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 Picks for the Valero Texas Open

The star of this year's Texas Open isn't Ernie Els or Sergio Garcia. Nope, it's the golf course. A week after playing at TPC Sawgrass, the TPC San Antonio Oaks course debuts this week. Zach Johnson is the two-time defending champion, but how much will past results factor in on a new course? That's something to keep in mind this week when making your picks.

A-Group
Zach Johnson: The Texas Open is at a new venue, and, surprisingly, Johnson has yet to record a top-10 finish this season. Still, it's hard to go against a player that's a two-time defending champ.

Justin Leonard: It's also hard to go against someone with eight top-10 finishes, including two wins, in his career at the Texas Open. Once again, past results are not a great indicator this week, and Leonard has missed four cuts this season, but he's a great option to have on the bench.

B-Group
Bo Van Pelt: Talk about someone who is due for a win -- Van Pelt has finished in the top five in his last three starts.

Adam Scott: I can't remember a time when picking Scott has turned out well, but I'm giving him another chance. While he hasn't won since the 2008 Byron Nelson, Scott has finished in the top 30 in four of his last five starts.

J.B. Holmes: I've used Holmes quite a bit this year, so I am keeping him on the bench. He's coming off a T13 at the Players, his sixth top-25 finish of the season.

Fredrik Jacobson: The flashy Swede has five top-25 finishes this season, including a T10 last week at Sawgrass.

C-Group
Jarrod Lyle: Another solid player from Down Under, Lyle has been playing well on two tours this year -- he has two top 10s on the PGA Tour, and two top-five finishes on the Nationwide Tour.

Matt Jones: Another unknown who's having a good year is Jones. He's missed five cuts, but Jones has recorded top 10s at the Hope, Pebble, New Orleans and Quail Hollow.

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 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial

The final leg of the Texas Swing rolls in Fort Worth this week for the Colonial. Phil Mickelson will not be around to defend his title, but there are plenty of top players on their games as they try to conquer the Texas version of Hogan's Alley.

A-Players
Stewart Cink: He hasn't been on his game since a T3 at the Match Play, but Cink has four top-20 finishes at Colonial since 2003. Plus he tweeted about the course changes, and Cink said he is a fan.

Justin Leonard: The Dallas native is having a solid Texas Swing with a T5 at the Texas Open and a T16 at the Nelson. Leonard has also never missed the cut at Colonial in 15 starts.

B-Players
Rod Pampling: In his last four trips to Colonial, Pampling finished T2, T12, 3, T6.

Charley Hoffman: Another player having a solid Texas Swing is Hoffman. He's finished in the top 25 in both events, plus he hasn't missed a cut this season.

Steve Stricker: The two-time Comeback Player of the Year is having another great season. He's finished in the top 25 in nine of his 11 starts, including five top 10s.

Rory Sabbatini: I'm probably a week too late on this pick, but Sabbatini is a former champion at Colonial, and he has five top 10s this season in addition to his win at the Nelson.

C-Players
Matt Kuchar: After solid finishes at the Players and the Nelson, Kuchar was the medalist on Monday for British Open qualifying.

James Nitties: The rookie has missed eight cuts this season, but Nitties has also finished in the top 25 six times, including two top 10s.

Fantasy Golf Picks for the HP Byron Nelson Championship

The Texas Swing rolls into Irving this week for the Byron Nelson Championship, where the marquee players should be left off of your fantasy roster. Phil Mickelson was the headliner until the sad news came out about his wife being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Defending champion Adam Scott will get his game turned around eventually, but he has missed five straight cuts. Anthony Kim is another player who is struggling with his game. Kim has yet to factor in a tournament since the Mercedes in January.

A-Players
Justin Leonard: The native Texan got the Texas Swing off to a great start with a T5 last week, Leonard's fourth top 10 of the season.

Mike Weir: Weir has only missed two cuts all season, and he is coming off a T14 at the Players.

B-Players
Hunter Mahan: Mahan has rarely had an off-week this season, with seven top-25 finishes in 11 starts.

Charley Hoffman: Not only does Hoffman have two top 10s in three starts at the Nelson, but he is also coming off a T9 last week at the Texas Open.

Bo Van Pelt: Van Pelt has yet to miss the cut at the Nelson, and he's had a solid season with six top-30 finishes in 12 events.

Briny Baird: Baird gets an extra boost this week after winning everyone free lettuce wraps at P.F. Chang's.

C-Players
Ian Poulter: The flashy Englishman is getting closer and closer to his first win in the U.S. after a T5 in Charlotte and a solo second at the Players.

Scott Verplank: The 2007 winner and Dallas native has five top-25 finishes in 11 events this season.

Fantasy golf picks for the Mercedes-Benz Championship

The 2009 PGA Tour season kicks off this week at Kapalua, and that means it's time to get ready for another season of fantasy golf. Each week, we'll identify eight players we like -- two A-players, four B-players and two C-players. (Note: This follows the Yahoo! Sports format but should be a good guide for other fantasy games as well.)

My picks for this week's squad:

A-Players
Vijay Singh: For once the Big Fijian is not being overlooked. Singh won the FedEx Cup, took a month off to heal an injury, gave us some tips, then won Tiger's charity event. Now he starts the season at an event where he's finished in the top 10 eight of the last nine years.

Justin Leonard: Ernie Els, Anthony Kim or Camilo Villegas might be sexier picks this week, but many leagues limit the number of times you can pick a player over the course of the season. Like your 401k, you've got to think long term. That's why we went with Leonard this week. He had a very good 2008, and he's notched two top 10s in his last two trips to Kapalua.

B-Players
Zach Johnson: The 2007 Masters champ missed most of the playoffs, and he's been working hard in the off-season to retool his game. He says the Plantation course doesn't fit his eye, but he has a plan this week, which is more than most guys can say.

Daniel Chopra: Lets face it, this might be the only time I pick Chopra all year. And why not? He won here last year, and with the top four players absent this week, it's a good time for players such as Chopra to grab a nice paycheck.

D.J. Trahan: Add Trahan to your list of Players to Watch in 2009. He won the Hope last year, then followed it up with solid finishes in big events, including the U.S. Open (T4), the Bridgestone (T8), the BMW (T5) and the Tour Championship (T17).

Will MacKenzie: Except for a victory at the Viking Classic and a T4 at the John Deere, MacKenzie had a terrible 2008. But he had his coming-out party at the Mercedes two years ago, when he finished T4.

C-Players
Chez Reavie: With a small field this week, it's slim pickings in the C-field. But Reavie is a solid choice after notching his first win last year in dramatic fashion at the Canadian Open. Our guy Peter Kostis thinks Reavie is the next Jay Haas, so it's hard to argue with that.

Johnson Wagner: Loved the way he went out and won the week before the Masters last year, and with a solid finish at the Deutsche  Bank, he should be feeling good heading into 2009.

Stanford St. Jude Championship

Sandwiched between two marquee events, the Memorial and the U.S. Open, the St. Jude still draws some big names.Here's some guidance on who to pick, and who to avoid, this week.

St. Jude Picks

David Toms: If there is anyone on Tour who owns a golf course - other than Tiger, who seems to own them all - it's Toms at TPC at Southwind. Since 2002, he has not finished outside the top 10, and he won the St. Jude in 2003 and 2004.

Tim Herron: He also has a solid record at Southwind. Herron hasn't finished outside the top 25 since 2002.

Padraig Harrington: The British Open champion has only missed one cut this season, and he has three top 10s in seven events. He missed the cut last year in his first trip to Southwind, but the player with the most birdies per round on the PGA Tour is always a good pick.

Davis Love III: He's still coming back from injuries, but Love may have found his game Monday when he made it through a 36-hole qualifier for the U.S. Open after playing four days at the Memorial.

Justin Leonard: He continues to have a solid season, with only one missed cut and four top 10s. Leonard won the St. Jude in 2005, so this could be his time.

Sleeper

Steve Lowery: He is not known as Mr. Consistency, but Lowery finished T6 at the Memorial, and he's finished in the top 20 in his last three starts at Southwind.

Players to Avoid

Vijay Singh: He pulled out of the Memorial with a rib injury, so it's unclear how healthy he is.

Fredrik Jacobson: He's recorded three top-six finishes at the St. Jude, but he's also missed four of his last five cuts this season.

Kenny Perry: He won the Memorial and plans to focus on events where he's done well because he wants to make the Ryder Cup team. It seems odd, then, that he is playing this week. He's only played this event four times since 1998, and he's missed the cut each time.

Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial

Ben Hogan's old playground welcomes five of the top 10 players this week, including No. 2 Phil Mickelson. But don't be lured by all the sexy names. There are several players with low profiles who have done well at Colonial.

Colonial Picks
Phil Mickelson: The 2000 champion at Colonial hasn't been out of the top 25 since missing the cut in February at Pebble Beach. He's clearly the best player in the field, and he'll play like it this week.

Kenny Perry: Perry is a streaky player, and despite some bad breaks last week, he's definitely on a streak of good play right now. Since 2002, Perry has two wins and a second at Colonial.

Anthony Kim: Kim tasted victory at Wachovia, followed it up with two solid rounds at the Players, then crashed on the weekend to finish T42. After a week of rest, look for him to be in the mix this weekend.

David Toms: Winless since the 2006 Sony Open, Toms's game seems to be coming back. He's had several good, but not great, tournaments this year. He has a good track record at Colonial, notching four top 10s in the past eight starts.

Justin Leonard: Leonard has never missed the cut in 14 trips to Colonial, and in 13 events this season he has seven top-25 finishes.

Sleeper
Nathan Green: How's this for a track record? In two starts at Colonial, Green has yet to finish outside the top five.

Players to Avoid
Rory Sabbatini: There's only one player who defended his title at Colonial: Ben Hogan.

Steve Stricker: The Comeback Player of the Year the past two seasons needs another comeback after missing cuts at the Masters, Wachovia and the Players.

Geoff Ogilvy: He missed the cut at the Players, and he's making his first appearance at Colonial since 2005. Ogilvy's best finish in five starts is 34th.