The clocks have sprung forward, and spring is starting to arrive in most places. Nothing spells springtime better than the beautiful flora in full bloom at Augusta National Golf Club. It wishes away the winter cold and marks the start of typically much warmer weather. It is ready to take center stage yet again here in April for the 86th playing of the 2022 Masters.
This PGA DFS article will go player by player, giving a bit of a profile on each of them and then a bet to make this week. One of the many great things about this tournament is that it is widely covered by numerous outlets. We’ll do our best to produce to take all that info and profile top-notch content to help you have a fun and profitable Masters week. Let’s start with a bit of a Course Profile, similar to what you would see in the weekly Fantasy Golf First Cut article breaking down the best DFS golf picks and fantasy advice for DraftKings and FanDuel.
PGA DFS & Fantasy Golf Preview | The Masters 2022
Course Preview: Augusta National Golf Course
Not much ever needs to be done to this golf course, as many believe it to be the best in the world. But there were some significant changes to the course, a few that will likely make it even better. It’s been lengthened by about 40 yards, with 15 to 20 going to the 11th hole and about 20 going to the par-5 15th hole, which could play a big factor this week. The 11th hole not only was lengthened but also had a bunch of trees removed down the right-hand side.
Par and Yardage
- Par 72, 7,500 yards
Hole Dispersion
- Four Par 3’s: 240, 180, 155, 170
- 10 Par 4’s: 445, 350, 495, 450, 460, 495, 505, 440, 440, 465
- Four Par 5’s: 575, 570, 510, 530
Grass Types and Hazards
- Grass Type: Bent
- Average Green Size: 6,486 square feet
- Water Hazards: 6
- Bunkers: 44
- Rough Length: 1.375
Designer
- Allister Mackenzie & Robert Trent Jones
Facts and Figures
- Off the Tee: While Augusta National Golf Course is demanding off the tee, it comes more in the form of position rather than hitting the fairway. Hitting the fairways isn’t all that difficult, checking in just north of 68% of the time. But get in the wrong position on the hole, and it can be deadly, regardless of being in the fairway or not.
- Approach: Missing the green is extremely penal here at Augusta, as the green complexes are the most difficult on tour. Golfers on average hit the greens about 64.5% of the time last year.
- Around the Green and Putting: With the most undulating greens on tour and typically the fastest, work done on and around the greens will be pivotal this week.
Awesemo golf betting experts Ben Rasa and Eytan Shander will be coming to you every week on the OddsShopper YouTube Channel with the Putting for Dough golf betting show, where they give you their expert PGA picks and predictions for the week. This week, they are giving their free golf betting picks for the 2022 Masters.
2022 Masters Player Preview
Golf is such a unique and incredible game, with so many different facets. Nothing helps identify what a player is good at in their game than the set of statistics called strokes gained. But since all the players competing this week don’t have strokes gained in there, I’ve broken down the 88 golfers into distinct categories this week. Here is the table of contents for the article:
Total of 91 golfers in the field:
*J.J. Spaun qualified by winning the Valero Texas Open on 4/3/22. He’ll make 15 first time-debutants for the week.
- Amateurs (6)
- Older Past Champions (7)
- Debutants (15)
- PGA Tour Tournament Winners/Former Winners/Major Qualifications (23)
- Top 50 OWGR (11)
- Long Shots (12)
- Contenders (9)
- 2022 Masters Favorites (8)
Here’s what you can expect to find about each player:
- How They Qualified: How each player earned an invitation to this year’s tournament.
- Recent Form & Best 2022 finish: The last three starts for each player and their best 2022 finish.
- Masters Form: The last five years of tournament history here at the Masters
- Bet for the Week: Finding a bet on every player is possible, but some of the odds on them may be outrageous on both sides.
- DFS Salaries: With the biggest PGA DFS contests offered all year, it’ll be essential to know where the values are across the industry.
- Quick Notes: A few quick words about each player.
For a more in-depth statistical look at the golfers this week, click here to view the sheet, which includes:
- Strokes Gained Data
- Traditional Statistics
- Approach Yardage Proximities
- Head-to-Head Comparison
- Statistical Modeling & More
Amateurs (6)
A year after only three amateurs played in the event, we are back up to the normal six playing in this year’s event.
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Aaron Jarvis
- Age & Birthplace: 19/Cayman Island
- How They Qualified: 2022 Latin American Champion
- Recent Form: 57, 52, 1
- Masters Form: N/A
- Statistical Profile: N/A
- Bet for the Week: Coming Soon
- DFS Salary for the Millionaire Maker on DraftKings: $6,000
- Quick Notes: A solid story to start this year’s Masters coverage, as Jarvis will be the first-ever competitor in the Masters from the Cayman Islands by becoming the first-ever Latin American Champion from the country as well. Just a freshman at UNLV, he’ll be the youngest player in this week’s field.
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Austin Greaser
- Age & Birthplace: 21/USA/Ohio
- How They Qualified: 2021 U.S. Amateur runner-up
- Recent Form: 9, 45, 4
- Masters Form: N/A
- Statistical Profile: N/A
- Bet for the Week: Coming Soon
- DFS Salary for the Millionaire Maker on DraftKings: $6,000
- Quick Notes: Greaser, a junior out of North Carolina, has been a stellar collegiate player earning All American honors last year and a few other accolades during his time at UNC. He’s ranked 21st in the WAGR.
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James Pio
- Age & Birthplace: 22/USA/MI
- How They Qualified: 2021 U.S. Amateur Champion
- Recent Form: 12, MC, 37
- Masters Form: N/
- Statistical Profile: N/A
- Bet for the Week: Coming Soon
- DFS Salary for the Millionaire Maker on DraftKings: $6,000
- Quick Notes: James, a 5th year senior at Michigan State, will look for some success here at Augusta before turning pro in a few months. Piot’s best amateur ranking was 42nd after the win last year.
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Laird Shepard
- Age & Birthplace: 24/England
- How They Qualified: 2021 British Amateur Champion
- Recent Form: N/A
- Masters Form: N/A
- Statistical Profile: N/A
- Bet for the Week: Coming Soon
- DFS Salary for the Millionaire Maker on DraftKings: $6,000
- Quick Notes: Laird, the British Amateur Champion at age 24, has never ranked above 34th in the world amateur rankings.
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Stewart Hagestad
- Age & Birthplace: 30/US
- How They Qualified: 2021 Mid-Am Champion
- Recent Form: 24th
- Masters Form: 36th (2017)
- Statistical Profile: N/A
- Bet for the Week: Coming Soon
- DFS Salary for the Millionaire Maker on DraftKings: $6,000
- Quick Notes: If you know golf, specifically amateur golf, Hagestad’s name won’t come as a surprise. He will be making his second appearance at the Masters, making the cut in 2017 and coming in 36th. Hagestad is about as solid as they get for an Amateur golfer and likely could make it on the tour, but instead vows for a less strenuous way of playing golf and relies on his Wall St. job for income.
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Keita Nakajima
- Age & Birthplace: 21/Japan
- How They Qualified: 2021 Asian Pacific Amateur Champion
- Recent Form:
- 41
- 15
- 41
- Masters Form: N/A
- Statistical Profile: N/A
- Bet for the Week: Coming Soon
- DFS Salary for the Millionaire Maker on DraftKings: $6,400
- Quick Notes: Saving the best for last, Nakajima is the #1 ranked Amateur in the world. He joins defending champion Hideki Matsuyama as the only golfers ranked #1 in the Amateur ranking and hold the Pacific Amateur title from Japan. Takumi Kanaya also won the event but wasn’t #1 in the world at the time. Nakajima has been testing the pro waters for some time now, having competed primarily on pro events in Japan over the last few years. Most Notably, he’s competed in the Zozo Championship on the PGA Tour and came in 28th and the Sony Open in Hawaii, where he came in 41st. He’s also won a pro event, the Panasonic Open on the Japanese Tour. He’s said that he’ll turn pro at some point this year. A big start here would likely change his mindset and up that talk to a bit sooner, rather than later.
