Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Fantasy Golf: WGC - Dell Technologies Match Play

After years of mysteriously struggling with the irons I somewhat randomly bought on eBay and then swore I could learn to hit because I'm just that good, I finally broke down and took-up Club Champion on their offer of a $100 full bag fitting if you buy just one club. I mean why wouldn't I spend a $100 for three hours of professional club fitting when I can then just buy a gap wedge and be on my way? hahahahaha . . . HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Let's just say that by the time I got out of there my new 9-iron cost more than a dinner for 9 at Applebee's (including apps and dessert) but in my defense, I'm going to enjoy my 9-iron more than any 9 people have ever enjoyed a dinner at Applebee's. For those who haven't tried this experience, here were a few of my highlights with club fitter Mike:
  • The majority of the fitting is based on a 6-iron and I think I hit about 150 of them which is a lot for a guy who warms-up by hitting three wedges and one hybrid before complaining that the range balls suck and heads to the putting green.   
  • To the Mike's credit, he tested my driver and said that if he couldn't build me a better one, he'd just tell me and move on. Well he couldn't so we did. Also, my clubhead speed is about 30 mph less than Rory McIlroy's which may help explain the 70 yard differential on our average drives. That was cool to learn. I guess.  
  • With about 10 minutes left in the fitting, Mike realized that he had only gouged me for a set of irons so he started frantically assembling 3-woods. After I hit one straight, he grabbed it back, declared it to be more magical than Excalibur and added it to my tab for a mere $925. He almost didn't even seem disappointed when I deleted it at checkout. Nice try Mike. 

TWEET OF THE WEEK

I can tell you from experience that this also applies to management meetings, CPR training sessions and any out of the office gathering that lasts longer than 45 minutes . . . 


GOLF ANALYSIS

In the interest of full disclosure I have to tell you that, as bad as I am at picking most other tournaments, I'm even worse at picking this one. Last year I picked Paul Casey who literally played two holes and then bailed with back spasms. The year before that I picked . . . oh hey look at that . . . Paul Casey who at least won one match and tied another before packing his bags. In 2019 I picked Bryson DeChambeau and got exactly what I deserved with a 1-2 effort. In 2018, I went with Jon Rahm who had finished runner-up the year before and then proceeded to go 0-2-1 in the group stage. Adios!

In my defense, as the chart below demonstrates, it's not the easiest tournament to forecast. And it pains me to say this but it's gotten even harder since so many match play specialists defected to Saudi Arabia. I'd say they'd be missed but, other than Dustin Johnson, they won't. 

I've always taken a risk averse approach to this tournament because it's match play and ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN but it's gotten more predictable since the format switched away from one and done. So this year I want to pick a big name player but I've already used Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Will Zalatoris and I have most of the rest penciled in for majors. Except for Patrick Cantlay who may eventually win a major but it won't be because he's been right on the cusp. Meanwhile, he has a great match play game despite his merely above average record at this event. I'm all in. (Can you feel my enthusiasm?)  

As for the rest of the picks, who knows? Jason Day will either lose his first two matches and withdraw or make the final four. If either Cameron Young or Will Zalatoris gets hot with the putter, they could plow through the field like a farmer on Adderall. And then you've got Kevin Kisner who is both absurdly consistent and due for an off year. I'm banking on the latter but hedging a little so I don't feel like a complete moron when he's still playing on Sunday. 

It should be an interesting first three days with a lot of new blood in the field along with the return of some old favorites like Rickie and Rory. Hopefully we have a few big names make the weekend along with some upstarts like Min Woo Lee and SahithTheegala (who are in the same group so I couldn't pick them both). With that being said, I just ditched Billy Horschel,  Keegan Bradley and Matt Kuchar to add some fresh faces to this week's top ten. This actually feels like the start of something great but check back with me on Friday.    

One and Done Pick: Patrick Cantlay
"Was he trying to motivate
me with that comment?"

Other Guy I'd Pick: Min Woo Lee

Sleeper Pick: J.T. Poston

DraftKings Top Ten Values

Patrick Cantlay

$10,700

Cameron Young

$9,200

Jason Day

$9,100

Will Zalatoris

$8,900

Rickie Fowler

$8,200

Chris Kirk

$7,800

Min Woo Lee

$7,600

Seamus Power

$7,200

Kevin Kisner

$7,200

J.T. Poston

$6,300


As we were all just immersing ourselves in The Wire, it was easy to recognize McNulty, Bunk, Stringer and Omar as characters who were going to command our attention. But man, every time Lieutenant Daniels was in a scene, he owned it.   

                                       THE LANCE FUCKING REDDICK 
                                    HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE CHART 

If this chart shows you nothing else, it should make clear that (a) I'm an idiot for not even mentioning Scottie Scheffler or Jon Rahm until now, (b) Tyrell Hatton is really good at finishing 9th, and (c) this is going to be the first trip to Austin for much of the field so the locals should be ready for a lot of erratically driving Buicks. 

 

DK PRICE

2022

2021

2019

2018

2017

Scottie Scheffler

$11,100

1st

2nd

DNP

DNP

DNP

Jon Rahm

$11,000

T9

T5

T24

T52

2nd

Patrick Cantlay

$10,700

T26

T18

T24

T17

DNP

Rory McIlroy

$10,500

DNP

T28

T9

T36

T30

Xander Schauffele

$10,300

T35

T18

T24

T17

DNP

Jordan Spieth

$10,200

T35

T9

T24

T17

T30

Max Homa

$10,100

T35

T18

DNP

DNP

DNP

Tony Finau

$9,800

T35

T28

T40

T17

DNP

Viktor Hovland

$9,600

T18

T42

DNP

DNP

DNP

Collin Morikawa

$9,500

T9

T56

DNP

DNP

DNP

Sungjae Im

$9,400

T35

T42

DNP

DNP

DNP

Cameron Young

$9,200

T35

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Jason Day

$9,100

DNP

T42

T61

T36

T58

Tyrell Hatton

$9,000

T9

T56

T9

T9

T17

Will Zalatoris

$8,900

T5

T28

DNP

DNP

DNP

Sam Burns

$8,800

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Tom Kim

$8,700

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Hideki Matsuyama

$8,600

DNP

T42

T24

T36

T51

Matthew Fitzpatrick

$8,500

T18

T18

T61

T36

T17

Shane Lowry

$8,400

T35

T42

T24

DNP

T51

Tommy Fleetwood

$8,300

T35

T5

T24

T17

T39

Rickie Fowler

$8,200

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Keith Mitchell

$8,100

T26

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Sahith Theegala

$8,000

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Billy Horschel

$7,900

T9

1st

T24

DNP

DNP

Corey Conners

$7,900

3rd

T61

DNP

DNP

DNP

Adam Scott

$7,800

T9

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Chris Kirk

$7,800

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Keegan Bradley

$7,700

T35

DNP

55th

T36

DNP

Tom Hoge

$7,700

T58

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Min Woo Lee

$7,600

T26

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Kurt Kitayama

$7,600

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Si Woo Kim

$7,500

T18

T56

T61

T9

T30

Adam Hadwin

$7,500

DNP

DNP

DNP

T17

DNP

Brian Harman

$7,400

T35

T5

DNP

T9

DNP

Taylor Montgomery

$7,400

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Davis Riley

$7,300

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Justin Suh

$7,300

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Kevin Kisner

$7,200

2nd

T18

1st

2nd

T17

Seamus Power

$7,200

T5

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Russell Henley

$7,100

T60

T28

DNP

T36

DNP

Matt Kuchar

$7,100

DNP

3rd

2nd

T9

T30

Alex Noren

$7,000

T18

DNP

T17

3rd

T5

Ryan Fox

$7,000

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Harris English

$6,900

DNP

T42

DNP

DNP

DNP

Denny McCarthy

$6,900

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Maverick McNealy

$6,800

17th

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Aaron Wise

$6,800

DNP

DNP

T40

DNP

DNP

C. Bezuidenhout

$6,700

T60

T56

DNP

DNP

DNP

Adam Svensson

$6,700

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Cam Davis

$6,600

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Nick Taylor

$6,600

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Victor Perez

$6,500

DNP

4th

DNP

DNP

DNP

Ben Griffin

$6,500

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

K.H. Lee

$6,400

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Adrian Meronk

$6,400

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Lucas Herbert

$6,300

T18

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

J.T. Poston

$6,300

DNP

T28

DNP

DNP

DNP

Scott Stallings

$6,200

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Davis Thompson

$6,200

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Sepp Straka

$6,100

T35

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Mackenzie Hughes

$6,100

T18

T9

DNP

DNP

DNP

J.J. Spaun

$6,000

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Andrew Putnam

$6,000

DNP

DNP

T40

DNP

DNP


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1 comment:

lee ho fook said...

Hope you got a cover for that 9 iron!