Both spectators and celebrities alike braved the weather last week on the Monterey Peninsula as winds and rain pelted anyone foolish enough to be playing golf in such a deluge. It could have been worse and tournament history has certainly shown us conditions that dwarf those of last week. But if there was one person who lifted everyone's spirits and made the masses laugh instead of cry it was the obnoxious presence of Bill Murray. There's nothing I'd rather see than Carl Spackler horsing around on a golf course but only when it's confined to a viewing of Caddyshack. For the players who have to golf alongside him the ability to focus in the face of such distracting hi-jinks must be zen-like. But keep their focus they did and the scores were low despite the pandering celebrity presence. Jordan Speith won his first event of 2017 and showed the golfing world that he's still at the top of his game.
In fantasy land, the touring pros kept their focus as well (most of them at least) and grinded out what was by far the most contentious tournament this year. In a week where 13 teams scored over 200 points it was an all out brawl for final position on Sunday. After each round the leader never had much separation if any at all and as the back nine at Pebble began to see action on Sunday the championship was still up for grabs. Some of the league's big shots were right in the thick of it and a missed substitution would mean your undoing.
Talkeetna98 was one of the favorites entering the week due to his exceptional play leading up to Pebble. Papa Pilgrim and Baby Draw were also odds-on favorites to capture a high finish due to their recent track record. Baby Draw looked like he was running on all cylinders once again - fresh off a win just one week ago - but a third round slip up caused him to give way just a bit. Surprise contender Kings Deer was making waves as he fought tooth and nail for position. But a third round slip would also cause him to fall off the pace - getting a solid 3rd place finish by week's end. The slip by The Baby and Kings was all the field needed to see a glimmer of hope and several took advantage including Short Strokes and That's Wet. Both moved into position as they outscored The Baby in round 3 and pulled dead even with one round to go. The sprint was on but it was That's Wet who slipped up first with a lackluster round from Rose. And as That's Wet slipped from view it became clear that both Baby Draw and Short Strokes would walk across the finish line together - hand in hand - as they both had identical rosters on Sunday. Each team made a single sub all week and it came on Sunday morning. This lone sub synced up their fates and the Pebble Beach Pro-Am title belongs to them both. Baby Draw clenches his impressive win #2 after just six weeks of play while Short Strokes has to feel good about getting his first win in his Championship defense season. Congrats.
Notables:
Rug Munchers finally broke through the malaise of his early season stupor and took the bull by the horns to snag his first Top 10 of the season. Munchers has been a contender without consistency on fantasy tour as there have been times when his roster selection looks spot on but then others when his substitution strategy (or lack there of) have been his downfall. Still, when Munchers gets hot he makes everyone take note. He's had a rough start to the Winter Segment so maybe his 4th place finish at Pebble is the jump start he needs to get his season going.
Jose Maria Oblazabong has dusted off the rust from 2016 and is back in the saddle once again. Oblazabong has carded 3 Top 10s and a win so far this season which is a solid start. He'd like a little more consistency with the long ball but he's currently in 7th place overall and just over 50 points back from the leader. He's certainly a contender for the Segment title but he'll need to stack up several more Top 10s in the final 5 weeks to make up the ground.
2 Footer - a name that once struck fear into the hearts of fantasy golf fans the world over. His undeniable touch around the greens and his roaring finishes caused spectators and competitors alike to cower in fear when he was in the hunt on Sunday. But those days have not been seen in some time. Still, the pundits can't say much in terms of critique of 2 Footer's play. Despite there not being any wins on his card thus far he has been playing some stellar fantasy golf. He's accumulated 3 Top 10s and a Top 3 and - biggest of all - he currently leads the First Timers league and has been there for two consecutive weeks. This may very well be the rise of 2 Footer to his former glory. Can he break through into the winners circle before the Winter closes out? With 5 more opportunities you can bet he's going to pull out all the stops.
 |
| Top 10: Total 2nd & 3rd Place Bonus Points |
Mastersway is trying to outperform his rookie season last year and so far so good. He hasn't quite put himself in contention for many titles but he is the defending champ of the Wells Fargo Championship coming up in May. Mastersway has been flying under the radar thus far and currently sits in 14th place which means he's keeping pace with the field. He's averaging 33.04 points per round which is barely over the league average of 32.25. That stacks up to just over 3 points gained each week on the field. Those kind of stats won't be enough to get him any hardware so if he wants to stay on track to outperform last year he'll need to pick up the pace.
Papa Pilgrim makes his 4th trip to the Top 10 this year which ties him with 2 others for most Top 10s thus far. He's also tied alongside one team in another category: only teams in the Top 10 without a Top 3. Papa has been a perpetual contender in the First Timers League but has underperformed relative to his stats in multiple seasons. Let's take a look at his stat line through 6 weeks to see what the metrics say. He's currently 8th in Regulation Points (points scored from active rounds) and 6th in Total Bonus Points. He's 17th in Non-Winner Bonus Points (but that won't hurt him too much this early on) and he's tied for 2nd in Winners Picked. Despite the impressive stat line so far it seems his 8th place rank in points per round are the Achilles Heel. It just so happens that he's currently in 8th place overall as well. Look for Papa to adjust and contend for the Winter Segment come March.
Biggest Fade: Last week at Pebble there were a plethora of points to be had in the early going. Most teams started hot and then got itchy trigger fingers as they made moves that sent them reeling down the leaderboard. Whiny Little Pitch was within 8 points of the lead after round 1 but then just got stuck in neutral and never got things going. She failed to break 40 in any of the last three rounds and faded away. Halve Ouimet also took a knockout blow in the 2nd by carding the lowest total of any score on Friday. Somehow he bounced back and just missed a Top 10 finish by 2 points. It just goes to show that to win out here on fantasy tour you can't make a mistake and expect the field to take it easy on you.
Biggest Surge: It's rare that the kind of surge going going on at the moment for the 11th place team goes so unnoticed. But when you've risen in position every single week, from 30th to 11th in 6 weeks, the fantasy media will start to notice. That's Wet is on one of the hottest unsung streaks that the league has seen. He's done it all fairly under the radar but his success is starting to be recognized. After finishing the first week in a dismal 30th place he's battled and risen in rank at least 2 spots each week. In the past 4 weeks he's collected 3 Top 10s and is on the verge of breaking into the Top 10 overall. He barely lost the Winter Segment Title 2 years ago so perhaps he's out for vengeance as he claws his way closer and closer to the top each week.
THIS WEEK the gang gets in their NetJets private plane and takes the short 15 minute flight up the California coast to Riviera Country Club as the first edition of the Genesis Open takes center stage. The new sponsor has taken over duties for the regular event but the course stays the same. Riviera will provide a host of challenges to the boys on Tour this week but the real action will be going on in fantasy land as this is the first event where the defending champ won't be around to defend. Upon Mother Rabbit's retirement, the Northern Trust Open - now Genesis Open - is up for grabs with everyone scrambling to put together their squad. Many of the big boys will be there to play as Adam Scott and Sergio Garcia make their 2017 debut on Tour. Day, Matusyama and Watson will all be turning up as well so there'll be plenty of firepower to chose from.
No comments:
Post a Comment