Checking in at the Players Championship with...

Loren Roberts: The veteran player, known as the Boss of the Moss for his putting exploits, received a second Masters disappointment. He won't be playing in Augusta next week, suffering another near-miss in qualifying for the field.

He finished 52nd on the PGA Tour's 2003 money list -- the top 40 got Masters invites. When the tour season ended in November, he was 47th in the official rankings. The Masters invites the top 50 as of Dec. 31. The next to last week, Roberts was still 47th but after the final week, even though he hadn't played, he dropped to 51st and missed the cut. At the start of this year, he mysteriously bounced back up to 48th, where he stood going into the Players Championship. The Masters invites any player who has cracked the top 50 by the end of the Players Championship, but a third-round 79 dropped Roberts out of contention and by Monday he dropped back out of the top 50 again.

"I have an accountant buddy back home, who does this stuff for a hobby, tell me I had to finished 23rd this week to keep my spot," Roberts said. "That's life, you know. If I'd played a little better, it wouldn't have happened. The system ranks how you're playing and I haven't played that well the last year, so... I would've loved to have played the Masters again. Next year is probably my last chance before the Senior tour. Maybe if I can do something good later this year, I'll get another shot. Look at Jay Haas -- he's playing, so you never know. I still have some life in me. I'll just stay home and work on my game. Obviously, I've got to play a little better. Overall, I think the rankings are a pretty equitable system."

Jerry Kelly: The Wisconsin native racked up a few more Ryder Cup points in his bid to make this year's team by finishing in a tie for seventh. He struggled with his swing over the weekend but hung on, thanks to a lesson by phone from his teacher, Rick Smith.

Said Kelly, "I was not ready for what I saw on these greens (Sunday). On the second hole, I had an uphill putt, 30 feet, and I putted it right off the green. It was the fastest putt I've ever had in my life going uphill. And they only got faster after that. Ernie Els and I were talking during the round and Ernie said he's never seen greens that fast and he's been playing majors for a long time. Augusta National's greens are slower than these. The stimpmeter reading was probably more than 15 on some of them. They're the fastest greens anybody has ever seen out here by far. The increase from Thursday to Sunday was ridiculous, about three feet. It was almost comical. If they just hadn't watered the practice green -- give us something halfway close to warm up on.... Adam Scott has got a great swing, he can put it on autopilot a heck of a lot better than I can. He's got some poise for a pretty young age (23)."

Lee Janzen: The two-time U.S. Open champion will miss competing in the Masters for the first time since 1991. His five-year major exemption for winning the 1998 U.S. Open expired in 2003.

"I knew it all last year," Janzen said. "My thought was, I've got to play myself into the Masters. That happened to me in '98, too. My Open exemption from '93 was running out. That was my main motivation when I won the Open again at Olympic Club in '98, that I had to play my way back into the majors, at least get a top-15... I've been working on some stuff, shot some good scores but just haven't been able to put up four in a row."

So what's he going to do Masters week?

"I don't know. Go to the beach. Something fun."

Frank Lickliter: He played in the final twosome with Scott and posted a solid 72 on a day of difficult scoring conditions -- firm and unbelievably fast greens. Lickliter, who lives adjacent to the Stadium Course and usually drives to the course in his own golf cart, tied for third. He also had an impressive two-putt for par on the final hole, having to wait until after the celebration died down following Scott's winning putt, and then gamely holed a slick two-footer.

Said Lickliter, "I was on the wrong side of the razor's edge all day. Every swing I was getting cut. I can't hit it any better than I did, that's what is disappointing."

Tim Petrovic. He's going to have his dad caddie for him this week in Atlanta, so his caddie, Jelly, can rest up for the Masters. The Stadium Course, he said, was quite a bear on the weekend.

"The greens are firm and fast and your landing area is the size of a dinner table. You're either 10 feet away, 40 feet away or off the green. There's nothing in between. There are no gimmes. Some of the marginal shots get kicked away here but sometimes, you hit a good shot and it gets kicked away. You're going, it's right at the pin, nobody by the green clapped, where did it go? I walked over to the 17th green today (Sunday) and said, who shrank the green? It looked a lot smaller all of a sudden. You know that little tree on that other island out in the lake? I looked at that most of the way as I walked to the tee so when I looked back at the green, it seemed bigger."

We now join our regularly scheduled Mailbag already in progress...

Who would win in a U.S. vs. Australia match play competition similar to the Ryder/President's Cup? I think the Aussies are as deep as the U.S. What other countries could give the U.S. a run for their money? --Bob Riggs, Chicago, Ill.

	MAILBAG Gary Van Sickle will answer select questions from SI.com users each week in Underground Golfer. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

Frankly, Billie Jean, I'm a little concerned about our short games in a matchup with Latvia.

The way to approach golf bags for those of us who prefer to walk is to get a remote controlled electronic cart. These are great. I used to struggle in after 18 holes of carrying. With the remote caddy, I can walk around the course, walk straight to my ball on the greens, and even have the energy left after a round to do a four-mile run for exercise. While I'm trundling through the woods looking for my partner's balls, my clubs can ride down the center of the fairway.--Tim MacEachern, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Sounds good, eh, Big Mac? But can the electronic caddie make a beer run for you?

What can you tell me about Tiger's fiancee?--Zaia Rahaoul, Paris

Nothing, or else Tiger's henchmen will hunt me down. (See Day of the Jackal for details.) However, she's very attractive, has posed in a swimsuit and has (I think) a twin sister.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Gary Van Sickle writes for the magazine's Golf Plus section and is a regular contributor to SI.com.