3M Open 7.23.2020

Posted bygameondfsPosted inGolfTags:, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

We were spoiled with one of the strongest fields in the history of the PGA Tour last week, and now we have to deal with one of the weakest fields ever. The high/low lineup strategy is definitely in play this week as the field is so weak that practically any cheap golfer can make the cut this week, while the few elite golfers at the top have the best chance to crush here. This isn’t a very appealing week though as the leaderboard will be full of scrubs and a lot of times the top golfers don’t try their hardest for these smaller tournaments. I would advise playing much lighter than usual and waiting until we have a solid field again.

For DFS Golf, the most important thing is making the cut. For most tournaments, having everyone in your lineup make the cut almost guarantees you a profit, barring an insane weekend collapse. There are certain golfers that are consistent cut-makers, while others are hit or miss and can miss the cut or win the whole thing. It’s important to know what type of lineup you are building, either cash or GPP, so you know which type of golfer you want to target.

Draftkings Scoring

Per Hole Scoring
Double Eagle or Better+13 Pts
Eagle+8 Pts
Birdie+3 Pts
Par+0.5 Pts
Bogey-0.5 Pts
Double Bogey-1 Pt
Worse than Double Bogey-1 Pt
Streaks and Bonuses
Streak of 3 Birdies or Better {Max 1 Per Round}+3 Pts
Bogey Free Round+3 Pts
All 4 Rounds Under 70 Strokes+5 Pts
Hole In One+5 Pts
Tournament Finish Scoring
1st+30 Pts
2nd+20 Pts
3rd+18 Pts
4th+16 Pts
5th+14 Pts
6th+12 Pts
7th+10 Pts
8th+9 Pts
9th+8 Pts
10th+7 Pts
11th – 15th+6 Pts
16th – 20th+5 Pts
21st – 25th+4 Pts
26th – 30th+3 Pts
31st – 40th+2 Pts
41st – 50th+1 Pt

The largest difference for Fanduel is the bonuses, which are similar, but more rewarding than on Draftkings. Most importantly, instead of needing a streak of 3 birdies, you only need 5+ birdies for the whole round. These bonuses really add up so we want guys that can rack up birdies to take advantage of the 5+ birdies and streak points.

Fanduel Scoring

Eagle (Or Better)7
Birdie3.1
Par0.5
Bogey-1
Double Bogey (Or Worse)-3
Streak Bonus (2 Holes in a Row Under-Par)0.6
Bounce Back (Hole Under-Par After Hole Over-Par)0.3
5+ Birdies Or Better (1 Round)4
Bogey Free Round5
1st place30
2nd place20
3rd place18
4th place16
5th place14
6th place12
7th place10
8th place8
9th place7
10th place6
11th-15th place5
16th-20th place4
21st-25th place3
26th-30th place2
31st-40th place1

Much like NASCAR, the most important thing is finishing position, as a high finish generally means a good number of birdies and low bogeys to go along with the placement points. The top guys are always a threat to win, so it is important to find the cheaper guys who can outplace their salary. There are multiple ways to build a lineup so you need to decide if you want to balance cheap and expensive guys, or if you want to go safer with all mid-end golfers. The first composition is great for GPPs, while the latter is more cash-oriented, but any lineup for PGA has potential to win any contest. 

Each player’s tee times have been included alongside their site salaries and betting odds to win. Tee times are important for Showdown contests as the wind will pick up throughout the day making the early tee times more favorable. This doesn’t mean that afternoon players are unplayable, but they are at a disadvantage across the board.

NameDraftkings SalaryFanduel SalaryThurs. Tee Time (EST)Fri. Tee Time (EST)Odds
Dustin Johnson11500124007:30 AM12:40 PM10/1
Brooks Koepka11200121007:20 AM12:30 PM12/1
Tony Finau10900116007:30 AM12:40 PM14/1
Tommy Fleetwood10500115007:30 AM12:40 PM14/1
Paul Casey101001120012:40 PM7:30 AM25/1
Bubba Watson99001070012:40 PM7:30 AM33/1
Matthew Wolff97001090012:30 PM7:20 AM28/1
Lucas Glover94001060012:40 PM7:30 AM35/1
Russell Henley9200105008:00 AM1:10 PM33/1
Harris English9000108008:50 AM2:00 PM35/1
Erik Van Rooyen8800102008:10 AM1:20 PM40/1
Doc Redman870099007:50 AM1:00 PM50/1
Henrik Norlander860098006:50 AM12:00 PM55/1
Sam Burns8500100001:20 PM8:10 AM50/1
Luke List8400103001:00 PM7:50 AM50/1
Patrick Rodgers820098008:20 AM1:30 PM55/1
Ryan Moore810097007:40 AM12:50 PM60/1
Max Homa8000950012:30 PM7:20 AM80/1
Brian Harman800099007:00 AM12:10 PM55/1
Jhonattan Vegas790096001:10 PM8:00 AM70/1
Sepp Straka7900970012:20 PM7:10 AM50/1
Si Woo Kim780094007:30 AM12:40 PM66/1
Chris Kirk780094001:20 PM8:10 AM66/1
Will Gordon770095008:30 AM1:40 PM66/1
Rafa Cabrera Bello770092008:20 AM1:30 PM70/1
Scott Stallings760091007:50 AM1:00 PM66/1
Dylan Frittelli760093008:50 AM2:00 PM100/1
Ryan Armour7600920012:40 PM7:30 AM66/1
Troy Merritt7500910012:40 PM7:30 AM80/1
Branden Grace7500700012:30 PM7:20 AM80/1
Alex Noren750090008:20 AM1:30 PM80/1
Richy Werenski7400880012:10 PM7:00 AM80/1
Charley Hoffman740093001:10 PM8:00 AM80/1
Charles Howell III740090007:20 AM12:30 PM80/1
Sam Ryder730089008:10 AM1:20 PM80/1
Kyle Stanley730086006:50 AM12:00 PM100/1
Kristoffer Ventura730089001:40 PM8:30 AM66/1
Wyndham Clark730089001:30 PM8:20 AM80/1
Cameron Tringale7200830012:00 PM6:50 AM125/1
Pat Perez7200870012:40 PM7:30 AM100/1
Tom Lewis720090002:00 PM8:50 AM70/1
Bernd Wiesberger7200880012:10 PM7:00 AM80/1
Talor Gooch710087008:00 AM1:10 PM100/1
Ben Martin710086001:20 PM8:10 AM100/1
Tom Hoge7100830012:00 PM6:50 AM125/1
Emiliano Grillo710087006:50 AM12:00 PM100/1
Aaron Wise710085007:20 AM12:30 PM125/1
Denny McCarthy710078008:50 AM2:00 PM150/1
Chase Seiffert700086007:10 AM12:20 PM100/1
Scott Piercy700084007:40 AM12:50 PM125/1
Xinjun Zhang700081008:00 AM1:10 PM150/1
Adam Long700084007:30 AM12:40 PM125/1
Michael Thompson7000850012:00 PM6:50 AM100/1
Matthias Schwab700086008:40 AM1:50 PM100/1
Adam Schenk6900850012:20 PM7:10 AM100/1
Matthew NeSmith690083007:10 AM12:20 PM125/1
Brice Garnett6900820012:50 PM7:40 AM150/1
Jason Dufner690084007:40 AM12:50 PM125/1
Peter Uihlein690083008:30 AM1:40 PM125/1
Chesson Hadley690084008:00 AM1:10 PM125/1
Keith Mitchell690085007:20 AM12:30 PM150/1
Vaughn Taylor6800810012:20 PM7:10 AM150/1
Joseph Bramlett680082001:50 PM8:40 AM150/1
Kyoung-Hoon Lee680082001:10 PM8:00 AM125/1
Wes Roach680082002:00 PM8:50 AM100/1
Austin Cook6800790012:30 PM7:20 AM125/1
Patton Kizzire6800780012:30 PM7:20 AM150/1
Scott Harrington680078001:20 PM8:10 AM200/1
Hudson Swafford670080007:40 AM12:50 PM150/1
Danny Lee670081001:30 PM8:20 AM125/1
Brandon Hagy670079008:40 AM1:50 PM125/1
Russell Knox6700800012:50 PM7:40 AM150/1
Charl Schwartzel670079001:10 PM8:00 AM125/1
Bo Hoag670074001:40 PM8:30 AM250/1
Brian Gay670076007:00 AM12:10 PM250/1
Stewart Cink6600800012:50 PM7:40 AM150/1
Harry Higgs660081007:00 AM12:10 PM125/1
Seung-Yul Noh660080007:00 AM12:10 PM125/1
Bronson Burgoon6600770012:20 PM7:10 AM200/1
Johnson Wagner660074001:30 PM8:20 AM200/1
Beau Hossler6600770012:50 PM7:40 AM200/1
Luke Donald660074007:20 AM12:30 PM250/1
Cameron Davis650079007:10 AM12:20 PM200/1
Seamus Power650076006:50 AM12:00 PM200/1
Chris Stroud650078007:10 AM12:20 PM125/1
Roger Sloan650077006:50 AM12:00 PM200/1
Sahith Theegala650075008:50 AM2:00 PM200/1
J.J. Spaun650075001:30 PM8:20 AM200/1
Cameron Percy650073007:50 AM1:00 PM300/1
George McNeill640070007:00 AM12:10 PM250/1
Tim Wilkinson640072001:30 PM8:20 AM200/1
Josh Teater640075008:00 AM1:10 PM250/1
Chris Baker640072008:50 AM2:00 PM300/1
Bill Haas640073007:00 AM12:10 PM250/1
Andrew Putnam640077007:20 AM12:30 PM200/1
Nick Watney640074008:20 AM1:30 PM200/1
Rhein Gibson640070008:30 AM1:40 PM200/1
Robert Streb6400700012:10 PM7:00 AM300/1
Shawn Stefani630071007:50 AM1:00 PM250/1
Fabian Gomez630076007:50 AM1:00 PM200/1
Derek Ernst6300760012:10 PM7:00 AM500/1
Scott Brown630075006:50 AM12:00 PM200/1
Mark Anderson630070001:40 PM8:30 AM300/1
Roberto Castro630070001:00 PM7:50 AM300/1
Sang-Moon Bae630072008:10 AM1:20 PM200/1
Alex Cejka630070007:10 AM12:20 PM250/1
Aaron Baddeley630073001:20 PM8:10 AM300/1
Kramer Hickok630071008:40 AM1:50 PM250/1
Zack Sucher620070001:40 PM8:30 AM300/1
Peter Malnati6200720012:00 PM6:50 AM300/1
Jamie Lovemark620071008:10 AM1:20 PM300/1
Jonathan Byrd6200700012:20 PM7:10 AM300/1
Hank Lebioda620070008:40 AM1:50 PM300/1
Vincent Whaley620070008:40 AM1:50 PM300/1
Robby Shelton620070001:30 PM8:20 AM400/1
Ted Potter Jr.620071007:40 AM12:50 PM300/1
Sebastian Cappelen620070008:30 AM1:40 PM300/1
David Lingmerth620070001:00 PM7:50 AM300/1
David Hearn6100700012:50 PM7:40 AM300/1
Ryan Blaum6100700012:00 PM6:50 AM300/1
Tommy Gainey6100700012:50 PM7:40 AM–
Tyler McCumber610070001:50 PM8:40 AM300/1
Ryan Brehm610070008:30 AM1:40 PM400/1
Doug Ghim610070001:40 PM8:30 AM400/1
D.J. Trahan610070001:00 PM7:50 AM400/1
Rob Oppenheim610070008:40 AM1:50 PM500/1
Chad Campbell610070008:00 AM1:10 PM400/1
Chase Koepka610070001:50 PM8:40 AM500/1
K.J. Choi6100700012:10 PM7:00 AM400/1
Matt Every6100800012:10 PM7:00 AM500/1
Nelson Ledesma610070002:00 PM8:50 AM400/1
Arjun Atwal600070008:20 AM1:30 PM400/1
Michael Gellerman600070002:00 PM8:50 AM500/1
Ben Taylor600070001:50 PM8:40 AM500/1
Ricky Barnes6000700012:00 PM6:50 AM400/1
Angus Flanagan600070002:00 PM8:50 AM750/1
John Merrick600070001:10 PM8:00 AM500/1
Greg Chalmers6000700012:30 PM7:20 AM500/1
Peter Kuest600070008:30 AM1:40 PM500/1
Tom Lehman600070008:10 AM1:20 PM500/1
Dominic Bozzelli600070001:50 PM8:40 AM500/1
Michael Gligic600070001:40 PM8:30 AM500/1
John Senden600070008:20 AM1:30 PM750/1
Bo Van Pelt6000700012:20 PM7:10 AM750/1
Tim Herron600070008:10 AM1:20 PM750/1
Michael Kim600070007:40 AM12:50 PM750/1
Martin Trainer600070007:30 AM12:40 PM750/1

I will not be separating players by site this week as pretty much everyone is in play in this pathetic field. The high/low lineups will most likely be the most popular because there are only a handful of elite players this week, so you could make balanced mid-range lineups to be different if you want. Once again though, this is an ugly week for DFS.

Top Tier:

With a field like this, all of the elite options at the top are in play, but Tony Finau, Tommy Fleetwood, and Paul Casey are definitely the safest plays. All 3 of these players should have no trouble finding the top-25, but I am a little worried about their winning potential. Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka both have a very good chance to win, but they are a lot more volatile, which is especially discouraging at their prices. DJ is coming off a horrific performance last week after winning the Travelers in his previous appearance, while Koepka continues to struggle at non-majors and this seems like the type of event where he would just phone it in and not try. If you want to be different, avoiding these top guys could work out, but they are head and shoulders above the rest of the field.

Upper-Mid Tier: 

Just after the top group, we have a couple of solid golfers that have decent floor/ceiling combos. Harris English has 5 top-20s in his last 6 starts, making him a great play this week as another one should be very attainable here. Lucas Glover had 4 straight top-25s before finishing 38th last week and he should be able to get back in the top-25 once again. Glover has made all 5 cuts since the break, making him one of the more consistent players on Tour right now. Sam Burns has 3 straight top-30s coming into this week and comes in at a decent discount to the other guys here. He isn’t as safe as the other options, but has good upside in a weak field. Another player that isn’t too safe but has great upside in this range is Russell Henley. Henley has made 4 of his last 5 cuts with 2 top-10s in that span, but he had missed 5 straight Sundays beforehand. He has great upside but isn’t very consistent this season making him more of a GPP pivot in this range. Henrik Norlander is coming off a 6th place finish last week for his 4th straight made cut, and another top-10 could be in play here. 

Lower-Mid Tier: 

Jhonattan Vegas has quietly been playing some solid golf this season. Before missing the cut 2 weeks ago, Vegas had made 5 in a row with 4 top-30s and a top-10, and another solid result is definitely in play this week. While he hasn’t played all that much this year, Will Gordon has played well when given the opportunity. Gordon also missed the cut in his last time out, but he made the previous 3 with finishes of 3rd, 20th, and 21st. He isn’t a safe play by any means, but Gordon seems to take advantage of his sponsor’s exemptions and he will need to continue to do so again this week. Charley Hoffman has struggled this season but he finished 7th in his last appearance and this weak field is perfect for him to get back in a groove. Hoffman is known to start hot on Thursdays and falter after, so if he can go low in the first round and play it safe, he could be looking at another good finish. Kristoffer Ventura is very interesting as he followed up a streak of 6 missed cuts (including 2 MDF’s) by finishing 21st and 20th in his last 2 events, with the 21st place in his only post-break appearance. He has been playing steady golf too as he hasn’t been relying on one huge round like many other lower-tier players usually do, so it looks like he may be figuring out his game. 

Value Plays:

On a week like this, a ton of value plays are viable as there isn’t all that much of a difference between most of the $6500-8000 range. Chase Seiffert is coming off a 4th place finish in his last event after missing the previous 2 cuts, so he could be finding a rhythm now. He hasn’t been all that great this season, but he has as much upside as anyone in this range. Adam Schenk has made 3 of his 5 cuts since the return, but hasn’t finished better than 30th in any of those. He doesn’t have a ton of upside, but a made cut is really all you need at this price and that is definitely possible for Schenk. Chesson Hadley has also looked solid since the return with 3 of 4 made cuts and a best finish of 23rd. He is another player that hasn’t shown a ton of upside, but he should be able to make the cut to round out your lineup when you need salary relief. 

Risky Plays:

Risky plays are more viable this week as there isn’t a ton of talent so anyone can really win here. Erik Van Rooyen is a perfect GPP play as he has only made 3 of his past 8 cuts, but those finishes were 22nd, 21st, and 3rd. He is extremely inconsistent but when he does make the cut, he seems to finish well. Matthew Wolff won this event last year, but his runner-up finish at the Rocket Mortgage Classic a few weeks ago was his only top-10 since that win. He is very inconsistent and it is hard to trust him at that price, but he did win here last year if you believe in a repeat from him. I am going to keep going back to the well with Matthew NeSmith until he rediscovers his game. NeSmith was playing very well before the break but has now missed 3 cuts in a row so  it’s hard to put too much faith in him. Still, he has shown potential this season and should be very low owned after a couple of rough performances.

If you have any questions or need strategy help, feel free to hop in the Premium Discord and ask away.

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