Darren Clarke

Clarke pulled off an upset for the ages when he won the Open Championship last summer, but to expect anything similar this season would be foolish. In his prime, Clarke was one of the best players in the world, but he hasn't been that player for years now, save for one week last summer, that is. While he's bound to defend his title well this season, it's doubtful he'll make much noise outside that one event this season. On the bright side, his win last year will open some doors to bigger events, so he'll have plenty of opportunity this season.

It's been a rough couple years for Darren Clarke, on and off the golf course. Clarke really hasn't been himself on the course since 2006, but he's too good to continue down this road. He'll get it together at some point, though he might never reach the heights he once did.

Clarke is excused from any poor performance he had during the 2006 season. His wife was battling cancer all year and unfortunately succumbed late in the year. It's hard to imagine he could concentrate on golf at any point during the year. That said, he managed to stay within the top 125 on the PGA Tour and was granted a release from the minimum requirement of 15 events due to special circumstances. What does it all mean to the fantasy golfer? It means you had better take him at this price if you are in a salary cap league. As for other leagues, he should be considered in the top 40.

Clarke's season was cut short when he headed home to help his wife, who was going through cancer treatment. His numbers were obviously affected for the worse. Not that he had a bad year, but Clarke is close to that elite level and $1.4 million just isn't what you expect. He only played in 12 events, averaging to $120k per events. There aren't many players on tour with a better average. Normally, taking Clarke here would be a slam dunk, but it's uknown how many events he will play over here this year. He has, however, played quite well this winter, so he's a good value at this price.

He'll play around 16-18 tournaments on the PGA tour again this year and with a new lean physique and Guinness-less diet, should see strong results.