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First-time foursome
Three majors, three first-time major winners. I sense a trend. Here are four guys who could make it four-for-four at the PGA. Hunter Mahan got his first win last month, is a decent iron player, is used to Okie golf — he played at Oklahoma State — and has been on a roll. This Anthony Kim kid is an amazing rookie. He's long, makes a lot of birdies and is way up there in the confidence category. In fact, he's almost as abrasive as Rory Sabbatini. Kim would also probably be a popular winner in Oklahoma since he played, briefly, for the Sooners. The media loves the feel-good story of Boo Weekley, a small-town guy who has the naive charm of Jed Clampett and is one hell of a ball striker. I know his putting is suspect, but he might shoot a 64 in the final round, finish early and wait for the leaders to melt down and hand it to him. I love J.J. Henry's iron game and the way he's quietly improving. Winning a PGA has to be less pressure than playing in the Ryder Cup (not that I'd know).
Fearsome foursome
Here are my picks to be prime contenders:
1. Scott Verplank drives it straight, hits precise irons when he's on and is a great scrambler. His game will bore you to death, just like Southern Hills. They're a perfect match. He's already won a major, if you count the U.S. Amateur. (I don't.) You may remember
2. Stewart Cink from the '01 Open, during which he rushed a short putt on the 72nd hole while trying to get out of the way and missed, costing him a spot in the Monday playoff. Stewart's been working with a head doctor and had a chance to win at Carnoustie. He's playing well again, and now that he's using the belly putter he's yip-free, so no more missed one-footers.
3. Sergio Garcia needs a fresh diaper. Did you hear him crying about how he got lousy breaks and had to beat more than simply the other guys in the field? I guess God, Mother Nature and the Ghosts of Christmas Past were triple-teaming him or something. Sergio, there's only one reason you didn't win at Carnoustie — you shot 73 on an easy scoring day when everyone who could play dead threw up a 67 or a 68. The belly putter is going to give Sergio's game a makeover and make him a realistic threat to finally win a major. Maybe even this one. Before he can do that, though, he needs an attitude adjustment. Or he needs to grow up.
4. I'm glad Padraig Harrington won the British, even though he tried like hell to blow it. He's a nice man, a hard worker, and now that the monkey's off his back, he could win a few more majors, too, if Tiger continues to stay on the sidelines.
And the winner is ...
Yes, I know. I sound like a broken record, but I'm going with Canadian Open champ Jim Furyk, my pick for the U.S. and British Opens. Sorry for my lack of originality, but
Southern Hills is Mid-Iron Central. It's perfect for a medium-length hitter who works his irons and has a great short game. In other words it's perfect for Furyk. Look, Jim nearly won at Oakmont after his back-nine charge, was 13th at the Masters — a course that should be too long for him — and 12th at Carnoustie. He's had eight top six finishes this year, and now he also has a W.
This time, he pulls it off. Hey, maybe he'll drill Sergio in a playoff. That would be sweet.
