This article is part of our FanDuel PGA DFS Picks series.
CareerBuilder Challenge – La Quinta, CA
PGA West Stadium Course (7,113 yards, par 72)
PGA West Nicklaus Tournament Course (7,204 yards, par 72)
La Quinta Country Club (7,060 yards, par 72)
$5.9M Purse
$1,062,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points to the winner
Tournament Preview
As the traditional first event on the U.S. mainland for the calendar year, the CareerBuilder Challenge returns to the California desert for some low-scoring action. The unique pro-am style event includes three courses: PGA West Stadium Course, PGA West Nicklaus Tournament Course, and La Quinta Country Club. Now integrated as the host course for its third year, PGA West Stadium Course will again challenge those who take it on, highlighted by "Alcatraz", the par-3 17th with an island green not unlike hole 17 at TPC Sawgrass. The field consists of just five players in the world top 30, highlighted by No. 3 Jon Rahm and frequent entrant Phil Mickelson. Though the host course is no slouch, look for plenty of birdies to be carded and a winner to hit at least 20-under.
Recent Past Champions
2017 – Hudson Swafford
2016 – Jason Dufner
2015 – Bill Haas
2014 – Patrick Reed
2013 – Brian Gay
2012 – Mark Wilson
2011 – Jhonattan Vegas
2010 – Bill Haas
2009 – Pat Perez
2008 – D.J. Trahan
Key Stats to Winning in La Quinta
• Par Breaker percentage
• Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green
• Recent Form (most notably the Sony Open)
Champion's Profile
Though statistics aren't closely tracked at PGA West Nicklaus Course and La Quinta Country Club, we know these short venues yield plenty of birdies, especially on their par-5 holes. From the data we have on PGA West Stadium Course, the tee-to-green game is critical to avoid some penalizing water hazards and other score-busting holes. There seems to be a strong correlation between last week's Sony Open success and success at this venue. In my opinion, the "go low" mentality and similarly short yardages of these courses fall right in line with Waialae Country Club, as both tournaments saw 59s posted last year. Beyond the ability to pile up birdies, players will need consistent ball striking and great putting under 10 feet to compete across the three courses.
FanDuel Value Picks
The Chalk
Jon Rahm, $12500 – Rahm enters as World No.3 and the highest ranked in the field after finishing runner-up two short weeks ago in the Sentry TOC. Prior to that he won the European Tour finale prior to the holidays, so this young gun is easily the cream of the crop this week in a semi-diluted field.
Brian Harman, $11600 – Harman's stock has gone up each of the past two weeks as he's now posted four-straight top-5s dating back to last fall. The lefty is emerging as one of the most improved on the PGA Tour, and now feasts his eyes on the CareerBuilder Challenge, where he's finished inside the top-11 the last two seasons.
Patrick Reed, $11300 – The 2014 CareerBuilder Challenge champion, Reed has proven his ability to make birdies is no fluke. Since he came on Tour in 2013, he has birdied more than 20 percent of his holes, good for nearly four birdies per round.
Webb Simpson, $11100 – Webb responded well last week in his first action since his father passed and there's no reason to believe he'll regress considering his great history at this event. Simpson holds five top-25 efforts in eight trips to La Quinta.
Longer Shots Worth a Risk
Patton Kizzire, $10000 – Kizzire has made the cut both times in La Quinta, but his real appeal lies in his two wins already this season, his last coming in a marathon playoff with James Hahn last week. Though there may be some fatigue after a long week and long flight back to the U.S. Mainland, Kizzire should be good to make the cut and potentially get himself back into contention yet another week.
Charles Howell III, $10000 – With four top-15s and eight cuts made in his last eight trips to the California desert, Howell is an ironclad pick to make the cut with potential for much more. Though winning has been such an elusive target for Howell, his value as a depth player is undeniable this week.
Chez Reavie, $9400 – Reavie's sneaky good ball striking has netted him top-20s his last two tries in La Quinta, not to mention he's reeled off 17 straight made cuts on TOUR dating back to May of last year. Reavie is a fantastic value who is unlikely to let you down this week.
Chesson Hadley, $8700 – For those not paying attention in the fall, Hadley recorded three consecutive top-5s to start the year and is on pace for a career season. Despite a missed cut a middling finish in his most recent two starts, Hadley enters this week rested up and ready to crack the cut line with upside for more.
Strategy Tips for this week (based on 60k standard salary cap)
This event is widely known for the high volume of birdies, though the new course rotation installed two years ago has toned the tweeters down a bit. In any case, par-breakers are a must, so target guys who have shown recent low scores or perennially have proven they can go low. Though anyone can emerge in an event like this, it would be a tragedy to not have at least one of the top 6 salaried players rostered this week. This short list includes Rahm, Mickelson, Harman, Kisner, Reed, and Simpson.
