Lefty Links Blog

We’re heading to Georgia this week for the AT&T Classic at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth. Par 72, 7,293 yards, $990,000 to the winner. (These guys are still willing to play for less than a million?) We’re looking at a fast, firm layout thanks to the ongoing drought conditions, what the talking heads are calling a “Florida layout.” Cool lefty note—Bob Charles, the first winner of this tournament 40 years ago, will be on hand to hit the ceremonial first drive before Wednesday’s Pro-Am.

My predictions in a moment, but first, a quick bit of taking stock. Lefty Links historians may already know this, but for the rest of you, I’ve run the numbers to see how I’ve been doing so far with my picks. I began on Feb. 24 with the Mayakoba Golf Classic—so it’s been 12 tournaments, 100 total golfer picks (I began with 6 picks per tournament, then moved to my current 10.):

67% made the cut (which includes one MDF—Vaughn Taylor, you bastard)
28% missed the cut
5% withdrawals
19% top-ten finishes
5 winners, with current streak of last 4 winners in a row

So, for what it’s worth, there it is. Make of it what you will. And now, on to my current predictions. Here are my ten players to watch this week at the AT&T Classic:

Briny Baird: Five of Briny’s last 6 finishes have been top-20’s, and he’s coming off a 4th at the Player’s Championship last week. He’s also got a nice track record here at Sugarloaf, with a T9 in ’07, a T10 in ’06, and a T20 in ’04. Don’t be surprised by another good week for Briny.

Jonathan Byrd: He hasn’t done much this year, but he’s a talented young player with solid rounds here: T9 in ’07, 6th in ’06. This could be the week he breaks back into the top-10.

Stewart Cink: He’s the most obvious choice in the relatively weak field this week. You all know about the great year he’s having with 6 top 10’s. He has three top-10’s here at this event: T8 ’04, 6th in ’03 and ’01.

Ben Crane: Playing good golf again, with 5 top 20’s this year and coming off a T6 at the Players Championship. He’s a winner here (’03) and he also finished 6th in ’04.

Brian Gay: He won in February and finished T7 a few weeks ago at the Byron Nelson. He has a decent history here, with a T19 in ’06 and a T14 in ’04. Not a slam dunk pick, but should hopefully be solid.

Ryuji Imada: He hasn’t done much lately this year after a great early stretch, but he’s one of my picks this week whose track record on the course for me overrides his lack of momentum. Here at the AT&T Classic he finished 2nd in ’07, 10th in ’06, and 15th in ’05. This would be a great time for him to get back on track.

Zach Johnson: Okay, here’s the pick I just couldn’t avoid, despite his bad play this year. While he’s struggling through a very lackluster season, he has won twice here (’07 and ’04), and has a 2nd (’06). I just can’t bet against him in Georgia, and especially on this course.

Matt Kuchar: I find myself occasionally looking for excuses to pick Kuchar. I have no idea why. He’s not doing much this year, with just two top-10’s, but he should feel good about this course, having finished T3 in ’07. We’ll see. This one’s a bit of a hunch.

Camilo Villegas: Another one of the young, talented players who seems due for a victory. While he doesn’t have much of a head of steam coming in (his last two starts he finished 55th and 66th), he did finish T3 in ’07. He reminds me a bit of Sergio Garcia, in the sense that he seems to be getting more attention than his play merited. Garcia pulled it off last week, proving that he’s a golfer and not just a product endorser—this week perhaps it’s Villegas’ turn.

Dean Wilson: He’s coming off two solid weeks, with a T12 at Wachovia and a T10 at the Players Championship. While he doesn’t have a huge track record here at Sugarloaf, he did finish T15 in ’05. He’ll hopefully surprise people this week.

Lefty Watch: Only four lefties in the field this week: Eric Axley, Steve Flesch, Nick O’Hern, and Bubba Watson. While I don’t have high hopes for any of them this week, it’s possible Watson might turn things around for himself. He’s been in a funk for too long.

I’ve been traveling, so let’s make this one a quick and dirty recap. In a nutshell, after Friday I was feeling pretty good with both Garcia and Kim picked, but these are four-day tournaments, after all, and Kim as you know imploded on the weekend. Oh well. Seven of 10 made the cut, one withdrawal. I picked Garcia, which is satisfying, but missed a few others—another solid, but not stellar week. Here’s the rundown:

Sergio Garcia: winner
Stephen Ames: 5th
Stewart Cink: T21
Jim Furyk: T27
Steve Elkington: T32
Anthony Kim: T42 (79, 76 on the weekend, dammit!)
Adam Scott: T34 (80 on Sunday)
Hunter Mahan: withdrawal
Steve Flesch: missed cut
Padraig Harrington: missed cut

Lefty Watch: Flesch, Watson, and Wilkinson missed the cut. Mickelson was the best of the lefties with a T21, while O’Hern and Weir finished T32. A forgettable week for the southpaws.

This was a great win for Garcia. He had to grind through tough conditions–he really showed me something this week. Stay tuned for my AT&T predictions in a day or two. They’ll be perfect. I almost promise.

Next up, the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Florida, the “fifth of four majors.” Reminds me of a girl I know who was born with the “sixth of five” toes. It was removed surgically, and they did a great job, in my opinion—but I guarantee the surgeon didn’t get $1.71 million for his/her work. Yes, that is me laboriously trying to bring this back to golf—the winning golfer this Sunday will receive $1.71 million for his efforts. And that, my friends, is why the Players Championship has a field worthy of a major. We’re talking the largest purse in golf here. I wouldn’t be surprised, although I’m too lazy to do the research, if this is the largest purse for an individual in all of professional sports.

Speaking of third nipples (okay, we weren’t, but I’m still riffing on the “fifth of four majors” thing)—did you know that up to 3% of people have a third nipple? Not really relevant, I know, but I just learned this and had to get it off my chest. (Get it? Yeah, sorry.) And, before I wrap up the silliness and get down to my deadly serious fantasy golf predictions, let me just say, for the record, that I’m squeamish and hate the sight of blood, but for $1.71 million, I would remove someone’s sixth toe, or third nipple, with my teeth.

Okay, now that I’ve offended and driven away half my audience, on to my 10 picks for the Players Championship this week:

Stephen Ames: While he may not have a huge head of steam coming into this week, he has been steady, missing only one cut all year. But more importantly, look at his excellent record here at The Players Championship: won in ’06, T13 in ’04, T17 in ’03, and 2nd in ’02.

Stewart Cink: He’s having an incredible year, and he’s coming into this week with such momentum, I had to pick him. Six top-10s in 10 tourneys played this year. Top 10s in his last three events. And to top it off, he’s played well at Sawgrass recently, with a T3 in ’07.

Steve Elkington: A two-time winner of this event. Yes, the victories were years and years ago (’97 and ’91), but he has played well here recently, with a T12 in ’07 and a T6 in ’05. He’s a mixed bag this year, with three missed cuts, but he’s also played well enough to make me think his comfort level here at Sawgrass can translate to four good rounds.

Steve Flesch: My lefty for the roster. His problem lately has been back-nines on Sunday, which are kinda important, dammit. But still, even with disappointing home stretches, he’s been playing good golf for four tournaments now (T23, T5, T29, T22). I expect he’ll do well, and if he can finish without another back-nine mini-collapse, he might do very well.

Jim Furyk: He’s a local resident, so he’ll be sleeping in his own bed each night (I assume). And if you need even more convincing, his last two starts have been a 4th and 7th, and he has two top-5s here at TPC Sawgrass (T3 ’06, T4 ’03).

Sergio Garcia: I’ve been picking Garcia for a few weeks, and I know I should let this one go, but it’s like being afraid to walk away from a slot machine, because the moment someone else sits down, that’s when the jackpot will hit. He does have some history here at Sawgrass, with a 2nd in ’07 and a T4 in ’02. He’s really at a critical juncture in his career, I think, where he can turn it around and achieve his potential, or begin to fade out as someone who never quite lived up to the hype. I think he still has it in him to win tournaments, hopefully starting this week. There, that’s my pep talk, Sergio. I hope you’ve read it.

Padraig Harrington: He says he peaks the third week of playing, and this is his first week back since a break—so why am I picking him? Well, he is one of the best in the world, obviously, and this year he has 3 top 5’s in just 6 starts. At this tournament he has a 2nd in ’04, and a T2 in ’03. I’m hoping he can jump right back into form, but we’ll see.

Anthony Kim: I agonized over this pick. Will he suffer a post-win slump, like so many players do (Immelman, anyone?) Or will he ride the momentum towards continued great play? Basically, it came down to my patented negative style of decision making—would I rather have him on my team and do poorly, or off my team and do well? I chose the former, obviously. Seriously, though, I do think he has it in him to stay focused, despite the excitement last week, and he’s got the game to contend anywhere.

Hunter Mahan: I’ve been looking for an excuse to get back on the Mahan train, and I think this might be a decent time to jump back on. He’s a young, very talented player whose been having a mediocre year. I think, actually, the Kim victory might inspire him—he doesn’t want to feel like a new phenom has already rendered him obsolete. Okay, maybe not—I’m no psychologist. But he is coming off a solid T12 at last week’s Wachovia, and he’s too good a player not to start playing well again.

Adam Scott: He has plenty of momentum coming into this week, with a win and a T8 at his last two events. His recent history here at Sawgrass is also quite good, with a T6 in ’07, T8 in ’05, and a win in ’04. I think he’s really benefiting from the Tiger layoff—it’s giving Scott some breathing room and he’s taking advantage with excellent play.

Lefty Watch: Six lefties in the field this week: Steve Flesch, Phil Mickelson, Nick O’Hern, Bubba Watson, Mike Weir, and Tim Wilkinson. Flesch, as I’ve detailed above, is my lefty pick of the week. Phil just can’t quite put it all together right now. Of course for him that often still means a top-20 finish, but he’s not quite playing like a champion and I’m still a bit leery of picking him (especially at the high prices most fantasy games have him selling for). Weir will sooner or later turn it around and start winning again, but not yet, I don’t think.

Another decent week for Lefty Links. A few of my picks self-destructed on Sunday, or else it could have been even better—but I’ve certainly had worse weeks and I’m not complaining. The winner at Wachovia, of course, was 22-year-old Anthony Kim. Man, to be 22-years-old and picking up $1.152 million for four rounds of golf—that’s the good life. The win also vaults him up to fourth place in the FedEx Cup point standings. It’ll be interesting to watch Kim continue to evolve as a golfer—I think he’ll still have his ups and downs. He’s young, and he admits himself had terrible work habits last year. He has a bit of an arrogance about him, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Nicklaus in his prime had a certain arrogance to him as well. Champions need confidence on the course—but they also need the humility to have smart course management, and to never stop practicing. I think Sunday’s success will keep Kim moving in the right direction—it certainly was a big step forward—but we’ll see.

Here’s how my 10 picks fared at the Wachovia Championship:

Anthony Kim: winner
Adam Scott: T8
Vijay Singh: T17 (a triple-bogey on the 71st hole didn’t help, dammit)
Geoff Ogilvy: T22 (a 76 on Sunday)
Sergio Garcia: T34
Nick Watney: T40 (a 75 on Sunday)
Lucas Glover: 69 (an 80 on Sunday)
Vaughn Taylor: MDF
Trevor Immelman: MC
Kevin Sutherland: MC

So, 8 of 10 made the cut (with Taylor then getting cut on Saturday)—good. Picking the winner—good. Only 2 in the top 10—not so good. Oh well.

Lefty Watch: Axley, Watson, Weir, and Wilkinson all missed the cut. Mickelson was the top lefty, with a somewhat lackluster T12. Flesch had another decent showing, a T22, but again faded on the Sunday back nine. O’Hern finished T40.

Stay tuned for my Players Championship predictions in a day or two. Right now I have no friggin’ idea who I’m going to pick, but give me a day, and hopefully I’ll come up with something brilliant for you.

My antihistamines are beginning to do their job (yeah, Zyrtec!), so I’m reenergized and ready for a new week of fantasy golf crystal ball gazing. Actually, I’m a bit spacey (isn’t Zyrtec supposed to be non-drowsy?), so if I say something crazy, it’s just the pharmaceuticals talking.

This week, we’ve got the Wachovia Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, NC. It’s a long course, 7,442 yards, and the set-up is apparently going to be Masters-like, with fast hard greens and tough scoring (the cut line for the last five years has been +1, E, +4, +2, +3). Also, kicking around www.wachoviachampionship.com, here’s another vital factoid, from the “Share the Fun” page: apparently the majority of players receive their winnings via wire transfer into personal bank accounts. Personally, I don’t see why knowing the banking route by which rich men become a bit richer really “Shares the Fun,” but that may just be the Zyrtec talking.

Yes, yes, this is the point where folks start clamoring for me to stop rambling and start predicting, so here you go, my 10-man team for this week at the Wachovia Championship:

Sergio Garcia: He’s coming off a decent 19th place at the EDS Byron Nelson last week, which included a 65 on Saturday. He has a good history here at this young tourney (begun in 2003) – 14th in ’07, 2nd in ’05 (lost in playoff). When he putts well, he can be world class.

Lucas Glover: His last two events have been a 14th and a 7th, and he’s done well here – 4th in ’06, 10th in ’04. Also, in my opinion, “Glover” is a good golf name. Although it would be even cooler if he hyphenated it, and went by “G-Lover.”

Trevor Immelman: He’s coming off a real stinker of a tournament, missing the cut in last week’s EDS Byron Nelson. I think he’s had the time now to get his head back together after the Masters victory, and he’ll be ready to play well again. He’s got history here – 14th in ’07, and 2nd in ’06.

Anthony Kim: We’ve all been waiting for Kim to play to his potential, and he’s showing signs of warming up, with a 2nd and 19th in his last two events. He also has a 5th place finish here at the Wachovia in ’07.

Geoff Ogilvy: Not a huge history here, although he did finish 10th in ’06. He had a great March ’08, of course, with a 10th, 14th, 1st, and 2nd, and I’m looking for him to regain that form this week.

Adam Scott: Yes, okay, Scott has never won back-to-back tournaments, and he won last week at the EDS. It seems to me, though, that with Woods out for a while longer, this is the perfect opportunity for Scott to really ride a wave of confidence and play like the superstar that he could be. He does have a 3rd here in ’06.

Vijay Singh: In comparing Singh, Furyk, and Mickelson, I told myself that I’d only pick one of the three in the interest of not stacking the deck. Solid arguments can be made for each, of course, but I think Singh has the strongest case. He has four top 5’s in his last six starts in ‘08. He’s made every cut here, going back to the tournament’s inception in 2003. He finished 7th in ’07, 1st in ’05, and 2nd in ’03.

Kevin Sutherland: Like Singh, Sutherland too has made every cut here going back to 2003. He’s missed only one cut in all of ’08 so far, and he’s coming off an 8th and a 7th in his last two events. He has a 14th here in ’06, and a 10th in ’04.

Vaughn Taylor: He has a good history here, with a 6th in ’06, and a 5th in ’05. However, he has missed his last four cuts, which makes this a bit of a risky pick. But I have my Zyrtec reasons - as you may know, Taylor has in the past suffered from truly debilitating allergies (forcing him to take some time off in ’07). So, I’m picking Taylor on behalf of all allergy sufferers like myself.

Nick Watney: He’s made his last five cuts in ‘08, including a solid 11th at the Masters. His history here, while not spectacular, is certainly respectable: 24th in ’07, 21st in ’06, 11th in ’05.

Lefty Watch: Seven, yep, seven lefties in the field this week: Eric Axley, Steve Flesch, Phil Mickelson, Nick O’Hern, Bubba Watson, Mike Weir, and Tim Wilkinson. My regular readers will note that I’ve finally gotten off the Wilkinson train, which means he’ll probably win this week. Seriously, though, besides obviously Phil, who could certainly win if playing well, watch out for Flesch, and possibly Watson, who certainly has the length to handle the 7,442 yards.

I find myself tonight with a low supply of wittiness. It must be the allergies. Spring is a killer for me. BUT, you’re not here to hear me complain – you’re here to find out how well Lefty Links did at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship, to decide if this week deserves jeers or applause.

Well, it was unspectacular, but certainly not embarrassing – five of my 10 players were in the top 20, seven made the cut, and I did have Adam Scott, the winner, on my team. I’d say give me a polite golf clap, nothing too raucous. Here’s the list:

Adam Scott: winner
Luke Donald: T19
Sergio Garcia: T19
Anthony Kim: T19
Justin Leonard: T19
J. J. Henry: T57
Shigeki Maruyama: 72
Chad Campbell: missed cut
Sean O’Hair: missed cut
Tim Wilkinson: missed cut

Lefty Watch: I had it backwards this week – Wilkinson stunk it up, while Axley had his best tourney of the year, finishing T13. Side note – Greg Chalmers, a lefty playing on the Australasian and Nationwide Tours this year, is having a great year and we’ll most likely be seeing him on the PGA Tour in ’09. He just won on the Nationwide this week, and he’s second on the Nationwide money list. Keep an eye out for him.

Next stop, Irving, Texas, for the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. One thing to clear up, before I get to my life-changingly brilliant fantasy golf predictions: it’s not “ED’S Byron Nelson Championship,” as in some rich guy named Ed decided to have a tournament - although that would have been cool. It’s the initials “E” “D” “S”, as in the information technology outsourcing services company. Perhaps some day, when I win the lottery or begin managing a hedge fund or my website makes me a multi-millionaire, I’ll start the “Lefty Links Dot Com Championship.” All of you, my faithful readers, will get VIP parking passes, clubhouse access, and a free buffet lunch. And what the hell, I’ll throw in a coupon for a free beer.

Okay, no more making promises I can’t keep - let’s move on to my 10 picks for the week, which I promise will be so astute and inarguably perfect that all other golf prognosticators will retire in shame. This week, we’re dealing with a redesigned course – the TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas just completed an $8 million upgrade. Also, this has for a while been a multiple-course tournament – this is the first year since 1993 that Las Colinas will be the lone venue for the four rounds. So, past performance at this tourney needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Don’t count it out entirely, though – even with the different course and format, the confidence of knowing you’ve done well here in the past has to help.

Interesting sidenote: This tournament is the “Caddy for a Caddie” event - the caddie of the winning golfer will receive a Cadillac XLR-V. That doesn’t help me make my predictions, but still, thought I’d mention it.

Enough jabbering. Here’s my picks:

Chad Campbell: A Texan, which should give a bit of a homefield advantage. He has five top 20s this year, including a T2 a few weeks ago at the Shell Houston Open. He’s done well here in the past, with a T13 in ’07 and a 5th in ’06.

Luke Donald: A long stretch of good play at this tournament – top-20 five years in a row, including runner-up in ’07. He has four top 20s this year, including a T3 in Feb. and a 2nd in March. He’s not coming in with much momentum, coming off a missed cut at the Masters, but still, I’m looking for him to play well.

Sergio Garcia: Talented but erratic. Perhaps more interested in shooting commercials than shooting low rounds? Hasn’t done much this year, and his last event was a missed cut at the Masters. But, he won here in ’04, and when playing well he has loads of talent. I’m betting on the good Sergio showing up - to be honest, though, I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins, or if he misses the cut.

J. J. Henry: Not especially hot this year, with his best finish a T20 (last week). Still, he has a good record here, with two T13’s in ’07 and ’06, and a T10 in ’05. More importantly, though, he worked with D.A. Weibring as a player consultant on the redesign of the course. I think that sense of pride & ownership he’s going to feel about the course will equate to good play.

Anthony Kim: Another talented but erratic player, like Sergio (without the wins). He’s a Texan like Campbell, and his T2 last week at the Verizon Heritage will hopefully open the floodgates and signal the start of a good stretch for him.

Justin Leonard: Another Texan. He bores me, but he’s a solid, consistent addition to any fantasy golf team. He hasn’t missed a cut yet this year, in 11 tries. He has four top-10s in ’08, and he’s coming off a respectable T17 last week at the Verizon Heritage.

Shigeki Maruyama: He’s having an unremarkable year so far in ’08, but this guy has such a good history at this tournament that I had to pick him. He has four top-10s in eight starts here, including a win in ’02. Remember, “Shigeki,” not “Daisuke.”

Sean O’Hair: He burned me last week at the Verizon Heritage with a missed cut, but I’m sticking with him. He’s a Texan, and he was runner-up here in ’05. He has a win and a T3 this year, and I’m hoping a home-state crowd will inspire him to get back into form.

Adam Scott: The top-ranked player in the field, you can’t ignore him. He’s been hot and cold this year, but when playing well, he’s obviously a major threat to win and can reward you with rounds in the low-60s.

Tim Wilkinson: I’m sticking with this rookie lefty again. He had another good week that could have been a very good week in Hilton Head, fading down the stretch to a T29. He’s made his last six cuts, and is seven out of 10 in made cuts for ’08, (including two top 10 finishes), which is quite good for a rookie. I continue to have a good feeling about this guy, and while I may eventually ride this pick into the ground, for now I still feel good about having him on my team.

Lefty Watch: Only two lefties in the field this week – Eric Axley and Tim Wilkinson. Axley has been mostly terrible, and I’d be happily shocked to see him do well. Wilkinson, as I’ve noted above, I’m thinking will do well.

A solid week for Lefty Links at the Verizon Heritage. True, many of the favorites did well, which makes it easier to look good, but in my defense, I did lay off some of the big name stinkers this week, like Snedeker (T53), Els (cut), and Rose (withdrawal).

Without further ado, my ten-man team results:

Boo Weekley: winner
Aaron Baddeley: T2
Jim Furyk: 4th
Stewart Cink: T7
Justin Leonard: T17
Steve Flesch: T29
Tim Wilkinson: T29
Zach Johnson: MC
Sean O’Hair: MC
Chez Reavie: MC

Wilkinson, the rookie lefty, had another solid performance that could have been better. He doesn’t seem quite ready to put together four very good rounds; his Sunday 73 was a disappointment. But I continue to have a good feeling about him and think that with a little more seasoning he’ll truly be contending. A few notables in the top ten caught my eye – Anthony Kim and Matt Kuchar. Kim is full of talent but erratic; maybe this signals the start of a good stretch for him. Kuchar is a solid but unspectacular veteran who, for some unknown reason, I find myself rooting for.

Lefty Watch: Flesch and Wilkinson were the top lefties, as noted above. Eric Axley and Nick O’Hern both missed the cut. Axley, actually has missed 7 of 12 cuts, and his best finish is a T39 at the Puerto Rico Open (which runs at the same time as the World Golf Championships-CA Championship). Unless he picks it up, we won’t be seeing Axley much on Tour in ‘09.

Now that the little warm-up event known as the Masters is finally over, it’s time to get ready for the main event, the one we really care about – the Verizon Heritage at Hilton Head Island, SC.

Well, okay, so this does feel like a letdown week after the Masters, but, hey, this tourney still counts in our fantasy games, and the field is solid, and hell, if somebody wanted to offer me $990,000 (first prize purse) for four days of golfing, I wouldn’t turn up my nose at it. I’ve done the math on how many days, at my current salary, I’d have to work to earn $990,000. Let’s just say it’s a few more than four.

What are we dealing with here in Hilton Head? This is a relatively short course at 6,913 yards. It makes up for this with tight fairways and the smallest greens on Tour, and while the rough isn’t thick, missing the fairway often means you’re behind a tree. So in addition to my usual search for currently hot players, and those who have a good history here, I’m looking for accurate drivers.

On to my ten picks:

Aaron Baddeley: Yes, he missed the cut at the Masters, but he had 3 top 15s leading up to last week. Here in Hilton Head, he finished T10 in ’07, and won in ’06.

Stewart Cink: Having a great year – four top 3’s, including a T3 at the Masters. He’s a two-time winner of this tournament, in ’04 and ’00. Cink’s a no-brainer. Which means he’ll probably miss the cut. Well, I still have to pick him.

Steve Flesch: I told myself that when Flesch started showing signs of life, I’d pick him. So here I go. A T5 at the Masters, which was marred by four bogeys late on Sunday. When this veteran lefty’s playing well, watch out.

Jim Furyk: Not really a no-brainer choice, actually. He’s had a poor year so far by his standards, with only two top-10s. But he has a 2nd place here in ’06, and a T2 in ’05, and this could be a good spot for him to regain his form.

Zach Johnson: Hasn’t missed a cut all year. Sixth-place here last year. Looks look a poor-man’s version of Joaquin Phoenix. Solid performance at the Masters to remind himself that he can play.

Justin Leonard: A good fit for this course – he’s accurate, and won’t be hurt by his lack of length off the tee. He has four top 10s this year (three of those top 5s). He won here in Hilton Head in ’02, and had a decent T16 last year.

Sean O’Hair: Came into the Masters with a win, followed by a T3, then a W/D for family reasons – got right back into form at Augusta with a T14. Finished 7th here on this course last year.

Chez Reavie: A short, accurate hitter, in the mold of Justin Leonard. Having a solid rookie year, and this is a good course for him to have a breakout performance.

Boo Weekley: The defending champion here at the Verizon Heritage. He played well at the Masters with a T20, and he’s got home field advantage whenever he’s playing in the South.

Tim Wilkinson: A rookie lefty I’ve got high hopes for. Accurate but not long, so this is a good venue for him. Two top-10s this year.

Big obvious names who might burn me, and why I didn’t pick them: Els – just doesn’t seem to be back in form yet. Snedeker – I think he’ll be burned out after the Masters. Rose – extremely talented, but hasn’t really broken out this year, and I think collapsing after his first-round Masters lead will leave him a bit glum.

Lefty Watch: Four lefties this week, two of whom are on my team of 10: Eric Axley, Steve Flesch, Nick O’Hern, and Tim Wilkinson. As I’ve said above, watch out for Flesch and Wilkinson.

Yes, Tiger is human, after all. He never could quite get it going this week at Augusta with his putter. Of course, for him, not getting it going means solo second – but anything less than another green jacket is surely a bitter disappointment for him.

Speaking of heroes proving their vulnerability, I, Lefty Links, was less than perfect this week. Not close-down-the-blog-in-shame horrible, but not stellar. Here’s how my picks fared at the Masters:

Tiger Woods: 2
Padraig Harrington: T5
Justin Leonard: T20
Geoff Ogilvy: T39
K. J. Choi: 41
Jonathan Byrd: MC
Tim Clark: MC
Fred Couples: MC
Steve Stricker: MC
Scott Verplank: MC

It’s surprising, actually, watching Tiger play, that he finished with a solo 2nd. His off-week is most folks’ career-week. A note regarding Couples – if you didn’t know, he had a string of 23 straight made cuts at the Masters coming into this week. He missed the cut by one stroke.

Lefty Watch: An excellent week for the southpaws. Phil Mickelson and Steve Flesch both ended up T5. Flesch was contending for most of Sunday, and should have finished higher – he bogeyed four out of his last five holes. Mike Weir finished T17, Bubba Watson T20, and Richard Green and Nick O’Hern missed the cut. That’s four lefties in the top twenty. Even more importantly, I went to the driving range today, and of ten guys hitting balls, three (including myself) were lefties. Our time is coming, left-handers. A few more years, and it’ll be hard to find a right-handed golfer.