The Loop
Fantasy Golf Podcast: Will Rory McIlroy soar back to No. 1 in Mexico City?
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At this week’s WGC-Mexico Championship, the PGA Tour says hello to a new golf course, welcomes back Rory McIlroy, and keeps the Kleenex handy as it adjusts to an unfamiliarly high altitude. In short, there’s no shortage of intrigue at Club de Golf Chapultepec and Joel Beall joins me to discuss it all in this week’s Golf Digest Fantasy Fix Podcast. Have a listen:
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 in Mexico City:
Justin Rose: Outside of a T-39 at Pebble Beach, the Olympic Gold Medalist has a solo second and two T-4s in 2017. I originally penciled McIlroy into this spot, but were surprised at how many people are picking him in his return. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if Rory wins this thing and reclaims No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Gary Woodland: If any golfer without a win in 2017 has played better than Rose it’s Woodland, who has two runner-ups to go with a T-5 and a T-6. G-Dub has also showed an ability to handle altitude at the Barracuda Championship. In two starts at the elevated Montreux Golf and Country Club, he has a win and a runner-up.
Justin Thomas: The #SB2K16 crew has already combined for five victories this season and JT has three of them. Thomas has been in a bit of a swoon since the Hawaiian Swing, but he’ll be back in a more tropical climate this week, and from the looks of it, he likes how far the golf ball is flying in Mexico City.
Brendan Steele: Another guy with a great track record at the Barracuda, Steele has four top 10s in five starts in that event. More importantly, we like the way he's playing. Steele has finished in the top 40 in all nine starts this season, including two top 10s. HIs most impressive finish may have been at last week's Honda Classic, though, where he finished T-14 despite being seven over at one point during his opening round.
Bench: Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm.
And for those of you playing other fantasy golf formats:
Yahoo! lineup: Gary Woodland, Justin Rose, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm (Starters); Brendan Steele, Hideki Matsuyama, Jim Furyk, Tyrrell Hatton (Bench).
Knockout/One-and-done pick: Gary Woodland.
And here's the podcast link again, if you want to hear Joel and I jabber: