FanDuel PGA: RBC Heritage

FanDuel PGA: RBC Heritage

This article is part of our FanDuel PGA DFS Picks series.

RBC Heritage

Harbour Town Golf Links (7,099 yards, par-71)

$6.9M purse

$1,242,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points to the winner

Tournament Preview

The RBC Heritage will have an especially tough task following the Masters Tournament this time around after Tiger Woods captured the world's attention by securing his first green jacket since 2005 on Sunday. The sport is without a doubt in a special place with golf's most polarizing figure back on top, however, so plenty of eyes will still be fixed on Harbour Town despite Big Cat's absence. One of the stronger fields in recent Heritage memory will attempt to combat taxing coastal winds this week, as 24 members of the top-50 in the Official World Golf Ranking make their way to Hilton Head Island. A first-timer has won this event in back-to-back years, so it's anyone's for the taking as debutants such as Tommy Fleetwood and Abraham Ancer don't necessarily need course history on their side.

Recent Past Champions

2018 - Satoshi Kodaira

2017 - Wesley Bryan

2016 - Branden Grace

2015 - Jim Furyk

2014 - Matt Kuchar

2013 - Graeme McDowell

2012 - Carl Pettersson

2011 - Brandt Snedeker

2010 - Jim Furyk

Key Stats to Victory

GIR percentage

Driving Accuracy

Proximity

Scrambling

Champion's Profile

A classic Pete Dye layout epitomizing target golf, Harbour Town's tight landing areas and puny greens place the emphasis on precision over power. A quick glance at the Heritage's past champions proves accuracy reigns supreme with so many short hitters earning the event's coveted red plaid jacket. Just three competitors managed to hit more than 50 greens in regulation here last year, so proximity on approach shots not only plays a key role in collecting birdie opportunities, but also simply avoiding the constant task of scrambling. Managing ball flight and direction can't be emphasized enough, especially with sustained winds expected to reach over 20 mph on Friday and into Saturday.

FanDuel Value Picks

The Chalk

Dustin Johnson, $12,400 - Both a brand ambassador for RBC and a native of South Carolina, Johnson will have a sense of home field advantage on Hilton Head Island as he makes just his second Heritage appearance in the last decade. A handful of gamers may not lean toward DJ on a track that fails to reward driving distance, but he'll be able to maneuver about Harbour Town by taking less than driver in many spots and he leads the field in SG: Approach over his last 12 rounds. The World No. 1 also holsters a respectable short game, ranking 12th on Tour in scrambling and 13th in SG: Putting.

Bryson DeChambeau, $11,700 - Riding the high from his first career ace last weekend on the par-3 16th at Augusta National, DeChambeau heads to Harbour Town without a single top-10 finish on American soil since the Sony Open in early January. He could have cruised to victory at the RBC Heritage last year with a solo grasp of the 36-hole lead, but a third-round 75 was ultimately too much to overcome as he fell one stroke shy of the two-man playoff at 12-under. The eighth-ranked player in the OWGR averaged less than 26 putts per round and led last year's field in par-breakers en route to his T3.

Patrick Cantlay, $10,900 - Playing his first 15 holes in a collective six-under-par during Sunday's final round at the Masters, Cantlay joined the green jacket conversation in the latter stages of the tournament before making a pair of demoralizing bogeys on 16 and 17. Nonetheless, it was an important experience for the 27-year-old, who had never finished top-10 in a major championship before last week. He's a combined 20-under-par over the past two years at the RBC Heritage, notching results of T7-T3 despite seeing the course for the first time in 2017. Cantlay ranks 10th in SG: Tee-to-Green, 19th in birdie average, third in proximity from 150-175 yards and 14th in scrambling.

Ian Poulter, $10,200 - Only Tiger Woods hit more greens in regulation than Poulter at Augusta National, but the latter finished just outside of the top-10 due to issues with the flat stick. Putting will be a less difficult task on Harbour Town's greens, and the Englishman has placed T18 or better in three of his last four Heritage appearances. Over his last 24 rounds, Poulter ranks eighth in GIR and ninth in SG: Around-the-Green.

Longer Shots Worth a Risk

Byeong-Hun An, $9,800 - Well rested after just missing out on a Masters invitation, An is coming off a T7 at the Valero Texas Open where he led the field in SG: Tee-to-Green and finished second in GIR percentage. He's become a cut-making machine and also posted a T7 at the RBC Heritage last year. He now leads the PGA Tour in SG: Around-the-Green and is second to only Rory McIlroy in SG: Tee-to-Green.

Jonas Blixt, $7,900 - Currently enjoying a stretch of six consecutive made cuts since the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Blixt has finished no worse than a T42 during this span. During his last start at the Valero Texas Open, the Swede ranked top-20 among his peers in driving accuracy and scrambling. Blixt carded just four bogeys all week at Harbour Town in 2018, leading to a tie for 14th.

Adam Schenk, $7,900 - Finishing T33 or better in five of six starts dating back to the Puerto Rico Open, Schenk has already racked up five top-25s while rising to 75th in the FedExCup standings this season. During his sophomore campaign on the PGA Tour, Schenk ranks 38th in SG: Approach and has gained an average of 2.5 strokes tee-to-green over his last four tournaments.

Ryan Armour, $7,800 - Fitting the mold as a short and straight ball-striker, Armour ranks third on Tour in driving accuracy and 11th in proximity. He's sure to hit plenty of fairways again this year at Harbour Town, but especially windy conditions have hampered Armour in the past. Luckily for Armour, TPC San Antonio's breeze at the Valero Texas Open should have him prepared for Hilton Head.

Strategy Tips for this week (based on 60k standard salary cap)

A few dart throws in the sub-8k range are included among the longer shots with a slightly larger percentage of the field making the cut, as the RBC Heritage features just 132 entrants due to its invitational nature. If you're seeking a more balanced approach while fading names like Johnson and DeChambeau atop the board, Sungjae Im ($10,000), Russell Knox ($9,500) and Ryan Moore ($9,200) make for quality bargains as well.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Bryce Danielson plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: brycedanielson99, FanDuel: brycedanielson99, Yahoo: RotoBOOM.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bryce Danielson
Bryce covers the PGA for RotoWire and provides input on the golf cheat sheet. He also contributes to the coverage for NFL, NBA and other sports.
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