GOLF

Daily Fantasy Golf Helper: Houston Open

Justin Rose is a co-favorite in a loaded field. Is he worth the price on FanDuel?

By now, you've probably dabbled in daily fantasy sports, but if not, don't worry. Now is a great time to start, especially with FanDuel now offering a revamped version of PGA golf.

Golf can be one of the most exciting DFS sports to follow, as tournaments span four days and allow ample time to prepare each week, so be sure to familiarize yourself with the basics of building a lineup on FanDuel, the scoring setup, and advanced stats to know about the PGA.

But whether you're brand new to the PGA or daily fantasy sports in general, we have you covered.

Let's take a look at some golfers to target this week.

Key Stats

Key Stats for the Houston Open at GC of Houston
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
Greens in Regulation
Scrambling
Strokes Gained: Putting on Bentgrass
Birdie or Better Rate


For more on why these are this week's key stats, check out our course primer.

Best of the Best

Justin Rose (FanDuel Price: $12,600 | bet365 Win Odds: 10/1) - Last year's runner-up at the Masters will get a tune-up at GC of Houston, and he enters with good form. Over the past 50 rounds on Tour, per FantasyGolfMetrics, Rose ranks 4th among the field in strokes gained: tee to green, 10th in par 4 scoring, and 3rd in birdie or better rate. He's not the best putter on bentgrass (90th in his career among this field), but he's gained 1.57 adjusted strokes gained per round at Houston in his career, per datagolf. He's the top-priced golfer this week for a reason.

Rickie Fowler ($12,000 | 10) - Fowler is another top-20 golfer in the field this week (there are six in total, by the Official World Golf Ranking). His win odds are tied with Rose's for best in the field, but he comes at a $600 discount from Rose) and ranks fourth behind Phil Mickelson ($12,400) and Jordan Spieth ($12,100) as well. Rickie ranks 5th tee-to-green over the past 50 rounds and is 12th in putting on bentgrass in his career. The other stats aren't quite there, but Rickie has finished 6th, 71st, 10th, and 3rd at Houston over the past four years.

Henrik Stenson ($11,900 | 12) - Stenson has played Houston six times since 2009. Three of those finishes were top-threes (2009, 2013, and 2016). He missed the cut a year ago after losing nearly two strokes putting per round, one of the 10 worst putting outings in the field last year. Stenson enters 12th tee-to-green and 10th off-the-tee over the past 50 rounds on Tour and has three top-eight finishes in his past five events.

Daniel Berger ($11,000 | 28) - Berger's 2.50 adjusted strokes gained per round at Houston ranks him second in this field, and he's turned those into a 25th, 5th, and 5th in three tries. Statistically, Berger's form isn't quite there right now, but the finishes have followed: 14th, 11th, 14th, 11th, cut, 29th, and 14th over his past seven stroke play events.

Russell Henley ($10,200 | 35) - Henley leads the field with 2.80 adjusted strokes gained per round at Houston, thanks to four straight top-seven finishes and a win last year. Henley's eighth in the field in birdie or better rate over the past 50 rounds, plus sixth in greens in regulation. He's also 16th in career strokes gained: putting on bentgrass.

Mid-Range Options

Luke List ($9,900 | 28) - List missed the cut here in 2013 but returned in 2016 to finish 27th and 3rd in 2017. His win odds are strong despite a top-heavy field, and that has to get us to take note of someone we know can gain strokes with his distance. List is 2nd in this field in strokes gained: tee to green over the past 50 rounds, plus 5th off the tee, 15th in par 4 scoring, 4th on par 5s, 10th in birdie rate, and 25th in scrambling. The issue with List is always putting (he's 126th in this field in strokes gained: putting in his career).

Steve Stricker ($9,600 | 40) - Stricker can scramble (first over the past 50 rounds) and putt (ninth in his career on bentgrass) well enough to contend in this field from a fantasy standpoint, even if he doesn't push for a win. He's played Houston nine times since 2006 -- with five top 25s -- but has just one missed cut over the past three years, giving him a lack of recent form. He's finished second and won twice in his three PGA Tour Champions events this season.

Keegan Bradley ($9,600 | 55) - Keegan is always a headache to roster, but he's missed just one of the past nine cuts and has shown upside at this course: 51st, 4th, 10th, 43rd, 5th, cut, and 15th. Bradley is seventh off the tee over the past 50 rounds in this field, too, so he could position himself for another top-25 at a reasonable price. Bradley's win odds have improved from 66/1 to 55/1.

Byeong-Hun An ($9,500 | 40) - Over the past 50 rounds, An leads the field in strokes gained: off the tee and is third tee-to-green, so things are clicking in that regard. However, he's just 131st in putting on bentgrass in his career over 35 events. That's a problem for the debutant at GC of Houston. Still, An enters with four top-25 finishes in his past five events and is playing some great golf.

Low-Priced Picks

James Hahn ($9,100 | 80) - Hahn hasn't fared too well at this course in the past -- 56th, 36th, cut, 49th in his four tries -- but he ranks 13th in strokes gained: tee to green and 14th in birdie or better rate over the past 50 rounds. That could put him in the position to make birdies and score well, even if he doesn't add a top-25 bonus to his score.

Emiliano Grillo ($9,000 | 60 ) - Grillo was prohibitively popular last week at the Corales Puntacana, but that may not be the case in a loaded field this week. Even with a disappointing T50 last week, Grillo ranks 15th in strokes gained: tee to green over the past 50 rounds. If you're spending up for multiple studs, you'll need to pepper this range, and Grillo should be on your list.

Chris Kirk ($9,000 | 75) - Kirk actually ranks sixth in this field in adjusted strokes gained per round at Houston in his career, but he hasn't played it since 2014. He finished 2nd in 2011 and 22nd in 2013 before a 65th in 2014. Kirk is 30th in the field in strokes gained: tee to green over the past 50 rounds and 18th in greens in regulation, too, so he's a low-priced player to keep an eye on.

Brandon Harkins ($8,300 | 125) - Harkins' bentgrass history is limited, yet he leads the field in putting on bentgrass, so that's promising. He's also 10th in strokes gained: tee to green over the past 50 rounds, plus 21st off the tee and 18th in par 4 scoring. He hasn't played here before, but he fits well statistically.

Beau Hossler ($8,300 | 160) - Hossler grades out well of late: 29th tee-to-green, 24th on par 4s, 23rd on par 5s, 35th in birdie or better rate, 2nd in greens in regulation, and 8th in scrambling over the past 50 rounds. He's also 13th in strokes gained: putting in his career in 12 bentgrass events. He debuted a year ago with a 39th-place showing at Houston.

Seungsu Han ($7,700 | 110) - Han's price didn't budge despite a T5 last week at the Corales Puntacana. Last week, he drove it -- on average -- 292.6 yards, hit 69.4% of greens in regulation, and averaged 1.700 putts per green in regulation. The distance, green-reaching, and putting are all promising at such a low price.