Just heads up, this article will be short and sweet as I am writing this currently from the backseat of my car. My wife and I are road tripping overnight to Nashville, Tennessee for a family wedding. I apologize but things will finally get back to normal next week …
I truly wish this wedding was any other weekend because the PGA Tour comes to my hometown of Washington D.C. this week for the Quicken Loans National and it’s back at Congressional! The historic Blue Course at Congressional Country Club has held 3 U.S. Opens (1964, 1997 & most recently 2011). It also played host to one PGA Championship back in 1976.
The Blue Course is a true monster of a track, measuring out 7,569 yards. It is currently the second longest course on the main PGA Tour schedule after Torrey Pines. This place really messes with you because it is only a Par 71 and is considered one of the tougher tests in golf. Congressional can bring the winning score down to as low as par. The greens are extremely difficult to manage especially within 10 feet of the pin.
It should come as no surprised that the longer hitters on the PGA Tour have traditionally done well on Congressional but there are exceptions, case and point, Jim Furyk. When you look through the history, you’ll also see the leaderboard filled with straight shooters (SGTG types) like most all U.S. Open courses demand. When picking the players for this week’s playbook, I targeted ball strikers who are playing well coming into the tournament and a little extra length off the tee wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Even though this article may be short, I couldn’t forget our girl Paige. She, like most of us, felt great watching Dustin Johnson take down his first major title victory despite that horrible situation with the USGA. If you want to penalize the man, fine, but don’t make him think about it for 13 holes while he’s trying to win a Major Championship. Make a decision! It was totally unfair to him and everyone else on the leaderboard that evening. I’m off my soapbox.
GOOD LUCK THIS WEEK!
DFS PGA PLAYBOOK:
| PLAYER | ACES | DRAFTKINGS | BREAKDOWN |
| Patrick Reed | $5,900 | $11,700 | T11 at Congo in 2014. Leads the TOUR with 9 Top 10s this Season. 1st in SGATG & T15 in par-5 Scoring |
| Jim Furyk | $5,750 | $11,300 | T2 at the U.S. Open (Wrist injury isn't a worry anymore). T5 in GIR last week. 3 Top 30s before Redesign at Congo. |
| Marc Leishman | $5,550 | $10,900 | T18 at Oakmont (3 Straight Top 20s). T8 at Congo in 2014. He's playing really good golf right now |
| Ryan Palmer | $5,600 | $10,200 | The Ultimate Cash Game and GPP start (Cut Making Machine). 4/4 in Cuts Made at Congo since T21 at 2011 U.S. Open |
| Brendan Steele | $5,650 | $9,900 | Top 20s in 4 of last 5 Starts (T15 at Oakmont). T16 in 2013 & T5 in 2014 at Congo. 19th in GIR. |
| Kevin Chappell | $5,350 | $9,400 | T3 at 2011 U.S. Open at Congo and hasn't missed the cut since. 3 Solo 2nd Places this season. Playing Solid Golf |
| Bill Haas | $5,350 | $9,200 | 2013 Champ at Congo (Finished T30 in 2014). Struggling with 2 Missed Cuts in Last 5 Starts. Avoid Cash - GPP Play |
| Roberto Castro | $4,900 | $8,600 | Finished 2nd at Congo in 2013. Playoff Loss at Quail Hollow in May. T11 in last start at the Memorial. |
| Tony Finau | $5,000 | $8,500 | Never played Congo but T12 at TPC Four Seasons & T11 at Muirfield. Inconsistent LONG hitter. GPP ONLY PLAY |
| Jason Kokrak | $4,750 | $8,300 | 3rd Place in 2013 at Congo but hasn’t done much this season since T6 at Harbour Town (2 months ago). Big Bomber |
| Jamie Lovemark | $4,950 | $8,200 | Respectable Amateuer Performance in 2007. He hasn't missed a cut since Mid-April. 7th in Scrambling & 21st in GIR |
| Daniel Summerhays | $5,000 | $8,100 | T8 at Oakmont (1st Top 25 at a Major & ONLY Non-Winner inside Top 10). 4 Top 25s in last 6 Starts. 7 Straight Cuts. |
| Kevin Streelman | $4,800 | $8,100 | Playing really well - T8 at Memorial, T13 at U.S. Open in his last 2 Starts. Sitting T17 in GIR. Love him in a GPP |
| Kyle Reifers | $4,850 | $7,700 | Playing in his 25th Tourney of the season & has 4 Top 10s (2 in May). T35 in GIR & T27 in par-5 Scoring. |
| Adam Hadwin | $4,850 | $7,500 | Cut Maker with Upside and an excellent putter. T22 at Colonial & T11 at Muirfield Village. Solid GPP flier |
| David Hearn | $4,800 | $7,400 | Played really well over the past 3 months with 4 Top 20 Finishes. T44 in Last Congo Visit. LEADS the Tour in Proximity. |
| Harold Varner III | $4,750 | $7,100 | 7 Straight Cuts Made (4 Finished Top 25). T16 in last start 2 weeks ago. Big hitter with a T5 in par-5 scoring |
| Shawn Stefani | $4,700 | $7,000 | Lost in a Playoff at Congo in 2014. Finished T9 Two Weeks ago in Memphis (Shot 65s in 1st & 4th Rounds) |
| Chez Reavie | $4,500 | $6,700 | 15th in 2012 and T21 in 2013 at Congo. 22nd in SGTG, T17 in Proximity & 6th in Scrambling. Everything you like here |
| Billy Hurley III | $4,550 | $6,400 | Local Boy. 7 Top 10s in his career (2 at Congo - T4 in 2012). 22nd in Fairways hit & 5th in Proximity. |
DRAFTKINGS OPTIMAL LINEUPS:
| DRAFT KINGS CASH | PRICE |
| Ryan Palmer | $10,200 |
| Roberto Castro | $8,600 |
| Jamie Lovemark | $8,200 |
| Daniel Summerhays | $8,100 |
| David Hearn | $7,400 |
| Shawn Stefani | $7,000 |
| DRAFT KINGS GPP | PRICE |
| Brendan Steele | $9,900 |
| Kevin Chappell | $9,400 |
| Kevin Streelman | $8,100 |
| Daniel Summerhays | $8,100 |
| Adam Hadwin | $7,500 |
| Shawn Stefani | $7,000 |
FANTASY ACES OPTIMAL LINEUPS:
| ACES CASH | PRICE |
| Ryan Palmer | $5,700 |
| Daniel Summerhays | $5,000 |
| Jamie Lovemark | $4,950 |
| Adam Hadwin | $4,850 |
| David Hearn | $4,800 |
| Shawn Stefani | $4,700 |
| ACES GPP | PRICE |
| Marc Leishman | $5,550 |
| Brendan Steele | $5,500 |
| Tony Finau | $5,000 |
| Shawn Stefani | $4,700 |
| Billy Hurley | $4,550 |
| Chez Reavie | $4,500 |
ONE-AND-DONE OPTIMAL LINEUPS:
| ONE AND DONE PLAY | FINISH |
| Hyaundai: Patrick Reed | 2nd - $688,000 |
| Sony: Harris English | T56 - $12,818 |
| CareerBuilder: Bill Haas | T9 - $162,400 |
| Farmers: Nick Watney | Missed Cut |
| Phoenix: Ryan Moore | T11 - $149,500 |
| Pebble: J.B. Holmes | T11 - $143,500 |
| Northern Trust: K.J. Choi | T5 - $258,400 |
| Honda: Luke Donald | T61 - $13,115 |
| WGC-Cadillac: Dustin Johnson | T14 - $120,000 |
| Valspar: Kevin Na | T22 - $52,959.09 |
| Arnold Palmer: Francisco Molinari | T9 - $170,100 |
| Puerto Rico: Scott Brown | T5 - $109,500 |
| Shell Open: Charley Hoffman | T33 - $36,720.00 |
| The Masters: Phil Mickelson | Missed Cut |
| RBC Heritage: Matt Kuchar | T9 - $147,500 |
| Valero: Billy Horschel | T4 - $233,740 |
| Zurich: Justin Rose | Missed Cut |
| Wells Fargo: Gary Woodland | T24 - $62,232.50 |
| Players: Sergio Garcia | T54 - $24,150 |
| Byron Nelson: Ryan Palmer | Missed Cut |
| Colonial: Chris Kirk | T15 - $117,250 |
| Memorial: Hideki Matsuyama | Missed Cut |
| St. Jude: Retief Goosen | T12 - $125,550 |
| U.S. Open: Adam Scott | T18 - $120,978 |
| AT&T National: Jim Furyk | ??? |