Friends in fore,
If you haven't watched Golf Boys - the single greatest piece of golf cinema ever made - take 3 minutes right now.
One of those Boys - Rickie Fowler - is our clear-cut top pick this week, for the first time in SZN Golf history.
VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP PICKS
- YEYPO
- Big John
- Survivor #2
- Your group picks (get in a group with friends!)
Rickie bagged 25% of our picks in YEYPO, 23% in Big John Survivor, and 21% in the first week of Survivor #2.
He was tops in all three pools.
Do we... think he's back?
Commish gets that Mr. Orange Puma / Mr. Allison Stokke must crush it this week in order to get into The Masters field next week.
Commish accepts that will surely motivate our boy, Rickie.
But... I mean... dude hasn't REALLY contended in a looooong time.
He's definitely playing better, though. And Commish LOVES me some moxie. So I fully endorse this pick. And fully endorse watching Golf Boys at least seven more times, preferably with another BLL shotgunned in between each viewing.
By the final viewing, you might argue it's not history's greatest piece of golf cinema. It's history's greatest piece of cinema, period.
PICK STATS
YEYPO One-And-Done
- Behind Rickie (25%), it was Si Woo Kim (16%), Tyrell Hatton (11%), and Corey Conners (10%)
- 62% of picks on our top four guys is a new SZN high
- So, were these the no-brainer four guys to pick?
- Not so fast, says our Pick Boldness Score
- For the FIRST time this year, we finally scored higher than a 5/10 on the Pick Boldness scale.
- The reason? Rickie. He's just the 18th best golfer in the field by World rank, and we absolutely loaded up on him.
- By comparison, we had guys like Alex Noren - ranked MUCH higher than Rickie - get just 6 picks.
- And we came roaring back with 21 full skin opportunities - our second-highest total this SZN.
- Full skin opportunities (1 pick): Andrew Landry, Austin Eckroat, Brandon Wu, Byeong Hun An, Cameron Champ, Davis Thompson, Doc Redman, Garrick Higgo, Greyson Sigg, Kazuki Higa, Lanto Griffin, Martin Laird, Matthias Schwab, Nate Lashley, Nick Hardy, Patrick Rodgers, Pierceson Coody, Robby Shelton, Sam Stevens, Stewart Cink, Will Gordon
- Half skin oppos (2 picks): Ben Taylor, Emiliano Grillo, Kevin Chappell, Kramer Hickok, MJ Daffue, Patton Kizzire, Zac Blair
- Davis Thompson and Kazuki Higa are GREAT values for full skin oppos in a weaker tourney field
Big John Survivor
- We're down to 218 - just over 10% of those who started in Week 1
- After Rickie (23%), it's the same top four but even more concentrated - 74% of us on Rickie, Hatton, Kim, or Conners
- That continues the many weeks running trend of us being heavier on the top guys in Survivor than we are in YEYPO
- While it makes sense - we're playing it safer as numbers dwindle - it also opens us up to catastrophic weeks when one or two of the top guys flop
- It's the same thing we see in basically every survivor competition across sports - the winner so often zags at the perfect time, when everyone zigging does down on a big pick
- Shout-out to our lone picker on Kevin Chappell (568th in the world), who... nope, Commish cannot explain that one.
Survivor #2
- FRESH LIFE!
- 427 of us teed it up in our inaugural Survivor #2
- For those of us who make it to Week 20, we'll pick two golfers per week from that point onward
- With every guy available, did we do anything notably different from Big John Survivor?
- Not really. At least not yet. Same top 4, albeit slightly less concentrated at 68% of picks
- We did see a longer tail, with 25 golfers picked in Survivor #2 vs. just 15 in Big John Survivor
WEEKLY AWARDS
The 1-iron Moxie Award
Boldest pick. You can't win a SZN competition without a little Moxie!
@mahatma19 (Cameron Champ, YEYPO): ""C'mon, Champ. Wake up, Champ! You gotta go home. You gotta go home, Champ!" -Me on Friday afternoon when he's 5-over through 12"
Commish says: Hey Mahatma, do I tell people you made a pop culture reference from 1979 or do I not tell them? Cam Champ (who has sort of fallen off the face of the Earth, hence the Moxie Award) was -16 years old then.
John Daly's Pants Award
Our best weekly comment (or three), because John Daly's pants always win
@Jmoodz (Rickie Fowler, YEYPO): "You're a golf hating, mustache lacking, Olympic ring tattoo not having Jabroni if you don't take Ricky this week. Green Jacket or BUST."
Commish says: BRB CHANGING MY PICK TO RICK
"Bryson Approves This Pick" Award
Most convincing comment (There's logic, and then there's Bryson-level logic)
@Eannarelli (Corey Conners, YEYPO): "Thought this was golf and was trying to have the lowest total as possible. Now, that I understand the rules, this is the week I break a milly."
Commish says: I just want to hear Corey Conners step to the podium and say, in a Canadian accent, "I BROKE A MILLY, Y'ALL"
Spieth's 89-degree Lob Wedge
The spiciest/wildest take (like Spieth's wild short game)
@hockey3430 (Ryan Fox, YEYPO): "Welcome to the Blue Balls Classic! While we're all focused on azaleas, the soothing tones of ivory tickling our temporal lobes, the mental gymnastics of how the 13th hole alterations are going to impact course strategy and scoring, and pimento cheese sandwiches I'll be rooting on Ryan Fox at the BBC™. I'm pretty sure that acronym has never be used before. Not for anything sexual at least... What does the Fox say? The Fox says he's winning the BBC™ and he's going to shove it down Texas' throat!"
Commish says: If this comment was made 20 years ago, it might have gotten Tiger to tee it up at the Valero. (Bad joke bad joke, I know.) I do think Tiger missed an opportunity to play one or two of these B-league events. Imagine a leaderboard of Tiger at 23-under, followed by Ben Martin (in second) at 9-under, Ben Taylor at 8-under, and Benjamin McBenj at 7-under. No, the last guy isn't real. But the other two are actually in the field this week.
MORE COMMENTS
@maupind4 (Aaron Rai, YEYPO): "C’mon Rai Guy, we need this. I’m not sure who we actually is yet, but I am confident that it will never be clear. What is clear is that if you win, that means I win something possibly (clear as mud, right?). Ok, so….win, win, I think. Maybe, possibly, who the F knows. "
Commish says: Who are we? Why do we need this? What happens if we win? What's it all about? Does Aaron Rai have all of life's answers? Does Aaron Rai know Aaron Rodgers? IS AARON ACTUALLY KAARON?!
@kbanaian (Davis Riley, YEYPO): "Let's face it, most of us don't know what Valero is, we just know they play this tournament about the time the courses open up north. But not this year where we have 80 inches of snow in central Minnesota and my grounds crew friends are telling me not to plan on playing before May. Those Rickie Fowler shirts are so loud in the back of my closet, I need to get them out to the course."
Commish says: IF YOU BUILD IT (snow golf) THEY (guys in Rickie shirts) WILL COME
@MONSTERXXX (Si Woo Kim, YEYPO): "I coundnt wait for this 1 boys, Siiiiiii WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Kim !"
Commish says: Monster do you do Jewel covers? Can you do the "dreams last for so long" song but insert WOOOO in the place of every "you"? Can you give me 10% of your earnings when this makes you world famous?
@Klaumann22 (Erik van Rooyen, YEYPO): "They always talk about local knowledge in Texas tournaments so why not take a South African. Erik van Rooyen winners circle baby!"
Commish says: FLAWLESS
@YikesVikes (Tyrrell Hatton, Survivor #2): "No recent history in this event so let's hope future history is making the cut, in all these years of playing in the SZN I need to win something, Tyrrell give me a positive start in this 2nd chance... "
Commish says: Wait wait wait wait you've won comment awards. Moxie awards. You won like 7 straight Crystal Ball of Moxie predictions. CHIN UP, YIKESVIKES!
@justinwool (Dylan Frittelli, YEYPO): "100% chance of win. Probably a skin, too. This is too easy. "
Commish says: *Checks notes* ... Dylan Fritteli got FIVE picks in YEYPO?!
@Loosehawgs (Ben Griffin, YEYPO): "I liked Ben Griffin the best when he was with the Clippers but we'l see how he does in Texas "
Commish says: I think I like this better than our usual Adam Scott sitcom jokes.
@Lambda_derg (Chris Kirk, YEYPO): "Chris Kirk apparently won something this year and hes going to do it again god damn it."
Commish says: GDMIT KIRKY LET'S GO BUDDY
@Jevans4 (Taylor Montgomery, Big John Survivor): "While everyone rests up for Augusta, this guy has to play his heart out just to make it there…Top 50 in the world after he wins this one. "
Commish says: Clear reads. Full hearts. Can't lose!
@Lubyland (Matt Kuchar, Survivor #2): "Kuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch! If the golfer has a distinct last name for cheering on the course, I’ll take him. "
Commish says: Yeah but why Kuch and not Si WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO? EXPLAIN YOURSELF TO MONSTERXXX.
@XramSpencer (Tyrrell Hatton, YEYPO): "The "
Commish says: End?
Yours in metal stick swinging,
The Commish