Jim Furyk's back-to-back Canadian Open titles doesn't even merit a blip on the radar of this season's surprises.
Not in a year when Argentina's Angel Cabrera, who putts softly (and usually often) and carries a big stick, conquered Oakmont's ferocious greens to win the U.S. Open. Not in a year when a product of Drake University, Zach Johnson, won the Masters. Not in a year when Jean Van de Velde appeared to have been cloned as we watched one screw-up after another on Carnoustie's finishing hole by both Sergio Garcia and the eventual winner of the British Open, Padraig Harrington.
This year's first three majors featured three first-time winners. Normally, I wait until after the PGA Championship for my annual Best Player Who Hasn't Won a Major Yet Rankings, but after Garcia's brush with greatness, there isn't a moment to lose. The rankings, an ordering of who's playing the best among major-less souls, are in need of re-arranging. So, after minutes of thought, here they are:
1. Sergio Garcia (World rank: 8. Worldwide wins: 16).
The artist formerly known as El Nino reasserted his skills at Carnoustie. However, his frequent history of Sunday non-charges is too long to mention. I'll settle for reminding you of the time he had a six-shot lead going into Sunday at the Wachovia Championship, shot 78 and didn't win. (Wonder if that's where he got the idea to date Greg Norman's daughter someday?) And then there's Carnoustie, where the leaderboard was littered with final-round scores in the 60s except for Garcia, who shot 73 and went into reverse. Still, it may have been a step forward. After Sunday's early meltdown, Garcia gathered himself and rallied. His switch to a belly putter addresses his real problem — putting under pressure.
Playable lie: Garcia is the most likely major-less player to win one — maybe even the next one, the PGA at Southern Hills next week.
2. Adam Scott (World rank: 5. Worldwide wins: 12)
Scott's story is a lot like the Sergio Garcia's, minus the tantrums. He is a fine ballstriker — he's still the only place you can go to watch Tiger Woods' old swing. The problem is, he runs hot and cold with his short game. Scott occasionally taps into his potential and wins impressively — as he did in Houston this year, at the Tour Championship last year and The Players Championship two years ago. But great players play great in majors and Scott's scoring average in ten rounds of major championship golf this year is 74.4. Rounds in the 60s? Zero. Top-25 finishes? Zero (27th at Masters and British and missed cut at Oakmont). Score relative to par? Thirty-two over.
Playable lie: The next Davis Love? A ton of talent, only occasional flashes.
