It's finally here! I feel as giddy as a schoolgirl just thinking about it. Yes, it's Masters week -- by far the best week of the year for golf enthusiasts. As will be said hundreds of times this weekend, it's a "tradition unlike any other" (and it couldn't be truer). The Super Bowl of the PGA world has arrived, and we have a lot of money on the line on Yahoo, DraftKings, and FanDuel (among other DFS sites). We have much to discuss before doling out tips and advice, so let’s get to it.
First, there are around 90 players in the field, but you can basically ignore all of the amateurs and old timers. Only about 50 players have a legitimate chance to win. My job will be to narrow down that 50 to around 15-18 players that have the best combination of DFS price, ownership projection, course history, and current form. It's extremely difficult to narrow down these players to a select few, especially in the top tier because almost anyone $9,000 and above could win.
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PGA DFS strategy for Masters 2022
Now, let’s get into the DFS Strategy when it comes to The Masters and playing in large GPP tournaments. There is a limited field, which means differentiating yourself will be at a premium. You cannot be afraid to leave money on the table when setting your lineups. One of the biggest problems that many have is feeling that you must spend all your salary. There is a much better chance that you'll have a duplicate lineup if you zero out your cap than if you leave money on the table. You'll notice in my example lineups article that I will not use the full salary cap.
Let's take a closer look at Augusta National. There's no need to go into great detail because it's one of the most well-known courses in the world. It's a par 72 that measures out to 7,435 yards. This course is a very difficult and true test of a golfer's game. There are very long par 4s and reachable par 5s. The greens are always the fastest on tour and hard for these players to stick because of the shaved edges, but after the course was lengthened in 2010, only 300-yard bombers have won or even finished in the top 10. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, like when Danny Willett won in 2016 champ.
Augusta National is a second-shot course. We want players with great "Strokes Gained: Approach" and "Greens in Regulation" (GIR). That means targeting great long-iron players (great ball strikers). Most outstanding long-iron players happen to also be at the top when it comes to GIR. These players put themselves into birdie-making opportunities rather than missing greens and scrambling their way to a par.
Course history is vitally important when it comes to The Masters, even if it is just one previous trip, as it was for 2015 winner Jordan Spieth and '16 winner Danny Willett. Since Horton Smith and Gene Sarazen won in their debuts in what were the first two editions of the tournament back in 1934 and '35, only Fuzzy Zoeller in '79 took home the green jacket in a debut appearance at Augusta.
Finally, the weather looks to be wet leading into the event starting on Thursday, but the rest of the weekend looks to be fine with, with temps ranging from low 60s to the low 70s. The early wet conditions does give me more of a reason to target the bombers this weekend. Winds are expected to be in the mid-teens Thursday thru Saturday, which makes an already difficult course even tougher. You’ll see a few players in my Playbook who have experience in tough winds.
Masters DFS picks 2022: Studs, sleepers, & values
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Collin Morikawa (Yahoo: $47 | DraftKings: $10,800 | FanDuel: $12,100)
I really wish Morikawa had played more in the States leading up to the Masters, but we all know how good this kid is. He has two major championships already under his belt at the age of 25. This will be his third time to Augusta, with two previous made cuts and a career-best 18th-place finish last year. He is the best ball striker in the world, and that makes him a threat at the Masters. He ranks top 25 in "Scoring Average," "Birdie Average", "Greens in Regulation," "Strokes Gained: Tee to Green," "Approach, Off the Tee," and "Driving Accuracy." I will personally pay down for him more than paying up for Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler.
Brooks Koepka (Y: $34 | DK: $9,400 | FD: $10,900)
Koepka missed his first cut in six trips to the Masters last year, but he finished runner-up and seventh in his two previous. In his past six starts, he has finishes of third, 16th, 12th, and fifth, but he also has two missed cuts. His stats this season don't wow you, but if you know anything about this dude, he shows up on the biggest stages. He'll be ready to go this weekend.
Sungjae Im (Y: $32 | DK: $8,400 | FD: $9,900)
After a hot start to the 2022 calendar year, Im has cooled off recently. He had three finishes of 11th or better in his first four starts, but he has only one finish inside the top 20 in his past five. Im finished runner-up in his debut at Augusta in 2020, but he missed the cut last April. I love him this weekend because he ranks top 20 in "Strokes Gained: Tee to Green," "Around the Green, Off the Tee," and "Greens in Regulation." He’s also third in "Scrambling," 21st in "Scoring Average," and 33rd in "Birdie Average."
Russell Henley (Y: $25 | DK: $7,800 | FD: $9,000)
Henley has been stellar throughout the stroke-play portion of the PGA Tour season. In his last six stroke-play starts, he has four top-15 finishes, including a runner-up at the Sony Open in which he was the 54-hole leader. Henley played in the Masters five times and has made the cut in his past four. He deserves respect for being ranked first on the tour in "Strokes Gained: Approach" and seventh in "Tee to Green." You can’t forget he’s also third in "Scoring Average," ninth in "Birdie Average," and 13th in "Greens in Regulation." While he hasn't been to Augusta since 2018, he has three finishes of 21st or better.
Marc Leishman (Y: $25 | DK: $7,300 | FD: $9,200)
Since Leishman failed to make the cut at the Open Championship in mid-July, he missed just one over his past 14 starts on the PGA Tour. That stretch includes six top-20 finishes. The big Aussie has also figured out how to play at Augusta, making the cut in five straight trips with three top-15 finishes. The putting has been on point and gives me confidence that he can repeat his top-5 from last year. The wind is also going to be a factor this weekend, and there are few guys in the world better playing in those conditions than Leishman.
Cameron Champ (Y:$20 | DK: $6,600 | FD: $7,900)
I believe in experience when it comes to Augusta National, and this will be Cameron's third trip. He has finished 19th and 26th, respectively, in his first two trips, and that's rare to see such early success at the Masters. He has been terrible to start this season with four missed cuts in his past six starts, but I like his game on this course. He's one of the biggest hitters on the PGA Tour, and that will play to his advantage over the course of the four days. Consider him a live GPP play.
MORE MASTERS DFS PICKS:
Jon Rahm
Cameron Smith
Xander Schauffele
Will Zalatoris
Daniel Berger
Tony Finau
Corey Conners
Webb Simpson
Si Woo Kim
Robert Macintyre
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