Sleeper Picks: Wells Fargo Championship

If you play PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, there are two priorities for The Open Championship. First, remember that the event is in England. You laugh, but you haven’t received messages and laments like I have. The tournament is scheduled to begin at 1:35 a.m. ET on Thursday in the United States. That’s 10:35 p.m. on Wednesday on the West Coast. Turn back the clock even further for Alaska and Hawaii. One of the terrific functions of the game is that you can modify your lineup after the first tee ball has been struck. As long as you have at least one starter and one benchwarmer who haven’t started no matter their respective tee times, you can make the swap. The other component to your strategy involves the fantasy scoring. The Open Championship is the last event of the season to measure only actual scoring and bonus points. This means that overall fantasy scoring will be low, which in turn means that poor weeks won’t be penalized as much. With the PGA Championship and three tournaments with no cut among the remaining eight, all featuring ShotLink data, rationing your starts for the usual suspects is critical. It would be easier if The Open anchored the season, but you’ll be smart to adjust in advance. And if you competition happens to hit on the winner and his 300 bonus points, tip your cap. Just don’t bet on it. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for The Open Championship (in alphabetical order): Paul Casey Sergio Garcia Matt Kuchar Francesco Molinari Charl Schwartzel Adam Scott You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Jason Day; Rickie Fowler; Brooks Koepka; Anirban Lahiri; Hideki Matsuyama; Phil Mickelson; Jon Rahm; Justin Rose; Jordan Spieth Driving: n/a Approach: n/a Short: n/a Power Rankings Wild Card Ian Poulter … While the signs of a rebound were already there, he’s been a different player since sharing second place at THE PLAYERS. He added a T9 in Scotland last week and returns to Royal Birkdale where he was the outright runner-up in 2008. Now, our long-range expectations should be tempered as he’s 41 years of age, but that matters not on the links in Southport, England. He’s a fantastic complement in every format at The Open Championship. Draws Zach Johnson … On cue, he found his game at TPC Deere Run with a share of fifth place. While he led the field in both greens in regulation and strokes gained: tee-to-green, he was still a dismal 52nd in strokes gained: putting. That’s what bumped him from the Power Rankings for The Open Championship where he prevailed at St. Andrews in 2015 and has recorded top 20s in five of the last six editions. Patrick Reed … He remains one of the most interesting options. Never ignored in the mainstream, he often cruises under the radar in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. For that reason alone, it’s worth burning one of your three starts in Segment 4. Top 20s in the last two Opens support the maneuver. Marc Leishman … You want him in that wind. You need him in that wind. A no-brainer across the board and in form all year. Branden Grace … The 29-year-old is in his seventh appearance and he’s yet to miss a cut. His best finish was a T20 at St. Andrews in 2015, so he might go undetected by your competition. Feel free to swoop in with confidence based on that fact and his recent form. Four top 15s and another top 25 in his last seven starts worldwide. Remember, South Africans are often the threads that bind rosters in the majors. Most don’t turn in exceptionally busy schedules on the PGA TOUR, but just as many are reliable investments in the biggest events. Jason Day … Pouring faith into his 6-for-6 record at The Open Championship, but barely. The thing about his 2017 is that it’s disappointing relative to everyone’s expectations, but by no means is he ready to write it off to any degree. You’re aware of the familial distractions early and the playoff loss at the AT&T Byron Nelson, so your angle now is to let all of that dissuade your opposition. When the best are down, that’s when you strike. Think Brooks Koepka at the U.S. Open. Lee Westwood … The PGA TOUR non-member is the perfect filler for a notable in any roster format. His confidence tee to green is worth consideration alone. That he makes most cuts is the clincher. Ross Fisher … The Englishman is worth a flier in DFS and PGA TOUR Fantasy Golfer presented by SERVPRO despite a lackluster record in The Open Championship (5-for-9, one top-35 finish). He’s been enjoying a career renaissance over the last 10 months and has six top 10s in his last 11 starts worldwide. One of the best on the European Tour on approach. Tom Lehman … Crafty sixth man for DFSers. Forget that he’s 58 years old. Royal Birkdale doesn’t discriminate against age. The 1996 champ sashays in with top-shelf form kept sharp on the PGA TOUR Champions. The newest generation of golf fans will never understand how gritty he was in his prime, but it’s not like that ever erodes. It’s the reason why he’s never ceremonial no matter the exemption. Fades Rory McIlroy … Relax. Indictments are relative. The tournament arrives at a bad time as he lacks any momentum and comfort. It’s as simple as that. No one should be expected to find his game at Royal Birkdale, including four-time major champions. And remember, since we’ll have multiple opportunities down the stretch to plug him in, we’ll still want him to perform this week. Even a cut made can spark something special. Justin Thomas … It doesn’t matter that he missed his last two cuts, but it doesn’t help, either. This is just his second Open appearance (T53, 2016), so give him another year to get comfy on the links. Daniel Berger … As he embarks on his second start in the Open (MC, 2015) and ninth major, it’s important to know when to remain patient even when current form would demand doubling down. In fact, the 24-year-old has just one top 25 in a major. In a field of this depth, there no reason to force the issue. Thomas Pieters … The long-hitting Belgian was among the surprises who missed the cut at Erin Hills, but he’s missed the cut in half of his last 10 starts. The flipside is that when he makes his way to the weekend, he’s usually on the leaderboard. Yet, as he gets set to tackle Royal Birkdale, we’re reminded that this is just his second appearance in the major and his strengths of power and putting are mitigated in favor of ball-striking and short game. Of course, no one would be surprised if he contends, but it’s a prime opportunity to observe only. Martin Kaymer … Seriously cooled since a T16 at the Masters, which ended a rare, extended stretch of fabulous form. Now, he’s 8-for-9 with three top 15s in The Open, and that aligns with his reputation as a threat when the lights are brightest, but valuate him accordingly in the absence of recent success. Chris Wood … Like fellow Englishman Justin Rose at Royal Birkdale in 1998, Wood recorded a top five here as an amateur in 2008. He improved on that with a T3 at Turnberry in 2009 and added a T23 at Royal Liverpool in 2014. However, the lanky 29-year-old has been slowed by a wrist injury of late and isn’t worth any risk. Louis Oosthuizen … Both his win in 2010 and T2 in 2015 occurred at St. Andrews. Elsewhere in The Open, he’s just 3-for-8 with one top-35 finish. His current form is encouraging, but that track record gives reason to pause. Bernd Wiesberger … Not that he can’t throttle back, but he’ll probably present more favorably at Quail Hollow next month. In four Open starts, he’s made two cuts, neither going for a top 60. Alex Noren … There’s quite a bit to be said of the fact that he’s won five times worldwide since last year’s Scottish Open on the eve of The Open Championship. Two of the victories occurred in England, but this week’s event is a different animal. He placed T19 in his Open debut here in 2008, but has only one other top-45 finish in five starts (T9, 2012) since. If you simply can’t resist, just do the responsible thing and surround him with more reliable pieces. Tyrrell Hatton … His T5 at Royal Troon in 2016 occurred amid a year-long heater that launched him into our consciousness, but the fantastic putter from England has gone nine starts worldwide without a top 25. Bubba Watson … Just in case you haven’t visited this space almost every time he’s played in recent months, I remain skeptical that his change to a new golf ball at the start of the year was worth it. Could the annual crapshoot of The Open Championship somehow play into his hands? Unlikely. At this point, even full-season salary gamers are wringing their hands in uncertainty that they’ll pull the trigger in 2017-18. Matthew Southgate … Has been included in the conversation surrounding the future of the European Tour, but the hype we consume in the U.S. is overreaching on the 28-year-old Brit. A T12 at Royal Troon last year contributed to it, but a co-runner-up in Ireland two weeks ago was just his second top-30 finish in over eight months. Returning to Competition Ã�ngel Cabrera … Scheduled to compete at the Barbasol Championship. Called it quits during the second round of the John Deere Classic with a sore shoulder, which is nothing new for the Argentine. He’s 4-for-14 on the season and just 26 months from eligibility for the PGA TOUR Champions. Carl Pettersson … In the field at Grand National. Walked off TPC Deere Run during his first round last week with a wrist injury. Barely treading water in the FedExCup standings where he’s 198th. Burned a career earnings exemption this season and won’t turn 40 years of age until Aug. 29. Notable WDs The following four golfers withdrew from The Open Championship: Scott Piercy … Snuck in as an alternate via his Official World Golf Ranking, but declined the exemption. He missed the cut in both previous trips. Justin Leonard … It’s been 20 years since he first clutched the Claret Jug at Royal Troon. This will be just the second time he’s failed to appear as a former winner. He replied to an inquiry about it on Twitter as follows: “I don’t feel like trying to compete after playing one event in 11 months (T58, Valero), plus coming straight from African mission trip for 2 weeks.” The 45-year-old is on site, however, as a commentator and analyst for NBC and Golf Channel. Mark Calcavecchia … Having just turned 57 years of age, he knows the clock is ticking on his opportunities to play as a past champion, but he won’t be making the trip for either The Open Championship or the Senior Open Championship in two weeks. Ben Curtis … Since 2009, the 2003 champ is 1-for-8 at the Open with a T64 in 2013. The following five golfers were among the early withdrawals from the Barbasol Championship: Patrick Rodgers … Although he didn’t seal the deal after holding the outright lead after the second and third rounds of the John Deere Classic, he’s no longer in mild peril of needing a trip to the Web.com Tour Finals to retain his card. The second-year PGA TOUR member is now 52nd in the FedExCup standings after the solo second. Camilo Villegas … At 96th in the FedExCup standings, he’s headed back to the Playoffs. It’s always impressive when any golfer without fully exempt status converts, no matter what he’s achieved previously. The 35-year-old’s bounce-back season has feature four top 20s, the last a T19 on Sunday in the Quad Cities. Brett Stegmaier … Has survived his last four cuts, but his sophomore season has been forgettable thus far. Just 11-for-24 without a top-20 finish. He’s 173rd in FedExCup points. Will MacKenzie … This is the third consecutive week during which he’s pulled out between the commitment deadline and the opening round. No news has surfaced to explain it. He last pegged it at the Travelers Championship and placed T17, but has since dropped 10 spots to 174th in FedExCup points. Jeff Overton … He’s played just twice anywhere in the last 12 months due to a herniated disc in his back, including at The Honda Classic where he burned his only start on a medical extension. He then contracted an infection in his spine after a procedure to relieve pain in his back. His wife described it as “life-threatening” in a post on social media on his 34th birthday on May 28. It’s insignificant as compared to the big picture, but he has Veteran Membership on the PGA TOUR. Power Rankings Recap – John Deere Classic Power Ranking, Golfer, Result 1 Charley Hoffman T39 2 Daniel Berger T5 3 Brian Harman T10 4 Danny Lee WD 5 Kyle Stanley T55 6 Kevin Kisner T44 7 Ryan Moore MC 8 Steve Stricker T5 9 Charles Howell III T19 10 Chad Campbell T12 11 Zach Johnson T5 12 Johnson Wagner MC 13 Jamie Lovemark T25 14 Daniel Summerhays T12 15 Kevin Na MC Sleepers Recap – John Deere Classic Golfers, Result Scott Brown T25 Chesson Hadley T25 Trey Mullinax T19 Rory Sabbatini T19 Scott Stallings T5 Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR July 18 … Brendon de Jonge (38) July 19 … none July 20 … none July 21 … Robert Gamez (49); Paul Casey (40) July 22 … Brendon Todd (32); David Lingmerth (30) July 23 … Craig Barlow (45); Boo Weekley (44); Kevin Tway (29); Harris English (28) July 24 … Danny Lee (27)

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