Some of the best golfers in the world will make the trip to the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii this week for the 2016 Sony Open and while there will be $5.8 million on the line for those competing in the event, golfing enthusiasts will look at the hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line in DraftKings PGA tournaments this week for the chance to make some cash for themselves including the PGA $200K Birdie. World No. 1 Jordan Spieth will not compete in this week’s event and that will mean getting a little more creative when it comes to constructing the perfect fantasy roster. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for this week’s Sony Open DraftKings fantasy tournaments.
Jimmy Walker, $12,200
Even if Spieth was competing in this event it would still be worth taking Walker as the two-time defending champion at this event and after a strong showing in last week’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions where he placed 10th. Walker is the most expensive player on the board for a reason but he is definitely worth building your lineup around as the betting favorite to complete the hat trick at Waialae and register his third consecutive victory at this event.
Emiliano Grillo, $9,300
Grillo might not be considered a favorite to finish in the top-five but he continues to prove his critics wrong with strong performances and he is coming off a strong finish at Kapalua last weekend. Grillo has climbed to 31st in the World Golf Rankings and while he has never played at this course before he is a good bet to continue to prove his critics wrong at a very decent price for DraftKings Daily Fantasy Leagues competitions.
Webb Simpson, $7,700
There is a dramatic drop off in price from Walker to Grillo and then from Grillo to Simpson, but with Walker the highest priced player on the board it only makes sense that we will look for some strong value at reasonable price tags to round out our lineup. Simpson is exactly that as a golfer who has gone six-for-six in terms of top-20 finished at Waialae so we feel very comfortable plugging him in here.
Fabian Gomez, $7,200
Some will be hesitant to play Gomez this week because of his poor form in the past at Waialae (he’s never finished better than a tie for 67th) but he is coming off one of the best performances of his career after finishing tied for sixth at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. That should translate to plenty of confidence this week. Also, while he hasn’t had strong finishes in Hawaii, he has made the cut in each of his last three starts there. Gomez isn’t a lock to finish in the top-10 but he offers strong value as a sleeper play and we are banking on him finally breaking through at the Sony Open this week after gaining some valuable experience over the years.
David Hearn, $7,000
While some will argue against playing Gomez this week there should be no doubt about Hearn’s value as a player that is listed at just $7K despite being five-for-five at Waialae in terms of making the cut including a Top 10 finish here in 2012. Hearn’s biggest strength is his putting and he should thrive at this year’s Sony Open as an excellent sleeper pick for this week’s DraftKings competitions.
Pat Perez, $6,500
Perez’s price tag is a lot lower than it probably should be based on his history at this course but he has struggled overall in recent events. As a result, he is listed at a solid $6.5K. Perez has made the cut in only one of his previous five starts but he has been a horse for the course at Waialae and that makes it worth trusting him to get back on track at this week’s Sony Open. He has managed to finish in the Top 20 in each of the last three years as well as a eight times in the 14 years that he has played at the Sony Open. That’s what makes him a great value play here at just $6,500.
