The U.S. Open wrapped up on Sunday with a dramatic end that gave 21-year-old Jordan Spieth his second main golf match victory this yr.
For that feat — successful what many think about the hardest match in golf — he earned USD1.8mm.
Fantasy golf approaching actual golf
In the meantime, a participant in DraftKings’ USD2.5mm Millionaire Maker contest based mostly on the U.S. Open — named “carlbassewitz” — gained one million USD.
That daily fantasy sportsbook participant moved into that place when a real-life golfer — Dustin Johnson — three-putted on the 18th inexperienced, taking away an opportunity at a victory or a playoff for Johnson.
That meant the distinction of USD900,000 for the participant with the display screen title “headchopper,” who gained simply USD100K for second place in DraftKings’ contest.
That meant the cash swings in DraftKings’ contest have been simply as massive because the U.S. Open: the distinction between first place and a tie for second value Johnson roughly USD900k.
When will fantasy prizes eclipse participant prizes?
The DK contest for the British Open subsequent month will assure USD3mm, with USD1mm once more going to first place. That’s up from USD2.2 million for The Masters only a few months in the past.
And whereas a contest based mostly on the PGA Tour is unlikely to eclipse one million USD for the winner, may we be lower than a yr away from DFS gamers making greater than the winners of golf’s 4 majors?
Based mostly on present development, it’s not exhausting to conceive of a USD5 million DraftKings golf contest with USD2 million to the winner for The Masters or the U.S. Open in 2016.
It’s wonderful development for a DFS vertical that launched early in 2014. In fact, explosive development in DFS verticals is beginning to develop into the norm: see eSports, as an illustration.
We’re nonetheless a number of weeks away from The British Open, and already there have been greater than 6,000 entries to the Millionaire Maker for the subsequent main. (That contest caps at 171K.)
What’s subsequent?
Moreover larger contests, there are a number of issues to observe for within the DFS golf market:
- One-day or two-day contests?: All the conventional DFS contests based mostly on group sportsbook have contests which are based mostly on sure time frames. Will we begin seeing contests based mostly on the ultimate two rounds, after the lower is made in PGA Tour tournaments? One-day contests, along with four-day contests?
- Extra corporations entering into DFS golf: Victiv and Fantasy Feud are among the many websites within the tier instantly behind DraftKings and FanDuel which have rolled out a golf product. FanDuel has stayed out of the market. Based mostly on the success of the vertical, will different websites make the leap?
- Golf and TV scores: Does DFS transfer the needle on tv viewership? The U.S. Open was Fox’s first foray into a serious match, so it will not be the most effective place to begin. When the PGA Championship rolls round — the least adopted of the 4 majors — we’ll seemingly get a greater sense of DFS affect. We have now to guess golf followers are watching extra intently — if not essentially in a lot bigger numbers — due to DFS curiosity.
- PGA Tour involvement?: Plenty of leagues have jumped headfirst into DFS, exterior of the NFL. Given the potential of fantasy golf and its prospects for consumer engagement, a DraftKings partnership with the PGA Tour seems to be a no brainer down the highway. Except PGA Tour officers have issues with legality.