By Brett Avery Take her, she’s yours. Down toward the bottom of the In The Field list for this week’s John Deere Classic, seven spots from dead last. Right between David Gossett and Scott Gump. That’s this week’s big question: Take Michelle Wie, or take a pass. The Fantasy Insider is solidly in the “take” column in his head-to-head Pacific Tour League and Salary Cap Cup. Heck, if the insomnia kicks in the wrong way in the next few nights he might head-butt someone off the rotisserie Expert League lineup and take her there, too. Now, judging by the mailbag and the screamers on the League Championship Fantasy message board, there are plenty of people who think TFI is nuts for some of his selections. But hear him out, because the way TFI sees it this is the last time this season anyone in contention in LCF can make an out-of-the-mainstream selection and not be hurt too badly. And Wie has the potential for being a world-class selection. There are four weeks left in H2H before the playoffs and six weeks in rotisserie before we all head off for a long summer’s nap. [Of course, we’ll still play Salary Cap Cup because we’re too many weeks away from hockey training camps, but that’s another story.] As TFI noted last week, this stretch is brutal for fantasy game players: majors, World Golf Championship events, a pair of double-tournament weeks. It’s worse than the thumb pain of channel surfing on a football Sunday. So this week’s John Deere Classic is the last breather, a chance for roster housecleaning for the stretch drive. It’s also one of those weeks when it’s the rare roster that has six competing players, so you’re going to have to do something to fill those blank spots. Wie. Really. TFI has seen a decent amount of her play during the past year. He was on hand last summer when she made it through a few rounds of match play at the U.S. Amateur Public Links. He strolled 36 holes with her two months ago for U.S. Open sectional qualifying, when the only thing keeping her from Winged Foot Golf Club was her putter. Hey, TFI was offered a inside-the-ropes armband at this week’s John Deere, too, but a prior commitment keeps him in a singular city, not a Quad one. And he hated to turn down the assignment because he’s got the sneaking suspicion that this week will be special. Now, not to brag, but TFI has seen his share of players in development. Once upon a time -- in the dark ages, kids, when we had to get up off the sofa to flip the channel knob on the television -- he covered amateurs and colleges for a weekly golf magazine. He saw a few decent players through the wonder years of their careers. Perhaps you’ve heard of a few of them: Mickelson, Sorenstam, Woods. TFI isn’t about to stand on the soapbox and equate Wie’s presence with the importance of finding a cure for cancer. But he is going to tell you that she’s ready to take that next step and make the cut in the PGA TOUR event. And TFI’s got that sneaking suspicion that when she finally does make a cut it’s not going to be some tie for 47th. No, once she finally figures out the putting -- like she did at this year’s U.S. Women’s Open -- she’s going to kick butt. You thought there was pressure on the guys in the Bank of America Colonial a few years ago when Annika Sorenstam dipped her toe in the TOUR? Back then the locker-room ribbing was insufferable, with guys fearful that if they finished behind her they’d have to drop trou while they walked to the forward tees. You haven’t seen anything. Imagine Wie not only making the cut but standing three or four shots out of the lead Sunday morning. You think Phil Mickelson or Tiger Woods have the crowd behind them when they’re in contention? They’ll look like the local TV weather talking head at a supermarket grand opening compared to the gallery she’ll draw if she gets close to the lead. Sorenstam making the cut and picking up a check for a mid-field finish? Hey, these guys told themselves, she’s the best woman player in the field. And the key word there for male professionals is: woman. For the guys who will tee it up at the John Deere Classic -- and the guys who will be watching at home should Wie get close during the weekend -- their greatest fears can be summed up in seven words: Losing. Your. Card. Losing. To. A. Girl. It’s enough to make a sports psychologist drop to her or his knees and thank their lucky stars for all the billable hours they’ll rack up during the next few years. So, big spender, TFI is suggesting you scroll to the bottom of that In The Field list and plug one of those blank spots in your lineup. And while you’re at it, drop $75,000 of your Salary Cap Cup payroll on her, too. She might just bomb out this weekend and head back to the cliché of clichés, the distaff side of the game. But if she comes through -- and TFI thinks that moment is here -- you’ll be glad years from now that you can say you had her in the lineup way back when. Now on to This Week’s Brilliant Question: “Oh Captain, my Captain... “I am at a crossroads, and I need to tap into your wisdom. After starting the H2H season a dismal 1-4 I’ve gone 16-4 to clinch my division. I figure this is the perfect time to ignore weekly success and start preparing my playoff roster for the PGA Championship and the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. “My current roster consists of two groups of players: Foundation and Spare Parts. My Foundation has remained pretty constant and I've been swapping spare parts to fill out my weekly lineup when necessary. “My foundation is Vijay Singh, Scott Verplank, Stewart Cink, Carl Pettersson, Stephen Ames, Camilo Villegas and Dean Wilson. (OK, Wilson’s not normally Foundation material but I had some outstanding weeks because of his putting early in the season and I can’t bear to drop him.) My Spare Parts are Sean O’Hair, Jason Bohn and Ian Poulter. “I’ve got five players in the top 50 in the Official World Ranking but I’m not sure how many have qualified for the PGA or the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone. Are those preliminary lists available yet? “With players like Justin Rose, Justin Leonard, Kirk Triplett, Darren Clarke, Miguel Jiminez, Lee Westwood and Brad Faxon currently available in my league I have plenty of options. More might come up as other teams make (potentially difficult) week-to-week decisions to make the playoffs. I’m thinking it might be time to let Wilson go, and I’m finding it tough to anticipate how Villegas might fare in the playoff touraments (if he even qualifies). Poulter is considered "world class" but what about O’Hair and Bohn? Are they reliable enough to keep or should I jump at a more experienced Leonard or Triplett? --Kevin, The Aces An excellent question! As TFI has been saying for more than a month, unless you’re out of contention in either format there’s work to be done each week to juggle the lineup. And this time of year there’s only one goal: pick the hottest players. Consistency works during much of the season but the playoffs can be a breeze if you get the guys who absolutely kill the field those two weeks. Depth doesn’t matter as much in the playoffs. Well, OK, it does, because you want to choose from 10 players competing in each event. But if TFI had his druthers he’d take seven or eight hot players over 10 so-so ones. So he’d center his energies the next few weeks on sniffing out guys who are picking up steam. Make a list of up to 20 available players you’d consider adding to the roster -- guys who are eligible for both tournaments -- and rank them going into next week’s British Open Championship. Each week compare those guys to your roster and make changes you believe offer the best combination of strength and hotness (a word TFI typically doesn’t use, but he’s obviously been browsing the covers in the bookstore’s magazine section way too much). Add “hot” players as your watch list and drop cooling players as needed. Wilson? He might be shaky enough that you cast him off now, although that waiting-list status may dictate keeping him for a week or two to see if he clears into the field. And gains momentum. Face it: What he accomplished early in the year helped you clinch a playoff spot. You, like a soccer coach, may need a late-game substitution to bring home the league trophy. Because you were asking, the PGA Championship field is available here. Seven of your guys are in, Dean Wilson is the No. 6 alternate and Pettersson and Villegas aren’t in. The Bridgestone field boils down to both teams from the 2005 Presidents Cup, the 2004 and 2006 Ryder Cup, the top 50 and ties in the World Ranking after The INTERNATIONAL and PGA (two separate lists), tournament winners of Federation Tours events with a strength of field rating of 115+ points and winners of the 2006 Japan Golf Tour Championship, Volvo Masters of Asia and South African Tour Championship and 2005 Australian PGA. Three players TFI might pick up/trade for to get onto his roster this week: •Jeff Sluman. A lot of people have jumped into the Sluman parade this week: His numbers went from 19 percent of leagues last week to 41 percent through early Tuesday afternoon. That berth in the Open Championship (he takes the spot David Toms opened with his injury withdrawal) helps but so does his obvious class against this week’s field. Plus he’s in that PGA field as a past champion. • Hunter Mahan. Should still enjoy some of that afterglow of the tie for second at the Buick Championship a few weeks ago, his first top 10 since last year’s John Deere. Not flashy when it comes to stats (eighth in total driving, 37th all-around) and he’s had his struggles but should see a bump this week on familiar territory. • Robert Gamez. A tie for 18th and another for 21st in his last four starts and you never noticed, did you? Those five straight missed cuts in February and March stunted his season and he’s needing to catch a few big checks to get within the top 125. The John Deere has brought some decent dough with three top 20s in his last four starts, including a runner-up finish to J.P. Hayes in 2002. One players TFI might waive/drop/trade away to get off his roster this week: • John Daly. Have you dropped him yet? That tie for 71st at Cog Hill G&CC during last week’s Cialis Western Open hasn’t convinced you to keep him around, has it? Free up the roster spot, already, and get someone with life in there. Rotisserie results for Expert League at Cialis Western Open: 61.0 points (second). One-putts 155 (first), birdies 74 (third), bouncebacks 15 (first), 300+ drives 17 (tied third), fairways 173 (fourth), greens 227 (fourth), money $944,349 (first!), scoring 70.4 (tied fourth), scrambles 81 (second), eagles 1 (tied fourth). Overall: 53.5 (fourth). Another strong week pushes TFI closer to the top three. Rotisserie lineup for John Deere Classic: Ben Crane, Steve Flesch, Joe Ogilvie, Heath Slocum, Jeff Sluman, Camilo Villegas. Not competing: Sergio Garcia, Trevor Immelman, Geoff Ogilvy, Bo Van Pelt. Roster moves: Dropped Brian Gay, added Jeff Sluman; dropped Brett Quigley (and it breaks TFI’s heart to drop a guy with that first name), added Heath Slocum. H2H results for Pacific Tour League at Cialis Western Open: rawson brothers 228, TFI 169. Driving: Chad Campbell 22, Fredrik Jacobson 30. Short game: K.J. Choi 38, Carl Pettersson 53. Putting: Ryuji Imada 0 (not competing), Richard S. Johnson 26. Tough to beat an opponent with the tournament winner (Trevor Immelman, 65 driving points) and two guys just a point or two short of 50 each. H2H lineup for John Deere Classic: culver_08 (8-17) vs. TFI (14-10-1). Driving: Richard S. Johnson, Michelle Wie. Short game: Fredrik Jacobson, Carl Pettersson (neither competing). Putting: Chad Campbell (not competing), Ryuji Imada. Still in second and 1.5 games ahead of the third-place Greenside Shockers. Like many people, TFI needs this one. Badly. Salary Cap Cup results for Cialis Western Open: The main lineup of Tiger Woods ($440,000, tied second), Fredrik Jacobson ($10,350, tied 65th), Shigeki Maruyama ($0, missed cut), Peter Lonard ($9,700, tied 71st) and Ryan Moore ($11,500, tied 54th) earned $471,550 and placed 12,485th. Through Week 27 it totals $5,047,283 and ranks 120th. Still good but not good enough. The “Hey, buddy” backup lineup of Jim Furyk ($181,250, tied fourth), Joe Ogilvie ($66,087, tied 42nd; includes $50,000 bonus as round leader), Stuart Appleby ($105,000, tied 12th), Stewart Cink ($181,250, tied fourth) and Hunter Mahan ($0, missed cut) earned $533,587 and placed 9,073rd. Through Week 27 it totals $1,512,274 and ranks 21,153rd. This lineup could use one budget buster week. Isn’t there a rule that people way down the rankings can submit a $1.8-million roster? You sure they can’t? Really? Check again. TFI will wait. Week 27 winner: Eye I Captain $2,083,750. Segment Three leader: slingers $6,664,397. Salary Cap Cup lineup for John Deere Classic: Main lineup, Zach Johnson $296,750, Sean O’Hair 287,000, Jeff Sluman $264,500, Robert Damron $75,000, Michelle Wie $75,000. Total: $998,000. “Hey, buddy” backup lineup, Billy Mayfair $283,750, Bo Van Pelt $280,500, Heath Slocum $222,000, Daisuke Maruyama $131,000, Steve Gutschewski $82,250. Total $999,500. Have a question or comment for TFI? Send it to him at brettavery@aol.com. Please remember to include your team and league names and whether you’re playing a rotisserie or H2H league. |
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