This article is part of our DraftKings PGA DFS Picks series.
CIMB CLASSIC
Purse: $7.0M
Winner's Share: $1,152,000
FedEx Cup Points: 500 to the Winner
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Course: Kuala Lumpur G&CC (West)
Yardage: 6,985
Par: 72
Defending Champion: Ryan Moore
Tournament Preview
For the third event on the 2015-16 PGA Tour calendar, the field will travel internationally to Malaysia for its third edition at Kuala Lumpur for the CIMB Classic. The event itself was birthed in 2010, and the par-72 layout is quite short measuring under 7,000 yards. Kuala Lumpur is home to many professional events as it has hosted PGA Tour, European Tour, and LPGA Tour events consistently in recent years. The major story this week is Ryan Moore seeking his third consecutive CIMB Classic title, vying to become the first since Steve Stricker at the 2011 John Deere Classic to achieve the three-peat. Other top players in the truncated 78-player field include World No.6 Henrik Stenson and Gary Woodland, who has finished second-fiddle to Ryan Moore the last two years.
Key Stats to winning at Kuala Lumpur
• Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green
• Driving Accuracy
• Proximity to Hole from 50-125 yards
Last 5 Champions
2014 – Ryan Moore (Kuala Lumpur)
2013 – Ryan Moore (Kuala Lumpur)
2012 – Nick Watney
2011 – Bo Van Pelt
2010 – Ben Crane
Champion's Profile
Based on the last two years at Kuala Lumpur, it's event players who thrive here are crafty ballstrikers, so strokes gained tee-to-green is a great place to start your research. Because it is one of the shortest courses players will compete on all season, hitting fairways and stuffing short-iron approaches (50-125 yards) are essential keys to success; it's no surprise two-time champ Ryan Moore was top-15 in both these aspects last season. All 78 players in the field are guaranteed four rounds this week, making it very likely for the cream of the field to rise to the top.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Henrik Stenson - $12,100 (Winning Odds: 13%)
Kevin Na - $10,800 (7%)
Branden Grace - $10,500 (6%)
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Ryan Moore - $9,900 (5%)
Adam Scott - $9,700 (4%)
Justin Thomas - $9,600 (4%)
Paul Casey - $9,500 (4%)
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Luke Donald - $9,300 (3%)
Danny Lee - $9,200 (3%)
Harris English - $9,100 (3%)
Gary Woodland - $8,700 (2%)
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Robert Streb - $8,200 (2%)
Kevin Kisner - $8,100 (2%)
Daniel Summerhays - $7,800 (2%)
Jason Dufner - $7,600 (2%)
Chad Campbell - $7,100 (1%)
David Hearn - $7,000 (1%)
John Peterson - $6,000 (1%)
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Cash Game Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Ryan Moore - $9,900
Anirban Lahiri - $9,800
Scott Piercy - $8,400
Charles Howell III - $7,300
Matt Jones - $7,300
Kevin Chappell - $7,300
The cash game lineup this week incorporates a solid blend of ballstrikers in Moore, Lahiri, Piercy, Howell, Jones, and Chappell. Moore is an obvious fit with wins in both appearances at this venue. Lahiri won at Kuala Lumpur last February on the European Tour, while Piercy is a similar mold to Moore with control off the tee and elite short irons. Howell is known for his tee-to-green game as is Chappell. Finally, Jones comes off a solid end to last season with multiple close calls and is capable of piling up birdies quickly.
Higher-Risk Tournament Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Henrik Stenson - $12,100
Daniel Summerhays - $7,800
Jason Dufner - $7,600
Chad Campbell - $7,100
David Hearn - $7,000
Alex Cejka - $6,900
The tournament lineup is all about value, headed by Stenson who is the clear favorite and among the best tee-to-green players on the planet. The remaining lineup pulls together players who have thrived on shorter courses. In addition, Summerhays, Campbell, Hearn, and Cejka enter off top-25 efforts last week at the Shriners Open, nicely blending course fit with recent form.
