2015 Hyundai Tournament OF Champions: Fantasy Picks

Sep 11, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Bubba Watson tees off on the third hole during the first round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

It’s an interesting field that will take to the course on Friday morning at the 2015 Hyundai Tournament of Champions on Maui. This annual no-cut tournament that features all the 2014 calendar-year winners on the PGA Tour will tee off on Friday, with a rare Monday finish at one of the more difficult golf courses on the Tour.

Hyundai Tournament Of Champions Fantasy Picks

Zach Johnson logged his only win in 2014, when he showed the big hitters on this huge par 73 layout that a short-knocker could win with accurate tee-shots and precise irons to the generous greens. The 2007 Masters Champ heated up his putter, and beat the 2013 Rookie of the Year, Jordan Spieth.

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With 34 0f the 38 qualifiers in the field this week, which include winners from the 2014-2015 wrap schedule, this should be a nice tournament to get the 2015 season started.

Bubba Watson

With three victories on the tour since last January, with one of them being a major at Augusta, and a WGC-Event in Shanghai, you have to put Bubba at the top of this list. He did not play at Kapalua last year because he went win-less after his first Masters Victory in 2012, and didn’t win at all in 2013.

Picking winners after a six-week layoff is a real crap-shoot, but after Bubba came back to win the WGC-HSBC two months ago, you have to think the highest ranked player in the world who is in the field needs, to be the favorite.

Bubba is trying hard to erase the persona that he only plays well on courses that fit his eye, and I look for him to get it going early this year in Hawaii. He finished T4 on the Plantation Course in 2013.

The PGA Tour’s longest hitter on one of the most demanding layouts is a formula for Bubba Watson to continue his winning ways this weekend.

Sep 1, 2014; Norton, MA, USA; Geoff Ogilvy watches his putt on the 16th green during the final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship golf tournament at TPC of Boston. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Geoff Ogilvy

Geoff Ogilvy won this event two years in a row in 2009, and 2010, and was attempting to match countryman, Stuart Appleby with three consecutive wins in the TOC before injuries to a finger put him out of contention for a couple of years. Jack Nicklaus is the only five-time winner at this event, but the 37 year-old Aussie could join Appleby, Tom Watson, Arnold Palmer, and Gene Littler as the only three-time winners. That’s pretty good company.

Ogilvy won the Barracuda Championship last year, but the second-place finish at the Deutsche Bank Championship was impressive for a guy that has struggled for some time. I liked what I saw Geoff down the stretch in 2014, and a win at a course where he has shined, would make a nice start to a new season.

Sep 26, 2014; Auchterarder, Perthshire, SCT; USA golfer Patrick Reed reacts to making a putt on the sixth green on day one of the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles Resort – PGA Centenary Course. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

Patrick Reed

I’m convinced that Patrick Reed is lot like Phil Mickelson. If he gets up in the morning with the it factor intact, he can beat almost anyone. If he doesn’t, he can look pretty bad. After watching the 24 year-old Texan compete with the best in the world at the Ryder Cup, and again at the Volvo World Match Play Championships, I think he can be a force to be reckoned with.

Reed finished T15 here last year, and led the field in putting inside of ten feet. He has the game for this 7400 yard venue, and on any given day can beat anyone in the field.

Sep 13, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Jason Day hits a ball from the sixteenth fairway during the third round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Jason Day

Jason Day is one of the best players on the planet, without a major championship. He looks to be getting past the injuries that derailed his 2014 season after the Accenture Match Play win at Dove Mountain. His only start in this event netted a T9 finish in 2011. Like Reed, on any given day, Jason Day can play big-boy golf with anyone.

The 27 year-old Aussie is ranked 8th in Official World Golf Rankings, and is a world-class player who can tee it up with anyone. At 300 yard plus off the tee, and a hot putter, Jason Day could well be lifting a new trophy on Monday evening at the Kapalua Resort on Maui.

Next: 2015 Hyundai Tournament of Champions: Preview

Source: PGATour.com

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