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The Fantasy Insider: Welcome to the new guy
 
Dec. 15, 2007
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By Scott Pianowski
The Fantasy Insider

Writing a self-bio isn't my favorite thing to do, far from it. But before we start the dance we're going to have for the next 10 months, it makes sense to offer up an introduction.

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My name is Scott Pianowski and if you play Fantasy Golf, I'm your new best friend. In a perfect world I'm going to help you, entertain you, engage you, and pass some time with you as we share a love of golf and the games that go along with it. Any combination of those goals met is good with me.

I've been writing about sports, fantasy and otherwise, for 20 years. I'm certainly not right all the time, but I should be accurate enough to be useful to anyone who wants to be successful at Fantasy Golf.

In no particular order, I'm offering up a random list of things about me that you may (or may not) care to know. This is the first and last time I'll be the focus of this column; the focus shifts squarely to the courses and players starting with the Mercedes in a couple of weeks. I'll also throw some thoughts on the 2008 player pool at the bottom of this column.

And away we go . . .

• I was born in the late 60s, went to college in the 80s, discovered fantasy golf in the 90s. I've never shot in the 70s.

• I live in Michigan, about 15 minutes from the 2004 Ryder Cup. Sometimes it seems our golf season is about 57 days, but we make the best of it.

• Favorite Golf Writers: Dan Jenkins, Doug Ferguson, Bruce Berlet, Paul Kenyon, Harvey Penick, Jaime Diaz, David Ferris, Charles M. Schultz, John Feinstein. I was into Rick Reilly in the 1980s, grew out of it.

• Johnny Miller is the best TV analyst who's ever called the sport, and I'm a big fan of how NBC handles a big event.

• They tell me my first word out of the crib was "Dad." Second word: "Calcutta."

• I've seen Caddyshack about 30 times, like everyone else (favorite line: "Lou raised the price of Coke -- he's been losing at the track.") I always wanted the swing of Danny Noonan, but I probably fall more in the Tony D'Annunzio camp.

• I'm good out of the sand and I putt like a Faxon. On the rest of the course, you're on your own, partner.

• I'm in awe of Tiger Woods, like the rest of us, but it's more fun when he's challenged or beaten. I realize this doesn't happen all that often.

• My first housing situation out of college pretty much disintegrated because of too much video golf. That was many years ago and we settled out of court.

• Some view Rory Sabbatini as loose-cannon, a wild card. I think we need more like him.

• I'd rather to go Myrtle Beach than Palm Beach, every time.

• One of my oldest friends has a dad who looks just like Andy Bean (and calls him that). I feel you need to know these things.

• Because I spent an extended period of my life in Rhode Island, I root for Brad Faxon and Billy Andrade. Two very solid, likeable guys.

• Best Golf Tip I Have: Know who you are, what you're good at and not good at.

• I'm always in a better mood when Freddie Couples is playing well.

• I'm ready to hit when it's my turn.

• Something tells me Don Johnson wasn't really acting in "Tin Cup." Still, for me, he steals the movie.

• I still remember every shot from the one-over 36 I shot 18 years ago. Ah, easy municipal courses.

• I wreck my sleep habits for the British Open, like all of us should.

• I think q-school is one of the most under-reported great stories in sports.

• Back in high school we had a "36-hole minimum" for any round, and we'd walk it too. Folly of youth.

• I'm probably too liberal handing out gimmes.

• When in doubt I trust my 7-iron.

• Runaways tend to bore me. Give me as many lead changes on Sunday as possible.

• Take Dead Aim.

Fantasy Stock Market
Here's a first look at the current marketplace as I start to put my 2008 plans into place. No matter what games you're playing and what level of competition you're aiming at, I trust there's something here for you to consider. The evaluation process never really ends in the fantasy golf world; I'll be back in this space weekly to help you set your lineups and make your selections.

BUY
Chris DiMarco He's got a good excuse for the way things fell apart in August -- his left shoulder was killing him. Surgery and rehab should get DiMarco back in the swing of thing fairly soon, and it's always amazing to me how often fantasy owners don't want to cut a break to a player coming off an injury -- it's like the room takes the injury personally. So long as you're not bidding against a roomful of Gators, I'll sign off on your DiMarco interest.
Ernie Els Sometimes elite players need a taste of disappointment and so-so results to get the fires burning again. Els was a little erratic on the greens in 2007, and he changed equipment a few times, but we also saw glimpses of the star player here and there (including a pair of top-fives in majors). Most of all, I love the price you can get on Els these days, and my gut tells me he's 50-50 to bag another major this year.
Vijay Singh That had to be an imposter we saw in the FedExCup Playoffs, not one of the best ball strikers in recent memory. Singh at least got his groove back in October, taking down a pedestrian field at the Kolon-Hana Korean Open, and I wonder if part of the fall slump was tied to a nagging elbow injury. A comeback year looks imminent. Maybe he just needs to practice a little more.
SELL
Woody Austin The heart roots for him, but the head knows that career years in the 40s don't repeat very often. Austin had never seen the top-10 at a major before last year's surprise run at the PGA. He'll be facing more media and public demands this year than ever before.
Steve Stricker No one did more damage on moving day last year -- Stricker led the TOUR in third round scoring average. Closing wasn't always his thing, however -- his rank for Sunday scoring was a mediocre T-37, and there were plenty of near-misses before Stricker closed the deal at The Barclays. At the end of the day, I think this is a pretty good player, not an elite guy, and I'm not going to cut a heavy check for him at the fantasy table.
Retief Goosen A few years ago I wondered if this guy ever hit a wayward iron shot. The last few seasons, it's been much the opposite; The Goose has sprayed the ball all over the yard and he didn't even quality for the full playoff schedule last fall. I'm ready to put Goosen in the JAG file ("just a guy") until he shows me he's got his swing back. Maybe he's never overcome the collapse at Pinehurst back in 2005?
HOLD
Hunter Mahan He was just trying to make a few cuts back in June, but things came together over the electric four months that followed (a win at the Travelers; 11 checks in 12 events, including five Top 10s and nine Top 20s). Jack Nicklaus was paying attention, using a captain's selection to get Mahan on the Presidents Cup team. It was never really a case of "if" with a talent like Mahan, but "when" -- I fully expect him to be a star for the next couple of decades.
Aaron Baddeley His U.S. Open collapse would have topped a player with less confidence, but I was very impressed with the way Bads handled himself through the Playoff events. He's on the very short list of "next elite player" -- and for fantasy purposes you'd rather guess a year early than a year late.
K.J. Choi I always felt he had a solid game around the green, but I give major props to Choi for being willing to tinker with things in the playoffs, switching to a different grip and draining putts from all over. It's a confident player who's not afraid to make adjustments even in the midst of a successful run (don't forget he bagged $4.5 million last year), and I think Choi will keep more of that haul than most expect for 2008.
SLEEPERS
I'm not going to take the easy way out and suggest "easy" sleepers here -- my goal is to come up with names you were prepared to discard or look past.
Cameron Beckman You poke through his 2007 stats and something doesn't quite add up. Beckman led the tour in ball striking (sixth in total driving, fourth in GIR), which should have been enough to offset a mediocre putting year (90th). He teed it up plenty, getting to 29 events. So how do we explain a 149 finish in FedExCup points, and the 112th spot on the money list? I know Beckman's lost his card before and I don't have delusions on him being a star on the big stage, but there's a set-up for a fantasy profit here. He played better in 2007 than the results suggest, and he's got enough ability to re-establish himself as a touring pro. Get him on your last-round (or minimum bid) sleeper list.
Matthew Goggin He didn't play that poorly down the stretch, making 11-of-14 cuts including a T5 at Turning Stone. Goggin has already proven he can hit the ball well enough to make it on the PGA Tour; if he starts to figure things out on the green (where he was a mess the last two seasons, honestly), we'll have a fantasy sleeper on our hands.

Agree? Disagree? Want me for your Scramble next month? Drop me a line at feedback@pgatourhq.com