Transition requires some downshifting

An apology is in order for taking so long to address queries by two Chase The Pea followers to explain a recent lack of posts on this blog. Support and words of encouragement from followers and friends of Oldgolfdawg during the past 10 months deserved better treatment, too.

The truth is a combination of factors has gone into the lack of activity. One is that with the conclusion of the Ryder Cup the serious golf season on the professional level has come and gone in 2010. Another is the golf season for regular duffers -- aka chasers of the pea -- is also winding down. I hate to say it, but it won't be long before the snow will be flying around again and we will be yearning for the sun-filled days of summer.

Beyond that, this blog was begun to keep Oldgolfdawg busy doing something while he tried to re-enter the workforce at age 56. In that regard, it has served its purpose. Oldgolfdawg began working last week as a licensed health insurance agent for NationsHealth. If he can get through a 90-day probationary period, he should have a full-time job in an industry with a brighter future than newspapers.

That doesn't mean Chase The Pea will go out of existence. It just won't have as many posts as in the past and will appear in moments of inspiration rather than following a specific agenda.

In regard to recent inspiration, Oldgolfdawg has had the chance to play Cooks Creek, Darby Creek, Cumberland Trail, Deer Ridge and Eaglesticks over the last several weeks and has decided to update his best-places-to-play-in-central-Ohio list accordingly:

5 dog biscuits: Longaberger (the alpha dog)
4 1/2 dog biscuits: East Golf Club
4 dog biscuits: Cooks Creek, Cumberland Trail, EagleSticks, Deer Ridge, Golf Club of Dublin, The Players Club at Foxfire
3 1/2 dog biscuits: *Apple Valley, Bent Tree, Blacklick Woods, Chapel Hill, Champions, Darby Creek, Granville, Indian Springs, New Albany Links, The Links at Echo Springs, Royal American Links
3 dog biscuits: Glenross, Mill Creek, Turnberry, Westchester
2 1/2 dog biscuits: Blackhawk, Crystal Springs Golf Club, Mentel Memorial, National Golf Links, *Licking Springs, Raymond Memorial, Safari Golf Club, *St. Albans, *Table Rock, The Links at Groveport
2 dog biscuits: *Airport, *Oakhaven, *Bridgeview, Marysville Golf Club, *Minerva Lake
1 1/2 dog biscuits: *Wilson Road, *Big Walnut (executive courses)
1 dog biscuit: Let's not go there
* Indicates Oldgolfdawg has not played the course in more than five years and needs feedback from others to adjust any ranking.

Tough loss for Team USA hard to explain

Hunter Mahan acted as though he felt responsible for Team USA's 1/2-point Ryder Cup loss to Team Europe at Celtic Manor in Wales today. While such a notion is understandable on his part, it holds little water. The truth is he had plenty of help.

Afterward, in a team news conference, Mahan tried to express his feelings but was repeatedly overcome by emotion. As Mahan fought back tears, Phil Mickelson took the microphone from him and partly blamed himself for the USA's loss. After all, Mickelson said, he had lost three of his four matches.

Added Steve Stricker: "It really doesn't come down to Hunter. You hate to see Hunter go through what he's going through."

Though it's true Mahan chunked a chip shot on the 17th hole that sealed his fate in a 3-&-1 loss to Graeme McDowell in the final singles match that decided the competition, Team USA as a whole has to be blamed for the weight he was asked to carry. If Stewart Cink hadn't three-putted for par on the 15th hole in his match against Rory McIlroy, he would have likely earned a full point instead of a halve and the Americans would have enjoyed a victory celebration instead of the Europeans. It was that close.

The key to the competition came in the third session when the Americans, who won 3 out of 4 sessions, were drubbed 5 1/2 to 1/2. Trailing 9 1/2 to 6 1/2 going into today's final 12 singles matches, put the Americans in a tough position. But they almost pulled off another miracle like the one at Brookline in 1999 when they rallied from a 10-6 deficit to win.

But a 7-5 advantage in the final session wasn't enough for Team USA. It just made the Europeans sweat a little before the celebration began. At 11:30 a.m. in Wales, Team USA trailed in 8 of the 12 matches. Three and half hours later, the Americans were in position to keep the Cup, but they came up short.

What could have been a blowout was made interesting by victories by Stricker, Dustin Johnson, Jeff Overton, Tiger Woods, Mickelson and Zach Johnson. Stricker set the tone for an American comeback with a 2 & 1 victory over Lee Westwood. Dustin Johnson dusted Martin Kaymer, the man who edge him in the PGA Championship, 6 & 4 and Woods was 9 under through 15 holes in a 4-&-3 drubbing of Francesco Molinari.

Ryder Cup rookie Rickie Fowler, who birdied his last four holes, showed his grit by earning a halve against Edoardo Molinari after being 4-down through 12 holes. But the gutsy comeback went for naught when Mahan couldn't extend the day's final match past the 17th hole.

Some are blaming captain Corey Pavin for the loss, saying he wasn't emotional enough and didn't seem to have his players wanting to win for him. But you wouldn't think the players really needed any motivation considering Team USA has won only two of the last eight Ryder Cups and hasn't won on European soil since 1993 at The Belfrey.

You can blame Pavin for Team USA's leaky rain suits, shoddy bags and ugly outfits, but you can't blame him if the players aren't fired up. That didn't seem to be the case. The will was there but the execution came up 1/2 point short. Maybe it was those ugly purple sweaters Team USA wore on Sunday. They were enough to make the golf gods puke. That's as good an explanation as any.

For Ryder Cup video highlights, check out: http://www.rydercup.com/2010/usa/multimedia/video/videohub.cfm

Information from ESPN.com and RyderCup.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 (Oct. 4)
1 to 4 players -- New Albany Links at 8:50: $16.26 (58% savings)
1 or 2 players -- Cumberland Trail at 11:50: $15.43 (60% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Foxfire at 12:12: $13.02 (55% savings)
2 to 4 players -- Eaglesticks at 12:10: $18.56 (60% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Cooks Creek at 12:31: $21.45 (52% savings)

Tuesday (Oct. 5)
2 to 4 players -- Eaglesticks at 12:19: $22.74 (51% savings)
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 1:30: $41.15 (48% savings)

Wednesday (Oct. 6)
1 to 4 players -- Foxfire at 12:12: $14.23 (51% savings)
2 to 4 players -- Eaglesticks at 12:19 $22.74 (51% savings)
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 -- Phoenix at 1:18: $16.13 (51% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Longaberger at 1:30: $41.15 (48% savings)
1 to 4 players -- The Players Club at 1:32: $20.45 (55% savings)

Thursday (Oct. 7)
1 to 4 players -- Foxfire at 12:12: $14.25 (51% savings)
1 to 4 players -- New Albany Links at 12:40: $20.13 (48% savings)
1 players only -- Westchester at 12:48: $18.69 (51% savings)

Friday (Oct. 8)
1 to 4 players -- Foxfire at 12:12: $14.35 (51% savings)
2 to 4 players -- Eaglesticks at 12:19: $22.74 (51% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Phoenix at 1:18: $16.13 (51% savings)
1 to 4 players -- East Golf Club at 1:40: $23.47 (51% savings)
1 to 2 players -- The Players Club at 2:30: $20.45 (55% savings)

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.

Kuchar moves into FedEx Cup driver's seat

Poetic justice seemed to intervene in Matt Kuchar's playoff victory over Scotland's Martin Laird yesterday in the first round of the FedEx Cup playoffs at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J.

Five shots behind to start the final round of The Barclays, Kuchar closed with a 5-under-par 66 and got into a playoff when Laird three-jacked for bogey from just inside 25 feet on the final hole. Laird, who had managed to stay in the lead most of the day because of miraculous putting, finally ran out of magic on the 72nd hole when he blew his first putt past the hole and his comeback putt never had a chance.

It was as if the golf gods wanted to see the PGA Tour's most consistent player all year (with nine top-10 finishes) prevail when Kuchar hit a 7-iron out of the rough with his second shot of the playoff. The ball came cleanly toward the back of the 18th green before it caught enough of a slope to turn sharply to the left and roll within 30 inches of the cup for a birdie. Laird, meanwhile, hit out of the rough to about 50 feet and managed to make par.

Laird, a one-time winner on the PGA Tour who entered the playoffs ranked 95th, climbed all the way to No. 3 in the rankings with his runner-up finish and will likely be among the top 30 at the Tour Championship when that group competes for the $10 million prize that goes with the FedEx Cup.

The third PGA Tour victory in Kuchar's career but first this season will likely move him to a career-best No. 10 in the world rankings. More important, it puts him atop the FedEx Cup standings. The $1.35 million winner's check also puts him atop the PGA Tour money list for the first time in his career.

Oldgolfdawg would throw The Barclays four dog biscuits on his entertainment scale of 1 to 5. The one hole playoff decided by a brilliant 7-iron from the rough was short but sweet. CBS' golf announcing team of Jim Nantz, Nick Faldo, David Feherty, Gary McCord, Ian-Baker Finch and Peter Kostis, which was entertaining all season long, will be turning over the reins of the rest of FedEx Cup playoffs to NBC. The CBS crew will be a tough act to follow.

* * * * *

Tiger Woods, who started these playoffs at No. 112 in the standings, finally got his flat stick working and closed with a 4-under 67 to easily make the top 100 who advance to the second round next week at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Woods tied for 12th, his best finish since June, and moved up to No. 65 in the FedEx Cup rankings. Among those who didn't advance in the playoffs were Lancaster native Joe Ogilvie (112) and Ostrander native Ben Curtis (119).





* * * * *

Couldn't help but be mezmerized by the Chambers Bay Golf Course near Tacoma, Wash., on which Oklahoma State's Peter Uihlein won the U.S. Amateur on his 21st birthday with a 4 and 2 victory over Stanford's David Chung.

It's not hard to understand why the USGA has decided to let the course play host to its 2015 U.S. Open. The links-style layout carved out of an old gravel pit forced me to switch channels to NBC occasionally during The Barclays just to see players tackle its various nuances which include a shoreline railway track on the par-3 17th hole and giant concrete sorting bins that acknowledge the site's mining operation heritage.

The course and its fescue greens will create quite a stir when the U.S. Open is played on it in 2015, much like the stir created by Whistling Straits.

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

Revisiting the bargain bin

As of noon today, here are some of the bargains (* denotes exceptional values) available to central Ohio golfers for the coming week at Golfnow.com:

Monday (Aug. 30)
1 to 3 players -- *Cumberland Trail at 7:30: $13.99 (64% savings)
1 to 4 players -- The Players Club at 12:12: $21.37 (53% savings)
1 player only -- Eaglesticks at 12:19: $21.23 (54% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Cooks Creek at 12:31: $23.31 (48% savings)
1 to 4 players -- *Longaberger at 1:30: $36.68 (54% savings)

Tuesday (Aug. 31)
1 to 2 players -- Eaglesticks at 12:19: $21.44 (53% savings)
2 to 4 players -- Glenross at 12:20: $18.22 (53% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Westchester at 12:30: $15.58 (59% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Cooks Creek at 12:31: $23.34 (48% savings)
1 to 4 players -- *East Golf Club at 1:10 $19.90 (59% savings)

Wednesday (Sept. 1)
1 to 4 players -- *Cumberland Trail at 7:30: $13.99 (64% savings)
1 to 4 players -- The Players Club at 12:12: $24.14 (46% savings)
2 to 4 players -- Eaglesticks at 12:19: $22.74 (51% savings)
2 to 4 players -- Glenross at 12:20: $20.54 (47% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Westchester at 12:30: $18.74 (51% savings)

Thursday (Sept. 2)
1 to 4 players -- *Cumberland Trail at 7:30: $13.99 (64% savings)
1 to 4 players -- *East Golf Club at 8: $24.47 (50% savings)
1 to 2 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 -- Westchester at 12:48: $18.69 (51% savings)

Friday (Sept. 3)
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)
2 to 4 players -- Glenross at 12:20: $20.54 (58% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Apple Valley at 2:16: $17.57 (51% savings)

Groveport course rates as viable option

Broadened my golf horizons yesterday with a round at The Links at Groveport and enjoyed the adventure. Getting out and chasing the pea with old friend Scott Minister is always fun and the weather couldn't have been better.

The course, purchased about five years ago by the Village of Groveport from a private club going by the name of The Willows, is an interesting mix of holes that offered a nice variety of challenges. We walked the course for $20 and played in less than 3 1/2 hours on a pleasant, crisp day.

The front nine, built in 1929, was designed by Frank Waugh. The back nine, built in 1971, was designed by the Hurdzan/Kidwell group. Despite being lined by trees in many areas, the mature course didn't feel overly restrictive and one could get away with a lot of wayward shots on many holes. Most shots were framed and easy to visualize.

The front nine's greens were definitely old school, as in postage stamp in size. The back nine greens were much larger and in better shape. Overall, the course was in decent shape except for the eighth hole, which was under repair and sub-standard. The sand traps had plenty of sand in them and were fair but weren't very attractive.

The par-72 course, which measures 6,591 yards from its longest tees and has a course rating of 71.3 and a slope of 123, is very playable and low scores can be recorded by anyone with a steady putting stroke. This is not a tricked-up course with a lot of frills. I would classify it more as a blue-collar course with several character holes.

The sixth and seventh holes on the front nine are great holes from which to hit nice tee shots. The drives are framed by tree-lined fairways and are sights to behold if properly struck. The ninth hole is a testy 225-yard par 3 which requires a carry over Alum Creek. The rickety old bridge one must go over while playing the seventh and nine holes also adds a dash of excitement to the proceedings.

On the back side, the par-5 11th, par-3 13th and par-5 18th holes are particularly fun to play. Each has water protecting the green that adds to the drama of a well-struck shot.

So would Oldgolfdawg put this course on a must-play list? In a word: no. But for a change of pace and its reasonable pricing and laid-back atmosphere, I would certainly consider it an option. It's a fun course in reasonably decent shape. The bottom line is -- perhaps because I scored well -- I enjoyed the layout. Funny, isn't it, how that has a way of influencing one's opinion.

Here's a link to the course: http://www.linksatgroveport.com/golf/proto/linksatgroveport/

Here's a look at my latest best-courses-to-play-in-central-ohio rankings:

5 dog biscuits: Longaberger (the alpha dog)
4 1/2 dog biscuits: Cooks Creek, East Golf Club
4 dog biscuits: Cumberland Trail, EagleSticks, Deer Ridge, Golf Club of Dublin, The Players Club at Foxfire
3 1/2 dog biscuits: *Apple Valley, Bent Tree, Blacklick Woods, Chapel Hill, Champions, Granville, Indian Springs, New Albany Links, The Links at Echo Springs, Royal American Links
3 dog biscuits: Darby Creek, Glenross, Mill Creek, Turnberry, Westchester
2 1/2 dog biscuits: Blackhawk, Crystal Springs Golf Club, Mentel Memorial, National Golf Links, *Licking Springs, Raymond Memorial, Safari Golf Club, *St. Albans, *Table Rock, The Links at Groveport
2 dog biscuits: *Airport, *Oakhaven, *Bridgeview, Marysville Golf Club, *Minerva Lake
1 1/2 dog biscuits: *Wilson Road, *Big Walnut (executive courses)
1 dog biscuit: Let's not go there
* Indicates Oldgolfdawg has not played the course in more than five years and needs feedback from others to adjust any ranking.

Finally, FedEx Cup playoffs to play decisive role

For a change, the FedEx Cup playoffs, which begin today with the start of The Barclays at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J., will likely decide who is voted the best player on the PGA Tour this year.

Unlike past years when the leading contender for PGA Tour Player of the Year was well-established by this point in the season, there is no leading contender. The misadventures of Tiger Woods, whose divorce was announced yesterday, has opened the door to others. Five players have multiple victories -- Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, Justin Rose and Hunter Mahan -- but none of them has more than two wins, and none of them won a major.

A year ago, Woods had a 1,276-point lead over Stricker going into The Barclays. This year Els begins the playoffs with a 149-point lead over Stricker. In other words, its wide open.

Phil Mickelson, this year's Masters champion, could do more than supplant Woods as the world's No. 1 ranked player with a victory this week in his eighth attempt over the past three months to do so. He could also emerge as a front-runner for player-of-year honors. But another in a long line of lackluster performances by Mickelson would continue to muddle the picture, which has been exacerbated by the fact that three of this year's four majors were won by non-PGA Tour members -- Graeme McDowell at the U.S. Open, Louis Oosthuizen at the British Open and Martin Kaymer at the PGA Championship.

Furyk, ranked No. 3 in points going into the playoffs, made things more difficult for himself when he was ruled ineligible for The Barclays after oversleeping and missing his pro-am tee time yesterday.

"The rules are rules," Furyk said. "No matter what tournament it was, I'd be upset. But I'm more upset because it is this one. We are here are the end of the (playoffs)."

Furyk has not been a week-in, week-out threat this season and missed the cut in two majors. But he's not alone in needing more on his fact sheet to earn player-of-the-year honors.

Els, who currently is leading the money list and scoring-average category, hasn't done much since winning twice in Florida in March. Stricker went nearly four months without finishing better than tied for 30th. Rose got into the field at only one major and missed the cut. And Mahan had missed four straight cuts before winning the Bridgestone Invitational earlier this month to go along with his victory in Phoenix earlier this year.

So a win this week by any of the two-time winners would go a long way in establishing a player-of-the-year front-runner. But a victory at Ridgewood Country Club won't come easy. The A.W. Tillinghast-designed course is a par-71 track measuring 7,319 yards in length. It features tight fairways lined by tall mature trees and is made difficult by juicy rough 3 inches thick. It also boasts steep-banked bunkers that players will quickly learn are best avoided.

Though the PGA Tour would never admit it, it is probably hoping one of its bigger name players rises to the occasion rather than see a repeat of last year when Heath Slocum came out of nowhere (actually 124th position) to win The Barclays. According to Nielsen, final-round viewership this season through Aug. 1 is down 16 percent. Having someone like Slocum surface to the top again this week probably wouldn't help television ratings.

The PGA Tour steadfastly refuses to admit much concern, insisting that the tour's sponsors are more concerned with the cumulative audience that builds over a tournament, not the "snapshot" developed from averaging viewership over several hours on a Sunday.

By that measure, the PGA Tour's overall golf audience reportedly is down by 3 percent this year. But that figure still might be a difficult sell when the PGA Tour is scheduled to renegotiate its network TV contracts at the end of 2011.

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

Gula-McClintick Classic remains big hit

Oldgolfdawg was too busy playing in the Gula-McClintick Classic in the Canton-Bolivar-New Philadelphia area last weekend to watch any televised golf, so commenting on any coverage of the pros would be inappropriate.

While Fred Funk's one-shot victory over Michael Allen and Chien Soon Lu in the JELD-WEN Tradition was a "major" on the Champions Tour, it would seem Arjun Atwal's one-shot victory over David Toms in the Wyndham Championship was more noteworthy. Atwal, 37, became the first native of India to win on the PGA Tour and the first Monday qualifier to win since 1986.

On the LPGA Tour, Ai Miyazato moved back into the No. 1 spot in the women's world rankings with a two-shot victory over Cristie Kerr and Na Yeon Choi in the Safeway Classic.

Getting together with old friends at the Gula-McClintick Classic has been the highlight of Oldgolfdawg's golf season ever since he moved back to Ohio in 1983. This year's gathering was another "smashing" success on and off the course if hangovers can be used as a measuring stick.

As usual, Billy "Bear" Carlyon schooled the grey-beards with a 70-76 performance during the prelims at Skyland Pines and Oak Shadows, respectively. In the main event scramble at Wilkshire, the team of Neal Bulman, Danny Spalding and Billy Wiggins emerged victorious. Their performance was capped when Bulman won closest-to-the-pin and Spalding won longest-putt honors on the final hole.

Notably missed from this year's event were Potts, Jiggers, Lloyds of London, Professor Putt (aka Dave Labat), Ricky (Watch Your Step) Wagoner, Big Boy, Wiggy Junior and Crow, but spirits were lifted by a Sunday cameo appearance from "Tokyo" Joe Tomayko. Also in our thoughts was tournament founder Greg "Roo" Gula, who Oldgolfdawg learned is bouncing back from a harrowing health experience.

God's speed in your recovery, Roo. Here's hoping everyone can make it to next year's gathering. Pete McClintick, aka the Commish, informed me that the tournament will go on at least until the day Oldgolfdawg wins the fewest-putts category. Gentlemen, that means we're in for a very long run. So take care of yourselves in the meantime and keep your eyes on the pea.

This weekend's scramble lacks star power

If you were looking for a weekend to work on the honey-do list instead of watching golf, it has arrived. The Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C., begins today as spackle in the PGA Tour's bigger picture.

But just as spackle fills voids before any paint job can be completed, the Wyndham Championship is the last chance for players on the bubble to get into the FedEx Cup playoffs. The snooze aspect of this is only one top 20 player in the world is in the field: Anthony Kim.

That doesn't mean there won't be some drama. Especially if you are rooting for Michael Letzing, the man on the bubble in the 125th spot. This event could also hold your attention if you are pulling for Mike Weir (126th in the rankings) or former Masters champion Trevor Immelman (154th). Otherwise, you better enjoy watching every player ranked 111th to 131st jockey for a spot in the big dance.

Tiger Woods, ranked 108th, is not playing, but the odds are slim that he could drop 18 slots in one event. He'll face a tough road if he makes the FedEx Cup field so far back. But he can draw inspiration from Heath Slocum, who came into the Barclays event 124th last year. Slocum won the Barclays and was able to play in all four FedEx Cup playoffs on his way to winning more than $1.5 million in earnings and finishing fifth in the final standings.

But we are getting ahead of ourselves, so let's focus on this weekend and what will unfold at Sedgefield Country Club, a course originally designed by Donald Ross in 1925 and most recently updated in 2007 by Kris Spence.

Even though Spence added 400 yards to Sedgefield, bringing its length to 7,130 yards, ball placement in the fairway will be the key to winning. Players need be in appropriate spots to have good angles to the greens, which are very undulating and slope from back to front. Good iron players will have an edge in avoiding some of the collection areas just off the greens.

Because the par-70 course is short by PGA Tour standards and dry weather has made the rough less of a factor, it wouldn't be surprising to see someone shoot a low score. Sedgefield is a lot like the course that held the Greenbrier Classic three weeks ago and its possible someone will pull off another Appleby.

Kaymer emerges from Dyeabolical wreckage

The 18th hole at Whistling Straits lived up to its "Dyeabolical" name in more ways than one yesterday on its way to deciding the 92nd PGA Championship.

Before Martin Kaymer made a 2-footer for bogey on the hole to win a three-hole playoff over Bubba Watson, it was the site of a two-stroke rules violation by Dustin Johnson for grounding his club in a sand trap. The violation eliminated Johnson from the playoff after he had birdied the 16th and 17th holes to move into a one-stroke lead.

One could say the 18th hole was diabolical in allowing Johnson to think he didn't have to worry about grounding his club in a sandy area even though tournament officials had gone out of their way to warn players to be on the watch for this possibility. Still, there were a lot of people surrounding the site of his infraction and in the excitement of the moment it was easy to understand how he might not have been thinking straight.

It's also unfortunate that the rules official accompanying the day's final twosome didn't speak up and warn Johnson before his misdeed. There was plenty of time to do so while the area was being cleared of spectators to allow Johnson to have a clear shot at the green. But apparently Johnson didn't ask for a ruling and none was given.

To have this happen to someone who was seemingly on the verge of gaining redemption for his U.S. Open meltdown at Pebble Beach earlier this summer seemed almost satanic in nature. It was the cruelest ending to a major since Roberto de Vicenzo signed for a higher score in the final round of the 1968 Masters that was won by Bob Goalby. Johnson, you may remember, had a three-shot lead going into the final round of the U.S. Open before he took a bizarre triple bogey on the second hole on his way to an 82.

But the devil's work wasn't done with Johnson's misdeed on a hole named after course designer Pete Dye. One could also say the high-risk-reward 18th hole tempted Watson to shoot at the flag with his second shot during the playoff with Kaymer when a more strategic approach was merited. Watson, who was in better position than Kaymer after their tee shots landed in the right rough, probably didn't need to go at the flag with the match still tied. Whether the devil made him do it or as he claimed it was just a case of making a bad swing, Watson paid a dear price for his decision.

Watson hit a poorly struck 7-iron into water, some 30 yards short of the green even though he had a better lie than Kaymer. Watson hit his fourth shot over the green into a bunker. His bunker shot hit the flag, setting up a tap-in for a double bogey. Kaymer, who had hit a longer tee shot but into a very poor lie, resisted temptation after seeing Watson go in the water. He simply chipped out and then hit a 7-iron to 15 feet for a two-putt bogey.

Kaymer, a 25-year-old German with five victories on the European Tour to his credit, made two crucial putts on his way to his well-deserved victory. He sank a 15-foot par putt on the 18th hole to join Watson at 11-under 277. He made another 15-foot putt for birdie on the par-3 17th to draw even with Watson in their three-hole playoff after two holes.

On an entertainment scale of 1 to 5, Oldgolfdawg would throw the 92nd PGA Championship five dog biscuits. Six players had a share of the lead at some point yesterday, and during the final 30 minutes six players were separated by just one shot. That included Rory McIlroy, a 21-year-old from Northern Ireland who was trying to become the youngest major champion in 80 years, and Australian Steve Elkington, who at 47 was trying to become the oldest winner of a major.

Oldgolfdawg knows a lot of people are upset about the ruling against Johnson, but can't fault the PGA for its decision. It posted a notice in the locker room and on the first tee throughout the week, reminding players that all bunkers would be treated like hazards. Six years ago in the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, Stuart Appleby was unaware of the rule and was assessed a four-shot penalty. Johnson should have known better.

But what does bother me is that a rules official walking along with the final twosome wasn't proactive in reminding Johnson of the rule at such a critical juncture in the tournament. There certainly was time to do so. Shouldn't that be part of the official's duties? Why wait to be asked for a ruling? Why not be proactive to prevent these things from happening?

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

Whistling Straits offers exciting stage

The 92nd PGA Championship, which kicks off today at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wis., is being hyped as "Glory's last shot" by its marketers. But the current not-so glorious problems of golf's top-three ranked players leave everyone wondering more than usual what to expect when 97 of the top 100 players in the world rankings compete for the Wanamaker Trophy on a dramatic track along the shores of Lake Michigan.

It's hard to round up the usual suspects in picking a favorite when Tiger Woods is coming off the worst performance of his pro career, Phil Mickelson is battling an autoimmune disorder similar to rheumatoid arthritis and Lee Westwood is home in England dealing with a calve injury that could force him to miss the Ryder Cup matches in October.

However, that could be a plus, considering that the previous two major winners -- Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen -- were dark horses when they pulled off their victories in the U.S. Open and British Open, respectively. And the fact that Vijay Singh, a power player, won in a playoff over finesse players Justin Leonard and Chris DiMarco when the PGA Championship was last played at Whistling Straits in 2004 indicates that the course doesn't suit one particular style.

The strong possibility that Woods will get shut out for a second straight year in the majors -- a first in his career -- adds an interesting ingredient to "Glory's last shot," but it is the course itself that is mostly likely to emerge as the real star of the tournament.

Whistling Straits, built by Pete Dye along the bluffs of Lake Michigan and made difficult by the seemingly random placement of 967 bunkers, offers some of the most inspired views in golf. Course owner Herb Kohler wanted Dye to create an American version of Ireland's famous Ballybunion and even has grazing goats on the course to create a similar effect. The course is a thing of beauty, rolling along through man-made dunes bordered by native grass that is yellow and wispy.

However, the softer soil of Whistling Straits is nothing like links golf, making the course a hybrid of sorts. Players can hit 4-irons onto fairways and get only 5 yards of roll. The course will play about the same as it did in 2004 at 7,507 yards and at a par of 72. Of its seven holes along the lake, all four par 3s require demanding shots to avoid the lake.

Along with its great views and numerous bunkers, Whistling Straits boasts large greens with lots of undulations that will lead to a lot of three-putting. Blind shots into fairways bordered by tough fescue rough will make it difficult for anyone to relax on a course that can become very difficult if windy conditions arise.

“It’s like a British Open with good weather,” Carl Pettersson said. “Some of the bunkers can be quirky, but that’s part of links golf. There’s a lot of blind tee shots, like you get in links golf. I don’t think it would be much fun to play in 20 mph wind.”

This year's field includes 12 past champions: Y.E. Yang (2009), Padraig Harrington (2008), Woods (2007, 2006, 2000, 1999), Mickelson (2005), Singh (2004, 1998), Shaun Micheel (2003), David Toms (2001), Davis Love III (1997), Mark Brooks (1996), Steve Elkington (1995), Paul Azinger (1993) and John Daly (1991).

The tournament can be seen on TNT (today-Friday: 1-8 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and CBS (Saturday-Sunday: 2-7 p.m.)

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

Count Woods down, but not out

Tiger Woods has entered into uncharted waters with his shockingly poor play in the Bridgestone Invitational last weekend at Firestone Country Club.

In finishing a career-worst 18 over par on a course where he'd won an unprecendented seven times, the world's No. 1-ranked golfer has gone from being asked when will he snap out of a slump to being asked if he's bottomed out yet or is there more to come.

And the truth is it's hard to say after watching him crash and burn in such an unexpected fashion. Since turning pro, Woods hadn't finished worse than tied for 60th in an event in which he completed four rounds, and that was in his first start, the 1996 Greater Milwaukee Open. At Firestone, his 10 total birdies were buried by 22 bogeys and three doubles as he tied for 78th place with Swede Michael Jonzon. Ouch!

About the only positive thing one could say about his performance was he didn't curse on network TV for a change. But it's hard to do that when you are done playing before CBS has a chance to come on the air. How did someone who finished tied for fourth in the Masters and U.S. Open after a self-imposed, four-plus-month exile from the game come to this type of Waterloo? Beyond the distractions of a personal life strained by marital problems and a golf swing that is a mere shadow of what it once was, it's not surprising that he is struggling. Woods himself said he was not surprised.

"It's been a long year," he said after shooting a final-round 77 at Firestone, looking and sounding like a player who has lost his way along with his aura of invincibility.

There was a time when his peers would give up before they even played against him. That started to change when Woods lost to Y.E. Yang in a final-round showdown at last year's PGA Championship. Now, with the way he's playing, there's no reason to fear Woods or his mojo.

Woods needs five majors to eclipse the record 18 major championship titles held by Jack Nicklaus, but now some will begin wondering if Woods has got five more victories of any kind in him.

That's over-the-top thinking that's too close to the news of the day. If one looks at the careers of Tom Watson and Nicklaus, they will see that these icons also experienced downturns.

Sal Johnson of GolfObserver.com wrote the following about Watson's downturn:

Between 1974 and 1984 he dominated golf winning 36 of his 39 victories in that period and all eight of his major championships. He did it a lot like Tiger did with great clutch putting, which became a struggle from 1983 onward.

Watson found some flashes of glory years later, winning in 1987, then in 1996 and then for the last time in 1998. But in the time period of 1984 and 1996 Watson suffered a divorce and it was quietly mentioned that he had a drinking problem that he corrected. He has gotten remarried and has made peace with his family, thus has won on the Champions Tour and almost won the British Open at age 59.

Wikipedia provides the following information on Nicklaus' downturn:

After Nicklaus won the 1967 U.S. Open, he did not win another major championship until the 1970 Open Championship at the Old Course at St Andrews. Moreover, his highest finish on the Tour money list for the years 1968-70 was second; his lowest was fourth, his worst ranking on the list since turning professional. ...

During this period, Nicklaus also let his physical condition decline somewhat, putting on excess weight, which affected his stamina. He significantly improved his condition in the fall of 1969 by losing 20 pounds, and his game returned to top form.

In February 1970, Nicklaus' father, Charlie Nicklaus, died. Soon after this Nicklaus won the 1970 Open Championship under difficult scoring conditions where the wind howled up to 56 mph, defeating fellow American Doug Sanders in an 18-hole playoff round in emotional fashion.

He describes this period in his life: "I was playing good golf, but it really wasn't that big a deal to me one way or the other. And then my father passed away and I sort of realized that he had certainly lived his life through my golf game. I really hadn't probably given him the best of that. So I sort of got myself back to work. So '70 was an emotional one for me from that standpoint. ... It was a big boost."

Woods, the 2009 FedEx Cup champion, has vowed to keep working on his game, which he admitted hasn't been this off since he rebuilt his swing under Butch Harmon in the late '90s. It took him two years then to rediscover his A-game. It might take him longer this time around. After all, he's 34 years old, his left knee isn't what it used to be and he will remain fodder for tabloids for the rest of his life.

But it would be wrong to write him off this soon just because he experienced a tournament from hell on a difficult course. He picked a bad week to play so poorly. Normally he wouldn't have made the cut. Still, you don't win 14 major championships without having the drive to overcome adversity. When his personal life is sorted out, chances are good his golf game will return to winning form.

In the meantime, Oldgolfdawg would advise Woods to follow Sergio Garcia's lead and take a vacation. They both look like they could use one.

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

Mahan charges his way to memorable victory

One has to wonder how Hunter Mahan's two-shot victory over Ryan Palmer in the Bridgestone Invitational yesterday at Firestone Country Club will be best remembered.

Will it be remembered that Mahan shot a closing round 6-under-par 64 to overcome a four-shot deficit on the same day Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson -- the game's No. 1- and No. 2-ranked players -- shot 77 and 78, respectively? Or will it be remembered as the tournament in which Mahan beat the defending champion -- Woods -- by 30 shots?

Either way, it was an impressive victory, one that earned Mahan $1.4 million and guaranteed him a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. With his first World Golf Championship title, Mahan moved to No. 12 in the world ranking and won the second time this year, joining Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker and Justin Rose as the only players to do so on the PGA Tour this season.

"The last couple of weeks, the game has been good," said Mahan, a 28-year-old from Dallas who won the Phoenix Open in February by shooting 65 in the final round. "I knew it was there. I know I just had to keep going and keep trust it. This weekend, I definitely just kind of let everything go and just had some fun."

Mahan's 64 was the lowest final round by a winner since the Bridgestone Invitational became a WGC event in 1999. He ran off five birdies on the front nine and converted three clutch par putts down the stretch to record the biggest victory of his career.

Before the tournament started it would have been hard to pick Mahan, who finished at 12-under 268. Since winning in Phoenix, he had only one top-10 finish and had missed four straight cuts.

Predicting Palmer, who entered the tournament ranked 149th in the world, to finish alone in second would have required a real clairvoyant, too. But Ryan, who won the Sony Open early in the season, shot a rock-solid 69 in the final round and proved he belonged in the invitational field.

Woods, on the other hand, looked out of place on a course he has dominated in the past on his way to seven victories. He will remain atop the Official World Golf Ranking for the 270th consecutive week, despite the worst tournament of his career. But that will do little for his confidence.

Woods finished at 18-over 298 -- his highest score on the PGA Tour as a pro or an amateur -- and finished one spot out of last place. In a post-round interview he admitted he wasn't sure if he was worthy for the Ryder Cup.

"No one would help the team if they're shooting 18-over par," Woods said before flying up to Whistling Straits to sneak in a practice round for the PGA Championship next week. "Shooting 18-over par is not fun. I don't see how it can be fun shooting 18 over."

Mickelson, who shot 41 on the front nine, didn't have much fun either on his way to a closing 78 in which he sprayed shots all over the parking lot and three-putted from 4 feet. He was tied for 10th and needed to finish alone in fourth to overtake Woods at No. 1 in the world. Instead, he finished tied for 46th and in need of a lot of work.

"It was a rough day, if you couldn't tell," Mickelson said.

He wasn't alone in his misery. Sergio Garcia announced he plans to take a two-month break after next week's PGA Championship after shooting a final-round 70 that left him tied for 22nd.

Garcia, who has not won in nearly two years, likely would have to finish among the top three in the PGA Championship to have any chance of qualifying for the European Ryder Cup team. His decision will make things easier for captain Colin Montgomerie when it comes time to select three wild-card picks.

"It's been a long year," said Garcia, who has a 14-6-4 record in Ryder Cup play. "I haven't had a nice, long break my whole career. I need the break. I need to miss the game a little bit."

Indeed, it would seem that golf can wear on even the game's best players, even those named Woods, Mickelson and Garcia.

Information from Golf.com, PGATOUR.com and the Associated Press 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 (Aug. 9)
2 to 4 players -- Eaglesticks at 12:19: $20.56 (55% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Cooks Creek at 12:31: $20.55 (54% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Apple Valley at 2:16: $15.03 (58% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Clover Valley at 2:20: $15.22 (48% savings)

Tuesday (Aug. 10)
1 or 2 players -- Cumberland Trail at 7:30: $13.99 (64% savings)
2 to 4 players -- Glenross at 12:20: $24.16 (51% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Apple Valley at 2:16: $15.54 (57% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Clover Valley at 2:20: $15:53 (46% savings)

Wednesday (Aug. 11)
1 to 3 players -- Cumberland Trail at 11:50: $17.19 (56% 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 12:30: $24.63 (50% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Apple Valley at 2:16: $17.57 (51% savings)

Thursday (Aug. 12)
2 to 4 players -- Glenross at 12:20: $24.61 (50% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Cooks Creek at 12:31: $24.58 (45% savings)

Friday (Aug. 13)
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)

Brand recognition isn't a problem at Firestone

Golf fans across the country have grown accustomed to watching tournaments at Firestone Country Club over the years. The storied course, commissioned by Harvey Firestone in 1929 as a park for employees of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, has acted as host to more professional tournaments than any other course in America.

The "old school" track has been the site of the Rubber City Open (1954-1959), the PGA Championship (1960, 1966, 1975), the American Golf Classic (1961-65, 1967-1974, 1976) and the World Series of Golf, now known as the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational (1962-2001, 2003-present). In the late '50s and early '60s, the club also held eight CBS Golf Classics, which was one of the first made-for-television golf series.

Firestone's distinctive golf-ball-on-a-tee-like water tower has become a fixture on the American golf landscape and its famous South Course has acted as host to more than 70 major championships. Firestone South has become an old friend that we are used to checking up on an annual basis, an anchor we can count on with a rich history. After scoring a triple-bogey on the 16th hole during the first PGA Championship held on the course in 1960, Arnold Palmer called it a "Monster." The name struck such a cord with frustrated golfers that the entire South Course in now known fondly as "The Monster."

Since 1960 the South Course has held a PGA Tour event with the exception of two years, in 1994 when the greens mysteriously died and the tournament was moved across the street to the more scenic North Course and in 2002 when the Bridgestone Invitational (NEC Invitational back then) was held at Sahalee Country Club near Seattle, site of last week's U.S. Senior Open.

As one would expect from a course dubbed "The Monster," the par-70 Firestone South is noted for its length at 7,400 yards. There's nothing fancy about the layout, which features 11 par 4s of more than 400 yards in length, yet it is one of the most respected courses on the PGA Tour. One simply has to be accurate with their drives because the narrow fairways are well bunkered and bordered with high rough. Shots into the greens, usually with mid-to-long irons, have to be precise. Once on the greens, however, the hard work has been done because most of the closely trimmed putting surfaces are relatively flat with very few undulations.

The list of past champions at Firestone is so impressive that it would be an upset if an underdog prevails this week. Because the tournament has attracted the top 50 players in the world it might be hard to describe any of them as underdogs. Still, don't expect anyone without a pedigree of some sort to be lifting the champion's trophy come Sunday afternoon. This is one of golf's biggest stages and it will separate the men from the boys.

Growing up in the Akron area, Oldgolfdawg had several opportunities to watch some of golf's biggest names play at Firestone. Watching Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Bruce Crampton, Gay Brewer, Gary Player, Tom Weiskopf, Lee Elder and Jack Nicklaus up close from just behind the ropes was a real treat and left a lasting impression on me.

The first and most memorable tournament at Firestone that Oldgolfdawg observed as a teen-ager was the 1968 American Golf Classic when PGA Tour rookie Lee Elder took Nicklaus to the fifth hole of sudden death before losing. It was the highlight of Elder's season -- he went on finish 40th on the money list, bringing in approximately $38,000 -- and proved to the world that a black golfer could compete with the game's best if given a chance. There's no doubt it later served as inspiration for a yet-to-be-born Tiger Woods.

Much focus will be on Woods today when the tournament kicks off. Everyone wants to see how he will play on one of his favorite courses and whether he can emerge from his current slump. My pick is Lee Westwood, who is overdue to win a big championship, even if this wouldn't be as a good as a major. Westwood, a solid driver with enough length off the tee to tame Firestone, was a runner-up two years ago and finished ninth last year.

Another player worth watching is last year's runner-up, Padraig Harrington. He has something to prove after his triple-bogey meltdown on the 16th hole last year opened the door for Woods to win his seventh Bridgestone title. Harrington comes to Akron on the heels of a closing 64 to finish second at the 3 Irish Open Sunday.

The Bridgestone Invitational can be seen on the Golf Channel (today: 2-6 p.m., 8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.; Friday: 2-6 p.m., 8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.; Saturday 12-1:30 p.m., 9-11:30 p.m.; Sunday: 11-12:30 p.m.) and CBS (Saturday: 2-6 p.m.; Sunday: 2-6 p.m.)

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

Firestone should put Woods in comfort zone

This week's Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone South in Akron will be the best measuring stick yet on how far Tiger Woods' game has fallen from its glory-day heights since relevations first emerged about his marital infidelities.

If Woods, the defending champion of the World Golf Championship event, can't finish in the top five this week on a course he has dominated in the past, it will speak volumes about just how much his game has been eroded by the fallout of his sex scandal. It also will add another big dent in his once seemingly impenetrable aura of invincibility.

Woods has won this week's event, which was known as the NEC Invitational from 1999 through 2005, seven times and has a scoring average of 67.75 at Firestone South. He has won every year at Firestone since 2005, except for when he missed the second half of the 2008 season following knee surgery.

If he can't get comfortable playing on the course where he has recorded his most career victories, then his recent swing issues and scoring problems might be more serious than first believed.

It also wouldn't bode well for his chances of winning the last major of the season, the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis., next week. A 0-for-4 performance in this year's majors will raise the question whether Woods still has a chance to match or break Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major championships. And what once looked like a sure thing will begin looking like a pretty tall obstacle to overcome.

Woods. who has won 14 majors, will turn 35 at the end of this year and less than a quarter of the major championship winners have been 36 or older. The only players since 1970 to win multiple majors after turning 36 are: Nicklaus (4), Gary Player (4), Ray Floyd (2), Nick Price (2), Vijay Singh (2), Mark O'Meara (2), Angel Cabrera (2) and Padraig Harrington (2).

Of course, Woods belongs in the same company as Nicklaus and Player and is obviously dedicated to physical fitness. So it certainly isn't out of the question. But he's also dominated the game for a dozen years, which is a long time in golf. Even the greatest golfers, with the exception of Nicklaus, have had a fairly short window of time when they dominated. The end of their periods of domination was marked by their inability to win another major championship.

Nicklaus won majors in three different decades, which probably explains why he's the record-holder. But his victory in the 1986 Masters at age 46 was really unexpected. Ben Hogan won all his majors from 1946 through 1953 and Arnold Palmer won all his majors from 1958 through 1964, relatively short windows. Other great champions with short spans of domination were Tom Watson (1975 through 1983), Sam Snead (1946 through 1954) and Nick Faldo (1987 through 1996).

But it should be noted that Watson almost joined Nicklaus in the three-different-decades club in last year's British Open when he lost in a playoff at age 60 in what would have been one of the best sports stories of recent memory.

So counting Woods out of the race at this stage would be ill-advised. But betting the ranch on Woods passing Nicklaus on the all-time majors list might not be such a great idea either. It will remain a major story as long as Woods keeps chasing the pea.

* * * * *

The Golf Channel is going to have to put its Michelle Wie hype machine on a back burner the way 21-year-old Yani Tseng of Taiwan has emerged as the youngest new star of the LPGA Tour.

Tseng's one-shot victory Sunday over Katherine Hull of Australia wasn't a thing of beauty at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England. Tseng had to make a 6-foot par putt on the 18th hole to close with a sloppy 73 after three consecutive rounds of 68. But it gave Tseng her third major title and second of the year to go along with the Kraft Nabisco.

Tseng, who has posted two wins and four other top-10 finishes this season, is the youngest woman to have three major championships in LPGA history and is now only the U.S. Women's Open short of a career grand slam. Se Ri Pak of South Korea won two majors when she was 20 but didn't get her third until she was 24.

Tseng's victory ended a two-major run by the Americans after Cristie Kerr won the LPGA Championship and Paula Creamer grabbed the U.S. Women's Open. Kerr was the best of the Americans at Birkdale, finishing tied for fifth five shots back. Morgan Pressel was seven shots back, Christina Kim and Brittany Lincicome were nine back, Wie tied for 17th 11 shots back and Creamer, dealing with a reaggravated thumb injury, was 13 shots off the pace.

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