Welcome to the Masters week on FanDuel, my friends! This is what we’ve been waiting for. The Azaleas may not be in full bloom like they would be in April, but there will be plenty of storylines and great golf to unfold in the next few days.

The contests on FanDuel are a little bigger than normal, so have fun! There are nine golfers priced at $11,000 or above for the Masters. FanDuel provides DFS players with a salary cap of $60,000 to select six golfers for an average roster spot of $10,000. Bryson DeChambeau is the only golfer in the 12K range at $12,100. Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson are close behind at $11,900 and $11,800, respectively. Jon Rahm ($11,700) and Justin Thomas ($11,600) round out FanDuel’s top-five highest priced golfers.

Remember to have a solid process week in and week out as opposed to getting bogged down by recency bias or the ups-and-downs of the weekly golf grind. Whether you win or lose, golf is one of the most entertaining fantasy sports to follow because you get four days of action. Good luck and, most importantly, have fun!

Double your money if Bryson DeChambeau makes the cut at The Masters

Tournament Notes

• The Masters is played at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. The Par 72 course measures 7,475. It has some of the most iconic holes in all of golf.
• It is usually played in April, but it’s being played in November because of Covid-19. Only the golfers that were entered into the April 2020 event are eligible to play this week, which is why Daniel Berger and Viktor Hovland (two top-25 golfers) are not in this field.
• This is a much smaller field than we are used to seeing, as around 90 golfers are scheduled to tee it up. The top 50 (and ties) will make the cut. This is the first year that the Masters will NOT be using the 10-shot rule, in which anyone within 10 shots of the leader also makes the cut.
• The average winning score for the previous 15 Masters has been 11-under par. Tiger Woods won with a 13-under par last year. The best score during that time was Jordan Spieth’s 18-under par in 2015. The worst winning score was Zach Johnson’s 1-over par in 2007.
• Previous winners of the Masters that are in the field this week include Patrick Reed (2018), Danny Willett (2016), Jordan Spieth (2015), Bubba Watson (2014, 2012), Adam Scott (2013), Charl Schwartzel (2011), Phil Mickelson (2010, 2006, 2004), Zach Johnson (2007), Tiger Woods (2019, 2005, 2002, 2001, 1997), Mike Weir (2003), Vijay Singh (2000), Jose Maria Olazabal (1999, 1994), Bernard Langer (1993, 1985), Fred Couples (1992), and Sandy Lyle (1988).
• The bentgrass greens are very firm, fast, and have extreme undulations to them. Not only are there more three putts than normal, but the GIR is much lower than Tour average because the ball often rolls off the green even on seemingly good approach shots. The average approach shot typically comes from more than 175 yards. Most greens measure at least a 13 on the stimpmeter.
• There are four Par 3s (186-yard average), four Par 5s (546-yard average), and 14 Par 4s (454-yard averaged) on the course. The Par 5s are where the real scoring occurs, as there is a nearly 38% birdie-or-better rate on those holes. Comparatively speaking, the Par 3s and Par 4s have birdie-or-better rates of only 10-11% each.
• Holes 11, 12, and 13 make up “Amen Corner,” a famous stretch of holes that is considered very challenging, especially since it includes the course’s toughest hole. Hole 11 has a 37% bogey-or-worse rate. However, hole 13 has been one of the best scoring holes on the course with a birdie-or-better rate near 40%.
• Each of the last nine Masters winners has had a top-three finish at some point in the calendar year prior to winning at Augusta.
• The last golfer outside the OWGR top-25 to win the Masters was Charl Schwartzel in 2011.
• The last golfer to win in his first trip to Augusta was Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.
• A win would make McIlroy the sixth golfer in history (Sarazen, Hogan, Player, Woods, and Nicklaus) to win the career Grand Slam.
• The single-round record at the Masters is a 63 (Nick Price in 1986 and Greg Norman in 1996).
• The 72-hole record at the Masters is 18-under par (Tiger Woods in 1997 and Jordan Spieth in 2015).

Course Fit & Key Statistics

Recent Form
The golfers that rate out the best in my customized recent form model (in ranked order) are Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Bubba Watson, Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Tyrrell Hatton, Cam Smith, Tony Finau, and Bryson DeChambeau. Rory McIlroy leads the field with 22 straight made cuts on the PGA Tour. Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm have the next most with 17 and 12, respectively. Louis Oosthuizen, Justin Thomas, Patrick Reed, Cameron Smith, and Matthew Wolff all have 10 straight made PGA cuts.

Course History
Perhaps no place is course history more important than at Augusta National. This should be weighted more in your models and process than maybe it normally is. The 10 best golfers at Augusta, according to my customized course history model, are Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler, Paul Casey, Jon Rahm, Bubba Watson, and Hideki Matsuyama.

In the last five years, there are only four players that have finished in the top five at least twice. Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, and Justin Rose are the guys that have put themselves in a position to win on multiple occasions. Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Tony Finau, and Rickie Fowler are the only golfers who have recorded top-10 finishes in both of the last two years.

Shots Gained: Approach
One of the most correlated stats year in and year out at the Masters is SG: Approach. Augusta National is said to be a “second-shot course,” and having a consistent approach game puts a golfer in a position to score well. In examining recent form (last 8, 12, 24, 36 rounds) for all the golfers’ approach game, the ten golfers that measure out the best among each of those time frames for SG: Approach (in rank order) include: Dustin Johnson, Chez Reavie, Matthew Wolff, Justin Thomas, Tyrrell Hatton, Tony Finau, Hideki Matsuyama, Bubba Watson, Kevin Kisner, and Collin Morikawa.

Par-5 Scoring
Two years ago, Patrick Reed won with a score of 15-under par. Amazingly, he was 13-under par for the week on Par 5s. Tiger Woods would dominate the Masters because he dominated the Par 5s (including last year). When looking at their recent form on Par-5 scoring (last 8, 12, 24, 36 rounds), the top 10 golfers include (listed in rank order): Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Jon Rahm, Tony Finau, Cam Smith, Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele, Shane Lowry, Patrick Cantlay, and Justin Rose.

Official World Golf Ranking
All the statistics and course history are good to know, but sports (in particular, DFS golf) often comes down to betting on talent and playing the best overall players. Sure, salary is involved, but fitting as many of the world’s best golfers in your lineups increases your chances for success. According to the OWGR, the best ten golfers in this field (in ranked order) are Dustin Johnson (No. 1), Jon Rahm (No. 2), Justin Thomas (No. 3), Collin Morikawa (No. 4), Rory McIlory (No. 5), Bryson DeChambeau (No. 6), Webb Simpson (No. 7), Xander Schauffele (No. 8), Tyrrell Hatton (No. 9), and Patrick Cantlay (No. 10).

Favorite $11,000+ Plays

Bryson DeChambeau ($12,100)
Everything seems to be set up for him to crush it at Augusta, both figuratively and literally. Not only is he doing things off-the-tee that we haven’t seen before, but he is great with the putter. In his last two majors, he won the U.S. Open and finished T4 at the PGA Championship. His course history isn’t great here, but he is a different player than he’s been in the past.

Dustin Johnson ($11,500)
There didn’t appear to be much rust, as DJ finished second last week in Houston after recovering from Covid-19. He now has two wins and three runner-up finishes in his last six events. In the one event in which he didn’t hold down one of the top two spots – the U.S. Open – he finished T6. I plan on hitting the lock button on him in my MME, which I rarely do. I know all the world’s best players are here, but I want to make sure I get leverage on the field. He also has top-10 finishes in each of his last four starts here, including a runner-up last year. I also will try to get Jon Rahm ($11,700) and Xander Schauffele ($11,500) into some of my lineups.

Favorite $10,000 Plays

Webb Simpson ($10,800)
He quietly finished T5 at Augusta last year. His only weakness is his length off the tee, but his approach game, around the green game, and putting more than makes up for that. He is also as mentally tough as you’ll find. He is also extremely consistent, as he’s played the weekend in 28 of his last 30 starts. He won three times last during the 2020 PGA season. Three of his last six events have resulted in top-10 finishes.

Tony Finau ($10,400)
He is one of my favorite players this week. He has top-10 finishes in his last two majors and a T5 at the BMW during the FedEx Cup Playoffs. He has shown that he can raise the level of his game in big events. He was T5 at Augusta last year and T10 the year before when he played on a sprained ankle.

Bubba Watson ($10,000)
I never play Bubba, even at “Bubba courses.” He is rarely in good form coming into the places that he has great course history. It appears this year is a perfect storm. He plays well here and has been playing great lately. The two-time Masters champion finished T12 last year and T5 in 2018. In his last two events, he finished T4 at the ZOZO and T7 at the CJ Cup. Overall, he has five top-25 finishes in his last seven starts. Other 10K golfers I may consider are Patrick Reed ($10,900), Tyrrell Hatton ($10,600), and Adam Scott ($10,100).

Favorite $9,000 Plays

Jason Day ($9,900)
If he gets steam and ends up having a decent amount of rostership, then I won’t play him. If his rostership is manageable, then I like him. He played well last week in Houston, as he finished T7 and did well in all facets of the game. His recent results don’t look great, but he was top-10 on Sunday of the CJ Cup when he withdrew. He also had a stretch of four straight top-10 finishes back in late summer. He still has the potential to be a world-class golfer. Like Webb Simpson, he had a quiet T5 at Augusta last year. He was also T10 in 2016.

Matthew Fitzpatrick ($9,400)
His course history here isn’t anything special, but he was T7 back in 2016. He has been inconsistent over the last few months, as he missed the cut in both Majors, so he carries some risk because of that. However, he also has five top-12 finishes in his last 10 starts. He shouldn’t be rostered everywhere, and I love his ability to get hot with the putter.

Jason Kokrak ($9,000)
Even though no first-timer has won at Augusta in 40 years, that doesn’t mean a first-timer can’t play well from a fantasy perspective. Kokrak has a game that should be well-suited to Augusta. His one big weakness is an inconsistent flat stick. He can look really good and really bad. He has been really good recently, as he gained a bunch of strokes en route to top-20 finishes at the U.S. Open, ZOZO, and the CJ Cup (which he won). He has made the cut in six of his last seven events. The worst he has finished in any of those six events was T17. I am not a huge fan of the 9K range, but I may also consider Paul Casey ($9,600), Scottie Scheffler ($9,400), and Lee Westwood ($9,200).

Favorite $8,000 Plays

Ian Poulter ($8,800)
His last three worldwide starts have resulted in a T12 at the CJ Cup, a T5 at the BMW PGA Championship on the European Tour, and a T6 at the Scottish Open. Overall, he has made the cut in 14 of his last 16 worldwide events, including seven top-20 finishes. His history at Augusta is decent, as he’s made 13/14 cuts with three top-10 finishes and a T12 last year.

Cam Smith ($8,700)
I bet you didn’t know Cam Smith was T5 at the 2018 Masters. I sure didn’t until I started researching this year’s event. That alone makes him a decent option in this price range. When you add in the fact that his last two starts have resulted in a T4 (ZOZO) and T11 (CJ Cup), he quickly becomes one of my absolute favorite plays this week. Overall, he has made the cut in 10 straight PGA events. Remember, he also won the Sony Open last January, so he definitely has some upside, as well. Just like the 9K range, I only like a couple of $8,000 golfers but may also consider Si Woo Kim ($8,500), Matt Wallace ($8,400), and Bernd Wiesberger ($8,300).

Favorite $7,000 Plays

Sebastian Munoz ($7,900)
His most recent starts have resulted in a T14 (ZOZO) and a T9 (CJ Cup). He has played the weekend in nine straight events. He really demonstrated his skills during the FedEx Cup playoffs with a T18 at the NORTHERN TRUST and then back-to-back top-10 finishes at the BMW and TOUR Championships. He is a first-timer at Augusta, but he comes in with great form. He is a good value at this price point.

Bernard Langer ($7,000)
This pick is not for the faint of heart, but none of the 7K golfers are very attractive. The two-time Masters champion has made the cut here in five of his last seven starts and had a T8 back in 2014. This recommendation might have a bit of nostalgia associated with it, but he is playing really good golf right now. In his last 20 events on the Champions Tour, he has 12 top-five finishes! We just need him to make the cut at this price, and he is as proven as it gets, especially in this range. I will also be strongly considering Lanto Griffin ($7,700), Max Homa ($7,500), and Justin Harding ($7,300) in this 7K range.

Double your money if Bryson DeChambeau makes the cut at The Masters

Whether you’re new to daily fantasy golf or a seasoned professional, be sure to check out our Daily Fantasy Golf Glossary. You can get started with The Stats That Matter Most or head to more advanced strategy — like How To Use Vegas Odds To Generate Your Lineup  — to learn more.

Jamy Bechler is a regular contributor to FantasyPros for NBA, NFL, and PGA. You can send him questions and follow him on his DFS twitter @WinningDFS101. When he is not playing DFS, Jamy is an author, host of the “Success is a Choice” podcast, and a leadership consultant, working with businesses and teams across the country (including the NBA). Even though he offers his advice on players and contests, after additional information and consideration, he may end up using different players and strategies than what he recommended in this article.