Valspar Championship DFS Preview

After the partner tournament at the Zurich Classic, the PGA Tour moves back east to Florida for the Valspar Championship. Stewart Cink put on an amazing display at the RBC Heritage and he will be absent from the 150 or so golfer field this weekend. There are a lot of golfers missing this one it seems…there are withdrawals by the hour. That does not mean that some of the big names are missing out on the Tampa, Florida course…Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas and Patrick Reed headline the field. The key statistics we will be looking at this week are Approaching the Green, Scrambling and Greens in Regulation.

The weather at Innisbrook Resort looks to be in the upper 70’s with minimal chance of rain throughout the weekend, which is always promising when making a lineup. I will be approaching this one with more of a cash game mindset. According to Yahoo!, this Copperhead course tends to bite golfers who are erratic shooters. They will be playing at a Par 71 and apparently, low and slow is the name of the game. It’s a shame Brian Harman isn’t in the field…but I do have a few reliable options that I stick with on a regular basis in my lineup.

Tier 1: Russell Henley ($9,000)

Photo Credit: Progolfnow.com

What can I say…Henley is super reliable. The former Georgia Bulldog is top-10 in the 3 main categories of Approach, Scrambling and Greens in Regulation. He finished P9 at RBC and I firmly believe he is in amazing form. Also, he has the best Scoring Average on the PGA Tour…for what that’s worth…you always want good scorers. Give me Russell Henley to win at 28/1.

Tier 2: Denny McCarthy ($7,500)

I’m not even sure you can call this a second tier choice…but the UVA Anthropology major has been playing good golf lately. He has made the last 5 cuts and is a top-30 scrambler. Many of his statistics are not that attractive because of his poor start to the season, but I like his momentum and especially at this price.

Tier 3: Chase Seiffert ($6,600)

Here’s another golfer that has made the last 5 cuts…Chase Seiffert is another momentum choice. Being from Panama City, Florida and playing at FSU has to amount for something…right?!?! In all reality…when you are searching for a 3rd tier golfer…you want one that does not have any glaring flaws (especially at a tough course) and Seiffert is that choice. Also, at The Honda Open…Seiffert and McCarthy tied for 3rd…maybe they’ll do it again?