Fantasy Insider: Wyndham Championship
By Rob Bolton, PGATOUR.COM Fantasy Columnist
Given the expectation for some of the lowest scoring of the year, the Wyndham Championship is an ideal opportunity in the Yahoo! game to take a few fliers and save starts on the guys that figure to play deep into the PGATOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. But be smart about your strategy. No matter your situation as it relates to your competition, you still want insurance so that you're scoring points this weekend. This philosophy is illustrated in my Yahoo! lineup in the inset below.
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The Wyndham is the final tournament of the regular season. After it concludes, the top 125 in FedExCup points will qualify for The Barclays, the first event of the Playoffs. In preparation, I'll be writing special Power Rankings hitting a top 30 for the postseason. Look for it early in the week.
In the Matchups game on Facebook, I went 3-2-0 at the PGA Championship and now own an overall record of 22-11-3 with 51 points. That's eight better than Garry Smits of The Florida Times-Union among those of us in the Notables. Overall leader, Gooby, rode a perfect week at the PGA for 12 points, opening a four-point margin over four pursuers.
My picks for the Wyndham Championship:
• Jason Dufner over Vijay Singh
• David Toms over Webb Simpson
• Bill Haas over Davis Love III
• Heath Slocum over Camilo Villegas
• Angel Cabrera over Retief Goosen
The PGATOUR.COM staff also publishes its picks, which you can review here. Producers Chris Dunham and John Schwarb lead that group with 53 points each.
Power Rankings Plus
11. Chris Riley ... Top 15s here the last two years. Five of his last eight rounds at Sedgefield have been 66 or lower. Coming off a T15 in Reno.
12. Hunter Haas ... Has posted top 10s in two of his last three starts, including a T10 in Reno where he ranked inside the top eight in both distance and accuracy off the tee. Currently 37th on TOUR in strokes gained-putting, 67th in birdie average (18th in total birdies) and 85th in adjusted scoring.
13. Chris Kirk ... Since winning the Viking Classic a month ago, he finished T49 at The Greenbrier and T34 at the PGA Championship, but that's certainly better than the alternative. Also closed out the PGA with a pair of 69s. Ranks 22nd in birdie average and 45th in adjusted scoring.
14. Tommy Gainey ... All five of his top 10s have occurred in separate months, the most recent of which was a T7 at the Viking Classic in mid-July. Sits 26th on TOUR in birdie average and fourth in total birdies.
15. Kyle Stanley ... I really liked how he matched up with Montreux before he withdrew before the Reno-Tahoe Open, but that decision allowed for a two-week break to prepare for Sedgefield instead. He has top 10s in two of his last three starts, including a runner-up at the John Deere. He'd have cracked the Power Rankings this week if he didn't sit 183rd in strokes gained-putting, but he's 15th in birdie average, sixth in total birdies and leads the TOUR in eagles.
Power Rankings Distribution for Yahoo! (rank)
Group A ... Lucas Glover (7)
Group B ... David Toms (1); Webb Simpson (3); Brendon de Jonge (4); Bill Haas (6); Chris Riley (11); Chris Kirk (13)
Group C ... Brandt Snedeker (2); Charles Howell III (5); Cameron Tringale (8); Anthony Kim (9); Trevor Immelman (10); Hunter Haas (12); Tommy Gainey (14); Kyle Stanley (15)
Dark Horse (Yahoo! Group)
Jim Furyk (A) ... First appearance in Greensboro since 2004. Drought without a top 20 now at 13 consecutive starts, his longest since he went 16 straight in 1995. However, he carded a bogey-free 65 in the second round of last week's PGA to force himself back into the conversation. And with only seven options in Yahoo!'s Group A, he deserves our attention.
Josh Teater (B) ... Closed out his T10 in Reno double bogey-bogey, but it's his best finish of the year (and second top 15 in three starts). Placed T18 here last year, playing his final 40 holes in bogey-free 9-under.
Matt McQuillan (C) ... The rookie is coming off his second top-six finish in his last five starts. Ranks 13th in strokes gained-putting. Also worth noting for Yahoo! gamers that he's first on TOUR in final-round scoring average (five rounds contributing).
Michael Letzig (C) ... Coming off a T10 in Reno, where he ranked fourth in putting. Sits 65th in birdie average in limited action (10 starts). Top 20s here in two of his three starts. (Withdrew during his second round in 2009 due to a wrist injury.)
Scott McCarron (C) ... Rare appearance in this feature, but cannot be ignored since he has a runner-up and two other top 20s in his three starts at Sedgefield. In those 12 rounds, he's carded only nine bogeys and nothing worse.
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Tim Petrovic (B) ... Has yet to ignite for one of his patented hot streaks, but Sedgefield might furnish the spark. Top 25s in the last two editions of the Wyndham and eight consecutive rounds under par. Ranked 10th in putting and T7 in birdies here last year.
Garrett Willis (C) ... Always sneaky in our world but arrives this week with consecutive top 25s in tow. Despite forgettable splits, he's also a threat to go low at any time. Top 15s in his both appearances here with an actual scoring average of 66.50 in those eight rounds.
Danger (Yahoo! Group)
Arjun Atwal (C) ... Opened his victory here last year with a course record-tying 61. However, he has only one top 50 in his last eight starts this season (T18, John Deere). Sits 77th in strokes gained-putting but outside the top 100 in birdie average and adjusted scoring.
Jason Dufner (C) ... Even though he doesn't have a top 25 in three starts at Sedgefield, there are two reasons I'm fading him: 1) Expected letdown from the playoff loss at the PGA despite his steely exterior; 2) He's 115th in strokes gained-putting. Atlanta Athletic Club benefited ball-strikers over putters.
Carl Pettersson (B) ... The 2008 champion co-owns the course record of 61, but he finished T67 in his title defense and missed the cut last year. While he's coming off a T18 at The Greenbrier and owns favorable splits in his matchup with Sedgefield, the magnitude of his general inconsistency is not worth the investment in a relatively deep Group B in the Yahoo! game.
Chris Stroud (B) ... Arrives having made six consecutive cuts, three of which were top 20s, but he's 0-for-3 at Sedgefield despite at least one round of 68 or lower in each of his appearances.
Paul Casey (B) ... Lone appearance at Sedgefield resulted in a T26 in 2008. All three of this year's top 35s occurred in his first three starts. Has battled turf toe on the big toe of his right foot for months.
Camilo Villegas (B) ... Since a share of third place at the St. Jude -- his only top 25 in 21 starts -- he's missed five cuts and finished T71 at The Greenbrier. First-timer at Sedgefield.
Jason Bohn (B) ... Has always played extremely well in Greensboro, with three top threes in four starts. That includes a co-runner-up in his only appearance at Sedgefield in 2009. However, his only top 25 of this year was a T19 at the Mayakoba nearly six months ago.
Marc Leishman (A) ... Top 20s in both starts here are trumped by the fact that he's failed to post a top 40 in his last 13 starts this season. Has missed four consecutive cuts to boot.
Medic! (Yahoo! Group)
Retief Goosen (B) ... Withdrew after 28 holes of the PGA Championship with an unspecified injury. It's the second straight major from which he's pulled out during the competition.
Matt Bettencourt (C) ... A rib injury ended his title defense of the Reno-Tahoe Open after just eight holes two weeks ago.
Cameron Beckman (C) ... Had to withdraw in Reno after 13 holes due to a back injury. It put an end to a streak of four consecutive cuts made, his longest in two years.
Rocco Mediate (C) ... Recurring arm injury forced him to call it quits at last week's PGA Championship before his second round. He has five withdrawals this year, and that doesn't count the early WDs.
Notable WDs (Yahoo! Group)
Spencer Levin (B) ... Originally in my Power Rankings, but withdrew on Monday afternoon. After a T29 at the PGA Championship, ranks 29th in FedExCup points.
Bryce Molder (B) ... Shared 56th place at the PGA. Three top 10s in his last six starts have propelled him to 89th in FedExCup points entering this week.
Matt Weibring (C) ... Competing in the Midwest Classic on the Nationwide Tour instead. Still has PGA TOUR status via a Non-exempt Medical Extension.
Peter Tomasulo (C) ... Has made one cut on the PGA and Nationwide Tours since returning to competition following an unspecified injury.
Rob Bolton is the freelance fantasy columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily reflect the views of the PGA TOUR.
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