Drama At Riviera: Mother Rabbit Forages First Victory At Northern Trust Open

The Riviera Country Club was once again host to some major drama during the back nine on Sunday's final round. In 2015, it was the inevitable dark horse Chubbs Peterson who laid waste to the field in dramatic, yet runaway, fashion. This year the tables were turned as it would be anything but a runaway. Things started out on Thursday with a tight field wedged near the top. Mother Rabbit had the edge by just two points after the 1st day but the winds of change were blowing. Another rookie, as if on wings of eagles, soared ahead and snatched the lead from the Rabbit. The hotshot rookie Michelson would then take the reigns and lead the pack by Friday's end. Then on Saturday she went back out there with a full head of steam and stretched her lead to 12 by day's end. Short Strokes and Kings Deer were giving chase but their rosters were all remarkably too similar to make a dent  as the mainstays of Dustin , Rory, Hideki and Charl were shared by many. Typically a safe bet, the mainstay foursome was the favorite roster for the final round. But if history has taught us anything its that the golfing gods have a sense of humor - especially on the back nine during Sunday's final round. As fate would have it, it would be the teams with Kuchar, Choi and Scott who started quickly rising in the ranks as each player reached 4 under par by the turn. The mainstays were getting themselves into trouble as none could get anything going as each began to stall. Michelson's lead was running out as her dark horse Brandon Steele could only hold together his sanity for so long before it spilled out on the back nine like an egg across the griddle.



Chubbs Peterson was one of the teams charging hard as he dug his spurs in - willing his roster to go deeper. Then it was Salad Thongs turn as he wielded his secret weapon of Bubba Waton who was heavily under-drafted. One by one teams began to mount full on frontal assaults on the leader Michelson. And it eventually proved to be too much for her defenses to withhold. Anyone who had Rory and Charl faded. Those pinning their hopes on Dustin soon despaired. And the rising sun of Japan soon began to set as Hideki's light was quickly going out. It would be the man from down-under - Adam Scott - who turned the tide for several teams as his strong iron play and clutch putts down the stretch stacked on the points. But there would be one man - vastly overlooked and with no prospect of winning himself - that proved to be the difference maker on Sunday. And for Mother Rabbit - this difference maker came from Canada and went by the name of Adam Hadwin. He snagged the best round on Sunday and got 20 points for his handler by shooting 5 under par. The dust began to settle on the Pacific Palisades late on Sunday as the winner slowly emerged from the melee. Reporters started writing their headlines and early editions of Fantasy Golf Digest went to press. All would read: "Mother Rabbit victorious at Riviera." The underdog rookie, who had fallen more than 10 spots after her first round lead, had rallied her troops for one last charge on Sunday and came out victorious. This is the rookie's first Top 10 and Top 3 after a arduous start to the season. Time will tell if this is the rise of Mother Rabbit but for now it's a well fought championship. Congrats Mother Rabbit.

Mother Rabbit & "Jowls"

Second Place - Chubbs Peterson

Oh what could have been for Chubbs Peterson. In his third jaunt through the fairways at Riviera he was primed for the defense of his 2015 championship when he handily defeated the field on the back of James Hahn. His spirit was willing but his roster was (slightly) wanting. But Chubbs charged head first into the fray, fighting tooth and nail to maintain his status as Northern Trust champ. He gave it everything he had on Sunday and moved up the leaderboard 18 spots within earshot of the lead. He was one of "Choi's Boys" last week as he went with the old dog KJ who's been playing lights out for his age. But he would come up just 6 points short of a successful defense at Riviera. Still, it's a solid finish for Chubbs and he makes his first appearance on the money leaderboard with a $6 payday. Chubbs moves up 6 spots on the Segment leaderboard and is just 10 points out of a Top 10 spot in 16th place.

The sudden resurgence of K.J. Choi has prompted a new tracker in which teams who go with the old favorite will be tracked for how many times they use Choi in their own separate leaderboard affectionately known as Choi's Boys.

Third Place - Salad Thongs

Easily the biggest mover and shaker on Sunday was the third place finisher Salad Thongs. Thongs

moved up the big board a total of 29 spots on Sunday to capture his first Top 3 (and Top 10). He's a 2 year veteran of the league with limited success but seems to burst onto the scene to snag some accolades before disappearing back into the murky tier 3 waters. He outbid Kings Deer and Eat My Grind by just two points so doesn't have to split the $3 paycheck thankfully.  Salad Thongs is currently tied for 3rd in Total Bonus Points with 90 so far this season but has only managed to secure a 17th place spot on the segment leaderboard. It's progress though as a Segment Top 10 is still in the cards.

Notables: 

Eat My Grind is making a strong case that his previous week's win was no fluke. He followed it up with another Top 10 finish with a T4 and is working on the beginnings of a comeback. The Grind has a total of 4 Top 10s so far which is a solid stat line to lean on through 7 Winter tournaments. His biggest move however came when he moved up 10 spots in total to claim a position inside the Segment Top 10 standings. He's currently in 9th with plans to move even higher but he'll have to keep the momentum going if he hopes to gain ground.

Kings Deer could nearly feel the Northern Trust Open trophy in his hands as he made a big move on Sunday under the ever watchful eye and putting stroke of Matt Kuchar. Kuch staged a late round comeback but topped out at 4 under par. Despite this massive surge for Kings Deer his other guns fell silent as his 2nd place position melted away. He finished T4 finish though so it wasn't a total loss. With a stat line of 2 Top 3s and 4 Top 10s the Deer is confidently roaming as of late. He's holding strong in 2nd place for the Segment and sits just 21 points behind the leader. The final push for the Segment crown is underway.

The veteran Jowls finally makes his way onto the Top 10 stage as he snagged a 6th place finish at Riviera. This is an uncharacteristically slow start for the vet as he'd already had multiple Top 10s and a Top 3 by this time last year. He's struggling at the moment however and sits all the way back in 33rd place which might as well be last place with the likes of Burning Time, Marlowe Dubuisson and Swing Easy When Its Breezy taking up the last few spots. Perhaps he's been biding his time waiting for the Florida Swing to come around as it just so happens he is the defending champ at this week's Honda Classic. This could be the week where Jowls spreads his wings.

It was a roller coast week for the rookie phenom Michelson. She hadn't expected to find herself in possession of the 54 hole lead heading into Sunday but the rookie was ready to take on the task. She maintained a 12 point lead heading into the final round but her boys began to falter under the pressure as her roster shot a collective 7 over par by days' end. Her dark horse pick of Brendan Steele completely let her down. After firing steely rounds on Fri-Sat he was a no-brainer to send out again on Sunday. But his nerves eroded and Michelson soon realized that her 12 point lead wouldn't be enough to stop the dogs of war from overtaking her. The "curse of the 54 hole lead" strikes again as it's proven to be one of the most slippery things to hold onto. Yet, despite a disappointing 7th place finish, Michelson has put herself in a nice position as she sits just 33 points off the leader in 3rd place for the Winter. A Segment Title might be in her future. 

Don't let the name fool you as GrampLevs can hold his own with just as well as the young guns out there on Fantasy Tour. Grampa started the season off slowly - like an old man cautiously stepping out onto an icy walkway - but after consecutive Top 10s and a runner-up finish he's landing triple axles like he's Brian Boitano at the 1988 Olympic Games. He's moved up 9 spots on the big board and now sits in 20th place overall. He's earned one paycheck so far this year and he's hungry to supplement that with a winners payout in the near future.

TourBall has put together couple good weeks in the past month as he finished with a standalone 9th place finish at Riviera and got a T6 a few weeks ago at Torrey Pines. The veteran has been keeping pace with the field and sits just inside the Top 15 for the Winter. With only 5 weeks left in the Segment he's not in the running for the Winter title but he's making good on a promise to himself to make a more concerted push for the Jackson Cup this year. TourBall will try to keep the momentum as he heads into PGA National this week where he finished "not good" one year ago. 

Rounding things out is the wily vet Show and Dough as she made a stand on the West Coast's last stop to send a message to the league. The Show has slipped several spots in the standings after leading the pack early on. But she's not out of it yet. In 6th place at 62 points back of the leader she has an outsider's chance of catching the front runner but it would take a miracle. 

Race For The Winter Segment

The Race for the Winter Segment is now a 5 (wo)man sprint with just 5 weeks to go! Short Strokes currently leads the pack but Kings Deer is right in his rear views. Michelson is the lone female representative in the hunt and has a legit shot at just 33 points off the pace. Halve Ouimet is the 4th place team at just 39 points back of the lead and 2 Footer took a tumble but finds himself just within the realm of contention for the Winter crown. If history has taught us anythings its that no lead is safe. The Florida Swing kicks off this week at the very difficult track of PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Will a change of geography alter anyone's draft strategy? Can Short Strokes hold onto the lead or will someone rise from the ranks to snatch it away? The Race to the Winter Segment is heating up and a stumble at this point could prove costly. Draft wisely. 

THIS WEEK marks the first tournament in which many of us will not have the option to readjust rosters on Thursday morning. Now that the PGA Tour has reached the Florida Swing they'll be on Eastern Standard Time and tee times will start as early as 7:30AM. The Honda Classic is next up as the PGA National is ranked as the Tour's 4th hardest playing course so don't expect any rounds of 9 under par from anyone. Jowls is the defending champ this week where he pulled off a miraculous comeback as chaotic weather drenched the course. The weather looks to be a little friendlier this week as Florida takes center stage.

Pos	Northern Trust	Rnd 1	Rnd 2	Rnd 3	Rnd 4	Total
1	Mother Rabbit	32	36	54	68	190
2	Chubbs 'Part Time' Peterson	14	48	62	60	184
3	Salad Thongs	16	32	66	68	182
4	Kings Deer	32	42	64	42	180
4	Eat My Grind	24	48	58	50	180
6	Jowls	24	32	58	64	178
7	Michelson	30	54	66	24	174
7	GrampaLevs	14	52	62	46	174
9	Tourball	26	48	50	48	172
10	Show and Dough	20	48	64	38	170
11	That's Wet!	26	50	52	40	168
12	Baby Draw^3	10	42	54	60	166
13	Night Putting	30	48	50	36	164
13	IN YOUR LIFE!	30	48	56	30	164
13	Short Strokes	30	48	56	30	164
16	Halve Ouimet	22	54	54	30	160
16	Kikakee Tees	22	52	56	30	160
18	Rug Munchers	24	38	48	42	152
19	Taylormade	18	38	48	46	150
20	4 Hitting 5	26	42	48	24	140
20	Papa Pilgrim	12	38	50	40	140
22	Haney's Got a Gun	28	36	46	28	138
22	Whiny Little Pitch	26	38	50	24	138
22	Tomte	24	34	46	34	138
25	2 footer	28	44	38	24	134
26	Marlowe Dubuisson	24	26	32	50	132
27	Gophers	30	38	40	16	124
28	Talkeetna98	26	38	38	18	120
29	Freeside Links	20	30	42	26	118
30	Hogan's Heros	24	38	38	16	116
31	Where Eagles Dare	20	34	36	24	114
31	DaHoffa	14	26	40	34	114
33	BevGin&Tonic	10	34	30	36	110
34	Mastersway	14	22	34	28	98
35	TIGER WOULD PUTT!!	22	28	34	10	94
36	Swing Easy When It's Breezy	8	10	14	18	50
37	BurningTime	2	18	0	0	20