Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, & Predictions – WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the 2017 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

The 2017 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational Fantasy Preview

Viva Jhonattan Vegas! There was an overwhelming sense of déjà vu on Sunday as the Venezuelan powered past the rest of the field with a feat of low scoring to successfully defend his RBC Canadian Open title.

He was never out of contention in truth, but a final round of 65 sealed the deal as he slid past the likes of Charley Hoffman, Robert Garrigus, and Gary Woodland and held off the spirited charge of Ian Poulter’s 64.

But oh Charley! Our headline pick really should have converted a 54-hole lead, but could only muster a final effort of 68 to negotiate his way into a playoff against Vegas. The champion birdied the first extra hole to claim the honors and prevent us from celebrating another winner this season.

Ironically, we tipped the winner of the European Tour’s Porsche Open in Jordan Smith, and if Hoffman had gotten over the line as well – and you had placed a bet on both with the sportsbooks – you’d have won at odds of around 1000 to 1! Such is the fine line between glory and agony.

Matters become rather more serious this week at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. These World Golf Championship events are always well enjoyed thanks to the quality fields they attract, and a week prior to the fourth and final major of the year, the PGA Championship, there will be close scrutiny paid to all involved.

Who will take home the sizable winner’s check? We’ll dive into our thoughts and breakdown below, but first, a recap of last week’s performance…

Last Week’s Fantasy Results from RBC Canadian Open

Just when people started to question our Top Tier Horse Pick of Charlie Hoffman, the big fella delivered nicely with a solo second finish. Despite losing to Vegas in a playoff, Hoff still managed to bank 128 fantasy points at a low top salary of $10,300.

When most went the way of Kuchar and Dustin Johnson, we stuck to our guns with the Hoffman-Watson-Woodland (1-2-3) punch.

Watson made the cut with his impressive 66 on day one, but fell to T42 while Woodland played lights out to a solo 4th finish and 123.50 fantasy points at a nice cheap $7,900 price tag.

If only some of our lower tier picks like Schniederjans and Cantlay showed up over the weekend (despite making the cut), the cash would have poured in. Both guys knocked down a 65/86 respectively on day one.

Lastly, if you ran with our alternative sleeper pick Rory Sabbatini (T23), you would have banked 96.50 fantasy points at only a $6,600 salary.

A Hoffman win would have helped us complete the Euro-PGA fantasy double as our man Jordan Smith managed to come out on top at the Porsche European Open!

That’s right folks, in case you missed last week’s European Tour predictions, we had high hopes for Jordan Smith at $7,900 and man did it pay off. Here’s what we had to say about Smith heading into the EPO:

There’s been plenty to admire about Smith’s first campaign on the European Tour.

For large swathes of it he has occupied the top five in the Total Birdies count, while a statistical make-up that reads Driving Distance (80th), Driving Accuracy (31st), and Greens in Regulation (44th) suggests he has the tools to at least get the ball in play….and a lot closer to the flag than most, too.

He won twice on the Challenge Tour in 2016, and this year he has gotten into contention a few times on the main tour: T3 at the BMW South Africa Open, T6 at the Qatar Masters, and T8 at the Trophee Hassan testament to that.

A mid-season lull followed, but three top-30s in his last five starts at least offers encouragement.

Needless to say, we have the hot hand once again heading into this week’s WGC-Bridgestone!

The 2017 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational Field

Name a high quality golfer and the chances are he’s in the field this week in Ohio.

Spieth, McIlroy, Johnsons Dustin and Zach, Koepka, Stenson, Day, Matsuyama, Fowler, Rose, Scott….the list goes on.

Sergio Garcia will make his first start since tying the knot last week – is the ‘marriage factor’ a thing? – while Jhonattan Vegas muscled his way into the field with victory in Canada.

Young winners on tour this season like Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau, Kyle Stanley, and Si-Woo Kim will be looking to show they are ready for the step up in class, while the European charge will be led by Jon Rahm, Paul Casey, Alex Noren, and recent Scottish Open champion Rafa Cabrera-Bello.

This Week’s Course Preview

A three-time host of the PGA Championship, Firestone GC is a great proving ground for those looking to head to Quail Hollow next week and secure a life-affirming victory.

It can turn into something of a grind around here, and in 2016 only nine players finished under par in the Bridgestone. That is an extreme example of what Firestone has to offer, but is instructive nonetheless.

It’s a long old Par 70 at 7,400 yards – no wonder Arnold Palmer called it “The Monster” upon first viewing, and while the pair of Par 5s should provide some respite the second, a 667 yard behemoth, is the longest hole played on tour outside of the majors, and tends to average over 5.00 on the stroke average front as a result.

Fairways are narrow and particularly hard to hit, with penal rough sucking up any errant tee shots. There’s a real premium on long but straight hitting here.

The greens, which are Bentgrass in nature but seeded with Poa Annua, can be very hard to hit in dry conditions, and running at around 13 on the stimp the short grass is pretty darn quick as well.

Weather Forecast for Akron, Ohio

The weather forecast is typically moody and unpredictable for this time of year. Thunderstorms are set to roll into Akron on Wednesday afternoon and hang around through Thursday and Friday, providing occasional but rather spectacular downpours.

The winds associated to stormy weather will die down on Friday and Saturday, and the sunshine will break through the clouds to at least deliver some decent weather for the weekend.

Happily, Sunday should be the best day of the four: the perfect setting for a grandstand finish.

Last Year’s Results from the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

It was a remarkable tournament in 2016 after being moved earlier in the year (after the US Open) to accommodate the Olympic Games. Dustin Johnson, who claimed his first major title at Oakmont in his prior start, went on to complete a remarkable double-win in Ohio.

It was a weekend pairing of 66-66 that ultimately did the damage for DJ, who overturned Jason Day’s three shot advantage with six to play. The Aussie found water on sixteen and so it was left to Scott Piercy to battle it out with DJ or the title. In the end, it was the US Open champion who prevailed by a single stroke.

Spieth, Kuchar, and Kevin Chappell enjoyed a share of third with Day.

Where to Play Fantasy Golf for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational this Week

We’re one week away from the PGA Championship, and so now is the ideal time to get our tanks in a row with some decent prizes this week.

Both DraftKings and FanDuel have upped the ante for the WGC-Bridgestone, and the former has a pair of contests that look particularly appetizing:

• PGA $600k Dogleg: A $33 entry grants you access to this humdinger of a contest, with $100k going to the winner and the top 50 players trousering a minimum of $500.
• PGA $250k Best Ball: It only costs $8 to get involved in this contest, and with a top prize of $25k plus the chance for the top 15% of players to double their money, this could be a nice way to accumulate ahead of the PGA.

This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

As a long old track you might expect driving to be a key concern at Firestone, and you’d be absolutely correct. DJ ranked second for Driving Distance 12 months ago, but incredibly also charted a fourth-place finish for Accuracy.

Indeed, seven of the first ten home ranked inside the top 20 for Driving Accuracy, so perhaps the key stat this week is an amalgamation of Total Driving and Strokes Gained: Off the Tee.

But that is just one part of the puzzle. Finding these greens is tricky and will become even more difficult as they dry out through the weekend. And putting well is key too: DJ ranked second for Putting Average on these devilish greens. We’re looking for a quality all-round performance, then.

It will come as no surprise to learn that form heading into this high-quality tournament is key. DJ won the US Open in his prior start and finished third in the Memorial Tournament and fifth in the St. Jude Classic prior to that; the mark of consistency required by a Bridgestone Invitational champion.

Indeed, look at the last few winners here: DJ, Shane Lowry, Rory McIlroy (x2), Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, and Keegan Bradley. There we have a collection of class acts or classic grinders, and we’d expect that trend to continue this week.

As far as correlating courses go, take a look at Oakmont and Muirfield Village. The former, which hosted the US Open in 2016, is visually similar to Firestone and turned into something of a grind, while Muirfield, the Memorial Tournament host, has delivered repeat offenders. There is a litany of examples of players who have done well there and in Ohio.

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Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win The WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

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Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

Top Tier Pick #1: 

Jordan Spieth (Odds: 8/1, FPPG: 84.4, GPFP: 97.95 Salary: $12,000)

As we’ve mentioned, the cream generally rises to the top at Firestone, and if this event does turn into a grind then Jordan Spieth is well placed to take advantage.

With Rory McIlroy ‘uncoupling’ from his caddie, JP – the same JP who inspired the Irishman’s comeback from the doldrums at the Open Championship – we have to swerve the two-time winner of this event by simple process of elimination. Dustin Johnson too can be faded with a heavy heart; he still doesn’t seem quite right on the fitness front.

So Spieth is a justified favorite this week, and having had time off to enjoy his Open win he will head to Ohio looking for a good week before he attempts to complete a historic career Grand Slam of majors at the PGA Championship next week.

He’s won on his last two starts and has previous of connecting good performances. In 2015 he won the Valspar Championship and The Masters, with a pair of seconds at the Texas and Houston Open in-between. Those were all in the space of four starts!

Later in the same year he went back-to-back again at the US Open and John Deere Classic, while earlier this season he went 3-3-9-1 at the Tournament of Champions, Sony Open, Phoenix Open, and Pebble Beach Pro Am.

His last two trips to Firestone have yielded returns of T3 and T10, so while it seems fanciful that the 23-year-old might win three times in a row, all of the evidence is there to suggest he stands a great chance.

Key Stats:

• Par 4 Scoring Average – 1st
• Greens in Regulation – 2nd
• SG: Tee-to-Green – 7th

Top-Tier Pick #2:

Rickie Fowler (Odds: 20/1, FPPG: 80.4, GPFP: 101.35 Salary: $10,600)

Classy ball-strikers who are solid off the tee tend to enjoy themselves at Firestone, and Fowler’s all-round game should suit the set-up.

History dictates as such, with Fowler recording four top-10s in his last six visits here, including T10 in his last pair of trips and T2 back in 2011.

He ranks third on tour for Total Driving, eleventh for Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and third for SG: Putting, so how could we wish for a better all-round talent?

Fowler has finished second in this event and the Memorial….he will be desperate to finally get a ‘W’ here.

Key Stats:

• Total Driving – 3rd
• SG: Putting – 3rd
• SG: Tee-to-Green – 11th

Mid-Tier Pick #1:

Marc Leishman (Odds: 45/1, FPPG: 69.1, GPFP: 78.76 Salary: $8,000)

The Aussie’s form at Firestone is not all that impressive as it reads 55-33-3-45, but he is currently playing the best golf of his life, so another third place finish – or better – is not out of the question.

A top-ten at the Open Championship, which featured three rounds under par, is just the latest strong showing from Leishman. Since winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational he has a string of top notch performances under his belt, including T5 at the Quicken Loans National, T13 at Byron Nelson, T15 at Memorial, and T17 at the Travelers.

Leishman has entered an elite group of players who could win any event, any time thanks to is superior ball striking, and the form is certainly good enough for him to get the job done this week.

Key Stats:

• Par 4 Scoring Average – 19th
• SG: Tee-to-Green – 20th
• Driving Distance – 41st

Mid-Tier Pick #2:

Kevin Chappell (Odds: 66/1, FPPG: 60.1, GPFP: 64.30 Salary: $7,500)

There was a welcome return to form for Chappell last week at the Canadian Open, where his T8 return was punctuated with quality hitting off the tee and plenty of greens in reg.

Despite threatening brilliance down the years, you sense that the 31-year-old finally came of age earlier this term when he followed a T7 finish at The Masters with a win at the Texas Open – the first of his career at PGA TOUR level.

Chappell’s only previous start at Firestone yielded a T3 finish just 12 months ago.

Key Stats:

• Total Driving – 27th
• SG: Tee-to-Green – 31st
• SG: Approach-the-Green – 31st

Low-Tier Pick:

Kyle Stanley (Odds: 150/1, FPPG: 67.9, GPFP: 86.25 Salary: $6,700)

A fantastic season for Kyle Stanley would be crowned perfectly by a strong showing at the PGA Championship, and this week’s event offers him the perfect tune-up.

His win at the Quicken Loans National had been coming – T4 at THE PLAYERS and T6 at Memorial were clear signs of that, and his ball-striking stats this season have been absolutely phenomenal.

There’s been a downgrade since, but that’s only natural and we’re not too worried by a missed cut at The Open given that he hasn’t been exposed to Links golf all that much. We fully expect the 29-year-old to return to form this week.

Key Stats:

• Greens in Regulation – 1st
• SG: Off-the-Tee – 5th
• SG: Tee-to-Green – 5th

Sleeper Pick for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

Russell Henley (Odds: 100/1, FPPG: 67.2, GPFP: 63.19 Salary: $7,100)

Since winning the Houston Open earlier in the year Henley’s form has held up pretty well, and we’re certainly sweet on a player whose major appearances since have yielded 11-27-37 in The Masters, US Open, and British Open respectively.

A T5 at the Greenbrier Classic in-between confirms the theory that Henley is hot right now, and that’s handy given he’s seems to like Firestone with two top-30 returns in his three visits.

He heads to Ohio as a bona fide PGA TOUR winner, and for a guy as good as this off the tee (ranking tenth for Total Driving) the omens are very strong indeed.

Key Stats:

• SG: Off-the-Tee: 27th
• SG: Tee-to-Green: 43rd
• SG: Putting: 9th

Alternative Sleeper Pick for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

Harold Varner III (Odds: 275/1, FPPG: 53.6, GPFP: 54.10 Salary: $6,500)

Born and raised in Akron, Ohio, Harold Varner III will play his first competitive tournament on home soil this week, and you’d have to fancy the local boy to be up for the challenge.

The thing that holds HVIII back is that he really struggles to put four good rounds together, but winning the Australian PGA Championship at the turn of the year is evidence that he can do it. And, with no cut at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, DFS gamers can really benefit from three good rounds from the 26-year-old.

His top-20 return from the Memorial earlier in the term – an event we consider to correlate nicely with the Bridgestone – is eye-catching, as was a decent showing last time out at the Canadian Open (T23).

Key Stats:

• Driving Distance – 28th
• SG: Tee-to-Green – 54th
• Par 4 Birdie or Better Leaders – 72nd

This Week’s Sample DraftKings Lineup

Note: Sample lineups provided as examples only.  Be sure to mix-and-match players to best fit individual contests.

This Week’s Sample Lineups

With Spieth

Without Spieth 

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Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2016-2017)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”8.40%” bar_text=”20 out of 238 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent=”21.80%” bar_text=”52 out of 238 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 25s” percent=”39.90%” bar_text=”95 out of 238 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=”17.60%” bar_text=”6 out of 34 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”14.70%” bar_text=”5 out of 34 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”75.60″ bar_text=”180 out of 238 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

Remember to visit our private Facebook group to discuss this week’s picks for the WGC-Bridgestone with other Premium Members.

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