Fantasy Golf: The John Deere Classic Preview

As has been previously discussed in this space, I live and die by how the one golfer I pick to win every week fares against a field of roughly 150 of the best players in the world. On the list of things that are important to me, it ranks way ahead of how well I do at my real job and just slightly behind my parenting ability. Unless of course we're talking about a major in which case everything else takes a backseat. (Sorry kids).

I usually settle on the pick first thing Monday morning after doing a quick scan of the not yet updated Historical Performance Chart (the "HPC") along with last year's leaderboard. You'd think I'd complete the research first and then make the pick but you'd be forgetting two things: (1) I am lawyer and the whole point of our research and analysis is just to back-up something we've already decided to be true, and (2) I am also an idiot.

It's actually worse than that in this scenario. Once I make the pick and log it into the website for the league that I use to define my self-worth, I'm afraid to change it even when all signs point to a better option. It's some weird combination of superstition and refusing to admit that I was wrong. That's how one ends-up picking Brooks Koepka over Bryson DeChambeau at the U.S. Open and still finds himself wincing about it weeks later. 

Last week I broke my own rule and it cost me. Or so I thought. The Monday morning inspiration pick was Akshay Bhatia but then the research swayed me to Alex Noren (who is never ever the right pick by the way). I entered Akshay but switched to Alex at the last minute. Fast forward to the weekend which devoted to pursuits other than golf and I spent the better part of three days wishfully glancing at the leaderboard only to see Bhatia's name consistently at the top. 

I couldn't bring myself to watch a single shot even as texts were flying during the wild finish on Sunday. There was some measure of relief when I learned Bhatia gave it away with a brutal three-putt on the 72nd hole so at least I didn't piss away a winner's check like I had at Pinehurst but it had still cast a large dark shadow over the entire weekend. (I know, I know . . . six frustrated therapists later and still nothing's changed). 

Here's the fun part. When I logged-on Monday morning to pick J.T. Poston and see how much my screw-up had cost me, I discovered that I never switched the pick so all of that anguish was for nothing. On the other hand, I saved myself from watching Bhatia choke away the win. At this point I honestly have no idea how to feel. The two lessons as always are: (1) Gambling is bad and (2) . . . please don't make me say it again.    

TWEET OF THE WEEK

Hilarious to think that this tweet is from three days before July 1, 2024. HAHAHAHA . . . democracy was neat.

BREAKING: The bill from Schoolhouse Rock has taken his own life

— gianmarco (@GianmarcoSoresi) June 28, 2024

GOLF ANALYSIS

After all of that hand wringing, I'm dumping Poston for Davis Thompson who I couldn't pick out of a line-up unless you told me to go with the 13 year old. Here's what I do know. He finished T9 at the U.S. Open, T2 last week and a respectable T31 here last year as a tweenager. Oh and when I went to make the switch, I learned that I had actually picked Aaron Rai on Monday morning so now it's freakin' Sophie's Choice all over again but with triplets.

This field is pretty thin but we believe that below we have found for you a roster of players who come in with some momentum or have shown an affinity for TPC Deere Run which definitely has a type as evidenced by the past dominance of players like Steve Stricker and Zach Johnson. The modern light versions of those guys are Poston, Denny McCarthy, Adam Schenk and one other who we'll cover later in the HPC. (Just building anticipation all over the place this week).

Neil Shipley backed-up his T26 at the U.S. Open with a T20 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic proving that he's at least temporarily the real deal and the two Bens (Silverman and Kohles) have a run of made cuts and also finished top twenty last week. I almost put Z.J. in one of those sleeper spots but then I remembered the Ryder Cup, began feeling nauseous and lost equilibrium which usually only happens when someone suckers me into trying a ZYN . . . again.

One and Done Pick: Davis Thompson

"Hey kid you're not allowed
in here without an adult."

Other Guy I'd Pick: Denny McCarthy

Sleeper Pick: Ben Silverman 

DraftKings Top Ten Values

Sungjae Im	$10,300
Davis Thompson	$9,600
Denny McCarthy	$9,500
J.T. Poston	$9,100
Mark Hubbard	$8,400
Beau Hossler	$8,100
Adam Schenk	$7,700
Neil Shipley	$7,500
Ben Silverman	$7,100
Ben Kohles	$6,600

Many people are not aware that M*A*S*H was a brilliant movie before it was a great TV show and that Donald Sutherland was the original Hawkeye Pierce (and Robert Duvall was the original Frank Burns). We recently lost the elder Sutherland who has an IMDB page a mile long and is entertaining in almost every entry on it. The FGR will, however, remember him most fondly as Hawkeye, Professor Jennings and the over the top burnout tank driver from Kelly's Heroes.

                                     THE SERGEANT ODDBALL MEMORIAL

                                      HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE CHART

The obvious omission this week is Lucas Glover but it's only supposed to hit a high of 83 in Silvis, Illinois this weekend and, like an orchid, we know that Lucas only thrives in a butt sweat climate.

	DK Price	2023	2022	2021	2019	2018
Patrick Cantlay (O)	$11,000	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Jordan Spieth	$10,500	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Sepp Straka	$10,400	1st	DNP	MC	T26	DNP
Sungjae Im	$10,300	DNP	DNP	T47	T26	DNP
Aaron Rai	$10,000	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Maverick McNealy	$9,800	DNP	T8	T18	DNP	DNP
Davis Thompson	$9,600	T31	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Denny McCarthy	$9,500	T6	T6	MC	MC	T34
Jason Day	$9,400	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Keith Mitchell	$9,200	T42	DNP	MC	DNP	T7
J.T. Poston	$9,100	T6	1st	MC	MC	T65
Sam Stevens	$9,000	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Nick Dunlap	$8,900	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Kevin Yu	$8,800	T6	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Lucas Glover	$8,700	T6	MC	1st	T10	DNP
Luke Clanton	$8,600	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Eric Cole	$8,500	T42	DNP	MC	DNP	DNP
Mark Hubbard	$8,400	T6	T13	T41	DNP	DNP
Seamus Power	$8,300	T13	DNP	T8	T61	T16
Adam Svensson	$8,200	T21	T24	DNP	T18	DNP
Beau Hossler	$8,100	T26	DNP	MC	T26	DNP
Taylor Montgomery (O)	$8,000	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Patrick Rodgers	$7,800	MC	T30	T23	DNP	T43
Adam Schenk	$7,700	T4	W/D	T4	T6	MC
Michael Thorbjornsen	$7,700	T17	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Doug Ghim	$7,600	T26	MC	T18	DNP	W/D
Ryo Hisatune	$7,600	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Thor Olesen	$7,600	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Andrew Novak	$7,500	T42	T30	DNP	DNP	DNP
Andrew Putnam	$7,500	DNP	T41	MC	DNP	79th
Lee Hodges	$7,500	DNP	T43	DNP	DNP	DNP
Neil Shipley	$7,500	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Daniel Berger	$7,400	DNP	DNP	T34	T33	DNP
J.J. Spaun	$7,400	DNP	DNP	T64	DNP	DNP
Michael Kim	$7,400	MC	DNP	MC	MC	1st
Nate Lashley	$7,400	T21	MC	DNP	T26	DNP
Brendon Todd	$7,300	T2	T43	DNP	T18	MC
Davis Riley	$7,300	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Jacob Bridgeman	$7,300	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Joel Dahmen	$7,300	MC	DNP	DNP	MC	T2
S.E. Kim	$7,300	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Alejandro Tosti	$7,200	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Chris Gotterup	$7,200	DNP	T4	DNP	DNP	DNP
Greyson Sigg	$7,200	T13	T16	DNP	DNP	DNP
Jhonattan Vegas	$7,200	DNP	DNP	T11	T37	DNP
Justin Lower	$7,200	DNP	T51	DNP	DNP	DNP
K.H. Lee	$7,200	MC	DNP	DNP	MC	DNP
Ben Silverman	$7,100	DNP	DNP	DNP	MC	DNP
Jake Knapp	$7,100	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Joseph Bramlett	$7,100	MC	MC	MC	DNP	DNP
Luke List	$7,100	DNP	DNP	T4	DNP	DBP
Bud Cauley	$7,000	DNP	DNP	DNP	T18	DNP
Chesson Hadley	$7,000	MC	T10	T34	DNP	T72
Nick Hardy	$7,000	T21	T30	DNP	DNP	T43
Zach Johnson	$7,000	T35	T60	T34	T37	T16
Alex Smalley	$6,900	T2	T16	T47	DNP	DNP
Martin Laird	$6,900	MC	T30	T28	T37	DNP
Matt Kuchar	$6,900	67th	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
Patton Kizzire	$6,900	MC	T16	T11	DNP	T30
Ben Kohles	$6,800	DNP	MC	DNP	DNP	DNP
Ryan Moore	$6,800	MC	T24	T2	T18	T55
Sam Ryder	$6,700	MC	T60	T58	T18	T2
Kevin Streelman	$6,600	T51	T41	MC	DNP	T7

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