The John Deere Preview

Let's face it. You're either picking Steve Stricker this week or you screwed-up like I did and jumped the gun on him earlier in the season so now you have to roll the dice on one of these other guys. Jonathan Byrd is usually good for one random win per year and he doesn't have one yet so he would be my next pick followed by the roaming gnome who is healthy for the first time in years. Beyond that, I think you're throwing darts. Zach Johnson is probably the best player in the field but with the success he's already had this year, his mind is going to be on winning the British Open.

I couldn't even find a good PGA WAG
to feature this week so we're going
with the LPGA's Anna Rawson.

The John Deere Top 5

1. Steve Stricker
2. Jonathan Byrd
3. Tim Clark
4. Zach Johnson
5. Scott Piercy

Last Week's Report Card: B

1. Webb Simpson - T7
2. Brendon DeJonge - T52
3. John Rollins - M/C
4. Steve Stricker - T22
5. Rickey Barnes - T38

I was looking pretty strong last week when Simpson made the turn but, as has happened so many times this year, my pick could not close. In Simpson's case, I've got to believe that he started thinking about the implications of adding another win so close to his U.S. Open title. It would have pushed him close to the top of the World Golf Rankings (he's currently 5th) and put him right in the middle of the discussion of best American golfer. He looked a little spooked on the back nine.

It was either that or it finally dawned on him that he was probably going to miss the British Open because he and his wife are having their second baby in less than two years and that is NOT the thought you want right before you hit a golf ball. Jason Day is facing the same predicament. These guys apparently need to start attending the birth control classes the NBA and NFL offer for their rookies and learn how to subtract nine months from the five month window that covers the Masters to the PGA Championship. It's simple. August through January is a "Trojan zone" and, in a Ryder Cup year, you need to stretch that through March. Tiger learned this the hard way when the thought of having his first baby the day after the 2007 U.S. Open had to contribute to his losing the tournament by a stroke.* I don't care if it was the U.S. Open. You know as Tiger was walking out the door that Sunday, Elin said, "I can't believe you're playing golf today."

Endnotes

* Rumor has it that he wanted to name the baby "Second F-cking Place Woods".