Well, after a bit of a respite as I took a vacation to golf heaven — that would be Northern Ireland, which hosts the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush — though the confluence of visiting and family did not allow me to use any clubs. But, the last tourney of the season, which decides the FedEx cup, is on with The TourChampionship, followed by the Ryder Cup. And ideally the entire rigamarole begins anew in Northern California at Silverado.
The Tout concludes back in the Atlanta area, hitting up the East Lake Country Club. The scorecard shows East Lake GC Atlanta, Ga. logging in at 7,374 yards with a par of 71 and features 11 par fours, ranging from a nasty 512-yard first hole (but just the sixth most difficult) to #12 at 390 yards, with a handicap of 11. However, #12 — a 440-yard four — gets the #1 rating as the toughest hole on the course.
There are four threes, ranging from 192 to 232 yards, and just three fives, with the 589-yard 18th adding a rugged bookend to a course starting with a long four.
Still, looking atop the FedEx standings is part of where I went this week back, while I also was paying attention to the hot iron from 125 or less on out.
Mother Nature should present us with warm skies — ranging from the mid-70’s to low 80’s — and though not a lot of wind looks to be present, humidity likely will be.
As usual I’m playing the $1 Triple Up at FantasyDraft, a format I really like because they drop the low score from your seven-man roster ($100K cap) for the weekend, so sign up and see if you can beat me!
Justin Thomas ($16,300): Just who is the steadiest among Thomas, Rose, Finau, Johnson, and DeChambeau? Beats me, but I am looking at Justin to emerge among the cluster for some reason. Though NorCal’er Bryson DeChambeau is a personal fave!
Tommy Fleetwood ($14,700): I am not sure just how high in the overall standings the upstart can register, but Fleetwood is as bright a spot and hot a hand as has appeared on the tour this year IMHO. I think the kid is ready to make a serious mark.
Webb Simpson ($14,600): Simpson has been pretty steady with 20 of 24 cuts made over the season, which included eight top 10s and a win. He has wielded a solid putter over the last third of the season, ranking #65 overall with one-putts, nailing 39.02% of his putts first try on the green.
Bubba Watson ($14,000): With the short field, looking for bargains becomes a two-edged sword. As with Bubba and my next pick, the pair of lefties are personal faves. That they are bargains makes it a tad sweeter. If big hitting Bubba and steady Phil can come through, it should be money in the bank
Phil Mickelson ($13,500): As noted above, picking Phil as a bargain is about as good as a gamble can get. As in I am all over it.
Keegan Bradley ($13,400): Bradley has made 22 of 25 cuts with five top 10s and a win this season and registers #28 hitting the greens in regulation with a 69.86% success rate.
Need to stay on top of your #FantasyFootball team and direction? Check out Lawr every Sunday with co-hosts Cam Stewart and Joe Gallina, along with Sean Engel, Chris Bivona, and updates by George Kurtz. That is the NFL Live Show from 12:30-5 p.m., Pacific, every Sunday on the FNTSY Sports Network.
Also check out the Tout Wars Hour, now on winter scheduled. Recorded every Tuesday with Lawr and Todd Zola, dropping Tuesday afternoons, Lawr and Lord Zola keep tabs on the pulse of the Majors and minors every week during the off-season. So, if you need your baseball fix, tune into the Tout Wars Hour. Download here!
