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:   We have a new #1, both in the world and in the Fantasy Picks competition.  I’m sure you’ve heard by now that Rory McIlroy is the new world #1, but you heard this here first, Graig takes back the #1 spot in the Fantasy Picks competion!   

Big props to Dave who got his first weekly win and moved up to 4th on the LB.  Dave not only picked the winner in Rory (10 points) but also got 5 points for Tiger’s 2nd place.  Lots of points scored last week as five people had Rory in their picks, including myself.  Though Furyk missed the cut and Allenby was inconsistent (T36), I’m happy to keep my 3rd place position in the standings.  I’m still within driving distance of the leaders.

(I saw a few post that they thought their points were wrong, I went through and added them up again and everyone seems right.  However if you still feel your points are wrong please contact me through the contact link at the bottom of the page.  Thanks)

This Week:  Damn, it’s good to be a golf fan these days.  A new #1, Tiger and Phil (the PGA Player of the Month) in top form and Augusta right around the corner.  Not to mention the countless young guns that contend each and every week.   This week should be another must see event.  How about a Westwood/Rory final pairing?  Or Tiger/Phil?  Or Tiger/Rory?  Maybe Phil/Westwood?  That said I probably just jinxed the final round, expect Robert Rock and K.T. Kim  to battle on Sunday.

Remember, no cut this week and a small but strong field. 

Tiger Woods

He’s (almost) baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack.  Tiger’s final round 62 last Sunday was nothing less than brilliant and could have been even better if not for a few short birdie misses.  So is Tiger back?  Not even close, but remember this, since 2005 on his next three courses (Doral, Bay Hill and Augusta) Tiger has 6 wins in 18 starts and never finished outside the Top 25.  Last week was a good sign of things to come and expect those “things to come” to arrive this week, putter permitting. 

Keegan Bradley

Sitting at 10th on the Money List, Keegan B. is fast becoming a fantasy golf force.  He plays a full schedule and so far in 2012 has finished no worse then T22 with a 2nd place finish at the Northern Trust.  He is coming off a T12 last week and was in contention until the back nine on Sunday (shot a final round 73).  Keegan makes his first start at Doral this week but has the distance to be a factor.  Much the same as Tiger, if he can find his putting stroke he could be lights out (currently ranks T67 in Putts per Round). 

Lee Westwood

Overshadowed by Tiger’s Sunday run, Westwood also put together an impressive bogey free 63 himself and finished T4 at the Honda (after a 4th place finish in Match Play).  Westwood is always hard to pick in fantasy, he’s always good for the majors but with a previously limited schedule it was hard to know when to start him.  Now that he’s a PGA Tour memeber again and will play at least 15 events in the states, play him when he’s hot.  Period.  It wouldn’t be a shock if Westwood gets in the win column in Miami this week but I’ll take a Top 10. 

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

Last Week

The Honda Classic was claimed by Rory Sabbatini, complete with flashy hat and belt buckle. The South African nearly squandered a five-stroke lead to a hard pressing Y.E. Yang. Rounding out the top five were Jerry Kelly, Ricky Barnes and Tommy Gainey.

My picks were pretty solid, given the high scores that were posted throughout the tournament. My Must Start, Graeme McDowell finished T6 thanks to a Sunday-best 6-under 64. Luke Donald went over par in two rounds, but got low enough in the other two to finish with a share of 10th. Charl Schwartzel would have finished higher than T14 if not for a 4-over 74 in the third round, his only round over par. Ian Poulter finally settled in on Sunday with a 3-under to improve to T36. Rory McIlroy was a disappointing T70 while Vijay Singh missed the cut.

This Week

Starting in 2007 the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship has been hosted at the TPC Blue Monster course at Doral Golf Resort & Spa. Prior to taking over the CA Championship, the Blue Monster hosted the Doral Open. The field is set a 69 players, 60 of which are inside the top 65 of the Official World Golf Ranking. With only the elite invited, forget the idea of any sleeper picks this week. Also keep in mind there will not be a cut.

Martin Kaymer – Must Start

He’s the No. 1 player in the world. He just finished as the runner-up in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and T3 at Doral a year ago. He won last year’s PGA Championship and three other events on the European Tour since. He’s The Germanator, King Kaymer. His stateside schedule is typically limited so start Kaymer each and every time he’s available.

Matt Kuchar

Last year, Kaymer spilt third-place with Kuchar, who ranked first in fairways and T5 in putting. After starting the season off with three finishes of seventh or better, Kuchar took a slight step back in the Northern Trust Open. Fear not, Kuchar answered with a third-place result in the Match Play Championship and T17th in The Honda Classic. On Tour, Kuchar ranks fifth in All-Around and 11th in scoring. He appears headed to a second straight season of solid play and is always a safe investment.

Alvaro Quiros

Currently the 22nd-ranked player in the world, Quiros has fared well in this event with finishes of T6 and T13. In both starts, he finished first in driving distance. In fact, Quiros is averaging 317.5 yards per drive, first on the European Tour and several yards better than Bubba Watson, who is pacing the PGA Tour. In his last three stroke play events on the European Tour, Quiros has a win, a runner-up and an eighth-place finish.

Charl Schwartzel

I’ll role with Schwartzel for another week as he finished runner-up at Doral a year ago. As I mentioned last week, he’s been on a complete tear over the last three months on the European Tour. In five stroke play starts, the South African has a win, a runner-up performance and a total of four top-fives. Last year on the PGA Tour, Schwartzel had a pair of top-three finishes and five top-20s.

Nick Watney

Speaking of runner-up performances, Watney finished second at Doral in 2009. While he finished T26 last year, Watney scored progressively better in each round. In 2011, Watney has been on fire with three finishes of sixth or better in stroke play events. He ranks second in scoring average, fifth in birdies and 13th in driving distance.

Bill Haas

In his lone Doral start, Haas finished T6 a year ago. In five stroke play events this year, Haas owns four finishes of 12th or better. He ranks third in greens, fifth in eagles and sixth in birdies.

Puerto Rico Open picks

The alternate tournament for those not qualified for the WGC-Cadillac Championship is The Puerto Rico Open, which enters its fourth year of existence.

Stewart Cink, Fredrik Jacobson, Jerry Kelly

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