Fantasy Insider: More rankings for the Bob Hope Classic

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Unlike next week's Farmers Insurance Open, where Yahoo! gamers are already salivating at putting all of their eggs into the Torrey Pines North basket for the first two rounds, the spread of low numbers is less realized at this week's Bob Hope Classic, but it isn't entirely even across the board. Because single strokes can decide league championships, below is a breakdown of how each course scored in every round a year ago. Also note where each course ranked overall in relation to par over the last two years.

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BOB HOPE CLASSIC

Round 1 Tee Times
Inside the Field
Inside the Course
Power Rankings

Reminders:

• Due to nasty weather, there was no golf on Thursday last year. As a result, the tournament ended on Monday.

• Of the 13 scores of 75 and higher in the first round last year, eight were carded at Silver Rock, including the three highest (77, 77, 79). PGA West's Palmer Private and Nicklaus Private each saw a pair of 76s in the opening round, while La Quinta's highest score on Wednesday was a 75.

• With four courses in the rotation, the cut will be made after 72 holes.

Power Rankings Plus

11. Brendon de Jonge ... Coming off a 2010 during which he posted 11 top 25s in 32 starts, he chalked up his first of 2011 at the Sony Open (T2). Co-led the field at Waialae in greens in regulation, too. Ranked 17th on TOUR in greens hit last year.

12. Vaughn Taylor ... First start of the year. He's 4-for-4 at the Hope, with two top 10s. En route to last year's T10, had just five hole over par (four bogeys, one double).

13. Alex Prugh ... Seems to love the West Coast Swing and the state of California. Started his season with a T20 at the Sony Open, where he was T15 in greens. Placed fifth at last year's Hope, one of four on the year, all of which in the Golden State.

14. Kevin Na ... Like catching lightning in a bottle because he relies so much on his putting. Coming off a T20 at the Sony Open, and placed T8 at last year's Hope, easily his best effort in six appearances.

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15. Pat Perez ... The 2009 champ led the field that week in putting, and then tied for 26th in his title defense. Missed the cut at last week's Sony Open, but he was 42nd on the PGA TOUR last year in greens and 13th in birdie average. Like Na, Perez is worth bench consideration for Yahoo! gamers.

Power Rankings Distribution for Yahoo! (rank)

Group A ... Matt Kuchar (1), Steve Marino (4), Rory Sabbatini (8)

Group B ... Bill Haas (2), D.J. Trahan (3), Tim Clark (6), Bubba Watson (7), John Senden (9), Brendon de Jonge (11), Vaughn Taylor (12), Alex Prugh (13), Kevin Na (14), Pat Perez (15)

Group C ... Ryan Moore (5), Matt Bettencourt (10)

Dark Horse (Yahoo! Group)

Brian Gay (A) ... Closed out a T13 at Waialae with a bogey-free 64. Top 20s in each of the last two years at the Hope. In his last four rounds on the host course -- PGA West's Palmer Private -- he's 23-under 63-66-71-65=265.

Cameron Beckman (C) ... Tied for 20th at the Sony Open, where he led the field in putting, ranked T2 in birdies and T6 in greens in regulation. Has just one top 30 at the Hope in nine starts, and that occurred in 2002 (T3). (Three courses from that edition are not in play this week.) Since he's off to a solid start to 2011, he'd have cracked the Power Rankings Plus if he exhibited more consistency throughout his career.

Martin Laird (A) ... No top 50s in three appearances here, but he ended 2010 with three consecutive top-fives worldwide. This is his first start of 2011.

Jerry Kelly (C) ... Shared ninth place at the Sony, where he suffered just five bogeys (and nothing worse) all week. Has two top 10s in 13 appearances at this event.

Kevin Sutherland (C) ... Never sexy, but always steady. Needs just three more paydays for 300 in his career. Has cashed in 12 consecutive Hope appearances, including a T15 last year. Ranked second on TOUR in greens hit in 2010, which makes him a backdoor investment in case his putter gets hot.

Chris Kirk (B) ... Coming off rookie debut at the Sony, where he finished T30 and ranked T6 in greens hit. Led the Nationwide Tour in 2010 in scoring average, sat second in GIR and fourth in birdie average. First-time winners have claimed three of the last four editions of the Hope, although none were rookies.

Danger (Yahoo! Group)

Mike Weir (C) ... Third in all-time earnings at this event, thanks to one win (2003) and three other top-six finishes, including in each of the last two years. However, he's now 183rd in the world ranking and hasn't teed it up in an official event since the Wyndham Championship (due to a partially torn ligament in his right elbow). His lone appearance in the interim was at the Shark Shootout in December. He's a sucker play for your unknowing competition this week, even with Pete Bender now on his bag. The long-term plan is encouraging, however.

Mark Wilson (C) ... Congratulations if you were on board last week. Once the 36-hole finale was determined, you knew that it would be a crapshoot. He went bogey-free 8-under on Sunday, and dissected Waialae like a surgeon all week. This is his third appearance at the Bob Hope, where he hasn't contended. He's not a shootout kind of guy.

Joe Durant (C) ... Perennially among the leaders in greens in regulation, he would seem to thrive at this event. However, while he won it in 2001, he has just one other top 20 (T18, 2007) in 13 appearances.

Brian Davis (A) ... Always better long-term roster filler, he ranked 175th on TOUR last year in greens hit. Only top 25 in six starts here was in 2005 (T14), his first appearance.

Chad Collins (C) ... Just like last week when he appeared in this section despite some success at the Sony Open, continue to lay off. He tied for 10th here last year in his only appearance, but remains in a slump.

Medic! (Yahoo! Group)

Brandt Snedeker (C) ... Back in action following hip surgery (torn labrum) in the fall. Finished T10 at last year's Hope, so he'd love to match that result given that he'll also be shaking off the rust.

Ricky Barnes (A) ... Bulging disc forced him to withdraw from last week's Sony Open.

Stephen Ames (C) ... Reportedly fully recovered from the back injury that prevented him from defending his title at the Children's Miracle Network Classic in November. This is his first start since.

Harrison Frazar (C) ... First start since the Travelers Championship in June. Had season-ending hip surgery. On a Major Medical Extension for 2011, allowing him 11 starts.

Steve Jones (none) ... First event anywhere since August 2007. The 52-year-old had surgery for tennis elbow in 2008 and 2009.

Notable WDs (Yahoo! Group)

Chris Riley (B) ... Pulled out on Monday. I liked his chances, too.

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.