Implemental favorites: The Players Championship

Ricky Fowler, the love child of Elvis and Engelbert Humperdinck

     This week's Players Championship may be the toughest tournament to predict in professional golf.  TPC Sawgrass favors no particular type of player,the list of past champions is as full of one-hit wonders as it is superstars and the 17th hole's famous island green always adds a larger than normal element of random chance to the proceedings.  While I take some time to ponder things, a list of things I'm sure will happen this week:

• Ricky Fowler will wear his hat backwards (note to any stuffy jerk who feels like reminding Ricky to turn his hat around:  Golf fashions evolve, so get over yourself.  That, or wear plus fours, a dress shirt and tie the next time you tee it up.  Seriously, we let Jesper Parnevik look like a Swedish Gomer Pyle, but that's ok because at least the brim is to the front?).
• Sean Foley will remain defensive when questioned about any criticism directed toward his work with Tiger Woods (note to Sean: you should have been prepared for the microscope when you chose to work with Tiger, and quoting his win record doesn't make YOU look any better).
• Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy will continue to face mostly pointless criticism for not playing this week (note to the PGA Tour: when you limit someone to 10 starts, and eight of those are taken up my majors and WGC's, what do you expect?).
• The Golf Channel will continue to speak of The Players Championship as the "biggest, best and most important" non-major of the year and mentioning the term "5th major" at least once per hour, confirming their status at the new public relations arm of the PGA Tour (note to The Golf Channel: if your going to broadcast the Thursday and Friday coverage of every tournament from now until the end of time, how about getting with the modern age and offering some live streaming coverage?).

     As for the winner, I'm going to go out on a limb and pick Jason Day.  Three tier format leagues can pick him in the "C" group.  Pair him with Sergio Garcia to mitigate the risk a bit.  For the "A" group, I'm loving Matt Kuchar and Luke Donald with Bubba Watson and the backwards hatted wonder, Ricky Fowler, in the "B" group.  Wouldn't it be cool to see Ricky accept the trophy with his cap on any way he wants to wear it?

Photo by Getty Images