Nothing-to-lose twins really have a shot at something to win

[Qbins Missile Crisis]

Ask Trevor Immelman about his surgical scar. He'll show you. Ask Brandt Snedeker the most memorable childhood nickname he endured. ''Snotlicker,'' he'll tell you.

The nothing-to-lose twins of Saturday at the Masters will rejoin one another today, each hoping for one more bit of magic. In front of them will be two more players with more wit than wins, forming a foursome that should have enough moxie to keep you-know-who from winning major No. 14.

The 2008 Masters is going to finish in bedlam today, no doubt. Leaving Augusta National on Saturday, following his take-notice 68, Tiger Woods said he saw today's hole locations and found them birdie-friendly, as they usually are on Sundays.

Whether the wind gusts to its meteorological prediction (20-30 mph) will be the loosest of the nooses facing Immelman, Snedeker, Steve Flesch and Paul Casey. The 400-pound gorilla in the field is awake.

'Who's the guy in fifth place?'' Snedeker asked before looking at a leaderboard. ''Oh, yeah, that guy.''

You know the statistic; CBS bludgeoned you with it Saturday. Woods has never come from behind in the final round to win a major. Today would seem likely for that run to end.

The four players above Woods have a combined six PGA Tour wins and seven top-10 finishes in majors (none wins, obviously). Their combined total of 9.09 Official World Golf Rankings points is less than half of Woods' 21.19.

But really, who faces more pressure at Augusta National today? A foursome of players who no one -- save for their wives, caddies and swing coaches -- gives a prayer of a chance? Or the guy six shots off the lead who can see history on the horizon?

Wood is playing to win 19 majors; the rest are just looking for one. As Steve Flesch said after making birdie at 18 to reach 8-under, ''What do I have to lose?''

So let's handicap the cast.

Immelman is four months removed from surgery to remove a golf-ball-sized benign tumor from his diaphragm and still proudly shows his scar around the locker room. ''Want to see it?'' he said the other day in the interview room. ''Everybody else has.''

He did benefit from a stroke of fortune at the 15th hole (where his third shot nearly rolled backward into the pond) but otherwise has played an impeccable tournament with few loose swings. Let's say, a 5-1 favorite, partly because he's the only player among the four who has won an event with Woods in the field (the 2006 Western Open).

Snedeker, the genial Vanderbilt graduate and 2007 PGA Tour rookie of the year, showed spirit on the back nine, where he followed three straight bogeys with three birdies in the last five holes. Plus, he might have the best short game of any young player in the field. Put him at 7-1.

Flesch, who defines the term journeyman, is lucky even to be here. He won twice in the second half of 2007 to earn enough money to squeak into the field. He's hell-bent on being relaxed, and that's why we put him at 12-1.

And Casey, the Popeye-forearmed Englishman, has the most major experience of the group, having played with Bernhard Langer in the second-last pairing in 2004.

That afternoon went poorly (Casey shot 74) but is well in his past. He's a sleeper at 10-1.

Why the odds? Well, two weeks ago a Las Vegas sports book sent out a mass e-mail trumpeting Woods as a 9-2 pick to win the Grand Slam. Not just the Masters, but all four majors of 2008. That had to be the worst-value prop bet in the history of sports gambling.

But that's the hysteria surrounding Woods, and the nasty roadblock Immelman, Snedeker, Flesh and Casey face today.

Last year, Zach Johnson proved that there are forces in golf other than Tiger Woods. Today, somebody from this foursome will confirm it.

Mark Wogenrich
April 13, 2008
The Morning Call.com