Category: Golf Betting
Go for it or lay up on driveable 12th?Go for it or lay up on driveable 12th?
Go for it or lay up on driveable 12th?
No doubt about it, even the best players struggle with self-beliefNo doubt about it, even the best players struggle with self-belief
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Even the best can doubt themselves. Often, we see our golf heroes as herculean. We see them strut down the fairways with bravado, smash the ball so hard you feel the cover will come off, and make putts from everywhere. They have enviable bank balances and fly on private planes. Everything seems to be good and rosy. But at the end of the day, just like you and me, they’re human. Golf is a great equalizer when it comes to the mental battles. We’ve seen many a rollercoaster career. And even the most confident humans can lack self-belief at times. Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and Adam Scott have all been the best in the world – but it doesn’t absolve them of self-doubt. “I face self-doubt on a daily basis in tournament rounds,” Spieth admits. “I feel the longer I’ve played, the more my self-belief’s sort of wavered a little bit,” McIlroy adds. “When you lose it you have to dig deep and start asking yourself some pretty blunt questions and give yourself some honest answers,” Scott says. McIlroy, the reigning FedExCup champion, began believing he was the best when he was just 10, but now he speaks of how the depth of competition increases the difficulty of maintaining a dominant mindset. I feel the longer I’ve played, the more my self-belief has wavered a little bit. “I think you would be somewhat of a machine if you said every week that I’m the best and I believe in myself 100 percent,” McIlroy says. According to Day, the defending champion at THE PLAYERS, self-belief is the biggest plague on his game right now. That’s right. The same man who dominated THE PLAYERS Stadium Course a year ago to win by four shots in wire-to-wire fashion. The one who won seven times in 17 starts. That guy struggles to believe in himself. “That’s one thing that I probably struggle with the most out of my whole game is the actual self-belief,” Day confirms. “When it’s there, I usually play some very, very good golf. I, like everyone else, will kind of struggle with certain things out here, but that’s one thing that I’ve always constantly been trying to get better at each and every year.” Day’s current struggles center around not having a specific goal to strive hard toward. He spent his early career chasing the dream of being world No. 1 and winning a major championship. He’s done both. And he has admitted his 51 weeks at the top added stress to his existence, so now he must find the motivation to put in the extra work to get back there. “When I think about Tiger Woods and how he dominated for over 13 years at No. 1, I always think, why was he so motivated?” Day recently told PGATOUR.COM. “He was literally trying to break Jack’s major record. He wanted to be the best ever, hands down, without a question, the best. “I’ve wanted to become No. 1 in the world and I’ve wanted to win major championships, but I’ve never wanted to break Jack’s record. I’ve never wanted to be better than Tiger Woods. I never wanted to chase anyone.” So now Day is trying to find the new target in his heart. He is trying to find the belief that he does belong at the top. That he can strive to the same levels reached by the greats before him. “I haven’t determined that benchmark yet. I need to find that motivating factor that will push me to work harder than anyone in the world,” he says. Neale Smith, a former TOUR pro who is now a sports psychologist for a handful of players, says the key is to return to what has worked in the past. “Golf is designed to get you negative and tournament golf is another layer of that. No one hits it perfect or is good every day,” Smith says. “In a perfect world, you’d want high belief on every shot, but we know that’s not going to happen. So, it is doing the best you can. “Everyone goes through cycles and with the right awareness every player has a recipe for how they’ve played well. Unless the context in their lives has changed a lot, it’s about respecting what helps them play well and part of the journey of tournament golf is learning your own recipe for success. “When you’re struggling, often what happens is a lot of searching outside that recipe, which generally, is not that helpful. If you can search within what you’ve done well at in the past you are likely to play well again.” And so the mental battle continues. McIlroy says Woods and Nicklaus might be the only guys in history who may have mastered it for long periods. Spieth’s methods of finding his happy place are to simply say, “Who cares?” In the grand scheme of things, it is just golf. It is not life and death. “So what if I hit it in the water on this shot. I make a bogey; is that going to change my life? No. If I think about it that way, I’m more freed up,” the Texan says. “And then if it goes in the water, I need to stick with that. That’s the toughest thing for me is being carefree and then not reacting if something doesn’t go well. I’m working on it and your mental game is something that we should be working on as much as we work on the physical components of our game. “It’s always a work in progress, and the bigger the tournament, the more work that’s required.” And it doesn’t get much bigger than THE PLAYERS Championship. Where TPC Sawgrass can throw multiple situations at you to doubt yourself. May the most confident man win.
Garcia: Post-Masters outpouring is ‘awesome’Garcia: Post-Masters outpouring is ‘awesome’
Garcia: Post-Masters outpouring is ‘awesome’
One & Done: THE PLAYERS ChampionshipOne & Done: THE PLAYERS Championship
Pick any year and Sergio Garcia is an automatic call at THE PLAYERS where he’s a former champion and the tournament’s all-time earnings leader. However, when he poured in the putt in the playoff to win the Masters, it was immediately fair to ponder if you’d be picking up the phone this week at TPC Sawgrass. One & Doners are famously – infamously? – prone to overthink and overreact with the first ripple or success or failure. At times, it’s absolutely warranted, but this isn’t one of those times. The Spaniard checks all of the boxes. Possibly overlooked in the accomplishment of his coronation in a major is that it was also the culmination of phenomenal form going back to as long as you’d like. With that victory, you can’t argue that he’s in the best form of his life. And then there’s the obvious fact that he’s not an upstart in whom we might expect regression. The Masters also wasn’t last week. It was a month ago. He celebrated, basked and separated. In the process, he was able to turn the page normally. A man in complete control. Within the context of our game, THE PLAYERS is also the most likely event at which we’re comfortable burning Garcia, well, it and The Open Championship. This is due in part to his success in both events, but equally so as defense to the crapshoot that often unravels in each. The risk managers among you might say that we’re OK in losing Garcia in a tournament where he’s most likely to prosper. Among the other short-listers in Future Possibilities below, Martin Kaymer and Francesco Molinari capture my attention the most. I’ve already burned both, so even though I’m settling with a push with our league leader, my decision to plug in Garcia was as easy as it gets. However, with no other attractive sites at which to consider the other two internationals, both have my blessing this week. Justin Thomas and Lee Westwood are the other two without a no-brainer kind of joint to line up later. Thomas’ limited expectations are in direct correlation to his limited experience. He’s in just his third season with a PGA TOUR card. Meanwhile, the veteran Englishman is a non-member well into the back half of his career. As a result, he presents perfectly as a secondary pick in a two-man game. If you’re in a two-man format and can’t or choose not to manufacture a team consisting of any of the aforementioned, also consider Jason Dufner, Kyle Stanley and Graham DeLaet, all of whom are among my Sleepers. Rory McIlroy’s signing with TaylorMade is worth pause in every fantasy format, but One & Doners were unaffected. While he’s atop my Power Rankings, the risk of burning him at TPC Sawgrass isn’t worth it even though the tournament distributes FedExCup points equivalent to every major. There’s also the obvious factor that he’s the kind of juggernaut who is worth reserving for the Playoffs when points are quadrupled. (I’m reserving McIlroy for the Dell Technologies Championship.) FUTURE POSSIBILITIES NOTE: Select golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held in 2016-17. All are pending golfer commitment. Daniel Berger … St. Jude (defending) Jason Bohn … Greenbrier Keegan Bradley … Byron Nelson; Memorial; WGC-Bridgestone; Dell Technologies Paul Casey … Travelers; WGC-Bridgestone; TOUR Championship Kevin Chappell … Dell Technologies Jason Day … PLAYERS (defending); U.S. Open; Canadian; WGC-Bridgestone; PGA Championship; Dell Technologies; TOUR Championship Luke Donald … Wyndham; TOUR Championship Jason Dufner … Byron Nelson; DEAN & DELUCA; U.S. Open; TOUR Championship Harris English … DEAN & DELUCA Jim Furyk … Memorial; U.S. Open; Canadian; WGC-Bridgestone; TOUR Championship Sergio Garcia … PLAYERS; Byron Nelson (defending); Open Championship; TOUR Championship Branden Grace … U.S. Open; WGC-Bridgestone; PGA Championship Bill Haas … Wyndham Charley Hoffman … Byron Nelson; DEAN & DELUCA; Travelers; Canadian Billy Horschel … St. Jude; TOUR Championship Dustin Johnson … Byron Nelson; Memorial; St. Jude; U.S. Open (defending); Canadian; TOUR Championship Zach Johnson … PLAYERS; DEAN & DELUCA; John Deere; Open Championship; WGC-Bridgestone; TOUR Championship Martin Kaymer … PLAYERS Chris Kirk … DEAN & DELUCA Kevin Kisner … PLAYERS; DEAN & DELUCA; Wyndham Russell Knox … Travelers (defending); Dell Technologies Brooks Koepka … Byron Nelson; St. Jude; U.S. Open; PGA Championship Matt Kuchar … PLAYERS; Byron Nelson; DEAN & DELUCA; Memorial; Canadian; WGC-Bridgestone Martin Laird … Barracuda Marc Leishman … DEAN & DELUCA; Memorial; Travelers; Open Championship Hideki Matsuyama … PLAYERS; Memorial; PGA Championship; BMW Graeme McDowell … Open Championship; WGC-Bridgestone; Wyndham William McGirt … Memorial (defending); Wyndham Rory McIlroy … PLAYERS; Memorial; WGC-Bridgestone; PGA Championship; Dell Technologies (defending); TOUR Championship (defending) Phil Mickelson … St. Jude; Open Championship; PGA Championship Francesco Molinari … PLAYERS Ryan Moore … Travelers; John Deere (defending); TOUR Championship Kevin Na … Memorial; John Deere; Wyndham Louis Oosthuizen … Dell Technologies Ryan Palmer … Byron Nelson; DEAN & DELUCA; St. Jude Scott Piercy … John Deere; BMW Ian Poulter … Arnold Palmer; Puerto Rico Patrick Reed … Wyndham; Dell Technologies Justin Rose … PLAYERS; Memorial; Open Championship; WGC-Bridgestone; PGA Championship; TOUR Championship Charl Schwartzel … Memorial; U.S. Open; Open Championship; WGC-Bridgestone Adam Scott … Memorial; U.S. Open; Open Championship; WGC-Bridgestone; Dell Technologies; TOUR Championship Webb Simpson … Greenbrier; Wyndham Jordan Spieth … DEAN & DELUCA (defending); John Deere; WGC-Bridgestone; PGA Championship; TOUR Championship Brendan Steele … Travelers; Barracuda (already eligible for concurrent WGC-Bridgestone) Henrik Stenson … Open Championship (defending); WGC-Bridgestone; PGA Championship; Dell Technologies; TOUR Championship Kevin Streelman … Memorial Justin Thomas … PLAYERS David Toms … PLAYERS; DEAN & DELUCA; Barbasol; Barracuda Jimmy Walker … Greenbrier; PGA Championship (defending); Dell Technologies Bubba Watson … Travelers; Greenbrier; WGC-Bridgestone; TOUR Championship Boo Weekley … St. Jude; Barbasol Lee Westwood … PLAYERS Gary Woodland … Byron Nelson; Barracuda; PGA Championship; Dell Technologies; TOUR Championship
The Players Championship 2017: Predictions and picks for TPC SawgrassThe Players Championship 2017: Predictions and picks for TPC Sawgrass
The Players Championship has become one of the most dramatic and rowdy events in golf. The Players Championship boasts the strongest field in golf on one of the most exciting courses in the world. Here are some picks and predictions for the week at Sawgrass.
Rory in a good place, and strong showings should soon followRory in a good place, and strong showings should soon follow
Rory in a good place, and strong showings should soon follow
Major implications if Players shiftsMajor implications if Players shifts
Major implications if Players shifts
Fantasy Insider: THE PLAYERS ChampionshipFantasy Insider: THE PLAYERS Championship
Not only does THE PLAYERS feature the deepest field in the game but it lands in Segment 3 of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. With little if any concern about needing more than three starts on any golfer, there’s no reason not to select everyone you want. And because of the depth, go ahead and consider one or even two options driven by your heart. That seemingly careless approach is mitigated by the promise that straight chalk is likely going to yield disappointment on some level no matter the stakes. This is the rub of TPC Sawgrass. So, you might as well go halfway and take some of that pressure off. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for the THE PLAYERS (in alphabetical order): Rickie Fowler Sergio Garcia Martin Kaymer Hideki Matsuyama Rory McIlroy Justin Thomas You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Jason Day; Jason Dufner; Adam Hadwin; Brian Harman; Dustin Johnson; Brooks Koepka; Justin Rose; Adam Scott; Jordan Spieth; Jimmy Walker Driving: Paul Casey; Graham DeLaet; Jason Dufner; Dustin Johnson; Zach Johnson; Francesco Molinari; Louis Oosthuizen; Jon Rahm; Adam Scott; Kyle Stanley Approach: Paul Casey; Jason Dufner; Dustin Johnson; Zach Johnson; Kevin Kisner; Kevin Na; Jon Rahm; Jordan Spieth; Kyle Stanley Short: Graham DeLaet; Jason Dufner; Adam Hadwin; Brian Harman; Dustin Johnson; Zach Johnson; Brooks Koepka; Marc Leishman; Graeme McDowell; Jon Rahm; Jordan Spieth Power Ranking Wild Card Branden Grace … Fourth appearance. Hasn’t missed a cut but hasn’t cracked a top 40. Like fellow South Africans Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, gamers can usually turn to Grace in the deepest fields of the season not only for their consistency but also to spell notables who don’t present as appealing. Grace’s statistics won’t wow anyone, but that’s the same reason why too many won’t be on board. Find room in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO and DFS. Draws Brian Harman … If the 30-year-old wasn’t as seasoned, we might be concerned about a letdown after that statement victory at Eagle Point on Sunday. Instead, he’s poised to double down while he’s on fire. The Wells Fargo win was his fourth top-15 finish in his last five starts. Additional reason to retain elevated expectation is that he connected four red numbers en route to a T8 at TPC Sawgrass in 2015. Patrick Reed … Despite everything we know and love about him, this is an aggressive play. You’d be investing in an uptick in form that includes the outright lead after 54 holes at Eagle Point. He settled for a share of 12th place on a closing 75. He’s also fared reasonably well in his only cut made in three trips to TPC Sawgrass, that a T24 in 2015. But again, it’s all about the surge with the emotionally charged Texan. Louis Oosthuizen … Sat out the Wells Fargo Championship after committing. While that decision alone motivates gamers to get on board – because he simplified his focus over the current fortnight – the 34-year-old’s reputation as a tee-to-green monster supports the move. He’s 3-for-4 at TPC Sawgrass since 2013 and hasn’t missed a cut anywhere in 10 months. Jimmy Walker … It’s impossible to know if he’s competing freer of expectations than usual as he battles Lyme Disease, but whatever works. Top 20s in his last two starts, including a T13 at TPC San Antonio where he publicized his malady. No stranger to TPC Sawgrass and no stranger to whiffs of success, either. He’s 4-for-7 with a pair of top 15s. Charl Schwartzel … Sat out last year’s edition but shapes up as a better option this year, anyway. Rested since a quiet solo third at the Masters. Finished sixth in his title defense at Copperhead. No top 25s in six trips to TPC Sawgrass, but he’s missed only one cut. That reliability to complement is why we love him. Marc Leishman … With the wind expected to test the field and a 5-for-5 slate here since 2012 (with a T8 and another pair of top 25s), the Aussie is prime to contribute. Also a recent winner at Bay Hill and ranks 12th in adjusted scoring and 17th in bogey avoidance. Adam Hadwin … Another recent winner (Valspar) who’s a more balanced ball-striker than you might realize for a guy best known as a terrific putter. Sits 21st in strokes gained: approach-the-green and 28th in strokes gained: tee-to-green. The perfect complement in DFS where his price tag should be attractive. Making his third start at TPC Sawgrass. Zach Johnson … En route to a T18 at Eagle Point, he submitted a positive measurement in strokes gained: approach-the-green for the first time in seven starts with ShotLink in play. That turnaround comes as the perfect time, too, doesn’t it? Speaking of perfect, he’s been a constant on the weekend at TPC Sawgrass since 2009 five top 25s among eight cuts made. Ryan Palmer … Pretty simple here. He’s in a good place again and it shows. After a T11 at Harbour Town, he tossed up a T6 in San Antonio, and then placed fourth with Jordan Spieth in New Orleans. This is his 12th appearance at TPC Sawgrass where he’s logged a T5 in 2013 and a T23 in 2016. Patrick Cantlay … Like Jon Rahm (No. 15 in the Power Rankings), Cantlay is a first-timer at THE PLAYERS. And like Rahm, the American belongs on every short list as a sturdy, complementary piece in every format. There’s a certain temperament and intensity to him that blends so well with the same that’s required to tame TPC Sawgrass, well, as much as it can be. It transcends the stats and it deserves our confidence. Fades Phil Mickelson … You know his quip. He can’t believe that he’s actually won here. It’s been 10 years now, in fact. He strung together 11 consecutive cuts made, five on either side of that title, but has gone 0-for-4 since 2013. Quite simply, there are many weeks when we know that we can plug him in and there are times when we shouldn’t. This is one of the latter, if not the only site all season. Henrik Stenson … Because he’s Henrik Stenson, now is exactly when contrarians need to pounce. You’re buying low on an 0-for-4 slide and on a track where he’s a former champ (2009). And, of course, TPC Sawgrass yields as random a leaderboard as any all season. All that said, if you’re currently contending or sniffing the lead, stick with the commodities over whom you won’t lose sleep. Bubba Watson … Perhaps the T5 with J.B. Holmes at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans will spark something moving forward, but the lefty still needs to prove to us that he can put four rounds together in stroke-play competition on his own ball since changing it entering 2017. Not helping matters is that his record at TPC Sawgrass is uninspiring despite six cuts made in nine appearance. He’s yet to record a top 35. Jim Furyk … While he’s a local resident, he’s acknowledged that he doesn’t peg it at TPC Sawgrass as often as most think. His record suggests that it doesn’t matter what with four top 10s and another five top 25s among 17 cuts made in 21 appearances. That’s enough reason for course history buffs to take the plunge, but his recent form remains substandard. While it’s kind of like beating a dead horse in this space, it’s very possible that the distractions of the duties as Ryder Cup captain are taking a toll on his performance. Ryan Moore … Something will give and there are fair arguments to support and deny decisions to invest and abstain. It absolutely depends on your situation. His form upon arrival is strong enough to warrant the risk, but the absence of recent fortune at TPC Sawgrass is enough reason to move along. The recommended hedge, if you’re compelled, is to surround him with front-liners. Russell Knox … He’s 3-for-3 since debuting in 2014, has a pair of top 20s and has carded a 68 in every final round, but the Jacksonville University product has been in a funk for months. A T11 at Harbour Town is his only payday in a tournament with a cut in six starts. Returning to Competition Ernie Els … Withdrew during his second round of last week’s Wells Fargo Championship with a back injury. It extended his current drought to 2-for-13 worldwide. Last top 40 at THE PLAYERS occurred in 2008. Alex Cejka … Walked off Eagle Point with a sore back during his second round last week. It’s an injury with which we’re all too familiar with him. Now, that doesn’t mean that we should immediately jump off, either. He’s proven to bounce back quickly. What’s more, his record at TPC Sawgrass suggests that he’s worth the plunge regardless of concern. The 46-year-old has three top-15 finishes tucked inside his 6-for-8 slate. That includes a T9 last year. Notable WDs Brandt Snedeker … Resting a sore wrist. Doesn’t want to risk further damage with the U.S. Open a month away. Thomas Pieters … A surprising DNP, but we’ll get our fill in the last three majors. He just might look good in all, too. Charles Howell III … Gamers won’t miss him. He’s just 6-for-15 with one top 50 at THE PLAYERS. John Senden … He stepped away to be with his family when it was discovered that his son has a brain tumor. Jon Curran … He’s been nursing a sore rib. Hasn’t played since missing the cut at The Honda Classic in late February. Colt Knost … Had surgery on his wrist a couple of months ago. Plans to return at the beginning of the 2017-18 equipped with a Major Medical Extension. Tiger Woods … Out indefinitely again after a fourth back surgery. Power Rankings Recap – Wells Fargo Championship Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Dustin Johnson T2 2 Jon Rahm 4th 3 Kevin Kisner MC 4 Webb Simpson MC 5 Paul Casey T12 6 Adam Scott T36 7 Bill Haas MC 8 Francesco Molinari T24 9 Phil Mickelson T18 10 Louis Oosthuizen WD 11 William McGirt MC 12 Bud Cauley WD 13 Hudson Swafford T49 14 Wesley Bryan MC 15 Brian Harman Win Sleepers Recap – Wells Fargo Championship Golfers Result Martin Laird T42 Shane Lowry T24 Sebastian Muñoz MC Robby Shelton T52 Nick Watney T59 Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR May 9 … none May 10 … Parker McLachlin (38) May 11 … Briny Baird (45) May 12 … Jim Furyk (47); Mike Weir (47) May 13 … none May 14 … none May 15 … none