The key to Fantasy Golf is to successfully select a player during the tournaments that they finish best and avoid starting them during a weekend they don't do well. This weekend represents the fourth and final major as well as the final weekend before the FedEx Cup playoffs begin. It is time to capitalize by starting the golfers with the best potential value.
This is the first year of the FedEx Cup playoffs making the fantasy golf stretch run the most exciting it has ever been. Fantasy points become difficult to accumulate at the end of the Fantasy Golf season. One reason for this is because some owners use the popular golfers early and often to try to pile up points early in the year. If you've been patient and saved the best golfers to use during the final tournaments, you'll climb up the standings in your league during the stretch run.
A player who was declared active for at least one round of the tournament is eligible to score points. On any given weekend a fantasy owner is allowed to use any golfer who is entered, but a golfer can only be used for a total of 10 tournaments all season (37 tournaments are scored). My strategy from the start of the year was to save at least four starts from the PGA's best so that I could use them to score points in each of the four playoff tournaments. Out of the 11 events that Woods has entered, I've used him just five times. As tempting as is it to start Tiger every weekend, I have held my ground knowing the potential he could score during the final five events.
Another reason why it is important to save your best for last is because the best are expected to step up during the playoffs, thus improving their value. I've planned ahead and saved my starts on stud players like Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott. But because of how poorly both Mickelson and Scott have played this season I don't even want to use them.
Sure, Phil has earned enough FedEx Cup points to fall fourth in the standings, but his wrist injury has held him in check. Since winning THE PLAYERS Championship in mid-May, Mickelson has withdrawn, missed three straight cuts and finished +13 tied for 46th at the WGC last weekend. Adam Scott is 9th in FedEx Cup points, but his recent results aren't good. I'll choose someone other than Scott this weekend because in his last four events he's missed the cut twice and finished T27 and T36.
Other than Tiger, the players that I'm glad that I've saved starts for are Jim Furyk, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia -- especially with major implications riding on the next five weekends. I'm going to leave Furyk and Singh on the bench and go with Els and Garcia for this weekend. Singh has a good value having played in 21 events without missing the cut, but his worst performance of the season came last weekend (T56). And Furyk back prevented him from playing last weekend, which might not mean anything, but it's good enough for me to go with someone else.
Sergio Garcia comes into this weekend more focused than ever. On Sunday, Woods was the only player in the field who posted a better round than Garcia. His major meltdown experience and recent final round momentum could be enough to propel Garcia to his first win of the season and first major of his career. Ernie Els overcame a second round 77 this past weekend to finish with a final round 68 and a top 25 finish. Els, who is sitting at 26th on that FedEx Cup standings, needs to finish somewhere at the top this weekend. Els hasn't won a major in five years and will look to enter the playoffs on a high note.
Tiger is favored to defend his PGA Championship and should score some bonus points by either winning or finishing just off the lead. The thing to remember this weekend is to use your bench. Make sure to maximize your chance of scoring points this weekend by "activating" your bench golfers after Thursday's round is over so that they are eligible for bonus points even if you decide to switch back to your starters for the weekend rounds.
You've waited since January and now that the season is coming to an end, it is time for you take advantage of your patience and move up the standings.
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