This article is part of our DFS Golf series.
Jeddah
Purse: $25 million
Winner's Share: $4 million
Location: King Abdulla Economic City
Course: Royal Greens Golf & Country Club
Designer: European Golf Designs
Yardage: 7,010 yards
Par: 72
Tournament Preview
LIV Golf heads to Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in Saudi Arabia this week to compete in the penultimate event of its inaugural season. The 7,010-yard par-72 track features beautiful, sweeping views of the Red Sea and should make for excellent viewing for everyone tuned in. The customary 48-player field features some of the biggest names in golf, including Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson.
Royal Greens has consistently been rated as one of the best courses in Saudi Arabia and features some of the region's most challenging green complexes. The track is actually on the shorter side of things for most of the seasoned veterans, so a premium should be placed on golfers who can go low regardless of the setup and format. Four somewhat reachable par-5s will allow for plenty of birdie opportunities throughout the weekend, but a number of challenging par-3s and lengthy par-4s will help keep scorecards reasonably humble.
With respect to weather, this event is largely being played on an oasis within the desert, and the conditions will certainly reflect the nature of that environment. LIV recently permitted all competitors to wear shorts, and those will certainly come in handy as temperatures push the upper 90s with unrelenting sun throughout the weekend.
In sum, Royal Greens is a great place for some warm weather and even hotter scoring potential. It wouldn't be at all surprising to see LIV and its players set new "personal" scoring records. Given the course setup and conditions, this figures to be one of the more wide-open events of the year, but we've identified a few players who are well-positioned to match or exceed expectations this week.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS
Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap
Tier 1 Values
Cameron Smith - $10,900
If you're looking for chalk, look no further than Smith, who could potentially be more motivated than fellow premium option Johnson ($11,300). Smith hasn't been a member of LIV Golf as long as DJ, so his money list results are comparatively muted on the year. That said, he will likely be looking to make up for lost time over the final two events of the season, and this is an outstanding setup for his game. The generally scoreable layout could easily turn into a big, giant putting contest, and Smith is definitely the player I want under those circumstances.
Patrick Reed - $9,400
Reed is another outstanding putter who also has the ability to go extremely low. He is coming off a runner-up in Bangkok and finished 12th at LIV Chicago, directly on the heels of another strong performance at the BMW PGA Championship on the DP World Tour. Give me Reed over the likes of Sergio Garcia ($9,500) and Abraham Ancer ($9,900), who haven't quite demonstrated the ability to post consistently low numbers since joining LIV.
Tier 2 Values
Branden Grace - $7,900
Grace has been extremely steady since LIV Golf, posting finishes of T3, 1, 13, T12, T18 before withdrawing last week in Bangkok due to a ribcage issue. If he's able to put that behind him, this price offers tremendous value for a player who hasn't finished outside the top 20 and already has two top-5 LIV finishes to his name. It would not be at all surprising to see him continue this strong run in Jeddah, particularly when you consider Grace is more accustomed to playing international events than some of his counterparts.
Anirban Lahiri - $7,600
Given the current void of professional golf in the Middle East and Western Asia, this is likely the closest Lahiri will come to contesting a PGA event near his home country of India. The veteran has been one of the most productive LIV competitors this season, finishing second a few weeks ago in Boston and following that up up with a T21 in Chicago. Look for Lahiri to benefit from playing closer to home than a good chunk of the field.
Tier 3 Values
Phil Mickelson - $6,700
Mickelson hasn't played very well since joining LIV, but this is almost too low to pass up. It's taken a few weeks for his price to reach a level that justifies his current quality of play, but Mickelson now provides decent value toward the bottom of the list. For what it's worth, Lefty recently withdrew from a lawsuit filed against the PGA Tour and appears to be at peace with his recent career decisions. He posted a few videos on social media recently encouraging supporters that his game is making a comeback. At this price, it's worth taking a flier and hoping he shows flashes of the Phil we are accustomed to watching.
Sam Horsfield - $6,600
Horsfield isn't terribly well-known amongst casual fans, but that can often be helpful when looking for DFS value. He's been rather steady since joining LIV, finishing fifth in London, 11th in Portland and 16th in Bedminster. What's more, he's averaging approximately 70 DK points per outing. It's unlikely he truly contends for the title in Jeddah, but he's a safe bet to grab some points amidst a rather star-studded field.
