Fantasy Golf Picks & Predictions – 2016 BMW International Open

Fantasy Golf Picks and Predictions for the 2016 BMW International Open

2016 BMW International Open Fantasy Preview

After a week off from European Tour play in which the top golfers in the world ripped their hair out at Oakmont, play picks back up overseas with the BMW International Open at Golf Club Gut Laerchenhof in Pulheim, Germany.  The par-72, 7,229-yard course is one of many which have hosted this event since 1989, and the Germans have had the pleasure of some big names taking home the trophy when the dust has settled.  That could be the case once again this year–the field in Pulheim is looking as good or better than the one at the Quicken Loans National in Bethesda, Maryland.

Just like on the PGA TOUR, the field this week is top-heavy with a trio of elite players who all currently sit in the top 12 of the Official World Golf Rankings.  Leading that group will be No. 7 Henrik Stenson, followed by 2016 Masters champion No. 9 Danny Willett, and No. 12 Sergio Garcia.  Of the three it looks as if Garcia is getting top honors from Vegas, thanks to his strong performance at the U.S. Open, where he tied for fifth.  Willett and Stenson certainly deserve a lion’s share of the attention as well, with Willett taking home the trophy here in 2012 and Stenson doing so in 2006.  Stenson has also been the runner-up each of the past two seasons as he seeks his first professional victory since late 2014.

There have been some very well known names that have been able to top the leaderboard in this event since 1989, and it fittingly began with TV personality and five-time European Tour winner David Feherty.  Since then there have been six major champions who have taken the crown, including Paul Azinger, Sandy Lyle, John Daly, Martin Kaymer, Danny Willett, and Ernie Els.  In 2015, it was Pablo Larrazabal who took home his fourth career European Tour victory while joining Thomas Bjorn (2000, 2002) and Paul Azinger (1990, 1992) as one of the only multiple-time winners here.  He was able to grab the impressive one-shot victory over Stenson thanks to a Sunday 66.

The addition of the European Tour to Draftkings has drawn more interest to the golf being played overseas, and this is certainly an event which will have a lot more attention put on it thanks to the big names leading the field.  There are also plenty of golfers who are lesser known around the world that will be putting up some low scores this week and below are a few players who you should be thinking about plugging into your lineup this week.

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BMW International Open Fantasy Picks and Predictions

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2016 BMW International Open Fantasy Picks

Top Option – Sergio Garcia – $11,900 – Of the big three at this event, Garcia should be the guy you are paying up for.  Although he has never won here (as Stenson and Willett have), he has had some success at this event, with his best finish coming in 2011 as he took Pablo Larrazabal into extra holes but could not get the win.  Anywhere Garcia has played this year, he has been phenomenal, and over 11 starts on the PGA TOUR, he has a mere one missed cut and seven top 25’s.  Three of those have been finishes in the top 10, and he was able to get his 20^th professional win between the two major tours at the AT&T Byron Nelson at the end of May.

He hasn’t played much overseas this year, but has made his presence felt in two appearances with a seventh and a third.  His PGA TOUR stats paint a pretty picture for what is to come in Germany, as he ranks first in GIR (71.32%), 11^th in strokes gained from tee-to-green (1.311), fourth in strokes gained approach-to-green (0.835), and 13^th in strokes gained off the tee (0.578).  There is just too much going in Garcia’s favor, and even if he is highly owned, it would be a mistake not to have him in your lineup.

Mid-Tier – James Morrison – $8,300 –Morrison has managed to take down two European Tour events in his career and is once again putting together a nice season in 2016, with 10 tournaments in the money over 12 events.  Twice he has finished in fourth since April, and is coming off one of those just a couple weeks ago at the Lyoness Open.  He is not necessarily elite in any one part of his game, but can get it done in all facets and ranks 31^st in Stroke Average (71.36), 46^th in Putts Per GIR (1.758), and 59^th in Putts Per Round (29.1).  Morrison does not have the best track record at this course, but is in good form right now and could prove a solid pick.

Mid-Tier – Jeunghun Wang – $7,600 – Wang has jumped into the European Tour head first and made quite the splash, with two victories and a runner-up in his first full season at the age of 20.  He was able to come out as the winner in back-to-back weeks in mid-May while handling the pressure of both a playoff and single stroke victory.  He’s been accurate off the tee while hitting 63% of fairways (43^rd on TOUR) and makes his money on the greens with a minuscule 28.3 putts per round (9^th on TOUR) and 1.737 putts per GIR (20^th on TOUR).  He held his own with a 33^rd at the BMW Championship in his last outing, and should be ready to face the tough competition presented to him in the coming week.

Mid-Tier – Ashun Wu – $7,100 – Wu is coming off his second career European Tour win at the Lyoness Open, as he threw up a massive score of 13-under and defeated Adrian Otaegui by a single stroke.  Up to that point, he had not really shown much, but has finished in the money in eight out of ten chances, with a stroke average of 71.26 (25^th on TOUR).  He has never made the trek to Germany for this event, but should be able to build off the big win a few weeks ago thanks to his ability to hit Greens In Regulation (70.9%, 25^th on TOUR) and get Saves From The Sand (63.6%, 32^nd on TOUR).  It will be tough to match what he did at the Lyoness Open, but his confidence should be high and the price is right.

Bargain Buy – Simon Dyson – $6,400 – Dyson is a veteran overseas, and has 10 professional victories to his credit between the European and Asian Tours.  The 38-year-old has not shown his past success this year, though, and has made it into the money a meager three times over 10 attempts.  What earns him a spot on this list is how well he has done at this course and he will look to rebound from a horrific past two seasons after placing fifth here in 2014 and 12^th back in 2014.  Dyson is strictly a tournament play this week, but if he can harness any of his past triumphs here he could provide a huge payout.

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