Fantasy Four Recap: PGA Championship

What a crazy Sunday. I couldn’t be happier with the win, but there was a chance that Kaymer, DJ and McIlroy would have all been in a playoff and that would have meant big points for NG Nation fans. This was the second last tournament under normal scoring conditions. The season winner will be determined after next week’s Wyndham Championship. However, this weekend was great. There was a lot of different picks, as the field was so good. Let’s get into the stat-pack!

  • Number of Entries: 12
  • Number of Golfers Selected: 27  (awesome!)
  • Most Popular Pick: Paul Casey – picked 7 times
  • Number of Missed Cuts/WD’s: 11 – Jiminez, Glover, Rose, Ames, AK, Paddy, McDowell, O’Hair, Donald, TI and Oosty
  • Number of Top 10’s: 4  – Kaymer (1), McIlroy (T3), DJ (T5) and Kuchar (T10)
  • Number of Top 10-Top 25’s: 7 — Casey + Phil (T12), Stricker + Els + Cink (T18), Furyk + Holmes (T24)
  • Top Nike Golfer: Casey + Dyson (T12) – good job everyone!
  • People That Selected the Winner: 1 (Martin Kaymer(- NG Nation
  • Average Points: 9

Paddy, McDowell, Donald, Oosthuizen and O’Hair really disappointed with missed cut’s.

I now have back-to-back wins (joining the elite company of Meredith Wang)  so maybe I do know something after all :)

NG Nation’s Winning Team (24 points) : Martin Kaymer (1), Rory McIlroy (T3), Miguel Jiminez (MC) and Lucas Glover (MC)

Hit the link to check out the PGA Championship Fantasy Points to see how you fared this week.

Lots of movement this week! Lendell and Alan both had forgettable weeks, while Mere still posted 16 posted and holds onto the season lead.  However, the months lead is completely up for grabs, as this month has been low for scoring.  Check below for the month and season rankings.


1 event left in this month (Wyndhman Championship) and then it’s playoff time, where it’s a double points bonanza!

Stay tuned,

Fantasy Four: 2010 PGA Championship

This PGA is wide open. The field is actually a little weaker than the WGC-Bridgestone, but the picks will be just as tough.The PGA returns to Whistling Straights where Vijay Singh won in 2004. This major is totally up in the air.

This is Event 17 of the season and the third event of Month 4 of the NG Nation Fantasy Four and it’s never too late to join. For a refresher on the rules, hit the link — Contest Guidelines and leave your Fantasy Four below.

Also, don’t forget to check out my PGA Championship Preview for more details, thoughts and analysis.

NIKE GOLF: Four to Watch

Justin Leonard
Justin is actually kinda hot right now. He has back-to-back Top 25′s and was in the playoff at Whistling Straights in 2004.

Tiger Woods
I’m completely writing him off. He pretty much finished dead last. Could be the ultimate sleeper this week.

Stephen Ames
Ames has also put up back-to-back Top 25′s and finished T9 at Whistling Straights in 2009. Could do very well again this week.

Lucas Glover
G’Lover has played decent in the big fields this year. His Top 25 at Firestone was nice and also had a T5 at the PGA last year.

Other Nike golfers in the field: Anthony Kim, Paul Casey, Charl Schwartzel, Francesco Molinari, Stewart Cink, Simon Dyson, Trevor Immelman


THE FIELD
: Four Who are Hot

Padraig Harrington
Recent starts – T9 at WGC, 2nd at Irish Open
Paddy can make a big comeback here and I think he’ll do well.

Graeme McDowell
Recent starts – T22 at WGC, T31 at Irish Open, T23 at The Open, T21 at Scottish Open, 1st at US Open, 1st at Wales Open, 4th at Madrid Masters
He’s good and US Open champs tend to do well at the PGA.

Matt Kuchar
Recent starts – T9 at WGC, T21 at Greenbrier, T4 at Canadian Open, T27 at The Open, T6 at US Open, T8 at Memorial
My apologies for no love last week, but Kuchar is money. He’s due for a win and can definitely win this.

Jeff Overton
Recent starts – T9 at WGC, 2nd at Greenbrier, T11 at The Open, 3rd at AT&T, T12 at Memorial, T3 at Crowne Plaza, T2 at Byron Nelson
The kid is insane.

THE FIELD: Four Who Have History

Ernie Els
Best finishes – T6 in ’09, T3 in ’07, T16 in ’06, T4 in ’04, T5 in ’03
Ernie is a machine. Sure, he choked last week, but you ‘ve gotta show him love. He wasn’t even playing well and he had a T6 last year and the T4 in ’04 at Whistling Straights helps his case.

Vijay Singh
Best finishes – T16 in ’09, T10 in ’05, 1st in ’04, T8 in ’02
It’s a stretch, but Vijay has 7 straight made cuts with 3 Top 25′s. He’s also made the cut at The US and British Opens. Big sleeper.

Phil Mickelson
Best finishes – T7 in ’08, T16 in ’06, 1st in ’05, T6 in ’04
Phil was throwing garbage up on Sunday and has consistently choked during his attainable goal of #1. I don’t think he can handle the pressure, but who knows.

Adam Scott
Best finishes – T3 in ’06, T9 in ’04, T12 in ’07
I know he’s a stretch here, but the last time he had a Top 10 at Firestone preceding the PGA, he finished T3. He also had a T9 at Whistling Straights in ’04.

Other notables in the field: pretty much everyone


FINAL FOUR
Martin Kaymer, Rory McIlroy, Miguel Angel Jiminez and Lucas Glover.

I think last week may have been a wake-up for some people as the big favourites (Westwood, Woods and Donald) didn’t come through at all. I think this should open up the picks a little more. I think Casey will keep the consistency up and be the top Nike golfer, but it’s anyone’s game.

Check out the full field here >> 2010 PGA Championship 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,

D.

Fantasy Four Recap: Turning Stone Championship

Honestly, I didn’t pay much attention to this tournament. The biggest name in the tournament was Rory Sabbatini and he did great, but only one person picked him. But regular staple B-Listers like deJonge and Cejka, kept up their hot play. However, Bill Lunde (not the guy from Dexter) won the tournament.

  • Number of Entries: 12
  • Number of Golfers Selected: 18
  • Most Popular Pick: Stephen Ames – picked 9 times
  • Number of Missed Cuts/WD’s: 2Bryce Molder and Shaun Micheel
  • Number of Top 10’s: 5  Cejka + Sim (T3), Sabbatini and Johnson (T8), Hoffman (T10)
  • Number of Top 10-Top 25’s: 4 — de Jonge (T16), Ames (T16), Duval and Points (T22)
  • Top Nike Golfer: Ames (T16)
  • People That Selected the Winner: 0
  • Average Points: 7.75

Vaughn Taylor and Charles Howell were other popular picks, but didn’t do well. Next closest was Brendon de Jonge who got a T16.

NG Nation picked up the win this week with some slick picks and a pair of Top 10′s.

NG Nation’s Winning Team: Michael Sim (T3), Richard S. Johnson (T8), David Duval (T22) and Charles Howell III (T48)

Hit the link to check out the Turning Stone Resort Championship Fantasy Points to see how you fared this week.

Even more movement in this event as Chris Wang falls from 2nd to 3rd where Alan N comes from 4th to meet him. Mosher jumps to 7th, while taking the month lead with 20 points. (NG Nation, Meredith W and Drew all trail him with 18 points).

(Check here for the WGC Bridgestone fantasy recap)
It’s close at the top, but don’t forget that double points are coming up soon for the FedEx Cup playoffs, where it’s wide open this year.

Next up, Whistling Straits, where I’m not even going to consider picking Tiger Woods.

Fantasy Four Recap: WGC Bridgestone

Well, no one picked Mahan, O’Hair, Goosen or Van Pelt, but the picks were good. While the Top 3 players in the world faltered, others stepped it up and some good names had some good finishes. Very quiet Top 10′s by McIlroy, Stricker, Oosthuizen and Paddy. However, big ups to Mahan, who always performs down the stretch and I’d love to see him win the FedEx Cup.

  • Number of Entries: 12
  • Number of Golfers Selected: 19
  • Most Popular Pick: Tiger Woods — picked 10 times
  • Number of Missed Cuts/WD’s: N/A
  • Number of Top 10’s: 7  – Overton + Furyk (T6), McIlroy + Kuchar + Stricker + Paddy + Oosty (T9)
  • Number of Top 10-Top 25’s: 5— Ryan Moore (T16), Rose + Cink (T19), McDowell + Casey (T22)
  • Top Nike Golfer: Stewart Cink (T19) — Only Courtney Z picked him
  • People That Selected the Winner: 0
  • Average Points: 7.9

I’m going to take a lot of credit for my “defending British Open stat” and it paid off with a Top 10.

We had a 2-way tie for first this week with 14 points each (2 Top 10’s + 2 Top 25′s) and they did it with very different picks

Bryan D’s Winning Team: Jeff Overton (T6), Louis Oosthuizen (T9), Phil (T46), Tiger (T78)
Chris W’s Winning Team: Jim Furyk (T6), Matt Kuchar (T9), Tiger (T78) and Westwood (WD)

Hit the link to check out the WGC Bridgestone Invitational Fantasy Points to see how you fared this week.

This was the first event in Month 4 and there wasn’t much movement. Chris Wang moved into a tie for 2nd, while Mosher moved into a tie for 8th. Bryan D takes over the Month lead, while Mere holds onto the season lead.

(Turning Stone Resort Championship Results are the most up to date)

Slow week in this event, but more movement in the Turning Stone Resort Championship (the 16th event of the season and 2nd event of Month 4).

Next up is some Major fantasy action.

Stay tuned,

D.

Fantasy Four: WGC Bridgestone Invitational

This is one of the best events on the planet. Let’s take the 80 best  players in the world, give them four rounds with no cut and let’s see what happens. Sound hot, right?. Let’s get into it.

FANTASY FOUR FUN FACT: The winner of The Open has not finished worse than T21 since 2003..and that was a T30. So, good odds on Oosty?

This is Event 15 of the season and the second event of Month 4 of the NG Nation Fantasy Four and it’s never too late to join. For a refresher on the rules, hit the link — Contest Guidelines and leave your Fantasy Four below.

Also, the Turning Stone Resort Championship is happening this week too! So submit your fantasy four for that event too! (link here and at the bottom)

NIKE GOLF: Four to Watch

Anthony Kim
AK is back and the world will be watching. He was playing with a broken thumb for about two months, so I wouldn’t question it post-surgery, but hey, I’m an optimist. He’s still 10th in the FedEx Cup standings. Ridiculous.

Tiger Woods
This is is pretty much Tiger’s event. He’s won here a bazillion times (nice analysis on that one) and he needs this win. I think we’d all like to see Tiger pull through for the W.

Stewart Cink
6th in ’09, 2nd in ’06,  1st in ’04, T13 in ’01, 7th in ’00 and he’s never missed a cut here. NEVER!

Paul Casey
Casey has a great record here too. He had to WD last year, but had a T8 in ’08, T4 in ’06, T19 in ’05 and he’s healthy and ready to rawk.

Other Nike golfers in the field: Lucas Glover, Charl Schwartzel, Francesco Molinari, Simon Dyson, Justin Leonard
9/80 golfers are Nike Golfers. Niiiice.

THE FIELD: Four Who are Hot

Luke Donald
Recent starts – 3rd at Canadian Open, T11 at The Open, T11 at French Open, T47 at US Open, T3 at Celtic Manor, 1st at Madrid Masters, 2nd at BMW PGA
Is this a joke? Look at those numbers. LD also has a pair of Top 10′s here.

Graeme McDowell
Recent starts – T31 at Irish Open, T23 at The Open, T21 at Scottish Open, 1st at US Open, 1st at Wales Open, 4th at Madrid Masters
Hasn’t done great at Firestone, though.

Ross Fisher
Recent starts – 1st at Irish Open, T37 at The Open, 8th at Scottish Open, 2nd at BMW International Open
Fisher has shot 65 twice and 61 once in his last few tournaments, he’s hot and has played at Firestone the past two years with less than stellar starts.

Jeff Overton
Recent starts -2nd at Greenbrier, T11 at The Open, 3rd at AT&T, T12 at Memorial, T3 at Crowne Plaza, T2 at Byron Nelson
Ovi is insane. Let’s test his game on the big stage against the best in the world. This is his proving ground.

THE FIELD: Four Who Have History

Jim Furyk
Best finishes – 3rd in ’06, T24 in ’05, T22 in ’04, T6 in ’03, T6 in ’02, T1 in ’01, T4 in ’00
Coming off of a T9 at Greenbrier

Hunter Mahan
Best finishes -T4 in ’09, T10 in ’08, T22 in ’07
Still looking for consistency even with a win this year.

Lee Westwood
Best finishes – 9 in ’09, T2 in ’08, T22 in ’07, T24 in ’05, T9 in ’04, T15 in ’02
Also, Lee Westwood is always hot.

Robert Allenby
Best finishes – T2 in ’09, T20 in ’08, T22 in ’06, T9 in ’04, T6 in ’03, T2 in ’02
Missed cuts in ’08 and ’09.

Other notables in the field: McIlroy, Poulter, Stricker, Mickelson, Ishikawa, Goosen, Villegas, Oosty..I could just list the top guys in the world ranking..but pretty much everyone is notable

FINAL FOUR: Anthony Kim, Paul Casey, Tiger Woods and Lee Westwood

This is insane. I considered going all Nike. Lucas Glover has a good record here too. This should be the best thing until the Ryder Cup comes along. NO CUT = NO MERCY = Awesome golf tournament.

Check out the full field here >> WGC Bridgestone Invitational 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).

Also, leave your Fantasy Four for the Turning Stone Resort Championship in a comment here >> Fantasy Four: Turning Stone

Pick with your heart,

D.

Fantasy Four: Turning Stone Resort Championship

The other event this week is the Turning Stone Resort Champions, where everyone but the Top 80 in the world will tee it up. Defending champ, Matt Kuchar will not be with us, neither will 2008 champ Dustin Johnson. Also, there’s not a lot of history to go on, as this will only be the events 4th playing.

This is Event 14 of the season and the first event of Month 4 of the NG Nation Fantasy Four and it’s never too late to join. For a refresher on the rules, hit the link — Contest Guidelines and leave your Fantasy Four below.

Also, the WGC-Bridgestone is happening this week too! So submit your fantasy four for that event too! (link here and at the bottom)

NIKE GOLF: Two to Watch

David Duval
Duval posted a juicy T14 at the Canadian Open and is looking to come off of that with another strong finish. He finished with a final round 65 and looks to build on that this week. MC’s here the last two years

Stephen Ames
Ames is coming off of a good T21 finish at The Greenbrier and has been pretty hot as of late. 6 of his last 8 rounds have been in the 60′s, which is very important here. The winning score has been super low, so Ames has a good shot.

Other Nike golfers in the field: none


THE FIELD
: Four Who are Hot

Brendon de Jonge
Recent starts – 3rd at Greenbrier, T13 at Canadian Open, T7 at John Deere
Also has a T13 here in ’07.

Charley Hoffman
Recent starts -MDF at Greenbrier, T4 at Canadian Open, T7 at John Deere
Also has a T5 here in ’07

Richard S. Johnson
Recent starts – T21 at Greenbrier, 1st at Scandanavian Masters
Three MC’s at Turning Stone, though.

Vaughn Taylor
Recent starts – T35 at Reno-Tahoe, 6th at John Deere, T11 at AT&T, T9 at Travelers
Also has a solo 2nd here last year, T15 in ’08 and T18 in ’07. Probably the best guy statistically in this event.


THE FIELD: Four Who Have History

John Senden
Best finishes – T3 in ’07, T5 in ’09, T27 in ’08
Coming off of a T21

Charles Howell III
Best finishes -T3 in ’08, T18 in ’09
Coming off of a T9

Matthew Goggin
Best finishes – T5 in ’07, T3 in ’08
Not really playing well, MC in ’09.

Steve Flesch
Best finishes – 1st in’07
Missed cuts in ’08 and ’09.

Other notables in the field: Rory Sabbatini, Alex Cejka, Ryuji Imada, Michael Sim, Jeev Milka Singh, Matt Every


FINAL FOUR
: Richard S. Johnson, Michael Sim, Charles Howell and David Duval

This was a short and sweet fantasy four. I think Rory is mad he’s not in the Top 80 and might be playing with a chip on his shoulder, so he could win it, actually. I’m really waiting for Michael Sim to break through and I hope he can do it here. I’m just taking chances this week.

Check out the full field here >> Turning Stone Resort Championship 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).

Also, leave your Fantasy Four for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in a comment here >> Fantasy Four: WGC Bridgestone

Pick with your heart,

D.

Fantasy Four Recap: The Greenbrier Classic and Month 3 Results

What a crazy week for the first ever Greenbrier Classic. We saw a 60 by J.B. Holmes on Saturday, then Appleby threw darts on Sunday for a 59 and the win. This was a great week for picks as guys like Furyk and Ovi came threw and lots of other big names picked up Top 25′s.

I’m adding a new stat this week as you may notice. It’s Average Points, so from the X entries we get per week, it’s the average points from all those entered. This gives a good metric for where you stack up against the rest and also where tournaments rank against one another. Let’s look at the stats!

  • Number of Entries: 10 (Bryan D didn’t enter, No3Putt entered too late)
  • Number of Golfers Selected: 15
  • Most Popular Pick: Matt Kuchar — picked 7 times
  • Number of Missed Cuts/WD’s: 2  – Katy Perry featuring TI
  • Number of Top 10’s: 3  –Jeff Overton (2), Brendon de Jonge (3), Jim Furyk (T9)
  • Number of Top 10-Top 25’s: 6 — Holmes + Leishman (T16), Kuchar +Ames + Crane + Leonard (T21)
  • Top Nike Golfer: Ames + Leonard (T21)
  • People That Selected the Winner: 0
  • Average Points: 11

We had a 3-way tie for first this week with 16 points each (2 Top 10’s + 3 Top 25′s). Furyk, de Jonge and Ovi got the Top 10′s, while Kuchar picked up their Top 25.

Team’s tied with 16 points: Chris Wang, Lendell and Mosher

Hit the link to check out the Greenbrier Classic Fantasy Points to see how you fared this week.

That’s it for the 3rd month of the NG Nation Fantasy Four Contest! Meredith destroyed the competition this month. She won by 21 points over the nearest eligible competitor! Meredith, we’ll be in touch! Check below for the Month 3 results along with the monthly standings.

Here’s a look at what’s left for the NG Nation Fantasy Four Contest.

AUGUST
Turning Stone Resort Classic + WGC Bridgestone Invitational (both events this week)
PGA Championship
Wyndham Championship

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER — FEDEX CUP (DOUBLE POINTS)
The Barclays
Deutsche Bank Championship
BMW Championship
Tour Championship

Fantasy Four: The Greenbrier Classic

This is going to be the hottest edition of the Fantasy Four to date, as there will be no history section! This is a brand new event on Tour and no one has played this course except for the Champions tour, so I’ll highlight some Nike boys and give you a taste of who’s hot.

This is Event 13 of the season and the last event of Month 3 of the NG Nation Fantasy Four and it’s never too late to join. For a refresher on the rules, hit the link — Contest Guidelines and leave your Fantasy Four below.

NIKE GOLF: Four to Watch

Carl Pettersson
Coming off a win and an extremely consistent year, CPettss will try and string together a more consistent four rounds and take control of a slightly weaker field than last week.

Justin Leonard
Leonard’s T14 at the US Open was encouraging, but still, since the end of May, Leonard has only shot 2 rounds in the 60′s. He could find something special this week, but I think it’s a stretch. I’m just looking for him to rebound and play decent golf.

Stephen Ames
Ames will look to rebound this week after feeling the Canadian pressure. He’s still only missed two cuts this year and he played well during the first two rounds last week.

Trevor Immelman
Immelman is the hot one this week. After a T23 at The Open and a T13 last week, let’s hope T.I. gets a Top 10 this week.

Other Nike golfers in the field: none

THE FIELD
: Four Who are Hot (+2 Bonus )

Charlie Wi
Recent starts – T4 at Canadian Open, T15 at John Deere, 4th at AT&T, T21 at Travelers
Charlie Wi is hot, just in case you didn’t know. He’s having his best year on Tour and is due for his first PGA Tour win. He should be in contention again this week.

Jeff Overton
Recent starts -T11 at The Open, 3rd at AT&T, T12 at Memorial, T3 at Crowne Plaza, T2 at Byron Nelson
Ovi is definitely contending for hottest golfer in the world other than Donald and McDowell, but he’s as hot as they come in this event.

Matt Kuchar
Recent starts – T4 at Canadian Open, T27 at The Open, T6 at US Open, T8 at Memorial
Kuchar is money and I’m just waiting for him to get a win. He’s due and is my pick to win.

Nick Watney WD as of Wednesday Morning
Recent starts – T7 at The Open, T7 at AT&T National
Watney was money last year and is starting to play some consistent golf again this year. While Furyk is the favourite to win, Watney should be right behind him. I’m expecting a Top 5 from Watney.

J.B. Holmes
Recent starts – T14 at The Open, 5th at AT&T National
JB only has one missed cut all year and is averaging 26th place thru 16 tournaments.  9 of those tournaments have resulted in Top 25 finishes, so JB can get it done.

Charley Hoffman
Recent starts – T4 at Canadian Open, T7 at John Deere
Two very quiet Top 10′s for Hoffman. Hoffman has 4 rounds of 65 in his last 8 rounds. He’s going low and it’s definitely working for him as he can sure climb a leaderboard. Look for him to get a good start and keep it up this week.

BONUS BONUS PICK — Richard S. Johnson
He won the European Tour event in Sweden last week.  The Swedes (Pettersson and Johnson) look to keep the blue and yellow train rolling.

Other notables in the field: Jim Furyk, Sergio Garcia, Ben Crane, Steve Marino, Brendon de Jonge, Ricky Barnes, Kevin Na, Brandt Snedeker, John Daly, David Toms, Davis Love III, Alex Cejka


FINAL FOUR
Kevin Na, Matt Kuchar, Jeff Overton and Trevor Immelman

Still some tricky picks to be made this week. Lots of guys playing well and trying to pick up their first win of the year. Daly has been playing well and it’d be good to take a chance on Richard Johnson and Pettersson..so you should have fun with your picks this week. But remember, you have to try and beat Meredith Wang for the monthly win! That should be impossible, but it would be good to gain some ground on the season standings.

Check out the full field here >> The Greenbrier 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,

D.

Fantasy Four Recap: RBC Canadian Open

Crazy week in Canada, once again. Big names like O’Hair and Casey missed the cut, while Luke Donald remains red hot. He’s right up there with Westwood in my mind. The Canadians also disappointed on home soil, leaving Carl Pettersson room for a remarkable weekend in Ontario.

The stats these week tell the tale with many missed cuts and lots of picks for Paul Casey, who was clearly tired from The Open. However, Charlie Wi is heating up and steady players such as Donald, Kuchar and Clark help certain people pick up the win. There were 20 different golfers this week, as opposed to the regular 19. I guess it’s hard to get a lot of variation, as everyone wants a sure thing.

  • Number of Entries: 12
  • Number of Golfers Selected: 20
  • Most Popular Pick: Paul Casey — picked 9 times
  • Number of Missed Cuts/WD’s: 8  – Hill, DeLaet, Taylor, Snedeker, Casey, O’Hair, Couples, Verplank
  • Number of Top 10’s: 4  – Luke Donald (3), Tim Clark (T4), Charlie Wi (T4), Matt Kuchar (T4)
  • Number of Top 10-Top 25’s: 3 — Trevor Immelman (T13), Kevin Na (T13), Hunter Mahan (T17)
  • Top Nike Golfer: Carl Pettersson (T3)
  • People That Selected the Winner: 0

We had a Fantasy Four-way tie for first this week with 14 points each (2 Top 10’s). All teams had a combination of Kuchar, Donald, Clark or Wi.

Team’s tied with 14 points: NG Nation, Alan N, Courtney Z and Meredith W.

Hit the link to check out the Canadian Open Fantasy Points to see how you fared this week.

Meredith is on fire. She’s like the Luke Donald of the NG Nation Fantasy Four Contest. Meredith’s last three entries have been T1, T1 and a solo 2nd. It’s basically a wrap unless we see some phenomenal picks for the Greenbriar next week. She takes the lead for the season, also. Check below for the monthly and season standings.

My advice is to go wild next week and maybe everyone should pick after Meredith next week. However, the field is somewhat slim next week, but the purse is big as the PGA introduces a new event, the Greenbrier Classic!

Early standouts for next week: Carl Pettersson, Jim Furyk, Sergio Garcia, Nick Watney, Matt Kuchar, Charlie Wi, Trevor Immelman and Katy Perry.

Stay tuned,

D.

Fantasy Four: RBC Canadian Open

The Tour heads North of the border to Ontario in one of my favourite events of the year (because I’m Canadian). Also, this is one of the best fields in recent years and a lot of the big names have come out. As usual, people think a Canadian will do it, but I don’t think it will happen this year. However, it’s a very fair playing field as the tournament moves from Glen Abbey to St. Georges, so no one has an advantage from the playing the event in previous years. However, I think Matt Hill and Nick Taylor have the best shot of the Canadian’s as some Canadian Amateur events have been held there. St. Georges is the #1 Course in Canada and one of the Top 100 in the world, so don’t think it’s a cake-walk.

This is Event 13 of the season and the 4th week of Month 3 of the NG Nation Fantasy Four and it’s never too late to join. For a refresher on the rules, hit the link — Contest Guidelines and leave your Fantasy Four below.

NIKE GOLF: Four to Watch

Paul Casey
Casey is obviously playing great golf, I’m just worried that he’s tired from The Open and travelling from Scotland to Canada. However, he’s probably used to it from playing on the European and PGA Tours. He’s the favourite to win this week and he should be.  The neutral course favours him even more as it’s his first trip to this event.

Matt Hill
He might have the most appearances on this Fantasy Four and maybe because I’m pulling for him. Hill has won so many Ontario provincial and national events in Canada that it’s ridiculous. I think it’s finally his week to break though and I HOPE he’s the Top Canadian. Sure, he’s disappointed a little since turning pro, but the former #1 Amateur in the world should feel right at home here.

Stephen Ames
Ames hasn’t played in a tournament in a month. However, he had a T8 at this event last year, T7 in ’05 and has a couple Top 25′s. I don’t know if he’s hurt, but he doesn’t have an advantage as it’s at a different course. However, Ames says that the course suits his eye very well.

Trevor Immelman
Immelman impressed me at The Open and also when I met him at this event last year, however, he still wasn’t %100 healthy. I think he’s on a mean comeback trail and he should finish well after picking up a Top 25 at St. Andrews.

Other Nike golfers in the field: David Duval and Carl Pettersson

THE FIELD: Four Who are Hot

Retief Goosen
Recent starts – 6th at The Open, T5 at Travelers
It’s not often the runner-up in the previous year wins the next year, but maybe playing on a different course will help Goosen this year. He’s playing great golf and he needs a win this year.

Sean O’Hair
Recent starts -T7 at The Open, T11 at AT&T National, T12 at US Open, T12 at Memorial, T12 at Byron Nelson
O’Hairsy has been Mr. Consistency since May, with only 1 missed cut in his last 7 events. Of those 6 events he made the cut, he’s never finished worse than T12, except for a T22. In my mind, he’s right up there with Donald as the one to beat.

Matt Kuchar
Recent starts – T27 at The Open, T6 at US Open, T8 at Memorial
The Kuch-man is back and looks to keep the hotness alive. Kuchar took a month off between majors and still finished T27 at The Open. He’s been incredible this year and I hope he makes the Ryder Cup team. He’s solid.

Luke Donald
Recent starts – T11 at The Open, T11 at French Open, T47 at US Open, T3 at Celtic Manor, 1st at Madrid Masters, 2nd at BMW PGA
I don’t have to say anything, just look at his recent starts. The kid is ridiculous right now. Also a T25 at this event last year.

THE FIELD: Four Who Have History

*again, don’t put a lot of stock in this section. This is the first time they’ve played this course since 1968*
*another history note, it’s been 56 years since a Canadian has won this event*

Brandt Snedeker
Best finishes – T5 in ’09, T7 in ’07
Brandt seems to play well in Canada and I think the attitude of the event suits him. Brandt started the year very hot, and seems to have found his form again after a T16 at AT&T.

Nathan Green
Best finishes – 1st in ’09, T20 in ’06
He was the most unlikely of champions last year, winning after missing three straight cuts prior to the event and missing the cut here in ’08. However, he played well at the event, but I don’t give him much of a chance to contend this week.

Camilo Villegas
Best finishes – T24 in ’09, T10 in ’07, T5 in ’06
Villegas started well at The Open with a -4. He hung around and didn’t quit and he should be more comfortable here.

Hunter Mahan
Best finishes – T4 in ’04, T24 in ’05, T5 in ’07,
I’m still looking for Mahan to really rebound from his 4 straight missed cuts prior to The Open, where one bad round of 76 hurt him. He went 71-71 on the weekend which was great. Did we all forget that he won earlier this year? Doesn’t feel like it, so I’d love to see him win again.

Other notables in the field: Mike Weir, Danny Lee, Fred Couples, Tim Clark, Alex Cejka, Ricky Barnes, John Daly, Scott Verplank

FINAL FOUR: Luke Donald, Matt Kuchar, Sean O’Hair and Paul Casey

Tough not to pick a Canadian. I was really wanting to take Ames over Casey, since Ames is well rested and Casey is probably uber-tired. But Graham DeLaet has been playing well, Matt Hill’s partner-in-crime, Nick Taylor is also in the field, along with another great Canadian amateur, Eugene Wong. It’s tough not to include Mahan and Goosen. I think Goosen should really get his first win of the year so I could even see that as a reason to leave Donald off, but we’ll see where we end up!

Check out the full field here >> RBC Canadian 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,

D.