Category: Charles Howell III

Week #3-Fantasy Golf - Humana Challenge, La Quinta, CA - January 16-19, 2014

1/14/2014

Field for Humana Challenge - PGA Tour

Top Picks
Chuck's Picks: Billy Horschel, Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker
Drew's Picks: Zach Johnson, Webb Simpson, Brian Stuard
Matt's Picks: Zach Johnson, Harris English, Webb Simpson
Jeremy's Picks: Keegan Bradely, Zach Johnson, Billy Horschel
Cathy's Picks: Bill Haas, Webb Simpson, Rickie Fowler

Dark Horses
Chuck's Picks: Charles Howell III, Retief Goosen, Harris English
Drew's Picks: Gary Woodland, Kevin Na, Harris English
Matt's Picks: Brain Stuard, Charles Howell III, Robert Garrigus
Jeremy's Picks: Charles Howell III, Jeff Overton, Harris English
Cathy's Picks: Harris English, Brendon de Jonge, Freddie Jacobson

Read below to see why we chose our players!

Chuck's Picks:
Billy Horschel - The self-proclaimed PGA player of the year is not disappointing so far. Finished 6th two weeks ago in Kapalua and was 10th here last year in his first attempt.

Webb Simpson – Not the most experience nor the best track record around these courses. Simply can’t ignore Webb’s three top tens in just as many starts so far this year.

Brandt Snedeker – The highest ranked player in the field this week. 8th and 23rd are his results in the last two years at this tournament. Make sure Sneds is in your lineup this week!

Dark Horses:
Charles Howell III – Chuckie is the owner of the 72 hole course record at Palmer West and was ever so close to hoisting the hardware last year. Pair that with his hot start this year and you have the recipe for a top contender.
Retief Goosen – The Goose looks loose after carding four rounds in the 60’s which was good for a T8 at the Sony. Goosen is no stranger to this tournament and has knowledge of all three courses in the rotation this week.
Harris English – This pick is simply based on current form. English has already made over $1,500,000 so far this season and has yet to miss a cut. Doesn’t even seem fair to pick him as a dark horse.

Drew's Picks:
Zach Johnson - I'm sticking with Zach again this week, after his fine showing in Hawaii. I'm hoping his outstanding game washes ashore in California like a long distance surfer! Zach is a birdie machine from inside 150 yards, and that's what you need to win this week on these shorter courses.

Webb Simpson - Webb shows up second on my hopefully fine tuned golf predictor model this week, which is set to favor putting and Par 4 performance. 4th, 1st, 7th, and a third in his last four starts.

Brian Stuard - I'm going off the radar, and the top 50 OWGR in picking Stuard. I enjoyed watching him last week, he almost pulled off the win. 4th in Par 4 performance, and a 2nd and 6th this season, another momentum play.

Dark Horses:
Gary Woodland - Gary Woodland has done well in this tournament, and he enjoys the Pro-Am aspect of the week; some of the pros do not. 7th in GIR, if he gets his putter going, he can do very well here. Kevin Na - Kevin has been playing under a medical extension. His 8th place finish last week shows me he's back to good health. He had a 5th here in 2001, and usually plays well in California. He also wont mind the 6+ hour rounds in the Pro-Am, as he's one of the slowest players on the tour.
Harris English - Harris English is on a roll, a T11 and a 4th in Hawaii bodes well for success in California. His putter saw him through the last two tournaments, as stat wise, the rest of his game was nothing to write home about. What matters is the final score, and Harris put together a successful start to the 2014 season.

Matt's Picks:
Zach Johnson - Johnson has made his way up to 6th in the world golf rankings. In his last four events (one non-official), Johnson has two victories, a top ten, and a top twenty. He currently ranks 7th in the FedEx rankings, 2nd in driving accuracy, and 5th in all-around. In his last three trips to this event, Johnson owns a top ten and two top twenty-fives.

Harris English - Harris English has been tearing it up lately. He is coming off a 4th place finish at the Sony Open where he was in the hunt up until the last few holes. English already has a win on the season and has finished T27 or better in his last five starts. English has two starts at the Humana, both resulting in paychecks with his best finish being T19.

Webb Simpson -
Although he missed the cut here last season, Simpson owns a T13 and a T5 finish in this event within the last five years. Simpson leads the Tour in scoring average, ranks 2nd in greens hit, 2nd in strokes gained, and 2nd in birdie average. In three official events this season, Simpson hasn't finished worse than T7.

Dark Horses:
Brian Stuard - Brian Stuard is off to a fast start this season. He already has two top tens and a top fifteen on the season. He sits 8th in the FedEx standings and has almost reached the million dollar mark in earnings. Last season was Stuard's only trip to the Humana Challenge where he finished with a top ten.
Charles Howell III - This is the second week in a row that Chucky Three Sticks has made my list. Although he got off to a rocky start last week, Howell III ended up with his third straight top ten finish. He hasn't missed the cut in this event in his last five trips, with his best performance being a T2 last season.
Robert Garrigus - Garrigus has two starts on the season, both resulting in top twenty-fives. Garrigus ranks 3rd in total driving and 14th in scoring average. He also has history at this event, making four of five cuts. Those four paychecks include a runner-up finish in 2012 and three other top twenty finishes.

Jeremy's Picks:

Keegan Bradley - He has been working hard on his short game during the off season. That could come into play here.

Zach Johnson - Playing extremely good golf right now coming off a win and a top 10 the past two weeks.

Billy Horschel - Played well finishing 6th at the Hyandai and has good experience on this course with a top 10 finish last year.

Dark Horses:
Charles Howell III - Howell started out slow last week in the opening round of the Sony but played very well over the last 3 rounds. Last year's Humana ended with him losing in a playoff. Look for him to be in contention once again.
Jeff Overton - If Overton could keep his nerves in check he would be a winner on the PGA tour. He has the game and has played well on these courses in the past.
Harris English - Playing extremely well even after coming off a disappointing finish last week. Hard player to keep off your team.

Cathy's Picks:

Bill Haas - Haas has a playoff 2nd place finish here so he knows how to play the courses. I like his steady temperament and patience when it comes to playing in a pro-am format for 3 days.

Webb Simpson - on occasion I default to the "go with the hot guy" theory, and I'm not sure if there is anyone hotter than Simpson right now in the field. He's got range of finishes here, some good, some not, but with a beautiful weather week predicted I think his ball striking consistency will shine.

Rickie Fowler - being #41 on the OWGR makes him a Top Pick and for some reason I'm just liking his chances this week. He doesn't have much of a history here, but I'm hoping the West Coast Swing will be kind to him.

Dark Horses:
Brendon de Jonge - I blame Drew for this pick!! But honestly, I'm just not ready to give up on him yet. He does have a T12 here in 2012 so hopefully he can improve from that this year.
Harris English - I almost put him as a Top Pick this week because similar to Simpson, he's just too hard to overlook with all of his great play as of late. And I need some Dark Horse points!
Freddie Jacobson - My thoughts on Freddie are that he's probably got a great attitude for this multiple course pro-am format and sometimes players do great after taking a bit of a break.

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Week #2 - Fantasy Golf - Sony Open at Waialae CC, Hawaii ~ January 9-12, 2014

1/7/2014

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Field for the 2014 Sony Open - PGA Tour

Top Picks
Matt's Picks: Adam Scott, Zach Johnson, Jordan Speith
Jeremy's Picks: Jason Dufner, Matt Kuchar, Jordan Spieth
Chuck's Picks: Adam Scott, Jason Dufner, Matt Kuchar
Drew's Picks: Adam Scott, Zach Johnson, Jordan Spieth
Cathy's Picks: Matt Kuchar, Jason Dufner, Adam Scott

Dark Horses
Matt's Picks: Charles Howell III, Tim Clark, Jeff Overton
Jeremy's Picks: Harris English, Ken Duke, Ben Martin
Chuck's Picks: Brandon de Jonge, Harris English, Pat Perez
Drew's Picks: Brian Gay, Harris English, Tim Clark
Cathy's Picks: Brandon de Jonge, Bo Van Pelt, Vijay Singh

Read below to see why we chose our players!

Matt's Picks:
Adam Scott In his last five starts worldwide, Scott has two victories, a runner-up, a 3rd place finish, and a tie for 6th last week at the Hyundai TOC. This will be Scott's 6th trip to Waialae. Although he missed the cut last season, Scott owns a runner-up finish in this event and two other top twenties. With the streak he is on, I expect another top ten from him this week.
Zach Johnson Zach Johnson comes into the Sony Open looking to earn three straight victories. In his last two events, Johnson won the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge and last week's Hyundai Tournament of Champions. He won the Sony Open in 2009 and placed T12 in 2010. I expect to see Johnson in the mix once again this week.
Jordan Spieth Spieth has been on a roll and doesn't appear to be stopping any time soon. Since his first career victory in mid July, Spieth has only finished outside of the top twenty once. He finished the Hyundai Tournament of Champions with a runner-up finish behind Zach Johnson. This will be his first visit to Waialae, but Spieth has proven that he doesn't need a lot of rounds to have success on a course.

Dark Horses:
Charles Howell III If there ever was a horse for the course, that horse would be Charles Howell III and the course would be Waialae (of course). Chucky three sticks has twelve starts in this event, never missing a cut. He has two runner-ups, two 3rd place finishes, and three other top tens. He has finished in the top five four of the last five years here. Howell III is off to a fast start this season, earning two top tens and a top thirty in his first four events. This almost feels like cheating, but he is outside of the top 50.
Tim Clark Tim Clark already has five starts on the 2013-2014 season. He has earned paychecks in four of those starts, and placed runner-up in the McGladrey Classic. Clark owns a very solid record at The Sony Open, never finishing outside of the top twenty five in four starts. He finished runner-up in this event the last two seasons.
Jeff Overton Overton has made the cut in four of his first five events this season. All four of those made cuts have resulted in top twenty-five finishes, including a T9 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Overton is five for seven at Waialae and is coming off a solo 8th place finish last season.

Jeremy's Picks:
Jason Dufner - Dufner was in the Hyundai down to the last few holes when an errant shot took him out. He is playing top-notch golf and should always be considered a contender. His beloved Auburn Tigers were just lost the BCS national championship game and to quote him via Twitter "Going to play Duf golf next week for my Auburn Tigers." Duf golf is winning golf.

Matt Kuchar - Kuchar loves Hawaii, so much that he is taking an extra month of vacation time on the big island after the Sony. He is not planning on returning until the LA Open at Riviera. That being said he had a strong finish here last year, he had a strong tournament at the Hyundai besides a poor 3rd round. Look for him to be in contention come Sunday.

Jordan Spieth - I had an entire write-up for Adam Scott in my 3rd position, but I just deleted it. You cannot exclude Spieth from your fantasy lineup, he is too hot, and there is going to be a point later in the year where he will struggle. Take him now while he is on top of his game.

Dark Horses:
Harris English - English played strong this past week as well as at the Sony last year prior to ever winning a PGA Tour event. Since then he has added two victories under his belt. Don't be surprised if he adds a third this week at a golf course he is comfortable playing.
Ken Duke - The journey man's journey continues. He is very steady and sitting as a "C" player in the yahoo crowd. He has a lot of value and is capable of competing for a title.
Ben Martin - Martin is my true "dark horse". He is a graduate of the web.com tour and will make the Sony Open his first 2014 PGA Tour event. He finished T-16 at his first official event. On the web.com tour he finished in the top 15 eleven times during the 2013 year including 2 wins.

Cathy's Picks:
Matt Kuchar - Heart Pick 2 weeks in a row! Kuchar had his chances last week, and knowing he gets to relax for another month on the sandy beaches of Hawaii may just make him the guy to beat this week. Matt has also had 2 T-5 finishes here in his last 2 starts ('13 & '11). He can win at Waialae!

Adam Scott - I passed on Scott last week for Snedeker, and I can see that I missed the boat on that one! I think Scott's missed cut in '11 can be erased by his T2 finish in '09 and with his game so sharp right now I think he may just make a charge. Could we see a Kuchar/Scott final pairing on Sunday?

Jason Dufner - It just seems like Dufners carefree laid back personality just fits right into the Hawaii way of life, so I think if he can feed off of his great play last week he will contend on Sunday.

Dark Horses:
Brendon de Jonge - well, I might as well get the insanity started early this year! de Jonge has been a familiar pick for me for the past 2 years but he's never brought home a win. And at #56 on the OWGR, he's still on the outside looking in. But for some reason I just can't give up on the feeling he's going to break through one of these weeks. THIS would be a great week to do it!

Bo Van Pelt - In 2012, BVP was a staple on my fantasy teams. He was a top 10 powerhouse and would always score points for me. 2013 was a marginal year (only 1 top 10) so I think Bo has something to prove! While he doesn't have a great history at this track, I think motivation will help him overcome that.

Vijay Singh - at #131 on the OWGR, and at age 51, I'm almost surprised to see Singh at the Sony...but he's a former winner here and for some reason I feel like he might just make a move and have a high finish.

Drew's Picks:
Adam Scott: The #2 player in the world finished 6th last week, showing that him game is in fine shape. He has a good history at the Sony, I expect his fine putting will see him to a top 5 this week, at least.

Zach Johnson: I missed picking Zach last week, thought his lack of length off the tee would hurt. Looked like the rest of his game made up for that. No one's better than Zach tee-to-green right now, and that's what you need to win the Sony.

Jordan Spieth:
Missed picking Jordan last week also. So much for course experience being necessary to perform well at Kapalua! Jordan looked very much at ease on a course he'd never played a tournament on before, and I saw no flaws in his game. I see him crusing to a top 5.

Dark Horses:

Brian Gay: Brian's game is very similar to Zach Johnson's, not long, but precise. He also did surprisingly well at Kapalua, and this shorter, tighter Waialae course should suit him fine. His GIR and putting should make for a good show.
Harris English:
Harris has done well here in the past. He excels on tight, technical courses, ie Harbor Town. His excellent ball striking should get him near the top of the leaderboard this week.
Tim Clark:
Tim has two runner-up finishes in his last two trips here, what mote needs to be said! He also has a 2nd already this season, at the McGladrey, another seaside course. Like Gay and ZJ, his lack of length off the tee won't hurt him this week, and his accuracy will help a lot.

Chuck's Picks:
Adam Scott – Scott has been on quite a roll the last couple months with two wins, 2nd 3rd, and 6th last week at Kapalua. Arguably the hottest golfer on tour right now and needs to be in your lineup.

Jason Duffner – Jason will be Duffnering fairways and greens this week on this relatively short track. I have no doubt he will be in contention come Sunday.

Matt Kuchar – Kuch is the picture of consistency and has two back to back 5th place finishes at the Sony. Another top ten is very likely this week and a win wouldn’t surprise me one bit.
Dark Horses:

Brendon De Jonge – Has finished in the top 16 in his last five starts. De Jonge can make a slew of birdies and has good history at this course.
Harris English – English was in contention at the Plantation course last week and should find Waialae a little easier treading. Carded a 62 here last year to finish T9.
Pat Perez – Perez is a birdie machine when he gets rolling. Is making his 12th consecutive start at this tournament and finished 9th here last year.

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Week #3-Fantasy Golf - Humana Challenge, La Quinta, CA - January 16-19, 2014

Week #2 - Fantasy Golf - Sony Open at Waialae CC, Hawaii ~ January 9-12, 2014

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