“They” said Jose Maria Olazabal was past his peak in 1999, Mark O’Meara in 1998 and Ben Crenshaw in 1995. “They” were wrong.

Although he failed to win in 2004, Davis Love III was second twice and finished in the top 10 in a third of the tournaments he entered, including the Masters (T-sixth) and the British Open (T-fifth). Those numbers allowed Love to hold on to a No. 7 world ranking and 10th place on the U.S. money list with more than $3 million. Love has had several memorable Masters tournaments, with six top-10 finishes, including his close second to his good friend Crenshaw in 1995 and to Olazabal four years later.

Still in possession of prodigious length off the tee at an average of 300.1 yards (and the longest single drive of the year at 476 yards!), Davis Love III has the talent, the technique and the drive to make him a serious threat in any tournament and one of the ones to watch at the Masters.

NEXT » Ones to Watch: Phil Mickelson

ONES TO WATCH  • Ernie Els  • Sergio Garcia  • Retief Goosen  • Padraig Harrington  • Davis Love III  • Phil Mickelson  • Adam Scott  • Vijay Singh  • Mike Weir  • Tiger Woods

DARK HORSES  • Darren Clarke  • Fred Couples  • John Daly  • Chris DiMarco  • Todd Hamilton  • Charles Howell III