Y.E. Yang
Here are two words for you: Angel Cabrera.
No one ever believed that Cabrera would win another major after his shocking victory at the 2007 U.S. Open over Tiger Woods. But he did.
Cabrera demonstrated that if you have the stomach and nerve to win one major, it’s quite possible to do it again.
Most people look at players such as Y.E. Yang, Ben Curtis, Todd Hamilton, Shaun Micheel, and others as one-hit wonders. Although these players were considerable underdogs when they won their major titles, they still had to hold it together on the weekend at major championships, particularly coming down the stretch on Sunday afternoon.
That is no easy task, and it is a form of pressure that has gotten the best of many of the game’s greatest players.
Ben Hogan blew major championships.
Jack Nicklaus let majors slip away.
Sam Snead blew more U.S. Opens than he’d care to remember.
Arnold Palmer let a seven-stroke lead slip away on the back nine at the 1966 U.S. Open.
And, as we all know, Woods finally failed to close out with a 54-hole lead at a major back in 2009, and Y.E. Yang was the man who took it from him.
Yang has consistently demonstrated an ability to execute the big shots when he needs them.
He did it against Woods at the 2009 PGA Championship and he most recently mounted a Sunday charge at the Honda Classic that very nearly caught Rory Sabbatini, despite Sabbatini’s five-stroke lead at the start of the round.
We know Yang has the stomach to get the job done, and he tied for eighth at last year’s Masters.
Can Yang be the next Cabrera?
Why not?
Ryan Moore
Moore may only have one PGA Tour win to his name, but the guy loves the game’s history, which is why it’s no surprise that he happens to play well every time he steps foot onto Augusta National’s storied fairways.
Moore tied for 13th at the 2005 Masters as an amateur, and he didn’t qualify for the event again until last year, when he tied for 14th after a Sunday afternoon hole-in-one on the par-three 16th.
Moore may be a long shot, but he’s been playing much better golf over the past few years, and he always seems to play well at Augusta.
If Moore does somehow happen to win the Masters this week, he may very well be the first person since Gene Sarazen to do so while wearing a tie.
K.J. Choi
Although K.J. Choi has yet to win a major championship, he has won seven PGA Tour events and 17 professional events worldwide.
Choi tied for fourth at last year’s Masters while playing four consecutive days alongside Tiger Woods and his comeback circus.
So far in 2011, Choi has two top-10 finishes, including a top six at his last event prior to the Masters—the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Choi may not slip into a green jacket on Sunday afternoon. But don’t be surprised one bit if his name pops up somewhere on that Sunday leaderboard.
Francesco Molinari
Last year was Molinari’s first trip to Augusta, and he tied for 30th.
History says that most Masters champions typically have at least a few tournaments under their belts at Augusta National and, more importantly, that they have experienced the heat that comes with being in contention on Sunday afternoon before breaking through for their first victory.
So, similar to Choi, it’s somewhat unlikely that Molinari will leave the gates of Augusta National and head back into the real world on Sunday evening while wearing a green jacket.
However, if you’re choosing a fantasy team for this week’s Masters, Molinari is a guy who is good enough of a ball striker to contend, no matter how little experience he has at Augusta National.
David Toms
Now, you’re probably saying: “Toms is a major champion. How in the world can he be considered a sleeper?”
Well, guys that haven’t won a PGA Tour event in more than five years tend to be considered dark horses, whether they are former major champions or not.
Heck, Nicklaus was considered a dark horse heading into the 1986 Masters, and he had previously won 17 professional majors.
The 2011 season is huge for Toms.
He’s 44, so he’s still far too young to coast into his Champions Tour days, and this year’s PGA Championship will return him to the site of his 2001 triumph: The Atlanta Athletic Club.
After two fairly poor seasons by Toms’ standards, he seems to have turned it on here in 2011.
Toms has two top-10 finishes in six events this season, including a tie for third at his last event, the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Although he hasn’t been overly successful at Augusta National, with only three top-10 finishes at the Masters since 1998, Toms did tie for 14th last year.
Past success and overall experience do count for a lot at the Masters.
However, a player’s form on the greens heading into the event is also nearly as important, if not as important, as experience at Augusta National.
Toms currently ranks third on tour in total putting. Add that to a rank of 18th on tour in greens in regulation and 15th in proximity to the hole, and you could just be looking at a walking formula for success at Augusta National.
Brandt Snedeker
Brandt Snedeker became somewhat synonymous with Masters heartbreak after his emotional loss to Trevor Immelman back in 2008, and to this day he is still looking for his first win since that fateful Sunday afternoon.
Snedeker shot a five-over 77 that Sunday at Augusta National back in 2008, when a 73 would have forced a playoff with Immelman and an even-par round of 72 would have earned him his first green jacket.
But Snedeker now heads into the 2011 Masters as a new man.
Snedeker and his wife recently welcomed a baby girl into the world, which would undoubtedly be the highlight of an already successful 2011 season.
Snedeker also ranks third on tour in putts per green in regulation, which is a vital aspect of the game to have sharp heading into Masters week.
Maybe, just maybe, Snedeker can get into contention and redeem himself after that 2008 heartbreak at Augusta.
Adam Scott
The words “Adam Scott” and “unrealized potential” go together like, well, the words “Sergio Garcia” and “unrealized potential.”
Although by this point most have become comfortable with the fact that Scott has yet to win a major championship, when you really sit down and think about it, it’s still one of the game’s biggest head-scratchers.
Scott won the Players Championship back in 2004, and he racked up four more professional victories, including the Tour Championship and three top 10s at majors, between 2004 and 2006.
Most believed that this guy was a true thoroughbred who was just becoming comfortable with the track before breaking away from the pack.
But that boost towards golfing greatness never came.
Since 2006, Scott has yet to crack the top 10 at a major championship.
Scott may never be that truly great golfer most expected him to develop into early in his career. But that doesn’t mean he can’t still have a very successful career.
Scott is still only 30 years old and won twice last year, including his first PGA Tour victory in more than two years (at the Valero Texas Open).
Scott has recently switched to a long putter, which has given him a newfound sense of confidence on the greens.
Perhaps this year he can improve upon his top 18 at last year’s Masters.
Steve Marino
Steve Marino has no business winning the 2011 Masters.
First of all, he is most comfortable when fading the golf ball, which is a huge disadvantage for a right-hander at Augusta National with all of the shots that call for a high draw.
Second, he has yet to win a PGA Tour event, let alone a major championship.
And third, he has only competed at Augusta National once before in his entire life.
However, Marino tied for 14th at his first-and-only appearance at the Masters in 2010.
So far in 2011, although still winless, Marino has continued to knock on the door, with two second-place finishes and nearly $1.4 million in earnings already.
Marino seems to contend as often as just about anyone out there on tour these days, so why not contend again this week at Augusta?
Ricky Barnes
This guy just plays well at major championship on difficult golf courses…and, more importantly, he’s been told that enough now that he actually believes it.
Barnes, a 30-year-old former U.S. Amateur champion still searching for his first PGA Tour win, tied for second at the 2009 U.S. Open, tied for 10th at last year’s Masters and then tied for 27th at the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
He may not be a top choice to contend at a tournament such as the Northern Trust Open, but Barnes has now popped up on enough major-championship leaderboards that he truly believes his game is well suited for these big-time events.
When choosing a dark horse in the game of golf, always go for the guy who possesses confidence over one that may have more skill.
Miguel Angel Jimenez
He’s professional golf’s version of The Most Interesting Man in the World.
Jimenez, although a fierce competitor at heart, is just as happy enjoying a glass of wine and a Montecristo cigar as he is winning professional golf tournaments.
Jimenez’s general enjoyment of life causes some to believe that he doesn’t have the drive to win big-time events, when in reality, nothing could be farther from the truth.
Jimenez has 18 European Tour wins, 21 professional wins worldwide, he has been a member of four European Ryder Cup teams and he has finished inside of the top 20 at five Masters in the past 10 years, including a tie for 12th last year at Augusta.
He may not look the part, but Jimenez has found himself right smack in the middle of numerous pressure-packed golf tournaments during the course of his career, and although he has never won a professional major, he’s been in contention his fair share of times.