Fantasy Lookahead: Russell Henley trying to put disappointing season behind him
After making 20 of 24 cuts and earning a career-best $2,110,774 in tournament winnings in 2015, Russell Henley has struggled in 2016.
The 27-year-old Georgia native has made just eight of 17 cuts, with only three top-10 finishes, and none since the Shell Houston Open. Henley has made just three of six cuts since his fifth-place finish in Houston.
Henley rebounded from back-to-back missed cuts at The Players Championship and the AT&T Byron Nelson to finish 33rd at last week's Memorial Tournament. It was a finish made all the more impressive by the strong field at Muirfield Village Golf Club - and it would have been even better if not for a disappointing Sunday finish of 73.
Course History
Henley has played in this event just twice. He made his TPC Southwind debut in 2013, finishing 27th. His best round of the tournament was a 66 on Sunday, with Thursday's 73 his worst. He missed the cut in 2014, after he opened with a 70 but removed himself from contention with a 75 on Friday.
In his six rounds at this course, Henely has played the Par 3s at a combined plus 5, the Par 4s at 1 under, and the Par 5s at 2 under. Putting was a strength during his 2013 performance, as he ranked near the top of the field in Strokes Gained: Putting. He lost nearly a half stroke to the field in 2014 en route to his missed cut.
Statistical Breakdown
Per FantasyInsiders, the following stats have been strengths of previous winners at TPC Southwind:
Par 4 Scoring Average (P4S)
Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (SGT2G)
Birdie or Better Percentage (BoB)
| P4S | SGT2G | BoB |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | 100 | 112 |
While Henley hasn't been overly long or accurate off the tee he does rank fifth on tour in total driving. Similarly with putting, Henley ranks 10th in total performance. He also ranks seventh in three-putt avoidance, having made just 15 three-putts in his 900 holes played. The third round has been his best this season, while he's one of few players to prefer a late tee time.
Daily Fantasy
Henley remains in the middle pricing tier, even in a desperately weak field this week. He is at the upper end of the tier, but he represents one of the few remaining golfers who could be considered a household name. Only nine players in the field have more than his three top-10 finishes this year.
Even still, his 10 of 21 made cuts will remove him from the cash-game consideration of most owners. GPP ownership may be high on Henley due to the quality of the field, but he does have the talent to win. He's a tournament option with his modest salary.
Season-Long Fantasy
Henley is among just six players available in an extremely thin A-List this week. With the group having a significant drop off after the top three of Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Gary Woodland, Henley ranks fourth of six. Depending on how owners have used Johnson and Mickelson this year, they be running out of starts for the top two golfers.
Use Henley only if you must.