Quicken Loans National Preview: Weak Field Favors Rose

We hear about the importance of putting all the time. Whether it's the pros or us amateur hacks, nothing, and I mean nothing, is more important than putting. The thing about putting, though, is it's not flashy, and the effects on one's scorecard are often lost among the 350-yard drives and pin-point approach shots. It's easy in hindsight to look back at a round and point out the crucial putts, but rarely are we witnessed to the absolute importance of a putt as it happens.

That wasn't the case Sunday as Jason Day fought tooth and nail to hold off several worthy adversaries. The odd thing about the conclusion on the Canadian Open was the clarity of what each shot meant. With two par-5s in the final three holes, it was certainly conceivable to hand a birdie to all those yet to play that stretch. The holes weren't playing all that difficult, so as long as the golfers didn't find a bunker off the tee or trouble with their approach, a birdie should have been the least to expect. Jason Day did what he was supposed to do down the stretch ... and a bit more, thanks to his putter.

Each putt down the stretch carried an undeniable significance -- make the putt and he could win in regulation, miss the putt and it's playoff time. Day left nothing to chance, however, as he hit every big putt during the final stretch. As for the other guys? Well, Bubba made his fair share of putts, but he was fighting an uphill battle on Sunday having fallen behind during the first three days. Hearn was in the exact spot that Day was down the stretch, but he simply made too many mistakes and not enough putts to make up for those mistakes. Jason Day obviously had more going for him than just the putter last week, but for once, it was the putts that stole the spotlight. The putting display by Day is sure to have kids all over Canada hitting the putting green instead of the driving range ... until someone rips a 350-yard drive, then it's back to normal. Ah, what do these pros know anyway?

This week: Quicken Loans National - Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, Gainsville, Va.

Last Year: Justin Rose shot a final-round 70 on his way to a playoff victory over Shawn Stefani.

PLAYERS TO CONSIDER

Justin Rose

No course history this week, as this is the first time Robert Trent Jones G.C. has played host to this event, but it's hard to ignore the fact that Rose has won this event twice. Perhaps there's something about the area of the country or the timing of this event. Whatever the case, Rose should be atop your list this week.

Danny Lee

Slim pickings this week, which is not a knock on Lee necessarily -- heck, he was on fire a couple weeks ago, but he is coming off a missed cut, so his run may be at an end. There isn't much to choose from this week, though, so if his last performance was just a blip on the radar, he could pay off this week.

Will Wilcox

Wilcox is a big-time hit-or-miss guy, but lately he's been on more than off, and this is the perfect week to take a chance on someone. Wilcox is coming off consecutive top-10s and has placed in the top 15 in three of his last five events.

Johnson Wagner

Don't look now, but Wagner is actually starting to show some consistency on the PGA Tour. In his last four starts, Wagner's worst performance was a T32. He's finished in the top 20 in his last three events, and that could easily be four by the end of this week.

Tony Finau

I speculated that Finau's impressive run was coming to an end prior to the Canadian Open, but he bounced back with a T22, so it's only fair that I place him on the "Consider List" this week as an acknowledgement of his growth as a player.

PLAYERS TO AVOID

Tiger Woods

Just like Justin Rose, Woods has won this event twice, but unlike Rose, he's nowhere near the top of his game. I still believe that Tiger will at some point resemble the guy who won multiple times a couple years ago, but until then, he's going to struggle at times.

Richard Sterne

The field this week is very light, but that doesn't mean you need to reach for someone like Sterne. It is a good week for a sleeper, but Sterne hasn't made a cut since the end of May.

Mark Wilson

I realize that Wilson isn't the type of player who usually makes it onto this list, but he did make an appearance last week as my survivor pick, so his status has obviously grown. Ahem, anyway, Wilson had a great track record at Glen Abbey last week, which made him a decent option, but new course means no track record, so no reason to gamble on Wilson.

Greg Owen

Owen was on quite a roll entering last week's Canadian Open, but as happens to most journeyman golfers, his roll came to a crashing halt. Owen had quite a run over the past couple months, but there's a reason he hasn't had much success on the PGA Tour, the consistency has never been there.

Robert Allenby

I know, low-hanging fruit, but where else was I going to mention Allenby and his bizarre caddy situation? Has a golfer outside of Tiger Woods had a stranger 12-month run off the course than Allenby?

ONE AND DONE GOLFER

Last week: Jim Furyk (4) - $278,400; Season - $5,083,829

This week: Will Wilcox - I stated this was the week to go with a sleeper and I'm putting my money where my mouth is. To be honest, Wilcox doesn't seem like much of a risk the way he's played lately. I'll be disappointed with anything outside the top 20.

YAHOO PICKS

Points: 4,544
Rank: 7,294

This Week:

Group A: Bill Haas. Harris English

Group B: Justin Rose, Jimmy Walker, Rickie Fowler, Daniel Berger

Group C: Will Wilcox, Danny Lee

SURVIVOR PICK

Last week: Mark Wilson (T22); Streak - 3

This week: Johnson Wagner - I can honestly say I never thought I would use Wagner in a format like this, but then again, I never thought he'd play as consistently well as he's played the last couple months.