The 2015 Open Championship DraftKings Fantasy Picks
By Danny Norris
Jul 19, 2013; Gullane, United Kingdom; Miguel Angel Jimenez reacts at the 9th green during the second round of the 2013 The Open Championship at Muirfield Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Paul Cunningham-USA TODAY Sports
$6,900 to $5,800
7/11 Update: Chris Kirk has withdrawn from The Open Championship. Don’t take him. I think Miguel Angel Jimenez is still a decent pick.
With how the weather is looking, Graham DeLaet might actually be a decent grab. I know I originally didn’t like him and I’m still not crazy about him considering he’s not going to win.
However, he does have the tools and skill set to play extremely well here. He still doesn’t have that “it” factor you need, but he could maybe come out and be that sneaky first round leader. Your best bet might be Kevin Na or Russell Henley.
Anyway, those of you that took Kirk a couple of days ago, hopefully you heard the news and have pulled him out. For the rest of you, don’t take Kirk.
This will be the final group we talk about as I don’t like anybody from about $6,400 on down.
If I had a 100 teams or so, I would use a couple of lineups to take David Howell ($6,400), Paul Lawrie ($6,400), Bernhard Langer ($6,300), and John Daly ($6,100).
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Just to have a little bit of exposure to those guys because you never know. But, for the most part, I’m pretty much just going to ignore everyone from $6,400 on down.
So, who do I like? Well, I like just a few of golfers in the upper half of the six thousand region, but for me it’s Chris Kirk ($6,800) all the way.
Kirk is really the only one I can really trust in this group. Brendon Todd ($6,900) has been a bust at the majors this season, Graham DeLaet ($6,900) has shown that he doesn’t have “it” at the majors.
Russell Henley ($6,700) hasn’t performed well at The Open, Marcel Siem ($6,800) isn’t playing well this season, and I would just rather have Kirk than say a Kevin Na ($6,800), John Senden ($6,800), Thongchai Jaidee ($6,800), George Coetzee ($6,800), and Alexander Levy ($6,800).
Plus, let me throw in why I trust Kirk more than the others I mentioned. Kirk played well last year finishing T-19 and he got the short end of the stick. Kirk played in the afternoon/morning tee time.
Kirk might not overpower St. Andrews, but if the weather turns south, Kirk can handle it. Kirk is an excellent wind player, he can play a low ball flight and control his ball that way. In a field where value below $7,000 is pretty tough to find, Kirk is highly valuable.
Plus, some people may have soured on Kirk because of his comments about Chambers Bay. So, I’m hoping a lot of folks won’t take him because of that. I doubt that will be the case, but it is something to keep under your hat.
Let me throw in one final thought because I forgot to talk about Miguel Angel Jimenez ($6,900), but Jimenez might not be a bad pick. He missed the cut last year at The Open, which was a surprise, but he may bounce back this year.
Jimenez likes St. Andrews, he has played well here in the past and more often than not he plays well at The Open in general. I would feel good throwing “The Most Interesting Golfer in the World” in a few of my lineups.