Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – The 2014 Deutsche Bank Championship

Fantasy Golf Picks and Predictions for the 2014 Deutsche Bank Championship

This Week’s Tournament Preview

The second leg of the FedExCup playoffs now underway, defending champion Henrik Stenson will have a lot to prove heading into TPC Boston. The 2013 FedExCup Champion is heating up at just the right time after recently notching a third place finish at the PGA Championship two weeks ago.

Stenson will try to join Vijay Singh as the only multiple winner of this event while also chasing Tiger Woods as the only multiple time FedExCup winner since its inception back in 2007.

McIlroy had a tough Thursday at the Barclays but bounced back nicely to maintain the confidence of fans and critics. However, having just lost his No.1 FedExCup points spot to recent winner Hunter Mahan, a number of questions still remain for the young FedExCup favorite

After this week’s contest, the remaining top 70 on the points list will proceed on to the BMW Championship in Denver next week. This week also marks the last chance for U.S. players to impress Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson and earn a captain’s pick on Sept 2^nd.

Top 10: Shots from Deutsche Bank Championship since 2007

Check out the top 10 shots from the Deutsche Bank Championship since the inception of the FedExCup Playoffs, featuring Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, Steve Stricker, and Tiger Woods. . SUBSCRIBE to PGA TOUR now: http://pgat.us/vBxcZSh Welcome to the official YouTube channel of the PGA TOUR.

Last Week’s Fantasy Results

With 34 tournaments in the books this year, last week’s performance pushed our yearly fantasy earnings total to $41,160,683, moving our weekly average earnings to $1.21 million dollars.

With Rickie Fowler’s T9 finish, we have now successfully picked 81 Top 10 finishers this year for a total average of 34.03% in this vital fantasy category. Perhaps even more importantly, with a “cuts made” percentage still above 86%, our fantasy staff is confident they can navigate this field of 100 to maximize the most fantasy points and earnings for the week.

In case you missed it, Frank and Mike from The Golf Podcast took listeners behind the scenes at the first event of the FedExCup playoffs. Listen in as the guys walked side-by-side with the players and uncovered which pros look primed to make a playoff run:

The Field

The remaining 98 on the FedExCup leaderboard including 2012 winner Rory McIlroy will be in the field of players expected to play at TPC Boston this week.

Jason Dufner hasn’t confirmed whether or not his neck is good enough to return better and Dustin Johnson will remain on leave from the PGA TOUR until next year.

With Playoff tournaments’ top prizes equaling five times the “regular season” amount of FedExCup points (2500), it should come as no surprise that Hunter Mahan has now taken the reigns as the No. 1 player on the FedExCup leaderboard as we head into TPC Boston. Since 2009, the player who come into the FedExCup playoffs with the points lead has seen the top spot slip away in four of the last six years.

So can Rory get the number one spot back at the Deutsche Bank Championship? We’ll dive into that in our picks segment below.

The Course

The beautiful TPC Boston measures in at 7,216 yards and plays as a par 71. The first course opened in 2002 and was originally crafted by the created by legendary Arnold Palmer, but has since gone through a major renovation at the hands of Gil Hanse and Brad Faxon.

In combination with improving both the fairways and greens, the duo focused on adding some additional challenges by inserting grass mounds and high rough. Back in 2006 TPC Boston ranked as the most difficult par 71 on the PGA TOUR schedule at +1.611 strokes to par, but the track has averaged under par in every edition since.

Little to no rain will be in the forecast until Saturday so look out for a firm, fast track for the first two rounds in Boston. Rain is however expected to soften things up over the weekend where it could be anyone’s tournament come Monday.

Photo by TPC.com

Weather Forecast for Boston, MA (from weather.com)

• Round 1: Friday (Aug 29) 73 degrees, 0 chance of rain, mostly sunny.
• Round 2: Saturday (Aug 30) 80 degrees, 10% chance of rain, mostly sunny.
• Round 3: Sunday (Aug 31) 84 degrees, 40% chance of rain, scattered t-storms.
• Round 4: Monday (Sept 1) 72 degrees, 50% chance of rain, scattered t-storms.

2013 Results

Henrik Stenson reemerged onto the scene, beginning what would become a historic run in the 2013 FedExCup Playoffs after winning this second round event. Stenson recorded a two-shot victory, eventually coming it at 22-under for the event, and matching the tournament scoring record in the process. The win marked his first victory since The PLAYERS back in 2009.

With an exceptional holeout from a greenside bunker on 17, Stenson rolled into the BMW Championship with Top 3 finishes at the British Open, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, and PGA Championship on top of his win at TPC Boston.

Henrik’s game is well suited for this course and could possibly make him a strong fantasy contender this week (see if he made our fantasy picks roster below).

Here is wrap-up of Round 4 from last year’s edition of the Deutsche Bank Championship:

Round 4 Recap: 2013 Deutsche Bank Championship

In the final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston, Henrik Stenson shot a 5-under 66 to win, vaulting him to first place in the FedExCup standings. . SUBSCRIBE to PGA TOUR now: http://pgat.us/vBxcZSh Welcome to the official YouTube channel of the PGA TOUR.

Media

• Television Broadcasts
  • Friday, 2:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. EST (Golf Channel)
  • Saturday, 3:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. EST (Golf Channel)
  • Sunday, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. EST (Golf Channel), 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. EST (NBC)
  • Monday, 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. EST (Golf Channel), 1:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. EST (NBC)
• Radio Broadcasts
  • Friday-Saturday, 1:00 pm – 7:00 p.m. EST (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.COM)
  • Monday-Sunday, 12:00 pm – 6:00 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

Scrambling is perhaps the biggest key to success this week. TPC Boston presents plenty of challenges including elevation changes, fast greens, and tough fairways. Additionally, this New England rough could challenge even the best tee-to-green players in the field.

We had the pleasure of watching these players live all week in Ridgewood, NJ last week and we think we have a pretty good grasp on what players are sharpest for this track.

As a reminder, you have until Friday morning (5am EST) in most leagues to get your picks in due to the Friday-Monday event schedule this holiday weekend.

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Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win The 2014 Deutsche Bank Championship

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Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win The 2014 Deutsche Bank Championship

• Matt Kuchar (Golficity Odds 8/1): Kuch has certainly shredded any doubt that his recent back injury is serious. The Top 10 machine took some time off after his PGA Championship withdrawal to fully recover and now looks to be in great form. Kuch holed out a birdie from the deep greenside rough to finish his week in Ridgewood and will look to carry his recent momentum straight to the Ryder Cup. Last week’s T5 finish was his eleventh Top 10 of the season and fantasy fans will certainlly agree that Kuch knows TPC Boston pretty darn well (T4 last year). Our money is on Kuchar picking up a Playoffs win and making a strong run for the cup. He’ll be on our fantasy roster this week for sure.
• Rory McIlroy (Golficity Odds 10/1): Just because the hottest golfer in the world shoot a disappointing 74 in the first round last week doesn’t mean you should drop him this week. That is so long as you’re not playing in salary cap league, in which case we’d advise staying keep away from his high price tag this week (because it will leave room for little else on your roster). However, straight pick’em league guys need to have Rory start this week for sure. McIlroy won the Deutsche Bank Championship back in 2012 on this very same course and we’re sure he has plenty of gas in the tank to do it again. We’re taking Kuchar over Rory this week, but our pick’em leagues will have them both as our 1-2 punch.
• Jim Furyk (Golficity Odds 15/1): You could make a strong argument that a guy with Top 10s in four of last five starts and a total of nine on the season, including his T8 at Barclays last week, could make him a contender for the top fantasy spot this week. Heck, he’s even made 9 straight cuts at TPC Boston including three top 10s. But, his inability to close has been an issue we simply can’t overlook. Sure, he’ll grab you a boat load of fantasy points, but we don’t pick players to just place in the Top 10, we pick them to win. Go Kuch with your top pick and leave Furyk to round out the roster if you still have the cash.
• Adam Scott (Golficity Odds 18/1):  If you’re looking for name with a high price tag and can’t use Rory this week, go with Scott. Wanted to pick Fowler here, but Scott has a little more experience on this course. The Aussie also won the inaugural Deutsche Bank Championship in 2003 and he’s gone 9-for-9 since with four more top 10s.
• Jason Day (Golficity Odds 22/1): Day is another Aussie that’s starting to heat up at the right time. Although he stumbled out of the gate last week, he bounced back nicely to be in contention for win. Day ultimately finished T2 at Ridgewood while ranking first in par breakers. He’s 6-for-6 at TPC Boston with two top three finishes and odds are you can use him still in your pick’em leagues. Look for Day to make a strong push for the FedExCup in the final three rounds of this year’s playoffs.

Sleeper Pick/Odds to Win The 2014 Deutsche Bank Championship

• Patrick Reed (Golficity Odds 28/1): Reed is quietly falling back into his early season grove. Although he finished T70 in his first appearance here, Patrick is coming into TPC Boston a much different and more sound player. He made a few waves last week finishing T9 and ranking T12 in GIR and second in scrambling. Those stats are key up in Norton, MA this week and we like this kid’s chances a lot. Not a bad $8,200 price tag in DraftKings fantasy either.

Salary Cap League Sleeper Pick/Odds to Win The 2014 Deutsche Bank Championship

• Kevin Na (Golficity Odds 45/1): If you need a sleeper, take a crack at Na this week. Although you don’t hear his name often on the top, he’s coming off of a solid week (T9) at The Barclays. More importantly, he’s got a lot to prove this week to Ryder Cup Captain Tom Watson as he sits in second behind Hunter Mahan among the potential captain’s picks in most world-ranking points earned in 2014. A strong finish this week may be what it takes to land Na spot on the team in September. Note that he also ranks 2nd in scrambling behind Furyk which could give him an extra push at TPC Boston this week.

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Last Week’s Results:  Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the 2014 Barclays

• Rory McIlroy (Golficity Odds 3 /1): T22 ($70,200)
• Jimmy Walker (Golficity Odds 8/1): MC
• Rickie Fowler (Golficity Odds 10/1): T9 ($208,000)
• Adam Scott (Golficity Odds 15/1):) T15 ($132,000)
• Justin Rose (Golficity Odds 33/1): T30 ($46,500)

Last Week’s Results: Sleeper Picks/Odds to Win the 2014 Barclays

• Henrik Stenson (Golficity Odds 33/1): T38 ($32,000)

Last Week’s Results Salary Cap Sleeper Pick/Odds to Win the 2014 Barclays

• Ryan Moore (Golficity Odds 33/1): MC

Fantasy Golf Predictions Stats: Season to Date

• Total Fantasy Dollars: $41,160,683 (Weekly average = $1,210,608)
• Total Top 10s: 81 out of 238 players picked (34.03%).
• Total Top 3s: 25 out of 238 players picked (10.50%).
• Total Missed Cuts: Only 34 out of 238 players picked (86% made the cut).
• Total Major Winners Picked: 2 out of 4 (50%)
• Total WGC Event Winners Picked: 2 out of 3 (66.67%)

Remember to visit the The Clubhouse and our private Facebook group to discuss this week’s picks for the 2014 Deutsche Bank Championship  with other Premium Members.

(Cover Photo Credit)