Fantasy golf preview: The Greenbrier Classic - USA TODAY
(John David Mercer, USA TODAY Sports)
The Greenbrier Classic is held at the The Old White TPC in White Sulphur Springs, W.V., where the PGA TOUR began visiting in 2010.
This week’s field is limited but sports a few familiar faces, most notably the Travelers Championship winner (more on him in a moment). The Old White resembles Scottish links golf courses, most notably St. Andrews.
The fairways are wide and forgiving, but the putting greens are undulating challenges that will challenge the pros to go after flags.
Build around
Bubba Watson: It seems like an easy recommendation to place Watson atop this list mere hours after his win at the Travelers Championship … because it is easy. Watson is the best in the field. He has a summer home in West Virginia and is intimately familiar with the Greenbrier. Bubba hasn’t fared better than T16 in two stops here, with T30 being his low-water mark. Still, because of his familiarity, pencil him in for back-to-back wins and be happy with a top-five result.
Paul Casey: Wait, didn’t we just watch Watson vs. Casey? It seems like only yester…. Despite this being his debut at The Greenbrier Classic, Casey is very accustomed to playing on links-style courses. He is coming off a masterful performance and has authored finishes of ninth or better in four of his last seven PGA appearances. There is one red flag, however: currently sits T113 in strokes gained: putting. Have faith in his recent hot streak.
Bill Haas: Ranking 133rd in strokes gained: putting, Haas statistically might be more of a wild card than a must-play candidate. History buffs will take solace in his track record in West Virginia: T33 (2012) is his worst finish, having survived all four of his cuts. Finishes of T9, T23 and T2 cement his status as a strong play.
Patrick Reed: He assuredly has the firepower to go bonkers for fantasy owners. Ignore last week’s missed cut, because Reed still shot a 1-under and it wasn’t good enough in a deep field. Reed missed the cut here in his 2013 debut but rebounded nicely for a T26 last season.
Louis Oosthuizen: Posted a T17 in his only appearance at the course. The South African has three finishes of T7 or better in his last seven starts, including a T2 at the U.S. Open, but he has failed to complete three events in this time. High risk, high reward.
Draws
Pat Perez: Prior to last year’s T75 disaster, Perez was automatic at the course, logging finishes of T6, T27, T9, respectively, the prior three tries. He has cracked the top 26 six of his last seven outings leading up to The Greenbrier and is a sneaky contender to be in the thick of it come Sunday.
George McNeill: His streak of nine straight cuts made was snapped in the U.S. Open at a widely criticized venue, so the inclination is to give him a break. McNeill has four years of experience at The Old White, failing to make the cut in each of his first two tries. Since, T17 and a solo second (2014) prove he has figured out the track.
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Kevin Kisner: Typically safe play â€" Kisner sits 68th in greens in regulation and 54th in SGP â€" history is not on his side this week. Kis has attempted three runs here and has failed to make the cut each time. He is playing arguably the best golf of his life right now, but going 0-for-3 here is alarming.
Tony Finau: Putting isn’t Finau’s strong suit, ranking 138 on tour this season. He is a bomber and can overpower courses, which helps even the odds in his Greenbrier debut. A T25 at the Travelers was his worst performance in is last six starts. Chance it while recognizing the rookie’s wheels could come off this week.
Russell Henley: Ranks 14th in strokes gained: putting and is a relatively safe choice to make the cut most weeks. Shot a 5-under aggregate in 2013 â€" his only appearance at The Greenbrier Classic â€" for a T30.
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Graham DeLaet: Shaking off a sluggish start and finally heating up, the Canadian has finished fourth, T26 and T22, respectively, in his last three starts. Good enough putter to challenge late Sunday.
Cameron Tringale: Current form is shaky. History at the strip is stellar. Comes down to where fantasy players place their trust.
Cap savings
â€" Johnson Wagner
â€" Bo Van Pelt
â€" Carl Pettersson
â€" Jason Bohn
â€" John Huh
â€" Troy Merritt
Wild cards
Jonas Blixt: Winner in 2013, Blixt has ample experience on similar tracks in Europe. Has shown signs of life after missing five straight cuts in April and May.
Angel Cabrera: A winner last year in his only appearance here. He tends to play really well on courses that cater to his game. On the other hand, he has played lousy golf of late.
Daniel Berger: Hit a rough patch over the last two months (three missed cuts). The power-hitter often leaves himself with wedges and short irons into greens (22nd in regulation) but hasn’t developed a consistent putter stroke (119th SGP).
Keegan Bradley: It’s usually a clear-cut scenario for Bradley: When he gives up strokes putting to the field, he typically doesn’t post a great result. Short stick has rolled better than expected but remains a work-in-progress.
Aaron Baddeley: No. 2 in strokes gained: putting … streaky player who rarely contents but can do just enough to make him a worthwhile fantasy buy.
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