My first rides with DK were actually pretty good, but of late, I’ve noticed the guys I’m choosing have kicked the ball around the course, often missing the cut. BUT, the guys I’ve almost chosen are locking top-10 positions, and even winning. While this is maddening to me, I figured the least I could do was put it in writing to see if this is just my imagination and hey, if you want to take this as “advice” to your own bets, well…that’s up to you, hombre.
It’s an interesting week to start with, as The PLAYERS Championship, despite NOT being a major, has one of the deepest fields of the year. This is true even without the presence of Eldrick Woods, whose back isn’t in a good place. (Prayers up for The Big Cat.) When you go bargain hunting to round out a roster, the names you find are guys who compete every week, so it’s both fun and a challenge.
First, here’s the roster I actually went with:
Patrick Cantlay $9,800
Webb Simpson $9,200
Tony Finau $8,100
Collin Morikawa $7,900 (11/11 cuts made, 3 T10s)
Mark Leishman $7,600
Matthew Fitzpatrick $7,300 (8/8 cuts, 3 T10s)
I pointed out those stats for Morikawa and Fitzpatrick because those are stats that usually lead to higher salaries but not this week. (Also, Morikawa has made 11/11 cuts and this isn’t on most folks radar. Love this kid.) I’m pretty happy with this lineup, so let me offer my apologies to all these hard working guys, as they’re clearly poised for a apocalyptic weekend at Sawgrass.
So, if those guys are doomed to fail, who did I ALMOST pick? Lots of good choices, but here’s the cream of the crop:
Patrick Reed – $8,500 — I’m not alone on this island, but I actively dislike Reed as a human being. That said, there’s no denying he’s a top golfer and playing well this season. It would be a karmic disaster for the Tour if Reed was the face of their championship they try so desperately to promote. That said, I just couldn’t pull the trigger despite a relatively affordable price.
Bryson DeChambeau – $9,100 — I won’t go into Bryson’s comments about how we don’t know how gravity works, or his temper tantrums, or that stupid hat. I don’t like the guy but he’s playing very well right now, and since this isn’t a major, he has a shot. But, he’s just a bit too expensive and as a bad gambler, I tend to avoid playing guys I don’t want to root for.
Matt Kuchar – $7,800 No, this isn’t meant to be a lineup of guys who have a lot of haters, but here we are. While he may or may not be a cheapskate, I can’t figure out if Kuchar is having a good year or not, to be honest. He has one top-10 and has made 7 of 9 cuts, but … I can’t really remember him doing much. On the flip side, he’s the king of the backdoor top-10’s so I wanted to take him from a lineup safety perspective but I just couldn’t find a way to get it done. (But suddenly I have a hankering to go buy some Skechers. Let’s play 36!)
Tyrrell Hatton – $7,400. As evidenced by last week, he’s playing the Florida Swing as well as anyone, and his Opus Dei attitude (hat tip: Neil Schuster, NLU) on the course is as entertaining as anyone out there. But, it seems more likely that he’ll come down from his first PGA Tour win a bit. This price is crazy low for a guy coming off a win, but the oddsmakers must know something. Right?
Sung Jae Im – $8,600. On the other hand, Im followed up HIS first win two weeks ago by contending again last week. This guy is a freaking machine, playing every week and competing by doing so. I just can’t imagine this continuing. I was willing to risk it, but he was just a little expensive for me with my other picks. Go get ‘em, Sung Jae.
Since I didn’t choose these guys, I am quite sure they’re destined for greatness. On Sunday, when Patrick Reed is holding off Bryson and Sung Jae, they can thank me for the mojo.
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