Temperature turns up for Segment Three

May 30, 2006

By Brett Avery
The Fantasy Insider
PGATOUR.COM Contributor

Funny how needing to turn pages on the calendar catches us by surprise.

It’s no secret when a month ends: The numbers are as plain as those on your golf scorecard. And yet we’re a little flummoxed from time to time by another month's evaporation.

Perhaps it's realizing that it was a pretty sweet stretch while it lasted and we’re not sure if and when it will be reprised.

Then again, we could lament that we didn’t take advantage of its opportunities.

So some of us will kiss May a sweet goodbye.

Others will tear that page off the wall, rip it into bitsy pieces, burn them and then stomp on the ashes.

Don’t look now, girls and boys, but this week we have a bonus page to take off the calendar: Segment Two of Salary Cap Cup ended with the FedEx St. Jude Classic. So it’s time to shed light on Segment Three.

There are 14 weeks in the new segment. It covers 16 tournaments -- the season’s second and third double-header weeks are waiting to bedevil us. Appropriately enough it’s known as the Summer Slam Segment, from this week’s Memorial Tournament to the Deutsche Bank Championship’s conclusion during Labor Day Weekend.

Throw in the last three major championships of the year and this is a barnburner of a stretch in more ways than one.

The Fantasy Insider makes no secret that he loves the summer, from the sizzling sand at the beach to the fruits and veggies ready to roll into the produce section.

The Mother Of The Fantasy Insider? Different story. Heat’s her foe. Add to that the fact that right now she’s lamenting the ice-cold Buffalo Sabres teetering near elimination from the playoffs and you get the idea that this summer could be especially uncomfortable.

Which got TFI to thinking: In addition to ripping May off the calendar and flipping the page on Segment Two, there’s another item on the to-do list.

No, it doesn’t involve taking his white wardrobe out of storage. He's got too much khaki on hangers for his own good.

It's time to make that climactic adjustment in the selection philosophy.

Just as there are players who revel in the West Coast conditions and guys who swoon for the Florida swing, there are players who aren’t turned into puddles by torrid temperatures. And with a high temperature of forecast for 92 degrees Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio, where the Memorial is played, and 85 for Wednesday it’s easy to see that a glance at the long-range forecast should be part of your weekly research.

The rest of the week in Columbus has highs in the 70s with a few days bearing a potential for showers. So this week, if the outlook holds, the players will get only a hint of what’s to come in the next few months.

Now, if you’ll excuse TFI he’s going to beg your forgiveness and take advantage of the Memorial Day conditions to sit on the porch during the sunset hour. He’s going to enjoy the last moments of the long weekend.

You know, before turning the page on a new workweek.

One player TFI might pick up/trade for to get onto his roster this week:

Zach Johnson stands 21st on the PGA TOUR money list. (Greenwood/WireImage)

• Zach Johnson. A solid run at the St. Jude landed his third top-10 finish this season and a closing 68 improves a fourth-round scoring average (71.89, ranked 102nd) still skewed by an awful 79 at THE PLAYERS Championship. That high-profile black eye and back-to-back cuts he missed at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans (73-71) and Wachovia Championship (74-73) have kept him just under the radar.

One player TFI might waive/drop/trade away to get off his roster this week:

• John Daly. Credit for this goes to a weekend email from Rosaticrew after this guy withdrew from the FedEx St. Jude Classic. “I believe it’s the second time,” he writes, noting he also WD’d from his previous start, the Wachovia Championship. “To paraphrase a current TV show: Drop or No Drop?” Um, drop. A dozen starts this year and he’s made the weekend five times. Of course, he missed two cuts last year as a preview to both runner-up finishes last year, so with him it’s anyone’s guess.

Rotisserie results for Expert League at FedEx St. Jude Classic: 55.5 points (third). One-putts 126 (fourth), birdies 53 (second), bouncebacks 11 (second), 300+ drives 13 (fourth), fairways 134 (third), greens 173 (third), money $293,496 (third), scoring 70.1 (tied second), scrambles 72 (fifth), eagles 0 (tied fourth). Overall: 46.0 (fifth). TFI gambled by playing a short lineup and fortunately came out ahead.

Rotisserie lineup for The Memorial Tournament: Ben Crane, Sergio Garcia, Geoff Ogilvy, Brett Quigley, Bo Van Pelt, Camilo Villegas. Competing but not selected: Steve Flesch, Brian Gay, Joe Ogilvie. Not competing: Michael Campbell.

H2H results for Pacific Tour League at FedEx St. Jude Classic: TFI 153, culver_08 63. Driving: Chris DiMarco 35, Fredrik Jacobson 4. Short game: Tom Pernice Jr. 46, Carl Pettersson 0 (did not compete). Putting: Justin Leonard 28, Richard S. Johnson 40. Nice to know TFI skated away with a short lineup here, too. Now only a half game outside of a playoff spot.

H2H lineup for The Memorial Tournament: TFI (10-8-1) vs. hookn and a slicin (13-6). Driving: Chad Campbell, Fredrik Jacobson. Short game: K.J. Choi, Tom Pernice Jr. Putting: David Howell, Richard S. Johnson.

Salary Cap Cup results for FedEx St. Jude Classic: The main lineup of David Toms ($115,266, tied 10th), Justin Leonard ($48,273, tied 22nd), Fredrik Jacobson ($0, missed cut), Shane Bertsch ($0, withdrew) and Richard S. Johnson ($48,273, tied 22nd) earned $211,812 and placed 9,545th. Through Week 21 it totals $7,850,177 and ranks 7,200. There you go: 71st to 7,200nd in a little over a month. Stunning.

The "Hey, buddy" backup lineup of Stewart Cink ($0, missed cut), Camilo Villegas ($75,400, tied 16th), Brett Quigley ($155,266, tied 10th), Bill Haas ($0, missed cut) and David Duval ($0, missed cut) earned $190,666 and ranked 10,978th. Through Week 21 it totals $7,286,679 and ranked 9,237th. For those of you keeping score that’s five players in the top 25 this week and five guys who missed the cut. The epitome of average.

Week 21 winner: Team Chili Dippa $1,955,650.

Segment Two leader: Derek’s Heroes $15,029,320.

Salary Cap Cup lineup for The Memorial Tournament: Main lineup, Geoff Ogilvy $267,500, K.J. Choi $205,750, Lucas Glover $202,500, Bo Van Pelt $160,250, Jerry Kelly $157,000. Total: $993,000. "Hey, buddy" lineup, Retief Goosen $296,750, Jim Furyk $290,250, David Howell $261,000, David Duval $75,000, Ben Curtis $75,000. Total: $998,000.

Have a question or comment for TFI? Send it to him at brettavery@aol.com. Please remember to include your team and league names and whether you’re playing a rotisserie or H2H league.