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.

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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).





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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.

Appleby's stellar 59 overtakes Overton

Jeff Overton's worst fear came true yesterday in the final round of the inaugural Greenbrier Classic. Despite starting the round with a three-shot lead over the rest of field, he knew conditions were ripe for someone to go low and that he needed to remain aggressive in order to record his first PGA Tour victory and avoid another runner-up finish.

When Stuart Appleby decided to be that someone with a magnificent 59 that included nine birdies and an eagle, Overton could only blame himself for not managing something better than his final-round 67. Appleby managed to make up a seven-shot deficit in just 12 holes and then finished his hard-charging round by birdieing the last three holes in earning a one-shot victory at 22 under.

Jim Nantz and the rest of the CBS broadcast team began to point out how demonstrative Overton was becoming over missed opportunities and noted that his body language was changing (moving quickly and appearing fidgety) as the final stretch of holes began to unfold. Overton, who hit a woefully short iron shot into the final green after missing a short birdie putt on the 17th hole that could have forced a playoff, has said in the past he needs to get out of his own way in order to win but was unable to manage the feat.

Meanwhile, it was obvious watching Appleby that he had entered into the much coveted and often talked about "Zone." He appeared perfectly calm and matter of fact as he marched his way to just the fifth 59 in PGA Tour history, joining Al Geiberger (1977 Memphis Classic), Chip Beck (1991 Las Vegas Invitational), David Duval (1999 Bob Hope Desert Classic) and Paul Goydos (2010 John Deere Classic).

"I was quite comfortable," Appleby said. "It's not a nerve-racking thing to be involved in. I had a lot of opportunities and I made them. It was great to do that to win the tournament."

Overton, a former Big Ten player of the year while attending Indiana, had 34 putts in the final round, three-putting three times.

"I got beat by a 59," said Overton, who had his third runner-up finish of the year and remains winless in five years on the PGA Tour. "What can you say? I played great, hit a lot of great shots. You can't win golf tournaments when you putt it that bad."

Appleby, whose previous career low was a 62 in the 2003 Las Vegas Invitational, won for the first time since the 2006 Shell Houston Open. The victory earned him a spot in next week's Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, where the world's top 50 players will compete.

It should be noted that Appleby's achievement was the first 59 on a par-70 course and that he didn't have the advantage of lift, clean and place that Goydos and Geiberger enjoyed. Goydos' came on a par 71 and the others on par 72s. Appleby has no problem with some debating whether his achievement is right up there with the others.

"I agree," he said. "I can see both sides of the fence. It is a number. I shot that number. But who says par is supposed to be 72? There's a lot of great courses that aren't 72."

Information from PGATOUR.com, ESPN.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 (Aug. 1)
1 player only -- New Albany Links at 8:40: $15.58 (60% savings)
1 to 2 players -- The Players Club at 12:12: $18.53 (59% savings)
1 to 2 players -- Apple Valley at 2:16: $13.70 (62% savings)

Tuesday (Aug. 2)
2 to 4 players -- Glenross at 12:20: $19.56 (60% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Westchester at 12:30: $15.30 (60% savings)
1 to 4 players -- New Albany Links at 2:20: $14.00 (64% savings)
1 to 4 players -- Apple Valley at 2:16: $14.25 (60% savings)

Wednesday (Aug. 4)
1 to 4 players -- Cumberland Trail at 11:50: $17.19 (65% savings)
1 to 4 players -- New Albany Links at 2:20: $14.00 (64% savings)

Thursday (Aug. 5)
1 to 4 players -- New Albany Links at 2:10: $14.00 (64% savings)

Friday (Aug. 6)
1 to 4 players -- Cumberland Trail at 11:50: $17.19 (65% savings)