Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Fantasy Golf: The Farmers Insurance Open Preview

I'm going to try to write this while "participating" in my son's Zoom college counseling night so it's a race against time to finish this before I turn the gas on the stove and start taking deep breaths. For those who have not endured this process yet, I can tell you that it might be worse the second time around because you've heard all of the earnestly delivered useless information before and no one thinks they have more important things to say than the assistant dean of admissions at a marginally above average liberal arts college. It's like spending hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to send your kid to Fyre Festival for four years in the hopes that they'll end-up with the next Mark Zuckerberg* as their roommate.   

TWEET OF THE WEEK

And of course the tour guides are just future members of the admissions team . . . 


GOLF ANALYSIS THAT REALLY TRIGGERS THE SENSES

We get our first full field kick-ass line-up of the season and I am all here for it. I don't know about you but I'm relying more and more on sports to fill my entertainment voids and, despite my traditional love of college and pro basketball, it doesn't even feel like they exist right now. I heard Dick Vitale shouting about something the other day and reflexively yelled at Alexa to shut the fuck up. 

So thank god for golf and bring on Rahm and Rory and Xander and even Patrick Reed for chrissakes. The Farmers usually delivers the goods and is on a great recent run of winners that include Rahm, Justin Rose, Jason Day, Marc Leishman and Brandt Snedeker. I expect the same this year with at least one of the young studs like Matthew Wolff, Scottie Scheffler or Viktor Hovland being heavily involved.  

It's impossible not to pick Rahm based on his track record. The moment you even think about it, you just picture him at the top of the weekend leaderboard and think "don't be a fool." Same for Tony Finau who is a virtual lock for a top ten even if he has no chance of winning. As for the youth movement, I'm going with Wolff who has been playing like crap lately which is no indicator for him as his last win was preceded by a run of T50 . . . T80 . . . MC. He just feels due.

Leishamn and Day are the light versions of Rahm. And Gary Woodland is a great fit for this place as evidenced by his four consecutive top 20's before missing the cut last year. As noted last week, I'm riding the Talor Gooch train to its final destination whether that be a win or a slew of missed cuts (so far so good with a T21 last week). And I just pick Max Homa any chance I get because it's impossible not to root for Max Homa.

As for the bargain guys, Tom Hoge has a real affinity for these courses and, I know I'll hate myself for it later but I can't resist taking J.B. Holmes at a place where he's contended in the past even if he's a missed cut waiting to happen. 

This week is all about passion!!!
One and Done Pick: Jon Rahm

Other Guy I'd Pick: Matthew Wolff

Sleeper Pick: Tom Hoge

DraftKings Top Ten Values

Jon Rahm

$11,300

Tony Finau

$10,700

Matthew Wolff

$9,100

Marc Leishman

$8,700

Jason Day

$8,600

Gary Woodland

$7,800

Talor Gooch

$7,600

Max Homa

$7,400

J.B. Holmes

$6,900

Tom Hoge

$6,900


All kinds of good intel in this week's chart if you believe in past performance. From Brandt Snedeker to Patrick Rodgers, there are plenty of guys who find new life at Torrey Pines. Only question is whether they'll find it this year. 

                                     THE LARRY KING MEMORIAL**
                               HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE CHART

 

DK Price

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

Jon Rahm

$11,300

2nd

T5

T29

1st

DNP

Rory McIlroy

$11,000

T3

T5

DNP

DNP

DNP

Tony Finau

$10,700

T6

T13

T6

T4

T18

Xander Schauffele

$10,400

MC

T25

MC

MC

MC

Patrick Reed

$10,100

T6

T13

T23

DNP

W/D

Harris English

$9,800

T71

MC

T8

T14

T31

Sungjae Im

$9,600

T36

T52

DNP

DNP

DNP

Brooks Koepka

$9,400

DNP

DNP

DNP

MC

DNP

Viktor Hovland

$9,300

DNP

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

Hideki Matsuyama

$9,200

T45

T3

T12

T33

MC

Matthew Wolff

$9,100

T21

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Scottie Scheffler

$9,000

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Si Woo Kim

$8,900

DNP

T29

T35

W/D

T18

Bubba Watson

$8,800

T6

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Marc Leishman

$8,700

1st

T43

T8

T20

MC

Jason Day

$8,600

T16

T5

1st

MC

MC

Cameron Smith

$8,500

T64

T9

T20

T33

MC

Ryan Palmer

$8,400

T21

T13

T2

DNP

DNP

Adam Scott

$8,300

DNP

2nd

DNP

DNP

DNP

Billy Horschel

$8,200

T68

8th

T54

T64

T8

Will Zalatoris

$8,100

DNP

DNP

MC

DNP

DNP

Louis Oosthuizen

$8,000

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Rickie Fowler

$8,000

MC

T66

MC

MC

MC

Cameron Champ

$7,900

T16

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

Cameron Davis

$7,900

T36

T57

T58

DNP

DNP

Francesco Molinari

$7,800

MC

DNP

T45

T14

MC

Gary Woodland

$7,800

MC

T9

T12

T20

T18

Corey Connors

$7,700

DNP

DNP

T29

DNP

DNP

Jason Kokrak

$7,700

T21

T20

DNP

MC

T25

Sam Burns

$7,700

T49

T40

MC

DNP

DNP

Emiliano Grillo

$7,600

MC

T52

T12

T33

MC

Jordan Spieth

$7,600

T55

T35

DNP

DNP

DNP

Talor Gooch

$7,600

T36

T3

T51

DNP

DNP

Byeong Hun An

$7,500

T68

DNP

DNP

T49

DNP

Carlos Ortiz

$7,500

MC

MC

DNP

DNP

T49

Charles Howell, III

$7,500

DNP

T20

T6

T2

T16

Charley Hoffman

$7,500

T9

MC

T35

T54

T43

Alex Noren

$7,400

DNP

MC

T2

DNP

DNP

Dylan Frittelli

$7,400

T73

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

Lanto Griffin

$7,400

MC

DNP

T12

DNP

DNP

Max Homa

$7,400

T9

DNP

DNP

MC

DNP

Erik Van Rooyan

$7,300

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Joel Dahmen

$7,300

T55

T9

MC

DNP

DNP

Mackenzie Hughes

$7,300

MC

T29

MC

T54

DNP

Maverick McNealy

$7,300

15th

DNP

T29

DNP

DNP

Adam Hadwin

$7,200

DNP

DNP

T35

T49

T63

Doug Ghim

$7,200

MC

T20

DNP

DNP

DNP

James Hahn

$7,200

DNP

MC

T45

MC

T58

Phil Mickelson

$7,200

MC

DNP

T45

T14

MC

Ryan Moore

$7,200

DNP

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

Doc Redman

$7,100

T64

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Lucas Glover

$7,100

T49

DNP

T67

T33

MC

Rory Sabbatini

$7,100

T36

T70

T20

T14

MC

Sepp Straka

$7,100

MC

T13

DNP

DNP

DNP

Brandt Snedeker

$7,000

T3

T62

T45

T9

1st

Cameron Tringale

$7,000

T55

MC

DNP

73rd

MC

Harold Varner, III

$7,000

MC

MC

MC

MC

T31

John Huh

$7,000

T45

T25

DNP

DNP

T8

Matt Jones

$7,000

T73

T13

MC

DNP

T31

Russell Knox

$7,000

T21

T43

T29

DNP

DNP

Harry Higgs

$6,900

T9

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Henrik Norlander

$6,900

MC

DNP

DNP

MC

T43

J.B. Holmes

$6,900

T16

MC

4th

T33

T6

Kevin Streelman

$6,900

T45

MC

T29

T67

3rd

Tom Hoge

$6,900

5th

MC

T12

DNP

MC

Luke List

$6,800

T36

T40

T12

MC

MC

Martin Laird

$6,800

T55

T43

MC

T74

T8

Patrick Rodgers

$6,800

T9

MC

MC

T4

MC

Kyle Stanley

$6,700

MC

MC

T51

T14

T25

Richy Werenski

$6,700

T73

MC

MC

T20

DNP

Scott Stallings

$6,600

T49

T43

MC

MC

T25


Footnote

* True story that the first two times I typed that name it came out as "Suckerberg" and then "Fuckerberg" and you will never convince me that someone at Google doesn't snicker every time that happens. 

** If you're in the mood for a classic Larry King moment, click here.

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