Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Fantasy Golf: The CJ Cup Preview

I had an interesting weekend in the life of a father of two male college students. On Saturday the freshman was scheduled to fly home at what we now realize was the preposterously unreasonable hour of 6:20 a.m. I called him the evening before to review his departure plan, asked three questions and got the same "yeah, yeah, yeah" answer to each one. At that point I placed his odds of making the flight at 8 to 5. 

Fast forward to Saturday morning when I called him at 6:00 a.m. to make sure he was boarding the plane and got a decidedly different answer that went more like, "[groggy] hello . . . dad? . . . OH SHIT! [unintelligible cursing]" He would ultimately arrive 2,000 Southwest points and eleven hours later. Hopefully a valuable lesson was learned by someone but I doubt it.

On Sunday evening as I was leaving the golf course with the freshman, I looked at my phone and saw 16 texts from the junior who is studying abroad which last weekend meant watching Harry Kane and Neymar each score goals on two separate days in two different cities. I'd like to say I'm living vicariously through him but I think even that would kill a man my age. 

Somewhere amongst the texts was the fact that he had booked a flight out of the wrong airport and he would either have to (a) walk from midnight to dawn to get there on time which didn't seem prudent under the circumstances, or (b) get a French Uber which apparently is less reliable than the Maginot Line . . . HEYOOOO!!!

We eventually got it worked-out and he is now safely back in Italy studying cultures in the early stages of fascism. The lesson here, to the extent there is one, is send your kids to the local community college and then buy them a laundromat.    

TWEET OF THE WEEK

I try to avoid comparing myself to Larry David because frankly, it's more than a little too on the nose. I mean a bald, cantankerous character with a knack for getting under people's skin and a complete inability to avoid conflict? Come on. 

I did, however, find this clip too compelling to pass-up. Larry takes mocks prayer (ahem) and the notion that people join country clubs out of a longing for a sense of community (AHEM). The bald reference at the end is just a dinner mint by that point.     


GOLF ANALYSIS

The roaming CJ Cup heads to Congaree in South Carolina which has hosted just one other PGA Tour event with a B- lineup headlined by Dustin Johnson (miss you buddy) who lost to Garrick Higgo by three shots. This week's field, however, is more loaded than a montage of Miami Vice guest stars with Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas and Scottie Scheffler along with waves of intriguing next level players ranging from Max Homa to Tom Kim. I've offered some suggestions below but you can't go wrong and really, all I'm rooting for is an intriguing Sunday finish to distract me from another unwatchable Ravens 4th quarter. 

The biggest surprise of the week has already happened and that's the fact that Matt Kuchar is still eligible for this event. As recently as June he was tied with Webb Simpson for the player most likely to join LIVGolf and I find myself struggling to understand why he hasn't made the jump. The only explanation I can come-up with is that LIVGolf reportedly treats the caddies like gold and maybe that's a deal breaker for Kuch. You almost have to admire his refusal to compromise his core beliefs. 

One and Done Pick: Jon Rahm

Other Guy I'd Pick: Viktor Hovland
Relax big boy. The FGR curse
appears to be hibernating this fall.

Sleeper Pick: Matt Kuchar 

DraftKings Top Ten Values

Jon Rahm

$10,900

Justin Thomas

$10,200

Viktor Hovland

$9,200

Jordan Spieth

$8,800

Cameron Young

$8,600

Billy Horschel

$8,000

Si Woo Kim

$7,800

Rickie Fowler

$7,400

Scott Stallings

$7,200

Matt Kuchar

$6,900


Email the Fantasy Golf Report here.

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Fantasy Golf: The ZOZO Championship Preview

It's a very light week as the primary (if not sole) purpose of this post is to keep the current writing streak alive. I did have a magical Monday as I found myself on one of those charity golf teams that was making all of the obnoxious noise and not because they just got to witness their first birdie after a lifetime of never breaking 120. Always fun to be the cause of the murmurs at the awards ceremony. 

Then I went home and watched the combination of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce (who I drafted 1-2 because they were the only guys I recognized) erase like a 58 point deficit for my fantasy team. And by "watched" I mean passed-out by halftime and woke-up to discover that it had happened. Stealing joy from Tuesday to double-down on Monday may be the biggest "seemed like a good idea at the time" scenario ever.    

TWEET OF THE WEEK

Hey don't get so caught-up in checking your kids' Halloween candy for fentanyl that you miss other potential threats . . . 


GOLF ANALYSIS

We continue to grind our way through the fall stretch experiencing moderate success even if we did ignore the evidence on Tom Kim last week and watched it cost us. Did we learn anything? Hell no. We're passing on him again this week.

We're going all FGR favorites instead. Everyone from Xander Schauffele and Tommy Fleetwood to Kevin Streelman and Russell Knox. And for the sleeper, we like Hayden Buckley because he sounds like the bad guy from one of our most recent favorite shows (Warrior) that apparently no one ever watched but I dare you to stay away after enjoying this trailer

Anyway, not the most scientific approach but come on, science is so 2018. These days the key to success is following your instincts, hunches and articles from PatriotFart.com that someone shared on Facebook.

Since the fall season doesn't 
really count, we just couldn't
pass-up a bonus Xander pick.
One and Done Pick: Xander Schauffele

Other Guy I'd Pick: Tommy Fleetwood 

Sleeper Pick: Hayden Buckley

DraftKings Top Ten Values

Xander Schauffele

$10,800

Cameron Young

$9,300

Tommy Fleetwood

$9,200

Si Woo Kim

$8,800

Tom Hoge

$8,600

Sebastian Munoz

$8,100

Emiliano Grillo

$7,700

Kevin Streelman

$7,300

Russell Knox

$7,000

Hayden Buckley

$6,800


Email the Fantasy Golf Report at fgr@fantasygolfreport.com

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Fantasy Golf: Shriners Children's Open Preview

I spent some time on Saturday night in a downtown Baltimore casino mingling with Buffalo Bills fans at various low budget blackjack tables (CHANGING $60!!!) and I have two observations: 

(1) As far as invading forces go, they might be the friendliest. In fact, I think they started to grow a little weary of me complimenting them but they were too nice to tell me to just please go away so they sat there and smiled while I droned on and on about how I'd be rooting for the Bills if they make it to the Super Bowl because of all the heartbreak their fans have endured over the years. So much heartbreak. So so much heartbreak. My god I can't believe they didn't try to break a roulette table with me.     

(2) Anywhere must be better than Buffalo because there were so many damn Josh Allen jerseys running around that you would've thought that Pierce Brosnan was wearing one while trying to rob the Visionary Arts Museum. We don't usually see that many out of towners around Baltimore unless they're here to renovate a CVS. (Oh come on!)

Anyway, the Ravens predictably blew another big lead at home due to a combination of suspect coaching decisions and their inability to make just one fucking clutch play when they need to. The upside from a fantasy golf writing standpoint was that I couldn't digest one more minute of football after 4:00 p.m. so I was able to enjoy a dramatic PGA Tour finish while periodically glancing at my anthill sized stack of $5 chips and grinning with satisfaction.   

TWEET OF THE WEEK

There is no golf related context for this tweet. It just makes me burst out laughing every damn time I watch it. 


GOLF ANALYSIS

Among my ten recommendations last week was the guy who actually won the tournament so maybe this dalliance with golf in the fall has a future. There was actually a money making lineup in my top ten if you squinted and looked hard enough. 

We've got a respectable field headed to Vegas including fan favorites Max Homa and Tom Kim along with at least three guys named Taylor and that's just if you include first names. Had to be tough going through high school sharing your first name with a female pop star but nothing compared to sharing it with a hamburger peddling clown so I can only partially empathize.

We're going straight chalk with this week's pick because Patrick Cantlay has owned this event the four times he's played it. Sources tell me his scoring average here is under 67 and that's pretty good. 

We decided to go with Tom Hoge over Tom Kim in one of those moves that feels smart on Wednesday and very stupid on Sunday. We're also jumping-off the Denny McCarthy bandwagon for a week which has historically meant good things for the player in the Denny McCarthy role.

And finally, I believe that we're going to have at least one minor Rickie Fowler feel good moment this year so he will be a regular until (a) it happens, (b) I grow weary of waiting for it to happen, or (c) I forget to pick him and then it happens. Either way, I hope it happens. 

One and Done Pick: Patrick Cantlay
You can never tell whether he's 
intently studying the line or he just
remembered that he left the oven on.



Other Guy I'd Pick: Tom Hoge

Sleeper Pick: Rory Sabbatini 

DraftKings Top Ten Values


Patrick Cantlay

$11,100

Tom Hoge

$9,000

Si Woo Kim

$8,600

J.T. Poston

$8,300

Rickie Fowler

$7,800

Adam Hadwin

$7,700

Seamus Power

$7,600

J.J. Spaun

$7,300

Chesson Hadley

$6,900

Rory Sabbatini

$6,700



We went ahead and did a chart this week because frankly, there were several conference calls on Monday and Tuesday that found me desperately in need of a somewhat mindless distraction. More mindless than the calls themselves which is really saying something. 

                                THE RON DESANTIS' GO-GO BOOTS
                                HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE CHART 

If you haven't seen the picture, then I'm a bit jealous as I'd really like to un-see it. All partisanship aside, can someone please start a consulting company that does nothing but dress our politicians to visit the sites of national disasters? Please. 

 

DK Price

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

Patrick Cantlay

$11,100

DNP

T8

2nd

2nd

1st

Max Homa

$10,600

DNP

MC

MC

MC

DNP

Sungjae Im

$10,400

1st

T13

DNP

T15

DNP

Tom Kim

$9,700

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Taylor Montgomery

$9,500

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Emiliano Grillo

$9,300

T47

T34

MC

DNP

DNP

Cameron Davis

$9,200

T27

T52

DNP

T28

DNP

Alex Noren

$9,100

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Tom Hoge

$9,000

T14

T24

DNP

MC

T7

Aaron Wise

$8,900

T8

MC

MC

T15

T32

Brian Harman

$8,900

MC

T13

T18

DNP

DNP

Davis Riley (Out)

$8,800

T56

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Taylor Pendrith

$8,700

T47

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Si Woo Kim

$8,600

MC

T8

T55

T15

DNP

Dean Burmeister

$8,500

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Denny McCarthy

$8,400

MC

57th

T9

T15

MC

J.T. Poston

$8,300

MC

T27

MC

MC

T4

C. Bezuidenhout

$8,200

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Maverick McNealy

$8,100

MC

MC

T37

DNP

MC

Keith Mitchell

$8,000

MC

MC

DNP

DNP

MC

Thomas Detry

$7,900

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Mito Pereira

$7,800

T40

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Rickie Fowler

$7,800

MC

MC

DNP

T4

DNP

Adam Hadwin

$7,700

T6

T34

T4

DNP

DNP

K.H. Lee

$7,700

T14

MC

MC

MC

DNP

Matt Kuchar

$7,600

T35

T34

DNP

T57

DNP

Seamus Power

$7,600

T21

DNP

DNP

MC

T41

Taylor Moore

$7,600

T24

DNP

DNP

DNP

MC

Lucas Herbert

$7,500

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Matthew NeSmith

$7,500

T14

T8

T18

DNP

DNP

Nick Hardy

$7,500

DNP

DNP

DNP

MC

DNP

Gary Woodland

$7,400

DNP

DNP

T55

T10

T18

Mark Hubbard

$7,400

T44

MC

T42

DNP

DNP

Ryan Palmer

$7,400

MC

T34

T37

T7

DNP

Wyndham Clark

$7,400

T56

T13

MC

T57

DNP

Chris Kirk

$7,300

DNP

DNP

DNP

T41

MC

J.J. Spaun

$7,300

T35

DNP

MC

T15

T10

Kevin Streelman

$7,300

T47

MC

MC

T51

67th

Nick Taylor

$7,300

T47

MC

T29

T36

T32

Troy Merritt

$7,300

MC

T43

T63

T57

T51

Aaron Rai

$7,200

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Byeong Hun An

$7,200

DNP

MC

MC

DNP

T32

Jason Day

$7,200

DNP

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

Martin Laird

$7,200

T11

1st

T48

T28

MC

Harris English

$7,100

MC

MC

DNP

T36

MC

Hayden Buckley

$7,100

T8

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Joel Dahmen

$7,100

T24

T58

T9

T69

MC

Russell Knox

$7,100

MC

MC

T48

DNP

T72

Cameron Champ

$7,000

DNP

MC

MC

T28

DNP

Brendon Todd

$6,900

DNP

DNP

MC

DNP

DNP

Chesson Hadley

$6,900

T27

MC

T18

T7

T4

Chez Reavie

$6,800

MC

63rd

MC

DNP

DNP

Patrick Rodgers

$6,800

DNP

MC

MC

T41

MC

Charley Hoffman

$6,700

T44

MC

T74

DNP

T18

Rory Sabbatini

$6,700

T3

T52

MC

MC

MC

Scott Piercy

$6,700

MC

T19

MC

T10

T32


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