PGA Tour Fantasy Picks: Shriners Hospitals for Children Open
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TPC Summerlin will once again take center stage as the PGA Tour returns to the Silver State.
Unless you’re a serious night owl, you probably haven’t gotten to watch much live golf over the past couple of weeks. That’s because the PGA Tour was tied up with events on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, staging the CIMB Classic in Malaysia and the WGC-HSBC Champions in China. With the time difference leading to final rounds concluding in the wee hours in the U.S., it was difficult to catch much of the action, and watching on a tape delay just isn’t the same.
With those events behind us, the PGA Tour is back on American soil this week, heading to Las Vegas for the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. TPC Summerlin will host a full field, this season’s first since the opener at Silverado.
We’re now four tournaments into the new season, so we’re slowly starting to get an idea of how this year’s class of PGA Tour rookies is shaping up. However, because first-years don’t have experience at any of the tournaments, most of my fantasy picks for this portion of the schedule are returning players. Four events just isn’t enough time to establish a firm level of performance, and when it comes to course history, knowledge is power.
Without further ado, let’s get to my picks for this week. These five players have the potential to provide value in a number of different formats, especially DFS.
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Chris Kirk — $10,300
Course history buffs may cringe at the sight of this pick, but don’t be alarmed. While Kirk has finished no better than a tie for 36th in either of his two appearances at the Shriners, the relatively poor caliber of this week’s field helps him to stand out. His form will be his main calling card this week — the Georgia product is currently riding a wave of top 10s, including a tie for second at last week’s Sanderson Farms Championship. With Ryan Moore at a premium price, Kirk is as good an option to anchor your lineup as any.
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Scott Piercy — $9,700
If Kirk is in great form but has dicey course history, Piercy is the opposite: a regular contender at TPC Summerlin who struggled in his most recent PGA Tour start. You can probably ignore his poor performance against the tough field at Sheshan last week, but his history at the Shriners — seven-for-nine with six top 30s, including three top 10s — is another story. He also reeled off back-to-back top 10s in his two starts before the WGC, so there’s definitely potential here. Don’t underestimate the Las Vegas native’s level of comfort at home.
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Kevin Streelman — $8,000
Another player with a strong track record at TPC Summerlin but middling recent results, Streelman has a chance to provide some big-time fantasy value this week. The Duke product always finds his swing at the Shriners, notching a top 25 in each of his five career starts at the event. For a guaranteed payday, the price is fair enough — however, gamers will be hoping he can turn the clock back to 2014, when he finished solo second to Ben Martin. His recent results haven’t been anything special, but at least he’s survived three of his last four cuts dating back to last season.
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Derek Fathauer — $7,700
After a couple of subpar seasons, Fathauer appears to have finally found his footing on the PGA Tour. The Louisville product has notched back-to-back top 15 finishes for the first time in his career, tying for 15th at the Safeway Open and for third at the CIMB Classic just two weeks ago. Given form like that, he looks like a great bet to take a big step forward at TPC Summerlin, where he’s yet to find the top 45 in two starts. The only player in Fathauer’s price range who comes close to rivaling his form is Ryo Ishikawa, who’s yet to show us anything in the U.S.
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Robert Garrigus — $7,100
After suffering through a long and ugly slump, this Arizona resident got back in the saddle last season, picking up eight top 30s en route to a postseason appearance. He looks like he could be a great fantasy flier for this week — he’s picked up four top 30s in his last five starts dating back to early August, and with four career top 25s at TPC Summerlin, including a tie for third in 2007, his course history is good. If he can keep it in the fairway like he did in his season debut, this could be a very good week for him.
Who’s in your fantasy lineup for the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open? Let us know in the comments, and keep it here at Pro Golf Now for more PGA Tour updates.
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