Power Rankings: Waste Management Phoenix Open

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If you're going to call yourself "The Greatest Show on Grass," you're going to need to back that up. Not a problem. Even the Bird's Nest has its own Facebook page.

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The PGA TOUR's version of Lollapalooza anchors the West Coast Swing this year. It's always a bear to handicap because the leaderboard is typically determined by the hottest putters of the week.

Because so many Phoenix-based pros can sleep in their own beds, the field is always deep, and therefore, big names always miss the cut. Last year, the list of casualties included Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Stewart Cink, Angel Cabrera, Dustin Johnson, Camilo Villegas, Anthony Kim, Mike Weir, Justin Leonard and Brandt Snedeker.

It's not that TPC Scottsdale is tricky. It ranked a middle-of-the-pack 27th of the 51 courses used in 2009, finishing -0.123 to par. Rather, intangibles due to huge, raucous crowds; a palpable energy and the enclosed 16th hole play a prominent role. First-timers tend to do well here, proving that perhaps ignorance really is bliss, but only one man in the field has posted top 15s here in the last two years: the winless Kevin Na.

Sunny skies will pave the way until the cut. Rain is expected on Saturday, but its impact should be minimal. The high temps might hit 70 until the weekend, when they will tail into the mid-60s. Wind should not be a concern.

Power Rankings: Waste Management Phoenix Open

Rank Player   Comment Brian GAY Early form, superb putting and an improving history at TPC Scottsdale conjoin in the desert. He has five top-25s in 2010. He's second on TOUR in putting and has three top 25s in the last three years here, including a tie for sixth in 2009. Brandt SNEDEKER I keep going back to this well for a reason. He leads the TOUR in putting and has no worse than a tie for 21st in four starts this season. Although Sneds missed the cut here last year, he has two top 25s, including a tie for ninth in 2008. J.B. HOLMES The PGA TOUR's version of Bret Saberhagen at this event? Alternating wins with missed cuts since 2006, Holmes figures to peak once again this week. His renewed focus on putting is the key. Anything short of a top five is a disappointment this week. Zach JOHNSON He's fifth on TOUR in putting and enters with three straight top-20s (includes 1-1 record last week at the Match Play). En route to a tie for 12th here last year, he finished tie for third in fairways and first in greens in regulation. Had just four bogeys in 72 holes. Kevin NA He is the template for success at TPC Scottsdale. With three finishes of fourth or better in five starts, Na has figured out the host track. Buried 21 birdies here last year and finished fourth in putting. He's ninth in putting this year and has two top 10s. Phil MICKELSON In three final rounds this year, he's hit 36 greens (67 percent) and still needed 93 putts. You can never discount him at this event, and he's the fan favorite, but he hasn't done anything this year to crack my top five in the Rankings. Matt KUCHAR His tie for sixth here last year is merely the clincher. Kuchar has been solid most of the year and could get overlooked for withdrawing from Pebble Beach two weeks ago. His taut play and a steady confidence is a lethal combo anywhere. Paul GOYDOS Sunshine has played just once here in the last eight years (missed cut, 2008), but comes in riding consecutive top-five finishes. And he probably ... hopefully ... won't have to worry about quadruple-bogey 9s this week. Ranks 15th in putting. Ian POULTER A first-timer at TPC Scottsdale. Would serve himself well to maintain his swagger this week, not that we'd expect anything different. Expect a minor letdown from the Match Play champion, but he'll feel more at home on the links-style track than he realizes. Briny BAIRD While El Camaleon is no pushover, the tie for fourth at the Mayakoba has to be graded on the curve. He's reverted to his staggered stance on the greens, and leads in three-point avoidance. Early-season results suggest that his confidence is also back.