It is Heritage week, baby, and that means it is time to make a few extra dollars in your local golf pools and daily fantasy sports (DFS) leagues. We are going to take a look at some interesting betting lines, prop bets and of course DFS numbers to make this week’s tournament that much more enjoyable.
Plus, we’re hosting a free contest at DraftKings and giving away some LowcoSports/LowcoGolf swag to the winners! Just enter here *AND* submit this form with your contact information and include DraftKings and your DK username in the message to be eligible for prizes.
But we want everyone to have a fighting chance this week, much like the RBC Heritage presented by Boeing, so we’ll give you a few tips to use if you wish. First, let's hit on a couple of simple rules in the world of DFS before we get started so we all know we are on the same page.
Rule 1: You do not have to spend all your allocated money. Most DFS leagues have a $50,000 salary cap. Sure, you may have the perfect lineup that equals $50,000 but if you are down to picking between one or two golfers, go with your gut pick over sweating maximizing your salary cap.
Rule 2: If your pool or DFS league lets you put in multiple entries, then shell out a few extra dollars and put in two or three entries. The more combinations and entries the better. One strategy, called “cascading” is where you put in multiple entries but simply rotate one golfer out and add a new golfer making a new unique lineup. This strategy can be very fruitful if you have a stone cold lock of a golfer in your lineup that you want to build around.
Rule 3: After you read this article and beat your friends and score some extra 19th hole money, be sure to purchase your buddies a round, but also be sure to brag about your domination for the next 365 days whenever possible.
DraftKings DFS
$10,000 & Higher
The cream of the crop. Nothing is worse than when you spend one-fifth of your salary on a golfer who proceeds to miss the cut and hop on their NetJet back to Jupiter, Florida. This week’s highest-priced free agent is Justin Thomas ($11,100) followed by Cameron Smith ($10,800), Dustin Johnson ($10,500), Collin Morikawa ($10,200) and Patrick Cantlay ($10,000).
Honestly, Thomas, Smith, and Morikawa are the three you should be picking from in this elite grouping. All three are near the top of the tour rankings in Shots Gained Approach, and Morikawa is also in the top 10 in Driving Accuracy while Smith is the best player on tour from 175-200 yards. If you read our previous article, I believe those are three categories that will separate this year’s winner from the pack of hunters.
$8000 - $9900
Your DFS lineup either thrives or dies based on the golfers you pick from this pool. It is a smorgasbord of golfers of all different types of games, strategies, and skill sets. Remember, Harbour Town Golf Links is a unique track that requires accuracy over distance and brains over brawn.
Everyone will load up on Corey Conners this week, as they should. The Canadian is a ball-striking savant and has been on fire the past month with two top-10 finishes including a sixth place in The Masters last weekend. If you want him, he will cost you $9,700 and that will be money well-spent. However let's take a look at three golfers who may get overlooked by the masses but win you some coin this week.
Matt Fitzpatrick ($9,500) adores Harbour Town Golf Links, finishing fourth last year and 14th in 2020. The young Englishman is often seen representing Harbour Town by adorning a red-and-white candy-striped lighthouse headcover that he collected on a visit to the Lowcountry course as a junior golfer. Fitzpatrick has been playing incredibly solid golf over the past month with four top-20s and gaining strokes against the field in every major category. If Fitzpatrick’s putter gets hot, then this will be a storybook location for his first PGA Tour win.
Joaquin Niemann ($9.100) said he loved the Pete Dye course after playing in the 2020 summer edition of the RBC Heritage. Niemann placed fifth in his only appearance at Harbour Town but is on the record stating it suits his game to a T. His trademark low ball flight and approach game should have the Chilean in the hunt this week. He is also an elite ball-striker from 175-200 yards, ranking 13th on tour from that critical range at Harbour Town. Like Fitzpatrick, Niemann has been on fire this second half of the season with a career-changing win at Riviera in February. His putting stats tend to struggle on Bermuda but with small greens his putting woes could be minimized.
Billy Horschel ($8,700) likes to curse, throw clubs, and shout from the rooftops before, during and after his rounds. If you can get past his antics, he is a solid pick for your lineup this week. The Florida Gator’s approach game is warming up for the spring season, as he has gained over a 1.2 shots against the field over his last 12 rounds. Horschel is also in the top 25 in driving accuracy on tour, which opens the door to excellent scoring around Harbour Town. He has some success in the Lowcountry, finishing fifth in 2018 and 25th last year, so I definitely see a top 20 finish for the rambunctious 35 year old.
>$8000
Who will save your team with a solid top 40 or better finish from the discounted shelf of less than $8000? Kevin Streelman ($7,500) is a sneaky great play this week. He has become a scrambling machine in recent tournaments, which is always helpful at Harbour Town, while gaining strokes against the field in every major category over his past 12 rounds. Over the past four years, the former Duke Blue Devil has two top-10 finishes and he has two top-20s in his last two starts on tour. Sexy pick? No, but he will be a golfer no one in your pool will have and you will be counting your money as he rakes in another top 20.
Props Bets
First Round Leader
Brian Harman (+4500 to +6000)
The odds on these props can fluctuate dramatically, but Harman is a good bet to sleep on the lead Thursday night anywhere in this range. The Savannah native and former Georgia Bulldog has a good history at Harbour Town with two top-15 finishes in the past five years, and he played in the RBC Heritage as a teenage amateur back in 2003 after winning the now-defunct Players Amateur at Belfair. Harman is an aggressive player who likes to start off fast, so look for him to take it low on Thursday if the conditions are right.
Outright Bets
Cameron Smith +1600
Matt Fitzpatrick +1800
Billy Horschel +3500
Joaquin Niemann +3500
Bryson Nimmer +40000
Justin Thomas is the clear favorite at the DraftKings sportsbook at 9-to-1 with Collin Morikawa (12-to-1) and Patrick Cantlay (14-to-1) on his heels, but there are some bigger value bets down the board, especially at a place like Harbour Town, where the winner often comes out of nowhere. With that said, this is perhaps the best field we have seen aside from the June 2020 event, so even some of the higher-ranked players with the game to succeed here carry longer odds. And how cool would it be to throw a Franklin on hometown kid Bryson Nimmer and cash out with 40K if he does the unthinkable and keeps the tartan jacket in a Lowco closet?
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