This article is part of our DraftKings PGA DFS Picks series.
TPC CHAMPIONS CLASSIC
Purse: $48,200
Location: Scottsdale, Ariz.
Course: TPC Scottsdale - Champions Course
Yardage: 7,114
Par: 71
Tournament Preview
We were a bit spoiled last week when a bunch of PGA Tour pros decided to tee it up at the Scottsdale AZ Open. This week, the Outlaw Tour is back, and none of the big names are in the field. Beginning Tuesday with the TPC Champions Classic, there are four events remaining on the 2020 Outlaw calendar. It's no coincidence that leads right up to The Charles Schwab Challenge -- the PGA's first tournament in months, and one that is now less than a month away. We might see some PGA Tour golfers participate in an Outlaw Tour event to get in some competitive rounds, but that won't be the case this week.
While there are no PGA Tour golfers in the field, there is a connection to the Tour. This week's tournament will be played at TPC Scottsdale, home of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The WMPO is played on the Stadium Course, though, and this event will be played on the adjoining Champions Course. And, since this tournament will be played without fans in attendance, this will bear zero resemblance to the annual ruckus we see at the Stadium Course. The Champions track is an odd layout, with only nine par-4s. There are four par-5s and a whopping five par-3s. So with about 28 percent of the holes being par-3s, you may want to pay extra attention to that stat when setting your lineups. Three of five par-3s exceed 200 yards. The par-5s are not especially long, with just one topping 600 yards, according to the scorecard on the Outlaw Tour's website. That's the 17th hole, so the golfers will be faced with a long finish, though, as the 215-yard 16th hole and 460-yard 18th hole sandwich the longest walk.
There are 81 golfers in the field, and 30 percent of them and ties will make the 36-hole cut to advance to Thursday's final round. Thirty percent of 81 is not a lot -- 24, before any ties are added in. Those who advance to the final day will play for a share of the biggest Outlaw Tour purse to date.
A bunch of the usual Outlaw Tours stalwarts took a step back last week, no doubt in large part because of the stronger field. Still, unheralded Zach Smith was the surprise winner. Smith is not in the field this week. Dylan Wu, the Korn Ferry star who has been piling up mini-tour top-10s without really contending, heads the field, at least as far as DraftKings is concerned. Then comes Latinoamerica player Nicolo Galletti, who won an Outlaw Tour event last month.
Wu and Galletti are among a core group of golfers who have been playing fairly regularly in Arizona, and all of them should be focused on during lineup construction. Of course, they are mostly the highest-price guys, so you will have to venture out into the hinterlands to complete your rosters. The Outlaw Tour website has a stats page -- located in the Money List section -- that will help with your decision-making.
Weather-wise, the golfers could catch a real break. Temperatures have been around 100 in the Phoenix area but are expected to dip down into the 80s the first two days and into the low 90s on Thursday. The wind could be blowing pretty strong on Tuesday before becoming light the next two days. Of course, there will be no rain.
Key Stats to Winning at TPC Scottsdale
• Scoring average -- beware of small sample sizes
• Total birdies
• Par-3 birdie leaders
• Top 10s
Champion's Profile
If you've been playing Outlaw Tour contests for a few weeks, by now you should be at least somewhat familiar with the top golfers. Many of them finish near the top week after week. As we see regularly, someone will go very low and win. Seeing as only Showdown contests are offered, though, picking the winner is far less important than it usually is.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS
Only Showdown contests will be offered for this tournament, so the picks below apply to each round.
Tier 1 Values
Nicolo Galletti - (Winning odds at golfodds.com: 10-1)
The American is a Latinoamerica Tour player who had a very good April on the Outlaw Tour. He recorded three podium finishes: a runner-up and a solo third followed by a win at the Legacy Classic. He also had an LAT runner-up in Argentina last year, and that moved him to a career-best 844th in the OWGR. He is now 1,181st.
Jeremy Paul - (10-1)
Paul's 11-tournament top-10 streak was snapped last week at the Scottsdale Open, but he still he tied for a respectable 20th in a far better field than he regularly competes against. Paul is ranked 1,349th in the OWGR thanks to his time on the Mackenzie Tour.
Nick Mason - (12-1)
Mason played in two Outlaw Tour events last month, finishing tied for third and tied for fifth. The American closed April with a tie for 13th on the Golden State Tour. He was top-25 last week in Scottsdale. Mason, 37, attended college in Hawaii and thus played in the Sony Open three times, most recently in 2016, when he tied for 42nd. He's ranked third on the Outlaw Tour in the Par-3 Birdie Leaders category.
Tier 2 Values
Yannik Paul - (16-1)
Paul has three top-10s in three starts on the Outlaw Tour, including a runner-up at the Legacy Shootout last month. He tied for 13th last week at the Scottsdale Open, a pretty good sign for this week. Paul played in Canada the past two years and notched seven top-25s in 2019. He's ranked 1,955 in the OWGR.
Colton Yates - (25-1)
Yates has made five mini-tour starts this season and has finished among the top 10 three times. He tied for 42nd last week in Scottsdale.
Andrew Yun - (30-1)
Yun's best finish on the mini-tour circuit this season was a runner-up back in January. The American also had a top-10 and a top-15 last month. Yun plays in Canada and had a couple of top-5 finishes last year. In 2017 he was ranked 304th in the world, which is far higher than anyone in the field has reached and indicates what he is capable of when he is on his game. The last couple years have not gone as well for him, though, and he is now down to No. 1,315th. Yun owned a PGA Tour card in 2017-18 but missed the cut in 19-of-22 appearances.
Tier 3 Values
Andrew Funk - (50-1)
There are actually two Andrew Funks on the OWGR website, and both are Canadian. This is the better one of the duo. He played regularly on the Mackenzie Tour in 2018 but only twice a year ago, making one cut. Funk has played 10 times in Arizona this season, with four top-10s and four other top-25s. He missed the cut last week in Scottsdale.
Sam Triplett - (50-1)
The 24-year-old son of former PGA Tour golfer and current Champions Tour player Kirk Triplett is ranked second on the Outlaw Tour's Money List. He has a win, a runner-up and four other top-10s. Triplett tied for third last year in this event. He did not make the cut last week in Scottsdale.
Daniel Hudson - (80-1)
Hudson has been very busy, with 12 starts in Arizona this season. He also missed the cut last week in Scottsdale, but he has four top-10s and has finished top-25 six other times. The American played two Mackenzie Tour events last year and made the cut both times
Long-Shot Values
Kaleb Gorbahn - (80-1)
The Canadian won an Outlaw Tour event back in December and sits 12th on the Money List. Gorbahn has teed it up a whopping 15 times in Arizona this season and owns four top-10s. In what is becoming a trend, he notched an MC in last week's tournament.
Ryan Porch - (100-1)
Porch is sixth on the Outlaw Tour Money List this season and has five top-10s and three other top-25s in eight starts. He has another top-25 finish on the Golden State Tour. You'd never guess it, but Porch missed the cut last week in Scottsdale. He made 10 Mackenzie Tour starts last year but made only one cut.
Zachary Gaugert - (300-1)
The Californian has made only five starts in Arizona. He has been on the brink of some really good finishes but hasn't been able to get over the hump. He owns three top-25s in 2020, including a season-best T11 finish his last time out.
