Fantasy Insider: British Open

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Since filing my Power Rankings on Monday afternoon, the weather forecast for St. Andrews has worsened. Rain is now expected throughout the tournament and winds will be steady at 15-20 mph for at least the first three days.

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Given his history of lackluster play in poor weather in this major, the conditions should eliminate Tiger Woods as a contender, and bring into the mix proven mudders like Robert Allenby, Tom Watson and Dustin Johnson (and most Euros). However, Woods will still appear in my Yahoo! lineup come Thursday.

This week's edition covers only the British Open. If you want advice and opinions for the Reno-Tahoe Open, email me at FantasyInsider@charter.net. But, of course, you can always reach out at anytime for whatever your inquiry. I respond to all emails.

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TOP PICKS: See Power Rankings for Luke Donald, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, and Tiger Woods.

Steve Stricker -- What a performance at TPC Deere Run. And he didn't pull a 2009 Bob Hope on us either. Based on that effort, I'm expecting a continuation of solid ball-striking and good vibes, but he doesn't even crack my top five in Group A for the Yahoo! game. Save for the playoffs.

Vijay Singh -- Back in the saddle again. Ignore the missed cut at the Scottish Open; I am. After a T40 at Pebble Beach, he finished T13 at the Travelers and T9 at the AT&T National. In four career appearances at St. Andrews for the British Open, he's gone T12-T6-T11-T5. When the casual golf fan sees him on the leaderboard on Sunday, they'll have had no idea of his struggles early this year. Love him this week.

Kenny Perry -- Nice and steady of late, but this could be a disaster. Perry doesn't like nasty weather. He'll be 50 in less than a month (Aug. 10) and a Ryder Cup berth is unlikely without a strong finish, which will require a commitment to the PGA TOUR. He might lure you in based on his ball-striking (10th on TOUR) and sand save percentage (18th), but don't bite that apple.

TOP PICKS: See Power Rankings for Jim Furyk, Retief Goosen, Padraig Harrington and Lee Westwood.

Stewart Cink -- After he won at Turnberry last year, he rose to No. 9 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He's currently 38th and has just one top 10 in a full-field, stroke-play event since (T8, the Memorial). I'll look at him again when he tees it up at Firestone next month.

Rory McIlroy -- Despite his Official World Golf Ranking (No. 9) and cachet, he's a sleeper this week. He's fearless. This is already his third start in the British (he failed to qualify in 2008). Currently third in greens hit on the European Tour, but 164th in sand saves. Much more accustomed to the fine fescue greens than what he's played in the U.S. He's coming off a solo fourth finish at the French Open, where he was one stroke too high for the three-man playoff (won by Miguel Angel Jimenez).

Robert Allenby -- Tops in earnings and FedExCup points among all non-winners this season. Won't mind the raingear and has missed just five of 17 cuts in the British, but has just one top 10 in his last 11 starts. That was in 2008 (Royal Birkdale), when he had entered the tournament with four top 10s in six events on the PGA TOUR. This time around, his T29 at the U.S. Open is his best finish of his last four. And remember, he played through a wrist injury at Pebble Beach. No thanks.

Camilo Villegas -- Consider anything you get out of him a bonus this week. He already grinds on perfect greens. He's 158th on the PGA TOUR in putting from 5-15 feet, and 110th inside five feet. But he doesn't mind inclement weather, and he can hit more shots than most. I'm expecting a paycheck, but nothing memorable.

Dustin Johnson -- You'll excuse him if he thinks he's at Pebble Beach this week. With the seaside vistas and challenging weather conditions, he should contend. However, his course management learning curve and short game (167th in scrambling; 171st in sand saves) quell my expectations. If I were him, I'd commit to memory Tiger Woods' 2000 game plan at St. Andrews. Oh, and the Sunday 82 at Pebble isn't a burden. It wasn't when DJ teed it up at Aronimink, even though he missed the cut.

Robert Karlsson -- He tweeted on Monday that he is planning on joining the PGA TOUR in 2011. While he has until December to change his mind, that's a nice bone he threw to keeper leagues. Following a missed cut in Munich, he WDed at the French Open because of a strained wrist, but that doesn't concern me. Despite his playoff loss at the St. Jude, he didn't finish inside the top 10 in any significant statistic, instead using a well-balanced plan of attack. I'm hands off this week since he's outside the top 100 in fairways and greens hit on the European Tour.

K.J. Choi -- I slotted him No. 1 at the John Deere Classic for all the right reasons, not the least of which was the fact that he was 14-for-14 in made cuts entering the week, with seven top 25s. Lo and behold, he experiments with his putting stroke a la Sam Snead and Bernhard Langer and misses the cut. (Through the JDC, Choi is a meaty 40th in putting, but who are we to judge?) Granted, Choi has always tinkered with the more out-of-the-box methods with his 14th club, but I wish I could have taken a mulligan in the Power Rankings. And there's no telling what he's going to do this week. Abstain. As if you really needed that confirmation.

TOP PICKS: See Power Rankings for Edoardo Molinari and Justin Rose.

Graeme McDowell -- The U.S. Open champion is 14th on the European Tour in fairways and fifth in greens hit. His dissection of Pebble Beach was exactly what that tournament requires, and a similar letting-it-come-to-him approach is the ticket to success at St. Andrews. He seems to have the demeanor to handle his sudden popularity, too. As a result, G-Mac is on my short list this week.

Paul Casey -- With a healthy dose of other Europeans dominating recent leaderboards, this Brit is currently under the radar. And if Lee Westwood wasn't the active best-never-to-have-won-a-major player, Casey would get his fair share of votes. What I love most about him can't be quantified. The term man-crush comes to mind, and so be it. If I had the game to do what he does, I'd also carry myself with the same unassuming, genuine persona. Inside the ropes, Casey's iron game and putting is up to task, but a bunker player he is not. Still, if you're not sold on Edoardo Molinari for the Yahoo! game, Casey deserves a look.

Ian Poulter -- Inconsistency has killed this cat, not that he looks back, mind you. In six starts since his T10 at the Masters, he has one top-45 payday, and that was a T18 in Paris. He leads the European Tour in greens in regulation and ranks fourth in sand saves. Therefore, on paper, he's an automatic. Alas, playing with guys like Poulter and Angel Cabrera can accelerate the growth of one's fantasy gray hairs. Can't wait to see what he's wearing this week though!

Martin Kaymer -- I liken him to Dustin Johnson in that they have similar games tee-to-cup and both are still on the rise despite multiple victories on their home circuits. (They're only six months apart in age, too.) I'm treating this week as a lesson of my own in Kaymer's mental dexterity. Recently, he held the 54-hole lead in Paris before fading to a T5, and missed the cut at last week's Scottish Open. And I like the other choices in this group for the Yahoo! game.

Rob Bolton is PGATOUR.COM's fantasy columnist. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the PGA TOUR. To contact Rob, please e-mail him at FantasyInsider@charter.net.