Chesson Hadley in driver’s seat at Palmetto Championship at Congaree

PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO It’s impossible to know how much the weather forecast, specifically as it concerns the wind, influences fantasy decisions in this game. Because you start four and can bench only two, in any given week, you can’t avoid the concern over what projects to be a lopsided draw. You can only mitigate it. If you plan accordingly, at worst you’re in the same boat as others who take similar action. Thursday’s wind at the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational was expected to favor the early wave. Hot and windy conditions are then supposed to take over and extend into the weekend. Whether that weather shall be or if it’ll actually have an impact on scoring will be determined soon enough, but our only alternative is not to play. And that’s no fun at all. The top-10 most-owned at Colonial Country Club are split evenly in the draw, although only Jon Rahm is in the early-late among the top four. Sure enough, he opened with 4-under 66 in his tournament debut to sit one stroke off the clubhouse lead. Kevin Kisner (early-late) and Colonial member Ryan Palmer (late-early) slot outside the top 10. At 14th and 11th, respectively, they’re still well-represented, but they are surprises nonetheless, even though fewer than 10 percentage points separate Matt Kuchar in sixth (26.4 percent) and Tony Finau in 15th (16.9 percent). Others who aren’t shown below include Paul Casey (13th, 19.4 percent), William McGirt (24th, 5.8 percent), Charley Hoffman (25th, 5.3 percent), Webb Simpson (28th, 4.0 percent) and PLAYERS champion Si Woo Kim (31st, 3.5 percent). In his PGA TOUR debut, long-hitting legend Jamie Sadlowski ranks 62nd with 0.6 percent. NOTE: Rob’s Rating refers to where our Fantasy Insider slotted a golfer in his Power Rankings. Golfers in the Power Rankings and outside the top 10 in most owned. PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO Sticking with the theme introduced at the top, weather will get into the heads of gamers in this format as well. While anyone who changes his or her mind due to the unpredictable in a format in which you don’t modify your lineup during a tournament could be labeled as overreacting, it’s still a narrative for newer gamers who haven’t experienced the process. Jason Dufner crushes the competition in devotion at Colonial even though he’s in the late-early draw. However, skeptics who might say that he won’t be contending when the 36-hole cut falls can’t rule out that possibility for anyone in the field. This is precisely why weather should almost never influence decisions in this format. Sure, one side of the draw might benefit, but that will be learned only in retrospect. If you’re ever even a bit concerned, the fail-safe is to invest in a golfer who you won’t miss. Dufner certainly checks that box, but he’s still a terrific fit. Suffice it to say that all of this is much ado about virtually nothing. That Pat Perez ranks just ahead of Ryan Palmer speaks more to Perez’ extended run of fantastic form than it does a cooling on the Colonial member. With due respect to both, we’re unlikely to miss either, so that they’re a respective 2-3 in ownership percentage is sensible. They help spell notables like Jon Rahm (who’s fifth, anyway), defending champion Jordan Spieth (sixth) and Sergio Garcia (10th). The tournament’s all-time earnings leader, Zach Johnson, slots 12th at 2.6 percent. Other notables outside the top 10 include AT&T Byron Nelson champ Billy Horschel (13th, 2.6 percent), Brandt Snedeker (16th, 1.8 percent), two-time DEAN & DELUCA champion Phil Mickelson (17th, 1.4 percent) and Si Woo Kim (T21, 0.8 percent). PGA TOUR Champions One & Done presented by SERVPRO The KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship has a purse of $2.8 million. That’s tied for second-most with the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship (July 13-16). The U.S. Senior Open Championship (June 29-July 2) leads the way at $3.75 million. Since earnings are used to measure performance, even though Bernhard Langer isn’t projected to disappoint us at any time, investing in the smartest opportunity is the first decision all gamers should have made before embarking on a 22-event fantasy season. It’s entirely fact over friction regarding Langer that both the Senior PGA and U.S. Senior Open feature 36-hole cuts, but it’s also convenient support for him at the no-cut SENIOR PLAYERS where his record is strongest. After all, he’s its three-time defending champion on different courses. This is why he’ll be my pick at Caves Valley Golf Club in seven weeks. This is no way begrudges the 14.0 percent of you on board at Trump National Golf Club this week. He opened with 7-under 65 to post the clubhouse lead to validate your faith. But frankly, after what he delivers in the short- and long-term, it’d have been a surprise if he didn’t burst out of the gates. You’re also on board for a run at history as he’d be the first two win all five majors on the PGA TOUR Champions with a victory this week. Notables outside the top 10 in ownership percentages include David Toms (11th, 2.3 percent), Kirk Triplett (T12, 1.9 percent), Gene Sauers (T16, 0.9 percent) and defending champion Rocco Mediate (T23, 0.5 percent).

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Keegan Bradley shot the lowest score in bad weather for the second straight day at the Wells Fargo Championship. He leads Max Homa by two shots after a third-round 67 at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm.

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The PGA TOUR turns to the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club, a par 72 measuring 7,370 yards with poa annua-bentgrass greens in Detroit, Michigan this week. Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $1M Pitch + Putt [$250K to 1st] STRATEGY With just a few weeks until the FedExCup (FEC) playoffs begin, golfers like defending FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay ($10,700), plus Will Zalatoris ($10,400), Tony Finau ($10,600), Cameron Young ($10,100) and Adam Scott ($9,300) are making their way to Detroit Golf Club to either bolster their points, or pick up some much needed ones. The scorecard will have the full complement of par 5s and par 3s along with an even balance of par 4s ranging from 372 yards (No. 8) to 461 yards (No. 6). Past winners in the field include Cameron Davis ($9,700) and Nate Lashley ($6,800). Detroit Golf Club features two courses (North and South), and the tournament will feature 17 holes from the North and one from the South (third hole). The golfers should play this as a typical Donald Ross design with precise approach shots into contoured greens while navigating tree-lined fairways. In the past the course has yielded higher-than-average returns in driving distance; greens in regulation and fairways hit, meaning players should need to score at an impressive rate. Last season the course was gettable, ranking as the fourth easiest in scoring relative to par with the sixth-most eagles and third-most birdies on TOUR. The course will have 87 bunkers with just one water hazard that will only come into play on one hole, much different than last week. Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green, putting and birdies or better gained should be the key statistics we should focus on when building our lineups. The guys should be able to score on the par 5s, but we should also focus on those who play short par 4s particularly well with four under 400 yards on the scorecard. Ross courses highlight those who hit it well into the back-to-front pitched greens, but those who struggle must be solid around the greens that feature runoff areas. Over the last few years, the winning daily fantasy golf lineups have all used the entire $50,000 salary. Also, only two of the 18 (six golfers per lineup, over three years) total golfers were above $10,000, and 22% (4) were at $6,900 and below. Don’t be too cautious about rostering high-sentiment golfers this week. More than half of the golfers in the winning lineups were in the double digits for ownership. GOLFERS TO CONSIDER Cameron Young ($10,100) Bryson DeChambeau was rostered in 27.7% of lineups the year he won (2020) and was in the winning Fantasy Golf Millionaire lineup. Young is fourth in the field in driving distance and first in birdie or better gained over the past two dozen rounds. He also possesses one of the best putters on TOUR when he’s hot. Runner-up finishes at The Open Championship, the Wells Fargo Championship and the Genesis Invitational this season prove Young is on the precipice of victory. His ownership may be the highest in the field with how well he sets up at Detroit Golf Club, but he’s too good to pass up. Maverick McNealy ($8,800) There are good and bad outliers, and McNealy’s final two holes on Sunday last week fall into the bad bucket. A bogey-quadruple bogey finish erased four birdies through seven holes on his inward-nine. McNealy totaled 15 birdies and two eagles last week, but he couldn’t stay away from hitting it into hazards. He’s played a lot of golf over the previous two months, so fatigue may be a factor. Still, he sets up nicely and tends to play solid golf in this part of the TOUR schedule. We should also be heading back to Davis Riley ($8,600) this week. Nothing materialized last week, even though he was coming in with great form. Like Young, Davis has been trending all season, and it’s only a matter of time before he wins. Mark Hubbard ($8,000) A WD last week may keep people from rostering Hubbard as much as they should this week. Ranking 21st in birdies or better gained, fifth in approach and fifth in putting over the last 12 rounds is what you want in a golfer who doesn’t hit it a mile off the tee. He’s made six straight cuts and has finishes of third at the Barbasol Championship, 13th at the John Deere Classic, 15th at the Honda Classic and 16th at the Fortinet Championship. He’ll be my favorite daily fantasy golf sleeper this week. Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $1M Pitch + Putt [$250K to 1st] Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game. All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests. 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