Fantasy Golf Showdown: 2023 WM Phoenix Open Saturday Selections

I will provide a quick summary of the previous rounds at the WM Phoenix Open before diving into my favorite plays for Round 3 Showdown contests on DraftKings.

Keep in mind that we want to project future success and not rely on previous accomplishments.

The 2023 WM Phoenix Open started with some weather concerns. The first round was delayed nearly two hours due to frost and was eventually played in very windy conditions. The wind made scoring rather difficult with a number of key names finishing the round over par.

Jason Day was able to get off to a hot start and he had the benefit of finishing his round early Friday. He rode a hot putter to an opening-round 65 which was good enough for the first-round lead. He was 11th in strokes gained approach and 4th in strokes gained putting.

The conditions for round two were far more optimal and the scoring reflected it.

Jon Rahm had a number of impressive holes including on the 7th when he made a 43-foot par putt. Rahm currently sits at -8 and is tied for 2nd.

Scottie Scheffler was a ball-striking machine and posted a 64. He is currently the leader. Scheffler is 1st in both off-the-tee and approach performance through two rounds.

Sungjae Im also came out on fire with birdies on six of his first nine holes on Friday.

* As of writing this the second round has not yet concluded. If you’re setting lineups for round 3 you should avoid players near the cut line. All statistics are based on metrics from the first two rounds of play. 

2023 WM Phoenix Open: Round 3 Showdown Plays

Jordan Spieth ($8,100)
Spieth had a rough start to the tournament with two bogeys right out of the gate. He ended the first round shooting a 71 and finished at even par. The putter which is generally his strength let him down as he was 116th in strokes gained putting during the first round. He was very good on approach gaining 2.5 strokes. He currently sits at five-under-par with six holes to play in round two.

Tyrrell Hatton ($8,000)
Hatton has been great from tee to green so far. He’s gained two strokes off the tee and just under three strokes on approach. He currently sits in 18th place despite being 81st in putting so far for the tournament. He’s historically a very good putter and if he reverts back to form with the flat stick he can do some damage.

Rickie Fowler ($7,800)
Fowler had an up-and-down first round and missed a few putts. He bogeyed his 2nd hole in round two but had a clean card the rest of the way shooting five under par. He’s gained strokes in every metric so far and can have a good weekend at a course where he’s had great success in the past.

Wyndham Clark ($7,300)
Wyndham has actually lost strokes off the tee despite that generally being the strength of his game. He’s made up for it with a great approach game and by making putts. I like his chances to continue the ball striking while improving off the tee.

Jhonattan Vegas ($6,900)
Only Scottie Scheffler has gained more off the tee than Vegas through two rounds. Scheffler has gained 3.7 strokes and Vegas 3.6 strokes. He’s bogey-free with six birdies through 14 holes. His salary is too low compared to his current production.