I've always been an Adam Scott fan and still am but, my dude, you can't stand there after gagging your way to a final round 79 and describe the course as "borderline unplayable" when J.J. Spaun who was playing in the group RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU finished par-birdie-birdie to shoot 32 on the back and kick your ass by seven shots after being two behind you at the turn. Robert MacIntyre actually managed to find it even more "playable" than that as he navigated the last twelve holes in -3 to shoot 68. (See how I used "navigated" there like he was on a boat playing a wet golf course . . . you think AI is delivering that kind of gold?)
Scott's playing partner Sam Burns was even whinier when he was denied relief on the 15th hole and proceeded to duck hook a 5-iron as if he was trying to prove the officials wrong. I half expected him to pull a "Make Oakmont Playable Again" ("MOPA") hat out of this bag as a defiant act of the aggrieved man that he was. He then stomped up the fairway in a huff and drove his point home by making double.
Burns showed yet again why some good players win majors and some don't. He had the lead heading into the back nine, made birdie on ten and then played the last eight holes in +6. If he plays them even or better like Spaun and MacIntyre did, he finishes -2 and wins the tournament. As it stands, he's now played nineteen majors with two top tens and six missed cuts. He may just have to settle for being the best player in Valspar Championship history.
GOLF ANALYSIS
Last week's pick were a bit of a wreck but I have a feeling I wasn't alone in misfiring on what ended-up being an unpredictable leaderboard. Going with DeChambeau over Rahm cost me as Bryson played his last seven holes like a complete ass hat with three bogeys and a double to miss the cut by three. At least I got Russell Henley right as a top ten pick (barely) and super duper deep sleeper March Leishman scratched out a T38.
The Travelers Championship should be a bit more straightforward as a lot of these guys have been tearing-up the current version of TPC at River Highlands for over ten years. Of the current field, Brian Harman has been the most reliable with seven top tens since 2015 including three top fives. He or Patrick Cantlay would be your low risk pick but we need to make-up some ground and that calls for some questionable decision making, a practice with which I am all too familiar.
Cameron Young is on one of his classic heaters having finished T4 the last two weeks and he shot a 59 here last year. Also, unlike some people, he has six top tens in majors and is in a two-man class with Denny McCarthy for the player most due to get his first win. So he's our guy even though we all know Scottie Scheffler is probably going to take out his frustration from last week and plow through this field like a John Deere X9 Combine (I can't help myself).
The player most due for any win is Xander Schauffele who is creeping-up on a year since he got it done at the British Open. He hasn't really been close this season which was derailed for a couple months by an injury but now he's +1600 against a limited field on a course where he won three years ago. At those odds you have to start thinking he's a good pick every week until the inevitable occurs. In other words, just keep throwing money at the problem.
|
Place
|
Player
|
Odds
|
|
Winner
|
Xander Schauffele
|
+1600
|
|
Top 5
|
Sepp Straka
|
+500
|
|
Top 10
|
Cameron Young
|
+330
|
|
Top 10
|
Brian Harman
|
+450
|
|
Top 20
|
Bud Cauley
|
+190
|
One and Done Pick: Cameron Young
 |
Cam is as stoic on the course as
I am not. I can feel the chemistry. |
Other Guy I'd Pick: Shane Lowry
Sleeper Pick: Bud Cauley
DraftKings Top Ten Values
|
Scottie
Scheffler
|
$13,300
|
|
Xander
Schauffele
|
$10,800
|
|
Sepp
Straka
|
$9,200
|
|
Robert
MacIntyre
|
$8,400
|
|
Shane
Lowry
|
$8,300
|
|
Sungjae
Im
|
$7,900
|
|
Cameron
Young
|
$7,800
|
|
Brian
Harman
|
$7,200
|
|
Max
Greyserman
|
$6,900
|
|
Bud
Cauley
|
$6,800
|
Email the Fantasy Golf Report here.
THE DETROIT STYLE PIZZA
HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE CHART
This week's chart is named for a food that I never even knew existed a week ago but now it may change my life and force me to buy all new khakis. Holy shit. Detroit has their own pizza style. . . who knew?
Justin Thomas is a logical pick based on top tens the last two years and the rut he's found himself in since the PGA Championship (MC-T31-MC) might actually be a good thing considering he won the RBC Heritage the week after a meandering T36 at the Masters. Tom Kim is another slumper who's worth a look (yes just making-up words now . . . time to go home).
|
|
DK Price
|
2024
|
2023
|
2022
|
2021
|
2020
|
|
Scottie
Scheffler
|
$13,300
|
1st
|
T4
|
T13
|
T47
|
MC
|
|
Rory
McIlroy
|
$11,500
|
DNP
|
T7
|
T19
|
DNP
|
T11
|
|
Xander
Schauffele
|
$10,800
|
T13
|
T19
|
1st
|
DNP
|
T20
|
|
Collin
Morikawa
|
$10,200
|
T13
|
MC
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
MC
|
|
Patrick
Cantlay
|
$9,800
|
T5
|
T4
|
T13
|
T13
|
T11
|
|
Ludvig
Aberg
|
$9,600
|
T27
|
T24
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Justin
Thomas
|
$9,300
|
T5
|
T9
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
MC
|
|
Sepp
Straka
|
$9,200
|
T23
|
T38
|
MC
|
T10
|
MC
|
|
Sam
Burns
|
$9,100
|
T55
|
DNP
|
MC
|
T13
|
T24
|
|
Viktor
Hovland
|
$9,000
|
T20
|
T29
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
T11
|
|
Tommy
Fleetwood
|
$8,900
|
15th
|
MC
|
T46
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Russell
Henley
|
$8,800
|
T48
|
T19
|
DNP
|
T19
|
T32
|
|
Corey
Conners
|
$8,700
|
T27
|
T9
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
MC
|
|
J.J.
Spaun
|
$8,600
|
DNP
|
MC
|
MC
|
T47
|
MC
|
|
Keegan
Bradley
|
$8,500
|
T39
|
1st
|
T19
|
MC
|
MC
|
|
Robert
Macintyre
|
$8,400
|
T16
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Shane
Lowry
|
$8,300
|
T9
|
T19
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
T60
|
|
Jordan
Spieth
|
$8,200
|
T63
|
DNP
|
MC
|
DNP
|
T54
|
|
Hideki
Matsuyama
|
$8,100
|
T23
|
T13
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Ben
Griffin
|
$8,100
|
67th
|
MC
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Sungjae
Im
|
$7,900
|
T3
|
T29
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
T58
|
|
Taylor
Pendrith
|
$7,900
|
T23
|
MC
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Cameron
Young
|
$7,800
|
T9
|
T60
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Si Woo
Kim
|
$7,800
|
T31
|
MC
|
MC
|
MC
|
T11
|
|
Tony
Finau
|
$7,700
|
T5
|
T45
|
T13
|
MC
|
MC
|
|
Harris
English
|
$7,700
|
T63
|
T60
|
T19
|
1st
|
DNP
|
|
Adam
Scott
|
$7,600
|
T39
|
T19
|
DNP
|
T13
|
DNP
|
|
Maverick
McNealy
|
$7,600
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
MC
|
T30
|
DNP
|
|
Aaron
Rai
|
$7,500
|
DNP
|
T24
|
T40
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Daniel
Berger
|
$7,500
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Akshay
Bhatia
|
$7,400
|
T5
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Luke
Clanton
|
$7,400
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
J.T.
Poston
|
$7,300
|
T55
|
MC
|
T2
|
DNP
|
MC
|
|
Min
Woo Lee
|
$7,300
|
DNP
|
T9
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Brian
Harman
|
$7,200
|
T9
|
T2
|
T8
|
T5
|
MC
|
|
Rickie
Fowler
|
$7,200
|
T20
|
T13
|
MC
|
MC
|
DNP
|
|
Tom
Kim
|
$7,100
|
2nd
|
T38
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Mackenzie
Hughes
|
$7,100
|
T36
|
W/D
|
T25
|
T76
|
T3
|
|
Harry
Hall
|
$7,100
|
DNP
|
T56
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Denny
McCarthy
|
$7,000
|
T31
|
T7
|
MC
|
T73
|
W/D
|
|
Jason
Day
|
$7,000
|
T44
|
T45
|
MC
|
T10
|
T46
|
|
Ryan
Fox
|
$7,000
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Matt
Fitzpatrick
|
$6,900
|
T36
|
T49
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Nick
Taylor
|
$6,900
|
T42
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
MC
|
DNP
|
|
Max
Greyserman
|
$6,900
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Wyndham
Clark
|
$6,800
|
T9
|
T29
|
T35
|
MC
|
MC
|
|
Thomas
Detry
|
$6,800
|
T55
|
MC
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Tom
Hoge
|
$6,800
|
T3
|
T60
|
MC
|
T66
|
T37
|
|
Bud
Cauley
|
$6,800
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
W/D
|
|
Ryan
Gerard
|
$6,700
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Andrew
Novak
|
$6,700
|
DNP
|
MC
|
T46
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
C.
Bezuidenhout
|
$6,600
|
T23
|
MC
|
MC
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Michael
Kim
|
$6,600
|
DNP
|
T38
|
DNP
|
MC
|
MC
|
|
Sam
Stevens
|
$6,600
|
DNP
|
MC
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Max
Homa
|
$6,500
|
T61
|
MC
|
DNP
|
MC
|
MC
|
|
Stephan
Jaeger
|
$6,500
|
T31
|
T64
|
MC
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Alex
Noren
|
$6,500
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Kevin
Yu
|
$6,400
|
DNP
|
T49
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Jacob
Bridgeman
|
$6,400
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Davis
Thompson
|
$6,400
|
DNP
|
MC
|
DNP
|
MC
|
DNP
|
|
Byeong
Hun An
|
$6,300
|
W/D
|
MC
|
DNP
|
MC
|
T46
|
|
Gary
Woodland
|
$6,300
|
DNP
|
T33
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
MC
|
|
Matti
Schmid
|
$6,300
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Lucas
Glover
|
$6,200
|
T44
|
MC
|
T70
|
DNP
|
T20
|
|
Cam
Davis
|
$6,200
|
T48
|
T33
|
T56
|
DNP
|
MC
|
|
Eric
Cole
|
$6,200
|
T48
|
T24
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Austin
Eckroat
|
$6,100
|
T27
|
T24
|
DNP
|
T47
|
DNP
|
|
Mattieu
Pavon
|
$6,100
|
T16
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Adam
Hadwin
|
$6,100
|
T27
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
MC
|
DNP
|
|
Joe
Highsmith
|
$6,000
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Nick
Dunlap
|
$6,000
|
66th
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
|
Brian
Campbell
|
$6,000
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
DNP
|
