The Loop
Fantasy Golf Podcast: Will Rory McIlroy win for a third time at Quail Hollow?
Who's the hottest team in pro sports? Is it Leicester City? The Warriors? Nope. Try the Masters of None. Never heard of them? That's because that's the name of the fantasy golf team co-managed by co-worker Joel Beall and I. After a rough -- and I don't use that term lightly -- start to the season (having the eighth pick in the draft didn't help), the Masters have won back-to-back weeks to climb from 11th to fifth in the standings. And we've been doing it mainly on the backs of gritty guys like Scott Stallings and Bryce Molder. Yeah, we're pretty resourceful. Does any of this info help you? Not really. But it shows that when it comes to fantasy golf, we know what we're talking about. At least, some of the time.
But now you can finally put our joint fantasy acumen to use. Joel joined me for the first-ever Golf Digest Fantasy Fix Podcast to discuss this week's Wells Fargo Championship. 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 this week:
Rory McIlroy: How much does McIlroy own Quail Hollow? The course's newest bald eagle is named after him. McIlroy is the only two-time winner of this event (established in 2003) and he picked up his first PGA Tour title here in 2010 when he blew past Phil Mickelson with a Sunday 62. He shot one better in the third round last year on his way to his second title, breaking both the course record as well as the tournament scoring record.
Phil Mickelson: The lefty has done everything except win at the Wells Fargo. In 12 appearances, Mickelson has 10 top-12 finishes, including eight top 10s. And he's done everything but win this year, with three early-season top fives.
J.B. Holmes: The 2014 champ quietly has six top 15s in his past eight starts, including a fourth at Augusta National. He's a logical choice this week and a great "sleeper" pick for next August when the PGA Championship is played on this course.
Webb Simpson: The NC native is a Quail Hollow member and lives about a mile from the clubhouse. Not surprisingly, he's played well in this event with a T-2 last year, as well as being the 54-hole leader in 2012.
__ Bench:__ Rickie Fowler and Jamie Lovemark.
And for those of you playing other fantasy golf formats:
Yahoo! lineup: Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Webb Simpson, Jamie Lovemark (starters); Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose, J.B. Holmes, Patrick Rodgers (bench).
Knockout/One-and-done pick: J.B. Holmes. I would have liked to roll the dice on Simpson instead, but the Masters of None team member is still waiting for his first top-10 finish of the season. When he comes around, our fantasy league is really going to be in trouble.
Previously used: Bryson DeChambeau (Valero), Luke Donald (Valspar), Jason Dufner (RBC), Matt Every (Bay Hill), Tony Finau (Frys.com), Sergio Garcia (Riviera), Bill Haas (Farmers), Dustin Johnson (Doral), Kevin Kisner (RSM - winner!), Russell Knox (Honda), Anirban Lahiri (CIMB), Graeme McDowell (Hyundai), Kevin Na (Phoenix), Ryan Palmer (CareerBuilders), Patrick Reed (HSBC), Patrick Rodgers (Shriners), Brandt Snedeker (Pebble), Brendan Steele (OHL), Justin Thomas (Sony), Bubba Watson (Masters).
And juuuust in case you missed it the first time, here's a link to the first-EVER episode of the Golf Digest Fantasy Fix Podcast. This is history, folks: