Josh Culp's Blog, page 64
August 7, 2013
PGA Championship Fantasy Golf Contests
You know the drill by now. It’s the final major of the year. Fantasy Golf websites love to run their premium golf contests during all the major championships. I scour the interwebs for fantasy golf contests and share them all with you.
Just like the British Open, I will divide the contests into “Paid” and “Free to Enter”. I will only list contests that offer a prize worthy of playing for, so have at it:
Free PGA Championship Contests
Golfradar
If you’ve played at Golfradar you know how awesome the format is. This week is no exception. There are a ton of valuable golfers listed as 5-coins this week. It could make strategy very interesting. Be sure to join the Future of Fantasy match, the GolfRadar Feature Match as well as the two unique matches listed below:
Fantasy Golf Tour
Fantasy Golf Tour offers a free contest this week with $1,000 in cash prizes. You can enter as many as 5 teams. The scoring on this website is your teams total score under par. You pick four golfers per Group, and then can edit your team on a round-by-round basis. $1,000 in prizes with no entry fee. This juice is definitely worth the squeeze.
Join the Fantasy Golf Tour Now
Golf Pigeon
This websites currency is Pigeon Points, and it will take 1,000 Pigeon Points to enter the fantasy contest this week. Lucky for you, new members receive 1,000 pigeon points to begin with. Join the site now, and enter this fantasy contest for a chance to win TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 3-wood & #3 Rescue clubs.
Pay to Enter PGA Championship Contests
There is nothing wrong with the free contests I listed above, but this section is where the cash is made and bills are paid. These contests start as low as $1 so don’t be shy, try them out now.
Golfmanna
I already featured this contest but here it is again in case you missed it. This contest is low-risk, high-reward. It is $20 to enter. $1,000 is awarded to the winner. You can have multiple entries. What would you rather do this weekend: go to the movie theatre with your significant other and spend $40 or spend $20 at Golfmanna and make the PGA Championship very, very interesting? That was a rhetorical question. It’s a no brainer.
Fantasy Golf Tour
Already listed in the Free Contests Section, but they also offer paid contests with impressive prize pools. Entry Fees range from $7.50 to $25 and the winner of the $25 feature event will win a cool $3,300 this week. Had to pass up on this kind of return.
DraftDay Fantasy Golf
DraftDay is becoming one of the go-to Fantasy Golf websites. Their salaries are on-point and their scoring format is exciting. It encourages birdies and going-low in general. Entry fees start as low as $1 so try it out now. They are always innovating and adding new contest formats.
Fantasy Feud
Fantasy Feud offers a very fair scoring system that penalizes players for missed cuts but you can still place with a few of your golfers missing the cut. This is the last week to win a FF-Cup Ticket, so join now.
FanThrowdown
FanThrowdown is becoming a fantasy sports monster. They bought out BuzzDraft earlier in the year and recently acquired Daily Joust. They are becoming a household name in the daily fantasy sports industry. If you don’t like worrying about a salary cap then their salaries are perfect for you. They make it easy to pick any six golfers you want to, and offer a variety of guaranteed prize pool contests.
DraftStreet
It is a big week over at DraftStreet as they are running the Big Score contest with thousands of dollars up for grabs. Don’t worry if you missed out on that contests, because they offer a ton of contests ranging from $2 to $420. There is sure to be a contest that is right for your price range.
PGA Championship Pick-6 Contest by Golfmanna
Golfmanna is offering big money to the person that can pick the best six-golfer team this week at the PGA Championship. If you haven’t yet signed up for the PGA Championship Pick-6 Majors Challenge game, you can make your team now. It’s $19.99 to play and first place is $1,000!
There is no salary cap, so pick ANY six golfers you desire.
Useful Resources for making your team:
Tee Times
Golfmanna’s 10-fer Weekly Preview by C.A. Schmidt
Rob Bolton’s Power Rankings
Check back today for Future of Fantasy Rankings.
July 31, 2013
Bridgestone Invitational Fantasy Preview
We are a week away from the final Major of the year and three weeks away from the FedEx Cup Playoffs. It’s Fantasy Golf crunch time and I’m here to help. The WGC Bridgestone Invitational is this week, played in Akron, Ohio. The course is Firestone Country Club AKA Tiger Woods East. Tiger has won here seven times, and the tournament record of 21-under par is also in his name (2001).
73 of the best players will tee it up this week. Well, not exactly thee 73 best players. You have players that snuck into the tournament like Tommy Gainey, Derek Ernst, and Jaco Van Zyl to name a few.
Firestone Country Club is a 7,400 yard Par 70 course. There are certainly courses on Tour that are longer than 7,400 yards but not many of them are Par 70s. In terms of Yards per Par, this is the equivalent of a 7,600 yard Par 72 course. It’s long. This course is no easy-pickins, either. The field average over the past five years has been 0.57 strokes over par. That means the winner this week will likely be in the 8 to 14 under range. Forget the small talk, lets start talking picks for this week:
Group A
Tiger Woods: This is his tournament. Tiger has won 7 of the 13 times this tournament has been played here. He wasn’t in the field in 2008 so make that 7 of 12. If the tournament is played on paper, Tiger wins this week with a score of 12-under par. It’s not played on paper, though. They make these golfers play for a reason. Tiger hasn’t won this even since 2009, so don’t pencil him in for the win just yet.
Rory McIlroy: My gut tells me this is Rory’s tournament to win. Rory has been rather mediocre this year, but four Top 10s in 11 events is nothing to sneeze at, either. The length of this course is going to fit Rory’s game perfectly. 11 of his 16 Firestone rounds have been shot under par. That is the highest percentage of all golfers with a minimum of 12 rounds played here. Welcome back, Rory.
Martin Laird: Just like Rory, this has been a mediocre year for Laird. He did win at the Valero Texas Open but has also missed 6 cuts in his 17 starts this year. That is way too many cuts missed for a player of Laird’s caliber. Laird has finished 29th, 11th and 16th the last three years here. A perfect tournament for Laird to turn his season around.
Graeme McDowell: Only has 3 rounds under par at Firestone in 20 attempts. That is terrible. Just forget about Graeme this week, because it will be a miracle if he competes.
Phil Mickelson: Another great golfer that you should forget about this week. Course History isn’t everything but sometimes it can’t be ignored. 70% of Mickelson’s 36 rounds at Firestone have been Par or worse. You need at least three rounds under par to win this event, so the odds are against Phil this week. Phil is on a high right now, so he’s due to come back down anyway.
Group B
Jim Furyk: Furyk was floating out to sea, appearing to be lost, but he found his way back home last week with a T9 at Glen Abbey. Now its time for Jimmy to kick it into high gear. He is usually a slow starter, but this is even later than usual. Better late than never. Furyk has the more rounds under par at Firestone (21) than anyone in the field. Yes, even more than Tiger (19). Should be a great week for Furyk this week. A win is not out of the equation.
Steve Stricker: Quality over quantity is the mantra Stricker lives by. You know you are getting his best effort anytime he tees it up this year. Stricks has five Top 10s in eight starts this year. That is fantasy gold. Stricker probably has five more tournaments to play this year, so use his starts wisely.
UPDATE: Steve Stricker announced today that he suffered a tear in his right hamstring while skiing during a recent vacation, but still intends to play this week’s World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. Avg Finish: 44th
Future of FantasyRory McIlroyFinally get a course he likes and a course that suits his game well. Will try to put all the haters to bed with a win this week. Avg Finish: 35th
Jake GaerTiger WoodsIt's Firestone, and he's Tiger Woods. Don't over think it.Avg Finish: 31st
Sleepers
ExpertSleeperWhy the Pick?YTD
The 19th HoleMiguel Angel JimenezFirst start since playing well in brutal conditions at Muirfield (T13). Has a habit of hanging around in big events.Avg Finish: 60th
Future of FantasyPaul Casey14 rounds under par at Firestone in 32 attempts (44%). May not sound great but its 13th best in the field of golfers with at least 12 rounds at Firestone.Avg Finish: 50th
Jake GaerHarris EnglishHe's quietly playing very well as of late. Sneaky top 20 at The Open. Tough to find a "sleeper" in this event.Avg Finish: 50th
Top 20 for the 2013 WGC Bridgestone Invitational1. Tiger Woods -12
2. Rory McIlroy -10
3. Matt Kuchar -10
4. Jim Furyk -9
5. Luke Donald -9
6. Bubba Watson -8
7. Justin Rose -8
8. Lee Westwood -8
9. Keegan Bradley -7
10. Bo Van Pelt -7
11. Rickie Fowler -7
12. Jason Day -7
13. Martin Laird -6
14. Jason Dufner -6
15. Sergio Garcia -6
16. Adam Scott -6
17. Henrik Stenson -6
18. Dustin Johnson -6
19. Zach Johnson -6
20. Steve Stricker -6 Update: Dropped from 4th to 20th with news of torn hamstring.
Weekly ContestsGolfradar: No matter how long you look, you aren’t going to find a more unique and interesting Fantasy Golf experience than GolfRadar. Pick up to 10 golfers ranging from 5 to 20 coins each. Earn Top 10 and Winner bonuses. The possibilities are endless and the prizes are good.
Enter the Future of Fantasy Match NowDraftDay: DraftDay offers a basic salary-cap Fantasy Golf game. Their weekly match entry fees range from $1 to $215. Start with something small and start entering the big ones if you have some success. Pick your Six Golfers Now
FanThrowDown: FanThrowDown offers some of the best Guaranteed Double Up contests. All you have to do is finish in the top half of the league and you double your money! Start Drafting Now
Reno-Tahoe Open Fantasy Preview
Brandt Snedeker took home the hardware last week in Canada. Hopefully you listened to us last week in our RBC Canadian Open Preview, because we told you he was the man to beat. Moving on this week, we have a double-feature. First, there is the Reno-Tahoe Open were 132 golfers will be in the field. Lets not get too excited about this tournament, because 73 of the best golfers in the world will be missing from the field as they are playing the WGC Bridgestone Invitational this week.
The only thing to get excited about for this tournament is the scoring format. Last year they switched to Modified Stableford scoring. A quick rundown of the Modified Stableford scoring rules: 5 points for an eagle, 2 points for a birdie, 0 for par, -1 point for a bogey and -3 for double bogey or worse. So don’t be alarmed when you see this scoreboard later in the week and it looks more like college basketball scores than golf.
The WGC Bridgestone is the important one this week, but I wasn’t going to leave you hanging on the Reno-Tahoe Open. Some fantasy formats still require you to pick a golfer for this tournament. Here are some options for you to consider:
Josh Teater: Teater has only missed four cuts in 19 attempts this year and he has two Top 10s at Montreux in three tries. That is enough for me to make Teater my favorite, and also my one-and-done pick for the Reno-Tahoe Open this week.
Kevin Stadler: Kevin Stadler leads the field in Stableford scoring this year and he is from Reno, Nevada. He has three top 15 finishes at Montreux since 2005, but he also has two finishes of 65th or worse. Feast or famine for Mr. Stadler this week.
Nick O’Hern: 125th on the Money List… too bad it is the Web.com money list. O’Hern is actually playing better on the PGA Tour this year than he has been on the Web.com Tour. He has 6 made cuts in 8 attempts on Tour and is 16th in Eagle Percentage. He has one eagle every 126 holes. He’s got the chance to go low this week and take advantage of the modified Stableford scoring.
Stuart Appleby: You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but this old dog still has plenty of tricks in his arsenal. He’s averaging 3.33 birdies per round this year, so four or five will be likely if he tries to go low to take advantage of the scoring format.
Bryce Molder: He’s got the third best Stableford profile in the field this week. However, his course history is lacking. He does have one Top 10 at Montreux, but the 69th and 100th place finishes are scary.
J.J. Henry: Henry absolutely loves this course. Since 2005 he has finishes of 4th, 9th, 26th and also a win last year. I don’t like picking defending champions, but Henry should definitely be in the mix this week.
Steve Flesch: Way past his prime but he does have four career PGA Tour victories. Unfortunately he has only one Top 25 finish in his last 17 PGA Tour events, dating back to the beginning of 2012. In fact, he only made the cut twice in those 17 tournaments. He won here back in 2007, and finished 3rd in 2011 so its possible he makes a run this week. Possible, but not likely.
July 28, 2013
2013 NFL Pick’em Sign Up Now – Point Pickers
The countdown to NFL Season is 39 days away. That’s just a little more than one month out. Now is the time to start considering Pick’Em leagues to join. If you’re like me then Point Pickers is the way to go. If you sign up before August then the entry fee is just $19.99 with $2,700 in prizes given out throughout the season.
What do you get for your $20 entry? The weekly winner receives a $100 gift card every week. That is 17 chances to quintuplicate your money (5x). I haven’t gotten to the best part yet, though. The best part is the season-ending $1,000 gift card given away to the overall winner. Last year I was lucky enough to win this season-long award while only winning one individual week. Consistency pays off.
How to Play:
1. Register for a new account.
2. Pick the winners of each NFL game on a weekly basis.
3. Give your winners a confidence level from 1-16 points.
4. If your 16 point team wins, you get 16 added to your score, you are subtracted 16 points if they lose. If your 1 point team loses then you only lose 1 point from your weekly total.
5. Remember to play every week even if you start off poorly. You can recover for a few bad weeks quite easily. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. The $1,000 season long prize is what you really want to aim for.
6. Have Fun!
July 24, 2013
RBC Canadian Open Fantasy Preview
What a great weekend of golf over in Scotland. Lee Westwood finally learned how to putt and appeared primed to finally get that Major, only to fall short like he has so many times. Tiger put himself in position, but couldn’t put together anything on Sunday. Adam Scott made his usual Majors-push but it was Phil Mickelson who came from the back of the pack to steal the victory and win his first Open Championship. Mickelson shot a 5-under on Sunday, a truly remarkable feat considering how difficult Muirfield was playing.
Unlike the U.S. Open, there wasn’t as much bitching and moaning about how hard the course was. There was still a few comments, but generally players seemed to blame the weather more than the R&A for the course setup. Now we head back to North America, but take a detour in Canada before returning to the United States. This week is the RBC Canadian Open, and nobody will be complaining about how hard this course it set up after watching or playing at Muirfield last week. The tournament will be played at Glen Abbey Golf Course in Ontario, Canada. The course is set up to play about 7,250 yards and is the same site of the 2009 and 2008 Canadian Opens. If you are a course history buff, then take an extra look at those years when you are making your picks this week.
Overall, I would suggest ignoring most of the course history since this tournament has rotated to numerous venues over the years. Instead of leaning on course history this week, I would suggest taking a look at four key stats: Par 4 Scoring Average, Adjusted Scoring Average, Scrambling, and Strokes Gained Putting (in that order).
One theory I would like to address is players doing poorly after playing in the Open Championship the week before in Europe. I took a look at the last three years and 83 players have played in the Open Championship as well as the Canadian Open. If these players supposedly do so poorly after playing the Open, how do you explain 22 of these players finishing in the Top 25? That is 26.5 percent that finish in the Top 25. These aren’t all premier golfers that played in both, so 26.5% is a very solid percentage. There will be a few exceptions, like Ernie Els last year who struggled and missed the Canadian Open cut after winning the Open Championship. Overall, golfers that played last week are fair game, and should not be ignored or devalued. Lets pick away:
Group A
Brandt Snedeker: After a mid-season injury slash struggle, Snedeker is returning to form and has three consecutive Top 25 finishes. A healthy Sneds means a competitive Sneds, and that makes him for favorite to win for the week.
Chris Kirk: Chris Kirk is a birdie machine, and can scramble his ass off. All his stats are too good this year to go winless. 1st in Par 4 Scoring, 1st in Scrambling, and 1st in Bogey Avoidance. Kirk has made 15 of 18 cuts this year, and I see no reason why that won’t be 16 of 19 after this week.
Chez Reavie: Chez won at Glen Abbey back in 2008 so that gives him a big boost. He is also made big strides this year to get back to his old form. Chez is 8th in Par 4 Scoring and Top 50 in Adjusted Scoring. The success at Glen Abbey plus great form makes him a very tempting option this week.
Group B
Graham DeLaet: You may give Graham a natural boost in your mind this week since he is Canadian. Afterall, this is the Canadian Open. You should probably think again. DeLaet is from Weyburn, Saskatchewan which is a 21 hour drive to Ontario. Giving him a boost just because he is Canadian would be like giving Zach Johnson a boost for a tournament played in Florida, just because Zach from the United States. I still think Graham is a legitimate contender due to overall game improvement this year… not because he is Canadian. No Canadian has won the Canadian Open since 1954, just sayin’.
Matt Kuchar: Mr. Kuchar is a perfect 16 for 16 on the year in cuts made. Not only does he make cuts, but he can finish on Sunday as well. Taking a look at Golfmanna’s handy Fourth Round Performance Stats, we can see Kuchar ranks 21st in fourth round scoring, and improves his tournament position an average 3.7 spots on Sunday. Kuchar should be as safe as they come this week.
Bob Estes: Bob Estes loves Glen Abbey. He finished 14th and 8th respectively in 2008 and 2009. He is also playing like a young man again: He is 3rd in Scrambling, 2nd in Bogey Avoidance and 32nd in Adjusted Scoring. It’s hard not to like Bob this week.
Hunter Mahan: Mahan has a strong track record at the Canadian Open, making a perfect 8 for 8 in cuts made since 2003. He tied for fourth at Glen Abbey back in 2004, but didn’t play in 2008 or 2009. Mahan is a candidate for exhaustion after playing in the final group last weekend at Muirfield. That is a big dropoff in pressure playing in the final group at the Open vs. the RBC Canadian Open, and you have to wonder if his state of mind will be “all there”.
Group C
Ryan Palmer: Ryan Palmer is my one-and-done pick this week. I don’t expect to use him again this year and he seems to like playing in Canada. Palmer has finished Top 25 four of the last five Canadian Opens that he has played in, including one Top 25 at Glen Abbey. Palmer is playing the best golf of his career so trot him out in your lineups with confidence.
Charl Schwartzel: Schwartzel made his rounds on the internet last week with his club throw out of frustration at the Open that led to a broken 6-iron. Charl should welcome the return to easier golf, so he can continue his Top 25 dominance that he’s had all season. Charl has finished Top 25 in 9 of the 12 tournaments he’s played in this year. Most of them have been on courses he’s never played at before this year, so this week will be no different. Chalk him up for another Top 25.
Hideki Matsuyama: Since turning pro, Matsuyama has played 10 tournaments since turning pro, and finished Top 10 in nine of those! Most of them have been in Japan vs. inferior competition, but it also includes Top 10′s at the U.S. Open and the Open Championship. Matsuyama is the real deal but can he bring the same intensity to a regular PGA Tour event that he does to a Major? We are about to find out this week. If I didn’t like Charl and Palmer so much this week, Matsuyama would be my next in line as far as Group C is concerned.
Keepers
ExpertKeeperWhy the Pick?YTD
The 19th HoleBrandt SnedekerDefinitely cooled off some after being red hot earlier this year, but he is still one of the best all-around golfers in the game.
Avg Finish: 46th
Future of FantasyBrandt SnedekerSneds is back in form, and ready to resume what he started earlier in the year... Winning. Avg Finish: 37th
Jake GaerBrandt SnedekerSmallish greens and mediumish length course. Sneds is playing well as of late..Avg Finish: 33rd
Sleepers
ExpertSleeperWhy the Pick?YTD
The 19th HoleDaniel SummerhaysHe is playing great golf over his last three starts and is in good form coming into this week.Avg Finish: 59th
Future of FantasyRyan PalmerFour Top 10s already this year. 6th in Birdie or Better percentage. Ready to go low this week. Avg Finish: 51st
Jake GaerChris StroudHot to Trot lately. Avg Finish: 49th
Top 15 for the 2013 RBC Canadian Open
1. Brandt Snedeker
2. Matt Kuchar
3. Luke Donald
4. Charl Schwartzel
5. Bubba Watson
6. Jim Furyk
7. Ryan Palmer
8. Bob Estes
9. Billy Horschel
10. Chris Kirk
11. Hunter Mahan
12. John Rollins
13. Hideki Matsuyama
14. Morgan Hoffmann
15. Graham DeLaet
Weekly Contests
Golfradar: No matter how long you look, you aren’t going to find a more unique and interesting Fantasy Golf experience than GolfRadar. Pick up to 10 golfers ranging from 5 to 20 coins each. Earn Top 10 and Winner bonuses. The possibilities are endless and the prizes are good.
Enter the Future of Fantasy Match Now
DraftDay: DraftDay offers a basic salary-cap Fantasy Golf game. Their weekly match entry fees range from $1 to $215. Start with something small and start entering the big ones if you have some success. Pick your Six Golfers Now
FanThrowDown: FanThrowDown offers some of the best Guaranteed Double Up contests. All you have to do is finish in the top half of the league and you double your money! Start Drafting Now
Callaway Hex Chrome Giveaway: Not a weekly contest, but a giveaway worth entering. We are giving away a dozen Callaway Hex Chrome golf balls in honor of Phil Mickelson Open Championship victory. Enter Giveaway
July 23, 2013
FanDuel’s $555,555 King of the Diamond Baseball Contest
You didn’t misread the title, FanDuel is offering more than half a million dollars during their one-day MLB Event. This is the largest Daily Fantasy Baseball contest ever, and could be life-changing for the winner.
On September 13th, FanDuel is giving away $155,555 to one lucky winner. 2nd place will win $50,000 and 3rd place brings home $30,000. That’s not all, 300 of the 2,500 entrants will get paid. They are offering Satellite tournaments now and the entry fees are as low as $1!
You have nearly two months to win a entry, but don’t wait too long. You can skip the middleman and buy a $250 entry for a guaranteed spot. Satellite details are listed below:
Become the King of the Diamond Now!
July 22, 2013
Phil Mickelson Open Championship Callaway Hex Chrome Giveaway
Phil Mickelson just won the 2013 Open Championship with an incredible 5-under Sunday Round. Phil is a Callaway man so Future of Fantasy is giving away 1 dozen Callaway Hex Chrome golf balls in honor of Phil’s victory. One winner will be randomly chosen on Thursday before the start of the RBC Canadian Open.
If the giveaway is not loading above for any reason, you can enter on Facebook. You can enter through Facebook, Twitter, Email, or all three! Good Luck!
