Think back 9 months ago when Villegas had just won two events, Paddy had won the last 2 majors, VJ won a couple of events, Anthony Kim was a brash young winner who seemed poised to stare down Tiger and Sergio was seemingly in every event with a new putting stroke. “Tiger, there are guys ready to challenge you when you return!” Uh, yea right. Now, none of those guys have won since, Paddy and Sergio can’t even make a cut and Anthony Kim is “rededicating” himself the last couple of weeks.
Instead, this year has brought us two wins from Brian Gay and Zach Johnson, numerous Sunday collapses from Steve Stricker (still managed 1 win when Tim Clark himself collapsed), another series of head-scratching Sundays from Geoff Ogilvy despite adding 2 W’s. Big Henrik Stenson has missed 3 cuts since dominating on Sunday at the Players. Kenny Perry, the hottest player on the planet the last 18 months, has struggled since gagging at the Masters. And now Philly Mick deals with competitive rust and the emotional baggage of discovering and handling Amy’s illness.
Oh, don’t forget that Bethpage Black has added another 200 yards and it’s supposed to be extremely soggy this week. The fairways will be even wider for the big hitters and the shorter hitters will now have 200 yards + in on some par 4’s. The rough may be a little lower from what I hear, but it will wet meaning strength will win out.
It all adds up to this…TIGER WOODS by 6.
Afraid so folks. #15…3 to go. It’s as simple as that.
- Here is the rest of my top 10 – no real surprises here by the way.
- Angel Cabrera – I like Angel to make an admirable run at 2 in a row before finally giving in as Tiger assumes a 3-shot lead by late Saturday
- Retief Goosen – ready to compete for major titles again. Wet conditions also favor a sometimes erratic Retief from the tee.
- Ian Poulter – finishes in top 20 in almost all the big events now
- Paul Casey – long hitter, feeling confident – can his short game keep him in the mix? Has never had a top 5 major finish
- Geoff Ogilvy – playing well enough to make the top 10 despite inconsistencies
- Camilo Villegas – ready to start competing for the biggest titles
- Jim Furyk – "let's get serious", this course is too long for him even though he is playing great again
- Phil Mickelson – talent alone will get him a top 10; what if….?
- Steve Stricker – similar to Furyk, playing great, but conditions will not help him
Dark Horse: Graeme McDowell – 63 on Sunday at Memphis. Has finished in the top 20 in a few majors recently and has confidence from last year’s Ryder Cup performance.
‘Super’ Dark Horse: Bubba Watson – oddly enough, plays his best golf on the toughest courses. Obviously long - was in the mix at Oakmont for a while.
