It's a tradition unlike any other. Well, maybe "tradition" is not the right word, but I've been providing my value picks for the Masters for F6P since before anyone even heard of Covid. I've done a variety of different things for the site over the years, but there was never a question that I'd be doing the 2023 PGA DFS: Masters Tournament DraftKings Value Picks piece.
One of the questions was what other Masters coverage would we have. Our golf team is bigger than it has been in the recent past and that has allowed us to have expanded coverage this week.
Earlier in the week, Keith Fleming provided his usual weekly DFS picks and should have another article coming out later this week. Allen Sandige provided his favorite bets in each tier. Allen and Keith's weekly YouTube show will drop Tuesday night. And you might be treated to an additional article from yours truly as well later this week.
I will mention that I am struggling to pick a winner outside of the "big three" of Schefler, Rory, and Rham. But should you hate the chalk, I also have my trifecta of Homa, Day, and Finau whom I really like this week as well.
Either way, I'm going heavy at the top with most of my DraftKings lineups. But that necessitates some cheaper options. Fortunately, pricing is fairly soft this week. So we'll keep it simple and say that my "value picks" have to have salaries of less than $8k. Grab your irons and let's take a swing at some value picks.
2023 PGA DFS: Masters Tournament DraftKings Value Picks
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Justin Rose ($7800)
Rose is getting a little long in the tooth at 42 years old and the sand is starting to run out on the Englishman winning the Masters. However, his record here at Augusta is exemplary. He has six top tens here, including last year's solo 7th as well as two other runner-up finishes. And it's not like Rose is just scraping by this year. He won at Pebble Beach two months ago in a pretty loaded field. His floor is likely a Top 40 with his ceiling being a victory finally.
Min Woo Lee ($7600)
ICYMI: @MinWoo27Lee is going to @TheMasters 😎 pic.twitter.com/9O1geQFsFt
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 31, 2023
The floor on Lee is a bit scary. But the upside here is so absolutely tantalizing.
He's currently 48th in the OWGR (Overall World Golf Ranking). As the saying goes, drive for show and putt for dough. He's 11th in longest putts. But he has an all-around game that travels well. It's one that helped him to a T-6 at the Players Championship less than a month ago.
And in case you forgot, Lee notched a T-14 in his Masters debut, which oh bee tee double ewe, included a record-tying 30 on the front nine in the final round. He is a bit of a poor man's classic Brooke Koepka, as the bigger the stage the better he performs. After that T-14 at Ausuta, all he did was hang up two more Top 30 performances in Majors after that last year.
Ignore at your own risk.
Keith Mitchell ($7100)
Technically Tiger Woods should be listed next at $7300 as I love him to make the cut and probably even finish in the top 20. But can Woods ever really be considered a "sleeper"? Instead, enter one of my favorite picks of the week, Keith Mitchell.
Mitchell is a UGA guy, so you know he's pretty familiar with these greens. Moreover, he has some very strong overall stats coming in, including 1st in total driving, 7th in SG: OTT, and 12th in par 5s birdie or better. And to win at Augusta, you have to birdie the par 5s because you won't be seeing too many birdies on the other holes. Mitchell has only missed one cut this year and has two top 5s (Genesis and AT&T respectively, neither weak field events). He also has played this course as a pro, including a closing round of 69 most recently.
Mitchell is absolutely one of my favorite value picks this week.
Tom Hoge ($6900)
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While Mitchell might be one of my favorite picks, Hoge might be the most mispriced player this week. He does not have the Top 5 upside of the three previous options, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him in the top 10 by the end of the tournament. And he's absolutely the best bet to make the cut of all players priced under $7K.
His most recent tournament was The Players Championship, aka "the fifth major". All he did there was finish T-3, which is even more impressive when you consider he shot an opening round of 78. He rebounded with three rounds of 70 or better. But I'm not so sure he will even need to "rebound", as he played solidly all four rounds at Augusta last year en route to a Top-40 finish for his maiden Masters entry.
Hoge has won already this season at the QBE Shootout and currently sits 23rd in the FedEx Standings. He's a solid 27th in par 5 birdie or better. Even more importantly, he's 14th on the PGA tour in SG: Total. Anytime you can get someone in the top 15 of SG: Total for under $7K, that's an option you absolutely have to consider.
Adrian Meronk ($6400)
Meronk is a bit of an F6P favorite any week he tees it up. But it is hard to blame us. He's made seven of ten cuts this season, including three wins and a win overseas at the ISPS Handa Australian Open. He too will be making his first Masters appearance (and first ever for a Polish golfer), so there is absolutely the potential for this sleeper pick to crap the bad. If I had to pick a golfer I'm wrong to recommend this week, it's probably Meronk.
However, he has four Top 20s already this calendar year. Furthermore, should he finish 13th or higher this week, he will secure Special Temporary Membership for the remainder of the season, so the motivation is absolutely there. He is currently 8th in the Race to Dubai Rankings (i.e. the European Tour rankings) behind number one Rory McIlroy and the aforementioned Min Woo Lee. Meronk is 9th in stroke average on the European Tour and a finish this week in the top dozen would not surprise me at all.
Gordon Sargent ($6100)
Gordon Sargent won the NCAA Champ last year and cruises at 185 mph ball speed with driver.
He can get up to 197 mph ball speed and 132 mph clubhead speed.
pic.twitter.com/8htscYbn5J https://t.co/zurfTdql4o
— SuperSpeedGolf (@SuperSpeedGolf) April 4, 2023
I'm being a little more aggressive than usual with my recommendations this year. Sargent is not even a professional yet and is still an amateur. But the fact that AGNC actually invited this amateur into their tournament tells you a lot. He is the first amateur in over 20 years to receive a special exemption invite to the Masters. Not even "wunderkinds" Jordan Spieth or Rory McIlroy were invited when they were amateur players and we all just knew they were going to be good.
Simply put, this kid is good.
Yes, a Southern Boy hailing from an SEC school did not hurt Sargent's case with the folks at Augusta. But look at the resume. Sargent is sitting atop the World Amateur Golf Ranking, as well as the two main collegiate rankings. He has four wins in his last 15 collegiate starts and his worst finish was a T-7. The 19-year-old was a medalist at the East Lake Cup in October. In February, he won the Hayt Invitational by seven shots over North Florida’s Nick Gabrelcik, who weeks later made the cut at the PGA TOUR’s Valspar Championship.
Length is far from the only skill you need to win the Masters, but it is one of the critical ones. And Sargent's shot length is absolutely mind-boggling. He's been clocked with a club speed of 132 mph, leading to a NASCAR-ian ball speed of 190 MPH. If I could bet on Sargent to win a Masters within the next 15 years, I would. He is not going to do it this week. But we could certainly see a top-40 finish and possibly much higher. At the very least, I like him to make the cut and at $6100, we can't ask for more than that.
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