Fantasy Golf Picks-Quicken Loans National 2014

Tiger’s return to the course is sure to steal the headlines this week at Congressional Country Club as the PGA Tour hits Bethesda, Maryland for the Quicken Loans National where his foundation serves as both  the benefiting charity and the host.  I’m not rostering Woods this week despite his past success in this event due to his unknown form and long layoff.  There are some very nice options for this week though, so check out my picks which turned my team into a nice Aussie-American blend.

Before we get to this week’s picks, though, let’s take a wuick look back at last week.  Kevin Streelman finished with a flourish to claim the Travelers’ Championship in memorable fashion.  In our FanSided group on Yahoo! fantasy golf(details to join here), the spring segment came to a close with Hoochblues claiming the win with a solid 206 point week. The Harbour Dogs had a bit of a down week for the usual juggernaut, but still managed to hold on to win the segment while also maintaining his overall lead for the season. This week is the start of the third and final segment in this competition, so jump on in and see if you can catch the Dogs this summer.

Here’s the players I’m rolling with for this week’s Quicken Loans:

A-List

Brandt Snedeker: Snedeker is returning to top form after some struggles due to injury to start the season.  He’s coming off back-to-back top 15 finishes with a t9 at the US Open and a t11 last week at TPC River Highlands.  He also has a great track record at Congressional with three top 10 finishes in the past and a t11 when Congressional hosted the US Open in 2011.  Snedeker is a really nice option on a shallow A-list this week.

Marc Leishman: Another player rounding into good form as the weather heats up, Leishman has made five straight cuts with four top-25’s in that run of success.  His best finish was a t3 at the Byron Nelson which was his third top five of the season. He has the game to conquer Congressional and gets the nod in my second spot over Patrick Reed, Gary Woodland, and Tiger who I also considered putting here.

B-List

Jason Day: Day appears to be healthy and getting his game back together just in time for one of his best courses. He finished as runner-up in the Open on this course and has a pair of top 25’s the last two years at this event.  He’s coming off a t18 last week which was a solid follow up to a top five finish at this year’s US Open. I’d be surprised if Day isn’t back in the winners circle soon.

Jordan Spieth: Spieth continues to put up solid finish after solid finish with six top 20’s including a pair of top 10’s in his last seven starts.  He finished sixth at this event last season in his rookie campaign.

Bill Haas: Haas is the defending champ here, so he definitely knows how to play Congressional effectively and can successfully defend his title if he gets his putter in gear. He took last week off but is putting together a solid season without a missed cut (although he WD from the Heritage).  He’s been in the top 25 an impressive eleven times since last fall when the wraparound season began and is a safe pick almost any week he tees it up.  On this course, he’s definitely a good pick to contend this week.

Webb Simpson: Simpson is picking things up lately including a tie for third at the St. Jude Classic. He has a pretty good record at Congressional and seems to be on the verge of a good run through the summer.

C-List

Brendon Todd: Todd continues to be one of the hottest golfers on Tour with four straight top 20’s since his breakthrough win at the Byron Nelson. He turned in a t17 at the U.S. Open and continues to be a nice fantasy player especially at this event where he was in the top 15 last year.

Aaron Baddeley: Baddeley is yet another player who I think is on the rise following last week’s top five.  He’s made five straight cuts and has improved his results in each of the last four.  He’s a bit of a risk in this spot, but I’m confident in Todd to at least make the cut, so I feel like I can afford the risk since he could be on the verge of a breakthrough. Other options I like on the C-list are K.J. Choi, Tim Wilkinson, and Charley Hoffman.