The Fantasy Insider: PGA Championship

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Calm your nerves and get on some comfortable shoes -- the test at Hazeltine National Golf Club this week measures a whopping 7,674 yards. Distance off the tee is obviously a key to taming this beast, but don't overlook scrambling ability -- getting up and down consistently is a must if you're going to contend here.

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Last Week: Normally it's a good week when you put three players in the top 10 (Hunter Mahan, Lee Westwood, Steve Stricker), but the decision to skip a Tiger turn at Firestone (I know, I know) proved costly. A mediocre 124-point haul pushed us down to the 95th percentile on the year.

Fantasy Game Basics: We're picking eight players every week from three separate pools: two players from the A-List, four players from the B-List, and two players from the C-List. From round to round, you'll "start" four of those players (one of your A players, two from B, one from C), making daily changes as you see fit.

If your guys play well that day or for the week, you score well. The eight players you pick at the beginning of the week are the only ones you can use and switch up during a particular tournament; the next week, you'll re-evaluate and refresh your group of eight.

You're allowed to use any player up to 10 starts for the year, and anything from 1-4 rounds in a given event counts as a single "start." As always, choose carefully, and have a long-term plan in addition to your short-term goals.

A-List Selections

TIGER WOODS (Round 1 starter): It's not about handicapping when we discuss Woods every week, it's a matter of starts management. Obviously he's the overwhelming favorite for any number of reasons. He's coming off back-to-back victories, and he has five wins on the year. He finished second to Rich Beem the last time Hazeltine hosted a major in 2002. He has the distance, the eye around the green, the guts to make difficult putts. If you choose to skip Woods in this spot, you're gambling that the depth of this loaded field can perhaps keep him out of the top five. Hey, he hasn't won a major this year -- he's not unbeatable. But I didn't have Woods on the card last week, and you might say I'm a little leery about resting the best player in the world on this big a stage -- especially when he's rounding into peak form. KENNY PERRY: If he can bag a major here, he could quickly enter the Player of the Year race; Perry already has two victories and has missed just one cut all season. You expect Perry to drive the ball well (fourth in total driving) and wear out the greens (fourth in GIR), and he's also a respectable 38th in scrambling. OTHER A-LIST OPTIONS: Geoff Ogilvy's length and touch always calls out to me during the big events, but he's only been in serious contention for two of the last 11 majors, and his last strong showing came at the 2008 U.S. Open. That's not an embarrassing record by any means, but it's enough to get him off my sheet for the week. Ogilvy didn't qualify for the PGA Championship when we last visited Hazeltine in 2002. ... Robert Allenby has five top-20s at this major over the decade, and his game is rounding into form nicely off a tie for second last week at the Bridgestone Invitational. The bottom line is well known with Allenby; he's one of the sweetest ball strikers around (he's eighth in that stat this year), but we don't know about the putting (he's 196th in putts per round). ... Jim Furyk's steady temperament fits the challenge of a major, though the distance of Hazeltine might be an issue this week. He's not entering the tournament with any momentum, though -- a surprising T51 last week at the Bridgestone Invitational -- and it's been a stunning 48 starts since he last won a tournament. ... We've come to expect Phil Mickelson to go deep in just about every major, especially the ones held Stateside -- he has six top-20s and four-top 10s in his last seven major starts in addition to his three major wins earlier in the decade. But we also saw rust, understandably, in Lefty's game last week, and it's impossible to make a strong prediction as to how ready he is for the challenge here. He wasn't a factor during the last Hazeltine dance, tying for 34th back in 2002. ... Camilo Villegas keeps rolling along with 12 consecutive checks, but it has been five months since he finished inside the top 10. Three stats that particularly concern me with Villegas over this track: He's 129th in driving accuracy, 122nd in putting average and 114th in scrambling. ... Stewart Cink's win at the British Open came a little out of nowhere (sorry Tom), but he backed that up nicely with a tie for sixth at the Bridgestone Invitational last week. Cink's performance in this major has been ordinary over the last six years (MC, T32, T24, T28, T17, MC), though he did tie for 10th at Hazeltine in 2002. The sum of Cink's stat profile doesn't point to him this week, but you can never discount a name player who comes in confident. ... Sergio Garcia tends to play well at this time of the year; he tied for 10th at Hazeltine in 2002, and he's had three other finishes of third or better at the PGA Championship over his last 10 starts. I'd feel better about Garcia if his 2009 record showed a little more bite; while he's made 9 of 12 cuts, he doesn't have a lot of notable finishes other than a tie for 10th at the U.S. Open. Is it possible to want a major victory too much? ... Padraig Harrington finally got his game in order last week with a tie for second at the Bridgestone Invitational, though he has to be frustrated with how things came unraveled late in the final round. Paddy's scrambling game was in fine form for most of the week at Firestone (he led the field in that stat last week), and that gives him some much-needed confidence headed into Hazeltine.

B-List Selections

STEVE STRICKER (Round 1 starter): Simply put, this is a must-pick if you have the starts available. Stricker's play on and around the greens is stellar (he's fifth in putting average, first in scrambling), and he's going to hit plenty of greens (23rd in GIR). With eight top-10s and two wins already this year, we know Stricker expects to contend any week he tees it up. He's the type of player the Minnesota crowds will root for from Day 1, and a player this good has to win a major sometime. LEE WESTWOOD (Round 1 starter): He's collected four consecutive top-10 checks all over the world, and the stage of a major doesn't faze him (T3 at the British Open, and a sole third at the U.S. Open last year). Normally, you worry a little bit about Westwood's game around the greens, but he's showing lots of confidence there in recent weeks. I don't see how you can buck his recent form. DAVID TOMS: This has always been his best major, and we're not just talking about the win in 2001; Toms has missed just one PGA Championship cut this decade, and he's bagged five top-20s in all over that stretch. The length of Hazeltine isn't an ideal fit for Toms, but he's capable of making things happen with his straight ball (first in tee accuracy), reliable irons (ninth in GIR) and creativity around the greens (16th in scrambling). HUNTER MAHAN: His best game seems to come out in the majors, with an impressive six top-20 finishes over the last 11 starts. The stat sheet will always support a Mahan play: He's sixth in ball striking, 17th in GIR and 37th in putting average. OTHER B-LIST OPTIONS: Zach Johnson is having a great season overall, and obviously he's already broken through in a major (2007 Masters), but it's been an uphill climb of late in the big events (T47, MC, MC so far in the biggies this year). Johnson is one of the shorter hitters in the field, and you'd like to see some improvement in his scrambling rank (81st). ... Rory McIlroy is usually one of the hardest calls of the week given his lack of experience, but he hasn't wilted on the bigger stages all year, giving us three respectable showings in the majors (T20, T10, T47). I'd feel more confident in the long-bombing kid had he not struggled at Firestone last week (T68). ... It's been two months since Brian Gay showed his best foot, and he didn't have a thing going at the Bridgestone Invitational last week (75-74-76-79). Throw in a long course that doesn't play to his strengths, and I can't use Gay in this spot. ... Nick Watney has slowed down a bit after a fast start, but we know he can handle the distance at Hazeltine, and he's shown improvement in the majors this year (19, MC, T27). I think he's ready to make a weekend run at one of these things. ... Graeme McDowell has very quietly landed in the top 20 in five of the last six majors, and I'd probably be dialing him up here had he shown a little more at the Bridgestone Invitational (no rounds inside of 70, T45). He's a straight driver and a gutty putter, two traits that could take him a long way this week.

C-List Selections

IAN POULTER (Round 1 starter): I feel like I'm chasing Poulter a little bit but darn it, I know this guy has what it takes to win on the biggest stages. Poulter cashed a solid T15 check at the Bridgestone Invitational last week, and his eye around the greens (second in scrambling, seventh in putts per round) perfectly match with what's needed here. ROSS FISHER: He didn't make a charge at Firestone last week, but you can't ignore what Fisher has done in the earlier majors this season (T30, T5, T13). He's currently ranked fourth on the European Tour's Order of Merit, the length of Hazeltine won't bother him and he's a dynamite iron player. OTHER C-LIST OPTIONS: Normally, you'll see a Luke Donald endorsement in this space, but the typical setup you see at a PGA Championship or U.S. Open doesn't fit his game -- he's got a much better chance breaking through at the other two majors. I hate to throw the No. 2 putter off my sheet for the week, but Donald's driving (183rd distance, 126th accuracy) and iron play (95th GIR) have me concerned. ... Henrik Stenson's no stranger to big wins (2009 PLAYERS Championship, 2007 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship) and he's closing in on a major title as well, with a sterling record over the last two years (T13, 9, T38, T4, T3, cut, T17). If you want to give Stenson the call over either of my two primary picks, I'm not going to argue with you. ... Retief Goosen is another strong option, a two-time major winner who bombs the ball off the tee and has the guts of a burglar off the tee. He also comes in with seven consecutive made cuts, with two top-fives and nothing outside the top 30. ... Scott Verplank has struggled a bit in his last two starts (MC, T51), and the distance of Hazeltine isn't going to increase his winning chances. He has made two deep runs at the PGA Championship over the years (T9 in 2007, T7 in 2001), but in his other 13 starts at this event, he failed to crack the top 30. ... If you're looking for a hunch play, why not Ben Crane? He tied for sixth at the Buick Open after a few off weeks. He quietly stands 16th in all-around rank, and he's 39th in both putting and scrambling.