Fantasy Golf Picks for The Barclays

The FedEx Cup playoffs are finally here, and the fun starts with views of the NYC skyline as Liberty National Golf Club hosts the world's best players at The Barclays.

Picks are going to be tough this week, since it's the first time many of the players have seen Liberty National. But there are a few players who know the course quite well.

A-Players
Phil Mickelson: There will be a little extra incentive for Mickelson to play well this week. He's sponsored by Barclays, and Mickelson is a member at Liberty National.

Camilo Villegas: He could have possibly won the FedEx Cup last year had he not missed the cut at The Barclays. It's been a few months since he's recorded a top 10, but Villegas has been playing good, consistent golf.

B-Players
Lucas Glover: Driving will be crucial this week, and Glover has said he's been driving it great all year. His record shows it. After winning the U.S. Open, Glover has finished in the top 25 five times.

Zach Johnson: With two wins and seven top 10s, Johnson has a great chance to win the FedEx Cup.

Hunter Mahan: He's yet to win this year, but Mahan has four top 10s in his last six events.

Nick Watney: After a strong start to the year, Watney has struggled a bit in the second half of the season. He's probably not consistent enough to win the Cup, but he's a good pick for one or two weeks.

C-Players
Ian Poulter: The flashy Brit has come up big in the big events this year. Poulter finished in the top 20 in all three WGC events, the Players, the Masters, U.S. Open and PGA.

Retief Goosen: The steady Goose has missed only one cut this year, and he has recorded seven top-25 finishes.

Fantasy Golf Picks for the PGA Championship

It will be hard for anyone to leave Tiger Woods off their roster this week since Woods is going for his third win in as many weeks. But remember he's teased us all year. Woods won every event he played in before a major, and he has yet to win one. Will this week be different?

A-Players
Tiger Woods: He has to win this week, right? Woods has five wins this year, and he lost out to Rich Beem the last time the PGA was at Hazeltine.

Stewart Cink: So much for a post-British Open letdown. Cink finished T6 at the Bridgestone in his first start since winning at Turnberry.

B-Players
Steve Stricker: I always worry about Stricker being able to finish the job on Sundays, but he's been having a great year, with eight top 10s and two wins.

Lee Westwood: Westwood is another guy who is continuing to play well after the Open. He hasn't finished out of the top 10 in his last four events.

Angel Cabrera: His record has been shaky since winning the Masters, but Cabrera is coming off solid finishes at the Scottish Open, the British Open and a T4 at Firestone.

Boo Weekley: Boo has eight top-25 finishes this year, and in his two starts at the PGA he's finished T20 and T9.

C-Players
Retief Goosen: If it's not going to be Tiger this week, I like The Goose. Goosen won earlier this year after struggling with his game, and in his last five starts he has four top 10s. Oh, and he's won two U.S. Opens.

Luke Donald: The sweet-swinging Brit has five top 10s this year, and if not for a wrist injury earlier in the year, he might have had even more. He played a great final round at Turnberry to finish T5.

Fantasy Golf Picks for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

Chances are, with the exception of Tiger Woods, last week was a bad week for most people with a fantasy lineup. Names such as Thatcher, Chalmers and Senden were probably not at the top of anyone's roster. But this week brings the return of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and most of the top-50 players, including Phil Mickelson.

A-Players
Tiger Woods: Six wins in nine starts at Firestone, and Woods has never finished worse than T4.

Paul Casey: This is a big week for the world No. 3. Casey hasn't sniffed a top 10 since Colonial, and he's coming off a disappointing missed cut at the British Open. He has two top-10 finishes at Firestone in the last three years, so look for Casey to return to the first page of the leaderboard.

B-Players
Lee Westwood: He's coming off three straight top 10s, including a T3 at Turnberry, and Westwood tied for second last year at Firestone.

Davis Love III: He's finished out of the top 13 only once at Firestone.

Rory McIlroy: Making his debut at Firestone, McIlroy has missed only one cut this year.

Steve Stricker: With two wins in his last five starts, Stricker is one of the hottest players on Tour.

C-Players
Retief Goosen: He finished T4 last year at the Bridgestone, and Goosen is coming off four straight top 10s.

Luke Donald: In 15 events this season, Donald has 11 top-25 finishes, and he has never finished out of the top-25 at Firestone.

Fantasy Golf Picks for the Canadian Open

Good news for the pros competing this week at the Canadian Open: Tom Watson is not in the field.

The attention turns to Mike Weir, and the question he gets asked every year: Will he ever win his national open?

Lets hope so. With all due respect to Angel Cabrera, Lucas Glover and Stewart Cink, the golf world could use an uplifting story after seeing so many tough losses this year.

A-Players
Camilo Villegas: Coming off a T13 at the British Open, Villegas has eight top-25 finishes and two top 10s in four starts at the Canadian Open.

Mike Weir: His record shows he's ready to win his "fifth major:" three top-10 finishes since 2003, plus Weir finished T10 at the Memorial and the U.S. Open.

B-Players
Sean O'Hair: Hasn't played great since winning in Charlotte, but O'Hair has two top-3 finishes in the last three years at the Canadian Open.

Steve Marino: Learned a tough lesson on the links last week, but at least Marino put himself in contention. He gets a fresh start this week at an event where he's finished T3 and T15 in two starts.

Jason Day: Day's been knocking on the door for his first win, and he seems to be getting closer. In 13 events, he has five top-25 finishes, including a T2 in Puerto Rico.

Jeff Klauk: He's making his first start at the Canadian Open, but Klauk is coming off a T4 in Milwaukee.

C-Players
Retief Goosen: The Goose has a hot hand right now, with three straight top-10 finishes.

Luke Donald: He seems to be getting his form back after a wrist injury early in the season. Donald also finished T5 at the British.

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 Quail Hollow Championship

With the Tour in Charlotte this week for the Quail Hollow Championship and then the Players Championship next week, the A-list players are out of their post-Masters hibernation. With an abundance of big names, it's time to start making some tough decisions about which players to start this week.

A-Players
Phil Mickelson: One could argue Phil is playing better than Tiger right now, plus Phil also has an excellent track record in this event: three top 10s in five starts.

Tiger Woods: I almost sat the World No. 1 this week, but it's hard to pick against Tiger. Even though he didn't play well at the Masters, he still finished T6.

B-Players
Nick Watney: After a great start to the season, Watney missed his first cut of the year last week in New Orleans. I'm not ready to give up on him yet. He's never missed the cut at Quail Hollow, and I think with some extra time off last week he'll be ready to contend.

Rory Sabbatini: Some poor putting on the back nine cost Sabbatini a win last week. However it was his second straight top 10 and third consecutive top-20 finish.

Adam Scott: Not a sexy pick, since Scott has missed three straight cuts, but he's too good of a player to stay down for long. In four trips to Charlotte, Scott hasn't finished out of the top 25.

Sean O'Hair: Quail Hollow hasn't been kind to O'Hair, but he's been very consistent this year. In nine events he has finished out of the top 25 only once -- a missed cut at the Transitions.

C-Players
Robert Karlsson: The big-hitting Swede isn't a household name, but he's 11th in the World Golf Rankings and one of the best choices from the C-players.

Retief Goosen: Charles Howell III is a better choice this week, but I've used him a lot this season, so the Goose gets the second spot this week. Besides, Howell is coming off another tough loss, while Goosen is playing for the first time since the Masters.

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 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 WGC-CA Championship

Good news this week for fantasy players: there is no cut at the WGC-CA Championship! (Cue the party horns.) When setting your team, don't forget the type of players who do well at Doral: major champions ... especially those named Tiger Woods.

A-Players
Tiger Woods: Ok, so this isn't a shocker. Rusty or not, it's very hard to go against a guy who's won six of nine CA-Championships and three of the last four events held at Doral. Plus, this is the first time I've used Woods all year. Nine more to go!

K.J. Choi: Feel free to take Geoff Ogilvy -- he's a very good pick -- but I just have this feeling Choi is going to win another big event soon. He has three top-15 finishes this season, plus he has consecutive top-20 finishes at Doral.

B-Players
Zach Johnson: Already a winner this year, the former Masters champion has two straight T9s at Doral.

Aaron Baddeley: Badds hasn't done anything spectacular this season, but he has a T15 and T6 at Doral, and he's always a threat with his putter.

Adam Scott: He hasn't done much on the PGA Tour since a T2 at the Sony Open, but coming off a T9 last year at Doral, look for Scott to have a pretty good week.

Rory McIlroy: Ok, so the teenager doesn't know how to putt on bermuda greens. (Thanks for telling us that over and over again, Johnny Miller.) But for someone who can't putt on bermuda, he still finished T13 at the Honda.

C-Players
Retief Goosen: He tied for second last year, and with a third-place finish at Pebble, it looks like the Goose is close to getting his game back.

Ian Poulter: With his strong performances at the British Open and the Ryder Cup, Poulter seems to have taken his game up a level. I think he could be the next Geoff Ogilvy. (Hey, it's more realistic than calling him the next Tiger Woods.)

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.