Dustin Johnson holds one-shot lead over Jordan Spieth at THE NORTHERN TRUST

The PGA TOUR stays in California and travels north to Carmel Bay for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Stars from all over will descend on the Monterey Peninsula and join the 156-man field across three courses for the second time this season. The rotation will feature Spyglass Hill Golf Course (SH), Monterey Peninsula Country Club (MP) and Pebble Beach Golf Links (PB). Both SH and PB will play as a par 72, with Pebble Beach measuring 6,972 yards and Spyglass Hill coming in at 7,041 yards. Monterey Peninsula will play as a par 71 and measure 6,957. All courses will feature poa annua greens. The top 60 and ties will make the cut. Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $800K Pitch + Putt [$200K to 1st] STRATEGY An equal number of amateurs as professionals are teeing it up in Northern California this week, making for another tournament where golfers will be subject to six-hour rounds. The field will play three rounds before a cut is made on Saturday, with the final round taking place on the historic Pebble Beach Golf Links. While the three courses are similar in length and layout, some differences set them apart. Monterey Peninsula sports five par 3s and four par 5s as a par 71, with Spyglass and Pebble Beach carding a total of eight par 4s under 400 yards between the two of them. Weather plays a massive role in scoring, which is true of any coastal course. With nine holes set along Carmel Bay, the tournament’s difficulty can shift year to year or at a moment’s notice. In 2014, Pebble Beach played as the seventh-most difficult course in scoring thanks to extremely windy conditions, with the following year playing as the eighth easiest with virtually no wind at all. Consider golfers who perform well with their wedges, especially in proximity from 100 to 125 yards, and Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green with Pebble Beach having some of the smallest greens on TOUR. Par-4 efficiency between 350 to 400 yards will also be important, with 11 measuring under 400 yards. Even though we only get shot tracker data from Pebble Beach, the priority metric to focus on every year at this tournament is Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green. A golfer’s current form will usually trump course experience, but when previous winners (dating back to 2010) have an average of 7.45 appearances before their victory, we should take notice. Also, focus on golfers who play well during the West Coast Swing. GOLFERS TO CONSIDER Maverick McNealy (+2500 to Win, $9,800 on DraftKings) A final round debacle kept him out of contention at the Famers Insurance Open, but McNealy still managed to leave with some positives on Saturday, finishing birdie-eagle. A runner-up finish here last season, two rounds of 67 last week and success on the West Coast should give McNealy a boost of confidence heading into an event at a course where he’s finished no worse than top five in his two previous starts. McNealy will be chalk, and if you’re looking to pivot in DFS, consider Christiaan Bezuidenhout (+5000, $8,700), who may be overlooked with no course experience. Most golfers don’t play well here on debut, but we’ve seen other golfers coming in with good form serve as the exception to that rule. Bezuidenhout has two top 20s in his previous five starts and ranks 13th in approach and 11th in proximity from 100 to 125 yards. His poa annua putting wasn’t great at Torrey Pines; hopefully, he’s able to learn from it and get the flatstick right this week. Lanto Griffin (+5500 to Win, $8,800 on DraftKings) Griffin plays well on the West Coast, as evidenced by his third-place finish at The American Express a couple of weeks ago. A seventh at the Sony Open in Hawaii in 2020 and another seventh at last year’s Farmers Insurance Open, and you quickly start to realize Griffin enjoys when the schedule hits this part of the country. No one is better on par 4s measuring 350 to 400 yards than Lanto, ranking first over the last dozen rounds, and he’s also hitting it pure, ranking 20th in approach and 26th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee over that same timeframe. The proverbial cherry on top of a “Lanto Sunday?” A top-10 finish here in 2020. Matt Kuchar (+6000 to Win, $7,600 on DraftKings) This week will be Kuchar’s 10th appearance and potentially his 10th career victory, a significant milestone. There’s a handful of tournaments where he has a legitimate opportunity to win, and this is one of them. Over the previous 50 rounds, only two golfers are better than him in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green on par 72s less than 7,200 yards, and just three golfers are ahead of him in Strokes Gained: Putting on fast poa annua greens. Kuchar’s made five-straight cuts and just finished with a top seven at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $800K Pitch + Putt [$200K to 1st] Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game. Place your golf bets at DraftKings Sportsbook or by downloading the DraftKings Sportsbook app. All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests. The contents contained in this article do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.

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ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum released the names of 15 finalists who will be considered for class enshrinement in 2019. The list of finalists includes men and women representing four different countries, and consists of candidates from the following four categories: Male Competitor, Female Competitor, Lifetime Achievement and Veterans.   Below is the list of finalists (listed alphabetically by category). Male Competitor (4) Retief Goosen, South Africa Graham Marsh, Australia Corey Pavin, United States Hal Sutton, United States Female Competitor (5) Susie Maxwell Berning, United States Beverly Hanson, United States Sandra Palmer, United States Dottie Pepper, United States Jan Stephenson, Australia Lifetime Achievement (3) Peggy Kirk Bell, United States Billy Payne, United States Dennis Walters, United States Veterans (3) Jim Ferrier, Australia Catherine Lacoste, France Calvin Peete, United States Click here to download a bio and list of accomplishments for each finalist.   The list of finalists was handed down by a Selection Sub-Committee comprised of 20 individuals, including six World Golf Hall of Fame Members: Donna Caponi Byrnes, Juli Inkster, Hale Irwin, Nick Price, Curtis Strange and Karrie Webb. This group was responsible for overseeing the vetting process that commenced in June and culminated with the Sub-Committee’s selection of finalists that will be presented to the Selection Commission.   “The Selection Sub-Committee had a big task to complete, and every member is to be commended for their effort and commitment in choosing the 15 best candidates,� said Jack Peter, President of the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum. “We are proud of the energy and thoroughness of the voting system and eagerly await the final results, which will be announced on October 10th.�   Before gaining consideration, each finalist met the necessary qualifications in his or her respective category by way of on-course accomplishments or by significant contributions to the game. Click here to learn more about the World Golf Hall of Fame criteria for Induction.   The Selection Commission, Co-Chaired by Hall of Fame Members Nancy Lopez, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Annika Sorenstam will assemble next week to discuss the merits and vote on the 15 finalists. Additionally, all living Hall of Fame Members provided personal input to the Selection Commission as it relates to the group of finalists.   To be inducted, an individual must receive approval from at least 75% of the Selection Commission. This group will ultimately elect the Class of 2019, which will be inducted in Pebble Beach, California on Monday, June 10, 2019, the week of the men’s U.S. Open Championship. The Induction Ceremony will take place at the Sunset Center in Carmel-by-the-Sea.   To learn more about the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum and the Induction process, visit www.worldgolfhalloffame.org.

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