Fantasy : Fantasy Golf Preview: The Masters : Fantasy Golf Strategies

The Masters Preview

Augusta National GC, Augusta, GA

Defending Champ: Phil Mickelson

Go figure! I knew it would happen as soon as I saw his name on the leaderboard on day 1, and that's the second time this year (see Pebble Beach) that I've suggested not to pick a player and he's won. I hope you had the sense to pick Adam Scott after my comment of how "he can't find his game." When I said at Pebble "I'm definitely not picking Lefty this week," sure enough Lefty comes in and blisters the pack. I guess shooting 80 the week prior, in the final round at Doral, actually means you're getting hot. Scott won a birdie fest. We'll see how he does this week.

MASTERS WEEK...

I'm actually watching an old interview on The Golf Channel as I'm writing this, with a really young looking Scott Van Pelt and Tiger Woods after the 1997 Masters. They went over almost every hole of the tournament and you just get the feeling that Tiger is not human and was destined to be the best golfer of all time. At age 21, he was physically and mentally on another level than everyone else and he's not getting any dumber. Great interview. I'll leave rest of the dramatic words for Jim Nantz and simply say this is my favorite week in sports. We have Opening Day (every Cub fan's favorite day), The NCAA Basketball Championships, and The Masters, all in one week.

MY PICKS...

"A" Players: Tiger Woods is the favorite and will probably win the tournament again. Now that we have that out of the way, who else should we pick? Mickelson is the defending champ, but is he dedicated enough to win again? Has he played enough golf? We know Vijay Singh is committed and is already putting together a fine season, and has already collected one green jacket. Can Luke Donald or Adam Scott put a full week together at a major, and even if they do, do they have it in them to challenge Tiger, Vijay, or Lefty on Sunday? Can Geoff Ogilvy, Retief Goosen, or Jim Furyk win another major? Can Ernie Els come back to championship form? Jose Maria usually contends here and has won twice. I'm going to make the safe, smart, veteran picks.

FINAL "A" PICKS: Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh

"B" Players: Augusta native Charles Howell III seems to have finally figured out how to control his game. He has all the tools to be a top player for years to come and you know he wants to win The Masters more than any other tournament. This year's results suggest he is ready. He's been the most reliable pick in this class and has the game to win any given week. This class is full of players similar to Howell. Sergio Garcia, Chris Dimarco, and Chad Campbell, who finished tied for 4th last year, are in the same boat. We know they can play but can they withstand the pressure or more importantly, can they putt? The list goes on...Aaron Baddeley and Paddy Harrington are putting together their best seasons to date. Can Monty finally win at Augusta where he's been close for so many years? Very interesting "B" Class.

FINAL "B" PICKS: Charles Howell III, Chad Campbell, Sergio Garcia, Chris Dimarco

"C" Players: Basically my strategy this week in the "C" class is picking a couple guys who might make the cut. I really don't think any of these guys have much of a chance to win in a field this deep but you never know. The golf course has become so long and not only do you have to have length but at Augusta you need to know the golf course, where to miss, where not to miss. With that in mind, there are always a couple of veteran tour players who make a charge at The Masters. My guesses this week are...

FINAL "C" PICKS: Michael Campbell and Mark Calcavecchia

Good luck!

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