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 AT&T National

Tiger Woods is hosting this week's event at Congressional Country Club, but he'll certainly have something else on his mind: winning the tournament. In the two years since its inception, Woods has yet to win his own event. He tied for sixth in 2007 and missed the event last year while recovering from knee surgery.

A-Players
Tiger Woods: He has seven top 10s in eight starts, including two wins. Plus, it will be easier on Sunday if he just presents himself with the trophy.

Jim Furyk: Tiger's buddy has finished in the top 11 in four of his last five events. Furyk also has come close to winning the AT&T National twice, finishing T3 the past two seasons.

B-Players
Davis Love III: Coming off a T5 at Memorial, Love finished T27 last year at Congressional.

Hunter Mahan: He nearly won another Travelers Championship last week, plus Mahan has finished T8 and T12 at the AT&T National.

Sean O'Hair: In his first event since the birth of his third child, O'Hair has been playing great this year, with six top 10s in 14 events.

Boo Weekley: Boooooooooooo! has been struggling with injuries, but he seems to be back on track, coming off a T14 at the Travelers.

C-Players
Rocco Mediate: Tiger's nemesis at the 2008 U.S. Open has only one top-25 finish this season, but he has yet to miss a cut, and he has a solid record at the AT&T National.

Nick O'Hern: He finished T3 last year at Congressional, and after a string of missed cuts this season, O'Hern has made four straight.

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 Verizon Heritage

With the wild finish at the Masters in the rearview mirror, the PGA Tour unwinds this week in Hilton Head. It's the week after a major, but there are still plenty of big names to consider this week when filling out your roster.

A-Players
Camilo Villegas: After a solid T13 at the Masters, Villegas, who has four top-12 finishes this season, comes back to Harbour Town, where he finished T7 last year.

Jim Furyk: He's never won at Harbour Town, a course perfectly suited for his game, but Furyk has five career top-15 finishes, plus he had a good week (T10) at Augusta.

B-Players
Rory McIlroy: In his tour of America, McIlroy has yet to finish out of the top 20, including a T20 last week at the Masters.

Tim Clark: With five top-15 finishes this year, Clark, like Paul Casey in Houston, is too good of a player not to have a W on the PGA Tour.

Davis Love III: Now with the pressure of trying to get into the Masters off his shoulders, Love can concentrate on simply playing golf. And if we wins this week, Love will get an invite to next year's Masters.

Boo Weekley: Two starts, two wins at Harbour Town. Hard to pick against that record.

C-Players
Scott Verplank: He had three top-15 finishes in March, and Verplank hasn't missed a cut at Hilton Head in 10 years.

Ben Crane: He has a solid record at Hilton Head, plus Crane has two top 10s this season.

Fantasy golf picks for the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill

After weeks of making picks, I finally hit the jackpot last week with Retief Goosen winning, and top-5 showings by Charles Howell III and Steve Stricker ... (holding for applause). Lets hope the winning streak continues with Tiger Woods going for his sixth title at Bay Hill.

A-Players
Tiger Woods: He finished T9 last week with a cold putter. I hate to see what happens if he starts making a few putts.

Jim Furyk: He was on a roll after a third-place finish at Doral and an opening 65 at the Transitions. But the usually steady Furyk collapsed on Friday with a 78. I'm sticking with Furyk this week. I think we're more likely to see another 65 than a 78.

B-Players
Davis Love III: Love's been on a roll this year, with his eye on winning or getting in the top 50 for a ticket to Augusta. He's currently No. 47, so Love still has an extra incentive to play well this week.

Stuart Appleby: Appleby has usually won a tournament by the time Bay Hill rolls around, but he looks to be getting in form after a T8 at the Transitions.

Hunter Mahan: Mahan has three top-20 finishes this season, plus he tied for sixth last year.

Boo Weekley: I'm picking Boo just for the mental image of Arnold Palmer handing Boo a giant sword on Sunday. Plus, Weekley has yet to miss a cut this season, and he's finished in the top 25 in both starts at Bay Hill.

C-Players
Ian Poulter: He's only played three events this season, but Poulter hasn't finished outside of the top 25.

Louis Oosthuizen: Oosthuizen has been on fire on the European Tour with four top 10s. He has also looked solid in the States, finishing T20 at Doral.

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.

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.

Zurich Classic of New Orleans

Neither Tiger Woods nor Phil Mickelson will be in New Orleans, and no, Ernie Els will not be in the Big Easy either. Still, the Zurich has attracted a stellar field that includes Jim Furyk, Retief Goosen, Padraig Harrington and Stewart Cink. But don't forget about the little guys when making your picks; five of the past six champions have been first-time winners. Also, the winner, if not already exempt, will earn a ticket to the Masters.

New Orleans Picks
Jim Furyk: Want proof of how tough a competitor Furyk is? Needing a birdie to tie Geoff Ogilvy at Doral on No. 18 on Monday, Furyk nearly holed a wedge shot, on the fly, from the fairway. Despite making his first trip to New Orleans since 1996, Furyk should be in the final group on Sunday.

Steve Stricker: Throw out his missed cut at the FBR, and Stricker hasn't finished worse than T14 in six events this season. He also tied for 11th last year in New Orleans.

Anthony Kim: Kim, who tied for third last year, could kill two birds this week. He could win his first tournament, and he could qualify for the Masters. That's a lot to play for.

Padraig Harrington: This guy is due for a win. In six events this season (three on the PGA Tour, three on the European Tour), Harrington hasn't finished out of the top 20. He skipped New Orleans last year, but Harrington finished T11 in 2006 and T9 in 2005.

Ryuji Imada: Imada is also on the bubble for Augusta, in part because he was DQ'd after John Daly missed the pro-am at Bay Hill. Imada is a very good putter, and he's finished runner-up twice this year.

Sleeper
Lucas Glover: Glover has played OK this year, missing only one cut, but his best finish was a T22. His record in this tournament, however, has been superb. Glover's last three finishes: T8, T7, T3.

Players to Avoid
Nick Watney: The defending champion is coming off solid finishes at Bay Hill and Doral, but it's tough for a young player to defend a title.

Davis Love III: Love needs a win to go to Augusta, and while he has done it before, there's nothing to indicate his game is heading in the right direction. In five events this season, Love has cracked the top 25 only once.

David Toms: Toms was born in Louisiana and went to school at LSU, and he won this event in 2001. But after a T9 in 2002, Toms hasn't finished better than T34.