Fantasy Picks for the John Deere Classic

A-Players
Kenny Perry: With his 50th birthday just around the corner, the 2008 John Deere winner has lost several pounds thanks to a new fitness and diet regimen. After a slow start to the season, Perry's starting to see results, with four top-25 finishes in his last six events.

Zach Johnson: A winner at Colonial, Johnson tied for second last year at the John Deere.

B-Players
K.J. Choi: If you're looking for some safe points this week, Choi is a solid bet. He's yet to miss a cut this season, and Choi has made nearly $1.5 million without winning a tournament.

Michael Sim: The John Deere has crowned 19 first-time winners, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see Sim pick up his first win this week. The 2009 Nationwide Player of the Year nearly won at Torrey Pines before he was sidelined with a shoulder injury. He seems to be doing fine now after a T21 at the Travelers.

Garrett Willis: Since the Zurich Classic in April, Willis has been alternating top-25 finishes and missed cuts: T21-CUT-T13-CUT-T4-CUT-T16. So he's due for a missed cut this week, but I think Willis will do well -- he has five career top-30 finishes at the John Deere.

Chad Campbell: Coming off a T5 in Hartford, Campbell has plenty of good memories at TPC Deere Run, with top-15 finishes in his last two appearances.

C-Players
Tim Clark: The Players Champion quietly tied for 12th at the U.S. Open, and Clark was the runner up at the John Deere in 2007.

Rickie Fowler: The flashy rookie missed the cut last week at Aronimink, but he also has five top 10s this year. With most of the big names taking the week off or playing in Scotland, this is another great opportunity for Fowler to get his first win.

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 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 Picks for the Transitions Championship

Tiger Woods might be Topic A for all golf fans this week, but he's not going to get you any fantasy points yet. Instead, you need to focus on the Transitions Championship this week at Innisbrook's Copperhead course. Retief Goosen won this event last year, as well as in 2003, and the Goose will be among the favorites to win it this season too.

The Pro Tip:Retief Goosen is the only player to shoot all four rounds under par in this tournament's history, and that was when he won last year. Consistency is key to winning here so avoid streaky players.

A-Group

Steve Stricker
The second-ranked player in the world has done what Phil Mickelson couldn't--take advantage of Tiger's absence. This season Stricks has three top-10 finishes including a win at Riviera and a third-place finish at the Sony Open. He is No. 1 in all-around ranking on Tour this season and his T-4 at Innisbrook last year means he is a solid pick this week.

A-Group Bench Player

Zach Johnson
Four top-25s in five starts this season, the 2007 Masters champion is gearing up for April, and he is once again my group A bench selection. He is first in birdie average and fourth in ball striking, which makes Zach Johnson a solid safety net.

B-Group

Retief Goosen
The defending champion is looking to become the first three-time champion at this tournament, as well as the first back-to-back champion. Last season he had all four rounds under par. He has three top 10s in five starts this season, and he ranks first in final-round scoring average as well as fifth in total putting. His final round at the Sony Open (62) is tied for the lowest round on Tour this season.

Padraig Harrington
He carded a T3 at Doral and is stopping by the White House on Wednesday for St. Patrick's Day. Paddy is first in scrambling from theroughand fifth out of the sand.

B-Group Bench Players

Geoff Ogilvy
He won the SBS Championship and is ranked first in top 10s and total eagles. He is eighth in birdie average and 14th in total putting.

Sean O'Hair
He won this event in 2008, the youngest winner ever, in a very windy tournament that tested his full array of shot-making skills. He is in the top 15 in six of the 15 standard stat categories (GIR, putting average, birdie average, FedEx cup points, money leaders and par breakers).

C-Group

Rickie Fowler
Fowler has two top 10s in his first season on Tour, with a second-place finish at the Phoenix Open. Be cautious about using him to start here and have a solid backup ready, because he has made only three of seven cuts this season.

Bench Player

Ian Poulter
On the PGA Tour this season, he has two top 10s in three starts, without a missed cut, making him a nice safety net to Fowler while not necessarily having to use up a valuable start. He is fifth in putts per round and ninth in putting average. He is also tied with Goosen for the top final-round scoring average on tour.

*All picks forYahoo Fantasy Golf format. Confused? Check out theGolf.com Guide to Fantasy Golf.

Fantasy Picks for the WGC-CA Championship at Doral

The next stop of the Florida Swing is Doral's Blue Monster. Phil Mickelson is the defending champion here, and the field includes Camilo Villegas, who has had three solid tournaments in a row.

The Pro Tip: This course is tough, so avoid a sleeper pick who has struggled this season. Also, keep in mind that the 2010 season is well under way, and the cream of the crop is starting to separate--and eat up their maximum 10 starts. Now is the time to make a decision. Should you ride the wave of a player like Villegas now or save his starts for down the road? For someone as white-hot as Villegas, you probably want to keep playing him, but remember that every time you do is a start you won't have during your stretch run. 

A-Group

Phil Mickelson
The defending champ needs this win. So far this season during the West Coast swing he underperformed. His only top-10 this season was Pebble Beach, but he is still Phil Mickelson and his bad rounds are still better than most of the field. If he wants to take advantage of Tiger's absence, he has to turn it around soon. Like this week.

A-Group Bench Player

Zach Johnson
Four top-25s in four starts this season, a Master's champion gearing up for April is never a bad selection. But his fourth in birdie average, fifth in total driving, fifth in GIR, and 12th in scoring average makes Zach a solid backup if Phil underwhelms again

B-Group

Camilo Villegas
Playing well and coming off three solid tournaments, including a win last week's Honda Classic. Check these stats out: first in scoring average, first in birdie average, first in all-around ranking, top of the money list this season, and second in driving and putting. This could be the breakthrough we've been waiting for. Plus, he was T-5 here last year.

Nick Watney
He has two top 25s and two top 10s in six starts on the season. And don't forget the run he gave Mickelson here last year.  

B-Group Bench Players

Stewart Cink
He does well on tough courses. (Remember Turnberry?) Sure, the PGA Tour's Twitterer in Chief hasn't been great so far this season, but you can't go wrong with a major winner as an emergency bench option. He has two top 10s this season in four starts, including a T-5 at the Accenture Match Play.

Sean O'Hair
Started off strong this season at the SBS Championship with a T-4 finish, but his game has gone into the woods like his hooked approach on 18 at the SBS.While his play this season doesn't warrant a start this week, he is a good choice for a bench spot, because he can turn his season around at any point. O'Hair is eighth in eagles, but his stats are average at best after that, which is inconsistent with his skill set and maybe a sign that he is ready to get off the schneid.

C-Group 

Paul Casey
Part of the English Triumvirate (along with Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter) that is making its mark on the PGA Tour this season, he has three top 10s in his last three starts and is playing some of his best golf. He is first in eagles and sixth in GIR. And he poked a 410-yard drive this season.  

Bench Player

Ryan Palmer
He won the Sony Open and finished T-14 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Palmer is seventh in birdie average and, while he isn't the longest driver on Tour, he does have a solid all-around game and is a good C-list option for your bench player.

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

Fantasy Golf Picks for the BMW Championship

With the exception of a few picks, my fantasy lineup didn't change much from last week. It's always hard to predict how a golfer will play in any given week, but I am mostly sticking with the players who have been solid in the playoffs. If $10 million doesn't inspire you to play well ...

A-Players
Padraig Harrington: If he can stay away from the big numbers, Harrington just might win his first event since the 2008 PGA.

Tiger Woods: Woods has won almost as many titles in Chicago as his buddy Michael Jordan. A win this week would give Woods five titles at Cog Hill, while Jordan won six title with the Bulls.

B-Players
Steve Stricker: After a T2 at The Barclays and a win last week, Stricker climbed to No. 1 in FedEx Cup points. In the last two BMW Championships, Stricker finished in the top 10 both times.

Zach Johnson: Since winning his second title of the year in May, Johnson has finished out of the top 20 only four times.

Sean O'Hair: He's coming off a T8 at the Deutsche Bank, and O'Hair is starting to play like he did earlier this season when he finished out of the top 25 once in ten events.

Angel Cabrera: Cabrera has finished in the top five twice in his last four events, and he needs a good week to remain in the top 30.

C-Players
Retief Goosen: The Goose has found his game again after dropping out of the top 10 in the world rankings. In 18 events this season, Goosen has five top 10s, and he is coming off a T8 in Boston.

Scott Verplank: With two top 10s in the playoffs, Verplank has moved to fifth in the FedEx Cup standings.

Fantasy Golf Picks for the Deutsche Bank Championship

After a week on an unfamiliar golf course with an unfamiliar winner, the FedEx Cup playoffs move to more familiar territory at TPC Boston, where Vijay Singh defends his title at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

The top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings move on to next week's BMW Championship outside Chicago.

A-Players
Tiger Woods: He hasn't won a tournament in almost a month, so is that considered a dry spell for Woods? With two wins and two runner-up finishes since missing the cut at the British Open, Woods just needs to get the putter working to return to the winner's circle.

Padraig Harrington: So much for that slump. While he hasn't won this year, Harrington's game has returned lately with three straight top-10 finishes.

B-Players
Steve Stricker: He's starting to become a regular contender in the playoffs, and Stricker continued his good play last week, finishing T2 at The Barclays.

Zach Johnson: He's finished out of the top 30 only once in his last six events, and Johnson was right in the mix at The Barclays until a final-round 75.

Hunter Mahan: While he hasn't won this year, Mahan has been one of the most consistent players on Tour, with 14 top-25 finishes in 21 events.

Nick Watney: After a mid-year slump, Watney rebounded nicely at The Barclays, finishing T6 and moving into the top 10 in FedEx Cup points.

C-Players
Ian Poulter: I pointed out last week that Poulter has been solid in almost every big event this year, and he didn't disappoint at The Barclays with a T9.

Heath Slocum: Ok, so we're probably a week too late with this pick, but at least he has a lot to play for after his stunning win at Liberty National. Slocum jumped from No. 124 in FedEx Cup points to No. 3, and now he has a shot to win the points race.

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 John Deere Classic

Each week, we'll identify eight players we like -- two A-players, four B-players and two C-players. (Note: This follows the format of many other popular fantasy games.) If you haven't already, sign up for fantasy golf to compete for great prizes.

The pool of "A" players is pretty sparse this week, with Kenny Perry being the obvious choice. The tough decisions lie in the pool of "B" players, especially if you're like me and have maybe used one player too many times. Despite his good play recently, I'm benching David Toms this week, because I can only use him four more times.

Fortunately, there are still plenty of good choices.

A-Players
Kenny Perry: The defending champion has never finished out of the top 25 in eight appearances.

Ryan Moore: After missing three of four cuts, Moore has finished no worse than T11 in his last three starts.

B-Players
Bryce Molder: After a horrible start to the season, Molder has found his game, finishing in the top 25 in his last four events, including fourth at the AT&T National and a T2 at the St. Jude Classic.

Lucas Glover: The U.S. Open champion is not slowing down, and it appears to be working for him. Since his win at Bethpage Black, Glover has finished T11 at the Travelers and T5 at the AT&T National.

Steve Stricker: While he may be out of chances to win the Comeback Player of the Year for a third time, Stricker is continuing his great play this season. He's notched 11 top-25 finishes in 14 starts, including a win and five other top 10s.

Zach Johnson: With two wins and nine top-25 finishes this season, Johnson is becoming a favorite each time he tees it up.

C-Players
Scott Verplank: He's coming off a T9 at the Travelers, and Verplank has six top-25 finishes in 15 events.

Charles Howell III: It's been a rough few months for Howell, missing five of his last six cuts, but he's finished in the top 25 in three starts at the John Deere.

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.