Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Fantasy Golf: The British Open Preview

After last week's announcement of my intention to attempt to qualify for the club championship, I feel compelled to provide a brief account of how it went down. The format was two days of stroke play from the back tees competing for fifteen spots. I was the second oldest player in a field of about thirty (uh oh this feels like a preemptive excuse). Also, worth noting that they're playing the Maryland Open on the same course from the same tees as we speak and, the last time it was held there, some kid from UVA named Denny McCarthy won it. 

I opened relatively strong with a first round 79 that threatened to go off the rails after the 8th hole until I hit a 5-iron to six feet on the 9th for a birdie. The back nine was following a similar pattern but then ended with a pretty classy check and roll chip-in from ten yards off the 18th green for another birdie. Overall I putted like hot garbage and made three brain dead doubles but still found myself alone in 9th place. As I left the scorer's table to go downtown and watch the Orioles flounder while drinking celebratory beers in 90+ degree heat, I let the worst imaginable thought creep in . . . "I got this."

The thing you need to know about individual stroke play events if you've never played one is that they're hard as shit. Twenty foot birdie putts that have you licking your chops in a 5-5-10 suddenly become wars of temptation v. restraint as one side is telling you how sweet a birdie would be while the other is warning against a four foot comebacker for par. Legit plus handicaps regularly struggle to break 80 because all it takes is a couple wayward tee shots and a few missed putts to ruin your day. Everyone who fancies themself a real player should try it at least once just to feel the joy of standing over a four foot bogey putt after you've missed a three foot part putt. It's positively fucking scintillating.  

With whatever all of that was being said, I figured an 80 on Sunday would be a lock to get me qualified and I could probably get away with an 81 or 82. I was paired with a younger guy playing to a 1.2 index and another kid who had at least DI college level ball speed as evidenced by the one driver he hit on the front that carried over 300 in the air. To put our age difference into perspective, he was two years younger than my son when they played high school soccer together . . . four years ago.  

The gameplan was holding-up pretty well on the front with four bogeys through the 7th hole and a "makeable" straight downhill birdie putt on the 8th. And then the horn blew. The delay lasted about an hour which was just enough time for two cocktails and three putts to prepare for the one I was going to have to go out and hit. I promptly rolled out to the 8th green and three-whacked it. Then I made an inexcusable double on the 9th. Then the horn blew again and we sat for another hour. When I slid off the barstool for the second time, I felt like I'd just been riding a donkey down a mountain for six hours. 

The back nine eases you in with four relatively easy holes before hitting you with the hardest stretch on the course from 14-17 so I got through the 13th ok at one over with a birdie on the 12th. Then the wheels came flying-off thanks in part to a drive we all thought flew straight down the middle of the 14th that we never found. Maybe the soggy fairway swallowed it or maybe it ran out of gas and caught the creek but the result was a deflating triple. 

I'm going to go ahead and kill any drama. Next came an uninspired bogey followed by a string of doubles so it was +10 on the last five holes after playing the first thirty-one in +16. I think I was more exhausted than angry. One could say that I misjudged the finish line and there is some truth to that but the fact is they kept moving it back on me which is brutal for an old grinder just trying to scratch and claw his way back to the house.  

In the end I missed the playoff by four shots but the crazy part is that I ultimately came out of it feeling optimistic. I don't think I've played nine respectable holes in a row this year much less thirty-one under those conditions so it really ended-up being a positive experience. At least that's what I keep trying to tell myself . . .      

GOLF ANALYSIS

I'm sticking with the Jon Rahm strategy this week despite the fact that I still have Xander Schauffele available. And speaking of Schauffele, I just learned that my one and done season ends at the Wyndham Championship which means that this guy who writes a golf blog as one way to sustain his passion for life will have failed to pick the third ranked player in the world this season. Not that he's done anything to make me regret it but I still think that might rise to the level of fantasy golf guru malpractice. 

The fact is that Rahm would be the pick no matter who I had available. It feels like we're due for another LIV major winner and Rahm's British Open record over the last five years is stellar including a T11 the last time it was held at Port Rush. My next two options would be Russell Henley and Robert MacIntryre who have both been buzzing around the edge elite player status for over a year now.

What makes me nervous this week is that, when I look at the picks, I keep picturing Cole Hauser saying "it's a good caaah . . . engine's good, engine's good." The list just feels solid from top to bottom with Matt Fitzpatrick finding his groove lately, Sepp Straka and Cameron Young being undervalued, and Jordan Smith looking like a strong sleeper even though I'm not really sure who he is. Sure it may turn out to be the ugliest fucking car I've ever seen in my life but let me have my day.       

Place

Player

Odds

Winner

Jon Rahm

+1200

Top 5

Xander Schauffele

+450

Top 10

Cameron Young

+600

Top 10

Russell Henley

+400

Top 20

Jordan Smith

+360


One and Done Pick: Jon Rahm
Settle down big boy. This in no
way means that I like you again.

Other Guy I'd Pick: Russell Henley

Sleeper Pick: Jordan Smith

DraftKings Top Ten Values

Rory McIlroy

$11,500

Jon Rahm

$10,400

Xander Schauffele

$9,700

Robert MacIntyre

$9,000

Russell Henley

$7,900

Matt Fitzpatrick

$7,800

Sepp Straka

$7,400

Cameron Young

$7,200

Laurie Canter

$6,200

Jordan Smith

$5,900


Email the Fantasy Golf Report here.

Last week was the 40th anniversary of Live Aid which took place simultaneously in London and Philadelphia and, with all due respect to Woodstock, will go down as the greatest lineup in the history of rock and roll. The Who, Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Elton John . . . the list goes on but most agree (with me being one of them) that Queen stole the show (full performance here). I know I'm an easy mark for chill inducing inspirational movie scenes but damn the end of Bohemian Rhapsody absolutely nailed what close to 2 billion of us experienced live in 1985. 

THE FREDDY FREAKIN' MERCURY
HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE CHART 

The obvious omission this week is Tommy Fleetwood, especially considering he was the runner-up here in 2019. This will probably come back to bite me as these things often do but so often in golf, when all signs point towards success, it delivers the opposite because expectations tend to be the great equalizer (see Rory at Quail Hollow). I frankly hope he wins the thing because he's as classy as they come but I don't see it this time.  

 

DK Price

2024

2023

2022

2021

2019

Scottie Scheffler

$14,200

T7

T23

T28

T8

DNP

Rory McIlroy

$11,500

MC

T6

3rd

T46

MC

Jon Rahm

$10,400

T7

T2

T34

T3

T11

Bryson DeChambeau

$10,100

MC

T60

T8

T33

MC

Xander Schauffele

$9,700

1st

T17

T15

T26

T41

Tommy Fleetwood

$9,500

MC

T10

T4

T33

2nd

Shane Lowry

$9,300

6th

MC

T21

T12

1st

Ludvig Aberg

$9,100

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Robert MacIntyre

$9,000

T50

T71

T34

T8

T6

Tyrrell Hatton

$8,900

MC

T20

T11

MC

T6

Collin Morikawa

$8,700

T16

MC

MC

1st

DNP

Justin Thomas

$8,500

T31

MC

T53

T40

T11

Viktor Hovland

$8,300

MC

T13

T4

T12

DNP

Joaquin Niemann

$8,200

T58

MC

T53

T59

MC

Patrick Cantlay

$8,100

T25

T33

T8

MC

T41

Brooks Koepka

$8,000

T43

T64

MC

T6

T4

Russell Henley

$7,900

5th

MC

T62

MC

DNP

Matt Fitzpatrick

$7,800

T50

T41

T21

T26

T20

Jordan Spieth

$7,700

T25

T23

T8

2nd

T20

Justin Rose

$7,600

T2

MC

DNP

T46

T20

Hideki Matsuyama

$7,500

T66

T13

T68

DNP

MC

Sam Burns

$7,400

T31

MC

T42

T76

DNP

Sepp Straka

$7,400

T22

T2

MC

DNP

DNP

Adam Scott

$7,300

T10

T33

T15

T46

MC

Ben Griffin

$7,300

MC

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

Cameron Young

$7,200

T31

T8

2nd

DNP

DNP

Corey Conners

$7,200

T25

T52

T28

T15

MC

Jason Day

$7,200

T13

T2

DNP

MC

MC

Ryan Fox

$7,100

T25

T52

MC

T67

T16

Patrick Reed

$7,100

DNP

T33

T47

MC

10th

Brian Harman

$7,000

T60

1st

T6

T19

MC

Thomas Detry

$7,000

DNP

T13

T34

MC

DNP

Min Woo Lee

$6,900

MC

T41

T21

MC

DNP

Sungjae Im

$6,900

T7

T20

T81

DNP

MC

Aaron Rai

$6,900

T75

DNP

MC

T19

DNP

Cameron Smith

$6,800

MC

T33

1st

T33

T20

Tony Finau

$6,800

MC

MC

T28

T19

3rd

Wyndham Clark

$6,700

MC

T33

T76

DNP

DNP

Akshay Bhatia

$6,700

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Si Woo Kim

$6,700

T43

MC

T15

DNP

MC

Keegan Bradley

$6,700

MC

MC

MC

MC

MC

Marc Leishman

$6,700

DNP

DNP

MC

MC

MC

Sergio Garcia

$6,700

DNP

DNP

T68

T19

T67

Tom Kim

$6,600

MC

T2

T47

DNP

DNP

Sahith Theegala

$6,600

MC

MC

T34

DNP

DNP

Dean Burmester

$6,600

T19

DNP

T11

T40

DNP

Daniel Berger

$6,600

DNP

DNP

DNP

T8

DNP

Louis Oosthuizen

$6,500

MC

T23

MC

T3

T20

Nicolai Hojgaard

$6,500

T66

T23

T53

DNP

DNP

Rickie Fowler

$6,500

71st

T23

DNP

T53

T6

Rasmus Hojgaard

$6,500

T60

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

Lucas Herbert

$6,500

DNP

MC

T15

MC

DNP

Taylor Pendrith

$6,500

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Davis Thompson

$6,400

T66

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Byeong Hun An

$6,400

T13

T23

DNP

T26

T32

Harris English

$6,400

T50

MC

MC

T46

DNP

Thriston Lawrence

$6,400

4th

74th

T42

DNP

DNP

Harry Hall

$6,400

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Dustin Johnson

$6,300

T31

MC

T6

T8

T51

Lee Westwood

$6,300

DNP

DNP

T34

T59

T4

Matthew Jordan

$6,300

T10

T10

MC

DNP

DNP

Aldrich Potgieter

$6,300

DNP

DNP

MC

DNP

DNP

C. Bezuidenhout

$6,200

MC

T49

T68

T53

MC

Denny McCarthy

$6,200

MC

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

Thor Olesen

$6,200

T43

MC

DNP

DNP

T57

Matt Wallace

$6,200

T41

MC

DNP

T40

T51

Andrew Novak

$6,200

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Laurie Canter

$6,200

T25

T17

79th

DNP

DNP

Chris Kirk

$6,100

T31

MC

T42

MC

DNP

Lucas Glover

$6,100

MC

DNP

DNP

MC

T20

Maverick McNealy

$6,100

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Nick Taylor

$6,000

MC

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

Jordan Smith

$5,900

MC

T41

T47

DNP

DNP

Matteo Manassero

$5,900

T31

DNP

DNP

DNP

MC

Max Greyserman

$5,900

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Phil Mickelson

$5,800

T60

MC

MC

MC

MC

Padraig Harrington

$5,800

T22

T64

MC

72nd

MC

Guido Migliozzi

$5,800

T31

T64

MC

MC

DNP

Daniel Brown

$5,800

T10

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Mackenzie Hughes

$5,700

T16

DNP

MC

T6

DNP

Jason Kokrak

$5,700

DNP

DNP

T42

T26

T32

Francesco Molinari

$5,600

MC

MC

T15

MC

T11

Stewart Cink

$5,300

MC

T23

MC

MC

T20

Zach Johnson

$5,200

MC

T55

MC

DNP

MC