Under ideal conditions when my day job doesn't expect too much from me, I write the majority if not all of the FGR's weekly preview by Tuesday night so that Wednesday morning is just for minor editing and corrections based on reader feedback or maybe the addition of some side-splitting anecdote that came to me while I was sleeping on the couch from 10:03 p.m. until 2:47 a.m. (Spoiler alert: I did not have one of those last night/this morning).
Under not so ideal conditions, however, I find myself sitting in an orthodontist's waiting room on Wednesday morning staring at pretty much a blank screen on the eve of one of the best tournaments of the year. Not so hypothetically speaking there would be a tantruming kid with a checked-out mom on her phone to my left and ten feet ahead of me would be two people behind the receptionist's desk having a mind-numbing conversation about some fucking knick-knack they found on Etsy. This is the writing equivalent of running on the beach. Into the wind. While carrying a 3/4 full Coors Light Party Ball. Without the benefit of the cops chasing you.
I'll power through it. But first this . . .
TWEET OF THE WEEK
Under not so ideal conditions, however, I find myself sitting in an orthodontist's waiting room on Wednesday morning staring at pretty much a blank screen on the eve of one of the best tournaments of the year. Not so hypothetically speaking there would be a tantruming kid with a checked-out mom on her phone to my left and ten feet ahead of me would be two people behind the receptionist's desk having a mind-numbing conversation about some fucking knick-knack they found on Etsy. This is the writing equivalent of running on the beach. Into the wind. While carrying a 3/4 full Coors Light Party Ball. Without the benefit of the cops chasing you.
I'll power through it. But first this . . .
TWEET OF THE WEEK
The guy who pulled-off this athletic achievement somehow finished second in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. In a related story, Dances With Wolves won the Oscar for Best Picture in the year that Goodfellas was nominated and more people have heard of Dane Cook than Greg Giraldo (jump to about the 1:10 mark and thank me later).*
2nd place... pic.twitter.com/mpJLkjFT2u— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) February 16, 2020
HOPEFULLY REDEMPTIVE GOLF ANALYSIS
Last week's stumble was as inevitable as a sports cheating scandal with a Boston connection. Especially after I spent a good part of the preview patting myself on the back for a moderately successful season so far which all but insured Bubba Watson's missed cut. Well that and the fact that Bubba cosmically knows I don't like him and makes me pay for it every time I pick him. And yes I do deep down believe that is true because the universe is absolutely keeping score.
Normally I try to avoid the obvious pick because it gives me a false sense of intellectual superiority to go against the grain but, if I don't pick Rory McIroy and he wins, it's going to make for a very dark February weekend and I am frankly not in the mood for that so I'm pulling the trigger. Not to mention, Rory is eventually going to win everywhere he plays as he proved at The Players last year so he is due to win here. It should also be noted that I already wasted Dustin Johnson at Pebble Beach so the other obvious pick is unavailable.
And because I have to pick Rory, that means that I can't also have D.J. in my top ten but you have my permission to flip a coin when deciding between those two. Just know that D.J. entered the final round of his last two tournaments within range of the leader on courses that he loves and he jammed it into reverse both times.
Jon Rahm was my pick here last year and I must have had good reasons for that then that should apply even more this year as he's never played better. And continuing with my theory that the guys I picked to win in the past are going to play better without the monkey of me on their back, I'm also going with 2018 one and done pick Tommy Fleetwood who rewarded me with a tie for 14th. And I love Tommy so I don't have a cosmic explanation for why he always fails me. Maybe it's a long-haired guy/bald guy thing.
From there it's just a bunch of Euro guys who seem to love playing golf in Mexico. And then we finally get to Charles Howell, III, Scottie Scheffler and Lanto Griffin. I can't really tell you why I went with them this week other than the fact that that I just really love my country so darn much. USA! USA! USA!
 |
| "Anyone have a good metaphor for last week's picks? . . . Thank you!" |
Other Guy I'd Pick: Dustin Johnson
Sleeper Pick: Scottie Scheffler
DraftKings Top Ten Values
|
Rory McIlroy
|
$11,500
|
|
Jon Rahm
|
$10,200
|
|
Tommy Fleetwood
|
$9,200
|
|
Paul Casey
|
$8,700
|
|
Sergio Garcia
|
$8,600
|
|
Rafa Cabrera-Bello
|
$7,600
|
|
Tyrell Hatton
|
$7,400
|
|
Charles Howell, III
|
$7,100
|
|
Scottie Scheffler
|
$7,100
|
|
Lanto Griffin
|
$6,700
|
We've only got three years of history at Club de Golf Chpultepec so available research is somewhat limited. Last year I supplemented this chart with a bunch of other statistical crap that said Justin Thomas was going to win and then he proceeded to finish 9th. Suffice it to say that this year I didn't waste time on that fruitless exercise as part of this greater fruitless exercise.
THE HOUSTON ASTROS KEVLAR BATTING HELMET
HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE CHART
Footnote
* And no I was not watching Greg Giraldo clips in the orthodontist's office. If I want to offend a bunch of private school moms, I'll get drunk at the club, crank-up the volume on my inside voice and start talking about farting and manscaping.
THE HOUSTON ASTROS KEVLAR BATTING HELMET
HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE CHART
|
|
DK Price
|
2019
|
2018
|
2017
|
|
Rory McIlroy
|
$11,500
|
2nd
|
DNP
|
T7
|
|
Dustin Johnson
|
$11,000
|
1st
|
T7
|
1st
|
|
Justin Thomas
|
$10,800
|
9th
|
2nd
|
T5
|
|
Jon Rahm
|
$10,600
|
T45
|
T20
|
T3
|
|
Hideki Matsuyama
|
$10,000
|
T19
|
DNP
|
T25
|
|
Webb Simpson
|
$9,800
|
T39
|
T37
|
DNP
|
|
Adam Scott
|
$9,600
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
T45
|
|
Xander Schauffele
|
$9,400
|
T14
|
T18
|
DNP
|
|
Tommy Fleetwood
|
$9,200
|
T19
|
T14
|
2nd
|
|
Bryson DeChambeau
|
$9,000
|
T56
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Louis Oosthuizen
|
$8,900
|
T25
|
T30
|
T48
|
|
Matt Kuchar
|
$8,800
|
50th
|
T58
|
T20
|
|
Paul Casey
|
$8,700
|
T3
|
T12
|
T16
|
|
Sergio Garcia
|
$8,600
|
T6
|
T7
|
T12
|
|
Patrick Reed
|
$8,400
|
T14
|
T37
|
T61
|
|
Gary Woodland
|
$8,300
|
T17
|
T50
|
T38
|
|
Bubba Watson
|
$8,200
|
T27
|
T9
|
T38
|
|
Marc Leishman
|
$8,100
|
T62
|
T37
|
DNP
|
|
Jordan Spieth
|
$8,000
|
T54
|
T14
|
T12
|
|
Matthew Fitzpatrick
|
$8,000
|
T27
|
T30
|
T16
|
|
Abraham Ancer
|
$7,900
|
T39
|
T52
|
DNP
|
|
Sungjae Im
|
$7,900
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Branden Grace
|
$7,800
|
T33
|
T30
|
T32
|
|
Shane Lowry
|
$7,800
|
T62
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Brandt Snedeker
|
$7,700
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
T7
|
|
Cameron Smith
|
$7,700
|
T6
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Rafa Cabrera-Bello
|
$7,600
|
T19
|
T3
|
T38
|
|
Victor Perez
|
$7,600
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Corey Connors
|
$7,500
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Graeme McDowell
|
$7,500
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Bernd Wiesberger
|
$7,400
|
DNP
|
T30
|
DNP
|
|
Byeong Hun An
|
$7,400
|
T45
|
DNP
|
T48
|
|
Tyrell Hatton
|
$7,400
|
T19
|
T3
|
10th
|
|
Billy Horschel
|
$7,300
|
T45
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Chez Reavie
|
$7,300
|
T65
|
T52
|
DNP
|
|
Kevin Na
|
$7,300
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
T52
|
|
Kevin Kisner
|
$7,200
|
T27
|
29th
|
11th
|
|
Kurt Kitayama
|
$7,200
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Charles Howell, III
|
$7,100
|
T14
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Francesco Molinari
|
$7,100
|
T17
|
T25
|
T20
|
|
Scottie Scheffler
|
$7,100
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Danny Willett
|
$7,000
|
T27
|
DNP
|
69th
|
|
Jason Kokrak
|
$7,000
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Sung Kang
|
$7,000
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Lee Westwood
|
$6,900
|
T33
|
DNP
|
T28
|
|
Brendon Todd
|
$6,800
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Lucas Glover
|
$6,800
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Lanto Griffin
|
$6,700
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Carlos Ortiz
|
$6,600
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Matt Wallace
|
$6,600
|
T33
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
Footnote
* And no I was not watching Greg Giraldo clips in the orthodontist's office. If I want to offend a bunch of private school moms, I'll get drunk at the club, crank-up the volume on my inside voice and start talking about farting and manscaping.
Email the Fantasy Golf Report at fgr@fantasygolfreport.com.
