Matt Kuchar has been incredibly steady this year
Language carries emotion. While the author can try to take control of that emotion by carefully scripting their words, ultimately the reader’s experiences will have the final say on what kind of emotion they perceive. Words like sick and bad can carry both positive and negative connotation. Even when no emotion is intended, a reader can still insert their own emotion into the words, causing frustration or anger when the writer intended neither. On the flip side, there are those writers who insert an excessive number of exclamation points and words in ALL CAPS into their writing. They do not want you to miss the importance of what they are saying, or for you to perceive them as anything other than VERY EXCITED. So, every time you mention THE PLAYERS Championship, make sure you shout the words “THE PLAYERS”, just to make sure everyone understands your tone.
Tournament: THE PLAYERS Championship
Date: May 12th to the 15th
Location: TPC at Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Defending Champion: Tim Clard (-16)
About the course: Sometimes referred to as “The Fifth Major”, THE PLAYERS Championship consistently draws an elite field of players to play. While some of that has to do with the notoriety that comes with winning such a big event, having a 9.5 million dollar purse, the largest on the PGA in 2011, probably doesn’t hurt either. As with all TPC courses, the one at Sawgrass is designed for optimal viewing pleasure. Nowhere is that more obvious than on the Par 3 17th, where seating is arranged all around the hole as players shoot for an island (yes, the green is actually part of a peninsula, but island sounds better) located on the opposite side of a pond from the tee box. While the task of landing the ball on a small patch of land is daunting, the most difficult hole on the course is the 18th, where for every three players who shot a birdie there in 2010, there were 13 who shot a bogie or worse.
Golfers to watch: While Tiger Woods has not played particularly bad at this event, the only time he won the event was in 2001. And while he has looked less than immortal this year, he has two top 10 finishes out of the four stroke play events he’s entered. Without the pressure of high expectations, look for Tiger to come through with another good performance. Matt Kuchar continues to play well, not having placed outside the top 35 all year and with six finishes in the top 10. It’s hard not to include him on your fantasy golf roster. Steve Stricker has looked good all year, with the fourth best scoring average on the tour. He has yet to miss a cut all year and is unlikely to blow it this week. Deemed a member of the “New Breed”, Charl Schwartzel is coming off his first victory in his first year on the tour. But don’t let that fool you, as he has played on the European Tour for seven years and has won seven titles. Plus, American’s have only won this tournament three of the last nine years, so why not bet on the South African? Ben Crane finished fourth at this event last year, shooting three rounds under 70. Look for his consistency, putting 69% of his tee shots on the fairway and hitting 70% of the greens in regulation, to carry him to Sunday. Sergio Garcia won this event in 2008 and would have finished in the top 25 last year had he not shot plus six on Sunday. He hasn’t missed a cut this year and is worth considering as a sleeper. Finally, J.B. Holmes continues to appear on the C-list on Yahoo, despite leading the PGA in driving distance and averaging the 8th most birdies per round. As long as he’s available, may as well run with him in your fantasy golf line-up.