Best players not to have won a major

It's a monkey, no doubt about it. But the label of best player never to have won a major championship is an idea that has been around a while.

Earning a spot on the list should be as much a compliment as anything. I group the players who are major-less, then rank them according to how well they're playing, overall ability and maybe a pinch of potential.

1) Phil Mickelson. Lefty has had a lock on this position ever since David Duval broke his duck (that's British golf slang for maiden win) at the Open last year and Colin Montgomerie's game slid in proportion to the amount of gallery abuse he began to receive. Mickelson is 32; he figured to have a major or two already by now and probably would have if Tiger Woods hadn't shown up. It's not time to panic yet. After all, the great Ben Hogan didn't score his first major until he was 34. Still, the clock is ticking and it's not going to get any easier because the assumption here is that Woods hasn't quite yet hit his peak. A loose shot here, a missed short putt there, a questionable decision here and Mickelson might have several majors. He doesn't, however, although he has improved and tightened up his game in the last three years to become more consistent. He has beaten Tiger in other events head-to-head; can he top Woods in a major? The smart money is still on Mickelson to win multiple major titles.

Confidence factor (that he'll win a major someday, on a scale of 1 to 10): 8
Most likely major to win: Masters
Least likely: Open; playing in the wind is not his strength

2) Sergio García. He has already threatened in the PGA, at Medinah in '99, and the U.S. Open, this year at Bethpage Black. There's no reason to think that, with his length and wedge play, Garcia won't be a factor at Augusta, too. The putter has been a little inconsistent for him, especially on Sundays in majors, but he's only 22 and he's still going to get a lot better, much as Tiger did early in his career.

Confidence factor: 9.5
Most likely to win: U.S. Open, thanks to straight driving and iron play
Least likely: Open, where elements are a factor

3) Padraig Harrington. He has had problems closing the deal in some European tour events but has quietly become one of Europe's top players. He wilted under Tiger's glare at Bethpage and made a boneheaded move at the Open, where he hit driver off the 18th tee into a fairway bunker and made bogey, costing himself a spot in the ensuing playoff. His putter has also been shaky at times. Harrington has guts, though. He showed that in the '99 Ryder Cup at The Country Club.

Confidence factor: 7
Most likely to win: Open
Least likely: Masters, because of emphasis on putting

4) Colin Montgomerie. His chart looks like a telecom stock's. He used to be the No. 1 player without a major, but let's face it, he's slipping. Just when you start to believe in him again, like after he shot 64 at Muirfield, he turns around and blows up to 84 (OK, it was in a cold, rainy gale). Still, the sand of his hourglass looks as if it's about to run out. He needs to hook up with Ernie Els' sports shrink immediately.

Confidence factor: 1.5
Most likely to win: U.S. Open
Least likely: Open, where his track record is awful

5) Mi Hyun Kim. This 5-foot-1 dynamo with a John Daly-sized backswing (although she has shortened it slightly) was probably the most underrated player on the women's tour until she won twice in the last three weeks. She suddenly has five career LPGA Tour victories, plus an assortment of 11 international wins. She has been close in majors, too. She finished second in last year's Women's British Open to Se Ri Pak, the first time Korean players have ever finished 1-2 in a major. Kim was eighth in the LPGA Championship last year and fourth at the U.S. Open in 2000. She hits the ball on a string, almost dead straight (a slight draw) and not that high. And she's patient.

Confidence factor: 5
Most likely to win: British, with her wind-cheater shots, or U.S. Open, with her straight ball
Least likely: LPGA Championship, where angled fairways force players to work the ball often, which she doesn't do well

6) Jim Furyk. The Manheim Steamroller. He has come close to winning a major a few times. He's like a Pavin or a Curtis Strange: The sum of his game is greater than its parts. He has to be hitting on all cylinders, and the week that he is, he has to hope Tiger isn't. Furyk doesn't have the length to dominate par-5s like the long hitters, but he's tough as kryptonite nails and the kind of player you never want to face in a Ryder Cup singles match.

Confidence factor: 5
Most likely to win: U.S. Open
Least likely: Masters

7) Darren Clarke. Another brilliant iron player who, frankly, is something of an underachiever given his ability. He has won plenty, yes, but if he worked at the game -- and his conditioning -- even half as hard as Tiger, look out. You've got to be who you are, though, and that's not Clarke. He challenged Justin Leonard at Royal Troon in 1997 but came up short. You'd expect him to be close more often, but the more successful he is on the Euro tour, the less incentive he has to keep pushing himself.

Confidence factor: 3
Most likely to win: Open
Least likely: Masters

8) Robert Allenby. Ranks among the most consistent ballstrikers on tour. Yes, he's raking putts with the long putter, but he's pretty steady with it. Drives the ball relatively straight when he's on, hits his irons very accurately. Dying to be the first Australian to win a Masters.

Confidence factor: 4
Most likely to win: PGA
Least likely: Masters (that putting factor again)

9) Stewart Cink. Forget about that missed putt at Southern Hills in the Open; the errant stroke was a result of despair and distraction, not of choking-dog nerves. He's nasty with his irons when he's on, and pretty steady off the tee with his driver. The putter, again, is probably what has kept him from winning more often. He's a plodder, a good thinker and patient.

Confidence factor: 5
Most likely to win: U.S. Open
Least likely: Masters

10) Angel Cabrera. This Argentine plays powerball. Before Augusta was lengthened last year, I saw him during the Masters hit a drive on the first hole through the fairway into the left rough. He had about 70 yards left to the green. He is seriously long. His short game isn't as good as his long game, but he has some incredible natural talent and a fun, go-for-it attitude. If only he spoke English.

Confidence factor: 3
Most likely to win: Masters
Least likely: U.S. Open

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