Honda Classic FanDuel Report
This week we travel over to the east coast, as the Honda Classic will be played at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. This course is a par 70, measuring 7,140 yards, with Bermuda greens. Like with most traditional PGA tournaments, the cut will be made after 36 holes and the top 65 (and ties) will advance.
For this course, I’m not focusing as much on the longer hitters as I have in weeks past, and I’ll be looking more at guys who play well with their irons and wedges. I want players that can drive the ball well off the tee and not get caught up in the rough.
It’s not the strongest field, at least not as strong as it was last week and there really aren’t any guys in the $7k range that I feel confident in. So, I’m going to give you an extra player at every other price range instead.
10k+
Cash: Viktor Hovland - $11,000: Hovland is my favorite play this week. He’s first in SG: APP, 17th in Dr Dist/Fwys Gained, eighth in SG: P4, second in Opps Gained, seventh in Bogeys Avoided, and 21st in GIRs Gained. He finished first at the Puerto Rico Open last week and had a T38 at the AT&T Pro-Am. Right now, his ownership is projected to be around 13 percent, but I do expect that to climb over the next 36 hours.
Pivot: Gary Woodland - $11,300
GPP: Emiliano Grillo - $10,000: After missing three straight cuts this year, Grillo came back at the Puerto Rico Open to finish third. In this event, over the years he finished T8 in 2018, T43 in 2017, and T74 in 2016. For stats, he’s checking the boxes in SG: APP (second), Opps Gained (first), and GIRs Gained (seventh).
Pivot: Erik Van Rooyen - $10,200,
9k+
Cash: Luke List - $9,600: List has had some really nice success here over the years, finishing second in 2018 and T10 in 2016. He also has two top-30 finishes recently at both the Genesis and Waste Management. He’s 22nd in SG: APP, 17th in Dr Dist/Fwys Gained, and ninth in Opps Gained.
Pivot: Wyndham Clark - $9,600
GPP: Russell Knox - $9,400: You could honestly put either List or Knox in the Cash or GPP section, as their projected ownership is very close (around 15-16 percent). Knox is grading out as my top option in this price range. He’s fifth in SG: APP, 19th in Dr Dist/Fwys Gained, 18th in SG: P4, 12 in Opps Gained, eighth in Bogeys Avoided, and 12th in GIRs Gained. He has missed the cut in his last two events, but also finished T16 in the Waste Management and then T21 at the Farmers. In 2015, he finished T3 at this event.
Pivot: Bud Cauley - $9,300
8k+
Cash: Talor Gooch - $8,600: Gooch’s projected ownership is only around six percent, and I’m surprised it isn’t higher. For this price range, he’s checking a lot of boxes for me. He’s top-35 in SG: APP, Dr Dist/Fwys Gained, SG: P4, Bogeys Avoided, SG: ARG, and GIRs Gained. He finished T20 here last year, and also finished T10 at the Genesis a couple of weeks back.
Pivot: Cameron Tringale - $8,300
GPP: Brenden Steele - $8,300: Steele has some really nice history at the Honda Classic. He finished T14 in both 2017 and 2016, and then T11 in 2015. He’s 29th in SG: APP, 11th in Dr Dist and Fwys Gained, 16th in Opps Gained, and 16th in GIRs Gained.
Pivot: Russell Henley - $8,800
Key Stats “Key”:
SG: APP = Strokes Gained Approach
Dr Dist/Fwys Gained = Driving Distance + Fairways Gained
SG: P4 = Strokes Gained Par 4 Scoring
Opps Gained = Birdie Opportunities inside 15 feet from green/fringe
Bogeys Avoided
SG: ARG = Strokes Gained Around the Green
GIRs Gained = Greens in Regulation Gained
* All Stats and Ownership Projections courtesy of Fantasy National
