Fantasy Golf: Hot Topics

June 24, 2008 10:00am CDT

~ Hot Topics of the Week ~

- What now?
It may be safe to suggest the news of an early end to a season that started as the likely host of a PGA Grand Slam has left us all a bit shocked. When the duffers of the world started meeting in January to get the PGA season rolling, the bulk of the golf community was dedicating large portions of time to discussing just how strong Tiger Woods would be this season and, more importantly, how he would dominate the majors and assert his power over the game.

As it stands, Woods has fallen victim to the only force capable of bringing the run towards greatness to a halt: Health. The knee is not a new problem but the side effects suffered by attempting to play through are as damaging as any in sports today.

Consider this. The fans of major league baseball are forced to endure the speculation of rampant steroid use and what performance-enhancing drugs have done to the game, and as a result many of the more recent campaigns are, at the very least, tainted in the eyes of the game's most dedicated followers. The NBA has fallen prey to a horrific gambling scandal that has each and every blow of the whistle from an official under question. The NFL, for all of its power and influence, has taken a hit due to the immense flaws carried by the employees of the league as an endless stream of NFL players find homes in jail cells and are involved in off-the-field transgressions no other sport seems to match and few can ignore.

However, for all of those flaws, no sport is as damaged as golf. No one has been arrested, no one has been implicated in a murder, no one is believed to be under the influence of HGH, Tour officials are not believed to be forcing influence on the game to insure wagers are successful, and no one stands accused of crimes worthy of incarceration.

Golf will find the most damaging of downfalls in the weeks and months ahead, a scenario far more damaging than any of the conditions listed above, for a severe lack of interest and support from "fans" because Tiger isn't playing seems all too likely to become a reality. That singular absence has many who cover the game wondering just how damaging his loss will be for the Tour and for the success of the sport. It is the most intriguing topic in sports today, a topic few are likely to stop discussing as the season progresses forward.

Each tourney will be plagued with the questions of "what if," the two remaining majors will earn far less respect for those who emerge victorious, and the Ryder Cup and FedEx Cup seem more like convenient attempts to celebrate mediocrity than the events of honor and dignity they tend to provide for the PGA.

All of this due to the absence of Tiger Woods and the desire to ponder what will happen in tourneys played next year when he returns rather than this year when every golfer will have to question their validity without Tiger in the field.

So… what now? The obvious discussions of which golfers benefit from Tiger's injury have been rehashed and the usual suspects seem to make their way into all of those lists (Phil, Sergio, Cink, Vijay). We were dedicating significant portions of our content to the rise of youth on the Tour, a season that has seen more than a few first-time winners and players well under the age of 30 battling for PGA checks (Anthony Kim, Andres Romero, D.J. Trahan, Sean O'Hair, Johnson Wagner). Some have gone as far as to suggest you switch your viewing habits to the LPGA to see Lorena Ochoa do her best Tiger Woods impersonation (advice that does little to appease the fantasy golf enthusiasts of the world).

All of those topics lack the power needed to overcome the depression of the current state of affairs.

The truth is this. The casual fan will quit watching. The loyalist will find sources of hope in watching potential competitors fight to work up the PGA ladder to challenge the game's greatest in the future. Fantasy owners will do their best to imitate Jim Furyk, grinding out the season without the best club in the bag.

EPSN's Jason Sobel notes that Woods' current rank in the World Golf standings, easily in front of the pack with a rank of 21.14, will dip due to his inability to perform and, according to the math, will put Woods at 11.97 come December 31st. That number still ranks higher than the second man on the list (Phil Mickelson, 10.08).

We will all look forward to the day when he can begin to rebuild that dominating lead.


~ Hot Hands ~

- Kenny Perry
There are more than a few players likely to be, at least in their minds, celebrating the loss of Tiger Woods from the fields of play for the rest of this season. Kenny Perry may be one such golfer, for as he has stated time and again this season, the Ryder Cup is his goal for 2008, and with Woods laid to rest, there is one less competitor for a spot on the team and many more chances for his work to be recognized.

Thus far, he has done more than his fair share in building towards those dreams. Perry has competed in 17 events to date, making the cut at all but one. That one missed cut came at the Sony Open, played on the second week of January, serving as the first tourney Perry hit this season. In other words, he's made 16 consecutive cuts, and many of those have been against top fields and many more have resulted in finishes any golfer would envy.

Perry started with a T3 at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, his second start of the season, and his work has rarely diminished since. In those 16 cuts made (including the Bob Hope) Perry has registered 10 finishes ranked among the top 30, seven of those falling in the top 20, four in the top 10.

Review his more recent accomplishments and Perry's work on the PGA is given much better focus. Over his last six starts Perry has finished, in order, T15 at THE PLAYERS, 2nd at the AT&T, T46 at the Crowne Plaza, a win at the Memorial, T24 at the Stanford St. Jude, and T6 at last week's Travelers. Granted, missing the US Open (a conscience decision made as Perry noted he was 100% focused on the Ryder Cup and felt that tourney would not help his cause) is a tremendous void in that list, but the finishes demonstrate just how well Perry is playing.

Note his swing stats and you'll find more reason for optimism. Perry is averaging 294.9 yards off the tee (23rd on Tour) and hitting 63.0% of fairways (95th), mixing for a Total Drive rating of 118 (13th on Tour). Only nine golfers hit more greens in regulation (67.4%) and only six score more birdies per round (3.69). He is putting well (a respectable 1.787 putts per green, 65th on Tour) and he is consistently posting scores of value (just 6-of-24 rounds over par during that six-start span).

If you are going to bet on a golfer for your fantasy dollar today, Perry sure seems like an attractive wager to lay.

~ Cold Feet ~

- Bo Van Pelt
Not that Van Pelt has ever been a consistent force on the PGA, but earlier this season there were flashes of a potential rise that indicated the 10-year professional could compete on a regular basis. Now, it seems those flashes were nothing more than glimmer quickly faded into the shadows.

Having missed two of the first three cuts of the season, Van Pelt was on his regular course of grinding out the season with a few decent checks mixed in between lackluster finishes. Then Van Pelt posted at T24 at Pebble Beach, followed a near win at the Puerto Rico Open, and there was a shot to get into contention and find better rewards for a man that could be entering his prime years as a professional golfer.

Instead, Van Pelt's game has gone south. In the 10 PGA starts since that Puerto Rico Open, Van Pelt has failed to make the cut in six. His best finish in the other four: T30 at the Memorial. He has carded many more rounds over par than hoped, his putting has been atrocious (1.829 putts per green, 163rd on Tour), and he can't find the green (60.9% of greens in regulation, 132nd on Tour).

It seems the 2008 season will not be one of progress for Van Pelt, though there is plenty of time to find a reversal of fortune. We suggest you avoid that gamble and target more reliable golfers for your fantasy needs.


- FedEx Cup Standings
RANK PLAYER POINTS
1 Tiger Woods 22,695
2 Phil Mickelson 15,940
3 Stewart Cink 15,039
4 Justin Leonard 11,902
5 Kenny Perry 11,433
6 Ryuji Imada 10,854
7 Geoff Ogilvy 10,660
8 Vijay Singh 10,309
9 Boo Weekley 9,280
10 Anthony Kim 9,080


- US Ryder Cup Point Standings
RANK PLAYER POINTS
1 Tiger Woods 11,365.627
2 Stewart Cink 4,906.065
3 Phil Mickelson 4,419.030
4 Jim Furyk 3,188.804
5 Justin Leonard 3,053.666
6 Kenny Perry 2,726.350
7 Boo Weekley 2,591.546
8 Anthony Kim 2,339.310
9 Brandt Snedeker 2,088.287
10 Steve Stricker 2,088.084


- PGA Money Leaders
PLAYER EVENTS EARNINGS
Tiger Woods 6 $5,775,000
Phil Mickelson 14 $3,959,500
Stewart Cink 15 $3,718,671
Justin Leonard 16 $2,933,657
Geoff Ogilvy 14 $2,745,454
Kenny Perry 17 $2,675,350
Vijay Singh 15 $2,582,531
Ryuji Imada 15 $2,423,877
Sergio Garcia 12 $2,397,170
Boo Weekley 17 $2,177,282


- Official World Golf Rankings
PLAYER EVENTS AVG PTS
Tiger Woods 40 21.14
Phil Mickelson 44 10.08
Adam Scott 48 5.75
Geoff Ogilvy 46 5.74
Ernie Els 56 5.65
Stewart Cink 52 5.41
Steve Stricker 46 5.23
Sergio Garcia 52 5.18
Justin Rose 49 5.08
Vijay Singh 60 5.04


- World Money List
PLAYER EVENTS EARNINGS
Tiger Woods 7 $6,196,717
Phil Mickelson 14 $3,959,500
Stewart Cink 15 $3,718,671
Justin Leonard 16 $2,933,657
Geoff Ogilvy 14 $2,745,454
Kenny Perry 17 $2,675,350
Vijay Singh 13 $2,602,307
Sergio Garcia 12 $2,481,902
Ryuji Imada 14 $2,423,877
Anthony Kim 13 $2,288,347