Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, & Predictions – The Greenbrier Classic 2015

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for The Greenbrier Classic 2015

The Greenbrier Classic Preview

We’re heading into the Greenbrier Classic coming off back-to-back victories and it’s safe to say our fantasy predictions are on a hot streak.  We’ll dive into the stats soon but first let’s set you up for this week’s event.

The Greenbrier Classic has been a popular stop for a lot of the big PGA TOUR names and it has shown little mercy to those who are brave enough to take it on.  Last week’s winner Bubba Watson—who calls The Greenbrier home during the summer—tied for 16th here last year and has yet to crack a top 15 in any of his visits!

Tiger Woods will tee it up this week but most fantasy players haven’t even considered him as a viable option in 2015 (and for good reason), but another fan favorite this week is Webb Simpson who has had plenty of success here with three top-10 finishes in his past four visits.

Be careful when making your selections this week as some of the players in this year’s field may look solid on paper but may not have the right game for this tough course.  All signs were pointing towards Patrick Reed last week when you broke down the stats, but we opted for Bubba and it paid huge dividends (Bubba won the event while Reed missed the cut altogether).

Last Week’s Fantasy Prediction Results

Last week many we’re touting Patrick Reed due to his decent play at Chambers Bay but on the other side of that coin was Bubba Watson.  Watson didn’t play well at the US Open, but we knew going in that his Open record was poor.

Watson’s game didn’t set up well there but it was perfectly matched for TPC River Highlands.  Despite our statistical indicators leaning heavily towards Reed, we chose Watson (1st) as our “horse pick” and even had Paul Casey (2nd) in our Top 5 Picks to win.  Hopefully you listened to us and had both on your DraftKings roster—if so you’re probably a little richer this morning because of it.

We missed a few cuts (mostly sleepers), but in total had three Top 10s (Watson 1st, Casey 2nd, and Snedeker T10) and notched total weekly earnings of over $2 million.

With the 30th PGA TOUR season event in the books, we have now successfully picked 9 winners and 12 runner ups.

Here is the list of winners picked so far on the 2014-2015 wrap-around season:

• Jimmy Walker (Sony Open)
• Jason Day (Farmers Insurance Open)
• Jordan Spieth (Valspar Championship)
• Jimmy Walker (Valero Houston Open)
• Jordan Spieth (Masters)
• Justin Rose (Zurich Classic)
• Rory McIlroy (Wells Fargo Championship)
• Jordan Spieth (US Open)
• Bubba Watson (Travelers Championship)

The Field

This week’s field consists of some heavy hitters like last week’s champion Bubba Watson as well as U.S. Open runner-up Louis Oosthuizen, as well as a few other hot players like Keegan Bradley, JB Holmes, Kevin Na.  They’ll head a lineup that included six players in the top 30 players in this week’s Official World Golf Ranking.

As mentioned earlier Tiger Woods will be back to play the Greenbrier for the second time in his career but he continues to be a non-factor for fantasy players.  Woods actually missed the cut here in 2012 during his first appearance.

Paul Casey is on the right track to getting back into the winners circle after a heartbreaking playoff loss to Bubba Watson last week and we’re curious to see if he continues his hot streak.  Either way we have to assume his price tag will jump this week in most salary cap leagues.

The Course

The Old White TPC measures in at 7,287 yards and plays as a par 70.  This long-standing course first opened way back in 1914 and served as the home for many presidents including Woodrow Wilson.

It has been said that certain holes on the Old White were modeled after famous Scotland holes like North Berwick, Prestwick’s “Alps,” and St. Andrews.

The PGA TOUR arrived here in 2011, and who can forget the amazing 59 recorded here by Stuart Appleby which led him to victory at the first Greenbrier Classic.

Photo by Greenbrier.com

Weather Forecast for White Sulphur Springs, WV

Scattered thunderstorms are in the forecast for most of tournament play this week.  The course will be soft and similar to the conditions that Bubba triumphed on last week at TPC River Highlands.

There is a possibility of delays and postponed play this week and we’ll certainly factor this week’s weather forecast into our picks segment below.

Last Year’s Greenbrier Classic Results

Not many knew that last year’s victory by Angel Cabrera was his first PGA TOUR win outside of a major.

Cabrera had a stellar weekend in West Virginia last year with a closing Saturday-Sunday 64-64 to hold off George McNeill who closed with a stellar 61.  Cabrera won the 2007 U.S. Open and 2009 Masters and now has The Greenbrier Classic event to add to his resume.

It was his birdies at numbers 11 and 12 and a hole-out for eagle at No. 13 that padded a nice three-shot cushion until he stumbled a bit in the end with a few bogeys to add some drama.

His powerful drive and approach shot landed him on the green in two on the long 616-yard par-5 which gave him the birdie he needed to seal the deal.

Here’s a recap of last year’s Greenbrier Classic:

Angel Cabrera’s come-from-behind victory at The Greenbrier | Highlights

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This Week’s Broadcast Schedule

• Television Broadcasts 
  • Thursday – Friday: 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm EST (Golf Channel)
  • Saturday – Sunday: 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm EST (Golf Channel)
  • Saturday – Sunday: 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm EST (CBS)
• Radio Broadcasts (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.COM)
  • Thursday – Friday: 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm EST
  • Saturday – Sunday: 1:00 pm – 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

Here are a few places we suggest playing fantasy golf this week for the best change at a nice payout:

• DraftKings PGA $250K Drive the Green [$100K to 1st!]: Here is a cheap entry fee event with a nice 6-figure first place prize.  With just nine bucks you can take three cracks at this with some alternate sleepers to try and win some serious fantasy money this week.  A few of our staff played this event last week and cashed in nicely with our picks.

Also Worthy of Note: The BIG Event for the British Open.  DraftKings has begun promoting their next big million dollar event (for the British Open), so grab your seat now for $20 bucks or try some satellite events for as low as $0.25 for a chance to win your way into it.  With our help you could become a millionaire overnight!

This Week’s Greenbrier Classic Fantasy Notes

Distance will be key here The Old White and you can be certain that we’ll be favoring guys that have been hot from the tee box lately.

Just because Appleby carded a 59 on this course doesn’t mean its going to be a walk in the park for the most expensive players in the field.

The course will play very slow this week and GIR and scrambling are going to be a huge factor.  The greens are fair here and the course remains as one of the easiest on schedule but the wind and rain could affect many things.  It’s worth noting that we’ll be steering clear of a few popular choices this week because we’re seeing those big names unravel and lose stamina this far into the season.

Here’s to three weeks in a row…

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Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win The Greenbrier Classic

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Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win The Greenbrier Classic

• Bubba Watson (Golficity Odds 6/1 FPPG: 85.8 GPFP: 72.93  Salary: $13,000): There is simply no question here and don’t even try to talk yourself out of it.  Unless you can’t pick Bubba in your weekly leagues, you have to put him on your roster.  This week should play out like a repeat of TPC River Highlands, in the same type of weather, but on an easier course.  We wanted to bring all types of stats to you about Bubba but there’s simply no need—he’s the heavy favorite here and for good reason.  Bubba’s tee shots are blowing past 300 yards without an issue and his short game is dialed in.  He’s also a local boy with plenty of knowledge of the course.  If there is ever a time for Bubba to finally break into the Top 15 at this event, its this week without a doubt.  He’s our horse pick of the week even though he comes with an expensive $13,000 price tag.
• Webb Simpson (Golficity Odds 12/1 FPPG: 68.9 GPFP: 72.33 Salary: $11,800): Just because he hasn’t won doesn’t mean you don’t pick him.  Despite the goose egg, Simpson has four Top 10 finishes this season and has made 12 of 14 cuts.  He also has three Top 10 finishes in his last four Greenbrier appearances and ranks eighth in strokes gained tee-to-green as well as the all-around.  You can’t put both Watson and Simpson on your Salary Cap leagues without breaking the bank, so we suggest picking Watson over the two.  Other leagues that are straight pick’em should consider adding Webb this week as we strongly believe he has a good chance of winning this event.
• Bill Haas (Golficity Odds 18/1 FPPG: 63.3 GPFP: 50.60 Salary: $10,500 ): Three top 10s including a victory already on the season for Billy Haas and he doesn’t even play in too many events.  Haas has a very strong game for the Old White and demonstrated that in his playoff loss here in 2011 and as well as his perfect made-cuts record (4/4).  Of course four years can change anything but Haas has a pattern of consistency.  Along with his top 10s this year Bill has five top 25s in 15 starts and has a ridiculously accurate approach game.
• Kevin Na (Golficity Odds 24/1 FPPG: 67.1 GPFP: 53.71 Salary: $9,100): Although he missed the cut last week you can’t rule him out this time around.  Na has eight top 20s in stroke-play events this season and currently ranks 17th in birdies or better.  Kevin has a pretty solid track record at Old White going 3-for-3 at Greenbrier including a T7 in 2012.  He’s certainly your best bet in the $8,800-$9,500 range.
• Daniel Berger (Golficity Odds 36/1 FPPG: 62.9 GPFP: 75.52 Salary: $8,200): We went with Berger and contemplated Brendon Todd here in this price range.  Berger’s power is much better then Todd’s and he comes in $300 cheaper.  He ranks 16th on TOUR in Driving Distance and has a very solid short game.  Berger hasn’t played since missing the cut at the Memorial in early June so he’s well rested.  Keep in mind his five Top 10s this season including a runner-up finish at the Honda in March.

Sleeper Pick/Odds to Win The Greenbrier Classic

• Chris Stroud (Golficity Odds 50/1 FPPG: 49.7 GPFP: 39.7 Salary: $7,400): Stroud has poor fantasy stats but he’s streaking as of late.  Although Chris had been in a slump for a while he has seemed to breakthrough as of late as evidenced by his T10 at the Travelers last week.  He’s 3-for-4 at Greenbrier with two top 10s and a T18 and we feel his repeated success here could shine through again.  Don’t discount Stroud as a solid priced sleeper pick this week.

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

• Jason Kokrak (Golficity Odds 66/1 FPPG: 57.5 GPFP: 51.22 Salary: $7,000): Kokrak is a bomber off the tee averaging 304.1 yards with the big stick (Ranks 13th).  He’s struggled in the last few months but he posted up three Top 11 finishes before going on a missed-cut streak.  Kokrak is 1 for 2 at the Greenbrier with a T41 finish in 2013.  We wouldn’t advise betting the farm on him but Jason a solid pick to round out to a salary-cap team.

Roster Suggestion with Watson

Roster Suggestion with Webb

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Last Week’s Picks to Win the Travelers Championship

• Bubba Watson: WINNER ($1,152,000)
• Brandt Snedeker: T10 ($147,200)
• Keegan Bradley: T39 ($23,680)
• Kevin Na: MC
• Paul Casey: 2nd ($691,200)

Last Week’s Sleeper Pick to Win the Travelers Championship

• Justin Thomas: MC

Last Week’s Salary Cap Sleeper Pick to Win the Travelers Championship

• Matt Jones: MC

Fantasy Golf Predictions YTD Stats

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”13.33%” bar_text=”28 out of 210 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent=”24.76%” bar_text=”52 out of 210 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=”30.00%” bar_text=”9 out of 30 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”40.00%” bar_text=”12 out of 30 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”80.00%” bar_text=”168 out of 210 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Major Winners Picked” percent=”100%” bar_text=”2 out of 2 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

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

Cover Photo by B Wendell Jones on Flickr