Fantasy Golf Predictions

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – The Barclays 2014

Published

12 years ago

August 18, 2014

Fantasy-Golf-Picks-Odds-and-Predictions-for-The-Barclays-2014

Fantasy Golf Picks and Predictions for The Barclays 2014

This Week’s Tournament Preview

We’ve reached the most exciting point of the season, the Playoffs!

A number the TOUR’s top guns are sidelined with injuries going into this crucial first round, but guys like Rory, Rickie, and Henrik playing exceptionally well, so we can only assume that this week’s tournament will be a dog fight to the finish – as we just witnessed at Valhalla.

Rory will be the favorite heading into the playoffs but quite a few other contenders also need to be considered this week. The 25-year old McIlory comes to Ridgewood riding a three-event winning streak which includes a British Open and PGA Championship. Rory will take an 89-point lead into this event, but if he’s not careful he could easily find himself dropping significantly as playoff points are worth 5x the amount of a normal event.

After The Barclays comes to a close on Sunday only the Top 100 will advance on to TPC Boston next week for the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Last Week’s Fantasy Results

Last week’s performance at the Wyndham pushed our total fantasy winnings to $40.671 million after putting 33 tournaments in the books this year.

Our week ($790,429) consisted of two Top 5s including Bill Haas who finished one stroke off the leader at T2. Both of last week’s sleeper picks made the cut and the Haas finish notched us our 80th Top 10 pick of the year. That said, if you’ve been following our picks closely all season you’re certain to be in a healthy position leading into this year’s playoffs.

The Field

Only the PGA TOUR’s Top 125 in FedExCup points get a shot to take on Ridgewood CC in New Jersey this week. That includes our new FedExCup points leader, Rory McIlroy, and a field that is expected to include 122 total players – a handful of the top 125 are out due to injuries.

Most notable on that list of absentees will be Dustin Johnson (leave of absence), Jason Dufner (neck), and Steve Stricker (family time). This will be the second straight year Stricker has stayed away from New Jersey for the playoffs (we hope it not the Jersey drivers keeping old Strick out of town!).

Rookies taking part in the FedExCup playoffs this year will include Puerto Rico Open winner Chesson Hadley and Brice Garnett. Of course patrons of Paramus, NJ will be bummed not seeing Tiger Woods walk through their backyard as he has been recently reported to be sidelined for the rest of the season (including the Ryder Cup).

The Course

Located right in Golficity’s backyard, Ridgewood Country Club measures in at 7,319 yards and plays as a par 71. Dating back to 1890, Ridgewood is also one of the oldest country clubs in the United States.

The A.W. Tillinghast design includes 27 holes of which the tour has selected the toughest 18 holes that the course offers for this year’s event.

This will mark the third time that an 18-hole composite course will use the most challenging holes of three nine-hole tracks for a PGA TOUR event. Our staff walked the grounds on Monday and the course is in impressive shape. Ridgewood certainly has it’s challenges, but those with the ability to scamble can make mistakes and still manage to score well here.

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – The Barclays 2014

Photo by rcc1890.com.

Weather Forecast for Paramus, NJ (from weather.com)

Round 1: Thursday (Aug 21) 77 degrees, 10% chance of rain, partly cloudy.
Round 2: Friday (Aug 22) 79 degrees, 30% chance of rain, few showers
Round 3: Saturday (Aug 23) 77 degrees, 20% chance of rain, partly cloudy.
Round 4: Sunday (Aug 24) 78 degrees, 10% chance of rain, mostly sunny.

2013 Results

Our pick Adam Scott waited patiently on the driving range at Liberty National Golf Course last year for the outcome of the finishing paring. As his victory was announced, Scott embraced caddie Steve Williams to celebrate yet another achievement in what would become a career year for the young Aussie.

Justin Rose ended up missing a 25-foot birdie putt at No.18 that would have bumped Scott from the lead. Rose went on to a 3-putt for a disappointing bogey while Scott walked away with a pile of FedExCup points.

Tiger Woods also missed a 25-footer that would have forced a playoff with Scott, and Gary Woodland even saw an opportunity to unseat Adam, but his opportunity slipped away as he missed three consecutive birdie chances inside of 10 feet. Later Scott was quoted by saying “I feel like I was given a gift…” and it’s one we’re sure he was happy to take!

Here is wrap-up of Round 4 from last year’s edition of The Barclays:

Round 4 Recap: The Barclays 2013

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Media

Television Broadcasts
- Thursday-Friday, 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. EST (Golf Channel)
- Saturday, 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. EST (Golf Channel), 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. EST (CBS)
- Sunday, 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. EST (Golf Channel), 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. EST (CBS)
Radio Broadcasts
- Thursday-Sunday, 12:00 pm – 7:00 p.m. EST (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.COM)
Mobile Broadcasts
- Simultaneous coverage on the Golf Live Extra app for iPhone and iPad.

This Week’s Fantasy Notes

As we entered the grounds of Ridgewood CC late Monday afternoon we felt a tangible Playoff excitement in the air and wondered who was going to hold the trophy come late Sunday evening.

The track is in top Playoff form and fairways are plentiful (which averaged 62% hit four years ago when Ridgewood last hosted the Barclays). Back in 2010 the field averaged less than par (70.977) which tells us we could see some serious scoring this time around.

Par 5’s are no gimme birdies on this track, so long ball hitters and the ability to scramble from the deep rough scrambling should provide a slight advantage.

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Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win The Barclays 2014

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Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win The Barclays 2014

Rory McIlroy (Golficity Odds 3/1): Although a win would make for an unprecedented four in a row, it’s hard not to pick Rory this week, especially down the stretch. This is the time of the year in annual fantasy leagues that you want the best of the best on your roster, including guys who are coming in as hot as McIlroy has been of late (three straight wins including two major championships). His stats are solid right now including a ninth in GIR, second in adjusted scoring, and perhaps most importantly on this course, T1 in par-4 scoring. We didn’t see him on the tees Monday, but odds are he’ll be there getting his work in beginning Tuesday.
Jimmy Walker (Golficity Odds 8/1): We thought about selecting Sergio or Furyk here, but Walker is a name not many are going to opt for in his Tier. This Jersey track suits his style of play and his game is strong enough to make a big push here in the Playoffs. With nine Top 10s including three wins and 20 cuts made, Walker is a sleeper pick in his own Tier (if you play a pick’em league).
Rickie Fowler (Golficity Odds 10/1): A lot of the folks on our staff wanted to mark this guy as the number one pick, because he is that hot and that much “due.” Fowler has been an animal in big events in 2014 and it doesn’t get much bigger than the start of the Playoffs. With a career-tying high seven top 10s this season and Butch Harmon in his corner, look out for a wave of orange on Sunday.
Adam Scott (Golficity Odds 15/1): The defending champ has been quiet since losing the World No. 1 spot to Rory, but still, you can’t bench Scott at the Barclays (you’ll probably kick yourself for it if you do). The returning champ’s swing and playing style is ideal for this track. Not only did he win this event last year (Liberty National) he also finished T9 at Ridgewood back in 2010. With six consecutive top 15s coming into this week and ranking number one in the all-around, he’ll be on our squad for sure.
Justin Rose (Golficity Odds 33/1): Rose has been playing some solid golf lately and his 2014 season has consisted of twelve top 25s since March, including seven that were top 10s and two that were (consecutive) wins. He currently ranks fifth in the all-around and T9 in par-5 scoring, a stat that is favored on this course. Although he costs a lot in most salary cap leagues, he’s a great alternative name in any pick’em pool where you’re looking to use someone other than the big guns above.

Sleeper Pick/Odds to Win The Barclays 2014

Henrik Stenson (Golficity Odds 33/1): Stenson makes a quality pick in his tier given that many may overlook him in favor of someone more popular. The defending FedExCup Champ is playing in just his 13th start of the season and is fighting off the media hype that, “he’s tired and should have rested after last year.” You’d be wise to disregard that chatter. Stenson is a workhorse who is coming off a T3 at Valhalla where he led the field in strokes gained-putting. He may be a sleeper but make no mistake, Stenson is a serious contender this week (and the rest of the way).

Salary Cap League Sleeper Pick/Odds to Win The Barclays 2014

Ryan Moore (Golficity Odds 33/1): Moore is as much of a as “sleeper” as you’re going to get from us this week. The playoffs are not the time to try and hunt down dark horses like a Chris Kirk or Jonas Blixt and hope to catch lightning in a bottle. Your focus for sleepers this week in salary cap leagues should be sub-$9,000 (DraftKings). Moore is a high $8,000 price tag with a great shot to win. Although nothing is certain, odds are he’ll be getting a Ryder Cup nod, and we’re sure he wants to make a statement in these last four weeks of the season. With a great track that suits his game and four straight top 15s, Moore has a fighting chance to make some noise leading up to the TOUR Championship.

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