Last Week

The dream season rolls on for Keegan Bradley. The rookie won for the second time this year and becomes only the third player to pick up a victory in their major championship debut. Jason Dufner came apart down the stretch of the PGA Championship to open the door for his eventual defeat in a playoff. Bradley now jumps from 108th to 29th in the Official World Golf Ranking, a few spots ahead of Tiger Woods.

My weekly picks for the final major of the season went well. David Toms led the way with a T4 while Luke Donald, my Must Start, and Lee Westwood both finished T9. Brendon de Jonge registered in with a T27. After playing so well recently, Jason Day and Webb Simpson both surprised by missing the cut.

This Week’s Fantasy Golf Picks

David Toms – Must Start

In addition to finishing as the runner-up in the Wyndham Championship a year ago, Toms is coming off a T9 at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and a top-five at the PGA Championship. He’s also rated eighth or better in greens in regulation, driving accuracy, scoring, birdies and sits second in All-Around Ranking. Toms stands tall among an otherwise vanilla field.

Bill Haas

After finishing tied for second at The Greenbrier Classic, Haas struggled at Firestone Country Club but recovered last week to finish T12 at the Highlands Course at Atlanta Athletic Club. Haas began the season with four finishes of 12th or better in his first five events and is starting to show that form once again. He currently sits 15th in the FedExCup points standings and should be tuned up for the playoffs after this week.

Webb Simpson

The season leader in All-Around Ranking recorded an eighth-place finish at Sedgefield Country Club last year and figures to be very much in the mix once again. Prior to missing the cut at the PGA Championship, Simpson had finished no worse than 16th with an average finish of 11.6 in six starts. There’s no need to get off the bandwagon, start Simpson with confidence

Lucas Glover

The South Carolina native has been impressive in this event, never finishing worse than 20th in the three years since it was moved back to Sedgefield. Last year, Glover finished in seventh after starting the final round tied for second. Glover won the Wells Fargo Championship earlier this season and has finished 23rd or better in two of his last four starts.

Brendon de Jonge

Prior to finishing T26 at the PGA Championship, de Jonge had registered three consecutive finishes of 13th or better. He missed the cut here in 2009 and at Forest Oaks Country Club back in 2007 but has become a much better player since. Look for de Jonge to make the cut and post another solid finish.

Chez Reavie

In 2009, Reavie finished T10 in his first and only start to date at Sedgefield. This season, he recently finished with a disappointing T50 at the Reno-Tahoe Open but had posted an average finish of 13th in four prior starts.

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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:  55 Points

2010 Fantasy Golf Picks Weekly Average:  1.72 Points

Think you can pick better?  Leave a comment with your 3 picks for the 2010 Wyndham Championship.  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.

Mad Props to Cal for being one of a very few (in the world) to pick Martin Kaymer to win the PGA Championship.  Cal’s money pick shoots him into 4th on the BTE LB, a little bit closer to the #1 spot.  Very impressive.

Beat the Expert Leaderboard

Last Week:

At one point early in round 3 all five of my picks were in the Top 25, with three in the Top 5.  But that’s why they play 72 holes.  In the end I’m happy to get 3 points for Rory McIlroy’s T3 finish and just one shot out of a playoff.  Ernie Els and Jim Furyk both disappeared on Sunday while sleepers J.B Holmes and Vijay Singh played very well in spurts finishing T24 and T39 respectively.  Winning the BTE contest is not gonna happen for me this year but my goal now is to finish in the Top 3.  It won’t be easy as everyone’s picks have been solid week in and week out.

It was unfortunate that bunkergate is how we’ll remember this PGA Championship, but honestly if not for bunkergate we probably wouldn’t remember this one at all.  With all due respect to Martin Kaymer who is at the top of his game at the right time, Dustin Johnson’s blunder will never be forgotten, even more so had he just gone on to win.  Probably not the immortality that DJ was looking for but a good controversey none the less.  I can’t wait for the 30 minute special on bunkergate when the PGA returns to Whistling Straits in another 5 years.  Maybe by then the course will change the $%^# rule.

This week:

This week we put the majors for 2010 behind us and set our sites on the Playoffs.  With only one golfer in the Top 20 World Rankings in the field this week, it wont be the star fest we’ve been used to the last few weeks.   The Wyndham Championship has a long history going back to 1938 and is one of the older tournaments on tour.  Expect lots of birdies and maybe even a run at a third 59 on tour this year as the average winning score the last three years  has been -19.

1.  Lucas Glover

It’s no suprise that Lucas Glover has struggled a bit this year, one year removed from his best year on tour.  He has only two Top 10s in nineteen starts this season.  On the positive side he has only missed five cuts which shows he’s at least been consistent.  And though one of those missed cuts came just last week, Glover is a stud at this event.  Since 2005 he has finished no worse then T24 with one Top 10.  One of only a handful of major winners in the field this week, look for Glover to make some noise.

2.  Jerry Kelly

Like Glover, Jerry Kelly has a great track record at the Wyndham.  He has three Top 10s here in his last four starts with only two missed cuts in twelve career starts.  Kelly got his first Top 10 of 2010 just two weeks ago so the stars are aligned for him to play well this week.  Top 10 or bust.

3.  Brandt Snedeker

Brandt Snedeker tends to play his best golf in August and September.  Already a winner at this event in 2007, Sneds is showing signs of golf life again with three Top 20 finishes in his last five starts including a T8 at the U.S. Open.  Snedeker is a tricky golfer fantasy wise as he has yet to find the consistency that others from the class of 2007 have found.  If he can put together another good run through the end of September he just may sneak into the Top 25 Fantasy Rankings once again.

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.

Winner = 10 points

2nd Place = 5 points

3rd Place = 3 points

Top 10 = 1 point

2009 Fantasy Golf Picks Total:  92 Points

2009 Fantasy Golf Picks Weekly Average:  2.88 Points

Last week: 

For all those that emailed last week with your concerns, I am happy to report your online intervention has worked.  I am now off the CRACK.  Did I really pick Phil Mickelson last week over Tiger?  Sometimes I let my personal wishful thinking cloud my judgement.  Mix in a little crack and you get bad prognostication.  Well, no more crack, no more cloudy judgement.  I’m back on focus to get to that 111 point mark.  I’ve got five weeks to get 19 points.  Time to get back to work.  From this point forward we will never mention my 2009 PGA Championship picks again.  It will be our little secret.

What we won’t keep secret however is how much our valued partner AimPointGolf.com is dominating this season.  Once again the AimPoint PGA Tour Picks gets another major sleeper in Yang that was not on many people’s radar (just like Glover at the U.S. Open).  Very impressive!   

So what does last weekend mean in the golf world?  I’ve been pondering that question all week long and to be honest I’m still not sure.  To see Yang step up and beat Tiger head-to-head on Sunday was a dream come true.  If you are a long time reader of my blog you know I’ve been calling for this for years.  Infact here’s an excerpt from my 2009 U.S. Open preview:

“Tiger has not been as intimidating on Sunday’s as in years past (see Players Championship or Quail Hollow),  so the door might be open for someone to step up and beat Tiger on the lead……on a Sunday………….at a major.  I would like to see it at least once in my lifetime.”

Well now we’ve seen it.  Tiger CAN be beat when he’s on his game.  It was just a matter of time.  It’s simple probability.  Congrats to Y.E. Yang for not only winning his first major but for helping to grow the game in Asia and around the world.  His win will have a bigger benefit for the game, especially with the 2016 Olympics looming, then if Tiger would have hung on. 

Plus it was sooooooooooooo damn great to see Tiger lose on a lead……on a Sunday.    ;o )

This week: 

We are just one week away from the FedEx Cup Playoffs and many golfers have some work to do this week to get in.  Current golfers in the field at Greensboro and not in the Top 125 in FedEx Cup points include Ken Duke, Stuart Appleby and Rocco Mediate.  The field is rather weak, with only one Top 10 World Ranked golfer (Sergio) and only two in the World Top 25 as many take a rest before the playoffs.

1.  Lucas Glover

The only other Top 25 golfer in the world playing this week, Glover should be getting tired with the schedule he’s played this year, but is showing no signs of wear.  With another Top 10 last week, his fifth this year, it is easily his best season on tour.  Glover plays well at the Wyndam, never missing a cut in five starts with one Top 10 in 2006.  It seems Glover’s missed cut at the Open Championship actually gave his battery a bit of a recharge.  Don’t expect Lucas to hit the wall anytime soon.  Another Top 10 if not a win this week and watch Glover be a factor in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

2.  Tim Clark

Timmy is past due.  Playing perhaps the best golf of his career with only one missed cut this year (the brutal Open Championship), Clark is easily the best player on tour without a PGA Tour win.  Any day now.  With a T16 last week Clark should be in good company in this field.  With two Top 10s in this event in his last three starts this may be as good as chance as any to get that elusive win.  If nothing else his performance this weekend will dictate my own playoff hopes as Clark will be my #2 this week in Rotoff Golf where I am desperately holding on to the #6 seed and final playoff spot.  Here’s to you Timmy, get’r done!

3.  Michael Letzig

Letzig got one of his few Top 10s last season here (T9).  And coming in with two straight Top 10s (T8 Canadian Open, T6 Buick Open) Letzig should continue to play well.  Since turning pro in 2003, Letzig has broke the $1 million in earnings mark just once which was last year.  He is well on his way to doing it again this season.  Expect Letzig to contend on a familiar course. 

AimPoint PGA Tour Picks

Preview

Wyndham Championship
Forest Oaks Country Club – Greensboro, North Carolina