Bolton: Chris Gotterup, Si Woo Kim headline fantasy options at Rocket Classic as FedExCup Playoffs rapidly approach

Jackson Koivun ... Of course!

If we can agree that there’s such a thing as a can’t-miss talent, then we can agree that Koivun qualifies. Yeah, it’s dangerous to hang expectations on a 21-year-old with a peerless pedigree, but when we’re commiserating in the realm of fantasy golf, he’s the blue-chip prospect who’s provided zero reason that he won’t deliver. And deliver he did for a breakthrough victory in his third start as a professional at the 3M Open on Sunday.

Koivun’s future as a first-round draft pick in full-season formats is sooner than later, but as it concerns PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, the forces in play in that weekly format are different.

Because golfers can be owned by multiple gamers and all users roster only six per tournament, it could have felt like a stretch to reserve a spot for the wunderkind despite his promise. Also influential is the timing of the tournament midway through Segment 3, after which league championships will be determined. Most of us are going to do what’s worked over time, which is not to invest in a freshly turned pro no matter the name, so we’ll need Koivun et al. to come to us, not the opposite. It helps explain why he populated only 9.7% of the rosters at TPC Twin Cities. That slotted him modestly as the 16th-most owned in the field of 147.

Koivun also was a tournament debutant, which was a throughline in my preview material, particularly as it applied to 20-time PGA TOUR winner and the reigning four-time PGA TOUR Player of the Year, Scottie Scheffler. Not since the inaugural edition in 2019 had a first-time participant prevailed at TPC Twin Cities. Naturally, Koivun and Scheffler landed first and second on the final leaderboard. That’s why it’s called a trend and not a guarantee, but it also tests where gamers sit on the spectrum of ownership philosophy with aggressive and conservative tendencies on opposite sides.

There’s much more that could be analyzed by the outcome of the 3M Open, but all of it goes to show that you’re never out of it and you don’t need a flier to make noise, especially in a tournament with an outlay of fantasy points larger than other stops. This week’s Rocket Classic presents something similar.

While Detroit Golf Club no longer is the vulnerable par 72 that yielded the most par breakers of any course in 2025, the renovated stock par 70 still will be friendly for fantasy gamers.

Save a reference to Rickie Fowler as a former champion (2023), I ignored all course history in my Power Rankings. If a golfer who’s played well here before plays well again this week – and it will happen – don’t be shocked if he references a level of comfort with the distant looks off tees and/or the warm welcome of the local community, because correlation in good play will be a coincidence.

This presents a blank slate for us, which is not unlike Koivun’s personal fit in his first three starts. Because the FedExCup Playoffs are straight ahead, continue to respect your long-range roster management in the interim. And because all 147 in the field at Detroit Golf Club are starting at zero in course history, it’s a lot easier to adhere to who you want anchoring your rosters in the Playoffs this week than at next week’s Wyndham Championship, where course history will be a primary driver.

Koivun now sits sixth overall on 37% of rosters saved for the Rocket Classic at last check, so he’s no longer hiding in plain sight, but it doesn’t mean that he can’t help shoulder the load to ease the pressure off at least one of your cornerstones

Captain

Si Woo Kim ... This could be a week during which every member of your league has designated a different player as the captain. The list of options is deep, as many are boxing out for favorable positions in the FedExCup. Kim is the No. 1 in my Power Rankings, but candidly, I’d probably roll with one of the two alternatives immediately below if I were leading my little league. (After a fruitful 3M Open, I’m now only 40 points back of Chris Breece, but this is no time to be stymied.)

Other considerations

• Chris Gotterup ... The No. 2 in the Power Rankings makes so much sense for all the reasons, and he’s a recent winner of the John Deere Classic. He’s a front-runner’s dream.
• Cameron Young ... Way down there at No. 6 in the Power Rankings but chosen here for his cachet as the most-owned on saved rosters at about 64%. Solid defensive measure no matter your position but especially potent for league leaders.

Rounding out the roster

The split among my six is influenced directly by roster management. I have three starts remaining for all four starters but only two for both studs on the bench. If I were leading, I’d probably be more conservative to avoid putting myself in the position to burn starts in favor of saving them for the Playoffs, while expanding my focus for secondary pieces that’d help bridge the gap. But these guys are playing now and I’ll tackle the future when it’s the present.

My starters

• Russell Henley
• Si Woo Kim (C)
• Jake Knapp
• Hideki Matsuyama

My bench

• Chris Gotterup
• Cameron Young

Careful

For almost every tournament, a usually impressive subset of the field warrants avoiding, and it might be represented in my Power Rankings which is not written in the context of any fantasy golf format. In this section, I single out who demands pause and why.

• Xander Schauffele ... No, you don’t need to be “careful” with him – he’s No. 8 in my Power Rankings – rather, respect that he’s been misfiring of late and that he’s a monster annually in the Playoffs, particularly at the TOUR Championship. Although 30% of the gamers disagree, this is a smart week to abstain because he’s 15th in the FedExCup.

• Patrick Cantlay ... Essentially the same message here as his pal, Schauffele. Cantlay is scuffling relative to our expectations, and he’s a beast in the Playoffs. He’s 43rd in the FedExCup, so target the FedEx St. Jude Championship to reemploy. Another strong result in a string of them at TPC Southwind likely would beget your chance to consider his value at the TOUR Championship, for which you’ll want that last start. If you holster, you’ll also pick up a start relative to a little over 20% of the gamers who have the intent to burn one in Detroit.
• Brooks Koepka ... Since a T14 at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, he’s gone just 1-for-4 with a T28 at The Open and dropped to 84th in the FedExCup. Although his tee-to-green game should buoy him at Detroit Golf Club, his putting remains too inconsistent to have faith.
• Aldrich Potgieter ... Populating only 3.4% of the rosters saved, the defending champion isn’t getting as much love as I expected when I first planted my eyes on the ownership dispersion. Perhaps it’s as a result of a wildly inconsistent season and not the fact that Detroit Golf Club is not the same test that he tamed last year, but it’s still worth that reminder.

Returning to competition

• Patton Kizzire ... Called it quits after opening the 3M Open with a 77 due to a sore back. It dropped him to 4-for-16 on the season and 162nd in the FedExCup. The 40-year-old’s membership exemption for winning the 2024 Procore Championship expires this season, so his work is cut out for him to retain status, much less qualify for the Playoffs. Avoid in all formats.

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