Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2014 CIMB Classic

Fantasy Golf Picks and Predictions for the 2014 CIMB Classic

This Week’s Tournament Preview

Could we see a repeat of Ryan Moore 2013 CIMB Classic performance – once again in the pouring rain? The Las Vegas native hasn’t made much noise in the fall series, but that could all change in Malaysia where he looks to pick up his first win since last year’s trip (keep in mind that Moore was no slouch in 2013, putting together a potential Ryder Cup season with 6 top-10 finishes).

Another player to keep your eye on this week is Bo Van Pelt. Although we haven’t heard much from him, Bo came close to repeating here in 2012 where he came up just one stroke short. The fact that Bo Van Pelt won an Australian event last week in Perth, might have also slipped quietly under your radar but that nice fat $330,000 check could be the motivation he needs to kick it into overdrive this week.

It will also be nice to see Jason Dufner back in action after sitting out the remainder of the FedExCup playoffs and the Ryder Cup with a neck injury. Dufner was quoted after last week’s T23 finish saying:

“It’s been a good trip…It’s good to get back out and compete and nice to be in the hunt after a couple weeks off and after the Ryder Cup. Nothing to be ashamed of, just got to tighten up a couple things.”

Even better, when Duf’s in the field there’s always a change of catching a few extra glimpses of Amanda Dufner on the sidelines!

After this week the TOUR will play two more fall series events, including the WGC HSBC Championship next week. Players will then cap off the calendar year at Tiger’s charity event in December before heading onto the Hawaii-swing come early January, 2015.

Note: Be sure to check your fantasy league pick cutoff time given the international time difference for this event!

Last Week’s Fantasy Results

All seven of our fantasy picks last week made the cut (including both sleeper picks), pushing our annual total to only three missed cuts out of 21 players picked thus far. With the 3rd tournament of the 2014-2015 season in the books, we successfully added $455,000 in fantasy earnings to our total, which is roughly $1.75 million so far this season.

Our top finisher last week was Chris Kirk who fell short of his title defense but finished T4 ($220K) and our super sleeper pick Tony Finau placed T14 earning just over $100,000 along the way.

It’s also worth noting that Haas and Kuchar finished T22 and combined for approximately $93,000 in earnings.

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The Field

You can bet that Sergio Garcia (a strong favorite this week) will sit atop most fantasy rosters this week. It will also be tempting to grab guys like Horschel, Reed, and Westwood just because they’re household names, but are they the right names to waste this week? More on that below.

The field gets a little more robust this week with seven players among the top 30 in last season’s FedExCup points race. Dufner is coming off the DL, but as we mentioned, he looked sharp last week and could be a TOUR winner this year. Guys like Westwood, Schwartzel and Woodland will be joining the field this week as well.

The Course

Kuala Lumpur G&CC (West Course) measures in at 6,985 yards and will play as a “soggy” par 72. This popular TOUR destination is located just five miles from the center of the city and was designed in 1991 as a Nelson & Haworth design.

In 2008 Ted and Geoff Parslow stepped in a spruced the track up to bring us the challenging layout we see today. With an abundance of rain in the forecast, look out for slow greens, soggy fairways, and lots of messy conditions in a hot temperature environment. We wouldn’t be surprised to see this tournament get delayed multiple times over. Think about that when you make your picks this weekend…certain guys tend to lose their groove when they come in to play ping-pong for hours upon end.

Photo by KLGCC.com.

Weather Forecast for Kuala Lumpur (from weather.com)

• Round 1: Thursday (Oct 30) 88 degrees, 80% chance of rain, t-storms.
• Round 2: Friday (Oct 31) 88 degrees, 80% chance of rain, , t-storms.
• Round 3: Saturday (Nov 1) 86 degrees, 80% chance of rain, , t-storms.
• Round 4: Sunday (Nov 2) 90 degrees, 80% chance of rain, , t-storms.

2013 Results

Ryan Moore emerged victorious after a Monday playoff to hold off Gary Woodland with a birdie on the first playoff hole. It was getting dark in Malaysia on Sunday before Moore sank a par put on the 72nd hole to force the playoff.

After sneaking an amazing wedge shot to within 4-5 feet, Moore dunked his birdie to win his 3rd PGA TOUR title. Meanwhile, Woodland missed a 10-foot birdie try on the 72nd hole that would have given him the victory.

We’re pretty sure you’ll see a repeat of last year’s weather with 80% chances of thunderstorms for all four days.

For more, here is wrap-up of that exciting sudden-death playoff from last year’s edition of The CIMB Classic:

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Media

• Television Broadcasts
  • Wednesday – Saturday 11:00 p.m. – 3:00 a.m. EST (Golf Channel)
• Radio Broadcasts
  • No radio coverage this week.
• Mobile Broadcasts
  • Simultaneous coverage on the Golf Live Extra app for iPhone and iPad.

This Week’s Fantasy Notes

You’ll see a lot of lift and clean this week due to forecasted storms and wet course conditions.

Kuala Lumpur’s par-5s ranked as the 12th most difficult on TOUR in 2013, so we’ll consider our team around that stat in combination with course history and past performance. Scrambling is also an important indicator of success to consider here so keep that stat in mind when making your picks for the CIMB Classic this week.

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Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the 2014 CIMB Classic

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Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win The CIMB Classic

• Sergio Garcia (Golficity Odds 10 /1): This might seem obvious but there is no denying that Sergio is the man to beat this week. Garcia makes a solid fantasy pick this week for a few reasons. First, he rarely plays small events, so you don’t have to worry about wasting his pick (if you’re in a 10 picks per year league). Second, he is the highest ranked player Worldwide in the field this week and usually plays to win at events like this. Lastly, he knows the course well and finished T11 here in 2013.
• Hideki Matsuyama (Golficity Odds 14/1): Matsuyama is on a roll with two top-10s already this wrap-around season in only three events played. It’s also worth noting that he finished T25 here last year, but we feel that this guy is a different player since then and has what it takes to win this event pretty easily. Hideki currently ranks second on TOUR in ball-striking, which is key stat for this track.
• Charl Schwartzel Golficity Odds 20/1): Another a rare name to see in less-popular TOUR events, Charl finished T15 last week in Perth, AU and has a total of 8 Top 15 finishes in his last 15 worldwide starts. He also ranks second on TOUR in the category “Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders.”
• Gary Woodland (Golficity Odds 26/1): Another heavy odds favorite to win this week but we’re picking him a little lower on our roster. Woodland comes into Malaysia ranking second in Par-4 scoring and shares second in Par-5 scoring. He also hasn’t played since the TOUR Championship but we like his chances of falling right into the mix come Sunday on a course that he knows quite well. He’ll also undoubtedly be looking for redemption after letting last year’s win slip through his grip.
• Graham DeLeat (Golficity Odds 35/1): DeLeat is an excellent tee-to-green player that could surprise us all this week. His overall stats scream “SELL” this week, but we like his chances as a borderline sleeper. His putting is tough to watch, but his tee-to-green can give him a huge edge over a lot of players in this week’s field.

Sleeper Pick/Odds to Win The CIMB Classic

• Lee Westwood (Golficity Odds 50/1): We’ve lost a bit of faith in Westy over the years, but he’s coming off a recent win on this course at the Malaysian Open in April of this year. Lee also has a T12 this season and a total of three Top 20s in his last five starts. Probably over priced in most fantasy leagues but he’s worth a shot if you can fit him in your salary cap.

Salary Cap League Sleeper Pick/Odds to Win The CIMB Classic

• Anirban Lahiri (Golficity Odds 75/1): Here’s a name you probably haven’t heard of before but Anirban is coming in fresh off of a victory in Macau on Sunday and currently has Top 15s in five of last seven starts worldwide. Last year he finished T35 here, but he’ll only cost you about $7,000 in most DraftKings salary cap leagues and is in our opinion is your best salary cap sleeper option this week.

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

• Webb Simpson: T41 ($19,600)
• Matt Kuchar T22 ($46,760)
• Bill Haas T22 ($46,760)
• Martin Laird 72nd ($10,976)
• Chris Kirk T4 ($220,500)

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

• Tony Finau T14 ($100,800)

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

•  Adam Hadwin T81 ($9,800)

Fantasy Golf Predictions Stats to Date: 2014-2015 Season

• Tournaments Played YTD: 3
• Total Fantasy Dollars: $1,758,070 (Weekly average = $586,023).
• Total Top 10s: 6 out of 21 players picked (28.57%).
• Total Top 3s: 2 out of 21 players picked (9.52%).
• Total Missed Cuts: 3 out of 21 players picked (85.8% made the cut).

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

(Cover Photo Credit)