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Fantasy Golf: Hot Topics
By Bryan Douglass
Hot Topic of the Week
The Art of the Grind
Review the recent headlines we have put forth in golf over recent weeks and it is apparent the end of the season is nearly upon us.
Parker McLachlin can't stay off Twitter during the Frys.com Open.
Young gunners unlikely to make a dent on the Tour next season - names such as Rickie Fowler and Jamie Loveland, participants in last week's playoff fight with eventual Frys.com Open winner Troy Matteson - are fighting for the chance to try.
Rory McIlroy can't decide if he wants to play in America or not.
Anthony Kim can't get along with Robert Allenby.
John Daly is just happy to be playing.
Other than the rounds associated with the Fall Series, those are the only headlines of note you will find at this time of year. Golfers fighting to secure status for next year, the looming challenges of Q School, the chase for the Order of Merit in Europe... those are the "major" events for golf's late weeks, and let's face it. All are dwarfed by the silence that follows Tiger and his decision to enjoy ventures away from the PGA Tour.
When he's not playing, most fans couldn't tell you if golf is being played or not.
And it will be Tiger's adventures both on and off the course that rule the headlines of our short-but-sweet offseason. We will all endure tales of his financial ventures, some potential visits overseas to play in Euro events (he owns a home in Dubai and he loves to play there), rumors of a Tiger Tour sponsored by oil tycoons and sheiks rich beyond imagination, Tiger's potential schedule for the next season, and, as any golf fan can expect and appreciate, his chase of the Golden Bear.
In other words, while the rest of the Tour is grinding it and racing to the finish line, the PGA will be hoping the one name that keeps their offerings relevant will be doing more for the league and more for the fight to maintain existence as a cohesive and viable offering in a struggling economy, for that one name is what makes it seem less of a grind and more like an event.
Stock Up
Martin Laird
#IMGRIGHT#You may not have a ton of time to use him but for those owners still keeping tabs through the Fall Series, due to their fight for a fantasy championship or due to an insatiable love of the game, Laird could be a gift for the Fall Series. He makes a living on these late-seasons tourneys and often finds his best game when the best are out of the picture, and this season has been no exception.
Over his first nine starts of the season Laird missed eight cuts, the only exception coming via a T54 at the Bob Hope. That's a nightmare.
Since then Laird has filed 15 PGA starts, having missed just four total cuts along the way with eight stops in the top 50, but his recent work has been inspired.
Begin at the Canadian Open where Laird, following a tough missed cut at the British Open (he's not a regular at the majors), filed two rounds of 65 to get in the hunt for the win (including one on Sunday) only to see a slip with a round of 78 on Saturday ruin it all, finishing T16. Two weeks later he surged again, shooting 72 on Thursday only to follow with 67-66-69 at the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open, finishing in 2nd place.
He fell out of the FedEx Cup race quickly but the return of regular tourneys brought Laird back to the picture. Over his last three starts he has been on fire, including a T29 finish at the Turning Stone Resort Championship, followed by a playoff win at the Timberlake Shriners Open carding four rounds at 68 or better (including a 63 to open the week). Last week at the Frys.com Open he was on point again, shooting 67-72-62-67 to finish T13.
He's taking this week off and thus won't bring the hot hand to Annadale and he is waiting to see if he gets a spot in the final World Golf Championship event next week (there are 78 spots available in the field, and if they are not filled by the first methods of qualification, he has a shot), but he could hit the final PGA event of the season (the Children's Network), and if so, you need to keep him in mind.
Stock Down
Jeff Overton
It wasn't that long ago we were suggesting Overton as one of your best wagers from the unknown ranks any time he hit the field. The kid was playing strong golf, earning 19 cuts in 27 starts this season (just three missed cuts and two withdrawals over his first 20 starts) in a stretch that included nine finishes in the top 25. He's young, he's just starting to get his feet wet in the PGA, yet he's doing consistently well.
Since the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs, the grapes have gone sour.
The fall started in the opening event for the FedEx, failing to break par in a single round at The Barclays (including a round of 77 on Saturday) to finish T73. Overton rebounded at the second stage, the Deutsche Bank Championship, shooting 69-66 to hit the weekend before a 70-70 dropped him to T23. The next stage was his last in the playoff, finishing T61 at the BMW Championship.
Since then Overton has hit the Fall Series and the struggles have gotten worse despite lesser fields. He has hit each of the three tourneys in this late season set and has yet to sniff success: missed cut at the Turning Stone (77-68), missed cut at the Timberlake Shriners (71-73), and missed cut last week at the Frys.com Open (72-70). He's not going low on courses designed to do just that.
Overton filed for early withdrawal from the Viking Classic this week, in obvious need of rest. If he makes the final start of the season you may be best to stay away regardless.
PGA Money Leaders Bubble Watch
NOTE: The members of the top 125 on the PGA's Money Leaders list at season's end will be guaranteed Tour status for next season. Those that fall out will be playing with uncertain futures. Thus we turn to the cut line, the true source of motivation for these final events, for these closing weeks of the season.
PLACE / PLAYER / MONEY
115 Ryuji Imada $706,394
116 Cameron Beckman $704,086
117 Michael Bradley $698,547
118 Jeff Quinney $696,331
119 Roland Thatcher $681,631
120 Richard S. Johnson $676,878
121 Ricky Barnes $672,437
122 Steve Flesch $668,052
123 Robert Garrigus $657,204
124 Rich Beem $636,831
125 David Duval $623,824
--- CUT LINE ---
126 Chris Riley $613,027
127 Jeff Maggert $611,316
128 Tim Herron $602,453
129 Matt Jones $593,313
130 Jimmy Walker $589,833
131 Will MacKenzie $586,836
132 Nicholas Thompson $571,778
133 Todd Hamilton $570,445
134 Stuart Appleby $562,837
135 Joe Ogilivie $540,850
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