Rookie of the Week Last Week
I keep an eye on the youngin’s each week to see who is making the most noise.
Sony: Russell Henley WIN
Humana: David Lingmerth P2
Farmers: Brad Fritsch T9
WMPO: James Hahn T16
AT&T: James Hahn T3
NTO: Luke Guthrie T21
WGC-Match Play: Russell Henley 2nd round
Honda: Luke Guthrie 3rd
WGC-Cadillac: Russell Henley T28
Puerto Rico: Robert Streb T11
One-and-Done
SEASON TOTAL: $1,901,300
HTOC: Steve Stricker (2nd; $665,000)
Sony: Charles Howell III (T3; $324,800)
Humana: Tim Clark (MC)
Farmers: Rickie Fowler (T6; $204,350)
WMPO: Jason Dufner (MC)
AT&T Pebble: Hunter Mahan (T16; $94,250)
Northern Trust: Bill Haas (T3; $343,200)
WGC-Match Play: Charl Schwartzel (T33; $46,000)
Honda: Lee Westwood (T9; $156,000)
WGC-Cadillac Championship: Matt Kuchar (T35; $68,500)
Tampa Bay: Jim Furyk
GolfChannel.com Fantasy Challenge
Tampa Bay Championship
Mike Glasscott (Rank: 11,534; $5,435,960)
Player 1: Webb Simpson
Player 2: Jason Day
Player 3: Bryce Molder
Player 4: Jordan Spieth
Ryan O’Sullivan (Rank: 15,581; $4,873,340)
Player 1: Webb Simpson
Player 2: Scott Piercy
Player 3: Lucas Glover
Player 4: Jerry Kelly
Ned Brown (Rank: 3,584; $6,925,264)
Player 1: Webb Simpson
Player 2: Michael Thompson
Player 3: Patrick Cantlay
Player 4: Matt Jones
Rob Bolton (Rank: 13,199; $5,193,990)
Player 1: Sergio Garcia
Player 2: Jason Day
Player 3: Retief Goosen
Player 4: Erik Compton
Ned said, “…
Ned Brown is a long-time contributor for Rotoworld Golf. He’s had documented success in Yahoo!’s game for years. Even if you’re confident in your selections for that game, give his insight a read. Ned also provides us with his GolfChannel.com Fantasy Challenge selections as well!
“Pure Spin”
Points last week: 198
Points this year: 1570
Overall Ranking: 969 (99th percentile)
Group A
Sergio Garcia-- The depth of this week's field is the weakest in almost a month and that really shows up in the Group A pool. Sergio Garcia has played well since the start of last year's FedExCup Playoffs and he looked good last week at the WGC-Cadillac Championship where he tied for third place.
Jason Dufner-- He played well in the Middle East at the start of the season, but then struggled on the PGA Tour for the last month. He played well last week at Doral where he tied for 12th place and I'm hoping that momentum rolls into this week.
SUPER SUBS
Michel Thompson, Geoff Ogilvy, Brandon de Jonge
Group B
Webb Simpson-- He came into last week with consecutive top 6 finishes and looked just ok last week at Doral, where he tied for 20th place. I like him this week mostly because he has a good recent record at the Copperhead Course, with a T13 in '10, a second place in '11 and a T10 last year.
Matt Kuchar-- He came into last week off of a championship at the WGC-Accenture Match Play, but he couldn't get anything going at Doral and finished in a disappointing T35. Kuchar did finish T10 at the TBC last year and I'm hoping for a rebound this week after last week's lackluster performance.
Jim Furyk-- He looked good at this year's NTO, where he tied for 13th place, but he couldn't get anything going last week at Doral. His recent record at the Copperhead Course is very good, with a championship in '10, a T13 in '11 and a tie for second place last year.
Luke Donald-- Donald actually play well last week at Doral, but he finished well back in the pack due to carding a double-bogey at the 18th hole in all four rounds. He is the defending champion here and I expect that he will be near the top of the leaderboard on the weekend.
SUPER SUBS
John Senden, Louis Oostheizen, Nick Watney, K.J. Choi, Jimmy Walker
Group C
Adam Scott-- Scott was playing well going into Doral and he caught fire on the weekend where the highlight was a final round of 8-under-par 64 to shot him up the leaderboard to a tie for third place. His record at the TBC is nothing to get excited about, so he is about playing the hot hand.
Scott Piercy-- I think this spot is very close between Jason Day, Robert Garrigus and Scott Piercy. Garrigus looked horrible at Doral and Day had a nice second round, but had his problems in the first and third rounds to finish in a tie for 33rd place. Piercy on the other hand has played well for most of the season and he did finish in fifth place at Tampa last year.
SUPER SUBS
Jason Day, Robert Garrigus, Bryce Molder, Patrick Cantlay
Coming Wednesday
And the analysis doesn't end here. Rotoworld's Rob Bolton and I will be co-hosting a one-hour live chat WEDNESDAY at NOON ET. We will be breaking down the field at the Tampa Bay Championship and answering your questions. Simply return to the golf home page to join in on the chatter.
Tampa Bay Championship presented by EverBank
Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club
Copperhead Course
Palm Harbor, Fla.
Copperhead Course
Yards: 7,340 per the scorecard
Par: 71 (36-35)
Greens: Bermudagrass (8,220 square feet on average)
Rough: Bermudagrass with perennial ryegrass at 2.5”
Stimpmeter: 11-11.5’
Bunkers: 76
Water Hazards: 8
Course Architect: Larry Packard (1972)
Purse: $5,500,000
Winner’s Share: $990,000
FexExCup Points: 550 to the winner
Defending Champion: Luke Donald’s birdie on the first playoff hole saw him take the first-ever playoff in the 12-year history of this event. He defeated Robert Garrigus, Jim Furyk and Sang-Moon Bae in a four-man playoff.
Dates: March 14-17
Notes: Full-field event
History Lessons
This will be the 13th edition of this event which began in 2000. Due to the events of September 11, 2001, the tournament was postponed that season and not rescheduled.
Gary Woodland (2011) and Carl Pettersson (2006) made this event their first ever win on TOUR.
John Huston (2000) and Retief Goosen are the only players to win in their first appearance at the Copperhead Course.
Retief Goosen (2003; 2009) and K.J. Choi (2002; 2006) are the only multiple winners. No player has successfully defended their title in Tampa.
The former winners in the field this week:
K.J. Choi
Retief Goosen
Jim Furyk
Carl Pettersson
Sean O’Hair
Vijay Singh
Gary Woodland
Luke Donald
This tournament was moved to March after the 2006 edition after occupying a spot in the fall from its inception in 2000.
There have been seven international winners and five American winners. In 2013, the Stars and Stripes have won all 11 events, including the season opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
Of Course
Cut through oak trees and set in rolling hills, the Copperhead Course, located just outside Tampa, feels more like the Midwest than it does Florida. Instead of having wind-swept fairways and greens, players will have to navigate tree-lined doglegs while adjusting to changes in elevation that they would not have seen at The Honda Classic or Doral. What doesn’t change is the Bermudagrass that they players will find in the rough and on the greens. The keys to success this week will be navigating the large greens so I’m looking for guys who are accurate ball-strikers and guys who are wielding warmer than usual flatsticks.
Last year the Copperhead Course ranked No. 30 out of the 49 courses used on TOUR so it’s no longer the track that chewed up and spit up golfers as recently as 2008 when Sean O’Hair won at four-under-par and only 13 players broke par. Last year, Luke Donald and the playoff gang posted 13-under and 65 players broke par. Time to keep the ball in the fairway and make pars!
The “Snake Pit” comprises of holes Nos. 16, 17 and 18 and will test the player’s nerves down the stretch. After seeing the “Bear Trap” at The Honda and No. 18 at Doral last week, this set of holes will be respected but not feared by the top pros. Those who are trailing into these holes will be forced to take some risks and those who are leading will have to hold their nerve, especially if the wind picks up later in the day.
Top 10, Plus One
Webb Simpson: Caddy Paul Tesori is back on the bag for Simpson and had an interesting Tweet on Sunday after his round. Via Twitter, Tesori mentioned that they were 58th in putting (out of 65 players) but still found a way to finish T20. Keep smashing fairways and greens and the putts will eventually fall. Simpson was T10 last year after finishing second in 2011 and T13 in 2010.
Adam Scott: I liked the fact that even that he was 12 shots behind Woods entering Sunday that he dug out the tournament-low round with 64. That tells me he knows he’s heading in the right direction as he ramps up his game for Augusta. We’ve seen him win in Houston and in San Antonio and if he plays as well as he did Sunday, he could add Tampa Bay to annual spring resume. His course history here is not spectacular but after T10 at Riviera and T3 last week at Doral, he should be firing this week.
Luke Donald: The 2012 champion will be happy to see the back of No. 18 at Doral as he made double bogey there in ALL four rounds. He was one-over for the tournament but EIGHT-OVER on that hole alone so it’s not like he was slapping it all over the resort. He was par or better in three out of four rounds (76 Friday). In his last two events at Innisbrook, Donald has simply won last year and was T6 in 2010. He’s on this list if he’s in the field.
Sergio Garcia: Everyone was waiting for Garica to fall apart on the weekend last week at Doral after finishing no better than T31 in his last three events there. He kept his cool and his ball out of the water and played the weekend in eight-under to share third place. He only made four bogeys and a one double last week so he’s dialed in and ready to go. In his last three starts at Tampa he’s gotten off to a blazing start but has cooled off on the weekends so Yahoo! gamers be aware.
Jason Dufner: Another superb player from tee to green, Dufner looks like he’s finally kicking it into gear after his worldwide travels in late 2012 and early 2013. He made only five bogeys last week finishing T12, his best finish on U.S. soil this season. His T10 finish last year was his first top 10 in five starts.
Jim Furyk: After a quiet start last year Furyk found himself in a in a four-man playoff to kick start his season. I’m a Déjà vu kinda-guy so it’s interesting how his quiet start to this year mirrors last year. His last three starts at Innisbrook are P2, T13 and WIN. Ok, yes, please.
Matt Kuchar: Ouch. That’s the only word I could use to describe how Kuchar’s 72-72-72-71 week at a course that he had ran over the last three years. He was also quite warm after coming off his WGC-Match Play victory. In five career starts in Tampa, Kuchar has made the cut four out of five times and has two top 10s to show. He makes every cut (10 straight; 48 of 52) so I wouldn’t see why this week would be any different.
Jason Day: After his quiet weekend at Doral, Day heads back to Tampa where he’s improved his finish the last three years, including only two of his last eight rounds over par. All he has to show for it is T20, T51 and T61. His short game is excellent and if his tee ball cooperates, he should be in the mix come Sunday.
Michael Thompson: He’s earned his way into this spot after winning against a very solid field at The Honda Classic and showing no fear stepping into his first WGC event by finishing T8. Solid from tee to green, he’ll enjoy big, fast greens this week as the putter is the favorite club in his bag.
Nick Watney: Another “horse-for-course” that didn’t fire last week, Watney lines it up again this week on a track where he is seven-for-seven with three finishes in the top 13, including solo fourth in 2010. His 77-74 weekend at Doral doesn’t get the parade lined up, but he’s an excellent ball striker and that helps this week.
Scott Piercy: He’s finished in the top 25 in five of seven starts in 2013. After a putting lesson from Stan Utley, Piercy has moved into the top 40 in strokes gained-putting. He fired 61 earlier this season at WMPO and fired 62 in the final round here last year. He had another top 25 in a WGC event last week at Doral.
Don’t Overlook
These guys just missed out on the premium list but should not be dismissed this week.
Jimmy Walker: He’s fourth in the all-around and has only one finish in six outside of T26 this season. His best finishes are T4 at Torrey Pines and T3 at Pebble Beach. If you’re wondering where he’s been, he and his wife had a child in February and this is his first start back since the birth.
Louis Oosthuizen: The South African is off to a slow start on TOUR or he would be further up this list. Last year he fired three rounds of 68 to close and finish T20 in his maiden voyage. His ball-striking is never the issue; it’s the putter that makes or breaks him.
Retief Goosen: The two-time champ fired 80 in his final round at The Honda Classic but he’s shown over the years that he enjoys the Copperhead Course. In nine events, he’s also added solo fifth and a pair of T20s to his two victories so this course obviously suits his eye.
Billy Horschel: I can’t leave out a guy who’s made 17 straight cuts and is seventh on the all-around ranking.
Luke Guthrie: Speaking of guys you can’t leave out this week, Guthrie has made six cuts in eight events this season and his worst finish is T27. He made four cuts on the bounce including T18 last week to follow up his third place finish at The Honda Classic. I believe in riding the hot hand.
Robert Garrigus: After losing here in the four man playoff last year, Garrigus will be happy to take on the Copperhead Course again after Doral ate his lunch last week. He made a double on the front all four days (Nos. 4, 5, 6 and 8) and only carded 12 birdies for the week to finish DFL. I’m not deterred; I’m jumping back on! His 68-64 weekend here last year is a much better thought! He’s also banged 16 straight cuts.
Graham DeLaet: In five of seven 2013 events the Canadian has made the cut and in his last three he’s finished T18, third and T21 so I’ll ride the hot hand even though he’s only played once at Innisbrook (MC 2012). He’s third on TOUR in ball-striking.
Bryce Molder: He has three rounds over par in 24 played in 2013. He’s made six straight cuts to open the season and five of those starts have resulted in T30 or better. His T20 finish was his only made cut in his last three starts at Tampa but his current form is the lure here this week. He currently leads the TOUR in strokes gained-putting.
Brian Gay: Speaking of putting, Gay only needed 93 putts last week at Doral. The TOUR all-time record for a single event is 92. This will be Gay’s 13th start at this event, most in the field. He’s made eight of 12 cuts and has two top 10s. If he hits ANY greens this week, the 2013 Humana champion will be in the mix. He’s second in par four birdie-or-better leaders.
Josh Teater: The TEATER HEATER checked in a T39 last week in his first event after getting married. He broke par in all four rounds and continues his excellent start to 2013. He’s fired two rounds over par in 25 this season. Giddy up!
Off the Beaten Path
Either “horse-for-course” or guys off the radar
K.J. Choi: The two-time winner also has a second place finish in 2010 and T6 in 2007 to show for his troubles at the Copperhead Course. He’s made five cuts in a row and is 13th in scrambling. He’s the definition of “horse-for-course” this week.
Sean O’Hair: All or nothing at Innisbrook in eight events. He’s been cut six times, won and finished T10. His record this year mirrors that as he missed the cut in his first three events but has recorded T16, WD and T18 in his last three starts. High risk but potentially a high reward, he’ll help in deep, weekly drafts.
Brian Stuard: This is the third week in a row in the column for Stuard. He’s now made all six cuts to open his 2013 season and he was T4 last week in Puerto Rico. He’s eighth in the all-around ranking, eight in scoring average and eighth in strokes gained-putting. Quiet.
Boo Weekley: He’s made five cuts in a row including a T8 finish last week in Puerto Rico. He’s second on TOUR in ball-striking and he’s been playing well. If his putter even remotely cooperates this week, he could disrupt.
Brendon de Jonge: He’s finished T11 and T29 his last two times out and his settling right into to his pattern of cashing checks just like he has the last three years on TOUR. He’s sixth in ball-striking and 10th in the all-around.
Jordan Spieth: He’s one of the hottest players anywhere playing right now. His last four starts have been T22 (PGATOUR), T7 and T4 (Web.com Tour) and T2 last week in Puerto Rico. This time last year he was playing golf at the University of Texas. These last four weeks he’s won over $400,000 playing golf. Hot is hot.
Robert Streb: After missing three straight cuts, Streb rebounded for T18 at The Honda Classic and racked up T11 last week in Puerto Rico. He’s made the cut in four of seven events this year and three of those have hit the top 25. Stretch for Streb? I just might…
Matt Jones: The last three weeks he’s finished T14, T18 and T30 so he’s trending in the right direction. He’s made five cuts this year and they have all been T30 or better. Bad news is he’s only fired one round in the 60s in four trips to Tampa. He should definitely find a spot in deep leagues.
Rookie of the Week Last Week
I keep an eye on the youngin’s each week to see who is making the most noise.
Sony: Russell Henley WIN
Humana: David Lingmerth P2
Farmers: Brad Fritsch T9
WMPO: James Hahn T16
AT&T: James Hahn T3
NTO: Luke Guthrie T21
WGC-Match Play: Russell Henley 2nd round
Honda: Luke Guthrie 3rd
WGC-Cadillac: Russell Henley T28
Puerto Rico: Robert Streb T11
One-and-Done
SEASON TOTAL: $1,901,300
HTOC: Steve Stricker (2nd; $665,000)
Sony: Charles Howell III (T3; $324,800)
Humana: Tim Clark (MC)
Farmers: Rickie Fowler (T6; $204,350)
WMPO: Jason Dufner (MC)
AT&T Pebble: Hunter Mahan (T16; $94,250)
Northern Trust: Bill Haas (T3; $343,200)
WGC-Match Play: Charl Schwartzel (T33; $46,000)
Honda: Lee Westwood (T9; $156,000)
WGC-Cadillac Championship: Matt Kuchar (T35; $68,500)
Tampa Bay: Jim Furyk
GolfChannel.com Fantasy Challenge
Tampa Bay Championship
Mike Glasscott (Rank: 11,534; $5,435,960)
Player 1: Webb Simpson
Player 2: Jason Day
Player 3: Bryce Molder
Player 4: Jordan Spieth
Ryan O’Sullivan (Rank: 15,581; $4,873,340)
Player 1: Webb Simpson
Player 2: Scott Piercy
Player 3: Lucas Glover
Player 4: Jerry Kelly
Ned Brown (Rank: 3,584; $6,925,264)
Player 1: Webb Simpson
Player 2: Michael Thompson
Player 3: Patrick Cantlay
Player 4: Matt Jones
Rob Bolton (Rank: 13,199; $5,193,990)
Player 1: Sergio Garcia
Player 2: Jason Day
Player 3: Retief Goosen
Player 4: Erik Compton
Ned said, “…
Ned Brown is a long-time contributor for Rotoworld Golf. He’s had documented success in Yahoo!’s game for years. Even if you’re confident in your selections for that game, give his insight a read. Ned also provides us with his GolfChannel.com Fantasy Challenge selections as well!
“Pure Spin”
Points last week: 198
Points this year: 1570
Overall Ranking: 969 (99th percentile)
Group A
Sergio Garcia-- The depth of this week's field is the weakest in almost a month and that really shows up in the Group A pool. Sergio Garcia has played well since the start of last year's FedExCup Playoffs and he looked good last week at the WGC-Cadillac Championship where he tied for third place.
Jason Dufner-- He played well in the Middle East at the start of the season, but then struggled on the PGA Tour for the last month. He played well last week at Doral where he tied for 12th place and I'm hoping that momentum rolls into this week.
SUPER SUBS
Michel Thompson, Geoff Ogilvy, Brandon de Jonge
Group B
Webb Simpson-- He came into last week with consecutive top 6 finishes and looked just ok last week at Doral, where he tied for 20th place. I like him this week mostly because he has a good recent record at the Copperhead Course, with a T13 in '10, a second place in '11 and a T10 last year.
Matt Kuchar-- He came into last week off of a championship at the WGC-Accenture Match Play, but he couldn't get anything going at Doral and finished in a disappointing T35. Kuchar did finish T10 at the TBC last year and I'm hoping for a rebound this week after last week's lackluster performance.
Jim Furyk-- He looked good at this year's NTO, where he tied for 13th place, but he couldn't get anything going last week at Doral. His recent record at the Copperhead Course is very good, with a championship in '10, a T13 in '11 and a tie for second place last year.
Luke Donald-- Donald actually play well last week at Doral, but he finished well back in the pack due to carding a double-bogey at the 18th hole in all four rounds. He is the defending champion here and I expect that he will be near the top of the leaderboard on the weekend.
SUPER SUBS
John Senden, Louis Oostheizen, Nick Watney, K.J. Choi, Jimmy Walker
Group C
Adam Scott-- Scott was playing well going into Doral and he caught fire on the weekend where the highlight was a final round of 8-under-par 64 to shot him up the leaderboard to a tie for third place. His record at the TBC is nothing to get excited about, so he is about playing the hot hand.
Scott Piercy-- I think this spot is very close between Jason Day, Robert Garrigus and Scott Piercy. Garrigus looked horrible at Doral and Day had a nice second round, but had his problems in the first and third rounds to finish in a tie for 33rd place. Piercy on the other hand has played well for most of the season and he did finish in fifth place at Tampa last year.
SUPER SUBS
Jason Day, Robert Garrigus, Bryce Molder, Patrick Cantlay
Coming Wednesday
And the analysis doesn't end here. Rotoworld's Rob Bolton and I will be co-hosting a one-hour live chat WEDNESDAY at NOON ET. We will be breaking down the field at the Tampa Bay Championship and answering your questions. Simply return to the golf home page to join in on the chatter.