WGC-Cadillac Preview: Can Quiet Kuchar Strike Again?

Usually, we would consider ourselves lucky to get this far into the PGA Tour schedule without a major weather delay. But in recent years we've become a bit spoiled with the nice weather, which makes the Monday finish at the Honda Classic a bit more painful. Adding to the agony was the effect the weather had on some of the best players in the world ... at least, that's what we think happened to players like Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose who missed the cut. While the average golf fan was a bit annoyed at the delays, it's the networks that really suffered. Not only do they lose a majority of their audience for the final round on Monday, but the weekend coverage is nearly non-existent because, well, there's nothing to cover! I like golf as much as the next guy, but I'm not watching reruns of the previous day's coverage when I already know what happened. The weird thing is, the coverage Monday looked like a rerun as well ... there was this old broadcast on of a tournament where Padraig Harrington won.

This week: WGC-Cadillac Championship - Trump National Doral, Miami

Last Year: Patrick Reed shot a final-round 72 on his way to a one-stroke victory over Bubba Watson and Jamie Donaldson.

PLAYERS TO CONSIDER

Matt Kuchar

Haven't heard much from Kuchar lately, but that's usually when he strikes. His track record here is solid, including four top-15s in five tries, two top-5s.

Bubba Watson

If you didn't use him two weeks ago, and you're not planning on using him at Augusta, then this looks like a good spot to burn him. Watson has two runner-up finishes here in his last three tries.

Sergio Garcia

This is the perfect environment for Garcia. He's playing the best in the world, but there isn't the pressure of a major. He's stepped up big in situations like this before, and I expect a good run again from him again this week.

Patrick Reed

Who knows, maybe he is a top-5 player. Nah, but he looked like one last year at this event. I'm not certain that he can repeat that feat, but perhaps he'll up his game again when the stakes are high.

Paul Casey

Probably a week too late as Casey again played well last week at the Honda, but who knows, maybe he can stretch this run out another week. He does have a few top-10s here.

PLAYERS TO AVOID

Rory McIlroy

I now, crazy, but, he was way off his game last week and why the heck would you burn your one chance on Rory the week after he missed the cut? He is human ... I think.

Justin Rose

Rose won here three years ago, but his track record otherwise is lacking. He's also coming off a missed cut, and although he played well in spots during his second round last week, it's safe to say his game is not where he wants it to be entering the week.

Jimmy Walker

This was about the time of year that Walker's game started to fall off last year. I expect the same thing to happen again this year. He needs to prove he can play outside the west coast before I take him against the best in the world.

Phil Mickelson

Mickelson played pretty well last week, at least better than I expected, but he's still not at the top of his game and his history here is all over the place. Certainly not the place to take a chance on Mickelson.

Jim Furyk

Furyk had a nice run at this event about 6-7 years ago where he earned several top-3s, but his performance on this track recently has left a lot to be desired.

ONE AND DONE GOLFER

Last week: Justin Rose (MC) - $0; Season - $1,047,735

This week: Matt Kuchar - There are obviously a lot of strong options in the field this week, but the key is to find one that isn't on your short list of major contenders. While Kuchar is always a contender, he's never won a major, so might as well use him here.

YAHOO PICKS

Points: 1,099
Rank: 33,185

This Week:

Group A: Bubba Watson, Sergio Garcia

Group B: Matt Kuchar, Jason Day, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth

Group C: Charles Schwartzel, Patrick Reed

SURVIVOR PICK

Last week: Justin Rose (MC); Streak - 0

This week: N/A - No cut this week.