$9,000 and Above
Patrick Reed ($10,000) & Patrick Cantlay ($10,400)
Since I think we are in for a letdown week despite a decent field, I’m going with my favorite Sponge Bob Square Pants name……………. good one Patrick!
EDITOR’S NOTE: I HATE SPONGE BOB!
Patrick Reed is playing as good as anybody today and, if he can stay away from the rules, he’s doing so without all the media hype of Brooks & Bryson. I’m just waiting for these two to be paired together! Reed has improved from tee-to-green in the last couple of months and we all know his short game is phenomenal. This course is not long so the bombers like Bryson aren’t going to be at an extreme advantage over those that are average drivers. This course won’t even be close to the difficulty we saw last week. Plus, with the other guys in this range, I look for Reed to be lesser-owned. Patrick Cantlay has been a guy that I’ve liked for a while. To me, he’s always been the U. S. version of Tommy Fleetwood – minus the flowing locks. He struggled a little bit earlier in the year in relation to expectations (if you call four straight missed cuts a little struggle). However, in the last three weeks, on tough courses, he’s been T15-Win-T23. Now, “win” is less of the Webster’s Dictionary definition since he was trailing by six shots before Rhambo had to pull out. But, a win is a win is a win is a win! In the last three years here, he’s finished T15, T15, & T11 so that bodes well for us considering he’s playing great on difficult tracks.
Additional Play(s) to Consider
- Paul Casey ($9,900) – Yeah, course history just reeks of Paul Casey. 4 Top 5s in six years
- Abraham Ancer ($9,100) – Don’t care about last week. This IS NOT a U. S. Open layout
- Kevin Streelman ($9,400) As you can see, I’m not paying up. Not because they can’t win. It’s just that tournaments like this – after a Major – tend to be a “wind down” for some of the guys. I think the Top 3 use this week as a “chill week” – that is unless Brooks & Bryson end up in the same group at some point.
$7,500 to $8,900
Brian Harman ($8,800) & Garrick Higgo ($7,900)
Now that we are back to “normal” pricing on a “normal” course, why not take to “normal” guys? Brian Harman has been FANTASTIC! You don’t see a lot of him on the TV on the weekend, but he’s cashing large checks week in and week out. Other than the PGA Championship, he hasn’t been outside the Top 20 since the beginning of March. That’s going on four months ladies and gentlemen – and no I’m not adding genders because I am NOT politically correct. Assuming people who play this week can process this, he will probably be a highly-owned play in this group. However, I can’t pass on him. Garrick Higgo is a name that I started following a couple of months ago when I happened upon a telecast of the Euro Tour and this smooth lefty was on the first page of the leaderboard. Apparently, he was there the week before as well. So, when he came her to play in South Carolina two weeks ago, I jumped on him. Guess what? Yeah, you saw it! He won! Now, although I wasn’t afraid to play him last week, I didn’t expect a lot because U. S. Open set-ups are an acquired taste and he hasn’t spent much time at that buffet. This week, on a short course with more forgiving fairways, I’m back. Good price too!
Additional Plays to Consider
- Bubba Watson ($8,900) – he’s got good history here!
- Russell Henley ($8,300)
- Adam Scott ($8,000)
- Doc Redman ($7,500)
$7,400 and Under
Ian Poulter ($7,400) & Rickie Fowler ($7,300)
Ian? Yes, I know, he sucked on Sunday. I didn’t post it, but at the close of Saturday’s round, I was in first place on FanDuel’s PGA $555 Monster! I was literally sleeping on $100K in winnings going into Sunday with only 5 out of 6 making the cut. I had Oosthuizen, McIlroy and Schauffele. Adam Scott and Ian Poulter rounded it out. Yes, Ian Poulter shit the bed! However, I expected that he would go really low or really high. It’s his “win or die” mentality and he knew he needed a low number starting the day at Even. So, I’ll give the Honey Badger a pass and play him again. Play Rickie Fowler! Those are words I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to say again. However, his last two events prior to the U. S. Open were a T11 and a T8. He also didn’t have to deal with Torrey Pines frustrating the hell out of him last week and ruining his mindset. At $7,300? Let me repeat – Play Rickie Fowler and play him heavy! I’ll take the grief if I’m wrong!
Additional Play(s) to Consider
- Stewart Cink ($7,300) – Just playing to well to ignore at this price.
- Kyle Stanley ($7,000).
- Talor Gooch ($7,000)
- Adam Hadwin ($7,000)
FADE
Tony Finau $9,200
I can’t really pick a good fade this week. At least, not a complete fade. However, based on how God-awful Tony Finau played before missing the cut last week, I can’t spend $9,200 on him.