Players Championship 2021: Daily Fantasy Picks and Tips for Saturday

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Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

On Friday, Lee Westwood shot a 66 in the second round of the 2021 Players Championship, marking his best showing at TPC Sawgrass since the second round of the 2014 edition of this tournament. That year, Westwood couldn’t claim his first Players Championship title. Will this time be different?

The third round of the Players Championship is set to begin Saturday morning, shortly after the second round concludes. There are still eight golfers who didn’t finish play Friday, as the round was suspended because of the darkness in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

However, the top of the leaderboard won’t look any different when the third round gets underway. Westwood is in the lead at nine under par, while Matthew Fitzpatrick (eight under) and Chris Kirk and Sergio Garcia (both seven under) are close behind. Then there’s a group of six golfers tied at six under, including Bryson DeChambeau.

With this year’s Players Championship nearly at the halfway point, here’s some daily fantasy advice for Saturday’s third round.

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John Raoux/Associated Press

DeChambeau is off to his best career start at the Players Championship, which he’s playing in for the third time. After two rounds, the 27-year-old is at six under par, having shot a 69 on both Thursday and Friday. Entering this year, he had only shot 69 or better in three of his first eight rounds at TPC Sawgrass.

Only three strokes behind Westwood, DeChambeau could be poised to surge into the lead Saturday. And although he will come at a high price for daily fantasy lineups ($10,400 on DraftKings), he’s going to be worth it. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he gets close to his best career round at the course (which was a 67 in the second round of the 2018 Players Championship).

DeChambeau doesn’t think he’s been at his best through the first two rounds of the tournament.

“I’ve been pretty lucky, for the most part,” DeChambeau said, per Steve DiMeglio of Golfweek. “I don’t think that’ll happen this weekend. I’ve got to make sure that my game is good off the tee, so I don’t have those issues occurring and I don’t have to rely on luck for the most part.”

DeChambeau was victorious at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at the start of March, and he’s carried over that momentum into a solid start. It could be a special final two rounds for the 27-year-old. Make sure he’s in your DFS lineup for the third round.

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John Raoux/Associated Press

Typically, Westwood plays much better in the first two rounds of the Players Championship than he does in the last two. One of the only anomalies was his debut at TPC Sawgrass in 1998, when he shot a 68 in the third round and a 69 on the final day.

In 2005, he shot a 65 and 69 in the first two rounds and a 80 and 72 to close out the tournament. He broke into the 60s in each of the first two rounds in 2010 and 2013 and then shot in the 70s in each of the final two rounds both of those years.

Don’t play Westwood ($7,600 on DraftKings) in your DFS lineup for Saturday’s third round. In his most recent Players Championship appearance prior to this year (2017), he shot a 76 in the third round and a 75 on the final day.

Although Westwood has had some solid rounds at TPC Sawgrass over the years, it’s been more than two decades since he finished well at the Players. There’s a strong chance that he won’t be atop the leaderboard heading into Sunday’s final round, especially with top competition not far behind.

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John Raoux/Associated Press

If you’re looking for a golfer for your daily fantasy lineup who’s the same price as Westwood, then go with Paul Casey ($7,600 on DraftKings) for Saturday’s third round. The 43-year-old is tied for 14th at four under par, but he could be on the rise after a strong showing Friday.

Casey opened the Players Championship with a 73, but he rebounded by shooting a 67 in the second round. He had six birdies Friday and excelled with his putting. He ended the front nine with three straight birdies, beginning a stretch in which he had four birdies in five holes.

Although Casey has been playing at TPC Sawgrass since 2004, he had never shot a 67 before Friday. His previous best showings were a pair of 68s in the first and final rounds in 2016. And after struggling at the course early in his career, he’s fared better in recent years.

While others play Westwood of Fitzpatrick in this DFS price range, go with Casey instead. He could be on his way to climbing the leaderboard with another strong showing Saturday.

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