Fantasy Insider: Farmers Insurance Open

Like the effects of full and new moons on tides, in a couple iterations of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf over the years, shootouts have allowed for greater surges. Of course, this also means that there is the potential for a deeper setback with a poor team performance. RELATED: Horses for Courses, Statistically Speaking The phenomenon on the game play this season is more impactful because pars are worth one point. With solid, pre-cut play at the Shriners Children’s Open, because TPC Summerlin has been the easiest par 71 on the PGA TOUR three seasons running (and in ideal weather similar to this week’s), you already would be scoring more points with more par breakers than your opponents who don’t have at least four make the cut, but now you’re scoring more points overall because of the elevated value of pars. My first priority when building my roster is to establish six who are projected to make the cut. But, because golf if a four-letter word, better-laid plans often are ruined. To wit, I’ve had exactly and only three cash in each of the first two tournaments of 2022-23. The old chestnut about insanity doesn’t apply to this pursuit, however. Golf is golf, and fantasy golf is fantasy golf. Stick to your process because this is the wrong week to absorb more zeroes. POWER RANKINGS WILD CARD Si Woo Kim (-160 for a Top 20) … Speaking of golf is golf, he slotted No. 12 (of 12) for the Internationals in my Power Rankings for the Presidents Cup, and then led the team with three points by going 3-1-0 in the losing cause. Go figure. The swing to the extremes essentially defines our visceral reaction over time. We love that he loves to play often, but we could do without so many mid-tournament withdrawals. Of course, we also love how often he plays well, but there’s little causality from one start to the next. The positive spin, at least for him, is that if there was a Power Rankings based on the suspicion of which guys have the shortest memories, he’d be prominently positioned in it. So, here we are at TPC Summerlin where he’s 4-for-5 with a trio of top 15s and a scoring average of 68.22 in 18 rounds. Recent form suggests that he’ll add to the success, but he still angles in as a contrarian in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf because of the persistent doubt. DRAWS Rickie Fowler (+225 for a Top 20) … Set aside the enormity of his shortcomings of the last whatever period of time that you prefer. He’s poised for an inflection point right now. He’s fresh off a T6 at the Fortinet, which occurred amid news that he’s reunited with Butch Harmon, who’s based in Las Vegas, which is where Fowler finished T3 at THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT a year ago and where this week’s Shriners is contested. Fowler’s last of four career top 25s on TPC Summerlin was a T4 in 2018. It’s also a perfect time to remind you that the 33-year-old is in his contract season. Cam Davis (-145 for a Top 40) … I’m not cool, but I’m cautious. Continue to love him in the long-term, but he’s in a transitional spot right now. An outstanding last four months of the 2021-22 season proved why he shoulders high expectations, but it’s fair to wonder if a letdown is brewing if his Presidents Cup debut was the endpoint of the arc. He’s perfect in three tries at TPC Summerlin, but none went for a top 25 and none were in the context of what’s he’s experiencing right now. Mark Hubbard (-110 for a Top 40) … While he’s still falling short of what’s so often a first PGA TOUR victory, he still needs to be valued for continuing to put himself into position to strike. Last week’s T5 was his third top-five finish of the last three months and the latest in a litany of impressive results scattered across 2022. He’s 3-for-6 at TPC Summerlin and with no better than a T35 in 2015, but his current trajectory projects for a personal best this week. Alex Noren (-145 for a Top 40) … Reviewing his current two-week stretch, this is a little like if the Los Angeles Rams were coming off a tight game in the snow, wind and cold of Green Bay before returning home to the much more comfortable climes of a home game the following weekend. While there’s open air at SoFi Stadium in L.A., it’s essentially indoors, just like the Swede’s test at TPC Summerlin this week. He finished T2 in less-than-desirable conditions at the Dunhill Links last week and he’s making his Shriners debut. The last time he crossed continents in the same short time frame, he chased a T30 at the Genesis Scottish Open with a solo second at the Barracuda Championship. That was inside three months ago. Justin Suh (+125 for a Top 40) … Keep the faith, at least in DFS, but the leash is shortening rapidly. After opening his membership debut with a pair of bad missed cuts, TPC Summerlin will embrace his aggressive tendencies. He can reconnect with what got him here and what slotted him No. 1 on the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour in the all-around ranking. He’s also not a debutant in the tournament, having finished T8 in 2020. Christiaan Bezuidenhout Will Gordon Adam Hadwin Lee Hodges Chris Kirk Matt Kuchar K.H. Lee Denny McCarthy Scott Piercy Seamus Power Kevin Streelman Adam Svensson Nick Taylor Odds sourced on Tuesday, October 4th at 7 p.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm FADES J.T. Poston … Y’all know that I’ve never ridden fences and that I approach my opinion from a conservative position. The thought is to start at the bottom and work my way up. With only one winner every week and so much “losing,” it’s the proper way to prognosticate. I remind you of that because he’s been on some kind of run for a little over three months, but he missed the cut at the Sanderson Farms (where he was No. 3 in my Power Rankings; see RECAP below). If he had extended his form, he’d likely have been a mild draw because his course history at TPC Summerlin is a mixed bag. In six trips, he’s scored under par in every opening round but he’s cashed only twice. One of those was for a T4 in 2017. So, this week serves as a terrific test to observe how what’s been working for him lately can lift him in a tournament that’s given him fits more often than not. Mito Pereira … Life comes at ya fast when you’re a PGA TOUR rookie and one of the best in your class, as he was in 2021-22. The Chilean scaled into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking with his disappointing T3 at the PGA Championship, and he retained that form for another two weeks, but it’s been a whole lotta nada since – just 4-for-6 without a top 40 and a 0-2-1 showing in his Presidents Cup debut. Even with accepted rigors contributing to the slump, many others weren’t upended despite similar scheduling. Cameron Champ … Just 1-for-3 at TPC Summerlin (T28, 2018) and has continued to pop way too infrequently since winning the 3M Open a little over 14 months ago. Wrist issue, bad habits as a result of playing through it, or whatever, the struggle has been real for a guy who has made it look so easy at times. Keith Mitchell … The 30-year-old has been gliding along for about a year now, but he’s 0-for-4 at TPC Summerlin despite six red numbers among eight scores. Ben Martin … While your instinct might be to wonder why he deserved attention at all, much less as a Fade, it was at TPC Summerlin in 2014 where he recorded his lone PGA TOUR title. He answered with a T25 in his title defense, and then missed the cut in the following two editions and hasn’t returned since. His close call at Corales earlier this year was one of the most poignantly self-aware moments of 2022, so it was gratifying how he rose to the challenge in the KFT Finals to secure his PGA TOUR card once again, but all of these are short-lived and overextending examples of what he’s capable of achieving, not who has been week in and week out. Zac Blair … Served notice upon return this summer with three top 25s contributing to a 6-for-6 stretch across two tours. The streak was punctuated by a T12 at the season-opening Fortinet Championship. However, he missed the cut last week and he’s missed five straight at TPC Summerlin since 2015. Just don’t let it deter you from a full-season investment. He’s equipped with a full slate of starts via a Major Medical Extension, so he’ll be able to pick and choose the opens in which he competes. Byeong Hun An Jason Day Harris English Danny Lee Maverick McNealy Chez Reavie Patrick Rodgers Brendon Todd Gary Woodland NOTABLE WDs Trey Mullinax … It’s too soon to know for sure but it would be surprising if he didn’t tee it up in each of the next two weeks. He’s never qualified for the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP and THE CJ CUP in South Carolina until now. So, after finishing 2021-22 with a flourish that included his breakthrough victory at the Barbasol Championship, and then opening this season 0-for-2, a break right now makes sense. It also gives him a chance to acclimate to Japan early if he makes the trip. Davis Riley … Like Mullinax, Riley also qualified for the first two invitationals of the 2022-23 season for the first time. If anything, no matter performances leading up to the forthcoming fortnight, the more surprising fact isn’t that each committed to and withdrew early from the Shriners, but that either committed in the first place. RECAP – SANDERSON FARMS CHAMPIONSHIP POWER RANKINGS Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Sahith Theegala MC 2 Harris English MC 3 J.T. Poston MC 4 Davis Thompson T67 5 Sam Burns T30 6 Denny McCarthy T39 7 Emiliano Grillo T5 8 Scott Stallings T13 9 Trey Mullinax MC 10 Taylor Montgomery T9 11 Russell Henley MC 12 Davis Riley T19 13 Byeong Hun An MC 14 Taylor Moore T24 15 Henrik Norlander T24 Wild Card Chris Kirk T30 SLEEPERS Golfer (Bet, if applicable) Result Adam Hadwin (+225 for a Top 20) T45 Aaron Rai (+225 for a Top 20) T61 MJ Daffue T61 Zecheng Dou T54 Lee Hodges T30 GOLFBET Bet: Davis Riley, Wyndham Clark and Taylor Moore – All the Make the Cut (+180) Result: Riley (T19), Clark (MC), Moore (T24) BIRTHDAYS AMONG ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE PGA TOUR October 4 … none October 5 … Kelly Kraft (34) October 6 … none October 7 … none October 8 … none October 9 … none October 10 … Charlie Beljan (38) Responsible sports betting starts with a game plan. Set a budget. Keep it social. Play with friends. Learn the game and know the odds. Play with trusted, licensed operators. CLICK HERE to learn more at HaveAGamePlan.org.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Tiger Woods never recovered from a quadruple bogey on the iconic Island Green on Friday at TPC Sawgrass, but the 80-time PGA TOUR winner left THE PLAYERS Championship full of optimism. Woods came into the week following a neck injury that kept him out of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, but the 43-year-old closed with his best round of the championship on Sunday. His 3-under 69 left him at 6 under for the week, well off the pace, but still looking ahead with a positive mindset as he gears up to play the World Golf Championships–Dell Technologies Match Play for the first time since 2013. “I was close to getting over the hurdle and getting things rolling, and unfortunately I made a seven over at 17 (on Friday). I missed a few putts that I could have very easily got the momentum going that could have gotten me on a run,â€� Woods said. At the time, Woods had in fact entered the top 10 and was just two off the lead. Two balls in the water ended his charge as a serious threat. “I was close. I know that the score doesn’t really indicate that, but this is one of the golf courses … there’s some weird spots here … this is probably the most stressful golf course you ever play when there’s wind out here,â€� Woods added. “I felt like I was playing well. My score didn’t really indicate that going into the final day, but I was hitting the golf ball well and I’m frustrated at lipping more putts out than I think I have in a very long time. Just one of those weeks where just nothing really got rolling enough to get me going.â€� Woods’ putting may not have been to his full liking, but it was a serious improvement after his previous two efforts. The two-time FedExCup champion had six three-putts in both the Genesis Open and the World Golf Championships–Mexico Championship prompting him to bring in putting coach Matt Killen. He ended the week in the positive when it came to Strokes Gained: Putting. Woods also found himself near the top of the field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee. “I’m excited the way I drove it. I drove the ball well this week,â€� Woods enthused after hitting 12 of 14 fairways on Sunday. “I drove it not quite as long on the weekend with a little bit cooler temperatures, but I was driving it pretty straight and I was able to shape the golf ball both ways with all three of my woods, which was good to see.â€� As for his neck – and fused lower back – Woods said there were no issues coming out of TPC Sawgrass. And he has no concern with the prospect of having to play seven rounds at Austin Country Club should he be in contention to win the WGC–Dell Technologies Match Play for a fourth time. “I’m hoping that I can play all the matches. That would be great,â€� Woods said. “I’m guaranteed to play three instead of when I played it was only one guaranteed, so that’s kind of nice knowing that I’ll be able to get at least three good rounds in, possibly more if I play well, and that’s basically like a tournament.â€�

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Just 15 minutes outside the heart of Playa del Carmen, Mexico, is a proud place where young hearts and minds are nurtured and developed. At first a source of hope, those who rise through the K’iin Beh School end up with purpose and an educated intent. That’s good news not just for the Playa del Carmen community, but the worldwide community, too. In Mayan, the term K’iin Beh translates to “the way of the sun.” What began with 20 preschool children in its first year in operation in 2011, Ki’in Beh has ballooned into a thriving, yet humble, organization today, effectively growing the hearts and minds of more than 400 students—now all the way into high school. A bilingual non-profit school established for local Cristo Ray community children in Playa del Carmen, K’iin Beh focuses not only on providing a solid education to local children, but more importantly, it instills in the students strong principles and values. On Tuesday of last week’s World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba, upwards of 60 students, mostly 10th and 11th graders, had the opportunity to meet with executives and staff members from World Wide Technology. Each representative headed a table of students, with whom they spoke together on a number of topics, from creating their own core values, to what a résumé is, and how to create one. By all accounts, the program was comprehensive, lively and interactive. Among those in attendance Tuesday was Bob Ferrell, Executive Vice President, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Public Sector Strategy at World Wide Technology. Ferrell is a retired three-star General who once served at the Pentagon as the Army Central Intelligence Officer. The session was led by Ashley Harris, Manager, Community Outreach and Employee Engagement for World Wide Technology and also included Juanita Logan (Area VP, Global Corporate Development), John Crawford (Senior Director of Engineering, Global Enterprise Sales, North Central) and Cari Wilber (Area VP, Marketing). “What a treat and honor it was to spend time with the K’iin Beh students and community,” Logan said. “It was a time of discovery, learning, discussion and dreaming about the future of these bright, young students. The students learned about and met with World Wide Technology leaders who share their same skills and values and are real life examples of what is possible. In addition to getting to know the students, World Wide Technology learned about the Día de los Muertos tradition and enjoyed watching the PGA TOUR players engage the children in a fun golf activity. “These students are our future leaders and we are excited to be a small part of growing a future-ready K’iin Beh community.” On Wednesday, PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Latinoamerica players Marty Dou, Harry Hall, Matti Schmid, Enrique Marin Santander and Armando Favela visited the school to experience the impact of the mission for themselves. “The best part of the week for me was the K’iin Beh school visit World Wide Technology set up for us,” said PGA TOUR Latinoamerica player Armando Favela, who was making his fifth start in the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba. “We went to the school to learn about a very awesome project. We visited with kids from kindergarten all the way up to high school. They had just opened the high school a day before, so it was inspiring to see what Mayakoba, World Wide Technology and their team are doing for the community.” What is most important about the foundation are the 51 educational professionals, led by Director Raquel Mitre, who foster and promote a culture based on respect and honesty, as well as teach proper values to the students in preparation for them to become the future leaders of the community. “Honestly, it was eye-opening, a great experience,” Favela added. “All the players had a lot of fun with the golf activities. But, most importantly, we saw the smiles of the kids. It was amazing. Raquel, the principal of the school, welcomed us with open arms and kindness. It was a great morning, which I won’t forget for a while.” Ferrell was enamored with the day. He signed autographs, took countless video and photos, and even captured a selfie with all five of the professional golfers and then the gathered students. More impactful, Ferrell and other executives participated in Día de Muertos (Day of The Dead) ceremonies, where students educated their visitors about the importance to the Mexican culture of this Nov. 1-2 tribute to loved ones lost. “K’iin Beh’s mission to help students believe in themselves, their skills and capacities to become successful human beings with positive values and future leaders of their community aligns perfectly with our aspiration of making the world a better place for all,” Ferrell said. With 120 students in 2015, ranging from kindergarten to sixth grade, the school found itself with poor facilities and minimal resources. About that time, K’iin Beh had also been asked to move off the land they were temporarily using. The school would be closing. When another plot of land was donated to the school, construction was initiated. The school, though, had no money to move forward with the project. But, with donations, such as those from the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba, K’iin Beh is able to now invest in new facilities, fund classrooms and supplies, and support staff at the school. “Our main goal is to continue providing bilingual education to the children based on values and with the purpose of them creating their own futures and to contribute to a better future for this community and Mexico,” said Ricardo Moreno, Regional Director of Talent and Culture. World Wide Technology is proud to send a portion of the tournament’s proceeds to K’iin Beh, which will use the money to support its mission of providing high quality education to underprivileged children, strengthen self-esteem by instilling human and civil values, and teach children to live with goals and leadership. Under Mitre’s leadership, K’iin Beh offers full-time, bilingual education for over 400 students. To help broaden the global landscape of the children’s minds, half the classes are taught in English, half in Spanish. “That’s why we’re excited about our support of K’iin Beh, a bilingual non-profit school in the Riviera Maya for children from marginalized areas, as part of our work with the PGA TOUR as title sponsor of the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba,” Ferrell said. K’iin Beh is a licensed, nonprofit foundation, which bases tuition on the specific economic situation of each family. Every child, though, will receive some form of scholarship. Because of that scholarship-based enrollment, K’iin Beh accepts students from every economic background. “Hopefully, the project continues to grow and inspire more kids each year to go to school, to get educated and to know that there’s people here in Playa del Carmen that want them to succeed in life,” added Favela. At first a source of hope, K’iin Beh does, indeed, produce stars, driven by determination to rise and shine, just like the sun. If you would like to donate, or learn more about donating, visit the K’iin Beh School donation page here: https://www.kiinbeh.org/donate.

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