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:

All in all not a bad week.  I got 3 points for Simpson’s 3rd place finish but neither Haas nor Vegas sniffed a Top 10.  That Vegas finished dead last luckily does not count against me.  But most important, the PGA Tour season is now in swing.  And what better way to bring in the new year than a Steve Stricker “hang-on” win.  Seems Stricky is always getting out to big leads, only to lose them, only to win in the end. 

This Week:

Mark Wilson defends in the first full field event of the new season.  We also get our first look at 2012 rookies and Q-school grads.  And weather permitting, should be lots of birdies in the forecast.  Being the second tournament of the season I would suggest to play it safe this week (in most Fantasy Golf formats).   

Steve Stricker

Speaking of Stricky, it’s Stricky to rock a rhyme to rock a rhyme that’s right on time, it’s Stricky.  Stricky, Stricky Stricky Stricky.  (Weird side thought, why aren’t their rap songs about golfers?  Or are there?)  This could be the year for Steve.  Already a win under his belt, he looks to be on his way to a stellar 2012 campaign.  Will he get that pesky major win out the way?  We’ll have to wait til April to get an idea but til then don’t miss Strick in your lineup.  Coming off a win this is a no brainer pick, as he has four Top 10’s in his last five starts at the Sony.  He should be all but a lock for another Top 10 and dare I say it, two wins to start the year?  That would be Stricky.

K.J. Choi

Quietly Choi goes on about his business.  With seven Top 10’s in 2011 to go with a win at the Players, Choi is already off to a great start in 2012.  Finishing T5 last week, K.J. is another solid pick, having won here in 2008 and three career Top 10s.  He did miss the cut last year but coming off a Top 10 I don’t foresee that happening this time around.  Choi is streaky (look at his run in spring of 2011) so pick him when he’s hot.

Steve Marino

You wouldn’t know Steve Marino if he wasn’t Dan Marino’s brother (which he’s not) so why mention him here?  How about three Top 10’s here in four starts with a T2 in 2011.  Marino got off to a good start last season before being chewed up by the summer majors and never recoving.  Still with two 2nd place finishes he secured his card for 2012 with ease, 39th on the Money List.   Won’t be picking Mr. Marino a lot during the season unless he gets hot, but this a great place to gain points on the field.

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.

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, based on the point scale below:

Winner = 10 points

2nd Place = 5 points

3rd Place = 3 points

Top 10 = 1 point

2010 Fantasy Golf Picks Total:  2 Points

2010 Fantasy Golf Picks Weekly Average:  2.00 Points

Think you can pick better?  Leave a comment with your 3 picks for the 2010 Sony Open.  If you Beat The Expert in any week you will win a FREE 2010 Rotoff Golf Draft Kit (a $9.99 value) with one possible Grand Prize winner at the end of the FedEx Cup season.  See here for official BTE rules including Grand Prize information.

Congrats to Joe Book who continues where he left off last year, by kicking this expert’s ass.  He picked the winner in Geoff Ogilvy and is off to a great start with 10 points out of the gate.  Nick pickin’ Joe, you win a FREE 2010 Rotoff Golf Draft Kit!

Beat the Expert Leaderboard

Last Week: 

I had a good week that could have been great.  O’Hair, down by 1 shot went for the win on the final hole and ended up with a double bogey on the par 5.  So instead of big points I settle for 1 point for his Top 10 finish.  I also got 1 point for Paul Casey’s Top 10 finish.  ZJ got off to a slow start and was never in contention.

It’s good to have the PGA Tour back.  The SBS Championship provided some good drama down the stretch with Sabbatini’s monster final round and Ogilvy once again starts the year with a win.  If he could just keep the momentum going through the summer we may see a new World #1 by years end.  That’s a big if though as Geoff tends to fall off by May.

This week: 

There are 140+ golfers in the field this week, the first full field event of 2010.  Let the fun begin.  Last year ZJ got a win here despite limited success in past starts at Waialae (T32 being his best finish before last season).  Other former winners here include K.J. Choi, David Toms, Vijay Singh, Jerry Kelly and one of my selections below:

1. Rory Sabbatini

If you are a regular reader of my picks you know one of my biggest predictors is how you played your last round.  In that case Sabbatini is a lock.  How about a -10 this past Sunday and a 2nd place finish to start 2010.  That wasn’t a typo.  -10!  When you add in that Sabbs has two 2nd place finishes in the Sony Open it’s almost a no brainer.  Currently #43 in the World rankings, Rory could make a big leap with another Top 10 finish this week.  But I’m not predicting Top 10, Top 3 of bust. 

 2. Ernie Els

Another of the former winners at Waialae, last season was a strange anomoly for Els in Honolulu, it was the first time he did not finish in the Top 10 (T39).  Actually it was the first time he hadn’t finished in the Top 5.  In five previous starts he had two Wins, a 2nd, a 3rd and a 5th.  That Els finished T17 less then a month ago on the European Tour, rust should not be a problem.  I expect good play from Ernie this weekend as past history dictates.  (That he’s on my Rotoff team doesn’t hurt either)

3. Luke Donald

Outside of a missed cut in 2003, Donald has finished no worse then T23 in this event in six starts including a T2 in 2007.  Luke hasn’t missed a cut going back to last June (U.S. Open) and did have a few Top 10s in Europe this last fall.  Last season saw him play the most events (21) on the PGA Tour for any season so he will see more success.  Probably a longshot to win, but a Top 10 should be in order for Donald this week.

AimPoint PGA Tour Picks

Fantasy Golf Preview

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 80 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 Preview Total:  5 Points

Last week: 

I’m off to a decent start getting 5 points for Kim’s T2 finish.  Villages looked good during most of the weekend after a dismal start.  Don’t ask what I was thinking picking Palmer.

 This week:

1. Zach Johnson

Zach has never finished better then 32nd at Waialae C.C. but did you see that 64 last week?  Zach is putting well which could mean big things this week for the 2007 Masters Champ.  Nothing more than a hunch, but two straight Top 10s to open the season is not out of the question.  Look for Zach to go low and be in contention on Sunday.

2. Charles Howell III

I’m going against the AimPoint Picks this week in selecting Howell III.  Charles has three Top 5 finishes here since 2002, including an almost win in 2007.  He seems to have a pattern over the last few years of a bad showing followed by a Top 5 finish.  Last year he finished T69.

3. Geoff Ogilvy

I know what you’re thinking, where was this pick last week?  Ogilvy is hot coming off the win last week but there’s other reasons to pick him this week.  Geoff finished T8 here in 2007 after missing four cuts from 2001-2005.  Two straight wins might be a stretch in such a deep field this week but a Top 10 is almost garaunteed.  Afterall is he is the top ranked golfer that’s playing this week.

What a great finish last Sunday on the Plantation course.  I’m going on record now and calling Daniel Chopra’s win at Augusta in April…………………..j/k.  Chopra’s win was impressive however.  It will be interesting to see if his game stays with him through the West Coast Swing.

And how about Steve Stricker?  He is transforming right before our very eyes into one of the best golfers in the world.  I know I was rooting for one of those putts to drop.  As disappointing as his playoff loss was, he doesn’t have too much to fret about.  If he keeps playing like he did in Maui he’ll be holding up a few trophies before seasons end.

The PGA Tour season is now in full swing with the first full field event this week.  Paul Goydos reluctantly defends his title, coming off a lack luster 30th place (out of 31) finish at Kapalua.  I will be shocked if Goydos is on page one of the leaderboard on Sunday.  But than again I have been known to be wrong once or twice.

Sony Open in Hawaii
Waialae Country Club – Honolulu, Hawaii

One of the best stories of 2007 was Tadd Fujikawa not only making the cut here last season but finishing 20th.  The local 17 year old (just turned) pro will be a fan favorite and hopefully the crowd can spur him on to playing into the weekend.  Since turning pro in July, Tadd has yet to make a cut in a professional event.  Here’s to hoping he breaks that streak.    

Aside from Tadd, I’m also looking forward to seeing how Bubba Watson will play this week.  He finished 4th here in 2006, while struggling a bit on the weekend to finish T48 last year.  Bubba is an upcoming star, and has one of the longest drives on Tour.  Will 2008 be the breakout year for Bubba? 

I predict Stricker and Furyk will play steady enough to win and don’t be suprised if Charles Howell and Jerry Kelly make some noise early.   But in the end I think we’ll have a first time winner come Sunday. 

Won’t Win:  Paul Goydos

Could Win:  Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Charles Howell III

Makes the Cut:  Tadd Fujikawa

Preview

Vijay Singh goes for a second straight victory this weekend on the island of Oahu. VJ looked like the VJ of old in winning for the first time at the Mercedes-Benz Championship, a tournament he has never finished outside of the top 10. There is a full field of golfers this week at the Sony Open and back to back wins will be difficult for VJ. But remember VJ won here in 05, so it’s not far fetched.

Last year David Toms won by 5 strokes over Rory Sabbabtini and Chad Campbell. Toms could very well win again this season. After a sluggish start last week, Toms finished on Sunday with the best round of the day at -6. Since 2000, Toms has played this event 3 times, finishing no worse then 13th in 05 (4th in 02). Sabbatini also had a strong final round last week and could very well finish strong in the Sony Open in 07.

The conditions should be better this weekend with little to no rain, though the wind will still be a factor. Waialae Country Club plays a lot shorter then the Plantation Course at Kapalua, so expect to see lower scores then last week. Only two par 5’s grace the course at Waialae, with one at 9 and the other on 18. I love courses that end with a par 5, it always adds to the drama as the final group ends their round on Sunday.

Keep an eye on new comer Anthony Kim. Kim only played in two events last season but finished 2nd and 16th. He now has his tour card and will play a lot this season. Kim has a long drive off the tee and is very accurate with his irons. Don’t be suprised if he makes a name for himself this year.

No doubt there will be a lot of attention on Michelle Wie in the early rounds as she attempts to make her first cut in a PGA Tour event. It would be cool to see, however I would like to see Michelle concentrate on winning on the LPGA before she tackles the PGA. But that said, I will be watching closely on Thursday to see how she does in the first round.