I was unable to write about golf last week because I was too busy getting married! But that did not stop me from playing fantasy golf and casually running off to the bathroom during the reception to check my lineups. After all, checking to see if I had 6/6 through the cut during my vows may have been frowned upon. The good news is that I didn’t get left at the altar and I managed to get 6 golfers through the cut as well. So I have nothing but positive vibes heading into this week and will keep the momentum moving forward as always.
This week, we head to the Sea Island Golf Club in Sea Island, Georgia for the RSM Classic. Seaside is a par 70 course that measures just over 7,000 yards. Golfers will also play one of the first two rounds on the Plantation course which is a short par 72 course that is just a bit longer than Seaside where the final two rounds will be played. Putting will take an extremely larger role than other weeks because of it’s clear indication of success at this event so keep that in mind when constructing your rosters.
KEY STATS:
SG:Putting
GIR Percentage
Par Breakers
As always, SG:T2G, SG:Putting, and Course History will all be sprinkled in to help us figure out which golfers to target from week to week.
$TUD PLAYS:
Justin Thomas $10,900
Odds To Win: 16-1
Expected Ownership: 21.5%
To say that Justin Thomas has started off the 2015-16 PGA Tour season red hot would be an understatement. Thomas has shot -49 under par in the three events that he has played this season including his first career Tour win at the CIMB Classic. He ranks 35th in SG:Putting this season and is top 25 in GIR Percentage. He is also 5th in Par Breakers and 1st in the All Around Ranking. Thomas is a great scorer which should leave him with many opportunities at a course like Seaside.
Russell Henley $10,000
Odds To Win: 28-1
Expected Ownership: 17.8%
Henley is definitely a golfer to watch out for this week or any week where putting plays a large role as he is one of the best putters on the PGA Tour. He ranks 33rd in SG:Putting which should creep closer to the top as the season goes on and is also 13th in Total Putting. Henley is a local guy born in Georgia and attended University of Georgia and is very familiar with the course this week and is coming off a top 10 finish in his last start at the Shriners.
Patrick Rodgers $9600
Odds To Win: 25-1
Expected Ownership: 16.2%
Rodgers is another guy who is playing some crazy good golf right now. He is yet to miss a cut in the four events that he has played this season and has finished no worse than T20 in any of those starts including two top 10 finishes. What Rodgers lacks with his putter, he makes up for with his stellar Tee to Green game ranking 5th in SG:T2G this season. He also ranks in the top 25 in GIR Percentage and Par Breakers. Rodgers is one of the few golfers this week that I trust completely even though he is not a great putter.
VALUE PLAYS:
Aaron Baddeley $7300
Odds To Win: 100-1
Expected Ownership: 5.4%
As mentioned earlier, putting is a strong indicator of success here so I will be targeting golfers who excel in that area. Baddeley is a high risk high reward type of guy but he is a great putter and has been surprisingly consistent to start this season. He has yet to miss a cut in three events and finished T4 at Sanderson Farms two weeks ago. He ranks 18th in SG:Putting and 11th in Overall Putting Average.
Morgan Hoffman $7200
Odds To Win: 90-1
Expected Ownership: 6.5%
Hoffman has been very solid to start this season as he has shot -19 under par through the two events that he has played this season including a T11 finish at the Shriners. Hoffman ranks 3rd in SG:Putting and is top 25 in Par Breakers. He is worth a look this week considering his price.
Hudson Swafford $6900
Odds To Win: 100-1
Expected Ownership: 7%
Swafford sets up pretty nicely for this course and it seems as though he is a bit underpriced this week. Swafford is an excellent putter and ranks 10th in SG:Putting and is ranked 3rd in Total Putting. He provides great salary relief if you are looking to go with a stars and scrubs type lineup. He has also posted 2 top 25 finishes in the first four events this season.
Steve Wheatcroft $6200
Odds To Win: 300-1
Expected Ownership: 2.2%
Wheatcroft went on a nice little run to close out the end of the 2015 season. While he hasn’t had any great showings yet this season, he has made the cut in two of his last 3 starts. We know he is a solid putter from last season even though he has yet to show it this fall. For his price, he is worth a shot because he sets up nicely for shorter courses where putting and scrambling are important.
Guys I’m Fading: Graeme McDowell (Now that his price was updated), Harris English, Jason Kokrak
My Winner: I am going with one of the local Georgia boys, Russell Henley! I expect his putting to be a big reason that he contends this week.
Best of luck this week, I hope you win all the monies!!!
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