Niblick 18 Wins Career First - The Open Championship Is Just Ahead

John Deere Recap

The John Deere Classic came to an end on Sunday with a huge come-from-behind win on both the actual and fantasy course. While Bryson was busy winning his first career title so too was Niblick 18 as he came from behind to make up 15 points on 3rd round leader DaHoffa and clench his first career title as well. In his rookie season, Niblick 18 has accumulated just 6 Top 10s to go with this win and first Top 3. The season has presented more of a challenge than anticipated by the Niblick camp but in a post round interview he was absolutely thrilled to snag the Deere by the horns and wrestle it to submission. The available golfer pool to pick from was fairly thin as many of the big names prepped for The Open Championship. This made his selection of 3rd place finisher Wesley Bryan even more crucial as those 5 bonus points got him over the hump. Congrats Niblick on your first career fantasy golf title!

John Deere Notables

The summer hunter Show & Dough charged from the pack to snag a T2 finish alongside DaHoffa. Both came up just one point shy of the win and no one is more disappointed than DaHoffa who led throughout most of the tournament. It just goes to show that entering the final round with the lead is a high pressure situation than many just can't handle.  The Show now has two Top 10s in a row and is primed for The Open where her best finish was runner-up in 2015. DaHoffa has yet to enter the Top 10 in an Open Championship so he's looking to break that streak this week. 

Both Jose Maria Oblazabong and Short Strokes are slowly making up ground on season front runner Kikakee Tees. Both teams skirted into the Top 10 last week and outscored Kikakee to close the points gap. Jose had a big Sunday with 66 points while Strokes hobbled across the finish line but got his league leading 16th Top 10. Strokes trails Kikakee by just 15 points now in the Race for the Jackson Cup while Jose is 52 points back. Anything can happen at this point. 

That's Wet is the second most Top 10'ing-ist team with 14 so far this season. His T7 finish last week helped him keep pace with Short Strokes who's just 2 Top 10s ahead of him. That's Wet is in the midst of a heated battle for a paid position in the season standings as he currently sits in 6th and just one spot out of the money. It'll be a fight to the finish between he, Gophers and Driving Miss Daisy for a money spot. 

The father/son duo GrampaLevs and Mr. Sluman both snagged a joint-Top 10 for the 4th time this year. They've also shared a Top 3 finish coming back at the Valspar when GrampaLevs won. On the season, Mr. Sluman has one more victory than his patriarch but that margin could disappear in a single week. Sluman also has just one more Top 10 than GrampaLevs with 11 but has scored way more Top 3s with 5 total (Grampa has just 1). 

The Open Championship Preview



A quick look inside the field at this year's Open Championship reveals a king's ransom in talent as anyone and everyone of note is in the town of Southport in the northwest of England (except Jim Furyk who'll be playing in the Barbosol Championship). The host course is none other than Royal Birkdale, a regular in the Open course rotary. It last played host to the prestigious tournament in 2008 when the squirrely Irishman Paddy Harrington took the Claret Jug with a winning score of +3. The weather is the number one factor to watch out for as it can reek havoc on playing conditions as it did in 2008. Tee times will be crucial if wind and rain come calling so manage your roster wisely this week. 

The last major winner who had already won a major was Zach Johnson when he took down The Open at St. Andrews in 2015. Every single major winner since then was a first time champ - Brooks, Sergio, Walker, Stenson, DJ, Willet, Day. Will the trend continue this week as the likes of Fowler, Kuchar, Westwood, Reed, Matsuyama, Poulter, Kjeldsen and Holmes are all hungry for their first title? Or will a mainstay dominate the field to add to his major trophy case?

Fairways are tight and flat. Pot bunkers abound. Fescue is everywhere. While the course can easily give way to scores in the low 60s it can also blow a gale, wiping the red right off the board. Your starts are probably running out with the all-star studs so who to play becomes crucial at this point. With one more major and 4 FedexCup events to go you'll need to make sure you've planned accordingly. 

The Open Favorites

2016 Open Championship Top 10

Only 2 of the past 3 Open winners are in the field this week as Halve Ouimet and Flipping the Birdie are looking to take back the Claret Jug. Flipping the Birdie comes in as the defending champ but has been off his form for the better part of the season. No one expects him to make a strong showing for his defense but one thing to remember is that he came out of nowhere last year to win not only The Open but also the PGA Championship. He's a lose cannon that can easily do some damage. Halve Ouimet hasn't done much this year and has a lone win to his name. If he's going to return his name to the Jug it'll take some savvy subs and a bit of luck. 

In the modern fantasy era (2015-present) there are only two teams with Top 10s in each of their Open appearances: Flipping the Birdie and Talkeetna98. While FTB has the win he's not likely to be on anyone's radar this week. But Talkeetna98 is definitely one to keep an eye on. Fresh off his second win of 2017 at the Greenbrier a couple weeks ago he's primed and ready. Not to mention he's already been battled tested in a major in which he came out the victor. His green jacket says it all. Talkeetna will certainly be one of the favorites at Royal Birkdale this week. 

Looking back at teams who've won and factoring in their draft strategy provides some insight into three other teams likely to add The Open to their list of accomplishments. It takes just the right mix of deft subs and daring picks.....

....The first of whom is 2 Footer. The Foot has the moves, he's got the swagger and knows the track. His distance off the fantasy tee gives him an advantage but can he hit the fairways? 2 Footer is trying to resurrect his season and he's running out of chances. No better place to do it than The Open. 

The second is the well pedigreed Gophers. If his all time leading 52 Top 10s or all time leading 8 wins isn't enough to give Gophers favored status then you might as well be a nihilist as nothing seems to matter to you. Gophers has been a perpetual contender but that success hasn't translated onto the big stage. He does have one WGC title but no majors. This time could be Gophers' time as he brings all his skill to bear at the 2017 Open Championship. 

The third team is a grinder. He's been out on fantasy tour since 2014 earning his stripes. He's put in his time on the range and analyzed the numbers. Papa Pilgrim has had his ups and downs but at the end of the day he knows how to get the job done. He proved that in the 2014 Masters and US Open tournaments by winning back-to-back majors. And despite that being a long time ago he's more than due for a breakout win. As long as he sticks to his guns and doesn't go too far off the reservation look for Papa to be near the top come Sunday.