The 2009 RBC Canadian Open Six Pack

You gotta love Stewart Cink.

Some of the headlines were less than flattering. I mean who pegs one of the nicest guys on tour as a "villain" and "a bad guy" after he just won his first major EVER?

If it was Rory Sabbatini, then maybe you've got some validity. But we're talking about one of the coolest cats around here. I guess it simply has to be the fact that Tom Watson missed a putt that would have iced the British Open on the 18th hole, that has propelled Mr. Cink into his new-found notoriety.

Don't get me wrong, it would have been neat-o and quite groovy to see a 59-year-old senior tour player win the Open, but the guy has already won the thing five times for crying out loud!

Give someone else a chance.

I say good for Cink. I also say good for anyone who bet on him last week, as you would have yielded a rare 125/1 payout, with an additional 25/1 on a T5 bet as well.

As for my six-pack last week, I almost broke even with Retief Goosen's fifth-place tie. I was extremely disappointed in Hunter Mahan's performance. He missing the cut was actually more shocking to me than Tiger's woes.

Oh and by the way, if you are looking for some apocalyptic Tiger banter, you are reading the wrong article. Try ESPN, or some other place that thrives on negative energy and the demise of others. He will be fine, trust me.

I rocked the house in Yahoo fantasy again. I now am seated in 439th place out of 75,000+ entrants and in my group, "The Fans of Hunter Mahan," I am now the sole holder of fourth place out of 734 other golf freaks.

The closest Yahoo expert to my 4273 points is still Matt Romig with 4036 points, but Greg Vara is only a few points behind Matt, so things are tightening up for the supposed fantasy experts.

Here is my Yahoo Fantasy line up this week:

GROUP A—Camilo Villegas starting with the re-surging Anthony Kim backing him up.

GROUP B—I will have the skilled Sean O'Hair and my favorite young Aussie Jason Day tee it up first, while my mainstay Steve Marino and the grizzled vet Bob Estes back them up.

GROUP C—This is the biggest no-brainer in the history of earth. Retief Goosen will get the nod, while the consistent coolness of Luke Donald will be held in reserve, just in case.

By the way, the handsome fellow in the turquoise shirt holding the trophy there, is none other than last years Canadian Open winner, Chez Reavie.

As my regulars know, since Reavie won last year he won't be listed in my six-pack this year. I must say that it won't simply be because I don't pick repeats, this guy is flat out having a "let down" season and is struggling to make cuts.

I'm still a little perturbed with Davis Love III going and semi-redesigning and repositioning some of this golf course back in 2006, and just never showing up again to play it. It's kind of like preparing a fine meal for some friends, feeding it to them, and then saying, "I'm not eating that crap, I'm going to Morton's. See ya!" Not cool Davis, not cool.

Glen Abbey is a fair course, and does not necessarily favor the bombers, even though it is on the shorter side of the PGA tracks. I think guys who are well-rounded are most suited to give this thing a run this year.

I'll be honest, there were no real huge stand outs in this field that are 20/1 odds or higher, yet I feel confident that someone in my sixer, will step up and take home the trophy this week.

No. 1 Camillo Villegas

Villegas has been consistent this year, and I think that he is due to take a jump up into the top five, and possibly claim his first trophy of 2009 this week.

His last five events have yielded good results and he has placed top-five and top-10 at the Canadian Open in recent years. Villegas ranks 17th on tour in GIR percentage at 68.38 percent.

I also love that Camillo is ranked 13th on tour in the all-around statistic. My concern is his putter. Perhaps a revision of his green reading style is in order (see picture)?

If Camillo can rolls some putts in, he will contend this week. He is 20-to-1 odds of winning this week.

No. 2 Steve Marino

Marino had another taste last week and now he is salivating. He has placed in the top five quite a few times in the past two years, but last week he had a real shot of winning a MAJOR... and he blew it.

What a great time for the Canadian Open to occur for Marino. He plays great here and has progressed upward nicely here as well. Marino's final placements in his last five tourneys don't look great, but he actually has played better than those finishes indicate.

All that, plus I have a wicked feeling that Marino gets his first win this weekend. Trust me people, it's going to happen soon, so get used to seeing this guy in my six-pack.

Marino is 20th on tour at 68.14 percent in GIRs and also can crush the ball off the tee. Marino's average drive is 295.5 yards, and he also is sixth on tour in birdies made this year with 267!

Again, like Villegas, I am concerned with Marino's putting. If the flat stick catches fire, he wins without question.

At 33-to-1 odds, I have to put him down AGAIN this week.

No. 3 John Mallinger

Now we're starting to get some value rolling. Mallinger has made 13 cuts in 19 events this year and has been hit-or-miss in his last five.

When he hits, he's in the top five, when he misses, he literally misses the cut. If he makes the cut this week, he will contend.

He is a very accurate driver ranking 33rd on tour at 67.55 percent. He also ranks fifth on tour in total eagles made this year with nine. The thing I really like about Mallinger is that he is a terrific putter ranking 28th with 28.5 putts per round in 2009.

I'm crossing my fingers with JM this week at 40-to-1 odds.

No. 4 Mark Wilson

If you want a guy that is under the radar, then Mark Wilson is your man. Mark is having a really solid 2009 campaign, unlike Sarah Palin.

Mark is 12 of 18 on cuts made this year and has finished T-22, tied-third, T-25, cut, and T-31 in his last five efforts. His track record at The Canadian Open is not stellar, but his recent play cancels that out this week.

Wilson ranks 37th all-around, and is eighth in Par Three birdies or better. Wilson also is 21st in final round scoring average at 69.67 strokes. If he makes it to Sunday, he is going to make a run.

Take Mark Wilson at 50-to-1 this week.

No. 5 Jason Day

Jason Day has only played the Canadian Open once and he was T-48. I know it's not great, but this young Aussie has some skills and I expect he puts them on display this week at Glen Abbey.

Day has been very consistent in his last five efforts going tied-fourth, T-27, T-23, cut, and T-15. He is a low scorer averaging 69.83 strokes per round. He is 19th in Par Breakers at 22.09 percent, and is also 26th in Total Driving.

On top of all that, Jason Day can roll the putter pretty well, so give him a shot at 50-to-1 odds.

No. 6 Michael Letzig

Here's another guy that has only played in the Canadian Open once and he tied for 63rd.

I can overlook that, because his RECENT play has been fantastic. He has produced a T-14, T-23, T-23, cut, and a T-24 in his past five outings. Letzig has also made 18 out of 19 cuts this year.

He hits the ball 293 yards off the tee, and ranks 46th in putts per round with an average of 28.63 strokes. Letzig is also a birdie machine. He is tied for sixth place with Steve Marino at 267 birdies made so far in 2009.

Letzig is my long shot of the week at 66-to-1 odds.

No matter who you like, I wish you the best, and remember to hit DOWN on the ball!