PGA Tour rankings -- April 9, 2012

The Sports Xchange's PGA Tour rankings are selected by TSX Golf Staff, based on play in the 2011 and 2012 seasons, with more emphasis on recent results.

1. Luke Donald, England -- Before the Masters, Donald said he believed that this was his best chance to finally win that first major championship because he knows Augusta National better than the venues of the other three Grand Slam events this year. However, he never had a chance after struggling to a 3-over-par 75 in the first round. He failed to break 70 until he closed with a 68 and wound up in a tie for 32nd. ... Donald is going right back to work this week in the RBC Heritage although most of the players consider their time on Hilton Head Island to be a working vacation. He hopes to finally nail down the title at Harbour Town after finishing in the top three each of the last three years, following two missed cuts in his first three Heritage appearances. Last year, he opened with 67-65 before playing the weekend in 70-70 and then losing to Brandt Snedeker on the third hole of a playoff when his chip for par hit the hole and bounced away. In 2009, he played the weekend in 65-66 to tie for second but wound up 10 strokes behind runaway winner Brian Gay. In 2010, he tied for third, finishing three shots out of the playoff in which Jim Furyk beat Brian Davis. ... Looking like anything but the No. 1 player in the world, Donald shot 75-73-75 in the first three rounds last week at Augusta National, showing little of the precise game that has taken him to the top. He did hit the fairway on 45 of 56 attempts but managed only 41 of 72 greens in regulation and averaged 29.0 putts per round.

2. Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland -- Seemingly in prime position after 36 holes to capture his second Grand Slam title since his final-round meltdown at the Masters last year, McIlroy played the weekend in a brutal 77-76 and skidded to a tie for 40th in the first major of the year. He bounced back from a double-bogey 6 on the first hole on Thursday to start with 71-69, but that stumble at the beginning proved to be a harbinger of things to come. He carded four doubles in the tournament, including another on Saturday at No. 1, which he played in 5-over for the week. ... Last year, after giving away a four-stroke lead in the final round of the Masters by closing with an 80, McIlroy flew off Sunday night to play in the Maybank Malaysian Masters, where he finished third, two strokes behind winner Matteo Mannasero. But even 20-somethings can wear down, and after coming down with dengue fever late in a hectic year, he is being more judicious with his scheduling this season. The schedule page on his website indicates that he is taking three weeks off before playing in the Wells Fargo Championship, which he won in 2010, before heading to TPC Sawgrass for the Players Championship. ... After carding 10 birdies in the first two rounds, the 22-year-old managed only six on the weekend at Augusta, when he played himself out of contention quickly. After doubling No. 1, he played the first 11 holes of the third round in 7-over, including another double on the seventh hole. But there will be plenty of Masters down the road for Rory to make amends.

3. Phil Mickelson, United States -- Even though he was in the hunt almost all the way on Sunday, one hole cost Lefty his fourth Green Jacket. He shot even-par 72 and finished in a tie for third, two strokes out of the playoff in which Bubba Watson defeated Louis Oosthuizen. An errant tee shot on the fourth hole, his only real miscue of the day, led to a triple-bogey 6, and he finished in the top 10 at Augusta National for the 12th time in the last 14 years. ... Mickleson usually takes a lengthy break after the Masters, and in each of the last four years, his next tournament was the Wells Fargo Championship, which is played in the first week of May, one week before the Players Championship. It appears that he will stick with that routine because there are no events listed after the Masters on the schedule page at philmickelson.com. In 2007, he tied for third at Quail Hollow a week before winning the so-called Fifth Major at TPC Sawgrass. ... Mickelson was brilliant in the middle rounds last week at Augusta, charging into contention with scores of 68-66 to get into the final group on Sunday with Peter Hanson of Sweden, whom he trailed by one shot. That was quite a comeback from an opening 74, when he took another triple-bogey, this one on the 10th hole, where he could not find his errant tee shot into the bushes. Even though he didn't always hit it straight, he led the field by averaging 26.8 putts per round, proving again that he knows the diabolical Augusta greens better than anyone else.

4. Bubba Watson, United States -- Two years after losing in a playoff to Martin Kaymer in the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, Bubba claimed his first major title when he beat Louis Oosthuizen in the Masters with an incredible par on the second playoff hole. Watson hooked his second shot some 40 feet off the pine straw deep in the woods to within 15 feet of the hole at No. 10. After the South African missed his par putt from the back fringe, Bubba claimed the Green Jacket by two-putting. ... Watson will take two weeks off before defending his title in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, which he won by beating Webb Simpson on the second hole of a playoff. That was his second victory of 2011, the other coming in the Farmers Insurance Open, but he slumped badly with only one top-10 finish the rest of the year. After another strong start, he will have to avoid a similar letdown. He has finished in the top 25 in all eight of his events this year, including four top-10s... Watson played with Oosthuizen in the final round at Augusta and was chasing from the time his playing partner holed his second shot from 260 yards on No. 2 for the fourth double eagle in Masters history. The American hung tough all day before carding four consecutive birdies through No. 16 to pull even before both finished with two consecutive pars. They each missed two chances to win on the 18th hole, in regulation and the playoff. Watson, who claimed the fourth victory of his PGA Tour career, never held the lead by himself, through 74 holes, until it was over.

5. Lee Westwood, England -- It was yet another high finish for Westwood in a major, but he again fell short of that elusive first major title when he tied for third in the Masters, two shots out of the playoff in which Bubba Watson defeated Louis Oosthuizen. It was the Englishman's seventh finish in the top three of a Grand Slam tournament since 2007 and his third top-four finish in five tournaments on the PGA Tour this season. ... Westy will take two weeks off after the first major of the year before heading halfway around the world to defend his title in the Indonesian Masters in Jakarta, where he claimed the first of his four victories in 2011. The schedule page at leewestwood.com indicates that he will return to the PGA Tour the following week for the Wells Fargo Championship before heading to TPC Sawgrass for the Players Championship, which he skipped last year. ... Westwood was in the chase virtually all the way in the Masters, and if he could play one hole over, it would be No. 18 in round two. He missed the green with his approach and chipped to within eight feet, from where he three-putted for a double-bogey 6 to shoot 1-over-par 73. He opened with a 67, which included four consecutive birdies through No. 8, and closed with a 68, carding four birdies in the last six holes, but it again was not enough. Westwood hit more than 75 percent of the fairways and greens but averaged 32.0 putts per round, taking at least 30 every day.

6. Steve Stricker, United States -- The 45-year-old Stricker has to be wondering if he will ever win a major championship after he could not break 70 in any of his four rounds and wound up in a tie for 47th last week in the Masters. That had to come as a big disappointment after posting his best finishes in the first major of the season in the last three years, a tie for sixth in 2009 and a tie for 11th last year. ... Stricker continues to pace himself for the long haul of the season with the big summer events approaching and is taking two weeks off before teeing it up next in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, which he has played 12 times in his career without winning. He has played only five tournaments this season but will start picking up the pace with the Players Championship and the U.S. Open on the horizon. ... Strick was in good shape after opening with a 1-under-par 71 last week at Augusta National, but he followed with a 77 that included two double bogeys, virtually taking him out of contention heading to the weekend. He closed with 72-75, going out on a sour note when he made bogeys on the last three holes in the final round. The driver was the best club in Stricker's bag as he hit 47 of 56 fairways. However, he hit only 41 of 72 greens in regulation, and his normally reliable putter let him down as he averaged 30.3 putts per round, including 35 in the second round.

7. Hunter Mahan, United States -- Looking for his third victory of the season and the first major title of his career, Mahan was in contention at 4-under-par heading to the final round of the Masters but closed with a 2-over 74 and slid six spots to a tie for 12th. That cost him his third top-10 finish in the first major of the year and the fifth of his career in the Grand Slam tournaments. ... It's been a big season already for Hunter with victories in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and the Shell Houston Open, so it appears that, having played eight tournaments since the last week of January, he will take three weeks off before the Wells Fargo Championship. He does not have a schedule page at mahangolf.com, but that's what he has done after the first major of the year in each of the last four seasons. ... Mahan followed two rounds of 72 with a 68 last week at Augusta National to put himself in position for a run at the Green Jacket on Sunday. However, he made a bogey on the first hole and never got it going in the final round, and he was at even par before carding bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes. Mahan carded 13 birdies in the first three rounds but could manage only one on Sunday, at the third hole. His first two rounds could have been better -- he birdied three of the first five holes but then no more on Thursday, and he nullified his five birdies with five bogeys on Friday.

8. Justin Rose, England -- Had this been the U.S. Open, where par is good enough to contend and sometimes to win, the Englishman might have walked away with the trophy. He carded three consecutive rounds of even-par 72 before closing with a 4-under-par 68 to wind up in a tie for eighth, his second top-10 finish at Augusta National, where he tied for fifth in 2007. It was his third top-10 in his last five events, including a victory in the WGC-Cadillac Championship. ... Rose had not been announced by tournament officials as committed to the Zurich Classic of New Orleans as of late last week, but the schedule page at justinrose.com indicated that's where he will be playing next. He has played the event six times previously without much success, missing the cut in two of the last three years at TPC Louisiana. His best result was a tie for fifth in 2004, when the event was played at English Turn Golf and Country Club. ... Rose blitzed the back nine at Augusta with a 5-under 31 on Sunday, including an eagle on No. 15, but it was not enough to get him into the hunt. He lost that chance late on the day before, when he was sailing along with a bogey-free 4-under score through 14 holes. Down the stretch he carded two bogeys and a double-bogey at No. 16, where he four-putted, to fall off the pace. Rose hit more than 70 percent of the fairways and greens but averaged 30.5 putts per round -- not terrible at Augusta but not good, either.

9. Bill Haas, United States -- Although he never has played well in the Masters, the light might have finally come on for Haas, who birdied three of his final seven holes in the final round to close with a 2-under-par 70 and finish in a tie for 37th. That's about all he could take away from the first major of the year, and he still has not broken 70 in any of his 12 rounds at Augusta National. ... Haas is a Carolina boy who lives right down the road in Greenville, S.C., so he will be playing this week in the RBC Heritage for the eighth consecutive year. Despite the local connection, he has not played well at Harbour Town, missing the cut in four of his seven appearances on Hilton Head Island. His best result was a tie for 27th in 2006, and he also tied for 30th last year. In 20 rounds on the famous links course, he has broken 70 only four times. He opened with a 4-under-par 67 in 2010, his best score on the course, but shot 75 the next day to make the cut on the number en route to a tie for 41st. ... Haas started with a solid 72 last week in the Masters but slid down the leaderboard and out of contention by shooting 74-76 in the middle rounds. He did manage 14 birdies but also had 18 bogeys, although he didn't make any really big numbers. The problem was, he didn't give himself enough chances, hitting only 46 of 72 greens in regulation and then averaging 30.7 putts per round on the testy Augusta greens.

10. Tiger Woods, United States -- The favorite of many following his five-stroke victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Woods was on the leaderboard for much of the first day of the Masters before falling back with bogeys on the last two holes to open with an even-par 72. He never got back up there, failing to break par in any of his four rounds en route to a tie for 40th. It ended his streak of seven consecutive top-10 finishes at Augusta National and was his worst finish in the first major of the year since a tie for 22nd in 2004. His worst was a missed cut as an amateur in 1996. ... Woods always keeps 'em guessing as to when he might play again, usually waiting until right before the Friday deadline before committing to tournaments. He has no further tournaments listed on the schedule page at tigerwoods.com, but if one were to hazard a guess as to when we might see him again, it might be the Wells Fargo Championship in three weeks. He has played at Quail Hollow five times in the past and won the tournament in 2007 by two strokes over Steve Stricker, one of his three top-four finishes in the event. ... There was plenty that went wrong for Tiger last week at Augusta, but the telling factor was his play on the par-5 holes, where he normally makes his living. After playing the long holes in 12-under at Bay Hill, he played the par-5s in 1-under in the Masters, recording only two birdies in 16 chances. He was constantly out of position and hit only a little more than half the fairways and greens overall.

11. Keegan Bradley, United States -- Playing in his first Masters and after several recon trips to Augusta National, the PGA champion never was in the hunt after a first round of 1-under-par 71. He struggled to scores of 77-73 in the middle rounds but rallied with a 69 on Sunday to finish in a tie for 27th. ... Keegan has had to tweak his schedule a bit this season because of his initial appearance in the first major of the year, and the schedule page at keeganbradley.com indicates that his next event will be in three weeks at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where he tied for 26th last year. It appears that after playing 10 times already this season, he will skip the Valero Texas Open next week even though he tied for ninth last year at TPC San Antonio. ... Bradley bounced back from a double bogey on the first official hole of his career at Augusta and played solid golf the rest of his first round before carding another bogey on the difficult 18th. However, he recorded nine bogeys en route to his 77 in round two and couldn't recover. Bradley had a solid but not spectacular round going on Saturday before hitting into the trees at 18 and making double bogey. He salvaged something out of the week on Sunday, when he made four birdies on the front nine, and finished on a respectable note. The 25-year-old hit only 39 of 72 greens in regulation and couldn't save himself by averaging 27.5 putts per round, but he figures to have plenty more chances at Augusta.

12. Matt Kuchar, United States -- Playing solid golf all week, Kuchar found himself tied for the lead after an eagle on No. 15 on Sunday before he missed the green with his tee shot on the par-3 16th hole and made a bogey. He could manage only two pars to finish and wound up in a tie for third, two strokes out of the playoff in which Bubba Watson defeated Louis Oosthuizen. Still, it was his first top-20 finish at Augusta National and the best result of his career in a major, bettering his tie for sixth in the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. ... Kuchar is taking his young family on a vacation this week while he plays in the RBC Heritage for the ninth time. He has yet to play especially well at Harbour Town although he does have four finishes in the top 25, including a tie for 21st last year. His best result was a tie for seventh in 2008, when he played the weekend in 68-67, and he tied for 10th in 2005. He also has committed to play next week in the Valero Texas Open, in which he tied for second in 2002. ... The highlight of Kooch's final round at Augusta undoubtedly was his four-foot eagle putt at No. 15 after two splendid shots, but he probably will remember longer the double-bogey 6 at No. 9 that might have cost him the Green Jacket. He missed the green with his approach and then three-putted from a little more than five feet. Kuchar hit more than 80 percent of the fairways and greens but averaged 30.8 putts per round.

13. Dustin Johnson, United States -- DJ withdrew from what would have been his fourth Masters two days before the tournament began, citing a back injury. There had been no indication that he was ailing until he posted this note on Twitter: "First I have to apologize to the fans and sponsors. With heartfelt regret, I won't be playing in the Masters due to a tweaked back." Even though he has been attending the first major of the year since he was a kid, his best result at Augusta National was a tie for 30th in his first try in 2009. ... It's been an injury-plagued season for Johnson, who missed the first two events of the season in Hawaii after undergoing right knee surgery in November. When he returned to play in the Humana Challenge later in January, he withdrew after opening with an even-par 72 because he was not yet used to walking 18 holes and his back stiffened up on him. There has been no indication as to whether the latest injury is related to that incident. ... Johnson did not give a timetable for his return, but in the last two years he took a few weeks off after the Masters before playing in the Wells Fargo Championship, which is held in the first week of May. After his late start to the season and some indifferent results once he started playing, he had gotten things going by posting three consecutive top-10 finishes before tying for 35th in his last event, the WGC-Cadillac Championship. That was nearly a month before the Masters.

14. Charl Schwartzel, South Africa -- The highlight of Schwartzel's Masters week probably was the Champions Dinner on Wednesday night, when he served traditional South African barbecue, because once the tournament started the defending champion could not break the par of 72. He opened with a solid 72 but went in reverse from there and wound up in a tie for 50th as he tried to become the first player to win the first major of the year in consecutive seasons since Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002. ... Once again after the Masters, Schwartzel was on a plane Sunday night heading for Kuala Lumpur, where he will play this week in the Maybank Malaysian Open for the fourth time. The biggest difference from last year is that he won't have the Green Jacket with him. He finished in a respectable tie for 11th a year ago only days after the biggest victory of his career, bouncing back from an opening 1-over-par 73. His best finish in the tournament was a tie for sixth in 2008, when he opened with a 71 before posting rounds of 66-67-69. The South African is 30-under-par in his three appearances in the tournament. ... After carding four birdies in his first round last week at Augusta National, Schwartzel could manage only six more the rest of the way as he finished with 75-75-74 -- this from a guy who last year became the first Masters winner in history to birdie the last four holes on his way to the Green Jacket. His biggest problem was hitting only 35 of 72 green in regulation.

15. Mark Wilson, United States -- Wilson's second Masters ended the same way as his first last year when he shot 76-78--154 and missed the cut by five strokes. It was the third time he has missed the weekend in 11 events this season, which includes a victory in the Humana Challenge, and he also has missed the cut five times in seven major championship appearances in his career. He played on the weekend at the Open Championship and the PGA Championship last year but could not keep that streak alive. ... Wilson has always played a full schedule on the PGA Tour since he appeared in 30 events when he first joined the circuit in 2003, and he's not changing that now even though he has become one of the better players in the world at the age of 37. When he tees it up this week in the RBC Heritage for the sixth time, it will be his 12th tournament of the season, more than any of the other top players. He has not played well at Harbour Town -- he posted his best finish when he tied for 21st last year, opening with a 5-under-par 66 a week after playing in the Masters for the first time. ... Wilson could manage only two birdies in each of his two rounds last week at Augusta National, stumbling early with three bogeys in a span of four holes through No. 7 on Thursday and never getting back on track. He gave himself chances by hitting 25 of 28 fairways but managed to reach only 17 of 36 greens in regulation while averaging 29.50 putts per round.

16. Adam Scott, Australia -- Scott might be questioning his preparation for the Masters, having played only nine official competitive rounds heading into the first major of the year. He did not play his best golf until shooting a brilliant 6-under-par 66 in the final round at Augusta National, which left him in a tie for eighth, one year after he tied for second. His late start to the season was caused by a tonsillectomy, but he could have chosen to play more once he returned. ... Scotty has played only four times on the PGA Tour this season, fewer events than any of the other top players, and the schedule page at adamscott.com indicates he will not be back until the Players Championship, which he claimed in 2004, next month. Apparently, he's even passing next week on the Valero Texas Open, which he won in 2010. The Aussie has committed for the first time to the Ballatines Championship on April 26-29 in South Korea, a European Tour event that obviously gave him a large appearance fee. ... Scott was playing catch-up from the time he opened with a 75 last week in the Masters, carding six bogeys and an eagle at No. 8 on the front nine before closing with nine consecutive pars. After shooting 70-73 in the middle rounds, he made six birdies and a hole-in-one on the 155-yard 16th hole on Sunday. The Aussie hit in the neighborhood of 70 percent of the fairways and greens, and after struggling with his long putter by averaging 32.3 putts over the first three rounds, he needed only 26 on Sunday.

17. Webb Simpson, United States -- After closing with a 6-over-par 78 at Augusta National, Simpson can chalk up his first Masters to experience as he wound up in a tie for 44th. This is only his second season of playing in the Grand Slam, and he showed he could be a major player in the years to come when he finished in the top 20 in the U.S. Open and the Open Championship last season. But as with many first-timers, Augusta proved to be too much for him. ... Another guy from Carolina who makes a vacation at Hilton Head Island out of this week, Simpson is playing in the RBC Heritage for the fourth consecutive year, or every one since he joined the PGA Tour. He tied for 14th last year by posting three rounds in the 60s, with only a 1-over-par 72 in the third round keeping him from being in position to make a move on Sunday. That equaled his finish of the year before, when he shot 68-68 in the middle rounds, one year after he shot 71-74--145 and missed the cut by two strokes in his first appearance. ... Simpson opened with a solid 72 last week in the Masters and played his best golf with a 70 in the third round, when he carded his only bogey of the day at No. 7. His ball-striking was good enough as he hit 46 of 56 fairways and 53 of 72 greens in regulation, but he could not figure out the challenging Augusta greens. Simpson averaged 32.8 putts per round, taking at least 31 every day, including 35 on Thursday and 33 on Friday.

18. Brandt Snedeker, United States -- Unable to make another run like the one he had in 2008, when he tied for third in the Masters, Snedeker played his best golf only when he shot 4-under-par 68 in the third round, and he finished in a tie for 19th. That could have been considerably better if not for the difficult 18th hole, which he played in 5-over for the week, carding three bogeys and a double-bogey 6 in the second round. On Saturday, he made his only miscue of the day there. ... Snedeker is especially excited to defend his title this week in the RBC Heritage, considering that the tournament almost disappeared from the PGA Tour before Royal Bank of Canada stepped up as title sponsor. He closed with a 7-under-par 64 last year, making birdies on eight of his first 14 holes and adding another with a 12-foot putt on the final hole below the iconic lighthouse. Then he had to wait two hours for a playoff against Luke Donald, who was on his way to becoming No. 1 in the world. Sneds postponed that by winning on the third extra hole, where the Brit's chip shot for a par that would have extended the playoff hit the hole and bounced away. ... Snedeker ranked among the leaders by carding 17 birdies for the week at Augusta National but wound up at even par thanks to 13 bogeys and two doubles. He hit a shade under 60 percent of the fairways and greens, keeping himself afloat by averaging 27.8 putts per round on the tough Augusta greens.

19. Jason Day, Australia -- One year after nearly becoming the first Aussie to win the Masters and finishing in a tie for second, Day was forced to withdraw from the first major of the season because of a painful tendon injury to his left foot and ankle after playing seven holes in round two. The 24-year-old sustained the injury during a training session a week earlier and was seen limping off the driving range at Augusta National on Wednesday, when he said he believed he could play through it. ... Day has played in the RBC Heritage three times in the last four years but will not be able to make it to Harbour Town this week because of the injury, and that's too bad because he has played well there the last two years. He tied for 22nd in 2010, and last year, one week after his near miss in the Masters, he kept the magic going for two days. Day opened with 69-65 but played the weekend in 71-72 to finish in a tie for ninth, five strokes out of the playoff in which Brandt Snedeker beat Luke Donald. He might return at the Wells Fargo Championship in three weeks -- doctors have told him healing time for the injury could be anywhere from two to six weeks. ... Day opened with a 4-over-par 76 last week at Augusta and was 1-over for round two after a bogey at No. 6. After hitting his second shot on the par-5 eighth hole, he called it quits, probably realizing that he was well on his way to missing the cut and that there was no sense risking further injury.

20. Nick Watney, United States -- Watney still had an outside chance to win the Masters heading to the final round, but he instead closed with a 5-over-par 77 and fell 21 spots down the leaderboard to a tie for 32nd. However, he showed again that he has the game to contend at Augusta National, where he tied for seventh in 2010, so there could be a Green Jacket in the future for the 30-year-old. ... Nick is expected to take two weeks off after the Masters before teeing it up in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, in which he claimed the first of his four PGA Tour victories in 2007. He might be able to find some of his old magic at TPC Louisiana, where he posted four rounds in the 60s to beat Ken Duke by three strokes, because his game has been far from its best all season. Watney also has committed to play the following week in the Wells Fargo Championship, one week before the Players Championship. ... His chances to win the Masters disappeared quickly in the final round as he recorded five bogeys while shooting 40 on the front nine. That came after he remained on the edge of contention through three rounds with scores of 71-71-72 to sit seven strokes behind 54-hole leader Peter Hanson of Sweden, who has never won a major. Watney carded seven bogeys in Sunday after making only a total of nine in the first three rounds. He was among the leaders after making four birdies in a span of seven holes in round two but made only five more birdies over his last 46 holes.

Others receiving consideration: David Toms, United States; Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland; Ian Poulter, England; Louis Oosthuizen, South Africa; Geoff Ogilvy, Australia; Martin Laird, Scotland; Gary Woodland, United States; Zach Johnson, United States; Johnson Wagner, United States; Kyle Stanley, United States; Aaron Baddeley, Australia; Ben Crane, United States; K.J. Choi, South Korea; Robert Garrigus, United States; Ernie Els, South Africa; Jim Furyk, United States; Kevin Na, United States.