Jun 16 2009
2009 US Open Fantasy Golf Picks
Next up on the schedule is the US Open from Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, NY. We’re going to try our best to help you out with your fantasy golf picks this week. If we totally destroy your status in your fantasy golf league, make sure you let us know in the meanest way possible. As always, comments with insults are encouraged.
Without further ado, these are the guys you don’t want to pick this week…
A-List
Tiger Woods: Umm…the US Open is a major championship, and Tiger Woods is one of your choices. Need I say more?
Phil Mickelson: Lefty hasn’t exactly been playing lights-out recently, and you can’t really hold that against him with the emotional strife he’s been going through because of his wife Amy’s recent diagnosis of breast cancer. However, we expect him to play well because he likes the Black course at Bethpage, finishing second to Tiger there in 2002, and he tends to be at or near the top of the leaderboard at the conclusion of majors. Start Tiger, but Phil is a good backup plan.
B-List
Brian Gay: Coming off a win last week at the St. Jude Classic, it makes sense to pick Brian Gay. He’s playing good golf, and the only way to be competitive at Bethpage is to make good shots. Aside from that, he’s also pretty consistent. Gay has finished in the top-50 in 11 of the 15 tournaments that he’s played in, including a win at the Verizon Heritage, and top-10 finishes at the Sony Open and the FBR Open.
Angel Cabrera: Angel Cabrera is a wise choice because this guy flat-out shows up to play at big tournaments. He won The Masters back in April, and then finished tied-for-14th at The Players Championship from TPC Sawgrass. He doesn’t seem to care much about playing smaller events, but when it comes to playing in big tournaments and majors, he usually plays well. We think he’ll be around come Sunday afternoon in Bethpage State Park.
David Toms: David Toms is another guy who is a safe bet for the US Open this week. He’s playing well, like Brian Gay, because he’s coming off a second-place tie at the St. Jude Classic. Toms has been a picture of consistency this PGA Tour season with 6 top-10 finishes in 14 tournaments. That’s a pretty good percentage considering the caliber of players he’s facing. Finishing in the top-10 in almost half of your tournaments is a pretty remarkable feat, so we think he’s a good one to keep around for this week.
Steve Stricker: Stricker is another relatively easy choice. He finished tied-for-16th the last time the US Open was held at Bethpage in 2002, so he can perform well here. Like David Toms, Stricker has finished in the top-10 in half of his tournaments this year, 6 out of the 12 he’s participated in. So, he’s another good player to have in your fantasy golf arsenal this week because of his consistency.
C-List
Luke Donald: Luke Donald has quietly had a great 2009 PGA Tour season, thus far. He has eight top-25 finishes out of eleven tournaments that he’s participated in. Talk about consistency. Plus, the guy is just a great golfer, which is the biggest attribute that you need heading into Bethpage. We like him a lot, and he always brings us some much needed points.
Retief Goosen: Retief has played well this year, and we look for him to continue this week. The biggest thing is that he’s always around at the end of tournaments. He might not bring you a win, but he’ll be there to rack you up some points. We suggest starting Luke Donald, but keep Retief at the ready if he’s playing better than Donald.
Darkhorse Alert: If you want to get crazy, you can throw Rocco Mediate onto your C-List. He hung with Tiger last year. We were almost tempted to do it, but we think it’s a new year and a really tough course, so we’re going to stick with Luke Donald and Retief Goosen. But don’t be surprised if Rocco is there at the end.
There you have it. Take those picks to the bank…or the dumpster. Either way, make sure you let us know how your picks work out. Just leave a quick comment below and tell us how you did. Again, insults are welcome.
And for your viewing pleasure, here’s a look back at the legendary run by Tiger at the 2008 US Open.
