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Fantasy Golf Podcast: Is Dustin Johnson a forgotten man entering the FedEx Cup Playoffs?
Christian Petersen
The FedEx Cup Playoffs are here and they begin. . . with a course no one knows anything about. Glen Oaks Club is a new venue for everyone at this week's newly titled Northern Trust. Think of it as an NCAA Tournament game on a neutral site, so ANYTHING can happen. Kinda like in 2009 when the first playoff event was held at Liberty National for the first time and Heath Slocum took down Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington and Steve Stricker. So to discuss this beautiful, but mysterious course, make our weekly picks, and talk about a recent fantasy fail, Chris Powers subs in for Joel Beall and joins me from Glen Oaks Club for our weekly chat. Please have a listen:
And if you're more old school and would rather just read my normal weekly fantasy golf picks, here's my fab foursome at Glen Oaks Club:
Dustin Johnson: That three-tournament winning streak seems like ages ago, but this four-event finale wouldn't be the worst time to get hot again. DJ leads the PGA Tour in strokes gained: off the tee, something that should come in handy with Glen Oaks' thick rough. And like Rory McIlroy last year, Johnson should be extra motivated to add a FedEx Cup to his already impressive resume. Speaking of Rory. . .
Rory McIlroy: It was a disappointing, injury-plagued regular season for McIlroy, but through it all, he's still been the best off the tee when he plays (he doesn't have enough starts yet to qualify for the tour's official stats). Some may question McIlroy's decision to tee it up, but after trying to defend his FedEx Cup title, he will have three months to get healthy and find a new caddie. Plus, those recent struggles on the green might be masked by the rest of the field's unfamiliarity with Glen Oaks' slick greens.
Justin Rose: The Brit seemed bound for a huge season after narrowly missing out at the Masters, but like McIlroy, hasn't been 100 percent healthy. A nice New York heat wave should help loosen up that back, though, and Rose's ball-striking stats, especially off the tee, remain strong. Plus, Sergio Garcia is one of the few eligible guys not playing this week, so him potentially strutting around in his green jacket is one less distraction for Justin to worry about.
Kyle Stanley: Noticing a trend here? Another long, strong ball-striker (5th in strokes gained: off the tee) who struggles on the greens (170th in strokes gained: putting). Stanley's three best tournaments this season (Win at Quicken Loans, T-4 at the Players and a T-6 at the Memorial) all come at tournaments where the winning score was around eight to 10 under par. I'm thinking that number plays again this week and that Stanley rolls in just enough putts to be in contention.
Just missed: Jason Day and Henrik Stenson.
And for those of you playing other fantasy golf formats:
Yahoo! lineup: Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose, Hideki Matsuyama, Kyle Stanley (Starters); Rory McIlroy, Kevin Kisner, Kevin Chappell, Henrik Stenson (Bench).
Knockout/One-and-done pick: Dustin Johnson.
And here's the podcast link again, if you want to hear Chris and I jabber: