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

Last Week

Aaron Baddeley took a big step toward playing for the Presidents Cup in his homeland of Australia by defeating the deep field of the Northern Trust Open. He held off a resurgent Vijay Singh, who now has a pair of top-three finishes in his last three starts. Kevin Na finished third, bouncing back from missing three consecutive cuts.

It was a good week of picks for yours truly. At age 51, Fred Couples nearly put the finishing touches in a storybook ending, but slowed in the final two rounds and fell to T7. If not for back problems, Boom Boom’s 15 career wins would surely be higher and likely contain more than just one major.

Paul Casey and J.B. Holmes each had a round over par but finished T12. Defending champ Steve Stricker, my Must Start, was well off his game. Outside of a sizzling round of 65 in Round 3, Stricker was a combined four strokes over par for the tournament. With three rounds of par, Steve Marino coasted to a share of 35th. After a layover been starts, Luke Donald opened with a 68, but melted down the following round with an 8-over 79 to miss the cut.

This Week

With many of the world’s best playing in the Accenture Match Play Championship event, this week’s field figures to be one of the softest of the season. Be sure you fill out your bracket right away by clicking here. The winner gets a stylish Shlink Lincoln Sports baseball cap!

Aaron Baddeley

He’s never competed in this event, but Baddeley is coming off the aforemtioned victory at Riviera and a T6 at Pebble Beach. A year ago he finished second on Tour in putting average and 11th in both putts per round and eagles. In addition to an excellent short game, Baddeley has done a much better job of hitting greens so far this season. Everything appears to be falling into place for Baddeley to take full advantage of a field this is, well, pretty bad.

David Toms

In his lone Mayakoba start back in 2009, Toms finished with a share of sixth. While he’s struggled early this season, missing two of three cuts, Tom has been able to prey on light competition before. During the Fall Tour Series, Toms finished T11th and T3 in two events. When he’s on top of things, Toms accurate with the driver and good with the putter. That is good enough to compete this week.

Brian Gay – Must Start

With three starts south of the border, Gay owns a victory from 2008 and a T20 in 2009. In those eight combined rounds, he did not exceed par and posted an average score of 67.6. Gay currently ranks first on Tour in driving accuracy, second in birdies and fifth in putting. Prior to missing the cut at Pebble Beach, Gay had posted three top-20 finishes, including a T5. Gay needs to be in the starting lineup of any format.

Spencer Levin

After missing two cuts to start the Fall Tour Series, Levin finished things nicely with a pair of top-five finishes. That momentum has carried him into 2011 with three top 20s in six starts and only one missed cut. At Pebble, Levin finished T4, which he followed up with a T12 last week. A year ago, Levin finished T28 at Mayakoba without one round over par. Expect an even better performance this time around.

Richard S. Johnson

One of a handful of players that has competed in this event all four years it has been active, Johnson has yet to go over par in any of the 11 rounds he’s competed in. He missed the cut at one under during the inaugural event and withdrew after an opening round of par in 2009. Last year, Johnson finished T4 thanks to round of 65 on Sunday. The former pro skateboarder and reigning Nordea Scandinavian Masters winner could grind his way near the top of the leaderboard once again.

J.J. Henry

In 2009, Henry finished as the runner-up at Mayakoba with four sub-70 rounds. Last year, he finished T48 after a 3-over on Sunday cost him nearly 20 spots on the leaderboard. Henry comes in with a T15 at Pebble and a T9 at Riviera. However, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing as he posted a round of 74 if each of those events.

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