It was an electric Pebble Beach week to say the least for our ISN staff members and our community of subscribers. Andy’s core of Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Cantlay, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Sam Burns all finished inside the top 15. We even had a subscriber take down a DFS contest for 100k with the use of Andy’s core.

Additionally, our staff had some incredible DFS and outright bets that were talking about across our shows this week. Some of the players that were played were Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns, Akshay Bhatia, Jake Knapp, and Jacob Bridgeman.

Over the last 6 years, Riviera has favored bombers (2/6) or strongly favored bombers (2/6) in 4 out of the last 6 years. Every year, it features among the lowest driving accuracy on Tour, ranking inside the top 5 in lowest driving accuracy each of the last 5 years, despite having the 16th widest fairways to hit on Tour. But the missed fairway penalty is extremely  low.

It played a little harder from the rough last year because the rough was wet, but in 2023 and 2022, it had the single lowest missed fairway penalty on Tour, and outside of last year when it was a little softer and ranked 29th out of 43 courses in rough penalty, it generally ranks in the top 5 lowest rough penalties on Tour.

The fairway bunkers are pretty difficult, but there is no water on this golf course, and every year it ranks in the bottom 5 lowest fraction of penalty strokes on Tour. This is something that I don’t think gets talked about enough at Riviera -- yes, the fairways are very difficult to hit, but the penalty is so low that this is surely a distance over accuracy golf course.

To take it a step further, looking at the in-event correlations, off the tee is lower correlated than Tour average, and accuracy often falls significantly below average. This may confuse some because the fairways are so narrow, but when you have a 50% driving accuracy percentage, even the most accurate players lose their advantage, and there is not enough of a rough penalty to challenge those who miss.

Even more similar to Torrey Pines, big misses and small misses are penalized somewhat equally, which contributes even more so to the distance advantage. I would not say this correlates quite to the level of Torrey where the holes are very similar and you can miss quite wide in either direction, but there is a lot more room off the tee at Riviera than you would think.

Every time I play it I never feel like it’s a difficult driving course outside of 5, 7, and 13 which I think are tough driving holes, but you have a lot of leeway on both sides on many of the par fours and par fives.

For the rest of Andy’s Genesis Invitational Tournament & Course Preview article, click here.

The DPWT returns after a week off with the Magical Kenya Open held at Karen Country Club. The Kenya Open was elevated to a European Tour event in 2019, with the 2019 and 2021 (2020 was cancelled due to Covid) events held at Karen before moving to Muthaiga up until last year. In addition to these two events, Karen also hosted an extra event in 2021. The Kenya Savannah Classic which was played the week after Karen hosted the Kenya Open as a part of Covid rescheduling to fill events. So, we have three relevant events to evaluate.

Karen is a short 7,056 yard par 70, that plays even shorter due to the 6,100 feet of elevation causing a roughly 7% impact on distance. It is a tree-lined parkland style golf course with narrow Kikuyu fairways and small Bentgrass greens. It played similarly in both events in 2021, with a -21 winner and scoring averages of -1.44 and -1.28. But it played tougher in 2019 with a -16 winner and an over par scoring average of +0.13. Since 2021 there have been some minor tee box changes that increased the distance by just over 100 yards.

The routing was also changed with the nines swapped and what was the loop of holes 7-9 becoming holes 10-12, taking it back to the members routing. The par has also changed, with the short par 5 3rd (12th back then) now a converted long par 4 to go from a par 71 to the current par 70 (so we can take about a shot off those past event scoring averages).

The most unique aspect of the course as a tournament venue is the number of short par 4‘s. There are five par 4’s under 400 yards. The 12th hole is the shortest at 336 yards and very drivable, but all five can be reduced to a drive and pitch with the assistance from the altitude. There is some risk in hitting driver, with the 390 yard 8th and 11th in particular being quite narrow between the trees if hitting driver, so there will be plenty of lay-ups. The two par 5’s (578 yard 2nd and 568 yard 18th) are both very reachable in two and played as the two easiest holes in 2021. Both of these holes as well as the long par 4 15th (converted from a par 5 for members) have significant doglegs.

The 2nd and 15th in particular present another risk reward option with a sharp turn at about 300 yards off the tee allowing the longer hitters to significantly shorten the holes by cutting the corner at the risk of finding the trees. The winner may well be the player who takes on these risks on the short par 4’s and longer dogleg holes and gets away with it.

For the rest of Bexico City’s Kenya Open Preview article, click here.

At the first signature event of the year at Pebble Beach, I did not start off so hot. I selected Viktor Hovland, who was 8.5% owned (3rd highest on the slate), and he finished T58 and got me $39,750. That just can’t happen at a signature event with a gigantic purse!

It’s time to bounce back at Riv, which might be the best course on the PGA Tour circuit. This week, I want to take someone that will be lower owned. I have had Cameron Young penciled in to win the Genesis Invitational in OAD.

Cameron Young appeared on the Smylie Show a couple weeks ago and said this about Riviera:

“Ever since then (2021), I’ve loved it there. It was a perfect match. It’s always a place I feel like I always have a chance. I love it there and I think it suits me pretty well.”

He hasn’t had the best start to the 2026 season after coming off a great Ryder Cup performance on his home turf at Bethpage Black. I believe he’s a great course fit as his driver will be a weapon here. He’s sixth in the field in strokes gained at Riviera, mainly driven by his T2 finish in 2021.

Riveria is a middle iron golf course. Young ranks 12th from 150-200 yards and 41st from 200+ yard approach shots. Finally, he ranks 7th in strokes gained on long golf courses.

Many people have predicted a breakout year for Cam Young in 2026. After hearing his comments on Riv, I believe this is the week Cam Young wins his first signature event of his career.

2026 season total: $604,212

I just want to say that I don’t watch LIV Golf much at all. It’s just not for me even though many people that I talk to believe that the LIV TV production is way better than what NBC, Golf Channel and CBS produces. That’s a topic for a different newsletter. 

However, when I was reading our discord Saturday night, I saw that Anthony Kim was making a push towards the top of the leaderboard, trying to chase down Jon Rahm. I turned on the coverage for the final 9 holes of play. 

What we watched from Anthony Kim was nothing short of remarkable and electrifying. Some of his approach shots he was pulling off were unbelievable, and we were witnessing vintage Anthony Kim from the highlights that I have seen from him on YouTube. 

When Steph Curry has that look in his eye out on the basketball court, every time he shoots a three you are expecting him to make it. Every time Anthony Kim was setting up a golf ball on the green with the putter, you felt he was going to drain it and then celebrate with a massive Tiger-esque fist pump. 

Anthony Kim’s passion he showed after every putt he sunk made him so easy to root for and made the broadcast even more exciting. You wanted him to make a putt so that he would celebrate and the crowd would erupt in a frenzy. 

The entire crowd was rooting for Anthony Kim. You can tell that the crowd was getting to Jon Rahm and he showed frustrations during the back nine. He reminded me of a young Jordan Spieth where everyone was pulling for him and was draining long putts like it's a layup in basketball. 

Given Anthony Kim’s story battling a drug/alcohol addiction and mental health problems, playing his way back on LIV the proper way through qualifications was one of the main reasons why everyone was pulling for him. And if you haven’t already, watch his post game interview on the green. The way he talked about making his comeback for his family and his daughter was heartwarming. 

I wasn’t old enough to remember Anthony Kim’s prime on the PGA Tour. From having conversations with others who lived through his prime and watching highlights, he seemed like a player that everyone rooted for as a community.

Anthony Kim is the biggest needle mover on LIV Golf. The stars aligned for him to win his first tournament since 2010, against the likes of Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, at LIV’s flagship event. It’s hard to ignore the impact AK had on the golf community and professional golf as a whole on Saturday night.

My Favorite Majors Only Best Ball Draft Picks

Last week in this newsletter, Kyle highlighted his majors best ball guide and heat map of all the statistics you need to figure out who you want to target in drafts. Personally, I’ve been using the ISN tool and it’s great to use in fast 30 second drafts where you need to make timely decisions. One of my favorite things to track is who has qualified for each major so far, and who is trending to qualify for each one as well.

Andy and Kyle did a podcast last week about majors only best ball, highlighting their own rankings against ADP, optimal strategy, and their favorite targets across the draft board. Link is right here:

I have been doing a ton of major only best ball drafts myself. I wanted to provide readers my favorite three players that I have been targeting in drafts so far:

Hideki Matsuyama

Hideki has been one of the best players to start the 2026 PGA Tour season. After his Hero World Challenge win in December, he finished inside the top 18 in his four starts so far this season, with one being a solo second at WM Phoenix Open where he lost in a playoff to Chris Gotterup. He currently ranks third in strokes gained total so far in 2026, just behind Scottie Scheffler and Jake Knapp. 

Specifically for majors only best ball drafts, one of the reasons why I love Hideki, besides his current form, is his history at the Masters and US Open. Hideki won the green jacket back in 2021 and has nine top 25 finishes at Augusta in his career. He ranks 5th in professional golf in strokes gained at Augusta National, and his ball striking prowess and his creativity around the greens has allowed him to have immense success there.

Additionally, Hideki is a sneaky solid US Open player. He does not get enough recognition for this considering he has not won this major before. If you look back at his career finishes at the toughest major, he has eight finishes inside the top 25. In his 13 career starts at the US Open, he has missed the cut ONCE. I believe his game will fit great at Shinnecock as he finished T16 there back in 2019. 

I want to target players that have great course history at the Masters because your team doesn’t have a chance to win the whole contest if your lineup can’t get through Augusta. I am quite bullish on Hideki in the 2026 majors as I believe he’s been long overdue to add a major championship to his trophy case.

Tyrrell Hatton

I feel as if Hatton has been a forgotten man in these drafts. It could be because no one really watches LIV Golf unless Anthony Kim is contending and winning. His ADP has been dropping a little into the low 20s, around the likes of Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, JT, Morikawa, Spaun, etc. 

I have been generally selecting a ton of Hatton over the majority of these guys due to his consistency at major championships. Since 2022, Hatton has only missed the cut at a major championship one time, at the 2024 Open Championship. 

Hatton doesn’t have a glaring weakness in his golf game. Comparative to his peers, he is pretty average OTT, and has an above average iron, short game, and putter. He has been playing better at the Masters over the last couple of years, finishing T9 in 2024 and T14 in 2025. His ball striking numbers have been great at Augusta, but he’s been pretty pedestrian on and around the greens. 

Hatton’s consistency in major championships is why he is one of my favorite picks in this range. I do believe he will contend for a major this year because he’s too good not to put himself in a great position going into the final round.

Nicolai Hojgaard

Over the past two weeks, Nicolai Hojgaard’s ADP has been rapidly rising. When the Underdog majors only best ball drafts opened, Nicolai was one of my favorite late round sleepers. His ADP on February 4th was 72 and now it has catapulted 18 spots to 54. 

This is mainly driven by Nicolai’s surging 2026. He started the year on the DP World Tour, placing T4 at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. He followed up that finish by heading back to the PGA Tour, finishing T22 at the Farmers Insurance Open and T4 at the Waste Management. 

Diving into Nicolai’s statistics, what makes him an intriguing option in major only best ball drafts is that he’s an elite ball striker. Over the last year, Nicolai ranks 47th in strokes gained off-the-tee, 24th in strokes gained on approach, and 21st in strokes gained total. He is very long with his driver which is advantageous in modern major championship venues. 

Nicolai is building up some scar tissue and experience playing in majors as he has played in the last eight major championships over the last two seasons. I believe Nicolai is ready to take the next step in his career, posting some good finishes in 2026. Even with his ADP dropping, I still think he is a great foundational pick for your team.

A satellite is a contest that hosts a smaller number of players, anywhere from ~300 people to less than 10. I personally avoid the Fantasy World Golf Championship seats (ask me, or others, why in discord), but the 555 tickets or the 3333 tickets for the majors like member Laxachusetts has been playing are quite lucrative. How it works is you have a small number of entrants for sometimes 1 ticket, sometimes several or sometimes, in the case of a Milly maker, they can have 20-25 tickets up for grabs. It goes without saying these are extremely top heavy contests and it has helped me play more aggressively. It fits my style. It may not fit yours, but there is only one way to find out.

What I would be cognizant of is: What are your goals? Are you okay with higher risk contests? Do you just want a few entries for very cheap investment in the big contests? You can play an entry as small as 0.25 cents. I will do satellites at multiple levels with my personal favorite contest size being something like the $34 19 max entry for a 555 ticket. The most important part is budgeting this. If you can swing a few extra dollars, your good weeks are potentially great ones by adding the satellite if you have a good sweat.

Do you want to try another sport? This is also a good way to do that. I try to keep an open mind; I also try to be more deliberate in doing so because I trust my game in several sports. More to come on that in the next section.

When are they most lucrative? ALWAYS when they look like they are not going to fill. Overlays are the biggest edge in DFS currently and nothing will change that anytime soon. If you get a ticket spot in a 10 person field and only 7 have filled, you’re doing cartwheels at lock because you already made out ahead. THIS IS WHAT I USUALLY LOOK TO DO. If they fill, they still have edge, but not NEARLY as much. Even in the one I just referenced with 19 players for a 555, the rake is still quite high at 16%, but every empty spot matters drastically at the close. I have only played the FMWC as UFC is my other weekly sport I play regularly. I will absolutely jump in on some of the tickets worth several hundreds if they do not look like they will fill.

I want to try one Bryan. This sounds great. What should I do?

This is the easy part. Have 1-3 lineups you love and have them ready to enter at the bell. Check for overlays always. If you employ a single entry game of some kind (highly recommend this in every sport even if you lean MME mostly), this is perfect for you. They will be available for golf DFS but other crossovers as well.

What’s the upside?

When I have a ticket to a 555 or a 360 or whatever contest, I am always going to play the same way I have. In a contest of 10-19 people, especially in something like golf, you can differentiate wildly from what the popular plays will be. Treat it like a single entry contest on steroids. It’s all the best plays of the week. And you already know how to get different. The upside is massive if you are right and take that to the next contest with that ticket. Don’t play safe. Play the same way that got you there if you win the ticket and you could just ceiling out.

Shoutout to discord favorite Chairman Dave for hitting Anthony Kim 200-1 and Kyle for having him at 82-1 at LIV Adelaide. As Chairman Dave said, “ One of the greatest stories I’ve seen in sports”.

An additional shoutout to our tennis guru Rishi who hit two tennis winners this weekend at WTA Doha 1000 and ATP Rotterdam 500. That’s his third tennis outright of the year for those who are counting at home.