Fantasy Golf Preview – Quicken Loans National and BMW International Open
Last updated:
No sooner has the world of golf come to terms with the farcial ending at the US Open, the action now splits across both Tours once again as the countdown to the Open Championship begins at the Quicken Loans National and BMW International Open.
Sadly, there are no bonus points on offer this week, but there’s still plenty to play for if you didn’t heed our advice and transfer in Dustin Johsnon the week before the US Open.
The PGA Tour returns to Congressional for the first time since 2014 where Tiger Woods will be making a rare appearance as tournament host of the Quicken Loans National.
A back injury continues to sideline the 14-time Major champ and with the world’s top four also absent, all eyes will be on Rickie Fowler to see whether he can bounce back from missing the cut at Oakmont.
Rory fans will remember Congressional as the scene of the Irishman’s first major triumph at the US Open in 2011, but the course has been redesigned and lengthened since then.
It now measures some 7,569 yards and if you thought Oakmont was hard, Congressional could give it a run for its money this week.
The Blue Course yielded a scoring average of 72.546 in 2014, making it the hardest par-71 layout that year.
On the European Tour, Danny Willett will return to the scene of his breakthrough victory as the BMW International Open takes centre stage at the Golf Club Gut Laerchnhof in Cologne, Germany.
Henrik Stenson is back in action after withdrawing from the US Open with a minor neck injury and is part of another strong field that includes world No.12 Sergio Garcia, defending champion Pablo Larrazabal and in-form Austrian Bernd Wiesberger.
The 7,229-yard course has a habit of rewarding accuracy over distance and with plenty of hazards lining the fairways and surrounding the greens, fantasy managers should pay close attention to the players who lead the way in GIR and ball-striking statistics this season.
Top five fantasy picks this week…
Jim Furyk (£14m) – Quicken Loans National
The American veteran has only made five starts in an injury-hit 2016, but he rolled back the years at the US Open to finish joint runner up. He was T5 in GIR for the week and the TG Tipster fancies him to contend strongly at Congressional. He posted three successive top 10s there between 2007 and 2009, albeit pre-redesign, and few know the course better.
Brendan Steele (£8m) – Quicken Loans National
If you base your team selection on statistics, this man should be the first name on your sheet. Steele can rival Dustin Johnson as the game’s in-form player and has four top 20 finishes in his last five starts on the PGA Tour, including a T15 at the US Open. His track record at Congressional is also pretty impressive, with a T16 and T5 in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
Daniel Summerhays (£7m) – Quicken Loans National
The American has hardly set the world alight since earning his PGA Tour card in 2011, but his performances this season suggest a first win could be just around the corner. A T8 at the US Open means he now has four top 25s in his last six appearances. The 33-year-old has a habit of contending on the harder courses and has posted two top 30s in three appearances at Congressional.
Sergio Garcia (£13.5m) – BMW International Open
Golf’s perennial nearly man once again missed out on his first Major success on Sunday, but he arrives in Germany as the pre-tournament favourite. He followed up his win at the AT&T Byron Nelson last month with a T5 at Oakmont and will relish the opportunity to put his course management skills to good use again in Germany on a track which is notoriously tight.
Rikard Karlberg (£6m) – BMW International Open
The Swede first caught the eye of the TG Tipster after picking up his first European Tour victory at the Italian Open last year, and he’s continued to impress in 2016. He ranks inside the top 10 in scoring averages this season and is a riding a big wave after notching six top 25s in a row, including a runner-up finish at the BMW PGA Championship last month.
For the Quicken Loans National tee times, click here.
For the BMW International Open tee times, click here.
