The 2010 Northern Trust Open Six-Pack

Really? Ben Crane? Really?

I am still shaking my head in disbelief.

2010 has turned out to be quite unpredictable for me, thus far. We have had four events and our AVERAGE odds of the winner sits at an unfathomable 105:1.

Before getting into our current week, I need to vent on the whole Scott McCarron vs. Phil Mickelson crap that is flying around.

You take a guy like McCarron, who has hasn’t won an event in almost a decade, and obviously he has some frustration.

But, why is his frustration pointed towards Mickelson?

Phil is not the only PGA tour pro using the Ping Eye 2 wedge. There are over a dozen players who added the club to their bag when the induction of the “V groove rule” came into effect.

Yet, even with numerous other athletes using the same club, Phil is the only poor soul facing the brunt of his competitors.

McCarron has a point, but it has nothing to do with Mickelson.

It is the PGA that should bear the cross of this controversy over the very rule that they created.

Most players on tour would agree that outlawing square-grooved clubs was a ridiculous rule to begin with. It really should have never been directed at one player. I mean, how can you have an “illegal” club that is still “approved for tournament play?”

It is an issue that needs to be addressed by the PGA as a whole.

The bottom line is Phil Mickelson has done nothing wrong. He is merely using every angle he can to his advantage to win golf tournaments.

My advice to Scotty McWhinenstein is to get an ebay account, and scoop up a Ping Eye 2 wedge before they are all gone!

Speaking of Phil Mickelson, will he make it three in a row at Riviera this weekend?

I like his chances, to be honest with you.

In studying this field, I was flabbergasted at the pure talent that will be competing this week. It was very difficult to whittle my selections down to only six.

Unfortunately, players like Furyk, Singh, Els, Weir, and Sabbatini will not be in the six-pack, but are definitely worthy of mention.

This week could easily have been a 12-pack, but it’s all about moderation people.

Here’s who I am going with in Yahoo this week.

GROUP A: Ernie Els will start and Phil Mickelson will be the backup.

GROUP B: KJ Choi and Rory Sabbatini are starting, while Jim Furyk and Robert Allenby ride the bench.

GROUP C: Mike Weir gets the nod, and Matt Kuchar backs him up.

Let’s crack open a hopefully profitable six-pack, shall we?

No. 1 Padraig Harrington

"Drive for show and putt for dough" is clearly the mentality of this gritty Irishman.

Last year, he was basically a statistical anomaly. He had very few glowing stats, yet he was still 13th on the world money list, sixth in Fed Ex Cup points, and had six top-10 finishes.

The secret to Paddy’s success lies in his scrambling and putting abilities. He is very consistent at rolling the rock, and is extremely fortunate to be able to get up and down for par from virtually anywhere.

Harrington has had success here at Riviera before, placing seventh and third, although he did miss the cut last year.

His last five events have seen him place sixth, fourth, 25th, fourth, and third respectively.

Hopefully, he gets 2010 off to a red-hot start with a win. I loved seeing the value of such a great player at 26:1 odds.

No. 2 Adam Scott

Adam Scott’s career has been on a free fall for the past three years. That’s putting it mildly. That being said, this guy has too much talent to be overlooked. I am confident that 2k10 will be a HUGE bounce back year for Adam Scott, and what better place for him to start the resurgence than at Riviera?

Adam won here back on 2005 and was second in 2006. He has played here four times in his career and has never missed the cut.

Scott’s rededication to his game appears to be on track with three consecutive top-10 finishes in his last three events.

I’d love to see him carry that momentum right on into 2010. At 34:1 odds, Adam Scott represents great value.

No. 3 KJ Choi

Another man who HAS to be better than he was in 2009 is KJ Choi. He has been a model of consistency over his career, until last year's road bump. Knowing Choi and the way he plays, he will not be one to simply settle for what happened last year.

He is another PGA veteran who I expect to rebound tremendously from last year. Like many of my picks this week, there is no better place for Choi to return to greatness than here at Riviera.

Choi’s best efforts at this track have rewarded him with a fifth, seventh, and third place finish. In nine consecutive years of making the trip here, he has NEVER missed the cut.

His progression over his past five events is going swimmingly, with a confidence building T15 at Torrey Pines last week.

KJ Choi is an excellent pick at 41:1 odds.

No. 4 Matt Kuchar

Matt Kuchar is on fire right now. He has three top-10 finishes in his past five events, two of which have been this year. This guy has already made almost $800,000 this year, and he is tracking nicely to outdo his $2.4 million performance from last year.

Kuchar currently ranks fifth in GIR percentage and is also ranked fifth in the always important all-around ranking. Kuchars best finish was a tie for 14th back in 2008, yet he has never missed the cut here.

I am sure that Matt is motivated to conquer this course, and where his game is at right now represents excellent timing for success.

At 41:1, you gotta love Matt Kuchar this week.

No. 5 Fred Couples

Maybe this is a bit of a stretch, but I’m sorry, Freddy Couples simply cannot be ignored at Riviera. He has played this even 19 times and has 11 top-10s. He has won here twice, and come in second three times!

Oh, and by the way, he has only missed the cut here once. No one in this field has had more success here than Freddy Couples.

Recently, Couples placed second in Hawaii in his inaugural Champions Tour event. Look for him to carry that momentum right into LA when he shows the young guys he’s still got game.

Just based on Couples past history here, he HAS to be in the six-pack. At 66:1, watch your sports book account grow with the magic touch of Fantastic Freddy.

No. 6 JB Holmes

Here is the long-shot of the week, that I fortunately got tremendous odds on. JB Holmes did so-so last year. This time of year is a good time to look at selecting him. One thing he can do is absolutely pound the ball off the tee.

That stat alone has helped him immensely here at Riviera. Holmes has only played here three times. Last year, he came in sixth, and the year before he placed seventh.

Last week he placed 27th at Torrey Pines, which is significantly better than his dismal finishes to end 2009. JB Holmes will be off to a fresh start in 2010, and like Charles Howell III, now is the time to pick this guy.

I could not pass up JB Holmes at 125:1 odds this week on Bodog. Shop around, because he may only be 80:1 in some places.