Fantasy picks for AT&T National

A-Players
Tiger Woods: The former tournament host has done well in the majors this year, but not so much in regular Tour events. Woods showed flashes of his old self at Pebble Beach, and I think we'll see more of that this week.

Ryan Moore: Coming off his best season on Tour, Moore has continued his solid play with six top-25 finishes. Moore is also coming off a good showing  at the Travelers, where he shot four rounds in the 60s.

B-Players
Sean O'Hair: The Aronimink member downplayed his local course knowledge saying, "I know what clubs I'm going to hit off the tees. But as far as greens, which is what that course is all about, I don't know the greens like the back of my hand or anything like that." Still, hard not to think he'll play well this week.

J.B. Holmes: He's cooled off since nearly winning twice earlier this year, but Holmes is coming off a win at the Charity Classic with Ricky Barnes, and his improved putting stroke should help on the Donald Ross greens at Aronimink.

Jim Furyk: A two-time winner this year, Furyk is coming off top-20 finishes at the Memorial and the U.S. Open.

Nick Watney: He's had an up-and-down season but with eight top-25 finishes in 15 events, chances are Watney will bounce back with a good showing this week.

C-Players
Ricky Barnes: Since Colonial, Barnes hasn't finished outside the top 25. His worst showing? A T27 at the U.S. Open.

Matt Jones: The Aussie has four top 10s this year, and he's coming off a T13 at the Travelers.

Fantasy picks for the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach

A-Players
Zach Johnson: With conditions expected to be firm and fast, short-knockers like Johnson should be in the mix. The 2007 Masters champion won at Colonial last month, and he ranks ninth in driving accuracy, is deadly with a wedge and is one of the best putters on Tour.

Phil Mickelson: This seems like as good of a time as any for Phil to get his first U.S. Open trophy. "The Thrill" has five second-place finishes at the U.S. Open, and he has won the AT&T three times.

B-Players
Jim Furyk: The 2003 U.S. Open champion already has two victories this season, and he's coming off a T10 at the Memorial. Furyk also tied for second at the 2006 and 2007 Opens.

Rory McIlroy: The 21-year-old tied for 10th in his first U.S. Open last year. Since then he's won at Quail Hollow and become one of the top-10 players in the world.

Lee Westwood: After surviving a grueling week in Memphis, the world No. 3 comes into the U.S. Open fresh off a win and brimming with confidence after finishing in the top five in the last three majors.

Adam Scott: Remember this guy? A top-three player just two years ago, Scott is back after winning the Texas Open and rediscovering his putting stroke, thanks to Dave Stockton.

C-Players
Mike Weir: The 2003 Masters champion may not jump out as a U.S. Open contender, but he should. Weir has finished in the top 20 in eight of his 11 starts at the U.S. Open.Plus, Weir has seven top 10s at the AT&T.

Francesco Molinari: The Italian has four top 10s in his last eight starts, including a ninth-place finish at the Players.

Fantasy picks for the Memorial Tournament

A-Players
Ernie Els: The Big Easy has six career top 10s at the Memorial, including a win in 2004, and he's secured two wins at tough tracks this season -- one at Doral and the other at Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill.

Kenny Perry: The Tour vet is turning 50 in August, but he's not going quietly to the Champions Tour. Perry is coming off three consecutive top-25 finishes, plus he has three wins at Muirfield Village.

B-Players
Geoff Ogilvy: The 2006 U.S. Open champion tied for 13th last week at Colonial, and he's finished in the top 10 at Memorial the past three years.

Jim Furyk: The 2002 Memorial champion finished second at Muirfield Village last year, and he already has two wins this season.

Robert Allenby: With eight top-25 finishes in 12 events this season, Allenby is bound to win soon. He's making his first start since finishing second at the Players.

K.J. Choi: The 2007 Memorial champion is a solid option to have on the bench. Choi hasn't missed a cut this season, he's only missed the cut once at Muirfield Village and he's finished in the top 25 seven times this year.

C-Players
Angel Cabrera: It's his first time at the Memorial, but the two-time major champion has the game to win Jack's event.

Matt Kuchar: Despite not winning a tournament this season, Kuchar has earned more than $1.9 million, and he hasn't finished worse than T13 in his last three trips to Muirfield.

Fantasy picks for the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial

A-Players
Phil Mickelson: Technically Mickelson is defending his Colonial title from 2008. He missed last year's event after learning his wife, Amy, was diagnosed with breast cancer. The Mickelsons watched from home as the Colonial held a "Pink Out" during the third round. No doubt Mickelson would love to return the favor with another win at Colonial.

Stephen Ames: The outspoken Canadian has five top-25 finishes this season, plus three career top-5 finishes at Colonial.

B-Players
Jim Furyk: He's already captured two titles this season, and Furyk is due at Colonial -- he has six career top-10 finishes.

Nick Watney: Twenty-somethings have never swept the Texas Swing, but thanks to Anthony Kim, Adam Scott and Jason Day, it could happen this week. With eight top-25 finishes in 11 starts, Watney is my twenty-something choice.

Brian Gay: Look out, when this guy gets on a roll he's tough to beat. Gay won two tournaments last year by a combined 15 shots, and he's coming off a T2 at the Nelson thanks to a final-round 63.

K.J. Choi: He's a solid player to have on the bench right now. Choi hasn't missed a cut this year in 11 events, and he has recorded six top-25 finishes.

C-Players
Tim Clark: The 2010 Players Championship winner has tied for second in his last two starts at Colonial.

Ben Crane: Maybe we should all start playing a little slower. In his last two starts, Crane finished T4 at the Players and T7 at the Nelson.

Fantasy Picks for the Players Championship

There are a couple of stats to keep in mind when making your fantasy picks this week for the unofficial fifth major.

1.) Nobody has won back-to-back Players titles -- sorry, Henrik Stenson.

2.) Tiger and Phil don't have good records at the Players.

3.) Twenty of the 30 different Players champions have won majors.

4.) International players have won five of the last eight titles at Sawgrass.

5.) The last two champions have been Europeans.

A-Group
Steve Marino: So after all that information, I lead off with Steve Marino?! Yeah, I know. I'm rolling the dice with this pick. Easy to want to put Phil in the top spot again, but I've used Phil a bunch this season, so I only have a few starts left with Lefty. Marino has been playing solid golf this year -- two top-five finishes early in the season -- and he has finished in the top 20 in four of his last five events.

Ernie Els: Keeping a "safe" pick on the bench just in case Marino lets me down. Els has arguably been the player of the year so far, with two wins, and he's finished out of the top 20 only twice in 10 events.

B-Group
Jim Furyk: We say this every year, so here it goes again -- Furyk just has to win the Players eventually. He has everything it takes to win at Sawgrass, plus it's his home course! Furyk said Sawgrass didn't set up well for him earlier in his career, but after two top-five finishes in the past four years, and two wins already this year, he seems ready to break through.

Lee Westwood: After a missed cut to start the season in Abu Dhabi, Westwood has picked up where he left off last season as Europe's best player. If another European is going to win the Players, I'll put my money on Westwood.

Nick Watney: One of the many 20-somethings who typically gets left out of the conversation, Watney is quietly continuing to have another solid season on Tour, with seven top-25 finishes in 11 events.

Padraig Harrington: His record is quite dismal at Sawgrass, but Harrington has three top 10s in his last five starts, plus anyone with three majors on their resume is a serious threat at the Players.

C-Group
Ben Crane: He's coming off a missed cut in New Orleans, but Crane, already a winner this year at Torrey Pines, tied for fifth last year at Sawgrass, and he tied for sixth in 2008.

Rickie Fowler: I've been on the Rickie bandwagon for most of the season, and he came through last week with his fourth top 10 of the season. Who knows what Fowler will do this week, but he definitely plays without fear, a trait that will come in handy on the closing holes at Sawgrass.

Fantasy Picks for the Arnold Palmer Invitational

Arnold Palmer's Masters tune-up will have a deep field and should be fun to watch. We won't see defending champion Tiger Woods unless he gives another surprise interview, but we'll see a lot of Sean O'Hair. O'Hair had a rough final round last year at Bay Hill, blowing a five-shot lead to finish second. It is also the last tournament in the winter segment of Yahoo! Fantasy Golf, so make it count.

The Pro Tip: In 2009, 7,100-yard Bay Hill played as the toughest non-major on Tour with a par 70. The course is longer this year, but the par is back to 72. So while it is still a difficult course, there are birdie chances out there. Pick players who smell blood on birdie holes and take advantage by scoring where they can.

A-Group

Ernie Els
Els looks like he is finally overcoming his knee injury that derailed his career over the last few seasons. He is second on Tour in scoring average (69.02) and has five top-20 finishes in six starts this season, with a win at the WGC-CA Championship. He is also seventh in scrambling and looks like a solid start at his firstappearanceat Bay Hill since 2007.

A-Group Bench Player

Kenny Perry
He only has one top 10 this season, but he has made every cut this year and is first on Tour in total driving and consecutive cuts. As far as a bench selection goes, he is a safe pick to make the cut in case Els revisits his form from last season.

B-Group

Jim Furyk
Coming off his victory at the Transitions, he will look to continue his strong play this week as he prepares for the Masters. He is first in bounce-back percentage and ninth in putts per round. If he continues to play with feel and that funky swingcontinuesto work, expect him to put up a solid number this week.

Camilo Villegas
After a week off, he will look to continue his hot start to 2010 and move up in the world rankings. Villegas is first in birdie average and scoring average, third in driving distance and sixth in putting average. He has the all-around game to continue his quick start to the season and lead the young class of the PGA Tour, which has been waiting for a star toemerge.

B-Group Bench Players

Retief Goosen
Four top 25s in six starts makes him a solid bench player. He is fourth in total putting and is playing well. His stats don't inspire confidence, but his T-5 at the Transitions Championship does.

Dustin Johnson
He has cooled off a bit after his fiery start to the season, but he is still a solid fantasy option--especially as a bench player. He is first in driving distance, second in holes per eagle and third in par breakers.

C-Group

Charl Schwartzel
A runner up to Els at the WGC-CA Championship, he doesn't have the minimum starts to be officially ranked for his stats. If he did, here's what they would look like: first in putting average, first in birdie average, first in par breakers, first in scrambling, third in scoring average and first in par-4 birdie or better.

Bench Player

D.J. Trahan
Trahan is having a solid start to the '10 season with four top 25s in six starts (including two top-10s). He ranks ninth in GIR, 13th in scoring average and 14th in all-around ranking.

*All picks for Yahoo Fantasy Golf format. Confused? Check out the Golf.com Guide to Fantasy Golf.

Fantasy Picks for AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am

FANTASY GOLF UPDATE:

A little glitch in the Yahoo Fantasy Golf scoring system has allowed some vigilant team managers to muster a few extra points from some of their player. Since the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am is being played on three different courses, points are awarded by score to par, not overall strokes.

Pebble Beach and Spyglass are both par 72 mainstays in the AT&T, but the newcomer--Monterey Peninsula Shore Course--sports a par 70 that is harder to go low on due to the lower par.

For example, Vijay Singh shot a 65 on Monterey while K.J. Choi shot a 65 on Pebble. Vijay picked up 14 points with a -5 while K.J. netted 18 with a -7.  

Going in to the weekend, start players playing Spyglass and Pebble Saturday since Monterey is normally a par 71, but is playing at 70 this week.

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The PGA Tour stops at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am this week. The big changes: Poppy Hills is out; Monterey Country Club is in, joining standbys Pebble and Spyglass. The defending champ is long-hitting Dustin Johnson, who had a hole-in-one last week that propelled him to a third-place finish at the Northern Trust Open after a tough final round.

The Pro Tip: It's a shallow field for a tournament featuring this year's U.S. Open course; only seven of the top 30 in the World Golf Rankings entered. Maybe the pros figure the course will be unrecognizable by the time the USGA is done with it. Whatever. We still expect this to be a tournament where we start seeing the stars shine. Except for Kevin Costner.

A-Group 

Luke Donald
Not many A-List players to choose from this week, but Donald is a solid option. He shares the course record at Spyglass (62) and when he's healthy he's an elite player. He has finished in the top 25 in 86 of his 176 career starts.

A-Group Bench Player

Phil Mickelson
Lefty hasn't started the season strong, but a U.S.Open course with a weak field may be just what he needs. BTW, Mickelson is the guy who shares the Spyglass course record with Donald.

B-Group

Dustin Johnson
Combines our two fantasy rules: Horses for Courses (he won here last year) and Play the Hot Hand (T-3 at last week's Northern Trust Open). Long hitter, accurate and a solid putter, Johnson has a scoring average of 69 through 14 rounds this season.

Alex Prugh
Rickie who? Prugh is the rookie who is on fire right now. After barely making the cut at the Sony, Prugh has three straight top 10s. Twelve of his 16 rounds this season have been 70 or below.

B-Group Bench Players

Jim Furyk
The fifth-ranked player in the world finished T-20 at the Northern Trust Open, his only start of this season. He's also one of three U.S. Open winners in the field along with Corey Pavin and Retief Goosen.

Sergio Garcia
Hey, maybe he can win on a major championship course if a major isn't being played there. J/K, Serge, J/K. Worth a flier in his first stateside start.

C-Group 

Mike Weir
Finished runner up to Dustin Johnson last year and has placed in the top-5 in five of his last seven starts at the AT&T. Also did pretty well at the last celeb-heavy tournament, finishing sixth at the Bob Hope.

Bench Player

Brandt Snedeker
In three starts he has a runner-up, a T-10, and a top 20 finish. He is first in scrambling and 13th in scoring with a 69.73 average.  

*All picks for Yahoo Fantasy Golf format. Confused? Check out the Golf.com Guide to Fantasy Golf.

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.