As they usually do for a Major Championship, DraftKings decided to give us an early Christmas. They’ve released salaries for next week’s Masters Tournament at Augusta National nine days in advance.
Here are some things that stood out at first glance in each price range.
The Top Range
What Will People Do With Scottie Scheffler?
After winning the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play to claim his third victory in FIVE WEEKS, Scheffler is now the No. 1 ranked player in the world. DraftKings did not mess around at all, making him the highest-priced player on the slate at $11,000.
He’s posted a pair of top 20s in his first two trips to Augusta and certainly has the game to compete for a green jacket. His ownership will be a pretty big question mark as he’s priced just $200 above Jon Rahm and $1,000 more than Rory McIlroy.
Winning for a fourth time in six weeks with a Major Championship as the capper would simply not be human.
Cam Smith Should Be Chalky
After winning two of his past four events, including THE PLAYERS Championship, the Aussie could challenge for the highest ownership on the slate. It’s even more likely, in fact when you look at his history at Augusta, which reads T10, T2, T51, T2 over his previous four trips. The wide fairways of Augusta mitigates the weakest part of Smith’s game, which is his off-the-tee play, allowing his elite iron play and short game to shine. He will for sure be in cash game consideration.
Will Zalatoris is Too Cheap
Willy Z ranks No. 1 in this field in SG: Approach across his past 24 rounds. We already know he finished runner-up to Hideki Matsuyama last year and does his best work at tough tracks in big boy fields. The one part of his game that consistently ails him is his putting, which he looked to have figured out at the WGC Match Play as he put on a clinic with the flat stick.
If he’s truly figured out his putting woes, he should be on the shortlist to don the green jacket come next Sunday.
The Middle Range
Is the Big Cat back?
As of now, we still do not know if Tiger Woods will be teeing it up when the Masters kicks off next Thursday, but it certainly appears to be a possibility after he was spotted playing practice rounds at Augusta this week. DraftKings priced him at $8,500, which is pretty steep considering we haven’t seen him play golf in over a year.
His ownership percentage in tournaments will be a fascinating thing to watch for next week, assuming he decides to give it a go.
Can Sam Burns Shake the Debutant Stigma?
We all know that a first-timer has never won the Masters since Fuzzy Zeller did so all the way back in 1979. Burns will look to break that streak, and he should have a reasonable chance to do so, considering he’s already posted two wins and six top-10 finishes on the season.
He’s coming in red hot, ranking second in this field in Total Strokes Gained over his past eight rounds.
The Lower Range
Matt Fitzpatrick and Corey Conners Will Be Mega Chalk
I’m not exactly sure what DraftKings was thinking here. Conners and Fitz come in $100 apart, $7,600, and $7,770, respectively. Both are way too talented to be that cheap, especially Conners, who has finished T10, T8 in his past two trips to Augusta.
Fitz also has a decent history, making six consecutive cuts here dating back to 2016 with a pair of top 25s in that stretch.
They are both shaping up to be the chalkiest golfers on the slate.
Is Cameron Young a Value?
Young has taken the PGA TOUR by storm in his rookie year, posting six top-25 finishes in 12 starts, including a pair of runner-ups at the Sanderson Farms and, more impressively, at Riviera.
He will be making his debut at Augusta, and as mentioned above, it’s not gone too well for rookies in the past. However, Young enters play ranked ninth in SG: Ball-Striking and 13th in Total Strokes Gained over his past 24 rounds in this loaded field.
He is no ordinary rookie and could provide some serious salary relief at just $7,000 on DraftKings.
