Fantasy Golf: The CJ Cup Byron Nelson Preview

It's been quite an educational seven days since we last wrote and, since this is a third rate tournament at best, we thought we'd use this space to pass along some of our newfound knowledge . . . usually and almost inevitably gained the hard way. 

• We learned that having a big Tuesday night just as Mother Nature is coating the landscape with a blizzard of pollen is a really bad and painful idea that carries lasting effects. This may actually warrant a calendar reminder for the second to last Tuesday of April for eternity.

• For extra credit, we then learned that playing basketball early on Saturday morning while hungover if not still a little drunk from the night before is way more enjoyable than playing in the sickened condition I was last weekend. Turns-out the inability to breath can really hinder point production.   

• We learned that finally docking the pay of an employee who habitually leaves work early creates a "hostile working environment" and actually constitutes a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. As part of this process, we also learned that there is a degree one can earn online called a Master of Legal Studies which apparently teaches you just enough about the law to sound like a fucking idiot.

• We learned that the amorphous zero tolerance policy the Baltimore Ravens adopted after the Ray Rice debacle not only has potential exceptions for Hall of Fame kickers, but also for edge rushers who are explosive with a full-tilt motor. Looks like it's got more cracks in it than my Tuesday drinking policy.

What we have not learned is where the youngest and most headstrong of my children will be attending college in the fall. It's been down to three choices for the better part of four months with no sign of white smoke emanating from the chimney. However, today is the deadline so at least we're about to move from "I Don't Know What to Do" mode into "Buyer's Remorse" mode. Not sure which is better but I welcome the change.    

GOLF ANALYSIS

As a public service announcement, I would say that wagering on a golf tournament that K.H. Lee recently won in back to back years may be an early warning sign. You're still ok but, if you find yourself betting on a LIV event in the next few weeks, it's definitely time to step back, reevaluate and make a phone call.

With that being said, this tournament has started to develop some reliable trends since moving to the Craig Ranch Community which I may have suggested is actually a cult back in 2021. Jordan Spieth has played there four of the last five years and has posted a runner-up and a T9. Factor in the weak field and his recent run of three top 20 finishes including a T14 at Augusta and I think this is the place to use him. 

We leaned heavily on past performance for the rest of the picks as we often do but especially when a seemingly tricked-up course built on a cult compound is involved.    

Place	Player	Odds
Winner	Jordan Spieth	+1800
Top 5	Byeong Hun An	+450
Top 10	Stephan Jaeger	+350
Top 10	Jake Knapp	+400
Top 20	Davis Riley	+275

One and Done Pick: Jordan Spieth

I am fully expecting a weekend
riddled with angst and birdies.

Other Guy I'd Pick: Byeong Hun An

Sleeper Pick: Max McGreevy

DraftKings Top Ten Values

Jordan Spieth	$10,500
Byeong Hun An	$9,700
Si Woo Kim	$9,400
Stephan Jaeger	$9,300
Jake Knapp	$8,400
Alex Smalley	$7,900
Joel Dahmen	$7,300
Davis Riley	$7,200
Justin Lower	$7,100
Max McGreevy	$6,900

Email the Fantasy Golf Report here. 

This week's chart is devoted to the Cleveland Browns who simply can't help themselves. After DeShaun Watson had surgery to pretty much rule him out for 2025, the team traded for Kenny Pickett who stinks and signed Joe Flacco who is 40 years old. They then drafted future career backup Dillon Gabriel in the third round and future locker room nightmare Shadeur Sanders in the fifth. They are the AFC North gift that keeps on giving.  

                                      THE CLEVELAND BROWNS JUST 

                                   GONNA BE CLEVELAND BROWNING

                                   HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE CHART 

Others who are worth a look this week include last week's winner Ben Griffin, Seamus Power and even Patton Kizzire who in his last ten starts has eight missed cuts, a W/D and a T65 but that just means he needs to make some bourbon money. I don't know that he actually drinks bourbon but his name is Patton Kizzire and he played golf at Auburn so I'm going to play the percentages. 

	DK Price	2024	2023	2022	2021	2019
Scottie Scheffler	$13,300	DNP	T5	T15	T47	T35
Jordan Spieth	$10,500	MC	DNP	2nd	T9	T29
Sungjae Im	$10,000	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	83rd
Sam Burns	$9,800	DNP	DNP	MC	2nd	T72
Byeong Hun An	$9,700	T4	T14	DNP	DNP	DNP
Taylor Pendrith	$9,600	1st	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Si Woo Kim	$9,400	T13	T2	MC	T55	DNP
Stephan Jaeger	$9,300	T20	T11	T38	DNP	T17
Ben Griffin	$9,200	T13	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP
Mackenzie Hughes	$9,100	T41	T14	MC	DNP	MC
Rasmuss Hojgaard	$8,900	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Will Zalatoris	$8,800	DNP	DNP	MC	T17	DNP
Tom Kim	$8,700	T52	T34	T17	DNP	DNP
Ryan Gerard	$8,600	DNP	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP
Jacob Bridgeman	$8,500	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Jake Knapp	$8,400	8th	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Ryo Hisatune	$8,300	T13	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Eric Cole	$8,100	DNP	T23	DNP	DNP	DNP
Harry Hall	$8,000	MC	T83	DNP	DNP	DNP
Seamus Power	$8,000	MC	T19	T17	T9	T79
Alex Smalley	$7,900	T13	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Matt Wallace	$7,900	T4	DNP	MC	DNP	DNP
Kevin Yu	$7,800	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Thorbjorn Olesen	$7,800	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP	MC
Austin Eckroat	$7,700	DNP	T2	DNP	DNP	DNP
Rico Hoey	$7,700	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Kurt Kitayama	$7,600	DNP	DNP	MC	DNP	DNP
Samuel Stevens	$7,600	T62	T34	DNP	DNP	DNP
Lee Hodges	$7,500	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Taylor Moore	$7,500	DNP	DNP	T32	DNP	DNP
Gary Woodland	$7,400	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Doug Ghim	$7,300	MC	T19	DNP	MC	T12
Joel Dahmen	$7,300	T62	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Matt Kuchar	$7,300	MC	T43	T12	T17	DNP
Davis Riley	$7,200	T30	MC	T9	DNP	T29
Nico Echavarria	$7,200	T24	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Justin Lower	$7,100	T24	T43	T46	DNP	DNP
Zach Johnson	$7,000	T20	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Max McGreevy	$6,900	T30	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP
Carson Young	$6,700	T30	T14	DNP	DNP	DNP
Dylan Wu	$6,700	T30	MC	MC	DNP	DNP
Adam Schenk	$6,600	T13	MC	T79	T34	MC
Ben Kohles	$6,600	2nd	DNP	MC	DNP	DNP
Patton Kizzire	$6,400	T24	T30	T83	T3	DNP
Ryan Palmer	$6,000	MC	T8	T5	T47	T43