Fantasy Golf Predictions
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – The Open Championship
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the Open Championship
2019 Open Championship Fantasy Preview
And so here we are: the fourth and final major of the year, the British Open, at the Royal Portrush club in Northern Ireland.
At the John Deere Classic, Dylan Frittelli booked his spot on the Links with a two-shot victory at the ever-welcoming TPC Deere Run, where the South African carded rounds of 64, 65 and 66 on route to victory. A graduate of the European Tour, Frittelli will feel right at home this week.
And for those banking on some Links prep, the Scottish Open took place at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick, and it was there that Bernd Wiesberger scored his second win in less than two months in a field that also included Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Matt Kuchar, among others.
There will be a naturally high quality field descending on County Antrim for a chance to carve their name into golfing folklore, and you suspect it is going to take something very special for the winner to have their name etched onto the Claret Jug.
Last Week’s Fantasy Results
Hats off to Dylan, a guy not featured on our picks last week. But despite that, we still ended up with 3 picks in the Top 10 including our horse pick Morikawa (T4), as well as Taylor (T6), and Niemann (T10).
The 2019 Open Championship Field
With no injury-based withdrawals or absentees, this really is the cream of the crop that will look to succeed Francesco Molinari as the British Open champion.
On home soil it is Rory McIlroy who takes headline honors, and he’ll have to be at his very best to see off a first-class field that will see him chased by the likes of Brooks Koepka, seeking a fifth major, and Tiger Woods, who will be going for an eighteenth.
Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose will also provide stellar opposition, while Molinari himself should not be written.
The Australasian charge will be headed by Adam Scott, Jason Day and Hideki Matsuyama, while both Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els will be looking to add another major title to their collections just a matter of months shy of their fiftieth birthdays.
This Week’s Course Preview
This is just the second time in the event’s 148-year history that the British Open will head to Northern Ireland, and more specifically to the Royal Portrush club in County Antrim, which can be found on the northern-most Atlantic coastline.
Deigned by famed architect Harry Colt, the Dunluce Links course was built into the existing sand dune landscape to help lay the foundation for some dramatic elevation changes and fairway slopes.
It looks like a Links, it plays like a Links, and yet there is one major thing largely absent from Royal Portrush: the deep pot bunkers that characterize many other Links courses in the UK.
Indeed, there isn’t much sand at all, and with only a few coastal holes water is an inconvenience rather than a true menace. Padraig Harrington, a man who knows a thing or two about the British Open, said that Portrush is a fun course with birdie opportunities, and it may be the case that the layout plays easier than we might otherwise expect.
Measuring around 7,300 yards for its Par 72 depending on which tees are used, there is enough real estate on these fairways to keep most players out of serious trouble, which is represented by the tangly rough that is made up of both grass and heather.
Approaches into the small Bentgrass greens could also be rejected due to their slopes and run-offs, so as ever on a Links course hitting those classy bump-and-runs from around the green will be key.
But there’s no great trickery to Royal Portrush and no gremlins; this is a straightforward golf course that rewards excellent tee-to-green control and penalizes those who are unable to keep their ball in play.
There is rain in the forecast, and that might help to slow down what are devilish green complexes. Holding approaches on these rock-hard surfaces, especially with a fierce blowing, is a tough task, but with rain and manageable winds in the early forecast the difficulty rating of this layout comes down a few notches.
It should be a fantastic assignment for the players and a joy to behold for spectators; just don’t expect Oakmont Country Club style complexity.
Weather Forecast for Portrush, NIR
Unfortunately, it’s something of a guessing game with the forecast this week!
The prevalent weather pattern in the predictions is ‘showers,’ which is of little help to gamers trying to calculate any potential draw biases.
But we can only surmise that there will be some rain around, both in the days leading up to the first tee and throughout the tournament itself, and that could lead to a) the course playing longer but b) greens being far more receptive.
And then there’s the wind, which is so often a staple of Links golf. On that front the early forecast is also disconcertingly vague, with a breeze of between 10-13 mph being estimate for all four days – that could blow harder out on the exposed course, mind you.
It looks set to be a cool week in this stretch of Northern Ireland too, with temperatures around the 63°F mark.
Last Year’s Results from the Open Championship
In the end, it was Francesco Molinari who outlasted the field at a tough Carnoustie layout to claim the first major win of his career.
The Italian was in touching distance from the get-go after opening with a 70, and he kept the leading pack in close proximity throughout the week.
Bu he had plenty of work to do as the likes of Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Xader Schauffele vied for the lead.
It was moving day, naturally enough, when Molinari made his charge: a round of 65 propelling him up the leaderboard and bang into contention.
As the wind got up and the pressure but bit, many fell by the wayside or saw their challenge stall. But not Molinari, who compiled an outstanding bogey-free round of 69 to take the spoils from McIlroy, Rose, Schauffele and Kisner in second.
Where to Play Fantasy Golf for the Open Championship this Week
It’s time for a major and you know what that means: a jam-packed slate of mega money contests to enjoy.
- PGA $3m Fantasy Golf Millionaire: It comes but four times a year, and for regular DFS gamers the chance to turn their hobby into a million dollar payout is simply too good to miss. There’s plenty of welcome consolation prizes too.
- PGA $150k Drive the Green: For accumulators, rather than those seeking huge prizes, these 2x cash contests are well worth your time. Finish inside the top 20% of teams and you will double up at the very least.
This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the Open Championship
It’s at this time of year that we begin to sound like a stuck record, but the point is valid: there is nothing like Links form as a pre-requisite to success at the Open Championship.
Some players, notably Dustin Johnson, seem to simply struggle with the unique conditions, whereas others have a habit of thriving. It’s a skillset of being able to scramble like crazy out of thick native grass and hit clever chips and bumps into the greens; some love it, others do not.
Seven of the last ten British Open winners were aged 35 or over at the time of their triumph, and that suggests that experience in tackling Links golf is key, while nine of the last ten champions had a previous top-10 in this event to their credit. This is a tournament where specialists come to the fore.
It’s rare for an anomaly to get their hands on the Claret Jug, with eight of the last ten winners camped in the OWGR top 50. That’s no coincidence: the cream rises to the top in this event.
So players that are tournament sharp, have Links prep under their belt, are of a slightly older disposition or with Links experience under their belt and are comfortable playing in the wind are the only ones we truly seek on our shortlist for the British Open 2019.
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Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the Open Championship
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Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the Open Championship
Top Tier Pick #1:
Rory McIlroy (Odds: 9/1, FPPG: 90.3, GPFP: 106.54 Salary: $11,600)
We’re written about our preference for players who have gone through some Links prep as ideal draft material this week.
That discounts many in the upper echelon of the world rankings, with a couple of survivors from that shortlist cull standing out.
Jon Rahm has already won twice on Links tracks in Ireland, and he has to be respected here if conditions are more straightforward than is typical for a British Open.
But the fiery Spaniard has a temperament to match, and you do wonder how he will cope should he get into contention of a major.
Perhaps a more sensible option then is Rory McIlroy, a rather more placid fellow with plenty of links in this part of the world. He grew up not far from Portrush, and once set the low-scoring record at this course as a sprightly sixteen-year-old.
He’s finished inside the top-five of each of his last four British Open appearances too, with victory at Royal Liverpool in 2014, and so there are few – if any – players capable of matching the Irishman on the Links.
With two wins in 2019 already, Rory has got his mojo back and looks the man most likely to this week.
Key Stats:
- SG: Off-the-Tee – 1st
- Scoring Average – 2nd
- SG: Around-the-Green – 21st
Top-Tier Pick #2:
Matt Kuchar (Odds: 40/1, FPPG: 85.4, GPFP: 106.69 Salary: $8,700)
Kooch is another elite player who committed to getting his Links prep right with an outing at the Scottish, where he opened with a round of 63 before accepting a satisfactory finish of T20.
He’s trending very nicely, with six top-20 finishes in his last seven starts on the PGA TOUR and, of course, those wins at the breezy Sony Open and Mayakoba Classic.
Kuchar has a trio of top-10 finishes in the British Open to his name, including most famously when he chased Jordan Spieth all around Royal Birkdale on a captivating Sunday finale.
One of the few things missing from his resumé is a major title, and of all the places he’s most likely to rectify that Royal Portrush certainly springs to mind.
Key Stats:
- Scrambling – 7th
- SG: Approach – 10th
- Total Driving – 18th
Mid-Tier Pick #1:
Eddie Pepperell (Odds: 75/1, FPPG: 66.8, GPFP: 53.43 Salary: $7,600)
We’ve had Pepperell in mind for this event for a while now, so gladly he has been holding up nicely in form of late.
A T4 effort at the Irish Open was followed by T43 at the Scottish, but only after he had opened with a pair of 67s. And of the two, we expect the British Open to play more like the Irish with its small greens and reliance on a high quality short game.
Pepperell offers that and plenty of Links experience too. He lost in a play-off at the Irish Open of 2015, won the British Masters at Walton Heath – a track with a Links-style feel albeit inland, and he bagged his first British Open top-10 at Carnoustie 12 months ago, where at one point he was the clubhouse leader on Sunday.
At the age of 28, it’s about time that Pepperell established himself as one of the best European players around, and a strong showing at Portrush will be a good place to start.
Key Stats (European Tour):
- Putts per GIR – 9th
- Scrambling – 17th
- SG: Approach – 56th
Mid-Tier Pick #2:
Rafa Cabrera-Bello (Odds: 66/1, FPPG: 75.9, GPFP: 60.70 Salary: $7,500)
For a man of his undoubted talent, Cabrera-Bello simply isn’t prolific enough as a winner – he has three wins on the European Tour in a career dating back a decade or more.
But one of those did come at the Links-based Scottish Open in 2017 – a handy start, and the Spaniard is clearly comfortable on these wide-open courses having banked consecutive top-10s at the Irish and Scottish Opens in the last few weeks to go with his T4 at Royal Birkdale in this event back in 2017.
And in something of a rarity, RCB is one of the few players in this field with prior experience of Royal Portrush: he finished T2 in the Irish Open of 2012 that was held here.
Key Stats:
- Approaches from 50-75 yards – 16th
- Scoring Average – 48th
- SG: Putting – 75th
Low-Tier Pick:
Bernd Wiesberger (Odds: 66/1, FPPG: 63.1, GPFP: 50.52 Salary: $7,100)
The cat seems to be out of the bag regarding Bernd Wiesberger, although nobody appears to have told DraftKings at this derisory salary.
The Austrian has battled back from a career-threatening wrist injury in some style, and since the end of May he has won twice on the European Tour: first at the Made in Denmark before following up at last week’s Scottish Open, where he outlasted Benjamin Hebert in a playoff.
His Links prowess is not reflected in his poor British Open record, but Wiesberger can go well in these conditions and with his confidence at an all-time high, whose to say another tremendous show of ball-striking isn’t in the offing.
Key Stats (European Tour):
- Greens in Regulation – 6th
- SG: Approach – 16th
- Par 5 Scoring Average – 30th
Sleeper Pick for the Open Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick (Odds: 75/1, FPPG: 71.1, GPFP: 56.87 Salary: $7,600)
For our money, this young talent is one of the brightest prospects in European golf, and perhaps the most likely Englishman of his generation to win a major.
At 24, Fitzpatrick already has five European Tour wins to his name, plus T7 and T12 finishes at the Masters and US Open respectively, so his is a profile worth following.
A steady T14 at the Scottish Open to go with his T12 at Pebble Beach a matter of weeks ago, Fitzpatrick could blossom into a consistent major player in years to come and Links golf certainly holds no fear for him.
Key Stats:
- SG: Tee-to-Green – 27th
- SG: Total – 28th
- SG: Around-the-Green – 58th
Alternative Sleeper Pick for the Open Championship
Jorge Campillo (Odds: 200/1, FPPG: 70.8, GPFP: 56.65 Salary: $6,900)
If you are looking to roster some studs in the same line-up and need a cheap bargain sleeper, Jorge Campillo could have plenty of upside.
The Spaniard does not boast a supreme record in majors, but he is certainly at home on the Links and has shown plenty of signs of maturity this term.
He won his maiden European Tour title over at the Trophee Hassan, and from March onwards he has recorded seven top-10s on that tour.
T7 at the Irish Open is the most eye-catching for us, and maybe Campillo is finally ready to show his best self on the major stage.
Key Stats (European Tour):
- SG: Putting – 5th
- Greens in Regulation – 7th
- Putts per GIR – 34th
This Week’s Sample DraftKings Lineup
Note: Sample lineups provided as examples only. Be sure to mix-and-match players to best fit individual contests.
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Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2018-2019)
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