7 under $7,000: Cheap DFS plays for the 2021 Joburg Open

Every week a crucial part of success in Golf DFS GPPs will be hitting on lower-owned/lower-salary golfers. Golf is a unique DFS sport in that all the golfers have the same opportunity to score. There are no starters, bench players, role players, 3rd down backs, etc. The golfer who is $6,000 is guaranteed to play at least 36 holes, just like the 11,000 golfers. The goal of this article is to highlight those potential low-owned, low-salary golfers than can carry our lineups to the top.

Due to the field this week, I’m going to make a pivot and give myself a little bit more room by bumping the threshold up to $7,300.  

I know, that’s cheating, but a majority of the lower-salaried golfers of this field play almost entirely on the Sunshine Tour and it’s harder for me to compare them and project them.  I do not want to be recommending golfers just for content; I want to tell you about golfers I will be using in lineups. 

Daniel Gavins $7,300

The immediate form is a tad ugly for Gavins, however, considering the field, he has a fair amount of Euro Tour experience.  That is not always a precursor for success in these events but if you go back to earlier in the year when he was playing Challenge Tour events, he was consistently in the T10.  This field is much closer to those than Euro Tour. His skill set is average at best across the board, but a majority of those stats have come against those stronger fields. 

Darius Van Driel $7,200

It is a bit of an ugly scene but in this field, his long-term skill profile can’t be ignored.  Despite the lack of distance, he has been a solid ball-striker, with a so-so short game; sounds like the perfect golfer to tilt! What he lacks in birdies he makes up for (normally) by avoiding big numbers.  I don’t anticipate this being a wild birdie fest so the lower birdie rate won’t be killer (I hope). 

Niall Kearney $7,100

Kearney turned a corner in 2021 and easily played the best golf of his pro career, which included four T20’s in 15 starts, with his most consistent play coming near the end of the season.  I would prefer a bit more distance OTT but perhaps the 5,500 ft of elevation can help that out.  He plays from the fairway a lot which is a bonus and has shown the ability to putt well enough to spring up the leaderboard.  I believe his price provides the most value in the field vs my odds for him to finish inside the top 20. 

Oliver Farr $7,100

We have reached the portion of the program where we are playing golfers who, long term, lose strokes to the field on approach.  He is just barely in the negative over 74 rounds, which still puts him above the equator in rank for this field (gross). His Euro Tour career has been quite middling, but he’s always bounced right back to the tour when he’s had to go back to the Challenge Tour.  His skill level appears to be in the middle, which this week, is enough to put him in play to save salary. 

Dale Whitnell $7,000

The cheap golfers this week are all poofers off the tee so I’m hoping the lack of distance isn’t a complete killer. The good news is Whitnell has been one of the better irons plays in this field over the last year (of those with strokes gained data).  He started the season off better than he finished it however now is the time to get those Race to Dubai points! Hopefully, the superior iron play continues. 

Hurly Long $6,800

If we want the distance angle, Long is the play for me.  He has mainly played on the Challenge Tour with peaks and valleys and finished 35th at the Olympics in Japan.  I bring that up because it was the strongest field he was in and they had strokes gained stats.  Even against that field, he gained almost one stroke per round OTT.  We will mix the skills we go after and if distance proves out, Long will be able to gain quite a bit with the driver. 

Jesper Kennegard $6,300

If you’re looking to truly save salary, Kennegard is where I would take the chance.  At 33 years old, this isn’t a play on young talent but a golfer who seems to have found something in 2021.  Upon making the jump from the Nordic Golf League to the Challenge Tour he continued to show well, with six T20’s in 12 events.  I’m not expecting fireworks but if the progression truly was an improvement and not a random six-month spike he can push for a T20 this week as well.