Zurich Classic could use more spice

Sergio Garcia will be the highest-ranked player in the field when play begins today in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, which lost some of its flavor yesterday with the withdrawals of Steve Stricker and Ian Poulter.

Stricker, ranked No. 3 in the world, withdrew because of an injured clavicle. Poulter, No. 6 in the world, withdrew because of a sore left knee. That leaves Garcia, No. 23 in the world, to headline an event that might not have the right ingredients to cook up a lot of excitement.

Garcia, who held the No. 2 spot in the world rankings as recently as March 2009, is making his first appearance in New Orleans. Last week at the Verizon Heritage he missed the cut for the first time in seven PGA Tour starts this season after following up an opening-round 67 with a 77. He is currently struggling with his game and hasn't had much success this season. His best finish is a fourth in the Match Play Championships. He hasn't finished better than 37th in the other appearances, including a lackluster tie for 45th at the Masters.

When asked last week what the problem is, Garcia stated, "Well, we're working on it, but it's taking time. ... Whenever I figure it out, I'll let you know."

Still, Garcia is a five-time member of the European Ryder Cup team and has won 15 events worldwide while splitting time on the PGA and European PGA tours each year. His last victory in the U.S. came in The Players Championship in 2008. Maybe he's due to break out of his slump.

Defending his Zurich title will be Jerry Kelly, who won in 2009 when he followed an opening-round 71 with scores of 69, 66 and 68. His score of 14-under-par 274 was good for a one-shot victory over Rory Sabbatini, Charles Howell III and Charlie Wi. They all will be back competing for the winner's share of $1.152 million from the $6.4 million purse.

In the past month, Kelly has tied for 12th at the Honda Classic, tied for 13th at the Transitions Championship and tied for 12th at the Masters.

Other top players in the field include K.J. Choi, David Toms, Justin Rose, Mark Calcavecchia, Rocco Mediate, Mike Weir, David Duval, Andres Romero, Stuart Appleby, Ben Crane, Bryce Molder, Scott Verplank, Lee Janzen, and fan favorites John Daly and Boo Weekley.

Information from ESPN.com, PGATOUR.com and Golf.com contributed to this post.