• Ernie Els remains an enigma to me. It was nice that he won the Honda Classic, but then he drops out of Bay Hill when he has a house nearby and could've driven to the course. Ernie has a lot going on, especially given his son's autism, but I don't see his three-year plan to become No. 1 panning out. A lot of people would like to see Ernie in a green jacket, though.
• Sean O'Hair is one of the new breed on Tour. He's confident, has the length and has been playing well. He also has an experienced caddie — Paul Tesori, who used to work with Vijay, among others. Paul's been a boon to Sean.
• Nobody talks about Angel Cabrera, the U.S. Open champion, but he plays Augusta fairly well. He's as strong as an ox and hits it nine miles and is a terrific iron player. He is terribly underrated, even after winning at Oakmont. I think Angel will finish in the top 10 and maybe contend.
• When Sergio Garcia carried two putters at the Match Play, I felt his pain. His putting has let him down, and when you have a regular putter and a belly putter in your bag at the same time, that's pretty much running up the white flag. I see that he's working with putting guru Stan Utley, so there's hope.
• I've always been a big believer in Jim Furyk, but I'm starting to think that the Augusta National course is simply too long for him.
• He isn't in the field, but I hope John Daly doesn't do what he did last year and set up shop at the Hooters on Washington Road during Masters week. He's been a big enough distraction this year — drinking and causing scenes at the Hope and the PODS, where he pounded beers at the Hooters stand while his round was delayed by a storm.
Then he missed his pro-am time at Bay Hill. He did take the three amateur partners he stiffed for a round of golf, but he wore jeans shorts and a T-shirt that hung over his gut. When is the Tour going to step in and suspend him and/or get him some help? His conduct is way beyond detrimental to the Tour.
