Welcome into this week's fantasy golf picks for the 2014 Waste Management Phoenix Open, presented by DraftDay.
Since every fantasy league is a little different, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to rank players. In some leagues, you have to save players for bigger tournaments. In others, it doesn’t matter. Some leagues have you pick four players, or six or one. Instead, we’ll offer 10 picks in two buckets: horses for courses and hot hands.
[divider_with_title]2014 Scorecard[/divider_with_title]
Jordan Spieth, Graham DeLaet and Marc Leishman were all in the mix on Sunday at Torrey Pines, but none of them were able to pull away from the pack like Scott Stallings did, who won for the third time in his PGA Tour career. And Tiger Woods stunned everyone by tying his second-worst round as a professional with a third-round 79 to be MDF'd for the first time in his PGA Tour career.
[divider_with_title]Background[/divider_with_title]
It's the party before the party. The Phoenix Open is the perfect appetizer for the sports fan ahead of Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday evening. From the atmosphere at the 16th hole, to the influence of copious amounts of alcohol, to the influx of students from Arizona State University, the golf tournament almost unfolds in the background.
But it's a good field at TPC Scottsdale, headed by defending champion Phil Mickelson, who will give it a go after bowing out of Torrey Pines mid-tournament last week with a back problem. Keegan Bradley is in the field, too, as well some of his 20-something cohorts.
Take it deep this week, fellas. That's the only way to win.
[divider_with_title]Hot Hands[/divider_with_title]
- Scott Stallings: Stallings is a guy who likes to play a pretty decent amount, getting into a rhythm for certain stretches of the year. Coming off of a come-from-behind win at Torrey, Stallings should be feeling good.
- Graham DeLaet: Picking up his 2013-14 season where he ended '13, DeLaet had a very realistic chance for his breakthrough PGA Tour win last week.
- Keegan Bradley: Over his last seven starts, Bradley hasn't finished outside of the top 20. He also has a modest record in this tournament.
- Marc Leishman: The Aussie is playing some of the best golf of his career right now, so ride the train. He tends to fare best on tracks where going low is a must, too.
- Harris English: Though TPC Scottsdale isn't a classic track -- the kind English loves most -- he seems to feel comfortable anywhere right now.
[divider_with_title]Horses for Courses[/divider_with_title]
- Phil Mickelson: Going with Lefty this week has to be done cautiously. Mickelson may say his back is OK, but if you have a bench and want to pick him, put the defending champion there to start.
- Matt Every: The new Callaway Golf staffer is off to a good start this season, but he's also never finished outside of the top 10 at the WMPO in a pair of starts.
- Webb Simpson: In addition to playing some very good golf (top 10 in four of the last five starts) of late, Simpson has finished inside the top eight in his last two appearances.
- Brendan Steele: Steele, who hasn't done much since a breakthrough Texas win in 2011, has been in the top 10 here each of the last two years. He finished T-28 last week.
- Brandt Snedeker: Sneds isn't playing his best golf at the moment, but he's had top 10s here in '11 and '13. Hard to ignore a great putter on a course where going low is a must.
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