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.