This week not only marks the final Major Championship of the PGA season but also the second wave of Crafting Tokens for DraftKings Reignmakers that are sure to create even more opportunities both in the lobby and marketplace for all to enjoy.
If you are not familiar with ReignMakers, our Introduction to PGA Tour ReignMakers is sure to get you up to speed ahead of the Open, providing a (free!) CORE pack for every first-time player.
Crafting & Burning
DraftKings launched ‘Crafting Tokens’ as a unique type of collectible exclusive to PGA Tour Reignmakers ahead of the Open and are doing so again with additional new recipes ahead of the Open Championship. All Tokens at each rarity tier will have a limited supply.
Crafting packs are separated by an Active and Inactive classification, being determined by looking at the previous six weeks of events as of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. According to DraftKings, if a golfer played in less than two events over this period, they were deemed “inactive” for the purposes of these crafting recipes.
These golfers serve as inputs to the “Inactive Golfer” recipes, and will not be included in the recipe outputs of any of the above recipes.
Crafting tokens can be sold on the secondary market, while Crafting Set packs (which are created with tokens) cannot. The CORE market has also experienced an $0.85 uptick in average pricing over the last seven days due to the number of Craft & Burn missions that require owning certain player cards in order to accomplish said mission.
Course Preview
Targeting player cards for our Reignmakers lineups who are in current form to attack the hazardous layout of Royal Liverpool Golf Club is key.
Here are some crucial data points to keep in mind, courtesy of Ron Klos’ must-read Open Championship preview:
- Royal Liverpool’s main defense lies in its 84 riveted pot bunkers, knee-deep fescue, and six holes with out-of-bounds, emphasizing accuracy and performance off the tee.
- With so many forced layups off the tee, roughly 50-65% of shots into the green will be from greater than 175 yards.
- Expertise out of bunkers both from the fairway and around the green will be incredibly important.
- Green speeds are kept at a much slower pace to account for potentially windy conditions that could play havoc with the ball.
The Open Championship Player Strategy
Player – Minimum Prices on the secondary market
Viktor Hovland – $18 CORE, $55 RARE, $549 ELITE
Hovland’s price is currently at its lowest point in the last three months despite his surging form, sitting eighth among this field in SG:OTT over the last 24 rounds, sixth in Overall Proximity on approach in that time, and fifth in putting from 10-15 feet. Without a single missed cut in 2023 and six consecutive T30 finishes (including a win at the Memorial), Hovland should be viewed as a favorite at Royal Liverpool around his dipping cost.
Tony Finau – $8 CORE, $29 RARE, $200 ELITE
I understand Finau has lost his way in particular on the putting surface since May, averaging -0.59 SG:P (with two missed cuts) over his last six tourneys. Prior to that, he had lost strokes on the green in only 5-of-19 events (26.3%) from July 2022-April. Seventh in this field in SG:APP (0.97) over the last six months, targeting Finau is merely a bet that he continues replicating his recent play off the greens and stumbles back into his confident putting stroke of old. It’s a terrific opportunity to pounce given that his minimum Rare card cost $95 as recently as April.
Brendon Todd – $2 CORE, $8.99 RARE, $49.99 ELITE
I can’t speak for the longevity of Todd’s player card on DraftKings but I do think it’s worth purchasing if only to roster an (extremely) overlooked golfer whose form is peaking ahead of Thursday. Not only is Todd ranked top-10 among this field in his rate of Good Drives — how often players either find the fairway or gain a GIR even after a poor tee shot — over the last 24 rounds, he’s been an elite player when forced to scramble (seventh) and save par from the sand (22nd). If attempting to finalize your lineup with a cheaper option in high-stakes, look no further.