Daily Fantasy Recommendations for The Open (British Open)
The PGA Tour hops across the pond this week to the United Kingdom, to be more specific, Angus, Scotland, for the 147th Open Championship. It will be the last time for the foreseeable future that it will be the third Major of the season with the PGA Championship moving to May next season.
Like every other major, the best golfers in the world will be turning out with hopes of taking home the claret jug. This will, of course, make it challenging for daily fantasy players to choose their lineups. But better too many options than too few, right?
Before diving into an examination of those options…
How about a little information about the course and weather?
The Open will be held at the Carnoustie Golf Links in Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland. The course is 7,402 yards long and is a par-71.
Like it often is at The Open, the weather could make things kind of tricky this week for golfers. The cooler temperatures (high-50’s to low-60’s) will likely be a welcome change from what golfers have seen in recent weeks in the U.S.
Winds start out at 9 MPH on Thursday, increasing to 10 MPH for Friday and Saturday, and top out at 11 MPH on Sunday.
There is a good chance there will be some rain during the tournament. Thursday and Saturday have only a 10 percent chance. But Friday has 50 and Sunday a 60 percent chance of rain.
The Players
The defending champ, Jordan Spieth, will be worth a look but not because he’s playing well—which he isn’t. Since finishing in third at the Masters, he’s played in seven tournaments, missed the cut in three, and his best finish was tied for 21st.
However, Americans have been on a run at the Majors recently having taken the last five. While he hasn’t been great in about two months, he is still one of the top golfers in the world. If there were ever a time for a young golfer to break out of a slump, this would be it.
The following are some other players worth considering for your daily fantasy roster this week:
Tiger Woods: Call Tiger the sink or swim option this week. He has been playing good golf this season, but far from great. Whenever you decide to give him a shot in your lineup seems to be when he has a bad weekend, too. With the exception of missing the cut at the U.S. Open, he’s done well his last four times out (tied for fourth, 23rd, and 11th).
It’s bound to come together for him at some point. That point may not be until next season. But it could also be this week. If you don’t start him and he does well, you’ll be kicking yourself.
Brooks Koepka: I’m more excited about Koepka than I am about Tiger. Here you have a guy who hasn’t missed a cut at a major since 2013. He’s placed inside the top-20 at 12 of the last 15 (so you know he isn’t going to play poorly). He’s the No. 4 golfer in the world. Eventually, he is going to start collecting wins.
Why not start now?
Dustin Johnson: He’s the best in the world? How can you not choose him? He’s played well lately. His game at Shinnecock shows he can handle the winds at Carnoustie. There doesn’t appear to be a reason not to choose him. But maybe you shouldn’t. Chances are, he’ll do well for at least three of the four days which may be enough for your daily fantasy roster.
However, he seems to have something holding him back at Majors.
Tommy Fleetwood: Did you see his final round at Shinnecock? His 63 on Sunday at the U.S. Open shows what he is capable of. Of course, he doesn’t always have his ‘A’ game when he plays. But this week, a guy like him having his ‘B’ game may be enough to help your daily fantasy roster out.
Dark Horse Candidates
Sergio Garcia: He’s intriguing because he’s placed in the top ten in three of the last four Opens but also because he took second back in 2007 the last time the Open was at Carnoustie.
Justin Thomas: He’s fresh off a brief stint as the No. 1 golfer in the world. But he has not done well his last two times out at the Open (t53 and missed cut). However, he started each with a 67. If he can make it past Day Two, he could have a heck of a tournament.
Henrik Stenson: He holds the record for lowest score in Open history (20-under). That was at the Royal Troon and not Carnoustie (he missed the cut last time the Open was there in 2007).
START WINNING
YOUR DRAFTKINGS COMPETITIONS
NFL & PGA Lineup Buildeer.
ONE MEMBERSHIP.
Join today and receive instant access to handpicked fantasy players for all NFL & PGA DraftKings Linesups. Start outscoring your competition and learn the strategies to become a daily fantasy guru.
