Sony Open 2021 | PGA Tour
The regular rotation of weekly golf is back and part two of the Hawaian swing is on deck. A large field has gathered in Honolulu as the PGA Tour gears up for the 2021 Sony Open at Waialae Country Club. Let’s get you set to see some green screens on DraftKings this weekend.Â
What's up golf addicts! AC here, checking in week to week to provide a quick recap of the latest Tour Junkies podcast. I won't cover all of the picks and insight (you need to listen to the show) but I'll give you a few.
Congrats to all the Handsome Harry English backers last week. What a stud. Dude just oozes beauty on and off the course. Unfortunately, a hot start from Adam Scott and JT were short-lived and so went my green screens.
English is back in the field this week maybe looking for three titles in a row, though the QBE shootout win isn’t official. Webb Simpson is also playing for a second week in a row and headlines the 144-man field. Collin Morikawa, Joaquin Niemann, Hideki Matsuyama, and Daniel Berger round out your studs for the week. The 2020 Sony Open champ, Cameron Smith, is back to defend the title with the likes of past Sony Open champ, Ryan Palmer, and Sungjae Im, who are looking to keep their hot streaks alive.
Waialae Country Club Course Preview
You know a course has history when it has a video game named after it almost as old as I am. In fact, the PGA has visited Waialae CC annually since 1965 but the course is almost a century old, designed by Seth Raynor in 1927. A guy named Seth, in 1927…
The 7,000 yard Par 70 plays a little different for the Sony Open as it is typically a Par 72 but even more interesting is the front and back nines are also swapped for the event. From tee to green and everything around and in between you will find Bermudagrass. There are a ton of bunkers (83 to be exact) but not much water as the wet stuff only comes into play on five holes.
With over 50 years of course history it is easy to find what works well at Waialae. Smith won at -11 in 2020 but winning scores have been closer to doubles that in years prior. Justin Thomas won at -27 in 2017 and Jimmy Walker won this event in back to back years in 2014/15 with a combined total of -40. Something important to note; 15 of last 20 winners have played the Tournament of Champions the week before and 14 of last 20 winners have played Waialae before.
Looking at Key stats, there are some clear correlations. Putting is very important, ball striking/ approach, driving accuracy and with Fantasy National you can use the Good Drives stat (measures all drives that end up with a green in regulation), scrambling, and 10 holes ranging from 400-500 yards. If you are a member at FantasyNational.com/TJ, don’t forget to sprinkle in a fair amount of opps gained to pair with some birdie or better %.
The Picks & Fades
Each week we will give you a play and a fade from each DraftKings salary range.Â
$9k+:Â
DB: Play - Sungjae Im | Fade - Harris English
Pat: Play - Webb Simpson | Fade - Adam Scott
AC: Play - Daniel Berger, Webb Simpson, Collin Morikawa | Fade - Cameron Smith
$8k:
DB: Play - Kevin Kisner | Fade - Erik VanRooyen
Pat: Play - Zach Johnson | Fade - Russell Henley
AC: Play - Russell Henley, Kevin Kisner, Charles Howell | Fade - Matt Kuchar
$7k:
DB: Play - Sebastien Munoz | Fade - Jason Kokrak
Pat: Play - Patton Kizzire | Fade - Marc Leishman
AC: Play - Cam Davis, Matthew Nesmith, Sepp Straka | Fade - Marc Leishman
$6k:Â
DB: Play - Doug Ghim, Adam Schenk, Wesley Bryan
Pat: Play - Doug Ghim, Peter Malnati, Kramer Hickok
AC: Play - Will Gordon, Doug Ghim, Wesley Bryan
OUT: Jhonny Vegas, Joseph Bramlett, Patrick Reed, Viktor Hovland, Sean O'Hair, Steve Stricker, Sebas Cappelen
IN: Seamus Power, Bill Haas, Michael Gellerman, Aaron Baddeley, Rafael Campos, Brandon Hagy, Tim Wilkinson
Monday Qs: Andres Gonzales, MJ Daffue, In-Hoi Hur, Nick Hardy
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