The PGA TOUR kicks off the 2017 portion of the season with the SBS Tournament of Champions this week, and I decided to try my hand at fantasy golf.
I logged into a website that will remain nameless, but its name rhymes with “daft things,” which is kind of how I felt clicking submit on my lineup. To say I’m not expecting a lot from this is an understatement.
But, I put my three dollars in and looked over the players available to me.
At the top of the available players are the names you would expect. Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama, and Jason Day are the most expensive players. Naturally, they are expected to produce. Three of them have won four majors them over the last two seasons, and Matsuyama has finished no worse than fifth in his last four starts.
Waste Management Phoenix Open – Final Round
Hideki Matsuyama of Japan hits a tee shot on the third playoff hole during the final round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale on February 7, 2016 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images
I opted to take Matsuyama, spending $11,000 on him, and leaving me with $39,000 to spend on the five remaining players for my roster.
I chose Matsuyama based on a couple of things. For one thing, he is one of the hottest players on earth right now, and I’m hoping the break over the holidays will not have taken his excellent play from him. Also, he hits greens in regulation at pace that is bested by only a couple handfuls of players. He is leading the Tour in Putting Average and Scoring Average. I think he is an excellent pick. At $152.6/projected point (He’s projected to make 72.1 points), he is not the best value on my roster, but he is clearly one of the best players.
Next, I took Bubba Watson. Now, I’m not a Watson fan. I think he is arrogant and a boor, but I can’t deny that he can hit a golf ball in ways that defy description.
Northern Trust Open – Final Round
Bubba Watson hits a tee shot on the 2nd hole in the final round of the Northern Trust Open at the Riviera Country Club on February 16, 2014 in Pacific Palisades, California. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images
He has all the shots and is absolutely fearless on a golf course. I spent $9200 on him, and he is projected to score 71.6 points, which means I’m paying $128.5/point. Not bad value for a very good player who should make a lot of birdies this weekend.
In the three spot, I took Russell Knox.
WGC – HSBC Champions: Day Four
Russell Knox of Scotland hits his second shot on the 18th hole during the final round of the WGC – HSBC Champions at the Sheshan International Golf Club on November 8, 2015 in Shanghai, China. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images
The Scot is a very good, if not very flashy player. He is in the top-10 on Tour this year in Scoring Average and top-20 in driving accuracy. He hits a lot of greens in regulation (76.4%) and is among the leaders in putting. At $8200 and 71.1 projected points, I’m paying $115.3/point, which is one of the best values I found among the more expensive players.
Fourth, I took Ryan Moore (after debating with myself about him or Brendan Steele. Both are excellent players, but at the price point – $7600 for Steele vs. $7700 for Moore – I was saving $8.4/point by taking Moore.)
World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship – Final Round
Ryan Moore of the United States plays his third shot on the sixth hole during the final round of the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral Blue Monster Course on… Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images
Moore does have one other thing going for him: He can roll his rock. He is fourth on Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting, which may very well be one of the most telling stats in golf. The guys who lead Strokes Gained: Putting win, and win a lot.
For my fifth player, I took Branden Grace ($7200, 69.3 projected points.)
Commercial Bank Qatar Masters – Day Four
Collection: Getty Images Sport DOHA, QATAR – JANUARY 30: Branden Grace of South Africa celebrates on the 18th green after winning the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters at Doha Golf Club on January 30, 2016 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images) Restrictions Restrictions: No commercial uses without permission.
I can’t say I have any real reason for taking Grace except he was the best value at the price point based on his projected points. Even former major champion Jason Dufner was not as good a value as he cost $200 more and was projected to make 2.5 fewer points.
And finally, I took Jhonattan Vegas for my last player ($6500, 63.9.)
Vegas is on my roster for one reason and that is because he can hit the ball an absolute mile. Vegas averages well over 290 yards off the tee and while in the world of the PGA Tour that is actually middling, in the limited field of the Tournament of Champions, he should be among the leaders in driving distance. At Kapalua, like many golf courses, distance is a great advantage.
So there you go. I spent $48,000 on my team. Now all we have to do is see how badly I’ve done. Look for my article on Monday recapping my success (or lack thereof.)
Cover Photo via Flickr