Fantasy : Fantasy Golf Preview: FBR Open : Fantasy Golf Strategies

FBR Open Preview:

TPC Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Arizona

Defending Champ: J.B. Holmes

Sure enough, Tiger Woods did win his seventh consecutive tournament and hopefully you were smart enough to pick him. Big surprise, right? I wasn't very pleased to see Troy Matteson, and a host of others, fold down the stretch. You had to feel bad for Andrew Buckle, who unfortunately lived up to his last name and buckled under the final round pressure.

Note for next year: If you get to change your players daily, make sure you pick whoever is playing the North course in the first two rounds. The South course will be hosting the US Open in 2008 and is a much longer and harder golf course.

Now for this week...

I look forward to the FBR Open every year. It is one of my favorite events because the crowd is not your typical golf crowd. The behavior of the fans is more like something from the movie Happy Gilmore, which should make for a nice pregame for the Super Bowl. I'm looking at the big hitters to tear up the desert. J.B. Holmes won here last year. Mark Calcavecchia has won this tournament three times, while Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson have won here twice.

MY PICKS...

(In my fantasy league each golfer is assigned to a certain class, depending on how good they are. We can pick two "A" players, four "B" players, and two "C" players)

"A" Players- Mickelson and Singh would be the obvious choice in a field without Tiger. Neither have been playing their best golf, but I would at least pick one of these guys. The second pick is up for grabs. David Toms is a decent choice. Geoff Ogilvy is so good and did well at the FBR last year. I just don't see Davis Love III or Mike Weir suddenly finding their game. Scott Verplank finished in a tie for second last year and would be a respectable pick.

FINAL "A" PICKS: Phil Mickelson and Geoff Ogilvy

"B" Players- I'll start by saying that zero of my four "B" picks made the cut last week. That hurt, bad. Like I said before, I'm leaning toward guys who can hit the ball a long way this week. The golf course favors big hitters and big hitters play well here. Charles Howell III has been playing so well that it would be silly not to pick him. He's due and he's been close. J.B. Holmes is obviously a decent pick because of his length and the fact that he won by seven shots last year. Finishing far behind Holmes were Camilo Villegas, Jonathan Byrd, and Steve Lowery in a group tied for second. Fred Funk will be one of my B picks. He's always a crowd favorite and he just won a Champions Tour event by 11 shots. The man can play and he's a riot to watch.

FINAL "B" PICKS: Charles Howell III, JB Holmes, Camilo Villegas, Fred Funk

"C" Players- Ahh...the dreaded "C" class. I thought Troy Matteson was going to bring me "C" class love last week but it just wasn't to be. Mark Calcavecchia is probably the most dependable pick. He played very well last week and has been playing well in Scottsdale for 15-20 years. Trevor Immelman, Troy Matteson, and Will Mackenzie have been the most reliable players in the class. I'm going to take a shot on Bubba Watson because he just crushes the golf ball and has been playing decent golf in recent weeks. Plus, in a wild setting, how can you not pick a guy named Bubba?

FINAL "C" PICKS: Mark Calcavecchia and Bubba Watson

Good luck...and GO BEARS!!!

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