The SI Golf Fantasy team of Ben Heisler and Mark Farris reveal their favorite PGA DFS tiers, bets, and a fade for the 2021 Masters Tournament from Augusta National Golf Club.
Previous 2021 PGA Tour Event Winners & DraftKings Salary
- Valero Texas Open: Jordan Spieth ($10,700)
- World Golf Championship - Dell Technologies Match Play: Billy Horschel ($7,200)
- The Honda Classic: Matt Jones ($7,400)
- The Players Championship: Justin Thomas ($9,900)
- Arnold Palmer Invitational: Bryson DeChambeau ($11,000)
- Workday Charity Open: Collin Morikawa ($9,500)
- The Genesis Invitational: Max Homa ($8,200)
- AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: Daniel Berger ($10,100)
- Waste Management Phoenix Open: Brooks Koepka ($8,800)
- Farmers Insurance Open: Patrick Reed ($10,100)
- The American Express: Si Woo Kim ($8,200)
- Sony Open: Kevin Na ($7,500)
- Sentry Tournament of Champions: Harris English ($8,700)
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$9,000+ Range
Ben Heisler: Collin Morikawa
DraftKings Price: $9,600
DraftKings Sportsbook Betting Odds to Win: +3150
I’ve been on board with Morikawa at Augusta since he won his first Major at the PGA Championship at Harding Park in 2020. He lives for the big moment, and while the result of his first trip to Augusta last November was uninspiring (T41), there are a few things to take away.
One, his short game stunk. He lost 4.3 strokes combined both around the green and putting and still made the cut and finished 41st. The good news is that he’s addressed his putting issues with a new grip, and it led him to a first-place finish this year at the WGC-Mexico, where he gained four strokes with his putter alone.
The other thing to consider is this isn’t a full year in between The Masters. Morikawa has only played in five tournaments since last year’s Masters Tournament, so the course is fresh in his mind. Between Morikawa’s elite level ball striking (1st in SG: approach, 2nd in SG: tee-to-green) and his newfound confidence with his putter, I think he’s ready to pounce and take down his second major championship at just 24 years old.
Additional Plays to Consider
- Patrick Cantlay - $9,800 (+2050)
- Brooks Koepka - $9,200 (+2800)
Mark Farris: Jon Rahm
DraftKings Price: $11,000
DraftKings Sportsbook Betting Odds to Win: +1200
Yes, he’s expensive! However, this is one of those weeks where having to drop down into the $7K to $8K range isn’t leaving you with Happy Gilmore’s caddy as a player!
D.J. is the favorite, given only five months have passed since he won. But Rahm has played here four times and has been top 10 over the last three. His first child was born early, so there is no need to worry about an early withdrawal for obviously legitimate reasons. And accordingly, doesn’t that play into the narrative for a win? He’s going to win one sooner or later, and frankly, what better time than now?
Additional Plays to Consider
- Rory McIlroy - $10,200 (+1900): His last two rounds of competition leave a lot to be desired, but his course history here is IMPECCABLE! Since 2014, he’s been outside the top 10 just one time.
- Jordan Spieth - $9,400 (+1150): Until the win last week, I was SURE he was going to be my dark horse this week. Now, that dark horse will be the “chalk” board! He’s likely still a solid play, and honestly, getting two (and maybe three) guys over $9K in your lineup isn’t impossible this week.
$7,500 - $8,900
Ben Heisler: Louis Oosthuizen
DraftKings Price: $7,500
DraftKings Sportsbook Betting Odds to Win: +7500
There’s a ton of names to love in this range, especially with so many high-profile golfers in play. Ultimately, I landed on Oosthuizen as perhaps my favorite value pick, as well as someone likely to see low ownership at Augusta.
Let’s start with why he’s likely to be overlooked.
His recent form has been solid but not spectacular. Oosthuizen has a T6 and T11 in two of his last three events, but a T41 at THE PLAYERS is what most DFS players and bettors have fresh in their minds. His putting has been magnificent, ranking third in SG: putting over his last 24 rounds, but anyone can get hot for a weekend with the putter, so another reason for the fade.
Here’s why Oosthuizen is a stud this week.
At $7,500, you get a steady veteran who ranks 12th in the field in SG: total at Augusta National over the last five years. He’s a near-automatic cut-maker who hasn’t missed out on the final weekend at this event since 2013. The only players at his price point or below with better strokes gained numbers at The Masters are Justin Rose, Jason Day, and Matt Kuchar, and all of them have a missed cut in the last two events at Augusta.
If you’re living large with plays in the $9-11K range, you’ll need some savings, and Lucky Louie can get you there.
Additional Plays to Consider
- Daniel Berger - $8,500 (+3500)
- Matthew Fitzpatrick - $8,100 (+4000)
- Paul Casey - $7,700 (+3500)
- Adam Scott - $7,600 (+7500)
Mark Farris: Tommy Fleetwood
DraftKings Price: $8,000
DraftKings Sportsbook Betting Odds to Win: +6000
I'm not going to lie to you. I can't see one guy in this price range that I would shout, "have you lost your mind?" if you played him.
I can't find any fault from Louis Oosthuizen ($7,500) to Tyrell Hatton ($8,900). So, whether it's by coincidence or pure gut, I'm going with Tommy Fleetwood in the middle of the pack. He's been up and down recently, but the down isn't horrible. He has finished top 20 here in two of the last three Masters. He's been top 10 in two of his last three events. I'm just saying that I'm feeling Tommy on the first page at some point this weekend.
Additional Plays to Consider
- Cameron Smith - $8,200 (+3500) - Two top 5s in the last three Masters. He's also been playing relatively solid with this current form.
- Paul Casey - $7,700 (+3500) - Paul Casey is like southern comfort food on a winter's day. I'm not sure why, but I don't get any bad feelings when I plug him into a lineup when he's under $9,000. At $7,700, I'm sleeping like a baby after the peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream for dessert.
$7,400 and Under
Ben Heisler: Max Homa
DraftKings Price: $7,100
DraftKings Sportsbook Betting Odds to Win: +10000
Who doesn’t love this kind of pricing for Homa! He’ll likely be popular, but in this range, I don’t mind eating a bit of chalk and playing someone whose metrics line up perfectly with the course.
A great observation from longtime PGA DFS and betting analyst Pat Mayo:
“Homa’s two wins have come at the closest crossover course, Riviera, and the second closest, Quail Hollow.”
It may be a tough ask for Homa to go out and win The Masters, but it’s certainly not out of the question for him to be in contention throughout. Granted, playing him off a missed cut at THE PLAYERS isn’t ideal, but the numbers leading up to it have been outstanding: three top 10 finishes and four consecutive top 25’s. He also ranks top 10 in both SG: total and SG: approach over his last 24 rounds.
Additional Plays to Consider
- Joaquin Niemann - $7,400 (+5500)
- Justin Rose - $7,200 (+10000)
- Jason Kokrak - $6,900 (+9000)
Mark Farris: Abraham Ancer
DraftKings Price: $7,400
DraftKings Sportsbook Betting Odds to Win: +8000
WOW! Now you will see what I’m talking about in the top tier! This range is just overflowing with viable options to make the cut. Some even have an outside chance to win! In his first appearance here in November, Abraham finished T13. Not bad for a rookie! He’s also had four consecutive top 25s in his last four events. He was a bit erratic last week but still managed a T23 at Valero.
Additional Plays to Consider
I’m just going to list them to show you how many options are here:
- Joaquin Niemann - $7,400 (+5500)
- Corey Conners -$6,900 (+8000): This is crazy
- Ian Poulter -$6,800 (+15000): I don’t care how he’s playing. Match play and Majors = Honey Badger
- Matt Kuchar - $6,800 (+10000): My fade last week has now convinced me that he’s worth it again. Definitely worth $6,800!
Top Fade
Ben Heisler: Jon Rahm
DraftKings Price: $11,000
DraftKings Sportsbook Betting Odds to Win: +1250
I feel like I'm Al Pacino during the "Say Goodnight to the Bad Guy" speech in Scarface for putting Rahm on this list days after his first child was born.
It's easy to stroll down "Narrative Street" with Rahm and play the "Dad Strength" game into notching his first Masters. The problem is I just can't get there.
He's the second-most expensive golfer in the field, his putting has been average at best (55th in SG: putting), and speaking as a new dad of a six week old (granted, it's our second, so it's substantially easier than for our first), babies are well, exhausting!
I get that Rahm has three consecutive top 10 finishes at The Masters, and he's one of the most consistent players on Tour, but I can't get to $11K with him in this type of field with so much excellence everywhere you look!
Plus, when everyone decided to jump on the Rory McIlroy "new dad" train, and they're still waiting for it to reach the station for a win on the Tour!
I'll buy in on the dad narrative for Rahm, perhaps for the U.S. Open on Father's Day weekend, but not this week at Augusta.
Oh, and this won't tempt me at all to change my mind either. I swear.
Additional Fades to Consider
- Rory McIlroy - $10,200 (+1900)
- Jordan Spieth - $9,400 (+1100)
Mark Farris: Tony Finau
DraftKings Price: $9,100
DraftKings Sportsbook Betting Odds to Win: +3500
Tony Finau is a great player and will continue to have chances to win Majors. However, I don’t think it’s here.
Finau had a T38 here in November, and two missed cuts in his last three events (the only one he “made” was Match Play).
Can he top 10? Of course, but there are too many other options around him, and pricing is soft. You can find, in my opinion, better plays.
Additional Fades to Consider
- Brooks Koepka - $9,200 (+2800) - Right now, they are saying he is playing. Even if he does, I don’t think he plays well coming off of knee surgery. In fact, other than I have some doubts that he even tees it up on Thursday, I would have picked him over Tony Finau as my fade of the week.