Baker-Finch picks his favorites

ATLANTA — TNT golf analyst Ian Baker-Finch gives us six players who can win from a field that does not include Tiger Woods this week at Oakland Hills in Michigan.

Ernie Els

Ernie seems to be coming around in form. He's been working hard with Butch Harmon on a few swing changes. The course is extremely difficult and long, and Ernie's game suits a difficult course. You have to hit it long to reach the greens but also be a good-enough putter to get the job done once you're on the greens. I also think that in major championships, having won a major championship previously gives you little more confidence because you've been there before and you know what it takes. Ernie fits the mold perfectly. If he can just gather up the confidence in his new swing and hole some putts, I like his chances.

Justin Leonard

Justin doesn't necessarily fit the mold of a big hitter, but he is having a wonderful season and is a great strategist, he can think his way around this golf course even though he can't overpower it. If he plays his game, we'll see him get the ball on the greens as often as possible and he's such a wonderful, imaginative putter, which you need to be.

Stewart Cink

Maybe it's time for Cink to win his first major. He has the long game and the ability to handle the difficulty of Oakland Hills. He's definitely the best user of the long putter in the game today. And the good form he's been showing this year should give him great confidence going into the last major of '08. This just might be his time.

Kenny Perry

Perry is riding a great wave of confidence right now with three victories in the last couple of months. He has the long game and has certainly shown in the last few months to have the putting game to tame "the Monster." A major victory is all that seems to be missing from Kenny Perry's 20-year-plus career. This might be his last chance.

Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia (tie)

I think both players have the game to win around Oakland Hills, but they both need to elevate their putting ability if they're going to win here. Both players have been struggling on the greens in recent tournaments, but they might find a putter and self-belief that works just in time to win here.

This story originally appeared in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.