Since the opening of the season nearly 2 months ago Nick Hoffman has been quietly assaulting the leaderboard week in and week out. Following a disatrous Hawaii swing he seemed to find his swing and started to put together quality finishes. Following week 2 in Hawaii he sat in 29th place but he went on to gain ground in every single event from there till the end of the segment. And in his most recent move he went from 14th to 8th and squarely into the hunt for the Jackson Cup. In that time Hoffman collected 4 Top 10s, 2 Top 3s and now 1 win along with $25 in earnings. A new contender has emerged.
Nick Hoffman outlasted the field on the back of Bryson's 5 foot, 55 FedExCup points, putt. Hoffman snagged his 4th Top 10 and 2nd Top 3. Bmerk very nearly took the win from him but came up just 6 points short. He'll settle for his 5th Top 10 overall and his 3rd Top 3 (in the last 4 tournaments). He leads the league in Strokes Gained: Proximity to First (a stat that tracks average distance from 1st when finishing inside the Top 10 (minimum 2 Top 10s) at just -14 points. Gophers, in 8th in the same category at -35 points, found his way back to the Top 3 after a 7 week absence and now has 6 Top 10s (leads the league) and 2 Top 3s.
ByeBye Birdie got the monkey off her back by carding her first Top 10 of the season while Talkeetna98 snagged his 2nd Top 10. Oh Geez is moving in the right direction after a tough start and now has 3 Top 10s and 1 Top 3 in the last 5 events. All three teams are trending in the right direction as the Spring Segment rolls around.
DontHasseltheHoff continued his dominant play as his ball striking was on point at Bay Hill. Another Top 10 yields him 5 total for the season. Smooth Greens is clearly making the necessary sacrifices for his fantasy craft and it's paying dividends in the standings. Hopefully his infant daughter doesn't play second fiddle to fantasy too much. Green Jacket kept pace in the Top 10 category with his 4th but somehow is still languishing in 23rd place. And 617 to 616 collected his 3rd Top 10 and will look to the spring to collect some cash.
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WINTER SEGMENT UPDATE
Things got a little dicey down the stretch for segment leader Halve Ouimet as he saw his lead get cut in half as challenger Bmerk came charging up the board in the opening rounds of the final event. Halve stopped the bleeding though over the weekend and kept his competition at bay by a margin of 81 points. This marks Havle's second career Segment Championship in nearly 8 years on fantasy tour. Lots of movement upward occured on the board as Nick Hoffman entered the fray for the first time after a segment-long climb. Along with Hoffman, Smooth Greens and 617 to 616 were the big movers. And while the Spring Segment puts everyone at zero the season long race continues as is so hold onto your butts.
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EARNINGS UPDATE
In one fell swoop the earnings leaderboard got shaken up with the addition of two payouts from both the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Winter Segment. Halve Ouimet became the big earner on campus with a cool segment $60 while Nick Hoffman got his name on the board with $25 from Arnie. After 9 tournaments there are 11 money earners with some healthy bank accounts heading into the warmer months. The money opportunities are just heating up though and they only get brawnier as the season progresses.
See Earnings Leaderboard to follow earnings tracking each week
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League Notification
As the weather warms up and the Spring Segment rolls around the First Timers League Bank
is still waiting on dues from the following pros:
Bmerk - Brandon Merkman
Grandpa Levs - Jay Levins
Roll Up - Jarrod Canute
Vegas Vito - Chris Levins
Send $60 via Venmo or Paypal
(@josiah-coffey / josiah.coffey001@gmail.com)
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SPRING SCHEDULE PREVIEW
First Three Events
See Spring Schedule for full 13 event list and prizes
While nothing is blooming just yet (at least up north) the First Timers League begins a new race as the Spring Segment kicks off this week. And there's no better way to begin a new segment than at The Players Championship. Many will remember that one year ago this event was the first cancelled tournament when Covid broke out. We've come full circle indeed. And the famed 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass promises to give some much needed entertainment if nothing else.
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The Players Championship hasn't been played in almost two years due to Covid removing it from the calendar last year. Rory beat out the smooth swinging Jim Furyk by a single stroke and won his first Players Championship. Other past winners include Webb Simpson (2018), Si Woo Kim (2017), Jason Day (2016) and Rickie Fowler (2015). There'd be no better way for Fowler to buck his slump than to win again at TPC Sawgrass.
“A good [fantasy] golfer has the determination to win
and the patience to wait for the breaks.”
- Gary Player
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