Fantasy Insider: Travelers Championship

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Thanks to those of you that emailed your kind words about finding U.S. Open champ, Graeme McDowell, in my Power Rankings for the major. Moving forward, because we must, the Irishman was already eligible for the British Open and PGA Championship, so his fantasy value remains unchanged for now.

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He has 60 days to accept PGA TOUR membership, which he had in 2006. If he passes, a second window opens for 30 days at the conclusion of the season. (He accepted Special Temporary Membership once qualified last year.)

Even if he eschews full-time membership for 2011, he gets four more years to consider joining, since the U.S. Open victory rewards a five-year exemption.

With the Yahoo! Summer Segment beginning this week, please look for a special preview on Wednesday. The Travelers' breakdown below will take care of the short-term, but I'll cover the remainder of the FedExCup season separately.

MORE: Rookie Watch | Medical Extensions | Reshuffle | Major qualifiers

TOP PICKS: See Power Rankings for Bill Haas, Bryce Molder, Ryan Moore, Scott Verplank and Bubba Watson.

Kenny Perry -- The absence of counterarguments in my email in-box suggesting that the defending champion should have appeared in my Power Rankings speaks volumes, if not the truth. First, Perry got blistering hot with his putter here a year ago. He led the field in birdies (25) and shot bogey-free bookend rounds of 61 and 63. For the week, he was T3 in greens in regulation and sixth in putting, a potent combo. Now, while he entered having made his last seven cuts and thereby shedding his early-season rust, he still hasn't posted a top 15 since the 28-man SBS Championship. He has a sublime record here, with top 15s in seven of his last eight starts, but I'm holding my breath after a week like he had with his putter en route to victory. Finally, and this is just to nip your emails in the bud (and seemingly contradict myself), if you're going to plug Perry in anywhere, this is a good spot. Just temper your expectations.

Martin Laird -- I continue to find this guy to be moderately underrated even though he has one PGA TOUR victory. His weakness is putting, but he's 10th on TOUR in greens hit. In his third season, he's still finding his way and getting accustomed to the rotation of host courses, but he's a trusty long-term own. There are better fits this week, however.

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TOP PICKS: See Power Rankings for Stewart Cink, Hunter Mahan and Bo Van Pelt.

Jeff Overton -- Sometimes, with all of our focus on a major, we'll forget about guys that were tearing it up beforehand. Overton is one of those guys. In his last three starts, he has two top fives and a T12. And that doesn't count the runner-up finish in New Orleans that probably laid the groundwork for this run. As a result, he's a lock to post his best career finish at TPC River Highlands, but that won't be too difficult, seeing as a T54 in 2007 is the hurdle. Based on recent form, he deserves a spot on the bench for Yahoo! gamers.

Retief Goosen -- First appearance in this event. Probably added it when he had to take two months off due to his broken toe. He should like the track, but he's not among the list of automatics for shootouts.

Padraig Harrington -- Curious start considering this is just his second trip (T54, 2007), but like Goosen, is likely limbering up for the British after time off. Harrington didn't play the Memorial due to knee surgery, but this will be his third straight start since. Statistically, he's a nightmare for the requirements of TPC River Highlands, so continue to let him go it alone.

Ben Curtis -- Crazy record here that will sneak up on you. He's 5-for-5 with four top 25s. That includes a pair of T4s, including last year when he swallowed just two bogeys (nothing worse). Led the field in greens hit, missing just seven all week. In 2008, he led the field in putting. Finished T14 at Pebble Beach on Sunday.

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TOP PICKS: See Power Rankings for Justin Rose and Brandt Snedeker.

Tim Petrovic -- Since there is a contingent of readers that want all golfers connected to a specific region covered when the TOUR visits that area, I'm compelled to address your interest. Jerry Kelly, Billy Andrade, Brad Faxon, Brad Adamonis et al. Some deserve notice (see J.J. Henry below), most do not. Like Kelly (and Patrick Sheehan, who is not in the field), Petrovic is a University of Hartford product, but in 14 career starts at this event, he has zero top 30s. That changes this week. Since 2002, he has missed the cut in his start before this event all but one time (2005: 66th, WGC-NEC Invitational). As I've written before, he's a fantasy dream in that he gets hot and stays hot. Going back to the Valero Texas Open, he has three top 15s, including two top-six paydays. So, his association with the host community is merely a coincidence as he returns to his old haunts.

J.J. Henry -- This is a home game for the Connecticut native. His only PGA TOUR victory came here in 2006. He's cashed in his last seven trips overall. Although he enters this week having missed his last two cuts, and without a top 30 since Quail Hollow (T7), the Travelers is what the doctor ordered. Expect a rebound.

Boo Weekley -- Every week, there are two or three guys that are the last to get cut from my top 10. Weekley is one of those for this event. The reason he got the axe is because of his putting, but that could be the excuse every time out. He finished T14 here last year, and he's been really impressive considering he rehabbed his torn labrum. This is a comfort-zone selection.

Ricky Barnes -- Superb story that continues, but I'm cool this week. He's 100th in ball-striking, and his putting outside 10 feet is very average. Meanwhile, inside that range, he's one of the best on TOUR, which is really saying something for a guy that had fits with his putter in recent years.

Rickie Fowler -- This could be a special week. He's fifth in ball-striking and eighth in putting from 15-20 feet. Coming off (another) runner-up finish (Memorial) and has rested for two weeks. Rookies have burned me in the Power Rankings this year, which explain why you didn't see Fowler listed on Monday.

Woody Austin -- The oxymoron "reliable flier" comes to mind. The 2004 champ has missed the cut here the last two years. Last year's MC (by two strokes) included a triple-bogey on a par 3. He's second on TOUR in putting from 10-15 feet, and this is precisely the kind of layout that caters to his game. And he enters on the coattails of a T15 in Memphis, but the 46-year-old has been too inconsistent for me to endorse this week.

Henrik Bjornstad -- No, I'm not suddenly enamored with Norway's best male golfer; rather, he caught my fader's eye with a Twitter entry on Monday: "Leaving for Hartford today. Haven't been able to straighten my right arm after a range session on Saturday, but hopefully it's gone by Thurs." There are always three schools of thought with injured golfers, so let's review: 1. Playing in pain is what most guys do anyway, in some form. ... 2. Debilitating injuries, such as the inability to straighten one's arm, will not heal sooner than later if put through the competitive ringer, and will almost always result in poor performance. ... 3. Soreness through which golfers think they can play often translates into the "beware of the injured golfer" mantra. This is a fine line, but these guys go in with nothing to lose. They won't risk long-term injury -- Tiger Woods notwithstanding -- so they are often underrated if we know about an ailment. To wit, Robert Allenby entered the U.S. Open "40 percent" and placed T29 after a 74-74-73-74=295.

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.