07-19-17
The pomp and circumstance, the weather, the Champion Golfer, the venues, the early morning start, the early afternoon Sunday finish…
These are some of my favorite things!
Speaking of favorites…
Yahoo! Fantasy Golf
John Deere Classic: 148
Summer Points: 587
Summer Rank: 16,555
Spring Points: 1,631
Spring Rank: 1,911
Winter Points: 1,768
Winter Rank: 2,587
Season Points: 3,986
Season Rank: 1,348
Last Time:
Well, that was a disaster.
Chadders bailed on “helping” me after two rounds but that was to be expected.
As usual, I left a few big rounds on the bench. I NEVER have the maximum in my lineup, because I SUCK AT THIS, but if you want the MINIMUM, I’m your guy. I rattled off 28 points on Thursday and 22 more on Sunday so whatever. I left a 67 on the bench three of four days including Thursday and Sunday. Sunday was even WORSE as I had a 50-50 shot between Berger and Harman. I went Berger as I thought he’d be able to handle Rodgers on Sunday. That didn’t happen either.
Ned had Zach Johnson in Group C so we gave you T-5, T-5 and T-10. Not bad from the deepest group!
Glad I plucked DeChambeau out of the pool of 100 players in Group C as a sub for you to consider. So I had him as a sub in Yahoo!, a sub in PGA Tour game and in my DFS lineup. Not bad but not good either! The story of my fantasy life!
This Week:
Remember, Yahoo! is a SCORING GAME ONLY.
Nothing else matters.
Royal Birkdale is no joke and is one of the most difficult, yet fair, courses on the planet.
Finding fairways will result in decent looks into greens but with even par the winning score in 1998 and three-over in 2008, I don’t think birdie-or-better percentage is where I’m heading this week.
I’m going to load up on grinders and guys who embrace par. I don’t believe this is a week where risk-reward comes into play. I think the contenders will have a steady diet of taking medicine, making pars and surviving each round.
Saving par around the greens is just as important as GIR so some variance there won’t be the worst idea I’ve heard.
Guys who don’t care for weather, bad luck/breaks, annoyance, etc. are guys I’m leaving off this week.
Group A
Starts remaining in parentheses
Rickie Fowler (2): Checks all the boxes most weeks and this one isn’t any different. He’s been on the scent for all eight rounds of the majors this season.
Adam Scott (5): I was disappointed to see that he’s in the wave that looks most unfavorable as of this morning. No matter as I’m sticking with him because the more difficult, the better for the Aussie. Plus, he played last week so any rust is gone.
SUPER SUBS
Dustin Johnson, Marc Leishman
Group B
Jordan Spieth (3): I’m hoping to catch up from the points lost at the Travelers. His early tee time on Thursday assures I’ll have just two starts on him the rest of the way. Do work son.
Phil Mickelson (7): Some will suggest not having Bones on the bag will be a big deal. I’ll suggest the bigger deal is leaving the driver at home and embracing the conditions. Mickelson’s last victory anywhere was in this event in 2013.
Paul Casey (5): He’s absolute flusher with his irons and is a purple patch of form with nothing outside of 26th in his last six worldwide. The Englishman will have seen weather like this previously.
Matt Kuchar (4): Plenty competition for this final spot and rightfully so. I’m high on Kuchar this week as he’s a proper grinder and rarely gets himself in bags of trouble. His short game saves him plenty of shots and his ball-flight off the tee is perfect for less-than-ideal conditions.
SUPER SUBS
Justin Rose, Hideki Matsuyama, Francesco Molinari, Steve Stricker
Group C
Sergio Garcia (4): The best scoring average in the last 10 years plus the lowest in relation to par in the last three. I’ll stop typing now.
Tommy Fleetwood (10): His form is scalding but with Garcia I might not need much help. I’ll lean on the local lad that used to sneak on to play this course when he was a kid.
SUPER SUBS
I’ve often referred to Group C as the Rummage Sale of fantasy golf as there is something in here for any theory or style.
Defending is no easy feat but Henrik Stenson and that trusty 3-wood makes sense.
Peter Uihlein makes a VERY tasty outsider.
Brooks Koepka’s pedigree in this part of the world, meshed with his first major championship at Erin Hills, should push him into multiple lineups.
Remember, I reserve the right to change my lineup if weather, injury or whatever else pops up at the last minute. Tonight’s deadline is 10:35 PDT or 1:35 AM Thursday in the East. Don’t dawdle.
“Ned says…”
Ned Brown returns to drop his knowledge in Yahoo! as he did here last year. Ned is a legend in the gaming world and has cleaned up in Yahoo while most of you were in diapers! He’ll share his thoughts and picks here when he wants!
@ESoxGolf
John Deere Classic: 158
Summer Points: 653
Summer Rank: 2,723
Spring Points: 1,625
Spring Rank: 3,611
Winter Points: 1,871
Winter Rank: 140
Season Points: 4,149
Season Rank: 81
“Ned says…
Going into the weekend I was in the Top 50 and thinking I could maybe push ahead and try to hit my best mark ever in Yahoo!. Then I couldn’t pick the correct golfer for the next two rounds. I had three recommendations tied for first place on Sunday, but they all faded and I had no bonus points.
I get excited every time the British Open is going to start. I stay up and watch or listen how the first groups are doing. I try to get some sleep, but normally I’ll pop up and start watching at some early hour and try to take a nap later in the day.
It sounds like the weather is going to be nasty this year, which adds to the fun watching. One of the interesting aspects of Royal Birkdale is the list of winners.You really don’t see a dark horse emerging to win here. So, my picks will be very chalk this week, but the history here kind of points you that way. (Sorry, Tommy Fleetwood)
Group A
Dustin Johnson (2)– Johnson was really derailed by that injury that knocked him out of the Masters. He hasn’t played much recently and when he has he’s missed the cut at the Memorial and the U.S. Open at Erin Hills. Some fantasy managers may try to fade him, but I’ve always considered him to be able to do well in foul weather and this week’s forecast is quite the opposite of the sun drenched practice rounds.
Rickie Fowler (5) — If you are looking to make a bet based on our current run of first-time major champions, Fowler would be a good spot to put part of that bet. He tied for fifth at the U.S. Open and since then tied for third at the QLN and last week tied for ninth place at the Scottish Open.
SUPER SUBS
Adam Scott, Marc Leishman, Shane Lowry, Branden Grace
Group B
Jordan Spieth (2) — I’m down to two starts left on Spieth, but this is one of the stops I have been planning to use him. He comes into this week after a chip-in win at the Travelers in a playoff so he definitely has a hot hand.
Hideki Matsuyama (5) — I still shake my head that Matsuyama is the number two player in the world. He was ranked fourth going into the U.S. Open at Erin Hills and his T-2 finish popped him onto the number two spot. He did tune up for this week a couple of weeks ago at the Irish Open where he tied for 14th place.
Justin Rose (4) — Rose actually has been quite cold on the U.S. Tour but on the European Tour he has been playing well with a T-12 at the BMW PGA Championship and a T-4 a couple of weeks ago at the Irish Open. One of the highlights the Golf Channel has been playing is Rose holing out a chip as a 17-year-old at Royal Birkdale on his way to a T-4 finish so you know he has fond memories of the course.
Paul Casey (8) — It would be fun to pick Phil Mickelson in here, but the weather forecast has me looking elsewhere. Paul Casey has been playing well most of the year and he looked good last time out at the Travelers, where he tied for fifth place.
SUPER SUBS
Justin Thomas, Francesco Molinari, Phil Mickelson
Group C
Sergio Garcia (4) — I have always considered him to be a great bad weather player and he is having the best season of his career. He tied for second place last time out at the BMW International Open but his record at Royal Birkdale isn’t really impressive. So he is all about trying to play the hot hand.
Jon Rahm (3) — After his missed cut at the U.S. Open, I thought it might be awhile before I use him again. Nope, I didn’t really watch him at French Open, where he tied for tenth place, but I did watch his dominant win at the Irish Open. Tommy Fleetwood would be another interesting pick here, but his past Open history and the pressure of being the hometown kid has me giving the nod to Rahm.
SUPER SUBS
Tommy Fleetwood, Ian Poulter, Alex Noren, Padraig Harrington
FORE!
Shoot any questions and follow along at @MikeGlasscott and mikeglasscott.com to stay in tune.
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