19th Hole
Fortinet Championship DraftKings Picks
After the shortest offseason in sports, the PGA Tour kicks off its new 2021-2022 season with the Fortinet Championship in Napa, California. If this tournament sounds unfamiliar, fear not, it will still be held at Silverado Country Club, which has been the host course for the past seven years. It merely received a new title sponsor, as this was primarily the Safeway Open.
While many of the world’s best players will be opting to rest up after a grueling super-season, three of last year’s major champions, Hideki Matsuyama, Jon Rahm, and Phil Mickelson will be in attendance.
As far as the task at hand, Silverado Country Club is a par 72 measuring just 7,123 yards on the scorecard with poa-bent greens and poa-Bermuda fairways. Players will certainly be able to take advantage of the Robert Trent Jones design, as all four par 5s are reachable, zero par 4s measure over 458 yards, water only comes into play twice, and there is not a huge penalty for missing the fairway. For those reasons, I will primarily be looking to attack elite wedge players who thrive in low scoring events.
Let’s dig into the DraftKings slate.
$10,000 range
Kevin Na, $10,000 (15.66%)
At 15.66% Kevin Na, is actually projected to be the lowest owned of the golfers over $10,000. That is not entirely surprising, as this field certainly lacks elite talent and fantasy managers are simply going to gravitate to the players that they feel they can trust.
If fantasy managers can fathom a universe where Jon Rahm doesn’t win this tournament, then they will understand the issue with a $12,100 Rahm at 30% ownership. I am honestly okay with all of the non-Rahm options in this range, but Na would be my preferred choice given his course fit, recent form, and projected ownership.
$9,000 range
Sebastian Munoz, $9,200 (12.75%)
I’m not entirely in love with the $9,000 range either. I think there are a ton of fantastic options in the sevens and eights, but Munoz makes the most sense to me at this ownership. The former Sanderson Farms Championship winner is plenty long off the tee, elite from 100-125 yards, and loves himself a birdie fest.
He is coming off of three top-30 finishes in a row, and the two most recent ones came against stout fields in the FedEx Cup playoffs. Munoz should definitely be able to take advantage of Silverado off the tee and seems an obvious pivot from the Harold Varner chalk.
$8,000 range
Talor Gooch, $8,000 (5.22%)
Gooch is a friend of the column at this point, and while he did not make the cut for my outright selections, he is an absolute must play in DraftKings at this ownership. Apparently, 25% of fantasy managers are choosing to play Mito Pereira instead. Is Mito Pereira five times more likely to outperform Talor Gooch, who made 20 of 26 cuts last season, finished fifth at the Players, 12th at Riviera, and made the cut in every major he played in? This is a fantastic opportunity to fade everyone’s shiny new toy and take an objectively better golfer at one fifth of the ownership.
$7,000 range
Charles Howell III, $7,700 (4.49%)
Similar to Gooch, Charles Howell III also just missed the cut for my outright selections. I didn’t agree with the fact that he was sub-100/1, and an argument could made that he is over-priced in the DraftKings slate as well. I think that’s telling us something. He’s priced up for a reason, and I do believe it might have something to do with the fact that he gained 4.3 strokes ball-striking in his most recent start, good for his best ball-striking week since the Players.
Very sneakily, Charles Howell is plenty long, can dominate with his driver, and is an elite wedge player. Over his last 36 rounds, the three-time PGA Tour winner ranks 32nd in driving distance, third in strokes gained off the tee, and seventh in proximity from 100-125 yards. Sign me up.
$6,000 range
Vaughn Taylor, $6,100 (0.46%)
At near minimum pricing, Vaughn Taylor is grossly mis-priced. There is no logical reason why a proven PGA Tour veteran in solid form is priced next to the likes of Turk Pettit and Max McGreevy. Despite the mis-pricing, the three-time PGA Tour winner is still coming in at sub-one percent ownership, which is hard for me to understand. Taylor has gained over three strokes on approach in four of his last five starts, and he is certainly capable of getting red-hot with the flat-stick as well.
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19th Hole
“Is it a Titleist?” – Jerry Seinfeld shares never-before-heard details of iconic scene
On Thursday, legendary comedian Jerry Seinfeld joined the Rich Eisen Show and shared an awesome story from a “Seinfeld” episode titled “The Marine Biologist.”
In the episode, a golf ball goes into the blow hole of a whale. According to Seinfeld, that was never in the episode’s script.
Seinfeld recalls saying the night before the filming of the episode, “What if what puts the whale in distress is Kramer’s golf ball?”
“He’s hitting golf balls at the beach. George is at the beach with a girl, we haven’t connected them!”
“We write that speech the night before at two o’clock in the morning…The sea was angry that day my friend.”
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Kramer finishes the iconic scene by asking “Is it a Titleist?” Seinfeld told Eisen the show sought Titleist’s permission to mention its name, saying the ball had to be a Titleist. Fortunately for lovers of the iconic show, the company agreed.
If (somehow) you’re unfamiliar with the scene, check it out below.
More from the 19th Hole
- Phil Mickelson drops big retirement hint; Says LIV will grow the game “on a much more global basis”
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Tiger explains why golf has “negative connotations” for daughter Sam
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19th Hole
Phil Mickelson drops big retirement hint; Says LIV will grow the game ‘on a much more global basis’
While speaking with Bloomberg, golf legend Phil Mickelson acknowledged that he is inching close towards retirement.
“I’m 53 now,” Phil said, “and my career, you know, it’s — if I’m being truthful, it’s on — it’s — it’s — I’m a — it’s towards its end.”
Mickelson added that one of his focuses now is helping other young players.
“Now, I would like to help others find the same enjoyment and fulfillment that the game has provided me. I’d like them to experience that as well.”
The six-time major champion credited LIV with reaching new markets in golf to help it grow.
“I think that’s exciting for everyone involved in the game because we are going to reach markets that we didn’t reach before. I think it’s going to inspire more golf courses, inspire more manufacturers selling clubs and equipment, but also inspiring young kids to try to play golf professionally. I just see that the game of golf is going to grow on a much more global basis because of the excitement and the presence that LIV Golf has.”
Mickelson is playing at this week’s LIV Singapore and shot a first round 72 (+1).
More from the 19th Hole
- The wild reason why Mark Wahlberg was initially denied entry to an Australian golf club
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Edoardo Molinari reveals the latest PGA Tour golfer to turn down ‘good offer’ from LIV Golf
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19th Hole
Tiger explains why golf has ‘negative connotations’ for daughter Sam
While Tiger Woods’ son, Charlie, has certainly inherited his father’s love for golf, his daughter, Sam, has not.
On Wednesday, Tiger made an appearance on The Today Show with Carson Daly and explained his daughter’s relationship with golf.
“Golf has negative connotations for her. When she was growing up, golf took daddy away from her. I had to pack, I had to leave, and I was gone for weeks. So, there were negative connotations to it.
“We developed our own relationship and our own rapport outside of golf. We do things that doesn’t involve golf. Meanwhile, my son and I, everything we do is golf related.”
The nine-minute interview touches on plenty of other subjects, such as Tiger’s relationship with his late father, Earl.
It’s arguably the most open we’ve seen the 15-time major champion in an interview and is most definitely worth watching.
Tiger Woods sits down with Carson Daly to talk about golf, growing up in Southern California, his father and his new apparel line, Sun Day Red. pic.twitter.com/2TFbSNxzxq
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) May 1, 2024
More from the 19th Hole
- The wild reason why Mark Wahlberg was initially denied entry to an Australian golf club
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Edoardo Molinari reveals the latest PGA Tour golfer to turn down ‘good offer’ from LIV Golf
New here?
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