Fumbleweed

Golf's final major of the year with arguably its deepest field as well and it starts next Thursday. My top tens at the Masters, US Open, and British were full of both hits and misses. Now, we come to the major where form coming in usually matters. Here are my picks for the PGA at Bellerive in St. Louis. I will be attending the tournament on Friday also, which I am excited about...top ten looks like this for now, but some alterations could occur based on what happens at Firestone. 

1. Rory McIlroy- I was really impressed with the way Rory closed out his final round at Carnoustie. Something tells me that his four year major drought ends next week...but we shall see. 

2. Dustin Johnson- Hard to think of making any top three list at a major that doesn't include Johnson at this point. Yes, I know he missed the cut at the Open Championship, but I think a bounce back is very much in the cards at the PGA. 

3. Xander Schauffele- It's becoming apparent that Schauffele is a big-game hunter. He may not win a bunch of PGA tournaments in his career, but much like a guy like Louis Oosthuzien, he's becoming a good bet to shine in majors. 

4. Justin Thomas- Because his dad was a PGA professional, this tournaments seems to mean the most to Thomas. He's taken several scouting trips to Bellerive already. That alone should pay some dividends. 

5. Jordan Spieth- Didn't like his final round at Carnoustie, but his third round there reminded everyone that he gets up for the majors. Expect a solid week from Spieth in pursuit of the career Grand Slam. 

6. Patrick Cantlay- Cantlay has the look and feel of an eventual PGA major winner. It is the major best suited for his game. Look for a good week from him this go around. 

7. Tony Finau- Finau is the year's most consistent player to date in majors. Leave him out of your top ten at your own peril. His game has earned my respect. 

8. Francesco Molinari- There will obviously be some hangover from the Open, but if another long-suffering (at the time) European player (Harrington) can go back-to-back majors ten years ago, Molinari can do it, too. 

9. Keegan Bradley- Just seems that Bradley's game is trending in the right direction. And, he gets a week off unlike everyone else on this list prior to...something that could work to his advantage. 

10. Brooks Koepka- As well as Koepka has played in his limited appearances since coming off of an injury, I can not in good conscience leave him out of my top ten. 

Should be a great tournament!

Tried to send you a personal message, but it would not go through. Is your mailbox full? 

This is sort of a condensed, quickie version of what Look-Alike Players used to be. Below are 12 different listings of two players who appear to be very similar in value. Which player do you prefer? Pick out one or as many as you like to comment on or simply rate which player you believe to be a better value/pick. Here goes:

1. Kirk Cousins vs. Jimmy Garoppolo

2. Jay Ajayi vs. Derrick Henry

3. Greg Olsen vs. Jimmy Graham

4. Royce Freeman vs. Sony Michel

5. Marvin Jones vs. Golden Tate

6. Cam Newton vs. DeShaun Watson

7. Doug Baldwin vs. Adam Thielen

8. Leonard Fournette vs. Melvin Gordon

9. Sammy Watkins vs. Devin Funchess

10. Kyle Rudolph vs. Delanie Walker

11. Marshawn Lynch vs. Isaiah Crowell

12. Alshon Jeffery vs. Allen Robinson

The British Open (or Open Championship) is now just a little more than a week away. Per my usual custom, here is my list of my top ten favorties and other possible contenders. Picks are subject to change a bit also depending on what happens during the next week or so, but probably not much. Carnoustie plays host to this year's tournament. The last time it was held there, Padraig Harrington was the champion. Probably the hardest course in the rotation. The British is tied with the Masters as my favorite major. 

Top Ten:

1. Tommy Fleetwood- I think Fleetwood's time has come. He seems destined to win a major in the next 1-2 years and it might as well be here. With other top players struggling a bit coming in, I see no one more equipped to win. 

2. Francesco Molinari- Hottest player in the world, arguably, over the past 6-8 weeks. Game just seems to be in incredible shape heading into the final two majors of the year. 

3. Bryson DeChambeau- I am starting to really jump on the DeChambeau train. I think he'll be a top ten player in the world by next spring and I like his chances to contend in the year's final two majors. 

4. Jon Rahm- Rahm has been a disappointment in majors thus far in his career, but he's got too much talent not to get that turned around soon. 

5. Justin Rose- Rose still feels like a three major win guy to me with Augusta and the Open being his best chances. A win at Carnoustie would hardly be a surprise. 

6. Alex Noren- Champion at the French is going to make his presence felt in this tournament as well, I think. Much like Fleetwood, Noren has the look of a major contender for several years to come. 

7. Justin Thomas- Has been over in Europe playing since the US Open. Seems to really be getting locked in on playing well in majors.  

8. Tiger Woods- I don't think Woods will win another major in his career, but if he were to do so, this would be the one. His experience is definitely an asset at a course like Carnoustie. 

9. Patrick Reed- Reed's play in the majors reminds me of Louis Oosthuzien in that he seems to save his best stuff for the biggest tournaments. Another top ten in the Open seems like a good bet. 

10. Lee Westwood- Seven years ago, Darren Clarke won a surprise major prior to riding off into the sunset. Could Westwood do the same here?

Players outside of my top ten who have a very legitimate shot at winning: Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Marc Leishman, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Tony Finau, Dustin Johnson, Paul Casey, Rickie Fowler, Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama, Ian Poulter, Bubba Watson.

Highly talented, top tier players who have either struggled in 2018 thus far or struggled recently; Can put it together at any time: Matt Kuchar, Si Woo Kim, Tyrell Hatton, Branden Grace, Charl Schwartzel.

Can never be counted out of a major due to experience and savvy: Stewart Cink, Sergio Garcia, Zach Johnson, Ross Fisher, Ryan Moore, Brandt Snedeker, Martin Kaymer, Webb Simpson, Jimmy Walker, Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson, Adam Scott, Kevin Na.

Darkhorses, but with plenty of game: Haotong Li, Kiradech Aphirbarnrat, Patrick Cantlay, Adam Hadwin, Brian Harman, Satoshi Kodaira, Cameron Smith, Shane Lowry, Thorbjorn Olesen, Peter Uihlein, Bernd Wiesberger,  Daniel Berger, Kevin Chappell, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Emiliano Grillo, Beau Hossler, Kevin Kisner, Pat Perez, Hideto Tanihara, Gary Woodland, Andy Sullivan, Chris Wood, Byeong Hun-An, Jason Dufner, Russell Henley, Charley Hoffman, Brendan Steele, Kyle Stanley, Xander Schauffele, Thomas Pieters, Chesson Hadley, Patton Kizzire, Luke List, Anirban Lahiri, Shubhankar Sharma. Ryan Armour, Jason Kokrak, Kelly Kraft, Charles Howell III, Austin Cook, Chez Reavie.

Other past major winners in the field: Mark Calcavecchia, Darren Clarke, John Daly, David Duval, Ernie Els, Todd Hamilton, Padraig Harrington, Tom Lehman, Sandy Lyle, Danny Willett.

Coming throughout the day today and possibly into tomorrow...