BevGin&Toinc Blows Away Field In Houston - Captures First Championship Of 2017

In the precursor to the biggest golf tournament of the planet, the Shell Houston Open delivered enough drama to justify a solid Sunday afternoon nap. It certainly could have been worse however as come-from-behind semi-underdog winner Russel Henley charged up the leaderboard on Sunday to steal the victory away from Sung Kang. But this is now ancient history as all eyes turn towards Augusta where drama is the order of the day.

Top 10 Masters Moments

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The Fantasy Tour delivered a huge win for fellow semi-underdog grinder BevGin&Tonic. Throughout the week, BevG&T smashed barriers and crushed the competition on his way to his first win of 2017 and 3rd of his career. It was a major statement from the 2nd tier player. He's struggled to gain any sort of consistency in his performance during his 2.5 year tenure, never finishing higher than 21st in the Race for the Jackson Cup standings. He's now matched his career high for wins in a season (1) and currently sits in 17th place. He's on pace to have the best season of his career but if history is any indicator he's got an uphill battle ahead of him. But for the time being, BevGin&Tonic is a champion once again in what is the largest spread for a winning score - 31 points higher than the runner up. It's his 4th Top 10 of the season and 2nd Top 3. This is the turning point for BevGin&Tonic. Congrats.

Runner Up

Night Putting came out of nowhere to snag his highest finish so far this season. He's been mired in fantasy controversy which has taken his attention away from his fantasy performance. He has the unfortunate honor of being the 3rd to last place team without much hope of rising in the ranks. But the beauty of the league is that each week counts with a fresh shot at redemption. Night Putting came close on Sunday but not nearly close enough due to Bev's shear show of force. But a runner up finish and his first payday of the season are steps in the right direction for the grinding veteran.

Notables

Jose Maria Oblazabong and Short Strokes picked up the Spring Segment right where they left off - Jose once again got the best of Short Strokes by just a few points and further solidifies his 1st place position for the season. But things are far far from settled and it's shaping up to be a bloody battle to the finish. Oblazabong and Strokes both snagged their league leading 8th Top 10s and are clearly setting the pace. Strokes has just 1 more Top 3 with a total of 3 and the duel is perfectly set up for this week at Augusta as both hope to put each other to rest at Amen corner.
at each other's throats. Finishing in 4th and 5th,

Show & Dough had it for a minute before falling back into 3rd at the Golf Club of Houston. She led the field in the early going but just couldn't hold onto her lead as the pressure clearly got to her. She's in the midst of a nice little resurgence and is putting together a stretch of solid finishes. It's her first Top 10 since winning 3 weeks ago in Mexico and her 6th Top 10 overall. She currently sits in 16th place and is primed to move into the Top 10 overall with a solid spring.

Kikakee Tees looked strong in Houston with a T5 finish which is exactly what the savvy veteran needed before heading to Augusta. He reportedly told the media the only reason he scheduled a stop in Houston was to get used to the fast greens and similar layout. After a hot start to the season he's cooled down a bit with the Top 10s coming sparingly. His position in the Race for the Jackson Cup has taken a hit as of late and he's determined to make up ground before the Spring gets too far along. A green jacket has been on his bucket list since he learned to crawl so expect Kikakee to pull out all the stops this week in an effort to get his first Masters and major wins.

Mastersway is looking very good entering The Masters, as he should be with his namesake being all about this week. He put together a strong showing in Houston with a 7th place finish and his 3rd Top 10 in 4 weeks. He's in the midst of a hot spell and is hoping to harness that momentum to capture his first major championship and green jacket.

Talkeetna98 needed a strong finish in Houston and he's got to be somewhat satisfied with an 8th place finish. He's cooled down a bit since mid Winter and has only two Top 10s in the last 5 weeks. Not a metric the veteran is used to. Still, these slumps happen and for many others it would be anything but a slump. However, Talkeetna98 has vested interest in the Race at the moment and can't afford to continue losing any ground. He sits 8th place after a recent slide in position and needs to continue to make up ground. He's also looking to check off his first major championship this week at August which would be a big boost for the league heavyweights chances to get into the fantasy hall of fame.

Driving Miss Daisy continues to grind it out with a solid T10 finish in Houston and holds onto her Miss Daisy has been flirting with the Top 10 overall but hasn't managed to build up enough steam to crack into the coveted positions. She sits in 14th overall however and is just a stones through from breaking in. A strong showing at Augusta could certainly do the trick. Driving Miss Daisy has her eye on becoming the first rookie to win a major wince Tomte did it at the PGA Championship in 2015, the only other one to do it.
spot as leading rookie of the year.

Baby Draw, Kings Deer and That's Wet all grabbed another Top 10 and continue on their quest to claim the Jackson Cup. Each one has a legitimate shot at it with Baby Draw being the favorite of the three. Kings Deer has been busy making up ground as of late while That's Wet would need a massive spring to put him in contention, but it's not that much of a stretch considering the way he's been playing.

THIS WEEK, the main event of the golfing world has finally arrived. It's perhaps a strange placement in the PGA Tour season to have The Masters so early on. But spring is now upon us, the azaleas are blooming and the grass has never been greener (at Augusta) which means it's time to play for the green jacket. One year ago, Jordan Speith became a victim of Amen corner and his chance for another green jacket passed him by, going to the young Englishman Danny Willett. What further drama could possibly ensue this week as the boys of summer take the field for the year's first major? Will one of the league's existing starts continue to rise? Dustin and Rory are looking for their first green jacket but then again so are Oosthuizen, Westwood, Furyk and Cody Gribble. Everyone in the field deserves to be there and has a shot at the title. Put your best team together for the 2017 Masters and don't leave anything for chance.