Fantasy Golf: The Honda Classic Preview

As I think I've noted repeatedly in the past, my target deadline for the FGR's weekly previews is always Tuesday night which will give the literally tens of people who rely on my advice one night to sleep on it before actually deciding whether to follow it or run screaming from it. Lately, however, the people who pay the salary that funds the lifestyle that in part fuels this effort have actually expected me to earn it during what many people like to call "normal working hours" and that has severely hindered my creative process. 

But I swore last night was going to be different so I set aside some writing time in the evening to get this shit back on track. Then I sat down on the couch and turned on the Democratic debate. And then I reclined on the couch. And then I woke-up at 3:30 a.m. to a nightmare in which all of my grandparents had come back to life and were yelling at me for everything I've done wrong over the last 35 years and my Aunt Amy was getting very upset and I had an overachieving gay cousin who kept humble bragging about the time he was student council president and got them to start serving gluten free bread in the cafeteria before anyone knew there was such a thing. 

So now I find myself scrambling on Wednesday morning again. Fortunately we get to make fun of Dan Hicks and his borderline creepy obsession with the Bear Trap this week. But first, this . . .      

TWEET OF THE WEEK

And I have held this position on #13 since waaayyyy before the Coronavirus made the cruise ship experience more dicey than a roadside sushi stand. 

4 and it will never be 0 thanks to #13. https://t.co/Lg5M8Jw9E3

— Ronny Elliott (@FantasyGolfRep) February 17, 2020

EXPERTISH GOLF ANALYSIS

Unfortunately this is the part of the show where we have to beat-up a bit on Rickie Fowler and we say "unfortunately" because, as we have stated every time we've gone down this road before, the FGR's official position on Rickie is one of love and respect. He has been a valuable member of multiple international teams, has five PGA Tour wins including the 2015 Players and he has eleven top ten finishes in majors including four top fives in 2014. At one point in 2016 after a win in Abu Dhabi, there was talk of him being part of a modern day "Big Four" along with major winners Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Jason Day. Just one problem with that right?

Now let me tell you about Luke Donald (just need some latitude here your honor . . . I promise this is going somewhere). Luke has been a valuable member of multiple international teams, has five PGA Tour wins including the 2011 Match Play Championship and he has eight top tens in majors including five top fives. During one stretch that covered parts of 2011 and 2012, he spent 56 weeks as the #1 ranked player in the world and some thought a major title was inevitable. Just one problem with that right?    

The point is that there are some players who are almost great and they tend to thrive in the almost great environments provided by events like The Players, the Match Play and the Ryder Cup. Yes the Ryder Cup is a pressure cooker but you're not alone. You have eleven teammates in it with you and, whether you win or lose, it's not going to be all about you no matter how brilliantly or horribly you play (see also: Colin Montgomerie and Ian Poulter). It doesn't make you a bad guy. It just means that you're one level below the likes of McIroy, Spieth and Brooks Koepka a/k/a a level that 99.9% of professional golfers would kill to achieve. It also means that you tend to play well at tournaments like the Honda Classic where Rickie and Luke have both thrived (finally!). 

So this has been a long and meandering way of saying that I'm going with Rickie Fowler this week. I thought long and hard about Tommy Fleetwood but he walks and talks a lot like the latest version of Lee Westwood who has played hundreds of tournaments in the states and only has two wins against weak fields to show for it. I also gave Billy Horschel a long look but he's always up for throwing a tie for 63rd or a missed cut at you and I am really not in the mood for that this week. Rickie is the smart play despite his very recent struggles because he'll want to show the world that he can beat Koepka. Even if Brooks doesn't give a rat's ass.

As for the rest of the top ten, Horschel and the resurgent Daniel Berger are givens. For that matter, so are Charl Schwartzel and Harris English. I like Viktor Hovland coming-off his win in Puerto Rico last week because you and I and he all know that he's not really going to count something as his first win until he does it against top ten players.     

Beyond that I'm just winging-it. Russell Henley has won here before and seems to be in a decent groove lately. Lucas Glover is Lucas Glover and I couldn't pick Wyndham Clark and Talor Gooch out of a lineup if they were wearing matching hats that said "Wyndy & Goochy." I strongly considered Rory Sabbatini but just typing his name makes my fingers bleed (ow ow ow fuck!). 

So there you have it. Enjoy the sweet syrupy sounds of Dan Hicks and the greatest four days of bear pimping since Starsky & Hutch.  

"Hey what can we put here so people
truly appreciate the death defying golf
experience they are soon to undertake?"

One and Done Pick: Rickie Fowler

Other Guy I'd Pick: Billy Horschel

Sleeper Pick: Talor Gooch

DraftKings Top Ten Values

Rickie Fowler	$10,800
Viktor Hovland	$9,500
Billy Horschel	$9,200
Daniel Berger	$8,900
Charl Schwartzel	$8,100
Harris English	$7,800
Wyndham Clark	$7,600
Russell Henley	$7,400
Lucas Glover	$7,200
Talor Gooch	$7,200

Back to the reality of barely mediocre fields. At this time last year I was writing "when you gotta shell-out $8,400 for J.T. Poston . . . sheesh." Well this year he's going to run you a cool $8,600. Apparently last year's tie for 36th was worth a $200 value bump.  

                             THE WE ACTUALLY MISS YOU JOHNNY MILLER
                                      HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE CHART 

	DK PRICE	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
Tommy Fleetwood	$11,600	DNP	4th	DNP	DNP	DNP
Brooks Koepka	$11,200	T2	DNP	MC	T26	T51
Rickie Fowler	$10,800	T2	MC	1st	T6	T41
Gary Woodland	$10,300	T36	T49	T2	T61	DNP
Justin Rose	$9,900	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	MC
Louis Oosthuizen	$9,700	DNP	T24	T21	DNP	DNP
Viktor Hovland	$9,500	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Sungjae Im	$9,300	T51	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Billy Horschel	$9,200	T16	MC	T4	T8	MC
Shane Lowry	$9,100	DNP	DNP	DNP	T53	DNP
Erik Van Rooyen	$9,000	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Daniel Berger	$8,900	T36	T29	MC	MC	2nd
Byeon Hun An	$8,800	T36	T5	DNP	DNP	DNP
Joaquin Niemann	$8,700	T59	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
J.T. Poston	$8,600	T36	DNP	T27	DNP	DNP
Ian Poulter	$8,500	DNP	MC	T43	T43	T3
Ryan Palmer	$8,300	T4	MC	T37	T26	T25
Corey Connors	$8,200	DNP	T59	DNP	DNP	DNP
Charl Schwartzel	$8,100	T16	DNP	DNP	DNP	MC
Emiliano Grillo	$8,000	MC	T8	T43	T74	DNP
Luke List	$8,000	MC	2nd	T52	T10	DNP
Jhonny Vegas	$7,900	T16	T72	T4	DNP	MC
Kevin Streelman	$7,900	T71	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Harris English	$7,800	T12	T33	T60	DNP	MC
Harold Varner, III	$7,700	T51	T72	T57	MC	DNP
Matthew Wolff	$7,700	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Russell Knox	$7,600	T51	MC	MC	T26	T3
Vaugh Taylor	$7,600	T59	T59	MC	DNP	DNP
Wyndham Clark	$7,600	T7	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Jason Kokrak	$7,500	T9	DNP	DNP	MC	MC
Maverick McNealy	$7,500	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Keegan Bradley	$7,400	DNP	T49	MC	MC	MC
Patrick Rodgers	$7,400	T30	T33	MC	MC	T44
Rory Sabbatini	$7,400	T36	T17	MC	MC	T11
Russell Henley	$7,400	T20	T24	T43	MC	T44
Brian Harman	$7,300	MC	T33	T48	MC	T11
Bud Cauley	$7,300	T12	W/D	T27	DNP	DNP
Harry Higgs	$7,300	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Keith Mitchell	$7,300	1st	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP
Lucas Glover	$7,200	T4	T17	T21	MC	MC
Talor Gooch	$7,200	T20	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP
Brendan Steele	$7,100	MC	DNP	T14	T14	T11
Denny McCarthy	$7,100	MC	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP
Jim Furyk	$7,100	T9	T46	DNP	DNP	DNP
Sam Burns	$7,100	T73	T8	DNP	DNP	DNP
Kyoung-Hoon Lee	$7,000	T7	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Chesson Hadley	$6,800	T20	MC	DNP	T21	MC
Stewart Cink	$6,700	T75	T46	T27	T26	T31
Luke Donald	$6,200	DNP	MC	T27	T61	T7

Email the Fantasy Golf Report at fgr@fantasygolfreport.com.