Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, & Predictions – The Masters (2015)

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for The Masters Tournament (2015)

This Week’s 2015 Masters Tournament Preview

It’s the most exciting time of the year for pro-golfers, golf fans, and just about everyone in and around the game.  With plenty of media hype and excitement swirling around Augusta for the 2015 Masters Tournament this week, let’s take a second to break-down the schedule:

• Monday April 6, 2015: Practice Round 1. Many of the players have been at Augusta National preparing for weeks now and the media frenzy has only begun.  Tiger is back and all eyes are on Rory, again.  On Monday, Media Day will continue to be the main televised feature with most players making their way up on the podium for pre-tournament interviews and discussing course conditions.  Tiger’s health game plan for the week will most certainly draw the most attention.
• Tuesday April 7, 2015: Practice Round 2.  Warm-ups will continue for most of Tuesday and the first and second tee times and pairings will be announced.  The “Champion’s Dinner” will take place Tuesday evening (as usual) and will be hosted by last year’s winner Bubba Watson.  We have to think the southern born Watson will step up the festivities his 2013 dinner was labeled “disappointingly tame.”  True to his no-frills hometown roots, Watson served Caesar salad, grilled chicken breast, and confetti cake for dessert.  In an interview last week, he claimed he was a ‘clean eater” so we’re looking forward to seeing how that translates on the menu this time around.
• Wednesday April 8, 2015: Final Practice Round and Par 3 Contest.  The par 3 contest is a fun event that players partake in each year with their spouses and kids coming along as ceremonial caddies.  Live coverage of this event will be broadcast at 3 pm on Masters.com, ESPN, and via The Masters App for Apple and Android devices.  What a great treat it is each year to see these guys going heads up (although Arnie will unfortunately be sidelined with an injury).
• Thursday – Sunday April 9-12, 2015: The 2015 Masters Tournament commences!

Last Week’s Fantasy Results

Despite some disappointing and unpredictable last minute withdrawals, our Spieth pick last week and his P2 finish earned our Premium Members some nice change.

With the 19th event of the wraparound season in the books, we have now successfully picked 8 runner-ups, and 4 winners so far through 19 events.  Additionally, our 7 weekly picks are averaging roughly one missed cut per week (including sleeper selections) and we are now just shy of averaging $1 million in total fantasy earnings per week.

This week we couldn’t be more excited to pick our rosters for the big game.  We’re determined to help you win some serious money in this year’s record-breaking DraftKings $2.2 Million Masters Contest.

The Field

All eyes will be on World No.1 Rory McIlroy who is chasing his third straight major title after winning the 2014 Open Championship and 2014 PGA championship last season.  Defending champion Bubba Watson will also be seeking his third green jacket just four years and will lead a 98-man field onto battle on the grounds of Augusta National this week.

Along with McIlory and Watson, 54 of the top 60 players in the OWGR will be in the field this week with the other big story being the recent addition and four-time winner Tiger Woods as he makes his return to golf this week.  Tigers’ last appearance came earlier in the season at Torrey Pines where he withdrew due to a lingering back injury after 11 holes.

Another exciting part of The Masters will be the presence many legends of course, like Crenshaw, Couples, Watson, and Cabrera this week.  With a field this strong we look forward to more history being made at Augusta in 2015.

The Course

The beautiful Augusta National Golf Club measures in at 7,435 yards and plays as a par 72.  By far one of the world’s most beautiful and recognizable tracks Augusta’s stunning layout and design also comes with its own set of unique challenges.

The club dates back to 1930 with designers Bobby Jones and Alistair Mackenzie took what was once a tree nursery and transformed it into a mecca for golf in the United States.  The course went through an expansion from 1999-2006 which increased its yardage significantly in order to keep pace with player and equipment improvements through the years.

Photo by Masters.com

Weather Forecast for Augusta, Georgia

Unfortunately, the weather forecast is calling for wet and rainy conditions all week at Augusta with temperatures in the mid to upper 80s.  There is a chance of PM thunderstorms during Rounds one and two with some morning showers heading into Round three.  So far Wednesday looks like the best day weather-wise which means the beloved Par 3 contest should go off without any problems.

Look out for a soggy and wet track throughout the week which should add to the drama of the event.

2014 Masters Results

In 2014 Bubba Watson came home with his second Green Jacket in just three years after a two-shot swing on consecutive holes moved him ahead of the (now) hot-handed rookie Jordan Spieth.  Watson went on to win Sunday with a three shot victory, making it look much easier then his 2012 triumph from the woods.

At the age of 20, Spieth was looking to become the youngest player on TOUR to win a Green Jacket, but he hit a snag before the turn, bogeying holes 8 and 9.  Spieth continued to slide as he put his ball in the drink on 12 which put Watson solidly in the driver’s seat and took quite a bit of drama out of the close.  Spieth still came in with an impressive T2 with Jordan Blixt.

Certain courses just play to different player’s strengths and Watson’s second cruise to victory in only three attempts has us thinking that there is a good chance he can do it again.  Check out if we included him in our picks to win this year in the segment below (for those who remember, we had Watson last year and it payed off big time!).

This Week’s Masters Broadcast Schedule

• Television Broadcasts 
  • Thursday – Friday 3:00 pm – 7:30 pm EST (ESPN)
  • Saturday 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm EST (CBS)
  • Sunday 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm EST (CBS)
• Radio Broadcasts (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.COM)
  • Thursday – Sunday 2:00 pm – 8:00 pm EST
• Mobile Broadcasts
  • Simultaneous coverage on The Masters App for iPhone and Android.

Where to Play this Week

There is only ONE MAIN EVENT you want to hone in on this week, and if you’ve been following along the past few weeks you know exactly which one we’re talking about. Whether you play fantasy golf regularly or are just dipping your toe in for the firs time the DraftKings record-setting $2.2 Million Dollar Masters Event is without a doubt the place to be this week.

Competition in this huge payout even will be stiff but in a moment we’ll review a few picks to give you the edge on the competition.  And remember, the top 24,025 scores win cash so even if you don’t come home with the big prize you still have shot for a nice payday this Sunday!

If you haven’t already qualified your way in you can still enter by paying the $20 entry fee for your chance to win $1 million!

This Week’s Masters Fantasy Notes

This week plenty of fantasy golf players will most likely opt for Rory as their horse pick, but you can’t just run and dump a hefty $14,900 of your fantasy dollars at him for a chance to win the big prize if you have any shred of doubt.  McIlroy has the ability to light it up on the big stage and he sure can hit the ball a mile, but he hasn’t gotten off to a great start on U.S. soil so far in 2015 which worries us a bit.

You might be surprised but the player with the best chance of winning this week actually has a price tag that’s about $4,000 less than McIlroy in Salary Cap leagues!  Remember, you’re going for a $1 million dollar prize so you have to squeeze as much talent on your bench this week as possible.

Be sure to balance both quantity and quality this week as you should look to have 4-5 really good players and 2-3 sleepers who could finish in the Top 5 on your roster.  It’s easier said than done, but don’t make the classic mistake of having Rory and Bubba headlining your team because odds are you’ll only have enough salary left to round it out with Ben Crenshaw and Larry Mize (no offense to those legends of course).

In our picks segment this week, we’ll be listing our seven picks rankings in the following stats: Driving Accuracy, GIR, Stokes Gained Tee-To-Green, Strokes Gained Putting, Strokes Gained Overall, and Average Scoring.

Be smart and look for trending players (like the ones we selected below) to complete your roster in the most efficient manner.  Remember, we’ve cashed in many DK games this season with our strategy and we know it works!

Happy Masters Week!  And best of luck chasing the big prize!

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Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win The Masters 2015

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Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win The Masters

• Henrik Stenson (Golficity Odds 6/1 FPPG 96.5 Salary $10,100): We love the Stenson pick this week why not?  Sure you can do what everyone else is doing this week and pick Rory as your horse pick for nearly $15K and hope he doesn’t fold under tremendous pressure.  Or…you can go with arguably the best player in the field, which we believe is Stenson…and save almost $4k for the rest of your roster.  Henrik withdrew before the Shell Houston due to “illness” (rumored to be the flu and no long-term effects should be lingering into this week) but comes into Augusta with a T4, 4th, and 2nd place finish in last three starts.  Last year he finished T14 on this track and looks to be in great shape to win his first Green Jacket.  Here are a couple of stats to help make your decision a little easier this week:
  • Driving Accuracy:  12th
  • Greens in Regulation: 2nd
  • Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green: 2nd
  • Strokes Gaines: Putting: 2nd
  • Strokes Gained: Overall:  1st
  • Scoring Average: 1st
• Bubba Watson (Golficity Odds 8/1 FPPG 95.2 Salary $12,200): We know he’s priced higher than Stenson, but we slotted him in our 2-hole this week because his recent performance and overall stats just don’t match Henrik’s right now.  The good news is that you can still build a nice team around Bubba and Stenson with some smart sleepers.  Bubba ‘s been to Augusta six times, won twice, and finished outside the Top 15 the other four times.  Watson has shown promise this season and in his last four starts on TOUR he’s finished in the Top 15 every time.  You can be sure that Bubba is going to be amped up to defend his title and the chance do something that we haven’t seen in a long time.  We love his ability to hit the long ball and shorten holes here and we feel he has more control than Dustin Johnson.  Bubba isn’t the greatest in GIR and Driving Accuracy but if those parts of his game come alive he will be unstoppable this week. Here’s how Bubba ranks this week:
  • Driving Accuracy:  141st
  • Greens in Regulation: 130th 
  • Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green: 5th
  • Strokes Gaines: Putting: 12th
  • Strokes Gained: Overall: 3rd
  • Scoring Average: 2nd
• Jordan Spieth (Golficity Odds 14/1 FPPG 91.9 Salary $11,900): There is no denying that Spieth is arguably the hottest player on TOUR right now.  Putting wins championships (even Majors!) and this 21 year old has the hottest short stick going right now.  Although he blew his chances last week at the SHO, Spieth has had a stellar run over the last few weeks with a P2, 2nd, and 1st place finish in his last three starts (can you say dominating?).  Add that to the other three Top 7 finishes and his win at Tiger’s Hero World challenge and you got the recipe for a “roster definite” this week.  Did we mention he finished T2 here last year in his first attempt at Augusta?  Here’s how Jordan stack ups year-to-date:
  • Driving Accuracy:  101st
  • Greens in Regulation: 103rd 
  • Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green: 4th
  • Strokes Gaines: Putting:5th
  • Strokes Gained: Overall: 2rd
  • Scoring Average: 3rd (note: it’s just a coincidence that our Top 3 picks rank in perfect order for this)
• Jimmy Walker (Golficity Odds 24/1 FPPG 90.2 Salary $8,900): The Butch Harmon lessons are certainly paying off for Walker and are most likely the reason for what lies ahead this week.  Walker has won tournaments left and right since signing up with the Harmon, so you can imagine his next big objective is a major win.  His smooth and steady swing combined with his well thought-out game plans are ideal for this course.  With five Top 10s including two wins and a 2nd place finish, Walker is being handed to you this week on a $8,900 silver platter!  He’s coming off a victory in his last start at the VTO and he’s been known to slump after a win but given that this is The Masters we’re ignoring that this week.  Augusta has a different feel to it and from what these guys always say about it, something in the air just pumps you up to be there.  Take a look at these stats if you need some more convincing:
  • Driving Accuracy: 176th (don’t fret this one…this guy can bomb the ball and shape it when he needs to)
  • Greens in Regulation: 27th
  • Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green: 16th
  • Strokes Gaines: Putting:3rd
  • Strokes Gained: Overall: 4th
  • Scoring Average: 6th
• Patrick Reed (Golficity Odds 20/1 FPPG 88.6 Salary $9,300): Reed is an excellent option in the low $9,000 range with his proven ability to close out big events.  He could be streaky which may cause a lot of you to look the other way on him and opt for Snedeker, but this kid has fire and passion and we love that on Sunday of Masters week.  In his last start in Houston he charged up the leaderboard yet again before fading to a T17.  Reed also has a P2 in his previous start at Copperhead along with four straight top 25s this season.  He’s not the most accurate off the tee but he can scramble better than just about anyone on TOUR (3rd). Here are Patrick’s key stats:
  • Driving Accuracy:  170th
  • Greens in Regulation: 92nd
  • Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green: 15th
  • Strokes Gaines: Putting:24th
  • Strokes Gained: Overall:9th
  • Scoring Average: 12th 

Sleeper Pick/Odds to Win The Masters

• JB Holmes (Golficity Odds 38/1 FPPG 77.0 Salary $7,200): If you’ve been watching Holmes lately you’ll most likely agree that our sleeper pick this week was an easy choice.  Frankly, we’re shocked he didn’t cost at least $1,000 more.  Although it’s his first appearance since a T25 in his 2008 debut, we think he’s playing with the confidence and hot hand you need to win an event like this.  Holmes just won in a playoff last week at the SHO and has two other Top 2 finishes in his last six starts.  He also ranks 7th in Driving Distance with a cannon for a driver.  Here’s how JB Holmes stacks up:
  • Driving Accuracy:  185th
  • Greens in Regulation: 78th
  • Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green: 9th
  • Strokes Gaines: Putting:152nd
  • Strokes Gained: Overall:15th
  • Scoring Average: 57th

Salary Cap League Sleeper Pick/Odds to Win The Masters

• Ryan Palmer (Golficity Odds 50/1 FPPG 79.5 Salary $6,600): As a super-sleeper this week but we love Ryan Palmer along with his 79.5 FPPG and bargain-basement salary.  Remember that Palmer has made 7/8 cuts this year and notched three Top 10 finishes.  It’s true that he’s been quiet as of late on TOUR but Palmer has been known to step it up on the big stage.  For the price and a needed slot to round out your roster of heavy guns, Palmer makes a good fit this week at Augusta National.  Here’s how Palmer looks so far YTD:
  • Driving Accuracy:  152nd
  • Greens in Regulation: 41st
  • Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green: 8th
  • Strokes Gaines: Putting:58th
  • Strokes Gained: Overall:6th
  • Scoring Average: 5th

Now Go Get ‘Em!

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Last Week’s Results:  Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the Shell Houston Open

• Henrik Stenson (Golficity Odds 4/1): WD
• Jimmy Walker (Golficity Odds 8/1): WD
• Jordan Spieth (Golficity Odds 12/1): P2 ($520,800)
• Brendan Steele (Golficity Odds 24/1): T25 (44,330)
• Jason Kokrak (Golficity Odds 33/1): MC

Last Week’s Results: Sleeper Picks/Odds to Win the Shell Houston Open

• Jaime Donaldson (Golficity Odds 50/1): MC

Last Week’s Results Salary Cap Sleeper Pick/Odds to Win the Shell Houston Open

• Daniel Berger (Golficity Odds 66/1): T25 (44,330)

Fantasy Golf Predictions YTD Stats: 2014-2015 Season

• Tournaments Played 2014-2015: 19 (133 picks – 7 per event).
• Total Fantasy Dollars for the Season: $18704,208 ($984,432 weekly average).
• Total Top 10s: 38 out of 133 picks (28.57%).
• Total Top 3s: 19 out of 133 picks (14.29%).
• Total Runner-Up Finishes: 8 in 19 events (42.11%).
• Total Winners Picked: 4 in 19 events (21.05%).
• Total Missed Cuts: 21 out of 133 players picked (84.21% made the cut).

Remember to visit the The Clubhouse and our private Facebook group to discuss this week’s picks for the 2015 Masters Tournament with other Premium Members.

Want even more fantasy golf picks for the 2015 Masters?  Check out our Tuesday Sleeper Report for the best fantasy golf sleepers and long-shots for The Masters.

Cover Photo by Torrey Wiley on Flickr