So, the Masters is over and Sergio Garcia is a major champion after an exhilarating head-to-head battle with Justin Rose on Sunday. Anything after that instant classic is going to feel a little insignificant, but it's still nevertheless on to the next one. On to Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina, for the 2017 RBC Heritage.
The field is unsurprisingly devoid of top-level stars, as Tyrrell Hatton (16th), Matt Kuchar (17th) and Danny Willett (19th) are the only players ranked inside the world Top 20. Still, it gets a lot better after that, and there are a lot of interesting players teeing it up this week.
The course is a Pete Dye design, meaning players who are accurate off the tee and can strategically set up good angles on their second shots will have a better chance of being successful than bombers. The greens are the smallest on Tour, while the GIR percentage at this course was the second lowest last season. Solid ball striking and a precise short game will be worth targeting this week.
Another variable to consider is last week's performance (or lack thereof). While you always want good form, the Masters can be emotionally and physically exhausting. Players who just excelled at Augusta don't always thrive at Hilton Head, and vice versa. Take last year, for example. Paul Casey went from Top-5 at the Masters to missed cut at the RBC Heritage, while Branden Grace went from missed cut at the Masters to win at the RBC Heritage.
All-in-all, it should be a really interesting week, and you can click through the gallery for my ideal DraftKings lineup and picks. (Getty)
Martin Kaymer
Price: $9,500
Kaymer is one of those you may want to be careful with after he played a full 72 at Augusta, but he has to be overloaded with confidence after firing a fourth-round 68, which included a streak of five-straight birdies and a blistering second-nine 33.
After that Sunday performance pushed him up to a career-best T16 at the Masters, the 32-year-old now has five Top-25 finishes in a row. And to add to that red-hot form, he's fourth on Tour in driving accuracy, 27th in strokes gained tee to green and 18th in strokes gained putting. (Getty)
Tyrrell Hatton
Price: $9,300
Hatton was a popular play heading into Augusta and he completely bombed, shooting an 80 on Thursday and 78 on Friday to finish ahead of just three other players in the field. That performance burned a lot of fantasy players, and it will be tough to trust him again, but that thought process--along with the still fairly steep price--will likely lead to a lower ownership percentage, and that's something you should take advantage of.
While Hatton was brutal last week, it was his trip to one of the hardest courses in the world. It can be overlooked, especially when you consider how well he was playing before, securing four Top-10's and another two Top-20's in his previous six tournaments. He's still a really good young player, and he has the short game (20th in strokes gained tee to green, seventh in strokes gained approaching the green and first in strokes gained putting) to be successful at Harbour Town. (Getty)
Pat Perez
Price: $8,100
A rock-steady T18 at the Masters--which included going three-under on the weekend--gave Perez his eighth Top-25 finish this season and fifth-consecutive tournament with at least 65 DraftKings points. He just continues to play extremely well, and there's no reason to believe that should stop at Hilton Head, where he has finished sixth, 18th, 18th and 26th in his last four starts.
Moreover, the last three winners of this tournament have each finished the week inside the Top 10 in strokes gained around the green, which makes sense because greens are so difficult to hit and scrambling will be crucial. Perez, meanwhile, has been one of the best on Tour in that capacity this year, ranking 22nd in strokes around green and 45th in scrambling. (Getty)
Russell Knox
Price: $8,000
10th in driving accuracy, 31st in ball-striking and 15th in strokes gained on Pete Dye courses. Knox fits this course about as well as anyone on paper, and it has translated, too. In the last three years, he has finished ninth, 18th and second.
It's worth noting that he has been playing really poorly over the last two months, but this is the perfect course for him to get back on track. (Getty)
Jim Furyk
Price: $7,900
Furyk's recent form is certainly concerning (outside of the Match Play, his best finish in 2017 is a T39 at the Genesis Open in February), but it's impossible to overlook him here. In 17 career starts, he has a whopping eight Top-10's and two victories, with the most recent coming in 2015. It's no surprise, either, as his accuracy off the tee, ability to put himself in position for second shots and strong putting makes him a stud on Pete Dye courses. In fact, since 2013-14, Furyk is third on Tour (behind only Jason Day and Matt Kuchar) in strokes gained on Dye-designed courses.
Though he'll probably be pretty popular, he represents very good value at this price. (Getty)
Cameron Smith
Price: $6,900
We need a bargain here, and while Smith offers some risk, he also carries a lot of nice potential for the price. He has made 10 of 13 cuts this season, and he returns to a course on which he finished 15th in his lone start in 2015. But what's even more intriguing than the finish is that he finished that week first in the field in strokes gained putting, first in one-putt percentage and first in birdie-or-better-percentage.
His lack of accuracy off the tee could lead to some bad things, and as such he's hard to trust in cash games, but in GPP formats, he's a compelling high-upside play. (Getty)
DraftKings PGA Lineup: RBC Heritage 2017 Optimal Picks