Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Fantasy Golf: The Charles Schwab Challenge Preview

There's a reason why I would have never cut it as a scientist. Actually there are many reasons but the one that applies to my disastrous PGA Championship picks is the fact that I always exclude at least one critical part of my analysis which ends-up being the difference between success and tragic failure. Think of it like the time when those two young go-getters Gary and Wyatt tried to create another Kelly LeBrock but forgot to hook-up the doll and ended-up with a nuclear missile instead of a super model. (If you don't get that reference but would like to, click here).

Last week I broke down the Rory v. Scottie matchup and came down on the Rory side because his success at Quail Hollow gave him the edge when comparing their "A" games. The forgotten doll in that analysis was the fact that Scottie was obviously going to be way more motivated to bring his "A" game which he had just put on full display two weeks earlier. In other words, I chose fat and happy over hungry and, as we know with all other things being roughly equal, hungry is winning that matchup every time. 

The bottom line is that I've been forgetting to hook-up the doll all year so I've got nuclear missiles popping-up all over the damn place. In an effort to rectify the problem, we've made a note of it and placed it with all of our other forgotten notes.     

GOLF ANALYSIS

I don't think Scottie is going back-to-back again like he did after winning his second Masters but I wouldn't put it past him, especially since his last three finishes here are T2, T3 and 2nd so hedge accordingly. My alternates are 2020 winner Daniel Berger along with Davises Thompson and Riley. The latter is the defending champion so I'm leaning towards the former based on the unlikelihood of a repeat. (Remember that I've been 180 degrees wrong about almost everything this year).

The rest of the picks are your usual Tom Hoge, Bud Cauley Beau Hossler blah blah blah but the odds on Akshay Bhatia are attractive. The bespectacled splinter has been slumping but he's still one of the 30-40 best players in the world so we expect him to muscle his way out of it any week now. 

Place

Player

Odds

Winner

Daniel Berger

+2200

Top 5

Davis Thompson

+850

Top 10

Akshay Bhatia

+450

Top 10

Davis Riley

+400

Top 20

Beau Hossler

+400


One and Done Pick: Davis Thompson
And here's a link to the picture
I might've posted here back before
this site went and got all woke.

Other Guy I'd Pick: Davis Riley

Sleeper Pick: Beau Hossler

DraftKings Top Ten Values

Scottie Scheffler

$13,700

Daniel Berger

$9,900

Maverick McNealy

$9,500

Davis Thompson

$8,800

Davis Riley

$8,600

Akshay Bhatia

$8,000

Bud Cauley

$7,800

Tom Hoge

$7,400

Ricky Castillo

$6,900

Beau Hossler

$6,700


Email the Fantasy Golf Report here.

Before he went on to greater fame in classics like Tombstone, Twisters and Apollo 13, Bill Paxton stole the show as Chet during which he gave us one of the most sinister movie quotes of the mid 80's. . . 

A NICE GREASY HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE 
CHART SERVED IN A DIRTY ASHTRAY

Others worth noting below include Brian Harman, Lucas Glover and 2023 champion Emiliano Grillo who's about as reliable as a flight out of Newark. 

 

DK Price

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

Scottie Scheffler

$13,700

T2

T3

2nd

MC

T55

Tommy Fleetwood

$10,000

DNP

MC

T35

DNP

DNP

Daniel Berger

$9,900

T45

DNP

T23

T20

1st

Jordan Spieth

$9,800

T37

MC

T7

2nd

T10

Hideki Matsuyama

$9,600

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Maverick McNealy

$9,500

T17

T52

MC

T20

T32

J.T. Poston

$9,400

T12

MC

MC

MC

T10

Robert Macintyre

$9,300

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Harris English

$9,200

MC

T12

DNP

DNP

MC

Aaron Rai

$9,100

T32

T12

68th

DNP

DNP

Keith Mitchell

$9,000

T37

DNP

DNP

MC

T64

Si Woo Kim

$8,900

T56

T29

DNP

W/D

MC

Davis Thompson

$8,800

T17

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Ben Griffin

$8,700

MC

T52

DNP

DNP

DNP

Davis Riley

$8,600

1st

MC

T4

DNP

DNP

Brian Harman

$8,500

T24

T29

MC

T8

T23

J.J. Spaun

$8,400

MC

T63

W/D

DNP

DNP

Michael Kim

$8,300

MC

T6

DNP

DNP

DNP

Andrew Novak

$8,200

MC

T40

DNP

DNP

DNP

Lucas Glover

$8,100

T12

DNP

T40

T8

T23

Akshay Bhatia

$8,000

MC

56th

DNP

DNP

DNP

Harry Hall

$8,000

MC

T3

DNP

DNP

DNP

Ryan Gerard

$7,900

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Mackenzie Hughes

$7,900

DNP

DNP

DNP

MC

MC

Bud Cauley

$7,800

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

T29

Alex Smalley

$7,700

W/D

T40

T27

DNP

DNP

Thor Olesen

$7,700

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Tom Kim

$7,600

T24

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Kurt Kitayama

$7,600

DNP

T29

T40

DNP

DNP

Max Greyserman

$7,600

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

C. Bezuidenhout

$7,500

T17

T21

T15

DNP

MC

Taylor Moore

$7,500

MC

MC

MC

DNP

DNP

Sam Stevens

$7,500

MC

T29

DNP

DNP

DNP

Tom Hoge

$7,400

T17

T52

MC

MC

MC

Kevin Yu

$7,400

T61

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Emiliano Grillo

$7,400

64th

1st

T63

T8

MC

Jacob Bridgeman

$7,400

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Rickie Fowler

$7,300

T37

T6

T57

DNP

MC

Lee Hodges

$7,300

T12

T29

T35

DNP

DNP

Eric Cole

$7,300

MC

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

Gary Woodland

$7,300

T45

DNP

MC

T14

9th

Jake Knapp

$7,300

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Chris Kirk

$7,200

MC

MC

T15

T69

T60

Cam Davis

$7,200

T56

MC

T7

T45

MC

Matt McCarty

$7,200

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Pierceson Coody

$7,200

T5

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

Jhonatten Vegas

$7,200

DNP

DNP

DNP

T69

T60

Austin Eckroat

$7,100

MC

T16

DNP

DNP

DNP

Patrick Rodgers

$7,100

T45

T57

T35

MC

T14

Ryo Hisatune

$7,100

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Alejandro Tosti

$7,100

T17

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Doug Ghim

$7,100

T50

DNP

MC

T14

MC

Mark Hubbard

$7,000

T65

T9

T52

T69

T43

Joe Highsmith

$7,000

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Seamus Power

$7,000

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Nico Echavarria

$7,000

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Charley Hoffman

$6,900

T50

DNP

66th

T3

MC

Neil Shipley

$6,900

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Ricky Castillo

$6,900

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Matt Kuchar

$6,800

T17

DNP

DNP

T50

MC

Mac Meissner

$6,800

T5

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Sam Ryder

$6,800

MC

MC

MC

MC

MC

Beau Hossler

$6,700

MC

T70

T21

DNP

MC

Andrew Putnam

$6,700

MC

T29

T15

MC

MC

Erik Van Rooyen

$6,700

DNP

MC

DNP

MC

MC

Joel Dahmen

$6,600

T56

T68

T63

MC

T19

Adam Schenk

$6,500

W/D

2nd

MC

T65

T43

Ben Silverman

$6,500

T32

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Robby Shelton

$6,300

T9

T29

DNP

T59

DNP