Speaking of getting the golf clubs out...

Flyers, leave yours in the closet. Everybody else, it's been a while, so I'm just going to throw out a few random thoughts here...

Trevor Immelman won the Masters. Nice job, man. This guy has been around for a few years and is a good, solid player. He'd only won once since he joined the Tour, but like we say every time somebody that's not named Phil, Tiger, or Ernie wins a major, this could mean big things in his future. My question is this: Will he turn out like Jim Furyk, who won a major (2003 US Open) and kept on winning, or is he more like Rich Beem, Shaun Micheel, and Todd Hamilton (2002 PGA, 2003 PGA, 2004 British Open, respectively), who won their major and faded? Maybe Immelman will be a little like Ben Curtis (2003 British Open), who won a major, stumbled for a couple of years on account of his post-major hangover, and then started winning again. Errr, judging from the four rounds Immelman has played since a 75 gave him the win at Augusta - 78-75-MC at the Nelson and 76-73-MC at the Wachovia - let's hope he's more like Curtis than the Oneders.

Tiger Woods is out until the Memorial or US Open (depending on whose reports you believe) after having knee surgery. And no I'm not worried that he'll never be the same. Yes, it's his left knee, which takes the brunt of the force of his swing. But from what I've read, the surgery was to remove some excess scar tissue, presumably from the last surgery he had in late 2002. So who cares? He didn't tear anything... there wasn't some huge traumatic injury that caused him to collapse in pain, as far as we know. He'll be back soon and will probably respond similarly to the way he did last time, when he won three of the first four tournaments he played in. Besides, the US Open is at Torrey Pines this year, where he's won the Buick Invitational six times, including the past four consecutively. I don't care if the guy is bleeding from both ears and missing a limb, he's the favorite to win.

Annika Sorenstam is retiring. Simply put, this woman is one of the most talented athletes that has ever lived. I'd rattle off her stats, but that would be boring (made it this far, huh?). A few are telling, though - she shot a 59 in the second round of the 2001 Standard Register Ping, she won enough times between 1995 and 2000 to qualify for the World Golf Hall of Fame, and then she won 48 times between 2000 and 2005. I don't really know whether or not she's better than Tiger, but Annika can seriously play. It's a shame to see her go. She'll be a hell of a teacher, though.

Sergio Garcia won The Players Championship. Often referred to as The Fifth Major, and almost always referred to as The Strongest Field in Golf, The Players is the PGA Tour's flagship event with a huge purse and a huge exemption for the winner. Garcia won it in a playoff by hitting dry land at 17 after Paul Goydos rinsed one. Don't even start with the "He only won because Tiger wasn't there" garbage, even though Sergio himself said something similar afterwards. Woods hasn't been a blip on the screen at Sawgrass since he won in 2001. Goydos played great golf for 71 holes, chunked a chip at 18, made bogey to force the playoff, dunked his tee shot in the swirling winds at the island 17th, and is still the man. Sergio hit it to 4 feet and it was all over. Maybe this is the bridge between routine PGA Tour wins and majors that Sergio needed to push him over the hump. His playoff loss at last year's British Open was devastating, but rather than taking it like a man (like Goydos did), he handled it like a three-year-old who had his toy taken away in the sandbox. That said, he's an immense talent and should shut us all up by upstaging Tiger's triumphant comeback that I previously alluded to by winning the US Open. Then he should shut up and keep winning majors.

On the horizon: This week is the AT&T Classic in Georgia, not a big tournament but a cool finishing hole... then the Colonial and Memorial, both big ones... the St. Jude after that... and then the US Open. Also, keep an eye on Annika, because she's playing the year out. Maybe she'll catch Ochoa to reclaim the #1 spot in time to retire on top.