Fantasy picks for the St. Jude Classic

A-Players
Justin Leonard: He's yet to record a top 10 this season, but it's hard to overlook Leonard's past success at TPC Southwind -- two wins and three top 10s.

Heath Slocum: In his last three trips to Memphis, Slocum has finished in the top 25 each time. This season he's only missed one cut and recorded six top-25 finishes.

B-Players
Robert Allenby: The Aussie is long overdue for a win, and this week should be as good as any to get over the hump. Allenby has finished T4 and T2 the past two years at the St. Jude.

Camilo Villegas: This year's Honda Classic champ hasn't missed a cut in four starts in Memphis, plus he'll have extra motivation this week -- his brother, Manuel, is also in the field.

J.B. Holmes: A fantasy favorite for most of the year, Holmes has seven top-25s in 14 events, including two top 10s.

David Toms: With seven career top 10s at TPC Southwind, including two wins, Tom is always a good bet in Memphis.

C-Players
Ben Crane: Get 'em while he's hot. Crane already has a win this year at Torrey Pines, and he's finished T4, T7, T3 in his last three starts.

Ian Poulter: He's cooled off since contending at Augusta, but Poulter is still the sixth-ranked player in the world and hard to ignore this week. 

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 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.

Fantasy Golf Picks for the Travelers Championship

Normally after a major championship the field for the next tournament is lacking star power. Not the case this week as many big names made the short trip from Long Island to Hartford for the Travelers Championship.

A-Players
Sergio Garcia: So much was made of Garcia's return to Bethpage after he was heckled by rowdy fans in 2002. But what slipped under the radar after the Open was Garcia finished T10 despite not having much confidence in his game coming into last week. He's only making his second career start at the Travelers, but Garcia's game seems to be coming back.

Stewart Cink: A two-time champion at Hartford, Cink has finished in the top 30 in his last three starts, including a T8 at the Memorial.

B-Players
Hunter Mahan: This has to be the easiest pick of the year outside of taking Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson in any tournament. In his last three starts at the Travelers, Mahan has finished T2, Win, T2. Oh, and he almost won the U.S. Open.

Dustin Johnson: The young bomber has seven top-25 finishes, including a win at Pebble Beach.

David Toms: Toms is due for a win any week now. Well, technically he did win, but it was at the CVS Charity Classic. Regardless, Toms has six top 10s this season and a solid record at the Travelers.

Bubba Watson: Bubba's been playing well since a T2 at Quail Hollow. He finished T6 last year at Hartford, and he is coming off a T20 at the U.S. Open.

C-Players
Nick O'Hern: He only has three top-25 finishes this season, but O'Hern has played solid at the Travelers, with two top 20s in his last two starts.

Charlie Wi: Wi's having a really good season so far, with six top-25 finishes, including three top 10s.

Fantasy Golf Picks for the St. Jude Classic

Like a lot of fantasy players, I'm a sucker for the big names (Thanks for the win last week, Tiger!) But this week at the St. Jude Classic, the sexy names might not be the best picks for your fantasy roster.

Phil Mickelson and John Daly headline the field, but they both come in with several question marks. Padraig Harrington has missed two of his last three cuts and has zero top 10s this season. Sergio Garcia has also yet to finish in the top 10. And since winning the Players Championship, Henrik Stenson has missed two cuts on the European Tour.

Fortunately there are still plenty of guys with a good shot to win this week, starting with the defending champion.

A-Players
Justin Leonard: He has two wins in the last four years at the St. Jude, and Leonard is coming off a great Texas Swing where he finished T5, T16 and T13 in three events in his home state.

Camilo Villegas: Spiderman has a new sidekick on the bag this week: Joe LaCava, one of the best caddies on tour. Plus, Villegas has a solid record at Southwind, with two top-20 finishes in three years.

B-Players
David Toms: Since 2002, Toms has finished in the top 5 four times, including back-to-back wins in 2003 and 2004.

Jason Day: It's his first time in this event, but Day has played well the past two events, finishing fourth at Colonial and T27 at the Memorial.

Tim Clark: It will be interesting to see how Clark fares in his first event since his tough loss at Colonial. But Clark has been playing solid golf since the Masters, so I expect him to bounce back with a strong finish this week.

Woody Austin: I know, I know. I advise picking against players like Mickelson and Garcia, but I recommend picking Aquaman?! It's a stretch, but Austin won the St. Jude in 2007, and he has finished in the top 30 in his last three events.

C-Players
Scott Verplank: He has consecutive top 10s at Southwind, plus Verplank has five top-25 finishes this season.

Retief Goosen: The Goose might be ready for another run at the U.S. Open. He won earlier this year at the Transitions, and he is coming off consecutive top-25 finishes.

Fantasy Golf Picks for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans

For a tournament without many "big names" this week, there are plenty of good storylines at the Zurich Classic. Kenny Perry returns for the first time since losing in a playoff at the Masters, U.S. Amateur champion Danny Lee makes his pro debut, and if history holds true there could be a first time winner on Sunday.

A-Players

John Merrick: With the last four Zurich Classic champions winning their first title in New Orleans, Merrick is a good choice to continue the trend. He earned another trip to Augusta after finishing T6 at the Masters. Merrick also has two other top 10s this season, and he tied for seventh last year at the Zurich Classic.

Justin Rose: He's won all over the world, but Rose is still looking for his first PGA Tour title. He's finished second three times, but has yet to close the deal. Rose has never missed the cut in three trips to New Orleans.

B-Players

Nick Watney: The 2007 champion has been one of the best players on Tour this season. Watney won at Torrey Pines, and he has finished out of the top 25 only once in nine events.

Woody Austin: Aquaman had his best finish of the year last week, tying for 11th at Harbour Town. He hasn't missed a cut this year, and he hasn't placed out of the top 25 in New Orleans since 2004.

Stephen Ames: Ames has four top 25 finishes this year, and while he has played in New Orleans only once since 2004, he has three career top 10s.

David Toms: The Louisiana native, and 2001 champion, has three top 10s this season, plus he'll have the home crowd on his side.

C-Players

Charles Howell III: Making his first start at the Zurich Classic since a T2 in 2006, Howell hasn't been great this season, but he has been a more consistent player. He has two top-five finishes and only one missed cut.

Scott Verplank: After missing two straight cuts to open the season, Verplank has finished in the top 25 four times.

Fantasy Golf Picks for the Shell Houston Open

The good news is I've picked the winner for two straight weeks. The bad news is after 12 weeks of fantasy play, my team ranked 24,002. Ouch! (Don't tell my boss there are 24,001 people better at this than me.)

I'll try to do better as we start the spring session of fantasy golf. This week, the Shell Houston Open welcomes an E.B.T. field -- Everybody But Tiger. There are plenty of great storylines as many top players need a good week heading into the Masters, and anyone who wins this week who is not otherwise exempt into the Masters, gets a tee time at Augusta.

A-Players
Phil Mickelson: Coming off an impressive win at Doral, many experts say Mickelson's overall game is better than Tiger's right now. While I'll never believe that for a second, I think Phil will make a strong run this weekend.

Geoff Ogilvy: After Phil and Tiger, Ogilvy has to be a favorite heading into the Masters. He has two wins this year, no missed cuts, and he tied for second last year in Houston.

B-Players
Hunter Mahan: Mahan should have been in the mix at Bay Hill, but several stupid mistakes, including a five-putt, ruined his chances for a big paycheck. I think he'll recover and have a nice week.

Stuart Appleby: A two-time winner in Houston, Appleby hasn't finished out of the top 25 since the tournament was moved to the Redstone Golf Club's Member and Tournament courses in 2003.

David Toms: With three top 10s this season, and no tee time at Augusta thanks to a No. 64 world ranking, Toms has a lot to play for this week.

Rory McIlroy: His first tour through America as a pro has been a huge success ... lets hope it continues this week.

C-Players
Luke Donald: He hasn't finished out of the top 25 in six starts this season. Luke, buddy, it's time to win again.

Charlie Wi: Wi is on a roll with consecutive top 10s at the Honda Classic and Transitions Championship.

Fantasy golf picks for Transitions Championship

It's NCAA Tournament week, and the only thing tougher than picking a final four is trying to figure out who will win the Transitions Championship.

Some of you might be asking, What's the Transitions Championship? It's not a new tournament, just a new sponsor, Transitions Optical. The event was sponsored by PODS the past two seasons.

What hasn't changed is the golf course. Since the tournament was started in 2000, it's been held at the Copperhead course at Innisbrook Resort. That means there is a solid track record of how players have done at this event, which should help you set up your fantasy roster. If you need help filling out your bracket, don't ask me. Ask these guys.

A-Players
Kenny Perry: I'm kicking myself for not starting Perry more this season. When he gets hot, he's hard to beat. My only fear is that I'm jumping on the bandwagon too late. But judging by his play at Doral (T9), and his record at this event (never finished out of the top 30), Perry is my man this week.

John Senden: John who? I know, I know. It's a bit of a risky pick since there are more prominent players available such as K.J. Choi and Jim Furyk, but remember, it's a long season and you can only use a player 10 times. Plus, Senden has consecutive T2 finishes at this event.

B-Players
Nick Watney: What a coming-out party last week for Watney. His win at Torrey Pines this year was impressive, but there's a big difference between going head-to-head with John Rollins and Phil Mickelson. Watney not only held his own, but he proved he belongs in the conversation with Anthony Kim, Rory McIlroy and Camilo Villegas as the next superstars in golf.

Sean O'Hair: He's without a win this season, and that's probably why no one is talking about O'Hair's great start. Six events and six top-25 finishes, with five of those finishes in the top 15. Oh yeah, and he's the defending champion.

David Toms: Finally healthy again, Toms is back to playing like a top-20 player. The problem is he's currently ranked No. 66 and needs to get inside the top 50 to get into the Masters. With that weighing on his mind, Toms has turned up his game with three top-6 finishes this season.

Steve Stricker: Another guy continuing to post solid finishes, but no W's, is Stricker. In five of six events, he's finished in the top 25, with a second and a T3.

C-Players
Retief Goosen: The pickins remain slim in the C bracket, so that's why I'm sticking with Goosen. He hasn't played very well since a third-place finish at Pebble Beach, but he is a past champion at Innisbrook.

Charles Howell III: A beefed-up Howell has been erratic since he finished fourth at the Sony Open, but he had a nice week in Puerto Rico with the exception of third-round 77.

Fantasy golf picks for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am

Choosing two players from the A-list is usually an easy task. You normally have a choice between five or six of the top players, so you feel confident one of them will bring you loads of points.

But this week it wasn't a whole lot of fun. Padraig Harrington didn't look sharp at the Buick; Phil Mickelson has only broken par one time in six rounds; Vijay Singh is playing his first event since knee surgery; Kenny Perry hasn't played at Pebble Beach since 2003; and Jim Furyk is making his season debut. This week might be a good time to save a big name for later in the season.

Also don't forget there are multiple courses this week, so it might be beneficial to sit a player if he's on one of the tougher courses. Last year Spyglass Hill was rated the toughest course, followed by Poppy Hills and then Pebble Beach.

A-Players
Jim Furyk: While it's risky taking Furyk this week, he's known for knocking off the winter rust in a hurry. In Furyk's last two trips to the AT&T he finished T-14 and T-6.

Mike Weir: After opening the season with a T-3 at the Hope, Weir missed the cut at the FBR. But I'm sticking with him this week based on his great record at the AT&T: six top 10s in 11 appearances.

B-Players
Davis Love III: The two-time AT&T champ has seven career top 10s at Pebble Beach, and he is still looking for an invite to the Masters. A win would be the easiest way in.

David Toms: A healthy David Toms is back to his old self again. Toms has two top-5 finishes in three events, and his other finish was a T-25 at the Hope. His record at the AT&T isn't great, but he hasn't played there since 2002.

Sean O'Hair: He hasn't finished out of the top 25 yet this season, and despite his poor record at the AT&T I think he's due for a solid finish.

D.J. Trahan: He's 4-4 in cuts made, and he's only finished out of the top 20 once.

C-Players
Matt Kuchar: Kuchar carried the momentum of a final-round 64 at the Hope to a T-6 at the FBR Open, plus he's made his last two cuts at the AT&T.

Retief Goosen: Since December, the Goose has played solid golf all around the world, including a win over Darren Clarke at the Sunshine Tour's Africa Open. The only drawback? This is Goosen's first time playing the event.

Fantasy golf picks for the Sony Open in Hawaii

It was a great start to the fantasy season for anyone who followed our picks last week. Six of our eight picks finished in the top 12. Hopefully this will make up for the dozens of picks we're bound to miss in the coming weeks. But we're staying positive as the Tour switches islands for the Sony Open. It's a full field this week, so there are more players to choose from for your fantasy roster.

A-Players
Ernie Els: There was a spirited debate last week on what to make of the future of Ernie Els. Is his brain fried from all those years of abuse in the majors? Will he regain his putting stroke from inside 10 feet? Who knows? All I know is the guy had no confidence in his putter last week and still tied for sixth. Add that to his sick record at Waialae (2, win, win, 3, 5), and he's hard to bet against.

K.J. Choi: The defending champion tied for 15th last week, and he has been his usual quiet self. Did anyone see how he finished 2008? (I didn't until I looked it up.) Choi had top 10s in the final two playoff events, won the Skins Game, and tied for ninth at Tiger's event. He's due for another win soon.

B-Players
Davis Love III: Another player who's at the career crossroads, Love tied for second last week after winning the final event of the 2008 season to join the 20-wins club. Love has had past success at the Sony, and he knows with most of the big guns out this week it's a great chance to add No. 21 to the trophy case and gain momentum for 2009.

Zach Johnson: We chose Johnson last week after reading about the boot camp he held with his team of instructors. It would have been easy for the ex-Masters champ to take the rest of '08 off after missing out on most of the playoffs. Instead he won the Texas Open in October and carried the momentum to a T6 at the Mercedes.

David Toms: What a terrible 2008 for Toms, who struggled with nagging injuries all season. Only one top 10, at the Viking Classic, from a guy who normally has about seven and at least one win a year. Toms' last win came at the 2006 Sony Open. He's back with Cleveland, and his caddie for 11 of his 12 Tour wins, Scott Gneiser, is back on the bag.

Steve Stricker: It's too bad we can only pick Stricker 10 times during the season, because he seems like a logical choice to do well every week. Stricker has tied for fourth the last two years at the Sony, and his putting at the Ryder Cup proved he can pull the trigger under intense pressure.

C-Players
George McNeill: The one thing missing from McNeill's game is consistency. Last year he would nearly win a tournament, then not be heard again for three months. But since winning Q-school in 2006, McNeill has been consistent at Waialae, finishing in the top 20 twice.

Luke Donald: The Donald's down with the C's? He won't be down here long, so it might be a good idea to buy low on Donald. A wrist injury at the U.S. Open knocked him out for 2008, but he looked solid at Tiger's event, where he tied for eighth.