Note:  Due to the Match Play Bracket Challenge my weekly picks were posted a little late.  Therefore I’m extending the deadline to submit picks for this week to Wednesday at 4:00 pm pt instead of start of the 1st round.

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, based on the point scale below:

Winner = 10 points

2nd Place = 5 points

3rd Place = 3 points

Top 10 = 1 point

Leaderboard

Please post your picks along with me and we will be keeping score all season long.  Winner will receive a prize to be determined.  Just post your picks below in the comments section.

Last Week:   Holy Wow!  What a finish.  When Phil’s putt dropped on 18 I thought it was all but a lock that he would win in the playoff.  Then Bradley made his putt.  Then Haas’ sunk his amazing putt on the 10th hole and it was over.  But what a great tournament.  That is why we watch golf.  Golf drama that good only happens a handful of times a year but reminds us why golf is our favorite sport.

And…..I pulled my head out of my ass.  I finally broke my point drought getting 5 points for Mickelson’s 2nd place finish and a point for Dustin Johnson’s 4th place finish (or so close to 3rd).  My total of 6 points was not a weekly win though as Shane also got 6 points for Phil and Sergio.  Congrats to Shane who sits in 1st place overall on the Fantasy Golf Picks LB.

This Week:  There’s nothing like it.  The WGC Match Play is one of a kind and the first few rounds are always must watch golf.  Due to the format change I’m slightly changing the pick criteria for the week.  Give me your bracket winners (4 total golfers).   

As much fun as Match Play is to watch, it’s one of the hardest tournaments to pick.  Anyone can get hot , #1 seeds can lose, and your guess is as good as mine.  Good luck.

Dustin Johnson (Bobby Jones)

Outside of maybe Phil, no one is playing better D.J.  If not for a few putting mishaps on Sunday he could have found himself in a four way playoff.  The Bobby Jones bracket might be the weakest of the four, with only one real dominant golfer (Luke Donald who struggled last week).  Infact Jim Furyk might pose the biggest challenge to Dustin in the first round, if he can get by JIMMAE that it could be smooth sailing.

Upset Alert:  Robert Rock over Adam Scott.

Bubba Watson (Ben Hogan)

Bubba is due for a win.  He has not finished worse then T18 in four starts this year and (suprise) leads the league in Driving Distance.   Mr. Watson lost in the consolation here last year so has the experience to make a deep run.  It won’t be easy, the Hogan bracket is tough.  Stricker, Kaymer and Mahan could all come out of the bracket.  But I go back to the dues.  Watson is due for a win in 2012.

Upset Alert:  Jonathan Byrd over Matt Kuchar.

Jason Day (Gary Player)

The Gary Player bracket is no joke.   Keegan Bradley and Sergio Garcia are on a roll.  Rory is the wild card but I see him going deep.  That said, all signs point to Jason Day.  Day finished T9 here last season in his only other appearance in the WGC Match Play.  He only has one start on tour, which was last week, so should be fresh.    His early opponents of R.C. Bello, Dyson/Senden and Woodland/Poulter do not put the scare in me.  Watch Jason cruise to the 4th round before having to face Rory McIlroy.

Upset Alert:   Gary Woodland over Charl Schwartzel

Tiger Woods (Sam Snead)

Does Lee Westwood put the Fear of Golf in you?  Me neither.  Robert Karlsson do anything for you?  Nah.  What about Gonzalo Fernadez-Castano?  Something tells me Tiger will have a break through this week.  A possible 2nd round match with Nick Watney would be tough but then we’re back at the whole Westwood/Karlsson scary debate.  Bottom line, Tiger is going to be motivated and even though possible matchups with Webb and Bill loom, it just feels like a Tiger story this week.

Upset Alert:   Paul Lawrie over Justin Rose.

Please post your picks along with me and we will be keeping score all season long.  Winner will receive a prize to be determined.  Just post your picks below in the comments section.

Don’t forget to sign up for the 2012 Rotoff Golf Match Play Bracket Challenge.  Deadline to send your bracket is Wednesday February 22nd at 7:00 am pst.  It’s FREE to join with a $20 Cash Grand Prize.  Good luck!

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, based on the point scale below:

Winner = 10 points

2nd Place = 5 points

3rd Place = 3 points

Top 10 = 1 point

Leaderboard

Please post your picks along with me and we will be keeping score all season long.  Winner will receive a prize to be determined.  Just post your picks below in the comments section.

Last Week:  Both Craig and Shane brought their A games last week, both picking the winner in Phil with a Top 10.  11 Points for each and a share of 1st place on the Leaderboard with 22 points a piece.  There was no weekly winner due to the tie but damn, you guys are killing it!  

I was looking golden heading into Sunday.  Steele missed the cut but both Tiger and Mahan were inside the Top 10.  And then Sunday happened.  We all know how Tiger faired in the final round, paired with Phil, shooting a 75 and looking pathetic in the process.  Mahan did not fair much better, shooting a 73 on the final day.  Both finished T15 and again no points for me. 

This Week:   The best field to date meets in LA LA land this week including world #1 Luke Donald, and four of the World Top 10.  Historic Riveria Country Club is the venue for one of the oldest tournaments on Tour, first played in 1926 as the Los Angeles Open.   And better yet, it’s all played on one course.  No more goofy multi-course tournaments the rest of the year!

I gotta say this week is extremley hard for picking fantasy golfers as the field is very deep with both golfers playing well in 2012 and those with great course history.  That said I’m going big time this week with my picks, not taking any chances in falling behind by more points in my Fantasy Golf Picks competition.  I’m not fucking around Yo.

Phil Mickelson

I normally don’t take Phil in his first tournament after a win but it’s hard to argue with his track record at Riviera.  The last few years here have not been great (T35 in 2011 and T45 2010) but from 2007 to 2009 he finished 2nd, 1st and 1st.  That he is coming off a win makes him the top pick this week, even by Vegas standards.  The ease in which Phil golfed this last Sunday, including the clutch putting, will continue this week. 

Luke Donald

This would seem an odd spot to select Sir Luke, having only played a handful of tournaments since December.  Luke’s 2011 Summer Run was incredible.  In his last seven events in the states Donald had six Top 10s (T18 at the Barclays) and finished in the Bonus (1st - 3rd) four times.   Not only did it catapult him to World # 1, it got him his first Money List title.  He became the first player to officially win both the PGA and European Tour Money List titles in the same year.  So this marks the first PGA Tour start for Donald in 2012 and expect him to be atop the leaderboard all week.  In his last five starts here he has three Top 10s with a 2nd place in 2010 and 3rd place in 2008.  Money.

Dustin Johnson

It’s been a slow start for D.J. (due to a back injury no doubt) thus far but he’s showing signs of life.   Dustin shot an opening round 63 last week and coasted to his first Top 10 of the year.  With two Top 10s at the Northern Trust in the last three seasons don’t be suprised if he makes it three out of four.  Hell, don’t be suprised if he wins the whole damn thing.

Please post your picks along with me and we will be keeping score all season long.  Winner will receive a prize to be determined.  Just post your picks below in the comments section.

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, based on the point scale below:

Winner = 10 points

2nd Place = 5 points

3rd Place = 3 points

Top 10 = 1 point

Leaderboard

Please post your picks along with me and we will be keeping score all season long.  Winner will receive a prize to be determined.  Just post your picks below in the comments section.

Last Week:  It was a great tournament but my picks were subpar.  Villegas only had one rounds in the 60s and faltered on Sunday with a 76 to finish T73.  Sneds didn’t fare much better, finishing T50 and also with just round in the 60s.  Vijay started off with a 76 in round 1 and could not recover, before a WD.  Another week, another zero.

Congrats to Shane who picked the winner in Stanley and got a Top 10 for Simpson, for a total of 11 points.  Shane is now tied for 1st place on the Leaderboard. 

Speaking of Stanley, what a rebound!  Trailing by eight shots heading into the final round, he redeemed his choke last week and gets his first career PGA Tour win.  It made for great viewing too, as everyone seemed to want to give the tournament away on the back nine on Sunday until Stanley stepped up. 

This Week:  He’s baaaaaack.  The return of Tiger highlights a great field this week in Cali.  This is another multi-course tournament where you’ll want to pay attention to what courses your golfers are playing and adjust your lineup accordingly.  See here for 2011 rankings.  The Shore Course (Monterey Peninsula) plays the easiest, averaging 2-3 strokes better then Spyglass and Pebble Beach. 

2012 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Pairings

Hunter Mahan

Already with a Top 10 in his first event of the season at Torrey Pines, Mahan finished 2nd at  Pebble Beach last year.   

Tiger Woods

I’m a little uneasy on this pick but just going on course history, Tiger should be a lock for a Top 10.  He has not played in this event since 2002 where he finished T12, but you may remember him dominating the host course here in the 2000 U.S. by a record fifteen shots.  Tiger’s recent 3rd place finish on the European Tour was a good sign against a stellar field.  This week we’ll see if Tiger can get back on the winning track.

Brendan Steele

Coming off his first Top 10 of the year at last week’s Waste Management, expect Steele to keep the momentum going.  He shot his last three rounds in the 60s and should be gaining some consistency after missing his first cut at the Farmers.  Brendan missed the cut here last year in his first time playing the event but will got with him when he’s starting to heat up.

Please post your picks along with me and we will be keeping score all season long.  Winner will receive a prize to be determined.  Just post your picks below in the comments section.

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, based on the point scale below:

Winner = 10 points

2nd Place = 5 points

3rd Place = 3 points

Top 10 = 1 point

Leaderboard

Please post your picks along with me and we will be keeping score all season long.  Winner will receive a prize to be determined.  Just post your picks below in the comments section.

(Busy busy week for me, so this is the short and sweet edition)

Last Week:  Congrats are in order for our first weekly winner of the year.  Craig G. not only picked the winner in Brandt Snedeker for 10 points but added a Top 10 for D.A. Points for a total of 11 points.  Not bad for the first week.  Nice pick’n Craig!  You’re gonna make me have to step up my game.

All in all not a bad week for me.  I got 1 point for Hunter Mahan’s T8 and a near miss with Bubba Watson (finished T13).  So even though Ben Crane missed the cut I will give myself a small pat on the back for getting points last week.  That’s 4 total points on the year and I will take 2nd place thus far.

This Week:  One of my favorite tournaments of the season is here!  The Waste(d) Management Phoenix open, the rowdy rauckus crowd in Phoenix is always entertaining to watch, and that this tournament (usually) falls on SuperBowl weekend is a bonus  (Still stings a bit that my 9ers aren’t playing, a 49ers/Patriots matchup would have been EPIC).  

Mark Wilson, already a winner this year, defends in Arizona this week.  And though not a stellar field, there’s still some names in attendance.  Expect a lot of birdies, the average winning score the last three years is -16.  And don’t forget to brush up on the Waste(d) Management Phoenix Open drinking game rules.

Brandt Snedeker

There is no better play this week than Sneds, coming off a win, he could very easily repeat the feat at TPC Scottsdale.  Brandt has two Top 10s here since 2007 including a T8 in 2011.  Lost in Kyle Stanley’s epic meltdown last week (what?, you thought  I would not mention it) was how money Snedeker was in the final round, with 6 birdies and only 1 bogey.  He usually saves his best for last, but if Brandt can stay hot in the early going we could be looking at an early golfer of the year candidate.  I will (all but) guarantee at least a Top 10 this week.

Camilo Villegas

Another pick I’m feeling good about this week, Camilo Villegas may soon return to his 2008 form that saw him suprise the golf world.  Spiderman struggled early in 2011 before finishing with three Top 10s in his last four starts.  2012 is looking good so far too, with two straight Top 25 finishes.  Not counting his withdrawal last year at TPC Sawgrass, he has a Top 10 and one missed cut in three years.  With that course history and his recent good play, another lock for a Top 10.

Vijay Singh

Vij is far removed from his world #1 ranking, definitley on the down slope of his career, but he still has a win or two left in him and some extra motivation.  Still trying to qualify for the WGC-Match Play, Singh can punch his ticket with a Top 10 this week.  After a brutal 2010, Vij bounced back with bonus points in three events last year (one of them a 3rd place finish in Phoenix) and finished just outside the Top 10 last week.  If he can get the putter going again as in the olden days of Singh, he could be a “sleeper” pick for the Masters.  But I won’t get ahead of myself.  Look for him to contend all week.

Please post your picks along with me and we will be keeping score all season long.  Winner will receive a prize to be determined.  Just post your picks below in the comments section.