Happy Gilmore PGA Weekly: Northern Trust Open

For all you golf lovers(and those of you trying your hand in fantasy golf) this is the Happy Gilmore PGA Weekly Update. If you have been following these installments, you know that I said from the get-go that I am far from an expert at fantasy golf. I have been throwing cheap buy-ins at the sport for about a month now and trying to learn the ins and outs of the game. Since I don’t consider myself an expert on specific players, I just want to quickly recap the formula I see to be successful so if you don’t love my selections you can at least have a base for developing your own team.

STEP 1: PICK YOUR WINNER

Pretty simple here, just pick the guy you want to invest in because you think he can win the tournament. While he may not win the tournament, you need to at least find one high-priced player to build as the foundation of your team. Look at your course history and stats such as greens in regulation, fairways in regulation and putts per hole to help narrow it down.

STEP 2: PICK YOUR SLEEPERS

You don’t need more than two low priced players to have success in fantasy golf. Do your research and find one or two guys that are playing well or have a good record at a given course to help pinpoint your sleepers.

STEP 3: THE MEAT OF YOUR LINEUP

The last step is simple. Look at your remaining salary to be allotted and find guys that fit the criteria for golf success. If you see someone in the middle of the salary range that you have a good feeling on, go with it. There is certainly a lot of “gut-calls” in the fantasy golf realm.

Alright now that we are done with the quick formula update, we can move on to this week’s picks for success at the Northern Trust Open.

Shooter McGavin’s Top 5 Big Money Players

1) Adam Scott – Seven top 10s in his last ten events. Unofficial winner at the Riviera Country Club in 2005 and a 2nd place finish in 2006 means he knows the course well. It might be his first tournament of the year but I don’t see that as a reason to avoid him.

2) Aaron Baddeley – You can’t not have the returning champion in the top 5 players to watch. A win at Riviera last year indicates that Baddeley likes this course a lot(duh.) Also he hasn’t missed a cut in nine straight events, count that as a huge factor to fantasy PGA success.

3) Phil Mickelson – He’s the all time money leader at Riviera and he has won here twice. Is there any more that needs to be said?

4) Dustin Johnson – He left Pebble Beach as the co-leader, but even though he was passed and took fifth, there are still signs of good things to come. He played well, and he tends to be a streaky golfer. If he gets hot, look out.

5) Kevin Na – Back to back fifth place finishes makes him one of the hottest golfers around right now. He’s reasonably priced so he could be worth a stab.

Finding Your Happy Place: Sleeper Picks

1) Jordan Spieth – A top player on the amateur tour, Spieth is the only player other than Tiger Woods himself to be a two-time Amateur Tour Champion. He’s playing with the big boys now, it will be interesting to see if he thrives or folds.

2) Rory Sabbatini – He has a win at Riviera in his pocket. Seeing as he is only $12K on DraftStreet, I think Sabbatini is a must-play sleeper.

3) Kevin Stadler – Back to back top 15s at this course for Stadler, with ten consecutive par or better rounds at the Riviera. Sneaky sleeper play for sure.

Tap Tap Tap-A-Roo DraftStreet Ultimate Lineup This Week

Thanks for reading, hope it helps.

- EWH