Fantasy Golf League is here!  Yippee!!!

For those of us doing Yahoo Fantasy golf again the winter season starts this week - the limited field SBS Open ...the pools are small, but it's also a question of whether you want to use up a start this early in the season - strategy in the first week! 

I've also found a new FREE fantasy golf web site - www.kerplookee.com   This is a salary cap format, and we are in "pre-season" until February - they are a newer site and so far it looks good!  If you join, be sure to get into the Fans of Steve Stricker group - you'll find me there!  They increased the salary cap for the SBS and  this week it may be more about luck if you decided to go with one of the lowered valued players and they come through for you - check it out and get a team today!

Predictions for this week?  I can't help it - Steve Stricker is my man!  But lots of nods are going to the long hitters at this long course in Hawaii - Geoff Ogilvy, Nick Watney, and Sean O'Hair are getting some buzz - but if you're looking for some great wedge players, you can't overlook Stricker or Zach Johnson.

Good Luck this week!!!

Happy Monday Golf Fans!

How about that SBS Open??!!  What a great way to start the 2010 season - a group of 2009 winners trying to be the first winner in 2010...in the gorgeous setting of Hawaii.  Not a bad gig if you can get it!  In my fantasy world (currently playing Yahoo & Kerplookee formats), I'm right up near the top for most of them...Steve Stricker came out slow (I mean REALLY slow) but brought 2 great rounds over the weekend to give me some serious points.  Lucas Glover did just the opposite - Sunday's round killed me!  And how about Matt Kuchar! (YAY Matt!)  But the big winner for me, and about a million other people, was Geoff Ogilvy - I like seeing Titleist on his cap!  Great tournament and back to back wins.  Nice! 

Over at Kerplookee, the salary cap was pretty darn high so there were lots of players to choose from - but what killed me was my dislike for Rory Sabbatini - I have got to learn not to pick with my heart!  Sabbatini deserves credit for a great 63 on Sunday.

This week is a whole new story - our first full field event - the Sony in Hawaii!   In the Yahoo World, there are now more picks in each pool, but with a cut in place, back up players become more important.  Defending is Zach Johnson - who did OK at the SBS...Is he ready for another win?  David Toms was T2 last year and if you've read my predictions for 2010, he's going to win sometime this year...maybe this week!  Another guy you can't overlook is Ernie Els - multiple wins here and I think a new dedication to the 2010 season.  There are over 20 players who are making their first appearance at the Sony, so there could be some dark horses to pick from, too.  Of course I want to pick Stricker, but I need to be careful not to use him too much too early in the season.  And don't forget about Bubba Watson!

Over at Kerplookee.com, the $15 million salary cap has made things much more difficult - you have the option of picking up to 10 players, but that means picking some marginal guys.  With Stricker costing over $6 million, you may be forced to have only 5 or 6 guys...it's weighing quality over quantity - you're earning what they earn...so maybe having 3 guys in the top 10 is better than 7 or 8 guys who are at the bottom...this is going to take me a few weeks to get used to what my strategy is.  Fantasy Golf is fun!!

Good Luck with your fantasy picks this week!!

My new friends at www.kerplookee.com (where you can play FREE fantasy golf with weekly prizes!) have offered me the chance to be a "guest pro" in predicting weekly winners...clearly they saw some talent in my last year's picks in my weekly blog (or think I'm completely crazy and will just make fun of me each week)...but either way, I'm posting up my picks and dark horses and we'll see what happens!  You have to be a registered member of Kerplookee to have access to the group of weekly predictions...but here's what my first week looks like: 

Of course I asked if I could put a plug in for my favorite golf web site...

There are still some tweaks being made to their golf league, and the first official week doesn't start until the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am, so you still have time to sign up! 

It was a VERY BIG step for me to actually put Sabbatini as one of my picks since he is not on my fan list...and I'm really going to try not to pick Stricker every week...but I can't make any promises!  Happy Fantasy golfing!!

Hey Fantasy Golfers!  Don't forget that the Bob Hope is a 5 round event so most leagues are probably required you to submit your teams by tonight (Tuesday!) !

The field is a little sparce this week, but you've still got a lot of choices to make!

Yahoo Leaguers will definitely have to think in the B and C lists this week - in the A list watch out for my Favorite Scott Verplank!  Of course Justin Leonard will be a favorite pick, too.  The B group is big and has several good players to choose from - I'm riding the good finishes of CH III and Chad Campbell at the Sony into this week.  But don't forget to check out David Toms, Brian Gay, Charley Hoffman, and Pat Perez.  The C group has some interesting choices - last week's winner Ryan Palmer, my fave Matt Kuchar, Mike Weir, and Carl Pettersson - but I'm favoring Brandt Snedeker - he's feeling better and he's got a great personality to hang in through a Pro-Am format.

If you are doing the www.kerplookee.com salary cap format, you've got lots of room to pick guys since the highest valued players are just over $3 million.  It's easy to want to pick guys so you're using most of the salary cap, but since you get a waiver guy on Saturday, it might be worth taking a risk with a low guy and keeping some salary cap available if you need to switch to a higher player.  SO check out the streaking cheap players, too!!

Good Luck this week!!

Oy...I got killed in Fantasy golf last week - I have become the victim of overthinking!!!  I can't believe I had Bubba Watson on my squad and then replaced him with Justin Leonard.  And I decided to save Matt Kuchar and he plays great!!  Time to rebound!

It's a little weird to be calling the Buick Open the Farmer's Insurance Open (at Torrey Pines) - but Kudos to Farmer's Insurance for stepping up and sponsoring a PGA Tour golf event.  This week brings with it the 2010 debut of Phil Mickelson...welcome back Phil!  Sometimes it might not make sense to pick a guy on his first start of the year when you have plenty of other "warmed up" guys to choose from, but Phil is going to be on my squad this week.  I'm also not giving up on Ernie Els...although, I think Bubba Watson seems like a good pick, too.  And you can't overlook Ryan Moore's 2 top 10's in 2 starts...Moore is another Sabbatini-like player for me - I'm not a fan, so I seem to stay away from him...but maybe he's worth the pick?

The B-group has some interesting choices...defending champ Nick Watney is there, and Robert Allenby has a top 3 finish in his one start this year.  Charles Howell has a good history here and he's warmed up with 2 starts already.  Hunter Mahan is making his first start of the year here and I've decided to put him on the roster.  I'll also mention Lucas Glover, but he's on probation on my team for his fade at the SBS.

The C-group has become one of the toughest choices to make!  2010 winner Ryan Palmer tops the list, but look out for Brandt Snedeker, Nathan Green, and Carl Pettersson.  I think you might also see quite a few people looking at Rocco Mediate this week.

If you are serious Yahoo player, I read somewhere that you should start players who are playing the North Courses on Thursday & Friday because they will most likely score lower - the tee times are up on www.pgatour.com.  I'm not sure it's worth the extra start though...

In the Kerplookee salary cap league, it's a choice of picking Phil or not picking Phil - with his value at over $5 million (and a $20 million cap), you need to get creative with some dark horse picks in order to field a 10 man squad this week.  I was able to do it...pulling in Michael Sim and Carl Pettersson and taking some mid-cap players like Brandt Snedeker and Bubba Watson.  But bypassing Phil and picking up Allenby and Watney might not be a bad strategy either.

Good Luck this week!!

 Well, I'm still in my fantasy golf free fall...I was away from a computer for the weekend so I wasn't able to change up any picks...not good when you have guys missing the cut!!  But I'm determined to rebound this week.

In the Yahoo world, we've got a few more choices in the A group this week.  Steve Stricker is back!  I know Phil is the guy that has the best record at the Northern Trust Open, but Stricker did have a second place finish last year.  I think one other guy you can't rule out is Ernie Els - I just know he is going to win this year, and he loves Riveria, too!!  I also keep wondering when Vijay Singh is going to break through again.

The B-squad also has some very interesting picks...I would suggest scrolling to the bottom to see several guys who are making their 2010 debut - how is Harrington in the B-group??  But the hot guys in 2010 are at the top, and Allenby, Sim, and Watney might be worth a pick.  But as for me, I'm pretty sure you're going to see Fred Couples on my roster.

The C-group is huge - lots of choices!!  I'm worried about using Snedeker too much too soon, but I like him here.  Matt Kuchar is also back...and I think you also have to look at Davis Love.  I think Rickie Fowler is also deserving of consideration.  But I'm contemplating last week's winner Ben Crane, and one guy I am just waiting to get his first win - Vaughn Taylor.

Stricker or Phil...Kuch or Snedecker...choices!!

 Over at Kerplookee.com, he salary cap is getting harder!  With Phil and Stricker taking at least 25% of the $20million salary cap, it takes some creative thinking to fill out the team and get 10 guys...it's not a requirement to take all 10 spots, but so far I've gone with that strategy.  There are a few great buys at $500K including Michael Sim and Rickie Fowler, and Ryo Ishikawa.  I've committed to Kuchar and Els, and I think Adam Scott is a good buy at just under $800K.  The Kerplookee Leagues officially start on Feb. 11.

Good Luck!

I'm still riding the high of Steve Stricker winning at the Northern Trust Open last week - his win helped me make up a little ground in my fantasy league.  Thanks Steve!!

But I've still got some work to do to try to recover from a few bad weeks.  This week's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am brings another week of longer rounds and potential distractions with the Pro-Am format.  In the Yahoo league, the A-group is slim pickings...I'm going to guess that everyone will be considering Phil Mickelson and Luke Donald...but Steve Marino has had a decent start this year, so he might be a good guy.  I so want to pick Vijay Singh, but he just doesn't seem like his old self yet.

The B-group has some really interesting choices...You've got several guys who have made every cut this year, and also some guys that had good finishes last week.  But in terms of playing this format and playing multiple courses I think laid back personalities are something to consider.  I'm a Goosen fan so I'm going to have him on the squad for sure.  I'm also considering Nick Watney, Jim Furyk, Sean O'Hair, last year's winner Dustin Johnson, Kevin Sutherland, and Marc Leishman.  One guy I'm not picking is Sabbatini, but from a stats standpoint he might be worth the pick...but after picking him once, and him tanking, I can't do it again.  Also - if you scroll to the bottom, Sergio Garcia is making his first 2010 start - might be a good sneaky pick!!  Also at the bottom are guys who haven't made a cut yet - Padraig Harrington and Adam Scott - they might be worth a look, too.

The C-group is filled with interesting picks!  I'm already finding myself having to consider holding back on some guys since we only get 10 picks per guy - I'd probably pick Kuchar and Snedeker every week if I could!  But this week I'm thinking Mike Weir might be worth a nod, along with Tim Clark, Ricky Barnes, or a guy with great history here, Davis Love III.

Over at the Kerplookee,com league we are starting our first official week of the winter season - the pre-season is over!  Of course I did great when it didn't count!  The big ticket players are Mickelson and O'Hair...and I can see some value in Mickelson if you're willing to pick some low value players who are playing well this year.  I think Goosen is going to be my top pick at $3.2 million and then I'm going to stick with several $2 million players...  It's hard to believe Sergio only made $1.2 million on Tour last year, and he might be worth the pick.  But my value guys are going to be Brandt Snedeker, Kevin Sutherland, KJ Choi, and Ryuji Imada.  Although Ryan Palmer looks like a great value at $500K and has already earned over a million this year.  I'm still trying to figure out if it's worth leaving a little cap in order to have some room for the Waiver pick, but this week I'm pretty much at the ceiling. 

It sounds like there will be decent weather in CA this week, so I think we'll get 4 full days!  Good Luck!!

I am seriously stinking it up on my fantasy predictions so far this year.  I'm trying to take statistics  and past playing history at events into consideration, but man, I'm just awful.  Last week I had Brandt Snedeker...he's looking poised to win, going into the final round with the lead...but then he posts a 78 and doesn't even make the top 10.  SHOOT!

Over at Kerplookee.com I've moved up to 66th place after being at 99th - so I'm happy!  Although, I'm totally in the basement on my Pro's Picks.  I was doing GREAT in the pre-season when it didn't count!  I need Steve Stricker back playing so I can get a win or two.  This week I'm rooting for:  Ernie Els, Rory McIlory, YE Yang, Chad Collins, and Brandt Snedeker (yes, again, even after he tanked last week!)

 If you are looking for a good read, check out John Maginnes (former Tour Pro and golf writer) at the Kerplookee blog.  http://www.kerplookee.com/blog/  I enjoyed his last few posts...especially the one about PGA Pro Chris Smith.

I hope all of your fantasy leagues are going better than mine!  But Spring is in the air so I hope to get inspired!

Okay - I'm reaching out for help this week on my www.kerplookee.com picks.  I am at the bottom of the list and I need to move up!  This week we are at Doral for the CA Championship...(I'm not sure the official field has been posted for this week on www.pgatour.com yet).

Here's what I need:

4 players in the Easy Picks - this can be anyone in the field.

4 players as Dark Horses - for this week, it has to be someone outside of the Top 25 on the OWGR and cannot have a win in 2009 or 2010.

With a limited field that boasts a lot of great players, this could be a great week if I can get a few of the top 5 finishers!

Please...I'm begging you...if you have any thoughts on who is the hot guys this week, share them!!  Ernie Els killed me last week...as did YE Yang...and well, just about everyone else I picked.  Help me get out of last place!!

THANKS!!!!

I'd be happy to help by giving you my picks so that you could select someone else ... believe me, if I was in that league you would not be at the bottom of the list ...

But I will give you one piece of serious advice ... don't pick Tiger ... I just have a feeling ...

Thanks for the tip, 2Putt (insert eye roll here). 

I called in my brother to help me out this week.  Here are his picks:

Easy Picks:  Steve Stricker (yes!), Phil Mickelson, Ian Poulter, Camilo Villegas

Dark Horse Picks:  Tim Clark, Vijay Singh, JB Holmes, Nick Watney

Of those 8, I would have only picked Stricker and Mickelson, so I hope this will be the luck I need to get back on track!

I love Phil, but he's got to be a somewhat risky pick if he doesn't get that putter working better ... and he's always streaky with the driver, so no telling where it will fly this week ... but then again, that's what makes him so much fun to watch!

Camilo is an obvious choice, I agree ... nobody is hotter right now ...

Is AK playing this week?  I might put him ahead of Poulter (I almost said Stricker, but then remembered who I'm talking to - okay, I'm just kidding about that), but I'll admit that's mostly because I don't like Poulter ... but AK has been playing pretty well lately ...

And if those last four guys all qualify as dark horses, I think they are very good picks ... which means that you should immediately change them ...

This was kind of an odd week for picks, because of the limited field the only criteria for the Dark Horse was that they are oustide of the top 25 on the OWGR.  AK would have actually qualified for a dark horse this week!! 

I'm not a fan of Poulter either, which is probably why I never pick him.

I wasn't going to post this, because I swear it will come back to haunt me, but here were my picks:  Aces:  Stricker (of course!), Mickelson (I have faith), Els (oh you know he's going to win this week because this is the only week I haven't picked him!), Goosen (I just like him!)

Dark Horses: Zach Johnson (might not be long, but I think he could have lots of GIR), Matt Kuchar (yes, it's because I like him), Dustin Johnson (supposedly the most under-rated player right now), and Anthony Kim.

And now that I found out you like all of my brother's picks, I'm doomed for sure!!!    Oh well, it's just for fun!