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: 480.5
Last Week Rank: 1,340
Dustin Johnson ($33,300)
Billy Horschel (24,200)
Stephan Jaeger ($13,300)
Ben Crane ($11,400)
Shawn Stefani ($10,200)
Peter Malnati ($7,600)
Analysis: Using the big-hitting DJ as my anchor. He won here in 2012. Trusting my gut with Stephan Jaeger who has ties to the state of Tennessee. Horschel has a lot of success here in Memphis while his 2018 results have been somewhat boom or bust.
Mo Yoshimoto
“@BearsGolf3423”
Last Week Points: 382.0
Last Week Rank: 7200
Brooks Koepka ($33,300)
Billy Horschel ($24,200)
Matt Jones ($11,700)
Ben Crane ($11,400)
Joel Dahmen ($10,100)
Fabian Gomez ($7,700)
Analysis: Have a few repeat names on our teams (Horschel and Crane). Dahmen is riding a hot hand and also finished top 20 here last year.
PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO
Josh Culp
“@FutureOfFantasy”
Last Week Rank: 3,462
Season Rank: 3,095 *Did not play most of Segment 1*
Starters:
Dustin Johnson
Henrik Stenson
Phil Mickelson
Luke List
Bench:
Mo Yoshimoto
“@BearsGolf3423”
Last Week Rank: 17502
Season Rank: 918
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.
Finally got back on track with a T13 from Kuchar last week. Let’s try to secure another top-heavy finish this week in Memphis.
Let’s lead things off with some course horses, looking at weighted course history with an emphasis on the last 10 years:
Phil Mickelson (6-for-7 with three PODIUMS)
Daniel Berger (WIN-WIN)
Brooks Koepka (T19-T3-T2-T37)
Ben Crane (11-for-12 including WIN)
Harris English (4-for-5 including WIN)
Chad Campbell (8-for-10 with three top 10s)
Billy Horschel (5-for-7 with four straight top 10s)
Fabian Gomez (3-for-5 with three top 20s)
Chez Reavie (3-for-4 with three top 30s)
David Hearn (7-for-8 with two top 20s)
Matt Jones (3-for-6 with three straight top 30s)
Dustin Johnson (4-for-5 including WIN)
Retief Goosen (7-for-9 with three top 15s)
Kevin Chappell (T22-T4)
Tyrone Van Aswegen (3-for-4 with three top 35s)
After history, we can look at baseline performance over the last few years. More recent results are weighted more heavily:
Dustin Johnson
Henrik Stenson
Phil Mickelson
Brooks Koepka
Joaquin Niemann
Steve Stricker
Tony Finau
Daniel Berger
Brandt Snedeker
Charl Schwartzel
Luke List
Byeong Hun An
Charles Howell III
Kevin Chappell
J.B. Holmes
Looking for overlap we see a few names pop up: Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Daniel Berger, and Kevin Chappell.
I would love to fire at Phil here but I’ve already used him.
This is a pretty small purse so I don’t want to use DJ here, even though I think a top 10 is very, very likely.
I’ve also used the two-time champ, Daniel Berger so I must continue my search.
Chappie would be a great pick... if he had any form.
That leaves me with Brooks Koepka who has fired rounds of 63 in three of his last five rounds. Here at TPC Southwind, he’s posted 67 or better in 7-of-12 rounds. Not too shabby! Koepka it is.
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 (12,900): Needs a win to regain his World No. 1 tag. I won’t bank on that, but he’s a strong bet for a top 10 in this thin field.
Ben Crane (9,100): Ranks 6th on the tournament’s career earnings list.
Billy Horschel (10,600): Would need a win to qualify for the U.S. Open. Not likely, but with four straight top 10s here, I’m thinking he should flash his name into contention.
Shawn Stefani (8,000): Has a pair of top 10s on his St. Jude Classic resume.
Luke List (10,300): Provides the scoring power, ranked 3rd in total birdies and 16th in total eagles. Fills it up in bunches.
Harris English (8,500): A past champ at TPC Southwind. Attended high school in Tennessee.
DraftKings Picks:
Luke List (8,300): Attended high school and college in the state. Finished T18 here last year. Has proven this year that he can club down and still be a fantasy force.
Billy Horschel (9,700): With water everywhere and bermuda greens, a lot of Floridians have success here. Horschel is no exception, posting top 10s in each of his last four trips.
Shawn Stefani (7,500): On the record for loving zoysia fairways, bermuda, and hot weather. That’s great news for this event since it features all three.
Harris English (8,100): Won here in his 2013 debut and also added a T10 last year.
Ben Crane (7,400): His fairways-and-greens style of golf has led to finishes of T41 or better in 10 of his 12 starts at TPC Southwind.
Steve Stricker (8,800): I’m surprised he’s still in the field after qualifying for the U.S. Open but I will load him up until I hear otherwise. Stricker has the perfect game to pick apart TPC Southwind. His confidence off the tee should help him avoid trouble.
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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 really the week I wanted and making Molinari captain would have helped but up 800 spots.
Pos: 8,192
Lee Slattery: Top three in Italy last week (62 in round three!) and owns a top five and a top ten here.
Lorenzo Gagli: Excellent tee-to-green numbers have fuelled form of 14-20-20. Also has a win and a second on his last two Challenge Tour starts and a top ten here.
Tom Lewis: Punched his ticket to the US Open on Monday. Can celebrate here where he was T10 on debut.
Ashun Wu: Course horse. Winner on first start in 2016 and T10 when defending.
Mikko Korhonen: Last year’s runner-up was also T9 on his previous start at Diamond CC. Clean 5-for-5 slate here and T15 at Wentworth was a notable effort.
David Horsey: Current form not ideal but 2-31-38-9 at this course suggests this is a good spot for the turnaround.
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: Missed the winner, but local hero Molinari saved the week.
Position: 143rd
Matthias Schwab (captain): Lots to like about how he has played in the last 12 months. Proved himself quietly on the Challenge Tour, taken the step up with some ease.
Miguel Angel Jimenez: If the youngster can’t do it, maybe the veteran can. I like his Champions form, the fact he span it out last week in Italy, and the showman in him will love this opportunity.
Dean Burmester: Long term quality performances at a higher grade, big chance to add a title. Will provide a replacement for Burmester ASAP.
Erik Van Rooyen: Less experienced than Burmester, but the theory is very similar. Will provide a replacement for Van Rooyen ASAP.
Ashun Wu: In a nice vein of form and quite clearly loves the track. Simple pick.
Mikko Korhonen: Completing the team with another course specialist. His form earns him the selection ahead of Gregory Bourdy.
Nino Bertasio: Made five straight cuts ahead of going into the Italian Open with high expectations on his home course and going MC. Twice played nicely at Diamond CC (T19-T10).
Gregory Bourdy: Very average form for the four-time ET winner, but loves the course.
