Draws and Fades: TOUR Championship

Every time we are presented with the opportunity to play fantasy golf, the first option is to play or not to play. Of course, everything in life that is optional begins with the same step, but it doesn’t always mean that the experience will be on our terms if we choose to play.

RELATED: Statistically Speaking, Horses for Courses

Baked into the decision is the acceptance of terms and conditions. Although they lay the foundation and framework of the pursuit, they almost always are the most under-respected components of every choice. The benefits are numerous.

When you registered for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, you went into it knowing that the conclusion of Segment 4 would be different then any other stretch of the season. With FedExCup points quadrupled for the first two tournaments, FedEx bonus points also would be four times larger. That’s why we ration starts as best we can in Segment 4, and we’re all in the same boat.

Focusing only on the finale, FedExCup points are not awarded at the TOUR Championship, but the tournament is not excluded from the fantasy game. It’s always nice when a term presented before your approval to play is an accommodation made for an exception.

In this instance, and as detailed in Rules, FedEx bonus points at the TOUR Championship will match the same scale used for the first two Playoffs events. So, when the FedExCup champion is crowned, remain patient until the interface is updated to reflect bonus points for your R4 Starters. It might not be until Monday, which isn’t unusual, but they will be added.

As for what determines how the bonus points will be applied, that also hasn’t changed. They will correspond to the actual leaderboard at the conclusion of the tournament. The actual leaderboard is determined using scores in relation to par and beginning with Starting Strokes. This means that aggregate scoring as a stand-alone measurement of performance is irrelevant for our purposes.

Because all 30 qualifiers for the TOUR Championship are slotted in my Power Rankings, the Power Rankings Wild Card, Draws and Fades are on ice until this page publishes again on the Tuesday of the Fortinet Championship. It’s why Birthdays at the bottom of this page extend three weeks.

In the interim, I’ll be immersed in my full-membership fantasy ranking for the 2022-23 season. I’m hopeful to promote it live right around when the field for Fortinet is released on Friday, September 9. Keep an eye on my Twitter or monitor the ROB BOLTON TWITTERFEED on the FANTASY page of the desktop version of this website.

In the meantime, good luck this week and please accept my gratitude for your loyalty. You are my community and we always are in this together.

Peace and love…

RETURNING TO COMPETITION

Cameron Smith … Slipped to sixth in the FedExCup after not playing the BMW Championship due to discomfort in a hip. The release didn’t specify which hip. He’s No. 11 in my Power Rankings for the simple reason that we need to rely on commodities in the finale. Only chasers who have burned through starts on all of the others atop the opening leaderboard should consider rostering.

Ryan Armour … He’s been out for a month due to a pulled rib muscle. He had planned on returning in the opening leg of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, but he’ll try again at this week’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship. The 46-year-old finished 155th in the FedExCup this season, so he’d open 2022-23 with Past Champion status if he doesn’t finish among the top 25 in the KFT Finals.

NOTABLE WDs

Will Zalatoris … A pair of herniated discs in his back is preventing him from giving it a go. He’ll land at 30th in the official results and his position in the leaderboard isn’t replaced. Starting Strokes are not reallocated. The announcement also included the fact that he’s going to be unable to compete in the Presidents Cup in a month.

RECAP – BMW Championship

POWER RANKINGS
Power Ranking Golfer Result
1 Collin Morikawa T44
2 Will Zalatoris WD
3 Tony Finau T28
4 Matt Fitzpatrick T48
5 Rory McIlroy T8
6 Jon Rahm T8
7 Justin Thomas T52
8 Scottie Scheffler T3
9 Patrick Cantlay Win
10 Sungjae Im T15
11 Xander Schauffele T3
12 Viktor Hovland T35
13 Tom Kim T54
14 Joaquin Niemann T8
15 Adam Scott T5
16 Jordan Spieth T19
17 Cam Davis T35
18 Sam Burns T19
19 Max Homa T23
20 Lucas Glover 66th
Wild Card Cameron Young T23

SLEEPERS
Golfer (Bet, if applicable) Result
Shane Lowry (+125 for a Top 20) T12
Denny McCarthy (+275 for a Top 20) T28
Aaron Wise (+110 for a Top 20) T15
Emiliano Grillo T19
K.H. Lee T5

BIRTHDAYS AMONG ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE PGA TOUR

August 23 … none
August 24 … Cameron Tringale (35); K.H. Lee (31)
August 25 … none
August 26 … Ben Martin (35)
August 27 … none
August 28 … none
August 29 … Carl Pettersson (45)
August 30 … none
August 31 … none
September 1 … Matt Fitzpatrick (28)
September 2 … none
September 3 … none
September 4 … none
September 5 … none
September 6 … Brice Garnett (39)
September 7 … none
September 8 … none
September 9 … none
September 10 … none
September 11 … Satoshi Kodaira (33)
September 12 … none