Fantasy Golf: The Valero Texas Open Preview

It's going to be a light week as it always is on the eve of The Masters. I can't risk spraining a  synapse the week before writing the only preview that anyone other than you people will read all year. It'd be like Patrick Mahomes street luging the week before the Super Bowl (yup, just like that).  

Consequently we will be treating this preview like a preseason game and then the next five days will be devoted to drinking moderate amounts of red wine and passing-out on the couch to final rounds of yore in the hopes that I wake-up on Monday with something novel to say about a golf tournament that's more over-analyzed than Tony Soprano's childhood trauma. And maybe, just maybe if I re-watch Jordan Spieth rinse enough balls in the pond in front of 12, I'll be able to open my mind to other options this year. But I doubt it.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

It's been a lame week on Twitter so we're going to reach back for this one from Pabst Blue Ribbon which is as reliable a social media account as it is a beer (interpret that as you choose). This tweet has the added benefit of featuring scenes from The Last of Us, one of the best shows that television currently has to offer that's not about soccer. I will warn you, however, that if you've got a homophobic streak, episode 3 might not be for you. On the other hand, it's full of guns and shooting so that could present a bit of a conundrum for some.  

*at a bar*

bartender: we don't have pbr but we have —

me: pic.twitter.com/bLmbSKYuOt

— Pabst Blue Ribbon (@PabstBlueRibbon) February 23, 2023

GOLF ANALYSIS

We're back to a thin field but I have to say that I've really enjoyed these recent opportunities to get to know all of the different Taylors even if I still can't tell them apart. It's like trying to figure-out the best "Chris" among Pratt, Pine, Evans and Klein (it's Chris Pine). Even Nick Taylor is having a nice season and he uses it as a last name which is just so damn quirky and Canadian.

Speaking of Canadians (SMOOTH SEGUE ALERT), Corey Conners is the safest pick of the week but we're leaning toward his Presidents' Cup teammate Si Woo Kim who might be the most underrated four win player on tour who could just as easily have seven wins if not for his three playoff losses. He's been typically steady since winning in Hawaii and has made five straight cuts here including a T4 in 2019. 

Matt Kuchar has been quite reliable at TPC San Antonio and seems to have almost outlasted his caddie tip stiffing issue to the point where some people have actually started yelling "Kooooch" again before the guy next to them says "hey we don't do that anymore." 

The rest of the picks are a bit of a crapshoot except for 2017 champion Kevin Chappell who comes in on a run of T29, T15, T16 and what appear to be signs that he's finding some of the past form that got him to 23rd in the world. At least that's the idea. 

One and Done Pick: Si Woo Kim

You tell those haters buddy.

Other Guy I'd Pick: Matt Kuchar

Sleeper Pick: Kevin Chappell 

DraftKings Top Ten Values

Corey Conners	$10,100
Si Woo Kim	$9,700
Matt Kuchar	$9,200
Ben Griffin	$8,700
Davis Thompson	$8,100
Aaron Rai	$7,900
Hayden Buckley	$7,600
Byeong Hun An	$7,400
Lucas Glover	$6,900
Kevin Chappell	$6,700

After spending the better part of three minutes trying to come-up with a suitable name for this week's chart, it finally dawned on us . . . 

                                   THE PRESEASON LEVEL EFFORT

                                HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE CHART

Charley Hoffman's record here can look pretty tantalizing. Especially when you consider that he won it in 2016 but man his game has gone so far south that LIVGolf won't even take his calls.

	DK Price	2022	2021	2019	2018	2017
Tyrrell Hatton	$10,900	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Hideki Matsuyama	$10,500	W/D	T30	DNP	MC	DNP
Rickie Fowler	$10,200	MC	T17	T17	DNP	DNP
Corey Conners	$10,100	T35	T14	1st	T26	DNP
Taylor Montgomery	$9,900	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Si Woo Kim	$9,700	T13	T23	T4	T45	T22
Davis Riley	$9,500	T63	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Chris Kirk	$9,300	T35	T6	MC	T8	MC
Matt Kuchar	$9,200	T2	T12	T7	T51	T40
Ryan Fox	$9,000	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
J.J. Spaun	$8,900	1st	MC	MC	T26	T49
Alex Noren	$8,800	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Ben Griffin	$8,700	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
C. Bezuidnehout	$8,600	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Matt Wallace	$8,500	MC	3rd	DNP	DNP	DNP
Ty Detry	$8,400	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Cameron Davis	$8,300	DNP	T69	MC	DNP	DNP
Adam Schenk	$8,200	MC	MC	T7	T58	DNP
Davis Thompson	$8,100	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Nicolai Hojgaard	$8,000	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Aaron Rai	$7,900	T29	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Brendon Todd	$7,900	T8	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Andrew Putnam	$7,800	T41	MC	T36	T8	DNP
Sam Ryder	$7,800	DNP	MC	T42	T36	DNP
Beau Hossler	$7,700	T4	T69	T36	T51	MC
Taylor Pendrith	$7,700	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Alex Smalley	$7,600	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Hayden Buckley	$7,600	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Nick Taylor	$7,600	MC	T59	T52	MC	T22
Brandon Wu	$7,500	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Patton Kizzire	$7,500	MC	T9	DNP	DNP	DNP
Robby Shelton	$7,500	DNP	MC	DNP	DNP	T16
S.E. Kim	$7,500	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Byeong-Hun An	$7,400	DNP	MC	T7	DNP	T40
Francesco Molinari	$7,400	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Nick Hardy	$7,400	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Sam Stevens	$7,400	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Sepp Straka	$7,400	DNP	T67	MC	DNP	DNP
Emiliano Grillo	$7,300	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Eric Cole	$7,300	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Garrick Higgo	$7,300	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Patrick Rodgers	$7,300	T58	MC	DNP	MC	DNP
Trey Mullinax	$7,300	MC	DNP	76th	T2	MC
Erik Van Rooyen	$7,200	DNP	T14	DNP	DNP	DNP
Lanto Griffin	$7,200	T53	T34	DNP	DNP	DNP
Luke List	$7,200	T53	T17	MC	MC	MC
Nate Lashley	$7,200	T18	MC	DNP	MC	DNP
Tyler Duncan	$7,200	MC	T44	DNP	MC	DNP
Will Gordon	$7,200	DNP	78th	DNP	DNP	DNP
David Lingmerth	$7,100	DNP	DNP	DNP	T51	DNP
Ryan Palmer	$7,100	T48	T17	MC	MC	T6
Akshay Bhatia	$7,000	DNP	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP
Charley Hoffman	$7,000	MC	2nd	2nd	T64	T40
Kevin Streelman	$7,000	T18	DNP	6th	T8	T53
Adam Long	$6,900	T35	MC	MC	DNP	DNP
Lucas Glover	$6,900	T18	4th	T14	DNP	DNP
Chesson Hadley	$6,800	DNP	T23	MC	T20	DNP
Doug Ghim	$6,800	MC	T44	DNP	DNP	DNP
Dylan Frittelli	$6,800	T8	DNP	T42	T20	DNP
Martin Laird	$6,800	T29	T30	T36	T11	T18
Matthew NeSmith	$6,800	MC	T34	DNP	DNP	DNP
Kevin Chappell	$6,700	T18	MC	DNP	T30	1st
Harry Higgs	$6,600	MC	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP
Matthias Schwab	$6,600	T8	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Russell Knox	$6,500	T61	MC	DNP	MC	DNP
Ryan Moore	$6,400	DNP	76th	3rd	7th	T18
Jimmy Walker	$6,200	MC	T59	T30	4th	T13

Email the Fantasy Golf Report here.