A smaller field adds to the challenge this week in DFS formats for the Masters. This is one of golf’s toughest tests, but also, like all majors, this is one of the most talented fields of the season. You certainly want to leave yourself as much room as possible to roster the best of the best, but that requires some players that are quite a ways down the board in order to have enough salary cap room left.
Some books have Bubba Watson as much of a long shot as 100/1, but he’s the 13th most expensive player in DraftKings formats this week. That’ll give you an idea of what you’re up against this week.
We’ll try to do the best we can to find some good value prices down the board for the 2019 Masters.
Tony Finau ($8,200) – Tony Finau’s hole-in-one celebration during the par 3 contest seemed to be costly, as he rolled his ankle and it swelled up to the size of a basketball. Okay, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but it seemingly took Finau out of contention. Then he went out and finished 10th. Finau isn’t exactly in great form heading into the Masters, as he’s only finished in the top 20 once in his last six events, but maybe he just needs the challenge. We know he can hit the ball a long way and cut down some of those second and third shots on this course. Finau opened with a 68, but struggled over the weekend with a 74 and a 73 before closing with a 66. Maybe the ankle played a role before the pressure was off and he could just go out there and play. He’s worth a stab this week at this price.
Gary Woodland ($7,500) – Gary Woodland finally missed a cut, but it came at a decent time. Getting some extra rest before the Masters isn’t a bad thing. Sure, he would have liked to play better, but Woodland is still top 10 in three very important areas. He’s up there in strokes gained off the tee, strokes gained tee to green, and GIR%. The flatstick has been the problem for Woodland, especially of late, as he’s finished outside the top 20 in his last three events. He has not played well at Augusta in recent years, but his stat profile suggests that he should do better this time around. You usually don’t find guys with those numbers in this price range and anybody down the board this far at a tournament like this is an educated gamble.
Matt Kuchar ($7,900) – Fatigue could obviously be a factor for Matt Kuchar this week, but at this price point, it’s really hard to pass. Kuchar lost to Kevin Kisner in the Dell Match Play and followed it up by finishing seventh at the Valero Texas Open with an outstanding set of stats. He didn’t make enough putts, but still only carded seven bogeys for the event. He was top five in strokes gained on approach and tee to green and played from the short grass all weekend long. Say what you will about one of the game’s biggest cheap asses, but he’s got four top-10 finishes in the Masters, including one as recently as 2017. In fact, he has four top-10 finishes in his last eight majors. It’s hard to argue with that kind of performance at this price tag.
Charley Hoffman ($6,800) – Charley Hoffman is hot at the right time. Hoffman has back-to-back top-20 finishes after a couple disastrous efforts at the Players and the Arnold Palmer. He was second last week at the Valero Texas Open and only carded four bogeys with 20 birdies. Hoffman qualified for the Masters this year by finishing 12th last year. He was ninth back in 2015. This is the only major where he really plays well, but he’s in some pretty solid form for a guy coming in below $7,000 this week. That’s not a bad bet to make on a guy with a little bit of history here and a lot of confidence after last week’s finish.
Xander Schauffele ($8,500) – With his first Masters trip out of the way, it’s probably time for Xander Schauffele to make a move at Augusta. Schauffele was second in his second Open Championship last year, which was on a different course, but he is the type of guy that plays really well when the fields are the best and the lights are the brightest. He won the 2017 TOUR Championship and also won the WGC event to start this season. He was sixth at the US Open last year and fifth the year prior. Schauffele hasn’t played a ton this year, but he was top 15 in Mexico, at the Genesis Open, and in Phoenix before the MC at TPC Sawgrass. Now that he’s making his second trip to Augusta, I’d expect him to be in contention.
