We're still buzzing from an incredible Players Championship finish Sunday where Rickie Fowler answered critics with authority by winning at TPC Sawgrass in a thrilling three-man playoff.
What did we learn about Fowler, and did we just watch the best playoff format in golf? Our staff tackles these issues and answers questions about Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth in the latest edition of Four-Ball.
1. Fact or fiction: Rickie Fowler is overrated
SportsCenter anchor Jonathan Coachman: I think people forget how hard it is to win on the PGA Tour. During the past year, Rickie Fowler has proven that he is among the elite. He just hasn't raised a trophy enough times to satisfy the critics. However, he showed on Sunday why he is not overrated. He got on a birdie barrage when he needed to and finished strong. Plus, he stood up in a three-hole playoff and then sudden death. This will be a springboard to a major. Rickie Fowler is far, far from being overrated.
ESPN.com senior golf analyst Michael Collins: Fiction! Kevin Kisner said it best in his post-round interview on Sunday night. Talking about Fowler's finishes in last year's majors, he said: "Anybody that can do that, as you can see, if you're in that position, he's playing pretty danged well. What's the threshold on who calls what's overrated?" I completely agree. An "overrated" player isn't putting themselves in position to win that often.
ESPN.com senior golf writer Bob Harig: Fiction. He wasn't before his victory at the Players, and he certainly isn't now. Fowler simply got a lot of attention, a lot of hype, and the victories did not match all the sizzle. But he has been on two Ryder Cup teams, been no worse than 40th in the FedEx Cup the past five years, and had top-5s in all the majors a year ago.
ESPN.com senior golf writer Jason Sobel: Unlike 24 percent of his peers, I didn't think Fowler was overrated before last week, so I sure don't think he is now. In fact, if we're going to go through this silly business of randomly "rating" players outside their world ranking, I'd make the case that the guy who continually plays his best golf in the biggest tournaments might actually be -- gasp! -- underrated.
SportsCenter anchor Matt Barrie: Fiction. And the fact that this story got any traction is absurd. Yes, before Sunday's win at the Players, Fowler had only won twice. But he is also in a rare club with Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods when he joined them as the only players to finish in the top 5 in all four majors in a single year. Overrated players don't do that. Rory Mcilroy didn't do it. Jordan Spieth didn't do it. Henrik Stenson didn't do it. His peers sound petty. He's young, marketable, and talented. This weekend was big for golf, and Rickie Fowler is the reason why.
2. Favorite playoff format?
Coachman: I loved the playoff at the Players. I believe the three-hole aggregate is the best format to truly crown a winner. With that being said, it has to be special. You can't do it every week. But you can do it at the big events. And that's what made Sunday one of the best finishes that you will ever see in golf.
Collins: I like the three-hole aggregate because it gives people the chance to recover from a bad shot. Yes, there will be times when one player will be horrible, but more often than not fans get to see more great golf. How can that be a bad thing?
Harig: The aggregate playoff is the best simply because it offers a little bit of what is the fairest -- 18 holes -- without the randomness of just one hole.
Barrie: Sudden death. When you play 72 holes of tournament golf and it's not enough to crown a champion, always go sudden death. One more hole, to settle the score. Aggregate 3-hole like the Players, or 18 more holes like the U.S. Open delays the excitement of a winner. Give me one hole.
Sobel: I'm often asked whether I prefer tough conditions or easy, whether I'd rather see winning scores near level-par or birdiefests. My answer is always the same: Yes. I enjoy the fact that there is diversity among tourneys, that every week doesn't look and feel like the previous one. And I see the playoff format the same way. Sudden death works at weekly tour stops; the three-hole aggregate works at the Players; and, begrudgingly, I'll even allow that the Monday 18-holer works for the U.S. Open.
3. Should Tiger Woods add an event before the Memorial?
Coachman: Tiger should play another tournament, but he won't. He should play at the Wells Fargo this week to keep whatever feel he took away from the Players Championship with him. The starting and stopping only works when you are on a roll and playing consistently. He hasn't done that for more than a year. Seventeen tournaments are not enough, and if Tiger wants to compete all the way through the Presidents Cup, then he has to play, and play a lot.
Collins: The most recent time Woods played the Byron Nelson, in 2005, he missed the cut, breaking his amazing streak of 142 consecutive cuts made. A return this year would be the perfect chance for redemption -- 10 years later, he comes back, makes the cut, and finishes ... insert whatever dream you have here. It would also give him a week off before the Memorial. You can't simulate tournament conditions at home no matter how hard you try. He should get the real reps in.
Harig: Yes, because the month gap between tournaments is not doing him any good. He needs the reps inside the ropes. Best place? The Colonial in two weeks, which would put him on an every-other-week tournament schedule through the PGA Championship. Then we would likely start to see some consistency in his game.
Sobel: Tiger is a big boy and -- let me do the math -- yes, he has won more tournaments than our entire esteemed Four-Ball panel. So he doesn't need our advice. But if he actually followed his own -- the advice in which he often insists he needs more reps to get to tournament shape again, he should add one. And the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial would make the most sense.
Barrie: Yes. And he should go to Dallas and play in the Byron Nelson. He's had success at the TPC Las Colinas course. It gives him a week to get back out and work on his game after this week at the Players. And, most importantly, gives him tournament tune-up conditions the week before the Memorial. Tiger had stretches this week where the driver looked great. Then awful. Same goes for the irons. His putter never really rounded into form. So go back to the lab, get in some work, and start a two-week tournament stretch starting in Dallas.
4. How worried should we be about Jordan Spieth's game after he missed the cut at the Players?
Coachman: Spieth was due for a couple of off weeks after being so hot for so long. This is all new to him. The spotlight, the commitments, the adulation. He will get used to it and get back to golf being a priority. At 21 years old, this can be intoxicating. He is fine and his game is great. I look for him to play great back at home in Texas.
Collins: Not worried at all. We already know what his game looks like when it's on. No golfer stays on all the time (even Tiger didn't win every week). His swing at the Players Championship looked tired. Some rest and relaxation away from the club, and Spieth will be back in form in plenty of time for the U.S. Open. If he doesn't take a break, all bets are off.
Harig: Not at all. It's inevitable that even the top players are going to have an off week. Spieth has been playing a lot of golf, and he's got a lot upcoming. He'll be fine.
Sobel: On a scale of 0 to 10, the level of worry should be at a minus-32. Trust me: Every other player in the world would love to be "worrying" about following up a Masters victory. He's got a green jacket. Everything else this year is gravy -- very sweet gravy.
Barrie: I wouldn't use the word "worried." I would use surprised. Spieth looked robotic at the Masters. Never missing a putt, rarely missing a fairway, and hardly ever making mistakes. He was a completely different golfer last week at TPC Sawgrass, and it was surprising to see. With the stretch he's been on, even Spieth is allowed a bad week. And I don't think it's too far of a stretch to think he's pressed a little much playing alongside the world No. 1 Rory McIlroy. If anything, the early exit gave Spieth unwanted, but much needed rest.