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. 

Watching #Masters weekend when your pick misses the cut feels a little like the death of a pet. Not an important pet like a dog but maybe an old cat that someone in your house actually liked.

— Ronny Elliott (@FantasyGolfRep) April 9, 2022

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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