Fantasy Golf: Sony Open

Hey remember last week when I picked Brooks Koepka but also wrote that "if you're the kind of person who doesn't like to throw a big chip on the pile this early in the season, then take a look at Xander Schauffele or Marc Leishman"? Right um so it turns-out that I am that kind of person which means I picked Schauffele and for the first time in my checkered fantasy golf career I am actually leading a one and done league. Of course that's basically like placing one chip on the board after the first call of a bingo tournament but it sure as hell beats wasting Brooks Koepka on a $78,000 payday (sorry . . . not really).

Yes more scenery. If you don't
like it, go buy a copy of Maxim.

Now the pressure is on to keep it going and frankly my prognosticating record at the Sony Open ain't the best in the Navy (loose Top Gun reference . . . please try to keep up). Last year I picked Marc Leishman who had just finished tied for 7th at the Tournament of Champions and I can still hear Frank Nobilo, "ooh he's such a strong wind player being from Australia." Oh shut-up Frank. All that wind experience yielded was a T47 and a check for $15,925 while the first place trophy went to a kid from Montgomery, Alabama where a cat fart rates as a stiff breeze.

The year before that I picked Jimmy Walker who won this tournament in 2014 and 2015 before finishing a respectable T13 in 2016. He had just finished T9 at the TOC so I was feeling supremely confident. He proceeded to miss the fucking cut. And back in 2016 Matt Kuchar did me the courtesy of finishing T13 but only after shooting one of the three worst final round scores of anyone in the top 30 so pffffft . . . what could have been.    

Well that shit stops now. This tournament should be a damn turkey shoot considering the same guys have been contending for the last fifteen years. You can see some of that consistency in the chart below with the likes of Kuchar, Walker, Justin Thomas, Gary Woodland, Kevin Kisner, Charles Howell, III, Zach Johnson, Hudson Swafford and yes, the awesomely irascible Jerry Kelly but that doesn't begin to tell the story. If you scroll through the history of this event on the PGATour.com tournament page, you will see Chucky Triple Sticks in the top ten about a dozen times along with multiple showings by Kuch, Z.J. and Kelly. The bottom line is that Waialae is a horse for the course type track along the lines of TPC River Highlands and Harbour Town so don't get cute and try to pick the next Fabian Gomez. Stick to the damn fundamentals. That's how great companies like Lehman Brothers and Enron were built. 

That makes the two obvious choices 2017 champion Justin Thomas who just finished 3rd at the TOC and last week's runner-up Gary Woodland who has gone T7, T6, T13 and T3 at the Sony over the last four years. If you want to play it safe, go with Chucky but I'd be wary of Z.J. who's recent T7 at the RSM Classic was his first top ten since April. I'd be more inclined to take a flyer on Kuchar or maybe Cameron Smith who just won the Australian PGA Championship over Leishman. Because you really want a good wind player and it's very windy in Australia. Or so they say.    

Like this one which is
apparently all about golf.

One and Done Pick: Gary Woodland

Other Guy I'd Pick: Charles Howell, III

Sleeper Pick: Jimmy Walker

DraftKings Top Ten Values

Justin Thomas	$11,400
Gary Woodland	$10,800
Cameron Smith	$9,400
Charles Howell, III	$8,900
Zach Johnson	$8,600
Patton Kizzire	$7,900
Chez Reavie	$7,600
Jimmy Walker	$7,400
Ryan Blaum	$7,100
Jerry Kelly	$7,100

Here is the list of every player I thought about picking this week. It includes most of the big names but not Bubba Watson who's second round 79 last week would indicate that he's in that bad Bubba place. You don't want Bubba when he's in the bad Bubba place.      

	DK Price	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014
Justin Thomas	$11,400	T14	1st	MC	T6	DNP
B. DeChambeau	$11,100	DNP	T49	DNP	DNP	DNP
Gary Woodland	$10,800	T7	T6	T13	T3	DNP
Marc Leishman	$10,500	T47	T20	T28	T37	5th
Jordan Spieth	$10,300	T18	3rd	DNP	DNP	MC
Cameron Champ	$9,900	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Patrick Reed	$9,600	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Cameron Smith	$9,400	T18	T27	T81	DNP	DNP
Hideki Matsuyama	$9,300	DNP	T27	DNP	T78	DNP
Emiliano Grillo	$9,200	T47	DNP	T33	DNP	DNP
Paul Casey	$9,100	DNP	MC	DNP	T30	DNP
Kevin Kisner	$9,000	T25	T4	T5	84th	MC
Charles Howell, III	$8,900	T32	T8	T13	T26	T8
Kyle Stanley	$8,700	T10	T36	T13	DNP	DNP
Zach Johnson	$8,600	T14	T6	T9	T64	T8
Matt Kuchar	$8,500	DNP	DNP	T13	T3	T8
Adam Scott	$8,300	DNP	DNP	T56	DNP	T8
Brandt Snedeker	$8,200	DNP	MC	2nd	DNP	DNP
Russell Knox	$8,100	T10	T11	MC	T13	MC
Si Woo Kim	$8,000	T58	DNP	4th	DNP	DNP
Brian Harman	$7,900	T4	T20	T13	T13	T32
Patton Kizzire	$7,900	1st	DNP	MC	DNP	DNP
Ian Poulter	$7,800	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Pat Perez	$7,700	DNP	T69	T81	T17	DNP
Chez Reavie	$7,600	T18	T8	T42	T26	DNP
Scott Piercy	$7,600	T25	T57	DNP	2nd	MC
Danny Lee	$7,400	MC	DNP	T33	MC	MC
Jimmy Walker	$7,400	MC	MC	T13	1st	1st
Patrick Rodgers	$7,400	W/D	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP
Brian Gay	$7,300	T58	T13	MC	DNP	T32
James Hahn	$7,300	2nd	T36	T28	T26	T46
Jamie Lovemark	$7,300	MC	T4	T7	DNP	MC
Stewart Cink	$7,300	T32	T36	T42	T37	T20
Ryan Armour	$7,200	T39	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Jason Dufner	$7,100	T18	MC	T9	DNP	T29
Jerry Kelly	$7,100	T14	MC	T9	T6	3rd
Ryan Blaum	$7,100	T10	T74	DNP	DNP	DNP
Ben Martin	$7,000	T7	T36	T50	T51	T38
Hudson Swafford	$7,000	T54	T13	T9	MC	T8
Ollie Schneids	$6,900	T7	T27	DNP	DNP	DNP

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