Crowne Plaza - Fantasy Picks - Presented by DraftKings
This week the Tour heads to the historic Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. The course plays difficult with tight fairways and doglegs throughout. Playing just over 7,200 yards, this par 70 track certainly benefits those who can hit fairways.
Adam Scott returns to defend his title after winning last year’s event in a playoff against Jason Dufner. Also returning to action is Jordan Spieth, and it will be interesting to watch how he responds to Rory McIlroy’s play as of late. Following Spieth’s Masters victory last month, there has been a ton of chatter comparing both him and Rory, with many hoping to spark a rivalry between the two young guns. McIlroy has won twice in convincing fashion since Jordan’s historic victory (World Match Play Championship & Wells Fargo), and if Spieth comes out this week and is able to impress, it will go a long way in fueling the potential rivalry.
Have a look at our picks below... Do you disagree with our favorites? Think you can do better? Prove it by joining us in this weeks DraftKings Fantasy Golf Contest! Here's the gist of it:
$100,000 prize pool
First place wins $10,000
Only $3 to enter (Free with first deposit)
Top 7,850 finishing positions are paid
Deadline is Thursday, May 14th
Salary Cap Style Drafting. $50,000 to select 6 golfers
Click here or on the banner below to start drafting your lineup for the Crowne Plaza.
Jordan Spieth - T14 & T7 in last two editions of this event. Coming in looking to redeem himself after a disappointing performance at The Players Championship where he missed the cut. Loves to play in front of family and friends, and one can assume there will be many in the gallery this week.
Zach Johnson - Won this event in 2010, again in 2012, and finished two shots out of a playoff in 2013. Course plays to his strength of placing shots rather than bombing it off the tee.
Jimmy Walker - Looking to become the first player to post three wins in 2015 and in the process make up some serious ground on Spieth’s hold on the number one spot in the FedEx points standings.
Ryan Palmer - Knows the course like the back of his hand - as he should with Colonial serving as his home course. Finished two shots outside of making the playoff last year and has not finished outside of the top-15 since 2012.
Jim Herman - Is quietly having a breakout season. Coming off a solid week at the Wells Fargo (T13). Has two other top-10’s this season (Honda Classic & Zurich Classic).
Adam Scott - Looking for his first win on Tour this year, the defending champion ranks 4th in driving distance, 8th in ball striking and 5th in strokes gained tee-to-green.
Shawn Stefani - The Texan played well in front of a home crowd at the Shell Houston Open back in April. Struggled in the final round, posting a 76, but still managed to place T25. Coming off a good week at the Wells Fargo where he finished inside the top-10 (T9).
Paul Casey - Playing inspired golf this season with five top-10’s in his last eight events. Looking to bounce back after withdrawing from the Players Championship following an opening round 79.
Kevin Kisner - Cooled off a little last week finishing T38, but with two playoff losses in the last month, it’s hard to argue against him being a solid fantasy pick.
Hunter Mahan - Missed the cut at TPC Sawgrass, but his game seems to be taking shape since the Masters. Admitted to not being as prepared earlier in the year since he and his wife welcomed home their newest child, but look for him to continue to improve as he gets into a practice schedule that he is comfortable with.
Now for the fun part, drafting our lineups for the DraftKings contest. Taking the above players into consideration, we've put together our "A" team as well as a "Sleeper" team. If you're new to the DraftKings platform, each player is assessed a dollar value, based on which, you are tasked with drafting six (6) players while staying under the $50,000 salary cap. Do you think you could draft a better 'bang for your buck' line-up? Prove it by joining the contest! Here's a look at my teams for this week.
Zach Johnson - $12,000
Ryan Palmer - $9,600
Jim Herman - $8,000
Fredrik Jacobson - $6.400
Tom Watson - $5,200
Boo Weekley - $7,700
Zach Johnson is a previous winner, and with Ryan Palmer’s performances the past three years on his home course, he is a solid pick. Jim Herman continues to establish himself on tour, and Fredrik Jacobson has made 10 of 13 cuts on Tour this season riding his superb ability on the greens. Tom Watson may have been born in 1949, but he can still compete. I see him as a steal at $5200. It has been nice to see Boo Weekley playing well again. He won this tournament back in 2013, and has been playing well on Tour as of late, finishing T16 last week and solo 3rd at the Zurich Classic a few weeks ago.
And now my DraftKings sleeper team.
Kevin Chappell - $7,200
Jim Herman - $8,000
David Toms - $7,200
Shawn Stefani - $7,800
Chris Stroud - $6,800
Cameron Tringale - $7,000
Kevin Chappell got off to a good start last week at the Wells Fargo, and finished 3 shots out of the playoff last year. I’m taking Jim Herman on both of my teams for the second consecutive week. He has been playing well, but has been doing so under the radar, so I still consider him a sleeper. David Toms won this event back in 2011, and finished T5 last year. Shawn Stefani is a coming off a good week at Wells Fargo (finished T9), and is a Texas native playing for a home crowd. Chris Stroud finished T14 in this event last year, but I’m taking him more off a gut feeling. Cameron Tringale on the other hand is one of those young players who can compete on any given week. I’m expecting him to break out for his first victory in the near future.
About the Author This article was written by Jonathan Carr (@jonathanwcarr) as part of our weekly #FantasyGolf series. Each week we preview the upcoming PGA Tour event and highlight some of the players we'll be keeping an eye on. As a scratch golfer himself, Jonathan has a keen eye for what it takes to be successful on and off the golf course. His passion for golf is surpassed only by his passion for his faith and his family. Read some of Jonathan's other articles here. About DraftKings DraftKings is a leading provider of online fantasy sports. Our core product is a 1-day Fantasy Sports Contest, where users compete against each other to win cash prizes. The game works similarly to how season-long contests on ESPN or Yahoo operate, with the key difference being that instead of season-long commitments, our users only need to commit to playing for a single day at a time. Free and entry-fee-based games are available. Featuring daily fantasy sports contests and same-day settlement, DraftKings makes playing fantasy sports simpler and faster for both seasoned and casual players.
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