Day: April 16, 2019

Fantasy Insider: RBC HeritageFantasy Insider: RBC Heritage

April 16, 2019April 16, 2019| 19:52

If you’re rationing starts in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, it’s important to keep a couple of things in mind as we navigate through Segment 3. In the short-term, the RBC Heritage presents a smart opportunity to invest in second-tier commodities in what is an impressive field of 132. Harbour Town surrendered an average distance of all drives of just 273.0 yards last year. That was second-shortest of all courses and indicative of its history. Of the remaining seven stops in Segment 3, only it and Colonial Country Club (Charles Schwab Challenge, May 23-26) are cozy, so you’ll have your chances to open the throttle to chase the bonus points. All of the remaining tournaments in Segment 3 will have ShotLink measuring every stroke. This includes the PGA Championship on May 16-19. It’s the only major that utilizes it. Because next week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans is a team event, PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf will be dark. Ignore that stop if you’re mapping out starts for any of your charges. However, PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done will be in play as it is for all 46 PGA TOUR events. Related: Featured Groups | Power Rankings | Sleepers | The First Look PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf My roster for the RBC Heritage (in alphabetical order): Byeong Hun An Patrick Cantlay Bryson DeChambeau Russell Knox Ian Poulter Xander Schauffele You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Charles Howell III; Sungjae Im; Dustin Johnson; Si Woo Kim; Jason Kokrak; Matt Kuchar; Scott Piercy; Jordan Spieth Driving: Tommy Fleetwood; Lucas Glover; Charles Howell III; Sungjae Im; Jason Kokrak; Matt Kuchar; Kevin Streelman Power Rankings Wild Card Tommy Fleetwood … I know, I’m a tough crowd. He strides into his debut at Harbour Town having getting ousted from the Match Play in pool play and after finishing a forgettable T36 at the Masters where he failed to break 70 in every round, and he doesn’t appear in the Power Rankings. Hey, this field is stacked, so it’s proper time to remind all gamers that omissions from the Power Rankings don’t default to lack of confidence. Statistically, he has all of the tools, and while course experience hasn’t mattered in this tournament, it still must be respected by those who have it. Draws Jordan Spieth … Just not at his price tag in DFS. Consider rostering in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf only. We’ve been trained not to lean on his course history this season as merely making cuts doesn’t meet expectations, but no worse than a T12 (2014) in three trips can’t hurt his confidence upon arrival. Brandt Snedeker … As the winner here in 2011, he’s among the throng who have proven that great putters are not neutralized by small greens. Yet, it’s his only top 10 in 13 appearances, so that plays into the narrative of Harbour Town as a consistently fair track. Hit and miss this season, he’s recorded a pair of top fives, the latter at TPC Sawgrass a month ago. Marry the promise with the success and course knowledge at Hilton Head, and he’s an easy endorsement. Jason Kokrak … Continue to lean on the big guy. He can handle it. He connected top 20s here in 2014, 2015 and 2016. He’s also been a fixture on leaderboards with seven top-20s in the last three months. That includes top 10s in four of his last five starts. Slots 12th on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. Cameron Smith … He should be in the Power Rankings on talent alone, but he’s in a rut at the moment. That said, his floor is higher than most at Harbour Town where he’s 3-for-3 with a scoring average of 69.42 since 2015. Zero worries. Charley Hoffman … While he couldn’t find a low one at Augusta National (T29), he’s percolating again. The runner-up finish at TPC San Antonio speaks to his comfort level on that course (where he’s the all-time earnings leader), so it stands to reason that the rally will keep rolling at Harbour Town where he’s registered two top-10s and two top-25s in the last seven editions. Kevin Streelman … A wonderful convergence of trends what with a 6-for-6 slate at Harbour Town since 2011 (T7 last year) and a solo sixth in his last start at TPC San Antonio where he’s also a horse. Do not hesitate. Scott Stallings … It’s time to revise our expectations from reserving for long-term ownership in deeper leagues to consideration on a weekly basis. And it’s not so much due to a fit as it is his commitment to a stronger consistency over time. As we do, his value will be underrated, but because you still need to guard against a regression to the mean, surround with more reliable chips when you make room. Mackenzie Hughes … Similar to Brian Harman and Ollie Schniederjans a few weeks ago, the Canadian has earned some attention of late. He’s recommitted and it’s showing, but I still want to see him sustain it over time. He got hot after an 0-for-4 skid and he missed the cut in his debut at Harbour Town last year. Mark Anderson Sam Burns Matthew Fitzpatrick Lucas Glover Justin Harding Billy Horschel Charles Howell III Ryan Moore Kevin Na Scott Piercy Brian Stuard Fades Satoshi Kodaira … What shouldn’t be forgotten was that when he broke through at Harbour Town last year, he was inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking and already on our radar. It’s just that success on the Japan Golf Tour hasn’t translated into even a fraction of it in the U.S. a high percentage of the time, so we were right to remain patient. He’s since won again on his home circuit, but it’s his only top-15 finish anywhere in the last 12 months. Currently 151st in the FedExCup and without a top-35 finish in a full-field, stroke-play PGA TOUR event since a T35 at the 2018 Open Championship. Marc Leishman … As he’s elevated to a spot off to the side on the top shelf, the dearth of positive course history hasn’t applied often. However, in a satisfactorily deep field on a track where he’s logged only one top-25 (T9, 2013), and with spotty form upon arrival, this is an opportune time to give him a blow. He’ll be back in our crosshairs next time out. Corey Conners … It’s been a whirlwind, hasn’t it? I was mildly surprised to see him commit to his third start at Harbour Town (2 MCs) only because of the timing of his breakthrough victory at the Valero Texas Open and last-minute showing at the Masters. And this is his fourth straight week on the road. Zach Johnson … Well, that injection of something special didn’t appear on the Florida Swing. He hasn’t made much noise at the Masters recently, either, so we can ignore last week’s T58, but he has to sharpen his irons before regaining our confidence. It’s his precision upon approach that sparked the love affair in the first place. At worst, expect a cut made at Harbour Town based on experience and ball flight alone. Charl Schwartzel … This may seem obvious to newer gamers, but once upon a time, he was a cornerstone to make the cut and provide predictable support. Alas, he’s been just about everything but this season. Since a burst in Puerto Rico (T6) and PGA National (T16), he’s just 1-for-4 with a T61 at Corales. Alex Noren Chez Reavie Peter Uihlein Danny Willett Returning to Competition Cameron Champ … He sat out the last month following a sore back that forced him to withdraw during the second round of THE PLAYERS. He missed the cut in his previous two starts and hasn’t connected for a top 25 in a full-field event since the fall. Leave him be as he returns and makes his debut at Harbour Town. Notable WDs Louis Oosthuizen … He would have been making his second appearance at Harbour Town (T7, 2015). Shared the 36-hole lead at last week’s Masters before fading to T29. Martin Trainer … This will give him a second consecutive week off. No doubt that his win in Puerto Rico has forced him to reconstruct his schedule, but it’s always a little strange to see a rookie withdraw after any commitment deadline. Sung Kang … Even though he’s made only one cut in four tries at Harbour Town (T11, 2017), it’s curious that he’d withdraw from an invitational, but he’s all but set to qualify for the Playoffs at 63rd in FedExCup points. Since a T14 at Pebble Beach, he’s 7-for-7 with three top 20s. John Huh … This is his third straight early WD since missing the cut at THE PLAYERS. No news has surfaced to explain why and he hasn’t shared anything on social media. Power Rankings Recap – Masters Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Rory McIlroy  T21 2  Justin Rose  MC 3  Tiger Woods  Win 4  Dustin Johnson  T2 5  Rickie Fowler  T9 6  Jon Rahm  T9 7  Bubba Watson  T12 8  Justin Thomas  T12 9  Paul Casey  MC 10  Hideki Matsuyama  T32 11  Francesco Molinari  T5 12  Louis Oosthuizen  T29 13  Matt Kuchar  T12 14  Brooks Koepka  T2 15  Sergio Garcia  MC 16  Marc Leishman  T49 17  Jordan Spieth  T21 18  Patrick Reed  T36 19  Jason Day  T5 20  Henrik Stenson  T36 Wild Card  Phil Mickelson  T18 Sleepers Recap – Masters Golfer  Result Kiradech Aphibarnrat  T49 Patrick Cantlay  T9 Stewart Cink  MC Hao Tong Li  T43 Kevin Na  T46 Thorbjørn Olesen  T21 Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR April 16 … Michael Thompson (35) April 17 … Nick Taylor (31) April 18 … none April 19 … Matt Jones (39) April 20 … John Senden (48) April 21 … none April 22 … Eric Axley (45)

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Horses for Courses: RBC HeritageHorses for Courses: RBC Heritage

April 16, 2019April 16, 2019| 19:36

After an exhilarating week at the Masters it’s time to exhale and enjoy the (s)Low Country lifestyle of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina for the RBC Heritage. Pete Dye’s Harbour Town Golf Links in the Sea Pines Plantation will provide the backdrop, as it has done every year except 2011. The family-friendly atmosphere of resort life doesn’t mean easy by any means. Pete Dye’s tiny Bermuda greens, tree-lined fairways plus the coastal breezes makes this event anything but a hit-and-giggle. The pros love this test as the Par-71 (7,099 yards) doesn’t suit the bomb-and-gouge faction. Rather it requires decision-making, shot-shaping and the ability to navigate the winds that are usually ever-present this time of year. The “rough” won’t catch or slow down errant tee shots so playing out of the tress will be necessary and possible. The closely mown areas around the greens will provide a platform for plenty of chip-ins this week as well. Also, at less than 7,100 yards, finding the fairway will result in more wedges and lofted irons from premium attacking positions. Some of the smallest greens on TOUR won’t run white-hot because of the undulation and potential for wind so expect well-hit putts to roll in and Satoshi Kodaira returns and will look to join Boo Weekley as the only players to defend their title this century. The field of 132 is playing for a purse of $6.9 million with the winner’s share $1.242 million plus 500 FedExCup points. Need more Course Info? Check Rob Bolton’s Power Rankings, The First Look and Course Preview. Recent Winners Satoshi Kodaira (2018, -13): Making only his 15th TOUR start and his first at HTGL, the Japanese defeated Si Woo Kim on the third playoff hole to win the 50th edition. He began the day six back of Ian Poulter’s 54-hole lead and five back of Kim before he posted 66 on a blustery morning. Kodaira continued the trend of Masters participants winning here (only seven since 1982 have not played the week before) as he was T28 the week prior at Augusta. He also made it six consecutive winners who have overcome three or more shots in the final round. #PlayAll72. Notables: Led the field in proximity and continued the streak of winners to hit the top seven in Strokes-Gained: Tee-to-green. … The last four winners have been T2 or better in Par-4 scoring. … Bryson DeChambeau (T3) fired 64 in Round 2 to lead by one after 36 holes. … Poulter was looking to win for the second time in three weeks (Houston Open) but crumbled with 75 in the breeze (T7). Over 50 years the average winning score is 11-under. Wesley Bryan (2017, -12): Making only his 18th start on TOUR, the South Carolinian became the first native to lift the trophy. Like Kodaira, it was also his first time in the event so course history won’t be a dominant angle this week. Bryan only hit 40 GIR, the worst ever for a winner, but led the event in scrambling. Notables: Bryan made up four shots as Jason Dufner couldn’t make his 54-hole lead stand up. … Poulter began the day three back before 73 knocked him to T11. … First time the cut was under-par in 49 editions (-1). … Bryan, one of the seven not to play the week before, is not in the field this week as he recovers from a torn labrum. Branden Grace (2016, -9): The South African began the streak of first-time TOUR winners. Luke Donald led Grace by three entering the final round but finished T2 with Russell Knox, two back. Grace holed plenty of putts but he was also third in scrambling and second in Strokes-Gained: Tee-to-Green; also finished T7 in 2015 and T11 in 2017. Notables: Bryson DeChambeau made his professional debut and collected T4 cash. … Only five shots separated T30 thru T5. Key stat leaders Golfers around the top 25 in each statistic on the 2018-19 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week. This is the 26th event of the season. * – Finished inside the top 10 since 2010 Strokes-Gained: Tee-to-Green  2  *Byeong-Hun An  5  Dustin Johnson (T16, 2018; first appearance since ’09)  6  Tommy Fleetwood (first appearance)  7  Corey Conners 10 *Patrick Cantlay 11 *Matt Kuchar 12 *Jason Kokrak 13 Lucas Glover 15 Xander Schauffele 17 *Luke List (T3, 2018) 19 *Jim Furyk 20 Sungjae Im 21 D.J. Trahan 22 Keith Mitchell Scrambling  1  Lucas Glover  2  Jonathan Byrd  3  *Aaron Baddeley  5  Tommy Fleetwood  6  *Jim Furyk  7  *Webb Simpson  8  D.J. Trahan 10 Ernie Els 11 Anirban Lahiri 12 Dustin Johnson 14 *Patrick Cantlay 15 Denny McCarthy 16 *Graeme McDowell (only top 10 is 2013 win) 17 *Si Woo Kim 18 Ryan Armour 19 *Brian Stuard 21 *Marc Leishman 23 Francesco Molinari 24 *Russell Henley Bogey Avoidance  1  Lucas Glover  2  Dustin Johnson  3  Charles Howell III (best finish this decade is T22)  4  *Jim Furyk  5  *Matt Kuchar  6  *Webb Simpson  7  D.J. Trahan  8  *Patrick Cantlay  9  Ernie Els 10 Jonathan Byrd 11 Xander Schauffele 12 *Aaron Baddeley 17 Tommy Fleetwood 18 Sungjae Im 21 *Graeme McDowell 22 Abraham Ancer (first appearance) 24 *Si Woo Kim  Par-4 Scoring  1  *Patrick Cantlay  1  Jonathan Byrd (1 top 25 in 14 starts)  3  Charles Howell III  4  Lucas Glover  7  Dustin Johnson  7  Jason Kokrak  7  Abraham Ancer  7  Xander Schauffele  7  *Jim Furyk  7  Ryan Palmer  7  *Si Woo Kim  7  *Webb Simpson 21 *Graeme McDowell 21 Scott Piercy 21 Rafa Cabrera Bello 21 *Matt Kuchar 21 D.J. Trahan (first start since 2012; 1 top 25 in nine previous) 21 *Aaron Baddeley Levels of Confidence Frequent Flyers Matt Kuchar: This is the 16th-consecutive appearance and he’ll be looking to make the weekend for the 15th-straight time. The 2014 champ is 42 under and has collected T23 or better over the last five editions. Jim Furyk: When healthy he was the winner in 2010 and 2015 with a pair of top-10 paychecks squeezed between. He’s healthy again! Webb Simpson: Solo second (2013) and T5 last year highlight eight consecutive starts that have finished on Sunday. Kevin Kisner: Aiken, S.C., native has rattled off P2, T11 and T7 in three of his last four starts and is 45 under during that stretch. Patrick Cantlay: Making his third start after a combined 20 under par the last two years (T7 2018, T3 2017). Bryson DeChambeau: He’s won five times on TOUR and has gone close twice here (T3 2018, T4 2016). Metal Detected Ian Poulter: Never missed in eight tries and has been all around it the last two years until Sunday. Kevin Streelman: Rattled off six straight with bookend top-10 paydays (T3 2013, T7 2018). Luke Donald: In the last decade he’s cashed T2, T3, 2, T37, T3, 2, T15, T2, 2 and MC in 2018. Aaron Baddeley: 2006 champ has cashed 10 of 14 and has seven inside the top 25.

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