Daily Fantasy Golf 2015: PGA Championship Primer and Strategy for DraftKings
The final major of the 2015 season figures to be a wide-open affair as golf's top professionals gather in Kohler, Wisconsin for the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.
Will Rory McIlroy be competitive after suffering a serious ankle injury earlier this summer? Can Jordan Spieth win his third major championship of the year? Will Zach Johnson follow up on his British Open victory with another strong showing at this challenging course? Can Tiger Woods make the cut, and if so, will he be a factor over the weekend?
All of these questions and more will need to be answered. Our mission is to put together a winning six-man fantasy golf roster while staying within our $50,000 DraftKings budget.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
It's not just a matter of finding the right superstar. We need quality from our top player through to our sixth. There is virtually no chance to win without making at least five high-quality picks, and it could very well require a sensational 6-for-6 effort if we are going to come away with the cash.
| Player | Scoring Average | FPPG | Salary | Skinny |
| Bubba Watson | 69.5 | 84.9 | $9,900 | Prepared to make a winning run. |
| Martin Kaymer | 72.2 | 46.2 | $8,800 | Has earned PGA title here before. |
| Zach Johnson | 69.8 | 73.1 | $8,400 | Expect a top-eight finish. |
| Hideki Matsuyama | 70.0 | 79.4 | $8,000 | Under the radar and ready to win. |
| Marc Leishman | 70.4 | 58.5 | $7,600 | Keeps everything in perspective. |
| Steve Stricker | 70.5 | 60.2 | $7,300 | Wisconsin native picks his spots. |
Leader of the Pack: Bubba Watson ($9,900)
After his strong, second-place showing at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Bubba Watson should be loaded and ready to pick up the third major championship of his career.
The two-time Masters winner had the closest of calls the last time the PGA Championship was held at Whistling Straits in 2010. He lost the title to Martin Kaymer in a three-hole playoff. While that tournament is better known for Dustin Johnson's infamous grounding-of-the-club penalty stroke, which cost him a chance to participate in that playoff, Watson has unfinished business in Wisconsin.
He has performed well on the course, and he has the game to put together four consecutive excellent rounds.
Watson is having another superb season with two wins on the tour, three second-place finishes and seven top-10 showings. Watson has earned more than $5.6 million this season, and he is second in the FedEx Cup rankings and third in the official world rankings.
Watson is renowned for his tremendous power, and he averages a robust 315.8 yards off the tee, placing him in second on the tour in that category behind Dustin Johnson. However, there's a lot more to Bubba's game than power. He is an excellent shot-maker who picks up 1.869 strokes tee to green and leads the tour in holes per eagle (66.5).
Watson's putting is often perceived to be somewhat inconsistent, but he ranks 26th in that category. If he gets off to a good start and his confidence is high after the first round, there's no reason why he shouldn't be contending late on Sunday.
Former Champion Martin Kaymer ($8,800)
One of the game's most precise players, Martin Kaymer has the warmest of memories when it comes to Whistling Straits because of his 2010 playoff victory.
Kaymer has shown he can rise to the top of the leaderboard in golf's biggest events, and his past success on the Wisconsin course is a big factor.
Kaymer ranks 19th in the world, but he has not had the great success on the tour in 2015 that he has had in previous years. He has one top-10 finish and two top-25 finishes this season.
However, the stellar German golfer is known for his accuracy and precision around the greens. He earned more than $4.5 million in 2014, and he ranked 12th when he went for the green, finding the range 64.50 percent of the time.
British Open Champion Zach Johnson ($8,400)
We are not banking on Zach Johnson winning a second major in a row and joining Jordan Spieth as a player who has won two majors in the 2015 season.
Johnson may not be good enough to put his name in a group with players who have won multiple majors in the same year.
However, Johnson is more than good enough to contend at Whistling Straits. He ranks eighth in the FedEx Cup standings, and he is 12th in the world rankings.
Johnson has a lot going for him at Whistling Straits. He has already earned more than $3.8 million this season, and perhaps his greatest strength is his accuracy. He finds the fairway 72.18 percent of the time on his drives, which ranks fourth on the tour. Whistling Straits tends to favor big bombers, but accuracy off the tee is always a key factor in the major tournaments.
Johnson is averaging 69.852 per round, and that means he should be in contention. That figure ranks seventh among tour golfers.
Up-and-Coming Threat Hideki Matsuyama ($8,000)
Hideki Matsuyama may not have the recognition of some of the better young golfers on the tour, but that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve to be mentioned with them.
He ranks 18th in FedEx Cup points and is 15th in the world rankings. The 23-year-old Japanese golfer is averaging 70.036 strokes per round, and that means he is going to be among the leaders on a regular basis.
Matsuyama is one of the most precise and accurate players on the tour. He ranks first in shots gained tee to green and fourth in ball striking.
Putting has not always been his greatest strength, and he ranks 113th in that area. However, if he improves with the flat stick just a bit and maintains his accuracy, he has a chance to remain in contention throughout the weekend.
Matsuyama finished fifth at the Masters this year, and he tied for 18th at both the U.S. Open and the British Open. He does not get overwhelmed on the big stage, and that's why he has a chance to make a statement at Whistling Straits.
Australian Threat Marc Leishman ($7,600)
Marc Leishman nearly won the British Open in July, losing out in a playoff. However, Leishman played exceptionally well and likes the big stage.
Leishman has four top-10 finishes this season. He is not exceptional in terms of distance, accuracy or putting, but he does well enough in all of those areas to remain in contention.
Leishman is at his best when he is going for the green from 150 to 175 yards. He lands that shot an average of 23'4" from the hole, which ranks fourth on the tour.
Leishman's wife, Audrey, was hospitalized and placed in a medically induced coma earlier this year. She has since recovered, which has helped Leishman gain a new perspective. After nearly losing his wife, he doesn't get upset if he hits a bad shot or two.
That should help him keep his cool at a challenging course such as Whistling Straits.
Cagey Veteran Steve Stricker ($7,300)
Wisconsin native Steve Stricker doesn't play a lot of tournaments at this point in his career, but he has the kind of precise game to make himself a factor on the leaderboard at the PGA Championship.
Stricker has competed in just eight tournaments thus far in 2015, and his last eight rounds at the John Deere Classic and RBC Canadian Open saw him shoot as low as 65, while his worst round was a 73.
Stricker has not completed a full tour schedule since the 2013 season. That year, he ranked third in driving accuracy and second in greens in regulation.
We are expecting Stricker to have a very respectable showing in his home state and help our DraftKings team to a money-winning showing.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
