 15s in 4 of his last 6 starts. He is just a flawless iron player, one of the best in the world |
| Branden Grace | $7,900 | Proven to play better on smaller tracks with a T13 at Waialae & T22 at Riviera in his last two starts. Should be under the radar |
| Luke Donald | $7,600 | 6/6 at PGA National with FOUR CONSECUTIVE TOP 10s! He's also got Top 25s in his last two weeks. Love him but will be popular |
| Jason Dufner | $7,500 | 7/7 Cuts Made at PGA National (3 Top 20s). T25 in his last start at the CareerBuilder. T14 in Greens in Regulation |
| Marc Leishman | $7,500 | 5/6 Cuts Made at PGA National (2 T17s). Weather hurt him last week but Top 25s in six starts worldwide before that. LOVES the Wind |
| Brooks Koepka | $7,500 | Love him when EVERYONE is down on him. Disappointed on the west coast but coming home now with a 3/3 record at PGA National |
| Ian Poulter | $7,400 | Forgotten player after the foot injury but 7/9 Cuts Worldwide (3 Top 25s). 4/4 Cuts Made at PGA National (T3 in 2015) |
| Scott Brown | $7,400 | 6 Straight Cuts Made on TOUR with No Top 40s until his T2 at Riviera last week. T10 Last Year at PGA National |
| Graeme McDowell | $7,300 | Should be CHALK this weekend. Top 10s in 4 of his last 6 trips to the Honda. 4 Top 25s in 6 Cuts Made in his last 7 starts worldwide |
| Camilo Villegas | $7,200 | Playoff Loss in 2007, Win in 2010 and Top 20s in last two editions of the Honda for Camilo. 8th on TOUR in 1-Putt Percentage |
| Stewart Cink | $7,100 | 7/9 Cuts Made this season (4 Top 25 finishes). 6/6 Cuts Made at PGA National (but no Top 25s). Safe play but not much for GPPs |
| Seung-Yul Noh | $6,900 | Running Hot right now with a T8 at Pebble & T11 at Riviera. Ball Striker! 3/5 Cuts Made at PGA National |
| Derek Fathauer | $6,500 | Florida Native has made all 4 cuts at the Honda with a T26 last year. 3rd on TOUR in SG:Putting. |
| John Senden | $6,400 | 7 Straight Cuts Made at PGA National (T10 last year). Not in great form but solid low end play to fit the big boys in |
DRAFT KINGS OPTIMALS:
| DRAFT KINGS CASH | PRICE |
| Sergio Garcia | $10,900 |
| Gary Woodland | $8,300 |
| Brendan Steele | $8,100 |
| Luke Donald | $7,600 |
| Jason Dufner | $7,500 |
| Graeme McDowell | $7,300 |
| DRAFT KINGS GPP | PRICE |
| Adam Scott | $12,200 |
| Brendan Steele | $8,100 |
| Braden Grace | $7,900 |
| Jason Dufner | $7,500 |
| Brooks Koepka | $7,500 |
| Derek Fathauer | $6,500 |
ONE & DONE PLAY:
| ONE AND DONE PLAY | FINISH |
| SBS - Jimmy Walker | T9 |
| Sony - Charles Howell III | T8 |
| Career - Bill Haas | T17 |
| Farmers - Brandt Snedeker | T9 |
| Waste - Brendan Steele | T16 |
| Pebble - Phil Mickelson | 65th |
| Genesis - J.B Holmes | T34 |
| Honda - Graeme McDowell | ? |
Player News
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.
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).
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.
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.
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).
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.