Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2022 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the 2022 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play 

WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Fantasy Preview

What a difference a few inches can make.

That’s the distance that separated Sam Burns’ approach shot into the second playoff hole, which tucked into the fringe of the eighteenth green, and that of his opponent Davis Riley, who cruelly landed in the rough and on an impossible upslope.

In the end, credit must go to Burns for his sublime putt that just caught the edge of the hole and dropped, while Riley’s bladed chip dribbled wide of the mark to hand the defending champion back-to-back victories in the Valspar Championship.

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There was a sense of déjà vu for Burns, who won this title with the same -17 scoreline in 2021, although the circumstances were rather different this time as rookie Riley – marking just his second top-10 finish of the season – made him earn it the hard way.

The PGA TOUR splits into two this week, with the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play drawing many of the best in the business, while those that haven’t qualified will fancy their chances in the Corales Puntacana Championship.

Last Week’s Fantasy Results

Our top pick Viktor Hovland fell to a disappointing T33, and with Matt Fitz finishing a respectable T5, we didn’t quite  have the Sam Burns firepower we needed.   

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Match play this week will create an entirely new and unique opportunity than the DFS we’re accustom to, so let’s dive in…

WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Field

This Week’s Course Preview

Given that Billy Horschel, Scottie Scheffler, Kevin Kisner and Matt Kuchar are the last four finalists of this event, you can rest assured that the Austin Country Club in Texas is another Pete Dye design that emphasizes strategy and accuracy.

The track is super-short at just 7,082 yards for its Par 71, and that lack of length is reflected in the fact that the Par 5s can all be attacked in two – there’s a drivable Par 4 into the bargain as well.

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That said, there’s plenty of trees on the real estate – taking shortcuts is rarely an option at Austin – and stacks of Dye’s signature pot bunkers too, and given the match play format this is a golf course that hits the risk-and-reward brief perfectly.

The players will also have to factor in Lake Austin, which gobbles up errant strokeplay, and the elevation changes that playing through some pretty stark rolling hills brings. The Bermuda greens, which have been overseeded with Poa to ensure they run smooth, are generally very quick too.

Austin Country Club would be a fun Pete Dye assignment no matter what the format, but the match play vibe is somehow made all the more intriguing as the players work out where to attack and where to defend.

Weather Forecast for Austin, TX

Here’s your annual reminder that the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play is a five-day event that kicks off on Wednesday.

The weather forecast features almost no chance of rain – famous last words, of course, but we should be in for a dry week in Austin.

As the golf hots up through the week so too will the weather – the temperature is set to rise from 70˚F on Wednesday to 82˚F on Sunday, while the wind is expected to hit low double-figures mph throughout the tournament.

AUSTIN WEATHER

Last Year’s Results from the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play

An event that has served up no shortage of shock results in the past, it was perhaps something of a surprise to see Billy Horschel outlast a big-hitting field to claim victory 12 months ago.

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He needed the help of a sudden-death playoff to defeat Max Homa in his group, having defeated Collin Morikawa to tie level with his opponent in the final round of games.

Proceeding to the bracket phase, Horschel then took out Kevin Streelman 3&1 in the last 16 before downing Ryder Cup ace Tommy Fleetwood on a nerve-jangling 19th hole.

A semi-final against surprise package Victor Perez saw a handy 3&2 victory, before Billy-Ho silenced the home Texan faithful when he defeated local favorite Scheffler in the final by a margin of 2&1.

Where to Play Fantasy Golf for the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play this Week

It perhaps won’t come as much of a shock to learn that the leading DFS sites generally keep their powder dry at the Match Play – not least because their Masters contests are now live. Even so, there’s a couple of ways to play it this week, and we prefer the single entry approach….you don’t want to be up against whales that have the resources to pick multiple line-ups based on the draw and potential brackets.

• PGA $150k Driver: This single-entry contest seems a good place to start, with $30k going to the winner if you can stump up the $200 fee. In an event as unpredictable as the Match Play, this game offers plenty of potential upside.
• PGA $150k Drive the Green: If you want to hedge your bets somewhat and pick a few different rosters – while keeping your outlay to a minimum, the $5 Drive the Green is perhaps the way to go. With a $25k top prize and plenty of other decent pay outs available, you can maximize your return from the variance of this event.

This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play  

Trying to come up with a workable strategy in a tournament which has been won by players as diverse as Bubba Watson and Kevin Kisner in recent years is not easy.

There doesn’t even seem to be a discernible need to have performed well in the event before – Horschel hadn’t gone past the last 16 in any of his prior four starts.

So perhaps we don’t need to comb through extensive match play records, and instead focus on those we think might do well on a Pete Dye layout in the South.

It might also be worth considering the seeding system too. The top 16 seeds are kept apart in Pot A, and then they each take on a player from Pots B, C and D. To that end, spreading your salary cap to get two players from Pot A might be wise….in theory, they get an ‘easier’ draw in the groups. Although the history books suggest that doesn’t necessarily count for a great deal.

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It’s hard to get away from the notion that those that hit fairways and make putts are the go-to guys in this event. Horschel and Kisner are the last two winners, Kuchar has reached a final, Brian Harman made the quarter finals last year (beating the likes of Hideki and Bubba), Sergio Garcia and Kevin Na have done well before….that seems to be a theme of sorts.

As a reminder, the points scoring system in your DFS games will be different this week, so here’s a quick look at what DraftKings are serving up:

Hole won (+3 points), halved (+0.75), lost (-0.75).

• Hole not played (+1.6).
• Matches won (+5), halved (+2).
• Bonus for three consecutive holes won (+5).
• Bonus for no holes lost (+7.5).

Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win THE WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play  

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Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2021-2022)

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