Last year the Valero Texas Open taught us all a very important lesson- be sure to check the weather. In a bit of a freak event, gale force winds ruined anyone who teed off early. (except for Matt Kuchar) Freak events seem to be the norm here in Texas. Last year Aaron Baddeley hit his tee shot on a par 4 out of bounds and then when he reteed his penalty shot, he managed to hit a rare par-4 hole in one that only counted as a birdie. Kevin Na also managed to card a 16 on a par four for what I think would be known as a duodecuple bogey. It’s a 7,400 yard long par 72 which makes it a very long course but Driving Distance doesn’t necessarily help as much as Strokes Gained Tee To Green. Proximity- particularly from longer iron distances- seems to be the key to success here along with strong Putting and Scrambling skills. There are several true course horses and I like using them as core plays as a baseline strategy. This event has only been held here since 2010 so disregard any course history before that.

***Editor’s Note: Get a FREE Entry in an Exclusive Draftkings Contest When You Register For a New Depositing Account via the link below Draftkings – Register for a new depositing Draftkings Account with via this link and get a FREE $20 Ticket to the PGA Masters Millionaire Maker Tournament! As a bonus if you register for that new Draftkings account via the link above we will give you access to our Slack Forums (a $40 Value), Including Taco’s Cheat Sheets for Nascar and PGA, Free through August! Just email us at [email protected] after you register – Let us know your Draftkings username and when you registered!

Core Plays

Jimmy Walker $12,200

The defending champion here has pretty much always played well here and the course really suits his game. He’s in good form still from the early season and his elite Birdie or Better % and Par 5 Birdie or Better % means lots of DK scoring from birdies and eagles. He’s not as dominant as a top salary player usually is but he’s still a really safe bet and should be a popular play. I’m going to be shying away from him for the next guy on the list, but it’s always important to consider the top guy.

Matt Kuchar $10,700

The first of many course horses, in 4 tries here he’s never finished worse than 22nd and came T4 in 2014. He’s in great form after last week and is a super safe bet to make the cut week to week. He’s short off the tee but still has a great Tee to Green game, and you know his short game is elite. His top 10 upside and consistency make him a cash game lock and GPP stud/anchor.

J.B. Holmes $10,100

J.B. had a very sneaky T4 finish at The Masters and has been riding a hot streak all season. He already has a win in Texas from last year and he has a few top 15 finishes here. He’s one of the longest off of the tee and he can scramble when he gets into trouble. His long iron proximity is good and his high birdie % makes him a strong GPP play.

Phil Mickelson $9,900

Phil had a rough time at The Masters, but outside of the major Phil has had one hell of a season. He’s near the top on Tour in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, his scrambling is elite as always, and his putter has been hot. I like using him liberally in GPP but there are a lot of plays this range like…

Bryson DeChambaeu $9,800

The fresh new Tour pro is off to a super hot start. His fantastic Sunday landed him a T4 at the Heritage and he’s made all 3 cuts so far this year- including The Masters. They’re all top 30 finishes too. He really seems like the next breakout type player and that explains the huge salary spike. Don’t play him in cash but make sure you have your fair share in GPP.

Charlie Hoffman $9,600

Probably the most noble of the course stallions- 6/6 cuts made with 6 top-13 finishes. Absolutely incredible. His history reminds me of Luke Donald’s from last week and he rewarded those who noticed with a T2. Hoffman typically isn’t a safe cash game type of player, but he clearly has a feel for this course and should be rostered very heavily in all formats.

Brendan Steele $8,800

A former winner and 3 time top-10 finisher since 2011. Steele has the exact skillset you’re looking for here and it’s no surprise he’s done so well. His long iron game fantastic, he drives the ball a mile with good accuracy for a bomber, he gets eagles on par 5s, and he birdies a lot. The main concern with him is his poor putting and scrambling. He’s missed a couple of cuts in a row but they were at courses I don’t think his game worked well at. He’s probably too risky for cash but great for GPP.

Daniel Summerhays $8,300

Yet another course horse and this one has been galloping lately- 3 straight top 10 finishes. Summerhays is generally a cut-maker with limited upside but his course history shows that he can shoot really low here. His stats are mostly average but he hits a lot of birdies and can putt well.

High End Plays

Jimmy Walker

Branden Grace

Zach Johnson

Matt Kuchar (cash)

J.B. Holmes

Phil Mickelson

Bryson DeChambaeu

Charlie Hoffman (cash)

Billy Horschel

Chris Kirk

Mid Range Plays

Brendan Steele

Ryan Palmer (cash)

Daniel Summerhays (cash)

William McGirt

Freddie Jacobson

Kevin Streelman

Chez Reavie

Si Woo Kim

Kyle Reifers (My top pick to hit the greens, hehe)

Bryce Molder

Aaron Baddeley

Patrick Rodgers

Jhonattan Vegas (cash)

Jerry Kelly

Cameron Tringale

Value Plays

Luke List

Will MacKenzie

Chad Campbell

George McNeill

Scott Pinckney

Michael Thompson

Andrew Loupe

Seung-Yul Noh (cash)

Cameron Percy (cash)

Justin Leonard

Tyler Aldridge

Bronson Burgoon

Brice Garnett

Matt Every

John Merrick

Super Scrub Plays

Martin Piller

Frank Lickliter II

Billy Hurley III

Brian Gay

Cheat Sheet is posted up in the Slack channel and you can pm me with any questions.