Each week, Dave Tindall and Matt Cooper will give their picks for the two main European Tour options – DraftKings and the official season-long 2019 Fantasy Race to Dubai game run by europeantour.com.
The latter is no-salary. Simply select a team of six golfers and nominate a captain whose points are doubled. Points are based on official Race to Dubai points earned by your players.
The DraftKings lineups will be entered into a large-entry Guaranteed Prize Pool. That means we need to take a risk or two, in order to separate ourselves from the field.
The idea is to provide you a list of names to consider. We would not recommend copying these teams, golfer for golfer. Duplicate teams are no fun and don’t help anyone.
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Dave Tindall
@DaveTindallGolf
DraftKings
Joost Luiten ($11,000) – Lots of strong form in Germany and the Dutchman has a particular liking for this track as highlighted by four top 15s in last five visits.
Thomas Detry ($9,500) – Still wearing that look of a winner-waiting-to-happen and why not here after his second place in 2017?
Jordan Smith ($9,200) – Three top sevens and a T14 in last five starts is a reminder of his talents. Won the European Open on German soil two years ago.
Gavin Green ($7,500) – Career arc still rising nicely as shown by three top 20s in last four Euro Tour starts. The former Asian Tour No. 1 was fifth in Belgium last time.
Renato Paratore ($7,100) – Cracked the top six on only start at this week’s venue in 2017. Put that with his T8 in the recent British Masters and he’s a value option.
David Law ($6,700) – Winner in Australia earlier this year, Law is part of a Scottish renaissance this season. Two top 15s in last four starts.
Total salary: $49,800
On the cusp: Sergio Garcia ($11,000), Martin Kaymer ($10,400), Rafa Cabrera Bello ($9,700), Pablo Larrazabal ($8,700), Chris Paisley ($8,200), Guido Migliozzi ($7,500)
2019 Fantasy Race to Dubai - European Tour
Last week: Thought I’d done okay but Euro gamers are on to Schauffele now so an edge has gone. Did put up a winning team on DraftKings again though.
Position: 1,245th
Sergio Garcia (captain): Finally made a cut in a major after seven blanks and a must-pick this week due to course form of 2-7-2 on his last three visits.
Matt Wallace: A little flat (T41 Denmark) the week after the PGA but Team Wallace will no doubt have addressed that and he’ll want to put up a stern defence of the title he won in Cologne last year.
Martin Kaymer: You’d likely play him here (has a win and a fourth) in any sort of form but the local hero is definitely turning a corner as shown by top three at Muirfield Village.
Bernd Wiesberger: The Austrian will get plenty of support in neighboring Germany. Fourth here in the past and a winner in Europe last month.
Joost Luiten: Like Wiesberger, has come through an injury lay-off and is playing some fine golf again. Course form? 14-61-10-3-11. T8 at British Masters on last Euro start.
Thomas Detry: Runner-up here when it was last used in 2017 and very consistent form in last few months.
Matt Cooper
@MattCooperGolf
DraftKings
Sergio Garcia ($11,000) – Solid course form with two sevenths and two seconds from six starts. The first of those seconds was a play-off defeat, the second bettered by an outlier effort from Andres Romero.
Joost Luiten ($9,900) – Back in his comfort zone of regular European Tour action. Already has five finishes of T12 or better this season in such circumstances.
Chris Paisley ($8,200) – T4 at the Made in Denmark and then led the 36-hole Belgian Knockout strokeplay stages. Third at the course in 2015.
Guido Migliozzi ($7,500) – A two-time winner on Tour this season, both of them on tree-lined tracks, not exactly like this week, but enough alike to be worthy of interest. Not often you get a recent double winner at this price.
Bradley Dredge ($7,100) – In a rotten run of form, but I needed value and his course form is excellent: six of his last seven starts here have reaped top 20s.
Nicolai Von Dellinghausen ($6,000) – Needed a bargain and who better than the aristocratic-sounding German? Made the top 30 in his last three Challenge Tour starts and did the same at this course in 2017.
Total salary: $49,700
On the cusp: Matthew Fitzpatrick ($10,700), Erik van Rooyen ($10,100), Rafa Cabrera Bello ($9,700), Brandon Stone ($6,900), Rafa Echenique ($6,400), Thomas Bjorn ($6,400)
2019 Fantasy Race to Dubai – European Tour
Last week: A mild increase, but only to get myself on the brink of the top 3000. Desperate times.
Position: 3,098th
Sergio Garcia (captain): Great course form, as mentioned above, and his first round 69 last week permitted him to make a first cut in three starts. Can build on that at an event he always enjoys off the course as well as one (maybe those two factors are related?).
Matt Wallace: Ownership of close to 50% and with good reason. The defending champion takes on a new course, but his form is excellent, as evidenced by a T12 last week at Pebble Beach.
Matthew Fitzpatrick: Sat alongside Wallace in T12 last week and ought to improve on his only previous course start, a missed cut four years ago.
Martin Kaymer: A course winner and made the top ten in the British Masters and Memorial ahead of topping the SG: Approach the Green in the U.S. Open.
Alex Noren: His record on the European Tour has, it seems, been slightly overlooked this week because he’s played some ordinary golf in America. Has to be a good chance he reverts to Euro type.
Joost Luiten: Loves chalking up top 12s both on this tour (five this year) and on this course (four in six starts).
