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 . . . 

Legal during sales/marketing brainstorm meetings pic.twitter.com/TxBTYMteLJ

— Keeks (@DietCoke_Esq) March 17, 2023

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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