Fantasy Insider: Best of the rest, others to avoid at Bay Hill

text size

The Arnold Palmer Invitational is the finale of the winter segment in the Yahoo! game. Therefore, if your league declares some kind of champion at its conclusion, then you know what to do. Don't leave anyone on the table. The field is deep so you have no shortage of options.

Got a fantasy question for Rob? Click here to e-mail him. You can also follow Rob on his Twitter account.

This is also the final week before the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking qualify for the Masters. The European Tour is in Spain for the Andalucia Open, where a couple of guys could spoil hopefuls at Bay Hill. (The Asian Tour is dark this week.) Four golfers are currently inside the number and without an invitation to Augusta National: Charl Schwartzel (26th), Alvaro Quiros (33rd), Thongchai Jaidee (45th) and K.J. Choi (47th).

Currently outside the top 50 and needing a very high finish at Bay Hill to climb in the ranking are Stephen Ames (54th), J.B. Holmes (58th) and Justin Rose (59th). Short of that, victories this week or at next week's Shell Houston Open will be required to crack the field for the season's first major.

For a list of all current Major Qualifiers, please click here.

MORE: Rookie Watch | Medical Extensions | Reshuffle

TOP PICKS: See Power Rankings for Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson and Steve Stricker.

Bill Haas -- In my Power Rankings, I cite the importance of the birdie-or-better percentage on par 5s this week. Haas ranks second. He's also fifth in birdie average. After tailing off following his breakthrough at the Bob Hope in January, he's hitting greens and draining putts again, evidenced in his last two starts -- T6 at Doral and T16 at Copperhead.

Stephen Ames -- He's continued his history of playing great golf in Florida, with a T17 at the Honda and T6 at the Transitions. Currently eighth in greens hit and 17th in scoring average. He has four top-10s in 10 starts at Bay Hill, the most recent of which was a T9 in '07. Ames does not make my published cut very often, so you know I'm on board this week.

Bubba Watson -- The solo third at the Transitions was timely, and he's 10th in birdie-or-better percentage on par 5s this year, so he fits the formula for this week. Also has some success at Bay Hill, with a T8 in 2008.

Charlie Wi -- Has come through the last few weeks, placing eighth at the Honda and T20 at the Transitions. That said, I'd lay off now. He's 0-for-2 in his career at Bay Hill and settles in at a lowly 173rd in the birdie-or-better percentage on par 5s this year.

________________________________________________________________________________________

TOP PICKS: See Power Rankingsfor Robert Allenby, Jim Furyk, Retief Goosen, Camilo Villegas and Nick Watney.

K.J. Choi -- Hopefully, salary leaguers heeded my advice at the top of the year and invested in this fella. After a string of respectable finishes, he put the heat to Jim Furyk at Copperhead, finishing alone one stroke back. Choi also led the field in birdies and sat second in putting. Yahoo! gamers in for the long haul should give him a look if you're saving starts on the guys above.

Sean O'Hair -- Lots to cover here. First, I was encouraged by the T18 at Doral, where he cleaned up with a Sunday 66. Yet, this is an excerpt of what I wrote in preparation of the Transitions: "Sorry, but the '08 [Transitions'] crown was a fluke. He can only be overrated this week." On cue, he took 67 putts (26 GIR), missing the cut by four. There's no question he's on your mind this week, with the runner-up finish to Tiger Woods at Bay Hill last year, a T3 in 2008 and a T14 in '07 for good measure. I don't know if it's a matter of renewing confidence after the forearm injury, particularly on the greens, but in good conscience, I cannot endorse him this week either.

David Toms -- Short of a masterful 63 on Friday morning in the best scoring conditions all week at Copperhead, he failed to break par, settling for a T20. He'll take care of his excuse after the Masters, when he'll have a bone spur removed in his right shoulder. It will keep him outside the ropes for eight weeks.

Dustin Johnson -- Despite his rank of sixth in the birdie-or-better percentage on par 5s, he's in a funk, having failed to break par in his last five rounds dating back to Friday at Doral. Tack on that he finished T54 in his only previous appearance here in 2008, and has never played well on the Florida Swing in his brief two-plus seasons on TOUR. Abstain. Again.

Webb Simpson -- Every once in a while, I'll get an email "thanking" me for blowing cover on a potential sleeper for the week. Well ... Simpson is coming off a T13 at the Transitions, where he was sixth in birdies and ninth in putting. He also placed T11 at the Palmer last year, finishing fifth in putting. And of course, you can't overlook his connection to host Arnold Palmer as Wake Forest alums. So, in honor of the ubiquitous text on Bubba Watson's Twitter page, "#urwelcome."

________________________________________________________________________________________

TOP PICKS: See Power Rankings for Justin Rose and Charl Schwartzel.

Brandt Snedeker -- His four-putt at last year's BMW has become a tangible entity. By falling outside the top 30 at Cog Hill, he forfeited tee times at the first three majors of 2010. Alas, currently 74th in the world ranking, Sneds needs to win to book a return trip to Augusta National. I won't go that far this week because he's failed to post a top 40 in his last three tournaments, but he could reclaim his comfort zone at Bay Hill, where he has three top 25s in as many starts.

Steve Elkington -- Snuck into the field when Fredrik Jacobson withdrew on Tuesday. Although he doesn't have a record worth citing in seven showings at Bay Hill, he has four top-25s in five events in 2010. That's heady stuff for a guy on Past Champion status. Sits a ridiculous sixth in putting and fourth in the all-around ranking.

Jamie Lovemark ... Pouncing on his opportunity on the Nationwide Tour, where he's seventh in earnings thanks to a pair of third-place paydays. He's a first-timer at Bay Hill and I'm not encouraging him for Yahoo! gamers; rather, this is just a peek-in for the keeper formats that are sizing up a plunge in a few months.

Danny Lee -- Silver-platter entree if he's eligible in your duffer league.

No Yahoo! group affiliation at post time: Michael Campbell -- See Danny Lee.

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