This article is part of our Weekly PGA Recap series.
For a tournament that many golf fans couldn't wait to morph into U.S. Open week – yes, Jim Nantz and Nick Faldo couldn't be bothered -- there were a handful of wonderful storylines developing on Sunday at the FedEx St. Jude Classic:
• First and foremost, there was Phil Mickelson, in the lead on the back nine and shooting for his first win in four years under the backdrop of his decision to skip the Open.
• There was Stewart Cink, the overnight leader seeking his first win in eight years and enjoying a renaissance season after last year leaving golf for a time to be with his cancer-stricken wife.
• There was college sophomore Braden Thornberry, with the clubhouse lead as an amateur in his first PGA Tour event less than two weeks after winning the NCAA individual title.
• And there was third-round co-leader Rafa Cabrera Bello, looking to complete the Spanish Rafa Double after Rafael Nadal won the French Open tennis title earlier in the day. (Okay, you're right, that storyline is kind of lame.)
In the end, a golfer with an actual tennis connection came away with the title, as Daniel Berger repeated as champion and in the process threw his name into the mix for the U.S. Open this week at Erin Hills. For what it's worth, Berger, the son of former tennis pro Jay Berger, followed his maiden PGA Tour title last year with a tie for 37th in the Open at Oakmont.
Quite
For a tournament that many golf fans couldn't wait to morph into U.S. Open week – yes, Jim Nantz and Nick Faldo couldn't be bothered -- there were a handful of wonderful storylines developing on Sunday at the FedEx St. Jude Classic:
• First and foremost, there was Phil Mickelson, in the lead on the back nine and shooting for his first win in four years under the backdrop of his decision to skip the Open.
• There was Stewart Cink, the overnight leader seeking his first win in eight years and enjoying a renaissance season after last year leaving golf for a time to be with his cancer-stricken wife.
• There was college sophomore Braden Thornberry, with the clubhouse lead as an amateur in his first PGA Tour event less than two weeks after winning the NCAA individual title.
• And there was third-round co-leader Rafa Cabrera Bello, looking to complete the Spanish Rafa Double after Rafael Nadal won the French Open tennis title earlier in the day. (Okay, you're right, that storyline is kind of lame.)
In the end, a golfer with an actual tennis connection came away with the title, as Daniel Berger repeated as champion and in the process threw his name into the mix for the U.S. Open this week at Erin Hills. For what it's worth, Berger, the son of former tennis pro Jay Berger, followed his maiden PGA Tour title last year with a tie for 37th in the Open at Oakmont.
Quite frankly, more had been expected from Berger this season (and not only because I drafted him in the RotoWire league). He was the 2014-15 Rookie of the Year, then broke through with a victory last season en route to a second straight Tour Championship berth. This season, he had some high finishes but never seriously contended for a title while missing 25 percent of his cuts and dropping out of the top-40 in the world. He was ranked 29th after winning in Memphis last year, and with the victory he has now climbed to a career-best 24th.
Further mystifying Berger's sub-par results, his strokes-gained stats are and had been quite good, with top-40s in all of the following: off-the-tee, tee-to-green, approach, putting and total. The difference for Berger on Sunday may have been around the green. He's 162nd in strokes gained around the green for the season, but was 10th on the week at TPC Southwind.
If Berger can maintain that improvement in what has been a weakness in his game, that bodes well for a good week at the Open.
MONDAY BACKSPIN
Phil Mickelson
Oh, Phil. Mickelson went out in 32 and charged into the lead just as CBS – did we mention that Nantz and Faldo took the week off? – came on the air. His first hole of the broadcast was a triple-bogey 7 on the par-4 12th, and that was that – for Mickelson's first victory in four years, not to mention CBS' ratings. Imagine the outcry if Mickelson had won and then skipped the Open, as he is planning to do to attend his oldest daughter's high school graduation on Thursday?
Stewart Cink
Golfers in their mid-40s don't often have their best season since they were in their mid-30s, but Cink is doing just that. Cink was solo first on the front nine on Sunday before tumbling to a 3-over 73. Still, he now has three top-10s and nine top-25s and appears rejuvenated after missing part of last season to be with his wife, whose cancer now is in remission. We've played Cink a number of times in DraftKings (not this week, however) and will continue to do so. His GIR and putting numbers are stellar.
Braden Thornberry
Thornberry isn't a fantasy option – he's just a sophomore at Mississippi. But for a 20-year-old to have the clubhouse lead after his first Tour event and wind up tied for fourth, well, that at least deserves a shout-out. Thornberry won the NCAA title less than two weeks ago and was granted a sponsor invite.
Rafa Cabrera Bello
The Spaniard took up PGA Tour membership this season and just missed his first title. Despite taking a share of the lead into Sunday, Cabrera Bello slipped into a tie for fourth. For a golfer now ranked 28th in the OWGR, he's had an up-and-down season. Cabrera Bello had missed 4-of-6 cuts leading up to Memphis, though that also included a T4 at The Players. It's somewhat remarkable he's managed a pair of top-fives in his past three starts, as his off-the-tee numbers are horrid. But he's among the Tour's best putters, and that oftentimes will mask all blemishes.
Charl Schwartzel
The South African has made only 11 starts on the U.S. tour, but he has three top-6s. Schwartzel's co-runner-up at Southwind followed his solo third at the Masters. This surely will buoy his ownership for the Open, but his off-the-tee and GIR numbers have been pretty poor. It would take quite a turnaround on a long Erin Hills course for Schwartzel to contend.
Billy Horschel
Horschel went out early and zoomed up the leaderboard with a 6-under 64, leaving him T4 for the week. With a recent win at the Byron Nelson, Horschel has found a good groove at just the right time. He's not the longest hitter but he's far from short, and his GIR numbers have been great all season. Horschel's DraftKings price of $6,700 will make him a popular selection.
Kevin Chappell
Like Horschel, Chappell has found himself at the right time. He won in San Antonio in late April and on Sunday was part of a quintet at T4. Chappell is long off the tee – 27th in driving distance on Tour – and in combination with the rest of his all-around game it wouldn't surprise to see a good showing from him at Erin Hills.
Grayson Murray
The rookie still has a ways to go before his game is as loud as his Twitter feed, but Murray finished T18 for his best stroke-play showing in five months. After missing 8-of-11 cuts to start the season, Murray has run off eight straight cashes. He's still only 118th in the point standings, but he's certainly trending toward what made him the top earner in the Web.com Finals last season. Murray did not qualify for the U.S. Open.
Adam Scott
Scott hasn't played all that much this season, just 11 starts. He tied for 10th in Memphis to give him a fourth top-10 and seventh top-25. Scott is all about the majors, and he seems ready, especially at the mid-range price of $8,800. Putting has held Scott back in recent years, but he's been surprisingly good on the greens, enough to tie for ninth at the Masters and sixth at The Players.
Brooks Koepka
After our sub-par week of picking – as you'll see in the Value Picks recap below – we shouldn't be throwing stones. But we just didn't envision Koepka in the mix in Memphis, as many did, despite a pair of top-threes the previous two years. He wound up tied for 37th. After a weak start to 2017, Koepka teased us with a runner-up to Chappell at San Antonio, but he quickly returned to the way the year began. We'd be surprised if Koepka has a good Open. And with a price of $200 more than Scott, that's crazy.
Rickie Fowler
Fowler missed the cut, which surprised us, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. He's had a number of good events of late, and the trunk slam allowed him to get more familiar with Erin Hills.
RotoWire Value Picks
Last week: One top-5, six top-25s, five missed cuts
This week: One top-5, three top-10s, four top-25s, two MDFs, six missed cuts
We tabbed three golfers instead of the usual four in Tier 1. Fowler missed the cut. Mickelson almost made us look smart. Francesco Molinari tied for 24th. In Tier 2, Horschel scored with a tie for fourth and ever-steady Kyle Stanley tied for 27th, but Russell Henley and Brian Gay missed the cut. We went five deep in Tier 3, led by Chad Campbell's T10. Kevin Tway tied for 31st and Russell Knox for 37th. Up-and-coming John Peterson was an MDF and William McGirt was an MC. Among the long shots, don't ask. Peter Uihlein was the bright spot as an MDF. J.T. Poston, Camilo Villegas and Boo Weekley all missed the cut.
We finished 52nd out of 57 in our DraftKings cash game, using a lineup of Mickelson, Henley, Stanley, Campbell, Uihlein and Poston for a total of 299.5 points.
