It was unfortunate not to be able to watch what would have certainly been a riveting final round at Pebble Beach last week. The storm that hit Northern California on Sunday was a beast. It slapped the area with flooding rains and wind gusts strong enough to down trees and knock out electricity for thousands.
Wyndham Clark was still the story. His course record round of 60 on Saturday was one of the best rounds in the history of golf. He earned the win, even if it came after only 54 holes.
Clark was a late addition to the DFS player pool last week, but I wish he had been in more lineups. Alas, there were still gains in the bankroll at Pebble Beach. Our leverage on the field with chalk fades and under-rostered hits returned a profit yet again.
The Tour players will now wander the deserts in Scottsdale, Ariz., for the WM Phoenix Open. TPC Scottsdale is a par-71 track that stretches to a Tour average of 7,200 yards and change. The environment for this week’s event is second to none, with the WM Phoenix Open drawing the most patrons of any tournament on the schedule. It is a raucous crowd, especially within the cacophonous cathedral at the par-3 16th hole.
Pressure is as much a factor in the results as the course’s defenses themselves. Although flat in comparison to courses in recent weeks, the golfers will need to be strong throughout the bag to win here. Scottie Scheffler has prevailed each of the last two years and is a heavy favorite again. He fits the bill as the poster child for dominance at TPC Scottsdale. Excellence off the tee and on approach is heavily weighted, along with opportunities gained and bogey avoidance.
PGA DFS: WM Phoenix Open (2024)
Leverage will be as paramount to building winning lineups as ever. Top plays Scheffler and Justin Thomas will be incredibly popular, so finding avenues to limit exposure will require some creativity and courage. Some of the best upside plays are in the middle price range, and I will have to build a lot of my lineups from a variety of core players from there. Coyotes, scorpions and Gila Monsters (oh my!). Let’s dive in.
High-Priced ($9,000 & Above)
- Chalk Plays: Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Max Homa, Wyndham Clark
- Chalk Fades: Jordan Spieth, Sam Burns, Sungjae Im, Sahith Theegala
- Leverage Plays: Matthew Fitzpatrick, Cameron Young
Mid-Priced ($7,600 to $8,900)
- Chalk Plays: JT Poston, Eric Cole, Beau Hossler, Akshay Bhatia
- Chalk Fades: Ben An, Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Scott, Alex Noren
- Leverage Plays: Min Woo Lee, Tom Kim, Rickie Fowler, Daniel Berger, Denny McCarthy
Value-Priced ($7,500 & Below)
- Chalk Plays: Kevin Yu, Kurt Kitayama, Luke List, Sam Ryder
- Chalk Fades: Mark Hubbard, Tom Hoge, Erik Van Rooyen
- Leverage Plays: Brendan Todd, Nick Taylor, Chesson Hadley, Jake Knapp, Brandon Wu, Joseph Bramlett, Ben Kohles, Ryan Moore
