This article is part of our Golf Barometer series.
Transitioning from an emotional win for Kevin Na at The Greenbrier to a relatively weak field at the John Deere Classic, it's officially that point in the season when we turn our attention overseas for the more intriguing Scottish Open as the world's top talent prepares for next week's Open Championship at Carnoustie. The European Tour's stop in Scotland is highlighted by the entries of Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler, Hideki Matsuyama and Patrick Reed to name a few, while Steve Stricker and Zach Johnson hog the press at TPC Deere Run here in the states. We'll take a look at several fantasy trends around the world with the year's third major just one week away.
VALUE RISING
Russell Knox
Just one week after a runner-up finish at the European Tour's HNA Open de France, Knox posted his first win since 2016 at the Irish Open as he skyrocketed back inside of the top-50 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He hasn't missed a cut since the PLAYERS Championship and ranks top-20 on the PGA Tour in both GIR percentage and driving accuracy this season.
Alex Noren
Noren notched his first win of 2018 at the HNA Open de France, which also marked his fifth consecutive top-25 finish. The 14th-ranked player in the world sits at ninth on the PGA Tour in SG: Putting, 26th in SG: Tee-to-Green and 15th in scoring average.
Jon Rahm
Rahm hasn't played stateside since his disappointing missed cut at the U.S. Open, but he's managed
Transitioning from an emotional win for Kevin Na at The Greenbrier to a relatively weak field at the John Deere Classic, it's officially that point in the season when we turn our attention overseas for the more intriguing Scottish Open as the world's top talent prepares for next week's Open Championship at Carnoustie. The European Tour's stop in Scotland is highlighted by the entries of Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler, Hideki Matsuyama and Patrick Reed to name a few, while Steve Stricker and Zach Johnson hog the press at TPC Deere Run here in the states. We'll take a look at several fantasy trends around the world with the year's third major just one week away.
VALUE RISING
Russell Knox
Just one week after a runner-up finish at the European Tour's HNA Open de France, Knox posted his first win since 2016 at the Irish Open as he skyrocketed back inside of the top-50 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He hasn't missed a cut since the PLAYERS Championship and ranks top-20 on the PGA Tour in both GIR percentage and driving accuracy this season.
Alex Noren
Noren notched his first win of 2018 at the HNA Open de France, which also marked his fifth consecutive top-25 finish. The 14th-ranked player in the world sits at ninth on the PGA Tour in SG: Putting, 26th in SG: Tee-to-Green and 15th in scoring average.
Jon Rahm
Rahm hasn't played stateside since his disappointing missed cut at the U.S. Open, but he's managed back-to-back top-fives overseas on the European Tour with finishes of T4-T5 at the Irish Open and HNA Open de France. He's now placed top-five in five of his last seven starts worldwide dating back to the Masters, while Rahm is up to second on Tour in SG: Off-the-Tee and birdie average, and 15th in GIR percentage.
VALUE FALLING
Daniel Summerhays
Summerhays, who began the calendar year at No. 165 in the OWGR, has dipped all the way outside of the top-400 while missing the cut in five consecutive starts from the AT&T Byron Nelson through The Greenbrier. He's on pace to finish outside of the top-125 in the FedExCup standings for a second straight season, despite ranking eighth on Tour in SG: Putting. The 34-year-old is hitting less than 56 percent of his greens in regulation during his 2017-18 campaign.
Brian Stuard
The commencement of Stuard's season was filled with promise as he posted three top-10s in his first six starts, but he's now missed the cut in 11 of his last 18 tournament appearances. He's fallen outside of the top-100 in the FedExCup standings and ranks just 172nd on Tour in birdie average.
Harris English
English has made just one cut in seven starts since the PLAYERS Championship, while the former top-40 player is not currently qualified for either of the remaining two majors this year. He hasn't won since 2013 and is in danger of finishing worse than 125h in the FedExCup standings this season, while he ranks 165th on Tour in SG: Tee-to-Green.
INJURY UPDATE
Henrik Stenson
Stenson is hopeful to be back at full strength for the Open Championship, but he was forced to withdraw from this week's Scottish Open due to a concerning elbow injury. He's finished top-six in four of his last seven starts, but the elbow issue could reduce his ownership in daily fantasy formats at Carnoustie if he's ultimately able to tee it up.
Daniel Berger
A somewhat mysterious hand injury bothered Berger prior to the John Deere Classic, so he was forced to backtrack on his original commitment to play in the event. The severity of the issue is unclear at this point, but he may just be taking extra precaution in preparation for his third career Open Championship appearance next week.
