If one phrase has come to grate more than any other, then for me it is the one that refers to Steve Williams, caddie for Tiger Woods, as New Zealand's highest paid sportsman. Since when has carrying another man's bag been regarded as a sport?

The sad thing here is that Williams seems happily to have bought into the nonsense. Which might go some way to explaining why he felt at liberty to describe Phil Mickelson, winner at the last count of three major championships, as a p***k.

I would suggest, without fear of contradiction, that not one paying customer has shelled out their hard-earned cash for the privilege of watching Williams lugging the world No.1's bag hither and thither. Put him on, say, Rory Sabatini's bag and he would soon realise that those huge crowds that have been following him around for the past ten years have not been there because of him. Mickelson, on the other hand, brings them through the gates and will continue to do so. And the reason for that is that he plays the game rather well.

All of which got me thinking. Who among today's crop of professionals would it be worth going out of your way to see? There are plenty of fine players and many dull ones too, but here, in no particular order, are my Magnificent Seven

Tiger Woods

Might as well start with the most obvious and electrifying of them all. Not the greatest driver of the ball, but certainly one of the most exciting. Off the tee few players let rip quite like Woods does, but the fact that you never know whether the ball is going to go 50 yards right of the fairway or straight down the middle makes for true drama when he is closing in on a title.

The world No.1's true brilliance comes from the way he escapes from trouble with spectacular approach shots and chips and putts that almost defy belief. Has the ability to "will" the ball into the hole - as he did with his famous chip-in at the 16th at Augusta on the way to winning the 2005 Masters, and his treacherous final putt at the US Open, at Torrey Pines, this year to get into a play-off with Rocco Mediate that he went on to win. Throw in the Tiger Roar and the fist-pumping celebrations and you have the perfect package

Phil Mickelson

Flaky Phil - an unwanted soubriquet, but one that seemed to fit the bill for such a magnificently talented player until he won the first of his three majors, the 2004 Masters, with a game that he had finally learnt to rein-in. Still has the ability to go from the sublime to the ridiculous, however. Has a short game virtually unmatched by anyone, a wedge being turned into a wand in his hand, and enjoys attempting the impossible. But even now he pays the price for impetuosity, as happened with his 72nd-hole meltdown at the 2006 US Open at Winged Foot that was his for the taking. A crowd pleaser in more ways than one.

Padraig Harrington

Probably the most approachable major champion of them all, the Irishman is not blessed with the prettiest swing and neither is he the quickest of players. But he has moulded himself into one of the toughest of all competitors, one of the few able to stand toe-to-toe with Woods and come out on top.

It is Harrington's mental strength, and the way he approaches the major championships, that make him so worthy of watching. The tougher the conditions, the more he likes it because he believes that up to half of the field will have given up before they reach the 1st tee.