Fall Series Fantasy Four :: Season Recap

What a finish! Too bad we had to wait a few weeks for the Fall Series to actually conclude, but we have our NG Nation Fall Series Winning Foursome!

Congrats to ;

1st place – Ben R
T-2nd place – Ned B
T-2nd place –  Meredith W
4th place – Chris W (via tie-break)

We will be in touch with you regarding your shoe selection and size!

Here’s some follow up notes for the Children’s Miracle Network Classic

  • “Pretty” Ricky Fowler was on FIRE through the Fall Series, cashing in with another Top 10 (much to the delight of the Fantasy world)
  • Charles Howell also helped out with a Top 10
  • Stewart Cink picked up a T19 to stay consistent, while Justin Leonard faltered and missed the cut
  • Vijay might have impressed me the most this week with his T12. He finished the year strong and if you’re in a ‘previous year earning salary game’ — put him on your team next year.
  • The Wang’s are the definition of “Power Couple”. They finished 1-2 in the regular season, now 2nd and 4th here. They’ll be atop the preseason power rankings for sure.

That’s it for the Fall Series Fantasy Four! We’ll be back for the 2011 PGA Tour Season, hopefully keeping with the monthly + overall winners. I will work hard to improve on the contest and I hope to see you all then! Please leave any feedback in the comments.

Below are your event results and final standings.
(see everyone’s selections here)

Keep it locked on NG Nation. You’re a part of it now!

Fall Series Fantasy Four :: Children’s Miracle Network Classic

Lake Buena Vista, we had to make you wait a long time, but yes, the Fall Series Fantasy Four has arrived for the end of the 2010 PGA Tour Season.  It has been a few weeks, but we’re here, with no fear and towards a victory, we shall steer.

I’m sure everyone has been waiting weeks for this, but it’s not our fault  that there was such a delay. But hopefully this will even the playing field since everyone had a few bye weeks to prepare for the Children’s Miracle Network Classic.

There’s a lot of choices this week as Fowler, Cink and Overton re-unite with some Fall Series regulars, along with JB Holmes, The Perez Brothers, O’Hair, Rocco and others.

This is the final event!  The NG Nation Fall Series Fantasy Four wraps up this week and the top 4 become the NG Nation Winning Foursome and get paid! (kind of). For a refresher on the rules, hit the link — Contest Guidelines and leave your Fantasy Four below.

To see the standings up to this point click here

NIKE GOLF :: Two to Watch

Stewart Cink
Cink was a runner up here in 2003. Cink hasn’t played since the Ryder Cup, but he was on a heck of a streak before then. He was on 11 straight made cuts (8 Top 25′s). What a man. Cink would love to pick up a win this year. He should be well rested and ready to rock. Could be a big sleeper this week with so much focus on guys trying to get their cards.

Justin Leonard
Leonard has been decent through the fall series, but also has a nice little made cut streak of his own with 9 (6 Top 30′s). Leonard was also the runner up here last year.

other nike athletes in the field :: none (tough choice this week!)

THE FIELD :: Four Who Are Hot

Rickie Fowler
recent finishes ::  T25 at WGC-HSBC, 5th at CIMB Malaysia, T22 at JT Shriners, 4th at Frys.com
This fall series for Rickie demands a win. He needs it. “Pretty Rickie” isn’t just playing for the Kodak Challenge, he’s played great and is looking to ride solo in 1st place. (T40 here last year with two good rounds)

Charles Howell III
recent finishes :: T18 at JT Shriners, T6 at McGladrey, T23 at Viking Classic
having a quietly successful fall series. Top 30′s here in ’08 and ’09. T9 in ’06.

George McNeill
recent finishes :: T14 at JT Shriners, T18 at Frys.com
Throw in a T2 here in ’09 and he’s a fall series king!

Aaron Baddeley
recent finishes :: T8 at JT Shriners, T30 at Frys.com, T64 at McGladrey
Gotta like his trend!

THE FIELD :: Four Who Have History

Davis Love III
best finishes :: 1st in ’08, T5 in ’06, T2 in ’01, T2 in ’98
dl3 has actually made 4 straight cuts, 3 of them right around 30th place. Not too shabby. He’s got the history here for a solid Top 25 AT LEAST!

Vijay Singh
best finishes ::  T5 in ’06, T2 in ’04, 1st in ’03
DJ Vijay didn’t play in ’09, ’08, ’07, so don’t discredit him for that. Vijay’s last two starts (Deutsche Bank and BMW) and had a T11 and T24. Maybe he’s found his game. He would be a really big sleeper.

Joe Durant
best finishes :: 5th in ’08, T26 in ’07, 1st in ’06
Solid finishes here. He’s also played great through the 3 Fall series events finishing (T20, T27 and T6). His prior start to that was a T12 at the Wyndham. Hot + History. Watch out!

Jeff Overton
best finishes ::  T11 in ’09, T21 in ’08, T6 in ’07
BOOM, BABY! Let’s hope we never hear Johnny Miller try and create a nickname for you again. I’ll stick with Ovi, and I think he’ll go big with at least a Top 10.

Other notables in the field :: Rocco Mediate, Sean O’Hair, Rory Sabbatini, Tom Lehman, Alex Cejka, Webb Simpson, Pat + Mike Perez, JB Holmes, Steve Marino

FINAL FOUR :: Big Break’s Mike Perez, Rickie Fowler, Davis Love III and Stewart Cink

I really like the combination of Fowler, Overton, Singh and Cink. I think that’a a hot foursome. Throw Durant in the mix there, too. I just want to see Mike and Pat Perez really…and if Ovi, Pretty Rickie and Cinker are the Top 3, I’ll be a happy puppy. However, I like having exciting picks.

Check out the full field here >> Children’s Miracle Network Classic Full Field

Leave your Fantasy Four in a comment below (at least first initial + last name). Remember, you have to pick at least ONE Nike Golfer and have your picks in by WEDNESDAY at Midnight (PST).

Pick with your heart <3

Fall Series Fantasy Four Recap :: JT Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

While there is an “exciting” playoff finish. It should have little impact on the Fantasy Golf community, unless someone took a flyer on Martin Laird (which wouldn’t have been a bad pick). The favourites, Mahan, Fowler, Campbell, Hoffman, did very little. Watney is the only one who came through with a Top 10. However, when the difference between a Top 25 (-14)  and a Top 10 (-18)  is 4 strokes, it’s hard to get a lot of fantasy points on the board.

Here’s some follow-up notes;

  • Very low scoring week. Average of 4.4 points with only 16 entries. (really, 16?)
  • The Nike golfers were terrible this week. Ames started great with an opening round of 66, but withdrew 9 holes into his second round. Meanwhile, Trevor Immelman missed the cut.
  • One DQ this week, Timothy McCormack, who submitted his picks late.
  • The only scoring players this week were :: Watney (T6), Senden (T11), Howell (T18), Fowler (T22)
  • This week’s winner :: No3Putt who wins in 2nd consecutive weeks, however, is still in only 7th place after a goose-egg in week 1.
  • The Top 5 remains unchanged, however, Chris Wang has moved into a tie for 5th.
  • Congrats to Jonathan Byrd, who we all picked two weeks ago to win the McGladrey!

That’s pretty much it! There’s only one week remaining and most everyone has a chance to move into our Winning Foursome to win a free pair of Nike Golf shoes! Check below for the standings!

Click here to see all of the entries



Fall Series Fantasy Four :: JT Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

*****AK has withdrawn as of Wednesday morning!*******
Sorry, Justin Timberlake, the tournament name isn’t doing the title of this post any favours. Cry me a river. However, the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Childrens Open is bringing sexy back to the Fall Series with a lot of great golfers joining the fall series. Anthony Kim, Nick Watney, Hunter Mahan, Kevin Na and Charley Hoffman all look to get N’Sync in Vegas.

Finally, we have some history at this event, so get ready for a Fantasy Four post all the way. It will be so vivid.

This is Event 4 out of 5 for the  NG Nation Fall Series Fantasy Four and it’s not too late to join (but probably too late to win prizes) :) For a refresher on the rules, hit the link — Contest Guidelines and leave your Fantasy Four below.

To see the standings up to this point and how everyone picked last week, click here

NIKE GOLF :: Three to Watch

Stephen Ames
Ames had a lot of rust to shake off last week and also a missed cut here in ’08. Ames’ last 8 rounds have all been in the 70′s. So, don’t expect much.

Trevor Immelman
TI’s missed the cut at 6 of his last 7 events (including all 3 Fall Series Events). On the upside, he’s rebounding in two of those events, shooting 75+ in the first round, then a 70 in the second round. Hopefully he can put two decent rounds together and make the cut.

Anthony Kim – WD
I’m AK’s biggest fan, but I really thought he would get it together at Korea Open (two weeks ago). He had a lot to play for there and should have been fun. However, AK threw up a 76 followed by a 79 and didn’t make the cut. However, NG Nation is all over AK and this would be a great win for him

Other Nike athletes in the field :: none

THE FIELD :: Four Who Are Hot

Rickie Fowler
recent finishes :: 4th at Frys.com Open, 2nd at Ryder Cup <- ha!
Rickie is the hot pick this week and with good reason. After his big finish last week, he’s out for a win now. You know he’s still feeling pumped up from the Ryder Cup. Also, looking at his ’09 Fall Series, Fowler followed up his T7 here last year with a T2 at the Frys.com Open. Let’s see Pretty Rickie do it again at his home course.

Charley Hoffman
recent finishes :: 6th at TOUR Championship, T30 at BMW, 1st at Deutsche Bank, T27 at Barclays, T10 at Turning Stone
He turned it on with little rest at the end of the regular season. Now he’s well rested and looking to light up his home course. 6th here in ’09, T15 here in ’08..he’s definitely trending in the right direction.

DJ Trahan
recent finishes :: T3 at Viking Classic,  10th at Deutsche Bank, T21 at Barclays
Playing well and gets some more rest. He should stay hot. T7 here in ’09, solo 2nd in ’07. Another solid option this week.

Rocco Mediate
recent finishes :: 1st at Frys.com, T33 at The McGladrey, T20 at Viking Classic
Can’t argue with the way he’s been playing, but 3 straight MC’s at this event.

THE FIELD :: Four Who Have History

George McNeill
best finishes :: T2 in ’09, T15 in ’08, 1st in ’07
Coming off of a T18 at Frys.com. Could be dangerous!

Kevin Na
best finishes :: T15 in ’08, T19 in ’07, T24 in ’06
He’s technically hotter than he is history, but you could swap him and Hoffman if you really want to. Na had a solid PGA Tour Playoffs where he went T36, T33, T3 and T17, and prefaced that with a T18 at the Wyndham. Na needed the rest and is looking for a much deserved win over the past two years.

Chad Campbell
best finishes :: T2 in ’02, T3 in ’08, T16 in ’06
Looks like a sexy trend, right? SLEEPER (especially when his last two starts have been T33 followed with a T13). That’s a double trend explosion.

Charles Howell III
best finishes :: T10 in ’08, T5 in ’05
I just like the guy a lot and thought he should get some spotlight love. He’s also trending in a good way, too. T6 at McGladrey and T23 at Viking Classic. Watch out, ladies.

Other notables in the field :: Martin Laird (defending champ), Pat Perez, David Duval, Graham DeLaet, Steve Marino, John Daly, Jerry Kelly, Brian Gay

FINAL FOUR :: Rickie Fowler, George McNeill, Kevin Na and Anthony Kim  Stephen Ames

Really, I’ve said multiple times that AK is NOT HEALTHY. However, I love him and my picks up to this point have mostly been underdogs, so let’s stick with that.

Again, the obvious fantasy four is Fowler, Watney, Hoffman and Mahan (maybe Howell III as an alternate)…but you need a swoosher…Actually, there’s a lot of options this week. Should be a lot of fun!

Check out the full field here >>  Justin Timberlake Shiners Hospitals for Children Open Full Field

Leave your Fantasy Four in a comment below (at least first initial + last name). Remember, you have to pick at least ONE Nike Golfer and have your picks in by WEDNESDAY at Midnight (PST).

I’m lovin’ it.

Fall Series Fantasy Four Recap :: Frys.com Open

Well, I have to say, my picks of BVP, Fowler and Clark were dead on, unfortunately, I did not pick them! Many of you did though, as we had our highest score event thus far.

Unfortunately, we only had 19 entries, not including a non-entry from Mosher and a late entry by John McNamara.  Also, I’m going to skip on the stat-pack this week and just leave you with some raw thoughts!

  • Two new leaders, same length of name! Ben and Ned each jump up 3 spots to a tie for first.
  • Meredith is so steady, she’s finished 2nd, 3rd and 2nd in each event and is in a great position to win. Also, her other half, Chris, has been very solid and is only 11 points back.
  • Justin Leonard was the key to victory this week as BVP, Fowler, Clark and Leonard all scored points. Leonard was the highest Nike athlete with a T24
  • Jamie Lovemark still managed a reasonable T30.
  • Courtney managed to pick up the only other Top 10 besides the big 3 in Graham DeLaet…she just likes picking fellow Canadians. She also likes questionable calls, as her “Ricky/Rickie” submission suggests everyone should be explicit in naming their golfers. Take Lendell for example, he’s a machine.
  • Let’s go full names from now on.

Check below for this events results followed by the season standings up to this point. Only 2 events remain!

This week, Justin Timberlake wants to rock your body and bring sexy back to the Fall Series with Fowler, Mahan, Watney and AK. That’s a hot foursome right there, actually.

stay tuned.

Fall Series Fantasy Four :: Frys.com Open

This week we head to California as the Frys.com open moves to a brand new venue! I wouldn’t give much credit to the History section, because of the new course, but as always, pick with your heart! Some background on the course (CordeValle), is a par 71, 7368 yards and is nestled into rolling, majestic mountains. Now just pick the players who love scenic courses.

This event draws some new names to the 2010 Fall Series as Stephen Ames, Rickie Fowler and Ricky Barnes join the fray.

This is Event 3 out of 5 for the  NG Nation Fall Series Fantasy Four and it’s not too late to join :) For a refresher on the rules, hit the link — Contest Guidelines and leave your Fantasy Four below.

To see the standings up to this point and how everyone picked last week, click here

NIKE GOLF :: Four to Watch

Stephen Ames
This is Ames’ worst season since 2005 and he’s looking for a win to turn his year around. He has the game and has had a few good stretches, such as the Greenbrier and Turning Stone back to back Top 25′s. This should be a similar tournament to those, so I would expect a Top 25.

Justin Leonard
JL’s on a streak of 8 straight made cuts. However, he needs to be more consistent in terms of scoring. He had 2 great 66′s at McGladrey, but sandwiched alternated those with a 71 and 72. He’s had the scoring in the last 3 events except for a few bad rounds. Hopefully he can get it together this week.

Jamie Lovemark
The kid is tearing up the Nationwide Tour by leading the money list. The funny thing is, his 2nd place at last years Frys.com Open was a bigger purse than his earnings from 14 cuts (1 win, 8 Top 10′s) on the Nationwide Tour. He’s a sleeper this week and he’s looking to test his game now before joining the Tour next year.

Trevor Immelman
Immelman is a sleeper, but he hasn’t gone low yet this year. He’s fired 9-under in two events, which only resulted in a T53 and T13 this year.  The next lowest score for Immelman was his Masters win in 2008 at 8-under. Immelman is not a low scorer, sadly.

Other Nike athletes in the field :: none

THE FIELD :: Four Who Are Hot

Jeff Quinney
recent finishes :: T9 at McGladrey, T29 at Viking Classic, T34 at Wyndham
I never thought he’d be in this section, but the man from Eugene, Oregon (Nike’s founding grounds) is trying to mimic the Ducks and drop 54 points a game! He should have fun this week, sportsfans.

Arjun Atwal – WD

Aron Price
recent finishes :: T9 at McGladrey, MC at Viking Classic, T18 at Wyndham, T9 at Greenbrier
Aside from the Viking Classic, Price is going low daily. His scoring average in his past 18 rounds is 68.2. In that span, he’s shot 66 or better 7 times. That’s ridiculous.

Bo Van Pelt
recent finishes :: T6 at McGladrey, 24th at TOUR Championship, T54 at BMW, T25 at Deutsche Bank
BVP is probably the one to beat this week, right up there with Clark and Fowler. His Top 10 stretch earlier this year was insane and it looks like he’s about to get on another one.

Joe Durant
recent finishes :: T6 at McGladrey, T20 at Viking Classic, T12 at Wyndham
JD’s another guy who I thought I would never see in this article, but the stats don’t like. I for one am not expecting the hot streak to continue, as one few players have put up solid Top 25′s for 4 straight events..and I don’t think Durant is in the league.

THE FIELD :: Four Who Have History

*again, this history may not apply — different course, different state*

Troy Matteson
best finishes :: 1st in ’09 (DNP in other years)
He’s one for one here. I was surprised when I found out he didn’t play in the event before, but he’s here to defend this year. Coming off of a MC at McGladrey.

Chris Stroud
best finishes :: T8 in ’09, T29 in ’08, T12 in ’07
Stroud is putting up big numbers here, in a good way. He had a T66 at McGladrey (but started 67-69) , but had a T5 at the Viking Classic. He also finished well at the Greenbrier (gosh, that event’s come up a lot here, eh?). But, that was another new course with low scoring conditions.

Tim Clark
best finishes :: T4 in ’09, T29 in ’08, T18 in ’07
Hasn’t played since the TOUR Championship, but was on a nice streak coming in. T45 at Deutsche Bank, T21 at BMW and T13 at Tour Championship. Definitely has the game to go low and should notch a Top 10 this week.

Pat Perez
best finishes :: T13 in ’09, T7 in ’08, T6 in ’07
Also went T9 at Greenbrier with a finished score of 14-under. He had a T33 at the McGladrey. His finishes were so good here because he’s from Arizona and went to Arizona State. He won’t be as comfortable at this course, but I would at least expect a Top 25.

Other notables in the field :: Rory Sabbatini, Graham DeLaet, Paul Goydos, Charlie Wi, John Daly, Ricky Barnes, David Duval, Cameron Beckman, Jonathan Byrd, Bryce Molder, Richard S. Johnson, Alex Cejka, Briny Baird, Daniel Chopra, Ryuji Imada, Jeev Milka Singh, Kevin Stadler

FINAL FOUR :: Rickie Fowler, Webb Simpson, Bryce Molder and Jamie Lovemark

I wanted to take Tim Clark, too, which would have meant I would have picked from the Top 10 in the 2009 event…but that’s not where my head is at. Fowler is my pick to win, where Simpson can play well and I’m still looking for him to breakout as a rookie. I also liked his T12 at McGladrey as it was the first time all year he put up 4 rounds in the 60′s. Molder is solid and Lovemark is a big sleeper. He’s had a great year on the Nationwide Tour and I look for him to continue with confidence this week. I know everyone will be on BVP, but I’ll take my shot with the young guns.

I think the obvious four is :: Fowler, Clark, Van Pelt aaand a swoosher of your choice. ..but think we may see some more obscure fantasy four than other weeks.

Check out the full field here >>  Frys.com Open Full Field

Leave your Fantasy Four in a comment below. Remember, you have to pick at least ONE Nike Golfer and have your picks in by WEDNESDAY at Midnight (PST).

Pick with your heart.

Fall Series Fantasy Four Recap :: The McGladrey Classic

Slocum! I’m happy that Slocum picked up the win as I’ve really grown to like him since his win at the Barclays last year. None of the hometown boys did as well as expected. ZJ and Kuchar started slow, while Byrd threw up a disgusting 75 in round 3. Meanwhile, Haas is very hot and Allenby is clearly healthy. Also, Toms is hot, too.

The Fall Series is very unpredictable as shown with the low scoring. Personally, I couldn’t pick a Top 25 if it was hanging from a tree. I’ve been trying to take sleeper picks, but maybe it’s time to get more serious. But then again, I’m just doing this for fun and wouldn’t be able to win the prizes anyway!

Lots of top 10′s this week, but only 2 people managed to pick multiple Top 10′s. I would say there’s a fairly low number of MC’s also..but let’s hit the stat-pack and you can draw your own conlcusions.

  • Number of Entries: 22 (1 new entry, 5 drop-outs)
  • Number of Golfers Selected: 24
  • Most Popular Pick: Lucas Glover – 14 selections (Byrd – 13)
  • Number of Missed Cuts/WD’s: 6 – Leishman, Glover, Duval, Petts, TI, Cejka
  • Number of Top 10’s: 7  – Slocum (1), Haas (2), Toms + Allenby (T3), BVP + Howell (T6), Senden (T9)
  • Number of Top 11-Top 25’s: 4 – ZJ (T12), de Jonge + Marino (T15), Kuchar (T25)
  • Top Nike Golfer: Leonard (T45) – ouch
  • People That Selected the Winner: 1 – Timothy McCormack
  • Average Points: 7.32  - down from 9.08 last week

Hit the jump to see where each of the selected golfers finished >>

Tim and Jane stole the show this week. Each had 2 Top 10′s, however Tim picked the winner, while Jane had 3 Top 25′s.

Timothy McCormack’s Winning Team (24 points) :: Slocum (1), Van Pelt (T6), Holmes (T33) and Glover (CUT)

Despite his performance this week, Timothy showed up with a goose egg last week (along with many others) and currently sits in 9th place while Mosher and Rob B sit tied for first. (final tiebreaker would go to Rob for least MC’s).

It’s not that many points and there’s still 3 events, so don’t be discouraged if you’re sitting low in the standings (like me). There are many weeks where you can get 1 win, 3 Top 10′s and 4 Top 25′s, so it’s never too late to play!

Check below for the standings up to this point!

Next week, it’s the Frys.com Open where some other big names join the Fall Series mix. Stay tuned.

Fall Series Fantasy Four: The McGladrey Classic

We’ve got a brand new tournament this week in the Fall Series and there are a lot of big names this week.  Since this is a new event, there will be no history section, so I’ll give you a more detailed background on the course.

Course: Seaside Course, Sea Island, Georgia
Par: 70
Yardage: 7, 055 yards

It’s supposed to be nice and calm on Sea Island, so I’m looking for guys to go low, such as venues like the Travelers or Crowne Plaza. Similar sort of fields in my mind.

Davis Love III is hosting, and will be joined by Matt Kuchar and Zach Johnson from Wales. There’s a thought that they will be tired, but they’re two of the best players in the field, so it’s a toss-up. Also, Robert Allenby and JB Holmes join the mix.

This is Event 2 of the  NG Nation Fall Series Fantasy Four and it’s not too late to join :) For a refresher on the rules, hit the link — Contest Guidelines and leave your Fantasy Four below.

To see the standings up to this point and how everyone picked last week, click here


NIKE GOLF :: Four to Watch

Trevor Immelman
A lot of us were expecting big things from TI last week, but clearly it’s not there. He’s been very inconsistent, but has made birdies. At the Viking Classic, he just had some high numbers, but still a decent amount of birdies. I think he’ll make the cut this week, but I wouldn’t expect much more.

Lucas Glover
G’Lover had me convinced he was going to make a playoff run after a nice rebound at the Wyndham. He showed glimpses of his major game at The Players and his T22 at the WGC Bridgestone. Hopefully he’s put in work and will be in form this week.

Justin Leonard
Very impressive finish for JLeo with 7 straight cut’s with 5 Top 30′s and a Top 10. He tried in the playoffs finished T30 in The Barclays and DBank. However, a slow start to the year didn’t help him. Look for him to turn it around in a big way this week.

Carl Pettersson
He had two nice rounds at the Viking Classic (69-66), but sandwiched them with a 75 and a 76. Should be better this weekend. But maybe he doesn’t care since he got his win already. Petts will be hitting the course with the new Nike VR Pro Combo Irons..watch out!

Other Nike golfers in the field :: none


THE FIELD :: Four Who Are Hot + Bonus*

Bill Haas
recent finishes – 1st at Viking Classic, T30 at BMW, T22 at Deutsche Bank
Pretty good string of events for Haas. Should look for a high result here. Finished T37 after his first win this year, which was a 5-rounder, so I would say Haas is good for a Top 25.

John Senden
recent finishes – T11 at Viking Classic, T63 at BMW, 8th at Deutsche Bank, T15 at Barclays
I know the T63 is in there, but clearly the time between allowed him to get back into form. Had Top 25′s at Greenbrier and John Deere, which are similar feels. Should do well.

David Toms
recent finishes – T11 at Viking Classic, T15 at BMW
Definitely trending the right way. He had a solo 2nd at the Greenbrier before the Barclays which is encouraging. Really started to play better in the second half of the season.

Matt Kuchar
Recent starts –T25 at TOUR, T3 at BMW, T11 at Deutsche Bank, 1st at Barclays,  T10 at PGA, T9 at WGC, T21 at Greenbrier, T4 at Canadian Open, T27 at The Open, T6 at US Open, T8 at Memorial
Back to Georgia and back to Kuchar keeping up his hot streak of 13 made cuts (11 Top 25′s, 7 Top 10′s). He is by far the favourite to win. I just hope he’s rested and ready to go.

*Jonathan Byrd
recent finishes – T5 at Viking Classic, T56 at Barclays, T34 at Wyndham, T10 at Turning Stone, T21 at Greenbrier
I know the T56 and T34 are shaky, but 8 of 9 made cuts, with 5 Top 25′s in there. This is also is home course. This should be a win, but I’ll at least sprinkle on a Top 10.

Other notables: Zach Johnson, JB Holmes, Robert Allenby, Davis Love III, Steve Marino, Marc Leishman, Brian Gay, Charlie Wi, Brendon De Jonge, Pat Perez, Graham DeLaet, Arjun Atwal, David Duval, Ben Curtis

FINAL FOUR :: Marc Leishman, Jonathan Byrd, Lucas Glover and Justin Leonard

The only reason I’m not taking Kuchar or ZJ is because I got burned by Paul Casey at the RBC Canadian Open..and I just feel like these guys are emotionally drained. I like to gamble more on my picks, but Leishman has played decent golf and had some low scores, while Leonard really seemed to be hitting his stride before the Fall Series. Hopefully he’ll pull out a win.

Check out the full field here >> The McGladrey Classic Full Field

Leave your Fantasy Four in a comment below. Remember, you have to pick at least ONE Nike Golfer and have your picks in by WEDNESDAY at Midnight (PST).

Pick with your heart.

Fall Series Fantasy Four Recap: Viking Classic

The first week is in the books! While shadowed by the Ryder Cup, the 10 people that selected Bill Haas should recognize the win, as that’s a great start to the Fall Series contest.

CLARIFICATION: The Other DD (David Duval) is no longer with Nike Golf. We only received official word of this after play had already started, so he counted as a Nike golfer for this event only. However, he failed to make the cut, so it all worked out in the end. Also, MDF’s don’t count as cuts.

It was disappointing as most of the big names didn’t come through. That said, Bill Haas was a favourite, so no big surprise there. I always do a little stat-pack to recap everyone’s fantasy four, so let’s get to it!

  • Number of Entries: 26
  • Number of Golfers Selected: 26
  • Most Popular Pick: Carl Pettersson – picked 13 times (O’Hair and Haas – 10 times)
  • Number of Missed Cuts/WD’s: 7 – Mallinger, Duval, Riley, Baddeley, Stenson, Imada, Immelman
  • Number of Top 10’s: 4  – Haas (1), Trahan (T3), De Jonge (T3), Byrd (T5)
  • Number of Top 11-Top 25’s: 2 – Toms (T11), Howell III (T23)
  • Top Nike Golfer: Carl Pettersson (T42) – ouch
  • People That Selected the Winner: 10
  • Average Points: 9.08

Hit the jump to see where each of the selected golfers finished >>

With a just less than half of the entries selecting the winner, it was definitely a close race for top spot this week. However, the combination of Haas + Trahan gave three players the win with 24 points (1 win + 2 Top 10′s + 2 Top 25′s)

Ottawa Golf Blog’s Winning Team: Haas (1), Trahan (T3), Wi (T29) and Immelman (MC)
Mosher’s Winning Team: Haas (1), Trahan (T3), Gay (T29) and Immelman (MC)
Rob B’s Winning Team: Haas (1), Trahan (T3), Gillis (T36) and Pettersson (T42)

The tiebreaking only occurs when the final prize is on the line.

It’s not that many points and there’s still 4 events, so it’s never too late to join. There’s been many weeks where you can get 1 win, 3 Top 10′s and 4 Top 25′s, so it’s never too late to play! Defending champion, Chris W, makes a solid outing and is always a force to be reckoned with, along with the other half of the Fantasy Four Power Couple, Meredith W.

Check below for the standings up to this point!

Stay tuned for the Fantasy Four: The McGladrey Classic which will up be on Tuesday, where you will pick a new fantasy 4!

CONTEST – Fall Series Fantasy Four: Viking Classic

Contest Guidelines
Hello and welcome to the NG Nation Fall Series Fantasy Four contest (wordy, I know). I would just like to run through the official rules before we get started on this 5 week contest.

1. CHOOSE YOUR FANTASY FOUR: EACH WEEK, pick four golfers who you think will be the high finishers for the week. ONE OF YOUR PICKS MUST BE A NIKE ATHLETE (unless there is only 1 in the field).

2. ENTRIES: Submit your Final Four in a comment below the NG Nation Fantasy Four post for that week. To be eligible for that week’s points, all entries/comments must be posted BY MIDNIGHT PST THE NIGHT BEFORE THE FIRST ROUND OF EACH TOURNAMENT (Wednesday by Midnight, PST) That means you need to come to NGNation.com each week and submit your 4 golfers in the respective Fantasy Four post.

3. POINTS: Points are allotted as follows:

Win = 10 points
Top 10’s = 5 points each
Top 25’s = 2 points each
MC’s = 0 points each

4. PRIZES: The 4 people with the highest point totals will be nicely rewarded. It’s the Fantasy Four, so there will be a winning foursome!

Nike Golf has provided us four pairs of shoes to use as prizes– for the men the Nike Zoom Trophy in all white or white with a black saddle which AK has been wearing all season, and for the ladies the Air Summer Lite.

5. EVENTS: The contest will run over the 5 Fall Series events and at the conclusion of these tournaments the winner will be announced in the weekly Fantasy Four Recap post. The events are as follows (starting this week):

Viking Classic
The McGladrey Classic
Frys.com Open
Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital Open
Children’s Miracle Network Classic

Big thanks to Nike Golf for providing the prizes. Now let’s get week one started!

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Fantasy Four: Viking Classic

I don’t think the leaves are changing yet, but the Fall season is here and players are putting for dough! While the big guns will be missing from these events, it will be even more imperative to pick 4 golfers you can trust. I’m here to try and help you do that! The picks should be fun as a lot of players are trying to get their 2011 Tour Card, so some players will a lot to play for (Daly), while others are trying to regain their form for next season (O’Hair, Stenson). I’m going to break down my Fantasy preview posts into Nike Golf, Four Who are Hot and Four Who Have History. Then I’ll leave you with my Final Four and you leave your Fantasy Four in the comments. Let’s get it started!

NIKE GOLF :: Three to Watch

Trevor Immelman
Trevor has had some sparks this year after two straight injury prone years. TI’s last start was at the Wyndham Championship where he finished T53 and throwing up 4 rounds in the 60′s. TI performed well in low-scoring events this year. While the PGA was very tough, he showed up for The Masters (T14) and The Open (T23) and followed that up with a T13 at the Canadian Open. He’s fallen hard in the past two years, but I think he’s healthy and ready to rock the Fall Series as a rookie.

David Duval
Not the worst year for Duval. Actually, it was his best year since 2002. He made 9/20 cuts, with 3 Top 25′s. Duval made it to The Barclays with back-to-back Top 25′s at The Canadian Open and Turning Stone, and finished T64 there. He had a lot of good rounds this year, but he just needs to put it all together. Hopefully the month off will help him out. Finished T22 here in ’08, T44 in ’07.

Carl Pettersson
CPetts looks like the most decorated golfer in 2010 here. With a win, 4 Top 10′s, 7 Top 25′s. He missed the cut at the Barclays and Deutsche Bank, but finished his playoff run with a T30 at the BMW. T2 in ’05, T10 in ’04, T25 in ’03.

THE FIELD :: Four Who Are Hot

Charlie Wi
recent finishes – T8 at BMW, T18 at Deutsche Bank, T27 at Barclays
17 cuts made, 11 top 25′s. He’s delivered and had a great playoff run.  T5 here in ’05.

Tom Gillis
recent finishes – T24 at BMW, T5 at Deutsche Bank, T18 at Wyndham
Tom has a very quiet here, but he performed in the playoffs. He should keep it up with weaker competition this year. He’ll have a lot to play for as he’s an old vet who has been between the Nationwide and PGA Tours.

DJ Trahan
recent finishes – 10th at Deutsche Bank, T21 at Barclays
Trahan quietly had a good year. finished with 6 straight made cuts (though finished 70th at the BMW).  He had 10 Top 25′s in his 17 made cuts this year.

Richard S. Johnson
recent finishes – T18 at Wyndham, T8 at Turning Stone, T21 at Greenbrier, 1st at Scandinavian Masters
Just on recent finishes, he tops this list, but he hasn’t played in awhile. T39 in ’07, T26 in ’04 at this event.

THE FIELD :: Four Who Have History

Chad Campbell
best finishes – 1st in ’07, 2nd in ’01, 4th in ’02
Also had a nice string of 8 straight made cuts (1 Top 10, 2 Top 20′s) leading up to the Deutsche Bank, where he DQ’d. Sub-par year where he’s trying to find his game again. Worth a shot, though.

Heath Slocum
best finishes – 1st in ’05, T13 in ’07, 18 in ’04, T25 in ’02
Coming in with 6 straight made cuts, failing to reach the TOUR Championship. He had a pretty good year with a bunch of Top 10′s and a lot of history at the Viking Classic.

Bill Haas
best finishes – T3 in ’07, T4 in ’08
Decent year with a win, finished 31st in the FedEx Cup points rankings.  Put up Top 25′s in the last two playoffs.

Jonathan Byrd
best finishes – T5 in ’02, T8 in ’04, T17 in ’05
Playing well as of late, 7 out of 8 made cuts, with 4 Top 25′s.  He’s a good player who had a very sub-par year, but turned it on late. I see him doing well through the playoffs.

Other notables: Sean O’Hair, Henrik Stenson, Rocco Mediate, John Daly, Arjun Atwal, Charles Howell, Ryuji Imada, Boo Weekley, Brendon de Jonge, Brian Gay, David Toms

FINAL FOUR :: John Mallinger, Brian Gay, Sean O’Hair and David Duval

CPetts is playing stress free and has a good record here. I’m really looking for Stenson, O’Hair, Daly and Duval to deliver during the Fall Series. I think there’s a lot of ways to play it, but I think Charlie Wi and Bill Haas are the favourites to win this week. However, I have good feelings about Howell, Weekley and Toms. Also, you can’t put much faith in the “Hot” section, since not everyone played in the FedEx Cup.

Check out the full field here >> Viking Classic Full Field

Leave your Fantasy Four in a comment below. Remember, you have to pick at least ONE Nike Golfer and have your picks in by WEDNESDAY at Midnight (PST).

Pick with your heart.