Welcome to Playing the Tips!
Each week this will be the one-stop resource to soak in all the picks from our fantasy staffers at Rotoworld.com.
Page 1 is going to look at GolfChannel.com’s fantasy game and also the PGATOUR.com’s Fantasy Game.
Page 2 will have a look at One-and-Done options as well as Daily Fantasy Sports picks (FanDuel and DraftKings).
Page 3 looks at European Tour’s Race to Dubai.
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Golf Channel (PlayFantasyGolf.com)
Josh Culp
“@FutureOfFantasy”
Last Week Points: 344
Last Week Rank: 3,000
Dustin Johnson ($33,300)
Branden Grace ($22,600)
Emiliano Grillo ($14,500)
Adam Scott ($11,400)
Tiger Woods ($9,500)
Brandt Snedeker ($7,900)
Analysis: Going with DJ as the team anchor again this week. From there, I’ve taken a balanced approach while mixing tournament history, long-term performance, and recent form.
Mo Yoshimoto
“@BearsGolf3423”
Last Week Points: 288.5
Last Week Rank: 6735
Justin Thomas ($33,300)
Jason Day ($33,200)
Branden Grace ($22,600)
Steve Stricker ($5,000)
Trey Mullinax ($4,200)
Michael Putnam ($1,400)
Analysis: Taking a top-heavy approach with JT and Day at the top. That could really pay off if the wildcards (Mullinax and Putnam) make it through the cut.
PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO
Josh Culp
“@FutureOfFantasy”
Last Week Rank: 615
Season Rank: 2,752 *Did not play most of Segment 1*
Starters:
Dustin Johnson
Henrik Stenson
Brooks Koepka
Branden Grace
Bench:
Mo Yoshimoto
“@BearsGolf3423”
Last Week Rank: 4833
Season Rank: 783
Starters:
Bench:
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One-and-Done
Each week I will think out loud about my process in determining my One-and-Done selection. If you are new to the One-and-Done format, it is like an NFL survivor league. You pick one golfer per week, but you can’t use them again all year.
Took Koepka last week which didn’t produce a top-end finish but at least he earned a paycheck. Onto this week at Shinnecock Hills.
Let’s lead things off with some tournament history, looking at weighted tournament history with an emphasis on the last 10 years:
Sergio Garcia (16-for-18 with five top 10s)
Brooks Koepka (MC-T4-T18-T13-WIN)
Matt Kuchar (10-for-15 with top 30s in seven of last eight)
Jim Furyk (20-for-23 with seven top 10s including WIN)
Brandt Snedeker (8-for-11 with six finishes of T11 or better)
Dustin Johnson (8-for-10 with four top 10s including WIN)
Louis Oosthuizen (5-for-7 with two top 10s)
Steve Stricker (18-for-20 with five straight T21 or better)
Hideki Matsuyama (4-for-5 including RUNNER-UP last year)
Martin Kaymer (8-for-10 with three top 15s including WIN)
Adam Scott (9-for-16 with top 20s in three of last four)
Jordan Spieth (5-for-6 including a WIN)
Charl Schwartzel (8-for-11 with four top 20s)
Bill Haas (5-for-9 including T5 last year)
Charley Hoffman (5-for-6 including T8 last year)
After history, we can look at baseline performance over the last few years. More recent results are weighted more heavily:
Dustin Johnson
Jordan Spieth
Jason Day
Rory Mcilroy
Henrik Stenson
Justin Rose
Jon Rahm
Rickie Fowler
Paul Casey
Hideki Matsuyama
Justin Thomas
Sergio Garcia
Phil Mickelson
Patrick Cantlay
Adam Scott
Looking for overlap we see a few names pop up: Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama, Sergio Garcia, and Adam Scott.
On a pure one-week rating level I would rank them DJ, Spieth, Scott, Hideki, and then Sergio. That is combining long-term, short-term, and tournament history.
With a huge purse up for grabs this week, I want to pluck from the top of the tree.
With plans to save DJ for this event or the PGA Championship, I will strike while the iron is hot and go with last week’s champ, Dustin Johnson.
Daily Fantasy Sports [DFS]
I will be giving out selections for one team for each DFS site, per week.
These lineups will be entered into a large-entry Guaranteed Prize Pool. That means we need to take a risk or two, in order to separate ourselves from the field.
The idea is to provide you a list of names to consider. I would not recommend copying these teams, golfer for golfer. Duplicate teams are no fun and don’t help anyone.
FanDuel Picks:
Dustin Johnson (12,400): Was playing great golf all year but not getting the results. That changed last week and I wouldn’t expect him to slow down anytime soon.
Emiliano Grillo ($8,800): Swinging some hot sticks right now. He’s gained 3.5 or more strokes gained on approach in four of his last five starts.
Charl Schwartzel ($8,800): Retief Goosen won at Shinnecock Hills the last time it hosted. There were a few other South Africans contending that week as well. If that trend continues then Schwartzel could fling his name into contention this week. He’s been really close to putting it all together lately so I’m not going to let a bad weekend in Memphis draw me off the scent.
Branden Grace ($10,000): Another South African and this one is still searching for his first major win. He’s come close on more than a few occasions.
Adam Scott ($9,800): Changing caddies and can’t dial in his putting but he remains one of the world’s best ball-strikers.
Brandt Snedeker ($9,500): Coming off a season-best finish at the St. Jude Classic. Now he heads to the U.S. Open where he’s feasted over the years, regardless of the course they throw at him.
DraftKings Picks:
Henrik Stenson ($8,800): With Stenson as the team anchor, it allows us to build a balanced roster where all six guys have a reasonable chance at winning the event.
Paul Casey ($8,000): Started his week with an Instagram that suggested how much he liked Shinnecock Hills. After a scary, pre-tourney WD at THE PLAYERS he returned on the Euro Tour with a T20 (BMW PGA Championship).
Matt Kuchar ($7,600): This steady Eddie racks up top 30s wherever he goes. He’s not without upside, though, which leaves him as a nice plug-and-play option when you need to round out a team.
Patrick Reed (8,500): Just had a Triple Crown winner in Justify. Why not a Grand Slam winner? The only one capable of that in 2018 is Reed who donned the green jacket at Augusta National.
Adam Scott ($7,900): The Aussie has secured top 20s in three of his last four U.S. Open appearances.
Branden Grace (8,400): This big-game hunter has come so close to picking off a major. This week’s links course should suit him well. Dropping down to Grace leaves $800 on the table and leaves a good chance of this team staying unique.
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2018 Fantasy Race to Dubai
Dave Tindall is our main man in Europe. In addition to his weekly previews of European Tour events on Mondays, he’ll share his selections and analysis for the Fantasy Race to Dubai at EuropeanTour.com.
Format: Pick 6 golfers. Players accumulate points based on Race to Dubai (R2D) points earned. Captain’s points are doubled. Unlimited team changes can be made each week.
Team Tindall (Team name: YESSIR!)
Last week: Not bad. Had winner Mikko Korhonen and I’m up a thousand spots in the last two weeks although, unfortunately, that’s from nearly 9000th to nearly 8000th. Huge week here.
Pos: 7,951
Rory McIlroy (captain): Back to the default strategy of using Rory as skipper whenever he’s available. 2011 U.S. Open champ should have a big week.
Justin Rose: Close to topping the world rankings in recent weeks so simply can’t leave him out even though there are doubts about him on windy, exposed courses. Won the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion.
Patrick Reed: Got to Shinnecock early and loves it. Can freewheel here after landing the green jacket at Augusta National in April.
Branden Grace: If Shinnecock requires a mix of U.S. Open and Open Championship skills, Grace has rich recent form in both. South Africans excelled here in 2004.
Louis Oosthuizen: I’ll get another South African on board. Runner-up at Chambers Bay after terrible start and he should relish this test. Promising recent form.
Rafa Cabrera Bello: Sneaky feeling he’ll be top Spaniard this week with Sergio out of form and Rahm’s temper putting a question mark over his chances in the major which requires a cool head. RCB is in great form and thrives in windy conditions.
Matt Cooper is part of our European team. He contributes to player news, and he’ll share his selections and analysis for the Fantasy Race to Dubai at EuropeanTour.com. He was the winner of the Ladies European Tour’s Fantasy League in 2011.
Team Cooper (Team name: NormanStanleyFletcher)
Last week: A gain of a mighty nine places thanks to having the newly unflappable Mikko Korhonen on the team.
Position: 134th
Justin Rose (captain): Prefers traditional US Open layouts, in fine fettle, hungry for more major success and seems to have lined himself up for this one.
Rory McIlroy: A good week would not surprise me, but a win would if the wind has any impact. Foolish to leave out given we have six free picks.
Branden Grace: Lots to like. A fine US Open record, decent form and a solid player in wind and on links (if he feels there is a likeness). Potential inspiration from the Goosen win, his recent 30th birthday and birth of a child.
Bryson DeChambeau: Some will overlook that the American is a viable option for this game and it could be a tough one to swallow for them. Great form and ready to take it to the next level.
Jon Rahm: Struggled with the majors, but managed fourth at the Masters and another who I am wary of leaving out. Might help that, as at Augusta, he’s under the radar Monday to Wednesday.
Rafa Cabrera Bello: Tossed and turned, ohhed and ahhed over this one. Almost as much about who to disregard as who to pick. Running into form and a sense that the test will suit.
