08-02-17
With seven events left, strategy will be a strength, not disaster.
With all eight players in the mix for all four rounds this week, more options will present themselves.
You better hurry though as they’re starting earlier than originally planned!
Yahoo! Fantasy Golf
RBC Canadian Open: 162
Summer Points: 921
Summer Rank: 11,898
Spring Points: 1,631
Spring Rank: 1,911
Winter Points: 1,768
Winter Rank: 2,587
Season Points: 4,320
Season Rank: 1,267
Last Time:
Another wasted start from DJ as he didn’t hit the podium and that means no bonus points but I guess I wasn’t alone.
Group B featured Charley Hoffman so that was positive. The three other old dudes, Watson, Kuchar and Furyk, kept me scratching my head all weekend as I couldn’t decide which one of them would suck less on the day.
I didn’t start Tony Finau in Group C until Sunday.
Shut up.
This Week:
Remember, Yahoo! is a SCORING GAME ONLY.
Nothing else matters.
Seven events left so be aware of that.
There’s not a cut so be aware of that as well as you’ll have the full complement of players for four rounds.
Firestone South is no joke and I wouldn’t expect many low ones this week.
I’m looking for guys who can get it in the hole with a little drama as possible.
With only two par fives, I’m also looking for guys who can avoid bogeys on par fours and threes.
More detailed explanations can be found in my preview here.
Group A
Starts remaining in parentheses
Rory McIlroy (6): He won’t play all seven events and that’s good because I only have six starts left. Coming off T-5 at The Open and dropping his long-time caddy sends mixed messages but with the power in this group, you might not even need him this week. Oh, and he won the last time he was here in 2014.
Dustin Johnson (4): Believe it or not, I won’t be using him next week at Quail Hollow (McIlroy and Fowler) so I have no problem wasting the defending champ this week. I hope it’s rainy, windy and the course plays like it’s 7,900 yards as these two will eat all week.
SUPER SUBS
Rickie Fowler (one start left)
The rest of this group has options for days and will be excellent for the dreamers hoping to catch lightning in a bottle.
Group B
Jordan Spieth (2): He’s on fire. If he’ continues, I’m burning a start. If he’s off-kilter, I have three studs behind him that I won’t mind rotating through the four rounds without a cut to worry about.
Hideki Matsuyama (2): He’s won at Memorial and the last time he played a monster course in the U.S. he finished T-2 at Erin Hills. I’ll start him next week as well and be done.
Justin Rose (4): Of his last five trips to Firestone South, three have resulted in top 10’s. He found form late at Royal Birkdale and I love him on difficult courses.
Paul Casey (4): He’s been absolutely solid for three consecutive months. There’s no reason to believe it ends this week and if it does, look at the three other options. #CantLose.
SUPER SUBS
Matt Kuchar (two starts left), Lebron James, Justin Thomas, Kevin Chappell
Group C
Brooks Koepka (5): Not many hotter and his last two outings have been in major championships so no adjustment needed.
Rafael Cabrera-Bello (10): Most will have Stenson in this spot and I won’t argue with them. The Spaniard is hotter than Ibiza after midnight so I’m zagging.
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.
Stenson should be in the lineup for the conservative and/or leaders.
Chris Wood shouldn’t have any trouble getting it around regardless of weather.
Jason Dufner and Mackenzie Hughes will have local eyes on them.
Xander Schauffele has been ridiculous for almost two consecutive months.
Remember, I reserve the right to change my lineup if weather, injury or whatever else pops up at the last minute.
“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
RBC Canadian Open: 183
Summer Points: 978
Summer Rank: 3,232
Spring Points: 1,625
Spring Rank: 3,611
Winter Points: 1,871
Winter Rank: 140
Season Points: 4,474
Season Rank: 99
“Ned says…
Well, for the third time in a row I had a player go into a head-to-head playoff and come up short. This time it was Charley Hoffman that came up short.
I love to play the horse for the course angle, but to play Vegas last week took a real leap of faith. Vegas came into the event the defending champion, but he had missed the cut in six of his last seven starts on the TOUR and was on a streak of five straight MCs before last week’s championship.
The tournament announced last week they are returning to Glen Abbey, but Vegas better hope the rumor of the course turning into a housing development never comes to pass.”
Group A
Rory McIlroy (6)– Like everyone else, I have plenty of starts with McIlroy for the home stretch. He made a nice late charge at the British Open to end in a tie for fourth place, but he made news this week by letting go his longtime caddy and putting one of his close buddies on the bag for a couple of weeks. His record here is pretty strong with four top 10s in six career starts including a championship last time in ’14.
Rickie Fowler (4) — Here is the pick that had me up a bit last night. I have one start left on Dustin Johnson, who is the defending champion here. Do I put him in the lineup and keep him on the bench or avoid him in a no-cut event? I decided to save DJ based on his overall history at this event and that Rickie Fowler has three consecutive top 10s here. I’ll try to play McIlroy for the entire event, but if the caddie change is a disaster, then it’s nice to have Fowler as a backup.
SUPER SUBS
Dustin Johnson, Marc Leishman, Adam Scott
Group B
Jordan Spieth (1)– Another player that everyone is low on starts on. He is playing at an unreal level right now that includes a hole-out at the Travelers in a playoff for the championship plus a four-hole charge after a bogey at the 13th hole at the final round at the British Open to become the Champion Golfer of the Year. You would expect there has to be a let-down after this historic run but I’m going to throw him on the roster and keep him on the bench to protect myself in case he is still playing at this unreal level.
Justin Rose (3) — After Rose posted a T-4 at the Irish Open, I was disappointed with his T-54 at the British Open or the Open Championship as they now want to be called. I might have passed him over but his recent record here is pretty strong with three top 5s in his last five starts ( a third place in ’15, a T-4 in ’14 and a T-5 in ’12).
Paul Casey (7) — I’m using Casey for a Matt Kuchar substitute in here. Kuchar came up with dizzy spells in the first round of the Canadian Open after Spieth crushed him on the last five holes of the British Open. Both Casey and Kuchar are playing well right now. Casey finished T-5 at the Travelers and T-11 at the Open Championship and I have loads of starts left with him. With Kuchar I’m down to three starts left and I’m not sure he is over the shock of the Open title slipping away.
Kevin Chappell (8) — Last week I was looking quite a few times, how to recommend Chappell. The problem was, like Vegas, he looked to be ice cold with consecutive missed cuts at the QLN and the Open Championship. I already had one player that missed the cut at the Open Championship on the roster in Shane Lowry, who then missed the cut at the Canadian Open, so I passed on him. Well he woke up in a big way last week with a T-8 at the Canadian Open. His only start at the WGC-Bridgestone was last year when he tied for third place.
SUPER SUBS
Matt Kuchar, Keven Kisner, Justin Thomas, Charley Hoffman
Group C
Rafael Cabrera-Bello (10) — Normally, I would go with a safe pick in here like Sergio Garcia but he just got married. (And did you have any doubt that he would not get married in his Masters jacket?) I’m going to try to save the start and go with his fellow countryman Cabrera-Bello, who is a roll with a championship at the Scottish Open and a T-4 at the Open Championship.
Henrik Stenson (8) — You only have to look how far Stenson is down the list to know it’s been an off year for him. He has started to play better recently with a T-10 at the BMW International Open, a T-26 at the Scottish Open and a decent T-11 at the Open Championship. His recent record at Firestone is good with a T-2 in ’13, a T-14 in ’14 and a sixth place in ’15.
SUPER SUBS
Sergio Garcia, Brooks Koepka, Charl Schwartzel, Tommy Fleetwood
FORE!
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