Who has the advantage at Harbour Town?
There's no question any PGA Tour players who failed to qualify for last week's Masters Tournament rue the fact that they didn't get a chance to compete in the year's first major. But perhaps there's a silver lining to that cloud.
With many top players having just finished a stressful week in Augusta, do those who had some time off have an advantage at Harbour Town? Our experts answer that question and more in Fact or Fiction.
 | |
Bob Harig, contributor, ESPN.com: FICTION. The Masters is a grueling week and the courses and atmosphere nothing alike. Nobody would willingly skip The Masters, but those not in the field are more prepared to compete this week.
Brian Wacker, assistant editor, GolfDigest.com: FICTION. This year's Masters played more like a U.S. Open than a Masters. It was a grind, and not just for 40-somethings like Fred Couples, who admitted afterward that he was utterly exhausted. A lot of players felt that way.
Ron Sirak, executive editor, Golf World: FICTION. Players who competed in The Masters are still having bad dreams about how difficult Augusta National was. If any one Masters competitor does well at Harbour Town, it will be someone who was not in contention at the National.
Jason Sobel, golf editor, ESPN.com: FACT. Sure, it's a grueling week, but for those who competed in The Masters, Harbour Town will feel like a walk in the park. Expect the winner to come from the small list of players who contended in Augusta and made the trip to Hilton Head.
 | |
Sobel: FACT. Give us your shotmakers, your ball strikers, your creative course strategists yearning to breathe free. For this week -- like at Colonial and Westchester -- 330-yard drives won't be as beneficial as precision golf and intelligent course management.
Sirak: FACT. The way to deal with distance is not to make longer courses but rather shorter, more strategic venues. Harbour Town is a thinking man's course. The tour needs more of them.
Harig: FACT. One of the shortest courses on tour is also one of the toughest. It requires straight drives and plenty of strategy.
Wacker: FICTION. Harbour Town is one of the truly great courses the tour will see all year. That said, there are already plenty of courses that require great shotmaking -- Colonial, Riviera, Westchester, etc. Adding more of them would take away from the players who have the ability to take it deep, not to mention level the playing field, which isn't necessarily a good thing. Dynasties like the Big Five are good for golf. By the way, those guys all happen to be pretty good shotmakers, too.
 | |
| Love |
Wacker: DAVIS LOVE III. As with Augusta National and Fred Couples, Harbour Town just fits Love's eye. He's won this tournament five times in his career and was the runner-up last year. A win here would also end a drought that dates back to the International three years ago.
Sirak: NICK PRICE. The old guy reaches back and finds some magic on a course that suits his shotmaking abilities perfectly.
Harig: DAVIS LOVE III. He breaks his three-year victory drought and gets a sixth plaid jacket.
Sobel: SCOTT VERPLANK. Horses for courses. Verplank is among the best ball strikers and putters on tour and has three top-10s in the past five editions of this event.
