Football
17y

Fantasy Golf Player Profiles

By Shawn Peters
Special to ESPN.com

Here are ESPN.com's Fantasy Golf player profiles for the Top 50 players you need to know for the fantasy golf season.

Stephen Ames
Age: 42
Country: Canada
PGA Tour Wins: 2
Majors: 0

This native of Trinidad had quite the year in 2006. In February, he made fun of Tiger's errant driver, resulting in a 9 and 8 waxing in the World Match Play Championship at La Costa. Then, a month and a half later, he
won the Tour's "fifth" Major, The Players Championship. Ames may be a better real life player than he'll ever be in terms of fantasy. Last year, he only teed it up 22 times in the States. He is slightly above average in all phases of the game, but not dominant in any. Throw in back woes that forced him to withdraw from his final three tournaments of 2006 and he's a guy to play only when he's on a streak.

MUST START: Bell Canadian Open and The Players Championship

Stuart Appleby
Age: 35
Country: Australia
PGA Tour Wins: 8
Majors: 0

You can't have the "who's the best player to never win a major" conversation without mentioning Appleby. Known best for his raw power early in his career, Appleby won twice in 2006 largely thanks to his short game -- he was top 10 in putts per hole and top 20 in sand saves. Appleby is always strong at the beginning of the season, evidenced by three consecutive victories in the PGA Tour's kickoff event, the Mercedes-Benz Championships at Kapalua. The guy should win a major some day, so he's a fine sleeper pick in any of the big tournaments.

MUST START: Mercedes-Benz Championship and Shell Houston Open

Jason Bohn
Age: 33
Country: USA
PGA Wins: 1
Majors: 0

Bohn won his final tournament of 2005, the B.C. Open, and then turned that confidence into a steady-but-not-spectacular performance last season. He made 23 cuts in 29 tries, a solid number, but only turned that into three top-10 finishes, a second-place result in Greensboro being the best of the bunch. Bohn has a nice blend of driving prowess and accuracy, but he wasn't great on the greens in '06, finishing 148th in putts per round. He also has a tendency to play his best at the end of the season, when many fantasy leagues have already ended.

MUST START: Wyndham Championship

Chad Campbell
Age: 32
Country: USA
Wins: 3
Majors: 0

If you had a dollar for every golf fan and analyst who has a man-crush on this big Texan and his powerful, low-maintenance swing, you would have earned almost as much as Campbell did on tour last year. Campbell
won the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic last year, a week after almost winning the Sony. However, he had to endure an awful stretch in the middle of the year where he missed four cuts in six tournaments, surrounding a top
10 at the Byron Nelson. It was his driver that did most of the damage, as he went from No. 63 in total driving in 2005 to the mid-hundreds last year. You gotta like him to bounce back and continue to make a ton of cuts and birdies.

MUST START: The Masters and WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship

K.J. Choi
Age: 38
Country: South Korea
PGA Tour Wins:4
Majors: 0

Last year was a solid one for Choi, with only four missed cuts all year, plus a win at the Chrysler Championship and three other top 10 finishes. Choi was a terror when it came to hitting it where he was aiming, with
solid driving accuracy and a 23rd ranking in GIR. He was magic out of the sand as well. Too bad he was in the bottom third of the Tour in putting or this could've been an even bigger year. Choi's game works well in formats where making the cut is key, but don't expect any major victories any time soon, although of all the big tournaments, he seems to be best suited to the PGA Championship.

MUST START: Wyndham Championship and Tampa Bay Championship

Stewart Cink
Age: 33
Country: USA
PGA Tour Wins: 4
Majors: 0

It certainly appeared Cink was going to be a top tier player on the Tour after his two wins in 2004. However, he hasn't won since and is now one of those players who is always in contention (see his seven top 10 finishes in 2006) but doesn't seem to have the game to take home the hardware. With average PGA Tour distance off the tee and below average accuracy, Cink's game, as you might guess, comes from sinking the ball from on and around the greens. That seemingly means he's a mere tee-box adjustment away from being very dangerous or a case of the yips away from being irrelevant. From a fantasy point of view, he's a guy worth starting in weak fields and on courses where errant drives aren't punished too badly.

MUST START: Sony Open and The International

Tim Clark
Age: 31
Country: South Africa
PGA Tour Wins: 0
Majors: 0

It's not shocking that Clark, at 5-7 and 150 pounds, was just about the shortest hitter on tour, but he did put over two thirds of his drives on the short stuff in 2006, and was 27th in birdies thanks to solid ball-striking and excellent putting. Clark only missed three cuts all year, compared to four top 10 and seven more top 25 finishes. Don't expect him to thrive at the longer courses, like Doral or Firestone, but feel free to play him when accuracy and four solid rounds are at a premium.

MUST START: Walt Disney World Resort Classicand AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-am

Ben Curtis
Age: 29
Country: USA
PGA Tour Wins: 3
Majors: 1

When you win a major at age 26, and it's your first win on Tour, it apparently screws your game up a bit. At least, that's what happened to Ben Curtis after he won the British Open in 2003. He didn't win again on Tour until 2006, when he scored two victories in his only two top 10 finishes of the year -- the 84 Lumber Classic and the Booz Allen Classic. No one will ever mistake Curtis for Jon Daly, considering his 177th place ranking in driving distance. In fact, Curtis really didn't play all that well except in his victories. Sure, he made 17 cuts, but he was near the bottom of the list in birdies and putting as well. In fantasy terms, Curtis is a killer, because he may win another tournament in 2007, but that's no guarantee of further success. Unless you have a crystal ball that's in better shape than Curtis' tee ball, there are better players for you to start each week.

MUST START: None

Luke Donald
Age: 29
Country: England
PGA Tour Wins:2
Majors: 0

With a top 10 money list finish in 2006, the 5-10, 160-pound Donald is living proof that you don't have to be a big guy to keep up with the huge hitters on tour. Donald won the Honda Classic and has made the cut in his last nine majors despite being in the bottom half of the PGA Tour in total driving, largely because he can putt. He likely will have a hard time competing at the Tour's longest venues, but as we saw when he finished third at the PGA Championship at Medinah, the tougher the setup, the tougher Luke plays.

MUST START: Honda Classic and Buick Invitational

Joe Durant
Age: 41
Country: USA
Wins: 4
Majors: 0

Want to talk about a guy who could dangerous if he ever figured out the flat-stick? Durant was first in driving accuracy, sixth in total driving, and sixth in GIR in 2006. Despite playing target golf, he couldn't get within the top 100 in putting and that kept him middle of the pack in terms of birdies. The good news for fantasy owners is that Durant was on fire during the last six weeks of the season, with a win at the Funai Classic and five top 10s in a row to finish off the year. Considering he's not a guy with career trends suggesting he's a hot end-of-the-year player, it certainly seems he might have found something to build on. He could be someone to watch early on if he keeps it going.

MUST START: Chrysler Championship and WGC at Doral

Ernie Els
Age: 37
Country: South Africa
PGA Tour Wins: 15
Majors: 3

The Big Easy had a hard year in 2006, and still won over $2 million, so don't cry for him Argentina ... or Johannesburg for that matter. Legendary for his immense power without any discernable stress in his swing, 2006 was a rehab year after knee surgery in 2005. Ernie didn't win a tourney (yes, that rhymes on purpose) for the first time since 2001, but he still managed eight top 10 finishes and didn't miss a single cut all year. One he regains his leg strength, the source of his power, expect to see him back in the top 10 and a threat to win in every major.

MUST START: British Open and Masters

Fred Funk
Age: 50
PGA Wins: 7
Majors: 0

Fred Funk is 50 and has played in a few Champions Tour events already, but is he ready to walk away from competing on the PGA Tour when he still managed to sneak into the top 50 on the money list? After all, he's less than two years removed from winning The Players Championship, plus he missed only three cuts all year. Funk is still the gold standard in terms of PGA Tour driving accuracy, finishing second in that category in 2006, plus he hits plenty of greens despite being the third-shortest driver on tour. Chances are he hops back and forth between the two tours in 2006, but because of his accuracy, he's worth using in some formats against the young whippersnappers.

MUST START: Nissan Open

Jim Furyk
Age: 36
Country: U.S.
PGA Tour Wins: 12
Majors: 1

Furyk rose to the No. 2 spot in the World Rankings and in earnings in 2006, winning twice along the way. Furyk turned in top 10 performances in both driving accuracy and greens-in-regulation into lots of birdies -- an average of four per round - ranking him No. 5 on the PGA Tour last season. That's a combo that also stands up when fairways are narrow and the rough is high. Between his swing's less-than-aesthetic look and his penchant for short-sleeve, button-down shirts on the course, Furyk will never be the "sexiest" name on tour, but he's an every week starter in fantasy golf.

MUST START: Wachovia Championship and U.S. Open.

Sergio Garcia
Age: 27
Country: Spain
PGA Wins: 6
Majors: 0

If your fantasy league counts funny commercials for low-carb beer as a scoring category, there is no player worth more than Sergio. Ditto if your league also rewards Yankee-killing clutch putts in Ryder Cup play. But in most conventional formats, Sergio is a guy to keep a close eye on because he maintains membership on the European Tour, too. He still finished 49th on the money list in 2006 despite only playing about half a season here, and his five top-10 finishes in 17 events were impressive. The man can hit the green from any lie and he's a birdie magnet, finishing 23rd on tour in terms of birdies per hole. In short, he's a valuable fantasy commodity when he's playing in the States, but in formats where adding and dropping players each week isn't feasible, he can drag you down.

MUST START: The Barclays and British Open

Lucas Glover
Age: 27
Country: USA
PGA Tour Wins: 1
Majors: 0

Glover is a guy in that no-man's-land between being a phenom and a true Tour veteran. Not many men have won a PGA Tour event before they turned 26, but he hasn't had a real shot at a victory since. Still, his overall
numbers in 2006 paint a picture of a player due to win double digit tournaments over his career. He was 11th in total driving thanks in large part to a 299.4 yard average off the tee, and he was top 50 in both GIR and putting-per-hole. The result? A birdie machine. Give him another year to learn when he should ratchet back that power and we're talking about someone who should win in 2007 and make a ton of cuts along the way.

MUST START: Walt Disney World Resort Classic and Zurich Classic of New Orleans

Retief Goosen
Age: 37
Country: South Africa
PGA Tour Wins: 6
Majors: 2

The worst thing you can say about Goosen is that he's too damn international. He only played in 18 events on the PGA Tour last year. Sure, he missed only two cuts, finished in the top 10 in a third of his starts, and was in contention at both the Players Championship and Masters, but he didn't win on Tour for the first time since 2000. Goosen is not playing at that "top 5 in the world" level he was at as recently as last year, largely because his driver went schizophrenic. He was 176th in driving accuracy, which is like saying you finished with the worst passing score on your medical boards. Sure, you're still a doctor, but it doesn't inspire confidence. Still, expect Goosen to bounce back and become a factor in the Majors again this year.

MUST START: The U.S. Open and Tour Championship

Nathan Green
Age: 31
Country: Australia
PGA Wins: 0
Majors: 0

A true rookie in 2006, this diminutive Aussie came out of nowhere to play rock-steady golf last season. Nathan made the cut in 80 percent of the tournaments he entered and, appropriately enough for a guy named
Green, he was very good with the flatstick. He opened up hot with twin top-10 finishes to start the year, so consider him a deep sleeper this January as well.

MUST START: Buick Invitational

J.J. Henry
Age: 31
Country: USA
PGA Tour Wins:1
Majors: 0

Henry was one of the few USA Ryder Cuppers who came home from the K Club with his head held high, and that's the kind of thing that only builds a player's confidence. Henry is a long hitter who converted his length and ball-striking prowess into a top 25 finish in terms of GIR. It was a streaky putter that kept him from reaching the elite tier in terms of victories and money. Henry finished the year strong, with only two of his 10 missed cuts on the year coming after his first PGA Tour victory at the Buick Championship, so expect him to start out hot in 2007 as well.

MUST START: BellSouth Classic and Buick Championship

Tim Herron
Age: 36
Country: USA
PGA Tour Wins: 4
Majors: 0

"Lumpy," as Herron is known, won for the first time this century in 2006 when he finished atop the leaderboard at the Colonial. The million dollar payday accounted for more than half of his earnings in what was, otherwise, a down year. Herron only made the cut in about half his events and ranked in the bottom quarter of the Tour in terms of total driving, GIR, putts-per-hole and birdies. He's simply not consistent enough right now to start except in tournaments where he has a history of success.

MUST START: Bob Hope Chrysler Classic

Trevor Immelman
Age: 27
Country: South Africa
PGA Tour Wins:1
Majors: 0

Immelman earned his first win in 2006 at the Cialis Western Open, an event where he held off Woods for the title. But with four European Tour victories, it's not like Immelman didn't know how to win. He's made the cut in five of his last six majors, an impressive mark for any player, let alone one who only recently started playing in the States on a regular basis. With 15 consecutive cuts made to end the season, and top 20 rankings in GIR and birdies, Immelman has look of a guy who will spend plenty of time on leaderboards.

MUST START: Bell Canadian Open and BMW Championship

Richard S. Johnson
Age: 30
Country: Sweden
PGA Wins: 0
Majors: 0

Johnson, despite being a Swede by birth, has never been a European pro, instead choosing to bounce around a bit until his breakthrough 2006 season. He missed far too many cuts to be considered an elite player, but he was one of the more accurate drivers on tour, plus his putting was better than average, allowing him to keep up. His highlight of 2006 came at the Colonial, where he lost in extra holes to Tim Herron. He'll need to be watched to determine whether 2006 was his career zenith, or if he's climbing towards something better.

MUST START: Stanford St. Jude Championship

Zach Johnson
Age: 30
Country: USA
PGA Tour Wins: 1
Majors: 0

Arguably the least heralded of the first-timers on the U.S Ryder Cup squad, Johnson is a classic straight hitter, ranking in the top 50 in terms of driving accuracy and GIR. Though 2006 produced no wins for Z.J.
(which rhymes with Vijay), it was a year when he regained some of the consistency he had back in 2004 when he earned his first and only victory in the BellSouth Classic. Johnson is a steady play, but a poor choice for the Majors as he missed three of four cuts in both 2005 and 2006.

MUST START: BellSouth Classic

Jerry Kelly
Age: 40
Country: USA
PGA Tour Wins: 2
Majors: 0

In 2002, Kelly was a fiery competitor who got his first and second PGA Tour wins in the same year. He's a still fiery competitor, but he hasn't won since. In 2006, Kelly played in 31 official events and only made the
cut in 18 of them, a low percentage in terms of fantasy production. He was one of the most precise ball-strikers on the tour, finishing 19th in driving accuracy and 46th in GIR, but he couldn't convert these stats into consistently low scores as he never made more than four cuts in a row.

MUST START: Sony Open

Tom Lehman
Age: 47
Country: USA
PGA Wins: 5
Majors: 1

Let's hope you don't play in a league where captaining a losing Ryder Cup team costs you points. Lehman had a truly resurgent year at an age when most guys are already scouting out courses on the Champions Tour.
At the start of the 2006 season, Lehman was on fire, only missing the cut in two of his first 13 events. There was talk of him playing his way onto his own Ryder Cup team, but he slowed as the season -- and the pressure of the impending matches at The K Club -- built. For the year, none of Lehman's stats leap out, so we've got wonder whether this was the last flash of an impressive PGA Tour career.

MUST START: AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am

Frank Lickliter II
Age: 37
Country: USA
PGA Wins: 2
Majors: 0

Lickliter, after 15 years as a pro, "is what he is," to borrow a phrase from NFL coach Bill Parcells. He's a guy whose upside is what we saw in 2006: Sneaking into the top 50 on the money list, making the cut two out of three events, and a few top-10 finishes sprinkled in. However, in fantasy terms, Lickiter may have a bit more worth as a value buy because of the number of birdies he can put together (he was 27th on tour in terms of birdies per round). Also, his "fairways-and-greens" approach holds up on courses with punitive rough and lots of hazards. Just don't count on him in majors; he didn't compete in any of the four in 2006.

MUST START: U.S. Bank Championship

Davis Love III
Age: 42
Country: USA
PGA Tour Wins: 19
Majors: 1

It doesn't seem possible that DLIII's single win in 2006 was actually his first PGA Tour victory since 2003, but it's the case. Love played some of his best golf of the year down the stretch, including the win at the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro in October, which bodes well for a guy in his 40s trying to bounce back from injury plagued years and a dramatic swing change. He's no longer an automatic start in majors, but he remains one of the 20 longest drivers on Tour and a brilliant putter, so in formats like ESPN Bestball, where birdies and cuts made are far more important than overall scoring, he's still a force.

MUST START: WGC-NEC Invitational and The Players' Championship

Troy Matteson
Age: 27
Country: USA
PGA Tour Wins: 1
Majors: 0

There are many young bucks like Matteson on Tour, booming drives and struggling around the greens. The difference is, Matteson found a way to put it all together in the last five tournaments of the season, finishing in the top 10 in all of them, including a win at the Frys.com Open. Grain of salt time, though, as none of these tournaments featured the kinds of fields one gets in January through August. Still, you love to see a guy finish hot. Give him a look early in the year to see if he's carried over his late-2006 mojo and if so, he's a bargain.

MUST START: Bob Hope Chrysler Classic

Shaun Micheel
Age: 37
Country: USA
PGA Wins: 1
Majors: 1

So what happens when your first PGA Tour win comes at age 34 and happens to be a major? Well, if you're Shaun Micheel, not much else. 2006 was Micheel's first year in the top 50 money winners since 2003 when he won the PGA Championship, and it came on the heels of an '05 season in which he missed more than half of the cuts. His best moment again came at the PGA when, for one weekend in Medinah, he reclaimed the form he had three years back, shooting four rounds under par and finishing second to Tiger Woods. That accounted for nearly half his winnings, so basically, he's someone to avoid in fantasy golf, except maybe one weekend a year.

MUST START: PGA Championship

Phil Mickelson
Age: 35
Country: USA
PGA Tour Wins: 29
Majors: 3

Mickelson's career stats look a lot like Vijay Singh's, and he remains the only guy other than Tiger who can lap the field when he's on. Exhibit A: Last year's BellSouth Classic, where his 28-under score was 13 strokes better than his nearest competitor. He was the hottest golfer on the planet and seemingly on the way to his own "Mickel-slam" when he won the Masters, but he wasn't the same guy after throwing away the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. His second place at the Open was his last top 10 of the year. As always, Mickelson can still be very good when his driver (or drivers) is erratic, and he's brilliant when his tee ball is on target. Expect him to bounce back from his weak sand save numbers too. Once he plays well, ride him as the man can streak like Will Ferrell in "Old School."

MUST START: Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, and The Masters

Arron Oberholser
Age: 31
Country: USA
PGA Tour Wins:1
Majors: 0

Oberholser got his first PGA Tour win in 2006 at Pebble Beach. Anyone who can win at a venue like Pebble, with all the media and celebrities, is someone who's for real. In fact, it may be just behind the Majors as a litmus test for a golfer's game and mind frame. Oberholser was 11th in GIR in 2006, but only 50th in birdies, so some work on the practice green would do him good.

MUST START: AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and Buick Invitational

Geoff Ogilvy
Age: 29
Country: Australia
PGA Tour Wins:3
Majors: 1

So is Ogilvy the next big thing, or is he a Shaun Micheel/Ben Curtis type who will be remembered for winning a major before his overall game was in place to sustain that level? The evidence points to the former as Ogilvy has finished no worse than sixteenth in his last six majors, with three top 10 finishes mixed in with that win at Winged Foot in 2006. So how does the Aussie do it? He's not particularly long, nor is he deadly accurate off the tee, but his piston-like, perfectly repeatable swing holds up in tough conditions, when concentration is key. As soon as he learns to focus at weekly Tour events the way he does at Majors, he'll be a fixture on leader boards.

MUST START: The Honda Classic and British Open

Jose Maria Olazabal
Age: 40
Country: Spain
PGA Tour Wins:6
Majors: 2

Olazabal still plays at least a half dozen tournaments on the European Tour, so he's not someone you can just plug and play every week, despite the fact that his per-tournament numbers make him a force to be reckoned
with. He missed only four cuts in the States all year and had a string of three weekends in a row (The Players Championship, BellSouth, and The Masters) where he didn't finish lower than 7th. The guy doesn't miss cuts in majors, and anyone who has won The Masters twice is a must-start at Augusta National.

MUST START: Shell Houston Open and The Masters

Rod Pampling
Age: 37
Country: Australia
PGA Tour Wins: 2
Majors: 0

On Tour, having a big name and a big game are quite a pairing, but in fantasy, you gotta love a guy who finishes in the top 20 on the money list, misses only four cuts all year, and yet still flies under the radar. Pampling is far from being the "thunder from down under" with mediocre driving distance and even worse accuracy, but he was 11th in putting and top 10 in sand saves last year. Add it up and you get a guy who doesn't give up any strokes from in close. Don't expect any major victories, but also don't expect many missed cuts. Do expect solid fantasy value.

MUST START: The International and Bay Hill Invitational

Tom Pernice, Jr.
Age: 47
Country: USA
PGA Tour Wins: 2
Majors: 0

Pernice was the latest bloomer of the former UCLA Bruins, including Steve Pate, Duffy Waldorf, and Corey Pavin, all of whom played together in college and on Tour. He didn't win his first tournament until he was in his early 40s, and has only won once since. 2006 was an uneven year for Tom, as he never made more than three cuts in a row after mid-April. Not surprisingly for his age and profile, Pernice is one of the shortest hitters on Tour, relying on decent accuracy and top 40 putting numbers to keep him around. But from a fantasy perspective, you're likely better off waiting a few years until he shows up in the Champions' Tour fantasy games.

MUST START: Barclays Classic

Carl Pettersson
Age: 29
Country: Sweden
PGA Tour Wins: 2
Majors: 0

The man with a double "t" and a double "s" doesn't shoot many double bogeys, so truly, what's in a name? No one will mistake Carl for a bodybuilder, but he is building quite a resume with wins at the 2005 Chrysler and the Memorial in 2006 - and when you win Jack's event, that's heady stuff. But there is a serious red flag up -- he missed seven cuts in his last 13 tournaments after winning the Memorial and that's the kind of performance that can sink a fantasy fanatic. In 2005, he was above average in most of the important stats including scoring average, but his late summer swoon ruined his numbers for 2006. He's a guy to wait on until you see evidence that he's back

MUST START: Chrysler Championship and The Memorial

Brett Quigley
Age: 37
Country: USA
PGA Tour Wins: 0
Majors: 0

In 2006, Quigley showed the value of buying in bulk. He played in 33 events, and while he didn't win a single one, he made 21 cuts and turned it into a top 20 finish on the money list. Quigley wasn't above average, by Tour standards, in putting, driving or even in terms of birdies. So where did he shine? He was 31st in GIR, despite not finding too many fairways off the tee. It paints a picture of a pure ball-striker who has the imagination and shots to find the putting surface from almost any situation. At age 37, Quigley will either have to start putting better or leaving himself in better position off the tee to hoist any trophies, but from a fantasy point of view, he's a safe bet if you need someone who'll play on the weekend.

MUST START: Honda Classic and U.S. Bank Championship

Justin Rose
Age: 26
Country: Great Britain
PGA Wins: 0
Majors: 0
After winning twice on the European Tour in 2002, young Justin decided he'd play in the States and test himself. He hasn't won since, but he has climbed the money list every year since then, so he's on the right track. Rose bloomed to the tune of 20 cuts made and five top-10 finishes in 2006, including a runner-up finish at the Valero Texas Open. There's more good news hidden within Justin's stats: He was in the top 100 across the board in terms of tour stats, including driving distance, accuracy, GIR, putting and, most importantly, birdies, where he was sixth in birdies per round. This last stat makes him an absolute steal in ESPN Bestball. No one can predict when a player will break through, but Rose certainly appears to be a guy ready to win on American soil.

MUST START: Deutsche Bank Championship and Travelers Championship

Rory Sabbatini
Age: 30
Country: South Africa
PGA Tour Wins: 3
Majors: 0

After a scorching start to 2006, with a win at the Nissan Open and runner-up finishes at the Sony and Pebble Beach, Sabbatini cooled off … at least golf-wise. That's because Sabbatini is golf's most visible hot-head, a guy who once was reprimanded for walking to the next tee while his playing partner (Ben Crane) was still putting out because he couldn't stand Crane's slow play. Sabbatini missed the cut in two of his last three majors of the year and didn't have a strong showing in any of the full-field events down the stretch, largely because his overall numbers for the year showed him to be neither terribly accurate (181st on Tour), nor long (81st). He's a guy you need to see some solid play from before you take a big risk … but he's also a streaky player who can carry you for a month if he gets hot.

MUST START: Nissan Open

Adam Scott
Age: 26
Country: Australia
PGA Tour Wins: 5
Majors: 0

The Aussie with Tiger's old swing may in fact be the next guy to step up and challenge Eldrick's reign. Scott only missed three cuts all last year, and 10 top 10 finishes in only 19 PGA Tour starts speaks to his consistency and excellence. He finished in the top 20 in total driving, GIR, birdies per round and eagles per round. His Achilles' heel is finding the fairway with his driver -- the same thing Woods faced in his mid-20s. He has too much raw power that needs to be dialed back and harnessed to take him to the next level. Then, he'll be a multiple major winner waiting to happen.

MUST START: The Nissan Open and Tour Championship

John Senden
Age: 35
Country: Australia
PGA Wins: 1
Majors: 0

To say 2006 was a big year for this lanky Aussie would be a huge understatement. His first $1-million season came with his first top-50 finish on the money list, and, of course, his first victory. The John Deere Classic champ may be as pure a ball-striker as you'll find outside the top 10 in the world. He was third on tour in GIR and 12th in total driving. The issue was the silly flatstick, where he averaged almost 1.8 putts per green, resulting in a very average birdie total. Unfortunately, he has never finished better than 130th in putting on tour over the last three years, so that's not going to change anytime soon.

MUST START: John Deere Classic

Vijay Singh
Age: 43
Country: Fiji
PGA Tour Wins:29
Majors: 3

If golf were "Baywatch", poor Vijay would be Yasmine Bleeth, a world class "talent" who had the bad fortune to peak at a time when Pamela Anderson was also on the rise. Singh's 29 career wins have already put him in the World Golf Hall of Fame and when he hits the Champions Tour in six years, he might win that many titles in the first year and a half. But 2006 was a down year for Vijay, with only one PGA Tour win for the first time since 2000. He still only missed three cuts and was top 10 in nearly half the tournaments he entered, but his driver went wayward as he lost a little distance and a lot of control. Still, he practices more than a concert pianist so he's a strong bet to be ahead of the field when the season starts. He's even a "buy low" candidate in salary cap leagues, relatively speaking, as he could be top man by mid-February.

MUST START: PGA Championship and Deutsche Bank Championship

Steve Stricker
Age: 39
Country: USA
PGA Tour Wins: 2
Majors: 0

In Stricker, you've got the 2006 PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year. More importantly, you've got a guy who was even more impressive in a fantasy sense because, in most formats, he carried one of the lowest
possible rankings and prices coming into the year, and all he did was make 15 cuts in 17 events. He threw in seven top 10 finishes to boot and his overall numbers suggest a guy who would've been in the top 10 on the
money list if he'd played more. His accuracy was on display off the tee, but he was masterful on and around the greens, allowing him to finish 12th on tour in terms of birdies-per-round. In his last five tournaments, Steve never finished lower than 12th. Buy in early before his stock goes up too high.

MUST START: Tampa Bay Classic

Vaughn Taylor
Age: 30
Country: USA
PGA Tour Wins: 2
Majors: 0

You know the old adage, "Drive for show, putt for dough?" Yeah, well Taylor doesn't just know it, he lived by it in 2006. Taylor was slightly below average in terms of driving and GIR, but he was second on tour in
terms of putts-per-hole, allowing him to average over four birdies per round. That's some playing. Taylor was also the two-time defending champion at the Reno-Tahoe Open in 2006, but he didn't play because he
was at the PGA Championship at Medinah. Sure he missed the cut, but still, the picture of a player on the rise comes into focus. In general, Taylor's a great start on any course known for tricky greens, but strangely, he's had back-to-back top 10 finishes at Quail's Hollow, one of the longer stops on Tour.

MUST START: Wachovia Championship

David Toms
Age: 40
Country: USA
PGA Tour Wins: 12
Majors: 1

Toms is not the player he was a few years ago when he seemed the perfect blend of talent, experience and temperament. He's not a long hitter by PGA Tour standards (he was 133rd in driving distance in '06) but his driving accuracy keeps him in the hunt (he was 30th). And he makes his money around the greens. Toms was top 10 in sand saves and top 20 in birdies, proving he knows how to get it close with the short clubs in his hands. Five of Toms' six top 10 finishes came in the first half of last year, and with him turning 40, it's fair to think he may be at the age where players wear down as the season goes on. He's a strong play early if he looks like his game is back on track in Hawaii.

MUST START: Colonial & WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship

Scott Verplank
Age: 42
Country: USA
PGA wins: 4
Majors: 0

Scott Verplank hasn't won on tour since the 2001 Bell Canadian Open, but even if he were to win in 2007, it would still only be his second longest gap between wins. Verplank once went 12 years between wins, from
1988 to 2000. However, in 2006, he showed signs that he may be getting ready to end his latest drought by making the cut in over 75 percent of the tournaments he entered, including back-to-back runner-up finishes in
his first two tournaments of the year, the Bob Hope and FBR. As with all older players, expect Verplank's best golf early, when he's fresh, and keep an eye on him on courses where you're either on the fairway or in
trouble. He was third in driving accuracy last year.

MUST START: Arnold Palmer Invitational and Byron Nelson Championship

Camilo Villegas
Age: 25
Country: Colombia
PGA Tour Wins:0
Majors: 0

Right now, Villegas is known more for his sartorial splendor and ripped triceps than he is for success on Tour. However, as a true rookie in 2006, he did make 18 cuts and threw in four Top 10 finishes. Villegas
turned all that muscle-tone into a 302.1 yard driving average, although he rarely knew where the ball was going off the tee. He finished 51st in terms of birdies-per-round, and he finished just out of the top 100 in
putts-per-hole, which is impressive for a 24-year-old. Finishing second at Doral is even more impressive. Expect Villegas to be a factor whenever a course favors long hitters and keep him in mind for formats like ESPN Bestball, where it's all about eagles and birdies.

MUST START: WGC Championship at Doral

Mike Weir
Age: 36
Country: Canada
PGA Tour Wins: 7
Majors: 1

Four years ago, you could've made an argument that Weir was playing better golf than anyone in the world whose name didn't rhyme with "Shmiger." Now, Weir hasn't won since early in 2004 and he's fallen off a number of radars. This shouldn't be the case with you. The only thing he didn't do in 2006 was win, considering he missed only four cuts while managing six top 10 finishes. He even finished in the top 12 in three of the majors, and despite being near the bottom in total driving, Weir still managed 3.61 birdies a round, good for 31st on Tour. His underwhelming 2005 is behind him and Weir is on the comeback trail.

MUST START: AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-am and The Masters

Brett Wetterich
Age: 33
Country: USA
PGA Tour Wins: 1
Majors: 0

Wetterich is the personification of "journeyman" on the PGA Tour dictionary. He turned pro in 1994, made the PGA Tour in 2000, but then got hurt and had to fight his way back to the big show through the Nationwide Tour. His 2005 season offered no hint that Wetterich was ready to make the leap, as he made the cut in only 10 of the 28 events he entered, and had only two top 10 finishes. 2006 was a different story, with six top 10 finishes, including a win at the prestigious Byron Nelson Classic. He also earned a Ryder Cup team berth. But there is some "buyer beware" in this feel-good story. He still missed 10 cuts, including both majors he entered last year.

MUST START: Byron Nelson Championship and Honda Classic

Dean Wilson
Age: 37
Country: USA
PGA Tour Wins: 1
Majors: 0

After growing up in Hawaii, Wilson turned away from the mainland and headed to Japan to start his pro career. He definitely learned how to win there, with six wins in three years. It wasn't until 2006 that he finally broke through in the U.S. with a win at the International, a tournament that rewards aggressive play thanks to the Modified Stableford scoring system. Wilson played much better down the stretch in 2006, nearly winning the Valero Texas Open as well. He's not long enough to dominate on the Tour's longest stops, but he plays every week and his experience makes him a savvy play against fields where some of the world's best are not on hand in force.

MUST START: The International and U.S. Bank Championship

Tiger Woods
Age: 31
Country: USA
PGA Tour Wins: 54
Majors: 12

There is nothing that can be written in this space that will encapsulate how dominant Tiger has been, especially lately. After missing the cut at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in 2006, Tiger finished second at the Cialis Western Open, and reeled off six consecutive PGA Tour victories to finish the year (including two majors: the British Open and PGA Championship). He even won his own tournament during the "silly season." He plays fewer PGA Tour events than most pros and wins twice as often. If he's playing, you can't afford not to have him on your team. It's that simple.

MUST START: All Majors, but specifically The Masters and British Open

^ Back to Top ^