Top 20 Golfers and Golf Videos
The Sports Xchange's PGA Tour rankings, selected by TSX Golf Staff, are based on results from 2007 and 2008 — with more emphasis on recent performance.
1. Tiger Woods, United States— Mark Soltau of Golf Digest, who also writes for Woods' website, wrote in his blog last week that Woods did not need crutches after his arthroscopic knee surgery last week. However, he did use them on Saturday night at Tiger Jam XI on Saturday night in Las Vegas, where Van Halen was the feature attraction. Woods already has been able to work on his putting, which let him down in the Masters, and is expected to begin hitting chip shots this week. Win or lose, Woods drives the PGA Tour these days in advertising, television ratings and attendance, but the rest of the guys will have to pick up the slack for four to six weeks. Tiger Woods video definitely will miss his title defense in the Wachovia Championship next week and probably will not be able to play in the Players Championship the following week for the first time in his career. On his website, Woods said his knee had been bothering him for a while and that he decided some time ago to have the scope done to repair cartilage damage after playing at Augusta. He had surgery on the same knee for a benign tumor in 1994, then had another operation to remove fluid from around the left anterior cruciate ligament and remove a cyst in 2002. Mark Steinberg, Woods' agent, said the knee has been bothering him since the middle of last year. Even though he seemed to be a little off throughout the Masters, instructor Hank Haney said Woods did not use the injury as an excuse for not winning, rather watching too may golf videos.
2. Phil Mickelson, United States — Mickelson said after he tied for fifth in the Masters that he believes he is hitting the ball better than he ever has in his career under the tutelage of instructor Butch Harmon. He added that his chipping also was very good at Augusta but acknowledged that it was his putting stroke that let him down. Lefty said he might have been spending so much time on his ball-striking that he did not work on the practice green as much as he should have, and he plans to have that corrected by the time he plays next. He is on the commitment list for the Wachovia Championship even though that is not reflected on the schedule page of his website. Lefty said that his mind has been on the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines for quite some time and that he already has made the short trip from his home in Rancho Santa Fe to play the South Course, site of the second major of the year. Mickelson has been playing the course since he was a youngster growing up nearby, and his team at University of San Diego High played several matches there. Tiger Woods already has been made a prohibitive favorite for the Open thanks to his six victories in the Buick Invitational at Torrey, but Mickelson has won it three times and will have at least as much local knowledge, plus the home crowd on his side. He plans several more trips to Torrey but has been known for almost obsessive preparation and must guard against overdoing it as well as watching too may golf babes videos.
3. Vijay Singh, Fiji — Two weeks is a long break from the PGA Tour for Singh, so he must already by itching to get back into the swing of things next week at the Wachovia Championship, which he won in 2005 by beating Jim Furyk in a playoff. Singh has been stuck on 31 PGA Tour victories since he captured the Arnold Palmer Invitational more than a year ago to tie "Lighthorse Harry" Cooper of England for the most victories on the circuit by a player not born in the United States. He has been close, with three runner-up finishes in the interim, so his first victory at the age of 45 might not be too far off. Singh has won at least one tournament on the Tour in six consecutive seasons and 10 of the last 11, missing out only in 2001, when he finished second twice and third three times. With Vijay Singh, and all of his golf video one of the great ball-strikers in golf history, it's always about the putter, or putters. He probably has more of them, long and short, than any golfer on Tour and switches at a whim. Singh has already changed putters a couple of times this year, and none has worked particularly well. He ranks eighth on the PGA Tour in greens in regulation — he has hit the green 70.59% of the time — but is 123rd in putts per round at 29.44. When he starts making a few, Singh will win again.
4. K.J. Choi, South Korea — For the second time in less than a month, Choi made the long trip back to his native country to play in a tournament, this time the SK Telecom Open, which he won in 2003 and 2005. He gave the home fans what they came to see, moving into the lead by shooting 8-under-par 64 in the second round and going on to win by four strokes over Kyum Nang Kang. Choi won for the second time this year, also having captured the Sony Open in Hawaii, and claimed the 14th victory of his career and seventh since 2005. He was locked in a three-way tie for the lead heading to the final round at Sky 72 Golf Club in Incheon but took command by shooting 31 on the front nine en route to a bogey-free 66. Choi did it with some remarkable ball-striking — he hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation during the final round and 43 of 54 over the last three rounds. Hitting the ball so close to the hole made up for some so-so putting (29.5 putts per round). He made five bogeys over his four rounds, none in the last 24 holes. Choi will be flying back to his home at the Woodlands, Texas, this week but will not play across the state in the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. He has not yet committed to the Wachovia Championship next week, so he might not play again until the Players Championship in two weeks.
5. Padraig Harrington, Ireland — Paddy is not in the EDS Byron Nelson Championship this week and has not committed to the Wachovia Championship next week, and the schedule page on his website indicates he will not come to the United States again until the Players Championship in two weeks. Before last year, he might have been pleased with his tie for fifth in the Masters, but claiming his first major title last year at Carnoustie changed his expectations and he looks at the 2008 Masters as a missed opportunity. Harrington leads the PGA Tour this season with an average of 27.25 putts per round and is second in putting average at 1.706, so he was not pleased with his work on the greens at Augusta. He averaged 29.0 putts per round with three three-putts and blamed it on an alignment problem that began the week before in the Shell Houston Open. Harrington said he got it figured out before the final round and putted better, but his chipping let him down, costing him as many as five strokes on Sunday, when he finished six shots behind winner Trevor Immelman, who has been accused of watching too many golf videos featuring sexy golf babes. Harrington said the best players in the world always have the next major on their minds, so he already is focusing on the U.S. Open. However, he has two big tournaments before then, the Players and the Irish Open next month, where he will defend his title. That will be his first event in Ireland since winning at Carnoustie.
6. Adam Scott, Australia — Scott was planning to take two weeks off after a disappointing tie for 25th in the Masters to, but he made a last-minute commitment to play this week in the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. It will be only his second appearance in the event after almost winning in his first visit — he tied for third in 2006. Scott was tied for the 54-hole lead with Trevor Immelman, but Brett Wetterich surged past both of them with a 68 to claim his first PGA Tour victory. After he got off to a strong start this year by winning the Commercialbank Qatar Masters, Scott has finished no better than a tie for ninth in the WGC-CA Championship, where he was in contention before falling back in the final round. It didn't help that he had to withdraw from the Shell Houston Open because of strep throat after he led with a 63 in the first round, which hampered his preparations for Augusta. The man considered to be the next great Australian golfer hasn't won on the PGA Tour since the Shell Houston Open more than a year ago, and he isn't even the top Aussie in the World Golf Rankings, having fallen behind Geoff Ogilvy. Scott is No. 1 in the PGA Tour's all-around statistic ranking, but until he becomes a consistent putter he will not win on a regular basis. He ranks 121st on the circuit with an average of 29.43 putts per round and might have been a contender at Augusta had he not averaged almost 31 putts per day.
7. Steve Stricker, United States— Strick is taking some time off, and he probably needs it after saying he might have over-prepared for the Masters, where he missed the cut for the second consecutive year after missing out on Augusta for the previous five years. It was his fourth consecutive week on the road and his 10th tournament already this season, so he could have been worn out by the time the tournament started. Stricker said that next year he might not get to Augusta until Tuesday because the harder he has worked to analyze the course the worse he gets; he even said he is almost starting to hate playing there. Even though he has not been listed on the commitment list, he is expected to play next week in the Wachovia Championship, where he finished second last year behind Tiger Woods on his way to a career season. That was one of his six finishes of 2007 in the top five, highlighted by his victory in the Barclays to start the PGA Tour playoffs. After a strong start to his season, with six finishes in the top 15 in his first seven starts, he has missed the cut in his last two tournaments. However, this is right about the point in the schedule where he really got it going last year, so he might have good things waiting right around the corner.
8. Ernie Els, South Africa— Still trying to get comfortable with the swing changes he has been working on with new instructor Butch Harmon, Els shot 76-72—148 and missed the cut by five strokes last week in the Verizon Heritage. He failed to make it to the weekend for the third time in four events since he captured the Honda Classic, and he finished 75th in the other tournament, the WGC-CA Championship — where there is no cut. The Big Easy missed the cut only once last year, at the Masters, and before that he made it to the weekend in 46 consecutive PGA Tour events dating to the 2004 Bay Hill Invitational. He made only two birdies in his 36 holes at Harbour Town, on No. 7 in the first round and No. 17 in the second. In between, he played 27 holes in 6-over-par. Els said he did not feel comfortable with the driver after round one, when he could not hit even half the fairways, though he still managed to hit 13 greens in regulation. As sometimes happens when things go in reverse, it was exactly the opposite on day two, when he hit 10 of 14 fairways but only nine greens and a few golf videos. Compounding those problems, he needed 32 putts each day. You know that Els will keep working hard at it and do everything he can to be better his next time out, which according to his website will be at the Players Championship in two weeks.
9. Geoff Ogilvy, Australia— After climbing to a career-high fifth in the World Golf Rankings by winning the WGC-CA Championship, Ogilvy couldn't back it up when he tied for 39th in the Masters two weeks ago. His victory in the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot lifted him into the top 10 of the rankings for the first time at No. 7, and now he is the highest-placed of the 25 Australians on the PGA Tour. Ogilvy is taking at least two weeks off but might play next week in the Wachovia Championship, which he has entered each of the last four years —- and he has tied for 10th twice at Quail Hollow. It should be a good place for him to get going in the right direction again the week before the Players Championship; his struggles at the Masters came after he finished no worse than a tie for 14th in the previous four events. Ogilvy and his friend Adam Scott both grew up in Adelaide and were criticized Down Under for playing only once in the big three Australian events last December — and for making the trip to South Africa for the lucrative Nedbank World Challenge about the same time. Ogilvy cut short his time in Australia to be with his wife, Juli, in Arizona during the final weeks before the birth of their second child. Perhaps hoping to get back in the good graces of the home fans, Ogilvy has committed to the Australian Open even though it is eight months off.
10. Jim Furyk, United States— Starting the final round of the Verizon Heritage six strokes back, Furyk made an early run at eventual champion Boo Weekley by making three birdies on the first four holes at Harbour Town. Then he hit the wall and could not make another over the last 14 holes, closing with a 69 that left him alone in fourth place. Even though Furyk has not been consistent in 2008, it was his third finish in the top three this season on the PGA Tour and his second in the last four outings after he tied for second in the WGC-CA Championship. The best news was that his balky putter came alive. Furyk tied for eighth against the field with an average of 25.8 putts per round, and the most he took in one round was 27 on Friday. That allowed him to play the last 38 holes of the tournament with only a single bogey, on No. 11 in the final round. He posted four rounds in the 60s — three consecutive 68s and a 69 on Sunday — and he could have really put the pressure on Weekley but he hit only 17 of 36 greens in regulation on the weekend. After making five birdies in each of the first two rounds, he had only three in each of the last two. Furyk is taking a week off and will play next week in the Wachovia Championship, which he won in a playoff over Trevor Immelman in 2006 and can be found in our masters golf video section.
11. Luke Donald, England— After more than a week off since he missed the cut in the Masters, Donald rejoins the PGA Tour this week for the EDS Byron Nelson Championship with reasonable expectations to get his game back on track. He missed the cut in his first appearance on the TPC at Las Colinas in 2002 but has been in the top 20 the last five years, including a runner-up finish behind Scott Verplank last year. Donald has finished second three times on the PGA Tour since his last victory, in the 2006 Honda Classic. He held the 54-hole lead last year in the Byron Nelson and shot 68 on Sunday to break 70 for the 12th consecutive time in the tournament, but he could not hold a three-stroke lead that he built after six holes in the final round. That cushion disappeared quickly when Verplank made two birdies and Donald drove into the trees en route to a double-bogey 6 on the ninth hole. The Englishman still had a chance on the final hole to force a playoff that could have led to his third victory on the PGA Tour, but he missed a 10-foot birdie putt. He also tied for sixth in the 2006 Byron Nelson, and his worst finish in the last five years was a tie for 19th in 2003. Donald needs to regain the form that took him to second in the Honda and a tie for third in the FBR Open early this season.
12. Rory Sabbatini, South Africa— Sabo won't have to fire up the bus he travels in to PGA Tour events for the EDS Byron Nelson Championship because he lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and will get one of two home games on the schedule. The other will come next month when he defends his title in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. He has not won the Nelson but recorded his best finish in nine appearances last year with a tie for third, three strokes behind winner Scott Verplank. Sabbatini made a run up the leaderboard on the weekend by shooting 67-64 in his first outing since he tied for second in the Masters three weeks earlier. Until then, his best finish on the TPC Las Colinas was a tie for 14th in 2005. The South African, who is considering becoming a U.S. citizen, has not played especially well in his last five events. His best finish in that stretch was a tie for 33rd, but that came in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, meaning he lost in the first round. His best result in a stroke-play event was a tie for 34th in the FBR Open and he missed the cut in his last outing at the Masters. Sabbatini must find the form that took him to second in the Sony Open in Hawaii and a tie for third in the Buick Invitational.
13. Angel Cabrera, Argentina — Following a two-week break after he tied for 25th in the Masters, Cabrera will play for the first time in the Wachovia Championship next week, according to the schedule on his website. Last week, the Argentine and Miguel Angel Jimenez were attending a dinner arranged by Ping, one of their sponsors, in a Miami restaurant. Cabrera was recognized by Michael Jordan — an avid golfer and fan of the game. The basketball great came over, introduced himself to Cabrera and was quoted as saying that it was "an honor to be photographed with the U.S. Open champion." Cabrera said he had some extra motivation when he played with one of Jordan's pals, Tiger Woods video, in the first two rounds at Augusta. He said he was pleased with his ball-striking in the first major of the year but not his putting and chipping. Cabrera added that he will be working hard on his short game during practice sessions and in the next few tournaments in preparation for his Open title defense at Torrey Pines in June. After winning four times in four countries last year, El Pato is off to a slow start this season; a tie for fifth in the WGC-Match Play Championship is his best finish in eight official events. However, his first victory in a career year last season did not come until he held off Woods at Oakmont.
14. Trevor Immelman, South Africa— It's back to work this week for Immelman, who will be introduced on the tee Thursday at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship as the Masters champion for the first time in a PGA Tour event. He has been basking in the glow of his victory at Augusta, making the usual round of radio and television appearances in New York last week and then spending some time at home in Florida with his family. Immelman was most excited about getting to meet the Boston Celtics in the locker room during halftime of a game at Madison Square Garden and said Kevin Garnett and his teammates wanted to ask him about the Masters. Immleman last played in the EDS Byron Nelson two years ago, when he was tied with Adam Scott for the 54-hole lead but wound up losing to Brett Wetterich by one stroke as well a watching golf videos featuring golf babes and sexy golf girls. He came to the final hole needing a birdie to force a playoff but hit his drive into a lake. His brilliant third shot to within seven feet gave him a par that was not enough. It was the second consecutive week he finished as the runner-up after losing to Jim Furyk on the second playoff hole in the Wachovia Championship, where he three-putted the 72nd hole with a chance to win in regulation. Immelman learned from those disappointments when he held off Tiger Woods to claim his first PGA Tour victory in the Cialis Western Open less than two months later.
15. Stewart Cink, United States— Even though he went backward on the weekend instead of challenging for his third title in the Verizon Heritage, Cink finished in a tie for seventh and shares the lead on the PGA Tour this season with five finishes in the top 10. He has often called himself one of biggest underachievers on the circuit, and even though that might be a little harsh considering his achievements, Cink has only four victories, the last coming in the 2004 WGC-NEC Invitational. He began the final round at Hilton Head seven strokes behind eventual champion Boo Weekley but inched closer by making three birdies in the first five holes. However, Cink could make only one more bird the rest of the way but did have two bogeys and a double bogey to close with a 71. Cink shot 70 on Saturday, and a double bogey in each of the last two rounds cost him the chance to post four consecutive rounds in the 60s. Cink was near the top of the field in two statistical categories, finishing second in driving distance with an average of 295.9 yards and fourth by hitting 51 of 72 greens in regulation. But his normally reliable long putter let him down on the weekend, when he took a total of 63 putts after needing only 27 on each of the first two days. Cink is passing on the EDS Byron Nelson Championship but is expected to play next week in the Wachovia Championship.
16. Stuart Appleby, Australia— Appleby's tie for 14th in the Masters was more indicative of the way he played early this season, when he posted five consecutive finishes in the top 10, and he is tied for the PGA Tour in that category. He hasn't been shooting big numbers, for the most part, but has failed to break 70 in his last nine rounds and 16 of the last 17. Even though he couldn't crack the top of the leaderboard at Augusta, he played well enough to give himself a confidence boost heading toward the Players Championship and the U.S. Open. Apples is known as a strong ball-striker, but he has struggled with that part of his game this season, hitting only 62.96% of the greens in regulation to rank 121st on the PGA Tour. As soon as he gets that straightened out, he should be ready to win again because his putting has been spot-on. Appleby ranks 16th on the circuit with an average of 28.17 putts per round and 13th with a putting average of 1.738. He has won eight times on the PGA Tour, including three Mercedes Championships, but has not been in the winner's circle since the 2006 Shell Houston Open. Appleby has committed to play next week in the Wachovia Championship. He has played at Quail Hollow in each of the five years of the tournament's existence.
17. Aaron Baddeley, Australia— Badds posted four rounds in the 60s last week and had an chance to win the Verizon Heritage for the second time in three years, but he finished three strokes behind repeat winner Boo Weekley. He closed with a 69 and could have put a little pressure on Weekley down the stretch if not for his only two bogeys of the day, on the 10th and 14th holes. However, looking back on the week, if he could have one hole to play over it would be No. 10 in the first round, when he made a double-bogey 6 by hitting into the lagoon on the left en route to another 69. Baddeley played the middle rounds in 67-67 to remain in the hunt and tried to mount a charge on the back nine Sunday with three birdies, but those two stumbles kept him from closing the gap. One of the best putters in the world, he stayed close by averaging 26.3 putts per round, including only 49 on the weekend. However, that last number might be skewed a bit because he hit barely half the greens in regulation in the last two rounds, chipping it close enough for numerous one-putts. Even though he had five finishes in the top 15 previously this season, this was the first time he broke the top 10 in a stroke-play event; he tied for ninth in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. The schedule page at www.badds.com does not list his next event, and after playing three consecutive tournaments he might not play again until the Players Championship.
18. Boo Weekley, United States— Boo's country boy persona is no act, but don't be fooled. This bumpkin can play the game. By repeating as champion last week in the Verizon Heritage, he joined a so far a very exclusive club of players who have won in 2007 and 2008 on the PGA Tour. The only other members to date are Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and K.J. Choi. Boo's second victory at Harbour Town was not as dramatic as the first — last year, Weekley chipped in on the final two holes to win by one stroke over Ernie Els. This time, he won by three strokes over Aaron Baddeley and Anthony Kim, though he did provide a little more drama by holing out twice from off the green. First, he slam-dunked a chip for birdie over a bunker on No. 10 to build a five-stroke lead, and then he hit the pin with a 30-foot putt from the fringe for another birdie on No. 14. Chewing tobacco and giving that Huck Finn smile, he was able to take the victory walk this time down No. 18, the famed Lighthouse Hole alongside the Calibogue Sound, as the fans chanted his nickname, which he got as a youngster because he loved "Boo-Boo," sidekick of "Yogi Bear" on the children's cartoon television show. Boo couldn't repeat the four consecutive rounds in the 60s he posted last year, but all he needed on the weekend this time was 71-71 after he opened with 69-64. He went 37 holes without a bogey in one stretch from late in the first round to late in the third, tying for first with 23 birdies for the week. One of the best ball-strikers around, he blended that with some remarkable putting over the last three rounds. After taking 31 putts on Thursday, he needed only 76 the rest of the way. He is expected to play next week in the Wachovia Championship.
19. Justin Rose, England— All the work Rose put in during the offseason has put him in the best shape of his career. That was one of his goals, but apparently he did not achieve the other. He hoped to eliminate the back problems that plagued him at times last season, but he was forced to withdraw from the Verizon Heritage on Friday after shooting 76 in the first round. Rose hopes that treatment and rest at his home in Central Florida will have him ready to play in a week in the Wachovia Championship, which is listed on his website as his next event, or at least by the Players Championship the following week. Coming off a tie for 36th in the Masters and playing at Harbour Town for the fourth time in his career, Rose made only one birdie in the first round, on the second hole. He carded a double-bogey 6 on No. 8 and made four bogeys in a span of six holes en route to a back-nine 39, playing like a guy with a bad back. He hit only half the narrow fairways and 11 of 18 greens in regulation and took 34 putts. Rose's back problems last year caused him to miss several tournaments; he did not play between the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in February and the Masters in April, then was idle until the U.S. Open in June.
20. Justin Leonard, United States— Leonard tied for the first-round lead with a 5-under-par 66 last week in the Verizon Heritage, which he won in 2002, but that was as good as it got for him at Harbour Town, not including the sexy show he got from the slice girls golf video. He could not break 70 the rest of the way and wound up in a tie for 17th, his sixth finish in the top 20 this season. The native Texan is playing this week in the EDS Byron Nelson Championship, hoping to change his luck in one of four annual events in the Lone Star State. He has finished in the top 10 only twice in 14 previous appearances in the tournament at TPC Las Colinas, and his best result was a tie for sixth in 2001, when he shot 61 in the third round. Leonard made only one bogey in his first 45 holes last week at Harbour Town, but by the time he made his second he already had two double bogeys, on the fourth hole of the second round and the eighth hole of the third. He made six birdies in the first round alone but only seven more the rest of the way, mostly because he lost his putting touch. After taking 26 putts in the first round, Leonard needed 90 more over the last three rounds. That nullified some brilliant ball-striking — he tied for third in the field by hitting 45 of 56 fairways and tied for first by hitting 52 of 72 greens in regulation.
1. Tiger Woods, United States— Mark Soltau of Golf Digest, who also writes for Woods' website, wrote in his blog last week that Woods did not need crutches after his arthroscopic knee surgery last week. However, he did use them on Saturday night at Tiger Jam XI on Saturday night in Las Vegas, where Van Halen was the feature attraction. Woods already has been able to work on his putting, which let him down in the Masters, and is expected to begin hitting chip shots this week. Win or lose, Woods drives the PGA Tour these days in advertising, television ratings and attendance, but the rest of the guys will have to pick up the slack for four to six weeks. Tiger Woods video definitely will miss his title defense in the Wachovia Championship next week and probably will not be able to play in the Players Championship the following week for the first time in his career. On his website, Woods said his knee had been bothering him for a while and that he decided some time ago to have the scope done to repair cartilage damage after playing at Augusta. He had surgery on the same knee for a benign tumor in 1994, then had another operation to remove fluid from around the left anterior cruciate ligament and remove a cyst in 2002. Mark Steinberg, Woods' agent, said the knee has been bothering him since the middle of last year. Even though he seemed to be a little off throughout the Masters, instructor Hank Haney said Woods did not use the injury as an excuse for not winning, rather watching too may golf videos.
2. Phil Mickelson, United States — Mickelson said after he tied for fifth in the Masters that he believes he is hitting the ball better than he ever has in his career under the tutelage of instructor Butch Harmon. He added that his chipping also was very good at Augusta but acknowledged that it was his putting stroke that let him down. Lefty said he might have been spending so much time on his ball-striking that he did not work on the practice green as much as he should have, and he plans to have that corrected by the time he plays next. He is on the commitment list for the Wachovia Championship even though that is not reflected on the schedule page of his website. Lefty said that his mind has been on the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines for quite some time and that he already has made the short trip from his home in Rancho Santa Fe to play the South Course, site of the second major of the year. Mickelson has been playing the course since he was a youngster growing up nearby, and his team at University of San Diego High played several matches there. Tiger Woods already has been made a prohibitive favorite for the Open thanks to his six victories in the Buick Invitational at Torrey, but Mickelson has won it three times and will have at least as much local knowledge, plus the home crowd on his side. He plans several more trips to Torrey but has been known for almost obsessive preparation and must guard against overdoing it as well as watching too may golf babes videos.
3. Vijay Singh, Fiji — Two weeks is a long break from the PGA Tour for Singh, so he must already by itching to get back into the swing of things next week at the Wachovia Championship, which he won in 2005 by beating Jim Furyk in a playoff. Singh has been stuck on 31 PGA Tour victories since he captured the Arnold Palmer Invitational more than a year ago to tie "Lighthorse Harry" Cooper of England for the most victories on the circuit by a player not born in the United States. He has been close, with three runner-up finishes in the interim, so his first victory at the age of 45 might not be too far off. Singh has won at least one tournament on the Tour in six consecutive seasons and 10 of the last 11, missing out only in 2001, when he finished second twice and third three times. With Vijay Singh, and all of his golf video one of the great ball-strikers in golf history, it's always about the putter, or putters. He probably has more of them, long and short, than any golfer on Tour and switches at a whim. Singh has already changed putters a couple of times this year, and none has worked particularly well. He ranks eighth on the PGA Tour in greens in regulation — he has hit the green 70.59% of the time — but is 123rd in putts per round at 29.44. When he starts making a few, Singh will win again.
4. K.J. Choi, South Korea — For the second time in less than a month, Choi made the long trip back to his native country to play in a tournament, this time the SK Telecom Open, which he won in 2003 and 2005. He gave the home fans what they came to see, moving into the lead by shooting 8-under-par 64 in the second round and going on to win by four strokes over Kyum Nang Kang. Choi won for the second time this year, also having captured the Sony Open in Hawaii, and claimed the 14th victory of his career and seventh since 2005. He was locked in a three-way tie for the lead heading to the final round at Sky 72 Golf Club in Incheon but took command by shooting 31 on the front nine en route to a bogey-free 66. Choi did it with some remarkable ball-striking — he hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation during the final round and 43 of 54 over the last three rounds. Hitting the ball so close to the hole made up for some so-so putting (29.5 putts per round). He made five bogeys over his four rounds, none in the last 24 holes. Choi will be flying back to his home at the Woodlands, Texas, this week but will not play across the state in the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. He has not yet committed to the Wachovia Championship next week, so he might not play again until the Players Championship in two weeks.
5. Padraig Harrington, Ireland — Paddy is not in the EDS Byron Nelson Championship this week and has not committed to the Wachovia Championship next week, and the schedule page on his website indicates he will not come to the United States again until the Players Championship in two weeks. Before last year, he might have been pleased with his tie for fifth in the Masters, but claiming his first major title last year at Carnoustie changed his expectations and he looks at the 2008 Masters as a missed opportunity. Harrington leads the PGA Tour this season with an average of 27.25 putts per round and is second in putting average at 1.706, so he was not pleased with his work on the greens at Augusta. He averaged 29.0 putts per round with three three-putts and blamed it on an alignment problem that began the week before in the Shell Houston Open. Harrington said he got it figured out before the final round and putted better, but his chipping let him down, costing him as many as five strokes on Sunday, when he finished six shots behind winner Trevor Immelman, who has been accused of watching too many golf videos featuring sexy golf babes. Harrington said the best players in the world always have the next major on their minds, so he already is focusing on the U.S. Open. However, he has two big tournaments before then, the Players and the Irish Open next month, where he will defend his title. That will be his first event in Ireland since winning at Carnoustie.
6. Adam Scott, Australia — Scott was planning to take two weeks off after a disappointing tie for 25th in the Masters to, but he made a last-minute commitment to play this week in the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. It will be only his second appearance in the event after almost winning in his first visit — he tied for third in 2006. Scott was tied for the 54-hole lead with Trevor Immelman, but Brett Wetterich surged past both of them with a 68 to claim his first PGA Tour victory. After he got off to a strong start this year by winning the Commercialbank Qatar Masters, Scott has finished no better than a tie for ninth in the WGC-CA Championship, where he was in contention before falling back in the final round. It didn't help that he had to withdraw from the Shell Houston Open because of strep throat after he led with a 63 in the first round, which hampered his preparations for Augusta. The man considered to be the next great Australian golfer hasn't won on the PGA Tour since the Shell Houston Open more than a year ago, and he isn't even the top Aussie in the World Golf Rankings, having fallen behind Geoff Ogilvy. Scott is No. 1 in the PGA Tour's all-around statistic ranking, but until he becomes a consistent putter he will not win on a regular basis. He ranks 121st on the circuit with an average of 29.43 putts per round and might have been a contender at Augusta had he not averaged almost 31 putts per day.
7. Steve Stricker, United States— Strick is taking some time off, and he probably needs it after saying he might have over-prepared for the Masters, where he missed the cut for the second consecutive year after missing out on Augusta for the previous five years. It was his fourth consecutive week on the road and his 10th tournament already this season, so he could have been worn out by the time the tournament started. Stricker said that next year he might not get to Augusta until Tuesday because the harder he has worked to analyze the course the worse he gets; he even said he is almost starting to hate playing there. Even though he has not been listed on the commitment list, he is expected to play next week in the Wachovia Championship, where he finished second last year behind Tiger Woods on his way to a career season. That was one of his six finishes of 2007 in the top five, highlighted by his victory in the Barclays to start the PGA Tour playoffs. After a strong start to his season, with six finishes in the top 15 in his first seven starts, he has missed the cut in his last two tournaments. However, this is right about the point in the schedule where he really got it going last year, so he might have good things waiting right around the corner.
8. Ernie Els, South Africa— Still trying to get comfortable with the swing changes he has been working on with new instructor Butch Harmon, Els shot 76-72—148 and missed the cut by five strokes last week in the Verizon Heritage. He failed to make it to the weekend for the third time in four events since he captured the Honda Classic, and he finished 75th in the other tournament, the WGC-CA Championship — where there is no cut. The Big Easy missed the cut only once last year, at the Masters, and before that he made it to the weekend in 46 consecutive PGA Tour events dating to the 2004 Bay Hill Invitational. He made only two birdies in his 36 holes at Harbour Town, on No. 7 in the first round and No. 17 in the second. In between, he played 27 holes in 6-over-par. Els said he did not feel comfortable with the driver after round one, when he could not hit even half the fairways, though he still managed to hit 13 greens in regulation. As sometimes happens when things go in reverse, it was exactly the opposite on day two, when he hit 10 of 14 fairways but only nine greens and a few golf videos. Compounding those problems, he needed 32 putts each day. You know that Els will keep working hard at it and do everything he can to be better his next time out, which according to his website will be at the Players Championship in two weeks.
9. Geoff Ogilvy, Australia— After climbing to a career-high fifth in the World Golf Rankings by winning the WGC-CA Championship, Ogilvy couldn't back it up when he tied for 39th in the Masters two weeks ago. His victory in the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot lifted him into the top 10 of the rankings for the first time at No. 7, and now he is the highest-placed of the 25 Australians on the PGA Tour. Ogilvy is taking at least two weeks off but might play next week in the Wachovia Championship, which he has entered each of the last four years —- and he has tied for 10th twice at Quail Hollow. It should be a good place for him to get going in the right direction again the week before the Players Championship; his struggles at the Masters came after he finished no worse than a tie for 14th in the previous four events. Ogilvy and his friend Adam Scott both grew up in Adelaide and were criticized Down Under for playing only once in the big three Australian events last December — and for making the trip to South Africa for the lucrative Nedbank World Challenge about the same time. Ogilvy cut short his time in Australia to be with his wife, Juli, in Arizona during the final weeks before the birth of their second child. Perhaps hoping to get back in the good graces of the home fans, Ogilvy has committed to the Australian Open even though it is eight months off.
10. Jim Furyk, United States— Starting the final round of the Verizon Heritage six strokes back, Furyk made an early run at eventual champion Boo Weekley by making three birdies on the first four holes at Harbour Town. Then he hit the wall and could not make another over the last 14 holes, closing with a 69 that left him alone in fourth place. Even though Furyk has not been consistent in 2008, it was his third finish in the top three this season on the PGA Tour and his second in the last four outings after he tied for second in the WGC-CA Championship. The best news was that his balky putter came alive. Furyk tied for eighth against the field with an average of 25.8 putts per round, and the most he took in one round was 27 on Friday. That allowed him to play the last 38 holes of the tournament with only a single bogey, on No. 11 in the final round. He posted four rounds in the 60s — three consecutive 68s and a 69 on Sunday — and he could have really put the pressure on Weekley but he hit only 17 of 36 greens in regulation on the weekend. After making five birdies in each of the first two rounds, he had only three in each of the last two. Furyk is taking a week off and will play next week in the Wachovia Championship, which he won in a playoff over Trevor Immelman in 2006 and can be found in our masters golf video section.
11. Luke Donald, England— After more than a week off since he missed the cut in the Masters, Donald rejoins the PGA Tour this week for the EDS Byron Nelson Championship with reasonable expectations to get his game back on track. He missed the cut in his first appearance on the TPC at Las Colinas in 2002 but has been in the top 20 the last five years, including a runner-up finish behind Scott Verplank last year. Donald has finished second three times on the PGA Tour since his last victory, in the 2006 Honda Classic. He held the 54-hole lead last year in the Byron Nelson and shot 68 on Sunday to break 70 for the 12th consecutive time in the tournament, but he could not hold a three-stroke lead that he built after six holes in the final round. That cushion disappeared quickly when Verplank made two birdies and Donald drove into the trees en route to a double-bogey 6 on the ninth hole. The Englishman still had a chance on the final hole to force a playoff that could have led to his third victory on the PGA Tour, but he missed a 10-foot birdie putt. He also tied for sixth in the 2006 Byron Nelson, and his worst finish in the last five years was a tie for 19th in 2003. Donald needs to regain the form that took him to second in the Honda and a tie for third in the FBR Open early this season.
12. Rory Sabbatini, South Africa— Sabo won't have to fire up the bus he travels in to PGA Tour events for the EDS Byron Nelson Championship because he lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and will get one of two home games on the schedule. The other will come next month when he defends his title in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. He has not won the Nelson but recorded his best finish in nine appearances last year with a tie for third, three strokes behind winner Scott Verplank. Sabbatini made a run up the leaderboard on the weekend by shooting 67-64 in his first outing since he tied for second in the Masters three weeks earlier. Until then, his best finish on the TPC Las Colinas was a tie for 14th in 2005. The South African, who is considering becoming a U.S. citizen, has not played especially well in his last five events. His best finish in that stretch was a tie for 33rd, but that came in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, meaning he lost in the first round. His best result in a stroke-play event was a tie for 34th in the FBR Open and he missed the cut in his last outing at the Masters. Sabbatini must find the form that took him to second in the Sony Open in Hawaii and a tie for third in the Buick Invitational.
13. Angel Cabrera, Argentina — Following a two-week break after he tied for 25th in the Masters, Cabrera will play for the first time in the Wachovia Championship next week, according to the schedule on his website. Last week, the Argentine and Miguel Angel Jimenez were attending a dinner arranged by Ping, one of their sponsors, in a Miami restaurant. Cabrera was recognized by Michael Jordan — an avid golfer and fan of the game. The basketball great came over, introduced himself to Cabrera and was quoted as saying that it was "an honor to be photographed with the U.S. Open champion." Cabrera said he had some extra motivation when he played with one of Jordan's pals, Tiger Woods video, in the first two rounds at Augusta. He said he was pleased with his ball-striking in the first major of the year but not his putting and chipping. Cabrera added that he will be working hard on his short game during practice sessions and in the next few tournaments in preparation for his Open title defense at Torrey Pines in June. After winning four times in four countries last year, El Pato is off to a slow start this season; a tie for fifth in the WGC-Match Play Championship is his best finish in eight official events. However, his first victory in a career year last season did not come until he held off Woods at Oakmont.
14. Trevor Immelman, South Africa— It's back to work this week for Immelman, who will be introduced on the tee Thursday at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship as the Masters champion for the first time in a PGA Tour event. He has been basking in the glow of his victory at Augusta, making the usual round of radio and television appearances in New York last week and then spending some time at home in Florida with his family. Immelman was most excited about getting to meet the Boston Celtics in the locker room during halftime of a game at Madison Square Garden and said Kevin Garnett and his teammates wanted to ask him about the Masters. Immleman last played in the EDS Byron Nelson two years ago, when he was tied with Adam Scott for the 54-hole lead but wound up losing to Brett Wetterich by one stroke as well a watching golf videos featuring golf babes and sexy golf girls. He came to the final hole needing a birdie to force a playoff but hit his drive into a lake. His brilliant third shot to within seven feet gave him a par that was not enough. It was the second consecutive week he finished as the runner-up after losing to Jim Furyk on the second playoff hole in the Wachovia Championship, where he three-putted the 72nd hole with a chance to win in regulation. Immelman learned from those disappointments when he held off Tiger Woods to claim his first PGA Tour victory in the Cialis Western Open less than two months later.
15. Stewart Cink, United States— Even though he went backward on the weekend instead of challenging for his third title in the Verizon Heritage, Cink finished in a tie for seventh and shares the lead on the PGA Tour this season with five finishes in the top 10. He has often called himself one of biggest underachievers on the circuit, and even though that might be a little harsh considering his achievements, Cink has only four victories, the last coming in the 2004 WGC-NEC Invitational. He began the final round at Hilton Head seven strokes behind eventual champion Boo Weekley but inched closer by making three birdies in the first five holes. However, Cink could make only one more bird the rest of the way but did have two bogeys and a double bogey to close with a 71. Cink shot 70 on Saturday, and a double bogey in each of the last two rounds cost him the chance to post four consecutive rounds in the 60s. Cink was near the top of the field in two statistical categories, finishing second in driving distance with an average of 295.9 yards and fourth by hitting 51 of 72 greens in regulation. But his normally reliable long putter let him down on the weekend, when he took a total of 63 putts after needing only 27 on each of the first two days. Cink is passing on the EDS Byron Nelson Championship but is expected to play next week in the Wachovia Championship.
16. Stuart Appleby, Australia— Appleby's tie for 14th in the Masters was more indicative of the way he played early this season, when he posted five consecutive finishes in the top 10, and he is tied for the PGA Tour in that category. He hasn't been shooting big numbers, for the most part, but has failed to break 70 in his last nine rounds and 16 of the last 17. Even though he couldn't crack the top of the leaderboard at Augusta, he played well enough to give himself a confidence boost heading toward the Players Championship and the U.S. Open. Apples is known as a strong ball-striker, but he has struggled with that part of his game this season, hitting only 62.96% of the greens in regulation to rank 121st on the PGA Tour. As soon as he gets that straightened out, he should be ready to win again because his putting has been spot-on. Appleby ranks 16th on the circuit with an average of 28.17 putts per round and 13th with a putting average of 1.738. He has won eight times on the PGA Tour, including three Mercedes Championships, but has not been in the winner's circle since the 2006 Shell Houston Open. Appleby has committed to play next week in the Wachovia Championship. He has played at Quail Hollow in each of the five years of the tournament's existence.
17. Aaron Baddeley, Australia— Badds posted four rounds in the 60s last week and had an chance to win the Verizon Heritage for the second time in three years, but he finished three strokes behind repeat winner Boo Weekley. He closed with a 69 and could have put a little pressure on Weekley down the stretch if not for his only two bogeys of the day, on the 10th and 14th holes. However, looking back on the week, if he could have one hole to play over it would be No. 10 in the first round, when he made a double-bogey 6 by hitting into the lagoon on the left en route to another 69. Baddeley played the middle rounds in 67-67 to remain in the hunt and tried to mount a charge on the back nine Sunday with three birdies, but those two stumbles kept him from closing the gap. One of the best putters in the world, he stayed close by averaging 26.3 putts per round, including only 49 on the weekend. However, that last number might be skewed a bit because he hit barely half the greens in regulation in the last two rounds, chipping it close enough for numerous one-putts. Even though he had five finishes in the top 15 previously this season, this was the first time he broke the top 10 in a stroke-play event; he tied for ninth in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. The schedule page at www.badds.com does not list his next event, and after playing three consecutive tournaments he might not play again until the Players Championship.
18. Boo Weekley, United States— Boo's country boy persona is no act, but don't be fooled. This bumpkin can play the game. By repeating as champion last week in the Verizon Heritage, he joined a so far a very exclusive club of players who have won in 2007 and 2008 on the PGA Tour. The only other members to date are Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and K.J. Choi. Boo's second victory at Harbour Town was not as dramatic as the first — last year, Weekley chipped in on the final two holes to win by one stroke over Ernie Els. This time, he won by three strokes over Aaron Baddeley and Anthony Kim, though he did provide a little more drama by holing out twice from off the green. First, he slam-dunked a chip for birdie over a bunker on No. 10 to build a five-stroke lead, and then he hit the pin with a 30-foot putt from the fringe for another birdie on No. 14. Chewing tobacco and giving that Huck Finn smile, he was able to take the victory walk this time down No. 18, the famed Lighthouse Hole alongside the Calibogue Sound, as the fans chanted his nickname, which he got as a youngster because he loved "Boo-Boo," sidekick of "Yogi Bear" on the children's cartoon television show. Boo couldn't repeat the four consecutive rounds in the 60s he posted last year, but all he needed on the weekend this time was 71-71 after he opened with 69-64. He went 37 holes without a bogey in one stretch from late in the first round to late in the third, tying for first with 23 birdies for the week. One of the best ball-strikers around, he blended that with some remarkable putting over the last three rounds. After taking 31 putts on Thursday, he needed only 76 the rest of the way. He is expected to play next week in the Wachovia Championship.
19. Justin Rose, England— All the work Rose put in during the offseason has put him in the best shape of his career. That was one of his goals, but apparently he did not achieve the other. He hoped to eliminate the back problems that plagued him at times last season, but he was forced to withdraw from the Verizon Heritage on Friday after shooting 76 in the first round. Rose hopes that treatment and rest at his home in Central Florida will have him ready to play in a week in the Wachovia Championship, which is listed on his website as his next event, or at least by the Players Championship the following week. Coming off a tie for 36th in the Masters and playing at Harbour Town for the fourth time in his career, Rose made only one birdie in the first round, on the second hole. He carded a double-bogey 6 on No. 8 and made four bogeys in a span of six holes en route to a back-nine 39, playing like a guy with a bad back. He hit only half the narrow fairways and 11 of 18 greens in regulation and took 34 putts. Rose's back problems last year caused him to miss several tournaments; he did not play between the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in February and the Masters in April, then was idle until the U.S. Open in June.
20. Justin Leonard, United States— Leonard tied for the first-round lead with a 5-under-par 66 last week in the Verizon Heritage, which he won in 2002, but that was as good as it got for him at Harbour Town, not including the sexy show he got from the slice girls golf video. He could not break 70 the rest of the way and wound up in a tie for 17th, his sixth finish in the top 20 this season. The native Texan is playing this week in the EDS Byron Nelson Championship, hoping to change his luck in one of four annual events in the Lone Star State. He has finished in the top 10 only twice in 14 previous appearances in the tournament at TPC Las Colinas, and his best result was a tie for sixth in 2001, when he shot 61 in the third round. Leonard made only one bogey in his first 45 holes last week at Harbour Town, but by the time he made his second he already had two double bogeys, on the fourth hole of the second round and the eighth hole of the third. He made six birdies in the first round alone but only seven more the rest of the way, mostly because he lost his putting touch. After taking 26 putts in the first round, Leonard needed 90 more over the last three rounds. That nullified some brilliant ball-striking — he tied for third in the field by hitting 45 of 56 fairways and tied for first by hitting 52 of 72 greens in regulation.
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