The Players Championship is often referred to as golf’s “fifth major” because of its star-studded field, large purse and overall prestige. Add in the fact that the tournament is at TPC Sawgrass, and there are plenty of reasons to pay attention.
Here’s one more reason: Heavy’s partners at DraftKings are running a $100,000 Players Championship contest that’s free to enter for first-time players. Think you know golf? Sign up now for a chance to win.
The pool of $100,000 will be paid out to over 7,800 teams. The contest is free for first-time DraftKings users, $3 for current members. The top prize is $10,000, second is $7,500 and third $5,000. The The Players Championship gets started at 7:15 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, May 7, so lineups need to be set by then.
The field for the tournament is star-studded: Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose, Tiger Woods (yeah, he’s back) and Adam Scott, to name a few, are teeing it up this week.
Like any event, though, there is a cut line. And that means some famous names will be heading home after Friday’s round. Our goal here is to make sure you don’t have any of those players in your DraftKings lineup.
I had a tough time filling my lineup as there were so many guys and combinations I wanted to use. I didn’t splurge on McIlroy ($13,200) or Spieth ($12,800), nor did I bite on Tiger ($8,900) just yet. I hope they don’t make me regret that decision.
The toughest to leave off this week were Jim Furyk ($10,000), Jason Day ($9,900), Dustin Johnson ($9,700) and Lee Westwood ($8,400).
With that being said, I feel confident in this week’s lineup.
Keep reading to get our lineup picks for The Players Championship and other offers and contests from DraftKings.
The Players Championship Lineup Recommendations
Henrik Stenson – $10,400
Stenson is the third-ranked player in the world and this course absolutely suits him. You need accuracy at Sawgrass and Stenson happens to be 7th on the Tour off the tee. His last 3 years at The Players: T35, T5, T15. Don’t be surprised if Stenson is the winner this week.
Matt Kuchar – $9,400
Kuchar is a cut-making machine – he’s 13 for 13 this year. He won this event in 2012 and finished T17 last year. Kuchar hasn’t been as accurate as he’d like, but his putting has been spot on.
Jimmy Walker – $8,800
Walker has enjoyed plenty of recent success at Sawgrass. He had a T6 last year and a T15 in 2013, and his game is even better in 2015. That price is low for him, considering he’s averaging 88.1 fantasy points per tournament. Walker is a no-brainer.
Luke Donald – $8,000
I’m slightly skeptical of Donald, who isn’t playing his best. But I used him at the RBC Classic a few weeks back and he responded with a T15 after playing poorly for most of the season. Donald has history at Sawgrass – he’s made the cut here every year since 2007 and has a couple of recent top 10s.
Chris Kirk – $6,700
I like Kirk for a few reasons. One, he’s inexpensive for the product he’s given on the course (65.1 points per tournament). He’s also got 3 straight made cuts here, including a T13 in 2014. This year he’s made 11 of 14 cuts. I needed to find a bargain and Kirk fits that description.
Ryan Moore – $6,700
Moore is relatively inexpensive as well and he’s been killing it lately, scoring at least 75 fantasy points in 3 of his past 4 tournaments. He’s made it through all 4 rounds at Sawgrass in all but one year since 2007 and had a T26 in 2014. Another good bet to stick around all weekend.
Total Lineup Salary: $50,000 out of an allotted $50,000
DraftKings Fantasy Golf Millionaire Maker Contest
The U.S. Open is next month and you can turn $20 into $1 million with the Fantasy Golf Millionaire Maker contest designed specifically for golf’s second major.
Sign up for DraftKings’ PGA Millionaire Maker contest for the U.S. Open here.
The U.S. Open – and contest – begins June 18. The direct buy-in is $20 or you can try to win an entry for as little as 25 cents. It’s too early to choose your team, but you can reserve your spot in the contest now. Salaries and players will become available closer to the date of the contest.
DraftKings Golf Scoring
Golfers on each team will accumulate points as follows:
Per Hole Scoring
Double Eagle (DBL EAG): +20 PTs
Eagle (EAG): +8 PTs
Birdie (BIR): +3 PTs
Par (PAR): +0.5 PTs
Bogey (BOG): -0.5 PTs
Double Bogey (DBL BOG): -1 PT
Worse than Double Bogey (WORSE DBL BOG): -1 PT
Tournament Finish Scoring
1st: 30 PTs
2nd: 20 PTs
3rd: 18 PTs
4th: 16 PTs
5th: 14 PTs
6th: 12 PTs
7th: 10 PTs
8th: 9 PTs
9th: 8 PTs
10th: 7 PTs
11th–15th: 6 PTs
16th–20th: 5 PTs
21st–25th: 4 PTs
26th–30th: 3 PTs
31st–40th: 2 PTs
41st-50th: 1 PTs
Streaks and Bonuses
Streak of 3 Birdies of Better (MAX 1 Per Round) (3+ BIR STRK): +3 PTs
Bogey Free Round (BOG FREE RD): +3 PTs
All 4 Rounds Under 70 Strokes (ALL 4 RDS UND 70): +5 PTs
Hole in One (HOLE IN ONE): +10 PTs
Scoring Notes: Ties for a finishing position will not reduce or average down points. For example, if 2 golfers tie for 3rd place, each will receive the 18 fantasy points for the 3rd place finish result. Playoff Holes will not count towards final scoring, with the exception of the “finishing position” scoring. For example, the golfer who wins the tournament will receive the sole award of 1st place points, but will not accrue points for their scoring result in the individual playoff holes.
Player Lock Notes: All golfers lock at the time the first golfer tees off on day 1 of an event.
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DraftKings Fantasy Golf: The Players Championship Best Picks