Are long drivers here to stay?

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The 121st U.S. Open is on deck this week at Torrey Pines, South Course, in San Diego, California. The course will play as a par 71, measuring 7,643 yards and the greens will be poa annua this week. There are 156 golfers and the top 65 and ties will make the weekend for the season’s third major. The last and only time Torrey Pines hosted the U.S. Open was in 2008, where Tiger Woods beat Rocco Mediate in a playoff. Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: $2.5M Fantasy Golf Millionaire [$1M to 1st + ToC Entry] STRATEGY Torrey Pines is a regular stop on the PGA TOUR for the Farmers Insurance Open, where Patrick Reed (+2500, $9,000) won by five strokes. Bryson DeChambeau (+1900, $10,400) is the defending U.S. Open champion, winning at Winged Foot last season. Similar to last week, Torrey Pines (South) will be another long, par 71 and that’s where the similarities stop. The course hugs the San Diego coastline, featuring undulating fairways, thick rough and small greens. Torrey Pines also has deep bunkering guarding the greens — 14 of 18 holes have bunkers that sit on the left and right side of the putting surface, making sure the golfers don’t have an easy bailout away from danger. There’s no secret what you need to do well at a U.S. Open and here at Torrey Pines. Of course, ball-striking is king, but golfers who are efficient in distance and accuracy Off-the-Tee will have an easier path to success. The last four winners of the U.S. Open are all elite drivers. Bryson finished first in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee at the end of the season last year, while Gary Woodland (+8000, $7,500), Brooks Koepka (+1600, $10,100) and Dustin Johnson (+1600, $10,700) finished inside the top 20 in driving at the end of the season they won the U.S. Open. The top five in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee over the previous 24 rounds coming into this week is Bryson, Jon Rahm (+850, $11,200), Matt Fitzpatrick (+5500, $7,800), Abraham Ancer (+5000, $7,900) and Cameron Champ (+18000, $7,000). Hitting it well Off-the-Tee won’t amount to anything this week if the golfers don’t have a hot putting week. Most of the greens pitch back to front and have a lot of slope and undulation. The past winners at the Farmers Insurance Open, dating back to Jason Day, gained an average of 4.125 strokes on the greens. Putting is too variant to predict but leaning toward golfers who’ve shown success putting on poa annua should also be considered. With the elevated greens and bunkers in specific landing areas, golfers who rate out nicely in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green and sand saves as well should warrant roster considerations this week. Like all major weeks, pricing is soft, which means there’s value to be mined in each price range. Historically, winning this tournament usually goes to one of the top-ranked golfers heading into the week. The past six winners had an average world ranking of 12.5 leading into their U.S Open victories, with the lowest being Woodland at No. 24 in 2019 and the highest being Jordan Spieth (+1700, $10,900) at No. 2 in 2015. Over the previous three years at the U.S. Open, a balanced lineup approach has been successful. In 2018, the average salary of the top six in DraftKings scoring was $8,650, with the cheapest being Tony Finau at $7,500 and the most expensive being Johnson at $11,700. In 2019, the average salary was $9,183, with the cheapest being Louis Oosthuizen at $7,900 and the most expensive being Koepka at $11,600. Last season, the average was $8,783, with Will Zalatoris being the cheapest at $6,700 and Justin Thomas being the most expensive at $10,700. GOLFERS TO CONSIDER Brooks Koepka (+1600 to Win, $10,100 on DraftKings) The fact that he’s won two out of the last four U.S. Opens and just finished runner-up at the PGA Championship last month should be reason enough to consider Brooks this week. Koepka missed the cut last weekend at Congaree, but it was all due to his short game, losing 1.66 strokes around-the-greens and 2.85 putting. His ball-striking was superb in South Carolina, and he’s now gained over six strokes through approach in three of his previous five measured events. Poa annua isn’t his best surface; he usually skips the California Swing during the regular season. Still, this is Koepka at a major, which should suffice if you’re looking to roster a golfer in this range. Collin Morikawa (+2200 to Win, $9,500 on DraftKings) The fourth-ranked golfer in the world is elite with his irons, ranking first in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green over the previous 50 rounds. Over his past five tournaments, he’s gained an average of just under seven strokes with his irons. Morikawa’s finishes hinge on how well he’s putting that week, and he’s lost strokes with his putter in three of his past four measured tournaments. Still, his worst finish in those four events was a 14th at the Charles Schwab; he finished T7 at the RBC Heritage and T8 at the PGA Championship. The last two times he’s gained strokes putting this season, he finished second at The Memorial presented by Nationwide and won the WGC-Workday Championship at The Concession. He’s got a top 25 at the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open and should be used to the poa annua growing up in California. Shane Lowry (+4500 to Win, $7,600 on DraftKings) Three top 10s and a top 5 in his last four starts, including the Memorial Tournament and the PGA Championship, should give the reigning “Championship Golfer of the World” a boost of confidence heading into this week. Lowry has three made cuts at Torrey Pines during the Farmers Insurance Open, finishing seventh in 2015 and 13th the following year. Few players are hitting it as well as Lowry Tee-to-Green (T2G). Lowry gained an average of 5.9 strokes T2G over his previous five tournaments and comes in with a good swath of U.S. Open experience and success. In 2016 at Oakmont, Lowry was the 54-hole leader with a four-shot lead heading into the final round. His Sunday wasn’t ideal, shooting a 76, but his first three days were near perfection. Adam Scott (+8000, $7,400) should also be considered this week with how well his game sets up for a U.S. Open and how well he’s played at Torrey Pines during the Farmers Insurance Open. Scott finished top 10 at Torrey Pines earlier this season and was runner-up back in 2019. He also has three top 10s at the U.S. Open since 2014. Poa annua greens are his preferred surface, ranking 16th in Strokes Gained: Putting over the previous 50 rounds. Justin Suh (+30000 to Win, $6,600 on DraftKings) If you’re looking for a punt play, one to consider is the former University of Southern California standout. The California native qualified for the U.S. Open at a Monday qualifier last week and gets to tee it up at Torrey Pines, a course he’s very familiar with. Suh has two professional starts at the Farmers Insurance Open, where he finished 37th earlier this season. He’s also mentioned that he’s played Torrey Pines about 20 times in his life during junior and collegiate golf. The former World No. 1 ranked amateur turned pro with Morikawa, Viktor Hovland (+2200, $9,200) and Matthew Wolff (+15000, $7,200) back in 2019 and should have a ton of confidence this week at a course he knows and loves. Refer a friend and get $20 DK Dollars! Head to the DraftKings Playbook Promo page for more details! Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: $2.5M Fantasy Golf Millionaire [$1M to 1st + ToC Entry] Put your knowledge to the test. 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People travel from all over the world to experience the natural beauty of Bermuda’s pink-sand beaches and scenic ocean views. Protecting this natural environment is crucial for not only it’s tourism-based economy, but also for the health and well-being of its 64,000 residents. Being that the small island nation is only 21 total square miles and located 653 miles from the nearest mainland, everyone must be considerate of their impact. Large events must be especially thoughtful of the waste they generate. This is certainly the case for the PGA TOUR’s official stop on the island, the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. The tournament is committed to being intentional and responsible with all aspects of the event, which this year has implemented several new and innovative sustainability solutions. The tournament, however, isn’t accomplishing this alone. “Collaboration and partnership with local leaders have been key to all of our sustainability progress,” said Danielle Baiunco, Tournament Director of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. “Guidance from Keep Bermuda Beautiful, the Ministry of Public Works, and support from our Sustainability Partner, Aspen Bermuda Limited, have made this all possible.” The sustainability program starts with a significant reduction of single-use plastic used throughout Port Royal Golf Course during the week. Ticket holders are encouraged to bring their own reusable bottles and the tournament will be giving away bottles to the first 500 fans each day courtesy of Aspen Bermuda Limited. Water stations will be positioned around the course so spectators can refill their bottles and concession stands will serve drinks in reusable cups rather than single-use plastic. All Butterfield Bermuda Championship volunteers will also be provided a reusable bottle and 90 percent of the polo shirt they will be wearing is made from recycled plastic. In addition to reducing plastic on site, the tournament is focused on recycling the items accepted on the island. Through collaboration with the Ministry of Public Works, the tournament has adopted a TAG – tin, aluminum, glass – recovery program. Bins will be placed throughout the golf course to separate these items from general waste, ensuring that they can be correctly processed at the local recycling facility. Tin and aluminum are sold for a small return, but the Ministry of Public Works has innovated the re-use of its recycled glass. With the help of a machine that crushes the glass into various grades, the facility is able to provide a permeable drainage solution for construction projects on the island, namely used under the grass-playing surface of sporting fields and golf courses. “It is so cool to know that glass from our event will be turned into something else used on the island,” Baiunco said. “Promoting circularity and re-use is one of our main goals.” All other general tournament waste will be disposed of at Tynes Bay Waste to Energy Facility, where an incinerator converts waste to energy. This facility generates produces enough energy to power 10 percent of Bermuda’s residential dwellings, or 3,000 homes. To reduce paper waste, the tournament has also moved to digital tickets, pairings guides, and course map. These items that were printed in previous years will be accessible via smartphone and QR code in 2022. Throughout the year, the tournament works with Keep Bermuda Beautiful to ensure that the areas of the island that were directly impacted by the tournament are maintained and that the Butterfield Bermuda Championship is doing all it can to minimize its environmental footprint. “We are still at the beginning of our sustainability journey, but we are proud of the strides we have been able to make this year,” Baiunco said. Through an honest and thoughtful approach, the tournament hopes to set sustainability standards that can be followed by sporting events held in Bermuda and other golf tournaments around the world.

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