A dramatic finish at the U.S. Open has left golf fans counting down to the Open Championship just a couple of weeks away. However, there are still a few stops on the PGA Tour ahead of a trip overseas including this week’s visit to Bethesda, Maryland and the Congressional Country Club for the Quicken Loans National. We took the time to evaluate and break down what looks like a much different field for this week’s event in order to provide you with the perfect balance between star picks and strong value options. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for this week’s PGA fantasy DraftKings tournaments.
Jim Furyk, $11,300
Furyk has only played five events this season because of a wrist injury that kept him sidelined through the first week of May. However, he has gained some momentum over the past few weeks including an impressive 66 on Sunday that led to a runner-up finish at the U.S. Open. Furyk should be able to build on that momentum this week on a course that he knows well including a T-7th here in 2009 and T-3rd here in 2007. Furyk is the third-most expensive option on the board but he is definitely worth it for this week’s tournament.
Brendan Steele, $9,900
Steele struggled down the final stretch at the U.S. Open but still managed to finish in the top-15 and has posted four top-20 finishes in his last five events. The fact that he has fared well here in the past makes him even more appealing including a T-5th here in 2014 and a T-16th here in 2013. Steele should be able to carry over the momentum from his strong performance at the U.S. Open last week and at just under $10K he represents an excellent second pick on our PGA fantasy roster.
Bill Haas, $9,200
Haas hasn’t recorded a top-25 finish since The Masters but there is reason to believe he can turn things around this week at an event where he has had some success in the past. Haas won this event at this course in 2013 and then added a T-4th in Virginia last season to enhance his resume for the Quicken Loans National. We are banking on his course form being a major factor this week as he bounces back with a strong performance at Congressional.
Hudson Swafford, $7,000
Swafford needs to be more consistent overall but he ranks fifth on the PGA Tour in average driving distance and that should translate well this week. Swafford finished four strokes back of the winners at this tournament back in 2014 and he will be looking for his third straight top-25 finish at the Quicken Loans National. His raw talent and course form are in line with a strong performance this week and after spending big on our top three picks it is about time we introduce a strong value option in PGA fantasy.
Sean O’Hair, $6,400
O’Hair is another solid value option heading in to this week with only five missed cuts in 18 starts this season while recording four top-25 finishes. O’Hair has made the cut in each of his last six appearances at Congressional including two top-25’s and he is an intriguing sleeper value play in PGA fantasy at just $6.4K. We’re not expecting him to win this event by any stretch of the imagination (although that would be nice), but if he makes the cut and is competitive, that would be what we’re looking for from him.
Bronson Burgoon, $5,600
With just $6.2K left over to spend on our final roster spot we actually decided to dip lower and take a chance on an ultra-cheap play in Burgoon. He is listed below $6K for a reason but the reality is that Burgoon has recorded top-25 finishes in each of his last three starts and he ranks near the top of the most importing statistical putting categories. Burgoon might not win the tournament but a top-25 finish is a very realistic possibility and that would be perfectly acceptable for us considering his low price tag helps to balance out our lineup as one more strong sleeper in PGA fantasy.
