What is your game plan for the DraftKings Fantasy Golf Millionaire? For the 2021 Masters, go for the green with Shawn Childs
Welcome to our golf daily game kit for the Masters. With an overall prize of $1,000,000 to this event's winner for a $10 entry, the casual fan can't let this opportunity slip by him.
ENTER THE $4M FANTASY GOLF MILLIONAIRE
Fantasy golf is an excellent experience for daily owners. It gives more length to their investment while providing endless moments of anxiety as each golfer beats the golf ball all over the course. You can imagine the immense pressure these players feel when they are in the heat of the battle.
This tournament by DraftKings.com will give you the same opportunity to be a star for a weekend while not seeing your knees wobble when trying to make a six-foot putt to save par.
The information in this format is geared to narrow down the player pool to create a winning opportunity. The Masters is a unique tournament as the field is smaller with some options having no chance at winning. The possible number of players playing on the weekend is shorter than most PGA events. There will be only 50 golfers making the cut (plus ties).
To win the event, you will need to find the winner, plus every golfer will need to make the cut. There are too many combinations for someone to slip through the cracks.
Each Fantasy golf owner should be looking to find three or four key players to build their team. Ideally, you would like to identify the value plays with upside. Once you have your core, you may want to diversify your roster's backend to give yourself more options to make the cut and win a million dollars.
To win the Masters, a golfer will need to be long off the tee with accuracy. The best swing path is a long draw (power fade for a lefty). Placement with approach shots is essential to create makeable birdie opportunities. A stealth short game is a must, along with a hot putter.
Dustin Johnson ($11,500)
Over the last six weeks in the United States, Johnson has only played in three events. He struggled in the WGC-Mexico Championship (54th) played in Florida with a dull finish in The Players Championship (48th) and a 1-1-1 showing in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
His last win came in the Covid delayed Masters in November. In his nine contests at Augusta, he's made the cut eight times, with his other top finishes coming in 2015 (6th), 2016 (4th), 2018 (10th), and 2019 (2nd). Overall at the Masters, Johnson is -35 over 38 rounds, with all of his success coming over the past five tournaments (-9, -1, -7, -12, and -20).
He ranks 8th on the PGA Tour in driving distance (313.3), with only 58.9 percent landing in the fairway (119h). Johnson currently sits in 14th place in strokes gained putting (-.182) with a 1.67 to 1 birdie to bogey ratio (34th).
Johnson isn’t in top form, but his resume at Augusta has been impressive over his last five events. He has an eagle swing on the Par 5s, which is an edge at the tournament. Johnson should be in the hunt, but I expect him to fall short of a victory based on his recent play unless his putter catches fire.
Jon Rahm ($11,000)
Rahm missed a golden opportunity last week in the Dell Match Play Championship. He was the highest-ranked player left in the quarter-finals in an upset-filled contest, but Rahm lost to the eventual runner-up Scottie Scheffler.
Over his six stroke-play tournaments on the PGA Tour in 2021, Rahm has four top 10s while being 60 under par over 24 rounds. His last win came in the BMW Championship in late August.
In his first four trips to the Masters, Rahm finished 27th, 4th, 9th, and 7th while being 28 under par over 16 rounds. His play at Augusta has been exceptional over the past three trips (-11, -10, and -10).
He has a big swing (306.1 – 23rd) with improvement in finding the fairway (61.9 percent – 82nd). His putter can get hot at times, but it has let him down in 2021 (122nd in strokes gained-putting - 0.007). Jon sits ninth on the PGA tour in birdie-to-bogey ratio (1.92).
Despite an underachieving feel this year, Rahm looks ready to make a significant push in this year’s Masters. He has all the tools to contend, but he can’t win without finding his putting stroke. I expect the stars to align on the second weekend in April.
Bryson DeChambeau ($10,800)
Before his early exit in the Dell Match Play Championship (1-2), DeChambeau picked up a win and a third in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship. Over his last 15 tournaments, he has two other wins (Rocket Mortgage and US Open).
As an amateur in 2016 at Augusta, DeChambeau finished in 21st with a score of plus five. Over the past three years, he placed 38th, 29th, and 34th while finishing three-under par over 12 rounds.
DeChambeau leads the PGA Tour in driving distance (302.8) with struggles in his accuracy (58.0 percent – 138th). His putter sits 38th in strokes gained putting (0.435). He has the fifth-best birdie-to-bogey ratio (2.05).
To be a winner at Augusta, DeChambeau needs to stay out of trouble with his driver. His length gives him an instant edge on five 5s, but he still needs to stick his approaches to create birdie chances. DeChambeau is getting closer to a Master’s title while still looking a year away from a legit chance at picking up a green jacket.
Justin Thomas ($10,600)
After two excellent final rounds (64-68) to win The Players Championship, Thomas lost his first two matches in the Dell Match Play Championship. He has one missed cut in his last 17 stroke-play events, which came after losing his grandfather in February. Thomas is 81 under over his previous 30 rounds with three other top-five finishes.
In his first Masters, Thomas shot 76, 73, 78, and 71 leading a 39th place finish (+10). He followed up with a 22nd in 2017 (+2), 17th in 2018 (-4), 12th in 2019 (-8), and 4th in 2020 (-12). His progression is getting closer to a threat at Augusta. Thomas is 24 under over his last 12 rounds at Augusta with five rounds in the 60s.
He currently sits 63rd in driving distance (300.4) with some struggles with his accuracy (58.8 – 123rd). Thomas is 54th in strokes gained putting (0.356) and second in birdie-to-bogey ratio (2.24).
There is no doubt Thomas will win a Masters before he hangs up his clubs. His progression at this event points to a top-three finish in 2021.
Rory McIlroy ($10,200)
McIlroy has been frustrating to watch this golf season. He already has two missed cuts with many rounds of ugliness. His game lacks a sense of urgency and the desire to be one of the greatest in the game.
In the Dell Match Play Championship, he went 1-0-1 after getting dusted in the first round. McIlroy hasn’t won in the US since October 31 in 2019 (WGC-HSBC Champions). He shot 76, 79, and 75 in his last three rounds in stroke-play events.
Despite the appearance of disaster, McIlroy has nine top 20s over his past 13 tournaments.
In 2015 at the Masters, he came off the pace to finish 4th (-12) after falling 12 shots behind Jordan Spieth after rounds one and two. It was his best Masters event in 12 tries. Last year McIlroy finished 11 under par for a 5th place finish, giving him six top 10s over his previous seven trips to Augusta. Overall, he has 46 rounds at Augusta with one missed cut while being 31 under par (-9 in 2018, -5 in 2019, and -11 in 2020).
He ranks 3rd in driving distance (319.1), but only 57.2 percent (148th) of his drives have hit the fairway. His putter has been ragged at this point of the year (105th – 0.040 strokes-gained). McIlroy fell to 48th in birdie-to-bogey ratio (1.56).
His winning resume at Augusta still isn’t enough for me to take him to the daily dance at DraftKings. McIlroy isn’t in form, and I don’t expect his light to shine bright enough to win this week.
Xander Schauffele ($10,000)
Schauffele started the year with three top 5s (5th, 2nd, and 2nd), but his game has gone in the wrong direction since mid-February. He went from 15th to 39th to a missed cut before losing in a playoff to Scottie Scheffler to advance to the quarters at the Dell Match Play Championship.
His last win came at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January of 2019.
In his three appearances at the Masters, Schauffele made the cut each time, with best play coming in 2019 (2nd) and 2020 (17th). He’s minus 19 over his last eight rounds.
He ranks 28th in driving distance (305.4), with some wildness in his direction off the tees (58.1 percent – 137th). His putter grades as a plus in strokes gained putting (0.759 – 9th) with success in his birdie-to-bogey ratio (1.86 – 13th).
Schauffele tends to fly under the radar when matched up with the top-tier golfers due to his lack of wins. He putts well with the length to take advantage of the par 5s. In the mix at the top end with favorable betting odds (22-1) at DraftKings.
Patrick Cantlay ($9,800)
Cantlay peaked in January when he shot 54 under par over 12 rounds, leading to a second and a third. He closed in the fourth round of The American Express with a 61 to fall a stroke short of a possible win. The following week at the AT&T Pebble Beach, Cantlay opened with 10 under par, but he failed to make a push over the next two rounds (73 and 70).
His play regressed at The Players Championship (missed cut) while losing to Brian Harman in a playoff to advance to the quarter-finals at the Dell Match Play Championship.
In his four trips to Augusta, Cantlay played well in 2019 (-10) and 2020 (-7), which led to a 9th and 17th place finish. He shot 64-68 on the weekend in 2019.
Cantlay fell to 67th in driving distance (300.1) with improvement in finding the fairway (61.3 percent – 87th). He sits 50th in strokes gained putting (0.376) and 3rd in birdie-to-bogey ratio (2.14).
He is a viable play at the Masters based on his pedigree, play, and overall skill set.
Collin Morikawa ($9,600)
After taking down the WGC-Mexico Championship in Florida, Morikawa played poorly in The Players Championship (41st) and the Dell Match Play (0-2-1).
Over his last 31 events, he has four wins and six other top 10 finishes. In his rookie appearance in the Masters in 2020, Morikawa placed 44th while shooting even par.
He ranks 124th in driving distance (293.9) with exceptional accuracy (69.6 – 9th). His downfall in many weeks is his putter's value (-.453 in strokes gained putting – 179th). Morikawa tends to minimize the damage in bad holes leading to the 16th best birdie-to-bogey ratio (1.83) on tour.
Great player, but he doesn’t look ready to take down a title at the Masters. He’ll give himself plenty of birdie chances while coming up short in his conversion rate.
Jordan Spieth ($9,400)
In the summer of 2017, Spieth was on top of the golfing world after winning back-to-back events, with the latter being The Open Championship. It’s hard to believe he hasn’t won another event since.
His climb back up the World Golf rankings started in February when Spieth picked up a third and two fourths over four events. Over his last 20 rounds of stroke-play, he shot 70 or under 13 times. Unfortunately, his scoring average is only 72.6 on Sunday.
Last week in the Dell Match Play tournament, Spieth lost on the 18th hole in the round of 16 to Matt Kuchar after starting the event 2-0-1.
In his first five chances at the Masters, he has a win, two 2nds, a third, and one 11th place finish while being 39 strokes under par over 20 rounds. Spieth slipped to 21st in 2019 (-5) with further regression in 2020 (46th – +1).
Spieth ranks 99th in driving distance (296.6) with huge problems finding the fairway (50.0 percent – 204th). His putter continues to trail his early career success despite showing improvement (0.300 – 64th in strokes gained putting), leading to a low ranking in his birdie-to-bogey ratio (1.40 – 85th).
The best part about Spieth in 2021 is playing golf again. He’s hitting shots and not over-analyzing even swing. Even with an uptick in success this year, Spieth has plenty of work to do. He can’t win at Augusta without creating many birdie chances, which requires him to play from the fairway. Any investment in him is more on his resume at the Masters than his overall play this season.
Patrick Reed ($9,300)
Despite a win at the Farmers Insurance Open in late January, Reed has been up and down in 2021. He missed two of five cuts with a dull showing at the Dell Match Play event (1-1-1).
Over his first four trips to Augusta, Reed missed two cuts while being 27 strokes over par over 12 rounds. He broke through for a win in 2018 (-15), followed up by a 36th and 10th place finish over the past two seasons.
Reed is 182nd off the tees (287.4) with improvement in finding the fairway (64.5 percent – 53rd). His best edge comes with his putter (1st in strokes gained putting – 1.101). He sits 33rd in birdie-to-bogey ratio (1.68).
With a win under his belt at the Masters, Reed has the putter to add another green jacket. When in the hunt, he tends to rise in the big moments. The key for Reed is staying in contention until Sunday. In the mix at DraftKings at this salary level.
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