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.

Fantasy Golf Picks

Whoa, what an offseason!  You may have noticed we “disappeared” for awhile these last few months.  To make a long story short we had some technical difficulties with our (ungracious) host and had to move the domain.  What a pain.

That said things are still a little hectic here at Shlink Lincoln Sports headquarters but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to give some updates on all things SLS and Rotoff.   We will continue weekly Fantasy Golf blog posts during the PGA Tour season and (fingers crossed) hope to launch two Fantasy Golf games this year at Rotoff.com.  These games have been years in the making but I promise when they are ready it will be well worth the wait.

The 2012 Rotoff Golf Draft Kit will be released as a free guide this year.  We tweaked our ranking calculations which put us way behind schedule to launch the Draft Kit before the season.  However it will still be released soon and for FREE.  Stay tuned here for more updates. 

We are also frantically at work on the FGDB (Fantasy Golf Data Base) which will be a date base of every PGA Tour golfer and their stats for seasons, tournaments, etc. and will include rolling rankings.  This will be launched at Rotoff.com simultaneously with our Fantasy Golf games. 

So, lots on the plate.  I want to thank all of our supporters.  The fact that you’re reading this shows that you didn’t give up on us when the site went down.  Thank you, thank you.

And now to the fun part.  It’s PGA Tour time ya’ll!

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 season:  I was on hiatus last year and many thanks to Eric McClung for his work on the blog in 2011.  We hope to have him back this year for some guest post stints. 

Fantasy Golf was good to me in 2011.  I had my best year yet as a Yahoo! Fantasy Golf Expert and had a two shot lead after 3 rounds in the SLS Cup Final of our Rotoff Golf league.  That Webb Simpson shot three over par in the final round of the Tour Championship has all been forgiven.  

And what a year on the PGA Tour.  Forget Tiger, how about the young guns stepping up.  Webb, Rory, Haas, et all.  With the “old” timers that I’ve come to love reaching their swan song, it’s great to see the PGA Tour with such a bright future.

Alright, enough babbling, let’s get to the picks.

Webb Simpson

Simpson is coming off a career year in which he won twice and finished runner up in the FedEx Cup.  Not bad for someone we had ranked 89th going into 2011.  Can he repeat the feat in 2012?  I will have to give a resounding YES.  Not only will Simpson have another stellar year but look for him to become a dominant golfer (always a threat to win every week).  I’m guaranteeing a win for Simpson in 2012 and it could even come in the first event of the year.   Iit will be another big year for Webbster who makes his first start at Kapalua.

Bill Haas

Did anyone get odds on Haas to win the FedEx cup?  Would have to imagine they were long shot odds.  Does anyone want to bet he’ll win two in a row?  While that is probably unlikely, it was still impressive to see Haas’ breakthrough in 2011.  This is his second straight start at Kapalua were finished 8th last season.  I expect at least another Top 10 this week. 

Jhonattan Vegas

Vegas baby!  Jhonattan Vegas exploded last January with a win at the Bob Hope (now Humana Challenge) and a 3rd place the next week in San Diego.  Unfortunately he didn’t do much else the rest of the season, finishing no better than T31 the rest of the year.  But hey, he get’s to play in the season opener.  Look for Mr. Vegas to get back on track in the early going and with a year of the PGA Tour under his belt expect more consistency into the summer.  Predicting a Top 10 or better for Vegas who sees Kapalua for the first time. 

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.

 Follow Rotoff Golf on Twitter @RotoffGolf

Last Week

A win at the BMW Championship catapulted Justin Rose to third in the FedExCup standings heading into the final event of the season. Meanwhile, a pair of Australians, John Senden and Geoff Ogilvy, rounded out the top three. THE TOUR Championship has finally arrived, giving fantasy owners one last shot to climb the standings or capture their league.

The weekly picks turned out pretty good. My Must Start, Webb Simpson (T5), Camilo Villegas (T6) and David Toms (T10) all registered top-10 finishes. Brandt Snedeker (T22) and Adam Scott (T37) were slight disappointments while Dustin Johnson (T65) was a disaster.

This Week’s Fantasy Golf Picks

Luke Donald

In addition to being the No. 1 player in the world, Donald has finished inside the top-five in three of his last five events. Last year, he was the runner-up at East Lake Golf Club and finished third in the FedExCup standings. Donald is currently fourth in points with an excellent opportunity to capture the title given his remarkable consistency all season.

Nick Watney

Currently seventh in points, Watney has finished T4 and T13 the last two years at East Lake. The regular season points leader has struggled in the playoffs but could have one bullet remaining. Among the top-tier golfers still standing, Watney’s history at this venue makes him a player to target.

Webb Simpson – Must Start

Entering THE TOUR Championship with the lead in points, all eyes will be on Simpson during his first career start at East Lake. He’s been the leader in All-Around Ranking nearly all season and hasn’t finished outside the top-10 in four consecutive starts, including a pair of wins. Expect Simpson to score both the $10 million FedExCup grand prize and the Player of the Year award.

David Toms

Coming off a T10 at the BMW Championship, Toms appears to be back on track following a disappointing start to the playoffs. Since 2007, he’s only competed at East Lake once, a T13 from 2009. Toms may not challenge for a win but is a solid player you can bank on.

Gary Woodland

Since recording a top-five at The Greenbrier Classic, Woodland has four finishes of 25th or better in the five starts since. He’s a bomber off the tee with a well-rounded game to match. Considering Woodland has never played at East Lake, he could come at a nice value.

Chez Reavie

Despite playing some great golf in recent months, Reavie isn’t getting any love in fantasy circles. He should have won the Deutsche Bank Championship and is coming off an eighth-place result at the BMW Championship, his third top-10 in four starts. With most ignoring Reavie, owners playing from behind should give him a go.

Want my fantasy golf picks for both Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf and Kerplookee? Need an expert to answer your fantasy golf question? Follow me on Twitter!

Last Week

Despite Chez Reavie nailing clutch birdies down the stretch, a poor approach shot on 18 put him in a playoff with Webb Simpson to resolve the Deutsche Bank Championship. Simpson would go on to claim victory at TPC Boston and now sits on top of the FedExCup standings. With only two tournaments left, it will be interesting to see how the 26-year-old Simpson plays with so much on the line.

Aside from Jason Day and Brandt Snedeker finishing T3, the weekly picks disappointed. Charl Schwartzel ended up T21 while Matt Kuchar, my Must Start, settled back T25. Even Steve Stricker struggled with a T42, his worst result of the season. The seemingly resurgent Vijay Singh missed the cut.

This Week’s Fantasy Golf Picks

Dustin Johnson

Despite all his skills, starting Johnson is never a comfortable feeling. At times, he’s struggled to close out tournaments and can disappear one week after dominating the week prior. However, DJ is the defending championship at Cog Hill and started the playoffs with a win at The Barclays.

Adam Scott

In his last two starts at Cog Hill, Scott owns a T15 from last year and a fourth-place result from 2007. Over his last six events, the Australian has a win from the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, four top-10s and five top-25s. Aside from a poor round to finish The Barclays, Scott has been played great golf since late June.

Webb Simpson – Must Start

Simpson has been awesome nearly all season and could very well win the FedExCup. He’s been the top player in All-Around Ranking for a while now. In 22 events, Simpson has made 19 cuts. He owns two wins, two runner-up performances, nine top-10s and 17 top-25s. Simple formula here: start Simpson this week, start Simpson next week.

David Toms

It’s been a rough start to the playoffs for Toms but Cog Hill offers a chance to get him back on track. Toms has been a solid performer at the site for much of his career, including a T15 from last year. He still ranks 20th in points and needs to remain in the top-30 to compete in THE TOUR Championship.

Brandt Snedeker

When Snedeker has the putter working like this you start him, it’s that easy. He’s finished tied for third in each of the two playoff tournaments held thus far and ranks second in strokes gained – putting. Snedeker only finished T37 at Cog Hill last year but scored a top-10 in 2009 and a top-15 in 2007.

Camilo Villegas

Despite a dreadful regular season, Villegas has turned it on during his last three events, collecting two top-10s and a T25. He won this event in 2008, although it was held at Bellerive Country Club. However, Villegas has also been impressive at Cog Hill with three finishes of 11th or better since 2007.

Want my fantasy golf picks for both Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf and Kerplookee? Need an expert to answer your fantasy golf question? Follow me on Twitter!

Last Week

Hectic weather caused the final round of The Barclays to be canceled after 54 holes. Dustin Johnson, who also won the rain-shortened 2009 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, won by two strokes and took over the top of the FedExCup leaderboard. There are now only three events remaining in the season with the top-70 players moving onto the BMW Championship after this one.

The picks from last week would look much better had Adam Scott, my Must Start, not blown a top-10 in the final round and finished way back with a T67. Nick Watney and Webb Simpson each finished T10. Luke Donald (T18) and Steve Stricker (T24) had respectable results but not exactly what you’d want from a pair of elite players. Fredrik Jacobson, a sleeper pick, managed a T32.

This Week’s Fantasy Golf Picks

Steve Stricker

In addition to winning the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2009, Stricker has finished 13th or better in five consecutive starts at the site. Stricker leads all players by a mile with 39 consecutive cuts made. This season, he ranks second in scoring average and third in All-Around Ranking. They don’t come any more trustworthy than Stricker.

Matt Kuchar – Must Start

Coming off a runner-up performance at The Barclays, his ninth top-10 of season, Kuchar is looking for a career-best finish at TPC Boston. Kuchar has finished 15th or better in the last two and ranked first in putting on this course a year ago. On the season, Kuchar registers fourth in All-Around and is another bankable player to lean on.

Jason Day

After leading the first three rounds of this event a year ago, Day is looking for redemption. A round of par on Sunday wasn’t enough to stay ahead and left him with a share of second. This season, the Australian ranks 11th in both birdies and scoring as well as eighth in All-Around.

Charl Schwartzel

Even though he skipped The Barclays and has never played at TPC Boston, Schwartzel has been solid all year long. The winner of this year’s Masters is coming off a T12 at the PGA Championship and is currently sixth in scoring. Schwartzel still sits inside the top 30 and figures to be there for the TOUR Championship with two more good outings.

Brandt Snedeker

With a tournament record of 61 in the final round of The Barclays, Snedeker shot up the leaderboard to finish T3. Last year, he was third in putting on this course and finished with a share of fifth place. When he’s locked in like this, Snedeker is capable of more big-time performances.

Vijay Singh

Enjoying his best season since winning the 2008 FedExCup, Singh is a two-time champ at TPC Boston, winning before and after the remodel in 2007. In his last two starts, Singh finished T4 at the Wyndham Championship and T3 at The Barclays. He’s been hot and cold for much of the season but given his recent play and history on this course, Singh is certainly worth a start.

Want my fantasy golf picks for both Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf and Kerplookee? Need an expert to answer your fantasy golf question? Follow me on Twitter!