We’re back after a layoff from international offerings on Draftkings, and what better event to make a fantasy return than the premier international stage that comes with the Olympic Games. Definitely worth noting is the fact that this course is new to professional golf tournaments and thus course history is non-existent so take that section with a grain of salt, but keep reading on as there are some similar courses and a lot of hidden value in the field this week!
Hot Course History:
Henrik Stenson ($12,400) – The Olympic golf course was designed by American Gil Hanse who was also the known designer of Castle Stuart, which has been the home of the Scottish Open on several occasions including, most recently, the 2016 Scottish Open. Stenson has never finished outside the top fifteen, and has a top five and top ten finish at Castle Stuart which makes him one of the few golfers who qualify for the hot course history list.
Nicolas Colsaerts ($6,900) – I’ll start by saying you can expect fairly high ownership out of Colsaerts in most formats this week as he has already been talked about early in the week. That being said, Colsaerts has made four straight cuts at Castle Stuart and has two third place finishes and an eighth place finish in those four events. In a week where course history doesn’t exist, Colsaerts is the closest thing you’ll find to a course horse.
Cold Course History:
Emiliano Grillo ($9,600) – You may be surprised to know that Grillo has actually played the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart in 2012 and 2013, and even more surprising is the two missed cuts that resulted. Grillo is going to be extremely popular with his strong bout of play in the most recent majors, but there is a case out there to be made for fading Grillo in this spot.
Gregory Bourdy ($7,000) – Throw a dart at the field this week and you’re likely to hit a golfer with garbage for course history but with Bourdy being talked up I felt like it was my duty to mention him. To be clear Bourdy has made three of four cuts at this event, however in his four recent appearances, Bourdy has finished no better than forty-ninth. Bourdy could come in as a very popular option and with what I expect to be elevated ownership so he could be a fade this week.
Hot Recent Form:
Patrick Reed ($10,700) – You might have missed this one because the buzz around Reed has been somewhat quiet, but he has quietly finished inside the top fifteen in his last four events and has made six straight cuts. I won’t be rostering Reed in the 100 yard dash but at the Golf event in the Olympics I think Reed is a sleeper to medal. By the way, don’t tell anyone that Reed finished tenth at the Scottish Open this year because I bet they won’t notice otherwise.
Jhonattan Vegas ($8,300) – It’s actually quite rare that we see a golfer of Vegas’ caliber with such supreme recent form, but he is one of the well-known “streaky” golfers that can go on long runs of solid golf and drop off the table at any moment. Vegas’ twenty-second, first, and fourth place finishes in his most recent even certainly qualify as a streak for me so I’m ready to fire up on Jhonattan this week.
Cold Recent Form:
Thorbjorn Olesen ($7,300) – I’m going to assume if you’re reading this article that you are on the sharper end of the spectrum and may have heard of Olesen, but if not you may not want to make this week the week you decide to familiarize yourself with Throbjorn. After a WD from the Open de France (which I can find nothing on sadly) he has missed three straight cuts. As a golfer who has been injury prone ever since he tore through his 2012 season with top finish after top finish, I am hesitant to want to take on the risk associated with a golfer who appears on the surface to be struggling.
Wang Jeung-Hun ($7,500) – If you are a dedicated reader of mine, than you will recognize Wang Jeung-Hun as the golfer I covered when he burst onto the Euro tour scene seemingly out of nowhere with back to back wins. But that was nearly four months ago, and since then he has missed cuts at six of nine events. Wang is a quality golfer and has the talent to finish atop the leaderboard, but seems far more likely to finish near the bottom this week.
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