Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Fantasy Golf: The Memorial Tournament Preview

Remember this scene from the original Top Gun where the officer from the tower is chewing-out Viper for Maverick's fly-by? Forget the subtext that could be drawn from his repeated demand for "SOME BUTTS!" which fits nicely into a popular theory of what many believe the movie is really about.* Anyway, the part of that scene that applies here is when Viper says, "well that'll just about cover the fly-by's" as if to say, "we're putting that in the past." 

And that's what I'm doing with my recent picks. It's like they never happened which is fitting because they might as well have never happened.   

TWEET OF THE WEEK

This picture also conveniently serves as a metaphor for me trying to make golf picks lately.


GOLF ANALYSIS

We head to Muirfield Village this week so Jack can get some quality airtime to hawk his ice cream and whine about cancel culture. Fortunately, he also hosts one of the best events of the season with a solid roster of champions so we'll cut him some slack.

As you may recall, Jon Rahm was running away with this thing last year when he was unceremoniously excused from the tournament after testing positive for COVID. And if there's one thing we now about Spaniards, it's that they never forget (see: Inigo Montoya). So Rahm is the pick based on sheer vengeance alone.

Jordan Spieth seems to have rediscovered his game so we'll throw him in the second spot, narrowly edging Xander Schauffele who we don't really trust anymore (yes it's true). The next three are the ball-striking version of Rush and Cream with Cameron Young in the Neil Peart/Ginger Baker role. Joaquin Niemann is Geddy Lee as if you even had to ask.

We haven't heard much from Patrick Reed in awhile which has been pleasant but the game really is better when he's a factor. I guess. 

And finally we're going to roll the dice on two guys who were on top of the golf world as recently as 2016 before slowly receding into the pack over the last five years. There was a time not so long ago when Jason Day and Rickie Fowler were discussed as half of a "Big Four" that also included Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy. It was ridiculous in retrospect because, at the time, they had combined for one major win but they're both likeable so the golf world was like "fuck it . . . why not?" If one of them is going to get Jim Nantz all sentimental, this is a place it could happen. Just as long as he doesn't start droning-on about Christian pickle ball retreats again.  

One and Done Pick: Jon Rahm
Sorry buddy. Your 
turn in the box.

Other Guy I'd Pick: Viktor Hovland

Sleeper Pick: Kevin Streelman

DraftKings Top Ten Values

Jon Rahm

$11,100

Jordan Spieth

$9,700

Viktor Hovland

$9,400

Cameron Young

$8,800

Joaquin Niemann

$8,300

Patrick Reed

$7,900

Jason Day

$7,600

Rickie Fowler

$7,200

Ryan Palmer

$6,900

Kevin Streelman

$6,800


Oh yeah, Kevin Streelman is such a lock as this week's sleeper that I almost feel guilty picking him. It's so obvious.

                                      THE NICK BRADSHAW** MEMORIAL
                                    HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE CHART

You're not going to find a more instructive historical performance chart than this one. The only shame is that I can't fit ten year's worth of results on here so you can appreciate the past success of guys like Matt Kuchar, Hideki Matsuyama and David Lingmerth. (The WDAY is for the 2020 Workday Charity Open which was held on the same course the week before The Memorial as some kind of COVID related idea that I'm sure seemed like a good idea at the time).  

 

DK Price

2021

2020

WDAY

2019

2018

Jon Rahm

$11,100

W/D

1st

T27

DNP

DNP

Rory McIlroy

$10,900

T18

T32

DNP

MC

T8

Patrick Cantlay

$10,700

1st

T32

T7

1st

4th

Collin Morikawa

$10,400

2nd

T48

1st

DNP

DNP

Xander Schauffele

$10,200

T11

T13

T14

T14

MC

Cameron Smith

$9,900

MC

T68

DNP

MC

MC

Jordan Spieth

$9,700

T18

T13

MC

T7

MC

Viktor Hovland

$9,400

T47

T48

3rd

DNP

DNP

Will Zalatoris

$9,400

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

MC

Hideki Matsuyama

$9,200

T62

MC

T22

6th

T13

Matthew Fitzpatrick

$9,100

MC

3rd

T27

T68

DNP

Shane Lowry

$9,000

T6

MC

T39

DNP

T52

Sungjae Im

$8,900

MC

MC

63rd

T57

DNP

Cameron Young

$8,800

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Max Homa

$8,700

T6

MC

MC

T37

DNP

Davis Riley

$8,600

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Daniel Berger

$8,500

DNP

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

Corey Conners

$8,400

T53

T22

T39

T65

DNP

Joaquin Niemann

$8,300

MC

MC

T31

T27

T6

Abraham Ancer

$8,200

DNP

T58

DNP

T65

T57

Keegan Bradley

$8,100

MC

T68

T39

MC

T23

Mito Pereira

$8,000

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Seamus Power

$8,000

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Billy Horschel

$7,900

67th

T13

T7

T9

MC

Patrick Reed

$7,900

5th

T10

T39

DNP

T29

Bryson DeChambeau

$7,800

T18

MC

DNP

T22

1st

Matt Kuchar

$7,800

DNP

T32

T39

MC

T13

Adam Scott

$7,700

T16

DNP

DNP

2nd

T35

Chris Kirk

$7,700

T26

DNP

MC

DNP

DNP

Jason Day

$7,600

DNP

T4

T7

MC

T44

Si Woo Kim

$7,600

T9

T18

64th

T41

DNP

Aaron Wise

$7,500

T9

DNP

MC

MC

MC

Alex Noren

$7,500

T13

MC

DNP

T41

DNP

Marc Leishman

$7,500

T57

T40

MC

5th

T62

Cameron Tringale

$7,400

T26

DNP

MC

DNP

DNP

Gary Woodland

$7,400

MC

T22

T5

T52

T23

Tom Hoge

$7,400

MC

MC

MC

DNP

DNP

K.H. Lee

$7,300

T65

DNP

T35

T37

DNP

Keith Mitchell

$7,300

DNP

T22

MC

T48

MC

Anirban Lahiri

$7,200

DNP

DNP

DNP

T52

T37

C.T. Pan

$7,200

T57

T44

T48

DNP

DNP

Cameron Davis

$7,200

MC

DNP

MC

DNP

MC

Rickie Fowler

$7,200

T11

MC

T22

T14

T8

Sepp Straka

$7,200

MC

61st

DNP

DNP

DNP

Brian Harman

$7,100

DNP

MC

DNP

T27

DNP

Harris English

$7,100

DNP

T13

DNP

DNP

DNP

Lanto Griffin

$7,100

MC

T44

MC

DNP

DNP

Luke List

$7,100

MC

T10

MC

MC

T37

Denny McCarthy

$7,000

MC

T58

MC

DNP

DNP

Russell Knox

$7,000

T57

DNP

MC

T27

T44

Stewart Cink

$7,000

T47

T62

T17

DNP

MC

Joel Dahmen

$6,900

T32

74th

MC

T68

DNP

Ryan Palmer

$6,900

DNP

2nd

MC

DNP

DNP

Scott Stallings

$6,900

DNP

DNP

T58

T48

DNP

Adam Hadwin

$6,800

MC

T54

T35

T52

T74

Cameron Champ

$6,800

MC

MC

67th

MC

DNP

Doug Ghim

$6,800

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Kevin Streelman

$6,800

T13

T54

T7

4th

T44

Patrick Rodgers

$6,800

MC

T18

MC

DNP

T13

Matt Jones

$6,700

MC

DNP

T14

T41

DNP

Brendan Steele

$6,600

T37

T13

T52

T41

DNP

Lucas Glover

$6,500

T37

T38

DNP

T52

T52

Matthew Wolff

$6,500

DNP

T22

MC

DNP

DNP

Charles Howell, III

$6,400

MC

T48

MC

MC

T65

Carlos Ortiz

$6,300

T16

T48

T61

MC

DNP


Footnote

* Today was the first time I noticed that, as he storms-out, the officer collides with a guy in what could best be described as a not so imposing sailor outfit and ends-up with coffee all over his chest. I will let you draw your own conclusions.  

** This week's historical performance chart name is there to see if you're paying attention.

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