DraftKings Masters Picks
It’s been a long wait but finally PGA fans get the most prestigious Major of the year albeit at a very odd time of the year. For the first time ever the Masters tournament will be played on November 12th to 15th at Augusta National Golf Club. What that means for the conditions of the course is anyone’s guess but I’m expecting the maintenance crew will be working 24/7 to have the Augusta course in it’s normal pristine conditions.
For us DFS golf players our most important concern is who to draft for our DraftKings Masters Contests. It won’t be easy this year as it’s hard to predict if this change of schedule will have a big impact on the golfers preparation this year and whether we can rely on past course history as much as we normally do for the Masters. I think this may be a good year to take a bunch of longshot picks and first timers which you would normally try to avoid in a normal Masters year. Let’s get to the Top 5 DraftKings picks for the 2020 Masters:
Draft your DraftKings Masters Contest here: Fantasy Golf Millionaire ($1M to 1st)
1. Jon Rahm
Reasons to Draft: Rahm is going to be my top pick from the Top Tier salary range of DraftKings. In the 2020 season he was consistently one of the bets golfers on tour ranking 4th in Top Ten finishes and finishing with 2 wins. He recently finished 2nd at the ZOZO Championship and looks to be in the best form of career as he heads into the Masters. The last 2 years at Augusta he is been right in the hunt finishing 9th last year and 4th the year before. He averages 84 DraftKings points in the Masters tournament so barring a complete meltdown he should be as safe as it gets in making the cut with a Top 15 finish.
Ownership Prediction: Will be one of the highest owned guys in the Top Tier along with Rory McIlroy, I expect ownership to be in the 18% to 25% range.
2. Bubba Watson
Reasons to Draft: Bubba has had a bit of a re-birth this past year and is playing some pretty exceptional golf for a “wiley” veteran. In his last 2 tournaments in October he finished 4th and 7th racking up 116 and 104 DraftKings points respectively. The thing about Bubba in Major tournaments is he usually falls apart with the exception of one, that of course being The Masters. He has won it two times before (2014, 2012) and in the last couple years at Augusta he has showed flashes of that winning form. He finished 12th in 2019 and 5th in 2018 with an average of 86 DK points. I don’t know if he can pull off another green jacket ever again but if he’s is going to do it now looks like his perfect window to do it given how well he is playing.
Ownership Prediction: Given how well he is playing it will be higher than normal, look for around 15% ownership levels.
3. Matthew Wolf
Reasons to Draft: One of the young guns on tour the 21 year old already has 1 career win and 5 Top Ten finishes in 33 official events. He has never played at Augusta before which usually is a reason to avoid a player but because of the craziness of the past year due to Covid and the Masters being so late in the year I’m not worried about him being a first timer at all. He has the 2020 season under his belt and is in fine form averaging 85 DraftKings points in his last 5 events. What I love about him the most is that so far he has been unfazed by the pressure of playing in a Major. He has played in 2 so far: The PGA Championship and the US Open. He finished 4th in the PGA and 2nd at the US Open, this kids seems cold blooded and I don’t think the allure of Augusta will faze him at all.
Ownership Prediction: Less than 10%, I expect ownership will go to those around him in salary like Finau, Day and Matsuyama.
4. Justin Rose
Reasons to Draft: You are going to need an under the radar, low owned pick to win the $1M on DraftKings so Rose is my guy this year. I don’t know if he is in the decline of his career or is just having a bad stretch but Rose has been non-existent in most tournaments he has played the past year. That being said his best finish in his last 10 events was in a Major, that being the PGA Championship where he finished in 9th place. At the Masters he has been great in the past with the exception of last year where he missed the cut. Before that however, he finished 12th, 2nd and 10th averaging 68 DK points. One thing to consider is the discount in salary you are getting this year with him being priced at $7700. Last year he was priced at a hefty $10800, so the question is has he really digressed that much or is he just in a bad funk which he can snap out of at the right tournament. I’m banking on the latter but he is a risk to miss the cut for sure.
Ownership Prediction: Don’t think many will be targeting Rose at all this year, expect him to be under 8% owned.
5. Adam Scott
Reasons to Draft: If you’re looking for a safe floor and a guy most likely to make the cut Adam Scott may be your man. Is he going to win? Does Adam Scott win anything nowadays, no, so don’t bank on a miracle performance at the 2020 Masters. In the past he has performed average to decent which is that safe floor we are talking about, somewhere around 65 to 75 DK points. He averages 61 DK points in the most recent Masters tournaments and has finished 18th, 32nd, 9th and 42nd. He’s having a good showing at the Houston Open so let’s hope that carries over to the Masters and he stumbles into a Top Ten finish.
Ownership Prediction: He’s always a little more owned than he should be because he is a recognizable name but he should hover around 5 to 8%.
