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.

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.

WGC-CA Championship

Nineteen of the top 20 players stop at Doral this week for another limited-field, WGC event. With such a strong group of players, it makes this week’s picks a little tougher, but one thing remains clear as Tiger Woods goes for his sixth straight PGA Tour win: he’s always a good bet.

Picks for Doral

Lee Westwood: Justin Rose’s claim to the throne in Europe may be short. In four events on the European Tour, Westwood has finished T-2, T-2, 5th and T-10. He finished T-17 last week after opening with rounds of 66-68.

Retief Goosen: We’ve been warning against the Goose, but he quietly shot 68-68 on the weekend for a T-14. With two top 10s in his last four starts at Doral, this could be the week Goosen finds his game.

Tiger Woods: Five appearances, five top 10s, three straight wins at Doral. If you haven’t picked him yet, now’s a good time. In his three wins at Doral, Woods was a combined 54 under par.

Zach Johnson: Johnson has not missed a cut this year, but his best finish is a T-20 at the Mercedes. We’re betting this is his breakout week since he hasn’t finished worse than T-15 in his last three appearances at Doral.

Vijay Singh: In three of his last four tournaments, Singh hasn’t finished worse than T-5. His five career top 10s at Doral make us think it could be Singh’s week. He just needs some putts to fall.

Sleeper

Hunter Mahan: Since missing two straight cuts on the West Coast, Mahan’s had four good tournaments in a row that culminated with rounds of 65-69 last weekend. He’s playing Doral for the first time since 2005.

Players to Avoid

K.J. Choi: Choi played last week in South Korea, so he could be worn out from the trip. He’s been one of the best players not named Tiger in the past few months, but this might not be a good week to pick him.

Phil Mickelson: Mickelson’s still trying to find a putter he likes, and with the exception of that amazing duel with Tiger in 2005, he hasn’t been solid at Doral.

Stuart Appleby: After five straight top 10s to open the season, Appleby missed the cut last week. His record at Doral is terrible, having never finished better than T-30.

Arnold Palmer Invitational

What a great two-week stretch for the PGA Tour. This week, it's the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where Tiger Woods will be in action and Vijay Singh will be trying to defend his title. Then it's on to the WGC-CA Championship at Doral, where Woods is the defending champ. 

Even with Ernie Els taking the week off, 30 of the top 50 players in the world will tee off at Bay Hill on Thursday. With this field, fantasy players may not be the only ones watching.

Bay Hill Picks

Tiger Woods: Despite his recent struggles at Bay Hill, we still like Woods to have a good week. He's a four-time winner there, and he's only missed the cut once. Woods just passed Arnie on the career wins list. Think he won't give Palmer a little needling?

Vijay Singh: Don't know if he'll win, but the guy hardly misses a cut, he's the defending champion and he hasn't finished worse than seventh at this event in three years.

Stuart Appleby: We should probably get off the Appleby train since he doesn't have a great record at Bay Hill, but he hasn't let us down yet: Five tournaments, five top 10s. It's hard to pick against him.

Luke Donald: Only Tiger Woods has a better scoring average than the Donald this season. Ok, so Luke's only played three events, but he has two top-three finishes and a T17 at the WGC Match Play. Last year was his first trip to Bay Hill since 2003, and he finished eighth.

Ryuji Imada: He missed the cut last year in his first appearance, but Imada is having a great year so far. He finished second at Torrey Pines; withdrew from the FBR Open; then chalked up two straight top fives at the Northern Trust and the PODS Championship.

(Note: Imada was disqualified Wednesday after John Daly missed his pro-am tee time.)

John Senden: Senden quietly shot a 67 on Sunday at the PODS and finished in a six-way tie for second. In three appearances at Bay Hill, he has missed two cuts, but we're willing to overlook his past performances based on last week's showing.

Sleeper

Nathan Green: Green's record at Bay Hill isn't stellar, but he carded a third-place finish at the Honda Classic two weeks ago, and he ranks third in putts per round behind Padraig Harrington and Luke Donald.

Players to Avoid

Phil Mickelson: Phil's like a good rollercoaster - he'll take you up to breathtaking highs, then drop you in a second. He finished second at the FBR after losing a playoff to J.B. Holmes, then he missed the cut at Pebble Beach, and he won at Riviera. He has played well at Bay Hill over the years, although he dropped it from his schedule in 2003. Too many question marks for Phil this week. Save him for the Shell Houston Open.

Sergio Garcia: He has an impressive record at Bay Hill - five top 10s in eight appearances - but his putting has been so bad that he carried two putters at the WGC Match Play. Yikes.