2005 playing schedules

[Shadetree]

I am entering a golf pool in which you bet for or against 2004 top 125 PGA golfers to exceed their 2004 PGA Tour earnings in 2005.

Anyway...just thought I'd ask if anyone knows of any golfers who are currently injured, and also any non-full-time PGA Tour players who plan to increase or decrease their PGA playing schedule for 2005 (like F. Jacobson did in 2004).

Specifically,

Els
Goosen
Scott
Sergio
Haas (Champions?)
Clarke
Franco
Jacobson
Rose
Bjorn
Langer
Price

Thanks in advance.

 

[Stanley]

Els will only be playing the minimum number of PGA Tour events - there was a public fall out between him and Tim Fincham a couple of months ago over Els wanting permission to play a couple more events in Europe - his daughter started school in September in London so he wanted to spend a little more time closer to home.

I'd be fairly certain that Haas will now concentrate fully on the Champions Tour as the Ryder Cup has passed.

Not sure about the rest, though with it not being a Ryder Cup qualification year (until September), the Europeans may certainly play a few more PGA Tour events.

 

[Shadetree]

Thanks for the info. One question: do you become eligible for teh Champions Tour right after you turn 50? Specifically, will Loren Roberts be able to play Champ. events in the second half of 2005? If so, do you think he will play a lot on that tour?

 

[Stanley]

Yes, you are eligible from your 50th birthday and Roberts will certainly get a lot of sponsor's invites. I think he'll certainly back his PGA Tour schedule aer his birthday to just a few events.

 

[Shadetree]

By the way, here are the rules of this contest:

Buy (bet they will exceed 2004 earnings in 2005) any number of PGA Tour golfers as long as the total price is under $20 million. e.g., if you buy Singh, you will have spent over half your budget. Also, you can sell (bet they will fall short of 2004 earnings) any number of golfers as long as their total 2004 earnings are less than $20 million. So total budget = $40 million: $20 million on longs, $20 million on shorts.

60 people in contest, so you need to get golfers with significant upside/downside, as merely grinding out small value plays (lots of cheap golfers with little upside) will most likely result in finishing in the top half of the standings, but not winning, b/c you have reduced your overall volatility too much.

Here are my preliminary thoughts:

Long:

Furyk (obviously)
Estes
Rollins
McCarron
Leonard
Rose
Love
DiMarco
Kelly
Woods

Short:
Daly
Hamilton
Parry
Haas
Cink
Els
Roberts


also considering Bjorn and hensby as shorts, and Andrade, Chopra, Senden as longs.


Comments welcome.