FANTASY GOLF THE RSM CLASSIC

By James Dalthorp III

BEAST DOME NATION.

Gold Jacket, Green Jacket? It’s the RSM Fantasy Golf Picks!

The Masters is done! Until the next one in 4 months! And until then, fantasy golf is hotter than ever and with Bryson Dechambeau picking up Draft Kings on his sponsor list and a great week finishing at Augusta, we’re in for a very refreshing era in golf. Dustin Johnson is a worthy champion and I think he belongs at the top of the list of today’s best players. With that being said, I’m excited to look at some of these smaller events now with the same motivation – and to know that the next major will be at the same course we just saw this past week! To recap, I believe Rory played well enough to win. And I believe he will get his grand slam. It was a great effort.
This week is a course that gets windy and plays fairly firm and fast. Otherwise, the key might be more in lag putting. I give players that played in the Masters a slight edge – especially because this is going to be a stars and scrubs type of feel. Only a few big names are coming to this one – and I expect the best players to make their mark and some no names to come alive. It’s a course where lag putting is important – and it can get extremely windy. So I favor the locals some – and keep in mind, these greens are humongous.

1. Webb Simpson –

Runner up here last year, a quiet top 10 in the Masters last week. Webb has been one of the best players in the world this past year, no question. And here is a chance to put a stamp on his regular season with another win at a course where he should be very comfortable. I think he is the hands down favorite to win.

2. Brian Harman –

You have to think the Georgia Bulldog is ready to tee it up and maybe in determined spirits after not playing in the Masters. He’s made his last 11 professional cuts and has hovered around the top 15-20 in those starts. Harman putts well and plays a smart, controlled game. That is what won this event for Tyler Duncan last year and I think this event will be a great opportunity for Harman to win.

3. Dylan Fritelli –

The player I was most impressed within the Masters whose game I wasn’t too familiar with was Dylan Fritelli. He plays with a goofy swagger that resembles a Bubba Watson, but his game is not quite as eccentric. He swings loosely like Bubba, with a wild but purposeful amount of width and consistency. He strikes the ball much more like a Henrik Stenson and keeps the ball in a more predictable flight path from shot to shot. He’s obviously on fire after a great Masters – and I think he carries that over into a top five.
Sleepers

4. Brandt Snedeker –

In the past, Brandt was a top 10 player and a surefire fantasy prospect on a weekly basis. I would say over the last few years, he’s been in a bit of a downturn and maybe a transition in his career. Always a streaky player, I think Sneds is coming out of his funk. He’s made 4 cuts in a row and thrown in some low rounds. A 63 in Vegas 2 weeks ago, a couple sub 70 rounds in Houston, and he made the cut at Augusta. His last RSM classic was a T29 in 2017. I think Brandt’s on the upswing.

5. Harold Varner –

More of a home game for Harold than some of his schedule this year – and he’s been a bit mythodical of late. A T15 in his last start in Houston, a number of high finishes in his previous season and carrying over into this new one – which I think has been a breakout year overall for Varner – lead to a nice picture to culminate 2020. He tends to contend in one out of 4 or 5 events and is steadily getting more consistent. This field can be had for Varner. I believe he will get his first win in this new season.

6. Brian Gay –

I picked him here last year and it cost me big. I don’t think there’ s even a chance that fluke will repeat itself and I’ll go down with the ship if it does. Gay was coming off a great finish in Bermuda here last year and barely missed the cut at Even par, which isn’t bad going around here considering anything around -10 is a huge check. Gay just won that same Bermuda event – and he plays well around ocean courses and where precision, not necessarily length, can prevail. A week off should leave him in good spirits. I think he’ll putt it like a guy who just won.