|
|
CHAMPIONSHIP
TICKETS AND HOSPITALITY
GENERAL INFORMATION
HOST COURSE
WORLD GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
VOLUNTEERS
| The Fantasy Insider: World Golf Championships-CA ChampionshipMar. 18, 2008It's a loaded field, it's a pretty course, and Tiger Woods is becoming must-see TV all by himself. Grab a comfortable seat and let's get Tangled Up in Blue as we hit the Doral stop. PGATOUR.com Pick 'em Let's keep moving up the leaderboard, and don't forget to wear red on Sunday. ![]() Lindquist/WireImage Tiger Woods has six wins at Doral.
WATCH THIS
Group 1 Pick: Tiger Woods It's not that I'm against the idea of picking away from Woods, I just can't do it at a track that he's owned like Doral. He's bagged three consecutive wins here, six out of nine starts, and he's never been lower than ninth. You simply can't ignore that sort of dominance, even if you're on a limited Tiger count. O'Hair would be my second choice from this pool -- he hasn't done much at Doral yet (54, 35), but he's swinging confidently and with no fear. Choi finished tied for sixth in his Doral debut in 2003 but he hasn't made a serious run since. This hasn't been Mickelson's favorite track (nothing better than 23rd), that's for sure. Leonard has finished 11th in two of his five starts here, but I wasn't crazy about how he closed at The Honda Classic. Group 2 Pick: Vijay Singh Singh looks like a solid play this week, ready to make amends for his one bad round at Arnie's place last week (Singh knew it was his tournament to win, but a messy Saturday took him out of the hunt). Vijay has the game for the Blue Monster, where the driving areas allow for aggressive play and iron precision is critical. He's come in third at Doral a couple of times, and he was 11th last year. Stricker is never a bad play and he's already in the midst of a solid year, but he doesn't have a lot of back experience here to fall back on (just one visit, 35th last season). With Cink, I worry a bit about an emotional hangover after the giveaway at the PODS Championship. Let's give him a week or two to get back on the horse. I like the crafty Imada in most spots, but it's his Blue Monster debut, so keep the expectations tempered. It's also the first visit for Holmes. Group 3 Pick: Ernie Els Welcome back, Big Easy. We missed you. His confidence is soaring after the victory at The Honda Classic, and Doral is a track that suits his eye (win in 2004, fifth in 2006, 11th last year). I'm sold, write it down in ink. Donald ran sixth here two years ago and he's got a couple of other solid finishes, so if you want to steer away from Els, there's your pick. Sabbatini hasn't cracked the top 20 in his three turns. Trahan hasn't done much this year since his early-season win, and this is his Doral debut. Chopra's also making his first visit to the grounds. Group 4 Pick: Robert Allenby Allenby has become a reliable choice in this spot, and he ran third at Doral last year. I'm not going to overthink it, especially given the inexperience of his poolmates. Snedeker and Mahan both have "breakout" written all over them, but they're never played in this event, so let's wait another week or two. Weekley is also making his debut at the Blue Monster. Appleby is never a bad punch -- he finished sixth at Doral in 2006 and third in 2003, and he's been solid most of this year. Group 5 Pick: Jim Furyk Furyk has won on the Doral track before, he was fourth two years back, and he's a little overdue for another trophy hoist. Let's get the straight-shooting Pennsylvanian into our lineup. Calc and Ames haven't contended here in recent years, and Austin is making his tournament debut. Howell's got some sleeper value as his game seems to suit what works here, but his Doral resume doesn't jump out at you (16, 59, 21). Group 6 Pick: Aaron Baddeley Badds probably should have taken care of Tiger Woods at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, and he's already cashed a couple of other decent checks this year. He's only been to Doral once but it was a sixth-place finish. It's easy to fall in love with that putting stroke, isn't it? Let's dial him up in this spot. Weir won the whole thing in 2000 but he hasn't contended since, and I haven't seen that confident gleam in his eye recently. Verplank and Cabrera have ordinary Doral resumes over six starts, and Byrd is making his first start here. If I had to pick away from Baddeley in this spot, I'd go with the affable Cabrera. Rest of the Field: Sergio Garcia's game fits Doral like a glove, with six finishes in the top seven since 1999. If he can get some confidence going on the green, he'll be playing late on Sunday again . . . Geoff Ogilvy is finally back in form and he ran third at Doral last year. Use him if you got him; I'm expecting something in the top 15 . . . It's been a thorny stop for Justin Rose, with nothing better than 28th over two trips . . . Paul Casey has a shot any week he tees it up, and he's grabbed two top-10 checks in four starts here . . . Perhaps Brett Wetterich can bust out this week, because he's found the Blue Monster to his liking: he was a solid second in 2007, and he finished tied for sixth in 2006 . . . I'm pulling for Arron Oberholser to get back in the mix, but he simply doesn't look healthy right now . . . I'll be curious to see if Richard Sterne can contend here despite a lack of course knowledge (it's his Doral debut). He's one of the best players in the world that you don't hear much about. | HEADLINES
HEADLINES
|