Golf Rankings w/player capsules

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

By TOM LaMARRE

The Sports Xchange

1. Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland -- Nike Golf announced the addition of Nick Watney and Kyle Stanley to its stable last week at Kapalua, but there still has been no official word on its signing of the No. 1 golfer in the world to a mega contract. However, a press conference has been set for next Monday at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, where McIlroy will make his 2013 debut a few days later in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Scuttlebutt has it that the 23-year-old has agreed to a deal in the neighborhood of $200 million, which would put him in Tiger Woods territory. ... Woods and McIlroy have become good buddies and both will be starting their seasons next week in the kickoff event of the European Tour's Middle East Swing. That should make it even more interesting as Tiger, now No. 3 in the world, tries to regain the top spot in the World Golf Rankings that he dominated for virtually a decade. It also should be a great thing for golf, especially if they can push each other to even greater heights. ... While Rory has flourished in the last year since hooking up with tennis star Carolina Wozniacki, she has gone in the other direction. She has fallen from No. 1 in her world to No. 10 during the last year, and last week was beaten by unheralded Ksenia Pervak of Kazakhstan in the Brisbane International, a prep for the Australian Open, as McIlroy looked on at courtside. Wozniacki showed up in Australia wearing a large ring on the ring finger of her left hand, but the couple denied that they are engaged.

2. Tiger Woods, United States -- Woods has been the face of Nike Golf since he left Stanford and turned pro in 1996, but now it seems that he has taken on a new function for the company. Apparently he had a large influence in steering Rory McIlroy toward Nike when the Irishman decided to leave Titleist late last year. And after Nick Watney, who also had been with Titleist, announced last week that he was switching to Nike, he told the Golf Channel that he talked extensively with Woods before and after making the change. ... Since he wasn't in Hawaii last week for the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, Woods was able to watch Stanford beat Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day, being spotted on the sidelines by television cameras. Tiger often has shown his support for Cardinal teams since leaving school after his sophomore year, being especially close to the golf team, which is coached by his former Stanford teammate, Conrad Ray. ... Last year, after tying for third in his first appearance in Abu Dhabi, Woods made his season debut on the PGA Tour at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, playing in the event for the first time since 2002. There is no indication on the schedule page at tiger woods.com where he will make his U.S. debut this season. Often he has started at what is now the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, where he has won seven times as a pro, but last year the San Diego-area event was played opposite Abu Dhabi. Woods could open there this year, if he's willing to make a quick turnaround from the Middle East, because the Torrey Pines event is in two weeks.

3. Luke Donald, England -- Following surgery to correct a sinus problem, Luke spent the holidays with his family at his home near Chicago and celebrated on New Year's Day when his alma mater, Northwestern, beat Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl, claiming its first bowl victory since 1949. Donald came to the U.S. in the mid 1990s to attend Northwestern, where he met his wife, Diane, and he captured the NCAA individual golf title for the Wildcats in 1999. ... Donald said at his final event of 2012, the DP Dubai World Tour Championship, that he is going to try to pattern his new season after 2011. And why not, since he had a career year and became the first player to claim the money titles on the PGA Tour and the European Tour in the same season, a feat matched by Rory McIlroy last year. ... That means the Englishman will start his season in the Northern Trust Open at Riviera in the middle of February. He missed the cut in the Los Angeles area event two years ago, but captured the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship the following week to start a streak of eight consecutive top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour on the way to claiming the No. 1 spot in the World Golf Rankings. He's No. 2 right now and hopes to reclaim the top spot after not touching his clubs for a month before starting a six-week practice regimen that will have him ready to go when he gets to Riviera. In addition to winning his first major title, one of Donald's big goals for 2013 is to become the first player top win the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth for the third consecutive time in June.

4. Dustin Johnson, United States -- Johnson's lucky number obviously is 54, because he has won the last three PGA Tour events that were shortened to that many holes, capturing the Hyundai Tournament of Champions on Tuesday by four strokes as the only player in the field to post three rounds in the 60s. It was his seventh victory in six seasons on the circuit, and he became the first player since Tiger Woods to win in each of his first six years. Only Phil Mickelson, with victories in the last nine seasons, has a longer active streak. ... DJ has been in the islands since Dec. 27 and is sticking around this week to play in the Sony Open in Hawaii. He has played in the tournament at Waialae twice previously, tying for 10th in 2008 when he posted three consecutive rounds of 2-under-par 68 or better before closing with a 71. Two years ago, he started with a 71, but then reeled off three rounds in the 60s and tied for 16th. One of his goals this season is to put together four good rounds every week, trying to avoid that one off-day. ... Johnson, who also won the 2011 Barclays and the 2009 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am when they were shortened to 54 holes because of weather, opened with a 4-under-par 69 on the Plantation Course and took charge later on an 18-hole Monday when he punctuated a 66 by holing a six-foot eagle putt on the final hole to take a three-stroke lead. DJ lengthened his lead to five shots with three birdies in the first seven holes of the final round, and after he stumbled with a double bogey at No. 13, he chipped in for another eagle on the next hole en route to a closing 68 and a four-shot victory.

5. Justin Rose, England -- Facing increased expectations after moving to No. 4 in the World Golf Rankings at the end of last season, Rose hopes to continue his climb next week when he starts his season in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship for the first time. That's because No. 1 Rory McIlroy and No. 3 Tiger Woods also are in the field, along with No. 8 Jason Dufner. Others in the strong lineup include major champions Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Martin Kaymer, Todd Hamilton and Michael Campbell. ... Coming off a big year, which included a huge singles victory over Phil Mickelson in the Ryder Cup at Medinah, Rosy will be one of the favorites in the tournament. He has always played his best golf in big tournaments against strong fields, as among his victories are the 2012 WGC-Cadillac Championship, the 2011 BMW Championship during the PGA Tour playoffs, the 2010 Memorial Tournament and the 2010 AT&T National. ... Also included in his 10 official victories are the 2002 Nashau Masters in South Africa, the 2002 Victor Chandler British Masters in England, the 2006 Australian Masters and the 2007 Volvo Masters in Spain. Rose has never won a major title, but if he picks up where he left off late last year, when he won the unofficial Turkish Airlines World Golf final against an elite field, he could be a man to watch when the real Masters rolls around in April. He tied for eighth last year at Augusta National and would love to become the first Englishman to win a major title since Nick Faldo donned the Green Jacket in 1996.

6. Brandt Snedeker, United States -- Continuing his brilliant play that began after he missed the cut in the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island in August, Snedeker was in contention much of the way before finishing solo third in the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Once the winds that shortened the tournament to 54 holes calmed down, he broke the par of 73 in all three of his rounds, giving him four top-10 finishes in his last five tournaments, and he has broken par in 22 of his last 23 rounds. ... Sneds is passing on the second event in the islands, the Sony Open in Hawaii, but will be back next week for the Humana Challenge, playing in the California Desert event for the fifth time, including a fourth in a row, and last year he posted his best finish with a tie for eighth. That will come a week before his title defense in the Farmers Insurance Open, where he rallied in the final round to beat Kyle Stanley and record the first of his two victories in 2012. The other win came in the Tour Championship, which gave him the FedEx Cup. ... Snedeker, who won the Tour Championship in his last official PGA Tour event of 2012, made a move on eventual winner Dustin Johnson when he reeled off three birdies and an eagle in a span of four holes through No. 6 in the final round last week on the Plantation Course. Then he took himself out of contention with three consecutive bogeys and four in a span of five holes. Three birdies on the back nine gave him a closing 4-under-par 69 after he opened 70-70, but he wound up six strokes back.

7. Adam Scott, Australia -- In years past, when Scott qualified for the winners-only, season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions, he was able to indulge one of his other passions, surfing, in Hawaii for more than two weeks because he also played in the Sony Open in Hawaii. However, he has been limited to his normal surfing spots in Australia the last two winters because he decided to stay home last year despite being eligible after winning 2011 WGC Bridgestone Invitational, and he was winless on the PGA Tour last year. ... The schedule page at adamscott.com still does not indicate when he will play for the first time this year, and last season he didn't show up until the Northern Trust Open at Riviera, where he won in a playoff in 2005, in the middle of February. If he decides to start on the European Tour, which he also has done in the past, it could be in two weeks at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, which he won in 2002 and 2008. ... Jack Newton, one of the best Australian golfers more than a generation ago, has encouraged Scott to stick with the belly putter as long as he can, depending on if and when the R&A and USGA outlaw anchored putters. The 62-year-old Newton, who lost the 1975 Open Championship to Tom Watson in a playoff at Carnoustie, was a critic of Scott's putting earlier in his career, but claims the younger Aussie has the best swing in the game and likes the way he has been rolling the ball with the long wand. He also claimed that Scott is better than Greg Norman ever was and is better than Tiger Woods right now.

8. Lee Westwood, England -- After coming back to the PGA Tour full-time last season for the first time since 2006, Westwood is going to take advantage of moving to Florida from England by playing early and often this season. If the schedule page at leewestwood.com is accurate, he will play eight times in a span of 10 weeks before taking a week off ahead of the Masters. Seven of those appearances will come on the PGA Tour, after he played on the PGA Tour only four times before going to Augusta National, including the Shell Houston Open the week before. He's hoping that changing his approach will change his luck in the majors. ... Westwood got off to a fast start on the PGA Tour last year by finishing fourth in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, losing to Rory McIlroy in the semifinals, 2 and 1, and winding up fourth again one week later in the Honda Classic. After two so-so weeks, he tied for third in the Masters and tied for fifth in the Wells Fargo Championship. He also tied for 10th in the U.S. Open at the Olympic Club and finished in the top 10 twice during the PGA Tour playoffs, but felt he missed some terrific chances to win in the United States for the first time since the 2010 St. Jude Classic. ... Westy will open his season in two weeks by playing in the Dubai Desert Classic for the 19th time, and he has finished second three times in the tournament without winning, including last year. He does have a victory in Dubai, at the 2009 DP Dubai World Championship.

9. Phil Mickelson, United States -- Lefty is finishing up his preparation for the new season this week and in a few days he will be in the California desert for the Humana Challenge, which he has won twice. He crossed the old Bob Hope Classic off his schedule for a few years after the wind-blown Classic Club was made the host course, but returned last season for the first time since 2007. He's going to play again the following week in his hometown event, the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, where he has won three times, but not since 2001. ... Mickelson has won 18 times on the West Coast Swing, so he is a good bet every time he tees it up early in the season, and he will be back to defend his title at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am next month. He also is at home in the Waste Management Phoenix Open, since he graduated from Arizona State and lived with his family in Scottsdale for several years before moving back to the San Diego area. ... As usual, Mickelson can be expected to have a love-hate relationship with his driver. He undoubtedly spent plenty of time with the big stick as he got ready for the season after hitting the fairway only a little more than half the time last year. Lefty has shown he can score from anywhere with his incredible array of shots, but just like any other golfer, it's much easier if he can find the short grass. Long considered one of the best putters around, although a bit streaky, he found some consistency with the "Claw" grip last year. Mickelson ranked 13th last year with an average of 28.49 putts per round and was 10th in strokes gained putting.

10. Bubba Watson, United States -- Despite battling what apparently was a touch of the flu and playing the most difficult walking course on the PGA Tour, Watson was in contention much of the way before tying for fourth in the in Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Even though the sprawling Plantation Course would seem to fit his game, it was easily his best finishing in three tries in the opener, as he tied for 25th in 2011 and tied for 18th last year in the winners-only field. ... Following his third consecutive appearance at Kapalua, Bubba will take two weeks off with his young family, passing on the Sony Open in Hawaii and the Humana Challenge. He will return to play in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines and will have at least two more appearances in the West Coast Swing in the Waste Management Phoenix Open and the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. Watson is hoping for a start like last season, when he finished in the top 20 in his first 10 tournaments, including his victory in the Masters. ... After winds made the Plantation Course unplayable for three days, Watson toughed out rounds of 70-69 on Monday despite being under the weather, playing bogey-free in round one and making birdies on four of his last seven holes to finish the day. He led the field by hitting 34-of-36 greens on the long day. Even though Watson eagled the fifth hole in the 18-hole windup on Tuesday, he was slowed by bogeys on the fourth and sixth holes in a final-round 71 and wound up seven strokes behind champion Dustin Johnson.

11. Jason Dufner, United States -- Duf played well in the two rounds that were wiped out by winds gusts of about 50 mph last week in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, and again early when the tournament finally got going for good. However, his best score was a closing 4-under-par 69 that left him in a tie for 18th in his first appearance on the Plantation Course. ... Dufner is taking a week off before flying off to the Middle East to play in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship for the first time, undoubtedly accepting a hefty appearance fee to tee it up in the European Tour event. He did quite well in two events co-sanctioned by the Euro Tour late last year, finishing second, two strokes shy of Bo Van Pelt in the inaugural Perth International in Australia, and tying for second, two shots behind Ian Poulter in the HSBC Champions in China. There's no word as to when Duf will return to the PGA Tour, but it might be in the Waste Management Phoenix Open, where he tied for eighth last year. ... Dufner was even par through eight holes on Friday and the only player in red numbers at 1-under after five on Sunday, before all that was wiped out by the unplayable conditions. He again played well when the tournament started for good on Monday, getting to 3-under with four birdies on the front nine in an opening 72. However, his chances were wiped out when me made only one birdie in round two, on the 10th hole, en route to a 77.

12. Webb Simpson, United States -- Simpson was hurt more than any other player when the original first round of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions was wiped out by un playable winds, because he held a two-stroke lead by getting to 3-under-par through seven holes before the horn blew. Once the tournament really got started three days later, he could not break 70 on the Plantation Course in any of the three rounds and finished in a disappointing tie for 11th. In his first appearance at Kapalua a year ago, he posted four rounds in the 60s and tied for third. ... After making his second appearance in the Hyundai, Simpson has made the short flight to Oahu and will be playing this week at the Sony Open in Hawaii for the fourth consecutive year. His best finish in the tournament came the first time he played Waialae, in 2008, when he opened with a 4-under-par 66, one of his three scores in the 60s, and wound up in a tie for ninth. Webb has not played as well in the tournament since, tying for 77th and beating only one player in 2010, tying for 46th in 2011 and tying for 38th a year ago, when he opened with another 66 but couldn't keep it up. ... After opening with consecutive 1-under-par 72s when the opener at Kapalua was shortened to 54 holes last week, the U.S. Open champion played his best golf when he closed with a 71. After carding his only bogey of the final day at No. 2, Simpson toured the final 16 holes in 3-under, barely missing a top-10 finish.

13. Ernie Els, South Africa -- The Big Easy, who spends much of the year at his home in Florida, enjoyed the holidays with his family in South Africa, after resurrecting his career when he captured the Open Championship last July at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. He said in his final weekly diary of 2012 that he appreciated the big victory more than he did those in his 20s, and he is looking to adding to his major haul this season. ... Els gets this started this week at home at Durbin Country Club when he plays in the Volvo Golf Champions, a European Tour event that is in its third year. He played in the event for the first time last year on the Links at Fancourt, designed by Gary Player, where Ernie's junior foundation in located. Els made a big charge in the final round by shooting 6-under-par 67 to catch third-round leader Brendan Grace, but the young South African beat his childhood idols, Els and Retief Goosen, with a birdie on the first playoff hole. ... Els turned his game around last year while using the belly putter, which he was vehemently against earlier in his career. However, with the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews and the United States Golf Association expected to outlaw anchored putters early this year, he is has been getting ready. He said recently that he has been practicing with a conventional putter for a few months and feels comfortable with it, but is unsure when he will make the switch back.

14. Louis Oosthuizen, South Africa -- Finally healthy and playing the type of golf he displayed while winning the 2011 Open Championship by seven strokes at St. Andrews, Oosty is looking forward to his start to the new season this week in the Volvo Golf Champions, a home game a Durban Country Club in South Africa. He has won seven official events on the South African Tour, with several events co-sanctioned by the European Tour, including the last two Africa Opens. He will defend those titles next month at East London Golf Club on the Eastern Cape. ... Oosthuizen played in the Volvo Golf Champions for the first time last year on the Links at Fancourt, finishing in a tie for seventh. He was in the hunt until the final round, when he closed with a 1-over-par 74, which included a quadruple-bogey 8 on the 14th hole while shooting 39 on the back nine. ... After finishing fourth last month in the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Gary Player Country Club in South Africa, Oosthuizen was scheduled to finish off his season a week later in the Thailand Golf Championship. However, perhaps worn down by the rigors of travel through the long season, he found himself a bit under the weather and decided to stay home. The 30-year-old watched the tournament from his farm in Mossel Bay and was thrilled to watch Charl Scwartzel, his close friend since their days in Ernie Els' junior program, win by 11 strokes before capturing the Alfred Dunhill Championship by 12 shots the following week at Leopard Creek in South Africa.

15. Ian Poulter, England -- After being noticeably frustrated when PGA Tour officials tried for the third time to get in the first round of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions at windy Kapalua last week, Poulter settled down to post a solid tie for ninth in the shortened opener. NBC commentator Johnny Miller said the Englishman was being "fairly dramatic" in the windy conditions on Friday. After being told incorrectly on Twitter that Miller had called him a "drama queen," Poulter was extremely upset, but calmed down after he saw and heard a replay of the incident. ... Poulter took three weeks off at the end of last year, barely touching his clubs, and plans to cut back a bit on his playing schedule this season because it has become such a long grind. He said he might take six weeks off right now, and not play again until heading to Arizona for the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, which he won in 2010, at the end of February. Poults said he was out of gas in his last two events of the year after his inspirational play led the Europeans to a victory in the Ryder Cup and he went on to capture the WBC-HSBC Champions. ... Poulter saved his best for last on the Plantation Course, posting a 4-under-par 69 in the opener, which was shortened to 54 holes by the howling winds. After making bogey on the first hole of the final day, he played the last 17 in a bogey-free 5-under, making birdies on four of the last five holes. His week could have been even better if not for starting with two consecutive bogeys and shooting 74 in round two.

16. Keegan Bradley, United States -- Bradley kept himself in the conversation most of the way in the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions, but had to settle for a tie for fourth in his second appearance in the tournament. However, after finishing in a tie for 16th on the Plantation Course last year, he showed he has the game to perhaps win at Kapalua down the road. ... Making the Hawaii trip on the PGA Tour for the second consecutive year, Keegan will play again at the Sony Open in Hawaii after finishing in a tie for 13th last year at Waialae. He opened with three rounds of 2-under-par 68 and was in the hunt in the final round, when he made an eagle-3 on the ninth hole. However, he could not make a birdie all day and wound up with a 70. Bradley will play in three of the first four events of the season, also having committed to the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in two weeks after skipping the Humana Challenge. ... Bradley played his best golf last week in the second round on an 36-hole Monday after the opener was delayed for three days because of winds gusts that reached 50 mph. After opening with a 2-under-par 71 that included four bogeys, he posted a 69, which included a single bogey at the 12th hole. Keegan made an early move in the final round with an eagle on the fifth hole and a birdie at the ninth, before falling back with his only two bogeys of the day on the back nine. Bradley ranked among the leaders by hitting 46-of-54 greens in regulation.

17. Steve Stricker, United States -- Stricker made a valiant defense of his title in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, especially since he had to walk 36 holes on the mammoth Plantation Course on Monday while limping because of a nerve problem in his left leg. Stricker, who finished in the top 10 for the fifth consecutive year, was in position to win again if Dustin Johnson stumbled, which he did only slightly after opening a five-stroke lead. ... If Stricker stands by his plan to play only about 10 events on the PGA Tour this season, we probably won't see him again until the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in six weeks. He captured the match-play event in Australia, claiming perhaps the biggest victory of his career, in 2001 when it was played outside the United States for the only time. Strick has said he will concentrate this season on the four majors and the three World Golf Championships played in the U.S. ... Three bogeys on the back nine of the first round marred his 71-69 performance on the long day Monday, before Stricker came back to play a bogey-free 69 on Tuesday, but couldn't make enough of a move to really put more the heat on Johnson. He said he wasn't even sure he could defend his title because of the leg injury, which caused pain all the way down to his foot every time he followed through on a full shot. His best shot of the tournament was a chip-in eagle on the 18th hole of round two, when he led the field with only 26 putts on the huge greens.

18. Matt Kuchar, United States -- When they finally got going for good last week after three unplayable days in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, Kuchar came out of the box with a 1-under-par 74 in the winners-only season opener. However, he salvaged his week with 71-69 over the last two rounds to wind up in a tie for ninth on the Plantation Course. No surprise there, as he led the PGA Tour with 29 finishes in the top 10 over the last three seasons. ... Kooch is another player who is remaining in the islands this week after playing in the opener, to compete in the Sony Open in Hawaii. He is playing at Waialae for the 10th time, including six in a row before missing last year. Kuchar has missed the cut six times in the tournament, but tied for fourth in 2002 and tied for fifth in 2011, posting four rounds in the 60s each time on one of the shorter, tighter courses on the PGA Tour. He also is committed to play next week in the Humana Challenge. ... Kuchar was in good shape at 1-under through 10 holes in round last week at Kapalua, but then he carded three consecutive bogeys and four in all the back nine. He was even worse to start round two, recording five bogeys on his first seven holes, but he saved the day with a brilliant run that included five birdies and a closing eagle over his last 10 holes. Kooch had a similar back nine on the final day after playing the first eight holes in 2-over, before racking up six birdies over the last 10 holes.

19. Zach Johnson, United States -- Even though he has proven that he can play anywhere with his straight and steady game, the wind and length of the Plantation Course has never been good to Johnson, and so it was again last week in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. He didn't break 70 in any of his three rounds in the shortened season opener and wound up a tie for 18th, and has only one top-10 finish in his six appearances at Kapalua. ... Traveling without his family since newest addition Abby Jane Johnson is not yet three months old, Zach has stayed in the islands to play this week at the Sony Open in Hawaii, which he won in 2009 by two strokes over David Toms. After opening with a 69 that year at Waialae, he reeled off rounds of 65-66-65, kick-starting a big season that also included his second consecutive victory in the Valero Texas Open. The shorter, tight course at Waialae would seem to fit his game, but after tying for 12th as defending champion, he has tied for 57th and tied for 54th the last two years. ... Johnson was at 1-under-par through 12 holes last week at Kapalua before spoiling his opening round with three bogeys in a span of five holes to record a 1-over 74. He finished with rounds of 72-72 that were nothing alike. Zach carded five pars, six birdies, five bogeys, an eagle and a double bogey in round two, and then recorded three birdies and two bogeys on the last day. Finishing round two on the front nine, he had a par on No. 1 and none the rest of the way.

20. Hunter Mahan, United States -- Hoping for a quick start to his season after a disappointing second half of 2012 that led to his missing out on the Ryder Cup, Mahan instead struggled to a tie for 26th in the weather-shortened Hyundai Tournament of Champions. He broke par only when he opened with a 1-under-par 72 on the Plantation Course, finishing with 77-74 and beat only three players in the 30-man field of winners-only from last year on the PGA Tour. ... Hunter is taking a pass on the second week in Hawaii, having played in the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae only twice previously, and not since 2006. He has committed to play in the Farmers Insurance Open in two weeks at Torrey Pines for the 10th consecutive year, having tied for sixth in the San Diego area event each of the last two years. Mahan has two title defenses to make in the first three months of the season, at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and the Shell Houston Open. ... After taking a double-bogey 7 on the fifth hole, Mahan salvaged his opening round by carding four birdies in a span of seven holes through No. 15 last week on the Plantation Course. He was at even par through 10 holes after starting on No. 10 in round two later in the day before falling apart, recording three bogeys and a double bogey at No. 6 in a span of five holes. Mahan had a promising start with two birdies in the first five holes on the final day, but did not record his third and last until the 600-yard-plus, par-5 finishing hole.

Others receiving consideration: Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland; Martin Kaymer, Germany; Nick Watney, United States; Rickie Fowler, United States; Bill Haas, United States; Charl Schwartzel, South Africa; Sergio Garcia, Spain; Jim Furyk, United States; Carl Pettersson, Sweden; Bo Van Pelt, United States; Peter Hanson, Sweden; Nicolas Colsaerts, Belgium; Ryan Moore, United States; Jason Day, Australia.