The 2021-22 PGA TOUR season remains in Nevada following the Shriners event that ended with a four-shot victory by Sungjae Im.  This week, it’s the CJ Cup being held at the Summit Club.  It will be held in the USA (and not South Korea) for the second straight season.  The 78-player no cut event features stars and more stars (that also come with big price tags or boring odds).  That leads me to my PGA DFS 2021 CJ Cup Sleepers, which will provide cheaper alternatives to couple with the top names in the game.  That’s if you are playing DFS.  It also could lead you to a crazy long shot opportunity.

Oh, and obviously, the term “SLEEPER” can be interpreted in a number of different ways.  In this case, it’s the reasonably priced players that stand out in key statistical areas on DraftKings (and via the current DraftKings Sportsbook odds).

Before I present this week’s sleepers, a few quick notes regarding the Summit Club:

  • This is the first pro event at Summit Club, a Tom Fazio design
  • No course history leads to a core stat focus: SG: Approach, SG: Tee to Green, and so on
  • If you are a sucker for putting numbers, the course features Bentgrass greens
  • Winds can be a factor in Nevada, but a recent weather check shows comfortable temperatures and minimal winds – therefore, no reason to run stats against difficult conditions
  • The course is a Par 72, 7,431 yards and features very gettable Par 5’s, therefore leaving SG: Par 5 a stat to keep an eye on
  • Overall, the 78-player field features the top 60 players from last year’s FedEx Cup
  • In addition to the stacked field, this is a no cut event – and while Fantasy National has a stat to focus on no cut events, I also prefer to look for birdie makers (Birdies or Better Gained)

Now that we have that out of the way, this is no time for FORE-play at The Wife Hates Sports, but time to focus on a list of PGA DFS 2021 CJ Cup sleepers.

I ran a model on Fantasy National featuring my favorite stat categories for this event (last 36 rounds played for the field).  With no historical data, I tried to focus on core stats, recent performance, Par 5’s, putting, and birdie makers.  Based off that data, here are my sleepers for the week:

PGA DFS 2021 CJ Cup Sleepers: Odds and Top Bargains on DraftKings

Jhonattan Vegas (DK: $6,300, WINNER +8000, Top 5 +1400, Top 10 +600)

His last name is Vegas, so that has to be some kind of sign, right?  Of the 6K range plays on DraftKings, Vegas ranks highest on my  model.  He’s 9th in the field in SG: Tee to Green and 6th in Birdies or Better Gained (last 36 rounds, via Fantasy National).  He also ranks 13th in strokes gained on the Par 5’s.  Over the last seven tournaments played, Vegas has two runner-up finishes (Palmetto and 3M Open).  While the putting numbers don’t rank well against the field, Vegas has gained strokes putting in three of his last five events.  At 80:1, this is an intriguing option, if he can hold his own against this strong field.

Talor Gooch (DK: $7,200, WINNER +6500, Top 5 +1100, Top 10 +500)

Gooch has been on a strong run as of late, finishing T11 at the Shriners last week and T4 at the Fortinet a few weeks back.  He also finished 5th at this event last season (at Shadow Creek).  Over the last 36 rounds played (via Fantasy National), Gooch ranks 8th in the field in SG: Approach and 3rd in SG: Par 5.  He is middle of the pack when it comes to ranks in no cut events, so who knows if he can hold his own against a very strong field.  He has lost strokes putting in three of his last five events, but one week with a hot putter can change a lot.  There’s enough statistically here to keep him in mind.

Ian Poulter (DK: $6,900, WINNER +9000, Top 5 +1400, Top 10 +600)

It was surprising to see Poulter with 90:1 odds.  Maybe it’s the field.  Perhaps it was an ugly missed cut at the Shriners last week.  Still, Poulter is a competitor that can hang with the big boys.  The numbers on SG: Approach aren’t pretty and that’s a concern.  Still, Poulter ranks 7th in the field in SG: Putting and 4th in SG: Putting (Bentgrass greens) – all last 36 rounds played, via Fantasy National.  He also ranks 17th in Birdies or Better Gained, 13th in Sand Saves (there are a lot of bunkers – I mean, it’s a desert), and 13th in total strokes gained in no cut events.  Again, last 36 rounds.  Finally, there’s Poulter’s history at the event over the last four years: T12, T16, T10, and T15.  That’s some consistency right there.

I couldn’t pick between the last two, so decided to include them both for a change:

Alex Noren (DK: $7,100, WINNER +6500, Top 5 +1000, Top 10 +450)

Noren hasn’t played since the FedEx Cup Playoff, where he finished T9 at the BMW and T4 at the Northern Trust.  He didn’t make the TOUR Championship, despite those finishes.  What is interesting about Noren is his strength on the greens.  He has gained strokes putting in six straight measured events.  Noren also sits 2nd in the field in SG: Putting over the last 36 rounds played (both on all greens and on Bentgrass).  He performs best on Bentgrass.  Let’s not forget the three top tens in his last five events.  Noren also cracks the top 20 in Birdies or Better Gained and the top ten in Sand Saves gained.  He could definitely make a run.

Aaron Wise (DK: $7,400, WINNER +6000, Top 5 +1000, Top 10 +450)

Wise has enjoyed a strong run as of late, finishing T8 last week (Shriners), T26 the week before (Sanderson Farms), T17 at the BMW, and T21 at the Northern Trust.  He hasn’t played this event, but ranks 2nd in the field in Birdies or Better Gained (last 36 rounds played, via Fantasy National).  He is also 19th in total strokes gained for the last 36 rounds and 15th in SG: Tee to Green.  His recent history in no cut events and sand save numbers are also of high quality.  For a guy that is 60:1, he checks a lot of boxes.

 

Finally, here is my “FAVORITE of the FAVORITES”:

Louis Oosthuizen (DK: $9,300, WINNER +2200, Top 5 +450, Top 10 +200)

Oosthuizen tops the model I ran this week.  He has T14 finishes in his last two events (last week’s Shriners and the TOUR Championship).  Recent form hasn’t been spectacular at this event, but again, this is a new course.  Over the last 36 rounds played (via Fantasy National), Louis is 1st in total strokes gained.  He is also 15th at no cut events, 5th in SG: Approach, and 5th in SG: Tee to Green.  He also cracks the top ten in Sand Saves and strokes gained on Par 5’s.  Louis currently ranks lower (39th) putting on Bentgrass greens.  Then again, we all know he can get hot with the flat stick.

 

Who do you have as your favorite PGA DFS 2021 CJ Cup Sleepers?  Chime in with your favorite plays below.  Either that or stop by to praise or poke fun at mine.

Best of luck and as always, thank you for visiting The Wife Hates Sports!

All stats and data via PGATOUR.com and FantasyNational.com

Image Credit: Twitter

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