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The Masters is finally here. The boys make their picks, talk Bryson, Rory, Spieth, and a lot more.



Weekly video series showcasing the guys making weekly bets on professional golf tournaments and more. 

Making picks for the 2020 Masters

After last season's picks standings came to a conclusion last week (mercifully for Soly), we are back after a much needed offseason break. Fresh cakes. All picks are highlighted below:

 HV3 has been kicking the tires for a few months now on a first career PGA Tour title. When he's been around the lead, putting woes have seemingly appeared every time. In a lackluster field, however, Varner stands out as possibly the class. An inaugural Tour title wouldn't shock me and could spur Varner onto bigger and better things in his career.

Joel Dahmen has now pieced together back-to-back stellar campaigns on Tour, cashing hefty checks in some of the premier no-cut events along the way. Despite his success, Dahmen is still yet to find the winner's circle. The Safeway may be his best chance of any in his upcoming schedule to do so.

A little Phil Mickelson hate is something you will note as a common theme throughout this week's picks. To start it off, DJ has picked the struggling Jordan Spieth to beat this week's tournament favorite, Phil Mickelson, in a tournament matchup. Can confirm Spieth is not yet collecting Social Security as some competitors in Branson likely were.

 Cue the Chez love. A week before returning to the U.S. Open, where Chez finished tied for third last year, he will compete across the country in this week's Safeway. Neil has unsurprisingly chosen the gritty grinder once again to both Top 10 and best Emiliano Grillo in a tournament matchup.

A developing pattern continues as Neil also believes Phil will have a short week following his big week in Branson. After getting a pod bump, it would be nice to see Joel start the new PGA Tour season in similar form by cashing the merch czar's Top 10 pick this week. If you haven't been paying attention, you can pretty much pencil Neil's picks in each week without even watching the video. 

 Big Randy will attempt to back up his solid pick campaign by starting with a few winners this week. Nothing too crazy, just steady profits. The "Strapped" approach to wagering, if you will. Do you know how rare a hole in one is? Me neither, everyone just tells me it's rare. So rare that Randy deems it's unimaginable an ace will occur in Napa this week.

Quite shockingly, Randy is aboard the Phil Mickelson hate train this week as well in more ways than one. The big guy has thrown nuggets down on Phil to not only miss the cut but also get clipped by the struggling Jordan Spieth in the process. Kind of disgusting to see Randy ditch his ride or die just to chase a few points.

You knew the nationality plays would be on Randy's radar. Whether it be the straw hat, the putter or his actual game, Randy is a Charl Schwartzel fan this week. The other South Africans may cash a larger check at the end of the week, but they'll be drowning in Charl's drip.

: Surprised? Another Phil Mickelson hater has emerged. Soly is also of the belief that Phil will have a little more time to prep at Winged Foot than he may have been planning for.

Let's dive into the positive side of Soly's picks. He's on board with DJ Pie's Harold Varner love, picking him to win and again hedging with a Top 10 pick. In stark contrast to Randy's Schwartzel pick, Soly thinks Erik Van Rooyen has a chance to finish not only as low South African, but low man period. Finally, off a very under the radar performance last season, Soly is taking notice of Mark Hubbard's form. He will hope that Mark can wiggle the short putter in classic Robert Garrigus fashion this week to finish Top 10.

: TC is hoping the laws of California will work in Matt Every's favor this week. A Top 10/20 finish would certainly "spark" some momentum for Every to break through his slump. 

Sam Burns and Mav McNealy are two young professionals who have showcased their games since graduating from their prestigous college careers at LSU and Stanford, respectively. Now in a field of a mixed bag of pros with varying forms of PGA Tour status, Burns and Mav stand out as prime candidates to break out in a much weaker Safeway field.

Each week seems to feature a new form of a round robin theme. This week's sample is a "Yankee" bet. Rest assured, I am doing my best to learn the ins and outs of every one of these plays. Even if TC goes 1/4, he will lose the full 55 this week.

: Don't have a good feel for this week and choosing a winner, so I'm keeping it conservative. Taking some fliers on a few guys like Malnati, Holmes and Hoge that could really use a hot start among one of the weaker fields they will compete against all season. After following along with Tron's picks last season, I've decided the Canadians may be onto something here. Therefore, I'm chasing a 5 leg Canadian that spans from Napa Valley all the way to Portugal this week.

The standings below are as of completion of last season. I know they are not at all the same as the graphics that appeared in the video...but trust my accounting methods have been thorough and above board. If you like my perspective and want more content related to the crew's picks and year-to-date status, I can be found on twitter and instagram 

NLU Picks and Preview - Safeway

Controversy accompanies the guys' picks for this week's events in Reno and Memphis:

 Doubling as a gambling aficianado and psychiatrist, DJ was able to coax Max Homa back on track last week as he contended late into Sunday afternoon. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Deej is ridin' with Max for a top 20 again this week.

The rib is the heavy hitter in DJ's lineup, as he will need to find the form he had up until COVID halted the Tour. Minimally, he will need to find enough form to hold off Patrick Cantlay should DJ's parlay prevail. The other three legs of the parlay feature some of the Tour's premier iron players in Webber, Billy Ho and Morikawa, who should all stand out on this "Pete Dye" designed second-shot golf course. Who will win on Tour next: Spieth or Finau? If DJ is right, it could be the recently-turned 27-year-old, who will play with Rory on Thursday and Friday.

After a somewhat disappointing week in Minnesota, DJ is still feeling the Burn(s) out in Cali this week. Let's please keep a fire truck on site for the sake of that great state given what they've already endured. 

 Straka flocka flame deserves a "round of applause" from Icarito for finshing strong and bringing home the nugs last week. Claiming its time to get more 

now that he's well into positive figures, Neil is riding hard with JT this week...who will have the familiar face of Bones Mackay on the bag while Jimmie Johnson is on the mend. With a JT, Xander 1, 2 combo this week, Neil's lead may end up being 

Ride or die Chez is back in action this week. To the surprise of absolutely no one, Neil is aware and backing him again, this time to Top 20. His results at Muirfield could translate nicely to Southwind, a course that again emphasizes ball-striking. Looooord Tyrrell, Bryson, and Rahmbo (as everyone knows him by) could all be running hot in their own unique and beautiful ways if Icarito's make-hay-parlay is successful.

 Here's where the aforementioned controversy begins. Randy, noted for his conservative approach, has in fact alotted less than the required 100 points to his picks this week. Moreover, he has made six picks in a formula restricting us to making only 5/week (parlays may use more than one leg to count as one wager.) The committee is aware of the situation and discussing potential sanctions/ramifications. The committee is not prepared to comment on whether they will speak to the competitor (Randy) while play is still occurring (a la Dustin Johnson @ Oakmont) or wait until play has completed (a la Jon Rahm @ Memorial.)

Nonetheless, Randy's picks must be evaluated at the moment as if they will all count. Ian Poulter must beat the likes of Justin Rose, Matt Fitzpatrick, Danny Willett, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton and of course Mike Wallace to finish as low chap hailing from the land of the Sirs. Corey Conners has promised Randy a "sorry", or maybe even an "ope" if he's unable to beat all other Canadians. Sungjae as low Asian rounds out Randy's nationality trend this week.

The entire spring break crew is included in the big guy's matchup picks for this week (again, Randy made a scummy six-pack of bets). His love for Rickie is again evident. 

: The controversy continues. Tron has long complained about the five pick restriction, and believes he may have found his way around in this week by placing round robins in his lineup. Sprinkling the 'Cuda with Mav McNealy & Kris Ventura is very on brand for TC and will surely keep him plugged in. Ryan Ruffels, a personal hearthrob of TC, will need to put four rounds together to pull out a dub in Omaha.

Despite some recent shaky play, Tron becomes the third to back Sungjae this week in Memphis...even going so far as to say he will beat ROY candidate Scottie Scheffler. In all honesty, the rest of his picks may or may not be worth going over...because only Tron will know how successful of a week he had. The rest of us are either too lazy or too uninformed to make the effort to track his successes this week. His results will have as much certainty as the Seahawks/Packers replacement refs game.  

: Soly followed CDC guidelines while picking a "boog" this week. DBalwaysvibin obviously has a great history at Southwind, but missed the cut in '18 and wasn't eligible to compete in last year's event given its recent WGC status. He will look to draw on the better memories rather than the recent ones

Swinging big, Soly is picking three other potential winners in Morikawa, honest Abe and Webber. All are second-shot-specialists who may be able to hide their streaky putting on some of the smallest greens on Tour. Being in the position he is in, it seems Soly is willing to risk digging a greater hole for a chance to move closer toward the positive figures.

: No love for the world number 1 so far, so I'm happy to oblige. No holes in his game...nor the game of Justin Thomas, another of my favorites this week. Bones should give him some extra juice. Matt Fitzpatrick strikes it straight and putts it like its his fate, good enough to garner my meaningless endorsement this week. Billy and P Reed aren't getting much respect in this week's top heavy field, but I like how their game's profile on Southwind. Finally, my bias is coming out in my backing of Spieth. It seems like it's close, right? Is it really just me?

The standings below are as of completion of last week's MMM. If you like my perspective and want more content related to the crew's picks and year-to-date status, I can be found on twitter and instagram 

. If you're making picks and kicking our butts...let us know!

There were plenty of winners last week and now three of the five of us are in the black for the season. DraftKings Sportsbook: 

Making picks for the 2020 WGC - FedEx St. Jude Invitational

We are in the process of trying to erase all documentation of our Workday picks from the internet. Big Randy's McNealy MC prediction was literally the only winner of the week, earning him a very impactful 10 points. Take a look at our wild-ass-guesses for this week's Memorial:

 From an undisclosed location, DJ recorded his only pick for the second of two consecutive events at Muirfield Village. A perk of being standings leader is being able to take big swings without worry of the consequence of a big miss. Like a clean-up hitter in a scramble with a safe one out there, Dennis is letting one fly with an opportunity to nearly double his cumulative point total.

Morikawa has established a track record of consistency regardless of result in his prior week. I could see him following up his win with another solid week, especially on a potentially more difficult setup that should reward his premier ball-striking. Rickie is still prone to an unpredicatable foul ball, leading to a big number that is notably absent from the majority of Morikawa's scorecards. Former Jayhawk Gary Woodland will also look to follow up a solid payday in a matchup against Tony Finau, who shot 59 last week at his home course despite a 1 over finish in his last two holes. Both likely have untapped power, and it will be interesting to see if either decides to chase a little more distance in response to Bryson's evolution as the summer rolls on.

A rough week for Jon Rahm finished on a high note as he carded a tournament-low 64 last Sunday. DJ will need less of that type of play and more of the fore rights Rahm was battling last Thursday. Rahm admirably 

 Randy took an enormous chunk out of DJ's lead by earning 10 nugs when Mav McNealy missed last week's cut. Still, losses in his remaining picks flushed him from the green to the red in the cumulative totals. A similarly conservative approach this week gives him a chance to get back positive.

For the second time in three weeks, Randy is choosing to back Rickie, who of course was present behind the 18th green to show his close, personal friend JT his love and support. Unselfishly, Fowler finished T22 to give the full spotlight to his buddy. Randy's first pick of the week is in direct opposition to DJ, giving him another opportunity to take a large 35 point chunk out of the current deficit in the standings. The third spring break crew member, Jordan Spieth, will need improvement from the loose swings that led to his Friday collapse in missing the cut last week if he is going to top Sergio, who in contrast has built his career on the foundation of his ball-striking.

A familiar rivalry, Tiger vs. Phil, rounds out Randy's predictions. The big guy has put his heart on the line backing Phil for years...and will be emotionally tied again this week by predicting lefty will wrap his week up by shaking Mr. Nicklaus' hand. If Tiger is to spoil those plans, Randy thinks he would need to do so despite showing some early rust, as he is forecasting The Cat to make 3 or more bogeys in his opening round.  

 A two-week hiatus from picks seemingly did nothing in the way of curing Neil of his Chez addiction. Icarito has fallen off the wagon, itching for his fix of the scrappy vet. Unfortunately, Reavie showed form during Neil's absence, placing T17 last week. A similar performance at Muirfield this week may service as a scratch to Icarito's itch.

Backing Jason Day is a leap of faith in many ways. Will his body hold up for four days? Will he avoid an illness/positive COVID test? Are his crystals in alignment? If yes to all those....will he actually play well? A staple of Day's most successful days on Tour was his putting from 10 feet and in. His substandard year is partially due to a decrease in his make percentage on such putts. Home surfaces at Muirfield aided JayDay's putting last week. A duplicate performance will be necessary to keep Neil afloat this week...

...unless someone makes a 2 on a Par 5 this week. Completely up to the golf gods. Icarito will certainly be hoping the 14th hole setup utilizes the forward tees in multiple rounds this week. If not, the best chance for an albatross will likely come at #5. Last week, Phil took a line on 5 that left him 114 from the hole in the right rough. We'll see if anyone takes an equally aggressive line this week to give Neil a prayer at hitting the bullseye on this dart throw.

: TC's pattern of coming up a leg shy on the mega parlays has not acted as a deterrent. In fact, the number of legs has increased as the weeks have gone on. There's a reason parlay payouts look so juicy...the same reason he's O-fer so far.

Sungjae has been a popular pick throughout the entire crew since the restart despite lackluster results. Putting has been the primary issue in the past 5 weeks, having lost strokes to the field on the greens in every event except his T10 finish at Colonial. Also lackluster have been Finau and Leish since the Tour returned. TC may be looking for value in traditionally dependable players whose odds may be a little inflated due to recent struggles. Or...he may just be showing some love for Leish, who engaged in a mid-round interview last week with an NLU towel in hand. A final acknowledgement was given to "Mike" Wallace of Bellerive acclaim, who is a Euro who has decided to compete in the States for will now be the sixth consecutive week.

: Props to Soly for his willingness to change what has been a losing strategy to date. This week, he will ride almost exclusively with defending champion Patrick Cantlay. Cantlay finished last week with a 65, including a 5 under stretch in his first 5 holes. His last three starts at Muirfield Village have netted T4, 1st and T7 results, respectively.

Cantlay's first three rounds during the Workday event underwhelmed expectations he likely had entering the week. He fought a left (and often long) miss that usually leads to the worst places to be on PGA Tour setups. A crafty short-game, nervy par conversions and a grinder's mentality allowed him to make the cut on the number...giving him the opportunity to find a swing key that clicked on Sunday. Given three days to install that key, he's a likely contender again this week.

If not Cantlay, Soly concedes the only other possibility would be JT exacting revenge at Muirfield only 7 days after a surprising defeat. The fire JT has within him makes a rebound win this week infintely more likely than a despondent MC.

: Agree with Soly's take on Cantlay this week, but was shocked to see I'm the only one choosing to throw any nugs down on JT. Even at 10:1, I think there's a lot of value backing someone as talented, determined and motivated as Thomas is this week. Taking a flier on Xander to have a low one this week given his hot putter. If he can pair his performance on the greens last week with the ball-striking that helped him lead the field in SG: Off the Tee at the 2019 Memorial, a low one could be out there for Schauffele.

In closing, have to show a little personal bias in picking a friend and former teammate to finish Top 10 @ TPC San Antonio this week. Arman will be making his 2nd career Korn Ferry Tour start by virtue of Monday qualifying, this time pacing the field in posting an 11 under par 60. Can't relate. A Top 10 would certainly be a nice payday...but potentially more importantly would secure his spot in the field of next week's Price Cutter Championship in his home state of MO. A few comments from Nick about his performance Monday and outlook for this week

The standings below are as of completion of last week's streamable Workday Open. If you like my perspective and want more content related to the crew's picks and year-to-date status, I can be found on twitter and instagram 

NLU Odds Preview - Memorial Tournament

It's becoming a runaway in the standings as DJ correctly picked a tournament winner for the 2nd time in 3 weeks. Most of the guys are taking mighty hacks this week in an effort to cut into DJ's early lead. Randy, however, seems content trying to stay net positive. Take a look:

 Hard to argue DJ’s logic. Brooks has an established history of producing when he feels he’s been slighted. The last month has been very Bryson-centric in the golf world, and his win Sunday shifted the betting favorite for this year’s majors from Rory/Brooks to DeChambeau. Insert MJ “I took that personally” gif. Smelling blood, “Vegas Pie” (DJ Vegas?) is unleashing a whale play with the potential to likely finish this competition should Brooks win and JT finish runner-up.

Mav McNealy rode a hot putter to a Top 10 finish last week, which has polarized DJ and Randy in their predictions for how he will back up the 2nd best finish of his professional career at this week's Workday. McNealy has relied heavily on his putter really throughout his rookie campaign, ranking 14th in SG: Putting this season. In contrast, he has lost strokes approaching the green this year (had to confirm he hasn’t also broken this statistic). A repeat of last week’s improved ball-striking will likely be required for Maverick to earn another Sunday afternoon tee time.

Though this week and next week's setup seemingly won't be terribly different, a less demanding birdiefest this week would likely enhance Matt Wolff’s prospects. Wolff will need to prove he’s capable of layering back-to-back solid weeks to best a struggling Billy Horschel, Mr. All-In Kokrak, HV3 and the king of the haterblockers, Kevin Streelman in Group "E." With a solid record at Muirfield and a recent close call in Cromwell, Streels may be set for a run this week.

 Listen, no one is going to accuse the big guy of getting out over his skis this week. It would be more than fair to compare Randy’s second week of picks to playing penny slots. Worth noting that a perfect week would bring him within a mere 532 points of DJ’s lead. Much like his ride or die guy Rickie, Randy may be content embracing the role of dog, not killer.

As mentioned above, Randy is banking on McNealy’s putter entering the frozone on a set of unfamiliar greens, leading to a MC. Friend of the pod Max Homa has a case for golfer most hindered by the COVID-19-induced break. In the calendar year 2020, Max finished Top 25 in 7 of his 8 starts prior to the abrupt pause in March at The Players. Having missed 2 of 3 cuts since the restart, Randy hopes for a return to form after Max took last week off. At -137, Byeong-Hun An is a modest favorite to beat Workday ambassador Brandt Snedeker this week. If Brandt dedicates this week’s performance to the title sponsor during his pre-tourney presser, Randy may as well start raking in his points given how well Phil’s Workday shoutout turned out.

Big Randy will have all week to wait for his final prop. An eye-popping 12 points ride on the winner’s score on the 72nd hole being something other than a par 4. For reference, the first four weeks has featured two winners who made par on their 18th hole Sunday (Simpson, Johnson), and two who made birdie (Berger, DeChambeau).

 A single shot (worse for Rodgers or better for Duncan) kept TC from winning the improbable five-leg cross-tour mega parlay last week. Happy to see he’s back on the parlay train this week, this time sticking strictly to the PGA Tour event. Serious consideration was given to getting involved with this Sunday’s true main event: F1’s Steiermark GP at the Red Bull Ring.

A model of consistency, especially in terms of flying under the radar, Marc Leishman’s 50 to 1 return potential makes him too appealing for Tron (and later, Soly) to pass on. TC has voiced his belief that JT is poised to win this week on multiple NLU platforms…but decided to only back him to the tune of ten nuggets. Ultimately, his largest sum this week entitles him to a first-class ticket aboard the “powder” keg that is Jordan Spieth. A long-awaited Spieth victory would vault TC well ahead of DJ in the standings, furthering the point that DJ’s wins thus far are  just 

. From the clouds, TC’s final pick was K.H. Lee to win. Amongst a field featuring 5 of the top 10 players in the world, Lee’s recent form (MC in 3 of the last 4 weeks) and resume at Muirfield (one start, T37 in 2019) made him an 

: Sungjae Im has twice contributed to the deficit Soly has built himself in the standings. If the third time is not the charm this week, Sungjae could potentially spoil two separate picks…including a matchup parlay pinning Im against the new team of Matt Fitzpatrick and (yet another friend of the pod) Bones Mackay. Another leg of the parlay features Muirfield newcomer Viktor Hovland picked to beat Rickie, who has contended at The Memorial on multiple occasions. The final leg predicts Marc Leishman, another of Soly’s favorites to ultimately win this week, will finish ahead of Ian Poulter.

Matt Wolff @70:1 made sense to Soly this week given the course profile closely resembles TPC Twin Cities, site of Wolffie’s first Tour win. Personally, I’d love to see Soly’s final pick, Chris Kirk, emerge victorious this week…but maybe not for the reasons you may think. Kirk, whose success has been built on his short game and ability to fill it up with the putter, would need to earn a win this week despite his length…not because of it. Should Kirk win, it would present a priceless contrast to a potential Bryson victory in the week following. I can already hear the cries of Jack watching Bryson abuse Muirfield next week…”Barbara, Barbara! He’s ruining my course! That wasn’t my intent! He’s taking all the risk out of my risk/reward staples! We’ve gotta dial it back, Barbara! Call the fans in and get this thing shut down!”

:Hard to believe Hideki is plus money to finish as low Asian competitor given the consistency he's displayed at Muirfield, but I'll concede that some of the picks the guys made above (Im, An, and of course the ever-dangerous K.H. Lee) present a challenge worth noting. Cantlay has been a force at Muirfield the last two years (4th, 1st) and played well in his only appearance since the restart (T11, Travelers). Rickie, often a bridesmaid in Dublin, seemed to find some ball-striking form last week, hitting 60/72 greens in regulation en route to a T12 finish. As a potential nod to his biggest fan Big Randy, he has surprisingly struggled lately on the greens...but I'd be surprised if he didn't settle in this week on familiar surfaces at his friend Jack's place. Troy Merritt was emasculated by Bryson on national TV last Sunday. I think his mature response to a notoriously tone-deaf Bryson comment earned him some goodwill with the golf gods, translating to a Top 20 this week. 

The standings below are as of completion of last week's transcendent Rocket Mortgage. If you like my perspective and want more content related to the crew's picks and year-to-date status, I can be found on twitter and instagram 

. If your picks are as good as DJ's...or as bad as Neil and Soly's...let us know how you're doing!

NLU Odds Preview - Workday Charity Open

All are looking for a rebound from a fairly standard week of fruitless picks at the Travelers. Here's a breakdown of each prayer the crew hopes is answered in Detroit. My take on the picks can be found beneath each summary in a section titled 

 With an already commanding lead, DJ is embracing his luxury by putting his eggs into the basket of this week’s favorite, Bryson. Chances are the 50 “eggs” DJ is depositing into Bryson’s basket wouldn’t be sufficient to get the beefy boy through the week. I agree with the NLU consensus that Bryson has yet to put it all together, despite finishing top 10 in three consecutive weeks since the return of golf (and 6 straight overall!!). However, I wonder if fatigue or sluggishness starts to become a factor in what is now his fourth straight week of competition. He’s assuredly still adjusting to his new frame and likely struggling to maintain his mass of ass.

Dennis is also fading guys who finished Top 20 in last year’s RMC in ALL 3 legs of his matchup parlay. Seems DJ's comfy lead has propelled him into the mindset of a gambling aficianado, as he submerges himself fully into the contrarian waters. Will he be able to swim with the sharps?

 Randy has graciously returned from his moral duty to assist the supers at both Colonial and Harbour Town. The big guy couldn't bring himself to make picks given the disgusting act that took place on the first tee at Colonial prior to the playoff. He then spent many hours meticulously raking and smoothing the bunker behind the 18th green at Harbour Town which Carlos Ortiz's caddy shamelessly left unkempt.

After investing hours of sweat equity back into the game, Randy is ready to make his picks debut this week. Simply sitting on the sidelines has vaulted Big Randy into 2nd place amongst a group of sad saps in the overall standings. A U.S. open has broken out on the NLU leaderboard. If not for DJ, many would argue DK Sportsbook has lost the course.

Randy's first pick was certainly inauspicious, as he joined his Strapped brother Neil in picking a player who tested positive for COVID-19 and then withdrew before our video was even released. The big guy's intel is telling him Will Gordon is wayyyyy too comfy following his promotion to Special Temporary Membership. His remaining picks showcased his true color: orange. While the faux mortician Randall has declared both Rory and DJ lifeless, his picks indicate his belief that Rickie is decidedly still kicking. Rickie is competing this week in a tournament title-sponsored by one of his endorsers. In other news, Faldo is suggesting tour players chip exclusively with an 8 iron, Bill Belichick is making winning moves, and the sky remains blue.

 TC’s loyalty to the NLU hitters last week was certainly representative of his character and class. It was also reminiscent of an uncle who plays a little too fast and loose at the casual family poker game.

At the end of the day, Freddy’s gotta go to college…which means Tron is abandoning his morals this week and backing a familiar foe in Jason Day....disgusting. After witnessing Day’s ability to manipulate his tee time and pairing last Saturday, TC clearly believes J-Day has a leg-up on the field. Sad to see the potential for a few “nuggets” can cause even the man himself to stray far from the TC way.

As always TC keeps us plugged in to the Korn Ferry Tour this week with his mega matchup parlay. It's always cooler to see a life-changing win on that Tour in comparison to DJ upping his net worth by about 0.1%.

: A slow start for Soly has him swinging for the fences in an attempt to cut into DJ’s commanding lead. Admitted to making his picks under the assumption that Detroit GC was a bomber’s track but, at 7,100 yards and Par 72, that’s not necessarily the case. Many moderate length guys lined the top of last year’s leaderboard. Luckily for Soly, only one player in the “nukey-boy-naish” lineup he supposedly attempted even ranks within the top 60 in driving distance (Finau). I guess two contradictions could net a positive outlook for Soly this week.

I think the golf world is unanimously excited to see how Chris Kirk responds this week in his first start since ending his four-year win drought two weeks ago on the Korn Ferry Tour. The drought paralleled an ongoing struggle with depression and alcoholism that led to Kirk taking an extended leave from professional golf. Kirk is the featured guest on today's NLU pod. Both Kirk and Soly’s penultimate pick, Brendon Todd, have provided uniquely inspirational stories of mental toughness in the last year…and Soly now has a stake in both continuing their success in Detroit this week.

 Taking a much needed siesta from the grind of handicapping golf this week. Some, not me, are calling it a Chez-induced rehabilitation stint. Can’t really call his performance thus far an “Icarito” as Neil has yet to come close to winning a single pick so far. On the other hand, you can’t choke if you never get out in front. Would you rather be a Greg Norman or a Bobby Clampett? (Don't answer)

: Like Soly, I am a believer in the chances of Patty Reed and Hovland this week. Hoping to avoid a cheating scandal and an excess of chipping opportunities, respectively. Doc and Stuard are a couple guys who played well here last year and aren't afraid to make a ton of birdies...which will certainly be a requirement to contend this Sunday. Looking for somewhere to throw those quarters lingering in your cupholders? Look no further than Wes Roach (150:1). Led last year's field in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green and finished T5 two weeks ago in the Korn Ferry Challenge @TPC Sawgrass. Anticipating he comes in free and easy.

The standings below are as of completion of last week's Travelers Championship. If you like my perspective and want more content related to the crew's picks and year-to-date status, I can be found on twitter and instagram 

. If your picks are making ours look even more atrocious than they already do, let us know!

Videos

Making picks for the 2020 Masters

NLU Picks and Preview - Safeway

Making picks for the 2020 WGC - FedEx St. Jude Invitational

NLU Odds Preview - Memorial Tournament

NLU Odds Preview - Workday Charity Open

NLU Odds Preview - Rocket Mortgage Classic