Thrash Talk: Disappearance of the Big Five

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BY Cody Thrasher via TheSandTrap.com

Last year was all about the Big Five, but that's definitely not the case so far in 2006.

I hope everyone had nice weather this past weekend like I did in Oklahoma. On Saturday, the wind was non-existant and temperatures were in the 80s. On top of that, I broke 80 for only the fourth time in my golfing career. That doesn't really have anything to do with this week's Thrash Talk, but it is definitely worth mentioning. Now that my personal golf story of the week is out of the way, I'll get into this week's article.



Last year at this time, the golf media was going crazy over the "Big Five." That group included Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, and Retief Goosen. Through the Honda Classic last season, this group had combined for five wins, four runner-up finishes, and five third-place finishes on the PGA Tour. All of the "Big Five" were playing great, and it really made things interesting.

Fast forward to this season, and the story is much different. This group of five has two wins between them, and both of those victories are credited to Tiger Woods. Woods has always been a step ahead of the field, but it's even easier to see so far this season. It definitely looks like "Tiger and Everyone Else" instead of the "Big Five."



It's early in the season, and there is a lot of golf to be played in 2006. That being said, it's still odd to see the big guns struggling slightly after what they accomplished early last season. Tiger has been Tiger, and he will go on to win many more tournaments this season. He is officially exempt from this conversation starting now.



Vijay
Vijay Singh, the second-ranked golfer in the world, decided to take a week or two off to get things straightened out with his golf game. Don't get me wrong, I would take six top-20 finishes and eighth on the PGA Tour money list any day of the week. However, I'm not Vijay Singh, and it's unlike him to take time off to get things corrected. Singh's bread and butter is his superb ball striking, but the putting has kept him going so far this season. It will be a long season if Singh has to rely on his putting every week to pull him through.



Regardless of how bad Vijay is playing in his own mind, he will still rack up the high finishes every week. The high finishes aren't wins, however, and Vijay plays to win. I don't see Singh winning more than once this season, and he won't be number two in the world when the year is over. That's unfortunate because he was the number one golfer in the world a little over a year ago.



The Goose
Retief Goosen has only played in two events on the PGA Tour this season, so I can't really say anything too negative about the guy. Once again, he advanced farther than any of the other number one seeds at the Accenture Match Play Championship. In his only other start, Goosen finished in a tie for 15th at Doral. Goosen took a lot of time off before the Match Play Championship, and he did look a little rusty early on. It's just too early to tell for the South African at this point, but he definitely hasn't made any waves to this point. Goosen will be the second-ranked golfer in the world at the end of 2006.



Lefty
Phil Mickelson usually owns the West Coast Swing. Since 2000, Lefty has won at least one event on the West Coast Swing every season except 2002. Like Vijay, Mickelson still has some high finishes early this season, including three consecutive top-10 finishes in late January and early February. With Tiger being Tiger, high finishes just aren't good enough these days. Someone needs to step and challenge Tiger by winning tournaments.



Phil Mickelson put himself in contention two weeks ago at Doral, but he played awful on the weekend and stumbled to a tie for 12th. Lefty is known for taking considerable time off to spend with family every once in awhile, and that's understandable. However, his short game has struggled mightily, especially in the chipping department. I have always believed Mickelson's chipping was the best on the PGA Tour, but as of late, it has stunk. He will have to get things going with the wedges if he plans on winning anytime soon.



Big Easy
Ernie Els has played the worst of this group so far in 2006, at least on the PGA Tour. Els has played pretty well in Europe, but I don't deal with the European Tour. Els came on late at the Ford Championship at Doral two weeks ago and finished in a tie for seventh. I've been waiting to see that side of Ernie for half a year. The South African hurt his knee last season, and I was looking forward to his return in 2006.



It hasn't been much of a return so far in the United States, however. Els was the only number one seed upset in the first round of the Accenture Match Play Championship and finished in a tie for 23rd at the Nissan Open. When I look at his statistics for this season, none of them really jump out at me on the positive side of things. Els isn't really doing that well when it comes to putting, hitting greens in regulation, or driving accuracy (169th).



The Big Easy has only played three times so far on the PGA Tour in 2006, so the verdict is still out on him as well. However, he won't be ranked fourth in the world very long if he doesn't get things going like he usually does. It's going to be a very important March and April for Els, and I'm anxious to see if we will see the Ernie Els of past years. He usually thrives this time of year.



The Next Group
The world rankings get very interesting after the first five guys mentioned above. Sergio Garcia, Jim Furyk, Adam Scott, and Chris DiMarco have all had below-average years so far as well. Only David Toms (8th) has played up to his ranking. David Toms is the second-best golfer in the world right now behind Tiger. He has one win, one runner-up finish, and one third-place finish so far in 2006. I said Toms would struggle in an article published last year, but I am willing to admit that I was so very, very wrong.



Luke Donald and Geoff Ogilvy have shown they may have what it takes to make a serious move up the rankings in the near future. It wouldn't surprise me to see both guys in the top-10 before 2006 is over. Like I mentioned earlier, there is still a lot of golf to be played this season, but the early months often tell golf fans how the season will go.



The Final Say
It's still early in the game, and a lot of people will probably disagree completely with this article. That's ok with me because that's how things are supposed to be. The top-five golfers have played average so far this season, but I can tell as a fan they are struggling compared to last season. Vijay and Phil are seriously lacking their usual confidence, and Els hasn't fully gotten his back yet. I'll give Goosen a couple tournaments to show me something, and then I will make a decision on where he currently stands.



It will be interesting to see who steps up to challenge Tiger this season, if anyone. I really hope a couple golfers currently in the top-10 make a run at him like David Toms has so far this season. Otherwise, it's going to turn into another year like 2000 for golf fans. A lot of fans may have enjoyed the year 2000, but I wasn't one of them. Tiger dominated so much that I was bored many times throughout the season. I don't want that again.



That's all I have to say this week. It's time for you to tell me what you think about this week's article. Is it too early to judge Singh, Goosen, Mickelson, and Els? Also, which golfer in this group will challenge Tiger this season? Finally, which golfer ranked below these five will make a run at entering the top five this season? If you have anything to add, feel free to comment below or discuss it in the forum. Thanks for reading Thrash Talk this week and enjoy the beautiful weather!



Photo Credits: © Unknown, Reuters/Aly Song.

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