This article is part of our DFS Golf series.
LIV ADELAIDE
Purse: $20M Individual, $5M Team
Winner's Share: $4M
Location: Adelaide, Australia
Course: The Grange Golf Club
Yardage: 6,946
Par: 72
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Tournament Preview
The fourth of 14 events is on tap this week as the LIV Golf Tour heads down under to Adelaide. 18 of LIV's 48 players teed-it-up two weeks ago at The Masters, where 12 of its members made the cut. Brooks Koepka held the 54-hole lead but was ultimately unable to fend off Jon Rahm, who coasted late to a four-stroke victory. Possibly the biggest story of the weekend was the impressive performance of Phil Mickelson, who shot the lowest round to close the tournament with a 65 to finish tied with Koepka in a share for second. Patrick Reed was the other LIV golfer to post a top-10, as he kept the momentum of his top-5 finish in Orlando to finish T-4 in Augusta.
The field remains mostly unchanged but will see two players that weren't in the field in Orlando. Martin Kaymer (wrist) will make his first start of the year and take the place of Laurie Canter, while Anirban Lahiri will return after missing the last event due to a personal matter (was replaced by Andy Ogletree). Kevin Na, who withdrew due to an illness after going four-over through nine holes at The Masters, is also in the field this week. Koepka and Joaquin Niemann headline the list of favorites at 11-1 odds to win, and are followed closely behind World No. 6 Cameron Smith and Dustin Johnson at 12-1. Many players come into the event with an extra week off having not qualified for The Masters, with Charles Howell (20-1 odds) being given the best chance of winning amongst that group.
As always, the challenge in dissecting the LIV events is that they're making the first trip to Australia, leaving us little knowledge about the course or the type of player that has done well here before. We can see that the course plays short at under 7,000 yards, so it's a safe assumption that The Grange will set up more as a precision and second-shot type of venue. Of the three courses they've traveled to thus far, the first event of the year at Mayakoba (won by Howell) appears the most similar. There are also four Australian golfers in the field (Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Matt Jones and Jediah Morgan) that are likely be trendy picks in their home country.
DraftKings Value Picks
Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap
Tier 1 Values
Joaquin Niemann - $10,700 (Winning odds at the DraftKings Sportsbook: +1100)
As mentioned, Niemann is the co-favorite and trails just behind Smith as the highest priced DFS golfer. He hasn't shown much in his three starts this season as he lacks a top-10 result, but he had a great driving week in Augusta en route to a respectable T-16 result. How quickly we forget that Niemann had three top-5s in four LIV starts last year. He can't be overlooked.
Dustin Johnson - $10,300 (+1200)
I expect Johnson to be a contrarian play with rostership being higher on hometown favorite Smith as well as Koepka who has been hot. Passing up Johnson could be a risky mistake by the DFS community, as DJ is coming off his best LIV finish of the year in Orlando and played much better than his result at The Masters would indicate as he struggled mightily with his short game.
Abraham Ancer - $9,400 (+2000)
Ancer has yet to get it going on LIV this year, but he did win the Saudi International, so we know his game is still there. He's coming off a T-39 at Augusta, a course that doesn't really fit his game all that well. If this does indeed set up as a precision course, Ancer's superb accuracy off-the-tee and solid iron play should give him a leg up.
Tier 2 Values
Talor Gooch - $9,100 (+1400)
It's surprising to see Gooch only around $9K considering he's tied for the fifth choice on the betting board (alongside Mito Pereira). He's been consistent thus far, finishing in the top-20 in all three of his LIV starts while also making the cut at the Saudi International and The Masters, but is still looking for a top-10. I expect that drought to end this week with his steady all-around game.
Sergio Garcia - $8,400 (+2500)
Garcia was one of the more reliable LIV golfers at the end of last season having posted four top-10s over the final five events, however, he's coming off a missed cut at The Masters and his worst ever LIV finish (45th in Orlando). Nevertheless, he's still one of the better golfers on the Tour and while he carries some risk, you have to think he'll bounce back soon.
Peter Uihlein - $8,300 (+2500)
Uihlein struggled to find much success on the PGA Tour, but he's completely flipped the script on LIV with four top-3 finishes in 10 starts. His lack of accuracy off-the-tee hasn't held him back much, and he has great distance with the driver and is above average everywhere else. He'll be a popular pick as a mid-range option and a great foundation piece for cash game lineups.
Tier 3 Values
Anirban Lahiri - $7,800 (+2800)
After posting results of 33rd and 31st in the first two LIV events of the season, Lahiri bounced back with four under-par rounds on the Asian Tour last week to finish one back. That makes him an intriguing boom-or-bust type option that is intriguing for GPPs, and he does have a T-2 finish on his LIV resume.
Brendan Steele - $7,700 (+3500)
Steele has made a quick impression as a new LIV member this year, already posting a pair of top-5 finishes. He's always been a quality ball-striker and ranked in the top-25 in strokes-gained off-the-tee and approach over his nine PGA Tour starts this season.
Danny Lee - $7,100 (+5000)
Lee presents the kind of upside I'm looking for in GPPs having won one of his three LIV starts. The New Zealander should certainly feel comfortable in this part of the world and his precision game presents a good course fit.
Long-Shot Values
Richard Bland - $6,800 (+6000)
Bland has improved his finish in each of his starts this season, most recently finishing 14th in Orlando. He does have one top-5 LIV finish, so the ceiling potential is there, and this is a rare opportunity for the 50-year-old to take advantage of a sub 7,000 yard course.
Henrik Stenson - $6,700 (+6500)
Sticking with a familiar theme here in looking for golfers that are accurate off-the-tee and solid iron players, and Stenson certainly fits the mold. He's coming off his best LIV finish (11th in Orlando) since winning in his debut in Bedminster.
Bernd Wiesberger - $6,300 (+8000)
If you're digging deep for some salary relief, Wiesberger offers more potential than going with the minimum priced golfers. He does have one LIV top-10 and has historically mainly been held back by his poor putting. Wiesberger also had a top-20 at the Saudi International.
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