Fantasy Golf Picks: Zurich Classic Sleepers & Strategy – SportsGrid
Zurich Classic
Defending Champ: Seung-yul Noh
FNTSY Sports Network’s Pat Mayo and Geoff Fienberg debate their Zurich Classic picks, bets and one and done selections for this week’s PGA Tour stop at TPC Louisiana.
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It’s time for the Tour’s annual stop in New Orleans – the Zurich Classic – and much like the host city, it’s a popular spot to pop your cherry. Over the past decade, only the sexy combination of Sourpuss and your friend’s basement have produced more first timers than TPC Louisiana. It’s been a breeding ground for neophytes; seven of the past ten champs have cashed their inaugural novelty check in the Bayou. It’s probably because the Zurich Classic is played at one of the easiest courses in the regular rotation and consistently draws one of the year’s weakest fields. Case in point: Only five of the world’s Top 20 will be teeing off – Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler and Billy Horschel; which actually makes the 2015 incarnation the most competitive field in years; 2014 saw just one player inside the world’s Top 20. Meaning, by simply not attracting previous Tour winners, it makes it easier for lesser competitors to claim victory.
Now, why don’t the world’s best show up in New Orleans? Well, before the schedule change this season, most top end players decided to extend their Masters malaise until the following week and use Quail Hollow as their tune up for The Players Championship, but since that’s not the case anymore, a few top draws have made the trek to New Orleans. The big bonus remains, though; The Zurich Classic is final opportunity for those still not qualified for The Players to move into the Top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings or Top 10 of the FedExCup standings and earn an invitation to compete for the year’s biggest payday. It’s a nice gesture by the game’s elite to allow some fresh blood a chance to essentially compete in a glorified Web.com event, but with PGA stakes. That’s the prevalent theory. Mine differs slightly, though. You see, I’m convinced the world’s best don’t want to be slaughtered by the bounty of vicious animals roaming the grounds. It’s basically a zoo at TPC Louisiana. Just look at this list of potential wildlife you may encounter:
Alligator; Armadillo; Blue heron; Coyote; Deer; Ducks; Fish; Fox; Hawk; Mallard duck; Osprey; Rabbit; Raccoon; Several different species of birds; Snakes; Squirrel; Turkey; Turtle.
Words not setting off DANGER ALERTS in your head, how about a visual? Here’s John Peterson raking the sh*t out of a gator so James Driscoll can play his chip…
Better players have lost hands for less.
Zurich Classic Key Stats
- Greens in Regulation
- Par 5 Scoring
- Proximity & Birdie or Better Percentage (50-125 yards)
- Par 3 Scoring (200-225 yards)
TPC Louisiana is bizarre. Leave it to Pete Dye (with an assist form Steve Elkington) to construct a course that’s weirdly unique. Take the 10 Par 4s: five measure less than 403 yards while four are longer than 476 yards. Just one Par 4 falls between 403 and 476 yards – strange, right? Those short Par 4s are scoring havens for every player that can stick a wedge. Get the approach close enough and the putt is going to drop, because the MiniVerde Bermuda grass greens are some of the most straightforward on the circuit. TPC Louisiana historically ranks among the easiest in 3-Putt avoidance, makes inside five feet and putts per green in regulation. Horrible putters; they actually have a chance on this track.
Accuracy is recommended, yet not essential. The rough is not severe, however there is plenty of trouble (sand, water, more sand) waiting for wayward tee shots. Then, there are the Par 3s: all four are between 207-221 yards, which just so happens to be the most common approach range on the long Par 4s. Basically, you’re looking for a player in good form over the past six weeks, who can score on Par 5s and is deadly with a wedge and a 6-iron. I’m sure we can find a few of those.
Zurich Classic Picks
Harris English & Steve Stricker – Back to the softness of this field, only four of the potential 28 Yahoo! A-List players are entered in the event, making the pickings rather slim. Many will gravitate to defending champ Seung-yul Noh, so going somewhat contrarian is the proper play. Since 2000, no player has successfully repeated as champion, and just two have finished inside the Top 20 their following start. Course history matters less this week a whole lot less than at almost any other event. Results have been unpredictable year-to-year; recent form has been a much better predictor at the Zurich Classic. So, toss away Noh, and I’m stuck with Harris English and Steve Stricker, since they’re wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy better options than Marc Warren. I mean, he spells his name with a “c” instead of a “k.” SOFT!!!
A-List Alternates: Seung-yul Noh & Marc Warren
Jason Day, Dustin Johnson & Justin Rose – Hope you like chalk. In a week mired in unpredictability, there’s no shame in grabbing the safest bets on the board. Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose are far and away the top players in the field, so just take them. I’m not normally one to just load up on favorites, but in the face of any other secure selections, just tread water with this trio and hope your league mates decide to get too cute.
Bernd Wiesberger – Since we have the safest squad ever assembled so far, let’s interject an element of danger to the roster. Hello, Bernd Weisberger. The Austrian ventured across the ocean with much fanfare among golf aficionados, but the results haven’t materialized. He’s played 12 rounds in America and has yet to break 70. Everyone is off his scent, for good reason, however, this is a prefect time to go against popular opinion and get a player on your roster no one else will have. Having Day, DJ and Rose already on your team affords you that luxury. Don’t forget, Weisberger was destroying the Euro Tour in the early part of the year and still ranks seventh in GIR% and third in scrambling overseas. Plus, he is coming off his best performance in the New World: T22 at The Masters; the lowest finish of any Augusta debutant.
B-List Alternates: Cameron Tringale, Billy Horschrel, Rickie Fowler & Daniel Berger
Morgan Hoffmann & Will Wilcox – I truly wanted to roll with gator tamer and LSU grad John Peterson, but I can’t talk myself off of Morgan Hoffmann or Will Wilcox. I mentioned the importance of recent form entering this event, well, Hoffmann’s currently riding the biggest heater of his career. He sandwiched a T28 in his rookie appearance at Augusta between a solo fourth at Bay Hill and T9 last week at the Heritage, so he’s trending in the right direction. Dig a little deeper and you’ll discover Hoffmann’s 25th in proximity from 50-125 yards, 16th in Par 5 birdies or better, 13th in birdie conversion and 27th in Par 4 scoring average from 350-400 yards. His story checks out, just like Wilcox. Beginning the week as an alternate, Wilcox snuck into the Zurich Classic after withdrawals from Vijay Singh, Branden Grace, Sang-moon Bae and Dudley Hart. Trust me when I tell you he’s completely off the collective radar; something he shouldn’t be. Although, Wilcox doesn’t have full PGA Tour status, the world’s 249th ranked player has made the most of his limited opportunities. He’s made five consecutive cuts with only one finish worse than T18 in his past four starts, a very acceptable T33 in Tampa. And frankly, no course seems to set up better to his skill set: 6th in GIR%, 11th in sand saves, 16th in ball striking and fourth in proximity from 200-225 yards away. Take those numbers and fuse them with his scoring efficiency on Par 4s from 450-500 yards (17th) and Par 3s from 200-225 yards (9th) and you have the formula for long shot contender.
C-List Alternates: John Peterson & Sean O’Hair
Photo via Getty
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