Will Goosen, Els or Singh finally end his drought?

	By eyeing a target beyond the hole and keeping a consistent movement with the handle, Rob Stanger shows how to make a putt under pressure. Courtesy of Rob Stanger

Six of the world's seven top-ranked players are in Dublin, Ohio, this week for the Memorial. The absentee, of course, is Tiger Woods, who will not return to competitive action until the U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

But while Tiger's absence from Jack Nicklaus' tournament is a surprise, perhaps a bigger surprise is the absence of the world's elite players from the winner's circle. Other than Jim Furyk's win at the Wachovia in a dramatic playoff, none of the other top pros have notched a win since Phil Mickelson's victory at Augusta.

With the U.S. Open on the horizon, though, expect the world's best players to start sharpening their games. As as Mickelson proved in April, winning the tournament before the start of a major isn't a bad thing.

My big question heading into this week: Can Retief Goosen, Vijay Singh or Ernie Els end his drought in 2006? All three have solid records at Muirfield Village and could pick up their first win of the season.

In two Memorial appearances Goosen both times finished in the top 10. In nine previous starts Singh has five top 10 finishes, including a win in 1997. Els, who recently dropped out of the top five in the World Ranking, has four top 10 finishes in eight starts at Muirfield, and he won just two years ago.

Last year tour veteran Bart Bryant shocked the field with what he called the best putting of his career, holding off a charging Fred Couples by holing out a 12-foot par-saving putt on the 72nd hole. Bryant dominated in all key statistical categories for the week -- 84 percent in driving accuracy, 74 percent in greens in regulations and leading the field in total birdies.

Goosen, Singh and Els are each capable of getting on such a roll. Goosen seems to be the closest, having posted four top 10 finishes in his last five Tour starts. Let's go with the Goose this week.

Putting lesson for the Memorial

In 2005 we witnessed an absolute putting clinic by Bryant. With Couples knocking down the flagsticks in the group behind Bryant, it was Bryant who was able to make the key putts down the stretch.

If you are feeling the heat from fellow competitors, follow these bulletproof tips for putting under pressure (see the photo above):

1. Don't aim for the hole itself but for a target on the opposite side of the hole, so the hole is actually in the path of your ultimate target (like the circle-X in the photo).

2. Keep the grip handle moving toward the hole. When we're under pressure, most of us stop the handle of the putter and flip the putter head with our hands, or we stop the stroke early and look up to see what the ball is doing. By keeping constant movement with the grip handle, you can fight these tendencies and make more putts under pressure.

Rob Stanger, the head teaching pro at the Golf Academy at Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, Calif., is recognized as a Golf Magazine Top Teacher in America in the West region. To ask questions or to order his newly released "Empowered Golf" CD, contact him at robstanger.com.

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