The Back Nine: Northern Trust

Okay, grading time. You may want to put on goggles and a plastic rain poncho to help shield you from the Gallagher-like Sledge-o-matic spray. Fruit, however, will not be sacrificed for your entertainment. No no. I will be crushing my picks with sudden, brute force. Here we go!

1. Phil Mickelson - Thanks Phil. Really. The bid for a third straight win at Riviera ended with second straight final round 73. Lefty finished in a smooth T45...Thanks for playing.  D

2. Steve Stricker - Hey there, a winner! Stricker lit it up in the rain on Friday and held off challengers Luke Donald, J.B. Holmes and Dustin Johnson. The win and Phil Mickelson's monumental Top 50 finish gives Stricker the #2 world ranking, dropping Phil to #3.  A+

3. Robert Allenby - Allenby's hot start cooled a bit and he finished T27, eleven strokes back. I said I didn't see him winning (cause I never really see him winning), but I didn't give the previous week's penalty stroke laden finish enough credit.  C

4. Davis Love III - Maybe Davis needed to watch that '92 highlight recap on Golf Channel that got me all fired up about the pick. The cut was 144, DLIII ended up at 145.  I wish I knew how to write a bomb dropping sound to describe this pick.  F

5. Charles Howell III - Good call Potato. That Roman numeral might as well have been the sign of the beast this week. A second round 76 lead to a 148 total and a missed cut. Numerically speaking Chuck was my worst call of the week. I wish I knew how to write a wet fart sound to decide this pick.  F

6. Brandt Snedeker - Breadeker, or Breads as I have just decided to call him,  finished T20. Nothing stellar, nothing terrible and another Top 25 for the Bread Maker.  C+

7. Adam Scott - Ever just want to reach back and punch yourself right in the face? I put the disclaimer on this one as being a real long shot. I was an idiot for making the pick in the first place, disclaimer or no. Two easy 73's lead to yet another missed cut for one of the great let down talents in the game. My thoughts about the President's Cup experience were about as solid as the 146 Scott excreted all over Riviera.  That was officially the last time Adam Scott will make the Front Nine in 2010.  F

8. Jim Furyk - The 2010 debut for Jimmy "Fists Of" Furyk was a T20. The encouraging part is he got stronger as the week went on, finishing with two rounds in the 60's. I look for Furyk to build off the weekend.  C+

9. Ernie Els - My second best pick aside from Stricker. The Big Easy ended up T10, book-ending two 70's with two 68's. He really looks to be regaining his form, finishing well even when he doesn't have everything working at 100%.  B

My first week included the winner and four players in the Top 25 (including the winner) out of nine picks. I also had the pleasure of watching a third of my picks not even make the cut. Adam Scott...What the hell was I thinking?

Overall Grade: D+