Fumbleweed

My team hinges on Cantlay. He was terrific at Riviera, but has struggled in other tourneys this year so far. It was a value pick as I don’t actually have him in my top ten. Probably should have picked Bryson instead, but we’ll see.

If you get a chance to update the Google sheets, too, that would be great...although with the early finish, not necessary until tomorrow if that is better obviously.

People. They were just people. I don't know them. You don't know them. Some are probably deplorable if you want to use that word, but I would suspect that many are not.

I am a pretty distinct departure from the "redneck" culture as far as Caucasians are concerned, but this is a big reason why democrats have lost the working class voters. Broad, sweeping, generalizations (no pun intended) about people they've never met. Most of the "redneck" people I know are actually pretty terrific people. Not really my crowd, but I have tried to actually get to know folks of that supposed label just as I have other groups of folks around me who don't look or act as I do. Prejudice is a problem on many, many levels and in many, many circles. I don't know you- you may pride yourself on not being a person of prejudice or maybe you are and you own it. I have no idea. But, statements like yours here don't go unnoticed and they're a big reason that rural America has absolutely rejected the elitist democratic party.

Pavon is my alternate

Doesn't lager still have his last pick to make?

Not touching him right now. No way.

6.07- Austin Eckroat

Just came up for air at work. Will pick shortly

5.03- Justin Rose

I paid

4.07- Min Woo Lee

3.03- Jason Day

2.07- Patrick Cantlay

The Masters is now exactly a little more than a week away and the field is rounding into form. For a few of us, it is just about our favorite sports weekend of the year. For most, probably not, but still a weekend of interest. Here are my initial top ten favorites for this year as has been done for several years now. List is subject to change as the month of March deepens in golf. Should be a great tournament! Top Ten: 1. Rory McIlroy- When he finished with a flurry last year, I thought of him at that time as this year's favorite. Nothing has changed. I think Rory will win two majors this year. 2. Jon Rahm- If Rory stumbles down the stretch on Masters Sunday, this is the guy who will be waiting with open arms. Should be the betting favorite. 3. Patrick Cantlay- I really like Cantlay to win almost as much as I do Rory and Rahm. He can pressure putt alongside anyone in the world and I think a major is coming his way soon. 4. Max Homa- Max should be in the mix in multiple majors this season as he has emerged as one of the game's very best players. 5. Scottie Scheffler- Hard place to defend, but I think Scheffler's overall game lends itself to him being a factor in at least two majors this year, if not three. 6. Jason Day- Day's game is really rounding into form at the right time. Originally had Adam Scott here, but I think Day is emerging as top Aussie at this year's edition. 7. Justin Thomas- JT has a surprisingly poor record in majors overall, but should be all over the par-5s all work giving him a chance to score well and remain in contention. 8. Kurt Kitayama- Replaces Theegala who has not played well in March. Kitayama's 2023 so far has been a true breakout and I expect good things from moving forward also. 9. Jordan Spieth- No matter how he's playing coming in, Jordan and Augusta are a good fit. I expect he'll do well this year, but accuracy off the tee will leave him short. 10. Cameron Smith- Smith will surely come into the Masters with a chip on his shoulder- the question is: Has he played enough competitive golf recently to contend? Players outside of my top ten who still have a very legitimate shot at winning: Tony Finau, Tyrrell Hatton, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Adam Scott, Will Zalatoris Highly ranked players who are off to slow start in 2023, but could catch lightning in a bottle for a week: Sam Burns, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Billy Horschel, Shane Lowry, Hideki Matsuyama Young, exciting players with little Masters experience, but tons of game: Corey Conners, Viktor Hovland, Sungjae Im, Tom Kim, Seamus Power, Sahith Theegala, Cameron Young LIV participants: Abraham Ancer, Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, Talor Gooch, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Jason Kokrak, Phil Mickelson, Kevin Na, Joaquin Niemann, Louis Oosthuzien, Mito Pereira, Thomas Pieters, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel, Harold Varner III, Bubba Watson, Solid, tested players...wouldn't be a shocker if they won: Keegan Bradley, Harris English, Tommy Fleetwood, Russell Henley, Brian Harman, Tom Hoge, Si Woo Kim, Chris Kirk, Francesco Molinari, Justin Rose, Danny Willett, Gary Woodland, Tiger Woods Guys who have a punchers chance, but would make for a somewhat shocking winner: Cameron Champ, Ryan Fox, Makenzie Hughes, Kevin Kisner, K.H. Lee, Adrian Meronk, Keith Mitchell, Alex Noren, J.T. Poston, Scott Stallings, Sepp Straka, Adam Svensson, Aaron Wise Guys who have no real shot at winning from my perspective: Fred Couples, Zach Johnson, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Larry Mize, J.M. Olazabal, Vijay Singh, Mike Weir, All amateurs

I've had highs and lows...

The Masters is now a little more than a month away and the field is rounding into form. For a few of us, it is just about our favorite sports weekend of the year. For most, probably not, but still a weekend of interest. Here are my initial top ten favorites for this year as has been done for several years now. List is subject to change as the month of March deepens in golf. Should be a great tournament! Top Ten: 1. Scottie Scheffler- I know chalk picks are boring, but with Scheffler now putting well, he is a force like no other on tour or in the world for that matter. Must be #1 on this list accordingly. 2. Jason Day- I don't know if Jason ever wins that elusive second major, but something tells me this could be his best chance. 3. Xander Schauffele- Rounding into form in March, Schauffele has to be considered one of the favorites. Had moved off him in February, but he's headed in the right direction now. 4. Jon Rahm- Always a threat, the defending champ should be a factor this year at Augusta once again. 5. Bryson DeChambeau- Still predicting a top-five finish for Bryson, but I wish some of these LIV guys played more. They are an inconsistent group in terms of reps to be sure. 6. Jordan Spieth- Two missed cuts drops Jordan out of the top spot, but his record at Augusta remains impressive. 7. Sahith Theegala- Very solid overall player who should finish top ten in multiple majors this year by my estimation. 8. Will Zalatoris- Some ups and downs so far this year, but Zalatoris still has a top ten finish at Augusta written all over him. 9. Brooks Koepka- Koepka has his demons at Augusta, but as with any major, he'll dial in and give a good showing. 10. Shane Lowry- I just think Lowry's game fits big tournaments and I am expecting him to top ten in the majors this year at least twice, a la Theegala. Players outside of my top ten who still have a very legitimate shot at winning: Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Joaquin Niemann Highly ranked players who are off to slow start in 2024, but could catch lightning in a bottle for a week: Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tony Finau, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Brian Harman, Max Homa Young, exciting players with little Masters experience, but tons of game: Matthieu Pavon, Wyndham Clark, Ludvig Aberg, Sam Burns, Tom Kim, Eric Cole, Nicolas Hojgaard, Min Woo Lee Other LIV participants: Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Cameron Smith, Tyrrell Hatton, Adrian Meronk Solid, tested players...wouldn't be a shocker if they won: Adam Scott, Russell Henley, Cameron Young, Emiliano Grillo, Sepp Straka, Si Woo Kim, Corey Conners, Sungjae Im, Rickie Fowler, Keegan Bradley, Lucas Glover, Harris English, Adam Hadwin, Justin Rose, Chris Kirk, Byeong Hun An, Thorbjorn Olesen Guys who have a punchers chance, but would make for a somewhat shocking winner: Tiger Woods, Danny Willett, Bubba Watson, Charl Schwartzel, Phil Mickelson, Jake Knapp, Austin Eckroat, Gary Woodland, Kurt Kitayama, Cameron Davis, Nick Taylor, Luke List, Lee Hodges, Adam Schenk, Taylor Moore, Nick Dunlap, Ryan Fox, Denny McCarthy, J.T. Poston, Erik Van Rooyen, Camilo Villegas, Grayson Murray, Ryo Hitsatsume Guys who have no real shot at winning from my perspective: Fred Couples, Zach Johnson, J.M. Olazabal, Vijay Singh, Mike Weir, Angel Cabrera, All amateurs

Just thought we needed one more Masters thread on the front page...

Tell me what I missed. Is GFF drafting for Clocaine? Is he Clocaine? I'm lost.

I know I gifted you one here, Jerry. You can thank me later.

30 points vs. by far the best defensive team in the country isn’t shabby. Five of the six best players on the floor today were Gamecocks. She just ran out of gas. Now, she definitely struggled some vs. UConn, but she was other worldly vs. LSU and even better vs. South Carolina last year. if you can find another player that put up 30 vs. South Carolina this season, let me know. She’s also the all time NCAA leader in assists by the way. Best passer in the game and it’s not close.

She never comes out of the game. Ever. She just ran out of gas. South Carolina rotated 10 players in and out and their bench outscored Iowa’s, 37-0.

If you had watched her all year, you’d be impressed…trust me. Does she receive too much attention? Yeah, probably. But she’s the best offensive women’s player I’ve ever seen and has been for two years now. If you switch her with South Carolina’s best player, USC wins that game by 30. Don’t base her worth on just two games.

1.03- Xander Schauffele

Six