Fantasy Golf Picks for the BMW Championship

With the exception of a few picks, my fantasy lineup didn't change much from last week. It's always hard to predict how a golfer will play in any given week, but I am mostly sticking with the players who have been solid in the playoffs. If $10 million doesn't inspire you to play well ...

A-Players
Padraig Harrington: If he can stay away from the big numbers, Harrington just might win his first event since the 2008 PGA.

Tiger Woods: Woods has won almost as many titles in Chicago as his buddy Michael Jordan. A win this week would give Woods five titles at Cog Hill, while Jordan won six title with the Bulls.

B-Players
Steve Stricker: After a T2 at The Barclays and a win last week, Stricker climbed to No. 1 in FedEx Cup points. In the last two BMW Championships, Stricker finished in the top 10 both times.

Zach Johnson: Since winning his second title of the year in May, Johnson has finished out of the top 20 only four times.

Sean O'Hair: He's coming off a T8 at the Deutsche Bank, and O'Hair is starting to play like he did earlier this season when he finished out of the top 25 once in ten events.

Angel Cabrera: Cabrera has finished in the top five twice in his last four events, and he needs a good week to remain in the top 30.

C-Players
Retief Goosen: The Goose has found his game again after dropping out of the top 10 in the world rankings. In 18 events this season, Goosen has five top 10s, and he is coming off a T8 in Boston.

Scott Verplank: With two top 10s in the playoffs, Verplank has moved to fifth in the FedEx Cup standings.

Fantasy Golf Picks for the Deutsche Bank Championship

After a week on an unfamiliar golf course with an unfamiliar winner, the FedEx Cup playoffs move to more familiar territory at TPC Boston, where Vijay Singh defends his title at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

The top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings move on to next week's BMW Championship outside Chicago.

A-Players
Tiger Woods: He hasn't won a tournament in almost a month, so is that considered a dry spell for Woods? With two wins and two runner-up finishes since missing the cut at the British Open, Woods just needs to get the putter working to return to the winner's circle.

Padraig Harrington: So much for that slump. While he hasn't won this year, Harrington's game has returned lately with three straight top-10 finishes.

B-Players
Steve Stricker: He's starting to become a regular contender in the playoffs, and Stricker continued his good play last week, finishing T2 at The Barclays.

Zach Johnson: He's finished out of the top 30 only once in his last six events, and Johnson was right in the mix at The Barclays until a final-round 75.

Hunter Mahan: While he hasn't won this year, Mahan has been one of the most consistent players on Tour, with 14 top-25 finishes in 21 events.

Nick Watney: After a mid-year slump, Watney rebounded nicely at The Barclays, finishing T6 and moving into the top 10 in FedEx Cup points.

C-Players
Ian Poulter: I pointed out last week that Poulter has been solid in almost every big event this year, and he didn't disappoint at The Barclays with a T9.

Heath Slocum: Ok, so we're probably a week too late with this pick, but at least he has a lot to play for after his stunning win at Liberty National. Slocum jumped from No. 124 in FedEx Cup points to No. 3, and now he has a shot to win the points race.

Fantasy Golf Picks for The Barclays

The FedEx Cup playoffs are finally here, and the fun starts with views of the NYC skyline as Liberty National Golf Club hosts the world's best players at The Barclays.

Picks are going to be tough this week, since it's the first time many of the players have seen Liberty National. But there are a few players who know the course quite well.

A-Players
Phil Mickelson: There will be a little extra incentive for Mickelson to play well this week. He's sponsored by Barclays, and Mickelson is a member at Liberty National.

Camilo Villegas: He could have possibly won the FedEx Cup last year had he not missed the cut at The Barclays. It's been a few months since he's recorded a top 10, but Villegas has been playing good, consistent golf.

B-Players
Lucas Glover: Driving will be crucial this week, and Glover has said he's been driving it great all year. His record shows it. After winning the U.S. Open, Glover has finished in the top 25 five times.

Zach Johnson: With two wins and seven top 10s, Johnson has a great chance to win the FedEx Cup.

Hunter Mahan: He's yet to win this year, but Mahan has four top 10s in his last six events.

Nick Watney: After a strong start to the year, Watney has struggled a bit in the second half of the season. He's probably not consistent enough to win the Cup, but he's a good pick for one or two weeks.

C-Players
Ian Poulter: The flashy Brit has come up big in the big events this year. Poulter finished in the top 20 in all three WGC events, the Players, the Masters, U.S. Open and PGA.

Retief Goosen: The steady Goose has missed only one cut this year, and he has recorded seven top-25 finishes.

Fantasy Golf Picks for the Wyndham Championship

For the first time in three weeks, it's time to leave Tiger Woods off the roster. Despite losing at the PGA, Woods went 1-1-2 in three consecutive weeks of play.

Most of the headliners are taking the week off to rest for the FedEx Cup playoffs, which begin next week at the Barclays. But there is plenty to play for this week, as players try to make it into the playoffs or move up to a more favorable position.

A-Players
John Senden: While Geoff Ogilvy remains the top Aussie on Tour, John Senden has five top 10s this season to Ogilvy's four. Ogilvy's four include two wins, but Senden has a good shot at his first win of 2009 this week.

K.J. Choi: It hasn't been a great year for the Tank, but he finished T24 at the PGA and no doubt was inspired by his fellow countrymen taking down Tiger Woods.

B-Players
Tim Clark: He keeps knocking on the door for his first win, but Clark has been pretty consistent this year with nine top-25 finishes in 17 events.

Lucas Glover: Since his win at Bethpage Black, Glover has a top-5 finishes at Tiger's event and the PGA.

David Toms: While he's missed six cuts this season, Toms has rebounded with an impressive seven top 10s.

Jonathan Byrd: After a slow start to the year, Byrd has recorded seven top-25 finishes, and he's finished in the top 20 four times at the Wyndham.

C-Players
Jason Dufner: Like Senden, Dufner is another guy who is quietly having a good season, with five top-10 finishes.

Kevin Streelman: He has five top 25s this year, and he finished T6 last year at the Wyndham.

Fantasy Golf Picks for the PGA Championship

It will be hard for anyone to leave Tiger Woods off their roster this week since Woods is going for his third win in as many weeks. But remember he's teased us all year. Woods won every event he played in before a major, and he has yet to win one. Will this week be different?

A-Players
Tiger Woods: He has to win this week, right? Woods has five wins this year, and he lost out to Rich Beem the last time the PGA was at Hazeltine.

Stewart Cink: So much for a post-British Open letdown. Cink finished T6 at the Bridgestone in his first start since winning at Turnberry.

B-Players
Steve Stricker: I always worry about Stricker being able to finish the job on Sundays, but he's been having a great year, with eight top 10s and two wins.

Lee Westwood: Westwood is another guy who is continuing to play well after the Open. He hasn't finished out of the top 10 in his last four events.

Angel Cabrera: His record has been shaky since winning the Masters, but Cabrera is coming off solid finishes at the Scottish Open, the British Open and a T4 at Firestone.

Boo Weekley: Boo has eight top-25 finishes this year, and in his two starts at the PGA he's finished T20 and T9.

C-Players
Retief Goosen: If it's not going to be Tiger this week, I like The Goose. Goosen won earlier this year after struggling with his game, and in his last five starts he has four top 10s. Oh, and he's won two U.S. Opens.

Luke Donald: The sweet-swinging Brit has five top 10s this year, and if not for a wrist injury earlier in the year, he might have had even more. He played a great final round at Turnberry to finish T5.

Fantasy Golf Picks for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

Chances are, with the exception of Tiger Woods, last week was a bad week for most people with a fantasy lineup. Names such as Thatcher, Chalmers and Senden were probably not at the top of anyone's roster. But this week brings the return of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and most of the top-50 players, including Phil Mickelson.

A-Players
Tiger Woods: Six wins in nine starts at Firestone, and Woods has never finished worse than T4.

Paul Casey: This is a big week for the world No. 3. Casey hasn't sniffed a top 10 since Colonial, and he's coming off a disappointing missed cut at the British Open. He has two top-10 finishes at Firestone in the last three years, so look for Casey to return to the first page of the leaderboard.

B-Players
Lee Westwood: He's coming off three straight top 10s, including a T3 at Turnberry, and Westwood tied for second last year at Firestone.

Davis Love III: He's finished out of the top 13 only once at Firestone.

Rory McIlroy: Making his debut at Firestone, McIlroy has missed only one cut this year.

Steve Stricker: With two wins in his last five starts, Stricker is one of the hottest players on Tour.

C-Players
Retief Goosen: He finished T4 last year at the Bridgestone, and Goosen is coming off four straight top 10s.

Luke Donald: In 15 events this season, Donald has 11 top-25 finishes, and he has never finished out of the top-25 at Firestone.

Fantasy Golf Picks for the Buick Open

If you're in a fantasy league that sets a limit on the number of times you can use a player, the next three weeks could be a little tricky. Tiger Woods is playing three consecutive weeks, all on courses he's done well on -- Warwick Hills, Firestone and Hazeltine.

Also, don't forget about the playoffs. Woods hasn't said whether he'll play all four events, but even with a week off before the Tour Championship, Woods would be playing six of seven weeks.

A-Players
Jim Furyk: With four top 10s in his last six events, Furyk comes to Warwick Hills, where he has a win and six top 10s since 2001.

Tiger Woods: It's really weird to look at Woods' results and see a "CUT". Chances are he doesn't like it either. Expect to see a "1" next to the Buick Open.

B-Players
Nick Watney: The Buick Invitational champ has had mixed results after a great start to the season, but he has yet to miss a cut in three starts at Warwick Hills.

Nathan Green: He's only made two appearances at the Buick Open, but Green is coming in hot off a playoff win at the Canadian Open.

Paul Goydos: He's finished in the top 5 in three of his last six events, and Goydos hasn't missed the cut in his last five appearances at the Buick Open.

Woody Austin: Austin has finished T2 the past two years at the Buick Open.

C-Players
Lee Janzen: The two-time U.S. Open champion is starting to find his game again after a T5 at the Canadian Open.

Charlie Wi: He's missed three straight cuts, but Wi has two straight top-25 finishes at Warwick Hills.

Fantasy Golf Picks for the Canadian Open

Good news for the pros competing this week at the Canadian Open: Tom Watson is not in the field.

The attention turns to Mike Weir, and the question he gets asked every year: Will he ever win his national open?

Lets hope so. With all due respect to Angel Cabrera, Lucas Glover and Stewart Cink, the golf world could use an uplifting story after seeing so many tough losses this year.

A-Players
Camilo Villegas: Coming off a T13 at the British Open, Villegas has eight top-25 finishes and two top 10s in four starts at the Canadian Open.

Mike Weir: His record shows he's ready to win his "fifth major:" three top-10 finishes since 2003, plus Weir finished T10 at the Memorial and the U.S. Open.

B-Players
Sean O'Hair: Hasn't played great since winning in Charlotte, but O'Hair has two top-3 finishes in the last three years at the Canadian Open.

Steve Marino: Learned a tough lesson on the links last week, but at least Marino put himself in contention. He gets a fresh start this week at an event where he's finished T3 and T15 in two starts.

Jason Day: Day's been knocking on the door for his first win, and he seems to be getting closer. In 13 events, he has five top-25 finishes, including a T2 in Puerto Rico.

Jeff Klauk: He's making his first start at the Canadian Open, but Klauk is coming off a T4 in Milwaukee.

C-Players
Retief Goosen: The Goose has a hot hand right now, with three straight top-10 finishes.

Luke Donald: He seems to be getting his form back after a wrist injury early in the season. Donald also finished T5 at the British.

Fantasy Golf Picks for the British Open

Picking who's going to do well at the British Open can be as unpredictable as the bounces on a links course. Greg Norman's magical run last year was just another example in a long history of surprises at golf's oldest championship.

Adding to the difficulty this week is the major champions from 2009 haven't been household names either. Despite winning the 2007 U.S. Open, few people expected Angel Cabrera to win the Masters. Lucas Glover was an even bigger long shot, having only one PGA Tour win to his name before capturing the U.S. Open.

A-Players
Tiger Woods: He hasn't won a major since coming back from knee surgery, but Woods has recorded T6 finishes at the Masters and the U.S. Open.

Ernie Els: Eleven top-10 finishes in 17 starts at the British Open. It's amazing Els has only one claret jug.

B-Players
Lee Westwood: He's coming off two top 10s on the European Tour, and Westwood has been playing pretty solid for the past year.

Rory McIlroy: The 20-year-old's only missed cut came at the Players, and he's finished in the top 20 11 times this year.

Brian Gay: With two wins, and a T13 last week at the Scottish Open, Gay might be one of the surprises this year. He's not a bomber, but his accuracy and solid putting could be a huge benefit this week.

Nick Watney: Watney also had a great Scottish Open, finishing in the top 10, plus if the wind picks up his low ball flight will come in handy.

C-Players
Retief Goosen: The Goose should have won the Scottish Open last week, but a few loose shots cost him the tournament. His game seems to be coming back this year after a win at the Transitions Championship.

Ian Poulter: He nearly won the Open last year, and Poulter's game has been sharp in the big events this year, finishing in the top 20 at the Masters, U.S. Open, the Players and both WGC events.

Fantasy Golf Picks for the John Deere Classic

Each week, we'll identify eight players we like -- two A-players, four B-players and two C-players. (Note: This follows the format of many other popular fantasy games.) If you haven't already, sign up for fantasy golf to compete for great prizes.

The pool of "A" players is pretty sparse this week, with Kenny Perry being the obvious choice. The tough decisions lie in the pool of "B" players, especially if you're like me and have maybe used one player too many times. Despite his good play recently, I'm benching David Toms this week, because I can only use him four more times.

Fortunately, there are still plenty of good choices.

A-Players
Kenny Perry: The defending champion has never finished out of the top 25 in eight appearances.

Ryan Moore: After missing three of four cuts, Moore has finished no worse than T11 in his last three starts.

B-Players
Bryce Molder: After a horrible start to the season, Molder has found his game, finishing in the top 25 in his last four events, including fourth at the AT&T National and a T2 at the St. Jude Classic.

Lucas Glover: The U.S. Open champion is not slowing down, and it appears to be working for him. Since his win at Bethpage Black, Glover has finished T11 at the Travelers and T5 at the AT&T National.

Steve Stricker: While he may be out of chances to win the Comeback Player of the Year for a third time, Stricker is continuing his great play this season. He's notched 11 top-25 finishes in 14 starts, including a win and five other top 10s.

Zach Johnson: With two wins and nine top-25 finishes this season, Johnson is becoming a favorite each time he tees it up.

C-Players
Scott Verplank: He's coming off a T9 at the Travelers, and Verplank has six top-25 finishes in 15 events.

Charles Howell III: It's been a rough few months for Howell, missing five of his last six cuts, but he's finished in the top 25 in three starts at the John Deere.