Fantasy Picks for the US Open

Posted on June 11, 2025 by DaveTindallTravel

I’ll be sharing my weekly picks for Fanteam’s fantasy golf contests. Fanteam, the UKGC-regulated platform and Europe’s largest DFS site, offers an exciting way to engage with golf. See below for a special offer!

It was another good week for us in Canada last time with winner Ryan Fox, play-off loser Sam Burns and near-misser Cameron Young all given good write-ups and recommendations.

My team finished 33rd for more profits so hopefully we can cash in again at this week’s US Open at fiendishly difficult Oakmont.

Getting all six players through the cut-line will be tough and making the right choices for Captain and Underdog (UD), who both score x1.25pts in this game, is key.

One ‘easy’ decision (for me at least) will be not investing in Rory McIlroy at 24.8M. His head doesn’t look right and he’s tinkering with his driver. Add in a missed cut at Oakmont in 2016 when he was in great form and the US Masters champ is not for me.

Nor will I pay the big bucks for Scottie Scheffler. He obviously has a big chance but 28.6M eats up plenty of the 100M budget and leaving him out gives more leeway elsewhere.

Before looking through the field at the third Major of the season, let’s start with a SPECIAL OFFER below!

Sign up, deposit and play any cash contest and get a FREE £2 entry EVERY WEEK until the Open Championship in July!

To sign up and claim it… CLICK HERE

There’s also another great offer in town. Details below.

Anyway, back to Oakmont and let’s get building!

Top Tier Picks (18m and over)

Bryson DeChambeau (22M): Bryson is the defending champion and when it comes to wins in this event the current scoreline reads DeChambeau 2 Scheffler 0. For a whole 6.6M cheaper than Scheffler, you’re getting a player who has a fantastic record in US Opens and PGAs. And he’s also started to work out the puzzle set by Augusta having finished fifth this year. Add in a second place to Scheffler in last month’s PGA and DeChambeau has finished in the top six in each of the last five Majors held on American soil. He was even 15th at Oakmont in 2016 having only just turned pro.

Jon Rahm (20.4M): Rahm won the 2021 US Open at Torrey Pines after finishing birdie-birdie and was third at Pebble Beach in 2019. He missed last year’s edition with a foot injury but was 10th and 12th in the two before that. With 14th at The Masters and eighth in the PGA, he’s building momentum in the 2025 Majors and this could be a breakout week. Another appealing nugget is that he was Low Amateur at Oakmont in 2016 when tied 23rd. Rahm looks ready to roar.

Others to consider: Xander Schauffele (20.8M) is an absolute tournament specialist with seven top 10s and a 14th from his eight US Opens. He’s priced above Rahm as a result but is his form this season (just one top 10) good enough to justify a big spend? That’s the dilemma. Collin Morikawa (19.6M) boasts two top fives and another pair of top 15s in the last four US Opens and has always looked right at home in Majors (nine top 10s from 22 starts). He’s 2nd for Driving Accuracy this season which bodes well for Oakmont. Ludvig Aberg (19.2M) is driving the ball well again and is trending in the right direction after 16th at Memorial and 13th in Canada. He was 12th on his US Open debut last year (halfway leader) and has finished second and seventh in his two Masters starts.

Mid-Range Value Selections ($14.2m up to 18m)

Tommy Fleetwood (17.6M): The Englishman gets most attention in Open Championships but this is the Major in which he’s had most top fives (3). The first was runner-up at Shinnecock when he closed with a brilliant 63. Adding to his appeal is a pair of top fours in his last four starts, the first of those coming at nearby Philly Cricket Club. He’ll likely hit more fairways than most too and that could prove vital this week.

Sepp Straka (15.4M): Talking of success at Philly Cricket Club (less than 50 miles away from Oakmont), the winner there was Straka. That was the Austrian’s second victory of a superb season that sees only Scheffler and McIlroy ahead of him in the FedEx Cup standings. Also in his favour: arrow-straight driving (1st for Driving Accuracy when third at Memorial last time), a second place in the 2023 Open to show he can thrive at this level and a super-cool temperament – an underrated factor in the maddening environment of a US Open.

Others to consider: Joaquin Niemann (17.2M) finally broke his baffling lack of a single top 10 in a Major with eighth in the PGA Championship last month. Now the door is open, the Chilean could be a familar face at golf’s top table. Another win on LIV last week, his fourth in seven starts on the rebel tour, means he’s brimming with confidence. Shane Lowry (15.6M) was runner-up at Oakmont back in 2016 and has played lots of great golf in 2025 without getting full reward. He was another to enjoy his latest trip to Pennsylvania when second to Straka at the Truist Championship last month. Corey Conners (14.6M) should prove an ultra-solid and value addition to any fantasy line-up. He’s made his last 13 cuts and has finished worse than 27th just once in his last 10 outings. His appeal grows via a ninth in last year’s US Open and 8-19 in this year’s two Majors. Russell Henley (14.8M) has a sneaky-good record in the US Open. He was Low Amateur on debut and from 2017 his finishes read 27-25-13-MC-14-7. A winner at tough Bay Hill this year, he was fifth at Memorial last time (5th DA that week).

Underdog Options (14m and Under)

Harris English (13.4M): The American has to be the no-brainer in this section. It’s easy enough to point out his stellar US Open record and just leave it there: English has a third, a fourth and an eighth in the last five editions and has made all nine cuts in the event. But beyond that, he was a winner at Torrey Pines (another US Open venue) earlier this year, finished runner-up in last month’s PGA Championship, was 11th at the Truist and 12th at Memorial. He screams Underdog pick if you can weave your team to make him the cheapest of the six.

Cameron Young (13M): The bearded one did us a favour with fourth place in Canada last week and I’m keen to get him onside here too. Young also had a fourth at the Truist and a top 25 at Memorial in two of his three previous starts and he’s driving the ball superbly again which bodes well for Oakmont. And let’s not forget that between 2022 and 2024 he was a leaderboard regular in Majors, reeling of five top 10s in eight appearances, including a second place in the Open at St Andrews.

Others to consider: Brian Harman (13M) gets overlooked in this event, probably because he’s a short hitter, but the 2023 Claret Jug winner has made his last seven US Open cuts, starting with second place at lengthy Erin Hills in 2017. He was 21st last year. Harman won the Texas Open in April so remains an underrated force. Cool, unflappable South Africans perform well in US Opens (Ernie Els and Retief Goosen won four between them) and Christiaan Bezuidenhout (12.6M) appears to enjoy the grind. He’s 3-for-3 in this event with two finishes just outside 30th. A straight hitter, he was 16th at Colonial two starts ago. Taylor Pendrith (13M) had a lot of focus on him last week as the Canadian who had played TPC Toronto more than anyone. He did okay (27th) but may enjoy going under the radar here. He’s been in fine form this season and has made his mark in US Opens with 23rd on debut and 16th last year. The monster hitter was fifth in the PGA which puts another tick in the box. Left-hander Matt McCarty (11.4M) won on the PGA Tour back in October (Black Desert Championship) and was 14th on his Masters debut at Augusta. A top four in Canada last week (10th DA) also punched his ticket for next month’s Open at Royal Portrush. Jordan Smith (11.6M) was 20th at LA Country Club the last time he teed it up in a US Open in 2023. He’s also had a top 10 in a PGA. The Englishman is one of the DP World Tour’s best drivers and he’s certainly in form after a second, a fourth and a seventh on his last four individual starts.

That’s this week in the books. Play well and don’t forget to SIGN UP HERE

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Fantasy Picks for the RBC Canadian Open

Posted on June 4, 2025 by DaveTindallTravel

I’ll be sharing my weekly picks for Fanteam’s fantasy golf contests, along with selections for their player matchups and sportsbook offerings. Fanteam, the UKGC-regulated platform and Europe’s largest DFS site, offers an exciting way to engage with golf. See below for a special offer!

Paying top dollar for Scottie Scheffler proved a smart decision last week as the World No.1 justified the 26.6M fee by winning the Memorial Tournament by four.

He was a popular choice as captain (scoring x1.25pts) but my other five picks weren’t good enough to get me in the money.

I’d been particularly keen on Bud Cauley as my UD (underdog, who scores x1.25pts) and rather built my team upwards from him.

It seemed a reasonable tactical ploy and one to perhaps try again.

The ‘shall I invest in the big-money favourite’ dilemma applies again this week in Canada with Rory McIlroy in town.

Rory is a two-time winner of the Canadian Open but this week we have a brand new course: TPC Toronto, a near 7,400-yard par 70.

It should suit ball-strikers so that’s an angle to play.

Before looking through the field at this week’s annual hop over the border, let’s start with a SPECIAL OFFER below!

Sign up, deposit and play any cash contest and get a FREE £2 entry EVERY WEEK until the Open Championship in July!

To sign up and claim it… CLICK HERE

Let’s start building…

Top Tier Picks (18m and over)

Rory McIlroy (24M): McIlroy has a bigger prize on the horizon with the US Open taking place at Oakmont next week. But having wowed the Canadian crowds by winning on his first two starts in the event in 2019 and 2022 (2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the pandemic), he’ll want to put on a show. In two subsequent visits to the Canadian Open he’s posted ninth and fourth while Rory returns this year as the Masters champion. His form since that dramatic Augusta win? 12th in the Zurich Classic Pairs event, seventh in the Truist Championship and a subdued 47th in the PGA Championship. He’s a dilemma for me this week but I’ll find it hard to leave him out.

Taylor Pendrith (19M): A far cheaper high-end, or even captain, option is Pendrith. Last year’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson winner was fifth at the PGA Championship and backed it up with 12th at Memorial. Both were event PBs. Four rounds in the 60s and 21st in last year’s Canadian Open suggests he’s really ready to attack his national title and the ‘X’ factor is that he knows TPC Toronto virtually better than anyone in the field having played and practised there regularly.

Others to consider: Corey Conners (20.4M) is the other obvious home option and deserves such a status after a string of big finishes this year. He used to have a shocking time in his national Open but has gone 6-20-6 since 2022. Sam Burns (18.8M) continues to find a groove and 12th at Memorial represented a fourth top 20 in the last five starts. He likes this event too with fourth at St George’s on debut in 2022 and 10th at Hamilton last year. Ludvig Aberg (21.2M) has had peaks and troughs this season so is risky but a closing 66 for T16 at Memorial last week makes the Swede enticing. He made his pro debut in the 2023 Canadian Open, finishing 25th. Finally, Mackenzie Hughes (17.8M) has one of the best tournament records of the home players: two top 10s and only once outside the top 32 in the last six editions. He’s been mixing top 10s and missed cuts (three of each in the last seven events) but may well be worth chancing.

Mid-Range Value Selections ($14.2m up to 18m)

Nick Taylor (17.6M): Taylor ended the Canadian curse in 2023 when holing a monster putt to defeat Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff and become the first home player to win this event in 69 years. Victory in the Sony Open in early 2025 gave him a fifth PGA Tour title and that stacks up incredibly well against plenty of more celebrated rivals. Taylor is in the mood again after fourth place at Memorial on Sunday.

Ryan Fox (15.4M): Much further down this pay bracket, Fox could be a cunning pick. The New Zealander made the big breakthrough by winning the Myrtle Beach Classic and, impressively, has backed it up with 28th in the PGA and 20th at Memorial. A fine ball-striker, he was also seventh in last year’s Canadian Open so there are plenty of roads leading to him.

Others to consider: Gary Woodland (15.4M) is the same price as Fox and also boasts some strong credentials. The 2019 US Open winner ranks 8th for Driving Distance this year so will handle the lengthy par 4s on this course and has flashed some good form this season with second place in the Houston Open and 11th at Colonial last time. Rasmus Hojgaard (16M) has made his last six cuts, two of those in majors, and also finished runner-up alongside twin Nicolai in the Zurich Classic pairs event. A monster hitter he’ll enjoy being able to wield the driver here. Cameron Young (15M) won a playoff on Monday to qualify for next week’s US Open and is trending in the right direction again after a real loss of form. An elite driver at his best, he’s posted seventh at the Truist, 47th in the PGA and 25th at Memorial in his last three starts. Johnny Keefer (15.6M) seems a strange addition to this price range but it’s with justification as he finished third on this course at the PGA Tour Americas’ Fortinet Cup Championship last year. That qualified him for the Korn Ferry where he’s currently thriving with a win and a second in his last four starts.

Underdog Options (14m and Under)

Beau Hossler (14M): The American has been patchy since a bright start to 2025 but a top 20 in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow was a confidence booster. He’d previously left this event off his schedule but the decision to make his debut last year paid off as a pair of closing 66s gave him 14th at Hamilton.

Kevin Roy (14M): We’re looking for reliability in this price range as getting all six players through the cut is just about a must to make any real profits. Roy fits the bill as he’s cashed in each of his last five starts, the best of those 15th in the CJ Cup Byron Nelson at Craig Ranch, a course with certain similarites to this one.

Others to consider: Alejandro Tosti (14M) is worth consideration if following the idea that big hitters will be to the fore. The Argentine is 8th for Driving Distance and has a second and a fifth to his name this season. Luke List (13.4M) is a bomber and also a two-time PGA Tour winner finding some form again with fourth at the Zurich Classic pairs and 36th at Colonial last time. Also in the long hitters club, Steven Fisk (14M) has made seven of his last 10 cuts and performed well in lower-key events like this. Gordon Sargent (13M) is making his first start as a PGA Tour member after coming through the University Accelerated program and deferring a year. He was the Low Amateur in the 2023 US Open and obviously has huge potential.

SPORTSBOOK

Yes, there’s a Sportsbook too, covering golf, football, tennis, NBA etc.

After near misses in this ‘win only’ market, with Shane Lowry at 33/1 (Truist) and Bryson DeChambeau at 8/1 (PGA Championship) both finishing runner-up, I played it simple last week.

“In all honesty, a punt on 11/4 Scottie Scheffler is the simplest and smartest play for Memorial” was the call and it worked out as the World No.1 eased to a four-shot win.

Here, I’ll try local man Taylor Pendrith at 20/1.

That’s this week in the books. Don’t forget to SIGN UP HERE

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Fantasy Picks for the Memorial Tournament

Posted on May 28, 2025 by DaveTindallTravel

I’ll be sharing my weekly picks for Fanteam’s fantasy golf contests, along with selections for their player matchups and sportsbook offerings. Fanteam, the UKGC-regulated platform and Europe’s largest DFS site, offers an exciting way to engage with golf. See below for a special offer!

There were some good mentions in last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge column, with Harry Hall (T6) selected as one of the two best Mid-Range Value Selections.

Ryo Hisatsune got a shout out too, the Japanese golfer also finishing T6.

But it requires strong results across the board to get in the prize money and Scottie Scheffler and Nico Echavarria – captain and underdog (UD) respectively (both score x1.25pts) – didn’t keep up their end of the bargain.

With Scheffler a costly 26.6M this week, the same dilemma is in place: do we build around him, hoping the other five picks make the difference, or do we hold our breaths and leave Scottie out?

Before looking through the field at this week’s Memorial Tournament at famed Muirfield Village, let’s start with a SPECIAL OFFER below!

Yes, sign up, deposit and play any cash contest and get a FREE £2 entry EVERY WEEK until the Open Championship in July!

To sign up and claim it… CLICK HERE

Let’s start building…

Top Tier Picks (18m and over)

Scottie Scheffler (26.6M): A winner here last year and third in his previous two visits, Scheffler is a perfect fit for Muirfield Village which puts an emphasis on tee-to-green prowess. The World No.1 couldn’t make it a hat-trick of wins last week after his victories in the CJ CUP Byron Nelson and PGA Championship but fourth showed he was close to putting it together again. A third win in four starts wouldn’t raise eyebrows for a player who went 1-1-2-1-1 across March and April last year.

Hideki Matsuyama (18M) could be an interesting differential this week. The Japanese won this event in 2014, has seven top 25s overall and in the last two years has finished 8th (2024) and 16th (2023). The 2021 Masters winner has current form of 36-MC-17-21 which could be spun both ways but Matsuyama is capable of dramatic highs when he can leave world-class fields in his wake.

Others to consider: Patrick Cantlay (19.4M) As a two-time winner at Muirfield Village, Cantlay is likely to be very popular, especially when a third, fourth and seventh can be added to those victories in 2019 and 2021. He was fourth at the Truist Championship two starts ago. Collin Morikawa’s (20M) stellar iron play makes him a great course fit and six starts at Muirfield Village show a win and two seconds. You pretty much know what you’re going to get with Xander Schauffele (21.8M) here. His last seven finishes at Muirfield Village from 2019 to 2025 read: 14-14-13-11-18-24-8. But is he worth the money given that his eight starts this season show just a single top 10?

Mid-Range Value Selections ($14.2m up to 18m)

Si Woo Kim (16.6M): The Korean jumps out this week both from a current form and course form perspective. In his last five individual starts, he has two top eights, the most recent at the PGA Championship, two further top 20s and a 28th. And if that seems consistent, how about his Muirfield Village record: five straight top 20s including a fourth two years ago.

Matt Fitzpatrick (16M): When the Englishman posted fifth place here last year, adding to third in 2020 and ninth in 2023, you’d have got huge odds that it would be 11 months’ time before he registered another top 10 on the PGA Tour. That’s how it played out but Fitzpatrick has now found his game again with 23rd at the Truist followed by eighth in the PGA Championship. Impressive TTG numbers at both suggest he’s ready to thrive at Memorial once more.

Others to consider: Robert MacIntyre (15.4M) won the Canadian Open this time last year and sixth place at Colonial last week (9th Approach) puts him in good heart for his tournament debut. Andrew Novak (14.2M) won the Zurich Classic with Ben Griffin in April. Griffin tasted individual success at last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge so maybe Novak does the same this week. It’s a big ask as a first-timer to the Memorial but he’s been in excellent form and ranked 2nd for TTG when 11th at Colonial on Sunday. Sam Burns (15.8M) has three top 20s in his last four Muirfield Village starts and he’s flashed some decent form in May with fifth at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, 30th at the Truist and 19th in the PGA Championship.

Underdog Options (14m and Under)

Bud Cauley (13.6M): The American has four top sixes in his last seven starts (he’s also cashed in the other three) and that includes third at Colonial on Sunday. Also of note is that he was ninth at Memorial in 2019 when working his way back from injury. That was his joint-best finish anywhere that year. Currently ranked 20th SG: Tee To Green, he looks a great UD (underdog) option although to use him in that position you may have to leave Scheffler out.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout (13.8M): After making the cut in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow and following it with four rounds in the 60s when 16th at Colonial, Bezuidenhout is on the radar via current form. But his appeal goes up a notch when noting his 4-for-4 record at Muirfield Village, highlighted by fourth place last year.

Others to consider: Michael Kim (13.6M) ranks 18th TTG this season and said on ‘X’ he enjoyed one of his best driving weeks of the year when 16th at Colonial on Sunday. That was his best finish since a run of five straight top 15s in February and March. Sam Stevens (13.2M) is a very reliable cut-maker (he’s made eight of his last nine) and was third at the CJ CUP Byron Nelson. The 28-year-old was a solid 41st on his only Muirfield Village appearance. Eric Cole (13M) has also made eight of his last nine cuts and seven were top 35s. He’s finished 24th and 45th in his two Memorial starts. Joe Highsmith (12.2M) is cheap enough to be used as the UD in a Scheffler team. He’s inconsistent but has a high ceiling as shown by a win at the Cognizant Classic and eighth in the PGA Championship.

SPORTSBOOK

Yes, there’s a Sportsbook too, covering golf, football, tennis, NBA etc.

We’ve gone close in this ‘win only’ market in recent weeks, with both Shane Lowry at 33/1 (Truist) and Bryson DeChambeau at 8/1 (PGA Championship) finishing runner-up.

In all honesty, a punt on 11/4 Scottie Scheffler is the simplest and smartest play for Memorial.

That’s this week in the books. Don’t forget to SIGN UP HERE

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Fantasy Picks for the Charles Schwab Challenge

Posted on May 20, 2025 by DaveTindallTravel

I’ll be sharing my weekly picks for Fanteam’s fantasy golf contests, along with selections for their player matchups and sportsbook offerings. Fanteam, the UKGC-regulated platform and Europe’s largest DFS site, offers an exciting way to engage with golf. See below for a special offer!

Last week’s PGA Championship proved a profitable one for this column after a very slow start and, for new readers, it highlighted the importance of picking a strong captain and high-scoring underdog (UD) – the cheapest player in your six-man line-up.

Both captain and UD score x1.25pts and the selections for those two categories – Bryson DeChambeau and Harris English – did us proud by finishing in a tie for second.

“A potential bargain and strong UD candidate,” was the assessment of English, who cost just 13.6M.

Before looking through the field at this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge at famed Colonial Country Club, let’s start with a SPECIAL OFFER below!

Yes, sign up, deposit and play any cash contest and get a FREE £2 entry EVERY WEEK until the Open Championship in July!

To sign up and claim it… CLICK HERE

In addition, Fanteam also have a really big EPL GW38 contest this Sunday: £50 buy-in and a £30k guarantee.

Back to the golf and let’s start building our team…

Top Tier Picks (18m and over)

Scottie Scheffler (27M): It’s a perfectly reasonable tactic – and likely to be a very popular one – to captain Scheffler this week and then try and make the difference with the other five players from the remaining 73M in your 100M budget. The World No.1 has won his last two events by a combined 13 shots (eight at the CJ CUP Byron Nelson and five at the PGA Championship) and the previous time he won a major (2024 Masters), he also captured the following week’s tournament (RBC Heritage). Add in his course form here of 2-3-2 and it’s hard to leave him out.

Jordan Spieth (19.6M): Spieth’s latest career Grand Slam bid at the PGA fell well short again as he missed the cut but a return to his local tournament should get him firing once more. The Texan is the tournament’s leading money winner thanks to a win, three seconds and four other top 10s. He showed his love of the Lone Star state again just three starts ago when fourth at the CJ CUP Byron Nelson where he ranked 3rd for SG: Tee To Green.

Others to consider: Harris English (18.6M) No UD status for English this week; in fact, he’s the seventh most expensive player in the game. It’s justifed though given his T2 at Quail Hollow and course record which shows a second, fifth, 12th and 20th. Aaron Rai (18.2M) relishes this ball-striking test (he’s 3-for-3 and was 12th two years ago) and comes in off a top 20 at the PGA. He particularly enjoys a par 70. J.T. Poston (18.8M) built on three top 25s with an excellent fifth place at Quail Hollow. He’s rather boom or bust here with four MCs and three top 20s in the last seven but the fact his T12 in 2024 came after the 2023 redesign could be a good pointer.

Mid-Range Value Selections ($14.2m up to 18m)

Davis Riley (17M): Riley was as big as 175/1 to win this last year but absolutely ran away with it, powering to a five-shot victory. Having been fourth in 2022, it was hardly a total surprise. He’s far from a leaderboard regular on the PGA Tour but can ‘pop’, as shown by a couple of top 10s in March. But the biggest reminder of his talent came via a rather unexpected second place in last week’s PGA.

Harry Hall (16M): Hall will get attention this week due to his third place at Colonial in 2023 when leading after 18, 36 and 54 holes. The Englishman had a great run either side of Christmas with a string of top 10s and 25s and he’s back in scoring mode again. Hall, who won last summer’s ISCO Championship, was 20th at Myrtle Beach and followed that with 19th on his PGA Championship debut. Putting has been an important stat here so it could be significant that Hall ranks 4th for SG: Putting this year.

Others to consider: Rejuvenated Bud Cauley (15.6M) had a run of three straight top sixes recently, the first at The Players Championship and the second at the Texas Open so he’s been strong in the south. He hasn’t played here since 2020 but has made four of his last five Colonial cuts. Christiaan Bezuidenhout (15M) has one of the more consistent recent records at Colonial (17-21-15) and was seventh at halfway at Quail Hollow before tailing off. This course suits him better. Eric Cole (14.6M)‘s T41 at the PGA included a hole-in-one while he has form in Texas this year of 5-26-15. There’s every reason to believe he’s due a good week here after MCs in 2023 and 2024. Finally, Ryo Hisatsune (14.2M) has performed well for me in fantasy this season with fifth in the Texas Open one of three top 10s since February. He was T37 at Quail Hollow.

Underdog Options (14m and Under)

Nico Echavarria (14M): The Colombian is an underrated two-time PGA Tour winner. He’s also had a couple of second places in the last six months. He didn’t make the weekend here last year but has been very reliable of late, making his last six cuts.

Michael Thorbjornsen (14M): The 23-year-old is starting to make more of a regular impact since turning pro last year and April brought a second (Corales Puntacana) and a fourth (Zurich Classic). The Colonial debutant also appearead on the halfway leaderboard at the PGA before a weekend slide but he’s impressive off the tee and is very capable of making a challenge in this company.

Others to consider: Mac Meissner (13.6M) was fifth here last year and 10th in the 2024 Texas Open. He’s made six of his last seven cuts in individual play. David Lipsky (12.6M) is quiet of late but he’s improved his finish at Colonial every year: 48th, then 16th, then 9th. Robby Shelton (12.6M) has ninth and 29th in the last two editions. He’s on the second tier now but had a recent top 10 in Florida. Hayden Buckley (12.4M) could perhaps be a great UD option if you’re really running out of cash. He was fifth here last year and followed a top 10 in the Zurich Classic pairs event with seventh at Myrtle Beach a fortnight ago.

That’s this week in the books. Don’t forget to SIGN UP HERE

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Fantasy Picks for the PGA Championship

Posted on May 14, 2025 by DaveTindallTravel

I’ll be sharing my weekly picks for Fanteam’s fantasy golf contests, along with selections for their player matchups and sportsbook offerings. Fanteam, the UKGC-regulated platform and Europe’s largest DFS site, offers an exciting way to engage with golf. See below to find out how you can claim a free entry to their £2 PGA Championship contest without having to deposit!

There’s very much a Big Three in this week’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in North Carolina – the second major of the season.

So, here’s a question: Which of Scottie Scheffler (26.2M), Rory McIlroy (24.4M) and Bryson DeChambeau (23M) can you squeeze into your line-ups?

One? Two? Or perhaps none!

It’s impossible to get all three on board as that would blow too much of a hole in the 100M budget.

Strategy is always key but somehow it seems even more enhanced this week given the disparity in pricing.

With the UD (underdog) scoring x1.25pts (as does the captain), is it best to select a balanced team perhaps led by Justin Thomas?

We’ll get into it shortly but first…

There’s a SPECIAL OFFER below!

To sign up and claim it… CLICK HERE

Let’s start building our team…

Top Tier Picks (18m and over)

Bryson DeChambeau (23M): I’m going to make DeChambeau the cornerstone of my line-up. For a start, he’s 3.2M cheaper than Scheffler but even if there was more parity I’d be backing Bryson. The course is set to play super-long after rain in the build-up, he’s coming off his best ever Masters (fifth) followed by a win on LIV and in this event the Californian has a second (last year) and two fourths in his last four appearances. It’s all systems go for a huge week.

Justin Thomas (20M): From the top end, Thomas is my other big like although he’s far from cheap, touching the 20M mark. JT won the 2017 PGA here at Quail Hollow which is a huge plus even though the course conditions were different in August. Secondly, he’s an absolute form horse after a win (RBC Heritage) and a second (Truist) on his last two starts. A two-time winner of this event, he walks taller in PGAs than he does at The Masters.

Others to consider: Xander Schauffele (21.6M) I’m expecting a good defence by Schauffele, especially as he’s finished runner-up at Quail Hollow in the last two editions of the Wells Fargo. He’s an absolute stud in majors with 16 top 10s in 31 played and the 2024 double major winner reeled off another with eighth at Augusta. Joaquin Niemann (19.2M) has zero top 10s in majors but he’s a prolific winner on LIV and his big hitting should serve him well. And it’s impossible not to mention four-time course winner and new Masters champ Rory McIlroy (24.4M). He’ll be massively popular so if you have the guts to leave him out and he doesn’t fire on all cylinders, it could pay off to give him a swerve. Alternatively, build everything around him!

Mid-Range Value Selections ($14.2m up to 18m)

Tyrrell Hatton (18M): Hatton was third at Quail Hollow when he last played it (2023 Wells Fargo) and his strong driving hints at another big week. He’s ticking along nicely on LIV and contended at Augusta before dropping back and finishing 14th. He posted two early top 10s in his PGA Championship career and has a further two top 15s in the last three. Hatton has made 12 of his last 13 cuts in the majors so is reliable too.

Corey Conners (16.6M): The ‘need to be a huge hitter’ narrative seems to go against Conners but he’s got an excellent record on long courses as shown by eighth at The Masters. That was his fourth top 10 in his last six trips to Augusta. The Canadian brings elite driving and plenty of excellent current form to the table too with six top 20s in his last seven starts. Five of those were T11 or better. He’s also posted 12th, 17th and 26th in three of the last four PGAs and 13th and 8th in the last two Wells Fargos at Quail Hollow.

Others to consider: Patrick Reed (16.2M) was third at Augusta last month, runner-up here in the 2017 PGA and is reeling off good finishes on LIV. Making 19 cuts in his last 20 Majors is outstanding too. Tony Finau (14.8M) is coming back to form and posted 15th in last week’s Truist. He’s sprinkled 11 top 10s in his majors career (for reference Patrick Cantlay has just three). Could big-hitting Ryan Fox (15.8M) make an impact after chipping in to win his first PGA Tour event last week? The Kiwi is reliable at this level having made the weekend in each of the last eight majors. Max Homa (15.2M) is finding his groove again (12th Augusta, 30th Truist) and that could be interesting timing given that he’s a former Quail Hollow winner with a pair of eighths in the last two runnings of the Wells Fargo. If looking for event reliability, Masters runner-up Justin Rose (16M) is the only man in the field to make the top 15 in each of the last six PGAs. Four of those were top 10s.

Underdog Options (14m and Under)

Dean Burmester (13.8M): The South African may be flickering on a few radars due to being a massive hitter. But he’s also become a pretty handy player in the majors in the last few years. He’s made the cut in his last five and that run includes 11th and 19th in the Open Championship and 12th in this event last year. Burmester, a runner-up at the LIV Golf Hong Kong in March, was 13th in the LIV Golf Korea event last time.

Harris English (13.6M): English isn’t the longest driver but won at very lengthy Torrey Pines earlier this year so plays big courses well. Majors-wise, he’s had a third, a fourth and an eighth in the last five US Opens, a pair of top 20s in his last four PGAs while 12th at Augusta last month was his best ever Masters finish. Add in third at Quail Hollow in the 2023 Wells Fargo and 11th at the Truist last week and there’s lots to like. A potential bargain and strong UD candidate.

Others to consider: Rasmus Hojgaard (13.2M) ranks 8th for Driving Distance on the PGA Tour this year. The Dane’s 67 at Augusta was the second best Friday score and he can kick on from that T32. Hojgaard has made two of his three PGA Championship cuts. Kurt Kitayama (12.4M) is another who smashes it ludicrous lengths. A shock winner at Bay Hill a couple of years ago, he was fourth in the 2023 PGA and 26th last year. A fifth at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson last time out also bodes well. Keith Mitchell (12.4M) is the king of fast starts (three first-round leads in his latest six events) and 11th in DD this season makes him a good course fit, backed up by third and eighth in two of his last three visits to Quail Hollow. He’s not done much in majors but has made it to the weekend in three of his last four PGAs. If looking below 12M, Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra (11.6M) is an option. The 25-year-old Spaniard left LIV after three years and then won the DP World Tour’s Indian Open a couple of months ago, following it with a fourth in the China Open. He played college golf at nearby Wake Forest. If feeling sentimental, Phil Mickelson (10.8M) won the 2021 PGA in his fifties and was runner-up in the 2023 Masters. He’s got numerous top 10s at Quail Hollow but they’re going back a bit.

PLAYER MATCH UPS

A quick word on these. There are 10 tournament head-to-heads listed and you can pick three or more of these duels in an acca.

For those listed, I’d take Tony Finau to beat Davis Thompson, Joaquinn Niemann to beat Patrick Cantlay and Jon Rahm to beat Collin Morikawa.

A £10 stake on those pays £60 if successful and it landed in last week’s column. Get all 10 right (and you can even throw in football player head-to-heads if struggling to pick 10 golfers) and you’ll win 500x your stake!

SPORTSBOOK

Yes, there’s a Sportsbook too, covering golf, football, tennis, NBA etc.

It’s a win only market and I just missed out with 33/1 Shane Lowry last week.

For Quail Hollow, I’m going in for Bryson DeChambeau at 8/1, with Justin Thomas at 16/1 as my second pick.

That’s this week in the books. Don’t forget to SIGN UP HERE

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Fantasy Picks for the Truist Championship

Posted on May 7, 2025 by DaveTindallTravel

I’ll be sharing my weekly picks for Fanteam’s fantasy golf contests, along with selections for their player matchups and sportsbook offerings. Fanteam, the UKGC-regulated platform and Europe’s largest DFS site, offers an exciting way to engage with golf. See below to find out how you can claim a free entry to their £12 Truist Championship contest!

To sign up and play CLICK HERE

(Note that ‘Main Event’ tickets will be delivered to your accounts within 48 hrs of deposit and play).

It’s been a good season so far for my fantasy team with healthy profits achieved at the Houston Open (fifth out of 333) and Valero Texas Open (25th).

This week it’s a Signature Event and a limited 72-man field so some classy players are available at the bottom end of the price range.

And that’s always a crucial area. Regular players in the Fanteam game will know by now that the cheapest player in your six-man line-up, the Underdog (UD), scores x1.25pts (as does the captain). Full scoring rules are here.

This week’s event takes place on the par-70 Wissahickon course at Philadelphia Cricket Club in Pennsylvania. The A.W. Tillinghast track is one we’ve not seen before on the PGA Tour which makes things tricky although there are some clues.

Rory McIlroy is a major outlay at 24M but I rather fancy him for something around 10th this week as he focuses on next week’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, a venue where he’s won four times.

There’s a SPECIAL OFFER below!

To sign up and claim it… CLICK HERE

Let’s start building our team…

Top Tier Picks (18m and over)

Patrick Cantlay (19M): Cantlay jumps off the page here given his fantastic record on Bentgrass and strong body of work in the North-East of the United States. This course should really suit and the fact he has two good finishes on Tillinghast tracks (third in the 2019 US PGA at Bethpage and eighth at the 2018 Northern Trust) backs that feeling up. His record on par 70s is excellent too.

Hideki Matsuyama (18.2M): Matsuyama could be a value buy here as, once more, he’s slightly dipped under the radar after falling short for a little while. But a closing 66 at The Masters last time secured a top 25 and, eyecatchingly, he ranked 2nd for Strokes Gained: Approach at Augusta. That’s likely to be a key factor this week. This course should be a good one for him.

Others to consider: Collin Morikawa (21M) should enjoy this short, ball-striking test and a big week is expected. He doesn’t come cheap though and perhaps has gone a little flat of late. Justin Thomas (20M) won the RBC Heritage last time out and is a dangerous animal when in winning form. Jordan Spieth (18M) can also do plenty of damage here and he made it four top 20s on the spin with fourth in last week’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson.

Mid-Range Value Selections ($14.2m up to 18m)

Shane Lowry (17M): I’m very sweet on Lowry this week. The Irishman was a runner-up in the US Open on his last start in Pennsylvania and has seven top 20s in his last eight starts. He ranks highly for SG: Tee To Green (4th) and SG: Approach (11th) and a bit of inclement weather in the forecast could aid him too.

Keegan Bradley (16.2M): The US Ryder Cup skipper could still make his own team and added to a strong season with 18th at Hilton Head, a place where he’d never done anything of note. Born and bred in the North-East, he won at Aronimink on his last outing in Pennsylvania and has plenty of other great form in this corner of the United States. His tee-to-green game should serve him well.

Jason Day (16M): Has now withdrawn.

Others to consider: Andrew Novak (15.6M) has Ted Rogers form of 3-2-1, the latter coming in the Zurich Classic pairs event. He’s been a man to follow this season. Aaron Rai (15.4M) is another who performs better on shorter courses and the Englishman is the straighest driver on the PGA Tour. Justin Rose (15.2M) won his US Open very near to here and his Masters second place shows what a top performer he remains.

Underdog Options (14m and Under)

Harris English (13.8M): English already has silverware this season after a gutsy win at Torrey Pines and he admits he likes it when scoring is tough. That should be the case this week at a venue where Bernhard Langer once won the Senior Players Championship with +1. He impressed again with 12th at The Masters, ranking 10th for Approach.

Lucas Glover (13.2M): Glover has had some great ball-striking weeks this season and that’s helped him to third places at both Pebble Beach and The Players Championship. He ranked in the top four for SG: Approach in both.

Others to consider: Erik van Rooyen (12.4M) finished (an admittely distant) second to Scottie Scheffler last week so has plenty of confidence. He’s finished 8th and 23rd in the two Majors he’s played on Tillinghast courses. Gary Woodland (12.6M) was eighth in the 2019 US PGA on Tillinghast’s Bethpage Black. He withdrew with a sore back last week so if you like the ‘beware the injured golfer’ angle, he’s your man. After some awful form, Max Homa (13M) bounced back with 12th at Augusta. Note that he was only 70th at the RBC Heritage but, on pedigree, he’s a bargain. Tom Hoge (13.4M) should always be on the radar for a ball-striking test and his last four individual starts show a pair of top fives and a further two top 20s.

PLAYER MATCH UPS

A quick word on these. There are 10 tournament head-to-heads listed and you can pick three or more of these duels in an acca.

For those listed, I’d take Robert MacIntyre to beat Min Woo Lee, Patrick Cantlay to beat Ludvig Aberg and Jordan Spieth to beat Viktor Hovland.

A £10 stake on those pays £60 if successful. Get all 10 right (and you can even throw in football player head-to-heads if struggling to pick 10 golfers) and you’ll win 500x your stake!

SPORTSBOOK

Yes, there’s a Sportsbook too, covering golf, football, tennis, NBA etc.

Patrick Cantlay at 16/1 and Shane Lowry at 33/1 are worth a look in this win only market. Both are overdue a success and perhaps can gain inspiration from Justin Thomas, who ended his victory drought with a triumph at Hilton Head.

That’s this week in the books. Don’t forget to SIGN UP HERE

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Fantasy Picks for the RBC Heritage

Posted on April 16, 2025 by DaveTindallTravel

I’ll be sharing my weekly picks for Fanteam’s fantasy golf contests, along with selections for their player matchups and sportsbook offerings. Fanteam, the UKGC-regulated platform and Europe’s largest DFS site, offers an exciting way to engage with golf. See below to find out how you can claim a free entry to their £12 RBC Heritage contest!

To sign up and play CLICK HERE

(Note that ‘Main Event’ tickets will be delivered to your accounts within 48 hrs of deposit and play).

After healthy profits at the Houston Open (fifth out of 333) and Valero Texas Open (25th), it wasn’t a great week for my fantasy picks at Augusta even though 124th out of 1,447 wasn’t too bad.

Phil Mickelson, my underdog (UD), crashing out at halfway meant I only got five of six players through and that eventually caught up with me by Sunday evening.

Regular players in the Fanteam game will know by now, the UD scores x1.25pts (as does the captain). Full scoring rules are here.

Note that every golfer players all four rounds this week as this is a Signature Series no-cut event with a limited field of 72.

Rory McIlroy isn’t among them and boy does he deserve to put his feet up and drink in his Masters success after one of the most memorable rounds in the history of any Major I’ve ever seen.

Back to this week’s annual visit to Pete Dye’s Harbour Town Golf Links in South Carolina and there’s a SPECIAL OFFER below!

To sign up and claim it… CLICK HERE

Let’s start building our team…

Top Tier Picks (18m and over)

Patrick Cantlay (20.4M): It’s okay to pay heavy money for defending champion Scottie Scheffler (26.2M) as he looks set for a big week after second and fourth (Masters) in his last two starts. But it leaves you very little wriggle room. Instead, I’ll invest in Cantlay who has a ridiculously good course record: five top threes and a seventh in seven visits. We shouldn’t be put off by his so-so Masters (36th).

Russell Henley (19.4M): Henley will be kicking himself after he missed the cut at Augusta. His Friday 68 was only bettered by two players; trouble was, he’d opened with a disastrous and out-of-character 79. But if normal service is resumed here, the recent Bay Hill winner will be a worthy investment given a strong course record which shows a ninth and a further two top 20s in the last four years.

Others to consider: There might be a bit of Tommy Fleetwood (18.8M) fatigue after the Englishman never appeared on the Masters leaderboard when many expected a challenge. But he shot two rounds of 69 in his T21 at Augusta and has a 10th and a 15th here in the last three editions. Shane Lowry (19.2M) is a risk but with plenty of upside. Positives: he could be inspired by the win for his great friend Rory and this course really suits his creativity (two top threes and a ninth). Negatives: he tailed off badly at The Masters (81 in R4) and may, shall we say, be leading Rory’s celebrations!

Mid-Range Value Selections ($14.2m up to 18m)

Sungjae Im (17.6M): I’m a big fan of Im this week. He snuck up rather unnoticed to record an excellent top five at Augusta and last year three of his top 12s came in tournaments played the week after a Major. The Korean has three top fives this season and four-year course form at Harbour Town of 12-7-21-13.

Sepp Straka (17.4M): Straka’s Masters story was very similar to Henley’s. The Austrian messed up in the opening round and ultimately left himself too much to do but for a large chunk of Friday the damage had been repaired. He was 5-under for the day until a costly 5-7 finish put him the wrong side of the line. File him under course horse here after a third (2022) and a fifth (2024) and note that Straka’s win this season (he also has six further top 15s) came on another Pete Dye track at The American Express.

Wyndham Clark (16.8M): The 2023 US Open champion still hasn’t worked out Augusta (he followed last year’s missed cut with a distant 46th last week) but he’s been getting better each year at Harbour Town: 64-35-29-3 his last four visits. Fifth at the Houston Open before his underwhelming Masters.

Others to consider: Daniel Berger (16.6M) finished with a sub-70 closer to record his second best Masters finish (T21) and this shorter course suits him much better (21-13-3 the last three years). Akshay Bhatia (15.4M) has flashed plenty of good form this season and 18th here last year shows he can build on a Masters debut (T42) that promised more at times. Bud Cauley (15M) didn’t qualify for Augusta but will be looking to continue his rejuvenated form on a course where he once opened with a 63 before finishing ninth. Harris English (14.4M) finished strongly for 12th at The Masters and has a trio of Harbour Town top 25s.

Underdog Options (14m and Under)

Lucas Glover (13.8M): Before again finding Augusta too much of puzzle to solve (he missed the cut for the fifth time in 11 appearances and has never managed better than 20th), let’s recall that Glover was eighth at the Valspar and third in The Players Championship. He’s not got any standout performances at Harbour Town but has cashed in eight of his last 10 visits so could be a useful UD (underdog, scoring x1.25pts) option.

Billy Horschel (13.6M): Horschel insisted on social media that he’d played solidly at The Masters despite missing the cut, pointing out that he three-putted five times and was +1 on the par 5s. Prior to Augusta he was fourth in the Valspar while his past course record includes a top five and a ninth along with two top 25s in his last three starts.

Others to consider: Course debutant Andrew Novak (13.4M) continues to take the eye this season and his third place at the Texas Open last time represented a second top three of the season. He has a pair of 13ths too. Has Max Homa (13.4M) turned a corner after putting five straight MCs behind him with 12th at Augusta? He’s 2-for-3 at Harbour Town and, potentially, excellent value. This is definitely a Matt Kuchar (12.2M) course – he has a win and six other top 10s here. A latest healthcheck shows him finishing 18th at the Texas Open last time out and making five of his last six cuts. Patrick Rodgers’ (13M) good early-season form has dipped a little but this could be a place for him to kick on again given his fifth place last year and 19th in 2023.

PLAYER MATCH UPS

A quick word on these. There are 10 tournament head-to-heads listed and you can pick three or more of these duels in an acca.

For those listed, I’d take Wyndham Clark to beat Min Woo Lee, Daniel Berger to beat Robert MacIntyre and Jordan Spieth to beat Viktor Hovland.

A £10 stake on those pays £60 if successful. Get all 10 right (and you can even throw in football player head-to-heads if struggling to pick 10 golfers) and you’ll win 500x your stake!

SPORTSBOOK

Yes, there’s a Sportsbook too, covering golf, football, tennis, NBA etc.

Patrick Cantlay at 18/1 and Sungjae Im at 35/1 are worth a look in this win only market. Reasoning back up the page!

That’s this week in the books. Don’t forget to SIGN UP HERE

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Fantasy Picks for The Masters

Posted on April 8, 2025 by DaveTindallTravel

I’ll be sharing my weekly picks for Fanteam’s fantasy golf contests, along with selections for their player matchups and sportsbook offerings. Fanteam, the UKGC-regulated platform and Europe’s largest DFS site, offers an exciting way to engage with golf. See below to find out how you can claim a free entry to their Masters contest – no deposit required!

To sign up and play CLICK HERE

(Note that ‘Main Event’ tickets will be delivered to your accounts within 48 hrs of deposit and play).

The Masters is here and as eyes widen at the sight of spectacular Augusta National, this new fantasy column is in a good place after a successful last fortnight.

At the Houston Open, fifth place (out of 333) for my sole line-up secured a healthy win and 25th in last week’s Valero Texas Open added further profits.

The key in both was solid performances from my UD (Underdog) selections – Jesper Svensson in Houston and Ryo Hisatsune in the Valero.

They finished T27 and T5 respectively and, as regular players in the Fanteam game will know by now, the UD scores x1.25pts (as does the captain). Full scoring rules are here.

My strategy of spreading the 100M salary evenly rather than loading up at the top and finding dubious makeweights (“stars and scrubs” as it’s known) is working for now so this isn’t a week where I’ll play both Scottie Scheffler (24.8M) and Rory McIlroy (22.2M) and then scramble to find four others at a combined cost of just 53M (average 13.25M).

Having said that, there are some players that look enticing at bargain prices.You’ll find out below.

As with last week, there’s another SPECIAL OFFER!

To sign up and play… CLICK HERE

Top Tier Picks (18m and over)

Jon Rahm (20.8M): Rahm doesn’t come cheap and neither should he but I’m happy to play the Spaniard at 4M less than Scheffler, who has the unenviable task of trying to win back-to-back Masters. Rahm, like so many other defending champions, struggled a year on from striking gold and as well as that superb four-shot win in 2023 he has four straight Masters top 10s from 2018-2021. Without winning, he’s been ticking over nicely enough on LIV (2-6-6-5-9) and looks primed for a big week.

Bryson DeChambeau (19.8M): Those looking to dip under 20M can get in DeChambeau and it makes lots of sense to bring him on board. He has a win, a second, a fourth, a sixth and a 20th in his last five majors on American soil. And last year he made a bit of a breakthrough at Augusta when overcoming some previous disappointing course form to finish sixth. That could be a turning point for the two-time US Open winner and a fifth place at LIV Miami on Sunday shows he’s ready to shine.

Others to consider: Justin Thomas (19.2M) has been too desperate to do well here previously but it’s a course that suits and fourth, eighth, 12th and 17th show he can score well on this track. JT was second at the Valspar last time out. Jordan Spieth (18M) is an absolute course horse with the sixth of his top fours coming in 2023. The 2015 Masters winner was 12th in Texas last week. Collin Morikawa (21M) is definite captaincy material if you’re not playing Scottie or Rory. The Californian has current form of 10-2-17-17-2 and course form of 3-10-5-18.

Mid-Range Value Selections ($14.2m up to 18m)

Shane Lowry (17.6M): The 2019 Open winner has the ideal mix of strong mid-to-long iron play and magic around the greens to be seen as a likely Green Jacket winner. He’s made the top 25 in four of his last five Masters and that includes third in 2022. He’s a form horse too with second place behind McIlroy at Pebble Beach one of five top 20s in his last six starts. The latest was eighth at the Valspar where he ranked 1st for Scrambling – a key asset at Augusta.

Russell Henley (16.8M): Henley ticks plenty of trends this week and his confidence is right up after an excellent win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month. Take note: Scheffler won the API ahead of both his two Masters wins. The Georgia native, who has often picked the brains of 1987 Augusta hero and fellow local Larry Mize, has an impressively solid Masters record with seven straight finishes of 39th or better. That run includes fourth in 2023. His pre-Augusta form has never been so good following that Bay Hill win and three other top 10s in his last six starts.

Others to consider: Sepp Straka (15.2M) is second in the FedExCup standings this season (Henley is third) after a win in The American Express and six other top 15s. His 16th at last year’s Masters shows he’s building confidence at Augusta following 46th and 30th. Lefties have a great record here and Robert MacIntyre (16M) has also flashed some promise with 12th (2021) and 23rd (2022) in his only two Masters starts so far. A two-time winner on the PGA Tour last year, the Scot is in fine fettle thanks to four top 11s in his last five worldwide starts. Patrick Reed (14.6M) looks to offer great value at sub-15M. Since winning the 2018 Masters, he’s posted 36-10-8-35-4-12 at Augusta and returns on the back of second and seventh in his latest two LIV events. And how about another former Masters winner in Sergio Garcia (14.2M). The man who handed the Green Jacket to Reed has really struggled in the majors since that 2017 win but 12th in last year’s US Open along with a victory and two other top fours in his last four LIV starts make him an interesting option.

Underdog Options (14m and Under)

Phil Mickelson (13.4M): The three-time Masters winner doesn’t just come here to wave and enjoy the views; he can still be a force as shown by finishing joint-second two years ago. He’s also made his last seven Augusta cuts so there’s every chance he’ll be scoring points for you on the weekend. That feeling grows when looking at his recent LIV displays which reveal a sixth in Miami on Sunday and third in Hong Kong two starts earlier.

J.J. Spaun (13.6M): It won’t be often you’ll find a player in the Underdog (14M and Under) section that has two second places in his last four starts, one of those coming at The Players Championship. But that’s the case with J.J. Spaun this week. Perhaps there’s a perception that he’s too short a hitter and has a couple of missed cuts to his name here. Wrong. Spaun has played just one Masters but performed creditably to finish inside the top 25 in 2023. His Approach numbers really are exceptional this year.

Others to consider: I definitely think it’s a viable strategy to keep former Masters winners in mind and another possibility at a bargain price is Charl Schwartzel (12.4M). The 2011 champion was 10th in 2022, has made the weekend in four of the last five Masters and nudges further up my thinking thanks to his second place at LIV Miami last week. And why not 2016 winner Danny Willett (12.4M) too! The Englishman has a 12th (2022) and a 45th (2024) in the last three Masters and has made three of his last five cuts on the PGA Tour. In the two he missed, Willett fired 71-67 (Cognizant) and 69-69 (Houston) and has shot 72 or lower in each of his last 14 rounds. Michael Kim (13.4M) has a second, a fourth and a sixth on the PGA Tour this season and looks in far better shape then when he played his only Masters (MC) in 2019. We’re going into the unknown with Masters first-timer Kevin Yu (12.6M) but he has four top 20s in his last six starts, including 18-12 in the last two, is 24th for SG: Approach this season and his ownership will be negligible.

SPORTSBOOK

Yes, there’s a Sportsbook too, covering golf, football, tennis, NBA etc.

Jon Rahm is my ‘win only’ selection at 14/1. I like the pattern of players winning one year, struggling a bit when defending, but returning to win a second Green Jacket the year after.

Phil Mickelson (2004 and 2006), Bubba Watson (2012 and 2014) and Scottie Scheffler (2022 and 2024) all fit that pattern.

Anyway, enjoy what should be a thrilling week and don’t forget to SIGN UP HERE

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Fantasy Picks for the Valero Texas Open

Posted on April 2, 2025 by DaveTindallTravel

I’ll be sharing my weekly picks for Fanteam’s fantasy golf contests, along with selections for their player matchups and sportsbook offerings. Fanteam, the UKGC-regulated platform and Europe’s largest DFS site, offers an exciting way to engage with golf. Read on to find out how you can claim a free entry to their Valero Texas Open contest – no deposit required!

To sign up and play CLICK HERE

(Note that ‘Main Event’ tickets will be delivered to your accounts within 48 hrs of deposit and play).

After a rather modest first two weeks for this column, we struck oil in Texas last week with a fifth-place finish (out of 333) and some healthy profits in the £12 game.

The strategy there was to avoid paying big money for the two superstars – Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy – and opt to distribute the 100m salary in a more balanced way.

It worked – although, then again, not entirely.

A quick click on the leaderboard and my team was the only one in the top eight not to have either a Scheffler or a McIlroy.

There’s more than one way to skin a cat and all that.

Strokes Gained: Approach and an ability to play well in the wind (forecast to be strong on Sunday) are very much in mind for this week’s test at TPC San Antonio.

Full scoring rules are here.

And before you get stuck into this week’s column, here’s a SPECIAL OFFER!

Basically, beat my team – daveydtf – this week and get rewarded!

  • New users sign up and get a free entry to FanTeam’s £1,200 Valero Texas Open contest – no deposit required.
  • Beat my team in the contest and win a free £12 entry to the Masters contest (£7.5k guaranteed prize pool).
  • Users can enter multiple teams – they only need one to beat mine to bag a Masters ticket.
  • The offer applies to existing signups via me as well.
  • To sign up and play CLICK HERE

Top Tier Picks (18m and over)

Jordan Spieth (19m): There are very obvious reasons to support Spieth in Texas. He’s a local hero, has a win (2021) and a second place here and was 10th last year. And yet there may still be a feeling that he’s still not trustworthy or will have his eyes on next week’s Masters. True, there are still some dips but the triple Major winner was fourth at the Phoenix Open and ninth at the Cognizant while his SG: Approach numbers were outsanding at the Valspar (T28) last time. And, as for having his focus on Augusta, don’t fall into that trap. Spieth has twice won the week before a Major and will be sharp for this challenge in his home state.

Corey Conners (20.2m): He’ll be hugely popular but come Sunday you’ll be glad you had him on board. Conners’ two PGA Tour wins (from 198 starts) have both come in this event. Adding to those victories in 2019 and 2023 are 14th in 2021 and another top 25 last year. Coming at it from a current form angle also leads us to the Canadian as he was superb on the Florida Swing with finishes of 8-6-3. He’s gained strokes with the putter in his last four starts so that previous Achilles Heel isn’t hurting him.

Others to consider: Tommy Fleetwood (21.4m) has reeled off 15 straight top 25s worldwide which is a remarkable level of consistency. Add in a seventh on his course debut last year and the Englishman will be heavily owned and looks a better (and marginally cheaper) option than Ludvig Aberg. Daniel Berger (18.4m) has a pair of missed cuts here but those only two previous starts were in 2015 and 2019. The current version has pieced together six top 25s in seven starts, including second at the Phoenix Open. Despite the evidence so far, this course should suit. We know it suits Akshay Bhatia (18.6m) after his wire-to-wire win last year. The left-hander makes his first PGA Tour title defence after third at Sawgrass and two other recent top 10s at the Mexico Open and Genesis Invitational.

Mid-Range Value Selections ($14.2m up to 18m)

Bud Cauley (16.6m): Cauley’s injury-hit career showed some better signs at the end of 2024 and he’s really kicked on in recent weeks with a fourth (Valspar Championship) and a sixth (Players Championship) in his two latest starts. And there was no smoke and mirrors involved: Cauley ranked 2nd for both SG: Approach and Tee To Green at the Valspar and is 5th for SG: Total this season. He’s in the right shape to take on this course and, encouragingly, he has a 10th and an 18th from the past here and was a decent enough 39th last year when not in the form he’s showing now.

Lee Hodges (15m): Hodges returned from a rib injury to finish 11th in Houston last week and it showed that his impressive early-season play had merely been put on hold. Hodges started the campaign with 10th at the Sony Open and added another top 10 at the Farmers Insurance Open. He has a feast or famine record at TPC San Antonio with MC-6-MC-14 but, on current form (17th SG: Total), it’s fair to predict another strong show.

Others to consider: This is Mac Meissner’s (14.2m) home course and he’s played it way more than most. He was 10th last year and has made his last three PGA Tour cuts (39th Houston, 28th Valspar the last two). I went for Victor Perez (14.2m) at this same price last week and 18th place (his third straight top 25) justified the faith. The Frenchman, who once made the last four of the WGC Match Play in Texas, won’t mind the windy Sunday forecast either. Tom Hoge (14.8m) has cashed in eight of nine starts this year and ranked 2nd for SG: Approach when cracking the top three at The Players Championship last time. The former Pebble Beach winner has a ninth and a 12th here. Rico Hoey (15.2m) was 11th in Houston last week and 14th here last year. Those are part of four top 20s in his last six Texas starts.

Underdog Options (14m and Under)

Ryo Hisatsune (14m): The 22-year-old from Japan has bags of potential as shown by his Open de France win in 2023 that helped him land the DP World Tour’s Rookie of the Year award. Also 18th in last year’s US PGA Championship, Hisatsune has gained strokes on Approach in each of his last three starts while this year he’s already delivered a fourth at the Valspar Championship and a 10th in the Mexico Open. He made the cut here on debut last year.

Erik Van Rooyen (13.6m): Only two starts ago, the South African closed with a 65 to crack the top 10 at the Cognizant Classic in Florida. That was his third pay-day in four starts and missing the cut at Sawgrass with 72-73 can easily be ignored. EVR was 14th here on his course debut in 2021 and if we can get the two-time PGA Tour winner through to the weekend, he enjoys playing in windy conditions so could hang tough in Sunday’s forecast gusty closer.

Others to consider: Joel Dahmen (13.8m) has thrown in some good stuff this season with a sixth (Mexico Open), a ninth (Farmers Insurance Open) and an 18th (Houston Open). Last week’s top 20 made it four cuts in five starts and he’s cashed in two of his last three appearances here. Chris Gotterup (13.6m) is hitting his irons better and has two top 20s (and two MCs) in his last four starts. He improved his score each day (69-68-67-66) when T18 in Houston last week. Matteo Manassero (13m) has made the weekend in five of his seven PGA Tour starts this season which is quietely impressive. He fired in the 60s in all four laps when 39th in Houston last week. Cam Young (13m) is an absolute bargain if judged on his form in the Majors over the last few seasons. He’ll test the form is temporary, class is permanent adage after four MCs and 61st in his last five starts although he was 12th in Phoenix before that horror run.

SPORTSBOOK

Yes, there’s a Sportsbook too, covering golf, football, tennis, NBA etc.

Jordan Spieth has won at this venue already and would be my selection at 22/1.

It also wouldn’t be the worst idea to back him now for The Masters. A win, or high finish, this week would obviously impact his odds for Augusta.

That’s week four in the books. Don’t forget to SIGN UP HERE

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EPL Final Sprint – Mini-Season Game

Posted on March 28, 2025 by DaveTindallTravel

The EPL Final Sprint is aptly named.

We’ve had 29 weeks of the 38-game Premier League season, leaving nine to go.

Now, in a dash to the line, the mission is to accumulate as many points as possible over the final 9 Gameweeks (EPL GWS 30-38).

The basic format is simple: take your £85m budget and pick 11 players who you think will shine over the top-flight’s closing stretch.

The formation is your choice: 5-3-2, 4-3-3, 4-4-2, 3-4-3 or 3-5-2.

With 3 transfers per Gameweek, there’s plenty of options to shuffle your starting XI and you also get 1 Wildcard that can be used anytime to really shake things up. Transfers can’t be carried over by the way and any extra transfers cost 4 points each.

Captains score double and there’s a maximum of 3 players per EPL team. 

Finally, there’s also a Safety Net. If a selected player doesn’t start, they will be automatically replaced by a player from the same team and position of equal or lower value, as long as one exists.

A likely example: if Liverpool’s Andy Robertson was left out by Arne Slot, you’d score points from the man coming in – Kostas Tsimikas.

Now the good news…

Sign up, deposit and play any contest and get a FREE £10 FINAL SPRINT ENTRY

To do that, CLICK HERE

So, time to select an XI.

(See full details on how to play and the scoring system here)

GK: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace) 4.7M  

Henderson is the fourth-highest scoring goalkeeper in the game so far so is immediately on the shortlist. With Southampton first up and a Double Gameweek three matcches into this sprint, he’s got plenty of opportunities to bank points. Jordan Pickford’s games in those same three weeks are against Liverpool, Arsenal and Forest so Henderson gets the nod.

Defender: Daniel Munoz (Crystal Palace) 5.0M

The Colombian looks a no-brainer here. He’s cheap, Palace have a Double Gameweek coming up, he always plays 90 minutes and he’s been a growing force as the season has gone on. Add in Cup games (which don’t count) and his roves down the right flank have seen Munoz net three times in his last eight matches having failed to score in his opening 19 matches of the campaign.

Defender: Tino Livramento (Newcastle) 4.7M

Newcastle and Palace are the only teams with a Double Gameweek coming up (GW3 out of 9) so a Magpies defender makes sense. Cup hero Dan Burn will be popular but Livramento has nailed down a regular starting position and is 0.4M cheaper.

Defender: Josko Gvardiol (Man City) 6.2M

City have probably the easiest run-in of anyone and Gvardiol can score points at both ends of the pitch. He’s got five Premier League goals to his name this season and can add more over City’s nine remaining fixtures, starting with Leicester at home. After that it’s Man Utd (a), Palace (h), Everton (a), Villa (h), Wolves (h), Southampton (a), Bournemouth (h) and Fulham (a). 

Midfielder: Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd) 8.5M

While United continue to get pelters on and off the field, Fernandes is emerging as the one shining light. With seven goals and three assists in his last seven games in all comps, the Reds captain is showing his best form of the season. He’s the fourth highest-scoring midfielder over the campaign and second in the form charts (an average of the last five games). United have some tough fixtures coming up but his record shows he’s just as likely to score in those as he is against weaker opposition.

Midfielder: Mo Salah (Liverpool) 13.2M

The highest-scoring player in the game by a mile (294.2 points to Bryan Mbeumo in second with 191.4 points). His numbers are ridiculous and the only doubt you’d have is that his ultra-subdued performance in the Carabao Cup final is perhaps a sign he’s tiring. Playing 180 minutes for Egypt perhaps wasn’t ideal but Salah is made of stern stuff and Liverpool’s fixtures are decent too. Needs a huge act of contrarianism to leave him out.

Midfielder: Jacob Murphy (Newcastle) 5.6M

Newcastle’s midfield is the envy of many but in terms of scoring points in this game, Murphy is a better bet than 6.5M Bruno Guimaraes and 5.6M Joelinton. He’s racked up eight assists in the top-flight (joint-seventh highest) and added another in the Cup final win over Liverpool. And, of course, he has a Double Gameweek on the horizon. 

Midfield: Ismail Sarr (Crystal Palace) 5.6M

Again, the double Gameweek and meeting with basement dwellers Southampton in GW1 strongly affects the thinking here. Sarr is 1.3M cheaper than Eberechi Eze and in better form after four goals in four starts. Striker Jean-Philippe Mateta is the other obvious option if getting a third Palace player in but will he just seamlessly slot back in after his horrific head injury?

Forward: Alexander Isak (Newcastle) 9.1M

Isak is the fifth-highest scorer in the game and since Newcastle last saw Premier League action he’s scored in a Carabao Cup final and netted for his country, Sweden, in a friendly against Northern Ireland. That gives him 28 goals in 39 starts this season and Newcastle’s fixtures absolutely clinch it: home to Brentford, away to Leicester and then a double Gameweek. 

Forward: Erling Haaland (Man City) 14.2M

Like other great dynasties starting to crack, City are in that weird zone where one week they suffer another setback and the next they hammer someone. With Leicester coming up, the latter is the expectation. Haaland has been overshadowed this season but he still has 13 goals in his last 16 for club and country and was on target in both Norway’s games in the international break.

Forward: Omar Marmoush (Man City) 7.6M

The Egyptian is bedding in still but he’s already managed a hat-trick in City colours and both he and Haaland were on target in the champions’ last Premier League game, suggesting there’s scope to double them up, especially with Leicester their first opponents. It’s a risk but 24 goals in 38 games for City, Egypt and Eintracht Frankfurt this season shows how prolific he is.  

Other notes

The FA Cup quarter-finals will have an effect down the line (GW34) and that could mean Blank Gameweeks (but Doubles later on) for any of Man City, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Brighton, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Fulham. 

The Wildcard can come into play to deal with that and having three transfers each week until the end of the season also allows room for manoeuvre for anyone loading up on Man City and Palace as we have.

The team above comes to 84.4M but leaving some salary on the table (0.6M here) helps avoid duplicating teams with others and adds some flexibility in the transfer market.

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