Fantasy Insider: PGA Championship

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This was one of those weeks that I wish the Power Rankings weren't numbered 1-10. Or, as a compromise, I would have settled for 10 T2s, because there is no favorite at Whistling Straits. Sure, betting lines will tell you there is, but the dynamic of financial risk for those houses require it, particularly in the sport in which Tiger Woods competes.

With Woods down and Lee Westwood out, Nos. 1 and 3 in the Official World Golf Ranking are non-factors this week, but this is healthy for the sport and fantasy formats. A clearing of the redwoods, if only temporary, allows the ground flowers room to bloom.

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TOP PICKS: See Power Rankings for Phil Mickelson and Steve Stricker.

Tiger Woods -- Led the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational field in bogeys (22) and doubles (3). Finished T79 in fairways hit and T77 in greens. He said it best early in the week that he doesn't have to play well despite his record at Firestone. If your duffer league requires you to burn a start on the (technical) world's No. 1, here's your chance. He won't find his game along Lake Michigan.

Vijay Singh -- The cachet is just about gone after back and knee injuries that have derailed his momentum. Comes in having cashed in seven straight, and his memories of the 2004 PGA are better than anyone's, but a repeat performance would be shocking. Overvalued this week.

Ernie Els -- Faded to a T22 at Firestone with a Sunday 76 that included a triple bogey, but I loved what I saw before that. He leads the PGA TOUR in scoring average, buoyed by an impeccable greenside game. If you're low on starts for Mickelson and/or saving Stricker for the Playoffs, give The Big Easy a look.

Luke Donald -- Although he's still tops on the PGA TOUR in sand saves, scrambling and putting inside five feet, this is a good week to rest the Englishman. Whistling Straits will put more pressure on his long irons than most of his peers.

Jason Day -- He was a question mark as recent as this weekend to even tee it up due to a severe sinus infection. However, he then dealt with a delayed flight on Monday, which was compounded by the fact that he sat in the last row of a small jet. Given that determination to make the trip, don't write him off entirely.

Steve Marino -- First start since the British. He withdrew late from The Greenbrier Classic due to back spasms. Make the note just in case you were considering him in the Yahoo! game.

TOP PICKS: See Power Rankings for Jim Furyk, Retief Goosen, Padraig Harrington, Dustin Johnson, Hunter Mahan, Rory McIlroy and Jeff Overton.

Bo Van Pelt -- Chants of "BVP!" would be replaced by shouts of "MVP!" if he strides up to the 72nd green with a PGA victory locked up. He deserved to be in the Power Rankings just as much as the guys listed, so don't get the idea that I'm sour. With six top-10s this season, including three third-place finishes (including at Firestone, where he ranked T2 in putting and birdies), the 35-year-old is having a career year in his prime, finally busting through his glass ceiling.

Sean O'Hair -- Here's another guy that could/should have been featured in the Power Rankings. His solo fifth at Firestone was his sixth top-12 finish in eight starts. He finished third in fairways hit and second in greens in Akron, swallowing just six bogeys (and nothing worse). In 19 career starts in majors, he's cashed 17 times, including all five in the PGA. He has just two top-10s of those 17 paydays, but he's still just 28 years of age and on his way up. The only thing that could be an issue -- and it's a biggie -- is his propensity to waste strokes on the greens.

Adam Scott -- The Aussie is creating a slight groundswell in the fantasy game. He's coming off a T9 at Firestone, and finished T9 at Whistling Straits in 2004. It's one of just four top-10s in 38 starts in the majors. His barometer is putting. He finished a solid T17 in greens hit, yet still ranked a terrific T13 in putting at Firestone. (Anytime a golfer sits inside the top 20 of both stats in a single tournament, you know he's on form.) This might be the week he finally breaks through.

Y.E. Yang -- Has done wonderfully representing the Wanamaker Trophy, but he's shown signs of burn-out. And he's still learning his role as a major champion. Pass.

Camilo Villegas -- So hard to predict how the lawsuit involving Cobra and Acushnet v. TaylorMade-adidas will affect the Colombian, but there is some precedent to this kind of issue affecting a world-class pro, at least in the short-term. David Duval took it hard when Acushnet sued Nike in January 2001, but wound up winning the British that summer. Villegas hasn't done anything lately to capture our attention for 72 holes, so let this story blow over before reinvesting.

Sergio Garcia -- He hasn't had a top - in a stroke-play event anywhere since the season-ending Dubai World Championship on the European Tour in November. Now comes his announcement that he's taking two months off following the PGA, with the plan to resume competition in Spain on Oct. 21-24. Given the news, don't expect him to care much while eyeing five-footers for par.

TOP PICKS: See Power Rankings for Matt Kuchar.

Paul Casey -- Arrives after a T22 at Firestone, where he ranked outside the top 60 in fairways, greens and putting. If that's not grinding it out... He gets by with a stout long-iron game and a bucketful of moxie. Ranks 12th in the all-around on the PGA TOUR. Put him on your short list.

Martin Kaymer -- Having a steady summer, with six top-25s in seven starts since the U.S. Open. Finished T22 at Firestone. His injured foot is a thing of the past. Much better total driver and putter than for which he's recognized, making him a sneaky pick this week.

Justin Rose -- Nice to see him close out a T19 at Firestone with a 67. Fantasy gamers: don't buy anything from Rose until Sunday, even with two victories in the last two months. But that exercise is all but unnecessary now. His short game catches my attention, and there isn't anything on which I can lean to deflect your interest in the Brit. Group C is a brawny bunch this week.

Louis Oosthuizen -- Wasn't he supposed to disappear after his seven-stroke romp at St. Andrews? All he's done since is finish T4 in a top-heavy field in Stockholm and T9 in the meaty, 81-man skirmish in Akron, where he closed with a bogey-free 65 of all things. He ranked T3 in greens and T2 in birdies at Firestone, but also an impressive eighth in driving distance. Oh, and he wasn't benefited by a weather-aided draw. Perhaps he's the favorite this week.

Rob Bolton is PGATOUR.COM's fantasy columnist. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the PGA TOUR. To contact Rob, please e-mail him at FantasyInsider@charter.net.