The Front Nine: Northern Trust

So I had this thought...I said "Golf Potato, you should write a series prior to each week's event called the The Front Nine. What you would do is pick nine players (in no particular order) to watch for as potential winners or high finishers. Then at the end of the tournament you could write The Back Nine, reviewing your predictions. The Back Nine would be a report card style piece, patting yourself on the back for good calls and ripping yourself a new one for the bad calls. The idea being that you are not an expert (yet), but you're tired of the "experts" throwing their predictions out there and then not being graded for them, good or bad, on a week to week basis. I shall be graded!" I talk to myself like this frequently, parentheses, air quotes, exclamation points and all...man I'm a headcase.

So here's the inaugural installment of the Golf Potato's weekly series The Front Nine.

The Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club


1. Phil Mickelson - Whoa, here's a stretch. The #2 player in the world and he won this tournament the last two years. Save for a lousy final round last week Phil was right in the fray at Torrey Pines. Lefty loves this golf course and a few more quality swings than last week may be all the difference.

2. Steve Stricker - Wisconsin's finest has opened the season strong, with two top ten finishes in as many starts. Stricker was runner up to Phil last year at Riviera and if not for a shaky driver down the stretch may have won it outright.

3. Robert Allenby - Like Stricker, Allenby has two top ten finishes in as many starts. Allenby finished second last week thanks to some late penalty strokes. I don't see him winning this week (mostly because I don't really see him winning any week) but another top ten is very feasible.

4. Davis Love III - I saw the 1992 tournament highlights on Golf Channel this morning with DLIII and Freddy Couples rocking it out and I got all fired up about this pick. DLIII has played only the Sony this year and finished a solid T5. Also, remember last year when he wanted to make the Masters field and started playing some really good golf, but ended up the odd man out. Right now Love is #76 in the world golf rankings and a strong finish could get him into the field at the Accenture Match Play. Nothing like mini-goals Davis, nothing like mini-goals. Fun side-note on DLIII, he's almost 46 and currently leading the Tour in driving distance.

5. Charles Howell III - Something about that Roman numeral this week. Actually Charles, or Chuck as I like to yell at the television, has had a great start to 2010. He has two top ten finishes in three starts, and despite going 19-under at The Hope had to settle for T26. Chuck has a pair of runner-ups at this event, most recently in 2007 a couple strokes behind one Tiger Woods.

6. Brandt Snedeker - Speaking of 2007 at Riviera, guess who finished 3rd behind TW and CHIII. Breadeker, as I have just now decided to call him, finished T2 last week and T10 the week before. I'd love to see this guy get a win the same 'deserving underdog' reason I'd love to see New Orleans take home the Lombardi Trophy. How cool would that be if it happened on the same day?

7. Adam Scott - This may be one of those picks that makes me look the fool. Last year was such a disaster for Scott that picking him to simply make a cut was a long shot, let alone to contend or win. But I think the President's Cup might have done the trick and Riviera has been kind to him in the past.

8. Jim Furyk - Making his 2010 debut, everybody's favorite grinder will tee it up at Riviera. Furyk really is a long shot pick because he hasn't played this event all that often and is still looking to crack the top 30 when he has played. Last year was sort of a dud for Furyk. He played some stellar final rounds to take a second or third place finish, but never really pieced together four good ones. I like him to be refocused and let's face it, when he's playing well he can win anywhere, including Riviera.

9. Ernie Els - The Golf Potato's preseason pick to be Comeback Player of the Year would certainly help the cause with a win this week. Ernie has finished T12 at this years' Bob Hope and last week was T5 at Torrey Pines. Steady improvement, eh Ernie.