GOLF

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Golf Helper: The RSM Classic

Daily fantasy golf requires a new approach for each and every event.

The course and field change week after week, making no two contests alike. That means you need to refine your approach for each PGA Tour event to try to find golfers who are primed to excel for your daily fantasy golf lineups.

Each week, we have a course primer, and our daily fantasy golf projections and lineup builder can help you get started, but these golfers stand out specifically on DraftKings for the RSM Classic.

Key Stats

Key Stats for the RSM Classic at Sea Island Golf Club
Strokes Gained: Approach
Fairways Gained
Birdies or Better Gained
Strokes Gained: Par 4s (400 - 450 yards)
Proximity Gained 150-175 yards


Let's get to the picks. For details on why these stats stand out this week, check out the course primer.

Stats are from Fantasy National Golf Club and are for golfers in the field over the last 50 rounds, unless otherwise noted.

High-Priced Studs

Webb Simpson (DraftKings Price: $11,600 | Win Odds: +800) - Webb is clearly the class of this field and the rightful favorite. He was third here last year, and the courses set up well for his game -- he is accurate off the tee, top notch with his irons, and able to pile up birdies if he gets the putter rolling. Simpson had another banner year last season but didn't quite get the attention without a win, but he has not finished outside the top 30 since a missed cut at the Valspar Championship. That's right -- beginning with a T5 the Masters he has been one of the most consistent golfers in the world. He is second on par 4s (400-450 yards), fourth in strokes gained: tee to green, fourth in birdies or better gained, and fifth in strokes gained: approach.

Matt Kuchar ($10,600 | +1800) - Kuchar gets an $800 price drop coming off a T14 at the Mayakoba Golf Classic. That finish was driven largely by a fire-breathing 62 on Sunday that included a hole in one. Take the savings and pivot off the Simpson chalk to get contrarian right at jump street. Kuchar is just as capable, and at shorter tracks that reward accuracy and scoring acumen, he should flourish. He is 7th in strokes gained: approach, 12th tee to green, 28th in birdies or better gained, and 31st on par 4s (400-450 yards). He missed the cut in 2017 but has been inside the top 30 in each of his other six appearances, including dating back to the old McGladrey Classic days before the Plantation course joined the rotation.

Adam Hadwin ($9,600 | +3500) - Cash lineups that want to take a more balanced approach will likely start with Kevin Kisner ($9,800 | +2800), and his elite course history will make him a popular play in tournaments despite poor form to start the season. Prior to a T76 in Mexico, Kisner was T28 at the WGC-HSBC Champions and T66 at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. Hadwin, meanwhile, had two top fives prior to a couple underwhelming results in Asia and is gearing up for the President's Cup as part of the International Team. Hadwin is solid in all the key stats, ranking 9th on par 4s (400-450 yards), 12th in birdies or better gained, 24th in proximity from 150-175 yards, 25th in approach, and 32nd in fairways gained.

Mid-Priced Options

Scottie Scheffler ($9,200 | +3000) - Back to Scottie we go, coming off his fourth top 20 in his first six events as a PGA Tour member. Even without strokes gained data in his last two events to bolster his case (T18 at the Mayakoba and T3 at the Bermuda Championship), Scheffler makes a great statistical case once again this week. He is 3rd in strokes gained: tee to green, 4th on par 4s (400-450 yards), 12th in approach, and 15th in birdies or better gained.

Dylan Frittelli ($8,900 | +3500) - Frittelli was solid all week in Mexico, and even though he failed to push for the victory, he was on the cusp of a top 10 with no let-up from start to finish. Even without last week's data, he is 2nd in strokes gained: tee to green, 9th in birdies or better gained, 15th in approach, and 17th on par 4s (400-450 yards). Frittelli's T11 finish was his fourth top 25 this swing season, and the RSM is his last shot at another title before the big names start filling the field and collecting all the hardware.

Russell Knox ($8,500 | +3500) - Knox was a popular play last week given his elite course form, and while his history at Sea Island isn't quite as impressive, he fits both tracks well, especially if the wind gets blowing. He is 2nd in strokes gained: approach, 14th on par 4s (400-450 yards), 15th tee to green, and 32nd in fairways gained. He fits all of our comp events, with multiple top 20s at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the Desert Classic, and the Mayakoba.

Vaughn Taylor ($8,200 | +5500) - Taylor could not seal the deal at the Mayakoba, but a runner-up showing is not too shabby for the 43-year-old trying to get back into the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He is an accurate player who will benefit from the shorter tracks this week, as he ranks 5th in proximity gained (150-175 yards), 18th in fairways gained, 23rd in birdies or better gained, and 34th in strokes gained: approach.

Low Priced Options

Brian Harman ($7,900 | +6000) - Harman gets the benefit of last week's event not being included in his stats, but the T72 in Mexico makes it two poor results in a row for the left-hander. You can be forgiven for jumping off the train, but we'll ride the long term form and bank on a correction. He has played a ton of golf over the past year and will want to close 2019 strong at an event where he finished T4 two years ago. Harman has one of the best statistical cases not just in this range but in the entire field -- 6th tee to green, 7th in proximity (150-175 yards), 11th in birdies or better gained, 21st in both strokes gained: approach and par 4s (400-450 yards), and 29th in fairways gained.

Austin Cook ($7,800 | +8000) - Cook is a clear boom or bust candidate, and with a win here two years ago and T11 last year, this seems to be a spot he can boom. In his last 12 tournaments, he has finished inside the top 20 four times and outside the top 65 in the other eight. The other course horses -- Simpson, Kisner, and Charles Howell ($10,400 | +2000) -- are among the most expensive golfers on the board. If you're a believer in course history, Cook is a cost-saving option and a low-owned pivot off our next golfer who projects to be fairly popular.

Ryan Armour ($7,700 | +6600) - Armour is just what we are looking for here: a short and straight ball-striker who can take advantage of the weaknesses on these courses. He is 1st in fairways gained, 4th on par 4s (400-450 yards), 24th in birdies or better gained, and 27th in proximity gained (150-175 yards). He was T15 here last year and arrives coming off three decent finishes in a row of T33, T8, and T23.

Brian Stuard ($7,400 | +7500) - Stuard looks the part as well as anyone this week, as he ranks 2nd in fairways gained, 7th in proximity (150-175 yards), and 14th in strokes gained: approach. He has some choppy form at the RSM Classic, with good finishes combined with missed cuts. Specifically, his seven trips to Sea Island dating back to 2010 have resulted in finishes of MC, T22, MC, T25, MC, MC, T15. With four top 30s in seven events so far this swing season, he has consistency and upside and can either round out a balanced build or be a cost-saver to pay up for one of the few studs in this field.

Bargain Basement

Doc Redman ($6,900 | +14000) - Another golfer who is eyeing his last shot at a podium finish before the year ends, Redman has more pedigree than most in the $6,000 range this week, and he pops immediately from the statistical view. He is 10th in fairways gained, 15th in proximity from 150-175 yards, 22nd in strokes gained: tee to green, 24th on par 4s (400-450 yards), and 30th in birdies or better gained.

Sepp Straka ($6,600 | +20000) - Straka is a stats-only play, given that he has a T4 and seven missed cuts in his last eight starts. The finishes look bad, but if he keeps striking the ball as well as he is, he can certainly play well enough find his way into a winning tournament lineup this week as a low-priced, low-owned piece. He is 1st in proximity gained (150-175 yards), 14th in strokes gained: tee to green, 16th in birdies or better gained, and 18th in strokes gained: approach.



Mike Rodden is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Mike Rodden also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mike_rodden. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.