Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Fantasy Golf: The Cognizant Classic Preview

I had the opportunity to go see Nate Bargatze last week and, as you would expect, I have thoughts. As a preliminary matter, I will say that there are few things more cathartic than being in a room full of people who are laughing. If you've never been to your local comedy club, do yourself a favor and go, even if it has a ridiculous off-putting name like Magooby's Joke House. And please don't forget to tip your waitresses and try the veal. Thanks I'll be here all week.

Back to the show:
  • Nate performed at Capital One Arena which was built to host NBA games, monster truck rallies and Disney on Ice . . . not comedy shows. The stage was in the middle of the floor and we had great seats but that still means you spend roughly 75% of the show looking at the back or side of a guy meandering in a circle. Inevitably you start watching the overhead screen so when he breaks into the bit about "books" that you just watched him do on SNL, it's basically just craning your neck to watch a TV in the sky in a room full of 20,000 people. Very intimate. 
  • There was a host who was great and then three additional warm-up acts (which was two too many) who all attempted to bring a southern flavor which apparently means finding every conceivable way to make fun of the south for being racist. I guess they think they're being self-deprecating and appealing by doing it in a southern accent. Kind of like when I make fun of country club douche bags . . . (wait a minute).
  • Nate seemed tired. Maybe it's a product of doing the same act day after day for months on end in front of an amorphous mob of people who he just had to hear laughing at a guy making Joe Biden is old jokes ('HOW OLD IS HE?!?"). Even Kenny Bania winced at that one. I'm sure at some point Nate's like "you people will pretty much laugh at anything so what's the point?" I'd watch that bit.   

TWEET OF THE WEEK

So in case you missed it, Talor Gooch opened his mouth again which is always a gift to this website. His latest gem went as follows: "If Rory McIlroy goes and completes his [career] grand slam [at Augusta] without some of the best players in the world, there's just going to be an asterisk." Suffice it to say this unleashed a torrent of humor on social media, some good . . . most bad, but maybe the best response came from someone who knows how to manipulate a Wikipedia page. 


GOLF ANALYSIS

The Cognizant Classic f/k/a The Honda Classic is a quintessential middle class PGA Tour event. Since they started playing The Champion Course at PGA National in 2007, winners have ranged from Rory McIlroy (2012), Justin Thomas (2018) and Adam Scott (2016) to Michael Thompson (2013), Rory Sabbatini (2011) and Matt Jones (2021). That folks is what we here at the FGR like to call the gamut.

Rory is back as the prohibitive favorite over a decent field that includes solid former champions like Chris Kirk, Russell Henley and Sungjae Im. However, none of the top guys are coming-in on anything that could be described as a tear and this event has a tendency to stack the top five of the leaderboard with a bunch randos so we're going to take the opportunity to think outside the box by picking Eric Cole. (We thought this was a unique perspective until everyone else showed-up wearing the same outfit). 

There is what appears to be a ton of value this week thanks to Rory throwing things out of whack. Cole and Russell Henley are both +2500 to win. Billy Horschel and Lee Hodges at +1000 to finish top ten got our attention as did Dylan Wu at +500 to finish top twenty. And anytime you can get Homeless Hubbs for $7,500 on DraftKings, you gotta build a team around him. 
    
One and Done Pick: Eric Cole
Welcome to the FGR Eric. Your look of
circumspection is welcome and warranted.

Other Guy I'd Pick: Byeong Hun An

Sleeper Pick: Lee Hodges

DraftKings Top Ten Values

Russell Henley

$10,200

Eric Cole

$9,900

Chris Kirk

$9,400

Sepp Straka

$8,600

Beau Hossler

$8,300

Luke List

$8,100

Mark Hubbard

$7,500

Billy Horschel

$7,000

Lee Hodges

$6,500

Dylan Wu

$6,100


I've got nothing for this week's chart. Frankly, it's a weird wet and humid February morning here in lovely downtown Towson and I'm one minor life obstacle away from throwing this computer through the window so let's wrap it up before that happens.

                             HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE CHART

 

DK Price

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

Rory McIlroy

$12,200

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Cameron Young

$10,700

DNP

T16

DNP

DNP

DNP

Matt Fitzpatrick

$10,600

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Russell Henley

$10,200

DNP

DNP

T3

T8

T20

Tom Kim

$10,100

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Eric Cole

$9,900

2nd

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

J.T. Poston

$9,800

T63

T42

MC

T35

T36

Sungjae Im

$9,700

T42

MC

T8

1st

T51

Min Woo Lee

$9,600

T26

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Byeong Hun An

$9,500

T21

DNP

MC

T4

T36

Chris Kirk

$9,400

1st

T7

T25

MC

MC

Shane Lowry

$9,300

T5

2nd

T36

T21

DNP

Daniel Berger

$9,200

DNP

4th

DNP

T4

T36

Corey Conners

$9,100

DNP

DNP

DNP

MC

DNP

Keith Mitchell

$9,000

DNP

T9

T53

MC

1st

Denny McCarthy

$8,900

MC

T30

T3

MC

MC

Stephan Jaeger

$8,800

T14

T48

DNP

DNP

T78

Matthieu Pavon

$8,700

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Sepp Straka

$8,600

T5

1st

T33

T27

MC

Rasmus Hojgaard

$8,500

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Jake Knapp

$8,400

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Beau Hossler

$8,300

DNP

T16

T60

T38

DNP

Alex Noren

$8,200

DNP

T5

T46

DNP

MC

Luke List

$8,100

DNP

DNP

MC

MC

MC

Justin Rose

$8,000

DNP

DNP

DNP

MC

DNP

Tom Hoge

$7,900

DNP

DNP

MC

MC

MC

Taylor Pendrith

$7,800

T42

T25

DNP

DNP

DNP

Adam Svensson

$7,700

T49

T9

DNP

DNP

T59

Thor Olesen

$7,700

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Brendon Todd

$7,600

DNP

T48

DNP

DNP

DNP

C. Bezuidenhout

$7,600

T42

T25

DNP

DNP

DNP

Mark Hubbard

$7,500

T42

15th

T46

T11

DNP

Rickie Fowler

$7,500

DNP

T42

T65

MC

T2

Erik Van Rooyen

$7,400

MC

DNP

T60

MC

DNP

Ryan Fox

$7,400

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Ryo Hisatune

$7,300

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Taylor Montgomery

$7,300

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Adam Schenk

$7,200

T42

MC

T36

MC

T30

Matt Wallace

$7,200

T29

DNP

MC

MC

T20

Lucas Glover

$7,100

DNP

T30

T19

MC

T4

Maverick McNealy

$7,100

DNP

DNP

MC

T11

DNP

Billy Horschel

$7,000

T42

T16

DNP

T42

T16

Doug Ghim

$7,000

DNP

MC

MC

MC

DNP

Akshay Bhatia

$6,900

T49

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Thomas Detry

$6,900

W/D

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Ben Griffin

$6,800

T21

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Davis Thompson

$6,800

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Justin Suh

$6,800

T5

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Austin Eckroat

$6,700

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Carson Young

$6,700

T29

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Chesson Hadley

$6,700

T29

DNP

MC

MC

T20

Brandon Wu

$6,600

T14

MC

MC

DNP

DNP

Jhonattan Vegas

$6,600

T21

T42

T30

T27

T16

Gary Woodland

$6,500

DNP

T5

DNP

T8

T36

Lee Hodges

$6,500

T14

T9

DNP

DNP

DNP

Matt Kuchar

$6,300

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Nick Hardy

$6,200

MC

MC

DNP

DNP

DNP

Cameron Champ

$6,100

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

Dylan Wu

$6,100

T10

T30

DNP

DNP

DNP

Tyler Duncan

$6,100

3rd

DNP

MC

MC

T71

Nick Dunlap

$6,000

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP

DNP


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