Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, & Predictions – 2015 Zurich Classic

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans

This Week’s 2015 Zurich Classic Preview

The TOUR travels south this week to New Orleans for the Zurich Challenge before the world’s elite clash once again in two weeks for THE PLAYERS Championship.  First-time winners has been the constant theme here at the Zurich with with 7 of the last 10 victories coming from non-repeat players.  Included in that list is 2014 FedExCup Champ Billy Horschel (‘13), Jason Dufner (‘12), and Nick Watney (‘07).

This year, the 2014 Champion Seung-Yul Noh will try to add his name to a list of just five others who became back-to-back winners at the Zurich.  Although we usually shy away from defending champs in our picks, it’s worth noting that just recently Matt Every made a repeat of his own at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month.

This week’s fantasy selections will be a little tougher than usual with an all-star lineup trying to get in shape for THE PLAYERS.  Keep in mind that sandwiched between these two events is next week’s WGC-Cadillac Match Play where the top players in the world, including last year’s winner Jason Day (who is in the field this week), will be contending for a the top prize in an exciting bracket-style event.

Last Week’s Fantasy Results

Last week our fantasy selections successfully made 6 of 7 cuts including Kuchar who was our “out on a limb” pick due Kuch making little noise so far in 2015.  Kuchar ended up placing 5th at the RBC Heritage earned our Premium Members some quality fantasy points (and dollars) in the process.

Also included in our picks last week was Jordan Spieth who bounced back to a T11 finish after a rough first round start.  Luke Donald, another pick of ours also broke the top 20 finishing T15 at Harbour Town.

With the 21st tournament of the 2014-2015 season in the books, we have successfully maintained our $1 million average in fantasy earnings per week record and we now have five winners picked including our first major winner.  With only 23 missed cuts out of 147 names picked and 8 runner-ups, we’ve had a solid season so far, earning our members some nice change in their DraftKings games along the way.

The Field

A total of five players ranked 20th or better will be in the field this week to contend at TPC Louisiana and in the process gear up for the next two big events on the PGA TOUR schedule.  Among these names are Billy Horschel—who will always have a special place in his heart for this event since it is the site of his first victory as a pro—and other studs like No. 5 Jason Day and No. 6 Dustin Johnson.

Another name we haven’t heard much of lately (other than the Masters) is Steve Stricker, who will make just his second start of 2015 at this week’s Zurich Classic—as you may already know, Stricker has been trying to bounce back from back surgery.

Other names you can expect to see (that could also help your team win this week) are Rickie Fowler, Marc Leishman, Justin Rose, and KJ Choi (to name a few).  Check our picks segment below to see which ones made our cut this week.

The Course

TPC Louisiana measures in at a lengthy 7,425 yards and plays as a par 72.  The infamous TPC track was built on roughly 250 acres of Louisiana wetlands just outside of New Orleans and was designed by Pete Dye about a decade ago.

Although it plays fairly long this track consistently ranks among the TOUR’s ten easiest on the schedule.  Don’t let that lull you into a false sense of security, TPC Louisiana still has its fair share of challenges with the recent addition of 100 bunkers, five ponds, and several large waste bunkers along holes 10-15.

This particular event relocated here in 2005 and has been the consistent host since that time—with the exception of Hurricane Katrina when it was forced to briefly relocate before making its way back to TPC Louisiana.

Photo by TPC.com

Weather Forecast for Avondale, LA

Rain will threaten the area with an 80% chance of thunderstorms for the first three rounds.  Expect possible delays and round suspensions and also a very wet and slow course which will make this long track play even longer.

2014 Zurich Classic Results

Last year Seung-Yul Noh battled a difficult field and treacherous wind gusts as the young gun beat out Keegan Bradley with a 1-under-par 71.  Noh’s two-shot victory marked first PGA TOUR win and earned him a spot at the 2015 Masters.  During the week he went bogey-free until Round four which opened the door for Bradley, but the Boston native soon fell off the pace after going 4-over on holes 5 and 6.

Also in contention (and also in the field this year) was Andy Svoboda (69) and Robert Streb (70) who both tied for second as Bradley fell to a T8 finish.

Here’s what happened last year in case you missed it:

Seung-Yul Noh celebrates his first PGA TOUR win at Zurich | Highlights

In the final round of the 2014 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Seung-Yul Noh played brilliantly to earn his first Tour win. . SUBSCRIBE to PGA TOUR now: http://pgat.us/vBxcZSh Welcome to the official YouTube channel of the PGA TOUR. Here you can find everything you need to stay up to date with the world’s foremost golf tour..

This Week’s Broadcast Schedule

• Television Broadcasts 
  • Thursday – Friday 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm EST (Golf Channel)
  • Saturday 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm EST (Golf Channel)
  • Sunday 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm EST (CBS)
• Radio Broadcasts (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.COM)
  • Thursday – Friday 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm EST
  • Saturday – Sunday  1:00pm – 6:00 pm EST
• Mobile Broadcasts
  • Simultaneous coverage on The Golf Live Extra App for iPhone and Android.

Where to Play Fantasy Golf this Week

This week we’re gunning for the $3 entry [$PGA $100K BIRDIE $100K GUARANTEED] event which guarantees a prize pool of $100K no matter how many members enter.  This contest should hit 12-15K entries before round 1 on Thursday and first place is $10,000!  For $3 we suggest entering more than once and rotating your horse pick while employing either a Studs n’ Duds or Contrarian strategy to set yourself apart from the pack.

Also, did we mention that DraftKings has officially opened the doors for their next Major event?  Given all the success of this season’s $2.2 million Masters contest, DraftKings is upping the ante for the U.S. Open with an even bigger prize pool set at $2.5 million dollars.  Reserve your spot here to enter an early satellite league and win your way in to the big event before its too late!

This Week’s Zurich Classic Fantasy Notes

Fantasy players need to put a premium on the second shot this week as greens in regulation will separate the men from the boys.  Although TPC Louisiana typically plays on the easier side, the greens do not.  With there various undulations and the threat of rain, getting the ball close for a chance at birdie this week will certainly help.

Of course that statement seems obvious every week, but look at the stats: Noh averaged 14 GIRs per round last year en route to his victory here. That and some solid putting is how you get it done on TPC Louisiana.

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Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the 2015 Zurich Classic

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Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the Zurich Classic

• Dustin Johnson (Golficity Odds 8/1 FPPG 78.5 Salary: $13,000): As we step out onto one of the “easier” courses on the TOUR, the long ball hitters with solid approach games come to mind right away.  Johnson been back to this event since his MC in 2008, but is that a reason not to pick the best player in the field?  No, and you’re crazy if you don’t.  DJ already has a win this season (at Doral) and added a pair of T6s to his season stats some weeks later (Valero and Masters).  He Leads TOUR in strokes gained tee-to-green and in driving distance, plus he sits at a healthy second in scoring average and fifth in total strokes gained.  Given the slightly overall weaker field you can still build a solid team this week with DJ’s hefty price tag on your roster.
• Justin Rose (Golficity Odds 14/1 FPPG 58.5 Salary: $11,900): We’re not hopping on his horse solely because of his T2 at Augusta, but more so because this guy’s heating up and he’s been known to eat up TPC Louisiana.  In his last three visits here he’s notched a T10, T15, T8, and has posted 11 consecutive under-par rounds.  We debated between Rose and Day in this spot, but we feel one stock is climbing while one is falling.  Rose’s stats are nothing to jump up and down about but the kid has some serious fire power and sits at 9th in the world for a reason.  He ranks 38th in GIR and a has a few missed cuts this season which is concerning but his game looks solid right now and he should be coming into his stride.  He wouldn’t be our horse pick this week but he makes a great addition to a contrarian roster as most will opt for Day.
• Rickie Fowler (Golficity Odds 20/1 FPPG 71 Salary: $10,700): The kid has got to pop soon!  Yes he’s cooled since last year (and since he began dating the sexy Alexis Randock who may find her way on our 2015 list of the Hottest Girls in Golf) but Rickie has the game to win any event, especially one on this course.  Rickie failed to extend his consecutive top 5 finishes in a major streak (to five) after a bumpy start at Augusta but still finished with an impressive T12.  Besides that, he has 17 consecutive cuts made and currently ranks 38th in the all-around.  Although he’s had some trouble finding greens this season, you can count on him to step it up this week and earn you some fantasy dough.
• Morgan Hoffman (Golficity Odds 32/1 FPPG 56.3 Salary: $9,300): Our hometown Jersey native has a real solid game as of late.  Hoffman tied for ninth at Harbour Town last week with four rounds below 70 and ranks 32nd in strokes gained putting.  On this course he’s 2-for-2 and with a T21 two years ago.  He struggles with driving accuracy and GIR but he has two Top 9s in his last three starts.  If you’re looking for someone to fill your roster in the $9,000 tier, Hoffman is your guy this week.
• John Peterson (Golficity Odds 40/1 FPPG 64.5 Salary: $8,900):  We’re going to hop off of the Brendan Steele train this week and select a cheaper option with a better chance to win.  A lot of fantasy forecasters have been touting Peterson this week and with solid reason.  Peterson is 13-for-14 this season with top 20s in last two starts.  He also ranks 28th in scrambling and has faired well at TPC Louisiana in the past (T8 here in 2013).  Peterson is solid $8,000 tier pick this week for sure.

Sleeper Pick/Odds to Win the Zurich Classic

• Jason Bohn  (Golficity Odds 50/1 FPPG 65.4 Salary: $7,900): Bohn is a strong pick in the $7,000 tier this week and as an added bonus not many will see him coming.  He can get off the tee fairly well (Ranked 11th in Driving Accuracy) and sits at 28th in Greens in Regulation.  He’s missed only two cuts in 13 events and seems to bounce back and forth between strong and poor performances.  That said, last week was tough for Bohn, although he did make the cut (T55) so if the trend continues he’ll be back in the hunt this week.  Also note that he has two T17 finishes the three weeks prior to that T55.

Salary Cap League Sleeper Pick/Odds to Win the Zurich Classic

•  Martin Laird  (Golficity Odds 66/1 FPPG 70.9 Salary: $7,500): Laird is always a solid fantasy play if the price is right.  This week he has a discounted price tag and we’re loving him as our Super Sleeper pick.  Laird has three Top 7 finishes and one missed cut in 11 events played this season.  He ranks 11th in ball-striking, 19th in scoring average, and 24th in GIR.  For the price, he’s worth a look this week to help you round out your roster.

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Last Week’s Results:  Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the RBC Heritage

• Jordan Spieth (Golficity Odds 6/1): T11 ($129,800)
• Zach Johnson (Golficity Odds 12/1): MC
• Matt Kuchar (Golficity Odds 18/1): 5th ($236,000)
• Luke Donald (Golficity Odds 24/1): T15 ($100,300)
• Charlie Hoffman (Golficity Odds 29/1): T64 ($13,334)

Last Week’s Results: Sleeper Picks/Odds to Win the RBC Heritage

• Kevin Streelman (Golficity Odds 40/1): T55 ($13,334)

Last Week’s Results Salary Cap Sleeper Pick/Odds to Win the RBC Heritage

• Ben Martin (Golficity Odds 66/1): T37 ($25,370)

Fantasy Golf Predictions YTD Stats

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”13.61%” bar_text=”20 out of 147 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent=”27.21%” bar_text=”40 out of 147 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=”23.81%” bar_text=”5 out of 21 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”38.10%” bar_text=”8 out of 21 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”84.35%” bar_text=”124 out of 147 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Major Winners Picked” percent=”100%” bar_text=”1 out of 1 event” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

Remember to visit the The Clubhouse and our private Facebook group to discuss this week’s picks for the 2015 Zurich Classic with other Premium Members.

Looking for some additional sleeper picks to round out your roster?  Check out our Tuesday Sleeper Report here for five additional selections for the 2015 Zurich Classic.

Cover Photo by @louisi_anna on Instagram