Golf rankings, player capsules

The Sports Xchange's 2013 PGA Tour rankings, selected by TSX Golf Staff, based on 2012-2013 performance.

1. Tiger Woods, United States -- Woods was at Congressional Country Club last week talking about the AT&T National, which will be played for the seventh time on the last weekend in July. Woods is the defending champion. The tournament, which was played at Aronimink Golf Club near Philadelphia in 2010 and 2011 because Congressional was preparing for and then hosting the 2011 U.S., has one more year on its contract with the club. Congressional members will vote this summer on a new three-year contract, and Tiger said he enjoys having the tournament at the Bethesda, Md., club and is hoping to keep it there through at least 2017. ... This week, Woods returns to Muirfield Village as defending champion of the Memorial Tournament, hoping to win it for the sixth time. His other titles on Jack Nicklaus' course came in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2009, and he has three additional top-four finishes in 13 appearances. Last year, Tiger closed with a 5-under-par 67 to win by two strokes over Rory Sabbatini and Andres Romero, carding three birdies in the last four holes to erase a two-shot deficit. He chipped in for birdie from 50 feet on the 16th hole en route to tying Nicklaus with 73 victories on the PGA Tour. ... Woods has since added five victories, including four in the six stroke-play events he has played this season. He ranks second on the circuit's all-time list with 78 wins, trailing only Sam Snead's 82. He leads the PGA Tour in the all-around ranking, a compilation of eight major statistical categories, and also is No. 1 in strokes gained putting at plus-1.259, scoring average at 68.516 and eagle percentage, with one every 61.7 holes.

2. Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland -- Even though he grew up playing links courses in the worst of weather, McIlroy said a couple years ago that he would rather play golf when it's 90 degrees, and he showed why last week. In cold and rainy conditions at Wentworth, he shot 74-75--149 and missed the cut by three strokes in the BMW PGA Championship. He has missed the weekend three times in six appearances in the flagship event of the European Tour, including each of the last two years. ... McIlroy flew back to the United States after finishing at Wentworth, and this week he will play in the Memorial Tournament for the fourth consecutive year, having established a friendship with tournament host Jack Nicklaus. Rory posted a tie for 10th in his first appearance at Muirfield Village three years ago, shooting 68-68 in the middle rounds. In 2011, he opened with a 6-under-par 66 and closed with a 68 to finish fifth, five shots behind champion Steve Stricker. However, last year, he shot 71-79--150 to miss the cut by three strokes. ... Despite the miserable conditions last week at Wentworth and his uneven play, McIlroy still had a chance to make the cut when he put together seven consecutive pars on the back nine in round two. However, his hopes ended with a double-bogey 7 on the 17th hole. His worst stretch came when he carded five bogeys in a span of six holes to finish the back nine in round one, when he needed 33 putts to get around the West Course. He hit 13 greens in regulation that day but made bogey all five times he missed.

3. Brandt Snedeker, United States -- Snedeker did not commit to the Memorial Tournament until late in the week, although he has had it listed on the schedule page at brandtsnedeker.com for quite some time. He will be making his 11th start of the season on the PGA Tour. After struggling because of an injury following a strong start to the year, he has played well recently with a tie for sixth in the Masters and a tie for eighth in the Players Championship. ... Sneds, who is tied for the lead with six top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this year, will tee it up in the Memorial on Thursday for the sixth time, but he does not have much to show for his efforts at Muirfield Village. He missed the cut in his first five appearances in the tournament, and after making it to the weekend for the first time last year at 69-74--143, he was forced to withdraw because of a rib injury that cost him a month of the season. When Brandt shot 3-under-par 69 in the first round of the Memorial last year, it was the only time he broke par in 10 rounds in the tournament. ... Despite missing six weeks because of his latest injury, a strained intercostal muscle, Snedeker is second behind Tiger Woods in the FedEx Cup standings and on the PGA Tour money list this season. He is a virtual lock to become the first reigning FedEx Cup champion to make it back to the Tour Championship the following year, something Woods (twice), Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk and Bill Haas were unable to do in the first five years of the PGA Tour playoffs.

4. Adam Scott, Australia -- The Masters champion is taking what for him is a short break, two weeks, before returning to the PGA Tour this week for the Memorial Tournament. He has made the most of his abbreviated schedule the last two years and seems to be in contention almost every time he tees it up, so he could be a factor this week at Muirfield Village despite not having a great track record at Jack Nicklaus' course. ... Scotty will be playing in the Memorial for the eighth time, and he was in the hunt only when he tied for fourth in 2006 and tied for fifth the following year. In 2007, he barely missed the course record (John Huston, 61, 1996) when he posted a 10-under-par 62 in the second round. However, he could not break 70 in any of this other three rounds and finished three strokes behind winner K.J. Choi. The year before, Scott shot 66 in the second round and 69 in the fourth to wind up three shots behind champion Carl Pettersson. He has not finished in the top 25 in any of his other five starts at Muirfield Village. ... There are those who believe that if there were any chance the R&A and USGA were listening during the comment period on the proposed ban of anchored putters, it ended with Scott captured the Masters with a putter anchored to his chest. When the ruling outlawing anchored putters, which takes effect in 2016, came down last week, Scott said he would continue using the long wand, for now. The PGA Tour, which is against the ban, is considering whether to go along with it or go its own way.

5. Matt Kuchar, United States -- Trying to join Tiger Woods as the only players with multiple victories on the PGA Tour this season, Kuchar was near the lead all the way in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial before finishing second, one shot behind Boo Weekley, who won for the first time since 2008. It was his fifth top-10 finish of the season, giving him a PGA Tour-leading 34 in the last three-plus seasons, but he was disappointed not to add the Colonial title to the one he claimed at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in February. ... Kooch is going to play for the 13th time this season when he tees it up this week in the Memorial Tournament, in which he has finished in the top 10 in each of his last four appearances. He committed to play last year, too, but withdrew before the start, perhaps because it would have meant playing four consecutive weeks and he was a bit worn out after winning the Players Championship at the start of that run. Two years ago, he closed with a 7-under-par 65 and tied for second, one stroke behind Steve Stricker, who made several key putts down the stretch. Kuchar also tied for 10th in 2008, when he was in the hunt before shooting 77 in the final round, and he tied for fifth in 2009 and tied for eighth in 2010. ... Kooch carded only one bogey while opening with 65-65 at Colonial, but he had three on the weekend while closing with 69-68. That he could break 70 on Sunday was remarkable because he had a case of the lefts off the tee and didn't make many putts other than an 11-footer at the second, a 55-footer at No. 12 and a 19-footer on the final hole.

6. Phil Mickelson, United States -- When Lefty announced last week that he will play in the FedEx St. Jude Classic, there was at least one report that said he would play in two consecutive events before the U.S. Open, including the Memorial Tournament. That proved to be incorrect when the field for the tournament at Muirfield Village was announced, and his name was not on the list. He has not played two consecutive weeks before the second major of the year since 2009, when he tied for second at the U.S. Open, two strokes behind Lucas Glover at Bethpage Black. ... Mickelson has played at Muirfield Village 13 times previously, although his stay last year was brief. He shot 7-over-par 79 in the first round and withdrew because of exhaustion, as he was in a stretch of playing four times in five weeks, plus a trip to Paris to celebrate wife Amy's 40th birthday. Phil also withdrew after 11 holes in the first round in 2007 because of an injured left wrist. He has finished in the top 10 three times at Muirfield Village, with a tie for fourth in 2006 his best finish, coming up three shots shy of winner Carl Pettersson. Mickelson also tied for fifth in 2010, seven shots behind champion Justin Rose. ... Lefty has broken 70 only nine times in 39 rounds at Jack Nicklaus' course, which could be a problem in September, when he figures to be one of U.S. captain Fred Couples' team leaders for the President's Cup matches. Thanks to three top-three finishes this year, including a victory in the Waste Management Phoenix, he ranks fourth in the U.S. team standings.

7. Dustin Johnson, United States -- DJ was hoping that rest and treatment of his back injury would allow him to play in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, but he was again unable to give it a go. It was the fourth consecutive week in which he was unable to play because of injury. He called it inflammation in his facet joints, and he hopes to be back this week for the Memorial Tournament. ... If he can make it to the first tee at Muirfield Village on Thursday, Johnson will be playing in the Memorial sixth consecutive year, with his best result solo fourth in 2011, when he opened with a 68 and closed with a 65 to finish four strokes behind winner Steve Stricker. He also finished in a tie for 14th in 2009 and a tie for 19th last year, but he has broken 70 only four times in the 20 rounds he has played on the course. DJ is another player who figures to be part of the United States team for the Presidents Cup in September at Muirfield Village, as he ranks ninth in the point standings. ... Johnson has not played a full tournament since he tied for 13th in the Masters, as he withdrew from the Players Championship because of the back injury after shooting 2-over-par 74 in the first round. A week earlier, he pulled out of the Wells Fargo Championship because of a wrist injury. He's hoping to find some semblance of his game at Muirfield Village before he defends his title next week in the FedEx St. Jude Classic at TPC Southwind.

8. Luke Donald, England -- After winning the BMW PGA Championship the last two years, Donald's second title defense was over almost as soon as it began, as he shot 78-72--150 to miss the cut by four shots in cold and rainy conditions at Wentworth. It was the first time he missed the weekend in nine appearances in the flagship event of the European Tour, with his worst previous result a tie for 35th in 2009. Other than that, he had never been out of the top 25. ... Luke headed back to the United States after finishing at Wentworth and will tee it up this week at the Memorial Tournament for the eight time, having recorded top-20 finishes in each of his last four appearances at Muirfield Village. After failing to crack the top 30 in the first four times he played in the tournament, he opened with a 4-under-par 68 in 2008 but could not break 70 the rest of the way and tied for sixth, his best result. The next year, he took the first-round lead with a 64 but could not break 70 again and tied for 14th. Donald posted two rounds in the 60s for the only time in 2011 to tie for seventh, and last year he closed fast with a 68 to tie for 12th. ... Donald could manage only one birdie, on the fourth hole, in the first round last week at Wentworth as he shot 5-over-par 40 on the front nine by carding four bogeys and a double-bogey 6 on the eighth hole. He tried to rally with five birdies on Friday, but he also recorded three bogeys and another double. Usually sharp with the flat stick, he averaged 30 putts per round.

9. Keegan Bradley, United States -- Bradley will try to put behind his failure to close out a victory in the Byron Nelson Championship this week when he plays in the Memorial Tournament for the third time. He finished in a tie for second at the Nelson, his sixth top-10 result of the season to tie for the lead on the PGA Tour, but he still has not won since claiming his third victory on the circuit last August in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone. ... Keegan will tee it up on Thursday at Muirfield Village for the third time, and all it would take to post his best finish at Jack Nicklaus' course would be to make it to the weekend. He shot 76-72--148 to miss the cut by three strokes two years ago as a rookie, and came back with 76-74--150 to again miss by three shots last year. He needs to figure it out because he probably will be playing there again in September for the United States team at the Presidents Cup. ... Bradley, who has used the belly putter for more than five years, was another player impacted by the ban of the anchored putter implemented by the USGA and the R&A last week. In fact, there are those who believe he started the ball rolling toward the ban, which will not take effect until 2016, when he became the first player to win a major championship with an anchored putter by claiming the 2011 PGA Championship in a playoff over Jason Dufner at Atlanta Athletic Club. Bradley was called "a cheater" for using his belly putter by a fan late last year at the World Challenge.

10. Webb Simpson, United States -- When he tees it up on Thursday in the Memorial Tournament, Simpson will play for the first time since hearing last week that the R&A and the United States have banned his belly putter as of 2016. He figures to give his thoughts on the matter to the assembled media. Simpson has not played since finishing in a tie for 15th at the Players Championship, and he is looking forward to his title defense in the U.S. Open in two weeks. ... Webb will be playing at Muirfield Village for the fifth consecutive year, with his best result a tie for seventh in 2011, when he closed with a 4-under-par 68 to finish a distant eight strokes behind winner Steve Stricker. He has missed the cut in two of his other three appearances in the Memorial, and that 68 is the only time he has broken 70 in 12 rounds in the tournament. He is a combined 18 over in those other three years. ... The 27-year-old Simpson, who has been playing with his belly putter since his freshman year at Wake Forest, might have contributed to the ban by winning the U.S. Open last June at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. No one had claimed a major title with an anchored putter until Keegan Bradley won the 2011 PGA Championship, but four of the last six have been claimed by players using anchored putters. Although he probably won't switch anytime soon, Simpson said he has been preparing for the possibility of the ban by practicing with a conventional putter at home for some time.

11. Justin Rose, England -- Breaking 70 only when he shot 3-under-par 69 in round two, Rose recorded a disappointing tie for 50th last week in the BMW PGA Championship, the flagship event on the European Tour. After a strong start to his season, he was coming off a missed cut in the Players Championship and will have to get his game back together with the big schedule of summer events approaching. ... Rose was on a plane headed back to the United States after wrapping things up at Wentworth, and this week he'll play in the Memorial Tournament, one of his favorites on the PGA Tour. Three years ago, he opened with a 7-under-par 65 and closed with a 66 to claim his first victory on the U.S. tour by three strokes over Rickie Fowler. That came two years after the Englishman opened with a 68 and was steady the rest of the way while tying for second, two strokes behind champion Kenny Perry, who won the tournament for the third time. After shooting 71-75--146 to miss the cut by one stroke as defending champion two years ago, Rosy came back to close with a 69 and tie for eighth last year. ... Rose squandered a chance for a good opening round last week at Wentworth when he posted a 40 on the back nine, including a bogey-double bogey finish, with a ball in the water on No. 18 to shoot 72. He carded five birdies in that first round, including four on the final six holes of the front nine, but he had only nine more over the last 54 holes. His ball-striking was good enough, but he averaged a shade under 30 putts per round.

12. Lee Westwood, England -- Westwood seemed headed for perhaps the biggest victory of his career in the BMW PGA Championship, a big statement for a guy who has won 38 times around the world. He led by two strokes after five holes in the final round following a string of three consecutive birdies through No. 4. But then the wheels came off and he finished with a 1-over-par 73 that dropped him into a tie for ninth, three shots out of the playoff in which Matteo Manassero of Italy beat Simon Khan of England and Marc Warren of Scotland. ... Westy is another of the European players who will be glad to get back to the warm weather in the United States. He will play in the Memorial Tournament this week for only the second time. In 2003, he shot 4-under-par 68 in the second round but could not break 70 on any of the other three days and wound up in a tie for 23rd. This is his first year of living full-time in the U.S., and there are several courses that he will play this year that he has not seen too much of, if at all, so it's a bit of a learning process at age 40. ... Westwood's undoing started with consecutive bogeys at Nos. 6 and 7 in the final round at Wentworth, but he regained a tie for the lead with a 20-foot birdie putt at No. 8. Usually one the straightest hitters around, he lost it with consecutive hooked drives into the trees, leading to a bogey 5 on the 11th and a double-bogey 7 on the 12th while shooting 40 on the back nine, including a meaningless birdie on the last.

13. Bubba Watson, United States -- Following a two-week break since he tied for 37th in the Players Championship, Watson will try kick-start his 2013 season after mostly struggling this year, including a tie for 50th in defense of his title at the Masters. He has finished in the top 10 only twice, with his best result a tie for fourth in the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions, but he probably is not that far away because he has finished in the top 25 six times in 10 tournaments on the PGA Tour this season. ... Bubba will be playing at Muirfield Village for the eighth time, with his best results ties for 23rd in 2007 and 2009. He missed the cut last year by two shots at 75-74--149, the second time he has failed to reach the weekend, the other coming in 2008, when he posted a score of 72-84--156 to miss by six strokes. Watson started with 66-68 in 2007 to rank with the leaders, but played the weekend in 73-74 to slide down the leaderboard. He has broken 70 only four times in 24 rounds at the Memorial. ... Watson's numbers also indicate that he might not be far away from playing well, as he ranks 13th on the PGA Tour in driving distance at 298.9 yards and seventh in greens in regulation at 70.43 percent. He simply has to get going with the putter, as he ranks 67th in strokes gained putting at minus-.129 and 135th in putts per round at 29.55. Watson won't ever be a great putter, but the way he hits the ball, if his putting is only above average, he has a chance to win.

14. Steve Stricker, United States -- Sticking with his plan to play only 11 tournaments this season, Stricker again is passing on a tournament that is among the 12 he has won during his PGA Tour career. Last week, it was the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, which he won in 2009 with a birdie on the first playoff hole to turn back Tim Clark and Steve Marino. This time, it's the Memorial Tournament, which he captured in 2011 by one stroke over Matt Kuchar and Brandt Jobe. ... He is passing on the tournament even though he has played 13 times previously, including each of the last two years. Other that his victory at Muirfield Village, he has never finished in the top 10, placing solo 13th in 1996 and tying for 17th in 2010. Still, Stricker knows the course well enough that he apparently won't needed any extra competitive rounds on the course should he make captain Fred Couples' United States team for the Presidents Cup in September. Thanks to his three top-five finishes early this year and a tie for 20th in the Masters, he ranks eighth in the point standings and will have to keep it up to make the team. ... Even though he has an elk-hunting trip scheduled for the beginning of September, Stricker also has said that he might play in the PGA Tour playoffs if he is ranked high enough in the point standings and has a chance to win the FedEx Cup. He ranks 13th right now, and again, needs to keep playing well in his limited opportunities to stay close to that spot.

14. Hunter Mahan, United States -- Mahan seemed to be on his way to a fourth consecutive round in the 60s and a high finish in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial last week, but he was derailed by four bogeys in a span of eight holes and closed with an even-par 70 to tie for 26th. He barely missed his ninth finish in the top 25 in 14 tournaments on the PGA Tour season, including a streak of seven in a row earlier in the season, and he couldn't get his first top-10 result since finishing second in his title defense at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. ... Mahan will play for the 15th time this season on the PGA Tour when he tees it up on Thursday at the Memorial Tournament. This will be his seventh appearance at Muirfield Village, where he seems to be getting the feel of the layout after missing the cut in two of his first four trips and finishing in a tie for 61st in 2004, his initial effort. He has finished in the top 20 three times in the last four years, starting with a tie for 14th in 2009, when he broke 70 for the first time on the course with a 3-under-par 69 in round two. Hunter recorded two more 69s while tying for 13th two years ago, and closed with a 68, his best score at Muirfield Village, to tie for 19th a year ago. ... After posting rounds of 69-68-68 last week at Colonial, Mahan birdied the first two holes of the final round before hitting the skids with his bogey run. He salvaged the day with birdies on two of the last three holes.

16. Ernie Els, South Africa -- Despite missing the cut in three of his previous five tournaments, Els said he felt his game was coming together, and he proved it by finishing with a 5-under-par 67 to tie for sixth in the BMW PGA Championship. It was his first top-10 finish of the year on either of the major tours, although he did finish second in the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters on the Asian Tour. He hopes to keep it going as he heads toward his title defense in the Open Championship in July at Muirfield in Scotland. ... Els did not commit to the Memorial Tournament until late last week, but it has been listed on the schedule page at ernieels.com for quite some time. It meant a quick turnaround after playing at Wentworth, but he will be playing at Muirfield Village for the 20th consecutive year, and he won the tournament in 2004. He posted rounds of 66-66 on the weekend that year to win by four strokes over Fred Couples. Ernie has five other top-10 finishes in the tournament, including a tie for second in 2000, when he shot 64 in the second round and 65 in the last but still lost by five strokes to Tiger Woods. ... The Big Easy simply got it going too late last week at Wentworth, when the weather warmed up on Sunday, carding birdies on five of the last seven holes to finish two strokes out of the playoff in which 20-year-old Matteo Manassero of Italy defeated Simon Khan of England and Marc Warren of Scotland. After starting 72-69-72, he was solid in all phases of the game on Sunday, hitting 12 of 14 fairways, 13 of 18 greens and taking 27 putts.

17. Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland -- A week after winning the Volvo World Match Play Championship, McDowell shot 74-75--149 and missed the cut by three strokes in the BMW PGA Championship. He has missed the cut in three of his last five tournaments, also failing to make the weekend in the Masters and the Players Championship, but on the two occasions he did make it, he won the tournament. ... Having played a total of 10 events on both major tours this season, G-Mac is going to take two weeks off before heading to Merion for the U.S. Open, three years removed from his title in the second major of the year at Pebble Beach. He has won on both tours this season, in the RBC Heritage on the PGA Tour and the World Match Play Championship on the European Tour. Those victories, plus a tie for fifth in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and a tie for third in the WGC-Cadillac Championship that gave him points on both tours, have him placed second in the Race to Dubai and ranked 12th in the FedEx Cup standings. ... McDowell was in good shape for 17 holes in round one last week in the cold and wet conditions at Wentworth, sitting at even par before he hit his approach shot into the water on No. 18 and carded a double-bogey 7. He recorded only one birdie each day, at No. 10 in the first round and No. 4 the next day. McDowell's ball-striking was good enough, as he hit 22 of 28 fairways and 23 of 36 greens in regulation, but he took 32 putts on Thursday and 30 on Friday.

18. Zach Johnson, United States -- Playing his best golf of the season, Johnson put up a strong defense of his title in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial by posting four rounds in the 60s, but he had to settle for solo third, two strokes behind winner Boo Weekley. It was his best performance since he captured the John Deere Classic last July for his second victory of 2012. ... Zach has teed it up 13 times so far on the PGA Tour this season and finally seems close to the form that took him to two victories last year, so he will try to keep it going this week in the Memorial Tournament. He will be playing at Muirfield Village for the eighth time, but he has skipped Jack Nicklaus' event the last two years. The only time he finished in the top 20 came in 2006, when he posted three scores of 2-under-par 70 and added a 68 in round two en route to a tie for second, two strokes behind Carl Pettersson of Sweden. Other than that, his best finish was a tie for 24th in 2004, the first time he played the event. ... The way Weekley was playing while winning for the first time in five years, Johnson lost his chance to win at Colonial for the third time in four years when he missed a five-foot putt for par on the 15th hole. He rallied with birdies on the next two holes and missed another birdie try from 19 feet on the last hole. Johnson carded three bogeys in an opening 69 but had only two over the last 54 holes, none in a 65 on Friday.

19. Ian Poulter, England -- When Poulter didn't make it out of group play in the Volvo World Golf Play Championship, he called his golf "disgusting," and said he would get his game together and win the BMW PGA Championship. Instead, it was much of the same, as he shot 76-76--152 and missed the cut by six strokes in miserable playing conditions in the biggest event on the European Tour schedule outside of the majors. It was nothing new, because he has missed the weekend eight times in 12 appearances in the tournament. ... Poults is cutting back on his schedule a bit this season, and after playing nine times this year, he is taking a week off before playing in the FedEx St. Jude Classic a week before the U.S. Open at Merion. He didn't figure to play this week in the Memorial Tournament anyway, because he has never finished in the top 25 in five appearances at Muirfield Village, breaking 70 only twice in 17 rounds there. He hasn't been back since tying for 53rd in both 2008 and 2009. ... Poulter recorded only three birdies in two rounds at Wentworth, at the fourth and 12th holes in round one, and the 11th hole the next day. He tried to right the ship with eight pars on the front nine in round two, but he also had a double-bogey 6 on the third hole. Poulter hit 13 of 14 fairways in round one, but he could find only eight of 18 greens from there and took 29 putts, one fewer than he had in round two. Often, he can save himself with his putting when the ball-striking isn't quite there, but not this time.

20. Jason Dufner, United States -- Dufner played some of his best golf of the season when he opened with a 3-under-par 67 last week in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, but he could not break par the rest of the way and eventually finished in a tie for 46th. He shot 70 in the final round and still has not posted a score in the 60s in nine attempts on the PGA Tour this season, missing a 43-foot birdie putt on the final hole that would have given him a 69. ... Dufner has played a total of 14 times on both major tours in an effort to find the magic he had last year, when he posted his first two PGA Tour victories at age 35, so he needs a break and is taking two weeks off ahead of the U.S. Open at Merion. His best golf on the PGA Tour this year has come in two of the biggest tournaments, as he tied for 12th in the WGC-Cadillac Championship and tied for 20th in the Masters. He also tied for ninth in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters and the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on the Middle East Swing of the European Tour. ... Duf carded six birdies in his first round last week at Colonial but managed only six more over the last 54 holes, none in a round of 73 on a Saturday in which he posted 17 pars. He hit 54 of 72 greens in regulation but again was let down by his putter. Dufner finished 68th in strokes gained putting at minus-0.598 and averaged 29.7 putts per round, also near the bottom of the field.

Others receiving consideration: Louis Oosthuizen, South Africa; Nick Watney, United States; Rickie Fowler, United States; Bill Haas, United States; Charl Schwartzel, South Africa; Sergio Garcia, Spain; Carl Pettersson, Sweden; Bo Van Pelt, United States; Jason Day, Australia; John Merrick, United States; Charles Howell III, United States; Michael Thompson, United States; Martin Laird, Scotland; Angel Cabrera, Argentina; Kevin Streelman, United States; D.A. Points, United States; Billy Horschel, United States; David Lingmerth, Sweden; Sang-Moon Bae, South Korea; Boo Weekley, United States.