Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Fantasy Golf: The RBC Heritage Preview

So apparently last week is what I get for trying. I know there is some luck involved in this endeavor but what I was able to accomplish from an analytical standpoint was really astounding. First, I basically ignored the #1 player in the world despite acknowledging his solid record at Augusta AND texting the following to my ne'er-do-well friends during the playoff at the Waste Management Phoenix Open: "Scottie Scheffler will absolutely win a major this year. You heard it here first."

I also pretty much blew-off Cameron Smith. You know, the 5th ranked player in the world with three top tens in his last four Masters including a runner-up in 2020 who also just happened to win The Players and the Tournament of Champions.

Then I proceeded to rank Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka 1-2-3 only to watch them become the three highest ranked players in the world to miss the cut.* To put it in perspective, since 2018, those three guys had combined to miss a total of three cuts in majors. Friday afternoon felt like looking out my second floor window and watching my kid slowly back over my clubs in the driveway. Just slightly more helpless. 

TWEET OF THE WEEK

I was going to post the tweet I sent at 12:19 a.m. on April 6th which appears to have been an attempt to justify my Xander Schauffele pick but it's so incoherent that even I can't make any sense of what it means. It's still up there in case you want to ty to figure it out. In the meantime, let's go with this one from the same genre. 


GOLF ANALYSIS NURSING A BAD HAMSTRING

You really can't go wrong with any of the top ten priced DraftKings guys this week and I'd add Webb Simpson and Tyrrell Hatton to that mix. I'm going with Collin Morikawa because his was the first name that jumped-out at me and my current memory of him is co-providing the only excitement of Masters Sunday. 

Moving down the list, Saudi Tour player in waiting Matt Kuchar (you know he's currently just checking the wind on that decision) is always a solid option here and Tom Hoge feels like a good fit. BALL STRIKER ALERT!!!

The enigmatic Erik van Rooyan is going to have a top five soon and I want to be part of it when it happens so he will be a regular for the next few weeks . . . or months. J.J. Spaun and Charles Howell, III are this week's comfort picks coming-off last week's debacle.**

And finally, I would strongly urge a flyer on Wesley Bryan. Yes he's ranked 506th in the world which means that there are currently 105 players better than him before you even get to the 400th best player in the world. However, he's a past champion here, he's made the cut three of the last four years and he finished T15 in his last start. (That sure sounded a lot like Bud Fox's initial pitch to Gordon Gekko . . . which is not a good thing).

One and Done Pick: Colin Morikawa
This joyful picture was taken
10 seconds before I picked him.

Other Guy I'd Pick: Corey Conners

Sleeper Pick: Charles Howell, III

DraftKings Top Ten Values

Collin Morikawa

$10,200

Corey Conners

$9,700

Webb Simpson

$8,800

Tyrrell Hatton

$8,600

Matt Kuchar

$7,800

Tom Hoge

$7,600

Erik van Rooyan

$7,300

J.J. Spaun

$7,300

Charles Howell, III

$7,100

Wesley Bryan

$6,100


Man we lost one of the great ones this week. I know Gilbert Gottfried wasn't for everyone but he was definitely for me. Seemed like every time he'd appear, you'd be like "oh look it's Gilbert Gottfried . . . he's ok" and then two minutes later your ribs would hurt. 

Here he is reading passages from Fifty Shades of Gray. And here he is in prime roasting form. And if you want something a bit more wholesome, here he is actually making The Hollywood Squares funny. 

                                        THE GILBERT GOTTFRIED MEMORIAL
                                         HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE CHART

The way I'm running these days, you know that this is going to be Patrick Cantlay/Shane Lowry week. Saudi Arabia's newest favorite son Ian Poulter is also worth a look. 

 

DK Price

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

Justin Thomas

$11,100

DNP

T8

DNP

DNP

DNP

Cameron Smith

$10,800

T9

MC

MC

T32

T29

Dustin Johnson

$10,500

T13

T17

T28

T16

DNP

Collin Morikawa

$10,200

T7

T64

DNP

DNP

DNP

Patrick Cantlay

$10,000

MC

DNP

T3

T7

T3

Shane Lowry

$9,800

T9

MC

T3

DNP

T44

Corey Conners

$9,700

T4

T21

MC

MC

DNP

Daniel Berger

$9,600

T13

T3

T33

DNP

DNP

Matthew Fitzpatrick

$9,500

T4

T14

T39

T14

MC

Sungjae Im

$9,300

T13

MC

MC

DNP

DNP

Jordan Spieth

$9,200

DNP

T68

T54

DNP

DNP

Joaquin Niemann

$9,100

DNP

T5

DNP

DNP

DNP

Russell Henley

$9,000

T9

MC

MC

DNP

T26

Webb Simpson

$8,800

T9

1st

T16

T5

T11

Billy Horschel

$8,700

T25

MC

T45

T5

MC

Tyrrell Hatton

$8,600

T39

T3

DNP

MC

T29

Harold Varner, III

$8,500

T2

MC

MC

MC

T59

Si Woo Kim

$8,400

T33

MC

MC

2nd

DNP

Alex Noren

$8,300

T25

T21

T28

DNP

DNP

Tommy Fleetwood

$8,200

MC

DNP

T25

DNP

DNP

Kevin Kisner

$8,100

MC

MC

T41

T7

T11

Chris Kirk

$8,000

T7

DNP

MC

T55

MC

Jason Kokrak

$7,900

DNP

MC

T16

MC

MC

Maverick McNealy

$7,900

T4

T58

DNP

DNP

DNP

Kevin Na

$7,800

MC

DNP

T10

MC

T39

Matt Kuchar

$7,800

T18

T41

2nd

T23

T11

Brian Harman

$7,700

T13

T28

MC

T23

T9

Mito Pereira

$7,700

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Adam Hadwin

$7,600

MC

T41

T48

DNP

T22

Tom Hoge

$7,600

T25

MC

MC

T55

DNP

Cameron Young

$7,500

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Ian Poulter

$7,500

T48

T14

T10

T7

T11

Kevin Streelman

$7,500

T33

MC

T6

T7

DNP

Dylan Fritelli

$7,400

T56

T8

DNP

T32

DNP

Luke List

$7,400

58th

MC

T41

T3

MC

Troy Merritt

$7,400

MC

T70

T10

DNP

MC

Erik van Rooyan

$7,300

DNP

T21

DNP

DNP

DNP

J.J. Spaun

$7,300

DNP

MC

T28

MC

T6

Russell Knox

$7,300

MC

MC

MC

T40

T11

Sebastian Munoz

$7,300

MC

T28

DNP

DNP

DNP

Lucas Glover

$7,200

T33

T21

MC

T32

T32

Sepp Straka

$7,200

T59

T33

DNP

DNP

DNP

Stewart Cink

$7,200

1st

T62

MC

T42

MC

Denny McCarthy

$7,200

T13

MC

T33

DNP

DNP

Aaron Wise

$7,100

MC

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

Anirban Lahiri

$7,100

MC

DNP

MC

MC

T44

Charles Howell, III

$7,100

T18

MC

MC

T55

T56

Patton Kizzire

$7,100

MC

MC

T45

MC

T32

Sahith Theegala

$7,100

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

C.T. Pan

$7,000

MC

T52

1st

T23

T44

Cameron Tringale

$7,000

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Dylan Riley

$7,000

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Rickie Fowler

$7,000

DNP

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

Scott Stallings

$7,000

MC

T48

T48

T55

DNP

Carlos Ortiz

$6,900

MC

T33

DNP

DNP

DNP

Charley Hoffman

$6,900

T18

MC

T45

T23

MC

Doug Ghim

$6,900

T33

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Mackenzie Hughes

$6,900

T52

T70

T63

DNP

DNP

Beau Hossler

$6,800

MC

DNP

MC

T16

DNP

Brandt Snedeker

$6,800

T42

MC

T48

T23

T11

Brendon Todd

$6,800

T39

MC

DNP

DNP

T44

Cameron Davis

$6,800

T25

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Joel Dahmen

$6,800

DNP

T48

T16

DNP

DNP

Lanto Griffin

$6,800

DNP

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

Branden Grace

$6,700

T42

T61

T61

DNP

T11

EmIliano Grillo

$6,700

T2

MC

T33

T16

DNP

Charl Schwartzel

$6,600

DNP

T41

MC

DNP

DNP

J.T. Poston

$6,600

MC

T8

T6

DNP

DNP

Zach Johnson

$6,500

MC

MC

T16

T42

DNP

Satoshi Kodaira

$6,400

MC

DNP

70th

1st

DNP

Jim Furyk

$6,300

MC

MC

MC

T70

MC

Luke Donald

$6,300

MC

MC

T33

MC

2nd

Wesley Bryan

$6,100

T25

T68

DNP

T42

1st


Footnote 

* Technically Sam Burns and Abraham Ancer were ranked higher than Spieth at the time but, in the words of George Costanza upon being corrected, "good for the tuna."

** For as many things as I was wrong about, I was right about (1) Morikawa and Viktor Hovland needing another year or two, (2) Corey Conners, and (3) Jon Rahm's patience or lack thereof. (Yeah but Xander Schauffele?) I KNOW . . . I KNOW!!!

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