Opportunity knocks at Sanderson Farms Championship

Next up for the PGA TOUR is the John Deere Classic from Silvis, Illinois where opportunity exists for golfers and daily fantasy players alike. TPC Deere Run will play as a par 71, measuring 7,289 yards and be putt on bentgrass greens. The field is 156 players, with the cut coming at the top 65 and ties. Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $800K Pitch + Putt [$200K to 1st] STRATEGY Webb Simpson ($10,600), Cam Davis ($8,400), Christiaan Bezuidenhout ($9,100) and Sahith Theegala ($10,100) will be looking to play well at TPC Deere Run, which is one of the lowest scoring courses on TOUR. Nine of the previous 13 winning scores have been more than 20-under par, with an average winning score of 21-22 under par over the past five events. The priority here is to make a ton of birdies and avoid any possibility of dropping strokes. Strokes Gained: Approach the Green is always a priority, but digging deeper, golfers who are strong with their wedges have fared well at this tournament before. Last season’s winner Lucas Glover ($8,300) mentioned, “I wedged it very nice today and putted well, which you have to do here, because you get a lot of opportunities, and distance control is pretty important … .” Other key stats to focus on are driving accuracy, par 4 scoring and par 5 scoring on holes between 550-600 yards, with all three on the scorecard falling in this distance range. Lineup construction can be a little tricky this week. Last season and 2019, the winners used the entire $50,000 salary cap. In 2018, the top lineup used just $49,000, with four golfers under $7,600. Based on the previous three years, there isn’t a daily fantasy lineup build that we should skew towards. Also, we shouldn’t see any outrageously high ownership on golfers this week, but the trends point to some dos and don’ts this week. When we look over the same timeframe as above, only one golfer in the winning lineup was roster over 16% (Patton Kizzire, 17.2%, 2021), but nine (50%) had double-digit roster percentages, meaning you don’t have to stay away from the chalk altogether this week. GOLFERS TO CONSIDER Adam Schenk ($7,700) TPC River Highlands is very similar to this week, and although Schenk missed the cut in Cromwell, Connecticut, he played much better on Friday than Thursday, gaining a stroke off the tee and nearly a stroke on approach. He hit 94% of his greens in regulation and almost 80% of his fairways in the second-round last week. He’s now gained strokes Tee to Green in his three previous starts and has tremendous finishes here of fourth (2021), where he ranked second in putting that week (+7.8), and sixth (2019), finishing second in strokes gained tee to green (+9.9). Schenk’s Midwest ties (born in Indiana) should make him feel comfortable playing in this part of the country, and hopefully, his putting success here last season can help with some of the recent troubles he’s encountered on the greens. John Huh ($7,800) also deserves a ton of consideration given how he’s playing, ranking top five in birdies or better gained and DKFP over the previous 12 rounds. Austin Smotherman ($7,000) Like Schenk, Smotherman could not make the cut last week but has put together an excellent resume in his rookie season, with three top-25 finishes and an 11th-place finish in 18 starts. He’s solid with his wedges, ranking 20th in proximity from 100 to 125 yards over the previous 24 rounds, and is scoring well, ranking 14th in birdies or better gained over the last dozen rounds. Smotherman racked up a win and three top 5s on the Korn Ferry Tour last season, so he’s used to playing in conditions where you need to make birdies in bunches. Some of my other favorite daily fantasy sleepers this week are Robert Streb ($6,600), who’s been inside the top 10 in par 5 scoring for the past 50 rounds, and Chris Stroud ($6,500), who’s only missed the cut once (2016), and has two top-5 finishes (2019, 2015) and a top 20 (2017) in his last five starts here. Stroud hasn’t played on TOUR since February, which is slightly alarming, but you don’t need to be heavily exposed to him at his price or projected roster percentage. 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. 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. 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NAPA, Calif. – A rookie leader after 36 holes. The threat of a 59, then the eventual course record. Weezer headlining the post-round concert. It was an eventful second round Friday at the Safeway Open.  LEADERS TYLER DUNCAN (13 under) – He’s 36 holes into his PGA TOUR career and has the lead at 13 under. “Yeah, it’s crazy,â€� said Duncan, who ranked 23rd on the Web.com Tour’s top 50 priority list. “Nothing I could have ever dreamed of, for sure.â€� He’s done it with crisp iron play, some terrific putting – he ranks second this week in strokes gained: putting – and a flatline demeanor. “I’ve really just stayed calm,â€� Duncan said after following his opening 65 with a 66 that included one eagle, four birdies, three bogeys and one par on his final nine. “I’m not sure what it is. I’m usually a pretty calm guy, but I figured I’d be nervous and amped up and everything. But I’ve stayed really calm and I’ve had a clear mind the first two rounds.â€� Now, of course, comes the weekend. He’s in the final group with defending champ Brendan Steele and Chesson Hadley. Three weeks ago at the Web.com Tour in Boise, Idaho, Duncan had the 36-hole lead but felt the nerves and eventually faded to a T-5 finish. He figures to use that learning experience this weekend as he pursues the improbable Cinderella story. “My nerves will definitely be ramped up a little bit,â€� Duncan said. “I learned a lot (from Boise) and I’m looking forward to having another opportunity to get after it.â€� BRENDAN STEELE (12 under) – He just keeps rolling along, following his opening 65 with a 5-under 67. For the first time in Steele’s career, swing coach Chris Mason is on the bag this week. Steele’s regular caddie, Christian Donald, is at a wedding in England. The temporary switch in caddies obviously hasn’t disrupted his momentum at Silverado. “Chris has wanted to get on the bag for a little while and just see what I’m doing out there,â€� Steele said. “He sees me in practice rounds and can walk during tournament rounds, but he doesn’t get to see what’s actually going on between my ears while we’re out there.â€� Mason is seeing a lot of good. Steele has missed just two greens through the first two rounds and ranks first in the field in strokes gained: tee to green. CHESSON HADLEY (11 under) – It was around the middle of his back nine that Hadley started thinking about 59. He birdied the 13th hole to go to 8 under on his round, then birdied the next three holes. He arrived at the 17th tee needing two birdies or an eagle (the 18th is a par 5) but parred both holes. The 11-under 61 is his career best and ties the tournament record set on other courses in this event. “That’s certainly nothing to hang your head about,â€� said Hadley. “But you don’t get many chances at 59, so I was aware of it and I was certainly trying to do it. But at the same time, you’ve got to be aware you can’t do anything stupid because you’re trying to win a golf tournament.â€� Hadley ranked first on the Web.com Tour priority list, having won twice during the recently completed season. He didn’t see this kind of round coming – he opened with an even-par 72 – but he’ll never forget the bid for 59. The last time he had a chance to go that low was an amateur event several years ago. “It’s just kind of magic out there when you’re doing that,â€� Hadley said. “These rounds don’t come often and I feel like I made the most of it today.â€� OBSERVATIONS PHIL’S BETTER BUT SAME. After hitting just two of 14 fairways in the first round, Phil Mickelson found eight fairways on Friday. But the improved accuracy didn’t lead to a better score, as he shot a second consecutive 69 that leaves him at 6 under. “I expected to score a little bit better, but I had some good chances today,â€� Mickelson said. “… I let a few opportunities slide.â€� He double-bogeyed the 14th after a wayward drive and a missed 5-foot putt for bogey. But he immediately responded with three straight birdies, knocking a couple of approach shots within 10 feet. “I made a few mistakes,â€� Mickelson said. “Certainly I hit it a lot better but yet I show the same score.â€� STREELMAN’S NEW COACH. Kevin Streelman recently switched coaches, and is now using Australian Andrew Getson, who also works with Mickelson. Streelman lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, which is Getson’s home base at Greyhawk. “We’ve been best friends for a long time and I kind of wanted to hold off on that because we’re such good friends,â€� Streelman said. “I didn’t want to mess with that, but he’s just too knowledgeable and keeps things too simple.â€� Streelman comes off a season in which he finished 83rd in FedExCup points, his worst result since 2012. It’s also the first time since then that he’s failed to post at least one top-3 finish. But so far so good this week, as he’s shot 69-68 and is 7 under. “Right now I’ve got a real simple swing thought that’s worked nicely for two days,â€� Streelman said. “We all know this game can be mean at times, but hopefully it continues for the weekend.â€� HAAS HEATS UP. On Thursday, Bill Haas needed 32 putts and ranked 103rd of the 144 players in the field in strokes gained: putting. On Friday, he needed just 25 putts and ranked first in that category. His total feet of putts made went from 65 feet, 4 inches to 169 feet, 4 inches. During a six-hole stretch, he made putts of 34, 23, 32 and 30 feet. No wonder he called his second-round 65 a “fun day.â€� “I made probably four putts that I normally don’t make,â€� said Haas, who’s 7 under going into the weekend. “Making one of those a round is fun, so making three or four of those was a lot of fun today. … Golf would be a lot more fun if you could just putt like that every day.â€� EXTREME TEMPS. When the morning wave teed off Friday, the temperatures were in the 40s. By the time they finished, it was in the 80s. That required some adjustments for those with early tee times. Kevin Streelman said the ball wasn’t traveling far on his first nine holes, forcing him to “add a few clubsâ€� until the temperatures heated up. Noted Graham DeLaet, who dealt with the extreme differences on Thursday: “When we teed off yesterday, the ball was going nowhere and you couldn’t compress it, everything was a bit softer. Then in the afternoon you can really hit the ball long.â€�  NOTABLES JOHN DALY – Birdied his final hole to make the cut on the number. That keeps alive the hope of singing a song with the Goo Goo Dolls at Saturday’s post-round concert. EMILIANO GRILLO – One of two Presidents Cup players in the field this week (Phil Mickelson is the other), Grillo was at 9 under for the tournament until three-putting his last two holes for bogeys. “Stupid mistakes,â€� he said before heading to the practice green. HUNTER MAHAN – After a season in which he missed 16 cuts in 26 starts, Mahan is in the mix this week at 6 under. He missed just one green on Friday and has hit 32 of 36 in the first two rounds. HAROLD VARNER III – Still seems to be feeling the bounce of his successful scramble to make the FedExCup Playoffs, as he’s at 7 under after his 68 on Friday. SANGMOON BAE – It’s a short stay for his first PGA TOUR start since his two-year mandatory military service in Korea, as Bae shot a 75 to finish at 4 over and miss the cut. MAVERICK McNEALY – Was tied for the lead at one point, but suffered a triple bogey late in his round. Still, his first pro start remains a positive one, as he’s 5 under after a 71. QUOTABLES “Yesterday I go out and practice, and Phil’s out there grinding. So he’s won I don’t know how many times on TOUR and he’s working harder than me. That’s not a good sign.â€� – Harold Varner III when asked about his own improved work routine that’s led to better results recently. “A little nap sounds good right now … To be able to just hang out in Napa Valley the rest of the afternoon is pretty nice.â€� – Bill Haas, who started his second round at 7:20 a.m. local time “Napa’s a special place. I come here once or twice a year outside of the tournament. I love it here and it’s a fun golf course to play.â€� – Phil Mickelson SUPERLATIVES Low round: 11-under 61 by Chesson Hadley Longest drive: Jamie Sadlowski, 366 yards at the 12th hole. Incidentally, Sadlowski also had the next two longest drives — 362 yards (at the 13th) and 361 yards (at the 14th). Longest putt: Kevin Tway, 63 feet, 11 inches at hole No. 14 Toughest hole: The 224-yard seventh hole, which played to a stroke average of 3.225. CALL OF THE DAY SHOT OF THE DAY BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA

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In the final round of the OHL Classic at Mayakoba, Patton Kizzire holds off nerves and a hard-charging Rickie Fowler with a bogey-free 67 at El Camaleon Golf Club. Welcome to the Monday Finish, where Kizzire, who won twice on the Web.com Tour in 2015, enters the winner’s circle for the first time on the PGA TOUR to earn 500 FedExCup points and entry into the 2018 Sentry Tournament of Champions, THE PLAYERS Championship, the Masters, the PGA Championship and other select invitational events on TOUR. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 1. Kizzire is a fast starter. Of his three top-10s last season, when he was 99th in the FedExCup, his best was a runner-up at the season-opening Safeway Open. He entered the last round at Silverado with a one-shot lead over Scott Piercy but shot a 2-under 70 to drop one behind winner Brendan Steele. Two years ago, also in his season debut, Kizzire tied for second at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. And now, after missing the cut at the Safeway (a rare hiccup) and a solid Sanderson Farms Championship (T10) and Shriners (T4), he wins in his fourth start of the new season. Don’t count him out at this week’s RSM Classic at Sea Island, either. He lives there. 2. El Camaleon’s first hole was a brute. The 438-yard par-4 played to a 4.321 average, hardest of the final round, and gave players fits in the third round, too. Charles Howell III (T4) and Patrick Rodgers (T14) each double-bogeyed it. Martin Piller (T4) triple-bogeyed it. That was particularly hard on Rodgers and Piller, who were embarking on a 36-hole Sunday. “I just tried to stay patient and say, Okay, you’ve got 35 more holes to make it up,� Piller said. “I didn’t hit the tee shot that bad, but it got up in the wind and went right. It was only like a foot out of bounds. The provisional went down the middle, and then I hit it on and promptly three-putted.� 3. Rickie Fowler is a top-10 machine. Fowler, who was making his season debut and his first start at Mayakoba, shot 65-67-67-67 and might have won but for the fact that he bogeyed the par-5 fifth hole and couldn’t buy a putt in the middle of his round, from holes 7-12. Last season Fowler had 10 top-10 finishes, including a win at The Honda Classic, in 21 starts. Now he’s one-for-one in top-10s for the new season, and his earnings of $766,800 for solo second put him over the $30 million mark in career earnings at age 28. Not a bad consolation prize. 4. Hard work pays off. Martin Piller (65, T4) played just three practice holes on Tuesday, and none Wednesday. He putted. “I hadn’t been putting the way I normally do,� said Piller, who will turn 32 on Tuesday. “So I just camped out on the putting green. I’m an okay ball-striker, but if my putting is good I’ll be in good shape.� His putting at Mayakoba was beyond good. Piller took just 22 putts in the final round Sunday and totaled 97 for the tournament, eight fewer than the next best, Fowler and Russell Knox. “I made a bunch from the fringes this week,� Piller said. 5. Si Woo Kim is going to win this tournament. Kim (65, solo third), who became the youngest winner of THE PLAYERS Championship last season, was 6-under through 13 holes in the final round but blocked his tee shot into the hazard and double-bogeyed the 14th hole. He bounced back with birdies at Nos. 15 and 17 to notch his best result since coming out on top at TPC Sawgrass last May. In 2015, Kim was tied for third at the halfway mark at El Camaleon but fell back with weekend rounds of 72-70 that saw him finish T17.  FIVE INSIGHTS 1. Kizzire was four for four in scrambling in the final round, and 13 of 18 (13th best) for the week. He took just 107 putts over the four rounds, tied for fifth best in the field, and hit 54 of 72 greens in regulation, tied for seventh best. 2. The winner was one of four players who went bogey-free in the final round, the others being Brian Stuard (65, T9), Charles Howell (66, T4) and Ryan Moore (68, T6). 3. Fowler was second in both average driving distance (299.2 yards), which was not a terribly important stat at El Camaleon, and putts per round (26.25), which was.  4. Charles Howell III achieved his T4 finish, going 66-66 in the third and fourth rounds, the old-fashioned way: hitting fairways and greens. He hit 42 of 56 fairways, tied for 12th best (and a crucial stat at tree-lined El Camaleon), and 59 of 72 greens in regulation, tied for second best. 5. It was a great week for Mexico in many ways, especially with the scores. Four of the five Mexicans in the field made the cut, a record in the 11-year history of the OHL. Abraham Ancer, who has dual U.S./Mexico citizenship, went 65-68 to finish T9 and lead the native sons.   TOP THREE VIDEOS Rooftop rob hangout Hanging on the edge Better than birdie for Byrd

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