The Mulligan: Viva Las Vegas

The Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open kicks off this week with a pro am early in the week and the tournament this weekend. This should be a fun weekend filled with beautiful fall Vegas weather, celebrities, charity and great golf.

I never thought I would say this, but despite the mental scarring that N'SYNC music left in my brain, I kinda like Justin Timberlake. He supports golf. He generously supports charity. And his music has gotten much less annoying over time. To top it all off he was able to get Johnny Drama for the Pro Am. VICTORY!!!!! JT, you are okay in my book.

In all seriousness, Timberlake really is becoming a major part of the golf world. He recently purchased a golf course in Memphis, and he is a regular at Pro Ams throughout the year. He's good too, shooting an 88 at Bethpage Black and a 98 at Torrey Pines. Additionally, he hosts this week's charity tournament at TPC Summerlin in Vegas. The tournament raises a lot of money for Shriner's Hospitals, a great cause.

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Okay, enough about the host. Here are my weekly picks.

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First, I think Charlie Hoffman will have a good week in Vegas. He has the distance to compete here and he has that nice consistent tee-shot that should bode well on this course. He finished T-15th here last year, so we know he can handle the course. He has the game to win here, it is just a matter of execution for him this week.

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I am going to remain on the Hunter Mahan train. I have picked him many times this season, and this is not the time to stop. Going with Mahan has paid off for us too. He has six Top-10 finishes already this season. He is ranked 5th in Birdie Average, 19th in GIR %, and 9th in Total Driving. The only thing missing from this great year for Hunter is a victory. He might just get one this weekend.

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Finally, it is hard to pick against Anthony Kim right now. He played very well at the President's Cup last weekend and he has finished 2nd once and 3rd twice this season. He is ranked 2nd in putting average and 18th in Driving Distance on Tour, and a well rounded game like that should bode well this week. Look for Kim to play well.

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This should be a great week for golf and you should watch some this weekend if you get a chance.

The Mulligan: RBC Canadian Open

This week the Tour heads to Glen Abbey Golf Club in Ontario for the RBC Canadian Open. This is an interesting tournament because there is really not any unique skill that leads to success on Glen Abbey. Being long certainly doesn't hurt, but it doesn't appear to help much either. Chez Reavie won here last year, and he finished 2008 ranked 152nd in driving distance.

I think Brandt Snedeker has the chance to be this year's Chez Reavie. After winning last year, Reavie explained that accuracy off the tee contributed to his success: "It was like the U.S. Open out there. The rough was long and the greens were tough. I guess that's a good style of golf for me, putting a premium on hitting fairways." Snedeker's driving statistics are very similar to Reavie's. He is ranked 186th in distance but 25th in accuracy.

Despite getting cut from last week's Open, Snedeker has been playing well. He finished T7 and T5 in his previous two starts. If he hits fairways like Reavie did last year he might find himself in a good place on Sunday.

Look for Anthony Kim to play well this week. He finished in the Top 10 here last year, and could have won if it weren't for a letdown on Sunday. He shot 65, 64, 69 in his first 3 rounds, only to follow up with a disappointing 75 to drop him into 8th. Last year proved that he can play well at Glen Abbey. Kim has also played well recently, finishing 3rd, 11th and 16th in his last 3 starts. He is currently ranked 5th in Putting Average, and 2nd in Birdie Average on Tour.

Retief Goosen has already won in 2009 at the Transitions and has played well in several other tournaments as well. I think he could add his 2nd victory this week in Ontario. The Goose finished T30th here last year and I think he will finish much better in 2009. He played very well last week at Turnberry and he hopes that his momentum will carry over onto this much easier course. Additionally, he is currently ranked 8th in total putting. If Retief plays his game, he is a sure favorite this week and fantasy golfers should put him in your lineup.

Good luck this week and lets keep moving to the top of the fantasy golf rankings!

The Mulligan: This Week at Congressional Country Club

The Mulligan had a great week last week. Lets keep the momentum rolling. This week the Tour heads to Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland for the AT&T National. This course is a little longer than what we saw last week, so driving distance will be more of a factor. Congressional is no Bethpage though, so the accurate short hitters can still manage their way around the course.

I think Hunter Mahan will play well again this week. He has been playing great golf recently, finishing in the Top-10 both of his last two stars. Mahan has nice distance off the tee as well, so he can manage the added distance this week. He has also played well at the AT&T in the past, having finished in the Top-15 twice.

Next, I recommend Anthony Kim. He won this tournament last year and it appears that he is finally getting his game back up to speed. Kim is ranked 17th in driving distance, but the key for him this week will be controlling his irons and converting those long drives into birdies. He has two straight Top-20 finishes, and I think he can keep up the good play. Look for Kim to compete again at this tournament.

Sean O'Hair should play well this week. He has six Top-10's already this season, and his game fits Congressional. He is ranked 21st in driving distance, 2nd in greens in regulation, and 6th in birdie conversion percentage. O'Hair has been playing great this year, and he has the game to win here.

For this week's sleeper, I recommend John Senden. He has four Top-10 finishes already this season and his game fits Congressional very well. He currently ranks 15th in driving distance and 1st in both ball-striking and greens in regulation. Senden finished T-18th last year at Congressional as well, so he is worth putting in your fantasy golf lineup.