Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Fantasy Golf: Genesis Open Preview

First things first. I suck but you already kind of knew that. Last week, however, I really sucked because I actually picked Phil Mickelson to win at 11:06 a.m. on Monday (I have the email to prove it) but by 6:44 p.m. I had convinced myself that the weather was going to be too raw for a forty-eight year old. So instead I picked a guy from Australia with a history of ailments that's longer and more diverse than the line at Epcot Center the day after Thanksgiving. (I dare you to be offended by that joke but you can't because it's perfect). 

So I'm officially 1-2 using this Monday flip-flop approach and you know what that means? Time to even the score. I started this week by picking Tony Finau who finished T2nd here last year and looks like the perfect fit for Riviera which favors the bombers (he's ranked 10th in driving distance). Then I lost confidence in the pick for no particular reason and went looking for answers elsewhere which pretty much describes the process I apply to most of my daily decisions. Having ADHD is awesome. (And you wonder why I'm constantly writing random shit in parentheses. Or maybe you weren't). Where in the fuck was I? 

The obvious choices are Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson who have owned this joint in recent memory but I have them penciled in for greater success later in the season. Phil Mickelson has won here twice and is obviously grooving it but I see a bit of a letdown this week. If I hadn't already used Xander Schauffele, I'd strongly consider him but at this point I'd strongly consider him everywhere as he continues to demonstrate how absurd it was to leave him off the Ryder Cup team. Then again, what would make you think that the kid who won the 2017 Tour Championship and then backed that up with runner-up finishes at the 2018 British Open and The Players along with a T6th at the U.S. Open might perform well under Ryder Cup pressure? But I digress.

Random intermission question. If the Twitter account @golfbabes which is run by women posts pictures that aspiring golfers send to them, it's ok for me to feature them here right? I think that would be doing them a favor. I mean for example . . . 

Ok we're back. You could argue that this field goes twenty deep which makes me very reluctant to roll the dice on Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Thomas or Rory McIlroy. I'd rather play them against softer line-ups so I need a more discardable player who's got a good shot at winning and no other obvious course where he dominates. And that guy is Patrick Cantlay. He's from the area, finished T4th here last year and hey, look at that, is currently ranked 3rd in driving distance. Ironically that bumps Tony Finau out of my picks altogether because he'd make it too crowded at the top. Sorry Tony. Your time will come. (Hey Alanis Morissette, I don't think that's what "ironically" means).

As for the rest of this week's line-up, I went long on course knowledge and nowhere is that more the case than with Charl Schwartzel who has been an absolute trainwreck lately with four straight missed cuts since his T3rd at the South African Open. That doesn't mean a whole lot with him, however, as almost everyone of his top ten finishes is preceded by several weeks of dreck. Same with James Hahn who won this thing back in 2015 despite little indication that he was trending that way. If you want to throw a third guy into that mix, check-out 2012 champ Bill Haas who showed some spark in the fall before getting off kilter again. Maybe the fond memories of Riviera will rekindle his game or maybe he's running-out of that FedEx Cup money. Who really freakin' knows?               
Nothing says golf in Los Angeles like
a quaint understated clubhouse.
One and Done Pick: Patrick Cantlay

Or I'd Pick: Xander Schauffele


Sleeper Pick: Charl Schwartzel


DraftKings Top Ten Values


Dustin Johnson
$11,400
Bubba Watson
$9,700
Xander Schauffele
$9,400
Patrick Cantlay
$9,000
Cameron Smith
$8,400
Martin Laird
$7,600
Scott Stallings
$7,500
Sung Kang
$7,400
Charl Schwartzel
$7,000
James Hahn
$6,800

I went fifty deep on the past performance chart because I couldn't focus (you don't say) and frankly it's as weak at the bottom as it is strong at the top. I have officially given-up on Jimmy Walker until further notice. Maybe you can use that piece of information to your advantage depending on how you see my luck running these days. I'm here for you.  


                                   The Tinactin Athlete's Foot Cream 
                                        Historical Performance Chart


DK Price
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
Dustin Johnson
$11,400
T16
1st
4th
T2
2nd
Justin Thomas
$11,000
T9
T39
T54
T41
DNP
Rory McIlroy
$10,700
T20
DNP
DNP
DNP
DNP
Jon Rahm
$10,400
DNP
DNP
DNP
DNP
DNP
Bryson DeChambeau
$10,200
T41
W/D
DNP
DNP
DNP
Phil Mickelson
$9,900
T6
T34
DNP
DNP
DNP
Bubba Watson
$9,700
1st
W/D
1st
T14
1st
Tiger Woods
$9,500
MC
DNP
DNP
DNP
DNP
Xander Schauffele
$9,400
T9
DNP
DNP
DNP
DNP
Hideki Matsuyama
$9,300
DNP
MC
T11
T4
T23
Jordan Spieth
$9,200
T9
T22
MC
T4
T12
Tony Finau
$9,100
T2
MC
MC
T56
DNP
Patrick Cantlay
$9,000
T4
DNP
DNP
DNP
DNP
Marc Leishman
$8,900
MC
MC
T5
MC
T59
Paul Casey
$8,800
T49
T39
T39
T2
DNP
Adam Scott
$8,700
T53
T11
T2
DNP
DNP
Tommy Fleetwood
$8,600
T37
DNP
DNP
DNP
DNP
Matt Kuchar
$8,500
T26
T22
T8
DNP
MC
Cameron Smith
$8,400
T6
T28
T63
DNP
DNP
Chez Reavie
$8,300
T73
MC
7th
DNP
DNP
Sergio Garcia
$8,200
DNP
T49
MC
T4
DNP
Branden Grace
$8,100
T37
T22
DNP
DNP
DNP
Charles Howell, III
$7,900
T37
T15
75th
T61
MC
Adam Hadwin
$7,800
T6
T34
T16
T22
DNP
Rafa Cabrera-Bello
$7,800
T26
DNP
DNP
DNP
DNP
Sungjae Im
$7,700
DNP
DNP
DNP
DNP
DNP
Tyrrell Hatton
$7,700
DNP
DNP
DNP
DNP
DNP
Cameron Champ
$7,600
MC
DNP
DNP
DNP
DNP
Jason Kokrak
$7,600
T20
T22
T2
T41
MC
Martin Laird
$7,600
T9
T8
T11
DNP
T65
Andrew Putnam
$7,500
DNP
DNP
DNP
T49
DNP
Scott Stallings
$7,500
T4
DNP
MC
66th
T45
Bud Cauley
$7,400
T20
T61
DNP
DNP
DNP
Luke List
$7,400
T26
MC
DNP
DNP
DNP
Sung Kang
$7,400
T16
T22
T8
DNP
DNP
Keegan Bradley
$7,300
MC
T34
MC
T4
T20
Ryan Moore
$7,300
T9
MC
10th
T22
MC
Jimmy Walker
$7,300
MC
T11
MC
T41
T20
Charley Hoffman
$7,100
T41
T4
T63
T30
T12
Kevin Streelman
$7,100
T41
MC
DNP
MC
T35
Brian Gay
$7,000
MC
DNP
DNP
DNP
MC
Charl Schwartzel
$7,000
T68
MC
T45
T41
5th
Sang-Moon Bae
$7,000
T75
DNP
DNP
T8
T12
Bill Haas
$6,900
DNP
T11
MC
MC
T23
Brendan Steele
$6,900
T49
T39
T39
T14
T10
Jim Furyk
$6,900
MC
DNP
DNP
DNP
DNP
Steve Stricker
$6,900
DNP
DNP
T11
DNP
DNP
James Hahn
$6,800
T14
T28
MC
1st
T29
Pat Perez
$6,700
T41
T28
MC
T41
75th
Patrick Rodgers
$6,600
T26
T22
MC
DNP
DNP

Email the Fantasy Golf Report at fgr@fantasygolfreport.com

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