Friends in fore,

Had he not missed the cut last week, Max Homa would have been our overwhelming top pick this week.

Dude has gone 2, T10, 1, T5 in the last four years here. Definition of "Horse for the Course".

Alas, when tourney history comes into conflict with recent form, what do we do? This is perhaps THE defining Golf SZN question.

14% of us still pulled the lever for Homa in YEYPO. But 13% picked Morikawa and 11% picked Mr. Goldman Sachs. Hardly a definitive Homa pick.

Max started slow, but as we speak is 3-under on his Friday round.

FUN PICK STATS

These are highlights - cool/fun/interesting things I see in our pick data. 

11 golfers got at least 50 picks in YEYPO, and Commish thinks he knows why.

You can interpret this many ways, but Commish's interpretation is "we're five weeks into the biggest "WTF?" start to a golf year in decades."

And so when it's been anyone's guess who will win (and even finish top 5) - and when 99% of our guesses have been wrong - it becomes less "what do the numbers say" and more "how am I FEELING today?".

You woke up feeling some Theegala? MAKE THAT PICK (55 picks). Cam Young came to you in a dream, mumbling something imperceptible because that's mostly how he communicates? MAKE THAT PICK (58 picks).

You believe now is the time for FULL LUDVIG RISING? MAKE THAT PICK!! (75 picks.)

Tiger got 6 picks in YEYPO, which on one hand is bold and on the other hand is surprisingly low.

There might never be another golfer in our lifetimes who garners picks in a One-and-Done no matter how little he's played, how recently he had his 14th surgery, or how poor his form.

Tellingly, Tiger got 0 picks in Survivor and 0 picks in 100 Tier.

But do you think his 6 backers in YEYPO care about that? THEY DO NOT.

Scheff is 3/4 in being the top pick in Top 10s.

This is Week 5, but Scheff has only played in four of the events.

In the lone week we didn't make him our top pick (Pebble), he indeed placed in the top 10.

The real question: Will he be our top pick in EVERY event he plays from here on out?

Let's look at our weekly skin opportunities.

Here are our YEYPO skin picks:

• Full skin opportunities: Adam Schenk, Adam Svensson, Brendon Todd, Byeong Hun An, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Denny McCarthy, Hideki Matsuyama, Nick Taylor.
• Half skin oppos: Cam Davis, Charley Hoffman, Corey Conners, Emiliano Grillo, J.T. Poston, Keegan Bradley, Nick Dunlap, Rickie Fowler.
  Hideki and Rickie are already back in skinland. C'MON GUYS, GET IT TOGETHER.

COMMENT AWARDS

The 1-iron Moxie Award

Boldest pick (with a comment). You can't win a SZN competition without a little Moxie!

@mahatma19 (Adam Schenk): "Genesis Invitational. Obviously, choose an Adam or an Eve. "
Commish says: How has no golfer given himself the last name "Snake"? We had "The Shark" and that did nothing other than spawn one of golf's most successful clothing brands of all time. GIVE US THE SNAKE!!

John Daly's Pants Award

The best weekly comment (or three), because John Daly's pants always win.

@limetime (Tiger and Scheff, Top 10s): "Going with the GOAT here, because he's back and he's pissed off! 8 weeks of rust removal for the Big Cat to buzz into the Top 10 and put the Tour on notice for Augusta. All he needs is four days of warm weather and sunny skies. Best ballstriker of his, our, and all time, still pumps a driver, Elder Wand in hand, can't lose."
Commish says: This sounds like something a 1920s sports radio broadcaster would say in his "weekly 5 o'clock predictions" while making his own sound effects in the background. Relatedly, I LOVE IT. MORE FROM YOU.

"Bryson Approves This Pick" Award

Most convincing. (There's logic, and then there's Bryson-level logic)

@Ficus (Justin Thomas): "If JT doesn’t win this week do you think Charlie Woods takes over as the big brother of the friendship?"
Commish says: F***ing brilliant. You are correct and JT knows this. JT absolutely cannot lose his status as "Tiger's buddy". JT wins by 13 strokes.

Spieth's 89-degree Lob Wedge

Wildest take (like Spieth's wild short game)

@Lambda_derg (Cam Young and JT, All 30 OAD): "I feel like Commish granting the JT option here is like sticking a big red button in play that says DO NOT PRESS. Of course I'm gonna press the button!"
Commish says: WHO DOESN'T LOVE BIG RED BUTTONS, LAMBDA? NAME ONE PERSON.

MORE COMMENTS

@FreddyGoBlue (Will Zalatoris): "Willy Z is back in the house"
Commish says: Willy Z had it to 6-under through EIGHT yesterday. Only 21 of you saw it coming!

@Ickey_Woods_Shuffle (Cameron Young): "James Cameron and Avatar named Oscar best; John Cameron Swayze made famous by the Timex Torture Test. There's Something about Mary separated Cameron Diaz from the rest; Now Cameron Young wins big out West. And he does it in his new designed Peter Millar quarter-zip vest."
Commish says: Sometimes this type of comment doesn't hit. And sometimes you're like "MOVE OVER BILLY SHAKES, THERE'S A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN."

@Eannarelli (Max Homa): "Tommy Fleets has time this weekend to join us at Riviera, the home course of Larry David. pretty prettayyy prettyyy good. "
Commish says: Are you... going to make Tommy Fleetwood comments... every week all year? (Is this a rhetorical question?)

@Ziqness (Sahith Theegala, Survivor): "THEEGALA GALA HE'S OUR MAN IF CANT DO IT, NO ONE CAN GOOOOOO THEEGALA *cries in niners*"
Commish says: I love how you inserted one comma in this otherwise flawlessly grammar-less comment.

@Irishkelly22 (Scottie Scheffler): "Allen Got Screwed. Go Bills"
Commish says: You know Instagram sign guy? Just wears shades and hipster clothing and holds up signs in public places? BE HIM, but, you know, AT GOLF COURSES.

@Jmoodz (Jordan Spieth): "Jordan Spieth shaking that ass, shaking that ass right down Drury Lane. Say hi to the muffin man for me."
Commish says: Trying VERY hard to imagine Jordan dancing to Mystikal and... and... I cannot do it. I want to. But I cannot.

@Jevans4 (Rory McIlroy): "Rory should be fresh after skipping out on the shit show that was Waste Management Phoenix Open last week. Can’t wait to see Sun Day Red hand him the trophy on Sunday. "
Commish says: I thought we'd made it through Golf SZN without a WM Phoenix Open shit joke. I really did. How do you feel now, Evans?

@Autovhanchilly (Patrick Cantlay): "We need to start building towards something and I think I know a player with the appropriate tools to help"
Commish says: Mr. Goldman Sachs is trying REALLY hard to remake himself in the image of... power tools. Comments like this are helping. But he's got a LOT of work to do.

@YikesVikes (Scheff and Cantlay, Top 10s): "4 points is better than no points"
Commish says: SCENE: High school chemistry class. We get a 100-question take home study guide. Louis turns it in with only one question answered and tells the teacher, "One is better than none".

@Sixers6thMan (Day and English, "All 30" OAD): "Seize the Day by putting a little English on it with a side of Keegs playing backup"
Commish says: Bad Puns in SZN Comments: Not just for the NFL SZN!!

@Mcheavens13 (Homa and Cam Young, "All 30" OAD): "This comp makes my brain hurt. Need IBM Watson to run the scenarios for me."
Commish says: GET IBM WATSON IN THE POOL!!!

Yours in metal stick swinging,
The Commish