Mark Roe hails the evergreen Jim Furyk and explains why this is a huge week for England's Justin Rose.
Rose needs to push on for his Masters and Ryder Cup dreams
I so admire Jim Furyk, a golfer who has truly maximised his talent.
There are so many guys out there who are arguably more naturally gifted than Furyk but never achieve what they should. Furyk might be described as an overachiever, but he can also be described as one of the best players in the world.
He doesn't have a textbook swing, but he does things his way and his game is based on good ball-striking, great tactical knowledge, a fine short game and a big heart.
His win at the Transitions Championship will have Corey Pavin jumping for joy because it now seems inevitable that Furyk will make the US Ryder Cup team. If you want somebody at the back-end of the team to make points under pressure and grind out results then he's your man.
He has risen back up to number six in the world and that's down to a consistent run of quality golf over the years. I'm a great admirer of his game and of his demeanour on the course. It's so nice to see a guy like that in the winners' circle.
The last couple of events have been played on tough golf courses - Doral and Copperhead - and the weather has been unseasonal throughout the Florida Swing, so it's no surprise to see some experienced players coming out on top.
Ernie Els won at Blue Monster before Furyk's win last week and on courses that require you to think, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that some of the old guard have come to the fore.
A younger player, Camilo Villegas may have won the Honda Classic, but it required a cool and calculated performance. In many ways he has an old head on young shoulders and he demonstrated great strategic skills alongside his aggression and power.
The world of golf has some incredible young talent, but the likes of Furyk and Els will always be major threats on courses where shot-making is at a premium.
Tinged
I'm really looking forward to this week's Arnold Palmer Invitational, but it is tinged with a bit of disappointment that a certain Tiger Woods won't be there.
I would have bet a lot of money on Tiger playing at Bay Hill ahead of the Masters because he's won there six times, he adores the course and he's never missed the tournament.
But there is still a great field and this will be a chance for Phil Mickelson to find some form before Augusta. At the start of the season with Tiger absent I was looking at Mickelson as the favourite for the Masters, but his season has been disappointing.
His new putting stroke doesn't seem to be working great, he isn't hitting the ball brilliantly and he looks rusty. He has looked uncomfortable with the new grooves on the sand wedges and there hasn't been any sign of the world-class golf he's capable of.
He has been indifferent so far this year and I'm intrigued to see how he performs this week.
Inconsistent
From a British perspective, it's great to see Justin Rose starting to play better, albeit inconsistently. He's managing two or three good rounds out of four, but he can't put a tournament together.
He played well at the Tavistock Cup at the start of the week, but he is still in a transitional period after changing coaches from Nick Bradley to Sean Foley. At times he hits a few loose shots, but there have been signs of some good stuff in there too.
This is a huge week for him. He is ranked 59 in the world, but needs to get into the top 50 to make the Masters and I believe that is possible. He has the quality to make it and he will be hugely motivated to put in a massive performance at Bay Hill.
Over the course of the year I'm sure he'll be back in the top 50 in the world, but he is still paying the price for a poor season last year. Halfway through 2009 he wasn't even sure of retaining his American Tour card, but he managed to grind it out and come through.
Eye
One man who'll be keeping an eye on Rose is Europe's Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie.
He's playing at Bay Hill, but I think it's as much of a reconnaissance mission as anything else. Monty has thrown himself into Ryder Cup captaincy and even though he'll tell you he wants to win golf tournaments (the true competitor in him will never let him believe he can't win every week), I'd say he'll be there with his Ryder Cup field glasses on.
He'll be keeping tabs on the players on both sides and I'd say Rose has a chance of making the European team - but he has to start playing better than he is now. He needs to start doing what Paul Casey and Ian Poulter have been doing and that's winning golf tournaments.
The competition for Ryder Cup spots is intense because we've got some fantastic golfers in Europe right now. We have five players in the top 10 of the world golf rankings and that doesn't leave a player ranked 59 in the world too high on the list for picks.
He's got time to battle his way in, but he is a little bit too far away at the moment. For so many reasons it's time for Rose to step up.
