Zurich Update...

The Billy, Billy, Billy Zurich update. Apparently the signs were there because nine of you picked Billy Horschel to win. I know he's battled injuries but he broke through in a huge way this weekend.

I love it when any guy under 25 wins now, the media instantly expects him to be the next great one. Heard it with Henley too in Hawaii, "there's something about this guy's make up." Well there are about 25 of them now under 30 who could be the guy. Who wants to keep working hard and actually be the next young one to win multiple majors and dominate? VOTE TO THE RIGHT. Maybe it won't happen, maybe there is too much balance. I don't know the answer, but I'm thankful the men's game doesn't appear to be in danger of being taken over by the Korean's like it has with the women. 

Aside from the 9 guys picking Horschel I just want to take a minute to head off any allegations that I created the alias of Bill Horton to rig the pool. Horschel was his 3rd winning pick of the year and has built a fairly sizable lead in the standings. Rookie, quit making it look so easy.

Updated Standings...

Bill Horton	-	$6,627,163
Andrew Tucker	-	$5,578,838
Don Adams	-	$5,523,551
Gray Kitchens	-	$5,380,075
Jennifer King	-	$5,261,335
Mike Jones	-	$5,155,575
Jim Fisher	-	$5,070,532
Matt Saler	-	$4,769,397
Jake Louricas	-	$4,400,049
Travis Brown	-	$4,352,834
PLAYOFF CUT LINE
Hunter Hughey	-	$4,301,231
Allen Freedman	-	$4,056,418
Kyle Rubeling	-	$4,001,330
Troy Engebretson	-	$3,893,277
Tom Roberts	-	$3,445,370
Russ Tigue	-	$3,423,730
Greg Adams	-	$3,312,039
Stefen Lovelace	-	$3,254,165
John Barnes	-	$3,229,715
John Reilly	-	$3,150,198
Nick Eber	-	$3,083,497
Tim Baker Sr.	-	$3,062,850
Jason Swanson	-	$3,020,052
Joe Eber	-	$2,899,924
Ryan Jordan	-	$2,896,472
Jeff Wilson	-	$2,694,448
Jeremy Hammond	-	$2,659,539
Brian Remsberg	-	$2,608,088
Sean Scoopmire	-	$2,572,305
Blake Browne	-	$2,467,461
Justin Marksamer	-	$2,405,976
Patrick King	-	$2,303,092
Jim Hobart	-	$2,276,910
Brian Marchant	-	$2,275,727
Brian Jones	-	$2,222,314
Stephen Riddick	-	$2,153,544
Mark Eber	-	$2,148,596
Jamie Pimental	-	$2,131,799
Chris Hood	-	$2,024,387
Stefan Manford	-	$2,005,227
Sue Hubbard	-	$1,989,989
Mike Hubbard	-	$1,703,161
Chip Kay	-	$1,582,618
Mark Wilson	-	$1,543,682
Alex Yates	-	$1,220,170

RBC Heritage Update...

Didn't see enough of the golf to comment intelligently on this week's tourney. What I do know is we've had an amazing two weeks of picks. Last week at the Masters nobody picked a player who missed the cut. This week at the RBC only one pick missed the cut. This is almost unprecedented in the pool's history. Nobody had G-Mac, top picks were Streelman and Donald.

Bill Horton	-	$5,439,163
Gray Kitchens	-	$5,356,975
Jennifer King	-	$5,227,807
Jim Fisher	-	$5,047,432
Matt Saler	-	$4,735,869
Jake Louricas	-	$4,400,049
Andrew Tucker	-	$4,390,838
Don Adams	-	$4,335,551
Travis Brown	-	$4,329,734
Hunter Hughey	-	$4,278,131
PLAYOFF CUT LINE
Mike Jones	-	$3,967,575
Tom Roberts	-	$3,411,842
Russ Tigue	-	$3,390,202
John Barnes	-	$3,229,715
Greg Adams	-	$3,209,739
Stefen Lovelace	-	$3,151,865
John Reilly	-	$3,150,198
Jason Swanson	-	$3,020,052
Tim Baker Sr.	-	$2,960,550
Ryan Jordan	-	$2,873,372
Allen Freedman	-	$2,868,418
Kyle Rubeling	-	$2,813,330
Joe Eber	-	$2,797,624
Troy Engebretson	-	$2,705,277
Jeff Wilson	-	$2,671,348
Brian Remsberg	-	$2,608,088
Jeremy Hammond	-	$2,557,239
Sean Scoopmire	-	$2,549,205
Blake Browne	-	$2,365,161
Justin Marksamer	-	$2,303,676
Patrick King	-	$2,303,092
Brian Jones	-	$2,222,314
Brian Marchant	-	$2,173,427
Stephen Riddick	-	$2,153,544
Jamie Pimental	-	$2,131,799
Mark Eber	-	$2,046,296
Chris Hood	-	$2,024,387
Stefan Manford	-	$1,982,127
Sue Hubbard	-	$1,956,461
Nick Eber	-	$1,895,497
Mike Hubbard	-	$1,703,161
Mark Wilson	-	$1,441,382
Chip Kay	-	$1,417,618
Alex Yates	-	$1,220,170
Jim Hobart	-	$1,088,910

The Masters Update...

Let's do this in chronological order...

Friday - Tiger's drop gate ruling. Upon further review of all information, I think they got it right. If he doesn't tell the media that he purposely dropped 2 yards back (it looked more like 2 feet) he doesn't even get penalized at all. This was blown out of proportion by people who don't understand the rules. It wasn't a double standard, hell if anything he was only penalized because he is Tiger, if it was Marc Leishman he's not interviewed after the round. Last thought, his 8 would have been a 5 at worst maybe a 4. Four less shots would have put him in the playoff.

Saturday - You didn't really think Fred Couples would be able to stay in contention did you?

Sunday - Holy Bernhard Langer. Three birdies to open the day, he was on pace for 54 but ended up shooting 76.

On the back nine Snedecker showed why he wears a pink shirt. You think Cabrera owns a pink shirt? Maybe but he doesn't wear it on Sunday at majors.

Tiger can't make anything until it's too late. Who thought he might make a hole-in-one on 16 and make it really interesting? I hoped he would. He grinds out a par on 18 to save 26 people who picked him at least another $150K.

Adam Scott has won the Masters with a long putt on 18. Into Stevie's arms he goes!... Wait for it...

El Pato, now known as El Cajones hits one of the most clutch shots in Masters history. Hold your horses Australia, I need another green jacket for my closet.

Adam Scott can't win this now can he? After that mental let down?

First playoff hole, El Cajones and Scott hit perfect tee balls and approaches 2 yards short of where they needed them. El Cajones once again hits nearly a perfect shot but chip doesn't drop.

On to second playoff hole. Two perfect drives, great approaches and again El Cajones much like first playoff hole and 17 hits a perfect shot to not see it go in. Adam Scott rolls his in on nearly the final turn.

The end. Travis Brown and Bill Horton look like geniuses. Bill is in the lead and Travis goes from 37th to 9th. The pool has officially begun for 2013...

Updated Standings...

Bill Horton	-	$5,419,443
Jim Fisher	-	$5,027,712
Gray Kitchens	-	$5,020,575
Jennifer King	-	$4,891,407
Matt Saler	-	$4,399,469
Jake Louricas	-	$4,380,329
Andrew Tucker	-	$4,371,118
Don Adams	-	$4,315,831
Travis Brown	-	$4,282,754
Hunter Hughey	-	$3,941,731
PLAYOFF CUT LINE
Mike Jones	-	$3,631,175
Tom Roberts	-	$3,364,862
John Barnes	-	$3,229,715
Greg Adams	-	$3,190,019
Russ Tigue	-	$3,053,802
John Reilly	-	$3,024,532
Jason Swanson	-	$2,894,386
Ryan Jordan	-	$2,873,372
Allen Freedman	-	$2,848,698
Stefen Lovelace	-	$2,815,465
Kyle Rubeling	-	$2,793,610
Joe Eber	-	$2,671,958
Troy Engebretson	-	$2,669,259
Jeff Wilson	-	$2,624,368
Tim Baker Sr.	-	$2,624,150
Brian Remsberg	-	$2,561,108
Jeremy Hammond	-	$2,557,239
Sean Scoopmire	-	$2,502,225
Blake Browne	-	$2,345,441
Justin Marksamer	-	$2,293,758
Patrick King	-	$2,283,372
Brian Jones	-	$2,202,594
Brian Marchant	-	$2,137,409
Stephen Riddick	-	$2,133,824
Jamie Pimental	-	$2,095,781
Mark Eber	-	$2,033,652
Chris Hood	-	$2,004,667
Stefan Manford	-	$1,935,147
Sue Hubbard	-	$1,920,443
Mike Hubbard	-	$1,694,015
Nick Eber	-	$1,559,097
Mark Wilson	-	$1,426,965
Chip Kay	-	$1,397,898
Alex Yates	-	$1,220,170
Jim Hobart	-	$1,088,910

Bay Hill Update...

I could just go back and re-post an old blog post written seven other times... Tiger won at Bay Hill again. Groundhog Day? No thanks, I'd like to strangle that stupid rodent for his prediction of spring being just around the corner. Could he be more wrong? Let's nope not.

For the six who rolled the dice and chose Tiger, we'll find out if it was a good move in three weeks. If he wins the Masters, those who choose him will gain more than $2M on you in the standings. In the meantime, you just netted $6 from the winner pot. Three of the six are also in the top 10 including Jim, Gray and Don who are 1-3 in the standings. Maybe you're smarter than I thought!

Other thoughts on the weekend. Sergio hit his best shot in 10 years then had to WD because he had a boo boo and wanted to make sure he was healthy enough to once again not win a major. For those that lost some prize money due to the WD, I hate to pile on but you can't use him again this year... Even if you actually wanted to.

Lastly, how about a caption contest below on this photo from PGATour.com. I'll start with "Tiger tells Arnie, he may not catch Jack in majors, but he's closing in on his record of most women in PGA Tour history."

Updated Standings...

Jim Fisher	-	$4,974,492
Gray Kitchens	-	$4,560,675
Don Adams	-	$4,262,611
Jennifer King	-	$4,068,987
Matt Saler	-	$3,582,789
Jake Louricas	-	$3,557,909
Andrew Tucker	-	$3,028,518
Russ Tigue	-	$2,898,742
Hunter Hughey	-	$2,889,911
Mike Jones	-	$2,789,742
PLAYOFF CUT LINE
Kyle Rubeling	-	$2,645,570
Bill Horton	-	$2,478,063
Sean Scoopmire	-	$2,440,165
Tom Roberts	-	$2,430,429
Greg Adams	-	$2,348,586
John Barnes	-	$2,190,481
John Reilly	-	$2,127,211
Stefen Lovelace	-	$2,069,465
Allen Freedman	-	$2,063,390
Jason Swanson	-	$2,016,993
Ryan Jordan	-	$2,006,519
Justin Marksamer	-	$1,981,858
Patrick King	-	$1,966,752
Troy Engebretson	-	$1,947,106
Tim Baker Sr.	-	$1,920,150
Brian Marchant	-	$1,914,176
Mark Eber	-	$1,864,470
Jeff Wilson	-	$1,801,948
Jamie Pimental	-	$1,753,268
Joe Eber	-	$1,737,525
Blake Browne	-	$1,728,921
Brian Remsberg	-	$1,694,255
Mike Hubbard	-	$1,639,222
Chris Hood	-	$1,540,667
Jeremy Hammond	-	$1,530,839
Stephen Riddick	-	$1,429,824
Nick Eber	-	$1,200,057
Mark Wilson	-	$1,196,465
Sue Hubbard	-	$1,135,135
Alex Yates	-	$1,096,496
Travis Brown	-	$1,065,516
Brian Jones	-	$1,038,761
Jim Hobart	-	$951,410
Chip Kay	-	$693,898
Stefan Manford	-	$685,547

Tampa Bay Championship

Is it time for the Masters yet? Mother Nature is working hard to cool down the ground here and keep the azaleas from blooming early. Latest spring I've seen in the 8 years since embedding in the southland.

I watched Streelman finish off his first win on the PGA TOUR. Other than the fact that he went to Duke, good solid dude, nice to see him finally break through. A lot of decent picks, really glad I decided to go with Cabrera instead of sticking with Donald. Maybe that was a sign to take a vow of poverty as Pope Francis has. Only a $210K difference between the two.

Take heart if you're down near the bottom of the pool, if you picked a top 5 finisher at the Masters (and Tigers doesn't play well) you'll be in the top 10.

Here's the updated standings...

Jennifer King	-	$4,056,153
Jim Fisher	-	$3,858,492
Jake Louricas	-	$3,544,703
Gray Kitchens	-	$3,444,675
Don Adams	-	$3,146,611
Andrew Tucker	-	$3,028,518
Matt Saler	-	$2,913,189
Hunter Hughey	-	$2,889,911
Russ Tigue	-	$2,885,908
Sean Scoopmire	-	$2,422,012
PLAYOFF CUT LINE
Greg Adams	-	$2,335,380
John Barnes	-	$2,177,647
John Reilly	-	$2,127,211
Mike Jones	-	$2,120,142
Stefen Lovelace	-	$2,051,312
Ryan Jordan	-	$2,006,519
Jason Swanson	-	$1,998,840
Justin Marksamer	-	$1,981,858
Allen Freedman	-	$1,948,690
Tim Baker Sr.	-	$1,920,150
Brian Marchant	-	$1,901,342
Troy Engebretson	-	$1,885,106
Jeff Wilson	-	$1,783,795
Tom Roberts	-	$1,760,829
Jamie Pimental	-	$1,753,268
Joe Eber	-	$1,737,525
Blake Browne	-	$1,715,715
Brian Remsberg	-	$1,694,255
Mike Hubbard	-	$1,621,069
Jeremy Hammond	-	$1,530,839
Kyle Rubeling	-	$1,529,570
Chris Hood	-	$1,522,514
Stephen Riddick	-	$1,416,618
Bill Horton	-	$1,362,063
Patrick King	-	$1,297,152
Sue Hubbard	-	$1,135,135
Alex Yates	-	$1,096,496
Travis Brown	-	$1,065,516
Brian Jones	-	$1,038,761
Nick Eber	-	$1,032,657
Jim Hobart	-	$889,410
Mark Eber	-	$748,470
Stefan Manford	-	$685,547
Chip Kay	-	$675,745
Mark Wilson	-	$526,865

Doral / PR Update...

Not much to write about this week. Tiger is back or is he? I don't like to lead you on your picks but I will likely just ask you to send me your pick for the Masters if you're not picking him. We do have a new leader this week. Mrs. King picked Boo(T8) and Graeme (T3). Several other solid picks but nobody with a win or second in either tourney. Updated standings...

Jennifer King	-	$3,976,403
Jim Fisher	-	$3,709,600
Jake Louricas	-	$3,533,603
Gray Kitchens	-	$3,295,783
Don Adams	-	$2,997,719
Andrew Tucker	-	$2,996,550
Russ Tigue	-	$2,853,940
Hunter Hughey	-	$2,810,161
Matt Saler	-	$2,764,297
Greg Adams	-	$2,335,380
PLAYOFF CUT LINE
Sean Scoopmire	-	$2,273,120
John Barnes	-	$2,160,900
John Reilly	-	$2,127,211
Mike Jones	-	$1,971,250
Stefen Lovelace	-	$1,902,420
Ryan Jordan	-	$1,857,627
Tim Baker Sr.	-	$1,840,400
Justin Marksamer	-	$1,832,966
Troy Engebretson	-	$1,830,106
Allen Freedman	-	$1,799,798
Jason Swanson	-	$1,771,507
Brian Marchant	-	$1,752,450
Joe Eber	-	$1,737,525
Tom Roberts	-	$1,728,861
Jamie Pimental	-	$1,721,300
Jeff Wilson	-	$1,704,045
Blake Browne	-	$1,683,747
Brian Remsberg	-	$1,682,760
Mike Hubbard	-	$1,621,069
Kyle Rubeling	-	$1,449,820
Chris Hood	-	$1,442,764
Jeremy Hammond	-	$1,381,947
Stephen Riddick	-	$1,267,726
Bill Horton	-	$1,213,171
Patrick King	-	$1,148,260
Sue Hubbard	-	$1,135,135
Travis Brown	-	$1,065,516
Brian Jones	-	$1,038,761
Nick Eber	-	$1,020,722
Alex Yates	-	$947,604
Jim Hobart	-	$889,410
Mark Eber	-	$748,470
Stefan Manford	-	$685,547
Chip Kay	-	$663,810
Mark Wilson	-	$447,115

Honda Update...

Maybe he's lucky, maybe it's his positive mental attitude. Whatever it is, the guy wins more things than anybody I know, Mark Eber has won the cuts made streak. Perhaps most amazingly of all, he's in 41st place and this week was the first time one of his picks netted more than $100,000. Speaking of $100K, we had 22 people pick players (mainly Euros) who made at least that this week at the Honda.

Nice to see a former Travelers Championship am exemption get his first win on tour. Michael Thompson is a stud, this won't be his last win. Updated standings and a note at the bottom about Pebble. Welcome your thoughts and memories if you've ever been out there as well...

Jim Fisher	-	$3,641,400
Jennifer King	-	$3,457,403
Gray Kitchens	-	$3,112,122
Jake Louricas	-	$2,994,478
Don Adams	-	$2,892,894
Andrew Tucker	-	$2,771,550
Hunter Hughey	-	$2,721,750
Matt Saler	-	$2,683,886
Russ Tigue	-	$2,683,365
Sean Scoopmire	-	$2,184,709
PLAYOFF CUT LINE
John Barnes	-	$2,023,800
John Reilly	-	$1,902,211
Greg Adams	-	$1,873,780
Mike Jones	-	$1,858,650
Stefen Lovelace	-	$1,797,595
Ryan Jordan	-	$1,745,027
Tim Baker Sr.	-	$1,700,150
Justin Marksamer	-	$1,692,716
Jason Swanson	-	$1,687,096
Jamie Pimental	-	$1,677,200
Joe Eber	-	$1,658,525
Brian Marchant	-	$1,629,350
Tom Roberts	-	$1,627,261
Troy Engebretson	-	$1,622,256
Allen Freedman	-	$1,591,948
Blake Browne	-	$1,565,836
Mike Hubbard	-	$1,552,869
Brian Remsberg	-	$1,523,760
Jeff Wilson	-	$1,451,751
Jeremy Hammond	-	$1,381,947
Chris Hood	-	$1,369,970
Kyle Rubeling	-	$1,165,720
Stephen Riddick	-	$1,134,976
Bill Horton	-	$1,108,346
Patrick King	-	$1,062,435
Brian Jones	-	$920,850
Travis Brown	-	$881,855
Alex Yates	-	$870,193
Jim Hobart	-	$817,910
Sue Hubbard	-	$656,385
Mark Eber	-	$634,720
Nick Eber	-	$596,397
Chip Kay	-	$581,110
Stefan Manford	-	$501,886
Mark Wilson	-	$366,321

Last thought: There are very few places that live up to a lifetime of hype. One is Augusta National and the Masters and last week I found out Pebble Beach is another. If you haven't been, imagine one of the most beautiful places you've ever seen with a VERY GOOD golf course on top of it. I was skeptical, but the place exceeded the hype. Here's a quick picture I took on 18 after the round. I'll be selling limited edition signed pieces. My best shot of they day! I did shoot 86 from the tips, played fairly well with a few loose tee balls in the middle of the round.