Golf Channel (NBC Sports Predictor App)
It’s FedExCup Playoffs time which means the FootJoy $100,000 Championship kicks off this week on the app. Make sure you update the app to make sure you’re able to use all your tickets for this contest which runs for the length of the FEC Playoffs.
The format is simple as you pick six head-to-head matchups. Then you pick a winner and winning score.
The FootJoy Championship is a three-event contest with $100,000 rewarded at the end of the Playoffs. It will be $50,000 to first and paid out to the top 10. If you’ve been playing all season then you’ve likely accumulating some tickets so make sure you use them all this week.
We will provide our picks for the format below and then provide some notes about why we chose our matchup picks or why we like a certain golfer to win.
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Josh Culp
“@FutureOfFantasy”
Top Weekly Score: 85 pts
Matchups:
Rory McIlroy over Brooks Koepka
Tiger Woods over Bryson DeChambeau
Dustin Johnson over Jon Rahm
Justin Thomas over Webb Simpson
Justin Rose over Tommy Fleetwood
Collin Morikawa over Matthew Wolff
Winner:
Rory McIlroy (-14)
Josh’s Notes:
It’s not a major so you pick against Koepka, right? It’s not that simple considering he just won the WGC. It’s Rory who brings a bit of course experience to the table this week so I will give him the slight lean over Koepka who grades out strongly in his own right.
Speaking of course experience, it is Tiger Woods who has finished runner-up in both of his appearances at Liberty National. Fire him up with confidence this week.
The next one is tough because DJ is a little shaky lately but the best golfer on the planet when he’s hitting fairways. Meanwhile, Rahm has been as steady as they come with five straight finishes of T11 or better, worldwide. I’m going to side with long-term stats but this is one matchup I will flip-flop on when using the remainder of my tickets.
After that we have Webb versus JT. Simpson is scorching lately and also has a strong history at Liberty National. I’m not going to let the short-term results blind me. Thomas has bettered Simpson in 9 of the last 16 events they’ve played together.
In the battle for England, I will lean ever-so-slightly in the favor of Rose. He was a runner-up finisher the last time Liberty National hosted this event (2013).
Wolff impressed me last week with his ability to handle a less-than-driver layout at Sedgefield Country Club. That being said, I have Morikawa’s adjusted performance about 3/4 of a shot per round better this year and that doesn’t even include the Stableford event where Morikawa won. The young Cal-Berkeley product is performing like a top-15 golfer in the world right out of the gate. Remarkable stuff.
Mo Yoshimoto
“@Bears3423”
Top Weekly Score: 90 pts
Matchups:
Rory McIlroy over Brooks Koepka
Bryson DeChambeau over Tiger Woods
Jon Rahm over Dustin Johnson
Justin Thomas over Webb Simpson
Justin Rose over Tommy Fleetwood
Matthew Wolff over Collin Morikawa
Winner:
Rory McIlroy (-16)
Mo’s Notes:
I have 12 tickets (entries) into the Quarterfinals. The above picks were my first choices.
Going back to the well on the Ulsterman. He was my pick in this space two weeks ago at the WGC-FedEx and almost took it home.
McIlroy was the 54-hole leader by one in Memphis, shot 1-over 71 to dip to T4, five back of playing competitor and champion Brooks Koepka, who shot 65 in their first-ever final-round pairing. The duo were also paired together in the first two rounds, just like they are this week, which was basically a wash.
The 30-year-old has won twice this season in 16 starts and is the leader in top 10s with 12, seven of those top 5s.
Both of his wins, most recently the Canadian Open four starts ago, came from the EARLY/late draw, just like this week, and both began off No. 10 tee, just like this week.
Among his 16 TOUR victories, McIlroy has won four FedExCup Playoffs events, most recently the 2016 TOUR Championship en route to the FEC title.
He ranks No. 1 in SG: Tee-to-Green (2.275) and Scoring Average (69.090), and is No. 2 (to Koepka) in FEC points.
