The Fantasy Insider: The Viking Classic

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Heath Slocum has missed only four cuts all season.

Viking Classic: Expert Picks | Sleeper Picks | Inside the Field | Inside the Course

Annandale Country Club is a thinking-man's layout that rewards placement over distance, and that's my kind of dance; this Viking Quest is all abut keeping it in the Bermuda grass for most of the week. With an interesting field mixed with intriguing youngsters and old favorites, let's see what's doing down in Mississippi this week.

The main contenders

Heath Slocum: For the most part he's been steady as can be in 2008, grabbing 16 checks in a row at one point. A brief slump at the PGA Championship (cut) and The Barclays (cut) came as a surprise, but he's rallied in September. Slocum knows his way around Annandale, with a win in 2005 and a 13th-place finish last year.

Rory Sabbatini: It hasn't been his best season, but a lot of players would take $1.3 million in earnings and the No. 55 rank on the FedExCup list before the Playoffs. He hit the ball great for three rounds at the BMW Championship before a slip on the final day. If Sabbatini gets a little confidence rolling Thursday, watch out on the weekend. He's my pick.

Toms

David Toms: It hasn't been his most lucrative season, but it hasn't been a washout either; DT went six months without missing a cut until the trunk slammed at The Barclays. Annandale favors the straight over the strong, and Toms can more than hold his own on the greens (46th in putting); this is a good spot for him.

Bo Van Pelt: It's obviously a course that pleases his eye, because the big checks keep falling in when he visits Annandale (eighth, fifth and fifth the last three seasons). It's hard to believe a player as talented as Van Pelt has yet to win on the PGA TOUR, but this could be his week. He's certainly a capable enough ballstriker, it's just a matter of getting some confidence with the putter early in the week.

Duke

Ken Duke: He got off the mark slowly in 2008 but ever since the Verizon Heritage, it's been a smooth ride: just two missed cuts, and seven finishes inside the Top 20. He's a solid iron player and an excellent putter, and he's capable of scoring well even when he doesn't have his A-Game. In short, Duke is one of the most underrated players on the circuit right now.

John Senden: It comes down to putting, because the rest of the game is here; Senden is a true driver and a dynamite iron player. He was in contention here in 2004 (finishing 14th, including an opening-round 65), and he grabbed a fifth-place check last year.

The sleepers

Fred Funk: He's back to run with the kids this week. This is an event he's owned for years (2004 win, seven Top 10s). On a layout where accuracy comes before brute strength, it's advantage, Funk.

Kelly

Jerry Kelly: He's an accurate driver and although the stats don't reflect it, he's capable of putting with anyone. He's earned five checks in six starts at the Viking Classic.

Patrick Sheehan: He's made the cut three times in four starts here, and his strengths (straight driver, reliable irons, true putter) will serve him well at Annandale Country Club.

J.P. Hayes: He could use a strong finish and here's a good place to push off to it, a track he's comfortable at. Hayes as eight cashes in nine starts at this event, including a T13 and a T4 the last two seasons, and he's always been one of the more creative scramblers on tour.

Taylor

Vaughn Taylor: He's missed three cuts in his last seven starts, but at least there are plenty of hits, too (a pair of Top 20 finishes). He's yet to last four rounds in three trips to this event, but when you putt as brilliantly as Taylor does, you always have a chance on paper.

Rich Beem: Nothing special here over three starts (60th, missed cut, 57th), but I could see a breakthrough of sorts this week. Beem hasn't hit the ball all that badly in 2008, it's just a matter of getting something going on the greens. It's always more fun when he's in the hunt.

Rest of the Field

Charles Howell: He's not having a great year driving (191st in accuracy), scrambling (158th), or putting (156th). That's a hard trifecta to overcome.

Chris DiMarco: I thought he had turned a corner at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational (T12) and he was a respectable 31st at the PGA Championship, but DiMarco couldn't keep the momentum going into the playoffs (two missed cuts). I'll gladly hop on the comeback bandwagon when the time is right, but he needs to show us a little bit first.

Maggert

Jeff Maggert: It's been a while since he's been here, but if the course demands accuracy, you can't look past the consistent Texan. He finished 25th in 2002 and 28th the year prior.

Jeff Quinney: He sure looked like an up-and-coming star in the middle of the summer, but he's surprisingly made just one cut since the U.S. Open in mid-June. I'm all for giving Quinney a mulligan and reinvesting in him as a fantasy pick next year, but for now we need to give him some time to get things sorted out.

Mark Calcavecchia: He only has one start here in the tournament's history, a ninth-place run in 1999, so the wily vet is spotting course knowledge to the rest of the field. But if Calc's ballstriking falls into line quickly on Thursday, I'm not going to bet against him, I don't care what the past history suggests.