This article is part of our DraftKings PGA DFS Picks series.
OHL CLASSIC
Purse: $6.2M
Winner's Share: $1,116,000
FedEx Cup Points: 500 to the Winner
Location: Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Course: El Camaleon Golf Club
Yardage: 6,987
Par: 71
Defending Champion: Charley Hoffman
Tournament Preview
Serving as the second-to-last tournament before players take a few weeks off for winter break, the OHL Classic will entertain a full field as Mexico's only PGA Tour event. The tournament was started back in 2007 playing opposite of the WGC-Match Play, but since 2013 has found a spot on the fall calendar. The 2004 Greg Norman design meanders through jungle, mangroves, and ocean-side sand as a short par-71 layout. Defending champion Charley Hoffman will join top-ranked player in the field Matt Kuchar and a host of Latin American pros to battle it out on international soil; surprisingly, all eight champions of this event are American-born. Three of the eight editions have ended in a playoff, most notably the eight-hole marathon playoff put on by eventual champion John Huh and Robert Allenby in 2012.
Key Stats to winning at El Camaleon
• Driving Accuracy
• Par-4 Scoring Average
• Strokes Gained: Putting
Past Champions
2014 - Charley Hoffman
2013 - Harris English
2012 - John Huh
2011 - Johnson Wagner
2010 - Cameron Beckman
2009 - Mark Wilson
2008 - Brian Gay
2007 - Fred Funk
Champion's Profile
A quick look at the champions paints a clear picture of how to be successful at El Camaleon: driving it straight and making putts. Only one past champ (Harris English) would ever be accused of being long off the tee, making this a position-first golf course where distance is heavily muted. Much like the Sony Open at Waialae CC and the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links, El Camaleon is a unique course featuring 11 par-4s that will only allow the straightest of hitters to get into a rhythm.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Matt Kuchar - $12,300 (Winning Odds: 8%)
Jason Bohn - $12,000 (5%)
Russell Knox - $10.000 (5%)
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Brendan Steele - $9,900 (4%)
Chris Stroud - $9,300 (3%)
Keegan Bradley - $9,100 (2%)
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
David Hearn - $8,400 (2%)
Jason Dufner - $8,200 (2%)
Spencer Levin - $7,800 (2%)
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Peter Malnati - $7,400 (1%)
Jerry Kelly - $7,000 (1%)
Kyle Reifers - $6,800 (1%)
Andrew Loupe - $6,800 (1%)
Jonas Blixt - $6,400 (1%)
Jason Gore - $6,200 (1%)
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Cash Game Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Jason Bohn - $10,300
Chris Stroud - $9,300
Johnson Wagner - $8,400
Jason Dufner - $8,200
Jerry Kelly - $7,000
John Huh - $6,800
The cash game lineup this week is inadvertently composed of five guys starting with "J" and Chris Stroud, one of two men who have played all eight editions of this event since 2007. Jason Bohn not only has two top-3s to begin the season, he has a strong history at El Camaleon with top-10s the last two years. The aforementioned Stroud has three top-5s in his eight appearances, one of many reasons he's come back each and every year to Mexico. Johnson Wagner and John Huh are past champs with other solid finishes to validate their wins, while Dufner is very accurate off the tee and a proven champion. Finally, the veteran Jerry Kelly owns two top-10s at the OHL Classic, including a fifth place effort last year.
Higher-Risk Tournament Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Matt Kuchar - $11,700
Russell Knox - $10,000
Brendan Steele - $9,900
Jon Rahm - $6,600
Jason Gore - $6,200
Nacho Elvira - $5,600
A logical recurring theme in the top-weighted fields we see early in the season is a studs and duds strategy, and this week is a classic example of this. Kuchar is the head honcho of the field and unquestionably a proven commodity, while Knox is entering on the heels of last week's WGC victory in China. Brendan Steele rounds out the studs, boasting history and form with two made cuts at the OHL Classic and a recent T3 at the CIMB Classic two weeks ago. The duds are comprised of solid veteran leadership in Gore and Spaniards in Jon Rahm and Nacho Elvira. Rahm was named the top amateur in the World Amateur Golf Ranking in August, while Elvira won thrice on the 2015 Challenge Tour last season and is making his first start this season.
