2010 World Golf Championships-CA Championship Picks

March 8th, 2010

I’m back from vacation, rested up and ready for a new week of PGA Tour picks. This week is a split bill, with the best going to Doral in Florida for the World Golf Championships-CA Championship, and the journeymen and other middle-of-the-packers heading off to the Puerto Rico Open. Since most of the fantasy golf games focus on the CA Championship, that’s what I’ll focus on this week.

First, as always, my plug for the 2010 Leftylinks.com Tour Research Guide. Want to know who has the most top-10s at this event over the past decade? Most top-25s? It’s in the Guide. Take a look.

Okay, here are my picks this week. Instead of my usual ten, I’ll pick seven, since this is a small, no-cut field. As always, I’ll try to find a dark horse or two, but it is a packed field, so cut me some slack…

Paul Casey: Mixing European and PGA Tour events, Casey has 3 top-5s and a T11 in his last 4 events. He also has two top-10s here at the WGC-CA in the last decade.

Luke Donald: While he hasn’t done much this year since his 2nd at the Northern Trust, he’s due for another good tourney, and he does have 5 top-25s at this event in the last 10 years.

Jim Furyk: No top-10s yet this year—it’s time to break that streak. Furyk has 3 top-10s here at this event over the last 10 years.

Sergio Garcia: While he hasn’t done much this year other than his 4th at the Matchplay, Garcia excels in this event—5 top-10s in the last 10 years.

Retief Goosen: Including Europe, Goosen has 3 top-10s this year, and he plays this event well, with 4 top-10s in the last 10 years.

Vijay Singh: The old Fijian still has some victories left in him, I’m sure—and last week’s T4 at the Honda was a good sign. Like Garcia, he has 5 top-10s in the last 10 years at this event.

Oliver Wilson: Here’s another less obvious pick that could be interesting this week. Wilson is coming in hot, with T17, T5, T15, T5 in his last 4 events, and he has a T5 at this event in ’09.

Lefty Watch: Only two lefties in the field this week: Phil Mickelson and Mike Weir. Go lefties.

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Honda Classic - on a break!

March 2nd, 2010

Sorry folks, no picks this week. Barely have time to type even this–no chance to put together any well-thought-out picks. I’ll be back next week, though, so don’t panic!

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2010 Waste Management Phoenix Open Picks

February 23rd, 2010

Gonna be a quick one this week. Lots going on in the rest of my life.

This week the pros are at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, recently known as the FBR Open. For past leaderboards and a bit of number crunching, please see my 2010 Tour Research Guide. (Do you know, for example, which two golfers have the most top-25s at this event over the past decade?) There’s still most of the season left, and if I do say so myself, I think it’s a good deal.

On to my list of 10 golfers to watch this week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open:

Brian Gay: Made it into the third round of last week’s Matchplay, and all his other starts this year have been top-25s. He plays well here in the desert, too: T6 ’09, T17 ’08, T23 ’07.

J. B. Holmes: This one’s such a strong pick this week, he’ll probably miss the cut. Still, you can’t argue with the numbers: His last two starts this year have been T3, T2, and he won this event in ’08 and ’06.

Steve Marino: No track record to speak of at this event, but he’s coming in with momentum, finishing T5, 4th in his last two events this year.

Phil Mickelson: A T8 at Pebble, but it’s been a disappointing start for Lefty this year. Still, he’s going to win again sooner or later, and he does have 6 top-10s at this event the past decade, including a win in ’05.

Kevin Na: He has two top-10s this year, and he plays well at this event: 3rd ’09, T4 ’08, T2 ’05.

Kenny Perry: Coming off a first-round loss in the Matchplay, which isn’t impressive, but he has 6 top-25s at this event the last decade, which include a victory in ’09, and two other top-10s.

Kevin Stadler: I’m sticking with Walrus Jr. another week. He has no good record here, but his last two starts this year have been T10, T9.

Kevin Sutherland: The veteran likes this event—5 top-25s this decade, which include 3 top-10s. And he does have 3 top-20s this year.

Camilo Villegas: A T2 here in ’06, but more importantly, he should be coming in with loads of confidence after a very impressive 3rd place in the Matchplay.

Y.E. Yang: A quiet year so far, and no track record here, so no numbers-based reason for this pick. I just think he’s more than a flash in the pan—I expect him to have another good year.

Lefty Watch: Five lefties in the field this week: Greg Chalmers, Steve Flesh, Phil Mickelson, Nick O’Hern, Bubba Watson. Go lefties.

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2010 Mayakoba Golf Classic Picks (and thoughts on the Accenture Match Play too)

February 16th, 2010

I’m still hurting from Goydos’ Sunday collapse at Pebble Beach. I had him as a darkhorse pick in two of my fantasy games and I was sitting pretty until it all went to hell. Oh well.

Moving on, this week is a split bill for the pros. The big guns will be at the Accenture Match Play, while all the no-names will be in Mexico at the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun. I focus on the stroke-play events, so I won’t spend much time on the Accenture. I’ll just say I’m looking for Lee Westwood to win, and watch out for either Michael Sim or Ross Fisher to do really well (they’d meet each other in the 3rd round, so they can’t both go far).

Alright, south of the border we’ve got the Mayakoba. Just the fourth year of its existence, so there’s not much in the way of track record stats, but still, please take a look at my 2010 Tour Research Guide if you’re into numbers. Keep in mind, Guide buyers, that the Guide does not include Accenture Matchplay stats. (Although it does cover 42 stroke-play events!)

As you know, it’s a very weak field, which actually makes the picks an interesting challenge, different from my usual “I wish I could pick more than 10” challenge.

Here you go, my world-famous-in-my-own-mind weekly list of 10 golfers to watch—this week at the Mayakoba Golf Classic:

Briny Baird: I have to say, as a spectator I saw Baird once at a Wednesday Pro Am, and he seemed like a jerk. But, I’m picking him anyway. Although his year so far is not great, he does have a T12 at the Sony, and a strong record in the short history of the Mayakoba: T6 ’09, T12 ’08.

K.J. Choi: Seems like too big of a name to be at this event, but Choi as you know has been playing poorly for a while. He’s coming off a T21 at Pebble that would have been much better if not for a 75 on Sunday. This should be an opportunity for the once almost-superstar to play well against a weak field.

David Duval: Coming off a surprise T2 at Pebble. Will it be like his strong performance at last year’s U.S. Open—leading to nothing, in other words? Or will he be able to build on his good play? It would be nice to see the latter.

Steve Elkington: Elk has a T18 at this event in ’07, and more importantly, he’s playing well right now with a T15, T16 in his last two events.

J.P. Hayes: Coming off an excellent T5 at Pebble, and also has a decent T33 at the Bob Hope. A good opportunity this week for Hayes to shine.

Tom Pernice Jr.: A T21 at Pebble marred by a 75 on Sunday. A veteran who should be able to step it up and take advantage of the weak field.

Carl Pettersson: He’s been hit or miss for a while now (more miss than hit, to be honest). He’s missed his last two cuts, but before that had a T5 at the Sony and T39 at the Bob Hope.

Heath Slocum: A T3 here at Mayakoba in ’09, and he’s having a steady year so far, with a t27, T33, and T35.

Kevin Stadler: An inconsistent player who has been showing signs of gaining consistency. Stadler, who you’ve gotta give props to for looking so freakishly like his dad, has a T18 and T10 this year, as well as a MC. He’s one of the few guys with somewhat of a track record here at this event: T20 ’09, T13 ’07.

Mark Wilson: The defending champion should have good vibes at this event. While not lighting it up so far this year, he does have two top 30s to build on this week.

Lefty Watch: A mere two lefties in the field this week: Eric Axley and Tim Wilkinson. Axley won’t be on Tour much this year, so should be anxious (probably overly) to make the most of it; and Wilkinson is still iffy in my book since he’s coming back from injury. Still, go lefties.

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2010 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Picks

February 8th, 2010

Yes, this is the week we get to see Bill Murray hamming it up with the pros – the Tour’s next stop is the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. As long as Michael Bolton and Kenny G don’t sing or play the sax, I’ll be happy.

As you probably know, it’s a three-course event, with all players cycling through the three courses Thursday through Saturday, then comes the cut before Sunday’s round at Pebble. There’s a bit extra interest for the pros this year—Pebble will be hosting the U.S. Open in June, so this is a bit of a scouting mission.

So who do I like? Well first, if you want past leaderboards and some number crunching to help you make up your own mind, please take a look at my Tour Research Guide. And then come on back and have your mind blown by my sometimes obvious, sometimes daring list of 10 players to watch at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am:

Luke Donald: Started the year off shaky, with a MC and T48, but last week’s 2nd at Riviera hopefully shows he’s back on track. At this event he has a T7 ’06, T11 ’05, T17 ’04.

Retief Goosen: He doesn’t play this event often, but still, he has recent success here with a 3rd in ’09. His last two events on the PGA Tour have been T6, T4, and he’s coming off a T9 at the Qatar Masters on the Euro Tour.

Paul Goydos: I’ve got a good feeling about Goydos this week. He’s coming off a solid T5 at Riviera, and he does have some success here: T4 ’05, T13 ’03, T8 ’02.

Dustin Johnson: The defending champ here, Johnson also has a T7 ’08. He’s coming off a T3 at Riviera that saw him come back with a nice Sunday after a poor Saturday.

Matt Kuchar: Kuchar this year already has a 3rd at the SBS, T2 at the Bob Hope, and is coming off a good T20 at Riviera. The Bob Hope, like Pebble, is a multi-course Pro-Am—perhaps his success at the Hope is a sign of things for Kuchar at Pebble. He does have some decent success here: T14 ’09, T6 ’07.

Steve Marino: No track record here to speak of, but Marino is coming off a solid T5 last week, and I like his game.

Phil Mickelson: Yes, I have to mention Phil. His start has been disappointing so far, with a 19th and T45. He seems to be pushing too hard to take advantage of the Tiger void. But it’s only a matter of time, and you’ve got to respect his success here: winner ’07 and ’05, 3rd ’04, T3 ’01.

Alex Prugh: Who? Well, his last three events have been 5, T5, T10, so Prugh, that’s who.

Bo Van Pelt: Played well in a T15 at Riviera last week. He has decent success here: T24 ’08, T11 ’07, T14 ’06, T25 ’04.

Mike Weir: True, last week was a MC, but he did have a 6th at the Bob Hope, and jeez, look at his record here at this event: 2nd ’09, T14 ’08, T3 ’06, 2nd ’05, T4 ’04, T3 ’03, T8 ’01, T7 ’00. Not bad.

Lefty Watch: Four lefties in the field this week: Greg Chalmers, Phil Mickelson, Nick O’Hern, Mike Weir. Go lefties.

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2010 Northern Trust Open Picks

February 1st, 2010

Next up, the Northern Trust Open at Riviera CC, in Pacific Palisades, CA. I love this course. I’ve been lucky enough to play it, and it’s a wonderful, old-style test. It’s a very strong field—a tough week to pick just 10.

Interested in past leaderboards and some number crunching to help you make up your own mind? Check out my new 2010 Leftylinks.com Tour Research Guide. Every remaining 2010 PGA Tour stroke play event is covered. And I’ve partnered up for a sweet giveaway—everyone buying the Guide before 8pm EST on Tuesday, Feb.2 will be eligible to win a free entry in www.protourfantasygolf.com’s league 2. That’s a $25 value. (UPDATE: The giveaway has ended–congrats to Patrick M.! No more giveaway, but the Guide is still available!) Click the Guide link for all the details. The Guide is a great resource for your golf picks, and if 10 million of you buy it, I’ll happily quit my day job and play golf every day.

Okay, enough paying the bills—on to the picks. Here you go, my list of 10 golfers to watch at the Northern Trust Open:

Robert Allenby: Playing incredible golf right now. Including other Tours, his last four events have been T9, 2nd, win, win. And the clincher is that he plays very well here at Riviera—T17 ’09, T7 ’08, T3 ’07, T7 ’05, T15 ’04, winner ’01.

K.J. Choi: What happened to Choi? He’s been stinking it up for a while now. Still, there’s a world-class golfer under that crappy golf somewhere, and last week’s T15 at the Farmers showed promise. This venue has solid memories for him to get back on track—T3 ’09, T7 ’08, T22 ’07, T5 ’03.

Charles Howell III: I’m sticking with Howell another week because his play continues to look very good—T9, T26, T5 in his last three events. He won here at Riviera in ’07, and he has a 2nd in ’03 and T6 ’02.

Phil Mickelson: A disappointing Sunday at the Farmers last week dropped him back to 19th place, but you can’t ignore Mickelson at the Northern Trust—check out his recent track record here: winner ’09, winner ’08, 2nd ’07, 4th ’06.

Jeff Quinney: Quinney missed the cut at the Farmers, but before that had decent outings with T26 and T20. This course seems to suit him—T25 ’09, 2nd ’08, T9 ’07. Could be an interesting small-name pick in a packed field.

Andres Romero: My other longshot pick this week. Romero was very mediocre last week at the Farmers with a T71, but he surprised everyone last year at Riviera with a T3, and he could surprise again. Just a hunch.

Rory Sabbatini: Followed up his 2nd at the SBS with a cooler T39 at the Sony, but this one’s more of a track record pick: T6 ’09, T9 ’07, winner ’06, T15 ’04, T2 ’02, T12 ’00.

Adam Scott: This is his first event of the year, which always makes we worry a bit about rust, but I think Scott is going to have a very motivated year. He wants to prove he’s not an overhyped underachiever, and I think he can do it. He ended ’09 strong—these weren’t PGA Tour events, but still, his last five events in ’09 were T12, win, T7, T6, 13.

Brandt Snedeker: A pure momentum pick. Snedeker has no track record here at this event to speak of, but he comes in with a hot hand—T2, T10 in his last two starts this year.

Steve Stricker: Another guy you can’t ignore. Coming off a 3rd at the Sony, and his recent history here is very good: 2nd ’09, T11 ’08.

Lefty Watch: Seven lefties in the field this week: Greg Chalmers, Steve Flesch, Phil Mickelson, Nick O’Hern, Bubba Watson, Mike Weir, Tim Wilkinson. Go lefties.

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New! Tour Research Guide, and PTFG Giveaway

January 31st, 2010

I’m happy to announce that the 2010 Leftylinks.com Tour Research Guide is now available! And for the next few days, I’ll be combining the Guide with a protourfantasygolf.com giveaway.

The Guide is an 82-page pdf that offers top-25 leaderboards and number-crunching of best-performing pros for 42 stroke-play events on the PGA Tour this year. From the Farmers Insurance Open (Jan. 28-31, 2010), through the Children’s Miracle Network Classic (Nov. 11-14, 2010), the Guide gives you the basic info you need to pick your golfers each week.

Click here for more details.

And as an incentive, I’ve partnered with www.protourfantasygolf.com (PTFG) for a giveaway. Everyone who purchases the Guide before 8pm (EST) this Tuesday, February 2, will be entered into a drawing to win a free entry into PTFG’s League 2, which starts on Thursday, February 4. That’s a $25 value.

For those of you not familiar with PTFG, it’s a “boutique” fantasy golf game. By boutique, I mean small leagues, so you actually have a shot at winning; and a site manager who seems to care & take pride in his site (props to you, John).

Okay, I hate to do it, but here’s my closing cliché sales speak: What are you waiting for? Get the 2010 Leftylinks.com Tour Research Guide today!

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2010 Farmers Insurance Open Picks

January 26th, 2010

This week the pros are at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, CA. You probably know it better as the Buick Invitational, but sponsors come and go, and Buick went and now it’s Farmers’ turn. The pros play the north and south courses on Thursday and Friday, then stick with the tougher south course for the weekend.

As usual, take a look at my research page for past leaderboards and best performers. And then, come back, because you won’t want to miss my…

…list of 10 players to watch at this week’s Farmers Insurance Open:

Jason Dufner: I like his recent play, with T20, T18 in his last two events. This one’s a sleeper, certainly.

Charles Howell III: T5, T26 in his first two events of 2010, and he plays very well at this event: T13 ’08, T2 ’07, T2 ’05, T7 ’03.

Dustin Johnson: Coming off a decent T16 at the Bob Hope. Not much history here at Torrey Pines, with just a T19 in ’09, but he should play well here.

Phil Mickelson: Yes, I had to included the obvious pick. Mickelson is coming off an excellent end to ’09—the question is whether he’ll be rusty or jump right in. He does have a solid history here: T6 ’08, T8 ’06, T4 ’04, T4 ’03, winner ’01, winner ’00.

Ryan Moore: He has a T16 here in ’07, but more importantly, he’s playing excellent golf now with T6, T10 in his last two events. And if you include last year, that’s 5 top-10s in a row.

John Rollins: T14, T8 in his first two tourneys this year, and he likes this event: 2nd ’09, T4 ’06, T8 ’02.

Brandt Snedeker: A 3rd here in ’07, and coming off a solid T10 at the Bob Hope.

Kevin Sutherland: T15 at the Hope should give him some momentum at this event which he enjoys: T13 ’08, T14 ’07, T6 ’05, T13 ’01, T5 ’00.

Nick Watney: Winner here in ’09, and also has a T9 ’07.

Bubba Watson: A T7 here in ’09. Last week’s T2 at the Hope could either provide burnout or inspiration; I’m betting on the latter.

Lefty Watch: Only three lefties in the field this week: Greg Chalmers, Phil Mickelson, and Bubba Watson. Go lefties.

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2010 Bob Hope Classic Picks

January 18th, 2010

Not much time for brilliant intros this week. It’s the Bob Hope Classic, a 5-day Wednesday through Sunday multi-course event, and it’ll be even more of a marathon this year thanks to expected heavy rainfall that might cause delays.

For those of you who want stats, see as always my research page for a decade of leaderboards and a bit of analysis on best performers at the event. Then come back, because, drumroll, here’s my world-famous list of 10 golfers to watch, this week of course at the Bob Hope Classic:

Chad Campbell: A T8 at last week’s Sony has him coming in with a head of steam, and he plays well here: T9 ’09, winner ’06, T16 ’02.

Tim Clark: A decent T25 last week at the Sony, and some solid success here: T5 ’09, T2 ’05.

Charley Hoffman: Hoffman has played very well here the last 3 years: T19 ’09, T8 ’08, winner ’07.

Charles Howell III: His only top-25 at this event this decade was a T6 ’02, but he’s coming off an excellent T5 at last week’s Sony, and I’ve got a feeling about him.

Justin Leonard: Last week’s MC doesn’t inspire me with confidence, but you can’t ignore Leonard’s track record here: 2nd ’08, winner ’05, T8 ’03, T6 ’02.

Ryan Moore: A solid T6 at the season-opening SBS, and he has recent success here, with a T5 ’08.

Jeff Quinney: My darkhorse pick this week. Quinney does have a T4 here at this event in ’07, and he’s coming off a good T20 at last week’s Sony.

Justin Rose: T12 last week, and good recent success here at the Bob Hope: 3rd ’07, T10 ’06.

John Senden: Senden plays extremely well here: T9 ’09, T22 ’08, T5 ’06, T6 ’05, T13 ’02.

Mike Weir: Of course you can’t ignore Weir this week. A winner of this event in ’03, he also has a T3 ’09 and T5 ’06.

Lefty Watch: Five lefties in the field this week: Greg Chalmers, Steve Flesch, Nick O’Hern, Bubba Watson, Mike Weir. Go lefties.

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2010 Sony Open in Hawaii Picks

January 11th, 2010

The Tour is truly getting back up to speed this week, with the first full-field, weekend-cut event—the Sony Open in Hawaii. Waialae Country Club in Honolulu is a short par 70 at 7068 yards—the players won’t have to bomb it off the tee this week. Although I’m guessing that John Daly, in the field this week, will be gripping it & ripping it anyway.

I’ve compiled my usual list of top event performers (those with multiple top-25s and top-10s) as well as a decade of top-25 leaderboards. Take a look at my research page, then come back, because I’m about to reveal my first list, in 2010, of 10 players to watch.

Here you go, my 10 players to watch at this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii:

Ernie Els: True, the Big Easy isn’t the dominant player he once was, but you’ve gotta believe he still has some wins left in him. He has a bunch of good memories here to jumpstart his tiring game: 2nd ’05, winner ’04 and ’03, 3rd ’01, 5th ’00.

Rickie Fowler: I’m not wasting any time jumping on the Fowler train this year. The kid is fearless and talented; I don’t expect any rookie jitters out of him.

Retief Goosen: He may not have much of a track record here (T10 ’04, T20 ’03), but he’s coming off good play last week with a T6 at the SBC.

Charles Howell III: He’s coming off a bad year in ’09, and he’s quickly fading from young promising stud into irrelevancy. This would be a great week for him to find his form again—he loves this event: 4th ’09, T2 ’07, T3 ’05, T15 ’03, T4 ’02.

Matt Kuchar: Kuchar followed up his excellent end of the year in ’09 with a very solid T3 last week at the SBC. He should be playing with a ton of confidence right now. FWIW, he does have a T4 here in ’02.

Kevin Na: This pick’s based on recent history—Na has a T5 here in ’09 and T4 ’08.

Sean O’Hair: A T12 here in ’09, but more importantly, he’s coming off a well-played T4 last week and the good golf should continue.

Pat Perez: A streaky, inconsistent, hot-headed player, he played well last week with a T10, and he plays very well at this event: T4 ’08, T10 ’07, T20 ’05, T20 ’03, T17 ’02.

Rory Sabbatini: Let me cut and paste—like Perez, Sabbatini is also streaky, inconsistent, and hot-headed. But the stars seem aligned for him this week. He’s coming off a 2nd last week that included a 10-under par Sunday round, and he has excellent recent results here in Waialea: T12 ’09, 2nd ’08, T2 ’06.

Steve Stricker: Stricker’s T10 last week may seem middle-of-the-road by his standards, but it was a week that saw each day score better, culminating in a 7-under par on Sunday. He does have some history here to help: T23 ’09, T4 ’08, T4 ’07, T14 ’00.

Lefty Watch: Just three lefties in the field this week: Nick O’Hern, Bubba Watson, Tim Wilkinson. Wilkinson is coming back from thumb surgery on a torn ligament—this will be his first PGA Tour event since June ’09.

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