They have surveyed the green, examined the breaks and calculated the grain, speed and dimensions. Here's how CBSSports.com staffers Steve Elling, Ross Devonport and Dan Lubin are handicapping this week's PGA Championship.
| No-Brainer: Who's head of the class, king of the hill, top of the heap? | ||
| Steve Elling CBSSports.com Senior Writer | Ross Devonport CBSSports.com Fantasy Writer | Dan Lubin CBSSports.com Golf Producer |
 Phil Mickelson OK, so golf tournaments are 72 holes long, at minimum. If not, Phil Mickelson would have won a few more of them along the way, including last weekend's Bridgestone Invitational, which he botched with bogeys on three of the last four holes. The fact remains that he was leading by a shot with four holes to play and has the putting skills required to survive this week on the brutal Oakland Hills greens. With Tiger Woods out, no player in the field has won more majors. Good enough for me. |  Ernie Els While no one in the field has more majors than Elling's top pick, no one has more choke jobs down the stretch in the last week, either. So, I'm going with another guy who has three majors, just like FIGJAM -- Ernie Els. The Big Easy opened with a far-from-easy 80 at Birkdale, but bounced back in a massive way to finish T7. He also finished T14 at the U.S. Open and T6 at the Players, so the man just knows how score on these ultra-tough courses. | Phil Mickelson It doesn't matter what happened during the closing holes at Firestone. I'm sure Phil will admit it wasn't his finest moment. But I think he hasn't dwelt on it since he woke up Monday morning with the prospect of a second PGA Championship title facing him. He's not getting credit for what is another fantastic year. He has two victories and hasn't finished outside the top 25 once in 2008. Just like Tiger, Phil thrives at the majors when he manages to keep his tee ball in check. Of course, it's no different this week. |
| Late for his Tee Time: Who's playing well and ready for a breakthrough? | ||
| Steve Elling CBSSports.com Senior Writer | Ross Devonport CBSSports.com Fantasy Writer | Dan Lubin CBSSports.com Golf Producer |
 Zach Johnson Johnson has what you might call an ulterior motive. He hasn’t done much of anything this year, mostly just making cuts and finishing well out of contention. But he's 14th in Ryder Cup points and badly needs to stage a rally this week to get back in the mix for an automatic or at-large spot. Last week, he played as well as he has in weeks, finishing T-16. Plus, the guy can putt, and that's an occupational necessity this week. |  Hunter Mahan Hunter Mahan has quietly been playing some very nice golf over the last couple of months. He finished T18 at Torrey Pines, T2 at the Travelers, T12 at the AT&T National and T10 last week at Firestone. He'll need to sink a few more putts this week. His average per GIR is awful (1.814), but he does hit more greens than most folks -- he's fourth on tour -- so you have to cut him a little slack. |  K.J. Choi Choi faded over the brutal weekend at Royal Birkdale after carrying the 36-hole lead, but he's got the game and experience to be a serious contender at the majors. He's a fantastic ball striker and seems almost mechanical in the consistency of his swing. But the wild card is always the putter. If he has a good week on the greens, he should be in the mix over the weekend. His victory earlier this season at the Sony Open was the seventh in his career. He must be on a short list of best current players never to have won a major. |
| One in a 100: Who could surprise us with a great performance? | ||
| Steve Elling CBSSports.com Senior Writer | Ross Devonport CBSSports.com Fantasy Writer | Dan Lubin CBSSports.com Golf Producer |
 Daniel Chopra Similarly, Daniel Chopra is hoping to land a berth in the Ryder, albeit on the European side. It's going to take a massive rally, since he stands No. 12 on the Euro world points list and only the top five make the team automatically. Chopra, who has two U.S. victories since last fall, also has a putting stroke that will serve him well this week at Oakland Hills, where merely getting your ball on the greens is just the beginning. |  Rocco Mediate He seems to like these major championship things, and there's no Mr. Woods in Michigan this week to spoil his party, so I'm going to pick everyone's favorite guy here -- Rocco Mediate. He finished T19 at the Open Championship to prove his Torrey Pines playoff appearance wasn't a fluke, and has only played twice in the last month, so his old joints should be nicely rested for the test Oakland Hills will provide. |  Steve Marino Kind of a shot in the dark here, but Marino has proven himself to be an outstanding player who should be on the PGA Tour for many years to come. He possesses a sound overall game, but it might be premature to highlight him before he's even won a regular event on the big tour. However, I like how he has consistently hit greens and capitalized on opportunities to make birdie. There's also an element of aggressiveness that could benefit him this week. He currently ranks 10th in birdie average and 12th in scoring average. Also, he has claimed three top-5 finishes in 2008. |
