Fantasy Golf Picks for the Players Championship

When Tiger Woods hasn't finished in the top 10 since 2001, you know this is going to be a different week for fantasy golf. Yup, it's time for the Players Championship, the tournament where nobody has ever defend their title. (As if you needed a reason not to pick Sergio right now.)

A-Players
Geoff Ogilvy: Like many players, Ogilvy's track record at Sawgrass isn't pretty. But he's already won twice this season, and he's been pretty consistent each time he tees it up: no missed cuts, plus five top-25 finishes in nine events.

Jim Furyk: The Jacksonville resident always seems like a good pick for the Players, probably because he's only missed the cut twice, and he has come close to winning this event several times.

B-Players
Boo Weekley: After missing his only cut of the year at the Masters, Boo has chalked up three consecutive top-13 finishes. I'm just hoping he has the lead on Sunday, hits the 17th green, then gallops around the pond like he did at the Ryder Cup.

Hunter Mahan: Another guy quietly having a good, consistent season is Mahan. In 10 events he's finished in the top 25 seven times.

Nick Watney: I've been on the Watney bandwagon for a few weeks now, and it's hard to get off with nine top-25 finishes in 11 events.

Charley Hoffman: In his last three events, Hoffman has been in the hunt with the exception of one bad round. Look for him to put together four solid rounds this week.

C-Players
Ian Poulter: Coming off a T5 at Quail Hollow, Poulter has finished out of the top 20 only once in six events.

Henrik Stenson: One of the few players with a solid record at Sawgrass, Stenson has finished T10, T23 and T3 in his three starts at the Players.

Fantasy Golf Picks for the Masters

Hello, friends. It's time for the first major of the year, and it can't come soon enough. We've got Tiger and Phil peaking at the right time, Padraig Harrington going for a third consecutive major, Greg Norman returning to Augusta and a crop of youngsters ready to crash the champions dinner.

So what does this mean for your fantasy roster this week? Not much, besides remembering the names Woods, Mickelson and Harrington.

A-Players
Tiger, Phil and/or Harrington are obvious picks this week, but here's a few others to keep in mind. (For the record I am starting Tiger, with Phil coming off the bench if needed.)

Geoff Ogilvy: His driver looked a little shaky last week in Houston, but a lot of guys looked terrible on a tough course in 50 mph wind. Still, he finished T6. I don't think he'll win this week, but he's due for a good showing at Augusta.

Stewart Cink: The Georgia Tech grad is often overlooked as a favorite for the Masters, but he's finished in the top 20 every year since 2004, including a T3 last year.

B-Players
Zach Johnson: Until the Lords of Augusta change the course again, it's hard to not pick against a guy who's won a green jacket since 2006. Plus, Johnson already won this year and finished third at Bay Hill.

Lee Westwood: He finished T11 last year at the Masters, then nearly won the U.S. Open, plus he has two top 10s on the European Tour this season.

Fred Couples: Hopefully the momentum of a great week in Houston carries over for the 1992 champion. Couples missed his first cut at Augusta last year, and I am sure he is motivated for one last run.

Tim Clark: He has two top 10s this season, and since 2003 Clark has finished second and T13 twice at the Masters.

C-Players
Retief Goosen: The Goose is back after winning at the Transitions, and oh by the way, he hasn't finished out of the top 20 at Augusta since 2001.

Henrik Stenson: As long as he can avoid the numerous water hazards at Augusta (sorry, couldn't resist), Stenson has a great shot. He comes in with consecutive top-20 finishes at the Masters, and his caddie used to loop for Nick Faldo, owner of three green jackets.

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.

The Memorial Tournament

It's never easy picking a fantasy lineup in this fickle game, but a quick glance at the list of past champions at Jack Nicklaus's Memorial Tournament should give you some guidance. With names such as Woods, Singh, Els, Furyk, Couples, Norman, and, yes, Nicklaus, the game's best tend to shine at Muirfield Village. There is also a history of solid pros breaking out at the Memorial (Lehman, Perry, Choi, Azinger, Strange).

Memorial Picks

Geoff Ogilvy: Coming off a missed cut at the Players, we recommended benching Ogilvy last week, and what did he do? Finished T7. Looks like Ogilvy is back on track, and he has had plenty of success at Muirfield Village, finishing in the top 25 in three of the last four years.

Sean O'Hair: After three straight missed cuts, O'Hair also seems to have found his game after a T26 at Colonial. In his last two trips to the Memorial, O'Hair finished T5 and T12.

Stewart Cink: He is due for a win this year, and he is due for a win at the Memorial. Cink leads the PGA Tour with six top 10s, and he has four career top 10s at Muirfield Village, including a T5 last year.

Paul Casey: In two appearances, Casey has a decent record at the Memorial. He's one of several players making the trip across the pond after the BMW Championship, where he tied for 10th.

Jeff Quinney: Quinney is knocking on the door for his first PGA Tour win. He jumped to the No. 9 spot on the money list after top 10s at the Players and Colonial.

Sleeper

Carl Pettersson: It might be a stretch to call the 2006 Memorial winner a sleeper, but how often do you consider Pettersson for your fantasy lineup? If you're like most people, not often. But maybe you should. He’s been solid at Muirfield Village, and in his last 11 starts this season, he has only missed one cut.

Players to Avoid

Charles Howell III: Howell has played decently this season, but he seems to be shrinking in the big moments. He missed the cut at Bay Hill, the Masters, and the Players. He tied for eighth at the AT&T Classic, but he had the lead after three rounds and shot 74 on Sunday.

Jim Furyk: He has a great record at the Memorial, but we're going on a Furyk diet due to his streaky play this year.

Steve Stricker: Don't mean to kick a guy while he's down, especially a nice guy, but Stricker has made only one cut in his last six events.  Stricker withdrew from the tournament on Tuesday.

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.