Pavin wants Team USA to come out swinging

The 38th Ryder Cup kicks off tomorrow at the Celtic Manor Twenty Ten Course in Newport, Wales, with more question marks than normal.

The inclusion of 11 rookies -- six for the Europeans and five for the Americans -- pushes a competition teeming with questions about Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood into totally uncharted waters. Add to the mix a forecast of rainy weather for the three days of the event on a 7,378-yard, par-71 layout with wide but-still-sometimes-elusive fairways and thick third-cut rough and you have a volatile concoction difficult to predict.

A look at the world rankings would indicate that Team Europe should take back the Ryder Cup it surprisingly lost in 2008 at Valhalla. But world rankings won't mean anything once the players tee it up tomorrow, and as the PGA Tour always likes to say: "Anything's possible."

The opening four-ball pairings indicate that Team USA captain Corey Pavin is hoping his long-hitting bombers can put the home team on the defensive and into an early hole. For the opening session, Pavin has chosen to play his full complement of big hitters, including two apiece in two of his four pairings, as Mickelson and Dustin Johnson will compete in the opening match with Bubba Watson and Jeff Overton playing the anchor leg of the morning matches.

"I wanted to get guys out there in better-ball that make a lot of birdies," said Pavin, who will have six of his seven longest drivers among his eight players in the first session. "It's a very aggressive game tomorrow morning, so I just look for guys that can get the ball in the hole very quickly."

The morning matches break down like this:

First match: Mickelson/Johnson (USA) vs. Westwood/Martin Kaymer (EUR)
Second match: Stewart Cink/Matt Kuchar (USA) vs. Rory McIlroy/Graeme McDowell (EUR)
Third match: Steve Stricker/Woods (USA) vs. Ian Poulter/Ross Fisher (EUR)
Fourth match: Watson/Overton (USA) vs. Luke Donald/Padraig Harrington (EUR)

That means Americans Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson, Hunter Mahan and Rickie Fowler are taking the morning off while Europeans Miguel Angel Jimenez, Edoardo Molinari, Francesco Molinari and Peter Hanson sit out, too.

It will be interesting to see how Woods and Mickelson, who haven't played particularly well of late, perform in the spotlight's glare. Neither has a dominating Ryder Cup record. Is Pavin expecting too much out of players struggling with their games? If Pavin's big hitters fail to land an early knockout punch, will the Europeans grab the upper hand and never look back?

Team Europe captain Colin Montgomerie will be watching Westwood closely to see how Europe's best player will perform in his first competition since withdrawing from the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron with a torn plantaris muscle that caused swelling in his right ankle and calf. He's been out of action for six weeks.

The biggest unknown is how the rookies -- Dustin Johnson, Watson, Kuchar, Overton and Fowler for USA and Kaymer, McIlroy, McDowell, Edoardo Molinari, Francesco Molinari and Hanson for EUR -- will perform when their mouths get a little dry. Their successes or failures will play in big role in deciding which captain will be second-guessed for coming up with the wrong strategy. All these questions for an event that always stirs up a lot of national pride should make for some fun television viewing. Expect to see a lot of birdies. The Celtic Manor greens are relatively flat and smooth, conducive for a lot of cup rattling.

The Ryder Cup can be seen on ESPN (today: 2:30 a.m.-1 p.m.) and NBC (Saturday: 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday: 7 a.m.-1 p.m.).

For a closer look at the Twenty Ten Course at Celtic Manor, check out:
http://www.rydercup.com/2010/usa/course/tour/index.cfm

For a closer look at the Ryder Cup teams, check out:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/2010-ryder-cup-teams/

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

Ryder Cup stage promises lots of drama

Furyk win takes PGA Tour off the hook

The golf gods smiled on the PGA Tour yesterday and even gave it a mulligan with Jim Furyk's one-shot victory over Luke Donald in the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

Furyk overcame an ill-advised PGA Tour policy concerning pro-am play to win the FedEx Cup points race and its $10 million bonus after he was disqualified from the first round of the playoffs. Aided by strong bunker play, Furyk shot a final-round 70 that made the season-long race come down to the last putt on the final hole -- a 2-footer -- just as the PGA Tour was hoping it would and eased the pain he suffered for oversleeping and missing an obligation to play in a pro-am before The Barclays.

It was Furyk's 9-for-9 record in sand-save opportunities in the Tour Championship that enabled him to prevail and earn his third victory of the season. The well-deserved victory also probably wrapped up player-of-the-year honors for the 40-year-veteran in what has turned out to be his finest season on tour.

While TV announcers Johnny Miller and Dan Hicks were singing the praises of the FedEx Cup format and how it had achieved the desired effect, the PGA Tour braintrust was probably breathing a sigh of relief that a fitting champion emerged in the form of the popular Furyk. The only negative for the day was a rain delay and a soggy finish, but PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem was beaming at the trophies presentation to Furyk just the same.

Cries for more fine-tuning of the current format might go unheard because of Furyk's victory. But if someone like Charley Hoffman -- who didn't play in any of the majors this year -- had won the FedEx Cup, the cries would have been loud and justified. For now, the PGA Tour can sleep easier, thinking its FedEx Cup format is on track to achieve greater fan interest.

Whether that notion will hold water when the PGA Tour negotiates its next TV contract in 2012 remains to be seen. But Furyk's victory, for now, will make that less of a pressing issue.

Revisiting the bargain bin

As of noon today, here are some of the bargains available to central Ohio golfers for the coming week at Golfnow.com:

Monday (Sept. 27)
1 to 4 players -- New Albany Links at 8:50: $20.12 (48% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Foxfire at 12:12: $14.23 (51% savings)
1 to 4 players -- The Players Club at 12:12: $24.15 (46% savings)
1 or 2 players -- Glenross at 12:20: $20.54 (47% savings)
1 player only -- Phoenix at 1:18: $16.13 (51% savings)

Tuesday (Sept. 28)
2 to 4 players -- Glenross at 12:20: $20.54 (47% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Westchester at 12:30: $18.74 (51% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Longaberger at 2:10: $41.15 (48% savings)

Wednesday (Sept. 29)
1 to 4 players -- Foxfire at 12:12: $14.23 (51% savings)
2 to 4 players -- Glenross at 12:20: $20.54 (47% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Phoenix at 1:18: $16.13 (51% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Longaberger at 2:00: $41.15 (48% savings)
1 to 4 players -- The Players Club at 2:30: $20.45 (55% savings)

Thursday (Sept. 30)
1 to 4 players -- East Golf Club at 8:00: $24.47 (50% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Cumberland Trail at 11:50: $17.19 (56% savings)
1 to 4 players -- New Albany Links at 12:40: $20.13 (48% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Foxfire at 12:12: $14.25 (51% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Westchester at 12:48: $18.69 (51% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Longaberger at 1:30: $41.15 (48% savings)

Friday (Oct. 1)
1 to 4 players -- Cumberland Trail at 11:50: $17.19 (56% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Crystal Springs at 12:06: $15.23 (46% savings)
2 to 4 players -- Eaglesticks at 12:19: $22.74 (51% savings)
2 to 4 players -- Glenross at 12:20: $25.56 (48% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Westchester at 12:57: $18.72 (51% savings

Statement victory would buck FedEx Cup trend

Whether the 2010 PGA Tour season will be remembered mostly for Tiger Woods' swoon or something else will be determined by the Tour Championship, which begins today at famed East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

It would be nice if someone would step up and claim the $10 million FedEx Cup jackpot and possibly PGA Tour Player of Year honors in a dramatic and definitive manner. Through 40 events this season, no one has stood out as the dominant player. Six players have won twice (Dustin Johnson, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Hunter Mahan, Justin Rose and Steve Stricker) and five control their destiny (Matt Kuchar, Johnson, Charley Hoffman, Stricker and Paul Casey) in the FedEx Cup race. But if a lesser light of the PGA Tour prevails this weekend, 2010 will by remembered as the year nobody moved with authority into the void created by the winless Woods.

It's been an odd season. Of the 40 events played, there have been 34 different winners and for the first time since 1991 there is a chance that two will be the most wins for the year. Since 1996 a player has won at least four PGA Tour events, so this year definitely qualifies as a non-conformist.

Phil Mickelson, the only major winner in the field of 30 and No. 10 on the points list, needs a lot of help to win the FedEx Cup. He must win and have Kuchar finish fifth or worse, Johnson finish no better than fourth, Hoffman and Stricker finish no better than third and Casey finish no better than second. If Mickelson were to finish first or alone in second, he would finally overtake Woods in his long pursuit of the world's top ranking.

Those without a chance of winning the FedEx Cup still have a lot to play for in the no-cut event. Bo Van Pelt, No. 30 on the points, will make $175,000 no matter how he performs. But if he were to win the first-place check of $1.35 million he would probably shoot up as high as third in the overall points race, which pays another $2 million.

With that kind of money up for grabs and nothing really to lose, everyone will be birdie hunting on a difficult course that figures to play hard and fast. It should be entertaining to watch even without the game's biggest draw. The Tour Championship can be seen on Golf Channel (today-Friday: 1-6 p.m.; Saturday: 10 a.m.-noon; Sunday: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.) and NBC (Saturday: noon-3:30 p.m.; Sunday: 1:30-6 p.m.).

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

Don't blame Hoffman for flawed format

The PGA Tour scheduled a pause in its four-event playoff series with the idea that it would help build drama before this week's climatic Tour Championship in Atlanta, where the FedEx Cup Trophy and a $10 million bonus will be presented to the year-long points champion.

But the biggest buzz created during the bye week was the fact that the most wide-open FedEx Cup race in the four-year history of the PGA Tour playoffs won't include Tiger Woods, the defending champion and the world's top-ranked player for the last 276 weeks.

The two-week build-up for golf's "Super Bowl" isn't working because the only people who really care about it are those with a shot at the $10 million bonus. The trumped up points race that is continually shoved down the viewing public's throat week after week is still not understood. Sorry, but the buzz the PGA Tour is trying to create is missing the letters bu and while adding on a few z-z-z-zs.

Despite assurances from the PGA Tour and it TV partners that the playoffs are starting to take hold, it's apparent the current format is flawed. If Charley Hoffman were to win at East Lake Golf Club this week he would win the FedEx Cup without playing in any of the four majors this year. This doesn't seem quite right when the PGA Tour would like you to believe that winning the FedEx Cup is emblematic of year-long excellence.

So why were we repeatedly told early in the year how important it was to earn FedEx Cup points? Because the PGA Tour wants everyone to think so. But it just isn't so, and Hoffman being in position to win the tour's richest prize puts a spotlight on that fact. It also probably has the PGA Tour rooting against him.

But it's not Hoffman's fault. It is the PGA Tour's points system that's out of whack. How can the winner of the three playoff tournaments leading up to the Tour Championship earn 2,500 points for each victory while the winner of any of the four majors earns just 600 points for each victory? Would you rather win the Masters or The Barclays?

If you still believe one's performance in the majors should carry more weight, then you have to be pulling for Phil Mickelson or Dustin Johnson. Mickelson won his third green jacket this year at Augusta National and Johnson battled back from disappointing finishes in the U.S. Open and PGA Championship to win the BMW Championship. It would seem more fitting if either one of them prevailed. But the golf gods might have other ideas, so don't count out Paul Casey, Luke Donald or Martin Laird as possibilities to make a mockery of the PGA Tour's best-laid plans.

PGA Tour Player of the Year honors are also on the line this week because six players have won twice: Johnson, Steve Stricker, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Hunter Mahan and Justin Rose. A victory by any one of them would probably earn them POY honors.

But if none of them wins, Matt Kuchar is the likely choice because of his victory in The Barclays, 11 top-10 finishes and the fact he leads the tour in scoring and money earned. It is doubtful anyone would argue with his legitimacy. The same can't be said for others in the Tour Championship's 30-man field.

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

Revisiting the bargain bin

As of noon today, here are some of the bargains available to central Ohio golfers for the coming week at Golfnow.com:

Monday (Sept. 20)
1 to 4 players -- Cumberland Trail at 11:50: $13.56 (65% savings)
1 or 2 players -- Foxfire at 12:12: $12.89 (56% savings)
2 to 4 players -- Eaglesticks at 12:19: $18.33 (60% savings)
1 or 2 players -- Glenross at 12:36: $16.27 (67% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Phoenix at 1:18: $13.45 (59% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Clover Valley at 2:20: $13.18 (55% savings)

Tuesday (Sept. 21)
2 to 4 players -- Eaglesticks at 12:19: $19.15 (58% savings)
1 to 3 players -- Westchester at 12:23: $16.37 (57% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Longaberger at 1:50: $38.70 (51% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Clover Valley at 2:20: $14.20 (51% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Riviera Golf Club at 3:04: $30 (57% savings)

Wednesday (Sept. 22)
1 to 4 players -- Cumberland Trail at 7:30: $13.99 (64% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Foxfire at 12:12: $14.23 (51% savings)
1 to 4 players -- The Players Club at 12:12: $24.15 (46% savings)
2 to 4 players -- Eaglesticks at 12:10: $22.74 (51% savings)
1 or 2 players -- Glenross at 12:20: $20.54 (58% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Longaberger at 1:50: $41.15 (48% savings)

Thursday (Sept. 23)
1 to 4 players -- Cumberland Trail at 7:30: $13.99 (64% savings)
1 to 4 players -- East Golf Club at 8:00: $24.47 (50% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Foxfire at 12:12: $14.25 (51% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Westchester at 12:48: $18.69 (51% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Longaberger at 1:30: $41.15 (48% savings)

Friday (Sept. 24)
1 to 4 players -- Cumberland Trail at 11:50: $17.19 (56% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Crystal Springs at 12:06: $15.23 (46% savings)
1 to 4 players -- The Players Club at 12:12: $24.15 (46% savings)
2 to 4 players -- Eaglesticks at 12:19: $22.74 (51% savings)
1 to 4 players -- East Golf Club at 1:40: $23.47 (52% savings)

BMW victory turns Johnson's summer around

Dustin Johnson earned a huge slice of redemption with his one-shot victory over Paul Casey yesterday in the BMW Championship at Cog Hill in Lemont, Ill.

Johnson, who earlier this summer shot an 82 after entering the final round of the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach with a three-shot lead and missed a playoff in the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits because of a two-shot penalty for grounding his club in a sand trap on the 72nd hole, shot a final-round 69 to move into second place in the FedEx Cup standings.

A victory in two weeks at the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta would earn him the FedEx Cup title and its $10 million bonus prize. It also would go a long way in easing the pain Johnson suffered for his meltdowns in two of the season's major championships.

Johnson hit a sand wedge to within 2 feet to birdie the 17th hole to overtake Casey, who enjoyed a three-shot lead at one point during the back nine before clicking off three straight bogeys. Casey's meltdown saved European Ryder Cup team captain Colin Montgomerie from having to eat an even larger slice of humble pie for not naming the fifth-ranked player in the FedEx Cup standings to his team.

Playing in the final group for the fourth time since June, Johnson closed with a 2-under 69 for his second victory of the season.

"To finally get it done, especially after all the things I've gone through this summer ... it can't feel any better," Johnson said. "I played really good golf today. I didn't make as many birdies as I would have liked, but I made just enough."

Johnson, 26, made three birdies, none more important than the last one.

Tied for the lead, Johnson knew the 17th hole might be his last good chance. He pulled driver and smashed his tee shot over the trees with a slight fade on the long par 4, the ball landing in the fairway and leaving him a just sand wedge that led to a tap-in birdie.

"I knew I needed to hit a good tee ball because it was going to be my best chance of making a birdie," he said. "I was just trying to cut a drive, hold it against the wind and get it around the corner a little bit. And I hit it perfect."

Missing a chance to advance to the final round of the PGA Tour's playoffs had to be humbling to the game's No. 1-ranked player: Tiger Woods. His FedEx Cup playoff campaign came to an end with a final-round 70.

It left him with a one-under total of 283, well off the lead and not enough to boost him into the top 30 places in the FedEx Cup standings. It marks the third time in five years that Woods has not played the Tour Championship. He missed in 2006 when he cut his season short, and in 2008 while recovering from knee surgery.

But it's the first time Woods will miss the event because he isn't eligible.

"That's just the way it is," Woods said. "I didn't play well early in the year and I didn't play well in the middle of the year."

Still, Woods said he was encouraged by his recent play, and believes the changes he has been working on with swing coach Sean Foley are coming together.

"I'm starting to play well now," Woods said. "I'm headed in the right direction, which is good, a lot of good signs, and I just need to keep working and stay the course."

Woods said he would spend a couple of weeks practicing before joining his U.S. teammates for the Ryder Cup in Wales October 1-3.

Information from Golf.com, PGATOUR.com and the Associated Press contributed to this post.

It's do-or-die time for winless Tiger

Tiger Woods starts today's BMW Championship at The Dubsdread Course at Cog Hill in Lemont, Ill., knowing he needs a top-five finish to advance to Atlanta and the Tour Championship.

Crunch time has arrived for golf's No. 1-ranked player and if he is to salvage what to date has been basically a lost season, he must do it starting today on a course where he has won five times. He's coming off a strong showing in the Deutsche Bank Championship in which in finished tied for 11th while posting three rounds in the 60s for the first time in a winless season.

Woods, currently ranked 51st in the FedEx Cup points race, is one of 70 players seeking to win the third event in PGA Tour's playoffs. Thirty will earn enough points to advance to the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in two weeks and by doing so gain exemptions into the first three majors of 2011 if they're not already eligible.

But only five of them will reach East Lake in control of their destiny when the FedEx Cup points are reset after this weekend. If any of the top five players in reset points wins the Tour Championship, they will automatically win the FedEx Cup title and the $10 million bonus that comes with it. Matt Kuchar, Charley Hoffman, Steve Stricker, Jason Day and Luke Donald enter this week at the top five players, respectively, in FedEx Cup points.

What should make the BMW Championship a little bit more exciting is there is no cut, so players will have nothing to lose by getting aggressive. Even so, only Marc Leishman, who tied for second, and Donald, who tied for 10th, gained a ticket to the final dance from outside the top 30 last year. For Sergio Garcia (T6), Camilo Villegas (T8), Bill Haas (T10), Kuchar (T10) Brandt Snedeker (T10) and Mark Wilson (T10), finishing in the top 10 didn't punch their tickets.

While Woods will no doubt have the pedal to the metal in an effort to secure a top-five finish, it would be understandable if the FedEx Cup leaders aren't more focused on simply maintaining their top-five status if a victory at Cog Hill becomes out of the question.

"That's kind of the magic number," Donald said on the eve of the BMW Championship's first round. "If you can get to the Tour Championship still in that (top-five) position, then obviously you have the FedEx Cup kind of in your hands, so to speak."

That sounds a lot like a NASCAR driver jockeying for position in the race for the Sprint Cup doesn't it? Which should be no surprise. The PGA Tour copied NASCAR's playoff model to some extent just to keep fans interested in the golf once college and pro football took center stage at this time of the year.

Regardless, it should be fun watching the third act of the PGA Tour's playoffs unfold. The BMW Championship can be seen on the Golf Channel (today: 3-6 p.m.; Friday: 3-6 p.m.) and NBC (Saturday: 12-3:30 p.m.; Sunday: 2-6 p.m.).

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

Fowler's selection adds color to Ryder Cup

Now that the Ryder Cup lineups have been completed with Corey Pavin's announcement of his four captain's picks yesterday, the wagering can begin on whether Team USA can defend its title and win on foreign soil for the first time since 1993 when the event is held at Celtic Manor in Wales from Oct. 1-3.

Colorful PGA Tour rookie Rickie Fowler was a mild surprise as a captain's pick while the selection of Ryder Cup veterans Tiger Woods, Zach Johnson and Stewart Cink was expected. They will join automatic qualifiers Jim Furyk, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, Phil Mickelson, Jeff Overton, Steve Stricker and Bubba Watson to form Team USA.

Pavin said his pick of Fowler, who had second-place finishes in the Phoenix Open and the Memorial this year, was based simply on a gut feeling and the 21-year-old former Oklahoma State standout's 7-1 record in Walker Cup play. Fowler, who finished 20th in the Ryder Cup point standings, reportedly edged long-hitting J.B. Holmes for the final spot.

Team Europe, comprised of Luke Donald, Ross Fisher, Peter Hanson, Padraig Harrington, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, Edoardo Molinari, Francesco Molinari, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood, will be favored and on paper appears to have a decided edge.

European team captain Colin Montgomerie didn't have to go any lower than 19th on the World Ranking list to form his team, and that was for three-time major winner Harrington. Meanwhile, Pavin had to dip all the way down to 32nd (winless, and-often-orange-clad Fowler) and 36th (Cink). This represents a sea change of sorts in as much as it used to be the other way around.

Since 1989, it previously had always been the Euros who had to go deep into the World Ranking to fill out their roster. But that hasn't stopped the Europeans from winning five of the last seven Ryder Cups. So maybe it bodes well that the U.S. is reaching lower for the likes of Fowler and Cink. If nothing else, the addition of Fowler will spice the proceedings.

At first glance, Team USA appears a bit overloaded with bombers. Pavin can only hope his long-hitters can stay out of trouble and don't prove to be duds on the putting greens. Team Europe might have an edge in the flat-stick department, but it also carries the burden of being the favorite. If the European team gets off to a slow start, the pressure to not lose on home soil will build quickly. So, as the PGA Tour likes to say, "Anything's possible."

Possible matchups for the competition will be fun to speculate about leading up to the event. A singles match between the flashy-dressing Fowler and 21-year-old free spirit McIlroy would no doubt draw a large following.

Information from Rydercup.com and Golf.com contributed to this post.

Closing 62 by Hoffman leaves field in his wake

New England was spared being damaged by harsh winds when Hurricane Earl barely touched its coast last weekend, but the same couldn't be said of the Deutsche Bank Championship field yesterday in Norton, Mass.

With little warning, Hurricane Charley Hoffman did a category 5 number on the front-runners. Powered by a closing-round 62 that included 11 birdies, he overcame a four-shot deficit at the beginning of the day and blew past the leaders on his way to a five-shot victory over Jason Day, Geoff Ogilvy and Luke Donald.

With his first victory of the season and just the second of his PGA Tour career, Hoffman shot up to second in the FedEx Cup point list. The convincing victory also secured his PGA Tour playing privileges through the end of 2012 and qualifies him to compete at Augusta National for the first time at next year's Masters Tournament.

Not bad for a guy just hoping to advance into the next round of the FedEx Cup playoffs and who is more recognized for the shoulder-length blond locks protruding from beneath his hat -- ala Harry Dunne from the comedy cult classic "Dumb & Dumber" -- than for his golf game.

Hoffman's performance was so strong that he might have entered into Corey Pavin's U.S. Ryder Cup team plans simply because all of the other contenders didn't do much to distinguish themselves at the TPC Boston. Pavin will announce his four captain's picks today at the New York Stock Exchange.

"The best perk, hopefully, will be a Ryder Cup berth," Hoffman said after closing with the best finish by a winner at the TPC Boston since the tournament began in 2003. "Obviously, I wasn't in contention, but I hope I am now. It would be an honor to play, and I think I can play well."

But if his name is not called when Pavin announces his selections, Hoffman isn't about to lose any sleep.

"You're not going to take this one away from me," he said after finishing at 22-under 262 and tying the tournament record first set by Vijay Singh in 2008.

As things stand, Tiger Woods is expected to be a Ryder Cup pick along with Zach Johnson and possibly Stewart Cink. J.B. Holmes, who tied for 11th at TPC Boston, would bring length and an improved short game to the team. Potential rookies like Sean O'Hair, Rickie Fowler and Nick Watney have had their moments but haven't stepped up recently. Another player possibly in the mix is Ryan Palmer.

Woods, who easily advanced in the FedEx Cup playoffs, shot a 69 and held on to his No. 1 ranking for the 274th week in a row thanks to Phil Mickelson, who crashed and burned on the back nine with a triple bogey and double bogey on his way to a 76. Ouch!

Information from GolfObserver.com, EPSN.com, Golf.com and the Associated Press contributed to this post.

Deutsche Bank event might bring more clarity

It seems fitting that Hurricane Earl is threatening to disrupt the Deutsche Bank Championship, which is scheduled to begin today at the TPC of Boston in Norton, Mass. It has been a season filled with unusual happenings on the PGA Tour so why should the second round of the FedEx Cup playoffs be any different?

Before a hurricane even threatened the New England coastline who would have thought the top two players in the world ranking would have a combined one victory at this point in the season? For Tiger Woods, who has become a staple of the tabloids, and Phil Mickelson, who is seeing an arthritis specialist, 2010 has been a mess, except for Mickelson's victory in the Masters.

Or who would have picked Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen or Martin Kaymer to be winners of the year's other three majors? It's safe to say 2010 has been a year for the unexpected. The fact that Matt Kuchar has emerged as a viable candidate for Player of the Year one week after winning for the first time this season sums up a 2010 in which no player has emerged as a dominant force.

That's why the Deutsche Bank Championship could go a long way toward helping Corey Pavin make his four captain's picks for this year's U.S. Ryder Cup team. He'll make that announcement Tuesday at the New York Stock Exchange. At this point, Woods and Zach Johnson appear to be bullish choices. But that could change if Woods doesn't continue to show signs he is returning to form. Projections currently have Woods needing to pick up 82 points this week, which is equivalent to a tie for 54th place, to advance in the playoffs and make Pavin's decision easier.

Beyond Ryder Cup ramifications, Woods isn't the only recognizable name on the bubble this week in the race for the FedEx Cup. Vijay Singh, who won the FedEx crown in 2008, stands 86th and likely needs a top-25 finish to sneak into next week's BMW Championship at Cog Hill. Other former major champions whose FedEx Cup season is in jeopardy include Geoff Ogilvy, Angel Cabrera, Y.E. Yang, Padraig Harrington, David Toms, Lucas Glover, Justin Leonard and Davis Love III.

The TPC of Boston, opened in 2002 and designed by Arnold Palmer, has been receptive to low scoring in the seven previous tournaments held on the venue. If Hurricane Earl dumps a lot of water on the course today, soft greens might make scoring even easier.

As the Deutsche Bank Championship is held over Labor Day weekend, it has the distinction as being the only tournament on the PGA Tour to conclude on a Monday. Tournament officials can only hope Hurricane Earl doesn't extend the proceedings beyond that.

The tournament can be seen on The Golf Channel (today: 3-6 p.m.; Saturday: 3-6 p.m.) and NBC (Sunday: 3-6 p.m.; Monday: 2-6 p.m.)

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

Finchem makes good call on pro-am policy

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem avoided future criticism of a flawed policy by announcing yesterday that the penalty for missing pro-ams will be suspended for the rest of the season.

The announcement came too late to keep Jim Furyk from being disqualified from last week's Barclays for oversleeping and missing his pro-am time. But at least it addressed the fact that such a punishment didn't fit the crime. Finchem has asked the Players Advisory Council and PGA Tour Policy Board to evaluate the pro-am policy that has been in place since 2004, and the issue will be discussed at the next board meeting in November.

For the last two pro-ams of the FedEx Cup season, this week’s Deutsche Bank Championship and next week’s BMW Championship, and the Fall Series tournaments, a player late for his starting time will be required to play in as many holes of the pro-am as possible, then perform an additional activity such as appearing at a sponsor or tournament social event. Furyk, who could have joined his pro-am team after only two or three holes last week, would have been able to compete in the first round of the FedEx Cup playoffs had such a policy been in place last week.

Unlike the recent gaffes of Dustin Johnson, for grounding his club in a sand trap, and LPGA pro Julie Inkster, for practicing with a swing weight during a round, Furyk's indiscretion wasn't covered under the rules of golf. Instead, it was simply a matter of policy, and it is refreshing to see the PGA Tour take a proactive stance on the issue before any more damage to competition could be done.

An outspoken critic of the discontinued policy was Phil Mickelson, who said disqualifying one of 54 players (top money winners from the year before) in a field of 125 (at The Barclays) “affects the competition.”

“The rule itself applies to only half the field,” he said last week during a news conference at The Barclays. “It’s got to be a different penalty. It can’t be disqualification.”

Apparently, Finchem agreed, and he should be applauded for acting swiftly on the matter.

Information from The Florida-Times Union contributed to this post.