It’s here! “A tradition unlike any other.” (It’s hard not read that in Jim Nantz’s voice.) Golf’s most sacred tournament of the season begins Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club. We at the Point After Show are here to help you make those tough Masters pool picks and daily fantasy lineup decisions with our consistently successful fantasy golf rankings system.
Masters pools are quickly gaining in popularity, while DraftKings and other daily fantasy apps continue to lure in sports fans in a somewhat legal way. So, whether it’s your friend Matt’s Masters pool or configuring a lineup to give yourself the best shot a winning a quick mill’ in DraftKings’ $3.5 million dollar moneymaker tournament, we’re here to guide you in the right direction.
Shell Houston Open rankings finishes
There were some big names in the golf that missed the cut at the Shell Houston Open. Jordan Spieth and Adam Scott headlined this missed cut list. Obviously golfers cannot have their ‘A’ game every week, but here at the Point After Show, we strive to give you the best player rankings available based on statistical data. For the Shell Houston Open, we did just that.
Five out of our top eight ranked players at the Shell Houston Open finished 10th or better. Russell Henley, my “One and Done” option for the week (#8 in our rankings), picked up his 3rd career PGA Tour win, firing a final round 7-under for a three-shot victory.
These are the 10 best finishes from our top 20 overall fantasy rankings from the Shell Houston Open:
Rank Player Finish
2 J. Rahm T10
3 R. Fowler T3
6 L. List T3
7 K. Stanley T8
8 R. Henley 1 (won)
10 J. Rose T15
11 S. Cink T23
17 J. Vegas T15
18 K. Bradley T15
20 J. Dufner T12
If you’ve been wisely listening to our weekly rankings and created a lineup based off our suggestions, hopefully you were able to cash in like the rest of us. But if not, it’s never too late to start. There’s no better time than with the Masters!
The Masters: One foot in the frying pan and one in the pressure cooker
Home of the Masters tournament, Augusta National, is the game’s most coveted golf course. Tour players who’ve been lucky enough to play the event have said that there is no better or more special feeling in golf then the drive to the club house up Magnolia Lane.
Obviously statistics are the backbone of golfer rankings for any tournament throughout the PGA season. The Masters is no different. However, unlike other events, course history should be weighted at Augusta National more heavily than anywhere else. ‘First-timers’ do not typically fare well at the Masters where experience and putting are the keys to success. The pressure for those in contention on Sunday will be mentally and physically agonizing. Only the strongest will survive.
Update: Keep an eye on the weather for the opening rounds Thursday and Friday. Windy afternoon conditions are being forecasted.
The Masters | Pool Picks
Typically, Masters pools are set up where players in the field are split into 6 or 7 groups by level of talent. The top tier group for the 2017 Masters will likely contain at least these four golfers: Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, and Jason Day. By picking the player you feel will do the best out of each of the groups, you will give yourself a chance at a big pay day come Sunday evening.
Don’t chain smoke or pull your hair out when making your final picks. By using the statistical system provided by PAS contributor @Sgrignoli3, here are rankings for the top three groupings seen in many Masters pools.
*The golfers in the three groups below may differ depending on the website or app used to generate them.
The Masters | Fantasy Golf Rankings
Tour players who’ve earned a spot at playing at this year’s Masters will need to play the best golf of their lives if they want to contend for the “green jacket.”
Below are the Masters fantasy golf rankings provided by @Sgrignoli3 – PAS contributor and statistician. The rankings are derived from twenty-two different year-to-date player statistics. The top five weighted stats for this event can be found at the bottom. Player salaries are based off of DraftKings.com.
**Disclaimer: PGATour.com is used as source for all player statistics. Stats are extracted on Mondays of tournament week and calculated for rankings by our statistical expert. If there happens to be a numerical error, blame them not us. Also, European Tour statistics are NOT included in the rankings calculations.
The top five weighted player statistics for the Masters:
-SG: Tee to Green = 20%
-Birdie or Better = 20%
-SG: Approach = 15%
-Par 5 Rank = 15%
-SG: Putting = 10%
The Masters | One and Done Picks
Year-to-Date
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: BRANDT SNEDEKER (T4) = $345,600
Genesis Open: DUSTIN JOHNSON (1) = $1,260,000
The Honda Classic: ADAM SCOTT (T14) = 102,400
WGC-Mexico Championship: BILL HAAS (T32) = $70,500
Valspar Championship: CHARLES HOWELL III (T49) = $15,918
Arnold Palmer Invitational: HENRIK STENSON (MC) = $0
WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play: RORY McILROY(T30) = $74,000
Shell Houston Open: RUSSELL HENLEY (1) = $1,260,000
Year-to-Date earnings = $3,128,418
My top 3 One and Done options for the Masters:
1) Justin Rose
2) Jordan Spieth
3) Louis Oosthuizen
My 2017 Green Jacket Winner pick: Jordan Spieth
Good luck to all!
@Eddie_ThePAS