The long and short of selecting a DFS team for Pebble Beach

— -- PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Playing DFS is exactly like playing actual golf.

Well, almost exactly. OK, slightly similar. Fine, they're completely different -- but they do share a common theme for success.

Any mental guru worth his weight in Masters diplomas will preach to his pupils about the process of leaving every shot in the past. That pull-hook off the tee into the woods? Can't do anything about it now. The skulled 8-iron into the back bunker? Can't erase it.

And so the secret, these gurus will often explain, is to focus only on the next shot. Fretting over those that already happened can lead to a lack of concentration and have a negative impact on the upcoming results.

Sound familiar?

One of the key secrets to playing DFS also might be to have a short memory. Or even better -- no memory at all.

Just because a certain player posted 25 birdies last week and helped your lineup cash a nice profit doesn't mean you should reward him with another start this week. And just because another player missed the cut by a mile and killed your team doesn't mean he's an automatic fade for the foreseeable future.

Trust me on this one: I'm as guilty of it as anyone.