Some of the world’s best will make the trip to the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course in Scottsdale, Arizona this week for one of the most highly anticipated events of the early season. It’s time for the Waste Management Phoenix Open, which always brings out a raucous crowd even though the sport of golf isn’t known for its boisterous audiences. However, the 16th hole at the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course is a lively and vibrant and crowds buck the typical trend, and hoot and holler throughout the tournament. It’s an interesting element that may come into play in golf fantasy this week as some players are better at adjusting to the crowd whereas the less popular players are jeered.
Golfing enthusiasts can also capitalize on the opportunity to make some money in DraftKings tournaments for the event with hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for this week’s DraftKings PGA fantasy tournaments.
Bubba Watson, $12,100
There is no doubt about Watson’s position as the betting favorite to win this tournament outright. His resume at the Waste Management Phoenix Open illustrates why it makes sense to bank on him as the highest priced player on the board heading in to this event. Watson has been the runner-up at each of the last two tournaments here and even if he fails to capture that elusive victory this year, he should be a lock to place in the top-five. That’s why we’re riding with him for golf fantasy this week.
Ryan Moore, $8,500
Moore isn’t nearly as expensive as Watson but he fits the bill for us as a player that has the potential to exceed his price tag with his strong play at TPC Scottsdale. Moore has made seven consecutive cuts at this event with three top-10 finishes and another top-20 finish and at under $9K he is the perfect compliment to Watson in our optimal golf fantasy lineup.
Si Woo Kim, $7,800
Kim might very well be the best value play on the board this week as a player that has been on fire of late. Kim has posted five top-20 finishes in his last five starts on the PGA Tour and he followed up a fourth-place finish at the Sony Open with a T-18 at the Farmers Insurance Open despite the horrendous conditions at Torrey Pines. Kim is one of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour and that will be extremely important at this week’s Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Martin Laird, $7,700
Laird is another strong value play that provides the ideal combination of a strong resume at TPC Scottsdale and a strong recent history heading in to this event. Laird is coming off a T-8 at the Farmers Insurance Open and he recorded a T-5 at this tournament last year. The combination of a strong track record at this event, strong overall play of late and a very reasonable price tag makes him an obvious pick this week.
KJ Choi, $7,100
Choi is coming off an excellent performance last week at Torrey Pines and while he fell just short in the end the runner-up finish is enough to inspire some confidence in him heading in to this tournament. Choi placed 22nd in last year’s Waste Management Phoenix Open but he would have done much better if it wasn’t for a terrible 72 in the third round and we are banking on him avoiding that one bad round this year as a decent golf fantasy value option.
Keegan Bradley, $6,800
Bradley isn’t exactly the hottest golfer on the planet heading in to this event after failing to make the cut at both the Sony Open and the Farmers Insurance Open but he had four top-10 finishes last year and he placed 17th at last year’s Waste Management Phoenix Open. Combine Bradley’s strong play at TPC Scottsdale last year with the fact that he is available at under $7K and he is the perfect fit to fill out our optimal DraftKings lineup for this week’s Waste Management Phoenix Open.
