The Mulligan: Putting a Premium at Phoenix

I want to start by patting myself on the back for my cleverly alliterative title. I wanted to work "Phil" in there somehow, but couldn't figure it out. I would pay a pretty penny to putt my Pinnacles like Phil in Phoenix. . . Anyway, the Tour heads back to Phoenix this week for the craziest stop on Tour. The fans always come out to party in Phoenix and cheer on the hometown heroes (many PGA players live in the area). TPC Scottsdale is a course of average difficulty and you can expect putting to be the difference this week (and I needed another P for my title). For this reason, I am going with players with hot putters in 2010 who have seen success here in the past.

First, Brian Gay is really emerging as one of the best players on Tour, but there are certain courses that seem to suit him better than others. He has played well so far this year. He plays well at TPC Scottsdale and he finished tied for sixth here last year. He is putting well this season (actually second on Tour) and he has the type of game that is really consistent on the courses he likes. He is a no-brainer this week. My crystal ball (actually an 8 ball that one of my college roomates stole from a bar) tells me he will hoist a trophy this week.

I also expect the best putter on Tour this season, Brandt Snedeker, to play well in Scottsdale. Snedeker has finished 21st or better in four starts in 2010, likely thanks to his solid putting thus far. He did miss the cut here last year, but he finished tied for eighth in 2008. I think he will have a good week.

Phil Mickelson has had an average 2010 to this point, but everyone loves him in Phoenix. Could this be his breakout week? Maybe, maybe not. I am speculating here, but despite his bad putting in 2010 I think Phil will have a good week like he usually does when he converses with the crowd during a tournament.

Sleeper: This week’s sleeper pick is based 100% on a gut feeling. There is no plausible reason for this pick other than the fact that I want to pick him. Boo Weekley is the type of guy who can ride the raucous Phoenix crowd to a good finish intermingled with a few Happy Gilmore style putter-as-bull dances – Ridin’ the Bull Baby.

The Mulligan: Why Phil Mickelson will win The 91st PGA Championship

The final major of the year is upon us as the best players in the world prepare to tee it up on Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota. The 91st PGA Championship boasts the longest golf course ever to host a major championship. The par 72 track measures 7674 yards long and it will play tough. In fact, three of the Par 5’s are over 600 yards long! This is not a course for the short hitters, but it isn’t necessarily a bombers paradise. It will take a complete player to win this week and probably a couple of good breaks as well. Let’s take a look at the field.

Lefty

Phil Mickelson will come into Hazeltine as he has for his past few appearances on the PGA Tour; with his mind in another place. This could actually be a good thing for Phil this week. As you probably know, both Phil’s mother and his wife were recently diagnosed with breast cancer. The good news is that both are recovering well, so Phil is obviously feeling better about that. That being said, it is hard to focus on golf when two people you care about have been going through serious health treatments.

We have all heard how mentally draining major championships can be on players. Many experts are predicting the mental drain of a major, coupled with Phil’s other concerns might hinder his game this week. I disagree. I think Phil will be able to relax and just play golf this week. He has a mindset this week that many players would love to have at a major. Phil can come out and play his best golf and, win or lose, he goes home to spend time with his family because he realizes how important that is. In other words, Phil will actually be able to handle the mental drain of a major championship BETTER, because he has more important things on his mind; the well being of his family.

In addition, I think Hazeltine is the perfect course for Phil to come out and show off his ridiculously good short game. I mentioned the length of the course at the beginning of this article. This length will help Lefty, but not in the way you might think. Par 5’s normally play to the advantage of the long ball hitters who can reach the greens in 2 shots and putt for eagle while the shorter hitters are forced to lay up and hope for birdies at best.

At Hazeltine, the Par 5’s will likely be too long for even the longest of hitters to reach in 2 shots. That means that the best scores on these holes will likely come from players with good distance coupled with a good wedge game. Phil Mickelson is that player. He can bomb a drive, hit a lay-up shot to about 100-125 yards and then fire darts at the flag-stick with his wedges. I think this will result in a great week on the long Par 5’s for Phil, and if he can play well throughout the rest of the course he will win this tournament.

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Tiger

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Tiger has won two straight tournaments and has made us all forget about his missed cut at the British Open. He already has five wins this season and he has finished in the Top-10 in ten of his last twelve starts. He is the best player in golf and the hands-down favorite to win this week. Additionally, he has gone 0-for-3 this year in majors, so he has plenty of motivation this week to get a win. We all know how good he is and we all know that he steps up in the spotlight. Overall, there are just too many factors to pick against Tiger this week (or ever), but I think Phil Mickelson is going to find a way to edge him out this week.

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Stricker
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Steve Stricker has a lot going for him this week. He is having a career year in 2009 and it is quite likely that he will contend this week as well. Stricker has two wins to go along with eight Top-10 finishes this season, landing him in 2nd place overall in the FedEx Cup point standings. He put together a good tournament last week in Akron finishing tied for 6th, so he has some momentum coming in.

Additionally, Stricker has played well in majors this year. He finished tied for 6th in The Masters, and tied for 23rd in The US Open (but tied for 52nd in the British Open). To top it all off, he is from Wisconsin and went to college at the University of Illinois, so he should find decent support from a crowd in Big Ten country.

Harrington

Padraig Harrington looks to defend his PGA Championship title this week with another Wanamaker Trophy for his overflowing trophy case. Overall, Harrington is having a disappointing 2009 coming off of a tremendous 2008 that included victories at the final two major championships of the year. Despite his 2008 success, Harrington has been tweaking his swing and this is likely why he has had a rough patch thus far in 2009.

However, last week at Firestone Harrington posted his first Top-10 finish of the season, and his game looked much better than it has all season. Has Harrington worked out the kinks in his new swing? Its hard to say, but if he has you can count on him to be near the top of the leaderboard Sunday afternoon.

Sleeper Picks

I am going out on a little bit of a limb and taking a shorter hitter this week in Luke Donald. I am going with Donald this week because he has history at Hazeltine. The lengthy beast is where Donald won individual gold (the individual championship) in the 1999 NCAA Championships. He has been playing well this season including only 2 missed cuts in 16 starts. He is ranked 2nd in putting but only 183rd in driving distance so the length could easily pose problems for him. I just have a feeling about this one.

Justin Leonard finished tied for Fourth at Hazeltine in the 2002 PGA Championship, and he is a good dark horse pick for this week as well. Like Donald, he is a shorter hitter (ranked 121st on Tour) but has the short stick working (5th in putting average).

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Mike Sim was my US Open sleeper pick and he came through with a T-18 finish. I am sure he was happy with that, but I think he might have played better if he was not paired with Tiger for the final round. That is a lot of pressure for a Nationwide Tour player who isn't used to all the attention. I think he could contend again this week because his record has only improved since the US Open. He now has seven Top-10 finishes this season on the Nationwide Tour to go with that Top-20 major finish. Plus, he now has experience competing in the final round of a major which should really help for his second time around.

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Good luck this week and let's keep moving to the top of the fantasy golf rankings!

The Mulligan: Fantasy Golf Picks for The Byron Nelson

If you have been following The Mulligan's fantasy golf picks, you are likely moving up your fantasy golf leaderboard very quickly. Last week was about as good as it gets, with Zach Johnson bringing home the win, Justin Leonard finishing T-5, and Charlie Hoffman coming in T-9. I scored 176 points in my fantasy golf league, which was good enough for first out of nearly 3,000 players in my Yahoo league. Hopefully we can keep the ball rolling this week as the tour heads to Dallas for the HP Byron Nelson Championship.

I recommend starting Phil Mickelson this week. Phil is a previous winner here and he finished T-3 in his last start here in 2007. He is ranked in the top 25 in driving distance, putting average and birdie conversion percentage in 2009, which has led to success thus far. I think Phil will have a good week in Dallas.

Ian Poulter is another player who should be in your fantasy golf lineup. He tied Lefty for 3rd here in 2007 and he has been on fire lately. He finished 2nd at The Players, T-5 at Quail Hollow, T-9 at The Accenture Match Play Championship, and T-13 at both the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and the WGC CA Championship. His putter has been on fire, and Poulter has been on the leaderboard a lot recently. Look for him to have a good week at the Byron Nelson.

Finally, I recommend starting Charlie Hoffman this week. Hoffman posted a strong finish last week (T-9) and he has not missed a cut in his past 21 starts. He has played this tournament 3 times, finishing in the top-10 twice. He has three top-10s on tour this year, and he is playing well right now. I think he could have a good week.

If you want a sleeper pick, look at the 2007 Byron Nelson Champion, Scott Verplank. Verplank has eight top-25 finishes this year, and we know he can play well at the Byron Nelson. He might suprise this week and finish near the top.

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

The Mulligan: Quail Hollow Championship

This week, the Tour heads to Charlotte for the Quail Hollow Championship. Measuring 7442 yards, Quail Hollow is a longer course so the heavy hitters should play well this week. So, as you can imagine I am going to put some guys who hit the long ball in my fantasy golf picks list this week.

Tiger is back in the field this week, and he is a previous winner of this tournament. I am not saying anything surprising or original when I say that Tiger Woods is the best player in golf. He has won here before, but he has won everywhere else too. The question is whether to start Tiger this week or save him for a later tournament. There is really no good way of determining this, except that I recommend starting him in as many majors as possible since he tends to play his best golf under pressure. If you feel good about starting Tiger this week, I say go for it. If not, there will be plenty more opportunities down the road. Of course, if you play in a league that does not limit how many times you can start a particular player, Tiger should be in your lineup.

Phil Mickelson has finished in the top 10 in three of five starts at Quail Hollow. After an inconsistent start to the season, I am sold that Phil is worthy of a start in most tournaments from here on out. The most convincing evidence of this came on the front nine of Augusta where he tied Johnny Miller's front nine record of 30. I think Phil is a great play this week, and he will be in my starting lineup.

Brian Gay is a good momentum play this week coming off his 10 shot slaughtering of the rest of the field. While a repeat of his performance two weeks ago is unlikely, a good showing wont surprise anyone. Consider him the new Rory McIlroy and hop on his bandwagon before the wheels fall off.

Ian Poulter is my final pick this week. His putter is on fire (averaging approximately 28 putts per round) and he has played well this year as a result. Although his showing at Quail Hollow has been lackluster in the past (2 missed cuts and 25th), he did finish in the top 25 here last year. I think this is the perfect time to start him.

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

The Mulligan: Masters Preview

This is the week we have all been waiting for. It is finally time for the best of the best to duke it out on one of the most beautiful courses in the country, Augusta National. This week, the Tour heads to Georgia for the best tournament of the year; The Masters. The best players in the world are all in the field this week with no exceptions. From Wednesday’s Par 3 Game to the final walk down Amen Corner on Sunday, this should be a great week for golf fans everywhere.

Before you pencil in your fantasy golf lineup, check out my preview. I have broken down some of the noteworthy players in the field by placing them in 3 categories: (1) Proven Players, (2) Wild Cards, and (3) My Picks.

Proven

The following players are ranked in the top 10 in the world and have a history of playing well at Augusta National. They have proven that they can play with the best and all of them have the potential to compete for the Green Jacket this week.

Padraig Harrington

One of the most interesting golf stories in 2009 is Padraig Harrington’s pursuit of the “Paddy Slam.” Harrington won both the British Open and the PGA Championship last year and he is hoping to keep his major streak alive by winning this weak at Augusta. Harrington has never won a Masters, but he finished 5th last year at Augusta and has a good chance to compete this week.

Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson has 2 Green Jackets, winning at Augusta in both 2004 and 2006. He is obviously another player that should be in the running this week at the Masters. He has 2 victories already this season, so a good performance this week would be no surprise. However, Lefty struggled last week in Texas, missing the cut during his Masters tune up. This is reason enough for me to keep him off of my fantasy golf picks list for this week. There are just too many good players in the field that are riding high on momentum to take Phil after last week’s let down.

Vijay Singh

“Vijay” translates to “Victory” in Hindi. Singh lived up to his name at the 2000 Masters where he won one of his 3 major titles and his only Green Jacket. He has finished in the top 20 every year since his 2000 victory, so he has a history of playing well here. He is not playing all that well so far this year, however, having started 7 tournaments with only one top-10 finish.

Sergio Garcia

Sergio finished 4th in 2004 and 8th in 2002 at Augusta, so he can handle the course and the pressure. However, since 2004 his best finish is 46th, and he has put his clubs in the trunk on Friday multiple times. He has never won a Green Jacket and it is unlikely he will get his first this week. Sergio has proven himself at Augusta, but his recent performances here make it unlikely that he will do much this week.

Henrik Stenson

Stenson has finished in the top 20 each of the past two years at Augusta. He tied for 3rd last week at the Shell Houston Open in his Masters tune up where he played extremely well. Look for some of that momentum to carry over to this week for Stenson. He is a proven player who could really contend this week.

Wild Cards

The following players are wild cards. They could all contend this week, but they are either unproven or have a history of playing poorly at Augusta. I would not recommend putting any of them in your fantasy golf lineup, but they could make some noise if things go right this week.

Camilo Villegas

Villegas has played in two Masters and has been cut twice. However, he has three top 10 finishes this year and is playing well. This combination makes him a wild card for this week’s tournament. It is too soon to know if he simply plays poorly at Augusta, or if he has just had a couple of bad tournaments here.

Kenny Perry

Perry hasn’t played in the Masters since 2005 where he finished 29th. He has never won at Augusta, and really has never played all that well here. He has started 2009 off very well and he already has five top 10 finishes, including a win at the FBR open. Perry has been a model of consistency this year and he has not missed a single cut in 9 starts. Perry’s poor history at the Masters and his 3 year hiatus make him a wild card this week and it is hard to know what to expect from him.

Nick Watney

Watney tied for 11th at last year’s Masters and he already has a victory this year to along with four other finishes of 12th or better. Watney is playing the best golf of his career right now, but he is still unproven on the big stage. Watney is a wild card this week, and he could silence all of his critics by proving himself this week on golf’s biggest stage.


My Picks

The following 3 players are my picks for the 2009 Masters. If you have a fantasy golf team, consider playing these guys for the first major of the year.

Geoff Ogilvy

No Aussie has ever won the Masters. Stuart Appleby predicts that will change this year. An Aussie himself, Appleby was in the driver’s seat in 2007 with the lead after Saturday’s round, but he faded to 7th on Sunday. This year, he has a different Australian in mind as the favorite for the Masters. Allenby says: "I would say right now that Geoff is No. 1 in the world. . . . He's got a lot of confidence, plus he has an incredible short game. Yeah, sure, Tiger is always going to be a favorite, but I would put Geoff Ogilvy in front of Tiger. If Geoff controls his nerves and his feelings at that tournament, there's no reason why he shouldn't win." I think Ogilvy will need to clear out some closet space after this weekend. He has the best chance of anyone this week to win his second major, and become the first Aussie to win at Augusta National.

Robert Karlsson

The best player you have never heard of is a Swede named Robert Karlsson. He finished tied for 8th in last years Masters, his second trip to Augusta. He also posted top 10 finishes in the British Open and the US Open last year, so Karlsson has proven that he can play well in the majors. I think he is due for his first major win this season and maybe even his first Green Jacket. Expect Karlsson to be in the mix on Sunday afternoon.

Tiger Woods

It doesn’t take a genius to put Tiger Woods on the list of players who have a very good chance of winning this year’s Masters. Tiger has won this tournament 4 times before in 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005. The last time we saw Tiger this season he was burying a 16-foot putt on the 18th at Bay Hill to cap off a dramatic Sunday comeback. Tiger has room for a few more Green Jackets in his closet and he is the obvious fantasy golf pick this week. Tiger is a big time player who steps up in big time situations. It doesn’t get much bigger than the Masters.

The Mulligan: "An Octopus Falling Out of A Tree Shoots 66!"

When I think golf, I think Pebble Beach. That’s where the PGA Tour is heading this week and, to top it off, it’s a Pro Am. Bing Crosby first hosted this tournament in 1937 where Sam Snead won the $500 first prize. The check is a little bigger nowadays with the winner taking home just over a million dollars.

Playing for seven figures on Pebble Beach brings out the big guns. The field includes 4 of the top 10 players in the world in Padraig Harrington (3), Vijay Singh (4), Phil Mickelson (5) and Kenny Perry (10) so it should be a good tournament to watch.

Lefty has played well here in the past, but last year he teed off into the Pacific a few too many times, blowing up on the 14th. It should be interesting to watch him play Hole 14 this week to see if he has any hesitation trying to cut that corner again. In addition, he hasn’t been his usual self yet this year, so all you fantasy golfers out there may want to save him for later despite his past success at Pebble Beach.

My pick is Jim Furyk this week. This is his 2009 PGA debut and the course is short enough for him to use his precision to his advantage. Furyk will play well this week even though his swing is goofier than a pair of Ian Poulter’s pants. Exhibit “A”

Furyk’s goofy swing was once called “an octopus falling out of a tree” by David Feherty, but Furyk is just too good to let things as silly as “swing-plane” or “fundamentals” throw him off. Furyk goes out day in and day out, throwing darts at the flag stick. That is what you need to win at Pebble Beach, and if Furyk is on he will be very tough to beat this week.