Fantasy Golf Picks for the Quail Hollow Championship

With the Tour in Charlotte this week for the Quail Hollow Championship and then the Players Championship next week, the A-list players are out of their post-Masters hibernation. With an abundance of big names, it's time to start making some tough decisions about which players to start this week.

A-Players
Phil Mickelson: One could argue Phil is playing better than Tiger right now, plus Phil also has an excellent track record in this event: three top 10s in five starts.

Tiger Woods: I almost sat the World No. 1 this week, but it's hard to pick against Tiger. Even though he didn't play well at the Masters, he still finished T6.

B-Players
Nick Watney: After a great start to the season, Watney missed his first cut of the year last week in New Orleans. I'm not ready to give up on him yet. He's never missed the cut at Quail Hollow, and I think with some extra time off last week he'll be ready to contend.

Rory Sabbatini: Some poor putting on the back nine cost Sabbatini a win last week. However it was his second straight top 10 and third consecutive top-20 finish.

Adam Scott: Not a sexy pick, since Scott has missed three straight cuts, but he's too good of a player to stay down for long. In four trips to Charlotte, Scott hasn't finished out of the top 25.

Sean O'Hair: Quail Hollow hasn't been kind to O'Hair, but he's been very consistent this year. In nine events he has finished out of the top 25 only once -- a missed cut at the Transitions.

C-Players
Robert Karlsson: The big-hitting Swede isn't a household name, but he's 11th in the World Golf Rankings and one of the best choices from the C-players.

Retief Goosen: Charles Howell III is a better choice this week, but I've used him a lot this season, so the Goose gets the second spot this week. Besides, Howell is coming off another tough loss, while Goosen is playing for the first time since the Masters.

Fantasy golf picks for the WGC-CA Championship

Good news this week for fantasy players: there is no cut at the WGC-CA Championship! (Cue the party horns.) When setting your team, don't forget the type of players who do well at Doral: major champions ... especially those named Tiger Woods.

A-Players
Tiger Woods: Ok, so this isn't a shocker. Rusty or not, it's very hard to go against a guy who's won six of nine CA-Championships and three of the last four events held at Doral. Plus, this is the first time I've used Woods all year. Nine more to go!

K.J. Choi: Feel free to take Geoff Ogilvy -- he's a very good pick -- but I just have this feeling Choi is going to win another big event soon. He has three top-15 finishes this season, plus he has consecutive top-20 finishes at Doral.

B-Players
Zach Johnson: Already a winner this year, the former Masters champion has two straight T9s at Doral.

Aaron Baddeley: Badds hasn't done anything spectacular this season, but he has a T15 and T6 at Doral, and he's always a threat with his putter.

Adam Scott: He hasn't done much on the PGA Tour since a T2 at the Sony Open, but coming off a T9 last year at Doral, look for Scott to have a pretty good week.

Rory McIlroy: Ok, so the teenager doesn't know how to putt on bermuda greens. (Thanks for telling us that over and over again, Johnny Miller.) But for someone who can't putt on bermuda, he still finished T13 at the Honda.

C-Players
Retief Goosen: He tied for second last year, and with a third-place finish at Pebble, it looks like the Goose is close to getting his game back.

Ian Poulter: With his strong performances at the British Open and the Ryder Cup, Poulter seems to have taken his game up a level. I think he could be the next Geoff Ogilvy. (Hey, it's more realistic than calling him the next Tiger Woods.)

Players Championship

With one of the best fields of the year, even without the injured Tiger Woods, the Players Championship offers plenty of big names. But you may want to leave the biggest name in the field off your roster. There has never been a repeat champion at the Players, so if you believe in jinxes, keep Phil Mickelson out of your lineup.

Players Picks

Adam Scott: The 2004 Players champ followed up his playoff win at the Byron Nelson with a top-10 finish last week at Wachovia. He has three career top 10s at the Players, and he has only missed the cut once.

Retief Goosen: Playing in his first PGA Tour event since a T17 at the Masters, Goosen has missed five cuts at the Players, but his recent history shows improvement with a T28 last year, second in 2006, and a T12 in 2005.

Anthony Kim: This was a tough call. Who knows how he'll play after his first Tour victory? But he's played great in three straight tournaments, and after missing the cut last year in embarrassing fashion (78-83), Kim has a lot to prove this week.

Jim Furyk: He lives a pitch and a putt away from Sawgrass, but that hasn't meant much for Furyk's success at the Players. He has only two career top 10s at the Players. But, he's only missed the cut once and he's on a roll, with two straight top 10s at the Wachovia and the Verizon.

Stewart Cink: This guy is due. Cink has three straight top 10s dating back to the Masters, and he has recorded four top-five finishes this season. After a lackluster record at Sawgrass, Cink finished T3 last year.

Sleeper

Fred Couples: It's hard to call a two-time Players champion a sleeper, but Couples has quietly notched three top 10s this season, including a T8 last week. He got in at the last minute after Will MacKenzie withdrew, so look for Couples to make the most of his good fortune.

Players to Avoid

Justin Leonard: The 1998 Players champ is having a great season, despite no W's, but he's struggled lately at Sawgrass, missing three straight cuts.

Steve Stricker: After another great start to the season, Stricker has cooled off in his last four events with three missed cuts. Plus, he hasn't played well at Sawgrass since a T6 in 1999.

Trevor Immelman: What a strange four-event stretch for Immelman. He missed the cut in Houston a week before the Masters; he won the Masters; then Immelman missed the cut the past two weeks. In three trips to Sawgrass, Immelman has yet to make the cut.

Wachovia Championship

We'll be going through some Tiger withdrawal this week, as the defending champion is recovering from knee surgery. But even without Tiger, it's the first of two great weeks in golf. Big events usually bring out the big names, and that's what we're banking on this week for our fantasy lineup.

Wachovia Picks
(Last 5 events are listed oldest to newest, with the most recent result at right.)

Phil Mickelson
Best Finish at Wachovia: T3 (2007)
Last 5 events: T17, T21, T20, T23, T5
With the exception of his missed cut at Pebble Beach, Mickelson hasn't finished worse than 23rd in nine events this year. His putting may keep him from winning this week, but look for Mickelson to be in the hunt.

Vijay Singh
Best Finish at Wachovia: Win (2005)
Last 5 events: T36, T5, T3, T2, T14
Singh has four top 10s in five  appearances at the Wachovia. He's been close all  season and seems due for a win.

Adam Scott
Best Finish at Wachovia: 3 (2006)
Last 5 events: T17, T9, WD, T25, Win
Scott came through with a big win last week after he nearly threw it away. The way Scott won, with a 9-footer on the final hole to force a playoff and a 48-footer to win on the third playoff hole, shows what kind of a competitor he is. He knows he can make an ever bigger statement this week with another strong finish.

Geoff Ogilvy
Best Finish at Wachovia: T10 (2006, 2004)
Last 5 events: T10, T14, 1, T2, T39
After missing three straight cuts to start the season, Ogilvy is looking like the same guy who won the U.S. Open in 2006. After another WGC win at the CA Championship in March, he almost won again in his next start, finishing second in Houston. Plus, Ogilvy has never finished outside the top 25 in four starts at Wachovia.

Jim Furyk
Best Finish at Wachovia: Win (2006)
Last 5 events: T31, T2, CUT, T33, 4
Furyk has had an up-and-down season so far with three top-5 finishes and two missed cuts. Our Tour insider said Furyk is back to putting well, so look out for him this week and next week at Sawgrass.

Sleeper

Kevin Sutherland
Best Finish at Wachovia: T10 (2004)
Last 5 events: T38, T14, T42, T8, T7
Sutherland has two-straight top 10s, and he has never missed the cut in five starts at Quail Hollow.

Players to Avoid

Luke Donald
Best Finish at Wachovia: T15 (2004)
Last 5 events: 2, CUT, T20, CUT, T19
Donald has been solid one week, then off the next. Judging by his record at Quail Hollow, Donald won't find his game this week. He has made only one cut in four starts at the Wachovia.

Stuart Appleby
Best Finish at Wachovia: T15 (2004)
Last 5 events: T10, CUT, T34, T23, T14
It's easy to pick Appleby since he is tied with Tiger Woods and Stewart Cink for the most top 10s this season. But he hasn't scored a top 10 in nearly two months, and he's only made one cut at Quail Hollow.

Zach Johnson
Best Finish at Wachovia: 84 (2007)
Last 5 events: T54, T9, T57, T20, CUT
Johnson hasn't played that well this season, and he's never played well at the Wachovia, missing three cuts in four starts.

EDS Byron Nelson Championship

The Tour is back in the Lone Star state this week, so that means your fantasy roster should be filled with guys from Texas, right? Whoa there, cowboy. Last year, Scott Verplank became only the third Texan in 43 years to win the Nelson. Here’s who we like this week.

Nelson Picks

Luke Donald: A quick recap of Donald’s last four tournaments: 2, Cut, T20, Cut. Going by those results, Donald is due for a good week. Plus, he has two straight top-10 finishes in this event, and he hasn’t finished out of the top 20 since missing the cut in 2002.

Trevor Immelman: The Masters champ is making his first appearance since donning the green jacket, and it would be easy to pick against him due to fatigue, etc. While only one guy (Tiger Woods) has won the next tournament following a Masters victory, 15 of the past 20 Masters champions have finished in the top 25. In short, if you’re looking for some safe points, take Immelman.

Adam Scott: He’s the only top-10 player in the field this week, and Scott could use a win to lift his spirits after an illness hampered his preparations for the Masters. Scott recorded a T3 in his only appearance at the Nelson in 2006.

Anthony Kim: Kim was great television last week as he tried to catch Boo Weekley in Harbour Town. Kim knows he is close to winning his first tournament, and it showed last week as he seemed to live and die with every shot. His desire to win could hamper his efforts, but look for him to cash another big paycheck this weekend.

Scott Verplank: The defending champion has only one top 10 finish this year, and he has missed the cut in three of his last five starts. But Verplank, a friend of the late Byron Nelson, had only one top 10 entering last year’s Nelson, and he won. Verplank seems to find magic at this tournament, and look for him to find it again this week.

Sleeper

Rod Pampling: He’s missed five of his last eight cuts, but Pampling has two-straight top-10 finishes at the Nelson, and he hasn’t missed the cut since 2003.

Players to Avoid

Justin Leonard: It’s hard to go against a guy who (A) Is having a great year, and (B) Is from Texas. But Leonard is playing for the fourth straight week, and he hasn’t done very well in this tournament. In 14 trips, he has only two top-10 finishes. 

Sergio Garcia: The 2004 champion would be a great choice every week if putting wasn’t a factor in golf. Garcia’s struggles with the flat stick this year are well known, and so far, things aren't looking any better on the greens for Sergio.

Shell Houston Open

Only one more week until Jim Nantz's silky-smooth voice is cooing through our TV sets. The Shell Houston Open is not the Masters, but it should be a nice warm-up for the year's first major.

The world-class field includes Phil Mickelson and the defending champion, Adam Scott, and the course will be set up with Augusta-like conditions.

Speaking of world class, keep the Australian players in mind this week. In the past 10 years, Adam Scott ('07), Stuart Appleby ('99, '06) and Robert Allenby ('00) have won in Houston. (Vijay Singh won in '02, '04 and '05, but he's not in the field this week).

Houston Picks

Stuart Appleby: He has one of the best records in this event, with two wins and two runner-up finishes. He also has five top-10 finishes in seven events this season.

Phil Mickelson: Mickelson is playing this event for the first time since 2003 because of the course conditions. An Augusta-like setup should favor the two-time Masters champ.

Padraig Harrington: We liked Harrington last week because of his stellar play across the globe this year, and he didn't let us down, finishing T4. He's played this event twice, making the cut both times.

Adam Scott: The defending champion defends well. Scott has five PGA Tour wins, and he has followed three of those victories with top-10 finishes in the same event the next year. Will he make it four of five this week? Scott even defends his unofficial wins well. He won the rain-shortened '05 Nissan Open, and finished second in '06.

K.J. Choi: It's a hometown event for Choi, and he hasn't finished out of the top 20 since missing the cut at the Buick Invitational.

Sleeper

Bob Estes: It's been a rough year for Estes. He has made only three cuts in eight events. But he made the cut last week, and he has two straight top-10 finishes in this event.

Players to Avoid

Steve Elkington: Elkington is off to a nice start this year, but he's never fared well in Houston. In his last six trips to Houston, Elk has made the cut only once.

Andres Romero: Romero had a great win last week, but this will be his first start in Houston, and he may be looking ahead to his debut at Augusta.

Steve Stricker: Despite his good play this year, and in this event, we're going to side with our anonymous Tour pro and say that Augusta-like course conditions may not favor Stricker.