The PGA Tour's "Big Three" are back in action along with 61 other top golfers this week, and they will tee off Wednesday at the 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and pursuers Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy will be popular picks for 2023 WGC-Match Play fantasy lineups this week. But match play stars like two-time winner Jason Day and 2019 champ Kevin Kisner might be worth considering. Scheffler beat Kisner in the final last year, while McIlroy won this match play event in 2015. Scheffler (2021), Rahm (2017) and McIlroy (2012) also have been runners-up, while Kisner has been in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play final three times in his career, also losing in 2018.
Scheffler is the 7-1 favorite at Caesars Sportsbook, and Rahm (10-1) and McIlroy (12-1) are next in line. All three have had previous success at the WGC-Match Play, so which one should anchor your 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play fantasy picks? What can you expect from the struggling Kisner or resurgent Day? And how should stars like Patrick Cantlay (15-1), Collin Morikawa (19-1) and Jordan Spieth (20-1) fit in when you consider your fantasy lineups? Before setting your fantasy golf rankings or making any 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play picks, you need to see the fantasy golf projections and lineup advice from SportsLine fantasy expert Jim Holliman.
Holliman has been a writer and editor for nearly 25 years and has been playing and following the game closely for more than three decades. The Florida-based writer knows what it takes to win on the PGA Tour and how the players' games fit the courses. Holliman has been on a roll since last season. Last week at the Valspar, he had high hopes for Taylor Moore (50-1), even though he hadn't finished higher than 35th in his previous three outings. Holliman saw something in his third-round 65 at the Players and said Moore "could go low this week." The 29-year-old shot 67 in Sunday's final round for his first PGA Tour victory.
At the Players Championship, he was all over Scheffler to win at 10-1, ranking him as his top choice despite the golfer's lack of previous success at Sawgrass. And at Bay Hill, 11 of his picks finished in the top 15 and three of his top seven posted top-five finishes. The golf expert also was behind Chris Kirk as winner at the Honda, backing the 25-1 shot to get his first victory since 2015. Anyone who has followed Holliman's predictions is way up on their golf picks.
Now, Holliman has ranked his top golfers from the 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play field. You can only see his fantasy golf rankings and WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play picks at SportsLine.
2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play fantasy golf picks
One player Holliman is all-in on heading into the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play is Scheffler, who has proven the past two years that this format is right in his wheelhouse. "He's just too good, and his style fits match play perfectly," the expert says. Austin Country Club requires a well-rounded game, and Scheffler certainly has that. He leads the tour in strokes gained off the tee and greens in regulation and is second in scoring average and strokes gained total. That's why he has six victories since February 2022, and he already has defended one title this season, in Phoenix last month.
On the flip side, Holliman wants nothing to do with McIlroy this week, saying he could advance but ranking him just inside his top 10. "His wayward driver could get him in a lot of trouble this week," Holliman says, "and his putting has been a problem, as well." Both areas are critical to success in Austin, and McIlroy is 173rd in strokes gained putting and 186th in driving accuracy. That is why he has finished outside the top 25 in three of his past four tournaments. The 33-year-old also is in the middle of an equipment change, so Holliman is staying away from him. You can see who else to back this week at SportsLine.
How to set your 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play golf rankings
For the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play 2023, Holliman is backing several longshots, and he has one golfer in his top 10 who is priced higher than 60-1. This golfer "keeps it in play and makes putts," the expert says, and he has had success in Austin before. You can find out who it is, and check out all of Holliman's PGA picks, only at SportsLine.
Who wins the 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play? Who are the top PGA Tour players to target for your WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play fantasy picks? And which overlooked players can help you win your league this week? Visit SportsLine now to get Jim Holliman's fantasy golf rankings for the 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, all from the fantasy expert with his finger on the pulse of the game, and find out.
