Backspin: 5-foot-nothing ... and two wins already in 2011

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Last summer, in a Q&A with Hank Haney, I remember asking Haney who of all the young, 20-something players had the potential to be the best. One of the side points of the conversation was that in today's PGA TOUR you needed to be able to "flat bring it," as Haney put it.

In the Tiger Woods era, golf indeed has become a game of giants -- whether it's the gold standard that has been Woods, or the freakishly athletic Dustin Johnson.

Enter Mark Wilson -- 5-foot-nothing, 100 and nothing.

As Haney pointed out then, and we saw this week in Phoenix, if you couldn't bomb it, you had to be exceptional in some other area.

That's exactly what Wilson is. What he lacks in brawn, he makes up for with precision.

Wilson has never sniffed ranking in the top 100 on TOUR in driving distance, but he is consistently in the top 50 in greens in regulation (and has been in the top 15 in each of the last two years, including this one). Wilson has also never ranked outside the top 50 in driving accuracy -- he's in the top 30 again this year.

Of course, none of that matters unless you realize how you can excel and that's exactly what Wilson has done with his practice routine, which is something he's put even more time into this season.

Wilson throws a ball down inside 100 yards on almost every hole of his practice round and tries to get it up and down.

"I almost don't even care about the shot I hit on the green during the practice round," Wilson said. "I focus more on that short shot. Those two things have just really calmed me down. This week and Sony I eliminated the bogeys a lot, and that has been a key."

Wilson will never be a guy that wows you with distance, or even with spectacular shot-making. But the next thing you know, he's got four wins, including two this year, all because of finding a niche and using it.

Stock up

Rickie Fowler: Two starts, two top-20s and it's only going to get better from there for Fowler. He was brilliant in a career-best 62 in the second round at TPC Scottsdale. Geoff Ogilvy: In his first start since slicing open his finger in the season-opener, Ogilvy tied for 13th in Phoenix. All but one of his wins (2006 U.S. Open) come in the early part of the year. Webb Simpson: After a rocky 2010 with just two top-10s, Simpson is back to playing like he did in 2009. His T8 in Phoenix was his first top-10 of the year, but he also tied for 13th two weeks ago.

Stock down

Camilo Villegas: Watching Villegas hit his driver last week, it was clear something was wrong. He confirmed that when he withdrew with a back injury after an opening-round 78. First the DQ, now this. Not exactly the kind of start Villegas was hoping for, obviously. Kevin Na: Talk about a rough couple of weeks. Since finishing in a tie for fifth at the Bob Hope Classic, Na has missed his last two cuts and has played his last 72 holes in a total of 1 over. At Phoenix he shot 72-68 to miss the cut by one shot. Paul Goydos: Likewise it's been a slow start for Goydos, who has failed to break 70 in six of his last eight rounds. He was also playing a bit dinged up in Phoenix with pain in his arm and neck. His best result so far is a tie for 42nd at the Bob Hope Classic.

THE BACK NINE: 9 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. When the new grooves rule went into effect last year, some players were concerned about no longer being able to spin the ball out of the rough. Well, Mark Wilson was still spinning it too much. So he went to Ping, got the grooves dialed in just right, and sure enough he has been able to hit the ball with the exactness he needs.

2. Wilson also has a new green-reading technique, courtesy of Dr. Greg Rose at the Titleist Performance Institute. In short, he has Wilson split his putts into two parts. "I'm a quick learner in that sense," Wilson said. "That really has helped me see the line better for some reason." The first time Wilson did it was at Disney, where he finished sixth. Since then, he's won twice. "I'm just going with that," Wilson said.

3. Tommy Gainey's swing. It's proof that it doesn't matter how you get to the ball, as long as you get there in the right position, and I love the comparison between his swing and Albert Pujols' baseball swing.

4. One swing Gainey would obviously like to have back was that tee shot on the par-4 17th that bounced off a stake and into the water, or the ensuing chip shot he hit heavy and rolled back into the water. The latter cost him a couple hundred thousand dollars.

5. Bill Haas has never been one to take a giant leap up the ladder. That's what his nine-time-TOUR-winner-father Jay Haas told me over the weekend. Whether it was junior golf, his collegiate career at Wake Forest, or now on the TOUR. It's always been a slow and steady process. Right now, that process is about getting comfortable in the heat of the moment in the final round. Two weeks, two mid-70s rounds. "He's just learning how to play a little bit," the elder Haas said. As for whether Bill, with two wins, will finish his career with more than his dad? Jay believes he can -- so much so that he texted Gary McCord to say so -- mostly because Bill has all the tools.

6. Two reasons why Haas, who will turn 29 later this year, is playing the best golf of his career right now: His swing is more consistent and polished, and he's gaining the experience of being in contention. "Forget about Jack, Tiger," Jay Haas said. "Only a handful of guys are ultra successful in their early 20s. A player's best time usually is between 27 and 35." While Bill Haas has will never be confused for Vijay Singh, he's also worked a lot harder the last couple of years than earlier in his career. "I think he's realizing the value of practice," Jay said. "I don't think he will ever be a range rat, but he'll be out there working. I say little things to him, I hope it gets through, and I just tell him that he can't take this career for granted."

7. One other note on Haas. For all his Sunday struggles, he's still a combined 62 under in 17 rounds this year.

8. Rickie Fowler tossing hats to the crowd at the par-3 16th is yet another example that, at just 22 years old, Fowler gets it and is maybe the most grounded star in the game.

9. Nice to see Vijay Singh in contention again. He broke 70 in all four rounds for the first time since the 2009 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and his third-place finish was his first top-3 since winning the 2008 Deutsche Bank Championship.

Forward Spin

Bill Murray is back at Pebble Beach, where he'll headline the field for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. So is Dustin Johnson, who is the two-time defending champion. So is Phil Mickelson, another staple on the Monterey Peninsula, who's won there before and was in contention at last year's U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. One other note: The weather looks spectacularly good for Pebble Beach with a zero percent chance of rain the first two days and only 10-20 percent the rest of the week with nothing but sunshine and temperatures in the low-mid 60s.

Next Kodak Challenge hole

TOURNAMENT: AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am HOLE: The par-5, 543-yard 18th at Pebble Beach Golf Links ABOUT THE HOLE: A new tee further out to sea actually makes the tee shot a little easier, but it still must negotiate the coastline. Only the longest hitters will be able to reach the green in two if they keep their balls in the fairway. Kodak Challenge standings