This article is part of our Weekly PGA Preview series.
As avid golf fans, we are used to relaxing on Sunday afternoon and watching the week's event to conclusion, but Sunday was a little different. If you're like me, there was at least a part of you that wanted the Phoenix Open to end in regulation to see the start of the Super bowl. That obviously didn't happen, and although the following 45 minutes were awfully tough to navigate, it was well was the effort for anyone who attempted to watch every second of both events. Heck, some would say that the final four holes of the Phoenix Open were more exciting than the Super bowl. While I'm not in that camp, I will admit that there was certainly more drama in Scottsdale that there was in Santa Clara on Sunday.
As for what happened on the course, well, that was about as good as it gets. Two young golfers at the top of their game, battling shot for shot, until the end ... and then some. While Hideki Matsuyama is not mentioned among the, "big three, four or five," he is certainly held in high regard among those who follow the game closely. Fowler, on the other hand, is on the fringe of being mentioned with the best in the game, and opportunities like Sunday are ones who the best in the game need to capitalize on, but judging by his comments after the round, he's fully aware of that. Whether Fowler finally joins that elite group this year
As avid golf fans, we are used to relaxing on Sunday afternoon and watching the week's event to conclusion, but Sunday was a little different. If you're like me, there was at least a part of you that wanted the Phoenix Open to end in regulation to see the start of the Super bowl. That obviously didn't happen, and although the following 45 minutes were awfully tough to navigate, it was well was the effort for anyone who attempted to watch every second of both events. Heck, some would say that the final four holes of the Phoenix Open were more exciting than the Super bowl. While I'm not in that camp, I will admit that there was certainly more drama in Scottsdale that there was in Santa Clara on Sunday.
As for what happened on the course, well, that was about as good as it gets. Two young golfers at the top of their game, battling shot for shot, until the end ... and then some. While Hideki Matsuyama is not mentioned among the, "big three, four or five," he is certainly held in high regard among those who follow the game closely. Fowler, on the other hand, is on the fringe of being mentioned with the best in the game, and opportunities like Sunday are ones who the best in the game need to capitalize on, but judging by his comments after the round, he's fully aware of that. Whether Fowler finally joins that elite group this year or even Matsuyama perhaps, will reveal itself throughout the year, maybe on a lazy Sunday, when the PGA Tour is the only game in town.
This week: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am - Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, Calif.
Last Year: Brandt Snedeker shot a final-round 67 on his way to a three-stroke victory over Nick Watney.
PLAYERS TO CONSIDER
Dustin Johnson
Plenty of firepower in the field this week, but DJ looks like the best of the bunch. Johnson is a two-time winner of this event and has finished in the top 5 here in three of his last four starts. He appears to be in decent form already this season, so a top-5 at minimum should be in order.
Jordan Spieth
If Spieth remains at the top of his game this year, I might as well just create a template with his name on this list for the entire season. Spieth's record here is pretty good, but nowhere near as good as it is other places. Still, he's the best player in the world now and his form is solid.
Brandt Snedeker
Everything is lining up for another great showing for Snedeker at Pebble Beach this week. He won just two weeks ago and has won this event in two of his last three starts. The only argument against him this week, is the competition, which I mentioned already, is very strong.
Phil Mickelson
It sounds strange, but if you want to avoid the big names this week, then you might want to look at Mickelson. Sure, he's still a big name, but his game isn't at the level of the best players in the world anymore. Mickelson has finished in the top 20 in four of his last five starts, including a win in 2012.
J.B. Holmes
Holmes enters this week in good form as he's posted sixth-place finishes in each of his last two starts. He's also played well here in the past, with a top-10 last year and a runner-up showing in 2010.
PLAYERS TO AVOID
Jason Day
Day's track record here is actually pretty good, but he's up against some great players this week, most of whom have better histories here. Add to that, his form isn't quite where it needs to be. When he's "on," he's one of the best in the game, but he doesn't appear to be "on" now.
Charlie Beljan
Beljan finished solo third here last year, which might put him on the radar, but his previous results at this event lead me to think his showing last year was an aberration. Prior to last year, Beljan missed three consecutive cuts at Pebble Beach.
Chesson Hadley
Can a course history overcome recent form? We'll see this week as Hadley, who's played very well in his two starts at Pebble Beach, will try to snap out of a funk that started back in October and hasn't let up since. Hadley has yet to crack the top 50 in any of his seven starts this season.
Jason Dufner
Dufner is in good form, but that aside, he's never fared well at Pebble. Dufner has missed the cut in three of his five starts here and has never cracked the top 50. Bottom line, there are many better options this week.
Pat Perez
Perez has a decent track record here and has actually finished inside the top 10 here the last two years, but his form entering this week is just awful. Perez has missed the cut in three of four starts this calendar year and finished T81 at the Sony Open.
ONE AND DONE GOLFER
Last week: Hideki Matsuyama (1) - $1,170,000; Season - $3,549,641
This week: Dustin Johnson - With so many options this week, it's hard to feel great about any one of them, but DJ looks like the best of the bunch this week. The hard part, of course, is that you won't have DJ for later in the year.
YAHOO PICKS
Points: 680
Rank: 31,731
This Week:
Group A: Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth
Group B: J.B. Holmes, Brandt Snedeker, Jimmy Walker, Patrick Reed
Group C: Kevin Na, Bryce Molder
SURVIVOR PICK
Last week: Phil Mickelson (1); Streak - 6
This week: Dustin Johnson - Back to the double-up strategy this week as there's no conceivable scenario that DJ misses the cut this week. While it would be nice to save DJ for later in the year, he's too valuable this week to leave on the sideline.
