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Every week of the 2010 PGA Tour season, the editorial staff of the SI Golf Group will conduct an e-mail roundtable. Check in on Mondays for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors and join the conversation in the comments section below.
Gary Van Sickle, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Camilo Villegas won the Honda Classic, an event that proved golf can exist without Tiger if it has players like Vijay Singh, Paul Casey, J.B. Holmes, Anthony Kim and the rest. Johnny Miller and guest Jack Nicklaus did a good job of dissecting Villegas and his issues — overswinging on the back nine for a while. How good can Villegas get? And did this re-brand the Honda Classic as a must-play stop on the Florida swing?
Jim Gorant, senior editor, Sports Illustrated: He looked like he's improved his ballstriking, which has always been pretty good, and he putted well. If the improved putting is for keeps and not simply a hot streak, he can contend a lot. The course was set up tough today, and he lit it up (mostly).
Jim Herre, managing editor, SI Golf Group: Nice to see a strong field at the Honda, which has blossomed into a top-notch event in recent years. Villegas is fun to watch — all kinds of cool shots and this week he made his share of putts. I just wonder if someone who swings as hard as he does can be consistently good.
Cameron Morfit, senior writer, Golf Magazine: I think he can stick around a while at that level because of his work ethic and his attitude, and the fact that he has a cool sawed-off backswing, a bit like Stricker's but really all his own. Talent is cheap on Tour, but work ethic and attitude count for a lot. And his putting looked pretty good to me.
Van Sickle: Despite leaking some oil on the way in (he could afford it), Villegas was impressive this week. Any time you win by five on this tour, that's saying something. Maybe the rush to anoint Dustin Johnson as the next great 20-something was premature. Villegas has played well three straight weeks. Could be the start of his best year.
Farrell Evans, writer-reporter, Sports Illustrated: Honda is a great event, proven by an excellent field and a tough golf course that yielded a top-notch winner, who has the chance to be as good as he wants to be if he can concentrate on golf, instead of the allure of the bright lights and easy money in Europe and Asia.
Morfit: And speaking of attitude, I liked that Anthony Kim said he didn't beat himself up after his 73 on Saturday. He seemed to realize how counterproductive that would have been, and bounced back nicely. If golf can get more of this week's top two finishers battling it out in the coming months, perhaps with Phil Mickelson joining the battle, we're all going to forget about whatshisname.
Evans: No chance of forgetting about Tiger. What's more likely is that people who enjoy watching golf will appreciate the good quality that we've been seeing and hope that it will only get better once Tiger returns.
Van Sickle: If Villegas and Kim start dueling, I'm not sure we'll miss Phil if he doesn't get back in the mix. Those two guys, with not nearly as large a built-in following as Phil, are still dynamic and fun to watch.
We've been focused on Asia, especially China and Korea, as areas of growth for golf. Maybe a run by Villegas, plus the Olympics in 2016 and the Angel Cabrera era will light a fire under golf in South America. The Nationwide Tour is in Colombia this week. Could be growth for the game there.
Rick Lipsey, writer-reporter, Sports Illustrated: Asia's where it's at. More than three billion people and two booming economies in the world's biggest countries (India, China) is a recipe for success.
Herre: I could see the PGA Tour someday playing a series of events in South America, much like the Euro tour playing in Asia, South Africa and the Mideast.
Gorant: If Villegas can win a few more, the next step is to start designing courses, and South America is a natural for him. Jack won't have so many nice things to say if Camilo starts eating into his course design empire.
Van Sickle: Am I reading this wrong, or are the rest of you Confidentialists not all that enthused by Camilo's win? If so, why?
Mark Godich, senior editor, Sports Illustrated: I would just say this: He wasn't that solid from tee to green. He won today with his putter, even with those short misses on the back nine. He made three huge par saves on the front, all from 10 feet or more. But he pulled off the shots when he needed them. Give him credit for that.
Evans: This is the year of a different winner every week. Camilo took his turn at the Honda. No big deal.
Godich: As John Wooden said after watching defending national champion (and supposedly unbeatable) UNLV get upset by Duke in the Final Four back in the early '90s: "A lot of guys have won one in a row."
Herre: No one put up much of a fight. Lots of train wrecks out there today. Poor Nathan Green. The second ball flying out of the hazard on 17 was right out of "Caddyshack".
Gorant: That should have counted as two shots, I think.
Van Sickle: I've only seen that two-ball shot a couple of times. It happened to me once in the rough on a damp course, I forget where. That was wild. Classic dilemma for Nathan Green on whether to take a drop or try to play it. His choice didn't work out. Plus he messed up his pants. Also noticed that Green was pretty careful on that water shot, given that Graeme McDowell had to take a two-shot penalty earlier in the tournament for brushing the surface of the water with his backswing. Those are two pretty weird incidents for contenders in one week.
Michael Bamberger, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Chatted up Green as he came off 18. Great Aussie bloke. Lives in the gym but says Villegas blows him away there.
Morfit: The only way 17 could have worse for Green: a long ruling after the second ball came squirting out. (Or an alligator attack.) He just wanted out of there.
Herre: How about Steve Flesch? This is courtesy of our friend Craig Dolch: Flesch was docked two strokes for missing his tee time on Thursday, then missed the cut by one. You know he was steaming.
Morfit: Ouch, that hurts. Not as bad as signing for an incorrect score and missing your Tour card by one, but still, not so good. Maybe Steve has March Madness on the brain. UK should be tough this year.
Van Sickle: It was obviously a mistake for Vijay to come back and play so soon last year after surgery, the classic athlete's mistake. He favored the knee and swung differently, then tweaked other body parts because of it. I thought maybe he'd finally hit the wall, but seeing him this year makes it clear that playing hurt last year cost him. If he can get some putts to go in (still a question) he can still win and be a top-10 player. Now I think he's never going away. Good for him.
Herre: Vijay's swing looked pure — matchless tempo — but again, no can putt.
