Masters Recap and Fantasy Performance

Entering 8 lineups into the Masters Millionaire Maker on DraftKings, I had high hopes as Sunday approached, sitting comfortably within the top 1000. I believed I had a shot, albeit slim, to clinch victory if everything fell into place.

Here is how it turned out.

Entering the final round, I liked my team’s composition. It was my initial lineup I made, and the one that secured 794th out of 470,588 entries, as my primary lineup and core of players (Scheffler, Morikowa, Fitzpatrick, and Fleetwood) I played multiple times.

Scheffler performed as anticipated, solidifying his position as a must-play at his price point. However, as Sunday loomed, I found myself rooting for Morikawa, hoping his lower ownership would give me an edge. I was banking on Morikawa and Scottie pulling away from the pack with Morikawa needing to secure victory to give me the best shot.

Bradley’s impressive three-under final round immediately made the prospects of winning more realistic. However, despite the pedigree of players like Reed and Fitzpatrick, who excel at Augusta, they failed to meet expectations on Sunday. Similarly, Morikawa, a two-time major champion whose emergence was similar to Rahm’s first year, fell short of what I needed from him. In a post-game interview, Morikawa admitted to getting greedy, a decision likely costing him a solo second-place finish at the very least.

The Way I build

My strategy for constructing Masters teams revolves around a balanced consideration of course history and current form, with course history often holding equal or slightly greater importance. Often times I’ve seen players with little current form like Morikowa pop there simply being comfortable on the course. I prioritize selecting players who have consistently ranked within the top 15 globally in the OWGR over multiple seasons, particularly those under 40 years old and/or boasting major or major-like victories. While veterans like Phil Mickelson or Jack Nicklaus can still deliver top finishes into their 50s, winning at the majors tends to favor the historically successful younger players.

Despite Keegan Bradley’s lackluster Masters history, his current standing as a top 15 to 20 player globally, with previous top 15 seasons on his resume, a major victory, and age under 40 made him an irresistible pick at his price point.

In the alternate lineup that cashed as my 2nd highest lineup, I substituted Thegalla and Charl Schwartzel for Bradley and Reed. Charl was a weaker play but I thought Theegala as an elite young up an comer already with a top 10 finish a the Masters at that price had the winning value. Nonetheless, Charl’s history of high finishes, including a top 10 a few years ago, coupled with his deep knowledge of the course and still being relatively young for a golfer under 40, led me to hope for another breakout performance or at least a top 25 at his heavily discounted price of 6300. To get Theegala who had played the course well and has a blue chip pedigree with my core, it was worth it at that price. Scheffler, Morikawa, Fitzpatrick, and Fleetwood formed the core of my selections for this week.

Conclusion

I considered Ludvig Aberg, who was a top 4 player in the world without considering the ranking divisor, I even mentioned that fact last week. I couldn’t justify selecting him at his relatively high price point, especially given his lack of course history and this being his debut in a major tournament. While I initially anticipated nerves from him, his composed performance was impressive.

Observing players like Morikawa, who displayed a similar calmness reminiscent of his early major victories, prompts reflection on the low pressure faced by individuals like him, Rahm, Morikawa, and Aberg early on, who operate at a top 5 level almost effortlessly from the very start of their careers. Day one. These players aren’t burdened with the expectation to win, allowing them to play with a sense of freedom. Morikawa more recently and yesterday seemed to be the one with pressure and pressing. This new insight will certainly influence my approach in future tournaments, particularly when evaluating these super talented newcomers who rapidly ascend to the upper echelons of the sport in a short span.