Two Take Home Trophy as Mr. Sluman and Tourball Share Victory

If you watched much of the Career Builder Challenge last weekend you witnessed what is the exact opposite of the broadcasters dream scenario. Instead of Phil The Thrill charging up the leaderboard on Sunday and being praised at every step by Jim Nantes and Dan Hicks you saw a handful of guys who have probably been interviewed as many times as Tiger was before his 21st birthday. Nantes did his best to add drama on top of a finish that was already shaping up to be a fairly dramatic finish. But the tournament pretty much ended on the 17th hole with a Hudson Swafford birdie as he coasted in to pick up the first win of his career. He, along with most of his competitors in the final two rounds, were all seeking their first career win and, naturally, the star studded names which broadcasters love so much were just not there. But the 5 year wait for Hudson Swafford was finally over.


The wait ended on Sunday for two skilled veterans as co-winners MR. SLUMAN and Tourball were crowned on Sunday. Both MR. SLUMAN and Tourball started hot from the gate but it was Tourball who took the early lead. But even this lead would fade. MR SLUMAN clawed his way back into contention though. After a bizarre third round in which most teams collected 0 points it came down to Sunday. On the back of Hudson Swafford - who MR SLUMAN and Tourball both had - they rode their dark horse pick throughout the final round as he finished 5 under. MR SLUMAN was 8 points behind Tourball to start the day but made up exactly 8 points to pull even and both contenders crossed the finish line at 156 points exactly. The long wait for both veterans is finally over as it had been nearly two years since their last tournament wins - the 2015 Valero Texas Open for MR SLUMAN (another shared victory) and the 2015 Pebble Beach ProAm for Tourball. No one likes to share a victory but such is life. A win's a win according. For SLUMAN, the 2014 Jackson Cup Champ, its his 2nd Top 10 of the young season. In a post round interview he said "it feels good to get back. I really want my name back on the Cup [this year] and this is a good start." For Tourball it's his league leading 2nd Top 3 already and a solid start for him as well. Congrats to both MR SLUMAN and Tourball!

Third Place

It was a fine performance for BevGin&Tonic as he starts the season off red hot and captures his 1st Top 3 of the year. In so doing he also snagged his 2nd Top 10 in the first three weeks and that is good enough for a 1st place position in the standings after week 3. Bev hasn't had the most luck in the world over the years and a good start is exactly what the doctor ordered. Let's just hope it's not the same doctor who advised Vijay on the antler spray. He holds a slim 1 point lead over Kikakee as the Winter Segment starts to take shape. It's sure to be a tight race the whole way through.

Notables: 

Kikakee Tees seems to have picked up right where he left off in 2016 as he's started the season in fine form. The fantasy off-season seems to have had no ill effect on the grizzled veteran as the warm Nashville winter has allowed his form to stay true. Kikakee has his sights set on higher ground over the long haul as Major titles, Segment Championships and the Jackson Cup have all eluded his grasp despite overall fantasy success. He'll have his first title to defend at the Valspar coming up in late Winter but he's hoping it doesn't take that long to collect his first win of 2017.




After a rough first week Jose Maria Oblazabong has recovered nicely and has put himself squarely back in the conversation. With his first win in a while last week he's backed that up with another Top 10 by finishing T7. Oblazabong's history hasn't given investors much of a sense of security in his current standing but he's proven he can maintain his form throughout the season. They're just hoping this won't turn into a 2015 again.

It's always a welcome and occasionally expected site to see That's Wet finish inside the Top 10. In 2015, That's Wet outpaced most of the field in Top 10s by collecting 19 by season's end. He was bested by only one team who happened to be the League Champ that year who collected 25 Top 10s. That's Wet is currently in 20th place at the moment but he's got a bone to pick with the Winter Segment which he almost won in 2015. He'll need to start revving the engines a bit if he wants to stay in the race.

It was a fine week indeed for the first year rookie The Four Skins as he collects his first career Top 10 finish. He's put his name in the record books but it's not quite the fame and fortune that comes with a tournament win but it's a step in the right direction. The Four Skins has kept pace with the field as he's holding down the 14th position at the moment and primed to climb the leaderboard. The Skins will have to avoid the pitfalls so many rookies before him by sending in fresh troops each week. So far so good.

NEXT UP: Farmers Insurance Open

The Winter Schedule is well underway as the boys of endless summer head into week 4 of the 2017 calendar year. The Farmers Insurance Open is up next and the broadcasters are sure to have enough to keep them busy as Tiger is back - for two rounds at least. The defending champ this week is none other than Where Eagles Dare. It was this tournament that got Eagles his first career win. There are 8 tournaments left before Winter's end with a WGC coming up in week 9 and a slightly higher payout. The race for early season dominance is in full swing and the field is packed tighter than a camel's arse during a sandstorm. With names like Tomte, Gophers, Short Strokes and Baby Draw so near the top it's sure to be a battle for the Winter Segment.

Pos	Career Builder Challenge	Rnd 1	Rnd 2	Rnd 3	Rnd 4	Total
1	Tourball	44	40	2	70	156
1	MR. SLUMAN	34	44	0	78	156
3	BevGin&Tonic	38	46	2	60	146
4	Kikakee Tees	36	46	0	61	143
5	night putting	30	60	0	38	128
5	That's Wet	32	50	0	46	128
7	Jose Maria Oblazabong	42	48	0	36	126
7	DaHoffa	40	40	0	46	126
9	Gophers	32	40	8	44	124
10	Flipping the Birdie	44	44	4	30	122
10	The Four Skins	34	44	0	44	122
12	Eat My Grind	36	44	2	38	120
12	Freeside Links	34	40	0	46	120
12	2 Footer	34	38	4	44	120
12	Halve Ouimet	28	40	8	44	120
12	Talkeetna98	40	22	8	50	120
17	Tomte	30	40	0	46	116
17	Kings Deer	28	36	4	48	116
19	Papa Pilgrim	28	38	0	40	106
20	Mastersway	38	38	2	24	102
20	Driving Miss Daisy	38	34	0	30	102
20	Short Strokes	36	36	0	30	102
20	Taylor made	38	30	0	34	102
24	Baby Draw^Cuatro	30	30	2	32	94
25	Where Eagles Dare	26	32	0	30	88
26	Niblick 18	20	38	0	26	84
26	RUG MUNCHERS	24	26	4	30	84
28	GrampaLevs	28	24	2	22	76
29	Whiny Little Pitch	14	16	2	24	56
30	Marlowe Dubuisson	18	10	4	4	36
31	Show and Dough	0	4	2	14	20
32	Putting from the rough	0	0	0	0	0