The season's second World Golf Championship makes its 16th appearance at Trump National at Doral, and all of the top golfers will be on hand. There have been a plethora of big name winners already this season, and this week should produce another. The course, located in Miami, always provides the world's best a challenge. Patrick Reed will defend his title one week after collapsing at the Honda Classic.
Here are our top golfers to watch this week:
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Jason Day - The 27-year-old seems to have put his injuries behind him with three top-five finishes including a win already this season. Day has been the model of consistency so far in 2015, and with McIlroy’s struggles last week, it wouldn’t be a stretch to call him this week’s favorite. World Golf Ranking: 4
Rory McIlroy - McIlroy had an uncharacteristic missed cut last week at the Honda, but that was a fluke. He has a win and runner-up finishes in Europe this year, and can win in any condition. Expect a bounce-back week from McIlroy in a big way. WGR: 1
Patrick Reed - The defending champion struggled down the stretch last week, but was once again in contention on the back nine on Sunday. He already has four PGA Tour wins before his 25th birthday, and likes Florida Swing. If he can shake off a nervy Monday finish, this course sets up nicely for a Reed bounce back. WGR: 15
Bubba Watson - Doral is a long course, and Bubba is a long hitter. Naturally his name will come up on venues such as this, but Watson also has a good track record here (runner-up last year). Watson won the first WGC event in China, so a win here puts him halfway towards the first ever WGC Slam. WGR: 2
Adam Scott - A new father, Scott makes his first PGA Tour start of 2015. He’s been starting later and later into the season, as he goes into December playing in Australia’s top tournaments. He finished in the top 15 in all but three of his starts in 2014, one of which was a t25 here. If he starts this season the way he left off last year, a top 10 can be expected. WGR: 5
Jamie Donaldson - Donaldson is the ultimate sleeper. He’s ranked 23rd in the world, always seems to show up for big events and can play well in any condition. He finished second here last year and crept into the top five in tough conditions last week. When he’s in form, which is almost always, he’s almost a lock for a top-five finish. WGR: 23
Henrik Stenson - Stenson is the two-time reining European champion. He might be the most talented golfer on the planet. He is still chasing that elusive Major Championship, but he is no stranger to winning big events. His form is always something to watch for entering a tournament, because rust seems to be a big factor for the big Swede. WGR: 3
Dustin Johnson - Johnson had eight “others” last week at the Honda Classic in two rounds, which means he had eight scores of more than one over par. Not good. On the plus side, the big-hitting 30-year-old finished fourth and second in his two previous starts, so the form should be there. His putting was terrible at PGA National last week, but he should bounce back this week. WGR: 16
Jordan Spieth - Spieth was on fire at the end of 2014. He hasn’t quite been able to duplicate that form so far this year, but he’s still been around the leaders. This could be his breakout tournament of 2015. WGR: 9
Ian Poulter - Somehow Poulter didn’t win last week. He had a three-shot lead entering the final round, and a two-shot lead entering his final eight holes at the Honda. His “easy swings” were atrocious on Sunday/Monday, which resulted in five final-round water balls. Despite all of that, he was stellar around the greens and seems to be in fine putting form, which is important here. WGR: 28
Sleepers:
Anirban Lahiri - Lahiri’s already won twice on the Asian Tour in 2015. He is still relatively unknown in the United States, mostly because he rarely plays over here. That being said, he has a lot of game, and could show that to the world this week. WGR: 35
Marc Warren - Warren is another player that spends most of his time across the pond. He is a bit of a late bloomer as well. His form has been hit or miss over the last nine months, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him on the first two pages of the leaderboard. WGR: 54
Joost Luiten - The latest Dutch star can make birdies in bunches. He sprinted up the leaderboard over the weekend last week to narrowly miss a top ten finish. His ability to keep the ball low in the wind could prove pivotal at Doral. WGR: 34