Fantasy Golf Picks

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With all the New Year’s festivities‎ and several other sports in high gear, it could be easy to forget that the 2011 PGA Tour season is only days away! Thankfully, like waking up with a New Year’s hangover, we get to start things off nice and slow. The Hyundai Tournament of Champions, as the name implies, features a field that is limited to golfers that won a tournament during the previous season. Since there are only 34 players to choice from, fantasy owners, particularly in allocation formats, will need to aim high while keeping in mind the long season ahead.

The Plantation Course, named for nearby the pineapple plantation, at Kapalua Resort in Lahaina, Hawaii is the only par 73 on tour, despite the birdie fest that typically ensues. The course features amazing paranoiac views of the surrounding mountains and ocean. Depending on the direction of the trade winds, golfers can blast it off the tee or have it come up far shorter than expected.

[Note: My picks are sorted by the player's rank in the Official World Golf Ranking.]

Ernie Els

In addition to recording the most regular season FedExCup points, Els ended 2010 sixth in Scoring Average. Although he ran into a few bumps in the middle of the season, Els ended the year with a Sunday best 5-under 65 in THE TOUR Championship. The offseason has been pretty good, too. Els won the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, in addition to finishing no worse than a share of sixth-place in the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic Malaysia and the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. Els’ last trip to his event, in 2009, resulted in a T6 with no rounds over par.

Zach Johnson

Last year was an uneven one for Johnson, but he did start to turn things around late in the season. Over his last five events, Johnson had three finishes of 15th or better, highlighted by a T3 in the PGA Championship and T9 in the THE TOUR Championship. Despite finishing 18th at Kapalua a year ago, Johnson looks closer to the player who finished T6 in 2009.

Geoff Ogilvy

You don’t need a fantasy golf expert to tell you to start Ogilvy this week, regardless of the format. He’s won this tournament in two straight years with a combined score of 46 under par, averaging 26.5 birdies in his pair of victories. Last year, Ogilvy finished 11th in Birdie Average and should eat this course up once again.

Bubba Watson

Among the golfers playing in this event for the first time, Graeme McDowell should get a lot of love. However, Watson’s big stick should also carry some weight. In 22 events last year, Watson missed six cuts despite finishing second in Driving Distance, third in Eagles and eighth in Birdie Average. He’s a boom-or-bust player, but always a threat to shoot some very low rounds.

Stuart Appleby

The 2010 PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year gets his ticket to Hawaii thanks to winning the inaugural Greenbrier Classic, aided by a historic 59 in the final round. In 31 events, Appleby missed 12 cuts and is not without plenty of risk. Still, some may not remember he won this event three consecutive times, from 2004-06. In a tournament with such a small field, many will overlook Appleby. Take a flier if you are looking for an early value.

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