Fantasy Golf Predictions – The Greenbrier Classic

Fantasy Golf Predictions for The Greenbrier Classic 2013 (July 4th -7th)

Preview:   Diehard golf fans remember this course from the Golf Channel show Big Break Greenbrier back in 2012.  The beautiful Old White Course consistently ranks among the best public courses in the world.   This year, Phil Mickelson added his name to the Greenbrier ballot as he tries to right the ship after missing out on another U.S. Open win at Merion a couple of weeks ago.  It’s always nice to see 2014 USA Ryder Cup Team Captain Tom Watson back in the field of a PGA TOUR event at the age of 63. Of the 156 players in this year’s field, 13 are major winners, 68 are PGA TOUR winners (total of 313 wins), and 4 are top 10 FedExCup point leaders.

The Course:  The Old White TPC measures 7,274 yards and plays as a par 70. Named for the Old White Hotel that stood on the grounds until the early 1900s, course designer Charles Blair Macdonald modeled several areas after some famous Scotland holes. The eighth hole features a sloped green modeled after North Berwick’s 15^th while No. 15 imitates “Eden” at St. Andrews. The PGA TOUR’s first visit was one for the record books when Stuart Appleby shot a record 59 on the final Sunday, securing his victory in the Greenbrier Classic’s debut.

The Old White Course, photo by Greenbrier.com

 The Weather at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, WV (from weather.com)

• Round 1: Thursday (July 4) 76 degrees, 60% chance of rain, scattered T-storms.
• Round 2: Friday (July 5) 81 degrees, 40% chance of rain, scattered T-storms.
• Round 3: Saturday (July 6) 85 degrees, 30% chance of rain, isolated T-Storms.
• Round 4: Sunday  (July 7) 84 degrees, 30% chance of rain, isolated T-Storms.

2012 Results:  Ted Potter Jr. went eagle-birdie to force a playoff against Troy Kelly in last year’s Greenbrier finale.  Potter birdied the third extra hole to complete an amazing first PGA TOUR victory.  What was brilliant about his victory was that he was four shots off the pace with four holes left when Potter nailed a long birdie putt at No. 15 to set up his second consecutive 6-under-par 66.  Kelly had a chance to win with two birdie putts on his final two holes, ultimately missing both.   Finally on the third playoff hole, Potter put a 9-iron to the top tier of the 18th green and watched it roll to within 4 feet – which he then sank for the win.

Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the 2013 Greenbrier Classic:

• Phil Mickelson (Golficity Odds 5/2): Phil missed both cuts played at Old White, but he’s a changed player since then. He recently took two weeks off since sharing runner-up at the U.S. Open, which was his fifth top-three finish of the season.
• Webb Simpson (Golficity Odds 9/1): Simpson had last week off following a T5 at the Travelers Championship. Webb has four top 10s this seasons and two top 10s at The Old White TPC in his career including aT9 (2011) and T7 (2012).
• Bill Haas (Golficity Odds 14/1):  Fresh off his victory at the AT&T National with a 66 on Sunday, Haas was the only golfer under par in every round. He currently co-leads the PGA TOUR with seven top 10s and ranks ninth in greens hit and T1 in par-4 scoring.  Bill tied for second place at The Greenbrier in 2011.
•  Billy Horschel (Golficity Odds 20/1): After cruising through the first round at the AT&T National, Horschel rapidly came apart going over par in each of the last three rounds for the first time since the 2011 Valero Texas Open. He’s 2-for-2 at Greenbrier but hasn’t broken Top 30.
•  Bubba Watson (Golficity Odds 27/1): This is Watson’s first appearance at The Old White TPC. Bubba took a much needed break last week after a T4 at the Travelers Championship where he held at least a piece of the 36 and 54-hole leads before sending a ball in the water on 16 and blowing up his caddie in front of the cameras.

Sleeper Picks/Odds to Win:

• Graham DeLaet (Golficity Odds 33/1): DeLaet shared eighth place at the AT&T National for his second straight top 10 and fifth of the season. He placed T12 at Greenbrier last year and all eight of his scores on The Old White TPC are par or better. Graham leads the PGA TOUR in greens in regulation and is striking the ball as well as we’ve ever seen.
•  Jordan Spieth (Golficity Odds 37/1): Making his debut at The Greenbrier, Spieth is fresh off a solo sixth at Congressional, his fifth top 10 of the year; he has one in each of the last four months.

Last Week’s Fantasy Golf Prediction Results (2013 AT&T National)

• Hunter Mahan (Golficity Odds 7/1):  MC
• Jason Day (Golficity Odds 11/1):  T21
• Adam Scott (Golficity Odds 16/1):  T57
• Billy Horschel (Golficity Odds 22/1):  T61
• Scott Stallings (Golficity Odds 29/1):  MC

Sleeper Picks/Odds to Win:

• Graeme DeLaet (Golficity Odds 50/1):   T8
• Ryan Palmer(Golficity Odds 50/1):  T34

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