It was a Winter Segment to remember (and forget for some). The mild winter winds in the Northeast Show and Dough was the first to claim the top but she then faded just as quickly. 2 Footer came onto the scene in late January and soared into first. But he flew too close to the sun and the pressures of stardom became too much. Then came the reign of Short Strokes who's rising rookie star shined brightly throughout the dark winter months. But another star was on the rise and shown even more brightly as the Winter Segment progressed. And despite the ill fated attempts of many to overtake this rising star none could outshine her. It would be Michelson who shocked the fantasy golf world and make a name for herself on the Fantasy Tour.sent fantasy golfers fleeing from the course as winter approached. Farther south there was no need for such measures as the league's southern brethren kept swinging the battle ax throughout January and into March. And while the boys on Tour kept plying their trade throughout the never ending summer that is the PGA Tour so to did the grinders of the Fantasy Tour begin the long journey towards the Jackson Cup. Many began the year with high hopes. Some with modest expectations of minor glory and some just joined up for the end-of-the-year party. Yet, despite the variety of intentions to start the year, once the starter beckoned the first pairing at Kapalua back in Hawaii the action quickly became fierce.
Puerto Rico Open
Before the Winter Segment could end the boys and girls of the Fantasy Tour had to head south. Way down south. To the Caribbean where the Puerto Rico Open was taking place at Coco Beach. In a field where recognizable names mainly consisted of Graham Delaet, Luke Donald and Ian Poulter it would be a challenging task to put together a winner. And in a field like this the chances of an underdog rising become high.
It appeared at first that the status quo would prevail as the heavy hitters came out swinging. Already tournament champions, Halve Ouimet, Talkeetna98 and Michelson clawed for the lead on Friday. Kikakee and Where Eagles Dare would join the fight as well - both champs - and make it a 5 team race for Winter victory number 2. But as the coast winds began to surge along the beach side course an unknown began to rise. Apparently he'd been biding his time in last place waiting for the right moment to strike and he laid his trap in Puerto Rico. And as the weekend progressed, Burning Time sprung the trap. He carded over 60 points on Saturday to get in position for a final round charge. Michelson was in front to start the day but she'd lost 54 hole leads before. Burning Time was one of the few teams with the Englishman Ian Poulter and his excellent play in round 3 had put him in position for bonus points. This had the potential to be the difference maker. Could the impossible happen? Could the 37th ranked and last place team beat the inevitable Winter Segment champ? Poulter would held it together on Sunday and came into the clubhouse in 3rd place - garnering Burning Time 5 extra bonus points. And that was all he needed as he scored a total of 209 points - 5 more than Michelson and Eat My Grind. Burning Time had done it. He came from the bottom and claimed his first Fantasy Tour championship. In a season that sputtered from the start, a win like this is victory he won't soon forget. Congrats Burning Time.
Race for the Winter Segment
Heading into Coco Beach for the Puerto Rico Open it was almost a foregone conclusion. Michelson had a 50 point lead on Short Strokes who was going to attempt something that had only been done once before in league history: try to take the lead in the last week of the segment. The two team race began with Michelson outscoring Short Strokes on Friday and Saturday which all but sealed the deal. Short Strokes would need to get more out of his roster if he was going to make up ground on Michelson but she was showing no signs of slowing her pace. As they both reached the weekend Michelson kicked it into high gear and took the tournament lead - stretcher her lead to near 70 points. And as Sunday dawned you could see the Winter Segment crown being fitted according to Michelson's measurements. Just like the year before when the newcomer Gophers came out of nowhere to win the Winter Segment, Michelson is carrying the torch as rookie managers have now won the Winter Segment in successive years. With the Segment Championship Michelson gets the biggest payout of the season so far with $45 added to her earnings and starts the Spring Segment in the best position for the Jackson Cup. The season is still young and there's plenty more fantasy golf to be played. It's a new start for everyone as a new race begins. The Spring Segment kicks off this week in Houston but everyone's eye is already on Augusta. The Masters is less than two weeks away.
Puerto Rico Open Notables
Eat My Grind and Micheslon were duking it out for the win on Sunday but neither paid enough attention to the surging Burning Time. Despite a Non-Entry sneaking onto Grind's roster in the form of David Hearn he still managed to get three 20 point rounds throughout the tournament and put together a solid week to maintain his status in the overall Top 10 teams. Michelson was looking for the exclamation point to end the Winter Segment but she had to settle for a 1-2 finish (1st for the Winter and 2nd for the tournament). Both will start out the Spring Segment in fine form and with a ton of confidence as they chase down more wins.Tomte makes her regular appearance in 4th place as she's now finished in this position 3 times in theTomte to make a move this Spring. Baby Draw tied for the 4th spot and finished alongside Tomte just outside the Top 3. He's put together a strong showing throughout the Winter and currently sits in 7 place overall. Both Baby Draw and Tomte, winners in 2015, have yet to claim their first victory of the 2016 season but it can't be far off.
last 5 weeks. She keeps missing out on a Top 3 by the smallest of margins but you can rest assured that the 2015 Summer Segment Champ has some tricks up her sleeve. Look for
GrampaLevs seems to be making headway on the season leaderboard as he's inching closer towards the Top 10 overall. He snagged a standalone 6th place finish in Puerto Rico, his 3rd Top 10 so far this year, and moved up the leaderboard 2 spots to 13th. Despite the slow start to the season don't count out GrampaLevs as he looks to make a charge up the big board now that the Spring is here and everyone's on even footing again.
It was an astounding 4 way tie for 9th place last week as Kikakee Tees, Jowls, 2 Footer and Gophers all snuck into the Top 10. They made a lot of substitutions throughout the week, except for Jowls, and most of them missed Kelly's final round -7. But despite some missed opportunities they can't be disappointed about stacking up another Top 10 finish and climbing the leaderboard a few more spots. Kikakee and Gophers both moved up the leaderboard 2 spots each while 2 Footer gained 3 spots overall. Jowls was the big winner in the rankings as he moved up 6 spots but still with some work to do as he's only in 26th for the season. We'll see what each of them can do now that the Spring Segment starts everyone at 0 again.
THIS WEEK the Shell Houston Open is open for business as the boys of summer flood into the Lone Star State for some Texas barbeque and an 80% GIR. Most will just get the barbeque. This is where Freeside Links began his masterful performance that not only won him the Shell Houston Open but also a green jacket as he won back-to-back in Houston and Augusta. The field is primed and ready for the Spring Segment while the pros get ready for The Masters. It's sure to be a raucous start to the new Segment so start your engines and prep your rosters. The show continues into warmer weather as Texas is next up.
| Pos | Puerto Rico Open | Rnd 1 | Rnd 2 | Rnd 3 | Rnd 4 | Total |
| 1 | BurningTime | 34 | 52 | 62 | 61 | 209 |
| 2 | Michelson | 42 | 50 | 58 | 54 | 204 |
| 2 | Eat My Grind | 24 | 54 | 60 | 66 | 204 |
| 4 | Tomte | 36 | 42 | 50 | 66 | 194 |
| 4 | Baby Draw^3 | 30 | 46 | 56 | 62 | 194 |
| 6 | GrampaLevs | 22 | 44 | 60 | 66 | 192 |
| 7 | Talkeetna98 | 42 | 50 | 44 | 54 | 190 |
| 7 | That's Wet! | 28 | 46 | 58 | 58 | 190 |
| 9 | Kikakee Tees | 38 | 42 | 58 | 50 | 188 |
| 9 | 2 footer | 34 | 52 | 52 | 50 | 188 |
| 9 | Jowls | 30 | 50 | 58 | 50 | 188 |
| 9 | Gophers | 26 | 46 | 58 | 58 | 188 |
| 13 | Where Eagles Dare | 40 | 50 | 50 | 46 | 186 |
| 14 | Taylormade | 38 | 38 | 56 | 52 | 184 |
| 14 | Mastersway | 36 | 36 | 56 | 56 | 184 |
| 14 | Marlowe Dubuisson | 30 | 36 | 60 | 58 | 184 |
| 14 | Short Strokes | 26 | 46 | 54 | 58 | 184 |
| 14 | Hogan's Heros | 24 | 48 | 58 | 54 | 184 |
| 19 | Halve Ouimet | 46 | 42 | 44 | 46 | 178 |
| 19 | Show and Dough | 24 | 32 | 52 | 70 | 178 |
| 21 | Whiny Little Pitch | 30 | 42 | 54 | 50 | 176 |
| 22 | Papa Pilgrim | 24 | 28 | 56 | 66 | 174 |
| 23 | TIGER WOULD PUTT!! | 24 | 46 | 36 | 66 | 172 |
| 24 | DaHoffa | 38 | 34 | 40 | 58 | 170 |
| 25 | 4 Hitting 5 | 20 | 44 | 38 | 45 | 147 |
| 26 | Mother Rabbit | 22 | 30 | 50 | 32 | 134 |
| 27 | Swing Easy When It's Breezy | 26 | 32 | 32 | 40 | 130 |
| 28 | Night Putting | 24 | 36 | 30 | 38 | 128 |
| 29 | IN YOUR LIFE! | 32 | 26 | 28 | 22 | 108 |
| 30 | BevGin&Tonic | 18 | 38 | 24 | 16 | 96 |
| 31 | Chubbs 'Part Time' Peterson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Freeside Links | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Haney's Got a Gun | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Kings Deer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Rug Munchers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Salad Thongs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Tourball | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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