• Two other guys to watch are Boo Weekley and the Cinderella kid of the Masters, Brandt Snedeker. Boo hits it as well as anyone on Tour. I watched him play the back nine one day at Harbour Town, and he never missed a shot. Jacksonville has as many rednecks as any other part of Florida, so he'll feel right at home.
When he putts well, Boo is tough to beat. Snedeker is a refreshing personality. I like the simplicity of his game and how once he decides on a shot, he steps up and hits it. He reminds me of Lanny Wadkins. He does everything fast. I think he'll play well at Sawgrass.
• You still have to be aware of the Fijian, Vijay Singh. He spends dawn to dusk at the Stadium course, pretty much single-handedly tearing up the practice range, and his iron game is pretty good.
Here's something you rarely say about Vijay: He's going to be well-rested. He didn't play Hilton Head or the Nelson, which I can't believe. As good as he hits it, he's always going to have a chance at Sawgrass, especially since the greens don't have a ton of undulation. On the other hand, the Stadium course is not a bomber's paradise, which may explain why Vijay hasn't won the Players, although he has come in second and third and has had four other top 15 finishes.
• Phil Mickelson is probably in the worst putting slump of his career. If you watched him at the Masters, you saw that he wasn't even hitting the hole from five or six feet. And since you know he charted all those greens, he wasn't misreading the putts.
He also double-crossed himself a lot, hitting hooks when he was trying to hit cut shots. Maybe Phil and Butch Harmon are working on something in his swing and don't quite have it down yet. It surprised me that Phil won here last year because nothing about the course seems to suit his game. That means he either enjoyed a great week on the greens or that Tiger played horribly.
• One last thing about Ponte Vedra Beach. There may not be a whole lot going on socially next week, but even if there is, most of the players won't know. A lot of guys treat this like a major, so nobody's out partying at Hooters — well, except maybe one guy.
There's a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse right outside the entrance to the course that's pretty popular with the players, but the hottest spot in town is the clubhouse. Every night the Tour provides a terrific spread for players and families. The food is phenomenal: steaks, fish, chops, whatever you want, and it's free. It's a great perk; you don't have to go out and fight for a table somewhere. They even have clowns and balloons and stuff for your kids. It's a heck of a week for families. If majors were based on food, the Players would be No. 1. This is our event, and I'm proud to say that it's first-class all the way around.
