2 Footer Says "Aloha" To Hawaii As He Collects A Big Win At Waialae

The PGA Tour's stop at Waialae Country Club for the Sony Open is the second and last visit to the pristine islands of Hawaii in 2016. A paradise to both pro golfer and sun-seeking tourist alike each will leave the island with tales of amazing vacations and time well spent (everyone except Robert Allenby of course). The discovery of these islands in 1778 by the British explorer Captain James Cook was a ceremonious occasion as he was treated like a god by the natives. Cook had sailed to the islands from New Zealand by way of the (in)famous trade winds that still sweep through the island's fairways to this day. Often a nightmare for any golfer, the trade winds were life-giving to mariners of the time for without them no one was going anywhere on the high seas.

It was exactly 238 years ago today that Captain Cook set foot onto the Big Island of Hawai'i. He called them the Sandwich Islands in homage to his benefactor John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich (and inventor of his edible namesake). He was treated like a king by the locals as they literally thought he was their harvest god Lono in human form due to his arrival exactly at the time of their harvest. Not long after setting sail from the islands he was forced to return to repair damages to his ship. This time he was not given quite the same welcome as the harvest season was over. Convinced they had been duped, the natives eventually turned on Cook - stabbing him in the back as he tried to make his escape.



On the Fantasy Tour's last stop in Hawaii for the 2016 season there was also quite a bit of back stabbing going on. As soon as a leader emerged from the pack another was waiting to quickly depose them from atop the leaderboard. For each day of the tournament there was a different pretender to the championship throne. First came the veterans of Tour Ball, who led after 18, and 4 Hitting 5 who charged ahead with a solid Thursday thrashing. Next, it was IN YOUR LIFE's turn as the rookie could nearly taste victory after finishing the third round with the 54 hole lead. But Sunday proved to be a blood bath yet again as each of these contenders would fall away as they uttered the words "Et tu, Brute?" No one could have predicted this one as newcomers Zach Blair and Fabian Gomez threw themselves into the mix on Sunday trading blows with the likes of Snedeker and Kisner. Only 3 teams had the savvy to pick either Blair or Gomez and a win from either of them would assure a victory for their fantasy owner. Where Eagles Dare, still searching for that elusive first win, came as close as Blair's birdie putt on 18 to get into a playoff but both the putt and his chances couldn't find the target. It would come down to the only two teams who had Gomez on their roster - Rug Munchers and 2 Footer. But despite the actual tournament being decided after 3 playoff holes the fantasy tournament was decided as soon as the playoff started. Because 2 Footer also owned Snedeker while Munchers did not he was already assured 30 bonus points and consequently the win. 2 Footer did just about everything he could to incorrectly substitute his players but somehow still managed to scrape enough points together to pull this one off. It was the magic combo of Gomez and Snedeker that gave the veteran his first win in 2016 and his 4th career victory. Congrats 2 Footer!

It would be another missed opportunity for Rug Munchers as he nearly managed to pull this one off. After leading early and then falling back in the Hyundai TOC he improved upon that performance with a solid roster and timely substitutions this week. He managed a 2nd place finish at Waialae with a skeleton crew after all 4 of his bench players either missed the cut or did not finish. Munchers has been in the winner's circle before and knows what it takes to get back there. If he can keep picking winners (he's 2 for 2 so far this year) he'll certainly be in contention for the Winter Segment.

The battle for 3rd place at the Sony Open was not a clear cut matter as both the veteran Talkeetna98 and rookie sensation IN YOUR LIFE! both found themselves in possession of 184 points after everything was said and done. Talkeetna98 needed a solid performance after his lackluster opening tournament. He did not sub once and it got him a Top 3 finish so he can't be disappointed with that. IN YOUR LIFE had his sights set on something grander after leading through 54 holes but just couldn't hang on to the lead. A sub to put Jimmy Walker in could have won him the tournament but it was not meant to be. He snags a T3 however and splits the winnings with Talkeetna98.

Notables:

If last week wasn't enough to convince everyone that the ladies of the league will be formidable competitors this year the performance by the rookie Michelson should be enough to sway any that are undecided. In just her second fantasy tournament she wheeled and dealed her way to a T5 finish with just one sub all week. Trusting her instincts all the way she made just a single move in the 4th to get Johnson into the action which gave her 6 extra points and a nice boost to start the season with a great Top 10 showing.

Sharing the 5th place finish was 4 Hitting 5 and Kings Deer. For Hitting 5 it's an improvement on last season's dismal showing and a great pick in Chez Reavie who almost put something together to make a run for the title. Kings Deer is making great strides as he gets his second Top 10 in as many weeks and is only 1 of 2 teams to go 2 for 2 to start the season.

After Blair missed his birdie putt on 18 to get into the playoff it was a bitter pill for Where Eagles Dare to swallow as he came so close yet again to that evasive victory. Still, it's a positive note to start the season on and collecting Top 10s is one way to ensure you'll be there contending for the Segment in two and half months. Eagles will look to keep gaining momentum this week at the Career Builder Challenge.

Short Strokes is another big surprise on the Fantasy Tour so far this year as the rookie has garnered consecutive Top 10s to start the season. He finished in a 4 way tie for 9th with veterans Halve Ouimet, Kikakee Tees and Eat My Grind. Short Strokes is certainly off to a great start but he'll have to avoid the fantasy golf pitfalls of so many before him if he wants to keep the streak alive.

A few teams were caught sleeping under the shade of a Hawaiian palm as Marlowe Dubuisson, That's Wet, Burning Time, Chubbs Peterson and Swing Easy When It's Breezy all forgot to set their rosters. Thankfully this one will count as their dropped score but leaves little room for error as the Segment progresses.

NEXT WEEK the PGA Tour brings things a little closer to home as the boys come back to the mainland for the second half of the West Coast Swing. The annual Challenge tournament has a new sponsor and is now called the Career Builder Challenge (formerly Humana Challenge). Defending champ Hogan's Heros looks to join Phil Mickelson in returning to competition form and is hoping to begin the push towards his second Segment Championship. The Challenge has a long history of playing individual tournament rounds across different courses so be wary of who's playing where. After most teams dropped last week's score it'll be a challenge to prevent scoring lower than the dropped week. The standings are beginning to take shape so keep the foot on the gas peddle as the Winter segment vamps up.