Tour Report: Fantasy mailbag: Snedeker抯 WD

Throughout my tenure as the Fantasy columnist for PGATOUR.COM, there抯 been a bit of a misconception that because of the connection, I抦 privy to the reasons why golfers withdraw between the commitment deadline and their tee times in the first round. To wit, here抯 an email that arrived on Tuesday afternoon
Unless there is published or broadcast information offering an explanation, I抦 left to speculate as much as you. Some readers aren抰 aware that the touring pros are independent contractors allowed to set their own schedules, so that education alone serves as an acceptable response.
This is the second time this season that Snedeker has withdrawn early in the week of a tournament to which he committed. He also pulled out of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. (He returned the following week at the Northern Trust Open.)
Unless there is documented information to support that a guy is banged up or ill (e.g. Anthony Kim, Boo Weekley), I抣l chalk up early WDs to reasons that don抰 concern us. Fantasy golf is peppered with all kinds of learning curves. Unlike team sports when an athlete is scratched due to injury, you can抰 draw the same parallel in golf.
Whenever there is information available on a medical or personal issue and it has relevance, I will usually share it in one of my features. Worst case, you抣l find it in "Medic!" in my fantasy preview.
So with that area of emphasis during the offseason, Bradley went to work and the results have been striking. He ranks ninth in sand saves right now after finishing 168th in that category a year ago. He抯 gone from 147th in approaches from 50-125 yards to 113th, as well.
Combine those stats with a man who ranks 14th in driving distance, 12th in total driving, 23rd in greens in regulation and fifth in birdies and you抳e got a formidable player. Bradley, who holds down first in the TOUR抯 All-Around category and seventh in scoring, has not missed a cut in 10 events ?nor has he finished lower than a tie for 27th at the Masters.
"We focused on that in the off-season and I turned those two areas into one of my strengths which is the reason why I think I抳e been contending ?almost every week," said Bradley, who nearly picked up the third win of his career at the Northern Trust Open earlier this year before losing to Bill Haas in a playoff.
The New Englander said that knowing the courses and cities that host the PGA TOUR each week has also been a factor. He抯 not afraid to skip a tournament now to make sure he抯 well-rested, either. Plus, his mental guru, Bob Rotella has helped him learn to relax on the course.
"I think, a lot of rookies, lot of guys first come out, they try to force playing well than to just relax and let it happen and that抯 been kind of our goal, me and Rotella to do that more than go out there and try to press it," said Bradley, who tied for 26th a year ago in his debut at TPC Louisiana.

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