The Loop

Fantasy Fix: Can anyone stop Zach Johnson at the Sony Open?

January 08, 2014

Sure, he's only beaten 46 other players in his last two starts, but winning back-to-back events is impressive no matter the circumstances. Zach Johnson's final-round 66 at Kapalua gave him a one-shot win over Jordan Spieth to kick off 2014 and followed up his dramatic win over Tiger Woods at the World Challenge. The Zachinator is playing again this week at the Sony Open on a tight course that suits his game (a winner at this event in 2009), so there's really not much hope for anyone else in the field. Yep, just put another lei around his neck, hand him another trophy and save everyone else the trip to Waialae CC. But while we're all here, we might as well provide you with a few other options this week.

Starters -- (A-List): Adam Scott. The red-hot Scott only finished T-6 last week. There's a good chance he betters that here, especially since he'll want another good performance before taking a six-week break after this.

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(B-List): Zach Johnson. Obviously, we're joking about just handing him the tournament, but how do you not pick him at this point?

(B-List): Jordan Spieth. What's the record for most runner-ups in a career? Spieth, 20, must be WAY ahead of the pace.

(C-List): Tim Clark. The South African's bounceback 2013 included a runner-up at the Sony, his second straight in the event. He's also posted 11 consecutive rounds in the 60s at Waialae CC.

Bench -- Charles Howell III, Hideki Matsuyama, Johnson Wagner, and Carl Pettersson.

Knockout/One-and-done pick: Tim Clark. You have to go back to Vijay Singh in 2005 to find the last time a "big hitter" won this tournament. The short-hitting Clark hasn't won, but he's as good of a bet as anyone. Well, other than Zach Johnson, of course.