This article is part of our FantasyDraft PGA series.
Fort Worth Invitational
Fort Worth, Texas
Colonial Country Club - Par 70 - 7,209 yards
Field - 121 entrants
Purse - $7.1M
The Preview
The PGA Tour makes the short trek down the trail in Texas to Fort Worth, less than an hour outside of Dallas' Trinity Forest Golf Club where rookie Aaron Wise overpowered the tree-less track en route to victory last week. A much more intriguing field will be at our disposal at Colonial CC as well, with four of the Official World Golf Ranking's top-six in attendance. Much like the RBC Heritage, Colonial Country Club is inviting for those who are able to keep the ball in the fairway off the tee, fire at small greens with short irons and finish the job with the putter on the dance floor. This clearly isn't a bomber's paradise given the list of past champions, which includes Kevin Kisner, Zach Johnson and Steve Stricker to name a few. It'll be hot and sticky all week in the Fort Worth area, but winds are expected to uncharacteristically remain mild throughout the entire tournament.
Past Champions
2017 - Kevin Kisner
2016 - Jordan Spieth
2015 - Chris Kirk
2014 - Adam Scott
2013 - Boo Weekley
2012 - Zach Johnson
2011 - David Toms
2010 - Zach Johnson
FantasyDraft Value Picks - based on $100,000 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Jordan Spieth - $17,800
Spieth didn't quite get the job done in his native Dallas last week, but he heads to Fort Worth as the favorite once again due to a stellar track record at Colonial. He's gone T2-Win-T2-T14-T7 in five career starts at the venue, while the former Longhorn should feel much more comfortable on the greens this week. Elite ballstriking has Spieth up to second on Tour in SG: Tee-to-Green, but the World No. 3 needs to find his groove with the flat stick in order to locate the winner's circle for the first time since last year's Open Championship.
Webb Simpson - $15,900
Simpson will draw a fantasy buzz for good reason this week thanks to his recent win at the PLAYERS Championship and back-to-back top-five finishes at Colonial. The eighth-ranked player in the FedExCup standings has not finished outside of the top-30 in an event since the WGC-Mexico Championship in early March, ascending to fifth on Tour in both SG: Putting and SG: Total.
Zach Johnson - $15,000
This past champion has won at Colonial more than just once, taking home the hardware at both the 2012 and 2010 editions of the event. Although Johnson posted an MDF in his last start at the PLAYERS Championship, he still hasn't missed a cut all season and finished fifth at the Valero Texas Open prior to teeing it up at TPC Sawgrass. He leads the Tour in proximity and ranks 26th in putts per round.
Glue Guys
Kevin Kisner - $14,800
The defending champion has finished no worse than tied for 10th during his last three showings in Fort Worth, while he's been publicly outspoken regarding his affinity for the track. There aren't too many stops on the PGA Tour anymore that reward pinpoint accuracy off the tee and a trusty putter, so Kisner plans to take advantage of the rare opportunity once again this week. Speaking of which, he ranks 19th on Tour in driving accuracy and 12th in SG: Putting.
Emiliano Grillo - $14,600
Aside from the partner-formatted Zurich Classic, Grillo has not missed a single cut all season while climbing to 44th in the FedExCup standings. He finished top-25 in his second career appearance at Colonial CC last year, but jumps off the page statistically as he stands top-30 in driving accuracy, GIR percentage, SG: Tee-to-Green and proximity.
Brian Harman - $14,100
Given Harman's four consecutive top-30 finishes including a pair of top-10s at Colonial, it's pretty clear this setup suits his game. Disappointing results of MC-74 in his last two starts could help drive down his potential ownership, but he still ranks 21st on Tour in driving accuracy, 22nd in GIR percentage and 26th in birdie average.
Bargain Bin
Steve Stricker - $13,800
The 51-year-old is skipping out on the Senior PGA Championship because he knows he can contend in Fort Worth, having won the event in 2009 nearly a decade before eventually placing T7 at Colonial CC last year.
Austin Cook - $12,400
Cook will be seeing Colonial CC for the first time in his professional career, but the rookie's inexperience hasn't kept him from reaching top-30 in the FedExCup standings through the middle of May. He's missed just two cuts in 17 starts all season, while he also ranks 23rd in SG: Putting and 43rd in driving accuracy.
Michael Thompson - $11,100
The 310th-ranked player in the OWGR should continue to fly well under the radar, but he's made the cut in six of his past seven starts. Thompson has also made it through to the weekend in 4-of-5 appearances at Colonial, highlighted by a T10 in 2014. Furthermore, he ranks 11th on Tour in SG: Putting this season.
