Gophers, Jowls, Kikakee and Freeside all winners over last 3 weeks - Summer Segment begins to take shape

And we're back. Despite a short hiatus on the recap front the action on the Fantasy Tour has been in full swing for the past few weeks as the boys have traveled the high seas to the British Isles and then farted around somewhere in Canada. The Segment leaderboard has taken on a more defined shape as That's Wet stakes his claim to the top spot early after messing around with 2nd place for so long during the Winter Segment. It's still anyone's race though as only 100 points separates 1st from 14th. Three weeks ago at the John Deere Classic it would be a long sought after win for the The Gophers as he'd gone 17 weeks without a W (a very long time by The Gophers standards). He continues to plug away by picking sound players and he's now racked up Top 10s in 6 of the last 7 tournaments. How's this guy not in 1st? He's not far off the pace by any stretch though. Perhaps the biggest story so far this Summer is the emergence of Jowls as a league heavyweight. His performance stats would take a dip during mid Spring (only getting 2 Top 10s - ironically both of them wins) but he came alive near the end to win the US Open and then as if one Major weren't enough he did it again - taking home the Claret Jug at St. Andrews by winning the Open Championship. Then last week we had the league's 3rd occurrence of a shared win and Kikakee Tees just happened to be in 2 of them. He would share victory with another Titan of recent ascent - Freeside Links. While Kikakee has been a Vegas favorite week in and week out Freeside has only gained renown in the 2nd half of the season with his win at The Masters paving the way. It's been an arduous season thus far and teams have had ample opportunity to win and lose their fortunes. A missed roster. A couple out of nowhere MDFs and WDs. An ill timed weather delay with drastic roster implications. You've got to be a grinder in this league to take those punches and keep going. And this league is chockablock with teams who've done just that.  

The Gophers Demolishes the John Deere

Jowls Claims the Coveted Claret Jug

Freeside Links Outflanks Field in Ontario

Kikakee Tees Conquers Canada

Notables:

Of those grinders who've been putting in the practice there's 5 names that come to mind. Perhaps they've been watching Rudy but they just won't give up. Dr. Vijay's Anlter Spray might be at the top of the list as he's shown up each and every week thus far but still hasn't grasped that elusive victory. He's put in the work and has 15 Top 3s, 4 Top 10s but no wins to show for it. He's come close and he's almost there but it will take just a little more work to get over that hump. Then there's T-Off-Killah. The journeyman has accumulated 13 Top 10s and 4 Top 3s but alas has no money to show for it. Victory has been within swiping distance several times for him but he just can't seem to close. Hopefully he won't end up like John Rocker. Another perpetual grinder is Better Than Most. He's hardly merited a place at the discussion table except for the fact that he is the highest ranked player (13th) with the fewest Top 3s (1) and zero wins but the highest number of Top 10s (9). This may not be his year but he'll keep plugging away even if the fantasy golfing gods are against him. Of course you can't go far down this list without stumbling into the likes of Where Eagles Dare. Perhaps the team in the league with the hardest knocks (excluding T-Off-Killah) Eagles has repeatedly stormed the castle only to be repelled by hot tar and go away empty handed. He's got 7 Top 10s and 2 Top 3s but his fantasy bank account is pretty bare as his chances of earning his money back are dwindling. He's starting to look to the end of the year First Timers Fantasy League Golf Tournament to win some cash on the real course. And wrapping up the list for the most grindiest grinders on Fantasy Tour this year is Show & Dough. She's got a nice little accumulation of Top 10s with 11 and a solid 3 Top 3s as well but none of them have gotten her what she's after. Her trophy case is empty with only 8 more tournaments to go. It's go time for these grinders as they all want that victory and nothing will stand in their way. And for good measure I'd also throw in Whiny Little Pitch into the grinder mix as her 10 Top 10s and 4 Top 3s still have not been enough to get her a championship. Mark my words: at least one of these teams will get that win before the 

season wraps up in 2 months. 

Season Bonus Points and Winners Picked

Team	Bonus Points	Winner Picks
The Gophers	445	15
Kikakee Tees	385	13
T-Off-Killah	365	11
Hogan's Heros	360	10
Jowls	335	10
Baby Draw Part 2	330	10
Talkeetna98	325	13
Where Eagles Dare	320	9
Show and Dough	320	10
2 Footer	315	9
That's Wet!	300	10
Whiny Little Pitch	290	10
Chubbs Peterson	285	10
BevGin&Tonic	275	7
Freeside Links	275	8
Dr. Vijay's Antler Spray	260	8
Strangers	255	7
Papa Pilgrim	255	8
Tomte	250	6
Rebels	235	7
Better Than Most	235	4
Danny Noonan	235	7
Brookline (Golf) Ballers	230	6
Eat My Grind	220	7
Night Putting	205	6
Tour Ball	200	6
Larry Philpot	190	6
Rug Munchers	180	7
Ratrick Peed	170	5
Geeteeo	170	4
Big Easy	165	5
Darth Fader	160	5
Shanks fa Nuffin	115	4
Carl Spackler	0	0

One team showing some promise as of late is league veteran Night Putting. After going both the Winter and Spring Segment with just 3 Top 10s in each he's already matched that number in only 4 Summer tournaments. He currently holds down the 2nd spot and if he keeps this up he's got himself a chance to back-to-back Summer Segments as he is the reigning Summer Champion. 

Tomte has also been playing like a bobby dazzler and has Segment 10th place position to show for it. She came up short of her second win just the other week at The Open Championship by just 6 points but it was her first Top 10 since week 14 which she then followed up with another Top 10 the very next week in Ontario. Perhaps the Swedish Elf has been angered into action and her charge to the top might very well be underway. 

It's still early and anyone over 400 points for the Segment is still in good shape. The gang who's sitting at 350 and below might want to take a pulse reading as they're starting to drift towards the light. Geeteeo shows up for the occasional event but only if it fits into his actual GTO repair schedule. Big Easy has done much the same as his namesake this year and doesn't seem to be doing much as of late. Larry Philpot and Ratrick Peed started the season with high hopes but their stars seemed to dim a bit into the Spring and haven't been seen in some time. Darth Fader showed up on the radar just the other week at the Open Championship with a surprising run at his first major. He gave it the old college try and came up with a solid 4th place finish. He might have slipped back into hibernation though only to show up at the next major championship. Shanks fa Nuffin came into the league highly touted and even garnered a couple laurels in his short tenure with an active roster. We know he's got some firepower but currently it is dormant. TourBall is backed up all the way to 27th place this Segment but he does have a win under his belt this Season so he's shown he can rise to the occasion. And of course Danny Noonan who had so much promise after the selection of a good team name with the proper golf reference but that seemed to be the apex of his season. It's never too late for all these lads to come back into the fight and give it one last heave-ho. 

Top 10s: Week 26, 27 28

This week is the Quicken Loans National and for it's host he may be needing a loan soon if he doesn't earn a paycheck in the near future. This is Tiger's tournament and if he can't perform in this event then he might as well just stay in bed (with whoever happens to be in his bed that morning). The schedule gets pretty dense around this time of year as the next Major is only two weeks away with the WGC in between and the Fedex Cup Playoffs just around the corner. The Segment Championship is up for grabs along with it's $50 payout, there's still $90 to be handed out in weekly payouts to each winner and then Season prizes for the top 4 finishers. Keep the foot on the gas.