The Power Fade: 2023 ZOZO Championship
The Approach to fading big names for the 2023 ZOZO 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!
Following Tom Kim's successful title defense at the Shriners (Shoutout to our very own Pat Perry for hitting the outright!) we now head across the Pacific Ocean to Japan and the ZOZO Championship.
Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club plays as a unique 7,079 yard Par 70 with five par 3's and three par 5's. A course that requires precision with your irons, as the greens are below average by PGA TOUR standards, we should see the winning score fall between -13 to -17.
Without further adieu, let's see who our Power Fades will be for the ZOZO Championship!
Rickie Fowler ($10,000)
Our first Power Fade of the week comes to us from the 10K range on DraftKings. Rickie Fowler kicks off the week with a return appearance to the Power Fade. While Rickie will be popular due to name value in this field, the stats show it is a week to stay away and fade.
Why The Fade Works:
Fowler returns to competition this week in Japan following a less than stellar effort at the Ryder Cup.
Fowler comes in ranking mediocre in a few statistical categories this week. Ranking 60th in Strokes Gained Off The Tee, and 53rd Good Drives Gained makes for a less than stellar start.
Interestingly Fowler ranks very poorly this week in putting. With a 60th ranking in Strokes Gained Putting, Fowler may not be able to make enough putts to pay off that 10K price tag.
I know many of you may be saying "AK this is a no cut event, so Rickie is guaranteed four rounds so why fade him?" I would counter this argument by saying a no-cut event can be a bad thing when it comes to DraftKings.
Rickie may very well use the first round as a knock off the rust round. If this is the case, we may see a middling finish from Fowler that makes fading the right play at the ZOZO.
Alex Noren ($8,100)
Alex Noren makes his triumphant return to the Power Fade, and his first appearance since our maiden voyage at the Mexico Open.
Why The Fade Works:
Noren is a very interesting case this week. Everyone just saw the Swede play incredible at the Shriners, yet his statistics say he isn't a great play.
With a 55th ranking in Opportunities Gained this week, coupled with ranking only 69th in birdies for this field. While this week won't be the birdie fest last week was in Vegas, these stats do not make a great case for Noren.
Additionally, Noren appears to be early chalk in the 8K range. After the good showing last week, people seem to want to be on Noren. If the Swede is going to be chalk with his known volatility we can pivot up the board to lesser owned plays such as Vincent Norrman.
That's it folks for this week's edition of the Power Fade. We will be returning to you in two weeks as we head to Mexico for the World Wide Technology Championship.
Follow me on Twitter @AllenKlutts and on Instagram @Allen_Klutts906
Until then Be Bold, Be Brave, and Let's Ride the Power Fade!
"I know many of you may be saying "AK this is a no cut event, so Rickie is guaranteed four rounds so why fade him?" I would counter this argument by saying a no-cut event can be a bad thing when it comes to DraftKings.
Rickie may very well use the first round as a knock off the rust round. If this is the case, we may see a middling finish from Fowler that makes fading the right play at the ZOZO."
— 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.