[Willie Bee]

PGA Tour: Verizon Heritage

By: Brian Gabrielle | bgsports.com

A week after Trevor Immelman claimed the green at The Masters, the PGA moves on to the Verizon Heritage at Hilton Head's Harbour Town course sans Tiger who's out with a bum knee.

Tiger didn't give Trevor Immelman much time to bask.Two days after The Masters, Woods had knee surgery,which will keep him out at least a month (meaning he will miss The Players Championship).

Immelman deserves more attention. He was the last man standing Sunday at Augusta and played all week with confidence and a downright steely determination. Sound like someone we know?

Immelman's been a hot prospect since childhood, like Tiger, and he has certainly been groomed for success. As I watched him last week I kept wondering about the Tiger effect. Maybe we will still see young players come along with a carefree attitude, a go-for-broke mentality more of the Mickelson mode. Will MacKenzie comes to mind. Will we see players like that in green jackets or will the fitting apply only to young Tigers?

Don't get me wrong; Immelman is not a slightly younger version of Tiger and steely determination does not mean lacking creativity or never going forit. Tiger is one of the more visceral players out there when he needs to be. It is the machine-like focus I am talking about. It is the return of Drago, except instead of boxing gloves he is wearing Footjoys.

Maybe this is just the way it is. The green jacket is the most coveted garment in sports. It should not be easy to win it. You should have to sweat it out. You should have to grimace. Ever seen those still shots of Pedro Martinez as he delivers a pitch, his face all stressed and contorted? Bitter Pedro face? Immelman had some of that last week. Maybe a Brandt Snedeker is not going to win at Augusta if he keeps smiling. Maybe it is just that simple. This is serious business.

What a shame, if true. Because it gets boring watching machines. Maybe the overhauled course is to blame: Birdies down, bogeys up. I can see that. But I can also see how the Tiger Era has affected a new breed. And I am not necessarily excited about it because in addition to the sounds of birds chirping I like to hear roars from my TV on the second Sunday in April.

This week's Verizon Heritage on the Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head is a nice way to come down from The Masters. There is the famous lighthouse, nice shots of the Atlantic Ocean and a course that players love. It is a short course, so you would think it might equalize the longer hitters. But that does not explain Davis Love's success, or Ernie Els' or recent winners Aaron Baddeley and Boo Weekley.

Still, some short hitters clearly like this course. Take Justin Leonard (33-1), 1/6 unit: Leonard has lowed some from a strong start, in which he recorded a spate of top-10s in the first weeks of the season.But he still has not missed a cut – he is 10 for 10 – which is a good indication his game continues in the right direction because in recent years making the cut could not be taken for granted. He always plays well at Harbour Town, where he won in 2002.

Take Ernie Els (12-1), 1/6 unit: The Big Easy is all over the place. He wins one week (Honda Classic) and misses the cut the next (PODS Championship). Last week he missed the cut at Augusta. Maybe this week he finally wins in Hilton Head, where he has four top-10s in his last four appearances, including a T2 last year.

Take Kevin Na (66-1), 1/6 unit: Na might be your next Masters champion. A strong young player not known to the world but known inside golf as a talent ready to break through, a little like Zach Johnson and Immelman before their green jackets. He has even got the same stature. Where he does not compare is in hitting greens. I like him this week on a course he likes: Na was T4 last year at Harbour Town and T11 back in 2004.

[Nicky Santauro]

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