The rational minds among us agree that The Masters is the greatest golf major in the same way that we concede without reservation that Wimbledon is the greatest tennis major and The Other Guys is the most brilliant Will Ferrell movie. Interestingly (at least to me), there is little debate as to the runner-up in each of these categories with the British Open (golf), U.S. Open (tennis) and Step Brothers (Ferrell) having a decided advantage over the bronze medal winning U.S. Open (golf), French Open (tennis) and Anchorman (Ferrell). Everything after that is crap except maybe Elf once a year with your kids.
My point, to the extent I have one, is that the British Open is awesome and only misses-out on the top spot because someone thought to build a perfect golf terrarium in Georgia and had the foresight to give custody of it to a bunch of rich assholes with no fucks to give about what anyone thought of the way they ran it. Hard to believe that formula actually worked to our benefit but even the blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut assuming he's not eaten by the blind hawk first in which case he's one seriously unlucky dead blind squirrel.
I have such an affinity for the British Open that, up until two years ago, I hosted an annual outing in its honor including a post-round dinner and parimutuel wagering that was decidedly frowned upon at Bushwood. It was actually an idea pitched by a friend of Irish descent who then proceeded to become mysteriously ill on the eve of the event leaving me to run it unassisted (typical fucking Irish). I kept it going for five years until I weighed the effort I was putting into it against the enjoyment I was getting out of it and thought to myself "fuck these guys and fuck this."
If memory serves, I carried that attitude into the final year as my last act in the event's history was getting into a post-dinner heated political debate that resulted in me throwing a balled-up napkin at a guy which hit his glass of red wine dumping it all over his shirt. After a sincere but terse apology, I stormed-off the property amidst a hail of F-bombs (mostly from me) never to run it again. Oh yeah, that guy was also Irish so perfect symmetry and a fitting conclusion were achieved. I think Oscar Wilde would have approved. Remember, "we are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
And now this . . .
GOLFBABES TWEET OF THE WEEK
THIS WEEK'S ANALYSIS
The British Open heads to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland for the first time since 1951 and any value we could hope to draw from Max Faulkner's two stroke victory over Antonio Cerda that year has been negated by the course's redesign including the complete replacement of the 17th and 18th holes. So we have a new course and no historical data other than the 2012 Irish Open won by Jamie Donaldson who seems to have faded into Welsh oblivion after beating Keegan Bradley to clinch the 2014 Ryder Cup. So what are we to do?
Well I'm here to tell you that it doesn't matter because a British Open guy is a British Open guy is a British Open guy. Are you going to run-out and dump a big pile of quid on Bubba Watson, Bryson DeChambeau or Justin Thomas just because this new course might make them feel more comfortable with the weather, the time change and the shitty food? Of course not. Nor would I ask you to.
This is the week you stick to the fundamentals . . . McIlroy, Molinari, Leishman, etc. However, with that being said, I'm going to ask you to take a leap of faith with me on Jordan Spieth. Next to Rory, he is by far the most dominant British Open player of the past five years with a win, a tie for 4th that was essentially a runner-up because he finished one stroke out of a playoff and a tie for 9th last year thanks to a bizarre final round 76. I think he's the closest thing to Tom Watson in his love of this tournament we've seen since, um, Tom Watson.
If you're not buying my Spieth pitch, then I would point you in the direction of Xander Schauffele who will win one of the next six majors. He has now played in ten of them and finished T6th or better in five including a T2 and T20 in his two British Open starts. His first major win is more inevitable than the audible smell it through your ears fetidness of the next Coldplay album.
As for the rest of the picks, I'm playing it safe with Matt Kuchar, Matthew Wallace, Eddie Pepperell and Zach Johnson. They're all going to make the cut and at least two but likely three will finish in the top twenty. One will contend on Sunday. Probably Wallace who plays with a chip on his shoulder the size of Phil Mickelson's ego which suddenly and inexplicably seems to be growing exponentially larger with every missed cut.
And finally this year's sleeper is Andrew "Beef" Johnston who has made a recent resurgence with a T4 at the Scottish Open and proved in his only two other British Open appearances that he's of the type to thrive in this scene. Look for him and Pepperell to celebrate making the cut by showing-up pissed drunk for the third round before shooting 65's to put themselves in contention . . . 3 to 2 one of them says something lewd about the queen or a high ranking member of Parliament.
One and Done Pick: Jordan Spieth
Other Guy I'd Pick: Xander Schauffele
Sleeper Pick: Andrew Johnston
DraftKings Top Ten Values
For those new to the Fantasy Golf Report, welcome, and this is where I explain that the chart below only includes players I considered for this week's top ten. All of the high-dollar options are represented so you can make your own decisions on the favorites but the budget players are comprised of only those with strong track records, lesser known talents and whimsical guesses. I hope you find it helpful.
THE HAVE YOU TRIED THE HAGGIS?
HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE CHART
Email the Fantasy Golf Report at fgr@fantasygolfreport.com.
My point, to the extent I have one, is that the British Open is awesome and only misses-out on the top spot because someone thought to build a perfect golf terrarium in Georgia and had the foresight to give custody of it to a bunch of rich assholes with no fucks to give about what anyone thought of the way they ran it. Hard to believe that formula actually worked to our benefit but even the blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut assuming he's not eaten by the blind hawk first in which case he's one seriously unlucky dead blind squirrel.
I have such an affinity for the British Open that, up until two years ago, I hosted an annual outing in its honor including a post-round dinner and parimutuel wagering that was decidedly frowned upon at Bushwood. It was actually an idea pitched by a friend of Irish descent who then proceeded to become mysteriously ill on the eve of the event leaving me to run it unassisted (typical fucking Irish). I kept it going for five years until I weighed the effort I was putting into it against the enjoyment I was getting out of it and thought to myself "fuck these guys and fuck this."
If memory serves, I carried that attitude into the final year as my last act in the event's history was getting into a post-dinner heated political debate that resulted in me throwing a balled-up napkin at a guy which hit his glass of red wine dumping it all over his shirt. After a sincere but terse apology, I stormed-off the property amidst a hail of F-bombs (mostly from me) never to run it again. Oh yeah, that guy was also Irish so perfect symmetry and a fitting conclusion were achieved. I think Oscar Wilde would have approved. Remember, "we are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
And now this . . .
GOLFBABES TWEET OF THE WEEK
Go get that Sammy! "@sammyfuller99 love a little neon☀️🍭 good practice round for the British Open Pre Qualifier next week⛳️" https://t.co/h86rzdnq78 pic.twitter.com/Zj2oksKchz— Golf Babes (@golfbabes) July 11, 2019
THIS WEEK'S ANALYSIS
The British Open heads to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland for the first time since 1951 and any value we could hope to draw from Max Faulkner's two stroke victory over Antonio Cerda that year has been negated by the course's redesign including the complete replacement of the 17th and 18th holes. So we have a new course and no historical data other than the 2012 Irish Open won by Jamie Donaldson who seems to have faded into Welsh oblivion after beating Keegan Bradley to clinch the 2014 Ryder Cup. So what are we to do?
Well I'm here to tell you that it doesn't matter because a British Open guy is a British Open guy is a British Open guy. Are you going to run-out and dump a big pile of quid on Bubba Watson, Bryson DeChambeau or Justin Thomas just because this new course might make them feel more comfortable with the weather, the time change and the shitty food? Of course not. Nor would I ask you to.
This is the week you stick to the fundamentals . . . McIlroy, Molinari, Leishman, etc. However, with that being said, I'm going to ask you to take a leap of faith with me on Jordan Spieth. Next to Rory, he is by far the most dominant British Open player of the past five years with a win, a tie for 4th that was essentially a runner-up because he finished one stroke out of a playoff and a tie for 9th last year thanks to a bizarre final round 76. I think he's the closest thing to Tom Watson in his love of this tournament we've seen since, um, Tom Watson.
If you're not buying my Spieth pitch, then I would point you in the direction of Xander Schauffele who will win one of the next six majors. He has now played in ten of them and finished T6th or better in five including a T2 and T20 in his two British Open starts. His first major win is more inevitable than the audible smell it through your ears fetidness of the next Coldplay album.
As for the rest of the picks, I'm playing it safe with Matt Kuchar, Matthew Wallace, Eddie Pepperell and Zach Johnson. They're all going to make the cut and at least two but likely three will finish in the top twenty. One will contend on Sunday. Probably Wallace who plays with a chip on his shoulder the size of Phil Mickelson's ego which suddenly and inexplicably seems to be growing exponentially larger with every missed cut.
And finally this year's sleeper is Andrew "Beef" Johnston who has made a recent resurgence with a T4 at the Scottish Open and proved in his only two other British Open appearances that he's of the type to thrive in this scene. Look for him and Pepperell to celebrate making the cut by showing-up pissed drunk for the third round before shooting 65's to put themselves in contention . . . 3 to 2 one of them says something lewd about the queen or a high ranking member of Parliament.
 |
| It's easy to forget how beautiful Northern Ireland is because all you think of are "The Troubles" and Graeme McDowell but it's really quite breathtaking. |
Other Guy I'd Pick: Xander Schauffele
Sleeper Pick: Andrew Johnston
DraftKings Top Ten Values
Rory McIlroy
|
$11,600
|
Xander Schauffele
|
$9,500
|
Francesco Molinari
|
$9,400
|
Jordan Spieth
|
$8,900
|
Matt Kuchar
|
$8,700
|
Matthew Wallace
|
$8,100
|
Marc Leishman
|
$7,700
|
Eddie Pepperell
|
$7,600
|
Zach Johnson
|
$7,200
|
Andrew Johnston
|
$6,800
|
For those new to the Fantasy Golf Report, welcome, and this is where I explain that the chart below only includes players I considered for this week's top ten. All of the high-dollar options are represented so you can make your own decisions on the favorites but the budget players are comprised of only those with strong track records, lesser known talents and whimsical guesses. I hope you find it helpful.
THE HAVE YOU TRIED THE HAGGIS?
HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE CHART
DK Price
|
2018
|
2017
|
2016
|
2015
|
2014
|
|
Rory McIlroy
|
$11,600
|
T2
|
T4
|
T5
|
DNP
|
1st
|
Brooks Koepka
|
$11,400
|
T39
|
T6
|
DNP
|
T10
|
T67
|
Dustin Johnson
|
$10,900
|
MC
|
T54
|
T9
|
T49
|
T12
|
Jon Rahm
|
$10,600
|
MC
|
T44
|
T59
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
Tiger Woods
|
$10,200
|
T6
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
MC
|
69th
|
Justin Rose
|
$9,900
|
T2
|
T54
|
T22
|
4th
|
T24
|
Tommy Fleetwood
|
$9,700
|
T12
|
T27
|
MC
|
MC
|
MC
|
Xander Schauffele
|
$9,500
|
T2
|
T20
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
Francesco Molinari
|
$9,400
|
1st
|
MC
|
T36
|
T40
|
T15
|
Rickie Fowler
|
$9,300
|
T28
|
T54
|
T33
|
T30
|
T36
|
Bryson DeChambeau
|
$9,200
|
T51
|
DNP
|
MC
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
Justin Thomas
|
$9,100
|
MC
|
MC
|
T53
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
Patrick Cantlay
|
$9,000
|
T12
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
Jordan Spieth
|
$8,900
|
T9
|
1st
|
T30
|
T4
|
T36
|
Adam Scott
|
$8,800
|
T17
|
T22
|
T43
|
T10
|
T5
|
Matt Kuchar
|
$8,700
|
T9
|
2nd
|
T46
|
T58
|
T54
|
Jason Day
|
$8,600
|
T17
|
T27
|
T22
|
T4
|
T58
|
Hideki Matsuyama
|
$8,500
|
MC
|
T14
|
MC
|
T18
|
T39
|
Henrik Stenson
|
$8,400
|
T35
|
T11
|
1st
|
T40
|
T39
|
Paul Casey
|
$8,300
|
T51
|
T11
|
MC
|
T74
|
T30
|
Gary Woodland
|
$8,200
|
T67
|
T70
|
DNP
|
T58
|
T39
|
Matthew Wallace
|
$8,100
|
MC
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
Louis Oosthuizen
|
$8,000
|
T28
|
MC
|
MC
|
T2
|
T36
|
Shane Lowry
|
$7,900
|
MC
|
MC
|
MC
|
MC
|
T9
|
Graeme McDowell
|
$7,900
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
T63
|
T49
|
T9
|
Sergio Garcia
|
$7,800
|
MC
|
T37
|
T5
|
T6
|
T2
|
Tony Finau
|
$7,800
|
T9
|
T27
|
T18
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
Marc Leishman
|
$7,700
|
60th
|
T6
|
T53
|
T2
|
T5
|
Ian Poulter
|
$7,700
|
MC
|
T14
|
DNP
|
MC
|
MC
|
Matthew Fitzpatrick
|
$7,600
|
MC
|
T44
|
MC
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
Webb Simpson
|
$7,600
|
T12
|
T37
|
T39
|
T34
|
MC
|
Eddie Pepperell
|
$7,600
|
T6
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
T49
|
DNP
|
Phil Mickelson
|
$7,500
|
T24
|
MC
|
2nd
|
T20
|
T23
|
Rafa Cabrera-Bello
|
$7,500
|
74th
|
T4
|
T39
|
T40
|
MC
|
Danny Willett
|
$7,500
|
T24
|
76th
|
T53
|
T6
|
MC
|
Patrick Reed
|
$7,400
|
T28
|
MC
|
T12
|
T20
|
MC
|
Tyrrell Hatton
|
$7,400
|
T51
|
MC
|
T5
|
MC
|
MC
|
Brandt Snedeker
|
$7,400
|
MC
|
DNP
|
T22
|
MC
|
T58
|
Lee Westwood
|
$7,400
|
T61
|
T27
|
T22
|
T49
|
MC
|
Alex Noren
|
$7,300
|
T17
|
T6
|
T46
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
Branden Grace
|
$7,300
|
MC
|
T6
|
T72
|
T20
|
T36
|
Kevin Kisner
|
$7,300
|
T2
|
T54
|
76th
|
MC
|
DNP
|
Thor Olesen
|
$7,300
|
T12
|
T62
|
MC
|
DNP
|
T64
|
Hao-Tong Li
|
$7,300
|
T39
|
3rd
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
Bubba Watson
|
$7,200
|
MC
|
T27
|
T39
|
MC
|
MC
|
Zach Johnson
|
$7,200
|
T17
|
T14
|
T12
|
1st
|
T47
|
Russell Knox
|
$7,100
|
MC
|
MC
|
T30
|
MC
|
MC
|
Emiliano Grillo
|
$7,100
|
MC
|
MC
|
T12
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
Chez Reavie
|
$7,100
|
MC
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
Bernd Wiesberger
|
$7,100
|
DNP
|
T74
|
MC
|
T68
|
MC
|
Erik Van Rooyen
|
$7,100
|
T17
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
Andy Sullivan
|
$7,000
|
MC
|
T70
|
T12
|
T30
|
DNP
|
Ryan Moore
|
$6,800
|
T12
|
DNP
|
T46
|
MC
|
T12
|
Andrew Johnston
|
$6,800
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
T27
|
8th
|
DNP
|
Charley Hoffman
|
$6,700
|
T17
|
T20
|
77th
|
MC
|
T67
|
Stewart Cink
|
$6,400
|
T24
|
MC
|
DNP
|
T20
|
T47
|
Chris Wood
|
$6,300
|
T28
|
T14
|
W/D
|
DNP
|
T23
|
Email the Fantasy Golf Report at fgr@fantasygolfreport.com.
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