Last week's Players Championship featured one of the better finishes on tour in years. Not only did fan-favorite Rickie Fowler prevail in a playoff, but the heart-pounding TPC Sawgrass saw a multitude of players in contention on the home stretch.
This week, the tour goes to Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C., and big names such as Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott and Henrik Stenson look to come out ahead against a strong field.
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This prestigious event is seen as a U.S. Open tuneup for a lot of golfers, as the tight fairways and difficult greens usually give them a fair indicator of where their games are heading into the season's second major.
Here's a look at this week's top players: (Wold Golf Ranking)
Rory McIlroy (1) — McIlroy followed up his impressive WGC Match Play win with an eighth-place (tie) at the Players. His iron play looks sharp, and his putting has been steady, but he's been uncharacteristically wild off the tee in recent weeks. This course suits his game and he enters the tournament as the overwhelming favorite.
Henrik Stenson (3) — We're still waiting for Stenson to get things going after suffering a nasty flu bug and losing close to 20 pounds last month. He's showing signs of regaining his form, but hasn't been able to put four rounds together. Like McIlroy, Stenson should feel comfortable on this course and work his way into contention on Sunday.
J.B. Holmes (13) — The defending champion has enjoyed a very successful start to the season. Holmes already has a win and two second place finishes and is entering a stretch of tournaments in which he should succeed. He might be the most dangerous player tee-to-green in golf, but has struggled with the putter on faster greens.
Patrick Reed (15) — Reed has been quiet in recent weeks, which means this could be his week to remind everyone he's still around. After watching Jordan Spieth, McIlroy and Fowler win three of the biggest events on tour, Reed should be plenty motivated to re-join the "best young player" discussion.
Ben Martin (51) — Martin looked destined to join last week's playoff until he pushed his drive into the trees on the 72nd hole and bogeyed himself out of a chance to hoist the crystal. Despite the tough finish, Martin showed poise and the ability to contend against the game's best.
Jim Furyk (5) — Furyk's busy schedule seemed to catch up to him by the end of last week. This doesn't appear to be a course he would find a lot of success on, but it's never wise to rule out the 45-year-old veteran in any tournament.
Hideki Matsuyama (14) — The 23-year-old Japanese phenom has been quiet since his fifth place finish at Augusta. He's one of the most consistent ball-strikers on tour, and possess the most enviable putting stroke since Loren Roberts. It wouldn't be a surprise if he picked up his second PGA Tour win this week.
Adam Scott (11) — Scott hasn't posted a top-30 finish in his last five starts. At this point, it's hard to blame it solely on his putter. Scott's iron-play was poor at the Players, and he seemed to struggle with distance control. That being said, he was ranked No. 1 in the world as recently as last year, and has the talent to turn it around at any point.
Bill Haas (20) — Haas, like Martin, narrowly missed out on last week's exhilarating playoff. His ball-striking was excellent and his short game is getting better. He's very close to bridging the gap between solid PGA Tour player and consistently winning.
Kevin Na (21) — Na has four top 10s and six top 20s in his last seven starts, and has quietly become one of the most consistent players on tour. He doesn't hit the ball far or particularly straight, but he's a gritty scrambler who takes advantage of his scoring opportunities.
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Others to watch:
Phil Mickelson (18) — Lefty didn't look very good last week missing the cut, but he did finish second at Augusta. He's no longer one of the top golfers on tour, and it seems to be bothering him. Fowler just showed everyone how to silence their critics.
Louis Oosthuizen (27) — Oosthuizen is climbing his way back up the world rankings after dealing with a myriad of back injuries in recent seasons. He has four top 10s in 2015, but also has two missed cuts and a 69th (last week).
Ryo Ishikawa (141) — Remember him? Ishikawa was at one time dubbed the Asian Jonas Brother for his flamboyant clothes and droves of media members trailing his every swing, but has since lost a bit of his luster. After an eighth (tie) at the Players, the 23-year-old may be back on course to stardom.