A great event has gotten even better as the Greenbrier Classic is now honoring the sacrifices of the military with its new name, A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier. The 2017 tournament was a rather emotional one, as the Old White TPC flooded during the record storms in West Virginia and forced a cancellation of the 2016 event. This is a rather strong event two weeks before a major and there are a lot of compelling storylines. Four spots in The Open Championship at Carnoustie are up for grabs. Seven of the top 35 in the Official World Golf Ranking are on hand as well. This should be a good one.
We’ll try to help you with your daily fantasy golf choices by looking for the top values. Everybody can take the top guys and hope for the best, but it’s often that low-cost missing piece that makes all the difference in your GPPs, 50/50s, or H2H matchups. Keep that in mind as you read through these plays. We’re looking for cheap players with upside.
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Value Picks
Danny Lee ($8,800) – We’ll start a little on the high side of average with Danny Lee. As mentioned in our official tournament preview, Danny Lee is a good gamble to be the first round leader, as he’s shot 63, 64, and 65 over the last three tournaments. Lee won this event in 2015, as he outlasted David Hearn and Robert Streb in a three-way playoff. Lee has only made two of his last five cuts, but he does have top-15 finishes in those two events. He was ninth here last year following his 2015 win. He was also 16th back in 2014, so he’s really been a good horse for course play here. We tipped the winner in this article last year in the person of Xander Schauffele, so hopefully we can do the same this year with Lee or one of the others listed.
David Lingmerth ($7,200) – We often talk about situational spots in sports betting. Last year’s Greenbrier Classic was a bad one for Lingmerth. He entered play on Sunday with the lead at the Quicken Loans National, but shot his second consecutive 73 to let the win slip away. He opened with a 64 here in White Sulphur Springs, but it was all downhill from there. Lingmerth was sixth in 2015 and 16th in 2014 at the Greenbrier. This is a guy that was +2000 last year, is +7000 this year, and is very well-priced at $7,200. He was 20th two events ago at TPC River Highlands and played fairly well last week at the Quicken Loans National at 1-under. At this price point, we don’t need a lot, but he does have a high ceiling.
Robert Streb ($7,000) – You won’t find many guys with 16 missed cuts in 23 events priced anywhere close to this, but you do have to respect what Robert Streb has done at this course. Surely you’ve heard the term “horse for course”, well, that’s what Streb is with The Greenbrier’s Old White TPC track. Streb finished second to Xander Schauffele last year at 13-under. It was his second straight runner-up finish at this event. He lost in a four-way playoff to aforementioned Danny Lee, Kevin Kisner, and also David Hearn back in 2015. Streb shot par or better for all four rounds in 2013 and shot a mostly respectable 2-over in 2014. His final-round 73 prevented him from moving up the board on a tough day for scoring. At this price point, with his track record here, it’s hard to pass because he’ll allow you to roster top players like Tony Finau, Bubba Watson, and Schauffele.
David Hearn ($6,700) – Maybe David Hearn found something that worked for him last week at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. Hearn made his first cut since April 19 and finished 2-under. Hearn hasn’t exactly played badly between made cuts. He was 1-over at TPC Southwind, 5-over in Fort Worth, and 2-over at the new course, Trinity Forest, for the AT&T Byron Nelson. He just hasn’t been good enough. Hearn, though, has been very good at Greenbrier. He finished 14th last year after that tough playoff loss in 2015. He also shot 6-under over his first 54 holes in 2014 before a final-round 76 that sent him plummeting down the board. For whatever reason, he just happens to like it here.
Kevin Kisner ($8,000) – Let’s go with somebody maybe a little bit safer to wrap things up with Kevin Kisner. Kisner really hasn’t done much since being the runner-up at the Dell Match Play to Bubba Watson. He’s missed three of his last five cuts and hasn’t had a top-50 finish since mid-April. He missed the cut here last year with a score of 2-over, but he was second back in 2015. It seems like Kisner is one of those guys who will lay low for a while and then all of the sudden put together a run that reminds you that he’s still around. Perhaps this is that week.
-END OF 2018 PICKS-
After Mother Nature’s fury canceled the 2016 Greenbrier Classic, the golf world turns its eyes to the renovated and better than ever TPC Old White in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia for the 2017 Greenbrier Classic. Unfortunately, sitting three weeks after the US Open and two weeks before The Open Championship, this event doesn’t get a great field, but four spots at Royal Birkdale are up for grabs this week, so this should be a hotly-contested tournament.
We’ll try to help you with your daily fantasy golf choices by looking for the top values. Everybody can take the top guys and hope for the best, but it’s often that low-cost missing piece that makes all the difference in your GPPs, 50/50s, or H2H matchups.
New to daily fantasy sports? Need to reload? DraftKings or FanDuel are the industry leaders in ease of use and safe, free transactions. Use these tips and the tips from BangTheBook Radio on Wednesdays with our resident golf betting expert Wes Reynolds, who outlines players to take a chance on for this weekend’s event. Also, we have golf previews for the PGA event each week.
Value Picks
Tony Finau ($9,100) – Normally we like to go a little bit lower than this price tag, but Tony Finau might be the best player in the field without a spot in The Open Championship field. You can bet that he doesn’t want to be idle or playing in the Barbasol Championship in two weeks. Finau finished tied for 13th here two years ago at 10-under, just two shots back from a top-five finish. This is a 7,300-yard par 70, so guys with some length can have some success here. That 2015 performance is the only course data we have from Finau, but it’s a good starting point. He has made five straight cuts and has two top-20 finishes and four top-30 finishes in that span.
Xander Schauffele ($7,900) – Xander Schauffele has been coming on pretty strong of late. The 23-year-old San Diego native played well enough at Erin Hills to earn himself an exemption for next year’s US Open. He was fifth at Erin Hills and followed that up with a 14th at the Travelers. He finished 35th last week, but did go 70-68 over the weekend to slide up the board a little bit and earn a little more money for his efforts. Schauffele has made five straight cuts and seems to be gaining confidence each week. After getting into the US Open and securing an exemption for next season, you can bet he wants a crack at The Open Championship.
Gary Woodland ($7,500) – Gary Woodland already has a spot at Royal Birkdale in two weeks, but he wants to grab a victory here. He didn’t play this event in 2015 and finished 72nd in 2014 thanks to a final round 75. That fate was eerily reminiscent of his 2013 performance, when Woodland hit Sunday at 7-under and then shot a 77 to give it all back. The winning score that year was 13-under, so Woodland may not have taken down the tournament, but he went from a likely top-five to a 62nd. If he can avoid the Sunday landmine, he’ll be a good buy this week.
Braden Thornberry ($6,900) – We’ve seen some amateurs and recent college champions put together some great tournaments recently. Braden Thornberry was one of them. Thornberry’s $241,000 pay day at the FedEx St. Jude Classic had to be forfeited so he could keep his amateur status to play in college, but he opened some eyes with a seriously strong performance at TPC Southwind. Thornberry shot a 71-69-67-65 to finish fourth. He shined with the flatstick and starred as a scrambler since his driver was a little bit erratic. Old White TPC is tree-lined, but making putts is a big deal on this course, so Thornberry has a shot to make some noise.
Ted Potter ($7,200) – Some guys just have courses that work for them. We’re paying an inflated price on Ted Potter Jr. this week, but it’s probably what he deserves. Potter’s only PGA Tour event this season has been the US Open, which he gained entry to from winning a sectional qualifier. He missed the cut. Potter didn’t play this event in 2015, but he gains entry as a past champion back in 2012. He was 26th in 2014, sixth in 2013, and had a dramatic playoff win over Troy Kelly on Hole #75 in 2012. Potter shot 64-64 over the weekend to win. As far as course form and past results go, Potter is your guy.
