DFS Dish: Look for some Italian value in France

The Summer Olympics takes center stage on the sporting calendar every four years.

For the third consecutive Olympics, beginning with 2016, men's golf features during the fortnight of competition.

A field of 60 players representing 32 countries will play 72 holes of stroke play at Le Golf National just outside of Paris.

Hosting the DP World Tour plus the 2018 Ryder Cup, the par 71 (7,147 yards) will provide a challenge for 10 of the top 15 players in the OWGR.

DraftKings – Top of the Board

Scottie Scheffler ($12,500): Copy and paste! Nobody scores more points in this format than the world No. 1, so it is time to put your Euros on the table. The only knock on the Texan is his results have wavered on unfamiliar tracks. All six wins came on courses where he had previously played and or won. The three rotating majors (T8, T41, T7) provided his “worst” recent results.

Xander Schauffele ($11,600): The world traveler has already posted wins in his career in Scotland, China and Japan and is the only man capable of winning a second career gold medal. The reigning champion from Tokyo in 2021 closed with 31 on the back nine at Royal Troon to overturn a two-shot deficit to win his second major in three starts. We don’t have to worry about confidence, momentum, or current form.

Overvalued or Undervalued

Viktor Hovland ($9,700): The Norwegian has loads of talent that is going to break out at some point. Producing only one result in the top 10 this season, I am not going to stretch to shoehorn him into the lineup coming off another disappointing performance. On paper, he’s a fantastic contrarian play, but his weekly points per at this value do not match.

Alex Noren ($9,000): A previous winner at the 2018 HNA Open de France against a loaded field, the Swede also scored two points from three matches in the Ryder Cup later that summer. Backing up T10 at the Genesis Scottish Open with T13 at Royal Troon suggests he’s in the mood.

Makers or Breakers

Rory McIlroy ($11,100): Not having to digest a weekend collapse, the world No. 3 should be refreshed for a new challenge. Losing out in a playoff in Tokyo for bronze, he has the chance for redemption three summers later. It’s not a major championship, but there are only two other players on the planet who can say they have won a gold medal in Men’s Golf.

Tommy Fleetwood ($9,500): The course obviously fits his eye and that will ratchet up ownership through the roof. The 2017 winner of the HNA Open de France destroyed the U.S. Ryder Cup team the following summer on the same track.

Collin Morikawa ($10,200): On unfamiliar greens, I will always lean on elite ball strikers. Not many hit more fairways and or gain more shots tee to green.

Guido Migliozzi ($7,400): A winner at the end of June at the KLM Open on the DP World Tour, the Italian is also a winner on this layout. The 2022 champion of the Cazoo Open de France shared T47 in defense last summer and cashed T31 at Royal Troon.

Matthieu Pavon ($8,000): Joined by countryman Victor Perez ($7,100), the 2024 Farmers Insurance Open champion has produced all season on the PGA TOUR. The pressure of winning a gold medal on home soil must be incredible. In six starts at Le Golf National, he’s never cashed inside the top 30. Careful.

Sepp Straka ($8,500): A bully off the tee, the Austrian makes his second Olympics on the back of leading the PGA TOUR in Driving Accuracy. Already a two-time winner and an Olympic participant, he can focus on getting it around Le Golf National and leave the sightseeing to the others.

Matteo Manassero ($7,000): A win and six other top-10 paydays feels like value this deep into a 60-man field.

Kevin Yu ($6,600): The super ball-striker from Taiwan, if he gets after it on the weekend, his countryman C.T. Pan will be an excellent place to get advice. The bronze medalist in 2021 won a seven-man playoff for his country.

The Lineup

Here’s a look at how I would devise a six-team roster this week while staying below the $50,000 salary cap offered for DraftKings contests:

• Collin Morikawa ($10,200)
• Tommy Fleetwood ($9,500)
• Alex Noren ($9,000)
• Guido Migliozzi ($7,400)
• Matteo Manassero ($7,000)
• Kevin Yu ($6,600)

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