Bmerk Captures Win #3 as Sun Sets on 2021 - Tour Championship

 

Bmerk Captures Win #3 as Sun Sets on 2021    The rookie Bmerk did something on Sunday in Atlanta that hadn't been done on fantasy tour since 2016 - a rookie winning the Tour Championship (DaHoffa did it in 2016). And as he made the turn home at East Lake, trying to keep it together and certainly feeling the pressure, he dug deep and simply played the style of fantasy golf he knows best.    Entering the week Bmerk had already proven himself as a force in his freshman season. Prior to East Lake he'd accumulated 14 Top 10s and an impressive 7 Top 3s to go along with his 2 wins and $50 in earnings. But a win at the Tour Championship would solidify his status in the upper echelons of 2021 contenders.    Substituting only once Bmerk showed confidence in a field where confidence was hard to come by. Everyone's team was a chimera made up of about 10 key players. There wasn't much variability on rosters so separating oneself from the field would mean making all the right picks. And that's just what Bmerk did.   "I knew it was my time" said Bmerk. "Coming off wins at Pebble and the WGC in earlier this year I just felt like I had one more in me." It's a win that boosted him above the $100 mark ($110 total earnings), gave him the top spot in Top 3s (8), tied him for most wins in 2021 (3) and ensured there'll be sumptuous food on the Bmerk family table for months to come.  TOP 10 FINISH A final week Top 10 finish is a solid way to end the season - especially if you finished Top 3 in a paid position. 617 to 616 and GreenJacket gained the most with their 2nd and 3rd place finishes as they closed out the 9th inning of their season in 1-2-3 fashion to capture their respective titles.   Bushwood Slicer snuck into the season Top 10 with this 4th place finish to snag a respectable final position. But in a surprise apperance most of the Top 10 finishers (Mrs. Daisy, Oh Geez, Talkeetna, Bag Lady, Kings Deer) were teams from the bottom half of the standings. Granted, this was a rare off-season for several of them.  Big Finish Ladies and gentlemen, the 2021 Jackson Cup Champion: 617 to 616    His pathway to the top was anything but a forgone conclusion. He began the season middle of the pack and wasn't a flashy the flashy player type like a Gophers or Vegas Vito. He slowly played his way up the board and was consistently inside the overall Top 10 by week 11 but it wasn't until week 21 when he made his move for higher ground.   His rise was fairly steady marked by a couple tournamnets with high finishes that bolstered his standing. But nothing flashy. While he managed to collect 15 Top 10s in total, T4 in the category, he only picked up 4 Top 3s which is well below the average for a league champ. And to top it off he becomes the first league champ to do it without winning a tournament.   The main trend line for 617 was his progression through each segment as the season rolled on. He finished the winter in 9th place with a single Top 3 finish and just 3 Top 10s. He then contended in the spring to finish in 5th with 5 Top 10s and 1 Top 3. He saved his best for last with the summer segment where he finished 3rd with 7 Top 10s and 2 Top 3s. Just that trend alone is enough to put him in the hunt for the Cup as the playoffs rolled around. And entering the final week at the Tour Championship Vegas Vito was breathing down his neck at just 52 points back. It would take a steady hand to close it out and that's just what he did with a 2nd place finish. The nail in the coffin.   Overall his stats were atypical and lagged well behind the standard champion's line. But 617 is nothing if not creative - he found a way where others could not. And as a result he'll forever have the name of 617 to 616 etched on the Jackson Cup.   The 2021 season saw quite a bit of competition near the top (and from the bottom) as it was one of the more contentious seasons to date. Halve Ouimet led the league for nearly 3 quarters of the season and in that time he saw 8 different contendors rise into 2nd only to fade back into the field. Finally, Reed's Rule Book took over the top spot but just for a couple weeks. Vegas Vito then took the #1 position with dreams of a 2nd career Jackson Cup but he faded as quickly as he rose a week later. Gophers, Going4theGreensboro, ByeBye Birdie... all would threaten the leader but eventually fall back.    One of the few teams to continually rise in the ranks week after week was the 2nd year pro out of Denver GreenJacket. As of week 4 he was in a pitiful 27th place. By week 17 he was in 17th. By week 26 he officially declared his candidacy by entering the Top 10. And within the final 3 weeks of the season he went from 9th to 5th and then finally landed in 2nd place - capping off one of the great ascents up the leaderboard in First Timers League history.   One other ascent of note is the meteoric rise of Grippin&Rippin. His blitzkrieg up the board was astounding and only second to his epic fall in week 21. He'd gone from 29th to 2nd in just 16 weeks but a rogue no-show at the Memorial Tournament left his roster blank and plumetting downward. Still, he'd regain his composure and vie for the summer segment. All told, 10th aint bad for a missed roster.   Of the rookie class of 2021 they were well represented in the Top 10 by the likes of Bmerk (9th), Bushwood Slicer (8th) and of course 617 to 616 (1st).  It was a well played inaugural season and a sure sign of a bright future.   In the contentious competition for the final segment of the season it seemed like it was Grippin&Rippin's for the taking. He lead pretty much throughout the summer except for a last minute foray by GreenJacket as the sun was setting. Both had been assualting the leaderboard on their way for higher ground and it was only right that they clashed on the final and ultimate field of battle - the Tour Championship.   Entering the last week Grippin had a lead of ~80 points over GreenJacket. But the final event proved to be a nearly 170 point swing as GreenJacket finished in 3rd while Grippin could only manage 15th. It was the ultimate 11th hour victory for GreenJacket and marks his 2nd career segment title along with the $60 paycheck to add to his coffers. It'll be a good Christmas for the GreenJacket family. Let's Talk Turkey The 2021 fantasy season was the highest paying season in league history and several teams made sure to get a few notes in their pocket before the offseason rolled round. With over $1,750 handed out there were 25 teams who found a way to get a payday, even if it wa a small one. In recent years, the league champ has tended to take home around 25% of the season purse but that all depends on regular season tournament victories. 617 to 616 took home just 12.25% of the purse this year and he becomes the first league champ ever to win the Jackson Cup without a single tournament victory.   The money train rolled on for several others including GreenJacket who outdid his rookie season a year ago by a slim margin of $10, totalling $195 for 2021. The impressive feat was that he collected 90% of that in the last two weeks of the season. The 2020 league champ Kings Deer had a profitable season money-wise with $145, his second highest paying season, but a down year standings-wise. Halve Ouimet had a career season in takehome pay with $135, nearly doubling his entire career earnings, but it's bittersweet after his epic fall from the top spot finally landing in 12th.   Other teams who had career seasons were Tourball who won a record 3 tournaments and his second career major championship, taking home the Claret Jug in July. Grippin&Rippin bested his rookie season last year and deposited $100 off the back of 2 wins and a green jacket. Grippin will be picking the menu for the fantasy champions dinner next April. DontHasseltheHoff also had a big year, finally breaking out of his winless streak by having an impressive 3-win season. Hopefully the kids stop hassling the Hoff in school now.    Gophers will have to wait until 2022 to continue his pursuit of $1,000 in career earnings as he currently sits just $13 from the mark. His archrival Kings Deer is the only one who could chase him down at this point but that'd take a miracle as he's only at $767 himself.   Some surprising names appear towards the end of the earnings list as Smooth Greens, ByeBye Birdie, Reed's Rule Book and Bushwood Slicer all finished in the Top 10 for points but only took home $90 between the four of them. A tough luck result as they deserved better. It'll be a lean winter for them and their families as they'll be living on meager rations until they get another shot at fantasy cash when Tournament of Champions kicks off 2022 in Hawaii. In a marathon season like this it's all about how you close it out. As Mia Hamm said, "it's more difficult to stay on top than to get there." There are too many opportunities to slip up in this 8 month mega season but it's the one who doesn't let a missed cut stall their strategy and regains lost ground who will ultimately reign supreme as the Jackson Cup Champion.    See you in 2022! And for those of you who want to crunch the numbers on 2021 here's some statistical analysis for you... “End? No, the journey doesn't end here. [The offseason] is just another path, one that we all must take...”   – Gandalf First Timers League, 1 Jackson Cup Way, Boston, MA Unsubscribe Manage preferences