A Fifth Major? by Ryan Henderson

            Golf historically is known for the Four Major Tournaments that are scattered throughout the year. The Majors, (The Master’s, The British Open, The US Open and The PGA Championship) are the largest, most respected, and most sought after titles in the golfing world. However, there is one tournament that garners the same type of respect and allure – THE PLAYERS Championship. Equally rich in prize money and similarly sought after, THE PLAYERS is a cut above the rest when it comes to tournaments to watch through the weekend.(Yes, THE PLAYERS demands capitalization to express its importance, the “fifth major” is a bit of a reach in my opinion.)

The tradition is fantastic, but does not appear to be as humbled as the hollowed grounds of The Masters or as historically impactful as The British Open. Is THE PLAYERS, a fantastic tournament due to the field and the course it’s played on? Absolutely, however the commentating, coverage, and overall media circus that comes with the “fifth major” strongly takes away from the mystique.

            Annually, THE PLAYERS Championship is played on TPC Sawgrass (“The Stadium Course”) in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida – similarly to The Master’s, THE PLAYERS does not deviate its location. This is an extremely important point to consider when deciding on who the favorites are to win this respected tournament. The course is a product of the enigmatic mind of Pete Dye. Known for his use of bunkers, natural topography, and lightning fast greens, Dye was able to construct of the more difficult courses on the PGA schedule.

The Stadium Course is an extremely difficult course with one of the most iconic holes in golf, the picturesque 17^th hole. One of the few “island greens” played on tour, this Par – 3, 137 yard hole will cause dozens of players to second guess club selection and ultimately lead to several costly mistakes throughout the tournament. It is safe to say that this hole can make or break a player’s chances to close out the title on Sunday afternoon.

Situated in Florida, the organizers of the tournament will be hoping for windy and hot and dry days to make the course play extremely difficult and volatile. Players on the other hand, will be praying for rain on Wednesday and at night to soften the greens, making them easier to hit and hold, setting up the ability to go “Pin Hunting”. Currently, the forecast is calling for mid to high 80’s and the only solid possibility of rain occurring on Friday with a 50% chance. Anyone familiar with Florida will know that, predicting the weather is as easy as picking which golfer will actually win this tournament, everything is figuratively and literally “up in the air”.

With all of this being said, I want to provide my Power Rankings for the tournament. I plan on using my own matrices when deciding which golfer’s to include in my Top 10. I hope to stand out from the analysts and the consummate fan clubs that tend to muddy the waters on proper selections based on current or historical form vs. fan and analyst favorites.

Ryan’s Power Rankings:

1.     Henrik Stenson – Winner in 2009. Early exit at WGC Match Play means he is rested and ready. #1 on TOUR in both strokes- gained statistics.

2.     Lee Westwood – Had a great showing at the WGC beating Spieth. Great ball striking ability. Solid history at TPC with three top 10’s since 2010.

3.     Jordan Spieth – In great form for all of 2015 season. The Master’s winner had a tough exit at the WGC, losing to Lee Westwood,  that some analysts believe may be the start of his “cooling off” period.

4.     Rory McIlroy – Winner of the WGC Match Play last weekend. Played 7 rounds to close out the championship. Predicting a bit of fatigue in the first two rounds. Will make cut and finish Saturday and Sunday strong enough to finish Top-10 at worst.

5.     Sergio Garcia – Currently has the longest streak for cuts made at TPC and won the event in 2008. Pick is based solely on historical performance as he is off to a rocky 2015.

6.     Matt Kuchar – Currently in great form despite being ousted in the WGC match play in the group round. Will be rested and ready to prove why his win at TPC in 2010 was no fluke.

7.     Jim Furyk – Course is just a short ride from his house which gives him a “home field” advantage. Runner up finish last year and in great form after winning the RBC Heritage three weeks ago and finishing 4^th at the Match Play last week. Fatigue might be an issue after last week’s grueling schedule.

8.     Billy Horschel – Another Floridian poised to take on TPC. Ran into the proverbial “buzz saw” that is Rory McIlroy during the Match Play event last week. Playing great golf tee to green. Only third appearance at the tournament.

9.     Zach Johnson – ZJ is one of those players that can par you to death. Great tee to green, wouldn’t be surprising to see him in the hunt going into the weekend.

10.  Jason Day – Early exit last week makes me question his readiness for this next test. But he’s a Pro, should be able to easily forget what happened last week. Leader in all-around ranking on TOUR this year. Winner already this season.

Dark Horse Selection – Charley Hoffman:

Along with my power rankings, I want to provide one Dark Horse. Golf is nearly impossible to predict, unless you were Tiger Woods from 1996-2005. Hoffman has been in the conversation in nearly every tournament this year. Knocking on the door all season, bound to break through for a major victory somewhere this year.

The impressive field, predicted weather, and reputation of TPC Sawgrass have all the makings of turning this tournament into one that will drive the players crazy. I expect Holes 17 & 18 to help decide who the winner will be as they have the ability to dictate success or prompt an immediate “choke-job”, just ask Sergio Garcia. Either way, I look forward to all of the drama that will unfold this weekend.