LOS ANGELES – I know I've written similar words twice already this year, and I'll almost assuredly do it again next month, but the narrative remains: It's really difficult to rank the top players entering a major championship.
Now, I get it. Difficult is a relative term, and while I realize there might be tougher jobs out there somewhere, I certainly don't want to know about 'em.
Sure, you might be trying to cure cancer or launch rockets into outer space, but that's nothing compared to predicting a result for the inconsistent Rory McIlroy on a course most players have never seen before.
In all seriousness, I've been doing this a long time and think it's gotten progressiv ely harder over the years. There are probably some 20-25 “elite-level” players out there. You certainly don't want to go full-chalk, but for every longshot/sleeper who climbs into the upper echelon of a pre-tourney ranking, it knocks another superstar down to a number where he seems way too low.