PGA Championship 2011: The 5 Most Overrated Players at the Highlands Course

Ian Poulter
Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

Jack Nicklaus would show up at majors with his list.  He would go hit balls on the range and hear players bemoan the course set-up.  He would then take out his list, and check players off.  Then, he would go to the putting green and listen to the chatter about the weather.  He would take out his list and check off some more players.  

The PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club is about narrowing the field.  And so is this report about the most overrated players at the Highlands Course.

Some of the players that entered the week as favorites made this list.  Some are mildly overrated.  And then there are some that are wildly overrated.

Here is a list of the five most overrated players in Atlanta this week.

5. Martin Kaymer

Martin Kaymer
Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Tiger Woods walked over to the defending champion on the range Wednesday and mentioned how good the goose was at the Champion's dinner.

He had the first parking spot in the Atlanta Athletic Club parking lot this week.  At least he won't have to walk far to make a quiet exit.

He never got on track in 2011, and his play has been less than impressive.  A new swing, new commitments and making sure the PGA Champion's Dinner goose was cooked to perfection

His goose is now cooked.  Don't expect the defending champion to worry about the 2012 menu at Kiawah.

4. Sergio Garcia

Sergio Garcia
Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

El Nino was nary a Spainish teen when he battled Tiger Woods in the 1999 PGA Championship at Medinah.  Remember the ball which came to nestle against a tree, and a cut-6-iron that floated toward the green had the upstart clicking his heels as he jumped searching for his first major win?

He is still searching.  And he has had some close calls, just not recently.  Has the phenom lived up to the early hype?  Never.

He finished in second place at the 2007 Open Championship and the 2008 PGA Championship.  But he has missed the cut in the last two PGA Championships.

Expect the same this week.

3. Ian Poulter

Ian Poulter
Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

He has the ability to hit some great iron shots.  Everything else he does on the golf course is average.  

Off the course, he has branded his image extremely well.  He is linked to twitter and the social mediums with aplomb.  

He will miss the cut and hasn't really figured into major championship contention since the Open Championship in 2008.

2. Stevie Williams

Steve Williams
Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

He did a great job carrying the bag for Adam Scott last week and then made some poor decisions in an interview.  Now he is at the Atlanta Athletic Club, and his name was still not on the leaderboard.  He has not hit a golf ball yet, but he is making a mockery of a profession that was just hitting the stride of respectability.

Overrated?  Yes.

1. Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods
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There was a marketing campaign not too long ago about not driving your father's Oldsmobile.  This is not the same Tiger Woods that pacmanned his way to fourteen majors.  This is the Tiger Woods that has an orthopedic file full of nasty injuries, carnage from a marriage and he has lost his ability to cordially communicate with the media.

His golf game was showing signs of recovery after five holes in the first round.  Then, he played the next thirteen holes ten-over par.  The good news for Tiger is that his 77 works great in Vegas, not so well in Atlanta.

And, he is the Bleacher Report pick for the most overrated golfer this week.