PGA PrizePicks for the Fortinet Championship

PrizePicks offers a different way to play fantasy sports than simply building a lineup of different golfers on a salary. There are different categories of props and matchups, which are not often offered anywhere else. I’m going to go through a few plays of mine for the Fortinet Championship.

PrizePicks has birdie matchups, fairways hit, greens in regulation, score and occasionally scoring on set holes on the course. These props are set up for single-round action allowing you to adjust as you go and get more information as the tournament progresses. Occasionally, such as for majors, PrizePicks will offer “holes played”, which basically picks golfers to make or miss the cut, in which case the props will take place over the first two rounds.

If you have never played on Prize Picks or want more background, I highly suggest reading this article by FTN’s Tyler Loechner on how it works. It’s a great breakdown of how the site works.

Fortinet Championship Round 1 Picks

Corey Conners MORE 69.5 Strokes

While Conners is one of the top golfers in the field, I make the over 69.5 a slight edge in Round 1. This will be his fourth trip to Silverado Resort, and while he has driven the ball well and hit a lot of greens (like many), his short game has been less than stellar. He’s coming off another wonderful ball-striking season, but he continues to be an average short-game golfer. This is great for consistency and making cuts but not as useful for creating low rounds. I am projecting the field average to be close to 71, and while Conners will beat the field by 2+ strokes a fair amount, I think it’s less often than PrizePicks suggests with their odds. Lastly, if it comforts you, Conners has beaten number only three times in his 10 rounds played at Silverado.

Jason Dufner MORE 70.5 Strokes

Dufner is playing at one of the worst levels in this field, and I find it hard to side with him being under the number. Of course, it’s golf and he will break 71 at some point, but I disagree with what the odds are projecting. He struggled to break this number at any course last season, even easier ones than Silverado Resort. He no longer does anything well, and his best skill is probably his chipping – which if he’s having to do a lot of that in Round 1, he will struggle to break par. He is a man holding on by a thread and treading water on the PGA Tour – currently in the field with his career money exemption. The odds, along with his talent and age, are not on his side.