Fantasy Golf: Arnold Palmer Invitational Preview

I have previously claimed that no one can actually write drunk thus trying to debunk the myth of Hemingway, Thompson and others. My theory was always that they jotted down notes on soggy cocktail napkins, stuffed them into their pockets and then cobbled them together over the ensuing days at which point they became The Sun Also Rises or The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. But I just wrote that part after drinking a shit ton of beer, wine and tequila today so let's see where this road takes us. 

After about fifteen years of writing the FGR, I am finally reporting from the center of golf's universe which is Jupiter, Florida and its surrounding area. I am currently sitting in the lobby of a hotel within that radius surrounded by Russian gangsters and the douchiest of all golf bros fully decked-out with slicked back hair and a sense of entitlement with enough wattage to power a Carnival cruise ship. 

As I've previously noted, the company I work for which resides in one of Maryland's multiple armpits was bought by a bigger company headquartered here. It's almost like a sign that I should accept the fact that my love/hate relationship with the game of golf is part of my path to being a slightly happier person. Maybe it's time for me to just shut up and acknowledge the fact that things are going pretty well . . . 

Nah . . . that would just fuck up the writing.

GOLF ANALYSIS

Tiger won this tournament eight times and it wasn't solely because he wanted to shake Arnie's hand at the end though that was definitely part of it. The fact that Scottie Scheffler has already won here twice clearly indicates that the course sets up well for you if you happen to be the best player in the world. He's also overdue having fallen into a three tournament drought without a win. For him that qualifies as a prolonged slump considering he's been winning at a rate of about 40% lately . . . and that is not a stat exaggerated for effect.  

That's pretty much the extent of the preview though we do love Viktor Hovland and Sepp Straka as top ten options along with Max Greyserman as a slightly longer shot. He seems to be coming out of the classic rising star dip and his first win feels as inevitable as my Wednesday morning hangover. (Called it). 

Place	Player	Odds
Winner	Tommy Fleetwood	+1800
Top 5	Collin Morikawa	+440
Top 10	Viktor Hovland	+300
Top 10	Sepp Straka	+345
Top 20	Max Greyserman	+255

One and Done Pick: Scottie Scheffler

We fully expect game face Scottie
to show-up in Orlando this week.

Other Guy I'd Pick: Tommy Fleetwood

Sleeper Pick: Max Greyserman

DraftKings Top Ten Values

Scottie Scheffler	$14,100
Tommy Fleetwood	$10,300
Collin Morikawa	$9,600
Robert MacIntyre	$9,000
Viktor Hovland	$8,500
Chris Gotterup	$8,300
Adam Scott	$7,800
Sepp Straka	$7,400
Max Greyserman	$6,700
Michael Kim	$6,200

This week's chart is dedicated to the drink order that West Palm Beach country club grill bartenders mutter in their sleep.

THE DOUBLE TITO'S TRANSFUSION

HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE CHART

The obvious omissions of the week are defending champion Russell Henley, Shane Lowry and Keegan Bradley. Henley has been off his game a bit and frankly we can't even talk about Lowry yet after picking him to win last week. Way, way too soon. 

	DK Price	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021
Scottie Scheffler	$14,100	T11	1st	T4	1st	DNP
Rory McIlroy	$11,600	T15	T21	T2	T13	T10
Tommy Fleetwood	$10,300	T11	MC	T61	T20	T10
Xander Schauffele	$10,000	T40	T25	T39	DNP	DNP
Matt Fitzpatrick	$9,800	T22	MC	T14	T9	T10
Colin Morikawa	$9,600	2nd	MC	MC	DNP	DNP
Russell Henley	$9,400	1st	T4	T53	T13	DNP
Hideki Matsuyama	$9,300	T22	T12	MC	T20	T18
Si Woo Kim	$9,200	T19	T30	T39	T26	W/D
Cameron Young	$9,100	MC	T36	T10	T13	DNP
Robert MacIntyre	$9,000	T11	DNP	DNP	DNP	T36
Harris English	$8,900	MC	T21	T2	DNP	T26
Patrick Cantlay	$8,800	T31	T36	T4	DNP	DNP
Ben Griffin	$8,700	T45	DNP	T14	DNP	DNP
Jake Knapp	$8,600	DNP	T57	DNP	DNP	DNP
Viktor Hovland	$8,500	MC	T36	T10	T2	T49
Ludvig Aberg	$8,400	T22	T25	T24	DNP	DNP
Chris Gotterup	$8,300	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Kurt Kitayama	$8,200	DNP	MC	1st	DNP	DNP
Shane Lowry	$8,100	7th	3rd	67th	DNP	MC
Sam Burns	$8,000	T48	T30	MC	T9	MC
Rickie Fowler	$8,000	DNP	T36	T31	T52	72nd
Min Woo Lee	$7,900	MC	T44	MC	MC	DNP
Justin Rose	$7,900	T8	MC	MC	MC	W/D
Maverick McNealy	$7,800	MC	DNP	DNP	73rd	T49
Adam Scott	$7,800	4th	MC	T31	T26	DNP
Jason Day	$7,700	T8	T36	T10	DNP	T31
Jacob Bridgeman	$7,700	T15	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Justin Thomas	$7,600	T36	T12	T21	DNP	DNP
Keegan Bradley	$7,500	T5	T36	T10	T11	T10
Akshay Bhatia	$7,500	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Sepp Straka	$7,400	T5	T57	MC	MC	MC
Jordan Spieth	$7,400	DNP	T30	T4	DNP	T4
Nick Taylor	$7,300	T31	T12	MC	T32	MC
Alex Noren	$7,300	DNP	DNP	T61	DNP	T49
Nicolai Hojgaard	$7,200	DNP	MC	DNP	MC	DNP
Ryan Gerard	$7,200	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
J.J. Spaun	$7,100	T31	DNP	MC	T52	DNP
Harry Hall	$7,100	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Samuel Stevens	$7,000	T40	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Nico Echavarria	$7,000	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Corey Conners	$6,900	3rd	T16	T21	T11	3rd
Keith Mitchell	$6,900	DNP	DNP	T24	T61	T43
M. Thorbjornsen	$6,900	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Daniel Berger	$6,800	T15	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Taylor Pendrith	$6,800	MC	DNP	MC	T42	DNP
Sahith Theegala	$6,800	MC	T6	T14	MC	DNP
Max Greyserman	$6,700	T22	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Ryan Fox	$6,700	DNP	DNP	T14	DNP	DNP
Ryo Hisatsune	$6,700	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Denny McCarthy	$6,600	18th	T48	DNP	T61	T26
J.T. Poston	$6,600	T50	55th	DNP	DNP	MC
Matt McCarty	$6,600	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Sungjae Im	$6,500	T19	T16	T21	T20	T21
Aldrich Potgier	$6,500	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Chris Kirk	$6,500	T22	T44	T39	T5	T8
Patrick Rodgers	$6,400	T22	T25	MC	T38	T57
Taylor Moore	$6,400	DNP	T48	T39	T42	DNP
Adam Smotherman	$6,400	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Brian Harman	$6,300	T40	T12	MC	DNP	DNP
Tom Hoge	$6,300	T40	T12	MC	T32	MC
Joel Dahmen	$6,300	DNP	DNP	MC	DNP	MC
Michael Kim	$6,200	4th	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Lucas Glover	$6,200	T36	T30	MC	T74	T66
Bud Cauley	$6,200	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Billy Horschel	$6,100	MC	DNP	MC	T2	MC
Andrew Novak	$6,100	T34	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Jhonattan Vegas	$6,100	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Brian Campbell	$6,000	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Andrew Putnam	$6,000	DNP	T8	T34	MC	T4
Daniel Bennett	$6,000	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP

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