Fantasy Insider: Fantasy golf advice for the U.S. Open

Segment 3 of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO hasn’t been as challenging as it seemed in terms of rationing starts despite it consisting of 14 tournaments, including the first two majors and THE PLAYERS. The ebb and flow of personal scheduling aside, our positive experience is an indication of the strong competitive balance among the elite. Anecdotally, I’ve discussed where to exhaust three starts for any golfer far less than even a year ago. This is sure to change in Segment 4 what with the last two majors, the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and four FedExCup Playoffs events among only nine tournaments, but we’ll cross that bridge at The Open Championship in July. This week’s U.S. Open is the 10th event of Segment 3. Of the remaining five, it’s the only stop at which ShotLink is not in use. This means that overall fantasy scoring will be lower as bonus points are multiplied. And that means that you want to focus solely on leaderboard finish. Actual scoring by round will not resonate, but you still need to get four to the finish line. Even if you’re somehow dry on starts for golfers you’d like to play, because overall scoring will be lower, you won’t lose as much ground if you struggle. This reality leaves any noticeable movement to gamers in pursuit who can slingshot by with the proper combination of contenders. In response, front-runners should focus on playing defense. Go for the stymies and leave the good luck to another week. You’re not going to miss most of the guys for whom you have one start remaining. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for the U.S. Open (in alphabetical order): Jason Day Rickie Fowler Dustin Johnson Rory McIlroy Jon Rahm Justin Rose You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Bryson DeChambeau; Tommy Fleetwood; Marc Leishman; Phil Mickelson; Patrick Reed; Justin Thomas Driving: n/a Approach: n/a Short: n/a Returning to Competition Scott Piercy Walked off TPC Southwind after nine holes of his second round last week. An explanation wasn’t released. It marked the conclusion of a week that started stronger at the U.S. Open sectional qualifier in Memphis. He settled for the position of first alternate, and then gained entry into the major when alternates from four sites filled the remaining vacancies in the field of 156 at Shinnecock Hills. It was just two years ago when he shared runner-up honors at Oakmont, but it’s his only top 50 among two paydays in six appearances. Kevin Stadler It was easy to miss that he returned to competition at last week’s Rust-Oleum Championship on the Web.com Tour outside Chicago. Unlike last year’s abbreviated attempt at a comeback, the 38-year-old not only made the cut but he placed T22. After years sidelined for what was a misdiagnosis of a hand injury, he had surgery for a stress fracture in his palm in 2017. Lo and behold, he’s pain-free and bullish about the future. For a detailed recap of last week’s success, click here. Barring a setback, with 26 starts remaining on his Major Medical Extension on the PGA TOUR, he’s going to be an automatic buy in full-season salary games in 2018-19. Notable WDs None Power Rankings Recap – FedEx St. Jude Classic Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Brooks Koepka  T30 2  Dustin Johnson  Win 3  Phil Mickelson  T12 4  Henrik Stenson  T26 5  Billy Horschel  T51 6  Tony Finau  MC 7  Daniel Berger  MC 8  Luke List  T56 9  Peter Uihlein  T43 10  Charl Schwartzel  72nd 11  Joaquin Niemann  MC 12  Adam Scott  DNP 13  Ben Crane  MC 14  Kiradech Aphibarnrat  MC 15  T.J. Vogel  MC Wild Card  Steve Stricker  T18 Sleepers Recap – FedEx St. Jude Classic Golfer  Result Chad Campbell  T45 James Hahn  T45 Matt Jones  T51 Chez Reavie  T6 Braden Thornberry  T26 Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR June 12 … none June 13 … Peter Malnati (31) June 14 … none June 15 … Lanto Griffin (30); Ollie Schniederjans (25) June 16 … Phil Mickelson (48) June 17 … David Hearn (39) June 18 … none

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