Even in defeat at Pebble Beach, Phil Mickelson remains relevant

Every so often, the narrative of bringing a course to its knees is tossed around and usually in the context of an implication that there’s only one dragonslayer out there. It’s obviously true that it takes only one to wear the badge and there’s only one winner in any PGA TOUR event, but it would be foolish to ignore the breadth of prospects for the role. It wouldn’t be wrong to classify Bubba Watson as something of a mythological figure for how he’s taken down his fair share of challengers with a combination of power and flair, and he’s not the all-time earnings leader at the Travelers Championship by accident, but how he’s risen to victory twice in the tournament isn’t a model everyone can replicate. Note how his blend of suffocating TPC River Highlands for pars after hitting it as far as he can in 2015 appears in stark contrast to the methodical beatdowns authored by Kevin Streelman in 2014 and Russell Knox last year. The only commonality between the three is as it concerns scoring on the par 4s, but a deviation from that would be the surprise. With 12 par 4s on the course and with par 4s comprising the majority of all holes on the PGA TOUR, illustrating that data is entirely fact over friction. TALE OF THE TAPE When constructing a fantasy lineup for the Travelers, consider a dose of length off the tee in response to Watson’s proof that it plays at TPC River Highlands, but limit its value as a bonus to golfers who pile up scoring opportunities. That is the priority. This isn’t to imply that ball-striking is the solution, either, as that includes one part accuracy off the tee, which is not a prerequisite for success here. The value of distance and accuracy on approach is so high that I’ve tripled down in the identifiers below. Then, because the area of the greens is slightly below average at 5,500 square feet, I’ve turned back the clock to focus on the average number of putts per greens in regulation. In fact, those who will scramble to take down this animal are likely to contend to lead the field in most GIR and fewest putts per. It’s the classic one-two punch that’s always easier said than done. Golfers in this week’s field inside the top 10 in the following categories in last year’s Travelers Championship: * – Currently inside the top 50 on the PGA TOUR in the stat. (Golfers who haven’t logged enough rounds are not tagged.) Greens in Regulation Rank  Golfer (Tournament Finish) T1  Zac Blair (T62) T1  Webb Simpson (T34) T1  *Justin Thomas (T3) T5  Daniel Berger (T5) T5  *Paul Casey (T17) T5  *Russell Knox (Win) T5  Shawn Stefani (T11) 10th  Daniel Summerhays (T11) Proximity to the Hole Rank  Golfer (Tournament Finish) 1  *Webb Simpson (T34) 3  Hudson Swafford (T38) T4  Robert Garrigus (T5) 6  *Jim Furyk (T5) 7  *Brendan Steele (T17) T8  Daniel Berger (T5) T8  Shawn Stefani (T11) Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green Rank  Golfer (Tournament Finish) 1  *Webb Simpson (T34) 2  *Daniel Berger (T5) 3  Russell Knox (Win) 4  Hudson Swafford (T38) 6  *Justin Thomas (T3) 8  Shawn Stefani (T11) 9  Jim Furyk (T5) Putts Per GIR Rank  Golfer (Tournament Finish) 1  Jim Furyk (T5) 2  Bryson DeChambeau (T47) 5  Stuart Appleby (T47) 6  Patrick Rodgers (T3) 7  *Marc Leishman (T9) 8  Russell Knox (Win) The only criterion from which I’m unwilling to budge to include any golfer on this page is that he must have recorded at least one top 10 on the host course for the tournament. If it’s been a while since his last (or only), he may not appear, either. For example, Bob Estes is 5-or-6 with two top 10s at TPC River Highlands, but his more recent top 10 was a T8 in 1995. Yet, omission from this fantasy aid, and this goes for Estes as well, shouldn’t be digested as an automatic fade in any fantasy format. The extreme example is if a golfer has, say, 10 T11s in as many starts. That wouldn’t qualify him for a spot below, but you wouldn’t want to dismiss him from consideration for your purposes. Keegan Bradley is the poster boy for the loophole this week. He’s 6-for-6 since debuting in 2011. He has a pair of top 25s and a scoring average of 68.58. If that sounds familiar, it might be because you have already read my expanded capsule on him in this week’s Sleepers. Others who wear this hat will appear there and in the Fantasy Insider every Tuesday. NOTE: The groups below are comprehensive to assist in data mining. Inclusion doesn’t imply automatic endorsement in every fantasy game as all decisions are specific to your situation. CONFIDENCE MEN Selected golfers with multiple cuts made sorted by rank on the tournament’s money list.   BUILDING CONFIDENCE Sorted by best finish, selected golfers who are either finally finding form on the course or are still relatively new to the tournament but have enjoyed some success.   OTHER SIGNS OF CONFIDENCE Sorted by most recent top 10s, selected golfers for whom it’s been a few years since their last.

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CROMWELL, Conn. — Paul Casey shot an 8-under 62 on Saturday to take a four-stroke lead into the final round of the Travelers Championship. The Valspar winner in Florida in March for his first PGA TOUR title in nine years, Casey called the bogey-free round at TPC River Highlands his best of the year. The Englishman had six birdies and an eagle — at the signature par-4 15th hole — to reach 16-under 194. He broke out of the pack by hitting all 18 greens and has a streak of 23 straight heading into Sunday. Russell Henley was 12 under after a 67, and J.B. Holmes, Anirban Lahiri and third-round leader Brain Harman were 11 under. Jason Day shot 66, and Bubba Watson 67. Leaving them 10 under. Watson came from six back to the 2010 event, and beat Casey in a playoff in 2015. Defending champion Jordan Spieth was 3 under after a 71. He opened 63-73.

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