DraftKings PGA: Northern Trust Open

This article is part of our DraftKings PGA DFS Picks series.

 
NORTHERN TRUST OPEN 
 
Purse: $6.8M 
Winner's Share: $1.224M 
FedEx Cup Points: 500 to the Winner 
Location: Pacific Palisades, Calif. 
Course: Riviera Country Club 
Yardage: 7,322 
Par: 71 
Defending Champion: James Hahn 
 

Tournament Preview 
 
The West Coast Swing comes to an end, as it always does, at storied Riviera. Despite being one of the most difficult courses the golfers will see all year (it was fifth hardest out of 52 played on tour last year), they absolutely love it. It's a classic design, unlike some of the newer, more tricked-out courses. Golfers must use all the clubs in their bags and all the shots in their arsenals. Riviera starts at the majestic, elevated tee at No. 1, the easiest hole on the course. If you don't birdie the short par-5, you're basically losing a shot to the field. Other signature holes are the short par-3 sixth, famous for its bunker on the green; the risk-reward, drivable par-4 10th, where playoffs are won and lost; and finally the brutish 18th, 475 yards uphill with a blind tee ball leading to the tiny, kidney-shaped green. Good luck getting par on 18 with the tournament on the line. Finding the fairway at Riviera is important, so as not to find yourself in the gnarly, club-grabbing kikuyu grass. But getting on the smallish greens in regulation is vital; if not, you better have a darn good short game. It's not that putting isn't important -- of course, it always is – but the bumpy poa annua on the greens neutralizes even the sport's top putters. 
 
Key Stats to winning at Riviera 
 

• Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green
• Greens in regulation
• Scrambling

Lower-Risk Cash Game Lineup ($50K Salary Cap) 

Justin Rose - $10,800 
Bubba Watson - $10,400 
Matt Jones - $7,700 
Graham DeLaet - $7,400 
Chris Kirk - $7,000 
Jason Gore - $6,600 

Rose doesn't play Riviera every year, though he's smart enough to navigate the difficult track regardless. He hadn't played the AT&T before last week and scored a top 10. But he does have a couple of top-15s at the Northern Trust. Watson is a former champion and his brilliant shot-making, especially fades, fits nicely at Riviera. Jones is another smart player with a T14 at last year's tournament. DeLaet has struggled on tour the past few years, but he loves playing Riviera, and that counts for a lot. He tied for eighth last year. Chris Kirk is certainly not at his best, but $7,000 seems an extremely low price for a top-50 golfer. Jason Gore? He's eight for eight in cuts this season, and it's almost impossible to play well/win at DraftKings without all six guys reaching the weekend. 

 
Higher-Risk Tournament Lineup ($50K Salary Cap) 
 
Rory McIlroy - $13,200 
Adam Scott - $9,500 
Patrick Rodgers - $7,300 
Brian Harman - $7,100 
Chris Kirk - $7,000 
J.J. Henry - $5,900 

McIlroy is playing Riviera for the first time and, while that will be a bit of a disadvantage, the straightest-longest driving on tour more than makes up for it. Adam Scott, of course, is not a top putter, but that won't hurt him here as much as other courses. He's fantastic tee to green, and that's paramount at Riviera. Rodgers is a youngster, but a West Coast youngster, one who is ninth in GIR and fifth in strikes gained: tee to green so far this season. Harman missed the cut last year, but was T3 in 2014, so he knows the landscape. Kirk, again, just seems too good of a value to pass up at this price. Henry is veteran well-versed in the nuances of Riviera, and he tied for ninth there five years ago.