Week #15 - Fantasy Golf - THE MASTERS - April 10-13, 2014

Top Picks  (for Masters week we're going to do our Top 5 only)

Matt's Picks: Matt Kuchar, Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Jason Day
Chuck's Picks: Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson, Hunter Mahan, Jason Day, Brandt Snedeker
Jeremy's Picks: Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson, Jason Day, Jason Dufner, Sergio Garcia
Drew's Picks:  Adam Scott, Bubba Watson, Phil Mickelson, Jason Day, Sergio Garcia
Cathy's Picks:  Steve Stricker, Matt Kuchar, Bubba Watson, Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott

Jeremy's Picks:
Rory McIlroy - He has been my pick to win the Masters from the beginning of the year.  His game fits Augusta perfectly.
 
Bubba Watson - A former Masters champion who has had an excellent year thus far.  I would expect him to be right in it until the end.
 
Jason Day - Had an excellent chance to win last year.  He has always said that the Masters is his favorite tournament and his goal for the season is to peak at Augusta.  As long as his thumb isn't bothering him he will contend.
 
Jason Dufner - Dufner knows his way around Augusta and has found himself towards the top of the leaderboard in the past.  The win at the PGA should give him the confidence to compete in yet another major.
 
Sergio Garcia - Sergio has been putting out of his mind lately, and wouldn't it to be great to see him finally live up to the expectations everyone had for him.

Matt's Picks:Matt Kuchar
In his last four trips to Augusta National, Kuchar has finished T27 or better. He finished T8 last season and ended 2012 in a tie for 3rd. Kuchar is coming off a runner-up finish at the Shell Houston Open and finished the Valero Texas Open in a tie for 4th. Kuchar is still looking for that first major, and I believe this will be his year.

Lee Westwood
Although Westwood only has two top twenty-fives in nine starts on the season, he is coming off a T17 at the Shell Houston Open. In recent year, Westwood has always found a way to contend in majors. He finished T11 or better in each of his previous four visits to Augusta, including a runner-up in 2010 and a tie for 3rd in 2012.

Luke Donald
Luke Donald is quietly playing very well as of late. He has two top tens and another two top twenty-fives in his last four starts. He finished T8 at the Honda Classic and T4 at the Valspar Championship. Luke Donald finished the Masters in tie for 4th in 2011 and ended last year with a top twenty-five.

Sergio Garcia
Garcia has four top tens in his previous five starts on the PGA Tour. He finished with a solo 3rd at the Shell Houston Open. Last season at Augusta, Garcia shot a 66 on his opening round and found himself in a tie for 8th when the tournament ended. He has three career top tens and a top twenty-five in the season's opening major championship.

Jason Day
Day has a win and a runner-up finish in three 2014 starts. Due to a thumb injury, Day has not teed it up since his victory at the Match Play Championship. Day will be making his fourth career appearance at Augusta. Day T2 in 2011 and finished solo 3rd last year. Despite not playing since mid-February, Day is my pick to take home his first major championship.

Chuck's Picks:Sergio Garcia – In my opinion the best player on tour to not have won a major. Sergio has all the tools to slip on the green jacket. His game has been sharp recently and without Tiger in the field he won’t have to worry about any verbal confrontations.
Phil Mickelson – I know Phil is dealing with some back pain but I fully expect him to be ready come Thursday. Obviously loves this course and will play through any lingering pain to claim his 4th green jacket. Pick Phil with confidence this week and you will be happy you did.
Hunter Mahan – Last year Mahan was a force to be reckoned with at the majors. Such a great ball striker if he can only improve his scrambling he’ll be in contention this week.
Jason Day -  Another player who shines in majors and seems like he’s always in the hunt come Sunday at Augusta. Well rested while nursing his wrist back to health.  He wants to prove he belongs in the golf elite.
Brandt Snedeker – Flying a bit off the radar this week and that’s just the way Sneds likes it. Four top 20’s in his last five trips down Magnolia lane. Has the demeanor, experience and hot putter to get it done.

Drew's Picks: Adam Scott:
The most difficult part of making picks this week was deciding who to leave out, and whose injuries were the least scary.  You have Dustin's back, Day's thumb and back, Cabrera's shoulder, Rose's shoulder, Phil's "obliques", whatever they are, Bubba's allergies (and the pollen count will be high at Augusta), plus Phil feels "nervous"--sheesh!!!   
With that said, Adam Scott is my #1 pick this week.  I think he can be the fourth winner to defend his Master's title, along with Woods, Faldo, and Nickalus.  His game is in fine shape, and he's learned the course.

Bubba Watson:
Bubba's coming in hot, with a win, two 2nd's, a 9th, and a WD due to allergies in his last 5 starts.  I hope he has consulted a good Allergist and stocked up on his meds!  He's 1st in Driving Distance, 5th in 3-putt avoidance, and 9th in Par 4 Scoring Avg.  Plus he has a Green Jacket.

Phil Mickelson:
Phil's play hasn't been stellar this year on the tour, but something magical seems to happen to him when he enters the grounds down Magnolia Lane.  I think Tinkerbelle comes down from the branches, taps him on the head with her wand, and puts him in his "happy place".  He has 14 Top 10's, 10 top 5's, and 3 wins.   Course knowledge and scrambling trump current form in his case. 'Nuff said.

Jason Day:
I'm just hoping Jason's thumb and back hold together this week.  If they do, he has a great shot at a Green Jacket.  His game can overpower the course, and his 3rd last year shows he's learned where to hit, and more importantly, where not to hit his ball.  

Sergio Garcia:
Sorry Rory, Charl, Matt, Sneds, Zach, Graeme, Hunter, and others, you didn't make my cut.  Even though Sergio has said he doesn't believe he can win a Major, and that Augusta isn't his favorite course, his results here suggest otherwise.  His last four finishes have been 45th, 38th, 12th, and 8th, definitely trending in the right direction.  He leads the Tour in scrambling, Par 4 scoring, and Bogey Avoidance, and sits 8th in 3-Putt Avoidance.  Those are fine stats for this week, Sergio just has to believe in his game.

Cathy's Picks:  There is nothing but Heart in this year's picks, but don't let that fool you - these guys just happen to be playing some of their best golf right now!
Steve Stricker - I promised myself that I would pick Stricker to win 1 more time this year, and while he didn't play awesome last week at the Shell, I do think if he can stay in the moment on each shot, and he can get that hot putter, he's going to be a contender and maybe a Major winner!
Matt Kuchar - I'm going with the 3rd time's a charm theory for Matt - in contention the last 2 weeks and just couldn't get it done, but I don't know, this could be the week!
Bubba Watson - he's proven himself here as a winner, and I think he's at a place where he's going to bring it all this week.
Phil Mickelson - at first I wasn't sure if Phil's inconsistency should play a factor in being a top pick, but he's got some magic here and I think Augusta will love him back again this week.
Adam Scott - last year's win was, well, amazing - I loved his win, I love his game and Scott is the kind of guy who steps it up during a big week .