Fantasy Golf Picks: The Barclays 2014

The FedEx Cup playoffs on the PGA Tour get started this week as the opening event “The Barclays” returns to Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey for the first time since 2010.  Since this event is held on a rotation of courses, last year’s results are important but not as important as how a player fared back in 2010.  The other major factor I’ll be using in making my picks is current form since normally players who do well in the playoffs are on a roll heading into the final four events on the PGA calendar for the season.

Last week, my picks didn’t include Camillo Villegas who ultimately won the Wyndham championship, but I did have Nick Watney, Brandt Snedeker, Webb Simpson, and Bill Haas all of whom made it into the the top five. The win in our competitive FanSided & Friends group went to the “Onalaska Cowboys” who pulled into second in our Summer segment standings behind our segment and overall leader the Harbour Dogs. With just four events left, can Lee F. hold on and pull off the impressive back-to-back spring and summer segment wins?  The Harbour Dogs are ahead but only by 12 in the segment, so there’s definitely some intrigue left in the group for this season.

Here is who will be on my roster for this first playoff event:

A-List

Rickie Fowler: Rickie’s roll has been impressive even though he’s been upstaged by Rory’s three in a row. In his last five events, he’s been in the top 15 including top threes in three majors and also had a top ten at the Bridgestone. He’s finished in the top ten seven times this season and will be on my roster the rest of the way unless he really falls apart.  Fowler hasn’t won on Tour this year, but I think he can make a serious run at the FedEx Cup in the next four events. 

Matt Kuchar: Kuchar pulled out of the PGA Championship with a sore back, but he does have a Tour-high ten top-ten finishes this season.  He won on this track in 2010 and should again be in contention as long as his health allows.  With such an elite field, there are many options that are good on the A-list, but I’m going with Fowler and Kuchar since they’re a couple of my favorites and should both be in contention on Sunday.

B-List

Rory McIlroy: Rory actually won’t be on my roster since I’ve used all 10 McIlroy starts the Yahoo! game allows, but he’s a great pick this week coming off three straight wins.  Rory won at the WGC-Bridgestone, the PGA Championship, and the Open Championship in convincing fashion and is the favorite in any event he enters at this point.  He’s on an impressive run and should be rostered if you have the spots left.  Since I don’t, I’ll give you four more options.

Justin Rose: Dating back to the US Open, Rose has been in the top 25 in five straight PGA events that he’s entered including a win at the Quicken Loans Championship at the end of June.  He finished the PGA Championship with a solid 67-67 on the weekend and finished t15 in 2010 at Ridgewood.

Jason Day: Day finished in the top five back in 2010 and looked as healthy as he has in a while at the PGA Championship putting up a t15 after a final round 72 caused him to fade a bit.  If Day is healthy, he can contend at any event on any course.  I expect a good run from Day through the playoffs as well, so expect him on my roster often in the coming weeks.

Graham DeLaet: DeLaet struggled to a t109 in 2010 but in the last two years has put up top-five finishes at The Barclays.  The Canadian is still searching for his breakthrough win and is coming off a strong t15 at Valhalla two weeks ago.

Bill Haas: Haas almost won last week at the Wyndham but came up just short finishing tied for second for his fourth top-10 finish on the season. He has a pair of top-25’s in the last three Barclays and could be rounding into form just in time of the playoffs.  He’s a bit of a flier here, but his game looked good last week.

C-List

Sergio Garcia: Garcia had a string of three runner-up’s in US events broken at the PGA Championship where he finished t35 after a closing round 73. In 13 PGA events this season, he has 10 top-20’s. He knows the course well and lost in a playoff at this venue in 2008.  He didn’t tee it up in 2010 when The Barclays was at Ridgewood, but I expect him to be on the leaderboard coming down the stretch on Sunday.

Nick Watney: Watney was in contention last week finishing tied for fifth giving him three top-15 finishes in his last four tournaments. He won The Barclays in 2012 and has finished in the top 10 four of the last five years with the one exception a t36 in 2010 at this course.