Predictive Golf Analytics Versus the Daily Fantasy Sports Market

• Main Author: O'Malley, John
• Format: Others
• Published: Scholarship @ Claremont 2018
• Subjects: Golf; Fantasy Sports; PGA; DraftKings; Sports; Predictive Modeling; Statistical Models
• Online Access: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/1969; http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2917&context=cmc_theses

This study examines the different skills necessary for PGA tour players to succeed at specific annual tournaments, in order to create a predictive model for DraftKings PGA contests. The model takes into account data from the PGA Tour ShotLink Intelligence Program. The predictive model is created each week based on past results from the specific tournament in question, with the hope of predicting a group of twenty-five players who should be successful based on their statistical profile. The results of the model are detailed in this paper, which covers the first nine weeks of the 2017 PGA Tour season, with a net profit of $45,070. Despite a positive profit there is not enough information to prove significance, so the model would need to be carried out for many more weeks to be conclusive. Ultimately, the study shows that each PGA Tour course is slightly different, which means certain players should be more successful at certain courses, which is valuable information for predicting future outcomes.