The.Frozen.Predictions- Framers Insurance Open

   If you're like most people and only started paying attention to the PGA Tour this week because Tiger is making his first start of the 13-14 season. Well you've missed some excitement and last week was no different in Abu Dhabi I you had Phil and Rory both showing the game to win. Phil managed to lose another event just being #BogeyPhil and Rory got a little cavalry with the rules on Saturday, both finished one shot back of eventual winner Pabol Larrazabal.

      The PGA tour didn't have two of the worlds top 5 and  with President Clinton serving as the host of the former Bob Hope Pro Am, now called the Humana Challenge, they didn't need them. The event is also highlighted by a summit to promote health and wellness with starts like Gary Player & Kobe "Bean" Bryant on site. Without Humana and Clinton Foundation this desert classic may have been left to the buzzards. Even with all the start power Patrick Reed stole the show with three straight 63s, then to stumble in Sunday with a 71 that made the back nine very interesting, and the NBC|Golf Channel execs very thankful.

     On tap this week we have The Framers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course. If you word associate Torrey Pines with Tiger's winning putt in '08 US Open your not alone although this is Phil Mickleson's backyard, Torrey will always belong to Mr. Woods. Which is why most fans mark this event as the start of the season simply because Tiger normally starts his year here. And hes a sure thing to be in the mix late on Sunday, hes made 14 starts here with 12 top 10s with 7 wins, that's not including his last major win in the '08 US Open .

The Course:

   Torrey Pines is located outside downtown San Diego on the cliffs of La Jolla overlooking the Pacific Ocean, with views similar to Pebble Beach. Opened in 1957 both courses were designed by William F. Bell, but it was the '01 Rees Jones re-design of the south course that has draw the most criticism from most notably Phil Mickelson. The South Course can now be set up to play to 7,643 yards and this week will hover around 7,569 yards. The North Course is much shorter at 6,874 yards the penalties for missed greens aren't as severe and four reachable par fives, which is why this week you should make sure to have 4 guys playing the North each day.



Past Winners:
2013  Tiger Woods (-14)
2012  Brandt Snedeker (-16)
2011  Bubba Watson (-16)
2010  Ben Crane (-13)
2009  Nick Watney (-11)              

 Yahoo Fantasy Picks:

-» Starters A-list: Gary Woodland B-list: Keegan Bradley B-list: Graham Delaet C-list: Nick Watney

        Bench  A-list: Tiger Woods B-list: Brendon de Jonge B-list: Ian Poulter C-list:  Jimmy Walker

The Back Nine:

• PGA Merchandise Show- Its described as Christmas Day for golfers all week but if you ask me 1 million sq ft of wall to wall golf gear sounds more like heaven.    
• Mike Kim- Could be this years Jordan Speith as he makes his first pro start in this hometown of San Diego, as the reining NCAA player of the year he has the game to be on a Sunday leaderboard.
• LPGA makes its debut this week in the Bahamas, its also Lydia Ko's 1st LPGA event as a professional. 
• Commissioner Tim Finchem announced today that the PGA Tour has surpassed the 2 billion mark for charitable contributions. 
• Granite Springs GC- When a course from Nova Scotia gets worldwide attention you can be sure The.Frozen.Golfer won't miss it, it just makes it easier when its on Funny or Die!

And you can't talk about the Framers Insurance Open and not mention possibly the best character in golf today, Dick Fowler P.I.:

- The.Frozen.Golfer

The.Frozen.Predictions-The Sony Open

  Last week we learned Jordan Speith is here to stay, Zach Johnson's still hot after beating Tiger a month ago, and Hawaii always looks good when it's -10 c (14 F) and there's 4 feet of snow in the driveway...


  Zach Johnson blitzed the field while playing small ball on one of the longest courses in the PGA Tour rotation. The Sony Open is held at Waialae Country Club, a course which demands small with small greens and tight fairways. So can we see Johnson pull the Hawaii double? the smart money says yes, as he's won here in 2009.It should be noted that 18 of the 30 players who competed in Hyundai Tournament of Champions at the Plantation Course in Maui, will be making the trip over to the big island to play the Sony Open this week. Another fact you should consider is 9 of the last 15 winners of the Sony have competed the previous week in the TOC. So if you used guys like Matt Kuchar, Zach Johnson, Adam Scott, Jason Dufner, Billy Horschel and Jordan Speith last week, well you wont have to change your line up too much again this week.



The Course: 
   Waialae Country Club founded in 1927, and designed by Seth Raynor is located in Honolulu on the big island of Hawaii. This week will play as a par 70 at 7,068 yards, the course itself was patterned after a series of famous holes from around the world, most notably the tenth hole uses features from the famous Road hole 17th from St. Andrews at the home of golf.


Past Winners:
2013  Russell Henley (-24)*
2012  Johnson Wagner (-13)
2011  Mark Wilson (-16)
2010  Ryan Palmer (-15)
2009  Zach Johnson (-15)                                                                                                                        

   *Tournament Record

Normally I would take the time to explain how reading and using my picks will guarantee victories or at least keep you in contention in your fantasy pools, so don't expect this week to be any different as I won the First week in my pool and unless your apart of "Super Fun Happy Golf Yes" I'm only here to help:

 Yahoo Fantasy Picks:

-» Starters  A-list: Charles Howell III   B-list: Jordan Spieth  B-list: Billy Horschel  C-list: Boo Weekley

        Bench   A-list: Matt Kuchar   B-list: Zach Johnson  B-list: David Hearn  C-list: Vijay Singh

One the hottest property’s in all of golf happens to be in lovely Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Cabot Links was recently named to the Golf Digest Top 100.

- The.Frozen.Golfer

The.Frozen.Predictions- Hyundai Tournament of Champions

After my long hiatus I've returned to give you all the winning picks you've come so accustomed too...

   Like a New Year baby the Hyundai Tournament of used to signal a fresh start, new beginnings and most importantly in the world of golf a new season. That’s not the case anymore since in October the PGA tour moved to a wrap around schedule like most major sports. The fall series started the 2014 season just 11 days after Henrik Stenson was crowned the FedEx Cup champion. As the Fantasy season starts once again after the short winter break we have players who have already won since the September  East Lake at the Tour Championship, young starts and tour proved players like: Harris English, Webb Simpson, Ryan Moore and Dustin Johnson. All of whom will be teeing it up this week deserve a hard look when picking your teams this week.

The Course:

   It’s hard to argue against PGA Tour starting the season in Hawaii; it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world and the Plantation Course on the island of Maui, which is home to the Hyundai Tournament of Champions where only winners from the previous year are invited. And it’s a worthy reward for some of the luckiest athletes in all of sports. The Course itself which was designed by the team of Ben Crenshaw& Bill Coore, is the longest course we see all year, measuring 7,411 yards and the only course that plays to a par 73. Located in the West Maui Mountains’ with huge undulations causing massive drives, regularly over 400 yards its fun for the players and viewers alike. Add the breathtaking scenery which only helps to make the rest of us jealous when you look outside and see 3 feet of snow.

Past Winners:
2013  Dustin Johnson (-16)
2012  Steve Stricker (-23)
2011  Jonathan Byrd (-24)
2010  Geoff Ogilvy (-22)
2009  Geoff Ogilvy (-24)







Players to Watch:

   Highlighting the field this week are names like Adam Scott coming off this month long victory lap in Australia, were he competed for 4 straight weeks winning 3 times and finishing  2^nd in the fourth event is arguable the hottest player in the world. Dustin Johnson who is the defending champion at the TOC, but also won the HSBC World Golf Championship in Shanghai, China back in November, looks poised to make 2014 his breakthrough season. Webb Simpson after winning his first major in 2012 US Open had a disappointing season for a player of his talent won in Las Vegas to open the 2014 season will also be a player to keep an eye on this week and has a good record at the Plantation finishing T-2 and T-11 in his two previous starts. And then we have Zach Johnson a player you wouldn’t normally consider on such a long course but he did beat Tiger is his own event just a month ago and always seems to show up on courses where conventional wisdom would count him out.

Yahoo Fantasy Picks:

-» Starters  A-list: Adam Scott  B-list: Zach Johnson  B-list: Webb Simpson  C-list: Harris English

       Bench  A-list: Matt Kuchar B-list: Jordan Speith  B-list: Jason Dufner  C-list: Sang Moon- Bae

One reason to hope Dustin keeps winning @PaulinaGretzky

Before we say goodbye to 2013 take a moment sit right there and let me tell you about the pass year!!!

2013 YEAR IN REVIEW – SPORTS: TIGER WOODS, CHEATING, PHIL MICKELSON & THE MAJORS

Special thanks to Pat Mayo and the Pat Mayo Hour (@ThePME)

-The.Frozen.Golfer

The.Frozen.Predictions- The President's Cup

   

   As fall fantasy golf is finished, we've crowned a FedEx Cup champion and Breaking Bad just ended, if your depressed like me don’t worry there’s a glimmer of hope before the dark cold tunnel we call winter; 

  The President’s Cup. The bi-annual team competition that features Team ‘Merica vs The World, the International team is comprised of players from countries outside of continental Europe. This year’s edition held on US soil at Muirfield Village with Fred Couples and Nick Price assuming the role of captains. If you've seen the OWGR (Official World Golf Rankings) Australians and South Africans account for a majority of the team with 8 of the 12 players respectively, for us Canadian fans we can find a sense of pride in Graham DeLaet being the lone Canuck. For the Americans you have a list of usual suspects Tiger, Phil and Stricker all highlight the team and will serve as leaders in the team room, but it’s the young guys like Jordan Spieth, Keegan Bradley and not so young Jason Dufner that will truly make a difference.

    What sets the President’s Cup apart from the Ryder Cup other than the obvious missing Euro stars is the format. The President’s Cup is made for TV with four days of competition and a possible 34 points, where the Ryder Cup is over three days for 28 total points. Which means captains can’t hide a weaker player as everyone will have to play a minimum of four matches, were as in the Ryder Cup a struggling player could potentially sit until Sundays single matches. This format could also explain the lopsided record in favor of the US (7-1-1) the Internationals have their work cut out for them this week. Recently Adam Scott was quoted stating "The Internationals need to step up and win the thing and make it a real competition, I'm getting tired of getting killed out there. This is a big year for us."

     It’s not only the Internationals that will be feeling the pressure the American team has to overcome the demons from the Sunday collapse in last year’s Ryder Cup. "I feel a lot of responsibility there for not winning a point, Tiger and I not winning a point," Steve Stricker said. "The first week or two it wasn't much fun just trying to sleep, to tell you the truth.” Stricker’s poor play in the Ryder Cup caused him to drastically change his schedule this year playing less. Its worked wonders for him and he seems to be more refreshed and ready to repeat his undefeated performance from the last time the Cup was contested in the states.

    The Jack Nicklaus signature course Muirfield Village Golf Club, has also hosted several national championships and international team competitions, including the 1992 U.S. Amateur, 1987 Ryder Cup, the 1998 Solheim Cup and the 1986 U.S. Junior Amateur. Muirfield Village is now the only course to host the three major international team competitions; Ryder, Solheim and President's Cup. The course plays as a par 72 at 7,386 yards. Over the last few years Jack has make some changes to add a little more excitement to the back nine, but he has said this week the course shouldn’t play much different than the summer when the PGA Tour is in town for The Memorial. But if you’re looking for which team has an advantage it would have to be the US with Stricker, Woods and Kuchar winning the Memorial the last three years, and Tiger having won here five times.  Were as for the Internationals Ernie Els won here in 2004 and Jason Day lives in the area and is a member so both sides have a far bit of course knowledge.

   Normally at this point I would pick potential winners and fantasy picks, this week is a different beast so I've decided to make a couple powerhouse teams I would like to see:

Americans:

• Tiger Woods/Jordan Speith- Jordan has taken the world of golf by storm in the last year and I think playing him with Tiger would be good for both of them going forward and could potentially be an unstoppable combo.
• Keegan Bradley/Jason Dufner- These have become very good friends and both had good records at the Ryder Cup last year and will be future anchors for US team competitions for the next decade, it has to start somewhere.

Internationals:

• Graham DeLaet/Jason Day- DeLaet finished the year 1^st in total driving on the PGA Tour and Day is a member here on a course where distance is needed, this team could be what the internationals need to win.
• Adam Scott/Hideki Matsuyama- Scott will need to prove he can lead this week if his team has any chance and teaming with the rookie star could be a lot like Keegan and Phil last year in the Ryder Cup.

   The Americans are heavy favorites to retain the cup again this week and it hard not to pick them when you consider the 7-1-1 record over the history of the event. But it was at Muirfield Village in 1987 where the Europeans first won the Ryder Cup on US soil and truly sparked the competition we see today. And as scripted as sports sometimes seems to be I think it would be fitting for the President’s Cup to follow suit and become more than an exhibition with the internationals winning this week 17.5 to 16.5, coming down to Adam Scott over Tiger Woods late on Sunday. The PGA Tour and NBC could only hope for a finish that good you would have to wonder if it was written by Vince Gilligan.

Well everyone needs a little more Breaking Bad in their lives

-The.Frozen.Golfer

The.Frozen.Conclusion- 2013 FedEx Cup Playoffs

   All Hail King Henrik, as the playoffs are over and there's only one man left standing Henrik Stenson and to his subjects goes a vintage coke machines he's promised to friends and family to celebrate his victory. And after walking away with the 11.44 million dollar prize money from winning both the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup he's got a few extra pennies to spend.

   The summer of Stenson has been well documented over the past few weeks since he failed to win the Scottish Open in July, finishing third, prior to the British Open. Stenson has only finished outside the top 3 twice, that's almost a three month span which includes; two majors (British & PGA), WGC Firestone, and all four FedEx Cup playoff events. In which he won two the Deustche Bank and Tour Championship it's easy to see who's the hottest golfer on the planet right now.

   If there's another player who could truly complete for that title it's, Jordan Speith not Tiger Woods, for the record I support Tiger as POY. Jordan Spieth is having one of the greatest rookie years ever on the PGA Tour, it ranks behind only a few others like say Jack Nicklaus or Tiger, but is still greater than a Keegan Bradley. Whom won twice in 2011 most notably was the PGA Championship, but he also missed 10 of 28 cuts and had just four top tens, including the wins. Spieth has missed only 5 cuts in 23 starts, has one win, three runner ups, and a PGA Tour leading nine top tens. All of which he accomplish without official status on even the Web.com Tour to start the year. And Bradley was a graduate of the Web.com Tour prior to his rookie year meaning he had an idea of what to expect in life on tour. Last September Speith was still a college student going to classes and doing college things. Today he's made 3.8 million, secured a job on tour for the next two years, tee times in the next three majors and he'll be playing in the President's Cup next week. Just like Tiger and the Player of the Year there's no contest for Rookie of the Year.

The Real Video Highlights of the Week:

  If you've read any of my previous posts you know I'm a fan of #Duffering, well Keegan brought it to the course, after holing out from the fairway Sunday, with you guessed it Dufner in his group:




  As a Canadian I have a certain appreciation for the "playoff beard" who doesn't like to forget about shaving when on vacation, to hide a cold sore (so I'm told), but the best excuse is to keep warm. So when Graham DeLaet started his nasty growth of hair and last weeks crumbs a month ago at the Barclays I supported him. But since he'll be representing all Canadian golf fans at Muirfield Village next week I was very happy to see this:



  We started this post with King Henrik and I'll end with the real King Arnold Palmer and the beautiful Kate Upton, if you just turned 83 and have Kate in your foursome you'll always be The King of Golf:



Well kids you'll have to wait until January for more Frozen.Predictions but stay tuned for more Frozen.Fun!

-The.Frozen.Golfer

The.Frozen.Predictions- Tour Championship

    We've come to the end of the this fantasy journey there's only one week left and for us its bragging right and sticking it to friends, for the top five in the FedEx Cup standings it's a winner take all race for 11.4 million. So as you can believe Tiger, Stenson, Scott, Zach and Kuch all want too win, so all five if not most should be on your team come Thursday. Though it should be mentioned tiger was the last one seed to win the Cup and that was pre-scandal Tiger, maybe if he wins this weekend he'll finally be back and we can start to talk about something else, probably not though..

   Last week was won but Zach Johnson and unless you live under a rock you there's a new Mr.59 on the PGA Tour. Jim Furyk, on a day when the scoring average was at par and the next best score was 6 under by Jordan Speith. Furyk not only lapped the field he made it seem like he was playing a different course. He carded 13 birdies and even bounced back from a late bogey. Standing in the middle of the fair on the 9^th hole his final hole of the day, stuffed his approached to 4 feet to take all the questions off the table if he can handle the pressure and calmly knocked in the putt. Making himself only the 6^th player in PGA history to shoot a 59 a number the rest of us normal people can only imagine shooting playing Tiger Woods by EA sports (that’s a video game score in real life) and to do it in the playoffs has started the argument if it’s the best 59 ever. As we know Furyk in the last 5 times he’s held the 54-hole lead we would not go on to win. But it was certainly a round for the ages and a contender for round of the year.

The Course: 
East Lake Golf Club
Par: 70   Length: 7,154
Architect: Donald Ross (1913)
Purse: 8,000,000 (1st- 1.4 mil.)

Past Winners:
2012  Brandt Snedeker (-10)
2011  Bill Haas (-8)
2010  Jim Furyk (-8)
2009  Phil Mickleson (-9)
2008  Camilo Villegas (-7)

FedEx Cup Top- 5:

1. Tiger Woods-Was the last one seed to win the FedEx Cup and with eight T10s in 13 trips to East Lake he has to be the favourite.  
2. Henrik Stenson- Had six T3 or better finishes in 7 events before finally breaking through for the win in Boston, but if Woods finishes outside the top ten he will only need a T3 finish to win it all. 
3. Adam Scott- flying under the radar but he won just a few weeks ago in New York and win this week could give him the Fedex Cup and POY.
4. Zach Johnson- Tiger and Furyk made the headlines but he won the event, if he wins back to back no can force him to the back pages this week. 
5. Matt Kuchar- As usually Kuchar is having a solid year without much fanfare, he won twice and with a third can win the Cup and make a case for himself as the POY.

Yahoo Fantasy Picks:

-» Starters  A-list: Tiger Woods  B-list: Steve Stricker  B-list: Matt Kuchar C-list: Jason Day

       Bench  A-list: Rory McIlroy  B-list: Hunter Mahan  B-list: Zach Johnson C-list: Adam Scott

Canadian Content: Please remember when in Canada hockey fights happen anywhere

   It's been a great year hopefully you won your pools, and if you didn't next you can follow me to trophies...

-The.Frozen.Golfer 

The.Frozen.Predictions- BMW Championship

    After a much needed week off the FedEx Cup returns and to the great city of Chicago, and the windy city will be just that with cold temperatures and high winds in the forecast. combined with the fact that most players will see Conway Farms Golf Club for the first time don't expect low scores. Luke Donald who currently sits 55th in the FedEx Cup standings is also a member of Conway Farms so look for him to make the push towards East lake and the Tour Championship.

    Luke is only one of a number of big name players currently outside the top 30 fighting for a spot in the Tour Championship and a chance at the 10 million prize. Graeme McDowell, Ernie Els, Charles Howell III, Rory McIlroy, Ian Poulter all sit outside looking in needing at a minimum of a top ten finish to have any hope. The advantage they do have is four rounds of golf with the BMW not having a 36 hole cut fantasy players can use this to your advantage as well. Take a risk on these players who are going for broke as you only have two weeks left for bragging rights. If you've played managed your starts correctly, you'll need Tiger on your squad as he coming off a week off rest and practice. Expect the Woods we saw at Firestone to return in his quest for the FedEx cup and POY honors.

The Course: 
Conway Farms GC
Par: 70   Length: 7,363
Architect: Tom Fazio (1991)
Purse: 8,000,000 (1st- 1.4 mil.)

   Although Conway Farms GC has never hosted a professional event it has hosted a number of top tier amateur ones, like the 2012 USGA Mid Amateur, 1998 USGA Jr. Amateur, and the 1997 NCAA Div. 1 Champion. Also Matt Kuchar missed the cut in '97 so if your like me and have one start left for kuch, use it next week at East Lake he played regularly during his time at Georgia Tech.

Past Winners:
2012  Rory McIlroy (-20)
2011  Justin Rose (-13)
2010  Dustin Johnson (-9)
2009  Tiger Woods (-19)
2008  Camilo Villegas (-15)

Yahoo Fantasy Picks:

-» Starters  A-list: Tiger Woods  B-list: Graham DeLaet  B-list: Luke Donald  C-list: Henrik Stenson

       Bench  A-list: Rory McIlroy  B-list: Hunter Mahan  B-list: Webb Simpson  C-list: Jordan Spieth

What you missed last week:

• Fred Couples and Nick Price finalized their President Cup teams with captain's picks. Freddie opted for Webb Simpson and Jordan Spieth, while Nick chose Brendon de Joung and Marc Lieshman.  
• The US won the Walker Cup in impressive fashion winning 17-9 at National Golf Links. If the course didn't make you miss you were a millionaire summering in Southampton, nothing can save your soul.
• If you do have millions burning a hole in your pocket you could buy the first Master's Green Jacket, which sold at auction over the weekend for nearly 700k That's a small mark up on a jacket which cost $ 250 to make. 
• How can we forget Arnold Palmer aka. The King, who on September 10th turned 84 years young. If being a seven time major champion, having a drink named after you and turning a swamp into Bay Hill doesn't make you the undisputed king of golf. Well taking Kate Upton on as your only student, means we should start calling you Zeus... 

Happy Birthday Mr. Palmer 

-The.Frozen.Golfer