Fighting for Four: Who's ready to leave three behind?

Of course, Tiger Woods is the runaway leader when it comes to active PGA TOUR players with multiple majors. But what about second place? Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington and Vijay Singh each have three majors. Not surprisingly, each wants a fourth in the worst way.

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- When it comes to active PGA TOUR players and multiple majors, the conversation always centers around Tiger Woods. As it should. He's the one chasing history, chasing Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major victories. He's the one who will eventually catch the Golden Bear, perhaps even this year if he produces an unprecedented calendar Grand Slam on some of his favorite courses.

But while Tiger hopes to close the gap this week at the Masters, other players with multiple majors hope to start distancing themselves from their contemporaries.

Among active TOUR pros, four names follow Woods on the list of most majors. Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh and Padraig Harrington each have won three majors. Each goes into Thursday's first round at Augusta National knowing that a win on Sunday would create separation. None of the four will catch Tiger, but being the second-highest major winner in his generation would not be too shabby.

"People have been saying, who is going to get that fourth major, break out of that pack of three," Harrington said this week.

Who indeed.

Just 25 players in history have won four or more majors. One of them is Tiger, of course. Another one, Raymond Floyd (with four), just announced his retirement this week from competitive golf. Two others, Nicklaus (18) and Arnold Palmer (7), will be the honorary starters Thursday morning. And two more, Tom Watson (8) and Nick Faldo (6), will compete this week. While Watson showed us last year at Turnberry that we shouldn't underestimate the chances of a 60-year-old player at a major, it's unrealistic to think either one will be in contention on the weekend.

And the other 19? They're either no longer playing or, sadly, no longer with us. That's why any non-Tiger discussion about majors is focused on the four active guys with three.

We probably didn't expect to have this kind of conversation four years ago when Mickelson won the 2006 Masters. That was his third major win in a nine-start span, and he was still two months shy of his 36th birthday at the time. With the flood gates open, it didn't seem foolish to think that Mickelson would eventually double his win total in majors, perhaps even before he turned 40.

Mickelson turns 40 this June, though, and he's still stuck on three. That collapse down the stretch in the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot -- when he was on the verge of a third consecutive major win -- has been difficult to overcome. In 13 major starts since then, he's finished in the top 10 just four times, most recently a tie for second at Bethpage Black last year.

But Mickelson refuses to let the nightmare of Winged Foot eat at his psyche.

"I think maybe I would have thought I would have won more (majors), but I'm excited about what it led me to," he said. "Meaning, when I lost the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in 2006, I drove it poorly all week. I hit two or three fairways every day; the fact that I was still in contention in that particular championship was surprising.

"And it led to me working with Butch (Harmon) with the driver, and I'm hitting the ball longer and straighter than I've ever hit. I don't know if the stats show it or not, but I feel more confident with that club, and I'm starting to turn that club into a real asset for me as opposed to detriment. I think because of that, going forward I should have a lot more opportunities in majors."

Singh won't have nearly as many opportunities because of his age, and perhaps his health. The 48-year-old won his third major in 2004 (the PGA Championship) and while he remains the poster child for age-defying golfers, concerns about his bad back -- he had to withdraw from the Shell Houston Open last week -- minimize any expectations this week.

Els, meanwhile, is less than a year older than Mickelson, and comes to Augusta much more in form. He's already won twice this year, and his confidence is as high as it's been in years.

While he hasn't made the cut in his last three Masters starts, he did produce a five-year stretch between 2000-04 in which he finished in the top 10 each time, twice claiming solo second -- once to Singh and once to Mickelson. Imagine how different we would view him had he won both times to get to five majors, and in the process reducing Singh and Mickelson to two each.

Ask him if Augusta National owes him, though, and Els quickly shakes his head.

"I don't want to say that," he said. "I think I'll jinx myself saying that."

Still, he's well aware that a winning performance this week would produce one of those great feel-good stories that the Masters seems to deliver every year.

"I know the history of Augusta pretty well, and there's been a lot of nice stories," he said. "... We still are hoping for a great one."

As for the 38-year-old Harrington, he's the youngest of this quartet of active three-timers, having won all his majors since the others stopped winning theirs. In the process, he's tinkered with both his swing and his expectations. He knows now that his career will be defined by his major win total, which is why getting to No. 4 means so much.

"My whole career is now, after winning three majors, going to be judged on majors," he said. "I do make some sacrifices for those majors and try and get my game in shape for them."

Having completed his accounting degree before turning his attention to becoming a professional golfer, Harrington understands playing the percentages. So he sees it this way -- if he can contend in two of the four majors every year, he likes his chances.

"If I'm in contention twice a year, I'll knock off a few more majors," he said. "I will make all of the sacrifice in the world for those opportunities."