TOUR turns corner to spring while competition heats up

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All fun aside, Henrik Stenson, the season is starting to get hot for the big dogs and the new kids. (Getty Images)

It's been quite a week.

And we're not talking brackets, big dance, the bounce on Wall Street or the outrage at AIG.

We're thinking more like Henrik Stenson hitting a shot in his boxer-briefs and becoming a hunk. At least that's what the headlines are saying.

Or Phil Mickelson. One minute he's hooked up to an IV bag, the next he's got win No. 2 of the season and a shot at the one thing we weren't sure anyone could challenge -- Tiger's hold on the No. 1 position in Official World Golf Ranking.

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Or Roger Maltbie taking on Johnny Miller -- on-air -- when Miller said Phil at his best is No. 1. Let's just say Rog disagreed. And no one does that.

Or Nick Watney, who was one roll away from a playoff with Phil and possbly his second win of the year.

Or Geoff Ogilvy. He was middle-of-the-pack at last week's World Golf Championship-CA Championship, but don't forget about him. Two big wins. Atop the FedExCup points and money lists. He's got his eye on Augusta.

Or the kids, as we'll call them. Rory McIlroy, Danny Lee, Ryo Ishikawa. Is anyone having a bigger blast than those three fresh faces? Great players in-waiting, great fun to watch.

Or Tiger. Ho-hum and humdrum are two words pundits have used to describe his start to the season. Never thought we'd hear anything mundane associated with him. Then again, those pundits might want to remember what's really important. Well, after the conclusion of today's Tavistock Cup, of course.

Yes, Georgia is on his mind.

And with all due respect to the sparkly fields at Arnold Palmer's get-together next week at Bay Hill and my hometown event -- the Shell Houston Open, where the field is spectacular -- all of our minds are making their way down I-20 these days to Augusta.

Doral has always been the turning point. Even when it was the Doral Ryder -- or Eastern -- Open. That's when things start happening, headlines start popping and we start having a lot of fun.

Stenson was the real attention grabber and, yes, he's paying for stripping down to his white boxer-briefs to hit at shot at the CA Championship. Tiger -- no surprise here -- presented him with a pair of white Nike shorts signed by all the Lake Nona and Isleworth boys at the Tavistock Cup Monday.

Yes, it was fun. Woody Austin-in-goggles fun. Shake-up-the-boring-fairways-and-greens-routine fun. Don't-know-if-it-will-ever-happen-again fun. Even Stenson's wife is laughing at all the, um, exposure he's getting around the world. But through all the chuckles, remember he should have your attention anyway. He's ranked 10th in the world, and last year he tied for third at the British Open and for fourth at the PGA Championship.

And what about Phil? Good story, wasn't it? Sick all week. First bites of food were from a sandwich down the stretch. His first World Golf Championships title. And to think, six weeks ago his game was a bit ragged. Now the chatter about another green jacket is ramping up. Not so much about the No. 1 spot in the world. But two wins in a month? You bet Georgia's on his mind.

As for Watney, I can't be the only one who found it amusing when the talking heads were trying to get into his mind Sunday afternoon. He's got to be nervous. Stomach in a knot. Wait. He may be quiet, but he just won at Torrey Pines. C'mon. He's playing Butch Harmon stablemate Phil. And, to top it off, Watney tied for 11th in Augusta last year. Like we said, interesting things are happening.

Since it's St. Paddy's Day, perhaps we should start thinking a bit more about golf's Paddy and the potential for the third leg of a Paddy Slam. Padraig Harrington hasn't wowed us yet. A couple of missed cuts and some ties for twentysomethings, but his game is coming around. Wearing o' the green? The headline does have potential.

Then again, so does a Fistful of Jackets. That would be five. As in all eyes on Tiger and an exclamation point to his comeback. He'll be the one we're watching 24/7 that week, but what else is new? As for those mundane descriptions of his first two events of 2009, we've always shared his vision of the bigger picture, so ... stay tuned.

Golf can't offer you a bracket in the coming weeks, nor can it promise you that anyone in the field at the first major of the year has a chance. We know better.

What we do have is an endless list of probabilities and possibilities.

Won't it be fun to hear McIlroy describing his first visit to Amen Corner? Or the grins on Lee and Ishikawa's do-they-even-shave-yet faces? Trust us. They won't just be feel-good moments. These kids will find their way onto the leaderboards.

Stenson will still be taking grief for his tabloid moment, but don't look for a repeat at Rae's Creek. Instead, put him on the extended list of players to watch. That's the exposure he wants at Augusta.

As for Tiger and Phil and Geoff and Paddy and ... well, the other short-listers? Oh, you love it. Two double winners. A huge comeback story. A green Slam.

This is really getting interesting.

Then again, it always does after we leave Doral.

Melanie Hauser is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM. Her views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.