PGA DFS Playbook: Open Championship

Consistently one of the premiere ball strikers in the game today.  He obviously knows how to play on a links style course playing in his 12th Open Championship this weekend.  While he didn’t have a quality finish at Royal St. George’s in 2011, he’s an older more mature player this time around.  He’s made the cut in nine of his 11 previous trips to the British with two Top 10 finishes.  Casey ranks 2nd in Strokes Gained: Approach, 7th in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, 16th in Strokes Gained: Total, 29th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green, and 36th in Greens in Regulation. I think Casey is a safe option this weekend to help round out those lineups especially the more risky ones.

Hey, if you ignore his recent PGA Tour results he’s coming into the Open Championship on a heater finishing fourth at the Scottish Open.  Yea, I know he missed the cut in his last two major starts but I’m choosing to ignore that.  Palmer has made the cut in four of his five Open Championship starts with three finishes of 31st or better.  36th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, 48th in Strokes Gained: Total, 51st in Strokes Gained: Approach, and 63rd in Strokes Gained: Putting, while those stats don’t wow you, they are some of the most consistent you’ll find sub-7K.  When looking under 7K this weekend, there are a lot of names you know but do you trust that they can make the cut this weekend?  That’s how you have to look at these guys and I believe he can and will this weekend. 

This is a guy that's growing in popularity around the DFS Golf community and for good reason.  He scored Top 20 finishes in his last two PGA Tour starts (Memorial & Travelers) and followed those up with a win at the Irish Open and a fourth place last week at the Scottish Open.  He currently ranks 2nd in Strokes Gained: Putting, 3rd in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, 14th in Scrambling, and 35th in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green.  Yea, he finished 51st in his one and only appearance in the Open Championship but was not playing nearly as well heading into the tournament.  Why not take a shot on the hot hand?

I may regret this but he paid off for me at the U.S. Open and I’m jumping back in the mix.  After struggling through the spring portion of the PGA Tour schedule, he’s made the cut in six straight events including a third at the U.S. Open and winning the Travelers.  He’s made the cut in four of his five Open Championship appearances with a high finish of 15th in 2013.  I’ve talked about the importance of a strong short game and putting stroke, he fits the mold.  Harris ranks 22nd in Strokes Gained: Putting, 32nd in Strokes Gained: Total and 35th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green.  I typically love to roster a player like him because he does not shoot himself in the foot, ranks 25th in Bogey Avoidance. 

He’s one of the best players in the world that you’ve likely never heard of unless you play European Tour DFS.  One point in his career he’s been ranked inside the Top 25 in the world with 10 international victories in his 15 year professional career.  Being primarily a European player, he knows how to play on links style courses like this one.  He ranks 8th in Greens in Regulation, 10th in Strokes Gained: Approach, and 15th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green.  I spoke about this with Adam Scott, he’s one of those veterans like Darren Clarke was back in 2011, sitting at 150 to 1 before the tournament and wins the whole darn thing.  You know the ownership is going to be fantastic.

Christiaan splits time between the European Tour and the PGA Tour.  No wins on the PGA Tour yet but he’s got five international victories.  The word to use for him is steady, he just seems to always be around.  He’s Louis Oosthuizen without the major time and name recognition but their games are very similar.  Both won’t wow you off the tee but inside 100 yards, they are killers especially on the greens.  He ranks fourth in Strokes Gained: Around the Green, seventh in Greens in Regulation and third in Strokes Gained: Putting. Bezuidenhout has made the cut in all three of the major championships this season and hasn’t missed a cut in competition since the 2020 PGA Championship last August.  He’s a value guy who could finish Top 20 and help someone win a GPP.

I cannot ignore his price tag.  Daniel Berger deserves respect on his own but being priced under $7500 is almost criminal. He’s made seven of his last eight cuts with two Top 10 finishes and another three Top 20s.  While he’s only made the cut in one of his three trips to the Open Championship, his game has evolved since his last trip in 2018. He’s added two wins and 14 Top 10 finishes since he last played in the British Open.  He ranks Top 40 in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, Approach, Putting, Tee to Green and Total.  One of the most balanced players throughout his bag and another guy like Ancer not great around the greens but makes up for it in other areas.

Ancer has not made the cut in either of his trips to the Open Championship but I really like his skill set heading to Royal St. George.  He ranks Top 40 in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, Approach, Putting, Tee to Green and Total.  He’s also 11th in Bogey Avoidance.  That’s the kind of balance you need throughout the bag for success in a major.  Ancer has made the cut in 11 of his last 12 starts with no finishes above 26th and four Top 10 finishes.  Around the green is his weakness but I think he makes up for it in other areas of his game.

Marc has made the cut at the Open Championship in five of his last six trips with three top 6 finishes.  The 37 year old Aussie’s game is made for windy conditions which we’ve spoke about at length over the years.  After two sub par performances at the Memorial and U.S. Open, he bounced back with a third place at the Travelers a couple weeks ago.  His stats don’t show his skill level because of his inconsistency this season but he’s an elite ball striker with above average putting stroke. 

This 26 year old doesn’t have a PGA Tour victory (15 Top 10s) but six on the international stage.  It’s not a matter of if but when for this Englishman.  He finished Top 5 finish at the Scottish Open last week and scored a Top 10 at the Palmetto a few weeks ago.  He’s had mixed results at the British with 2 missed cuts and a Top 20 in 2019.  He’s got the game to make a run at the Open with Top 25 ranking in Strokes Gained Off the Tee, Putting and Total.  I think he’s going to be highly owned especially at his price tag.  

Yea, I know Finau has back to back missed cuts heading into this weekend’s Open Championship but that’s not going to stop me from rostering him.  His game plays well to links style and the proof is in his results making the cut in all four of his appearances.  Finishes of 27th-18th-9th-3rd for the 31 year old.  He ranks Top 10 in Strokes Gained Tee to Green and Around the Greens, also Top 35 in Off the Tee, Approach and Total.  I’m hoping the missed cuts will depress his ownership this weekend. 

The 2019 Open Championship was played basically where Rory grew up and all the pressure in the world was on him to perform and he missed the cut.  Guess who missed the cut in 2018 at the Open Championship?  Shane Lowry.  He also missed the cut last week at the Scottish Open and that actually gives me more confidence in Rory knowing his track record of bouncing back.  The last time he missed the cut was at the Masters and he won in his next start at the Wells Fargo.  1st-5th-4th-2nd in his four previous British Open starts prior to last year’s missed cut.  Rory finished 25th in 2011 at Royal St. George.  I’m going to ride him this weekend.

After a really tough spring portion of the season, Patrick has got things back on track.  He’s made the cut in four straight events with a win at the Memorial and Top 15 finishes at the U.S. Open and the Travelers.  He’s also made the cut in both trips to the Open Championship with a high finish of 12th in 2018.  He ranks 3rd in Bogey Avoidance, 4th in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, 6th in Strokes Gained: Total, 9th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green, 14th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, 22nd in Greens in Regulation, and 25th in Strokes Gained: Approach.  One of those guys who usually doesn’t make the big mistake which costs him a tournament, which will be vital to success this weekend.

I know what you’re probably saying, what the hell is this guy thinking?  I know it may be a little crazy but he seems to be gaining traction amongst the sharps this weekend.  He finished 26th at the U.S. Open and followed that up with a runner up finish at the BMW International Open on the European Tour.  Martin is another guy who knows Royal St. George well after finished 12th at this event on this course back in 2011.  That was one of his three Top 15 finishes at the Open Championship over the course of his career.  Getting a player of his quality at nearly 150/1 is worth a few bucks in my book.

Adam is one of the few guys who played at Royal St. George in 2011 and finished in the Top 25.  He’s had a lot of success at the Open Championship in his career.  This will be his 13th trip to the British Open missing the cut just twice with four Top 10 finishes and another two Top 20s.  I haven’t used him a lot this season because he hasn’t been playing a lot but after three starts in June, I’m in on the Aussie.  He finished 16th, 35th and 13th in his three starts last month.  We all know he’s got one of the sweetest swings in the game but what has really improved has been his putting ranking Top 20 on tour.  He’s also 46th on Tour in Strokes Gained: Total.  It would not surprise me to see this 40-year-old have a Phil Mickelson type run at the Open this weekend.

The young gun is making his Open Championship debut but don’t let that hold you back from laying down a wager. After a fantastic run going 4th-1st-2nd in the spring, the month of June was tough as he dealt with a back injury.  We saw him return to form at the Travelers finishing Top 15 just a couple weeks ago. He ranks Top 50 basically across the board, Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, Approach, Putting, Tee to Green, Greens in Regulation and Total on the season.  The last two winners of the Open Championships at Royal St. George’s in 2011 and 2003 were one under and five under.  Birdies will be few and far between but he ranks second in Birdie Average.

Jason won his first PGA Tour event earlier this year at the CJ Cup and use that momentum to score his second win at the Charles Schwab about a month ago.  Aside from those victories, he’s got Top 10 finishes at WGC-Workday, Arnold Palmer and THE PLAYERS.  You can also add Top 15s at the Rocket Mortgage and Valspar as well.  This 36-year-old has a ton of length ranking 23rd in Driving Distance and 22nd in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee but what has really improved has been his putting, ranking Top 5 on tour. This will be his third trip to the Open Championship and has taken his lumps but I’ll chalk those up as a learning experience.

Grace has always been known as a streaky player.  When he gets rolling, he can light the course on fire and that time is now.  He comes into this event finishing seventh at the Memorial and then fourth at the U.S. Open.  He was also in the hunt through three rounds at the PGA Championship before a final round 78 pushed him down the leaderboard.  Grace picked up his career win earlier this season at the Puerto Rico Open.  This will be his 10th trip to the Open Championship in his career and he has only missed the cut one time in those previous nine appearances.  His best finish was sixth at Royal Birkdale in 2017. A premiere short game is a valuable tool at the Open and he’s got some of the best touch in the game. 

It’s a major championship and you know I’m going to put Louis in my playbook, it’s basically a free square every time.  After a disappointing 26th place finish at the Masters, he’s finished runner up at the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open.  He had the lead heading into the back nine at Torrey Pines before Rahm caught him and passed him down the stretch.  Louis just knows how to play on the biggest stages and the moment just doesn’t get to him.  Also, when you have a putter like his, he’s always in contention.  He’s ranks 1st on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting, 2nd in Strokes Gained: Total, 10th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green and 34th in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green.  He won his one and only major championship at the Open in 2010 at St. Andrews.  His title defense was at Royal St. George’s where he finished 54th.  Get him in those lineups.

Justin went through a rough patch after missing the cut at the PGA Championship but we saw the form come back with his Top 20 finish at the U.S. Open.  That finish could have been even better if it wasn’t for a final round 73. He also played last week in the Scottish Open and on the strength of a final round 65, finished eighth.  Unlike a guy like Xander, he’s been to the mountain top and won a major already and knows what it takes to win one.  Justin had his best finish in an Open Championship in 2019 with an 11th.  He ranks Top 15 in Strokes Gained: Approach, Around the Green, Tee to Green and Total. I also like that he’s 31st in Bogey Avoidance which will be key to success this weekend.

The newlywed strolls into the Open Championship fresh off of a 10th place finish in his debut at the Scottish Open. Since THE PLAYERS in early March, he has no finishes higher than 18th over that seven tournament span with one missed cut.  He’s played great at the majors with a third at the Masters and a seventh at the U.S. Open. Xander ranks inside the Top 25 in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, Approach, Putting, Tee to Green and Total.  He’s made the cut in all three of his trips to the Open Championship with a runner up finish in 2018.  Xander has been close to winning that first major a lot in his young career, just hasn’t been able to close the door yet.  After Rahm’s win, he moves up the list of best players in the world that hasn’t won a major.

Do you remember that Brooks played on the European Tour early in his professional career before he found his footing on the PGA Tour?  He knows how to play on these link style courses better than most.  He’s got two Top 10 finishes in his last three Open Championship appearances.  Brooks also has three Top 5 finishes in his last four starts this season.  He ranks Top 10 in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, Approach, Tee to Green and Total.  Putting all that aside, we’ve spoken about this at length, Brooks steps up his game for the majors and he wants that fifth one under his belt.  It’s also another chance for him to show up Bryson, so there’s that.