Weekly PGA Preview: Hello, Henrik

With many of the best golfers in the world at the WGC Mexico event last week, it was almost a lock that we'd get some big names near the top of the leaderboard on the weekend. But as Friday's round concluded, nary a big name was in sight. Not only was there an absence of big names, but there were names who were completely unfamiliar to golf fans in the United States.

Some folks prefer the "little guy" stepping up in big spots, but even those rooting for the new guy, if they are honest, would like the little guy to battle a top-tier player or two. That wasn't the case entering last weekend, though, as it looked like a battle of players more at home in an opposite field event like the Puerto Rico Open rather than a WGC event. That was Saturday, though. By mid-round Sunday, we had a developing situation.

On one side there was Justin Thomas, who had played terribly (by his standards) through the first two rounds, but snapped out of it Saturday with an incredible round of 62. Thomas crept back up the leaderboard, but even the best golfers in the world don't have two rounds like that in them on the weekend. Thomas had other ideas, though, as not only did he back up his Saturday round, he posted the best score of anyone in the field on Sunday, a round that was capped by a hole-out from the fairway on the 72nd hole.

At that point, it looked like Thomas was destined to win, but there was one big name who had been lurking the entire round, a name which had been lurking the last few years but never able to close the deal. Phil Mickelson was, to use a racing term, drafting during the first two rounds, hanging back from the main pack, but still within striking distance. By the end of Saturday's round, he had made his move and was part of the final group.

Although he started the round in the lead, by the time Mickelson reached the 15th hole, he was again trailing, and thoughts of the near misses from the last few years started to surface. Mickelson, however, had other ideas as not only did he tie Thomas in regulation, but he was oh-so-close to winning the tournament outright with a putt that just lipped out.

Thomas and Mickelson eventually ended in a less than dramatic playoff as Thomas appeared to have lost his rhythm and Mickelson was still humming along. The end result was Mickelson finding his way back to the winner's circle after a four-year drought. What looked like a dud entering the weekend, turned out to be one of the better PGA events this season. It's a testament to how deep the PGA Tour is, as there always seems to be a big name in the mix, not on Friday night, but Sunday afternoon when it counts.

This week: Valspar Championship - Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club (Copperhead Course), Palm Harbor, Fla.

Last Year: Adam Hadwin shot a final-round 71 on his way to a one-stroke victory over Patrick Cantlay.

PLAYERS TO CONSIDER

Henrik Stenson

Remember this guy? He's played on the PGA Tour for a while, but for some reason hasn't played this year until now. Maybe he was just getting ready for this event. Whatever the case, Stenson has been very sharp at this event as evidence by three finishes in the top 11 in just three starts. It's a little concerning that he hasn't played yet, but sometimes you just have to sit back and trust that these guys know what they are doing.

Adam Hadwin

Hadwin's win here last season came out of nowhere. In his previous two starts at this event he missed the cut and finished T71. Maybe he caught lightning in a bottle, maybe he figured out how to get around this course. I'm hoping it's the latter, but if not, he could catch that lightning again as he's trending in the right direction with top-10s in his last two events.

Jordan Spieth

It feels like Spieth is having a bad season, but that's only because he hasn't really contended anywhere yet. He does, however, have five top-20s in six starts this season, so it goes without saying that he's close to finding his top form. The question this week is, do you want to take a chance that Spieth gets it all figured out this week or save him for a major? I would lean toward the latter in one-and-done pools, but in every other format, he's a solid selection this week.

Charl Schwartzel

We haven't seen much of Schwartzel this season and what we saw last week wasn't exactly peak Schwartzel, but he's been pretty darn good on this course over the years and perhaps a return to Copperhead will bring out the best in him. Schwartzel won this event in 2016 and finished solo-6th last year.

Kevin Streelman

Streelman has only two top-10s this season, but he's yet to miss a cut in 10 starts on the PGA Tour. He doesn't seem to have the upside that he had a few years back, but he's a safe play this week. Streelman won this event in 2013 and finished in the top 20 last year.

PLAYERS TO AVOID

Scott Stallings

Stallings has exceeded expectations early this season, but if history tells us anything, it's that he's going to cool off. Stallings posted consecutive top-10s in early February, but the inevitable cool down started with a T29 in his most recent event. T29 isn't a bad finish, but guys like Stallings can stay hot for only so long and if he's not at his best, then there's no reason to use him here.

Paul Casey

Casey has been a steady force on the PGA Tour for quite a while and he's generally a safe pick, but there's something about this course that doesn't suite his eye. Casey has teed it up here four times and missed the cut twice. He's also yet to crack the top 30, so it's probably just best to wait on Casey until he gets to a site where he's had more success.

Bill Haas

I wasn't planning on putting Haas on this list for obvious reasons, but he does have a good track record at this event, which might tempt some to use him, but I wouldn't recommend it. Professional golfers, by nature, have to be good at blocking out distractions, but I dare say that Haas will have a tough time focusing on golf this week as it will be his first event since the incident prior to Riviera.

Luke Donald

This is generally the time of the season where Donald makes an appearance on the "Consider" list, but something is different this season as Donald has missed the cut in four of five events since the calendar turned. Donald's overall track record here is strong, but he missed the cut last year.

Ollie Schniederjans

Schniederjans has been a big-time hit-or-miss guy this season, with two top-10s, two MCs and a T64 in five events this season. Considering his track record at this event, this looks like another miss for Schniederjans. He has has teed it up here twice and missed the cut both times.

ONE AND DONE GOLFER

Last week: Justin Thomas (2) - $1,072,000; Season - $3,335,291

This week: Adam Hadwin - Stenson is my top pick this week, but I've burnt way too much firepower the last month and need to pull it back a notch because, well, there are four majors left. Hadwin is a solid choice as he's in good form and is the defending champ.

PGATOUR.COM PICKS

This Week:

Starters: Jordan Spieth, Henrik Stenson, Kevin Streelman, Adam Hadwin

Bench: Charl Schwartzel, Rory McIlroy

SURVIVOR PICK

Last week: N/A - (N/A); Streak - 0

This week: Kevin Streelman - While I like Hadwin for the one-and-done format, I'm a little weary of using him in a survivor format because of his erratic history here. Streelman, meanwhile, has been dependable here, and he's yet to miss a cut this season.