Winner at WGC Bridgestone Invitational

A lot of power names in this classic with Spieth, Johnson, McIlroy, Day, Matsuyama and Justin Thomas headlining amongst a star studded field. I'm going to take someone else though. I'll go with the 39 year old from Winter Park, Florida by way of the Ramblin Wreck. He played superbly at the 146th Open Championship 2 weeks ago going toe to toe with Spieth, but just got beaten by a masterful performance by the now 23 year old Texas phenom, who's looking pretty interesting heading into the 99th PGA Championship next week at Quail Hollow, N.C., a classic course. I'll take the man with the smooth swing, easy smile, and an All American personality. He finished T-3 here in 2016 shooting 66 on Sunday. DJ was the winner. Going with the Kuch to capture the championship at the Firestone South Course in Akron, Ohio.

Matt Kuchar

Like Kuch to capture the title at WGC Bridgestone

TV Times

Thursday-Friday, Golf Channel, 12:30-5:30 PM CT

Saturday-Sunday, Golf Channel 11 AM-12:30 PM CT, CBS 1-5 PM CT.   

S, winners at U.S. Women's Open, Scottish Open, John Deere

I thought S was excellent at Media Days. He said his team is younger than usual, but he likes the group a lot. I agree, I like this team a lot from the spring game.

It was an interesting A-Day game with Jalen and Tua making explosive play after explosive play. It was spectacular really. Jerry Jeudy looks like a superstar in the making at wide receiver. Najee Harris will be a super compliment to Bo Scarbrough and Damien Harris at running back. S said that Scarbrough and middle linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton are a full go for fall practice. Bo is one of the most explosive backs the Crimson Tide has ever had and that's a tremendously high bar. Can't wait to see him play. Shaun Dion is a potentially dominant player along with superstar Rashaan Evans in the middle. There are so many talented young players and some excellent veterans. Minkah Fitzpatrick is a 2017 first team All-American and high first round pick in 2018. The talent is off the charts great.

S addressed the Clemson game briefly. He's not totally over it, but he's putting it behind him and looking ahead  to Florida State on September 2nd at the new Mercedes-Benz Dome in Atlanta at 7 PM CT on ABC. A highly anticipated matchup, I like the Crimson Tide with their discipline, their physicality, their better players and better coaches. Very bullish on this group.

Brian Daboll, the new offensive coordinator, will do some spectacular things for the offense. The line will be dominant, the skilled players will be outstanding led by Calvin Ridley, Jeudy and the rejuvenated Robert Foster, though he had an accident on a dirt bike and will have to recover from that. You'll have Bo, Najee and Damien leading the running back corps. Bradley Bozeman leads the line at center, along with potential All-American left tackle Jonah Williams. Bozeman will be a highly decorated player, and a leader up front. Jalen and Tua are super quarterbacks. Jalen will start. He looks ready for a breakout year. The defense will be talented and become lock down, probably as soon as Florida State. Jeremy Pruitt is a spectacular defensive coordinator. Saban and him make quite a team coaching the defense. 

Key game at Auburn to close out the season on Saturday, Nov. 25th, which could be huge for SEC and national implications. LSU at home will be somewhat of a challenge though I like the Tide to take care of business as usual against Coach O and the Bengal Tigers at Bryant-Denny, pretty comfortably. A lot of people are building up the Florida State game, but I see the Auburn game as the toughest game of the season for the Crimson Tide. I like Bama to handle FSU and company. They aren't tough enough to go toe to toe with the Tide. Auburn is a good team, and possibly very good, so that'll be interesting. Not sure if the Tigers will implode before then, could happen, but if Gus doesn't mess it up, there is a lot of talent on this team. 

I like the Tide to be a playoff team once again and have an excellent chance to win their 5th national title in 11 years under S. S's record in his first 10 seasons in Tuscaloosa is 114-19, 86%. That is astoundingly exceptional. I like the Tide to get it done once again and win it all, barring major injuries. 

Winners in professional golf this week.

U.S. Women's Open

Trump National Golf Club, Bedminster, New Jersey, 6,732 yards, Par 72

TV: Thursday-Friday, Fox Sports 1, 1-6 PM C; Saturday-Sunday, FOX, 1-7 PM CT.

This tremendous major championship will be played at Shoal Creek here in Birmingham next year, May 31st-June 3rd, 2018.

I like the 19 year old from Canada to get the job in the 72nd Women's U.S. Open. She's already won 4 times on tour, won the 2016 Women's PGA and finished runner up a couple of weeks ago there. 

Brooke Henderson

 

Scottish Open

Dundonald LInks, 7,100 yards, Par 72

TV: Golf Channel, Thursday- Friday, 8:30 AM-12:30 PM. Saturday, Sunday, Golf Channel, 9-11:30 AM.

An important tournament as the 146th Open Championship commences next week and this is a good measuring stick for the Open, which will be played at Royal Birkdale in England, where the Open has been played 8 times with Padraig Harrington winning the last one in 2008.

I'm going with the 35 year old from Stockholm Sweden to capture the Scottish. He just won the BMW PGA Championship May 28th at the Wentworth Club in England and I see him having a great shot at the Open next week.

Alex Noren

 

John Deere Classic

TPC Deere Run, Sivis, Illinois, 7,268 yards, Par 71

TV: Thursday-Friday, Golf Channel, 3-6 PM CT; Saturday-Sunday, Golf Channel, 12-1::30 PM CT, CBS 2-5 PM CT.

Like the 29 year old from Greenwood, South Carolina to capture the Deere and be a factor at the Open next week.

Ben Martin  

The Memorial Tournament

Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio, 7,392 yards, par 72

Jack Nicklaus design, 1974

Defending champion, William McGirt, -15, won in a playoff over Jon Curran

Weather: 75-80 throughout the weekend. Tomorrow, perfect, sunny 75, wind 10-18 MPH. Chances of t-storms over the weekend, winds anywhere from 7-17 MPH.

TV: Thursday-Friday, Golf Channel, 1:30-5:30 PM CT/2:30-6:30 PM ET; Saturday, GC, 11:30 AM-1:30 PM CT/ 12:30-2:30 PM ET; CBS, 2-5 PM CT/3-6 PM ET; Sunday, GC, 11 AM-1 PM CT/12-2 PM ET, CBS, 1:30-5 PM CT/2:30-6 PM ET.

Notes, Don Wallace, the senior director of Shotlink on the PGA Tour, which is an amazing service that gives the networks the ability to show the viewer the actual distance of drives and a players exact position on the green with his exact proximity to the hole, meaning Jordan Spieth is on a green and Shotlink shows the viewers he has 31'1" to the hole. It's great stuff. Wallace said the old axiom, "Drive for show, putt for dough," is not accurate. He says it's more like "drive for dough," as the stats show players positioned well in the fairways, fare better in tournaments than players who putt well.

I think it's both. To me, driving accuracy, distance and strokes gained putting are equally the top stats in golf. But really, you have to have it all. Greens in regulation are very important, proximity to the hole, the closer you are to the hole the better chance you have or making birdie, and scrambling are critical also.

It depends on the course. At the U.S. Open, which comes up in 2 weeks at Erin Hills in Wisconsin, I would say scrambling is key as are strokes gained putting. Driving accuracy is always important. A U.S. Open is more about surviving, so saving pars is critical. Getting up and down is a major part of winning a U.S. Open. When Martin Kaymer won at the Open at Pinehurst in 2014, his "Texas wedge," his putter from off the green, was superb. Dustin, last year at Oakmont, was putting superbly, but everything was clicking. His distance is always tremendous, and like Jay Bilas, ESPN expert basketball commentator, says, "Don't let anyone kid you, size matters," and I believe that axiom applies to football that "recruiting rankings matter." Alabama's done OK with No.1 recruiting classes I'd say. So does distance in golf. Accuracy is critical as well. 

So with all that it's about putting it all together. I like the driving and putting stats the best, but greens in regulation, proximity to the hole, scrambling all matter in winning golf tournaments, especially majors. Can't wait for the one coming up. Always sensational at the United States Open, with many  heavyweights competing for that coveted major.  

Key Hole

Number 18, Par 4, 444 yards

An uphill tee shot with room in the fairway can cause problems if you over-cut it with sand to the right, a tough sand trap with a large lip on the end of it that players will have to clear on their second shot. If a player over-cooks it, he could be in the creek on the left or blocked by the trees for his second shot, so driving accuracy, with the pressure of the 72nd hole and a championship within grasp, will be a challenge off the tee. The second shot has to clear the bunker in front and needs to try and stay clear of the bunkers guarding the entire green. Long is a tough up and down from behind the green. The great one, Jack, will be waiting for the winner who can navigate this hole the best. Toughest hole on the course, and one of the more famous ones in golf. 

This week's winner:

I'm going with the 23 year old to get back into the winner's circle and shake Jack's hand on 18. He shot 65 in the final round of the Dean and Deluca last week at Fort Worth, and his greens in regulation percentage is tied for number one on the tour. He putted very well last week. His driver can be an issue at times, with accuracy causing him problems, but I like this stellar player and person to take home the trophy and be ready for Erin Hills in two weeks.

Jordan Spieth

Like Jordan to be primed for Erin Hills in 2 weeks with a victory this week at the Memorial (Photo courtesy of jordanspiethgolf.com)

Scott Limbaugh has built eliteness into the VU golf program, and they proved it over the weekend in Sea Island with more eliteness hopefully in store

True freshman John Augenstein was beyond clutch on Sunday and Monday

Vanderbilt University has made some superb hirings in the past several years. The hire of Tim Corbin in 2002 was spectacular. Tim is the best college baseball coach in the country and an institution, not only in the college game, but throughout baseball. Coach Corbin has built an phenomenal legacy at Vanderbilt. The hiring of Derek Mason by Athletics Director David Williams in 2014 is proving to be a genius move again as Derek is ready to take his Commodore football program to new heights, greater than the program's ever achieved. Two thousand seventeen looks electrically exciting for football. Commodore football is in tremendous hands. The hiring of Geoff McDonald for the women's tennis team back in the '90's has been a beyond spectacular. His program is as elite as it comes in college tennis and will be playing for its second national championship in the last 3 years in the next 2 weeks as the women's team starts NCAA tournament play. Williams' hire of Bryce Drew was superb. Bryce will have us competing for championships both in the SEC and nationally as soon as next year. The future couldn't be any brighter for Vanderbilt basketball with Bryce at the helm.

And golf has been nothing short of sensational under 5th year Coach Scott Limbaugh, who just led his amazing team to an SEC Championship at Sea Island Golf Club last weekend. The 36 year old LImbaugh got stellar play from freshman John Augenstein, who sank a birdie putt on the 20th hole to beat Florida last Sunday and win the semifinal match. Then, on top of that on Monday, the cagey freshman with all the pressure on the line, beat the Texas A&M player on the 23rd hole to help the Commodores capture their first SEC championship in the program's existence.That's some stellar stuff from John. 

But most all of the credit goes to Coach Limbaugh, the Childersburg, Alabama native, who was the lead recruiter at the University of Alabama and recruited Tide standouts Justin Thomas, Trey Mullinax, Bobby Wyatt among other, all 3 of whom are on the PGA Tour. Justin is having massive success. Alabama won the national championship in 2013 and 2014 with many of the players Limbaugh recruited. And he's continued that stellar tradition in Nashville, and that, along with his superior coaching ability, led the Commodores to the pinnacle of the SEC, the toughest conference in the country in most every sport imaginable, with the best athletes, the best competitors, the best coaches. Coach Limbaugh said he got congratulations from everybody, Tim Corbin and Bryce Drew sent texts, as did Justin Thomas and Trey Mullinax. He said the most meaningful thing though was seeing his wife Kate, his two young daughters, Malley and Annie, and his  year and a half old son, Thomas, after the team's amazing victory. Scott Limbaugh is not only a superb coach, he's an even better person. He's the personification of a Vanderbilt man. And we are fortunate and grateful to have him.

Now, while the players take a break and get ready for finals, but also get a chance to relish this phenomenal victory, Scott and I talked on Wednesday about the performance of his team last weekend, what this means for him and his program, and what lies ahead with the NCAA's, as capturing the national championship is next the next goal on the agenda for this tremendous team and their superior leader. 

DW: How's this week gone for you?

SL: "I just now started today to get my feet on the ground. Monday Night I had to hit the road recruiting, so I didn't get back till last night. But it's been overwhelming. I've had so many people reach out to me, it's awesome. All good stuff."

DW: Talk about the clutch play of John Augenstein, the clutch putt on Sunday against Florida and Monday, his play on Monday, how clutch it was.

SL: "I tell you what, it was the stuff you dream about. You talk to young kids, you try to sell'em on a vision. When we talked to John as a youngster, we sold him on doing a first time thing, and him being a crucial part of that her with him as a freshman. My gosh, the shots he made and the putt he made against Florida on the 20th hole, that was not an easy putt. It was about a cup outside on the left, fast, and he absolutely buried it. And then the final day, when Matthias lost control of his match a little bit and things started not looking as good for us as they had been, we talk all the time about, don't wait for somebody else to do the job that you can do yourself. Always know your match will matter, always know your score is going to count. Don't sit back and think somebody else is going to do the job. For us, we had a freshman. And I'll tell you what, I can't say enough about our assistant coach, Dusty Smith, the job he's done. He's been with us the whole time here and the job he's done and the development we've had with our younger players, that stuff just doesn't happen without Dusty. Dusty walked every hole with John and watched every shot this week. And obviously, the shot John hit on the 23rd hole (on Monday vs. A&M in the championship match), No.14 is the hardest hole on the course. The tour, when anybody plays there, it's the hardest hole on the course. The wind was blowing 30 off the left. You can't hit it left, you can't hit it right. The Texas A&M kid gets up there first and strikes it right down the middle. Honestly, John didn't have his A game this week, he had his A game in his heart, but he didn't have his A game because he is an absolute ball striker, and he didn't hit it that well. He won those matches on sheer resiliency and toughness and fight, because it wasn't always pretty. The one place you can't hit it on 14 is on the left, but you have just a little bit of room on the right. He hit it off a tree (off the tee) and it bounced off the cart path and I didn't think he had a shot, but I was allowing Coach Smith and John to do their thing, I just turned into a fan at that moment. I had walked the final round with Patrick (Martin, who won his match handily). The shot he hit, wind off to the left with a front left pin, it's a shot that's going to go down in our golf memory banks for a long, long time because it changed Vanderbilt golf. He hit that thing 12 feet from no man's land, and this other kid in the middle of the fairway, John had just tightened up the hole for him, and he just kind of scooped a pitching wedge short right of the green and he didn't hit a great chip. John almost made the birdie putt, left it a little short, and that kid had a par putt that was breaking about 2 feet and you just couldn't hardly make it. We were really fortunate that the ball just bounced our way that way that day, and that's just the way sports works isn't it?"

DW: How long was John's putt on Sunday, his birdie putt to beat Florida?

SL: "I'd say that was about 10 feet, downhill left to right. The boy from Florida almost made a birdie from about 15 feet, it hit the edge. John just knocked it in."

DW: Coach, what is Dusty's background?

SL: He was an All American (player) at Lamar and he was here for a year with the prior coach before I got here and honestly, when I got the job, I felt like I needed to do things to make my own program. But when my wife (Kate) and I met him we knew it was right. My wife is a former athlete, she played basketball at Alabama, and I trust her a lot in what we do here. We came up here to look at homes, and met Dusty and he just kept doing his job no matter what the future was, and he was just the right guy for me. He does an unbelievable job of relating to the players, an unbelievable job of player development, and just his and my personality work really well.

DW: Coach what are the players up to now, are they in exams?

SL: No, there is a dead period right now, their exams start Sunday or Monday and they're enjoying things right now. We've got good leadership on this team. Am I worried about our focus going forward?  Yeah I am because that's my job as a coach, because as Geoff McDonald has said to me, "Success is also adversity," and I'm well aware of that. We're getting an awful lot of pats on our back, so I kind of give them time after the SEC's, I follow the same model Coach (Jay) Seawell and I had at Alabama. There's a 3 week break between SEC's and (NCAA) Regionals and we're going to give our guys a break, to kind of catch their breath, focus on academics, and come the end of next week, it'll be time for us to reconvene and get going again. That's been our model here for my first four years here and we're not going to change that. 

DW: When is the selection Show?

SL: "It's Thursday, May 4th."

DW: Do you have any idea where we'll go?

SL: "We feel good. We moved to No.2 in the Golfstat poll which is what the NCAA uses for the regional seeding, and I would say there's an outside chance we could end the regular season No. 1 depending on how  (No.1) Southern Cal, (No.3) Oklahoma State some of those type teams do. But we feel good, and we're hopeful that we can get in the regional in Murfreesboro. Middle Tennessee is hosting it and we're hopeful we'll be able to gain the No.1 seed at that regional." 

DW: What does this mean to you personally?

SL: "Oh it's big. You sell a vision to young people and you think about it 4 1/2 to 5 years ago when we started here, the program was ranked 80th in the country and you sell a vision. I tell you the amount of support we've gotten from our athletic department, our administration has been truly nothing short of amazing. They have believed in me and what I've told them we'd have to do, what the vision I sold them on if they wanted a championship golf program. We needed a lot of things and we've had no pushback. So you're thankful to a lot of people, David Williams, and my former boss, Rod Williamson, and all of these people play integral parts in what we're doing. It was special for me. I had my wife, and my 3 little kids there. And I never thought about it being the first (SEC Championship for VU). I told Golfweek that was not a burden I carried with me, even though it's never been done. But I've done this long enough to know that knocking down that door after knocking on the door several times, was amazing. I'm just thrilled to death for our boys. Those guys on this team that bought into my vision because there was nothing that said I need to believe in him other than they just took a leap of faith in me and what we were trying to sell. And my gosh, it's such a thrill to see them hold up that trophy."

DW: Coach, that's awesome, really excited about the NCAA's but want you to enjoy this right now.

SL: "That's right. And that's the kind of mentality I've got. I'm a process guy and you want them to have the time to enjoy this one."

DW: Coach, finally, do you feel like the SEC's were really good preparation and do you feel good about the NCAA's?

SL: "Well when you look at it, David, my goodness, we had 10 of the teams in that SEC Championship ranked in the top 30. And we started the week saying, let's leave no doubts, this is our tournament, it's about us and what we need to do. We didn't just want to limp through stroke play and ease into match play. We wanted to dominate and that's what we talked about, and that's the kind of leadership our guys have, and that's the mentality we had all week. And I'm proud of that. We went into the final day of stroke play, we were in third place and our guys really dropped the hammer on the last 9 of stroke play (which we won), and any time you plant seeds like that in your competition's minds, in my opinion, it makes a huge difference. And we planted seeds in that stroke play that allowed us to really compete in every one of those matches."

Team competition at Zurich Classic in N'awlins this week on Tour

The players head to the Crescent City this week for the Zurich Classic. This year's competition is a two-man team comp with alternate shot on Thursday and Saturday and best ball on Friday and Sunday. TPC Louisiana is a 7,425 yard, par 72 layout. This is the first time the Tour has hosted a team competition since 1981 at the Walt Disney World Team Championship.

Some of the key teams are Justin Rose-Henrik Stenson, the gold and silver medalists winners respectively at the Rio Games last summer. Justin is also the 2015 champion here. Jason Day and Rickie Fowler form another formidable team. Jordan-Spieth and Ryan Palmer team up. Other key teams are Louis Oosthuizen-Branden Grace and Bubba Watson and J.B. Holmes, Brooks Koepka, who finished 2nd to Kevin Chappell last week at the Valero, shooting a 65 on Sunday, is teamed up with his brother Chase, who plays on the European Challenge Tour like Brooks did before making it on tour. A local Alabama group features former Crimson Tide players Trey Mullinax and Bobby Wyatt, members of national championship teams at the University in 2013 and 2014. 

Last week:

Spike and Walter had a superb pick in Kevin Chappell, who was victorious at the Valero Texas Open with a final round 68, and birdied 18 to capture the victory @ -12. Spike and Walter liked the way he was trending and they were correct. Walter now has 3 W's on the season and Spike is on the board. Brownie had Jimmy Walker. Walker finished -5 and tied for 13th. I picked Ryan Palmer, and he was one shot back going into Sunday and looking good, but he struggled on the front, but got it together on the back with birdies on 14, 15, and 16, but was too far back and finished -7, T-6th. Still OK with the pick.

Weather: Thursday, Sunny, 83, perfect, wind 8-10 MPH; Friday, Cloudy and breezy, 20% t-storms, wind 14-22 MPH; Saturday, 87, partly sunny, 60% T-storms in spots, wind 17-24; Sunday: 81, chance of strong t-storms, 95% chance, wind 18-28 MPH. 

TV: Thursday-Friday: Golf Channel: 2:30-5:30 PM CT/ 3:30-6;30 PM ET. Saturday-Sunday: Golf Channel, 12-1:30 PM CT/1-2:30 PM ET, CBS: 2-5 PM CT/3-6 PM ET. 

Key holes, No.15 is a 490 yard par 4 that has trees and a long bunker on the left along with trees and a waste area on the right that makes the tee shot challenging. The green doesn't have any bunkers, but runs away from the players and has slopes that make any pitches or chips difficult. Par is a great score on 15. No.17 is a 215 yard par 3 that features a pond that runs down the entire left side of the hole, so too much of a draw or an overcook puts the competitor in the water. There are bunkers on the right and the green is narrow. Par is another solid score on this hole. No. 18 is a 585 yard par 5, dogleg right. There is sand along most of the left side and water in play on the right. Pete Dye extended the water out from the right so the second shot, if the player is going for the green, is a high risk-reward with the pressure packed Sunday afternoon. There is sand in front along with mounds. So challenging finishing hole for the tandems Sunday. Sunday looks questionable weather-wise and Saturday doesn't look great. Hopefully the teams can get in 72 holes. Wind will play major factor this weekend, starting Friday.

Prediction

Going with the favorites here. They are 4-2 as a Ryder Cup pairing. They are both major winners, one at the U.S. Open in 2013, and the other at the Open Championship last year (2016). Going to ride these horses.

Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson

Going with the successful Ryder Cup team and major champions to capture the Zurich, Photo courtesy of Sky Sports, Rose left, Stenson right 

Darkhorse team

Brooks and Chase Koepka 

Like Brooks (above, photo courtesy of PGA.com) and little brother Chase (photo courtesy of Golfweek ) to challenge and possibly pull it off this week. 

 

Prelude to Augusta National, Shell Houston preview, predictions

The Shell Houston Open features an all star field this week with names like Spieth, Mickelson, Rahm, Fowler and Reed. World No.1 Dustin Johnson, who just won the Dell Match Play in Austin last week with a 1 up victory over Jon Rahm, is taking this week off. Dustin never trailed in the 112 holes he played last week at the match play. Wow. He's the best right now and certain favorite heading into the 81st Masters next week. Dustin has won all 3 events he's played in this season; the Genesis Open, the WGC-Mexico Championship, and last week at the Match Play. Talk about stellar. Through the roof good. His length is always there, he's a surprising 2nd to Rory in driving distance at 316.2. Rory leads at just over 318. Both are totally large hitters. Dustin pulled out this week from the Shell Houston due to fatigue. He'll be ready next week for "The tradition unlike any other," as Jim Nantz says of the year's classic tournament. 

This week

Shell Houston Open

Golf Club of Houston, Humble, TX, 7,441 yards, par 72

Defending champion: Jim Herman. Won in a pretty emotional way last year. Jim was emotional talking to Todd Lewis of Golf Channel after his victory. He had played in 112 tournaments before winning at Houston. He had even quit golf in 2004 to become a teaching pro. But he hung in there and kept scrapping, and his hard work paid off. The winner here if the player hasn't qualified for the Masters will get the last spot for the first major of the year.

Weather: Thursday, Sunny, windy, S 15-28 mph.

Friday: sunny, 86, 8-14 mph.

Saturday: sunny, 83, 12-17 mph.

Sunday 77, chance for severe weather, hopefully not.

Today is pretty dangerous in Houston with a severe weather alert and a chance for a tornado. Hoping that won't happen also.

TV: Thursday-Friday: Golf Channel, 3-6 PM CT, 4-7 PM ET.

Saturday-Sunday: Golf Channel, 12-2 PM CT/1-3 PM ET. NBC: 2-5 PM CT/3-6 PM ET.

Key holes

No.9, 238 yards, par 3

Lengthy par 3. Big sand traps on both the right and the left. Getting in the left side bunker with a left side pin, will lead to a difficult up and down as the player will be short sided and not have much green to work with to make par. Challenging hole.

No.15, 609 yards, par 5

Three shot hole for most players. Trees on the right and left if you draw it or cut it too much. Second shot needs to favor the right side close to a big bunker to have the best angle of attack to the green. Long green and pretty narrow and surrounded by sand. Birdie here is good and definitely attainable. Par is not terrible, though on Sunday the contenders will probably need a birdie. Herman shot 69,69, 67, 68 last year for -15 to win it.

No. 17, 487 yards, par 4

There's a fairway bunker on the left that the players will want to carry to have a good approach shot to the green. Clearing the bunker can be challenging and getting in it can be trouble because the face of it is very steep. Small green that has a fair sized bunker front left and a large bunker on the right. 

No. 18, 484 yards, par 4

This hole, to me, is one of the toughest finishing holes on the PGA Tour. It's underrated in its difficulty. A lake borders the entire left side of the hole. The tee shot challenges the player to carry as much water as possible while avoiding the large bunker on the left side of the landing area. There is a large bunker on the right that will cause the player problems if he overcooks his cut. Can't overcook the right to left drive either, or you're probably going to be out of contention. The competitor's second shot needs to avoid the water on the left and the large bunker on the right. This is quite a finishing hole. I really love this hole, which will set up for key drama on Sunday. 

Contenders

Jhonattan Vegas

I would have picked Vegas for my sleeper, but I have somebody else in mind. Vegas can win this tournament. He's long, a good putter, and won the RBC Canadian last year with some stellar golf on Sunday. The 32 year old from Venezuela has 2 career victories on tour. To go along with the 2016 Canadian, he also won at the then Bob Hope Classic in 2011 in Palm Springs, now the Humana Challenge.

Johnson Wagner 

Johnny Miller loved Wagner's mental toughness and clutch play 2 years ago when he lost to J.B. Holmes in a playoff here. The 37 year old won here in 2008 and he's a native of Amarrilo, so he knows this course well. Wagner also has won at the 2011 Mayakoba Golf Classic in Cancun, and at the 2012 Sony Open in Hawaii. 

Rickie Fowler

Won the Honda Classic a month ago and playing well. Rickie has 4 PGA Tour victories, including the 2015 Players. The 28 year old from Murrieta, California is still knocking on the door for a major, and looks primed to potentially capture one this year. There have been 12 winners on tour this season who are in their 20's. Wow, these guys are studs. Not only the 20 year olds, but the vets too. 

Jordan Spieth

The 23 year old has won 9 times on tour now, including a victory in February at Pebble Beach. Spieth is another player who is primed to win at Augusta National next week, which would be his 3rd major championship title to go along with the 2015 Masters and 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay. Like where Jordan's game is at. The competition at Augusta National next week will be major league intense. Can't wait.

Winner

I'm going with the 22 year old from Barrika, Spain by way of Arizona State University, who's making a huge statement this season as he's already won at Torrey Pines and had a masterful performance at the Match Play last week before falling  to Dustin in the finals, losing to Dustin, who was 1 up. This guy is another guy who will for sure be in the thick of things next week. I expect greatness here. I see him capturing PGA title number 2 this season and having major momentum heading into Augusta National next week.

Phil won the BellSouth Classic in 2006 at Sugarloaf, just outside Atlanta, part of his 9th all-time 42 PGA Tour wins, then the following week, moved over 2 a1/2 hours away and won at Augusta National. So there is precedent for winning the week before the Masters and then winning at Augusta National. Going with the Spaniard. 

Jon Rahm

Going with the young, en fuego Spaniard this week. Photo courtesy of Golf Digest

Darkhorse

I'm going with somewhat of a blast from the past. This 48 year old from South Africa shot 64 on the final day of the Puerto Rico Open last week to finish T-2nd, at -18, 2 back of winner D.A. Points. He's won 40 times as a professional including 7 times on the PGA Tour highlighted by the 2001 and 2004 U. S. Open titles. I like this guy to be a heavy contender this week and to possibly pull it off. 

Retief Goosen

Going with Goose to have a super chance to win here. Photo courtesy of Alchetron

The Arnie Inivitaional

Arnold Palmer Invitational

Started:1979

Bay HIll Club and Lodge, Orlando, 7,419 yards, par 72

Designed: Dick Wilson, 1961

Defending champion: Jason Day

Last week: Adam Hadwin captured the Valspar Championship in Tampa shooting -14.

Arnie passed away at 87 years old last September. "The King" won 62 PGA tour titles which included 7 majors, the 1958, '60,. '62 and '64 Masters, the 1960 U.S. Open, and the 1961 and '62 Open Championships. He tied for 2nd three times at the PGA Championship, in 1964, '68, and '70. He left an indelible mark on the game which will always be remembered. 

Weather: Sunny throughout the weekend. Thursday, 64, Friday, 72, Saturday, 78, Sunday,  77. Winds 8-15 MPH throughout the weekend with the strongest gusts on Sunday at 12-15. 

TV: Thursday-Friday: Golf Channel, 1-5 PM CT/2-6 PM ET;

Saturday-Sunday: GC, 11:30 AM-1:30 PM CT/12:30-2:30 PM ET

Saturday-Sunday: NBC: 1:30-5 PM CT/2:30-6 PM ET.

Key Holes:

No. 16 511 yards, Par 5

The beginning of a 3 hole stretch that is one of the best in golf. A sure birdie possibility and a legitimate eagle shot. The drive is tight though with trees and rough on the right and water on the left. There is a massive amount of water at Bay Hill. A narrow, but long green is guarded by water on the left for errant pulls, and sand on the right. It's a pretty tight landing area for a player's approach, which is usually his second shot.

No. 17, 221 yards, Par 3

This is a good birdie opportunity as well, but can be treacherous too, and lead to an implosion for a contender on Sunday if he makes a mistake. A long tee shot from an elevated tee to a green that's surrounded by water on 3 sides with bunkers protecting the right side. The green is small by Bay HIll standards. While it can lead to birdies, it can also lead to 3 putt bogeys. If the player hits it into the massive trap in front of the green, he'll do well to get it up and down and avoid bogey. This hole will be high drama and pressure packed on Sunday and lead to one of the marquee holes in golf.

No. 18, 458 yards, Par 4

The hole looks pretty straightforward from the scorecard, but it' anything but that. It's a blind tee shot to a pretty wide fairway, so that's pretty doable. But the 2nd shot has an extremely high degree of difficulty. The large, wide green is fronted by rocks and a substantial lake that will require a long carry to get the ball to the right half of the green where the pin will be placed up front on Sunday. The bunkers on the left are for the pull hooks and the water and rocks in front of the green make for a highly difficult, precise shot by the pros to get it in birdeable range. There will be some serious electricity and excitement at the 18th on Sunday. I know the players will be sorry Arnie can't greet them at the end of their rounds, but he'll be there in spirit. Will be epic.

Winner

I'm going with the 27 year old from Salt Lake City to get it done at Bay Hill. I picked him earlier this year, I'm pretty sure at Torrey Pines, and it didn't work out, but I really believe in him as a possible elite player. He finished 5th last week at the Valspar Championship shooting a 64 on Sunday. He's long, and a tremendous putter. Like the young guy, who won the 2016 Puerto Rico Open, his only tour victory, to earn a huge victory at Arnie's place.

Tony Finau 

Like the driver and the putter both to be working for Tony this week

Vanderbilt basketball has tremendous postseason opportunity, baseball, football, men's golf, women's tennis

Our Vanderbilt basketball team finished the season 19-15 after beating A&M and Florida in the SEC tournament, both teams for the third time. With those key victories, and a key victory on the road over Arkansas, and a strength of schedule that was No.1 in the country overall, the committee awarded us with a well deserved 9th seed in the West Regional of the NCAA Tournament.

We will play 8th seeded Northwestern in Salt Lake City, Thursday at 3:30 PM CT/4:30 PM ET on WTBS, which is channel 247 on DirecTV and channel 780 on Charter Spectrum. 

This is a classic matchup of two very elite academic schools that have done pretty darn well at sports. Interestingly though, this is Northwestern's first tournament appearance in its history. Northwestern has been playing basketball since 1904, 111 years. The NCAA tournament is in its 79th year. So, it's a huge deal for the Wildcats. But it's just as big of a deal for us.

Northwestern finished their season at 23-11 overall and 10-8 in the BIg Ten. They lost to highly seeded NCAA tournament teams Butler and Notre Dame in their pre-conference season. But both games were close. They lost to Butler, the No.4 seed in the South, 70-68 in Indianapolis. They lost to Notre Dame in Brooklyn at a preseason tournament, 70-66. Notre Dame is the 5th seed in the West Regional. They have a road win over Wisconsin, then ranked 7th in the country at the time and an 8 seed in the tournament in the East, 66-59. They also defeated Michigan at home on March 1st, 67-65, on an electric full court heave and score at the buzzer. Michigan just won the Big Ten tournament and is a 7 seed, which seems a little low, but the committee seems to value the regular season and the early tournament games more than the final games.

The Wildcats reached the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament in D. C. with victories over Rutgers, and a 72-64 upset victory over No.25 Maryland in the quarters. Maryland is a 6 seed in the West. The Wildcats lost to Wisconsin in the semis, 76-48, but I suspect, much like us, they were out of gas by that point.

The Wildcats are led in scoring by 6'3", 185 junior guard Bryant McIntosh, who averaged 14.4 ppg. and 6'5", small forward Scottie Lindsey, a junior, who averaged 14.2 per game. Their other double figure scorer is 6'7", 205 redshirt sophomore forward Vic Law, who averaged 12.4 ppg. Six-foot-8, 235 pound sophomore center Dererk Pardon averaged 8.5 points and 8 rebounds. 

They averaged  71 points a game and held opponents to 65 ppg. They out-rebounded opponents 36.2-35.4. They averaged 15 assists on the season against 10.5 turnovers. They shot 44% from the field, 34% from 3, and 75% from the line.

They have a good mix of veterans and younger players and their players are all experienced. We have our work cut out for us to win this ballgame. But we can absolutely win it. 

We averaged 71 points and gave up 68. We shot 43% from the field and 38% from 3. We also shot 78% from the stripe, which is outstanding. We averaged roughly 35 rebounds per game. MFD led us in scoring at 13.6 ppg. Luke was next at 13.2, Jeff was at 11 ppg, and Riley averaged 10.5. Riley was so good at the end of the season, and really all year. He shot 49 percent from 3 for the year, 68-for-138, that's outrageously good. He also led us at the stripe at 87%. Luke shot 85%, MFD shot 82% and JRobe shot 79%. We're outstanding from the stripe and from deep.

Nolan Cressler, Joe Toye and Payton Willis were very valuable players for us too. Djerry Baptiste and Clevon Brown will be very valuable pieces for us underneath in the postseason as well. They're both going to be very good players for us, and they need to step up for us now. Djerry can really help Luke out and Clevon can help Jeff out with some valuable minutes off the bench.

The keys to victory against Northwestern are, first, sinking several 3's. I don't want to put an absolute number on it, but 8 or better would help a lot. We have to hold our own on the glass with Luke, Jeff, Joe and our guards boarding well. We need to take care of the ball like we've done such a better job at the end of this season. We need to get some turnovers ourselves. We need to drive and score, which Nolan, Riley and Joe have been so good at and MFD can do. We need to pass it well to set up shooters and get some more backdoor scores, and we of course need to defend well. Keep them at 40% or less from the field and 34% or less from trifecta.

If we do all or  most of these things well, particularly shooting, defense and the glass, we'll move on and face the Gonzaga- South Dakota State winner on Saturday. Gonzaga is a prohibitive favorite in that game which tips off at 1 PM CT/2 PM ET in Salt Lake City on TBS.

So gigantic opportunity for our talented team that has improved so much throughout the season and is playing their best basketball right now, which is what you want. So can't wait.

Here is the video of the team's reaction to the NCAA announcement yesterday on CBS. It's pretty electric. 

***NOTE, This is from an email I sent out last night after the Northwestern game, Olivier Sarr is our 4 star 6'11', 225 recruit who we are pursuing intensely. I spelled Olivier's name Oliver. Apologize for the error. 

Baseball splits a doubleheader

Our No. 25 baseball team is now 11-6 on the season after splitting a doubleheader with St. Mary's yesterday, losing the first game 5-1, but winning the second game, 9-1. In the first game, Patrick Raby pitched a beauty of a game, but didn't get enough offensive help, hardly any, and had a couple of miscues in the field that didn't help either. Raby went 8.2 innings, throwing 118 pitches with 80 for strikes against 38 balls, an outstanding strike-ball ratio. Patrick gave up 6 hits, 5 runs, 3 earned, with 1 walk and 11 K's. Tough luck loss for Patrick, but like where he's at.

In the second game, the bats came alive and we got another stellar outing from freshman Drake Fellows. Jeren Kendall was 2-for-3 with a stolen base, his fifth, and three runs scored. Julian Infante was 2-for-2 with a ribbie and two runs scored. Third baseman Will Toffey was 2-for-4 with 4 Ribeyes, including a three-run triple. Super work by Will. Ro Coleman was 3-for-4 at the plate. 

Fellows went 8, throwing 101 pitches, 69 for strikes against 32 balls, an over 2 to 1 strike-ball ratio, so he was outstanding. Drake gave up 2 hits, one run, which was unearned, walked none and struck out 8. Reed Hayes finished it off in the 9th giving up a hit, no runs with a K. Drake moved t0 3-0 on the season and he now has  a 1.00 ERA, which is superb. Raby has a 1.40 ERA and he's now 2-2.

Infante is leading us in hitting at .359. Ro is next at .311. We're playing better, but need to brush up on our fielding. We've committed 22 errors in 17 games. That improvement will happen as we keep developing this season. We're always good in the field and we've got good defensive players, good players period.

Corbs seemed OK with the split. It was hard to hear him in his interview because Born in the USA was blasting out of the speakers at Hawkins Field. Good song, but the volume was intense. He liked the efforts and performances of Raby and Fellows and thought we got it going pretty well with the bats in the second game as we had 12 hits. Overall, he's cautiously optimistic about his team. That's my read on his thoughts. 

Next up is Western Kentucky tomorrow @ home, 4:30 PM CT. SEC Network+ will carry the game. Then we open the conference season @ Ole Miss with a weekend set. Friday's first pitch is at 7 PM CT, Saturday's game starts at 1:30 PM CT, and Sunday's game starts at 3 PM CT and will be televised by the SEC Network. Should be pretty electric  as we get into the conference schedule.

MLB guys

Some super news; Pedro got picked up by the Orioles on a minor league contract, meaning he'll not start out on the 40 man roster this spring but can get on the team with a good performance during March in the Grapefruit League. There is talk that Baltimore will try Pedro out in the outfield some, and then, when he makes the team, use him out there and at first some to spell starter Chris Davis. Pedro had a good year for the Birds last year, so I'm glad they picked him up again. He has been working out on his own and with a coach on his outfield skills and Pedro is an awesome athlete, so I see him getting the outfield down. He can really play some first, so I'd like to see him still get a shot there, too. His bat is too good not to be in the lineup frequently. I expect Pedro to be an Oriole when the season starts April 3rd. 

Mike Minor could be in the KC  Royals' rotation this season. I thought Mike looked good in the minors, and his stuff is ML:B starting material. David Price got a scare when his throwing elbow was having a lot of discomfort a couple of weeks ago. But Dave got it checked out and he's OK, and will be ready when the Red Sox open the season in April. ***Note, 3-17, David looks like he'll start on the 15 day DL, so we'll have to wait to see David start his 2017 season. No major injury though which is the good news. David will be back probably late April.

Sonny has been injured a little for the A's, some sort of lat issue, but he should be fine for the season. Dansby has had a little back problem, but he'll be ready when the Braves open the season. Braves are really building for the future. If they play .500 ball this season, that would be good, and get them ready for a big 2018 at their new stadium, SunTrust Park in Cobb County, which opens this season. Should be awesome.

And I expect Carson Fulmer to be a starter for the White Sox. I'm saying very likely this season.

There will be some other guys who might be in the big leagues this year. Ryan Flaherty should be back with the Orioles. Will keep you posted.  

Football

Sorry I'm late to report this but better late than never and certainly in this case. Alex Stump, a 2015 4 star wide receiver, has transferred to Vanderbilt from Ohio State. Alex is 6'3", 210, and his film in high school is superb. He played a game last year for the Buckeyes and caught a pass for 8 yards. But watching his high school film shows me that Alex is going to be exceptional for us. He will have to sit out this year, but will be eligible in 2018 and 2019. That's good news because we'll be losing C.J. Duncan, Trent Sherfield and Caleb Scott after this season. We have some young studs on the perimeter in Kalija Lipscomb and Donaven Tennyson, and we have some freshmen studs coming in, 6'4", 212 Chris Pierce and 6'3", 200 James Bostic. And with Jared Pinkney and Sam Dobbs at tight end, we should have some good weapons on offense in 2018 as well. But 2017 is here and we've got Duncan, Sherfield and Scott set for big senior seasons.

I spoke with Offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig about 3 weeks ago, but have decided to wait until after spring practice is over and talk to him then, so he'll have a better handle on how the offense looks coming out of spring. We are having a Spring Showcase instead of a Spring game this year. It will be held Saturday, March 25th at 10 AM in Vanderbilt Stadium. In the past we've done kind of a goofy offense versus defense format, and coach Mason wants to get more out of the workout. So we will practice and do some scrimmaging. Excited to see what this team can do in 2017. We have a lot of good players back, and should be stellar on both sides of the ball. Hopefully, we'll keep improving in special teams too. We open the season Saturday, Sept. 2nd on the road against Middle Tennessee, in Murfreesboro. No time or TV yet. We play Alabama A&M at home, Kansas State at home and then open the SEC schedule at home against Alabama. Will be tough, but I just say bring it on. I have confidence in our coaches and our players.

We'll also play @ Florida, @ Ole Miss, @ South Carolina and @ Tennessee. We'll have home games against Georgia, Western Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee. If things go right, we'll go 8-4, though we want to win'em all. 

Here are highlights of Alex Stump. We're going to like him. 

Alex Stump

Men's Golf

The No.1 Men's Golf team will be in Statesboro, Georgia this weekend playing at the Schenkel Invitational. No.2 Florida will also play with a host of other teams including Kentucky, North Carolina State, Notre Dame and UAB, Should be super competition for the team as they keep matriculating towards the SEC and NCAA Tournaments. The SEC Tournament will be held in Sea Island April 21-24. 

We won this event last year as Will Gordon shot a 63 on the final day and we finished -41 to win by 10 shots over second place finisher Wake Forest. Matthias Schwab, Patrick Martin, Will and company will have to play well as we face a tough field led by Florida. Note***Matthias is playing in the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week. He is close to making the cut. Matthias earned the exemption by getting the sportsmanship award handed out by the tournament. Great stuff for Matthias.

PGA guys

In the pros, Luke List finished tied for 27th at the Valspar Championship yesterday, shooting -2 for the tournament. Adam Hadwin won at -14. Luke is now 21st in the Fed Ex Standings so in really good shape, and with a victory before the Masters, Luke will get in the Masters. So you never know and Luke's been playing better this year after starting off the season really well at the end of 2016. Brandt is 35th in the standings and both Brandt and Luke will play this weekend at the Arnie Invitational at Bay Hill. Jon Curran is not playing and stands 154 in the standings, so he has work to do. The top 125 qualify for the 2017-18 season, and there is a lot of golf left, so several opportunities to make up ground. Luke plays all the time, Brandt plays a lot for a star on the tour, and Jon probably needs to pick up the workload to get back to relevance on the Fed Ex list.

Women's Tennis

The No.10  women kept the machine rolling this weekend with a 5-2 victory over No. 23 Ole Miss. We improved to 9-4 overall and 4-0 in the SEC. That's outstanding. We won the doubles, and in singles, No.5 Astra Sharma got her 80th career victory at Vanderbilt, and Georgina Sellyn, Fernanda Contreras and Emily Smith all won. 

Next up, we'll be on the road @ No. 20 Kentucky 4 PM CT this Saturday.

Another state championship for Bucky and the Spartans

The great Trendon Watford was spectacular this season and in the championship game

In 1998, first year coach Mountain Brook basketball coach Mark Cornelius made the declaration to the Mountain Brook basketball boosters that Mountain Brook would win a state championship in basketball. He was almost laughed out of the building. But Cornelius got the Spartans close in 2001 with a Final Four Appearance led by one of the most talented and decorated players in Spartans basketball history, Bucky McMillan.

And McMillan made Cornelius's prophecy a reality in 2013, when the Spartans won their first state championship in program history. Bucky followed that up with another state title in 2014, and added to that with another blue trophy last Saturday Night at the Legacy Arena in B'ham. Three state titles in 5 years, the latest in Class 7A after 2 championships in Class 6A. Well done, Coach. McMillan just completed his 10th season, and has created a dynasty in Alabama basketball. It's come through a tremendous work ethic that permeates from him to his players, an unwavering belief, clutch play by some incredibly hard working, talented players who have come through the program in Bucky's 9 years, and an integrity that encapsulates the essence of the program.

Bucky's 2017 Spartans team just finished a 31-5 season with a 63-43 victory over the Auburn Tigers in the championship game. The sensational Trendon Watford led the team with 26 points and added 11 boards in a phenomenal performance. Just as spectacular was the play of junior guard Sean Elmore, who sank 5-of-8 trifectas and finished with 17. Always reliable senior Ben McCool finished with 10 points including 6-of-6 from the stripe. The Spartans shot 51% for the game, were 7-for-17 from 3, and were 12-of-16 from the line. And their stifling, full court defense led to 19 Tigers' turnovers. Elmore and super freshman Paulie Stramaglia led the team with 3 steals apiece. 

It helps to have a 5-star player who everybody will be after this summer in Watford, but McMillan called it a complete effort by the entire team. As for Trendon, John Calipari has already been down to see him practice.  Duke, Kansas, UNC, you name it, they all want Trendon, who averaged 23 points and 10 boards a game this season.. He is a legacy type player for a program, both in high school and college, and when he goes, the next level after that. And Bucky possibly has two more years with the 6'8" sophomore. 

So it's all exceptional for the Mountain Brook High School basketball program. Bucky McMillan, the star player from Mountain Brook and Birmingham-Southern, where he was an all conference player and an academic All-American, has made this all possible. 

I spoke with Bucky on Monday. Here is my conversation with the 33 year old star in high school basketball coaching. 

DW: Has it been a whirlwind the past couple of days?

Bucky: We were celebrating till 6 AM (on Sunday) after the championship. Didn't sleep much. I'm as happy as I felt when we won the first one. This group of guys had never been down there before. Our first one was obviously great because we hadn't won it. Then again in 2014,  a lot of guys had been there. And we didn't win it in 2015, but most of those guys were on the '14 team. We've been to 4 of the past 5 state championship games and no player on our team had currently been to the Final Four. They were 10th graders on the team then (and on the JV). So I'm really really happy for those guys, because it's a new experience, a new team. It was a big deal for those guys.

DW: You had a young group this year. 

Bucky: We had 5 seniors this year, but the thing is this, our top 7 guys, who were leading us in minutes, you had 1 freshman, 3 sophomores, 2 juniors and 1 senior in Ben McCool. And then you have some seniors who played very important roles. With the way we play, a player may only get in for 3 minutes, but you're playing some type of role and every senior had some type of role that was important. But I don't know if we've ever had that many guys that young who have played for us. I think of the 7A schools, no other school had young guys that played that many minutes. 

DW: Paulie Stramaglia was your freshman correct and wasn't Mario, his older brother, a heckuva player?

Bucky: Yes, Paulie was my freshman and Mario (his older brother is Mountain Brook's all time leading scorer. He was a really good player.

DW: Was he there before you were there?

Bucky: No he was there my first year, his first year on the varsity was as a 9th grader.

DW: Did he play anywhere in college?

Bucky: He played at East Tennessee State and transferred to West Florida, and this year was his last year. He got married last June, so he wrapped it up there. He's going to do something with his dad's real estate stuff. I think they're going to expand it and do something out in Las Vegas. That's where his wife is from and I think he'll definitely move out there this summer is what I'm hearing.

DW: You said you had Ben McCool who played quite a bit. Who were your other seniors?

Bucky: Jack Brewster. His brother, Will, played for me and won state championships in 2013 and 2014. Jackson Lightfoot, Sam Colvin and Jeb Brown were the other three.

DW: Are any state titles more important than the other, or how does that compute with you?

Bucky: You can't say one is more important. But the thing that computes with me the most is guys getting to have that experience. And like I said, it was great for those seniors in 2014, and we won it 2013, and a lot of them were on that team were juniors and they had been there twice. Then in 2015 (when Mountain Brook made the state championship game losing to Hoover), even though we didn't win it, they got to play in the last game on the last day,  the guys from 2014 team. So there were no players on this team that have been to that environment. It just made me so happy for them that they got to experience that. To win it all with completely new guys, it's a good thing for your program.

We won it in 2013 over Sparkman, in 2014 we beat Blount, in 2015 we lost to Hoover (in the title game, and last year we got knocked out in Jacksonville at the buzzer to Gadsden City.  This year we beat Gadsden by one point (1st game at Jax Regional) and this run is so similar to our 2013 run. It seemed like our first team in Jacksonville would find a way to win even though we weren't making a lot of shots. Just kind of gritted one out and won by a point, and that's exactly what we did in 2013. We beat Clay in a really close, gritty game, and we played one of our best games of the year vs Huffman in this year's regional semifinal and that's exactly what happened in 2013 when we beat (R.E.) Lee to advance to the final game. The first game in the Final Four (this year), we played McGill (Toolen, Mobile) and it was a defensive game. We held them to 21% shooting from the field, but we had some nervous turnovers. In 2013 we played Blount. And we played Sparkman in the championship game in 2013 and had one of our best games of the year and that's exactly what happened this year when we played one of our best fourth quarters against Auburn. It was a great way to end your season with maybe your best quarter. And all 13 players were used in that game throughout the game. I think this team doesn't get enough credit because everybody says, 'Well, you've got a good 10th grader (Trendon),' and I don't think he gets enough credit. You got Trendon Watford, who's an incredible player, he's awesome, and he can't even drive. Trendon was going to Mountain Brook Junior High last year. Paulie Stramaglia goes to Mountain Brook Junior High. And our other players don't get enough credit because they contributed in a great way with their roles.

DW: What makes Trendon so special?

Bucky: The thing that I just love is Trendon is just Trendon. He doesn't want to be somebody else. He's always himself and he's very comfortable with who he is, and he's a complete team player. At the first round of the regionals, he had a dislocated finger and he went 6-for-20 from the free throw line. it's the worst I've ever seen him shoot the basketball. It was not one of his best games because he was playing hurt. But I've never seen him so happy because our team advanced. He's happy when the team does well and it doesn't matter if he plays well or not. He never takes a bad shot. Trendon can score 40 points a game. He scored 26 in that last game and I've seen him score 20 and he never forces a bad shot, he always passes to the open man and he gets the ball where it needs to be. He just plays basketball. And if the team wins by 20 and he scores 25 and the players around him played well, he's happy. It's just how so unselfish he is and how high character he is. It's just a joy to see a 5 star player that way.

DW: Was his dislocated finger against Gadsden City in Jacksonville?

Bucky, Yeah, he dislocated it in the area championship before and he had it all taped up, and it really affected his shooting. And his free throw shooting was really affected. He went with it. The good thing about it was that after the first round game (in the regional) we had a 6 day period before the next game against Huffman in the final, and it got stiffer, but much better.

DW: Sean Elmore sure made a contribution on Saturday.

Bucky: He's been one of our best players all year long. I mentioned this to everybody, Sean is the most competitive player on our team, and that's what makes him so different. When I think about the best competitors who played for Mountain Brook and had the greatest success, they've been the greatest competitors. I always tell our players, I'm not going to always play our best basketball players, but I'm always going to play our best competitors. The guy that refuses to lose. And through our history, those guys are Patrick Keim, Jack Kline, Alex Peters, and I can just go on and on about these guys that just couldn't stand to lose. To add to that list, I'll be talking about Sean Elmore, who's just a junior, but I'll be talking about him for 10 or 15 years because every practice, every drill, his team always wins. Every time we scrimmage, his team always wins. It's that Michael Jordan thing where every time he comes to practice, he makes sure everybody knows that you can't beat him. His intensity is on another level because he takes no days off. And I'll tell you this, on game day, my players like having him on their side.

DW: So Keim, Kline and Peters were your other great competitors?

Bucky: There were so many guys on that '13 team who were great competitors. I'd say Keim and Kline are the ones that come to mind because Keim went on to play at Auburn and Kline is at UAH playing. Patrick (Keim) was captain of the 2013 and 2014 teams, and Klein was on the team in 2014 and was the captain of the 2015 and 2016 teams. So I tell people we won our first one with Patrick as captain of the team and then he showed Jack Kline the way. And Sean Elmore was transitioned by Jack last year, when he was a sophomore on the team. The guys that are coming up now, Sean will do that. That's the great part of our program. Not just our team, but the program. We have a culture to it. When the players graduate, they're still always a part of our program and it carries on. Our program starts in the first grade and it carries on to make sure all players are part of our culture. It's great to do what we've done, but nothing makes me happier to look up in the Civic Center and see 10,000 people there. That's a culture.

DW: You have a program where everybody has bought in.

Bucky: I tell our guys in May for tryouts, that this is not for everybody, this is for guys that want to do something extraordinary. Guys who want to put extra time in, they want to practice over the holidays, belong to something greater than themselves. You may not get to play a lot of minutes, but that's what this is for. And if you don't want to do this, it doesn't mean you're not a nice guy, it doesn't mean you're not a good person, it doesn't mean you can't do great things in other areas. But I've told this group this year, the guys that go on, they're all high achievers.

DW: Will Trendon be able to stick around Mountain Brook for two more years?

Bucky: That's kind of like asking a highly talented kid when he goes to college, if he's going to finish all 4 years of college without going to the NBA. I will say this, I've known Trendon since he was 5 years old. The people that he's been around at our school and the high achievers that he's around every day, and I know I'm so biased to our school, but it is so unique in and of itself. We have the best teachers, the best administrators, we have great coaches in our program, great people surrounding our program. So for there to be something out there appealing, it would have to be so special that everybody would understand because he's a very special player who everybody is after.

DW: What about Kentucky, Kansas, Duke, are they all coming after him?

Bucky: Oh yeah, everybody is on him. He can go to any school he wants. John Calipari was there in October watching him practice. 

DW: Does he like Indiana, I know his brother went there? Christian, now playing in the D League of the NBA after a stellar college career at IU and prior to that a stellar career at Shades Valley.

Bucky: He likes them all. He'll be one of these guys who goes through the whole process and he won't be committing early. He's one of these guys who game will translate to the next level. He's like a 6'8" guy who takes people outside and he has the skills of a point guard. You can always rely on skills, you can't always rely on size. 

DW: So he's a good 3 point shooter as well?

Bucky: He's really good. Nearly 40 percent from 3.

note: Trendon is a 67% shooter from the free throw line. 

DW: What did you think of John Calipari?

Bucky: He's one of the most personable guys you'd ever want to meet. He makes you feel like you're the most important person in the room and it's all genuine. He gets shots taken at him because he's the best. But you ask DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe, who played for him and are standouts in the NBA (Bledsoe with the Phoenix Suns and cousins with the New Orleans Pelicans), and they'll tell you they didn't always like it, but they couldn't appreciate him more. He's a super guy.

DW: What about this team returning? Looks like you'll have a lot of talent.  

Bucky: We do. This year we were an underdog. Some people forget that this run we're on is not the norm. We won in 2013, 2014 and then we lost the championship game, and people were like, "why didn't we win it." But that the average age of this team was 16 years old and people still thought we were going to do it. We don't have expectations. We come in and our 3 goals are, we want to be the hardest working and hardest playing team, we want to be the most unselfish team we can be and nobody care who gets the credit. And the third thing is that our team plays with confidence, we're fearless. After we've done that and somebody beats us, we'll shake their hand and say good luck. A sign of a true champion is champions win championships. It was great to see those guys celebrate.

DW: You had a great crowd out there supporting your team in the title game. Talk about that.

Bucky: It was awesome. I got so many texts, so many people were so happy. The players don't know their impact on so many people. Nobody could have imagined Mountain Brook, back in 1998 when Mark Cornelius said we were going to win a state championship, that we'd win 3 state championships in 5 years, go to 4 of the last 5 state championship games, and be ranked in the top 25 in the country at one time. And it's such an inspiration to people to see this was possible. 

DW, Finally, Bucky, what about your future? I know you're pretty happy right now and don't want to think about it. But do you want to get in the college game?

Bucky:  I really don't know what I want to do. I would never say I'm not going to college. But here's my general philosophy on this, if I went to college I wouldn't be content unless I was at a school that could win the whole thing. That's a long journey. A really long journey. Let's say I go on that journey, and it's a 30-35 year journey, I could come back and say I did it. But it's not like here. In college you have I12 guys on your roster. I have 2,000 starting in kindergarten. And if I go through my life and do that, where did my life go? I worked for 100,000 kids, I'll know I've had an impact that would carry on. Whereas,  I don't know if that can be said for coaching in college. Maybe I got a lot of fame and recognition, and sure it impacted some, but the impact you can have for kids for 10-14 years is probably greater than the impact you can have for 1 to 4 years. So for me to make that jump, it would have to be such a special opportunity where I felt my impact would be tremendous. 

DW: Would it be from Mountain Brook to Alabama, Auburn, would  that be the leap, or would you have to go the assistant route? How would you handle that?

Bucky: I've had some opportunities to go be an assistant. To go in a manner where the journey would be much shorter, taking a good head job or being a high level assistant, you would need to be in a position where your journey would be short. That  would be what I would want. But they're are not many people who felt they've lived a more fulfilling commitment than that of high school coaches. 

DW: So do you see yourself as the Mountain Brook coach for the forseeable future?

Bucky: I'll say this, if I am the coach of Mountain Brook for a long time, I can never see myself saying I would ever regret being the coach at Mountain Brook. 

 

Prediction for Valspar Championship on PGA Tour

Innisbrook Resort, Copperhead Course, Tampa, 7,340 yards, par 71

Last year's winner: Charl Schwartzel

Last week: Dustin Johnson put on a clinic winning at the WGC-Mexico Championship. Dustin hit a superb clutch approach shot out of the sand with a highly difficult stance on 18 and two putted to win by a shot. Dustin is certainly on fire.

My man Walt Pittman picked Dustin last week and at Riviera in the Genesis Open before that. Great work, Walt. Bama Golf and I got Jordan Spieth right at Pebble and Walt and I got it right at Riviera in the Genesis Open with Dustin.

 Brownie, Spike and G- Logic are still researching and developing to get over the top, but they're all three highly knowledgable and good players. They'll get it done soon.

Key holes: The Snake Pit, Holes 16, 17 and 18.

TV: Thursday-Friday, Golf Channel, 2-5 PM CT/3-6 PM ET; Saturday-Sunday, GC, 12-2 PM CT/1-3 PM ET. NBC, 2-5 PM CT/3-6 PM ET.

Prediction

I'm going with the hero from the 2016 Ryder Cup. He was in an epic playoff duel with Jordan 2 years where both hit clutch shot after clutch shot, until Spieth finally canned a 24 footer to win it in the playoff. He's totally clutch. I like him a lot this week.

Patrick Reed

SEC Tournament Championship game Prediction

Going with the No.1 seed, Cal and the 'Cats, over the No.2 seeded Florida Gators. Noon, Sunday on ESPN.

Kentucky 78, Florida 74

Like Cal and his team to excel again in the SEC tourney at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

A preview of the stellar spring sports landscape coming up, Mexico Championship pick

Golf season is in full bore mode now, with several 20 somethings dominating the circuit, but with some younger vets like Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler winning the past two weeks, D.J. at Riviera and Rickie at the Honda in Miami this past weekend. This week the tour alights in Mexico City for the WGC-Mexico Championship. This is a big time tournament usually played at Trump National Doral, but with POTUS's comments last year on the Wall, the Tour didn't take that very well, and moved the site. Kind of a shame that the players can't compete at the Blue Monster and that epic 18th hole, but maybe it'll come back and Club de Golf Chapultepec looks like an interesting, scenic venue with 50 of the top players in the world. I will have my prediction at the bottom of this column.

The Arnie is coming up, and the majestic 81st Masters is just over a month away. The Players will be in May at TPC Sawgrass, the 117th playing of the U.S. Open in June will take place at Erin Hills in Wisconsin, about 35 miles outside of Milwaukee. Erin Hills has never hosted a major, but has hosted the 2011 U.S. Amateur, won by Kelly Kraft, who is making a move on the tour now. The 146th Open Championship in July will be played at Royal Birkdale in England, which has hosted the Open 10 times, the last won in 2008 won by Padraig Harrington. The 98th PGA Championship will be played at famed Quail Hollow Golf Club in Charlotte, N.C. which has never hosted a major, but is a classic venue and has hosted the Wells Fargo Championship, a regular event on the tour, for many years.

Will Jordan Spieth recapture the magic like he looks like he very well could? Will D.J, win a second major? With his length, Augusta National looks possible. Will Jason Day get his momentum back from two years ago? He certainly has that eliteness about him that allows him to win at any of  the four majors. How will Rory come back from his rib injury?  If he can, he wants the Masters to complete the career grand slam and win his 5th major title at 27 years old. Then there are guys like Rickie, Sneds, and others trying to capture their first major. Two guys you might call, as John Feinstein labeled those kind of players in his book, The Majors, "Best Players not to have won a major." Henrik, Justin Rose, Jimmy Walker, the list goes on, all of them have captured a major title with Rose winning the U.S. Open in 2013 and Henrik and Walker both winning majors last year, Henrik at the Open Championship and Walker at the PGA. And, of course, Justin Thomas and Hideki Matsuyama are banging on the door to win not just one major, but multiple majors. Both are chomping at the bit to don the Green Jacket in Butler's Cabin on Sunday, April 9th.

So a lot of extraordinary storylines heading into the heart of the season. Will have major coverage the rest of what looks like an electric season.

March Madness

The great Frank Mason III and Kansas look formidable

Can Cal and the Cats have some magic in March and capture their second national championship since 2012 and their 9th overall

This is such a sensational time of year in sports, and college basketball is at its best right now with the historically good NCAA tournament coming up. It's a pretty top heavy field this year with quite a few exceptional teams having a shot of cutting down the nets in Phoenix on Monday, April 3rd.

The four teams that really stick out to me right now are North Carolina, with their tremendous length under the basket, their ability to rebound, and their always prolific offensive ability. If they can defend well, they could very well be cutting down the nylon. Kansas is a superb team, led by All American guards Frank Mason III and Devonte Graham and superstar freshman small forward Josh Jackson.  Villanova is superb again and going for back to back national titles, which would be the first time since Florida accomplished that under Billy Donovan in '06-'07. And I'm starting to get bullish on Kentucky. They're putting it together and with all that Parade All American talent, they're in the mix every year. They are peaking well.

But there are other teams that have a good shot at the national title and certainly the Final Four. Duke, Louisville, Baylor are all outstanding, UCLA and Oregon have super teams, Zona is very good. I'm not as big on the Big Ten teams this season. Virginia lost a lot off last year's team, but the way the play defense gives them a chance to make a run. I like Syracuse a lot, too, and Va Tech has a good squad that could knock some people off. Wisconsin and Purdue look like the best teams in the Big Ten, but not good enough to make the Final Four. Michigan State will be competitive, but they've been really hampered by injuries, so this is not their year. Wichita State has another really good team under Greg Marshall that can go some distance. 

For SEC Cinderellas, I like Florida to do really well with a shot to make it to the Final Four. They're excellent. I see South Carolina making some noise and being a second weekend team. Arkansas is up and down, but pretty darn good when they're up. Vanderbilt is in right now, according to Joe Lunardi, ESPN bracketologist, but they've got work to do. They have a huge game at home against Florida on Saturday, which they have to have, and then they'll need to win at least 2 games in the SEC tournament to get invited to the Big Dance. They have the No.1 non-conference strength of schedule and No.2 strength of schedule overall with victories on the road over Florida and Arkansas, and South Carolina at home, so it's a pretty good resume. But the Dores have work to do. 

For real Cinderellas, Middle Tennessee State has a really good team as does Monmouth. 

Will have my bracket out the Monday after Selection Sunday, which is March 12th. 

NBA

Can Kawhi Leonard (above) dethrone LeBron, and outlast Steph and KD in the postseason

I watched a superb game last night in the National Basketball Association as the Celtics defeated the Cavs, 103-99, at the "Gaaden," in Boston. I saw one of the best defensive players I've seen in a long time in Avery Bradley. Bradley was like stickem on Kyrie Irving, one of the most prolific offensive players in the NBA along with Steph, Bron, KD and Russ Westbrook. They used to call Gary Payton, who played many years for the Seattle Supersonics in the 80's and 90's, "the Glove" because his defense was as tight as a glove on an offensive player. He was a terrific defender. That's what Bradley looks like. And a really interesting part of the game happened with 1:08 left, when Bradley drained a trifecta, and the camera went into the crowd to show Bill Belichick, a huge Celtics fan. While the rest of the Boston faithful were going berserk, Bill immediately looked up at the clock in a calm, cool fashion like all the great ones do. His coaching job in the Super Bowl with his Patriots down by 28 in the third quarter was nothing short of sensational. He's a cool customer and knew there was a lot of game left. He wasn't satisfied until the clock struck :00. Isaiah Thomas, no relation to the great one, but certainly becoming a great one, canned a 30 foot triple with 49 ticks left and the Celtics sank some free throws and held off Bron and Kyrie to capture an electric victory. The Cavs got a good look with :05 left as LeBron found an open Deron Williams in the corner, with the Cavs down 101-99, for what could have been the game winning triple. But Williams missed, the Celtics got the board, and held on with free throws. 

In my preseason predictions, I predicted the San Antonio Spurs to capture the Larry O'Brien Trophy winning in 7 over the Cavs. Kawhi Leonard of the Spurs was my MVP pick. The Dubs are still awesome with Steph, KD and Klay Thompson, and, at 50-10, look extremely formidable. But KD is out for four weeks with a sprained MCL and a bone bruise in his left leg, but will be back a week or two before the playoffs start on April 15th, a Saturday. The Spurs are 46-13 and 3.5 games back of the Dubs in the west. The Cavs are 41-18 and have a 3 game lead over the Celtics, which are at 39-22. Still bullish on my Spurs over Cavs pick though it's tough to go against the Warriors with that eliteness they have talent-wise, and the Celtics have really come on. But going to stick with my prediction in October barring major injuries. Will have my updated predictions for the NBA playoffs that Saturday, 4-15. Kawhi hit a huge 12 footer last night with 2 seconds left to lift the Spurs to a 100-99 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Kawhi is averaging 26 points and 6 boards and is a prolific defender, much like Bradley. Should be terrific in April with the playoffs starting. Like that Big four to be in their respective conference finals.

In the NHL, I like the Chicago Blackhawks. They are a machine and have won the Stanley Cup most recently in 2010, 2013 and 2015 and have won 7 overall. Patrick Kane pulled off a hat trick last night in the 'Hawks 4-1 victory over defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh. Really like the way they're playing and have them in the west. I'm a little more uncertain about the east. The Washington Capitals have the best record in hockey at 42-13, and the most points with 91, but Washington was superb in the regular season last year and melted down in the playoffs. So while I like the Blackhawks over the Minnesota Wild in the west, I see the east as more of a toss up. Still believe in Sydney Crosby and the defending champion Pens, but the Caps, and the Columbus Blue Jackets have really good teams. The Montreal Canadians are good this season, too. Not counting out the Tampa Bay Lightning in the east either. They were in the finals two years ago and are starting to play well again. Anaheim is a challenger in the west. Will have NHL playoff predictions on Wednesday, April 12th, the day the playoffs commence.

MLB is in full stride in spring training. I like the Cubs again to do very well, but to be really challenged by the Dodgers. In the AL, I like the Indians and the Bosox with the Rangers and the Astros as key competitors. Also still like the Giants and Nationals in the NL. Will have those predictions on Saturday, April 1st.

In professional tennis, Roger and Serena were epic at the Australian Open. It was a masterpiece performance for both all time great superstars. Serena won her 23rd slam and moved ahead of Steffi Graf for most majors in a career in the Open Era, which started in 1968 when professionals were allowed to compete with amateurs in the slams. Margaret Court holds the overall record with 24, so Serena still has something to gun for. There are some good competitors challenging Serena in Angelique Kerber, Karolina Pliskova and Carolina Wozniacki looks back. Garbine Muguruza won the French last year defeating Serena in a dominating performance. American Coco Vandeweghe is really coming on, and, of course, Venus, is still playing at a high level with her 7 slams under her belt.

It was pretty remarkable seeing Roger face Rafa again in a major final. Roger played like 39 year old Tom Brady does, who has a patent on the Fountain of Youth. Brady plays like a 25 year old and says he feels even better now than he did then, and that's what the 35 year old Fed did in beating Rafa in an epic 5 setter, winning the 5th, 6-3, in an unstoppable performance. Roger now has 18 slams. Rafa is tied with Pete Sampras for second at 14, and Joker is tied with Roy Emerson and Rod Laver at 12. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out this summer, whether Joker or Rafa can stay on Roger's heels,  or if Roger can extend his all time lead. Next up is the French, May 29th-June 11th, where Rafa has won 9 times, the last one coming in 2014, so he would presumably be the favorite. Wimbledon is July 3rd-16th, where Roger has won 7 times, with the last coming in 2012. It's his favorite, so that should be compelling as always. Roger's won 5 times at the U.S. Open which commences August 28th with the finals on September 10th. Novak was a 6 time winner at the Australian, but fell early. He seems to be struggling right now. Andy Murray is always a factor, and he'll be in the mix big time this summer. There are other guys like Marin Cilic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, American Jack Sock, Milos Raonic and Dominic Thiem who will be major factors at Paris, London and the Big Apple. So a lot of riveting tennis coming up.

Horse Racing

It was phenomenal when American Pharoah won the triple crown two years ago, in 2015. That hadn't been done since 1978 when Affirmed followed Seattle Slew, which won it in 1977. It had been 37 years since a three year old thoroughbred had won the Triple Crown. Of course, the greatest of all time, Secretariat, did it in 1973, and set the standard as the greatest horse ever. That still stands today.

The 143rd Kentucky Derby in May, the 141st Preakness in late May, and the 149th Belmont Stakes in June are always historically electric events. Will have more on the key horses once we get closer to post time for the Derby.  

Prediction this week

The WGC-Mexico Championship

Club de Golf Chapultepec, 7,330 yards, par 71. Just outside Mexico City

TV: Today-Friday: Golf Channel, 1-6 PM CT/2-7 PM ET;

Saturday: Golf 11 AM-2 PM CT/Noon-3 PM ET. NBC, 2-5 PM CT/3-6 PM ET.

Sunday: GC, 11 AM-1 PM CT/12-2 PM ET. NBC: 1-5 PM CT/2-6 PM ET.

Prediction

I'm going with the 37 year old from Borriol, Castellon, Spain to capture his 10th PGA title, and get closer and closer to a major. He's another guy in the mix this year. He's newly engaged and seems to have settled down pretty well. Going with El Nino.

Sergio Garcia

The Farmers Insurance Open on Tour this week

The tour heads to San Diego and the historic Torrey PInes South Course for the Farmers Insurance Open.

The defending champion is Brandt Snedeker. Sneds shot 69 on Sunday in basically a monsoon to capture the title for his 8th tour victory and 2nd at the Farmers. He also won in 2012.

Tiger Woods returns to the tour after a 17 month layoff. He did play in his own Hero World Challenge where he finished 15th out of 17 golfers, but did lead the field with 24 birdies along with Hideki Matsuyama. His last PGA round was at the 2015 Wyndham Championship in August where he tied for 10th. He has won 8 times at Torrey, including 7 Farmers and his dramatic 2008 U.S. Open when it was heroic shot making after heroic shot making in which he played with a broken leg and torn ACL. Pretty miraculous. But it's been a long time for Woods, and the competition has even gotten more fierce with these 20 something studs along with the established players like Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Sneds, etc... All three of those guys are in the field this week.

Torrey South is a 7,698 yard, par 72 layout. It was opened in 1957 and designed by William Bell. In 2001, Rees Jones redesigned it which allowed the course to get its first major in 2008. Torrey South will also host the 2021 U.S. Open. 

Last week, Hudson Swafford won the Career Builders Challenge at the Stadium Course on PGA West in La Quinta, California. Also, Adam Hadwin became the 8th player in PGA history to break 60. Justin Thomas did it at the Sony Open in Hawaii two weeks ago, shooting 59 in the first round. 

Thomas leads the Fed Ex Cup rankings. He is followed by Hideki Matsuyama, Pat Perez, Brendan Steele and Mackenzie Hughes, all winners this season. Swafford moved to 6th and Hadwin, who finished second last week, is now 10th in the standings.

Players will each play a round on the North Course on either Thursday or Friday. While the North is easier, it has been lengthened and with the 15 inches of rain the courses have gotten in January, it'll play a lot tougher The South could be a beast. Staying out of the rough is critical. The tour will rule tomorrow whether the first two rounds will be lift, clean and place because of the wet conditions. 

Update

***PGA rules officials have ruled that the players will play the ball up, and preferred lies will be in play, so the players get somewhat of a break with the soggy conditions. 

The marquee hole on the course is the 18th, a 572 yard par 5. If a player cuts it too much off the tee, he'll land in a trap leading to a very tough time at reaching the green in two. If a player hits it left, he'll have to contend with trees and will have to lay up too. When players go for it in two, provided they're in good shape off the tee,  they'll need to clear a lake on the front left of the green. If they spin the ball too much on the green, it could go right back into the lake.  It makes for some serious dramatics on Sunday and can lead to some thrills and some heartbreak for the players. Kyle Stanley had a three shot lead over Snedeker in 2012 heading into the 18th, but hit it into the water twice and ended up triple bogeying the hole allowing Sneds to get in a playoff with him, which Snedeker won. 

Key tee time:

12:40 PM CT/1:40 PM ET: Woods, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson

Weather, very good. Sunny 58-65 Thursday through Sunday. Winds anywhere from 11-15 MPH all four days, so the wind could cause some problems.

TV: Thursday-Friday, Golf Channel, 2-6 PM CT/3-7 PM ET; Saturday, Golf 12-1:30 PM CT/1-2:30 PM ET, CBS, 2-5 PM CT/3-6 PM ET; Sunday, Golf Channel, 12-1:30 PM CT/1-2:30 PM ET; CBS 2-5:30 PM CT/3-6:30 PM ET. 

Contenders

Phil Mickelson

Phil won here in 2000 and 2001 and finished -11 last week, T-21, at the CareerBuilders. He still can go deep with the driver, so if he's accurate off the tee, and putts well, he's got a good shot. 

Dustin Johnson

Dustin finished second last week at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in the United Emrites, so he's playing well. He had a long flight to get back to Torrey Pines, but he's leading the tour in driving distance at 319. If he's accurate and gets hot with the flat stick, he could very well win.

Darkhorse

Harold Varner III

Lengthy off the tee, 307, and led the CareerBuilders after day 1 last week, but dropped  off. Like his potential at winning in the next year or so.

Winner 

I'm going with a guy who's 10th on the tour in driving distance at 309. This course is already long enough at nearly 7,700 yards, and with the 15 inches of rain this month, it will be extremely lengthy this week. The rough is very thick, so length and accuracy are at a premium. The 27 year old from Salt Lake City won at Puerto Rico last year for his breakthrough victory. When he's on with his putter, he's exceptional. I like him this week.

Tony Finau

Like Tony to capture his first marquee tournament at Torrey Pines South

The tour heads back to the mainland for the CareerBuilder Challenge

The CareerBuilder Challenge this week hosts 74 past winners on the PGA Tour. It is played at PGA West Stadium Course, the sister course of TPC Sawgrass as both are designed by Pete Dye, and it plays 7,300 yards and is a par 72 in La Quinta, California. It also has a pro-am the first three days so the pros also play at La Quinta Country Club and the Nicklaus Tournament Course. 

The defending champion is Jason Dufner. The former Auburn player shot -25 and was victorious in a playoff over David Lingmerth. That was Duf's fourth victory on the tour which includes the 2011 PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club.

500 Fed Ex points are at stake for the winner and a $1,044,000 first place check. 

TV

 Golf Channel, Thursday through Sunday at 2-6 PM CT/3-7 PM ET.

Weather is not as good as usual. There are rain chances Thursday, Friday and Sunday, but it's not major so shouldn't be a problem. Wind is 5-10 MPH on average for the 4 day event. Saturday is partly sunny and 64, but the wind gets up to 10 MPH, so could be a factor particularly on the brutal 17th. 

Last week

Justin Thomas was victorious for the third time in 5 starts last week at the Sony Open in Honolulu. Most notably, Justin shot 59 on the first day with an 18-foot eagle canning to reach the magic number. Justin also won  the Tournament of Champions at  Maui 2 weeks ago, and the CIMB Classic in Malaysia last October.

Thomas shot 59, 64, 65, 65 for -27 on the par 70 Waialee Country Club Course and set the lowest four hole score ever on the PGA Tour at 253. Tommy Armour III had the record at 254 set at the 2003 Valero Texas Open. Justin also was the youngest player to shoot 59 at age 23. He joined Jim Furyk (58, 2016 Travelers Championship), Al Geiberger (59, 1977 Fed Ex St. Jude's) Chip Beck ( 59, 1981 Shriners Hospitals), David Duval ( 59, 1999 CareerBuilder), Paul Goydos (59, 2010 John Deere), Stuart Appleby (59, 2010 Greenbriar Classic) and Furyk at the 2013 BMW Championship (59). 

I see a major in Justin's future, and very possibly this season. He loves Augusta National and wants to win there badly, and the course suits his game with his length and precision with his irons. If he putts like last week, he can surely win the Masters. But I see him having a shot at all 4 majors. The U.S. Open will be at Erin Hills, Wisconsin, and it's a working man's tournament, as always, and Justin knows how work a course. The Open Championship is at Royal Birkdale in England, and players can go pretty low there, and Justin is so explosive. So, quite possibly, he can win across the pond. And the PGA Championship is at Quail Hollow Country Club in Charlotte, NC, and that's a workmanlike course  for length and accuracy, and of course putting as well that Justin can handle.

So I see the 23 year old former University of Alabama stud having an excellent shot at capturing his first major this season.

Key holes

No.17, 168, par 3

An island hole, much like TPC Sawgrass, and a real challenge. Called Alcatraz because you're sunk with one mistake. If you miss right, left, short or long you're wet. Just like TPC Sawgrass, with the intense pressure of the Players Championship, this one requires heavy metal toughness. Duf hit it over the green on this hole last year, and was in the sand and rocks just short of the water, then, accordingly,  almost holed out his chip,. His ball hit the pin, and caromed 1 foot away from the hole for a tap in. He parred it and went on to win.

No. 18, 435 yards, par 4 

Water all along the left side of this hole much like the 18th at Sawgrass, so the play off the tee is to the right center, but there are bunkers guarding the right side, so precision is a must. If the player hits it left on his approach, he's in the drink, and if he hits it short right, he's in the bunkers. If the player is long right, there is a bail out area  there. Total drama on these last 2 holes.

Contenders

Smylie Kaufman

Shot 68, 69, 67, 67 here last year to finish T-14. He's the longest driver on tour right now averaging 323 off the tee. On a 7,300 yard track, that's helpful. The 25 year old from Vestavia Hills, AL. won the 2015 Shriners Hospitals. He's ready to win again. 

Chez Reavie

Shot 65, 66 here on the final two days last year to finish T-17. Last week at the Sony, Reavie shot 61 on Sunday to finish T-8th. I haven't seen much of this player, but I like the results from the 35 year old from Wichita, KS. He won the 2008 RBC Canadian Open, so he's won before. He's got a good shot at the Stadium course.

Luke List

Part of my Vanderbilt University brethren, finished T-13 at the Sony last week at -13, and finished T-6th here last year. He's 5th on tour in driving distance at 318. He just needs to putt well to get over the hump and capture his first title. The 31 year old from Seattle is very close right now and is 10th in the Fed Ex standings.

Bill Haas

Bill won here in 2010 and 2015, so for sure he's a factor. Haas was T-13 at the Sony. The 34 year old from Charlotte won the Fed Ex Cup in 2011 and can get it done in the clutch.

Duf

The defending champion is fourth on the tour in driving accuracy which this course definitely requires. I'm expecting a great showing from Jason.

Winner

This 32 year old from Aiken, SC is another guy that's close to winning a big tournament like a Players or even a major. He's a super player and clutch city. He finished T-4 last week at the Sony, shooting 65 on Sunday, for a score of -18. Nobody was going to catch Justin, but he's always in the hunt it seems like. The 2015 RSM Classic winner gets it done on the first leg of the West Coast Swing.

Kevin Kisner

Like the clutch Kisner to capture the title on Sunday. 

Sony Open preview, predictions

The PGA Tour cranked up 2017 with the Tournament of Champions last week at Maui. Justin Thomas captured the title shooting -22 on the Par 73 the Plantation Course in Kapalua. Super job by JT as he clipped Hideki Matsuyama (-19) by three shots.

This week the tour moves to Honolulu before heading back to the mainland. Waialae Country Clubthe hosts the Sony Open. The course is a Par 70 and measures 7,044 yards. There will be tons of birdies and some eagles on the course with the perfect weather conditions that Hawaii always offers. The defending champion is Fabian Gomez. Gomez defeated Brandt Snedeker in a playoff last year to win  500 Fed Ex points and a $1,044,000 check. 

Golf Channel will televise on Thursday-Saturday from 6-9:30 PM CT and 7-10:30 PM ET. Sunday's telecast on GC will be from 5-9 PM CT/6-10 PM ET. Weather is perfect at 83-84 all four days with 4-9 MPH winds Thursday-Saturday and 7-10 MPH on Sunday. So wind is a little more of a factor on Sunday. Expect some bombs out there from the tee box. Should be pretty electric off the tee.

Key holes

No. 1, 343 yards, par 4

This is the shortest par 4 on the course. The hole usually plays into the wind. Hitting a drive on the right side of the fairway is the best play to give the competitor his best angle to the green and keep the player from having to contend with the coconut trees that overhang the left side of the green. The green is also protected by three deep bunkers, one front left, one front right, and one middle right for errant or mis-hit shots. A good drive leaves a short iron to the green and a good shot at birdie. It's key to get out of the blocks with a birdie for the players because there will be many guys going low on this course.

No.8, 186 yards, par 3

This hole is considered Waialae's signature hole. A difficult hole that requires a short iron or a long iron depending on the wind and the pin location. The green is deep at 40 yards making club selection a premium. To make the hole even more challenging, the green is guarded by a very large bunker on the left and a cluster of 4 deep, hidden bunkers on the right. The players should take a par here, be happy and move on. 

No.17, 426 yards, par 4

The tee shot is from an elevated tee on this tree-lined dog leg left. There are a cluster of trees on the left and quite a few on the right demanding accuracy off the tee. The competitors' drives must also carry a creek that is 235 yards while avoiding the forest of trees on the left and the fairway bunkers on the right. 235 is usually not a problem for these guys, but with the obstacles on either side, complete concentration off the tee box is required because a miss-hit or too much of a right to left or left of to right tee shot will lead to trouble. A good drive will lead to a mid to short iron from the fairway. So if the player succeeds in hitting accurate tee shot, the chance at birdie is very good after that.

No. 18, 501, par 5

A prevailing wind blows left to right against the player on this hole. With out of bounds on both sides of the fairway, accuracy is again a must off the tee and with the approach. With everything on the line, it could make for a riveting Sunday finish for the players.

Contenders

Smylie Kaufman

This 25 year old from Birmingham, AL. by way of LSU won in 2015 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas. I'm expecting big things from this young gun. Hits it a mile, which is perfect for Honolulu, and strokes it very well on the putting surface. Smylie has a real shot at Waialae. 

Justin Thomas

The 23 year old from Lexington, KY. by way of the University of Alabama is totally en fuego. Justin won the CIMB Classic in October in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and then went off last week to win in Maui. Wow, that's incredible golf. Certainly the hottest guy on tour right now. I see a major coming his way. This year is a distinct possibility. Augusta National would seem to suit Justin's talents. It's hard to pick against this young stud the way he bombs it 330 off the tee at 150 pounds. If his putter is on, he'll win it.

Brandt Snedeker

Sneds was awesome at the Ryder Cup. He was probably the second most important player on our 12 man team after Patrick Reed. Brandt was 3-0-0 at Hazeltine, and you could argue that Brandt WAS the most valuable player on the team. Brandt was a runner-up here last year, and the way he putts, if he's on a roll with the flat stick, he can pull it off. At 36, I see Brandt with a real shot at a major. Augusta National is also a place Brandt loves, so he's in that equation.

Winner

Going with this young stud who's hotter than a tin roof on the fourth of July in Alabama. This 24 year old has already won twice this year at the HSBC Champions tourney in Shanghai in October, and at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in December. He also won Jack's tourney, The Memorial, in 2014 against a stellar field, and won the Waste Management Phoenix Open last  February, which Bama Golf correctly predicted. Going with the native of Ehime, Japan to capture the Sony Open.

HIdeki Matsuyama

Like Hideki to capture the 54th Sony 

 

Dark horse

Harris English

The 41st Ryder Cup

Hazeltine National Golf Club, Chaska, Minnesota 7,628 yards, par 72

Defending champion: Europe @ Gleneagles in Scotland in 2014, 16 1/2 to 11 1/2. U.S. was destroyed.

Series: Since 1927, the U.S. holds a 25-13-2 lead, but Europe holds a 10-7-1 edge since the Great Britain and Ireland squad was expanded to the entire continent in 1979. And mainly thanks to Europe's eight victories in the last 10 matches.

TV: Friday: Golf Channel, 8:30 AM-7 PM ET/7:30 AM-6 PM CT

Saturday, NBC, 9 AM-7 PM ET/8 AM-6 PM CT

Sunday: NBC, Noon-6 PM ET/11 AM-5 PM CT.

Weather: Friday: 71, Sunny, wind 6-9 MPH; Saturday: 70 clouds and sun, wind 5-7 MPH; Sunday: Mostly cloudy, wind 4-5 MPH. So a relatively tame course, though very long.

Issues

After the 2014 disaster at Gleneagles, Phil Mickelson openly criticized captain Tom Watson in front of Watson and the press in the press conference. He said the captain's decisions since Paul Azinger in 2008 had not led to any success for the teams. It was a real shot at Watson, but there may have been some validity to it. After that press conference, an 11 person Ryder Cup task force was formed, with Phil and Tiger being two of the task force members, and selected Davis Love III as the captain for the 2016 team. While Love seems to be a nice guy, his 2012 team blew it on the last day, and lost to Jose Maria Olazabal's team, 14 1/2-13 1/2, after being blown away in the singles matches on Sunday and losing a huge lead going into Sunday. So not sure that Love is the answer to this team's continual problems. But with all the pressure on the U.S. team they are probably hungrier. I just don't know if they have the drive that the European team has every time out. Phil blamed Watson that day in 2014, but his record at the Ryder Cup is 16-19-6. While Tiger Woods, who is a vice captain, has a record of 13-14-2. He's 4-7-1 in the Foursomes, and 5-8-0 in the Fourballs. The foursomes feature a two man team for each side playing against  another in an alternate shot format, where one player, say Jordan Spieth, will hit the drive, and his partner, Patrick Reed, which could very well be the case, hits the second shot on a par 4 and they rotate hitting each shot. Same thing for the Europeans. The first team in the hole wins the match. In the fourball, all four players, two from each side, play. The player with the better ball of the two man team and the better ball over the other team, wins the hole. The foursomes and four ball matches will take place Friday and Saturday, and the 12 singles matches will be on Sunday. There are 12 players on each side. Tiger is 4-1-1 in the singles matches since he started playing in 1997. The  time he played was 2010.

The difference between Spieth and Woods is that Spieth was quoted as saying, "I'd rather win the Ryder Cup than the Fed Ex Cup," while Woods was asked before a tournament where the prize was $1 million for winning it which he'd rather win, that tournament or the Ryder Cup. He said, "I can think of a million reasons why I'd want to win this tournament more." So there's a difference in outlook to me between the younger guys, and a guy like Woods, who doesn't seem to put much stock in the event. Maybe he's different now that he's older.

Brandel Chamblee and David Duval of the Golf Channel got into a heated discussion on that issue last night on the Golf Channel on the Live From the Ryder Cup show. Chamblee was saying that Woods and Mickelson have been failures on the teams and Duval was attacking Brandel saying the European teams have a lot to do with it. I side with Brandle more. Both Mickelson and Woods have been disappointments at the Ryder Cups, but I do agree that the European teams seem to want it more. But Mickelson and Woods have been pretty big disappointments in their Ryder Cup careers.

Key holes

Par 5's, No. 3, 633 yards, No.6, 642 yards, No.11, 606 yards, and No. 16, 572 yards. The par 4 7th is a hole Johnny Miller described, as the "hardest par 4 I've ever played." It's got water all over it and is about precision more than distance. Zach Johnson will do well there most likely. Dustin Johnson and Rory could be an interesting singles match on Sunday just for a driving contest match in itself. And it would be a heckuva match any way. The par 3 17th is a 176 yard hole with bunkers on the right and left side and water on the right. If you hit it in the middle of the green you'll have a putt of 15 to 20 feet and with the nerves cooking with the match in balance. It will be a test of the player's mettle and mental toughness. No. 18 is a par 4 with bunkers on both sides of the fairway making this one of the most difficult driving holes on the course. The players will face an uphill second shot, so being precise with their yardages on their pretty much blind approach shots will be critical. Anything long or left of the hole, when the hole's on the right side, will likely lead to bogey.

Teams-players

U.S.

Jimmy Walker: 1-1-3 in his Ryder Cup debut in 2014. Coming off the PGA Championship victory, though he had a quiet Fed Ex showing.

Jordan Spieth: 2-1-1 in his Ryder Cup debut in 2014. He's focused and hungry. He's a leader and a super teammate. Trust Spieth. Two time major winner. Didn't have his best year in 2016, but would love to make up for it at Hazeltine. Johnny Miller said on NBC in 2014 during that Ryder Cup of Spieth and Patrick Reed, "You know these guys aren't used to losing."

Brandt Snedeker: 1-2 in his only Ryder Cup appearance in 2012. Eight time PGA Tour winner. Not sure about his clutchness when it counts. Maybe this year will be different.

Patrick Reed: 3-1 in 2014, his only Ryder Cup. Five time winner on tour at 26 years old. Really like this guy in the clutch.

Ryan Moore: Rookie. The 33 year old has won five times on tour and was hugely clutch last week fighting it out with Rory in the Tour Championship, going to the fourth playoff hole. Moore had a par putt from 14 feet to stay alive as McIlroy had eight feet for birdie. Moore sank it, but Rory sank his birdie putt. Moore is super clutch. During the summer of 2004, prior to his senior year at UNLV, Moore won the U.S. Amateur, the Western Amateur, the U.S. Amateur Public Links, and the NCAA individual championship. Wow. That's unbelievable. I like Ryan on this team.

Phil: 16-19-6 in 11 Ryder Cups. Five majors. He's a leader on this team, so we'll see if he can put his money where his mouth is.

Matt Kuchar: Fourth start at a Ryder Cup, 4-5-2 in three previous starts. Seven time PGA winner. Not sure I trust him in the crunch time though.

Brooks Koepka: Rookie. Won the 2015 Waste Management Open. Lost in a playoff this year to Sergio at the AT&T Byron Nelson. He had a pretty good lead at the Nelson and kind of collapsed. I like his youth and energy, and newness to the team, along with his distance off the tee and his talent overall. We'll see how he handles the pressure. I like him on this team though.

Zach Johnson: Four Ryder Cups, 6-6-2. 12 Tour wins, two majors, the 2007 Masters and the 2015 Open Championship. Like Zach's precision on this course. Tom Lehman said Hazeltine is a little misunderstand, as it's just as much about precision as it is length. So that makes Zach a real factor on the U.S. team.

Dustin Johnson: On the 2010 and 2012 teams. 4-3. Captured his first major this year at the U.S. Open at Oakmont CC just outside of Pittsburgh, putting on a clinic. He's the player of the year on tour, as he barely lost out to Rory for the Fed Ex Cup and won 3 times this year. Along with the U.S. Open, Johnson won the WGC Bridgestone Invitational and the BMW Championship in the Fed Ex Cup playoffs. It'll be interesting to see how he does in the team competition. I noticed when he and Jordan were playing together in a match against Jason Day and Charl Schwartzel at last year's President's Cup, Jordan told him to play to the middle of the green after Day and Schwartzel had hit their approach shots off the green. When Johnson did that, Spieth said, "Good play D.J." It was like the 23 year old was the leader. Spieth is a leader. I think Dustin needs a leader playing with him in the foursome and four ball matches. Maybe a Phil or a Zach.

John Bradley Holmes: I love this guy on the team. J.B. played in his only Ryder Cup at Valhalla in Louisville, KY in 2008 and was 2-0-1 leading the U.S. to one of their 2 victories in the last 10 Cup matches. J.B., Anthony KIm and Boo Weekley were the key guys in 2008. They were young, hungry and not going to lose that Ryder Cup. He'll have that same mentality at Hazeltine.

Rickie Fowler: Fowler has not had much success playing in 2010 and 2014 going 0-4-4 overall. I think he's capable of snapping out of that though. He's a good competitor and I see him being ready.

European team

There are 6 rookies on the European team: Rafa Cabrera Bello, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Thomas Pieters, Andy Sullivan, Masters Champion Danny Willett and Chris Wood.

Rest of the team

Lee Westwood: 9 Ryder Cups: 20-15-6. Good stuff.

Henrik Stenson: 4 Ryder Cups, 5-4-2.

Justin Rose: 4 Ryder Cups, 9-3-2. Wow.

Rory: 4 Ryder Cups, 6-4-4.

Martin Kaymer: 4 Ryder Cups, 4-3-3. Sank the winning putt in 2012 at Medinah to clinch the Cup for Europe that year. Clutch guy.

Sergio: 8 Ryder Cups, 18-9-5. Very, very impressive.

Couple of records that are interesting:

The most points won by a pairing: Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal:  11-2-2.

The youngest player to play is Sergio who played in 1999 at 19 years old, 258 days.

The oldest player to play: Raymond Floyd. He was 51 years, 20 days in 1993.

Prediction:

This European team loves  the underdog role. They relish is and  always seem hungrier than our players. As for this year, I like Spieth, Reed and Zach Johnson to be America's leaders. Dustin will do his part, Phil will do his part, and Jimmy Walker will be pretty decent. I really like J.B and Ryan Moore on the team. They're definitely hungry. Don't trust Snedeker and Kuchar really, and not sure about Koepka as a rookie. Rickie's been terrible, but he should be better this time. Don't really trust Love for that matter. I give the edge in captaincy to Darren Clarke, because he can out coach Love in my opinion. While the Europeans have horses in Rory, Rose, Stenson, Kaymer and super Ryder Cup players in Westwood and Sergio, I think this time they have too much youth, and the home turf will be rockin in the great Midwest. So I'll go with the U.S. like I did in 2014, mainly because of Spieth, Reed, John B. and newcomers Ryan Moore and Brooks Koepka. I like the more experience that the U.S. team has, though Europe has 6 veterans who are horses. This should be an epic. The Europeans are extremely hard for us to beat, but I'll go with the U.S.

U.S. 14 1/2, Europe 13 1/2

Like Spieth (above) and Reed to get the job done for the U.S.

Tomorrow:

College Football Week 5, previews and

predictions

Some super match ups in the SEC, Bama looking to progress, AU in a tough one, Fed Ex Winner, Spartans with clutch victory

Gus needs to get his offense on the right track in a hurry

These are what I would call the 5 elite teams in the SEC West as we head into week 4. Alabama is at the top of the heap and will be there unless somebody can do something about it. Ole Miss, Arkansas, A&M and LSU are close to Bama and one or two of them could be elite teams if they can navigate the brutal schedules of SEC West. Some superb match ups in the SEC this weekend, and some pretty decent national tilts. Here's a look at the action with predictions. 

Last week: 13-11, been in a bad mood all week

Overall: 39-22, 64%

Against the spread last week: 4-2

Overall: 11-7, 64%

Tonight

No.5 Clemson (3-0) @ Georgia Tech (3-0)

Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta, 55,000

6:30 PM CT/7:30 PM ET

ESPN

Dave Flemming, Jess, Laura Rutledge

Weather: good

Clemson by 9 1/2

I'm pretty bullish on this Georgia Tech team. Believe in Paul Johnson and I believe in quarterback Justin Thomas from Prattville, AL. They blew the doors off Vanderbilt last week with a potent rushing and solid passing attack. Thomas is an underrated passer. He's a good passer and an excellent runner. They're better this year on defense. Clemson has been a little bit of an enigma this season. They got by Auburn in a hard fought contest, then barely got by Troy in week 2. That's taking nothing away from Troy, they're a solid football team and I like their new coach, Neal Brown, who at 36 years old, is starting to make a name for himself. Troy upset Southern Miss last week and they play solid football. Like the Troy's future under Brown. But Clemson was picked by many to win it all this year, and they're not living up to those expectations. They've underperformed, and at some point, talent is not going to get it done, if you're not performing well, especially if you go against a good team, which Georgia Tech is. Like the upset in Atlanta.

Georgia Tech 38, Clemson 35

Friday

Utah 31, USC 27

8 PM CT/9 PM ET, Fox Sports 1

Saturday

Kent State (1-2) @ No.1 Alabama (3-0)

Bryant-Denny Stadium, 101,821

SEC Network

Tom Hart, Andre, Cole Cubelic

Weather: Hot, mid 90's at kickoff, but sunny

Bama by 43

Bama is coming off a wild one in Oxford. S takes on his alma mater. There may be some burnout for the Crimson Tide from last week's war at Vaught-Hemingway, and with SEC games coming up. So the Tide will really need to keep their focus to take care of business. S doesn't take a week off, so his team should be prepared. Kent State is not too swift, so the Tide should be in good shape though this could be a little sluggish at times, since staying focused being the overwhelming favorite and with some intense heat there could be some slip ups in concentration.

Bama 48, Kent State 3 

 

No.18 LSU (2-1) @ Auburn (1-2)

Jordan Hare Stadium, 87,451

5 PM CT/6 PM ET

ESPN

Mark Jones, Rid Gilmore, Quint Kessenich

88 at kickoff, sunny

LSU by 3 1/2

Auburn's defense has played well, but the offense has been problematic to say the least. Not sure what Gus is doing right now. He's going with Sean White this week, which is a good move as far as the passing game goes, but John Franklin III will be available and will play extensively if White struggles. We'll see Franklin in there regardless. Auburn's defense will keep them in this and if they can generate some fluidity to their offense, they have a shot. But I'm going with Leonard Fournette and company. Quarterback Danny Elling has given the LSU offense some life and given Fournette and the running backs a chance to find some open spaces with the threat of a passing game. Going with the LSU Tigers in this one.

LSU 28, Auburn 24

No.17 Arkansas (3-0) vs. No. 10 Texas A&M (3-0)

AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX. 80,000, but can get over 100

8 PM CT/9PM ET

ESPN

Tess, Todd, Holly

A&M by 6

Arkansas was really impressive two weeks ago in going into Fort Worth  and getting an overtime victory over TCU. I like their quarterback, Austin Allen, their running back, Rawleigh Williams III, and their playmakers on the perimeter, Drew Morgan, Keon Hatcher and tight end Jeremy Sprinkle. Brett Bielema knows how to coach the offensive line and he has a big, powerful group again that has the chemistry and manpower to overpower opposing defenses. A&M has a really good team, but I really like Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos to get the job done here with his weaponry on offense and for Arkansas to be the more physical team and get by A&M in a classic at Jerry "Truckin Like the Do Dah Man" Jones Stadium.

Hogs 38, Aggies 35

No.12 Georgia (3-0) @ No.23 Ole Miss (1-2)

Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, 60,580

11 AM CT/Noon ET

ESPN

 Dave Pasch, Greg McElory, Luges

94, sunny

Ole Miss by 7

Like what Kirby's doing, but also have really liked what Hugh Freeze has done over the past four years. Those wide receivers for the Rebels seem next to impossible to cover. They're all 6'3" or taller and have super hands. Like the Rebels to emerge victorious at home.

Ole Miss 28, Georgia 24

No. 19 Florida (3-0) @ No. 14 Tennessee (3-0)

Neyland Stadium, Knoxvegas, 102, 455

2:30 PM CT/3:30 PM ET

CBS 

Verne, Gary, Allie

91, sunny, humid

UT by 6 1/2

Florida was my pick in the East this year. I picked Bama in the West. But there are a couple of things working against the Gators this week; their starting quarterback, Luke Del Rio, is hurt and out for this game and for the next two or three games with a sprained knee. Secondly, Florida players have been mouthing off to the Tennessee players about their 11 game winning streak over them. Gators cornerback Jalen Tabor and a couple of others have been saying the Gators own the Vols. They have for a while, but those comments are going to cost them this time.

Tennessee 28, Florida 24

South Carolina (2-1) @ Kentucky (1-2)

Commonwealth Stadium, Lexington, KY. 67,606

6:30 PM CT/7:30 PM ET

SEC Network

Brent, Jess, Kaylee Hartung

80, clear

Kentucky by 2 1/2

Really like what Will Muschamp is doing in Columbia. They beat Vandy on the road in week one, and defeated East Carolina last weekend in a game many expected them to lose even though they were the favorite. I have to admit, I was one of them. But I'm starting to believe in what Will is doing, and the future looks bright for Will and his Gamecocks. Kentucky's starting quarterback, Drew Barker, is out for this game. Like the upset here, too.

South Carolina 24, Kentucky 21

Other SEC games

Western Kentucky 35, Vanderbilt 24

3:30 PM CT/4:30 PM ET, CBS Sports Network

Mississippi State 42, UMass 14

2:30 PM CT/3:30 PM ET, ESPN3

Missouri 45, Delaware State 10

3 PM CT/4 PM ET, SEC Network

National games

No.7 Stanford 34, UCLA 31

7 PM CT/8 PM ET, ABC

No.4 Michigan 45, Penn State 24

2:30 PM CT/3:30 PM ET, ABC

No.8 Michigan State 28, No. 11 Wisconsin 24

11 AM CT/Noon ET, Big Ten Network

No.9 Washington 31, Arizona 27

9:30 PM CT/10:30 PM ET, Pac-12 Network

No.5 Houston 52, Texas State 7

8 PM CT/9PM ET, ESPNU

No.20 Nebraska 31, Northwestern 28

6:30 PM CT/7:30 PM ET, Big Ten Network

California 48, Arizona State 45

9 PM CT/10 PM ET, ESPN2

Notre Dame 35, Duke 31

2:30 PM CT/3:30 PM ET, NBC

No.3 Louisville 63, Marshall 14

7 PM CT/8 PM ET, CBS Sports Network

Florida State 34, South Florida 31

11 AM CT/Noon ET, ESPN 2

Troy 48, New Mexico State 21

6 PM CT/7PM ET, ESPN3

South Alabama 34, Nicholls 28

6 PM CT/7 PM ET, ESPN3

No. 16 Baylor 42, Oklahoma State 38

6:30 PM CT/7:30 PM ET, FOX

West Virginia 42, BYU 31

2:30 PM CT/3:30 PM ET, ESPN2

Oregon 45, Colorado 28

4:30 PM CT/5:30 PM ET, Pac-12 Network

Boise State 42, Oregon State 28

2:30 PM CT/3:30 PM ET, Fox Sports 1

Western Michigan 35, Georgia Southern 27

6 PM CT/7PM ET, ESPN3

 

Tour Championship Prediction

East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta

Golf Channel, NBC will televise

 

Patrick Reed

Reed, No.2 in the Fed Ex rankings, wins the Tour Championship and the Fed Ex Cup and captures the $10 million dollar check plus the $1.485 million for winning the tournament. He won the Barclays and is behind Dustin Johnson in the rankings. Like Dustin for Player of the Year though, 3 wins, including the U.S. Open and 11 top 5's, and I like Emiliano Grillo to capture rookie of the year honors.

Like Reed because he's played a lot and he played in the Rio Games, which really helped him in my opinion. 

The Tour pays the winner the $1.485 million, and if he wins the Cup, which Reed will do by winning at East Lake, he will get $9 million up front, and the other $1 million in a retirement account. Not a bad weekend of work. 

Going with Patrick to capture the Tour Champ and the Fed Ex Cup

Mountain Brook with a gigantic victory

Mountain Brook High School played a super football game in upsetting Spain Park on the road, 23-21. It was Spain Park's homecoming and the Spartans were more than happy to ruin it. Junior quarterback Hamp Sisson played a superb game completing 12 of 21 passes for 103 yards and a 24 yard 7 to senior wide receiver Sims Herron. Hamp also ran for 108 yards and a 7. He was awesome.

The defense was stellar. Senior linebacker Will Wetzler led the team with 18 total tackles and sophomore linebacker Colton Yeager added 13. Senior cornerback Reid Hogue had an interception and 7 tackles, and senior linebacker Tanner Dean had 9 tackles and an interception. It was a tremendous effort by the Spartans. Mountain Brook is off this week. Next week they are at home versus Tuscaloosa County.

Super job by Coach Chris Yeager and his troops. 

Hamp Sisson was awesome at Spain Park last Friday Night

Byron Nelson Unplugged

TPC Four Seasons Resort at Las Colinas, Irving, Texas, 7,166 yards, par 70

Design: Jay Moorish, 1983

Redesign: D.A. Weibring and Steve Wolfard, 2007

Defending champion: Steven Bowditch, -21, shot 62, 68, 65, 64 to win by four shots over Charley Hoffman, Scott Pickney and Jimmy Walker.

Last week:  World No.1 Jason Day won the Players Championship going wire to wire shooting -14, 63, 66, 73, 71 to win by four shots over Kevin Chappell and capture his third title this season. Day also won the Arnie and the Match Play in back to back wins. With the Arnie and Players' victories, Day is the fourth player since 1970 to go wire to wire twice in a season. Johnny Miller did it in 1974, Tom Watson did it in 1980, and Tiger did it in 2000 and 2002. Nice pick by Spike. Spike picked Day to win. Second W for Spike this year as he also correctly predicted Adam Scott to win the WGC Cadillac Classic.

White's World pick last week: Rory, T-12th. Just didn't putt well enough.

TV: Thursday-Friday: Golf Channel, 4-7 PM ET/3-6 PM CT; Saturday-Sunday:Golf: 1-2:30 PM ET/12-1:30 PM CT; CBS 3-6 PM ET/2-5 PM CT

Weather: Highly questionable tomorrow (Thursday) with major chance of T-storms and heavy rain. Could be a postponement, but maybe they'll get it in. Wind ENE 7-10 MPH. High 65. Friday, some showers in the area, 60% chance. Wind 7-10 MPH. Rain shouldn't last that long. Saturday and Sunday look good. Saturday, sunny, 84, wind 6-9 MPH. Sunday, mostly sunny, 84, wind 9-14 MPH. 

Featured tee times

7:40 AM CT, 10th Tee: Brandt Snedeker, Matt Kuchar, Louis Oosthuizen. Both Sneds and Kuchar are capable of winning this. Louis, too, for that matter. Good group here going off early, though that's questionable with the weather. Could be 36 Friday or Saturday.

7:50 AM, No.10: Charl Schwartzel, Sergio Garcia, Keegan Bradley. Keegan won here in 2011, Charl has won this year at the Valspar Championship in March in Tampa. Sergio, well, you never know what you're gonna get.  Good player, but never sure where his head is at.

12:40 PM: Zach Johnson, Steven Bowditch, Dustin Johnson. Zach a threat every week with his stellar consistency. Bowditch is the defending champion and plays well in Texas. His other victory on tour came at the 2014 Valero Texas Open in San Antonio. Dustin is due, no doubt.

12:50 PM: Jason Dufner, Jordan Spieth, Jimmy Walker. Duf won here in 2012 and has already won this year at the Career Builder in California in January. Walker, like Zach, is a threat every week. Maybe Jordan can get it together this week. Dallas is his hometown and there will be a lot of family and friends there, so we'll see.

Key holes:

No. 3. 528 yards, Par 4

An extremely challenging hole that features a new fairway which has a lake running down the full length of the right side. Luckily, Tiger's not playing because they may never get through with the tournament. Three balls in the drink at Congressional from 102 yards. Are you kiddin me? He thinks he can still overtake Jack's record. He'll be lucky to win a tournament as this rate. The green is new and is guarded by two bunkers on the left and the right side.

No.11, 323, par 4

Driveable hole that offers the temptation to go for eagle. Dustin will challenge it. Keegan and some others will too, especially on Sunday, when a player is behind by three or four shots and needs to have a shot to gain ground on the leader. The green is large, but there are small bunkers guarding the front right, left and back left.

No.16, 546, par 5

Considered one of the most challenging holes on the course, it has an elevated tee box, the bunkers along the left side and the middle of the fairway take some skill to get around and avoid. The green is tough. With the shape of it and the area around it, it's difficult to hold. 

No.17, 178, par 3

The signature hole on the course and one of the famous ones in golf.  The pin placements tend to be near the lake guarding the front of the green, so players have to be careful to clear the water, and still try to give themselves a makeable birdie putt, particularly on Sunday. For the leader, if he's got a two shot lead or better, par would be the score here. Amphitheater look here.

No.18, 429, par 4

Slight dogleg left, there is water on the left side that extends from the landing area off the tee shot to the green. Players may need a birdie here. Exciting finishing hole. Should lead to high drama on Sunday.

Contenders

Duf

Playing well. Duf has his game back this year. Finished tied for eighth last year. Shot 66 on Sunday. If he's got the putter going, Duf could capture this title for the second time.

Jimmy Walker

Finished tied for second here last year and is a Texas native, so Walker knows this course. He's quite a player, and like I said earlier, a threat every week. Shot 66 in the final round last year.

Tony Finau

A sleeper pick here. Really good young player who finished tied 10th here last year and had a very good PGA Championship showing, as he finished tied for 10th at Whistling Straits and was putting on quite a display of putting. The 26 year old from Salt Lake City is a guy I see doing well this week and possibly winning. His future is bright.

Zach Johnson

I was torn between picking Zach and the player I'm choosing. Zach shot 63 last year in the final round and finished solo fifth. The 12 time winner on tour and two time major winner, is a guy who gets it done all the time. The 40 year old Johnson is the most consistent player on tour outside of Jason Day.

Winner

Going with the 35 year old from Nashvegas. He shot a 64 in the final round here last year to finish in a tie for sixth. Then at Colonial the next week, he finished in a tie for second to winner Chris Kirk. He doesn't play that well in Florida usually, but he plays well in California and in Texas. See the eight time tour winner capturing Lord Byron's tournament. Lord Byron Nelson won 52 times on tour with five majors. In 1945, he won 11 tournaments in a row and 18 of 35 PGA Tournaments he played in. Wow, that's phenomenal. See this guy getting it done at the legend's tourney this week.

Brandt "Sneedeker"

Like Sneds to capture Nelson 

Walt Pittman 10 minutes ago 

I am trying to just pick a player that makes the cut this week. Since they are playing in Irving Texas, the former home of the Cowboys, I am going to pass on Lee Roy Jordan Speith and in honor of Ed Too Tall Jones I am going with 6' 4'' Dustin Johnson.

Love that Walter!

The 43rd Play-uhs Championship

The fifth Major on tour, and one these guys get totally amped up for. 

TPC Sawgrass, the Stadium Course, Ponte Vedra, FL. 7,218 yards, Par 72

Defending champion: Rickie Fowler, -12. Wow, what a show Rickie put on last year. He was six under on his last six holes, birdieing 13, 15, eagleing 16, birdieing 17 and birdieing 18. It was a masterful performance. Rickie won in a playoff over Kevin Kisner, who was super clutch throughout the final round, and Sergio Garcia. Rickie birdied 17 five of the six times he played it, including his clinching putt from five feet for a birdie to capture the title, and, as my man Spike says, "hoisted the hardware.' It was an epic tournament with a champion who looks to have multiple majors in him, maybe this year. He could very well defend here. 

Purse: $10,000,000. First place: $1,800000. Nice payday on Sunday with a victory.

Architect: Pete Dye

72 hole record: Greg Norman,, 1994, 264, -24. That's incredible.

Key groups:

8:21 AM ET/7:21 AM CT. No.1: Danny Willett, Brandt Sneedeker, Justin Rose. The Masters champion, a guy who is due for a big win in Snedeker, and a major champion in Rose. Quite a pairing.

8:21 AM ET/7:21 AM CT. No.10: Martin Kaymer, Henrik Stenson, Phil. Kaymer won here two years ago and won the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No.2 a month later. Henrik is on the brink of winning something big, and he won here in 2009, so he's for sure in the hunt. Phil is a five time major winner, a 42 time winner on tour, and won here in 2007. Forty five year old Lefty still has it and is a major factor this weekend. 

8:43 AM ET/7:43 AM CT: Tee 10:Branden Grace, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth. Grace won at the RBC Heritage a month ago, Day and Spieth are two of the four best in the world, and I mean really elite. Like all time elite good along with Rory and Rickie, a still emerging all timer.

1:25 PM ET/12:25 PM CT. Tee 1: Zach Johnson, Patrick Reed, Sergio. Zach is a two time major winner and 12 time winner on the tour. Just so solid and accurate. Certainly a factor this weekend. Reed has played well. His last start, he finished second to Charlie Hoffman at the Valero Texas three weeks ago. He's due. Sergio won here in 2008 and was in a playoff last year. He's always in the discussion here. He needs a major sooner rather than later, and this could propel him for the U.S., the British and the PGA.

1:36 PM ET/12:36 PM CT: No.1: Adam Scott, Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar. Adam has had a super year. He's adjusted well to the short putter and has back to back wins at the Honda and the WGC Cadillac Championship at the Donald. He won here in 2004 at age 23, the youngest player to ever win at the Players. Also, he's a winner at Augusta National in 2013, so he knows how to get it done in crunch time. Rickie, of course, will be in the hunt. He's so clutch. Kuuuch, I don't know. He might be competitive.

1:36 PM ET/12:36 PM CT: No. 10: Justin Thomas, Davis Love III, Alex Cejka. Justin was right there on Sunday last year, but shot a final round 75 to fall back to T-24. Believe in this young man  from the University of Alabama. Has all the tools to win big, and win majors. Like his mental toughness and his game overall. See him getting it done on the big stage in the clutch soon. Davis is an all time classic. You gotta have the Ryder Cup captain and a former major winner in a key group. The 51 year old Love won 21 times on tour including the 1997 PGA Championship and the 2003 Players. He's our captain for the Ryder Cup, so he deserves a superstar group. But Alex Cejka? What's he doing in this group? Is this a misprint? Maybe he'll be competitive for a while, but he won't win.

1:47 PM ET/12:47 PM CT: Hideki Matsuyama, Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen. All three capable of doing well, and Hideki could win it. Hideki is a stud. The other two are former major winners, so they can handle the pressure in big moments.

1:58 PM ET/12:58 PM CT: Tee 1: Bubba, Rory, Dustin. Only first names needed here. Bubba is a two time Masters champion and Rory has won four majors. Dustin is really due. This is a really interesting pairing along with the Spieth, Day pairing.

Weather: Really good for the most part. Friday a chance of t-storms. Sunny, 82, on Sunday, Wind ENE 9-15 MPH.

TV: Thursday-Friday: Golf Channel: 1-7 PM ET/12-6 PM CT. Saturday-Sunday: NBC, 2-7 PM ET/1-6 PM CT. Dan, Johnny, David, Gary, etc.. on the call.

Key holes:

As always the Par 3, 137 yard 17th. The Island hole sets up for some of the greatest drama in golf. The 18th is a tremendously hard, pressurized hole at 445 yards with water all along the right side. If you overcook it off the tee, you're swimming. if you hit too much of a fade you have trees and thick rough. These last two holes capture some of the greatest drama in golf and setup for historic finishes by stellar champions. Rickie proved that last year.

Last week's pick at the Wells Fargo: Rory. Finished T-4. Best finish this season, Patrick Reed, 2nd at the Hyundai to Spieth.

Bama last week: Phil T-4. Has won with Hideki this season at the Waste Management in February.

Spike last week: Picked Rickie, T-4. Spike won at the WGC Cadillac with Adam Scott. 

Walter: Rickie. T-4. Walt just missed at the Shell Houston with Henrik. Henrik finished at -14, one back of winner Jim Herman.

Please join Bama, Spike and Walter on the blog with commentary-predictions. Chris-Craft, Willie, Pablo, Deano, Gunner, H, Kruegs, both of you, T in Atlanta, WW in Park City, TS in Atlanta, Peter, Brownie, David F. Termite, C, among others, would love your comments and predictions. Everybody is welcome. 

Contenders this week:

Patrick Reed

He's close, very close. His clutchness is unquestionable in my opinion. Will get a major soon, maybe the fifth this weekend.

Phil

Still a horse. Like his chances if his putter is cooperating.

Jason Day

Can't leave this stud out. He's hit it 397 yards off the tee this season in Hawaii. This course requires some three woods off the tee, and that's not his strongest club, but he'll adjust.

Spieth

He's going to get it back. The Masters was gut wrenching for him I'm sure. To me, he hadn't quite recovered from all his world appearances, and all of his media and marketing obligations. He's been worn out. But he's eased up on his schedule the last couple of weeks and he's ready to go this weekend and moving forward into the United States Open at Oakmont CC, June 16th-19th.

Rickie

Can't leave this stud out either. He can flat out go off, and when he does, he's almost unbeatable.

This week's winner

Going back to the well again this week. Like the just turned 27 year old, who shot 66 in the final round at Quail Hollow last week, to capture his first Players title. He's just too good not to win here. 

Rory McIlory

Going with the stud from Northern Ireland to capture his first Players and catapult himself into the next three majors

The Masters

The 80th Masters

Augusta National Golf Club, 7,435 yards, par 72

Designers: Bobby Jones and Alistair McKenzie, 1932

Defending champion: Jordan Spieth. -18, tied Tiger Woods 1997 scoring record

Network: ESPN & CBS; CBS team:Jim, Sir Nick, Verne, Peter Kostis, Ian Baker Finch, etc...

TV times: Thursday-Friday, ESPN: 2-6:30 PM CT/3-7:30 PM ET

Saturday: CBS: 2-6 PM CT/3-7 PM ET

Sunday: CBS: 1-6 PM CT/2-7 PM ET

Weather: Thursday: Sunny, windy, 74, West 14 MPH with gusts up to 25 MPH

Friday: Partly sunny, 69,  wind W 14 MPH, gusts to 23 MPH

Saturday: Sunny, 66, Wind WNW 13-20 MPH

Sunday: Sunny, 65, Wind, SE 4-8 MPH, should be good scoring conditions.

Key Tee times Thursday

9:26 AM ET/8;26 AM CT: Zach Johnson-2007 winner, like where his game's at; Rickie Fowler-right in the thick of things; Cheng Jin-Amateur, no shot.

9:37 AM ET/8:37 AM CT: Louis Oosthuizen-Kind of a darkhorse, lost in a playoff to Bubba in 2012. Jason Dufner-Has his game back, won at the Career Builder in California in January; Patrick Reed-Has the game and the mental toughness to win. He leads the tour in top 10's this year with 7 in 11 events.

9:48 AM ET/8:48 AM CT: Jordan Spieth- Defending champion, if the putter is hot, can absolutely defend his title; Paul Casey: Good player, but don't think he'll be a factor; Bryson DeChambeau: Amateur from SMU who won the individual NCAA championship last year. Interesting player with a bright future, but this stage is too large right now for the 22 year old.

9:59 AM ET/8:59 AM CT: Justin Thomas- Another darkhorse who can win here at some point, but not this year; Emiliano Grillo-No, he won't win; Dustin Johnson-Well, one of these years maybe he'll get over the hump and win a major, but don't see it here.

10:43 AM ET/9:43 AM CT: Phil-He's hitting it 299, just like he did 10 years ago, and he leads the tour in scoring average at 69.17.  Phil will be a factor; Marc Leishman-Possible contender till Sunday, then he falls off; Henrik Stenson- Expecting him to play pretty well. He's been close all year, but don't see him winning.

11:05 AM ET/10:05 AM CT: Adam Scott-Really like his prospects if he can get the putter cookin; Kevin Kisner- Another darkhorse in the field. Could be an interesting player come Sunday. Brooks Koepka-Another interesting competitor who could make some noise on Sunday.

12:44 PM ET/11:44 AM CT: Bubba: Definitely in the mix. Has had a bad sinus infection, there's always something, but he's ready to go; Branden Grace-No; Ian Poulter-Only steps it up at the Ryder Cup. Not winning here.

1:06 PM ET/12:06 PM CT: Jason Day- Yes, very much in the hunt to don a Green Jacket in Butler's Cabin Sunday; Matt Kuchar: Will be competitive, but don't see it happening; Ernie Els: Love the guy, but don't see him getting over the hump though he has played well here in the past.

2:01 PM ET/1:01 PM CT: Martin Kaymer: A little off his game right now. Won't be a factor this year; Bill Haas: Could be another darkhorse. I don't see him as interesting as Oosthuizen, Kisner, Thomas and Koepka, but could be relevant come Sunday; Rory McIlroy: For sure has a shot to be the sixth golfer to win the career Grand Slam joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack, Gary Player and Tiger.

The Backside at Augusta National will be a sizzling on Sunday afternoon on CBS

No.10: Par 4, 495 yards

A long hole that can play shorter if the drive catches the slope in the fairway. The second shot is critical here as the player hits to a green that is sloping right to left. Short right is in the sand trap and is a difficult up and down for par. Two of the most famous shots on this hole were Bubba Watson's wedge that he hooked 40 yards out of the woods on his second shot to 10 feet where he two putted for his first Green Jacket in 2012 in his playoff victory over Louis Oosthuizen. Adam Scott's 15 foot birdie putt in 2013 clinched his playoff victory over Angel Cabrera, the 2009 champion.

No.11: Par 4 505 yards

The beginning of Amen Corner (holes 11-13), this hole is a difficult, long par 4, that puts a premium on your approach shot. If the competitor misses to the left of the green, he is in the water. A lot of players will bail out to the right and try to get up and down for par. Par is a good score here. Larry Mize's famous chip in from 90 feet in a playoff with Greg Norman in 1987, was one of the most memorable Masters' moments in the history of the tournament. To me, this is the toughest hole on the course.

No.12: Par 3, 155 yards

This hole always tests a player's focus and resolve as there is almost always a prevailing wind that is either in the players face or at his back. Club selection and mental calmness under the storm are at a premium here. Fred Couples caught a huge break in 1992 on this hole when his ball held up on the bank and didn't go into Rae's Creek off his tee shot. That would have been devastating for Freddie. He got up and down and went on to win his only major title, though he also won 14 other times, including the 1996 Players Championship, the players' fifth major. Still, this was Fred's crowning achievement in golf.

No.13: Par 5, 510

An accurate tee shot to the center of the fairway sets up a player to go for it over a tributary of Rae's Creek that fronts the green. The second shot is another under the gun, clutchness challenge. There are four bunkers behind the putting surface. Short can be devastating on Sunday, as you're going swimming. Long can make for a difficult up and down for birdie. Birdie can be pretty critical here on Sunday for the players chasing, and for the player who is leading. One of the key moments in Masters  history was Phil Mickelson's six iron out of the pine straw and through the trees to four feet in 2010. He missed his eagle putt, but he birdied, which helped Phil clinch his third Green Jacket.

No.14:  Par 4, 440 yards

This is the only hole on the course without bunkers, but players must avoid trees on the left and right off the tee. The green is severely contoured and feeds the ball to the right. Phil holed out for eagle here on Saturday in 2010 during an eagle-eagle-birdie stretch that helped him get into the final group on Sunday in his victory that year. Bernhard Langer and chairman Billy Payne had an argument over 14 at a champions dinner several years ago. Langer got up and said there should be some changes to the 14th hole. Payne immediately interrupted and said, "This is not a place for this discussion. This dinner is over with." You don't mess with Augusta National. 

No.15: Par 5, 530 yards

A cluster of pines on the right side of the fairway is coming into play so accuracy, hitting it down the pipe, is critical off the tee. The green can be reached in two with a good tee shot, but there is a pond in the front guarding the green and a bunker on the right side of the green. Even for those players laying up, the third shot requires a precision wedge. Tiger Woods was one shot back of the lead in 2013 when his wedge hit the flagstick and caromed into the water. He went back and dropped but there was a controversy on where he dropped the ball. He made bogey, but his incorrect drop was not discovered until after the round. He was allowed to stay in the tournament because of a committee error. Woods finished tied for fourth that year.

No.16: Par 3, 170 yards

The hole plays entirely over water and eventually bends to the left. Two bunkers guard the right side of the green and the green slopes significantly from right to left. The pin on Sunday is typically back left and on the lower shelf, so pars from the top shelf of the green are rare. Tiger Woods' amazing chip in 2005 in which his ball took a U turn and rolled toward the hole taking two seconds before dropping in the cup giving him a two shot lead over Chris DiMarco and the eventual victory is one of the more memorable shots in Masters history, but there have been so many on this hole.

No.17: Par 4, 440 yards

The tee shot is easier because the Eisenhower tree was lost to an ice storm in 2014. The green is protected by two bunkers in front. Jack sank his final birdie from 12 feet in 1986 to secure his 18th and final major at age 46. "Yes Sir!"

N0.18: Par 4 465 yards

One of the most demanding finishing holes in golf, this uphill dogleg right is protected off the tee by two deep bunkers down the fairway to the left about 280-285 yards out. The drive is through a chute between two sets of trees on the player's right and left sides. A middle iron is required on a highly tension filled approach shot. There is a bunker in front and on the right side of the green. Adam Scott birdied here in 2013 from 25 feet and Angel Cabrera followed him up with a birdie from four feet to set up a playoff which Scott won on No.10, the first playoff hole. It was a clutch city performance by both players. Jordan Spieth had a totally clutch flop shot here on Saturday last year, after a double on 17, that kept him four shots clear of the field. He went on to shoot 70 on Sunday and capture the Green Jacket at 21 years old.

Contenders:

Rickie Fowler

It's going to be windy and Rickie told Golf Channel he likes playing in the wind. He says he's used to it from playing at Oklahoma State. He's a really good putter when he's got it going. See no reason why he can't win. 

Rory

Will definitely be in the hunt. Along with Jason Day, the best ball striker on tour, and along with Day, maybe the best ball striker of all time along with Tiger, too. Putter has to be working though.

Zach Johnson

The ultimate grinder, Zach can just wear you down if you're playing against him. Tough competitor. Like his chances.

Phil 

Playing tremendous golf right now. Hasn't gotten over the hump since the 2013 Open Championship, but driving it as well as he ever has. Like Phil to be right there. Shot -14 to tie for second last year with Justin Rose behind Spieth. Won here in 2004, 2006 and 2010. That experience of winning here is critical.

Jason Day

Amazing talent. Has some physical issues at times, but proved last year that he is maybe the most elite player on tour right now. To back  that up, he's won the WGC Match Play and the Arnie this season. This was a close one for my winning pick between this Australian and another.

But here's my winner

Like this 35 year old, who is playing the best golf of his career to put a Green Jacket in his closet after this year's 80th edition. He's a heckuva ball striker as well, and has shown he can putt as well as anybody on tour this season. The man from Down Under moved from the anchored putter to the short putter this year, per USGA rules, and has flourished, winning at the Honda Classic in late February and the WGC-Cadillac Championship in early March. He's won here already in 2013 defeating Angel Canbrera in a playoff. He's got Steve Williams on the bag, who knows something about winning at Augusta National as he did it with this fine gentleman in three years ago, and with Tiger in 2001, 2002 and 2005. Tiger won it in 1997 with Fluff Cowan on the bag, for his four Green Jackets. This Down Under native is used to playing in strong wind where he comes from, where the wind can howl on the course on many days at 20-30 MPH. Going with the 13 time winner on the PGA tour from Adelaide, Australia to capture his second Green Jacket.

Adam Scott

Like Adam to capture his second Green Jacket in four years. 

Prediction for the National title game tonight; Jim Herman

Villanova (34-5) vs. North Carolina (33-6)

NRG Stadium, Houston (76,000)

8:19 PM CT/9:19 PM ET

TBS

Jim, Bill, Grant Trace

UNC by 2

I like Villanova's ability to shoot the 3 and get after it on defense. Brice Johnson is a superb power forward for UNC who can score at will. He's superb. He's averaged 20 points and 8 boards in the tournament. So an X factor for me in this game is 6'11", 245 pound center Daniel Ochefu for Nova. He averaged 10 points and 7.6 boards this season, but his key is his physicality on the inside, his defense. He held Kansas stud power forward Perry Ellis to just two points in Nova's Elite Eight victory over the Jayhawks. Johnson is 6'11", 230, and he's a better player than Ellis. He's one of the best players, if not the best player, in the country. So if Ochefu can somehow neutralize Johnson and Nova can play that stellar defense and shoot the triple, two things that are their trademarks, I like them to get over the top. Point guard Ryan Arcidiacono is 14-of-23 from three in the tournament, 61%, and he's a relentless competitor. Kris Jenkins, a shooting guard, is 15-of-31, 48%, from 3. Josh Hart is averaging almost 16 points per game in the tournament along with five rebounds, almost three assists and close to two steals. 

Marcus Paige will have to be slowed down by the Nova guards. He's been superb for UNC ever since the ACC Tournament. The point-shooting guard hybrid like player has averaged 14 points, 4 assists and is shooting 47% from downtown in the tournament. And UNC has plenty of other weapons to go along with Johnson and Paige, two of whom are Justin Jackson and Isaiah Hicks.

But I love the way Nova defends. The best way to defend the awesome Johnson is to not let him get the ball. And Nova can defend the perimeter better than any team in the country. And they can really shoot it.

Nova is a two point underdog, but with their relentless defense, their three point shooting prowess, and their mental toughness, I'm going to take them in the the upset in a classic national championship game.

Villanova 76, North Carolina 74

Jim Herman

What a story this is with the 38 year old journeyman from Cincinnati, Ohio, who was playing golf with the Donald last weekend, shot a 68 and was superbly clutch when it counted to capture the Shell Houston Open title, get a huge payday, and win a spot into Augusta National this week.

Herman chipped in on 16, sank a four foot par putt on 17 and tatooed a drive down the difficult 18th, 315 yards with a three wood, and got home with a par to capture the title. The best part of Herman's victory were his post round comments to Todd Lewis of NBC/Golf Channel. He was highly emotional, but it was great. Lewis said to him in closing, "Tears of joy. We'll see you at Augusta National next week."

Herman looked down emotionally and said through a choked up voice, "Never thought it was possible." It was powerful, moving. I loved it personally.

Now it's time for Augusta National and the 80th playing of the Masters Tournament. Will be epic with Jason Day, Rory, Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Bubba, Adam Scott, Phil, and a host of others with a shot at capturing the Green Jacket. Will have a complete write up on Wednesday. 

Jim Herman was super clutch in winning the Shell Houston Open to earn an invitation to Augusta National