Shari's picks for the Buick Open... will they propel her to the top?

Finally, I get to let the Tiger out of the tank! Yes, Tiger Woods is playing this week, defending his title at the Buick Open. Look for this to be the classic battle between Phil Mickleson and Tiger Woods.

The weather is perfect, no rain for the 3 weeks, in the mid 60's and no fog, either. That should make both courses fast, firm and fun.

The South Course has been "toughened", getting ready for the US Open in 2008. Length is the big draw on the South Course. With the dry conditions, I look for the big boys to let the air out as often as possible. Don't ya know I'll be rooting for both Tiger Woods and Chad Campbell to pull out the big sticks.

So, who else is on my team and why?

Little known stat: Kevin Sutherland has never missed the cut at Torrey Pines, and has four Top 10 finishes in 10 starts. Yes, I'll be playing him this week.

Carl Pettersson is an eagle hunting Swede who's been playing very well, especially at the end of the week. He also finished second here in 2003.

Of course I've got Billy Mayfair playing. "Mr Birdie" is an eagle waiting to land, and the greens at Torrey Pines are very Mayfair friendly.

The last guy on my team is Ben Crane. While he's off to a bit of a slow start, he has made 13 consecutive cuts going back to 2005. In my book, playing on the week-end gets me points. Besides that, he's an Oregonian. We don't have many of those guys in the PGA.

Here's my lineup and where I'm looking for points.

Tiger Woods, drives over 300 yds, Successful Scrambles, One Putts, Birdies, Scoring Average, Money with a very strong assist in all the other categories. After all, he was ranked #1 in the all-around.

Chad Campbell, drives over 300 yds, putting (his putter is smoking), and all around help. Chad's confidence is at an all-time high right now, and that alone will carry him forward.

Billy Mayfair, short game assistance including birdies and eagles. When he's made the cut at the Chrysler Classic, he's also made the cut at the Buick, so I fully expect Billy to be playing on the weekend.

Carl Pettersson should provide support points. If he has some breakout rounds, he could be most valuable in the par breakers... scoring birdies and eagles at opportune times. He may be my "bounce back" points man.

Kevin Sutherland loves Torrey Pines. He's a Californian, and even though he's playing way south of his home, the good weather should bring out the best in him. I look for points in driving accuracy, as well as support all around.

Ben Crane is a rookie in this event. I selected him for his tenacity. He's not missed a cut in a long time. I expect all around support from him on the weekend. Should his putter get hot, he could land some big points.

Let the Buick Open begin, under sunny skies!

The Bob Hope Chrysler Classic was AWESOME!

Thanks to Chad Campbell, I'm in the hunt for league leadership... just 3.5 points back of the leader.

Last week's team came through nicely with 5 of my 6 players still playing on Sunday. Only Sean O'Hair failed to make the cut.

Looking at the weekly (period) standings, I won that hands down.

I'm finally figuring out this "points" thingy... We play for a total of 80 points each week. There are 8 teams and 10 different stats, 1 put, Birdie, 300yd Drives, Fairways Hit, Greens Hit, Bounce Back, Successful Scrambles, Eagles, Money, and Scoring Average.

While it would be nice to lead in all the categories, I just don't see that happening. And that... is where the fun begins.

At the Chrysler Classic, my team led in only one category, Fairways Hit. I scored the full 8 points for my team of 6 hitting 270 fairways over 5 rounds of golf. Fairways hit applies only to par 4 and par 5 holes. At the Chrysler Classic, the players played 5 rounds over 4 different courses. My guys averaged 9 fairways hit per round.
Generally there are 12 to 14 available fairways per round.

My team came in second, scoring 7 points, in Greens Hit, Money, Scoring Average, and Successful Scrambles.

They garnered third place in one putt, birdie, and eagle stats.

Now, I don't consider long driving to be THE most important statistic. It shows as my guys came in 4th in that category. This next week that will change a bit as Fred Funk is not playing, and Tiger Woods is playing his first tournament of the year.

The lowest stat for my team is bounce back. I think I like that. You see, bounce back is a stat that tracks how well you've done after a bogey. I'd rather my guys not have bogeys.

So, here are the standings... overall, I'm in second with 64.5 points. The leader has 68 points. Look for that to change this week.

More to come as I reveal my picks for the Buick Open.

My Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Team

This week, I've chosen guys I believe will last through the week-end. Was in the enviable position this week of having 9 of them 10 total players actually registered to play in the desert.

I'm going with Sean O'Hair, Ben Crane, Carl Pettersson, Chad Campbell, Fred Funk, and Billy Mayfair.

O'Hair says he actually likes playing with the amateurs in the Pro-Am. It relaxes him and he can play more easily.

While Ben didn't do well in Hawaii, his putting should improve dramatically on the desert greens. Also, there shouldn't be nearly as much wind.

Pettersson is off to a good start and I look for him to continue.

Campbell should give me more long drives this week. I look for the wind to be down and his accuracy to be superb.

Funk, well... mr consistency will never bring me big numbers, but in a supporting role, I can usually count on him to be there on Sunday.

With 90 holes, Mayfair has a lot of extra chances to make birdies this week.

So, there's my team for the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Let's see if I move up in the league standing this week.

Last week... the Sony Open...

Good learning curve...

I learned that it's best when all six of your guys make the cut. For me, there were four on the weekend, including Chad Campbell.

I managed to come in third in my league, but looking at the stats... the guys who had more players left after the cut were the winners. The guy who had David Toms on his team only had three players after the cut and he landed below me in the stats.

Now... how to figure out who'll make the cut in the desert.

Wow, I'm sure glad that week didn't count...

Oye! My guys didn't fare so well in the Mercedes... good thing the real rotisserie league hasn't started yet.

Ok, I've done a little "fine tuning" to my team. Ted, sorry dude. You're not playing in the Sony Open, and I've got to fill a team. Doing due diligence on the stats leads me to replace you with Heath Slocum.

While I'm at it, I see that Kevin Sutherland is available and his 2005 stats lead me to believe he's more valuable than Bob Tway.

As far as the Salary Cap... well, let's just say it's a good thing everyone got paid. I'm somewhere near the bottom of the pile in that one.

Sergio was my "Pick-a-Pro" and he didn't win, so no points there either.

All in all, week one was a learning experience.

Mercedes Championship Tournament... after 36 holes

Question: Who's winning, the golfers or the course?

Have you been following this tournament? There are 28 tournament champions playing, and believe me, about 18 of them are feeling just a little lost right now.

When you look at the leaderboard, there's something very obvious... those who have played there before, or who have played lots of tournaments in very difficult conditions have an obvious edge.

My "Pick-A-Pro" selection, Sergio Garcia is a former winner of the Mercedes. He's on the leaderboard... only a couple of strokes down.

The rest of my guys... well, let's just say they're gaining a lot of experience.

Everyone gets paid this week. With no cut, the salary cap competition will be tough for me to win. I chose to go with the guys on my regular rotisserie tournament. That was more so I could get the hang of tracking stats, than to go in for a quick win. It's a long season, and one tournament with 28 guys most likely won't affect the outcome.

While I was watching the live coverage, I was totally impressed with the utter patience of all the players. I didn't get to watch Carl Pettersson today, as he was having a terrible round, but from what I heard, trying to putt (using the long putter) was really giving him fits.

The tradewinds blew for a second day. Today, they were gusting to over 40 mph. You could see the balls wobbling on the green as players were getting ready to put. Now, that's a serious wind. The beautiful 18th hole which has yielded many eagles in the past, gave up very few birdies even, today. The wind just wouldn't let many players reach the green in two.

Would you believe I heard the tradwinds are forecasted to blow for the rest of the tournament? Kapalua is playing as it was designed, with the tradewinds rather than the more friendly Kona winds.

Watch for scoring to look more like US Open or British Open. The champion will be lucky to be double digots under par, and it wouldn't surprise me to see this go to extra holes again this year.

Appleby has to continue as the odds-on favorite, but I wouldn't write of the top 8 players after 36 holes. That would be Campbell, Furyk, Toms, Singh, Garcia, Browne, Bohn, Bryant, and Short.

I get a sneak peek this week...

With several of my team playing in the Mercedes Championship Tournament this week, I'll get a sneak peek at their readiness.

I've decided to join the PGATour Salary Cap Fantasy League too. That way I can look at things from a slightly different perspective.

Will I always play the same guys as I have on my roto team? Maybe yes, maybe no. It all depends upon the needs of my teams.

I've also decided to try out this new "pick a pro" thing. My first week pick is Sergio Garcia.

You can only select one pro, and if I understand it correctly, I can't play him again for the rest of the season in this game... talk about a roulette wheel!

Oh well...

My salary cap players this week are Fred Funk, Ben Crane, Sean O'Hair, Ted Purdy and Carl Petterson. They're all on my roto team, so this should be fun.

Bob Estes rounds out my PGA Tour Fantasy Golf team

With my 10th pick, I chose Bob Estes. Quite frankly, I was surprised he was still available.

Bob is a good journeyman rotisserie pick, as he makes a high percentage of cuts. Playing all four days with average stats is a lot better than no stat to show in my book.

I'll be sure to play him in the FedEx St Jude's Tournament as he seems to favor that course, having won once and then collected another top ten finish last year.

Bob does the Aloha swing, however, he will be my first alternate for the Sony Open.

Bob Tway, one of my solid veteran players

I chose Bob Tway as my 9th overall pick for his hard working attitude. While he hasn't won in a couple of years, he does post stats which are rotisserie friendly.

He currently ranks 69th on the moneylist, so is able to contribute to the money earners stat. He also has a decent cuts made ranking 18 of 24 for 69.20% on the year.

He doesn't do the Aloha swing so won't be placing him on my active team until late January or early February.

I look for Bob Tway to contribute moderate stats to the game, not shining in any particular area.

Carl Petterson, a dark horse on my team

There are those who would say I'm nuts for selecting Carl Petterson. On paper he's no more than an average tour player, making the cut in just a little over half his starts (58.2%).

One thing I noticed over the last two years, he plays much better after it warms up. In 2004 he didn't miss a cut after the middle of June, and in 2005, he made the cut in in his last 8 tournaments. He finished that run with a win, a tie for second, a tie for fourth, and an 11th.

In 2004, he was kind of the same way. You can bet I'll be playing him more as the season warms up. Until then, he may be sitting on the fantasy bench.

Carl was my 7th of 10 picks for my fantasy team.

Ted Purdy, a real schedule warrior..

Ted Purdy played in 34 tournaments last year, making the cut in 28 of them. This bodes well for rotisserie leagues as you can only gain points when you're playing.

I believe Ted is now coming into his prime, having been a pro now for 10 years. Last year was his best year, winning the Byron Nelson and playing in his first ever Tour Championship where he finished where he finished tied for 17th.

When I look at his history and see he's really not played in the PGA that long, I've got to put some money on him. His stats show great promise.

One thing I'll be watching and researching is how he handles poor weather. If memory serves me right, the majority of his missed cuts were in tournaments with weather delays.

Billy Mayfair, my choice for true team player

Billy Mayfair doesn't win very many tournaments, but when it comes to rotisserie league players, his stats are impressive.

He has a high birdie/bogey ratio. That means he can get the job done.

He doesn't hit a long ball, but when it comes to getting the ball on the green, he was 10th in the league last year.

He also plays in a high number of tournaments and maintains a high cuts made % of 87.10%.

Watch for me to play him in a lot of tournaments, as he brings all around talent to my team.

I chose him as my 6th pick on my 10 man team.

Chad Campbell, another golfer who fits well on my team

I chose Chad Campbell as my #5 pick. The strength I'm looking for with Chad is his "GIR" where he ranked 20th last year.

His driving average of 294 yards could bring points also.

I know I'll be rooting for him on every par 3... he was 2nd last year in par 3 scoring making birdie on better then one out of every six par 3 holes.

The really good news is that he's pretty consistent, with a nice positive birdie/bogey ratio, and a high cuts made % of 81.5% (22 of 27 tournaments).

Chad will definitely bring depth to my team.

Ben Crane, the hottest "putter" on the tour

Ben Crane was my #4 pick. I wanted him specifically for his putting, but got a bonus as he also hit nearly 25% of his drives over 300 yards.

A couple of things I'll have to keep an eye on... he only played in 22 tournaments last year. Sure hope he commits to a few more this year.

If it's possible, I'll play him when Tiger isn't playing. He's a very good scrambler having a par breaker % second (on my team) to Tiger.

Fred Funk, the guy I figure to be my "secret weapon"

I selected Fred Funk with my third pick.

I watched him carefully over the last quarter of the 2005 season, and something has come together for him. Winning the Players Championship has rounded not only his game, but his new-found winning attitude.

Did you see what he did during the "silly season"? That was reason enough for me to select him, even when the 2005 stats didn't look as strong as you'd think.

Sean O'Hair, my "young buck" of the bunch

I chose Sean O'Hair with my second pick. This young man is polished, has a win under his belt, and the drive and determination to do very well on the tour. I don't personally believe he'll be the least bit affected by a "sophomore slump".

As he is only a second year PGA player, he carried a very low selection rank, easily overlooked by the other team owners.

Here's why I like him on my team. He's one of the longest drivers on tour. He also made a very high percentage of cuts (82.8%). He is also ranked as my second best ball striker (Tiger's #1 on my team). I expect Sean will play a fairly heavy schedule, having made 29 starts last year. His birdie/bogie ratio is 1.36 meaning he makes more birdies than bogies, and that's always good.

He finished his rookie year ranked #38 on the money list and was named "Rookie of the Year". I expect him to rank well within the top 30 this year.

Tiger Woods, everyone's #1 pick... and he's now on my team

Yeah, Tiger Woods was my #1 pick on my draft sheet. But I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd actually get that pick.

You see, he brings a special set of stats that may or may not lend themselves to being the "franchise" player.

Here's why you need to really pay attention to everyone else.

1. He doesn't play that many tournaments. In 2005, he only played in 22 tournaments. The PGATour Fantasy Golf season is 31 tournaments long. That means I'll have to keep a close eye on Tiger's schedule. He's already announced he's playing in the Dubai tournament, so will reduce his PGA schedule by still one more game. This is also a Ryder Cup year, so he'll be otherwise occupied that week.

2. Tiger is ranked #1 in "Birdie/Bogey" and "Par Breaker %" stats. That means he finds a way to win, no matter what kind of day he's having. Unfortunately, there are 10 different stats, some of which he doesn't rank very well.

PGATour Fantasy Golf rewards you in a total of 10 different stats; Drives 300+ yards, Fairways Hit, Greens Hit, Successful Scrambles, One Putts, Scoring Average, Total Eagles (includes Double Eagles), Total Birdies, Bounce Back, Money Earned.

Now, Tiger is a wonderful driver, but I'm not sure I can count on him week in and week out to produce a high percentage of drives over 300 yards. Great news! I just peeked at the "official rules" and here's how Driving Distance is selected and measured. They'll select 2 holes per round and measure all drives, no matter where they land.

Fairways hit is where Tiger tends to fall down a bit. I'll have to be careful to pair him up with one of my more accurate drivers, like Fred Funk. As an overall ball striker, Tiger ranked #9.

When it comes to the short game statistics... Tiger is ranked #17, and even in Putting stats he's only ranked #13.

What makes him really special though are these categories... Successful Scrambles, Scoring Average, Total Eagles, Total Birdies, Bounce Back and Money Earned.

And for those reasons, he's the most coveted player around. Lucky for me, he's on my team and for 21 tournaments or so, you can bet I'll be playing him.

Journey to the team of my dreams...

I've been playing the Yahoo version of Fantasy Golf for several years, and finally finished in the top 10,000 this year. To me, that was pretty good... not awesome, but pretty darn good.

When PGATour.com came out with the opportunity to play league fantasy golf as well as a few variations, well... I just couldn't resist.

The last couple of weeks I've been familiarizing myself with some of the abbreviations, and learning my way around the site. Remember... I'm a rank rookie, and have no coach.

My first task was to choose a name for my team. Now, I don't know much about picking team names, but I do know a little about picking domain names, especially when you're looking for great indexing.

For years, I've owned 123Go4Success.com and it got great indexing. Here's a tip I learned from one of my own copywriting coaches... it's not alphanumeric... it's numericalpha. So, why not use the 123Go3SuccessGolf name?

So, after spending many hours reading, clicking on links, thinking about how to do all this, I was finally able to customize my "draft list". I was still a little clueless going into this process, but soon began to feel somewhat comfortable.

The first unknown for me was the draft order. With 8 teams, I could be first last or anywhere in between. I got lucky with the team name, as the draft order (announced as random) was numericalpha.

I had chosen Tiger Woods as #1 not really believing I'd get him. In fact, I was actually aiming more for spot 5 through 8 and had loaded my sheet accordingly. Interestingly, I got Sean O'Hair on my second pick.

Spot #3, where I was again picking first, I got Fred Funk, and then Chad Campbell in the #4 spot. Five through 10 were just as rewarding... Billy Mayfair, Ted Purdy, Carl Petterson, Bob Tway and Bob Estes round out my full team.

To see exactly why I chose these players, stick with me as I write about each one individually. You see, I took the time to completely customize the first 80 slots on my draft list, once I figured out that each team would choose one player in turn,

Ok, on to my personal analysis of each player and why I put them on my draft sheet.

Come with me as I explore the wonderful world of Fantasy Golf

This is gonna be fun!

I've signed up as the only woman on the first-ever, real PGATour Fantasy Golf League. Oh... and in the automatic draft (we were allowed to customize our lists), I got Tiger Woods as my #1 pick.

Follow along this year as I find out whether Tiger's a blessing or a burden.

I've got a team of 10 guys and get to play 6 each week. This whole thing follows similar strategies of other fantasy leagues. Stats are a really big deal. As a rookie to fantasy leagues in general, watch as I struggle to make heads or tails out of the stats board, and then to make the correct decisions for my "playing team".

Can I rise to the top of this 8 team league? Or will I be an embarrassment to the women in this sport. One woman in an 8 man league, and I've got the team of my dreams.