David Shedloski

David Shedloski is a columnist for GolfBrief.com. He also writes for PGATour.com and is the author of "Golden Twilight."
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For years, Davis Love III was one of the game's great players. Lately, though, a series of injuries have rendered him something of an after thought. And, unfortunately, he's not getting any younger.

Hale Irwin, the three-time U.S. Open champion who is the Champions Tour’s all-time leader in wins, cannot seem to find the fun in golf right now. He believes the answer is either change or just not play — and the latter is quickly becoming a serious option. 
Now that Tiger Woods’ opportunity to win the Grand Slam was slammed to pieces by Trevor Immelman at the Masters, the focus shifts to Lorena Ochoa. The 26-year old Mexican is not shying away from any talk that she could win the women’s version this summer. 
Three veteran U.S. Ryder Cup stalwarts — Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk — encountered balky putters at Augusta National Golf Club. Thankfully for U.S. captain Paul Azinger, the trio still has roughly five months to find their touch again.
Competitors do not deny Tiger Woods’ talent or begrudge his accomplishments. But no longer are they in awe of the man who is even money to win this year’s Masters.  
Tiger Woods admits that he plays to win every week he plays. But whether everyone else has the same mindset is up for debate. For some, a top-10 finish is considered a good week, but Woods is just not one of them.
Tiger Woods has not won 64 PGA Tour titles just because of luck. But Woods will concede that he has occasionally been the beneficiary of a bounce in his favor. “A lot of things have to go your way, and right now, so far, I’ve had a lot of things go my way,” said Woods as he prepares for the World Golf Championships-CA Championship.
Nothing at this point is surprising when it involves Tiger Woods on a golf course. So, when he rolled in a 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational by a stroke, observers could just smile and shake their heads. At age 32, Woods is now tied with Ben Hogan for No. 3 on the PGA Tour’s all-time win list with 64. Next? Jack Nicklaus with 73.
This is news. Really. Tiger Woods can’t buy a putt. The man who finds a hole in the ground more easily than Bugs Bunny is having a frustrating time at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, an event he used to own but lately has come to be a bit of a thorn in his side. 
It was half a lifetime ago that journeyman pro Mark Wilson shared the same fairways with a guy who had a world of potential but didn’t yet own the world. On Thursday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Wilson, 33, played with fellow junior partner Tiger Woods. Oh, how their careers have diverged since those innocent days. 

Headlines

Raking it in

GolfBrief columnist Jim McCabe has a peeve that was irritated at The Players Championship. No, it’s not the quirky 17th island green — though that’s for another day. Instead, it’s the practice of bunker rakes, of all things, not being in bunkers. 
Paul Goydos, even by his own admission, is a veteran journeyman. What Goydos lacks in talent, he more than makes up for it in sheer character. And the PGA Tour could use more players like him.
For years, Davis Love III was one of the game's great players. Lately, though, a series of injuries have rendered him something of an after thought. And, unfortunately, he's not getting any younger.

The Players Championship is simply not the fifth major. A good tournament with a standout field, yes. But spare us the talk of it being in the same ballpark as the Grand Slam events. 
Watson let his fair share of big tournaments slip through his hands before learning how to close the deal. Once he did, Watson, a two-time Masters winner, became one of golf's greatest champions.

"You could not have asked for somebody to do that the way he did," Snedeker said. "He called and we talked for about a half hour. Probably one of the highlights of my life was having him tell me he watched the round on Sunday and tried to help me out here and there, what he thought I did wrong and where I could improve on it."

The new 20

The dearth of talented twentysomething players is starting to make its presence known. Think Immelman (28) at Masters, Scott (27) at EDS Byron Nelson, and that is just the beginning. Seven winners on the PGA Tour this season have been in their 20s, which matches the entire total from 2007. 
Hale Irwin, the three-time U.S. Open champion who is the Champions Tour’s all-time leader in wins, cannot seem to find the fun in golf right now. He believes the answer is either change or just not play — and the latter is quickly becoming a serious option. 
Some observers believe 27-year-old Adam Scott has underachieved in his career. His resume features seven wins in 115 PGA Tour starts, including a Players Championship and Tour Championship. That’s a haul far better than his contemporaries, so maybe it’s time to reassess Scott’s standing in the game. 
Lorena Ochoa is the latest name to be associated with Grand Slam talk. And there’s a very good reason why, too. Just look at her statistics.
Now that Tiger Woods’ opportunity to win the Grand Slam was slammed to pieces by Trevor Immelman at the Masters, the focus shifts to Lorena Ochoa. The 26-year old Mexican is not shying away from any talk that she could win the women’s version this summer.