This article is part of our DFS Golf series.
LIV CHICAGO
Purse: $20M Individual, $5M Team
Winner's Share: $4M Individual, $3M Team
Location: Sugar Grove, Illinois
Course: Rich Harvest Farms
Yardage: 7,401
Par: 71
For more information, check out RotoWire's LIV Golf Optimizer.
Tournament Preview
LIV Golf resumes play following a five-week layoff, and the 48-player field heads back to the Chicago area for the second installment of LIV Chicago at Rich Harvest Farms.
The most recent tournament took place in Bedminster in New Jersey, and it saw Cameron Smith cruise to a seven-stroke victory over Anirban Lahiri. In addition to being the most recent winner, Smith will also serve as the defending champion, as he claimed victory at last year's inaugural Chicago event by three strokes over Dustin Johnson and Peter Uihlein.
At approximately 7,400 yards and as a par-71, Rich Harvest Farms is a lengthy setup that is pretty open off the tee and doesn't really penalize errant drives, so it's no surprise to see longer hitters like Johnson, Uihlein, Joaquin Niemann and Bryson DeChambeau near the top of last year's leaderboard. In addition to targeting the better drivers in the field, I'll also be looking at strong iron players, as there will be longer approaches into the greens.
There is one change to the field this week, which is the return of Sam Horsfield, who missed nearly five months after undergoing hip surgery. He will take the place of Laurie Canter in the Majestics GC lineup.
DraftKings Value Picks
Based on Standard $50k Salary Cap
Tier 1 Values
Cameron Smith - $11,400 (Winning odds at the DraftKings Sportsbook: +600)
As I touched on earlier, Smith won the most recent LIV event and is the defending champion, so he will be difficult to ignore. At this price he's the overwhelming favorite and the only golfer with a single digit on the left side of his odds. I think he's a must-have in cash games, and the only reason to fade him in tournaments is to go against the grain.
Bryson DeChambeau - $11,000 (+1100)
There's certainly a lot to like about DeChambeau, notably the length advantage that led him to his best LIV finish in 2022 at this event. He has looked like the former version of himself this summer, picking up four top-5 results, including his first LIV victory two starts ago.
Dean Burmester - $9,500 (+2200)
Speaking of players who have elevated their play, Burmester has recorded a top-20 in seven consecutive starts, most notably a T3 result in Bedminster. He wasn't part of LIV when this event was held last year, but considering he's just a step behind DeChambeau off the tee, he should be a great course fit.
Tier 2 Values
Harold Varner III - $8,900 (+2200)
Varner poses some nice value compared to his odds, as he's tied for the eighth betting choice but is only the 12th priciest player in DFS contests. He's a good play in cash games due to his consistency -- he had only one finish outside the top 20 in his last nine LIV starts -- and he also provides upside, having won in Washington, D.C. over the summer.
Jason Kokrak - $8,400 (+3500)
Kokrak finished a modest T21 here last year, but he played much better over the final two rounds after opening with a 75. He played in the Asian Tour's International Series England event a month ago and finished T4 in a full field that consisted of several LIV players. As such, he has momentum to build on.
Brendan Steele - $8,300 (+4500)
Steele started out his LIV career strong with a pair of top-5s. However, he has reverted to the mean a bit, posting results of T7 an T11 his last two times out. At a venue where ball striking is of greater importance than usual, this should be a spot for him to post another solid result.
Tier 3 Values
Peter Uihlein - $7,300 (+4500)
Uihlein grabbed a share of second here a year ago, so he certainly likes the course. The downside is that he didn't have his best stuff this summer. Luckily, that's more than reflected in his price. He made the cut in his two Asian Tour starts in August, so he looks to be trending in the right direction.
Paul Casey - $7,200 (+6500)
Casey finished T21 here last year, recording a better score each round as the tournament progressed. He also posted a T18 in his lone Asian Tour start, so it appears the leg issues he dealt with earlier this year are behind him.
David Puig - $7,100 (+6500)
While many players will be looking to shake off some rust following a lengthy layoff, that won't be the case for Puig, as he played three times on the Asian Tour since his last LIV start and finished T14 or better in each event. He also posted a pair of top-5s over his last four LIV starts. Considering you will probably need to roster a couple players below the $7,500 mark, he's almost a must-have in cash games.
Tier 4 Values
Eugenio Chacarra - $6,900 (+8000)
If there's a player under $7,000 that has a chance to pick up the victory it's Chacarra. After all, he does have a LIV win on his resume, and it's not unusual to see young players have spike weeks. That's what we saw from Chacarra in his last start, in which he took down an Asian Tour event.
Matt Jones - $6,800 (+6500)
It's certainly been a tough year for Jones on LIV, but he is coming off a playoff loss to Chacarra at the St. Andrews Bay Championship -- his second straight top-5 on the Asian Tour. Whether he can parlay that into LIV success is in question, but at this price he's worth the risk.
Bubba Watson - $6,600 (+10000)
Watson is a preferred target in GPPs who can offer some salary relief if you want to spend up on Smith and/or DeChambeau. He posted a top-10 in Tulsa and a T18 in Bedminster, so his stretches of poor play could be behind him.
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