Phil Mickelson won't have to worry about Tiger Woods when he attempts to defend his title at THE PLAYERS Championship this weekend, but he will have his hands full. Almost every top golfer will be in the field this week for an event that Mickelson is comparing to a major. Mickelson was quoted in this week's PGATour.com's TOUR Insider as saying, "It will be the same as I treat other majors."
Regardless of whether golfers prepare for the TPC like a major, it sure pays like a major. THE PLAYERS, as it is referred, offers the game's richest purse of $9 million and 27,500 FedExCup points (equal to the four major championships). What also makes this event similar to a major is its outright fan appeal. The Stadium Course's par-3 17th, known as the "Island Green", consists only of a tee box and a 78-foot-long green with one measly little bunker -- the rest is water.
The 17th hole is so popular that ESPN devotes live streaming coverage of the hole on ESPN.com. And last year NBC had 11 cameras focused on the hole, including one camera that was under the lip of a bunker and another 120 feet in the air on a crane for the "blimp" shot.
Pick the right club because there really isn't much room for error on this hole. In last year's opening round a record number of balls, 50, found water. Predicting the winner is almost as tough, but here is a list of five golfers I'm considering and five that I'll avoid.
Players to Consider:
1. Phil Mickelson -- Mickelson claims that he has grown slightly in recent years thanks to a new stretching regimen, which has resulted in him changing from a 33.5 inch to a 35-inch putter. Mickelson might have opened up a new can of worms (or taken on a new excuse), but the truth is when Tiger Woods isn't around, Phil is the best player in the world. After becoming the first lefty to win THE PLAYERS last year, Mickelson will try to become the tournaments first repeat winner this year.
2. Jim Furyk -- Jimbo has finished in the top 10 in two consecutive tournaments and should be headed to his third straight. Furyk apparently will have the luxury of "home course advantage" because he lives nearby in Ponte Vedra Beach. Furyk couldn't capitalize on a second round 67 last weekend posting 71-72 on the weekend (finishing seventh). If Furyk can control his putter, he could get his first win of the season.
3. Adam Scott -- Last weekend Scott finished T8, but nearly missed the cut. Walking up to the 18th hole of his Friday round, Scott needed a par. He drove the ball into the rough, took two more shots to reach the green, but then luckily sunk a 14-footer to sneak under the cut line. Taking advantage of his opportunity, Scott posted a Saturday round of 66 and shot his way into the top 10 with a 71 on Sunday -- his sixth top 25 finish (out of seven events) on the season. Winner of 2004's TCP at Sawgrass, Scott is on my list of players to consider.
4. Ian Poulter -- Put Poulter's off the course comments aside and look at his play and you will see that he's someone to consider. A couple of top 25's in his last three tournaments has me watching what Ian can do this weekend.
5. Robert Allenby -- I've been following Allenby closely recently and I like what I've seen. After a strong showing last weekend, I think it's time for Allenby to flirt with victory. Nine of the last 24 winners at THE PLAYERS have ranked in the top 10 in GIR for the week. With Woods not playing (he's No. 1), the next best this week is Allenby.
Players to Avoid:
1. Ernie Els -- Swing changes from Butch Harmon can be a good thing, but it hasn't shown in Ernie's play just yet. I'll avoid Big Ern for the time being since his last two times out he's missed the cut. His victory at the Honda Classic in early March seems like last season with the struggles Els has faced since (82nd, 75th, T46th, 108th).
2. Justin Rose -- WD and MC have been the results of Rose's last two events. There was a string of three events through March where Rose had three top 20's in a row, so it shouldn't be long before he gets going again.
3. Mike Weir -- Weir participated for the first time since The Masters at the Wachovia last weekend, but missed the cut. Weir hasn't been consistent at all this year, placing well one weekend and then missing the cut the next. If you want to play high risk high reward, go for it. But I'm avoiding Weir-d.
4. Angel Cabrera -- Cabrera has managed to make the cut in his last two outings (The Masters, Wachovia), but he still isn't someone I'm about to consider. If Angel holds the lead for a couple rounds of a tournament, I might start looking at this guy for a possible bench spot on B-List in the Yahoo game. For right now, it's wiser to avoid him altogether, even if he does manage a run up the leaderboard.
5. Vaughn Taylor -- If you want to throw away your fantasy start, or waste some transactions in a challenge, choose Taylor this weekend. This guy is a mess and hasn't been right since he somehow finished in the top 10 at the Bob Hope back in January.
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