David Toms

There were a lot of players just inside the top-125 last year that are seemingly hanging on for dear life. Toms is one of those players as his better days are well behind him. Just like the other guys that barely snuck into the top-125 last year, Tom's upside is extremely limited and as such, he's not a good option in salary cap leagues this year. In draft leagues he may go undrafted depending on how many players get chosen.

It doesn't seem like that long ago that David Toms sank a hole-in-one during the final-round of his PGA Championship victory, but that was actually 12 years ago. That gives you some idea of how far removed we are from his glory days. Toms is still a good player, but his upside is long gone. As such, he's not worth consideration in salary cap leagues. He might still get drafted because of his name, but it's probably wise just to pass on him.

Toms surprised the golfing world when he nearly earned $4 million in 2011. Previously, all signs pointed to a player on the decline. Toms resembled that player in 2012, and that is probably the player we'll get for the remainder of his PGA TOUR career. Toms is 46 entering the 2012 season, and his best golf is behind him. He'll start to fade this season, though it will be a slow fade. As such, he's obviously not a good pick in salary cap leagues. In draft leagues, however, he can be useful as a sixth-round pick.

Few expected this kind of resurgence from Toms last season. Sure, he posted more than $3 million in 2009, but to approach $4 million at the age of 44 - well, that's unheard of. It's hard to imagine Toms can duplicate his 2011 season this year. He is, after all, aging just like the rest of us.

Toms' better days appear to be behind him, but that doesn't mean he's washed up. Just two years ago, Toms topped $3 million, and though he made just about half that last year, he's certainly capable of getting near that mark again this year. To do so, he'll have to improve his GIR percentage, which dropped from 20th in 2009 to 87th in 2010. Two areas that have remained consistent are his driving accuracy and his putting, which are usually above average.

Toms looked completely healthy in 2009 for the first time in awhile, and he let his results do the speaking for him. Although Toms has not won a tournament since early 2006, he earned two runner-up finishes last season and surpassed $3 million in winnings. Toms' success in 2009 was no mystery, he simply struck the ball much better than he had in previous years. Toms could make an even further jump up the rankings if he's able to keep that up, but don't expect him to approach the $4-million range unless he makes some further improvements to his game. While he finished 2008 in 116th place, he jumped to 42nd in the final 2009 Official World Golf Rankings - we'll be seeing Toms in the Majors and the significant events.

David Toms had an incredibly consistent 2007 season with 11 top-10s in 22 events. The only downside was that he failed to win or even earn a runner-up finish. Toms is an elite player who will should find the winner's circle again in 2008. Look for Toms to turn a couple of those close calls into wins this year and get back to the level he been at over the last five years. He's 41 now and the balky back returns from time-to-time bringing Toms to decision time: "I'm secure enough at home with my family and financially to where if I'm not having fun playing and I feel like it's a struggle physically, then I won't continue to do it full time" (Quote from GOLFWORLD, May 23,2008)

Toms entered 2006 with questions regarding his health. He quickly answered those questions by winning his second time out at the Sony Open. A couple top-20s and a couple top-3 finishes later, Toms was set to have a great year. Then he developed back problems. He withdrew from the U.S. Open and did not tee it up again until early August. Looking at what he accomplished last year it's hard not to be impressed, considering he missed two months of golf in the heart of the season, and who knows how many events he played with back issues. Once he returned to the Tour in August he played a regular schedule, which hopefully means he's 100 percent healthy for this year. If that's the case, Toms should do better in 2007 than he did in 2006.

Toms also rebounded well from an injury plagued 2004 season. Toms wasted no time getting into a groove in 2005 by recording a win and three top-5s in the season's first three months. He slowed down quite a bit thereafter, only gaining two top-5s the rest of the season, but some of that can by attributed to the scare he had at the 84 Lumber Classic when he was rushed to the hospital with an irregular heartbeat. That episode set him back a few weeks, and he could only tee it up three times the rest of the year. Looking ahead to 2006, Toms should pick up where he left off. He played pretty well in those last three events, all things considered, and should start strong again in 2006. He should also play better in the middle of the season vs. last year.

After three years of driving the ball well, Toms fell off a bit last year, ranking 125th in driving accuracy. That being said Toms had a heck of a year. The only detraction from his year, was his inconsistency. From week to week you never knew which Toms would show up. Toms will miss the first three weeks on Tour in 2004 after having wrist surgery. You never know how a player will respond after surgery, especially to a body part so pivotal to a golfer. He has more risk this season as a result.