This article is part of our Weekly PGA Preview series.
Is it safe to say that Patrick Reed has come full circle? It was little more than 10 months ago that Reed, after winning the WGC Cadillac Championship, made the mistake of speaking a little too frankly. When asked to opine on the state of his game, Reed famously declared, "I'm one of the top-5 players in the world." At the time there were two camps. One thought his comment was absurd. After all, how could this guy, who had hardly proven anything, claim to be one of the top-5 players in the world? The other thought even if the comment was not absurd, to say it was asinine. For the record, I was in the latter group.
Anyhow, fast forward 10 months and Reed, though still not one of the best five players in the world, has at least started to gain back some of the respect he lost early last year. His win at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions last week will only bolster his growing resume and enhance his self-image ... as if he needed any help there. Whether Reed is a top-5 player is not really essential, though. It's like the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world, fun for those on television to talk about, but in reality, meaningless. No matter his ranking, Reed is legit and if his game catches up with his confidence, then this is just the beginning.
This week: Sony Open - Waialae Country Club, Honolulu
Last Year: Jimmy Walker shot a
Is it safe to say that Patrick Reed has come full circle? It was little more than 10 months ago that Reed, after winning the WGC Cadillac Championship, made the mistake of speaking a little too frankly. When asked to opine on the state of his game, Reed famously declared, "I'm one of the top-5 players in the world." At the time there were two camps. One thought his comment was absurd. After all, how could this guy, who had hardly proven anything, claim to be one of the top-5 players in the world? The other thought even if the comment was not absurd, to say it was asinine. For the record, I was in the latter group.
Anyhow, fast forward 10 months and Reed, though still not one of the best five players in the world, has at least started to gain back some of the respect he lost early last year. His win at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions last week will only bolster his growing resume and enhance his self-image ... as if he needed any help there. Whether Reed is a top-5 player is not really essential, though. It's like the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world, fun for those on television to talk about, but in reality, meaningless. No matter his ranking, Reed is legit and if his game catches up with his confidence, then this is just the beginning.
This week: Sony Open - Waialae Country Club, Honolulu
Last Year: Jimmy Walker shot a final-round 63 on his way to a one-stroke victory over Chris Kirk.
PLAYERS TO CONSIDER
Jimmy Walker
Walker played extremely well last week and is starting to show the form that saw him win twice early last season. I'm not fond of his defending champ status, as it's difficult to go back-to-back, but Walker might be peaking again and now is the time to strike.
Charles Howell III
It's difficult to envision Howell III winning this week, but contending? That shouldn't be a problem. Howell III finished in the top 10 here the last three years and five of the past six years. A top-10 seems likely again this week.
Harris English
English is primed to have a big season and if history is any indication, that big season will start this week. English finished T4 here last year and T9 the year prior. The challenge this week, and the rest of the season, is playing well with higher expectations.
Chris Kirk
Kirk finished one-stroke back of Walker last year and there's reason to believe he'll find himself in a similar spot this year. The field at the Sony isn't loaded, so golfers like Kirk, those on the rise, can make some noise this week.
Marc Leishman
Leishman has teed it up here five times and has yet to finish outside the top 30. In fact, his worst finish was T27 in 2011. His best finish came last year when he tied for fifth.
PLAYERS TO AVOID
Mark Wilson
Wilson won here in 2011, but he's always been a streaky player and hasn't been anywhere near the top of his game for a while. There are plenty of solid options this week, and Wilson is not one of them.
Vijay Singh
Singh won this event not so long ago -- OK, so it was a decade ago -- but it's still fresh enough for some to take a chance on him this week. The fact of the matter is, he struggled at this event the last five years and likely will again this year.
J.B. Holmes
Holmes hasn't really fared all that well in Hawaii over the years. His track record here has been hit or miss, and he's coming off a missed cut. It's probably wise to wait on Holmes until he gets going in a month or two.
Johnson Wagner
Speaking of hit or miss, Wagner might be the biggest risk/reward player on the planet lately. However, there hasn't been much reward in Johnson's game. He did win here a few years back, but taking Johnson this week is akin to buying a lottery ticket.
Geoff Ogilvy
The jury is still out on Ogilvy this year, and his poor performance last week didn't do much for those who has high expectations for him this season. There's still time obviously to turn things around this season, but I doubt he finds his game this soon.
ONE AND DONE GOLFER
Last week: Geoff Ogilvy (T27) - $61,000; Season - $567,732
This week: Charles Howell III - Howell III has a shelf life of about three months each season, which means if you don't use him in prior to April, then there's no point in using him at all. Considering his track record here, this just might be the best spot to use him all year.
YAHOO PICKS
Points: 167
Rank: 34,667
This Week:
Group A: Harris English, Webb Simpson
Group B: Jimmy Walker, Charles Howell III, Chris Kirk, Marc Leishman
Group C: Sang-Moon Bae, Russell Henley
SURVIVOR PICK
Last week: NA; Streak - 1
This week: Charles Howell III - Howell III not only appears to be a safe bet to make the cut this week, but he looks like a safe bet to make the top 10.
