Sunday, November 27, 2011

Season Finished; Taking a Break Until the Start of 2012 Season

As I normally do, I am taking a break this time of the year until the next season starts on the USA PGA Tour. Thanks for all of your support.

In the meantime, if you want to run your own Golf CLi you can do so for any of the tournaments on the major tours by setting up an account on golfcli.com.  There are some good tournaments taking place this month and next month on the European, Japan, Asian, AsiaOne, and South African tours, along with the Q-schools.

Wishing everyone happy holidays, where ever you are located.  See you in the new year.

Summing Up The Year

This is a post to sum up the results for the year between the Tour Outsider (me) and the Tour Insider (Rob Bolton -- for a 2nd year).

For a second year in a row, I have lost to the Rob Bolton, who has graciously and unknowingly played the Tour Insider role in my competition between the Tour Outsider and the Tour Insider.

Prior to having Bolton as the Tour Insider, I had not lost to the Tour Insider (the first 3 years of the competition).  However, last year I lost to Bolton -- 19-21-4 (TO, TI, Draws).  That was a close race.  However, this year, I lost in a big fashion to Bolton -- 12-30-3 (TO, TI, Draws).  I am going to need to ante up my game next year so I don't have a third straight losing season.

Now in analyzing the results this year, I have put together a summary of some of the results.  When looking at our combined picks, we did rather well (so if you use both of our picks, things turn out well).

In the 45 tournaments that we made picks, we had some winners, along with a good number of top 5s, top 10s, and top 25s.

Below is a summary of the aggregate figures for the season.




TO
TI
Number of Tournaments
45
45
Number of Picks
225
225
Total Earnings
$25,327,129
$31,753,627
Average Rank
40.65
35.95
Number of Made Cuts
173
183
% of Made Cuts
77%
81%
Number of Winners
7
10
% of Winners
16%
22%
Number of Top 5s
30
37
% of Top 5s
13%
16%
Number of Top 10s
53
67
% of Top 10s
24%
30%
Number of Top 25s
113
123
% of Top 25s
50%
55%

When looking at the results, it doesn't look like I lost as bad as I did.  It probably means that I was close on many of the tournaments, and when I had my good picks, he also picked those players as well.

Here's to next year!!!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic Review

It is now time to review the picks for the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic to see how the results turned out.

Here are the results of the Tour Outsider (my) picks.
  1. Justin Rose | 93 (MC) | $0
  2. Spencer Levin | 37 | $20,210
  3. Trevor Immelman | 6 | $147,110
  4. Nick O'Hern | 6 | $147,110
  5. Charles Howell III | 76 (MC) | $0
Here are the results for the Tour Insider's (Bolton's) picks.
  1. Justin Rose | 93 (MC) | $0
  2. Luke Donald | 1 | $846,000
  3. Spencer Levin | 37 | $20,210
  4. Webb Simpson | 6 | $147,110
  5. Gary Woodland | 12 | $95,175
Here is the comparison of the results for our picks.


Tour OutsiderTour InsiderWinner
Total Earnings$314,430$1,108,495TI
Avg Rank43.629.8TI
Made Cut34TI
Outcome----TI

The Total Earnings category was won by the Tour Insider.

The Avg Rank category was won by the Tour Insider.

The Made Cut category was won by the Tour Insider.

The tournament overall was won by the Tour Insider.

The overall results between the Tour Outsider and the Tour Insider is 12 wins to the Tour Outsider, 30 wins to the Tour Insider, and 3 draws.

The Tour Insider capped off the last tournament with a spectulactor win. Bolton did a wonderful job this year, and kicked by butt by achieving 30 wins. That is awesome, as there there are only 45 tournaments that we competed against one another. That means he won 66.7% of the time, which is Tiger-esque (pre marriage break-down).

This is the second year in a row that Bolton has won. I will need to get my act in gear next year to make sure he doesn't get the 3-peat. That gives me some incentive to up my game.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic

This week is the last official event of the U.S. PGA Tour's season this year. The event, the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic, is played at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando (Florida).  Orlando and Disney World are good places to be at this time of year....especially with family.

Below is the list of the top 15 players in the CLi rankings for the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic.

# Player CLi 
1 Justin Rose  6.95
2 Spencer Levin  9.95
3 Trevor Immelman  10.65
4 Nick O'Hern  11.70
5 Charles Howell III  13.30
6 Kevin Streelman  13.95
7 John Senden  15.55
8 Jerry Kelly  15.90
9 Roland Thatcher  20.10
10 Tom Lehman  22.25
11 Davis Love III  23.90
12 Jeffrey Overton  25.10
13 John Rollins  25.85
14 Mark Calcavecchia  26.40
15 Michael Allen  26.90

As with last week, I am going to stick with the CLi rankings for my picks.  At least this week there are several players with CLi figures below 10....which is a better sign that the CLi calculation is more accurate.

Below are my 5 picks for the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic :

# Player CLi 
1 Justin Rose  6.95
2 Spencer Levin  9.95
3 Trevor Immelman  10.65
4 Nick O'Hern  11.70
5 Charles Howell III  13.30

Below are the top 5 players in the Power Rankings from Rob Bolton:
  1. Justin Rose
  2. Luke Donald
  3. Spencer Levin
  4. Webb Simpson
  5. Gary Woodland
Here is a link to Bolton's Power Rankings so that you can read more about his thoughts on his top players in this week's Power Rankings:

Bolton's Power Rankings: Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic

We have 2 players in common this week: Rose and Levin.

Below are the settings for the CLi calculation I used for the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic:

Number of Past Tournaments Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA1) Earnings Avg Weight (EA1)
5 25% 25%
Number of Days Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA2) Earnings Avg Weight (EA2)
30 5% 5%
Number of Tournaments Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA3) Earnings Avg Weight (EA3)
4 20% 20%

If you don't like the configuration of my CLi calculation, feel free to run your own CLi calculation with your own desired settings by going to golfcli.com.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

McGladrey Classic Review

It is now time to review the picks for the McGladrey Classic to see how the results turned out.

Here are the results of the Tour Outsider (my) picks.
  1. John Rollins | 85 (MC) | $0
  2. Webb Simpson | 2 | $432,000
  3. Charles Howell III | 32 | $19,467
  4. Bo Van Pelt | 85 (MC) | $0
  5. Matt Kuchar | 20 | $43,333
Here are the results for the Tour Insider's (Bolton's) picks.
  1. Webb Simpson | 2 | $432,000
  2. Charles Howell III | 32 | $19,467
  3. David Toms | 71 (MC) | $0
  4. Matt Kuchar | 20 | $43,333
  5. Bo Van Pelt | 85 (MC) | $0
Here is the comparison of the results for our picks.


Tour OutsiderTour InsiderWinner
Total Earnings$494,800$494,800Draw
Avg Rank44.842.0TI
Made Cut33DRAW
Outcome----TI

The Total Earnings category was a draw.

The Avg Rank category was won by the Tour Insider.

The Made Cut category was a draw.

The tournament overall was won by the Tour Insider.

The overall results between the Tour Outsider and the Tour Insider is 12 wins to the Tour Outsider, 29 wins to the Tour Insider, and 3 draws.

This week it boiled down to if Toms or Rollins played better. Both players missed the cut. However, Toms, was one shot better and 14 spots better in rankings. Thus, we tied in two of the categories, and Bolton won the rank average category.

Monday, October 10, 2011

McGladrey Classic

Back to the east coast we go. This week the US PGA Tour is on the Atlantic seaboard in Sea Island, Georgia to play the McGladrey Classic.

Below is the list of the top 15 players in the CLi rankings for the McGladrey Classic.

# Player CLi 
1 John Rollins  11.0
2 Webb Simpson  12.0
3 Charles Howell III  14.7
4 Bo Van Pelt  17.4
5 Matt Kuchar  20.4
6 Jerry Kelly  21.3
7 David Toms  22.0
8 Robert Allenby  23.7
9 Chris Stroud  29.5
10 Chad Campbell  29.7
11 Arjun Atwal  30.8
12 Carl Pettersson  33.6
13 Heath Slocum  34.4
14 Tim Petrovic  36.4
15 Mark Wilson  36.5

Although there are no players with CLi figures below 10 (which is usually a sign that the CLi is not going to be a good predictor this week), I am going to stick with the CLi rankings.

Below are my 5 picks for the McGladrey Classic :

# Player CLi 
1 John Rollins  11.0
2 Webb Simpson  12.0
3 Charles Howell III  14.7
4 Bo Van Pelt  17.4
5 Matt Kuchar  20.4

Below are the top 5 players in the Power Rankings from Rob Bolton:
  1. Webb Simpson
  2. Charles Howell III
  3. David Toms
  4. Matt Kuchar
  5. Bo Van Pelt
Here is a link to Bolton's Power Rankings so that you can read more about his thoughts on his top players in this week's Power Rankings:

Bolton's Power Rankings: McGladrey Classic

We have 4 players in common this week: Simpson, Howell III, Kuchar, and Van Pelt. Come'n Rollins!!!

Below are the settings for the CLi calculation I used for the McGladrey Classic:

Number of Past Tournaments Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA1) Earnings Avg Weight (EA1)
1 15% 15%
Number of Days Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA2) Earnings Avg Weight (EA2)
30 15% 15%
Number of Tournaments Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA3) Earnings Avg Weight (EA3)
4 20% 20%

As you will notice, I have changed my standard CLi settings this week. I have changed the number of previous instances of the tournament from 5 to 1 and put less emphasis on the previous instance of the tourmament and more emphasis on the most recent playing of the players. The reason is because this tournament is young as it was started last year (2010). So the data from this tournament is limited to only 1 year, and thus I want to put more emphasis on the data leading up to the tournament this year.

If you don't like the configuration of my CLi calculation, feel free to run your own CLi calculation with your own desired settings by going to golfcli.com.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Frys.com Open Review

It is now time to review the picks for the Frys.com Open to see how the results turned out.

Here are the results of the Tour Outsider (my) picks.
  1. Tim Herron | 105 (MC) | $0
  2. Bryce Molder | 1 | $900,000
  3. Ben Crane | 112 (MC) | $0
  4. Nick O'Hern | 81 (MC) | $0
  5. Chad Campbell | 49 | $12,175
Here are the results for the Tour Insider's (Bolton's) picks.
  1. Spencer Levin | 7 | $130,313
  2. Bryce Molder | 1 | $900,000
  3. Brandt Jobe | 42 | $16,088
  4. Hunter Haas | 42 | $16,088
  5. Scott Piercy | 67 | $10,200
Here is the comparison of the results for our picks.


Tour OutsiderTour InsiderWinner
Total Earnings$912,175$1,072,689TI
Avg Rank69.631.8TI
Made Cut25TI
Outcome----TI

The Total Earnings category was won by the Tour Insider.

The Avg Rank category was won by the Tour Insider.

The Made Cut category was won by the Tour Insider.

The tournament overall was won by the Tour Insider.

The overall results between the Tour Outsider and the Tour Insider is 12 wins to the Tour Outsider, 28 wins to the Tour Insider, and 3 draws.

We both had Molder, who capped off this week with his first US PGA Tour event by winning the tournament in a playoff over Briny Baird. Both players were going after their first win on the big tour, so they were hungry for a win. Congrats to both of them.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Frys.com Open

This week the US PGA Tour is California to play the Frys.com Open.

Below is the list of the top 15 players in the CLi rankings for the Frys.com Open.

# Player CLi 
1 Tim Herron  7.1
2 Bryce Molder  10.4
3 Ben Crane  11.7
4 Nick O'Hern  12.7
5 Bill Lunde  17.1
6 Chad Campbell  19.6
7 Spencer Levin  22.4
8 Paul Goydos  22.9
9 Kevin Stadler  23.3
10 Steve Flesch  25.7
11 Chris Stroud  25.9
12 Stephen Ames  29.1
13 Charlie Wi  31.2
14 Billy Mayfair  31.5
15 Tim Petrovic  32.6

Only one player has a CLi figure below 10, and that is Herron (analysis) with a figure of 7.1. When looking at the results from Herron in this tournament, has played well the past couple of years in the event. In addition, he is coming off 5ht place finish last week in the Justin Timberlake tournament. This gives me some confidence in him this week.

For my next 3 picks, I am going with Molder (analysis), Crane (analysis), and O'Hern (analysis).

For my final pick, I am going to skip Lunde (analysis) and go with Campbell (analysis). Campbell has been playing consistent golf, although he has not placed high. So he should be a good player to ensure a made cut, and who knows, maybe he will get his flat blade rolling this week and finish high this week in California.

Below are my 5 picks for the Frys.com Open :

# Player CLi 
1 Tim Herron  7.1
2 Bryce Molder  10.4
3 Ben Crane  11.7
4 Nick O'Hern  12.7
5 Chad Campbell  19.6

Below are the top 5 players in the Power Rankings from Rob Bolton:
  1. Spencer Levin
  2. Bryce Molder
  3. Brandt Jobe
  4. Hunter Haas
  5. Scott Piercy
Here is a link to Bolton's Power Rankings so that you can read more about his thoughts on his top players in this week's Power Rankings:

Bolton's Power Rankings: Frys.com Open

We have 1 player in common this week: Molder.

Below are the settings for the CLi calculation I used for the Frys.com Open:

Number of Past Tournaments Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA1) Earnings Avg Weight (EA1)
2 15% 15%
Number of Days Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA2) Earnings Avg Weight (EA2)
30 15% 15%
Number of Tournaments Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA3) Earnings Avg Weight (EA3)
4 20% 20%

As you will notice, I have changed my standard CLi settings. I have changed the number of previous instances of the tournament from 5 to 2 and put less emphasis on the previous instance of the tourmament and more emphasis on the most recent playing of the players. The reason is because this tournament has only been played on the Cordvalla Golf Club for the last two years even though the tournament has been in existence for 5 years. The first 3 years were played on the Grayhawk Golf Club - Raptor Course in Arizona.

If you don't like the configuration of my CLi calculation, feel free to run your own CLi calculation with your own desired settings by going to golfcli.com.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open Review

It is now time to review the picks for the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open to see how the results turned out.

Here are the results of the Tour Outsider (my) picks.
  1. George McNeill | 76 (MC) | $8,228
  2. Chad Campbell | 23 | $38,060
  3. John Mallinger | 93 (MC) | $0
  4. Kyle Stanley | 10 | $97,533
  5. Cameron Tringale | 73 | $8,492
Here are the results for the Tour Insider's (Bolton's) picks.
  1. Ryan Moore | 118 (MC) | $0
  2. Nick Watney | 2 | $475,200
  3. Kyle Stanley | 10 | $97,533
  4. George McNeill | 76 (MC) | $8,228
  5. Spencer Levin | 5 | $149,160
Here is the comparison of the results for our picks.

Tour OutsiderTour InsiderWinner
Total Earnings$152,313$730,121TI
Avg Rank55.042.2TI
Made Cut33DRAW
Outcome----TI

The Total Earnings category was won by the Tour Insider.

The Avg Rank category was won by the Tour Insider.

The Made Cut category was a draw.

The tournament overall was won by the Tour Insider.

The overall results between the Tour Outsider and the Tour Insider is 12 wins to the Tour Outsider, 27 wins to the Tour Insider, and 3 draws.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

This week the US PGA Tour starts it's Fall Finish tournaments with a tournament in Vegas, the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

Below is the list of the top 15 players in the CLi rankings for the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

# Player CLi 
1 George McNeill  7.00
2 Chad Campbell  13.90
3 John Mallinger  13.90
4 Kyle Stanley  14.60
5 Cameron Tringale  16.45
6 Charley Hoffman  17.70
7 Jonathan Byrd  19.95
8 Nick Watney  22.60
9 Martin Laird  22.80
10 Ryan Moore  24.45
11 Josh Teater  24.95
12 Spencer Levin  25.00
13 Jason Bohn  25.25
14 Chez Reavie  26.95
15 Kevin Na  28.00

I am going to stick with the top 5 players in the CLi rankings this week: McNeill (analysis), Campbell (analysis), Mallinger (analysis), Stanley (analysis), and Tringale (analysis).

The pick of Mallinger and Tringale might seem strange, especially with Hoffman (who has won here), Byrd (who won here last year), and Watney (and who is a native of Vegas) waiting in the wings. However, Mallinger is coming in with confidence. Rather than wait for the big tour to come to him, he spent time playing on the Nationwide Tour. He finished 2nd in two Nationwide events, and 6th in a 3rd event. Whereas, Tringale finished 11th last year in this event and has been having a solid outing this season on the big tour. Although he has no top 3s or wins this year, look for that to possibly change this week.

Below are my 5 picks for the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open :

# Player CLi 
1 George McNeill  7.00
2 Chad Campbell  13.90
3 John Mallinger  13.90
4 Kyle Stanley  14.60
5 Cameron Tringale  16.45

Below are the top 5 players in the Power Rankings from Rob Bolton:
  1. Ryan Moore
  2. Nick Watney
  3. Kyle Stanley
  4. George McNeill
  5. Spencer Levin
Here is a link to Bolton's Power Rankings so that you can read more about his thoughts on his top players in this week's Power Rankings:

Bolton's Power Rankings: Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

We have 2 players in common this week: Stanley and McNeill.

Below are the settings for the CLi calculation I used for the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open:

Number of Past Tournaments Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA1) Earnings Avg Weight (EA1)
5 25% 25%
Number of Days Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA2) Earnings Avg Weight (EA2)
30 5% 5%
Number of Tournaments Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA3) Earnings Avg Weight (EA3)
4 20% 20%

If you don't like the configuration of my CLi calculation, feel free to run your own CLi calculation with your own desired settings by going to golfcli.com.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

TOUR Championship Review

It is now time to review the picks for the TOUR Championship to see how the results turned out.

Here are the results of the Tour Outsider (my) picks.
  1. Luke Donald | 3 | $418,667
  2. Justin Rose | 20 | $152,000
  3. John Senden | 25 | $137,600
  4. Adam Scott | 6 | $272,000
  5. Phil Mickelson | 10 | $227,200
Here are the results for the Tour Insider's (Bolton's) picks.
  1. Luke Donald | 3 | $418,667
  2. Adam Scott | 6 | $272,000
  3. Webb Simpson | 22 | $147,200
  4. Nick Watney | 26 | $132,800
  5. Justn Rose | 20 | $152,000
Here is the comparison of the results for our picks.

Tour OutsiderTour InsiderWinner
Total Earnings$1,206,867$1,122,667TO
Avg Rank12.815.4TO
Made Cut55DRAW
Outcome----TO

The Total Earnings category was won by the Tour Outsider.

The Avg Rank category was won by the Tour Outsider.

The Made Cut category was a draw.

The tournament overall was won by the Tour Outsider.

The overall results between the Tour Outsider and the Tour Insider is 12 wins to the Tour Outsider, 26 wins to the Tour Insider, and 3 draws.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

TOUR Championship

This week the US PGA Tour is in Atlanta to play a limited field tournament (30 players), TOUR Championship. The tournament is the last tournament in the FedEx Playoff series.

Below is the list of the top 15 players in the CLi rankings for the TOUR Championship.

# Player CLi 
1 Luke Donald  5.05
2 Justin Rose  5.35
3 John Senden  6.90
4 Adam Scott  9.00
5 Vijay Singh  10.40
6 Nick Watney  10.90
7 Phil Mickelson  11.55
8 Geoff Ogilvy  11.85
9 Brandt Snedeker  12.55
10 Hunter Mahan  12.60
11 Matt Kuchar  12.85
12 Jason Day  12.90
13 Jonathan Byrd  14.95
14 Charles Howell III  15.35
15 David Toms  15.45

I am going to stick with the top 4 players in the CLi rankings: Donald (analysis), Rose (analysis), Senden (analysis), and Scott (analysis).

Then I am going to skip down to Mickelson (analysis) and pick him. He loves playing in Georgia, and hopefully the last tournament in the FedEx Playoff series will inspire him to make some putts and score well.

Below are my 5 picks for the TOUR Championship :

# Player CLi 
1 Luke Donald  5.05
2 Justin Rose  5.35
3 John Senden  6.90
4 Adam Scott  9.00
5 Phil Mickelson  11.55

Below are the top 5 players in the Power Rankings from Rob Bolton:
  1. Luke Donald
  2. Adam Scott
  3. Webb Simpson
  4. Nick Watney
  5. Justin Rose
Here is a link to Bolton's Power Rankings so that you can read more about his thoughts on his top players in this week's Power Rankings:

Bolton's Power Rankings: TOUR Championship

We have 3 players in common this week: Donald, Scott, and Rose.

Below are the settings for the CLi calculation I used for the TOUR Championship:

Number of Past Tournaments Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA1) Earnings Avg Weight (EA1)
5 25% 25%
Number of Days Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA2) Earnings Avg Weight (EA2)
30 5% 5%
Number of Tournaments Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA3) Earnings Avg Weight (EA3)
4 20% 20%

If you don't like the configuration of my CLi calculation, feel free to run your own CLi calculation with your own desired settings by going to golfcli.com.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

BMW Championship Review

It is now time to review the picks for the BMW Championship to see how the results turned out.

Here are the results of the Tour Outsider (my) picks.
  1. Matt Kuchar | 22 | $68,444
  2. Jim Furyk | 22 | $68,444
  3. Camilo Villegas | 6 | $278,000
  4. Adam Scott | 37 | $36,000
  5. Dustin Johnson | 65 | $16,720
Here are the results for the Tour Insider's (Bolton's) picks.
  1. Matt Kuchar | 22 | $68,444
  2. Luke Donald | 4 | $384,000
  3. Adam Scott | 37 | $36,000
  4. Webb Simpson | 5 | $320,000
  5. Dustin Johnson | 65 | $16,720
Here is the comparison of the results for our picks.

Tour OutsiderTour InsiderWinner
Total Earnings$467,608$825,164TI
Avg Rank30.426.6TI
Made Cut55DRAW
Outcome----TI

The Total Earnings category was won by the Tour Insider.

The Avg Rank category was won by the Tour Insider.

The Made Cut category was a draw.

The tournament overall was won by the Tour Insider.

The overall results between the Tour Outsider and the Tour Insider is 11 wins to the Tour Outsider, 26 wins to the Tour Insider, and 3 draws.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

BMW Championship

After a week off, this week the US PGA Tour goes to Chicago to play the BMW Championship at Cog Hill. This is the 3rd tournament in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, leaving only the the Tour Championship after this tournament. The top 30 players in the FedEx Cup points after the BMW Championship will make it to the field of the Tour Championship.

Below is the list of the top 15 players in the CLi rankings for the BMW Championship.

# Player CLi 
1 Matt Kuchar  7.20
2 Jim Furyk  8.30
3 Camilo Villegas  8.40
4 Adam Scott  8.70
5 Dustin Johnson  11.85
6 Luke Donald  12.20
7 Chez Reavie  13.30
8 Brandt Snedeker  15.40
9 Carl Pettersson  15.85
10 Steve Stricker  17.40
11 Vijay Singh  19.30
12 David Toms  21.20
13 Zach Johnson  23.25
14 Sergio Garcia  23.45
15 Justin Rose  23.75

I am going to stick with the top 5 players in the CLi rankings: Kuchar (analysis), Furyk (analysis), Villegas (analysis), Scott (analysis), and Johnson (analysis). The top 4 have CLi figures below 10, which is a good sign they will play well. The interesting inclusion is Villegas. However, he does play well in this event and has placed in the top 10 in 2 out of the last 3 tournaments...with the 3rd one being a 25th finish.

Below are my 5 picks for the BMW Championship :

# Player CLi 
1 Matt Kuchar  7.20
2 Jim Furyk  8.30
3 Camilo Villegas  8.40
4 Adam Scott  8.70
5 Dustin Johnson  11.85

Below are the top 5 players in the Power Rankings from Rob Bolton:
  1. Matt Kuchar
  2. Luke Donald
  3. Adam Scott
  4. Webb Simpson
  5. Dustin Johnson
Here is a link to Bolton's Power Rankings so that you can read more about his thoughts on his top players in this week's Power Rankings:

Bolton's Power Rankings: BMW Championship

We have 3 players in common this week: Kuchar, Scott, and Johnson.

Below are the settings for the CLi calculation I used for the BMW Championship:

Number of Past Tournaments Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA1) Earnings Avg Weight (EA1)
5 25% 25%
Number of Days Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA2) Earnings Avg Weight (EA2)
30 5% 5%
Number of Tournaments Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA3) Earnings Avg Weight (EA3)
4 20% 20%

If you don't like the configuration of my CLi calculation, feel free to run your own CLi calculation with your own desired settings by going to golfcli.com.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Deutsche Bank U.S. Championship Review

It is now time to review the picks for the Deutsche Bank U.S. Championship to see how the results turned out.

Here are the results of the Tour Outsider (my) picks.
  1. Vijay Singh | 86 (MC) | $0
  2. Luke Donald | 3 | $416,000
  3. Jason Dufner | 31 | $46,400
  4. Jason Day | 3 | $416,000
  5. Adam Scott | 8 | $240,000
Here are the results for the Tour Insider's (Bolton's) picks.
  1. Nick Watney | 61 | $16,960
  2. Jason Day | 3 | $416,000
  3. Dustin Johnson | 42 | $24,576
  4. Matt Kuchar | 25 | $61,067
  5. Luke Donald | 3 | $416,000
Here is the comparison of the results for our picks.

Tour OutsiderTour InsiderWinner
Total Earnings$1,118,400$934,603TO
Avg Rank26.226.8TO
Made Cut45TI
Outcome----TO

The Total Earnings category was won by the Tour Outsider.

The Avg Rank category was won by the Tour Outsider.

The Made Cut category was won by the Tour Insider.

The tournament overall was won by the Tour Outsider.

The overall results between the Tour Outsider and the Tour Insider is 11 wins to the Tour Outsider, 25 wins to the Tour Insider, and 3 draws.

I squeaked out a win, as my average rank was 0.6 better than Bolton's average rank. Not a pretty win, since my number one pick, Singh, missed the cut.  Singh wasn't even close in making the cut -- a bad week for him on a course and in a tournament that he normally plays well. As well, I was helped with Bolton having a poor finisher in the last round.  Watney balooned to a 80 on the last day and moved down 49 spots in the rankings for the tournament.  That will happen when one shoots in the snow.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Deutsche Bank U.S. Championship

This week the US PGA Tour moves up the Eastern seaboard to play the Deutsche Bank U.S. Championship.

Below is the list of the top 15 players in the CLi rankings for the Deutsche Bank U.S. Championship.

# Player CLi 
1 Vijay Singh  5.70
2 Luke Donald  9.30
3 Jason Dufner  9.50
4 Jason Day  12.00
5 Steve Stricker  12.25
6 Adam Scott  13.15
7 Matt Kuchar  14.45
8 Dustin Johnson  15.85
9 Kris Blanks  16.85
10 Jim Furyk  22.00
11 Scott Verplank  22.45
12 Sergio Garcia  24.10
13 Andres Romero  24.15
14 Brandt Snedeker  24.40
15 George McNeill  24.65

It is interesting to see Vijay Singh in the top 5 of the CLi figures again, and #1 in the CLi rankings for that matter. IT has been a long time since he has been predicted to play well in a tournament. But it helps that he has played well here (has won twice), and has played well in the past two tournaments he has played in (top top-5 finishes).

This week I am going to go with the top 4 players in the CLi rankings: Singh (analysis), Donald (analysis), Dufner (analysis), and Day (analysis).

I am going to skip over Stricker (analysis), even though it hurts my heart as a fellow Illinois alumni, and pick Scott (analysis). In choosing between Stricker and Scott, I feel that Scott will make up for his final round last week and have a great showing this week. Scott seems to rebound well after one bad round (contrary to when he is on a bad streak -- many poor rounds, when tends to magnify the "poorness" in the next tournament he plays in; hopefully this is not the start of a bad streak for him).

Below are my 5 picks for the Deutsche Bank U.S. Championship :


# Player CLi 
1 Vijay Singh  5.70
2 Luke Donald  9.30
3 Jason Dufner  9.50
4 Jason Day  12.00
5 Adam Scott  13.15

Below are the top 5 players in the Power Rankings from Rob Bolton:

  1. Nick Watney
  2. Jason Day
  3. Dustin Johnson
  4. Matt Kuchar
  5. Luke Donald
Here is a link to Bolton's Power Rankings so that you can read more about his thoughts on his top players in this week's Power Rankings:

Bolton's Power Rankings: Deutsche Bank U.S. Championship

We have 2 players in common this week: Day and Donald.

Below are the settings for the CLi calculation I used for the Deutsche Bank U.S. Championship:

Number of Past Tournaments Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA1) Earnings Avg Weight (EA1)
5 25% 25%
Number of Days Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA2) Earnings Avg Weight (EA2)
30 5% 5%
Number of Tournaments Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA3) Earnings Avg Weight (EA3)
4 20% 20%

If you don't like the configuration of my CLi calculation, feel free to run your own CLi calculation with your own desired settings by going to golfcli.com.

The Barclays Review

It is now time to review the picks for the Barclays to see how the results turned out.

Here are the results of the Tour Outsider (my) picks.
  1. Steve Stricker | 24 | $61,900
  2. Adam Scott | 67 | $16,320
  3. Webb Simpson | 10 | $200,000
  4. Luke Donald | 18 | $100,800
  5. Nick Watney | 10 | $200,000
Here are the results for the Tour Insider's (Bolton's) picks.
  1. Steve Stricker | 24 | $61,900
  2. Adam Scott | 67 | $16,320
  3. Dustin Johnson | 1 | $1,440,000
  4. Luke Donald | 18 | $100,800
  5. Webb Simpson | 10 | $200,000
Here is the comparison of the results for our picks.

Tour OutsiderTour InsiderWinner
Total Earnings$579,020$1,819,020TI
Avg Rank25.824.0TI
Made Cut55DRAW
Outcome----TI

The Total Earnings category was won by the Tour Insider.

The Avg Rank category was won by the Tour Insider.

The Made Cut category was a draw.

The tournament overall was won by the Tour Insider.

The overall results between the Tour Outsider and the Tour Insider is 10 wins to the Tour Outsider, 25 wins to the Tour Insider, and 3 draws.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

The Barclays

This week the US PGA Tour is in New Jersey to play the Barclays.  This is the first event of the FedEx Playoffs.

Below is the list of the top 15 players in the CLi rankings for the Barclays.

# Player CLi 
1 Steve Stricker  5.90
2 Adam Scott  6.80
3 Webb Simpson  9.10
4 Luke Donald  14.80
5 Scott Verplank  19.80
6 Nick Watney  19.80
7 Fredrik Jacobson  23.50
8 Vijay Singh  25.50
9 Jason Day  25.80
10 David Toms  25.80
11 Rickie Fowler  26.30
12 Zach Johnson  27.30
13 Jim Furyk  27.70
14 Bill Haas  32.60
15 Sergio Garcia  34.10

I am going to go with the top 4 players in the CLi rankings: Stricker (analysis), Scott (analysis), Simpson (analysis), and Donald (analysis).

Then I am going to skip over my native Texan, Verplank(analysis), and go with Watney(analysis). Verplank and Watney have the same CLi figure (19.80). Their scoring average in this tournament is around the same (70.40). Verplank has earned more money in this event on average and has earned more money in the past 4 weeks. However, Watney has earned more money in the past 4 tournaments they have played in, and has played better this year than Verplank. So I am going with Watney.

Below are my 5 picks for the Barclays :


# Player CLi 
1 Steve Stricker  5.90
2 Adam Scott  6.80
3 Webb Simpson  9.10
4 Luke Donald  14.80
5 Nick Watney  19.80

Below are the top 5 players in the Power Rankings from Rob Bolton:

  1. Steve Stricker
  2. Adam Scott
  3. Dustin Johnson
  4. Luke Donald
  5. Webb Simpson
Here is a link to Bolton's Power Rankings so that you can read more about his thoughts on his top players in this week's Power Rankings:

Bolton's Power Rankings: Barclays

We have 4 players in common this week: Stricker, Scott, Donald, and Simpson.  Come'on Watney.

Below are the settings for the CLi calculation I used for the Barclays:

Number of Past Tournaments Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA1) Earnings Avg Weight (EA1)
5 20% 20%
Number of Days Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA2) Earnings Avg Weight (EA2)
30 10% 10%
Number of Tournaments Looking Back
Number Scoring Avg Weight (SA3) Earnings Avg Weight (EA3)
4 20% 20%

If you don't like the configuration of my CLi calculation, feel free to run your own CLi calculation with your own desired settings by going to golfcli.com.