Last Week

The 75th anniversary of the Masters saw a finish that was certainly fitting for the occasion. Thanks to Rory McIlroy’s meltdown, several players were tied for the lead with several holes remaining. With four birdies on the final four holes, Charl Schwartzel separated himself to lay claim to his first Green Jacket.

I guess I picked the wrong time to get off the Schwartzel bus I had been driving the last few weeks. After recommending him in this space three times in his past five starts, I passed on the promising South African at Augusta. Tiger Woods finished T4 to further illustrate he can contend at the Masters regardless of his performance elsewhere. Justin Rose finished T11 thanks to a 4-under 68 on Sunday. Phil Mickelson, my Must Start, was everyone’s pick to win but was never much of a factor. Lefty dropped to T27 after going 2-over in the final round. Nick Watney opened with two rounds of par but went 4-over on the weekend to finish 46th. Hunter Mahan (surprising) and Anthony Kim (risky) both missed the cut.

This Week

With many of the best players in the game coming off a thrilling Masters and THE PLAYERS Championship now one month away, the field for this week is understandably a bit soft. Starting in 2010, The Valero Texas Open was moved to TPC San Antonio on the Greg Norman-designed AT&T Oaks Course.

Adam Scott

A year ago, Scott won at TPC San Antonio in his first start at the event. After missing two cuts, Scott has finished sixth in better in his last two events. The Australian owned a share of the lead at one point late in the final round of the Masters but finished tied for second. Scott currently ranks 10th in total driving and 15th in greens.

Martin Laird – Must Start

Prior to finishing T20 in the Masters, Laird had finished 10th or better in three straight starts, including a win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He ranks 12th in total driving, 14th in birdies, 15th in scoring, 18th in putting and seventh in All-Around Ranking. Laird is the only player in the field this week sitting in the top-10 of the FedExCup standings and should be in store for a Texas-sized feast.

Geoff Ogilvy

Coming off a T4 in the Masters, Ogilvy is another Australian that could make a bang in the Lone Star State. Since a cut finger delayed the start of his season, Ogilvy owned just one top-15 finish until firing three sub-70 rounds at Augusta. He ranks 23rd in birdies and 24th in both putting and scoring but appears to hitting his stride now.

Angel Cabrera

He’s never started in this event but Cabrera is another player coming off an impressive run at the Masters that warrants consideration. If you count the depleted Puerto Rico Open, Cabrera has finished seventh in two of his last three starts. Cabrera ranks sixth in driving distance, 12th in putting and 17th in birdies.

Fredrik Jacobson

In his last two starts in the Texas Open, Jacobson has shot 13-under each time out. After finishing T5 in 2009, he finished as the runner-up a year ago after the change in venue. Prior to missing the cut at the Shell Houston Open, Jacobson finished a season-best T9 at the Arnold Palmer and T14 in the Puerto Rico Open.

J.J. Henry

In 10 starts this season, Henry has yet to miss a cut. He only owns one top-10, but six top-20 finishes. Henry ranks 13th in greens, 19th in scoring and 21st in total driving. With such a light field, a steady player like Henry could rise to the top.

Have a fantasy golf question? Want my lineups for both Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf and Kerplookee? Follow me on Twitter @ericmcclung

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.

For my entire Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf lineup, follow me on Twitter @ericmcclung

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