The Power Fade: 2023 Butterfield Bermuda Championship
The Approach to fading big names for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship
What’s going on TJ Nation! Ann Arbor's Own Good Ol' AK Allen Klutts here bringing you another edition of the Power Fade: The Fades 8K and Above You Need to Smash Your DraftKings GPP's!
With a week in Mexico in the books, we head to Bermuda for the penultimate event of the 2023 calender year. A weak field heads to Port Royal Golf Course, where Adam Scott headlines as the favorite.
Port Royal Golf Course is a very short, coastal course playing just over 6,800 yards. A Par 71 featuring three reachable par 5's and four challenging par 3's, scoring will be determined by the weather. This week is a textbook case of waiting until the last minute to set your lineups as we have seen upwards of a 2-3 shot difference in tee splits over the last four years.
Without further adieu, let us dive into who our Power Fades are for the World Wide Technologies Championship!
Brendon Todd ($10,300)
Our first Power Fade of the week is a former winner of the Bermuda Championship, I am of course referring to the Todd-father, Brendon Todd who comes in at a $10,300 price tag.
Why The Fade Works:
Everything about Port Royal Golf Course should scream Brendon Todd. The fact that has won on this golf course and the field is underwhelming will lead people to start lineups with Todd. The stats however tell a different tale.
First of all, let's talk about the year Todd won. In 2019 Todd lit the field up with a career week for Strokes Gained. Gaining over 18 strokes on the field, this type of spike week is not typical of Todd now 4 years later. With a ranking of 81st in the field Strokes Gained Off the Tee, Todd is not giving himself many great starts to make birdies.
Speaking of birdies, Todd ranks 94th in the field for birdies. Paying over 10k on DraftKings for someone who struggles to score in birdie-fest is troubling.
As I have said time and again, high variance birdie-fests mean FADE THE CHALK. You could argue that fading the whole 10K range on DraftKings this week is a good play. I won't disagree, as trying to build lineups with the 6K range gets bowling shoe ugly in a hurry. Fade the Todd-father with authority this week, and begin your lineups in the 9k range.
Ben Griffin ($9,300)
Ben Griffin is our second Power Fade of the week, coming in at a very fair $9,300 price tag. While the former UNC-Chapel Hill product and one time mortgage broker will gain steam for his course history mixed with a decent price, the stats say playing Griffin means we are taking out a mortgage we just simply can't pay.
Why The Fade Works:
Griffin has a some major flaws statistically that make you wonder why is he exactly chalk.
Starting with his off the tee game, Griffin ranks 86th Strokes Gained off the Tee. Clearly this is hindering his ability to make birdies as much like Brendon Todd above, Griffin struggles ranking 76th.
Griffin also clearly struggles around the greens, as he ranks 81st Strokes Gained Around the Green in this field. Missing greens is deadly this week, and not being able to scramble for par will fast track you on a one way plane ride to the Bermuda Triangle.
Additionally with the very challenging par 3's this week, Griffin struggles compound themselves yet again. Ranking 92nd in Strokes Gained Par 3, we see the final ingredient in a recipe for disaster. Fade Ben Griffin this week and move to other players in the range such as Luke List or Taylor Pendrith.
That's it folks for this week's edition of the Power Fade. We will return to you next week for the 2023 calender year finale of the Power Fade, as we head to Sea Island, Georgia and the RSM Classic!
Follow me on X @AllenKlutts and on Instagram @Allen_Klutts906
Until then Be Bold, Be Brave, and Let's Ride the Power Fade!
"As I have said time and again, high variance birdie-fests mean FADE THE CHALK. You could argue that fading the whole 10K range on DraftKings this week is a good play. I won't disagree, as trying to build lineups with the 6K range gets bowling shoe ugly in a hurry."
— AK
Meet the Author:
Allen Klutts
A long time Tour Junkies fan and Nut Hut Member, Allen has always been an enthusiastic PGA DFS player and is looking to bring that passion to his writing. A frequent participant on the Wednesday Night Live Stage Chat, who DB once compared to Norm from the TV show "Cheers" for always kicking off the live stage segment, Allen lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan with his wife and two year old son.
Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and commentary in this post belong to its author and do not necessarily represent the Tour Junkies as a whole.