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Fantasy Golf Podcast: Can Rory McIlroy repeat at Crooked Stick?
Well, that was a quick turnaround, huh? One week, Rory McIlroy's putting is getting knocked so much people are practically declaring Europe's Ryder Cup reign over. And the next, the Northern Irishman is the favorite to win the FedEx Cup after a win at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Even Rory himself said he was just hoping to be comfortable with his putting by April after hiring a new putting coach, Phil Kenyon. Either Kenyon is a miracle worker or Rory was slow-playing all of us. In any event, he's the man to watch at this week's BMW Championship, having won this event the last time it was held at Crooked Stick (2012). Joel Beall and I discuss Rory's resurgence, potential Ryder Cup captain's picks, and more on this week's Fantasy Fix Podcast:
And if you're more old-school and would rather just read my normal weekly picks, here's who I'm taking on my PGA Tour Fantasy Golf team at Crooked Stick:
Rory McIlroy: The four-time major champ took apart Crooked Stick in soft conditions in 2012, finishing at 20 under par. Incredibly, McIlroy posted that score despite losing strokes to the field (-.273) on the greens that week. Now he returns brimming with confidence in that club thanks to his new coach, and rain is in the forecast in Indiana. Add it all up and McIlroy might just be in the midst of another winning streak.
Adam Scott: Like Rory, Scott only needs a decent putting week to contend, especially with the way he's been striking the golf ball. The Aussie leads the playoffs in all the key ball-striking categories and has produced back-to-back fourth-place finishes. No reason he won't add another at a course where he finished T-6 in 2012.
Dustin Johnson: Like Scott, DJ finished T-6 at the 2012 BMW Championship at Crooked Stick. Most courses reward length, but this one seems to a tad more considering McIlroy's win in 2012 and John Daly's win at the 1991 PGA Championship, the only other time the PGA Tour has come to Carmel, Ind. A T-18 and a T-8 to start the playoffs is pretty good, but we expect more from a man with nine top-5 finishes this season.
Tony Finau: We end with another big hitter who is looking to make a big splash in his second year on tour. At No. 38 in the FedEx Cup standings, Finau needs a good week to get into the top 30 and advance to the Tour Championship. A really good week, and he could enter the conversation as a possible Ryder Cup captain's pick for Davis Love III. Speaking of which, Bubba Watson (No. 27), Matt Kuchar (No. 28) and J.B. Holmes (No. 42) find themselves in similar situations. Love will make three selections at the conclusion of the BMW and if you're not one of those three, odds are you need to be in the field at East Lake to grab that final spot in a couple weeks.
__ Bench:__ Jason Day and Jimmy Walker.
And for those of you playing other fantasy golf formats:
Yahoo! lineup: Adam Scott, Rory McIlroy, Jimmy Walker, Louis Oosthuizen (starters); Dustin Johnson, J.B. Holmes, Patrick Reed, Matt Kuchar (bench).
Knockout/One-and-done pick: Rory McIlroy.
Previously used: Kevin Chappell (Quicken Loans), Jason Day (PGA Championship), Bryson DeChambeau (Valero), Luke Donald (Valspar), Jason Dufner (RBC), Matt Every (Bay Hill), Tony Finau (Frys.com), Rickie Fowler (Wyndham), Jim Furyk (Canadian), Sergio Garcia (Riviera), Bill Haas (Farmers), J.B. Holmes (Wells Fargo), Dustin Johnson (U.S. Open -- winner!), Kevin Kisner (RSM -- winner!), Russell Knox (Honda), Brooks Koepka (St. Jude), Matt Kuchar (Colonial), Anirban Lahiri (CIMB), Graeme McDowell (Hyundai), Phil Mickelson (Barclays), Ryan Moore (Travelers), Kevin Na (Phoenix), Ryan Palmer (CareerBuilders), Scott Piercy (Byron Nelson), Patrick Reed (HSBC), Patrick Rodgers (Shriners), Adam Scott (British Open), Brandt Snedeker (Pebble), Brendan Steele (OHL), Henrik Stenson (Players), Steve Stricker (John Deere), Justin Thomas (Sony), Bubba Watson (Masters).
And here's the podcast link again, if you want to hear Joel and I jabber: