It has been a great PGA Tour season, if not somewhat unpredictable.  I hope everyone enjoyed my analysis this year.  I will be stepping it up even more for next season’s weekly blog including a Survival Golf game for our loyal readers.  I will be taking a small blog vacation as we at Shlink Lincoln Sports begin work on the 2010 Rotoff Golf Draft Kit (which BTW is going to be amazing).  Check back here at the end of November for more details and in between now and then I will be posting occasional Rotoff Golf 101 articles.

Enjoy the off season.  The 2010 PGA Tour season starts in just a few short months! 

Fantasy Golf Picks

I’m giving myself points for picking winners.  Hopefully my picks can help you win your fantasy golf league this season.  My goal is to get to 111 points for the season, or the equivlant of picking a Top 3 finisher or better each week.

Winner = 10 points

2nd Place = 5 points

3rd Place = 3 points

Top 10 = 1 point

2009 Fantasy Golf Picks Final Total:  109 Points

2009 Fantasy Golf Picks Weekly Average:  2.95 Points

Last week: 

I was a week early in my prediction that Phil would turn it around.  It was a great finish to a hectic season for Mickelson who shot three staight rounds in the 60s (with a 65 on Sunday) to wrap up his 2009 PGA Tour campaign. 

I finish just shy of my 111 point goal, with 109.  Tiger gave me 5 points for his 2nd place finish and I got another point for Jerry Kelly’s T10.  Here is my complete pick points breakdown:

2009 Mercedes-Benz Championship - Anthony Kim T2 (5 points)

2009 Sony Open - Zach Johnson Win, Charles Howell III 4th (11 points)

2009 Bob Hope Classic - (0 points)

2009 FBR Open - (0 points)

2009 Buick Invitational - (0 points)

2009 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am - (0 points)

2009 Northern Trust - (0 points)

2009 WGC-Accenture Match Play - (0 points)

2009 Honda Classic - (0 points)

2009 WGC-CA Championship - Jim Furyk T3, Tiger Woods T9 (4 points)

2009 Transitions Championship - (0 points)

2009 Arnold Palmer Invitational - Tiger Woods Win (10 points)

2009 Shell Houston Open - Geoff Ogilvy T6 (1 point)

2009 Masters - Phil Mickelson 5th, Tiger Woods T6 (2 points)

2009 Verizon Heritage - (0 points)

2009 Zurich Classic - Rory Sabbatini T2 (5 points)

2009 Quall Hollow Championship - Tiger Woods 4th (1 point)

2009 Players Championship - (0 points)

2009 Valero Texas Open - (0 points)

2009 HP Byron Nelson Championship - (0 points)

2009 Crowne Plaza Invitational - Tim Clark T2 (5 points)

2009 Memorial Tournament - Jim Furyk 2nd (5 points)

2009 St. Jude Classic - (0 points)

2009 U.S. Open - Tiger Woods T6 (1 point)

2009 Travelers Championshp - Hunter Mahan T4 (1 point)

2009 AT&T National - Tiger Woods Win (10 points)

2009 John Deere Classic - Brandt Snedeker T2 (5 points)

2009 Open Championship - Lee Westwood 3rd, Ernie Els T8 (4 points)

2009 Canadian Open - Jerry Kelly T5 (1 point)

2009 Buick Open - Tiger Woods Win (10 points)

2009 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational - Tiger Woods Win, Lee Westwood 9th (11 points)

2009 PGA Championship - (0 points)

2009 Wyndam Championship - (0 points)

2009 Barclays - Tiger Woods T2 (5 points)

2009 Deutsche Bank Championship - Jim Furyk T8 (1 point)

2009 BMW Championship - Jim Furyk T2 (5 points)

2009 Tour Championship - Tiger Woods 2nd, Jerry Kelly T10 (6 points)

AimPoint PGA Tour Picks

Fantasy Golf Picks

I’m giving myself points for picking winners.  Hopefully my picks can help you win your fantasy golf league this season.  My goal is to get to 111 points for the season, or the equivlant of picking a Top 3 finisher or better each week.

Winner = 10 points

2nd Place = 5 points

3rd Place = 3 points

Top 10 = 1 point

2009 Fantasy Golf Picks Total:  103 Points

2009 Fantasy Golf Picks Weekly Average:  2.86 Points

Last week: 

(Well actually two weeks ago) I got 5 more points to my total on Furyk’s 2nd place finish.  Both Mick and Strick played terrible for most of the tournament and especially on Sunday, with a 76 and 77 respectively.  Now sitting at 103 points for the season I basically need to pick the winner this week to reach my season long goal of 111 (a 2nd and 3rd will also do).  I’m feeling confident. 

This week: 

<YAWN>The playoffs heat up this week as five golfers have a shot to win the FedEx cup.  Tiger, Stricker, Furyk, ZJ and Slocum all could be crowned Fed Ex Cup champion with Top 3 finishes, depending how the field fairs.  And while it will be enteraining to see these five dual it out at East Lake, it’s hard to think that the PGA has their playoffs right.  A true playoff would give the winner of the Tour Championship the FedEx Cup.  As it stands now there are twenty five other golfers that could win this Sunday and not be the playoff champion.  Let’s just call the FedEx Cup what it really is, a reason for Tiger to play in September. 

How would I change the format if I were commish?  Make it more urgent, more sudden death.  One Hundred Twenty Five man field, and four weeks of golf craziness.  You miss the cut, you go home.  All cuts would come after four rounds.  125 down to 100, 100 down to 75, 75 down to 30 and the winner of the Tour Championship is the FedEx Cup champion.  That would be must see golf T.V and would be no different then any other major sports league.  Baseball, Basketball, Football and Hockey, the regular season means nothing once the playoffs start.  You can go 82-0 in the NBA regular season and if you lose in the first round of the playoffs you go home.  Why should a golf playoff be any different?</YAWN> 

Michael Arkush also has some great suggestions for spicing up the FedEx Cup.

1.  Tiger Woods

As much as it pains me to say it, this might just be another laugher like we had at the BMW.  Tiger has one win (2007) and five Top 10s in six starts at East Lake, including three 2nd place finishes.  Don’t think he’s come this far just to putt away the FedEx Cup.  Winning the Cup won’t erase his major drought but it will make him $10 million richer.  And no one needs the money more then Tiger.  Seriously though, Tiger will win just so no one else can.   

2.  Retief Goosen

Goosen, #15 in FedEx Cup points, can’t win the whole thing but don’t expect that to put a damper on his play.  Goose, like Tiger, has a great track record as East Lake, try one win (2004) and four Top 10s in four starts.  Already with one Top 10 in these playoffs (Duetsche Bank) expect the Top 10 trend to continue for Retief on a couse that he knows well. 

3.  Jerry Kelly

2009 will go down as one of the best PGA Tour seasons for Jerry Kelly.  A win, four Top 10s and only one missed cut since the end of May, Kelly also has good history here.  Albeit only two career starts here, he has finshed 3rd and 4th.  He was just outside the Top 10 in Boston before a T49 finish two weeks ago.  This is definately a sleeper pick as there are others with more on the line this week, but that just might work in Mr. Kelly’s favor.