LATE WITHDRAWALS: None as of Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.
Question: What do Brian Bateman, Jason Day, Tom Lehman, and David Duval have in common?
Answer: They were all selected by more people last week in our Fantasy Golf Challenge than Masters champ Trevor Immelman.
Hard to believe, I know, but absolutely true. Out of 39,039 people, only 288 (0.73 percent) picked the South African for their lineup at a price of $225,250. That price is definitely the main reason not a lot of people picked him, because most folks used a lot of their money on two or three of the really expensive guys such as Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh and Geoff Ogilvy and didn't have enough money left for another $200,00-plus guy. However, Retief Goosen was $9,750 cheaper than Immelman and was selected by 3,408 people. I guess Fantasy Golf is a case of 'what have you done for me lately’, just like most things in sports.
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Stewart Cink is coming off a solid effort at Augusta and has won at Harbour Town twice.
(Getty Images)
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Looking at his form heading into the Masters, Immelman hadn't done much of anything for anyone with a T40 at the CA Championship his only top-40 finish in a stroke-play event. And one thing he really hadn't done much of is make putts, as he was 202nd out of 204 in putting average heading to Augusta. He ended up T5 in putting at Augusta, and T2 in greens in regulation -- a category he was 55th in before last week.
Immelman's performance might have made things boring down the stretch on Sunday for the most part, but it reminds us how a guy can suddenly find his game on a major weekend and do enough to beat higher-ranked guys for the title. The Masters used to be the sole domain of the favorite, but with Zach Johnson and Immelman now taking home consecutive titles at Augusta, the times they are a-changing.
I didn't have quite as good of a week as Immelman, but I didn't do too badly with my picks as I matched a season-high with four of my nine guys finishing in the top 25. Stewart Cink (T3) and Miguel Angel Jimenez (T8) led the way, but it was a feast or famine week for me as four players missed the cut, including all three of my mid-level selections. That hurt, but overall I was happy with how things went.
Before I get to this week’s Verizon Heritage, I must come through with my pledge from last week to publish anyone who wrote to me explaining their choice of Johnson Wagner in Houston.
A big thanks to Rick Kaiser, Eric Pashley, Madcaddies Rich and Natalie Rasmussen, who all talked about the impact that Wagner's solid effort in 2007 -- when he went 66-75-64-73 and finished T9 -- had on them. Dan Drislane just told me he did his homework, which is a bit of a cop-out, but he did take the time to e-mail me at least.
After finishing T36 in his Augusta debut, Wagner is skipping this week's Verizon Heritage. However, 132 other professionals will be in South Carolina to tackle the Harbour Town Golf Links, including Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Justin Rose, Cink, Johnson, Aaron Baddeley and last year's champion Boo Weekley.
Looking at some stats from the past 10 years, as I like to do, there isn't much that jumps out at me, trend-wise. Although the course is only 6,973 yards long, length appears to be a pretty useful stat at Harbour Town, with only three of the last 10 winners finishing outside of the top 20 in driving distance and three of the last four winners finishing 9-under or better on par 5s. With only three par 5s on the course, that last stat is pretty revealing. The usual putting and greens have been keys in some years, but not in others.
So look for a relatively long guy with solid par-5 skills this week. And, in Johnson Wagner-style, look for someone who likes playing on this links-style course.
While the Scots, who invented courses by the sea, are not represented this week (Martin Laird is an alternate), there are three Englishmen in the field: Brian Davis, Justin Rose and Nick Dougherty, who will be playing in his first regular PGA Tour event since the 2005 International. You also have four former British Open champs in Justin Leonard, Tom Lehman, Todd Hamilton and Ben Curtis.
You'll notice I've added an 'Also Watch Out For' category this week, just in case you guys disagree with all three of my main choices and need some extra inspiration.
The Tartan Jackets ($200,000 and above)
Stewart Cink ($290,250) -- Cink came close to his first major title last week and he's won this event twice, so I'm going to pick him for the third time in the last four weeks for very good reason. I know it's not much of a stretch, but he's clearly the player with the best chance of winning this thing as Els, Furyk and Rose, the three guys ranked above him in the field, aren't playing their best golf right now.
Justin Leonard ($264,250) -- Another former champ at Harbour Town, Leonard had a nice T20 at Augusta and has made 16 straight cuts, which is second to Woods' 28. He hasn't played superbly here since his title in 2002, but he's playing better this year than he has in a long time.
Nick Dougherty ($228,500) -- Dougherty quietly had a very solid week at Augusta (T33) in his first Masters appearance and will stick around on U.S. soil for at least one more week. He showed last year with a T7 at the U.S. Open and a win at the Alfred Dunhill that he can compete with the best, and I think he will be nice and relaxed after last week and ready to make a run at his first PGA Tour title.
Also watch out for -- Els, Sean O'Hair, Brandt Snedeker
The Denim Jackets ($75,001-$199,999)
Kevin Na ($147,250) -- I'm going with Wagner-esque guys for these three picks -- players who have a nice recent history at an event but aren't playing their best golf right now. Na did have a T26 in Houston, which almost DQs him from this section, but before that he had two missed cuts, a T43, a T55 and a withdrawal. Na finished T4 here last year, despite falling off on Sunday with a poor 73. He also had a T11 in 2004.
Vaughn Taylor ($134,250) -- Taylor has two consecutive top-five finishes at Harbour Town, but has missed four of his last five cuts this season. He is 37th in the all around ranking on tour, which is pretty good, but his iron play has been downright awful (124th in GIR and 179th in par-3 birdies).
Brian Gay ($121,250) -- Gay has a T16 and a T9 in his last two trips to Harbour Town, but has two missed cuts, a T54 and a T21 in his four events since taking home the win in Mexico. A couple of weeks off after playing in four straight tournaments should have recharged him nicely.
Also watch out for -- Fred Funk, Nathan Green, Carl Pettersson
The Members Only Jackets ($75,000)
Tim Petrovic -- Petrovic had a shot at winning in New Orleans a few weeks ago, but he fell just short with a T7. Apart from a T16 here in 2004, he has been pretty pathetic at the Verizon, but his game is in good enough shape that he can vanquish those ghosts of tournaments past this week.
Jason Bohn -- Bohn is hitting fairways and greens at a great pace this season -- he's third in ball striking and first in total driving -- but it's a shame he hasn't been able to putt for much dough. His putting stats have been better in the past, so I know he is able to roll them on occasion, and he finished T16 here last year.
Nick Thompson -- If not for a 78 in the third round in Houston, Thompson would have three straight top-25s on tour coming into this week. He's been driving and putting great this season, but in-between his irons have been less than stellar. That shouldn't hurt him too much this week and the rookie is a great value at this price.
Also watch out for -- Matt Goggin, Jesper Parnevik, Bill Haas
My Golf Challenge Lineup
Cink, $290,250; Dougherty, $228,500; Pettersson, $186,250; Na, $147,250; Gay, $121,250.
Last Week
Woods (second) $810,000; Jimenez (T8) $217,500; V. Singh (T14) $135,000; Ogilvy (T39) $33,000. Total -- $1,195,500 (5,638th in Segment Two).
Congrats to 'dentyne ice', whose teeth-tinglingly superb lineup of Immelman (won), Woods (second), Snedeker (T3), Andres Romero (T8) and O'Hair (T14) was good enough for a stellar $3,297,500 and a win by $180,000.
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