They’re the cream of the major championship crop, circa 2013 — the Athlon Major Championship Dream Team. Leading up to The Masters, we'll be unveiling Athlon Sports’ 20 players to watch for majors season, with commentary on each from the Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee.

No. 13: Bubba Watson

Born: Nov. 5, 1978, Bagdad, Fla. | Career PGA Tour Wins: 4  | 2012 Wins (Worldwide): 1 | 2012 Earnings (PGA Tour): $4,644,997 (5th) | World Ranking: 13

Brandel Chamblee's Take

Bubba hit the shot of the year and perhaps of the millennium in 2012 in the playoff at The Masters, proving that his shotmaking abilities, combined with his length off of the tee, make him a threat every time he tees it up. Still, he is unpredictable because he struggles with his wedge and putter. But because of his talents with every other club, he only needs to be average around and on the greens.

Major Championship Résumé
Starts: 20
Wins: 1

2012 Performance:
Masters - Won
U.S. Open - Cut
British Open - T23
PGA Championship - T11

Best Career Finishes: 
Masters - 1 (2012)
U.S. Open - T5 (2007)
British Open - T23 (2012)
PGA Championship - 2 (2010)
Top-10 Finishes: 3
Top-25 Finishes: 7
Missed Cuts: 7

—Brandel Chamblee is lead analyst for the Golf Channel. Be sure to follow him @ChambleeBrandel on Twitter.

Athlon's 2013 Golf annual provides in-depth previews of this year's four majors, including the top 20 players to watch this season. One of these elite players, reigning FedExCup champion Brandt Snedeker, also takes you tee to green with full-swing instruction and short game essentials. BUY IT NOW.

They’re the cream of the major championship crop, circa 2013 — the Athlon Major Championship Dream Team. Leading up to The Masters, we'll be unveiling Athlon Sports’ 20 players to watch for majors season, with commentary on each from the Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee.

No. 15: Ian Poulter

Born: Jan. 10, 1976, Stevenage, England | Career PGA Tour Wins: 2 (12 on the European Tour)  | 2012 Wins (Worldwide): 1 | 2012 Earnings (PGA Tour): $1,715,272 (45th) | World Ranking: 11

Brandel Chamblee's Take

Prior to 2012, Poulter had played in 35 majors and managed only three top tens. But in 2012, he finished in the top ten in three of the four majors and did not miss a cut on either the PGA or European Tours. To cap his consistency, he won the WGC HSBC Champions for his 16th career worldwide win and once again proved that he has the perfect combination of flare and competitiveness, as he almost single-handedly compelled the Europeans to victory in the Ryder Cup. He is one of the most marketable players on the planet, for good reason.

Major Championship Résumé
Starts: 40
Wins: 0

2012 Performance:
Masters - 7
U.S. Open - T41
British Open - T9
PGA Championship - T3

Best Career Finishes: 
Masters - 7 (2012)
U.S. Open - T12 (2006)
British Open - 2 (2008)
PGA Championship - T3 (2012)
Top-10 Finishes: 6
Top-25 Finishes: 15
Missed Cuts: 6

—Brandel Chamblee is lead analyst for the Golf Channel. Be sure to follow him @ChambleeBrandel on Twitter.

Athlon's 2013 Golf annual provides in-depth previews of this year's four majors, including the top 20 players to watch this season. One of these elite players, reigning FedExCup champion Brandt Snedeker, also takes you tee to green with full-swing instruction and short game essentials. BUY IT NOW.

They’re the cream of the major championship crop, circa 2013 — the Athlon Major Championship Dream Team. Leading up to The Masters, we'll be unveiling Athlon Sports’ 20 players to watch for majors season, with commentary on each from the Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee.

No. 15: Dustin Johnson

Born: June 22, 1984, Columbia, S.C. | Career PGA Tour Wins: 7  | 2012 Wins (Worldwide): 1 | 2012 Earnings (PGA Tour): $3,393,820 (19th) | World Ranking: 20

Brandel Chamblee's Take

Johnson appears unaffected by the pressures of golf, perhaps owing to his length and the easy birdies that come his way. He has won in every year he has been on Tour dating back to 2008, and even though he was sidelined due to injury for two months in 2012, he managed a win at Memphis and finished off the year with four top 10s in a row, before opening 2013 with a win at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. At 28 years old, he has plenty of time to fulfill his almost limitless potential. If he improves his short game, he will be in the Hall of Fame someday.

Major Championship Résumé
Starts: 29
Wins: 0

2012 Performance:
Masters - DNP
U.S. Open - Cut
British Open - T9
PGA Championship - T48

Best Career Finishes: 
Masters - T30 (2009)
U.S. Open - T8 (2010)
British Open - T2 (2011)
PGA Championship - T5 (2010)
Top-10 Finishes: 5
Top-25 Finishes: 7
Missed Cuts: 3

—Brandel Chamblee is lead analyst for the Golf Channel. Be sure to follow him @ChambleeBrandel on Twitter.

Athlon's 2013 Golf annual provides in-depth previews of this year's four majors, including the top 20 players to watch this season. One of these elite players, reigning FedExCup champion Brandt Snedeker, also takes you tee to green with full-swing instruction and short game essentials. BUY IT NOW.

They’re the cream of the major championship crop, circa 2013 — the Athlon Major Championship Dream Team. Leading up to The Masters, we'll be unveiling Athlon Sports’ 20 players to watch for majors season, with commentary on each from the Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee.

No. 16: Matt Kuchar

Born: June 21, 1978, Winter Park, Fla. | Career PGA Tour Wins: 5  | 2012 Wins (Worldwide): 1 | 2012 Earnings (PGA Tour): $3,903,065 (11th) | World Ranking: 9

Brandel Chamblee's Take

Kuchar has won only five times on Tour, but his consistency is impossible to ignore — he has 42 top 10s since 2009. When someone comes that close that often, the experience they’ve gained in contending will eventually make them comfortable enough on Sundays to realize the potential of their talent — talent that was on display when Kuchar won the Players in 2012, and in the WGCs, where he has eight top 10s in the last 10 events he has played and won the 2013 Accenture Match Play. A multi-win year is certainly possible, as is a major for this under-the-radar player.

Major Championship Résumé
Starts: 29
Wins: 0

2012 Performance:
Masters - T3
U.S. Open - T27
British Open - T9
PGA Championship - Cut

Best Career Finishes: 
Masters - T3 (2012)
U.S. Open - T6 (2010)
British Open - T9 (2012)
PGA Championship - T10 (2010)
Top-10 Finishes: 4
Top-25 Finishes: 9
Missed Cuts: 15

—Brandel Chamblee is lead analyst for the Golf Channel. Be sure to follow him @ChambleeBrandel on Twitter.

Athlon's 2013 Golf annual provides in-depth previews of this year's four majors, including the top 20 players to watch this season. One of these elite players, reigning FedExCup champion Brandt Snedeker, also takes you tee to green with full-swing instruction and short game essentials. BUY IT NOW.

They’re the cream of the major championship crop, circa 2013 — the Athlon Major Championship Dream Team. Leading up to The Masters, we'll be unveiling Athlon Sports’ 20 players to watch for majors season, with commentary on each from the Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee.

No. 17: Padraig Harrington

Born: Aug. 31, 1971, Dublin, Ireland | Career PGA Tour Wins: 5 (14 on the European Tour) | 2012 Wins (Worldwide): 0 | 2012 Earnings (PGA Tour): $1,546,272 (53rd)   | World Ranking: 54

Brandel Chamblee's Take

Padraig Harrington has been winless since 2008 on either the PGA or European tours. However, the three-time major winner and incessant swing tinkerer has shown signs of returning to his old form with solid finishes in majors and close calls at almost every turn. Long a great wedge player, Harrington had seen his tee to green game become a bit unreliable, but the click is back, and his putting has been brilliant. He will contend for a fourth major in 2013 and break his winless streak.

Major Championship Résumé
Starts: 57
Wins: 3

2012 Performance:
Masters - T8
U.S. Open - T4
British Open - T39
PGA Championship - T18

Best Career Finishes: 
Masters - T5 (2002, 2008)
U.S. Open - T4 (2012)
British Open - 1st (2007, 2008)
PGA Championship - 1st (2008)
Top-10 Finishes: 15
Top-25 Finishes: 23
Missed Cuts: 17

—Brandel Chamblee is lead analyst for the Golf Channel. Be sure to follow him @ChambleeBrandel on Twitter.

Athlon's 2013 Golf annual provides in-depth previews of this year's four majors, including the top 20 players to watch this season. One of these elite players, reigning FedExCup champion Brandt Snedeker, also takes you tee to green with full-swing instruction and short game essentials. BUY IT NOW.

They’re the cream of the major championship crop, circa 2013 — the Athlon Major Championship Dream Team. Leading up to The Masters, we'll be unveiling Athlon Sports’ 20 players to watch for majors season, with commentary on each from the Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee.

No. 18: Ernie Els

Born: Oct. 17, 1969, Johannesburg, South Africa | Career PGA Tour Wins: 19 (27 on the European Tour) | 2012 Wins (Worldwide): 1 | 2012 Earnings (PGA Tour): $3,453,118 (16th)  | World Ranking: 24

Brandel Chamblee's Take

Els was inducted into the Hall of Fame in May of last year, and in July, he once again proved he was worthy of the induction, as he won his fourth career major when he prevailed at The Open Championship. He's still a threat from tee to green every week, but his putter has betrayed him on too many occasions in the last few years and was the reason for him falling out of the top 50 in the world and missing The Masters in 2012.

Major Championship Résumé
Starts: 80
Wins: 4

2012 Performance:
Masters - DNP
U.S. Open - 9
British Open - Won
PGA Championship - T48

Best Career Finishes: 
Masters - 2 (2000, 2004)
U.S. Open - 1 (1994, 1997)
British Open - 1 (2002, 2012)
PGA Championship - 3/T3 (1995, 2007)
Top-10 Finishes: 33
Top-25 Finishes: 49
Missed Cuts: 15

—Brandel Chamblee is lead analyst for the Golf Channel. Be sure to follow him @ChambleeBrandel on Twitter.

Athlon's 2013 Golf annual provides in-depth previews of this year's four majors, including the top 20 players to watch this season. One of these elite players, reigning FedExCup champion Brandt Snedeker, also takes you tee to green with full-swing instruction and short game essentials. BUY IT NOW.

They’re the cream of the major championship crop, circa 2013 — the Athlon Major Championship Dream Team. Leading up to The Masters, we'll be unveiling Athlon Sports’ 20 players to watch for majors season, with commentary on each from the Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee.

No. 19: Charl Schwartzel

Born: Aug. 31, 1984, Johannesburg, South Africa | Career PGA Tour Wins: 1 (8 on European Tour | 2012 Wins (Worldwide): 2 | 2012 Earnings (PGA Tour): $1,138,844 (90th) | World Ranking: 16

Brandel Chamblee's Take

Schwartzel wouldn’t have made this list except for something he did in back to back weeks late in 2012: He won in Thailand by 11 shots, and then the very next week in South Africa, he won by 12 at the Alfred Dunhill in his home country, which is the third-widest margin of victory in the history of that tour. Perhaps the 2011 Masters winner discovered the reason for a lackluster year. If so, the promise of his youthful major win and his gorgeous swing will make the golf world agog in 2013. He already has two top-10 finishes in four U.S. appearances thus far this season.

Major Championship Résumé
Starts: 24
Wins: 1

2012 Performance:
Masters - T50
U.S. Open - T38
British Open - Cut
PGA Championship - T59

Best Career Finishes: 
Masters - 1 (2011)
U.S. Open - T9 (2011)
British Open - T14 (2010)
PGA Championship - T12 (2011)
Top-10 Finishes: 2
Top-25 Finishes: 8
Missed Cuts: 8

—Brandel Chamblee is lead analyst for the Golf Channel. Be sure to follow him @ChambleeBrandel on Twitter.

To order your copy of Athlon Sports' 2013 Golf Annual, click here. 

They’re the cream of the major championship crop, circa 2013 — the Athlon Major Championship Dream Team. Leading up to The Masters, we'll be unveiling Athlon Sports’ 20 players to watch for majors season, with commentary on each from the Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee.

No. 20: Zach Johnson

Born: Feb. 24, 1976, Cedar Rapids, Iowa   | Career PGA Tour Wins: 9 | 2012 Wins (Worldwide): 2 | 2012 Earnings (PGA Tour): $4,504,244 (6th)  | World Ranking: 26

Brandel Chamblee's Take

Since topping the 2003 class of the Web.com Tour (then known as the Nationwide Tour), Johnson has been one of the most consistent money-winners on the PGA Tour. In 2004, he won in just his ninth start as a rookie, and after his third multiple win season in 2012 he now has nine career wins, one of which was the 2007 Masters. In an era that is biased towards length off the tee, Zach’s success has been based on accuracy, one of the best putting strokes in the game and a tenacity that is matched by few in the world of golf. His strong grip and flat swing give him a low ball flight that makes him a threat in windy conditions but perhaps explains why, on the harder surfaces of majors, his top 10 percentage doesn’t match up to his numbers in regular tour events.

Major Championship Résumé
Starts: 35
Wins: 1

2012 Performance:
Masters - T32
U.S. Open - T41
British Open - T9
PGA Championship - 70

Best Career Finishes: 
Masters - 1 (2007)
U.S. Open - T30 (2011)
British Open - T9 (2012)
PGA Championship - T3 (2010)
Top-10 Finishes: 4
Top-25 Finishes: 8
Missed Cuts: 13

—Brandel Chamblee is lead analyst for the Golf Channel. Be sure to follow him @ChambleeBrandel on Twitter.