Joey Ricotta | July 3rd, 2019
For the second week in a row, we have a new course and a new tournament to the PGA Tour. This week it’s the 3M Open that will be hosted by TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota. The course is a Par 71, 7,468 yards with bentgrass greens, 27 water hazards, and 72 bunkers. The course served as host to the PGA Tour Champions event, the 3M Championship from 2001 to 2018. Late in 2018, Tom Lehman and PGA Tour staff began designing and renovating the course to make it more challenging and up to standards for PGA Tour play. The course has been lengthened and short par 5s have now become long par 4s. We still should see a lot of low scores, but the water hazards and bunkers will be enough to keep the cut line reasonable. Unlike last week, where it was at a ridiculously low marker. With all of that said, let’s get into some DFS picks I like for this week’s Fourth of July tournament, the 3M Open.
Disclaimer: The pricing included is the pricing on Draftkings.
The Core Four
Hideki Matsuyama ($11,100)
Matsuyama has really been a model of consistency. We can talk about how many consecutive cuts he’s made which is now up to 24 straight, but he’s doing a lot more than just making cuts. After finishing tied for 13th at 15 under par, at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Matsuyama has placed in the top-25 in each of his last five events and within the top-35 in each of his last 14. He’s tenth in birdie average at 4.30, fourth in strokes gained: tee-to-green, third in strokes gained: approach the green, and sixth in total strokes gained. He might fall slightly under the radar this week because of his price increase, but Matsuyama’s consistency is enough for me to lock him in. With not much to go off of as far as to track history for the course, we want good overall golfers.
Scott Piercy ($8,200)
Recently, it’s been somewhat of a struggle for Piercy. He finished tied for 52nd at the U.S. Open and missed the cut at the RBC Canadian Open. But finished top-20 in four of the five tournaments prior to the RBC Canadian Open. Overall, Piercy has made 17 of 20 cuts. He’s 40th in total strokes gained average (.695) and 37th in birdie average (3.99). Since there are so many water hazards and bunkers, being sharp with driving accuracy and good at scrambling could play a big factor. Piercy is 25th in scrambling (63.61%) and 21st in scrambling from the rough (65.38%). Those numbers will most likely only come into play if he doesn’t drive accurately, but Piercy is pretty good off-the-tee as well. He’s 50th in SG: off-the-tee and 35th in driving accuracy with 67.34% of fairways hit.
Cameron Tringale ($7,700)
Tringale is getting it done recently. He rose in the season average ranks for strokes gained: approach the green (.427) from 39th to 31st after the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Tringale finished the tournament tied for fifth at 17 under par and has made six of his last seven cuts, including 13 out of 17 total cuts made. He ranks 50th in birdie or better percentage and 40th in birdie average. He’s not bad off the tee with a .319 SG: tee-to-green. The area where he could do major damage this weekend, strokes gained: approach the green. He ranks 31st in that category and 20th in greens in regulation percentage with 69.29%. We’ve seen how much the approach matters. Don’t be surprised to see Tringale have another strong outing this weekend.
Mackenzie Hughes ($7,400)
Hughes performed well in this year’s Charles Schwab Challenge at the Colonial Country Club, a course that is being used as a comparison for the TPC Twin Cities course. He finished 8th place there, shooting five under par. He’s made four straight cuts and finished in the top-25 in three of those four. After a decent showing last week in the Rocket Mortgage Classic, his price dropped $200 on Draftkings. Not a bad price for Hughes given his upside.
Other Golfers To Consider
High Tier: Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, and Jason Day
Mid Tier: Kevin Streelman, Keegan Bradley, and Peter Malnati
Value Tier: Troy Merritt, Harris English, and Josh Teater.
My favorites out of these other golfers to consider would depend on the style of contest you are entering and how much salary you are working with. With all things considered equal, my favorite golfers in order from high to low are Jason Day, Kevin Streelman, and Troy Merritt.
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