Here are GolfChannel.com’s Power Rankings, a weekly barometer of the hottest players in the game:
| Rank | Player | Comment | | 1 |
Anthony Kim | Lefty took home the green jacket but AK too our breath away. A week removed from his Shell Houston Open victory he ran out of holes on the back nine Sunday at Augusta National before closing with a 65, good for a third-place finish. | | | 2 |
Phil Mickelson
| Majors get extra juice in this poll and, although Lefty looked anything but ready to win a major championship heading down Magnolia Lane, something clicked on the practice tee with Butch Harmon and it resulted in a third green jacket. | | | 3 |
Ernie Els | This wasn’t one of the best weeks for the Big Easy (T-18) who seemed poised to land the one prize that has eluded him, but his closing 68 was a sign he’s still a player to watch. Masters opportunities, though, are getting slimmer for Els. | | | 4 |
Lee Westwood | The Englishman’s bid for his first major fell short but he’s still one of the most consistent players in the game this year. One wonders, however, how many near-misses he can endure. Phil did for a long time. Can Westwood too? | | | 5 |
Ian Poulter
| His run to a green jacket likely ended with an unlucky bounce on the 12th hole Saturday, but, despite his 3 over weekend, he’s proven he’s inching closer to his first major championship. Will he or compatriot Westwood break the drought first? | | | 6 |
Steve Stricker
| Finally broke par in the final round (71) at the Masters and never seemed comfortable at Bobby Jones’ Invitational. It’s odd for a player with such a prolific shortgame to struggle here, but he’s still one of the game’s most consistent players. | | | 7 |
Fred Couples
| It’s back to 54 holes, no cuts and golf carts for Boom Boom but he showed that 50 is the new 40 on the PGA Tour. His next goal is getting into the U.S. Open. Heck, he could have seven or eight Champions Tour victories by then. | | | 8 |
Tiger Woods | He may not be happy with a tie for fourth place, but after five difficult months it was a solid start, both on the course and in the press center. Say what you want, but if Tiger Woods is playing golf, he should always be somewhere on this list. | | | 9 |
Paul Casey | Although his agent said his Houston WD was precautionary, the Englishman didn’t look sharp at Augusta National, shooting 75-78. His consistent start of the year keeps him on this list but he needs to play better soon to remain here. | | | 10 |
Charl Schwartzel | Final-round 74 kept the South African from a better finish at Augusta National (T-30) in his first trip, but a 67-67 weekend a week earlier at Houston, and stellar play over the past month keep him hanging around. He could win on Tour soon. |
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