Q: Think Fred Couples is a lock to make the Ryder Cup, even if it’s as a captain’s pick?
— Michael Bafflin from San Angelo, Texas
A: Michael, you've nailed it. I do think you'll be seeing Couples in September as a member of his sixth Ryder Cup team.

At 46 he may not have the week-to-week game that others do, but in spots, he's still a dynamic player.

That spirited Masters performance didn't hurt, but what may have sealed his spot on the team was the way he played in the Presidents Cup last fall, his singles win over Vijay Singh helping the U.S. beat the Internationals in front of a very interested spectator, Tom Lehman, America's Ryder Cup captain.

Q: Why isn't Stuart Appleby ever mentioned in the ‘best player never to win a major’ conversation? He's won eight times since '97, and he bombs it out there with the longest guys on Tour. He's got the game to win a major.
— Michael Shuler from Easton, Conn.
A: In theory, it would appear as if you've stumbled upon something, Michael, but there's a good reason why Appleby is rarely talked about when majors roll around.

That is, his record in the majors. It's not very good.

In 37 starts in the big events, the 35-year-old Aussie has missed the cut 15 times and placed within the Top 10 on just three occasions. But he followed up his best-ever finish in the Masters (tied for 19th) with a win at Houston and a tie for fourth in New Orleans, so certainly he's on the sort of roll one likes to be on headed into a major, though he's missed the cut in six of the last seven U.S. Opens, and that's the sort of track record that haunts.

Q: Will this be the year Natalie Gulbis breaks through and gets her first career victory?
— Charles C. from Charleston, S.C.
A: Certainly, Charles, she's been knocking on the door enough, so it's not as if she hasn't exhibited the game.

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This year alone she has cashed a check in each of her eight starts, finishing third once, fourth twice, and fifth once. In her last 35 starts, Gulbis has recorded 16 Top 10 finishes and when you emphasize the fact that she's still just 23, there's no reason to think that she won't break through soon.

Q: Seve Ballesteros in the British Open? Say it isn’t so! What do today’s crop of Spanish players, namely Sergio Garcia, think of Ballesteros?
— Todd Graves from Louisville, Ky.
A: Consider it a pre-British Open ritual not unlike the pre-Masters ritual in which Ballesteros floats the idea about his participation at Augusta National, only to come back a few weeks later and announce he isn't going to play.

No one expects him to and, sadly, no one could care less, but it keeps his name in public view and that's important to the proud Spaniard.

It's unlikely you'll see him at Royal Liverpool come July. Ballesteros hasn't teed it up in a British Open since 2001, hasn't made a cut since 1995, and having recently turned 49, it's hard to envision taking him seriously about these so-called comebacks.

He was and will forever remain a great, great champion, and if this generation of Spanish players doesn't have the utmost respect for Ballesteros, then shame on them.