European Tour Fantasy Golf: The 2019 Portugal Masters

This week, the Race to Dubai continues as the European Tour presents the fantasy golf community with the Portugal Masters.

Before I dive into my fantasy golf Draftkings selections let’s take a quick look at the golf course the field will play this week and my key statistics for this event.

The 2019 Portugal Masters will be played at the Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course. This course is a par 71 that measures approximately 7,191 yards. This track features wide fairways and large undulating greens.

This event has been played at this golf course every year since 2007. Due to this fact, fantasy golf players will have a wealth of course data to evaluate as they construct player pools for DraftKings contests.

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As I evaluated previous data from this event since 2007, it became evident to me that if a golfer wants to have a chance to win the 2019 Portugal Masters they will need to be able to score early and often. Having said that, I anticipate the winning score for this tournament to be around 20 under par.

Additionally, my review of previous winners at the Portugal Masters indicated that the ability to putt at a high level is of vital importance this week. An indication of this fact is that the last seven winners of the Portugal Masters have ranked inside the top seven in putts per GIR for the event.

The key statistics I am focusing on this week are driving distance, birdie average per round, GIR (greens in regulation) putts per GIR, and bogey avoidance.

Let’s shift our focus to my DraftKings player selections for the Portugal Masters.

Matt Wallace $11,200

It has to be said that, in my opinion, Matt Wallace is clearly the most talented golfer in the Portugal Masters field. I recognize that he arrives on the slate at a rather high Draftkings price of $11,200. However, I think he is worth every penny of that cost in this week’s event.

Let’s take a look at some key facts and data to illustrate why I feel so strongly that paying up for Wallace in Draftkings/fantasy golf contests is the correct play.

First of all, Wallace has a great tournament history in Portugal. He won his first European Tour event in Portugal in 2017. It should also be noted that Wallace also had some outstanding results in the past on the European Challenge Tour in Portugal.

As far as his current statistics go, Wallace checks that box for me. Matt currently ranks 13th on the European Tour in birdie average per round (4.28). He also has ranked ninth in total (326) birdies on the European Tour this season.

I mentioned earlier in this article that a golfer’s ability to score early and often was paramount to success this week. Having stated that, I love Wallace’s statistics with regard to his ability to score that I just mentioned.

I also indicated earlier in this article that putting was extremely important for a player to succeed on this track. Well, Matt checks that statistical box too. Wallace currently ranks third on the European Tour in putts per GIR (1.71).

As far as current form goes, Wallace certainly has that going for him. He has three top 15 finishes in his last four events, including a seventh-place finish at the Italian Open two weeks ago.

If you are looking for additional golfers to complete your Draftkings/fantasy golf lineups I also like the following golfers to possibly top 10 this week.

Mikko Korhonen $9,600

If you are looking for a course horse look no further than this man. Mikko has finished inside the top 12 in three of his four attempts at the Portugal Masters. Korhonen also won the Volvo China Open earlier this year.

Joachim B. Hansen $9,200

He arrives at this event on the heels of three consecutive top 25 finishes on the European Tour, including a runner up finish at the Open de France last week.

Padraig Harrington $7,700

The 2020 Ryder Cup captain has always performed well at the Portugal Masters. Padraig won the 2016 Portugal Masters. Additionally, Harrington has three top 26 finishes in his last five events on the European Tour.

Eduardo De La Riva $7,000

He has made the cut in three of his last four events. Eduardo finished second at the Andalucia Masters earlier this year. He also finished third at the 2015 Portugal Masters.

Pedro Figueiredo $6,500

Pedro has made four of his last six cuts on the European Tour including a 33rd place finish at the Porsche European Open in September.

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If you have any player questions feel free to contact me on Twitter at @geeversgolf. As always, good luck!

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