This is the toughest sport to predict and this tournament is even tougher. It’ll come down to the last three holes for sure. It starts with the par five, 507 yard 16th, which can be reached in two and eagled. Then the famed Island hole, the par-3 17th, which can make or break you; a lot of times break you. It’s 137 yards and can be a nine iron or a pitching wedge most of the time depending on the wind. If the wind is up, it’s your best guesstimate as to whether to use an 8-iron or a nine iron or wedge. An 8-iron long will put you in the water behind the green, a nine-iron or wedge short and you’re in the water in front of the green. It’s treacherous. Tiger Woods made an epic deuce on the hole when he won in 2001 with a 55 foot putt for birdie. Paul Goydos got in a playoff with Sergio Garcia in 2008 and lost it on the 17th hitting his ball in the water.
The par-four 447 yard 18th will test your clutch gene. Can you keep it out of the water on the left side and out of the trees on the right? The second shot is a test of mettle as well. Can you get yourself in birdie or par position to win the championship? This should be classic theater. Here are 12 guys I think who can win, and yes, I’ll go ahead and pick a winner at the end. Hardest prediction in sports; who will win golf major.

1. Matt Kuchar: Just an excellent player. Won the Barclay’s in the Fed Ex Playoffs last year and has been in the hunt this year. He has six top 10 finishes this year. His best finish is third at the Accenture Match Play. He may be the most consistent player on the tour since the middle of last year. Hits it long, solid iron game and nice putter. He’s in there.

2.Justin Rose: Three top 10’s in 2011. He tied for third at Bay Hill and fifth at the Transitions in Florida. Seems to be close a lot, and has won on the tour. I don’t think he’ll win, but he could be in the hunt at the end.

3.Bubba Watson: Playing incredible golf right now, leading the Fed Ex Standings. He won the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines and at New Orleans at the Zurich Open two weeks ago. Averages 313 off the tee, one of the longest guys in the game today. Has the overall game to get it done.

4.Luke Donald: Seven events, six top 10’s. Won the Accenture Match Play, tied for fourth in the Masters after playing some beautiful golf on the final round and was second in the Heritage at Hilton Head, losing in a playoff to Brandt Snedeker. He’s definitely got the game to get it done this week.

5.Nick Watney: Nine tournaments entered, eight cuts made. Won the World Golf Championships at Doral and that always says something if you’ve won in Florida already. He’s long and has the entire package.

6. Adam Scott: Seven tournaments entered, five cuts made. Second in the Masters, sixth at Doral. Won here in 2004. If he’s putting well, he could win it.

7.Phil Mickelson: Won here in 2007. Still playing at a very high level. Won at Houston this year. Averaging 298 off the tee. Another guy who if he has his putter going, could win it.

8.Brandt Snedeker: Sneds was outstanding at the Heritage three weeks ago showing incredible mettle when Luke Donald sank his birdie putt on the first playoff hole and Sneds came right back and sank his nine footer for birdie. Driving the ball very well. Incredible putter. Five top 10’s this year. Leads the tour in strokes gained on the green. He’s got a good shot to make some noise come Sunday.

9. J.B. Holmes: Hits it 316; longest guy on tour. He tied for ninth at the Wells Fargo last week and has two fifth place finishes at the Waste Management and the Match Play. Can light it up. Very good player.

10. Lucas Glover: Won last week at Wells Fargo. Has great length and won the U.S. Open in 2009. Knows how to win a Major. Is a factor.

11. Brendan Steele: Won Texas Valero Open. Beautiful driver of the ball. Excellent putter. I interviewed Brendan in 2009 and watched him play. Great guy, great player. Has a shot.

The winner:

My best educated guess: Matt Kuchar.

(Brandt Snedeker, left, or Matt Kuchar could get it done this week at The Players.)

Gene Hallman knows how to make events excel. He’s done it in Birmingham for many years and his latest masterpiece, the Regions Tradition, may have been his best work ever though that’s a hard call. The venue was sensational. Shoal Creek was immaculate and a true test of golf for the Champions Tour competitors. A great field participated with the highly admired Tom Lehman winning in a playoff over Australian Peter Senior. Hallman handled all the leg work for the event; the advertising, the operational plans, the sponsorship selling and recruiting the volunteers. It was a job well done by Hallman, Mike Thompson and Shoal Creek head professional Eric Williamson and his staff, all of whom made this tournament a resounding success. I caught up with Hallman a couple of days ago and got his comments on the tourney.
DW: What are your thoughts on how the tournament went?

GH: “It was outstanding. It exceeded my expectations. The operation was flawless. The golf course was the real show. Several players told me it was the finest golf course they ever played. To hear the players say that, frankly, was a pleasant surprise.”

DW: How many people attended?

GH: “The tour decided not to release the crowd numbers but we had very strong crowds. Of course we were impacted by the devastating tornadoes from the week before. All in all they were great crowds and our champion, Tom Lehman, is one of the finest people I’ve ever met.”

DW: How do you think the golf course held up as a test for these players?

GH: “We were concerned about the players going low coming in, but that was Mother Nature as far as the rough not being up and we couldn’t control that. Only 25 percent of the players shot under par. The vast majority of them were over par and that’s what you want in a major championship. There was not anything we could do about the rough, but some places there was some rough. I thought the greens were fantastic. Bent grass last year  throughout the Southeast and up the East Coast faced a real challenge because the surfaces were hurt by the weather. I thought Jim Simmons (Shoal Creek course Superintendent) did a miraculous job with the entire course. And it showed up on the Golf Channel.”

DW: Did you like the Golf Channel’s coverage of the tournament?

GH: “Very much so. In the past, for the Regions Charity Classic, it has been tape delayed for a lot of different reasons. It takes the edge off watching it. This year it was live and that made it very special.”

DW: Condi Rice was your ceremonial chairwoman along with co-chairman Mike Thompson. Was that exciting?

GH: “I admired her more than anything because she absolutely crushed her first shot right down the middle of the fairway. With all that pressure, it was impressive.”

DW: Tom Lehman must be a pretty special guy.
GH: “I do not know this for a fact, but I have a feeling he stroked a check for the tornado relief effort. To tell you the type of person he is, he went to Pratt City last week without any media or an entourage and met with the church groups and supported the people there. He’s a very special person.”

DW: Did you think the crowds handled themselves well?

GH: “I thought the crowds were very knowledgeable and very respectful of the players. They were great golf crowds.”

DW: What’s next for Shoal Creek?

GH: “Events like the U.S. Open are scheduled out to 2019 and have secured partners for seven to eight years. Shoal Creek is focused on the here and now. It’s too early to tell what will happen, but we’re excited to have the Regions Tradition for the next two years. It’s the counterpart to the Masters. You have the U.S. Senior Open, the Senior PGA, the Senior British and this is considered the Senior Masters. You can’t call it that because the Masters has the trademark, but that’s what it is. The caddies wear white coveralls and we have a ceremonial first tee shot.”

The seniors compared Shoal Creek to Augusta. Even commentators on the Golf Channel were calling it Augusta-like. It was a first class venue.

DW: What’s next for you, Gene?

GH: “The SEC Baseball Tournament. We’ve been non stop with it since ’98 (at Regions Park in Hoover, this year May 25-29, tickets 205-978-2822). These  (eight) teams have already made the NCAA Tournament, so the event is a celebration of the finest conference in college baseball.”

DW: Do you think Birmingham can keep the SEC tourney?

GW: “I do. We have a good dialogue with the SEC. We are in a heated competition with mainly Memphis, but we have a great shot of keeping it. We are getting to the home stretch and  we can’t take anything for granted.”

The contract with Hoover runs out after this year, so Hallman and company are trying to secure the tournament for the next several years.

DW: How do you think Shoal Creek held up over the weekend?
GH: “It was fantastic. It was a quality, quality test of golf.”

To find out more of what is going on for Hallman and the Bruno Event team go to www.brunoeventteam.com

(Gene Hallman does it again with another masterful job this time at Shoal Creek.)