Fantasy Insider: Analysis for The Honda Classic

text size

If you monitor fields for PGA TOUR events but aren't familiar with the reshuffle, you might have wondered what happened on Monday.

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

THE HONDA CLASSIC

Inside the Field
Inside the Course
Power Rankings
ShotLink stats
FedExCup update

At the conclusion of the West Coast Swing, the 56 golfers in Priority Ranking No. 24 were reshuffled; that is, reordered based on 2011 earnings. Because the field for The Honda Classic was published on Friday afternoon, and the reshuffle didn't apply until both events on Sunday had concluded, significant changes occurred to the published field.

A high number of PGA TOUR events close the window of entry somewhere inside this category. Sitting at (or near) the top after the first reshuffle, currently led by Gary Woodland, means that golfers in that vicinity can basically set their schedules for the remainder of the year. (This is especially accurate for Woodland, who has banked $675K, more than double that of Keegan Bradley in the 2-hole.)

Full-season fantasy leagues and salary games should modify values of guys in the category. I update it weekly. You can bookmark it here. As that page indicates, the next reshuffle will occur following the conclusion of the Shell Houston Open on March 3, but it won't impact the field at the Masters the following week. The remaining three reshuffles occur on the Sundays preceding the U.S. Open, PGA Championship and Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. While the field for the JT Shriners will be released before the final reshuffle occurs, it is unlikely to experience the kind of massive turnover we saw on Monday for the Honda.

Power Rankings Plus

11. Ernie Els ... Experience, previous success at PGA National and short game. The 2008 Honda champ is off to a relatively slow start, and he took five weeks off prior to a 1-1 record at the Match Play. He leads the PGA TOUR in greens in regulation but half of his rounds were at Kapalua, where he missed just eight all week on those super-sized surfaces. (He co-led the field in GIR at the Sony Open.)

12. Marc Leishman ... One of the game's most underrated in the wind. Ranks sixth in scrambling and T6 in bogey avoidance. Finished T17 here last year. Two top 25s in five events in 2011.

13. Lee Westwood ... Underwhelming start to the year, but the Florida Swing marks the first stop on the ramp to the Masters, so the hedge is to a tighter focus. Shared ninth place here last year, with just eight holes over par all week. One of the world's best tee to green.

14. Fredrik Jacobson ... You can't ignore his consecutive top-fives here since 2009, and he's been his usual consistent self this year, having posted a pair of top 25s in four starts. Ranks 27th on TOUR in greens hit, 66th in putting and T15 in bogey avoidance.

15. Edoardo Molinari ... First-timer at the Honda has cooled a bit since the conclusion of the 2010 season, missing two of three cuts on the European Tour's Gulf Swing but he's 16th in greens hit on his home circuit. Also 12th in sand saves. Got knocked out in the second round of the Match Play by eventual champion and Ryder Cup teammate, Luke Donald.

Play Fantasy Golf

PGATOUR.COM has everything you need to play -- and win -- in your fantasy league. Sign up Fantasy league help: Every player ranked for 2011 Fantasy primer for all formats

Power Rankings Distribution for Yahoo! (rank)

Group A ... Graeme McDowell (1); Luke Donald (4); Matt Kuchar (5); Brian Gay (7); Ernie Els (11); Marc Leishman (12); Lee Westwood (13);

Group B ... Vijay Singh (2); Robert Allenby (3); Y.E. Yang (6); Charl Schwartzel (10)

Group C ... Rory McIlroy (8); Jimmy Walker (9); Fredrik Jacobson (14); Edoardo Molinari (15)

Dark Horse (Yahoo! Group)

Johnson Wagner (C) ... It's been a while since we've observed the kind of bursting confidence he was exuding after clinching the Mayakoba Golf Classic in a playoff, telling Golf Channel that he feels like he can win every week. In his post-round presser, he added that he loves PGA National, but with nothing better than a T40 (in 2010) in four starts here, his spot in this category relies on a continuation of last week's form. To review, he carded just two bogeys all week at El Camaleon, ranked T4 in greens hit and seventh in putting.

Spencer Levin (B) ... Curious how he responds to losing in the playoff at the Mayakoba. He played brilliantly tee-to-cup all week and led the field in birdies. He also leads the PGA TOUR in birdies for the year and arrives on the heels of three consecutive six-figure paydays.

Charlie Wi (C) ... Had he started the year with something on which I could hang my hat, he'd have cracked the Power Rankings Plus, but zero top 35s in four paydays thus far is concerning. He gets the tip of my cap as a dark horse given his three top 15s at PGA National, including a pair of top 10s since 2009.

John Senden (B) ... Has cashed in all four starts at PGA National, but hasn't cracked a top 25. Coming off a T21 at Riviera, where ranked T4 in greens, hardly a surprise. Currently leads the TOUR in par-3 performance, which will come in handy in four trips through The Bear Trap.

Justin Leonard (B) ... After a terribly slow start in 2010, found some form en route to a T17 at PGA National. It was the first of three straight top 25s pre-Masters. Still a magnificent putter and scrambler. Moreover, when the wind blows, you always want to keep Texans on your short list.

Stephen Ames (C) ... When you're a fantasy gamer and you think Florida, he should spring to mind as an option. Three of his four PGA TOUR victories are in the state, and he posted a T17 in his only appearance at PGA National last year.

Ross Fisher (C) ... Including the Match Play, where he went 1-1, he's had nine top 20s in his last 12 starts. This more or less validates his relevance on the fringe of our world given his non-member status on the PGA TOUR. He owns the proper skill set for PGA National given that he can move it enough off the tee, strikes his irons consistently and can get up and down with the best of them. What he lacks in glitz, he more than makes for in reliability.

Danger (Yahoo! Group)

Camilo Villegas (B) ... Returned to action at the Match Play following a back injury that forced him to withdraw from the Waste Management Phoenix Open three weeks prior and promptly lost in the first round. It was just his second payday in five starts to go with a forgettable T44 at the Farmers. There's nothing to support him contending this week, much less successfully defending his 2010 title.

Rickie Fowler (B) ... Too wild off the tee thus far this year, ranking 184th in fairways hit. That will be a problem this week if he keeps it up. He's also 114th in greens. However, to be fair, he's 14th in adjusted scoring average and first in birdies or better on par 3s. Missed the cut last year in his only appearance. Bottom line, a smart pass.

Jhonattan Vegas (C) ... Continues to prove that even the sky isn't a limit -- I'm shaking my head that he can still finish T7 in birdies at the Mayakoba despite ranking T70 in greens hit -- but I'm reserving judgment as the TOUR migrates east. There is always some churn at this time of year, especially as it relates positively to those living in Florida, the move to Bermuda greens and the deepening of fields. Meanwhile, the Venezuelan is running away with the Rookie of the Year award. To monitor all 35 first-time members, please click here.

Adam Scott (C) ... Beware the gaudy numbers -- sixth on TOUR in fairways, second in greens, ninth in birdie average. He's logged just six rounds so those aren't official rankings. And he's now wielding a long putter. Let him figure it out alone.

Chad Campbell (B) ... Forever a fantasy enigma, he enters having missed four consecutive cuts for the first time in his career.

Joe Durant (C) ... Didn't do much to convince us that he's not battling some kind of challenge -- physical, personal or otherwise -- after missing the cut by four in Mexico, where he was the solo leader after each of the first three rounds last year. (He had withdrawn with one hole to play in his second round at Riviera and just below the cut line.)

Mike Weir (C) ... With a purse of $5.7 million, he needs no worse than a four-way T4 or solo fifth in his final start via a Major Medical Extension to retain his status in the MME category for the remainder of the year. However, he's 1-for-4 with a T77 in 2011. (For all medicals, please click here.)

Medic! (Yahoo! Group)

Jamie Lovemark (C) ... Returns from a two-week layoff to rest his ailing back.

Jeff Klauk (C) ... Sidelined since missing the cut at the Bob Hope. According to his Twitter page on Feb. 2, "Spent the last 2.5 days at the Mayo Clinic trying to figure out why I'm having these complex partial seizures." He finished fourth here in 2009, but allow him to dust off the rust before reinvesting.

Ryuji Imada (B) ... Back in play after blowing up and then withdrawing from the Northern Trust Open (15-over through 35 holes when play was suspended on Friday that week). Also withdrew early from the Mayakoba.

Alex Cejka (C) ... Don't know why he called it quits after 29 holes at the Northern Trust, but his fantasy owners have come to expect it. He's gone only one season since his rookie year of 2003 without at least one withdrawal.

Notable WDs (Yahoo! Group)

Justin Rose (B) ... Pulled out on Monday, and then wrote the following on Twitter: "Just WD'd from Honda Classic. Still not feeling great. Actually in Doctors waiting room. Lost 7 lbs this wk. Gonna try re boot!" He's in the field for next week's World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship. For all qualifiers in the WGCs, majors and THE PLAYERS, please click here.

J.B. Holmes (C) ... He was a late entry after the field was published, and then withdrew on Monday morning. This is the final week for qualifying for next week's stop at Doral. The top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking following the Honda gain entry, as do the top 10 in FedExCup Points. Holmes is currently 56th and 20th, respectively, on those lists.

Ben Crane (B) ... For the second straight year, he withdrew on Tuesday from this event. Look for him at Doral next week.

Stewart Cink (C) ... Withdrew on Tuesday. Did not qualify for the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship.

Ben Martin (C) ... He's withdrawn early from his last two commitments, including the Honda. Something to monitor moving forward.