The Founders Cup Fantasy Picks, Time to Get to Work

The Founders Cup field have been thoroughly enjoying themselves this week. They’ve played the Pro-Am and enjoyed photo shoots with NFL players, they’ve visited the Cardinals spring training camp, they’ve worked with some of the LPGA Girls Golf program participants and provided inspirational pep talks, they’ve gotten their clubs re-gripped, worked out their travel kinks in the gym and on the massage table, enjoyed some social time with each other, and soaked up the desert sun. Now it’s time to get down to work.

Who among them is likely to prevail and be holding the trophy on Sunday?

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I’m seeing four players as likely to dominate the field this week at the Founders Cup: Karrie Webb, Stacy Lewis, Michelle Wie, and Lydia Ko.

Karrie Webb

Defending champion Karrie Webb has won the Founders Cup twice and she long ago proved herself to be among the best of the best on golf’s big stage. The Hall of Famer is playing her 19th year on the Tour, has 41 Tour wins on her resume and an additional 15 on the LET, 13 on the ALPG.

She’s earned Rookie of the Year on both the LET and LPGA and at various points in her career she’s won the du Maurier Classic (1999, now the Evian Championship), Kraft Nabisco Championship (2000 and 2006), US Women’s Open (2000), LPGA Championship (2001), and Women’s British Open (2002). Nobody else in this week’s field has a Career Grand Slam on her resume.

Four Generations of Aussie Golfers. Karrie Webb 2nd from right.

Webb has taken down Annika Sorenstam, Dottie Pepper and Lorena Ochoa in playoffs. Nobody else in this week’s field has demonstrated that level of dominance in competition.

At 40 Webb’s going to be among the senior players in the field. Can she successfully compete against teenagers and 20-somethings and win the Founders Cup for a third time? Why not? Webb has the amazing ability to stand on the first tee at the beginning of the 3rd round of a tournament knowing what she needs to shoot in order to take the lead and knowing how she’s going to get that score, and then deliver the goods. She likes to come from behind. I’ll be watching for Webb to make a Saturday move, and if she does that, she’ll be in contention for the top of the board.

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Lydia Ko

In order to win the Founders Cup for a third time, however, Webb’s going to need to outplay Lydia Ko, unarguably the most amazing and talented athlete among pro golf’s newest generation. At 17 Ko has broken one record after another including becoming the youngest-ever player, male or female, to sit on the top of the world rankings.

Ko already has two victories on her 2015 resume — the Women’s Australian Open and the Women’s New Zealand Open — and she placed runner-up at the HSBC Women’s Champions. And she shows no signs of slowing down.

Lydia Ko with David Leadbetter on the Wildfire practice range

Ko’s weakness is her lack of experience. I’ve seen her come undone at the end by a stray shot that broke her concentration. Webb, with the deeper experience, would have recovered and saved par. Ko didn’t, and that’s the difference between their games. Webb is the stronger player when trouble arrives, and golf is a game that’s won by the player who can minimize her mistakes.

David Leadbetter can do magic with a player’s swing, but neither Leadbetter nor her mother can infuse Ko with the depth of experience Karrie Webb will bring to the next four days on the Wildfire track. That comes only with time on the job.

Stacy Lewis

Lewis needs to put a victory on her 2015 resume. With three top-10s that include a runner-up at the Honda LPGA Thailand, she’s come close but has yet to heft a trophy over her head. She’s trailing Lydia Ko and Inbee Park in the world rankings and in the Race to the CME Globe and a Founders Cup win would be a big step in rectifying her deficiencies in the rankings.

What’s been the problem with America’s top-ranked golfer? She just hasn’t been able to close the deal on Sunday and her putter’s been out of sorts. If she’s had a good talk with her flat stick and has gotten it under control I think we’ll see Lewis challenging Webb for the top of the board. If not, she’ll probably have to settle for another top-10 this week.

Michelle Wie

Michelle Wie’s had an inauspicious start to her season but she’s my sleeper pick for the Founders Cup. I’m thinking she’s about ready to stop playing around and get down to the business of winning tournaments. Or not.

Wie has survived her phenom phase and grown into a remarkable and talented athlete. There’s no doubt that she’s carrying around a game in her bag that can beat all of them. She did just that last summer on the Pinehurst No. 2 track. She’s healthy again, and she’s relaxed. Now let’s see what happens when she tees it up in Phoenix.

My fantasy Sunday involves a playoff between Webb and Wie!

You can follow the first round of the Founders Cup on the LPGA electronic leaderboard and you can also enjoy Golf Channel’s delayed coverage that begins at 6pm ET Thursday evening.

Follow me on Twitter @bethbethel and I’ll provide commentary and updates as the first round unfolds.

Next: LPGA Founders Shirley Spork and Marilyn Smith Reflect and Remember

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