Daily Fantasy Golf 2015: Top Player Picks for Masters Tournament
There's no event in golf quite like the Masters, one of the marquee sporting events on the world calendar that also marks the year's first major. A combination of familiarity with the Augusta National course and anticipation of ending an eight-month major layoff help to pique intrigue even more.
Those two aspects also help to make predicting who may strike and win a green jacket a bit less impossible. Golfers who have made huge strides in their games over the last several months can be counted on to contend, while those seasoned veterans who have walked the course for dozens of years also have a way of returning to form at their old stomping grounds.
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This year, a few of the game's most talented golfers are peaking at the right time. Others are coming in somewhat under the radar but have left no doubt with strong PGA Tour play that they can contend with the best. We're mixing a handful of those guys together below for a killer DraftKings six-man lineup.
| Adam Scott | Australia | 2013 Masters champion | $11,900 |
| Dustin Johnson | USA | Four top-six finishes in last five events | $10,500 |
| Martin Kaymer | Germany | Looking for third major | $8,400 |
| J.B. Holmes | USA | Coming off Houston Open win | $7,200 |
| Zach Johnson | USA | 2007 Masters champion | $7,000 |
| Charley Hoffman | USA | Four sub-70 rounds of last eight | $6,000 |
Top Dollar: Dustin Johnson ($10,500) and Adam Scott ($10,800)
Dustin Johnson has been pummeling the ball ever since returning from a long absence, averaging 318.8 yards per drive—which ranks atop the PGA Tour. He's also No. 1 in strokes gained tee-to-green, using his powerful game to channel some of the best golf of his career.
In his past five starts, Johnson has finished sixth or better in all but one event—including his 10th career tour win at WGC-Cadillac. His power game is on point if out-driving the rest of the field, per Golf Channel, at the Texas Open was any indication.
Thunderstorms are expected early in the weekend, per Weather.com, which will play into Johnson's long-ball strengths as well as the next golfer mentioned.
Like Johnson, Adam Scott can crush the ball off the tee. But unlike him, Scott has a green jacket after becoming the first Australian to win the Masters in 2013. And the current world No. 6 will have his trusted belly putter at his disposal as he aims to win a second.
Scott has proven to be money on the Augusta greens, and his tee-to-green game has come along to allow for four straight top-15 finishes. He's shot below 70 in seven of his last 28 rounds at the Masters. You have to go back to 2009 to find a finish outside of the top 20 for Scott.
The 2013 champion has attacked the Masters each of the last five times he's been there, and he'll have a similar mindset this weekend as he gets back in his element with the long putter.
Not only do Johnson and Scott offer immense winning potential as your most expensive picks, but leave more than enough salary room to avoid having your hands tied later on.
Second Tier: Martin Kaymer ($8,400) and J.B. Holmes ($7,200)
He's a two-time major champion, but Martin Kaymer has never put it together at Augusta—his best finish is a tie for 31st, which came last year. But that was followed by a U.S. Open title, and it's no coincidence that he made adjustments in his game just prior to hitting the Masters last year, per Jay Coffin of Golf Channel.
Kaymer is being incredibly overlooked. Despite coming in as the 15th-highest salary on DraftKings for the tournament, his 80-1 odds of victory, according to Odds Shark, put him outside the top 30. His Masters struggles and sparse play in 2015 may be a reason why, but only four played tournaments this year indicate more than anything that he'll be fresh.
J.B. Holmes is simply trying to keep his insane recent play going. He won last weekend's Houston Open in a thrilling playoff, which was a victory that Holmes should have had earlier in 2015 at the Farmers Insurance Open and WGC-Cadillac—he finished second at both.
With a top-10 driving distance and strokes gained tee-to-green, Holmes also ranks fourth in birdie average. His putting isn't strong, but short-game success is more based on confidence than anything. And he has plenty of that after the last several weeks.
Sleepers: Zach Johnson ($7,000) and Charley Hoffman ($6,000)
Is it possible to call someone a sleeper at a tournament they have won? Zach Johnson may not deserve that moniker, but he's nonetheless a high-value option guaranteed for a strong weekend.
Johnson has been noticeably consistent in his game since December, notching four top-10 finishes in nine tournaments. It's worrisome that he's missed three cuts at Augusta since winning in 2007, but he's rarely had a stronger start to the season over the last several years.
Coming off an 11th-place finish at the Houston Open, Charley Hoffman is a steal at $6,000. His best finish at a major came last year in his Masters debut—a tied-for-27th finish. But he's since won his first PGA Tour event in almost five years, and added familiarity at Augusta should breed a strong weekend.
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