Fantasy Golf: Hot Topics

By Bryan Douglass

~ Hot Topic of the Week ~



- The End of the Tunnel...

Including this week's PGA stop in Scottsdale for the Frys.com Open, we have just three tourneys left in the PGA season (unless you want to count the OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup, thought he event is not co-sponsored by the Tour). There is little-to-no hope of watching your favorite World Golf Ranking representative on the course until the calendar reads 2010. The season of return for Tiger has been written (no majors, still dominates the landscape) and only a select few took advantage of his absence. Four guys you couldn't pick out of a lineup took home the major trophies (you might know Stewart Cink... if not, follow him on Twitter). You won't see golf on the major networks, you won't see golf ruling the news of the day (assuming Tiger sticks around the homestead to play dad), and more fantasy owners than not have realized their fates and either moved on or claimed victory.

The PGA season may be the longest in professional sports (they only get two months off), but the time spent pondering next season will seem as long as the 30 weeks we spend without live football.

It is also possible that we could see a drastically-changing world in professional golf when the game starts producing top headlines once again. The economic downfall suffered around the world has some of the major corporations and supporters of the PGA wondering if their pledge to sponsor tourneys should continue. Tiger is said to ponder a venture to create his own international tour. Several big names (including Rory McIlroy, John Daly and Angel Cabrera, just to name a couple... others are going to dedicate more time to the Euro stops, including Anthony Kim) are considering moves to play exclusively in lands not ruled by the PGA. Several other big names-to-be are considering the leap to turn pro and join a growing list of phenoms in the fight to challenge the Great One.

There isn't much we can do to prepare for next season. There is value in statistical analysis and noting the rise and fall of players both young and old could certainly prove valuable for your fantasy efforts next season, but in the end, golf may be the least predictable game on the planet... and that is what could intrigue during these short-yet-daunting two months we will spend without the game we love.


~ Stock Up ~


- Matt Kuchar

It might be fair to call Kuchar one of the more underrated commodities in fantasy golf today. He checks in at #25 on the PGA Money Leaders list, he touts 18 cuts made in 24 starts, and the win at Turning Stone two weeks ago shows he can play with the big boys.

However, Kuchar's results over recent outings may indicate the young duffer is on the verge of taking another serious career step forward. In fact, if you go back to June, you'll note Kuchar has built a second-half resume that suggests he can take it to the next level.

It started with a 5th-place finish at the Memorial, a track that draws many of the world's best. Over the next five starts Kuchar would hit a rough patch that put us off the scent, including missed cuts at the US Open, the British Open, and the PGA Championship (with a T66 at the John Deere and a relieving T26 at the Legends Reno-Tahoe). In other words, the majors put him on the outs... and that's fair commonly.

#IMGRIGHT#What is not common is his rebound back to the top ranks since. Kuchar hit the FedEx Cup playoffs with hope, starting with a T28 at The Barclays (he was on pace for a much better finish before a 75 on Sunday pushed him back). He took another step forward at the Deutsche Bank Championship with a T15 finish (65 on Thursday, 68-69 on the weekend). The next week brought another vote of confidence with a T10 finish at the BMW Championship, and while he just missed the cut for the TOUR Championship, he used the motivation two weeks later for the win at Turning Stone.

Last week, Kuchar capped it all with a T7 finish at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, shooting 66-64-72-66 on the week. That's impressive and he's taking a much-deserved rest this week as a result... but you'll see him at least one more time before the '09 campaign ends. Keep him in mind when you do.


~ Stock Down ~


- Mark Calcavechia

In an attempt to return from his chronic back pain, Calcavecchia looked like a man on a mission earlier this season. He posted consecutive top-10 finishes at Pebble Beach and the Northern Trust Open followed by a T22 at the Honda Classic.

Then there was a streak with the back returned to the discussion as he suffered two missed cuts with two withdrawals over his next four starts, followed by a T70 at Quail Hollow.

Then Calc fooled us again, finishing T27 at the British Open followed by an 8th-place finish at the Canadian Open, a week that included a score of 65 on Friday and a 69 on Sunday. He was headed back in the right direction and looked ready to end the season on a positive note.

Instead, he has fallen again: T52 at the Buick Open, missed cut at the Wyndham Championship, missed cut at The Barclays (shooting 79 on Friday), T73 at Turning Stone (75 on Sunday), and another missed cut last week at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. His putter has gone south (1.788 per hole, 129th on Tour), he can't find the green (64.7% of greens in regulation, 106th on Tour), and he's not getting into weekend play.

He'll be battling again this week at the Frys.com Open, but there is little-to-no reason to put your fantasy roster in his hands. We are blessed with plenty of options with much more promise than Calc.


~ Official World Golf Rankings ~


RANK PLAYER PTS.AVG.

1 Tiger Woods 15.98
2 Phil Mickelson 8.07
3 Steve Stricker 7.63
4 Paul Casey 6.27
5 Lee Westwood 5.93
6 Padraig Harrington 5.87
7 Henrik Stenson 5.78
8 Kenny Perry 5.63
9 Jim Furyk 5.45
10 Sergio Garcia 5.26
11 Geoff Ogilvy 5.05
12 Martin Kaymer 4.98
13 Stewart Cink 4.85
14 Sean O'Hair 4.70
15 Vijay Singh 4.20
16 Lucas Glover 4.19
17 Rory McIlroy 4.16
18 Camilo Villegas 4.14
19 Retief Goosen 4.11
20 Zach Johnson 4.07
21 Ian Poulter 3.93
22 Ernie Els 3.86
23 Anthony Kim 3.74
24 Robert Karlsson 3.61
25 Hunter Mahan 3.58


~ PGA Money Leaders ~


PLACE PLAYER MONEY

1 Tiger Woods $10,508,163
2 Steve Stricker $6,332,636
3 Phil Mickelson $5,332,755
4 Zach Johnson $4,583,213
5 Kenny Perry $4,445,562
6 Sean O'Hair $4,316,493
7 Jim Furyk $3,946,515
8 Geoff Ogilvy $3,866,270
9 Lucas Glover $3,692,580
10 Y.E. Yang $3,489,516
11 Retief Goosen $3,232,650
12 Nick Watney $3,221,421
13 Brian Gay $3,178,676
14 David Toms $3,017,957
15 Dustin Johnson $2,977,901
16 Hunter Mahan $2,941,349
17 Stewart Cink $2,821,030
18 Rory Sabbatini $2,733,791
19 Kevin Na $2,724,825
20 Padraig Harrington $2,628,377
21 Angel Cabrera $2,625,472
22 Paul Casey $2,582,181
23 Jerry Kelly $2,562,648
24 Matt Kuchar $2,489,193
25 Ian Poulter $2,431,001