Charl Schwartzel awards the green jacket to Bubba Watson (R) of the United States during the green jacket presentation after Watson won the 2012 Masters. ANDREW REDINGTON/GETTY IMAGES

It took Bubba Watson 74 holes to take sole possession of the lead at The Masters. On the final day, in the final hour, Watson was alone, at the top of the leaderboard, in tears, and about to wear the most prized piece of outerwear in golf—The Green Jacket.

Watson defeated Louis Oosthuizen on the second playoff hole to win his first major golf championship.

Oosthuizen began the typical Sunday, Augusta frenzy with an albatross 2 on the par 5 second hole which put gave him a quick two-shot lead over the favorite, Phil Mickelson, going into Sunday.

Mickelson made things very difficult for himself after hitting his tee shot on the Par 3, fourth hole, into the grandstand. The ball jumped off the grandstand railing and ended up in thick brush. Of course, Lefty was being Lefty and tried to hit two shots right-haned out of the heavy stuff which resulted in a triple bogey 6. It was Phil’s second triple bogey of the week and undoubtedly the moment that cost him his fourth green jacket.

Another lefty, Bubba Watson, snuck up the leaderboard quietly until going birdie, birdie, birdie, birdie on 13, 14, 15, and 16 to find himself tied at the top.

It was reminiscent of last year’s back nine birdie barrage by Oosthuizen’s best buddy Charl Schwartzel who was waiting anxiously in the Butler Cabin hoping to present his good friend with his own Green Jacket.

It wasn’t to be for Oosthuizen, though.

Both players made par on 18, twice, so they went on to the 10th hole where they each hit poor tee shots into the woods on the right. Oosthuizen’s ball got a fortunate kick out of the trees and he had an open shot to the green. Watson’s ball was very deep in the forest and the only chance Bubba had to advance it was to play a huge, risky hook shot.

Oosthuizen’s shot was poorly struck and didn’t reach the green. It was time for Bubba, a guy who rarely hits anything straight, to show his unique talent.

He hit the shot of his career, through the trees, with about a 70-yard hook, right into the middle of the green. It was such an improbable shot for any golfer, but those are the shots Bubba Watson plays better than anyone in the world.

He’s not flashy and he’s not pretty to watch swinging the golf club, but, most of the time he knows where it is going and he knows how to get it there in a hurry.

Oosthuizen was unable to convert his par putt which left Bubba with two putts to win. He rolled it down close to the hole, tapped in, and the always sentimental southerner wept uncontrollably as his friends and family rushed to greet him. He will now forever be known as “The 2012 Masters Champion—Bubba Watson.”

Joe Fries is a sports writer and golf pro living in Miami Beach, Fla. You can follow him on Twitter @The7thFreezer.

Tiger’s win Sunday at Bay Hill has given hope to golf fans everywhere that the world’s most popular golfer will soon regain his previously held No. 1 ranking. (David Cannon/Getty Images)

In September 2009, Tiger Woods won the BMW Championship at Cog Hill by eight shots. Just 923 days later, last weekend at Bay Hill, he won for the first time on the PGA Tour since that runaway victory in Chicago. What transpired in between victories has been one of the most shocking course of events in the history of sports.

Two months after the ’09 BMW Championship victory, Tiger won the Aussie Open (a non-PGA Tour event). It looked like his reconstructed knee was mending well and Woods was going to head to 2010 ready to advance his march toward his ultimate goal—Jack Nicklaus’s 18 major championships.

Only two weeks later, Thanksgiving weekend, the golf world was rocked by the incident at the Woods’s home in Jupiter, Fla. On Nov. 27 a report came out that Tiger had been in an early morning car accident just outside his home in Jupiter, Fla. After two weeks of media hoopla, accusations, and revelations, Woods confirmed that he had issues with infidelity and would be taking an indefinite leave of absence from the PGA Tour. This “absence” began with trip to a 45-day rehabilitation center to deal with these issues that had caused this self-destruction, of sorts.

Upon completion of the rehab program in February 2010, Woods held a very awkward, apologetic press conference in which he laid out his “transgressions” and spoke about his off-the-course issues and his intent to make it right with his family and those who had been close to him.

Tiger chose to make his return to golf at the most controlled environment on the PGA Tour schedule—Augusta National for the 2010 Masters. He played exceptionally well, finishing tied for 4th place, and received some much needed praise from the galleries all week. The majority of golf fans were thrilled to have him back into the equation, and it looked like Woods was just going to reappear and get back to his winning ways in a hurry.

Unfortunately, for Tiger, things didn’t work out that way and much of the drama was still yet to come.

First, in May 2010, Woods and longtime swing coach Hank Haney decided to part ways. Haney claimed that he was not fired, but instead would pursue other ventures such as his Golf Channel TV series “The Haney Project” and obviously his tell-all Tiger Woods book. The book has just recently hit bookstore shelves and has caused quite a stir in the Woods camp and the golf world.

In August 2010, Woods and his wife Elin released a statement confirming that they were unable to repair their marriage and would be getting divorced.

By the end of 2010, he had lost his swing coach, his wife, and his No. 1 World Ranking that he had held for a record 281 weeks, all in the same year.

Woods almost made his grand return to the winner’s circle at the 2011 Masters. He had the grounds of Augusta buzzing when he took the lead for a short while on the back nine on Sunday. A shaky putter removed him from the equation and Charl Schwartzel ended up making four birdies on the last four holes to win in historic fashion.

After more nagging injuries and time off, Woods had another split-up. In July 2011, he felt the need to separate from longtime caddy Steve Williams. Unfortunately, Williams didn’t like it and wasn’t shy with his comments, taking cheap shots at Woods and even making racially insensitive comments toward the man who made Williams a very wealthy caddy.

The Woods-Williams split was the final step in Tiger’s obvious intention of removing himself from the inner circle that he had confided in for so long. His wife was gone. His coach was gone. His caddy was gone. He had gone from being, arguably, the most dominant athlete on the planet to being ranked No. 58 in golf’s world rankings and the punch line of many jokes. It could only get better from there.

Tiger chose longtime PGA Tour caddy Joe LaCava to carry the cargo and began working with well-respected swing coach Sean Foley. The much talked about swing changes weren’t easy to make for Woods, who appeared frustrated time after time as he hit shots that we would never dream of seeing the old Tiger Woods hit. Even when golf’s most respected analysts questioned his swing changes and health issues, Woods insisted that there was more to come and that he was making progress even though his scores didn’t indicate the progress he said he was making.

Woods finally got a taste of victory at his own event, The Chevron Challenge, at the end of 2011. Although the Chevron isn’t a PGA Tour event, it was a big step forward. He proved to the world, and himself that better days were coming.

This year, Woods has played more of a full schedule than he would have in years past, trying to regain the feeling of playing comfortably in the most demanding theater of competitive golf. Many current players on tour that have had success in Tiger’s absence have suggested that the immortal Tiger Woods might not be what he once was. Some of them even took cheap shots at him when he was going through his struggles and the general feeling has been that the intimidation factor is gone.

Maybe so, but, the 2012 PGA Tour statistics would suggest that Woods is very close to being right back where he was before the golf world was turned upside down in November 2009.

He’s second in scoring average at 68.27, sixth in sand saves, sixth in birdies, fourth in greens in regulation, and his all around statistical ranking is No. 1 headed into the event that he values most—The Masters.
Last week at Bay Hill was the first time we’ve seen Tiger Woods look like the greatest golfer on the planet in a long while. Sunday’s round was almost boring to watch. The outcome was never in doubt, the shots were executed perfectly, and nobody had a chance to catch him.

The golf world still ponders the question, “Is Tiger back?”

He may never be fully back to what he once was and it’ll be hard for anyone in the future of golf to do what Tiger Woods did for those 281 weeks in which he was nearly untouchable.

If he wins next week at Augusta, we can officially say that Tiger is back on track to catch Jack.

Joe Fries is a sports writer and golf pro living in Miami Beach, Fla. You can follow him on Twitter @The7thFreezer.

Tim Finchem’s new changes won’t go into effect until 2013. (Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem announced changes to the qualifying system for the PGA Tour and a new start time to the season, according to a report on the PGA’s website.

The Nationwide Tour will now be the main path to gaining membership on the PGA Tour. All of the 50 membership cards will now be awarded through the Nationwide Tour, with the three final tournaments on the Nationwide Tour made up of fields involving PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour players to determine who earns those cards.

The fields for the three final Nationwide Tour events will be made up of the top 75 players on the Nationwide Tour’s money list, the players ranked 126–200 on the tour’s FedExCup points list, and nonmembers who meet eligibility standards.

In addition, the start of the season will be after the final FedExCup event, the Tour Championship by Coca-Cola, with events in the fall awarding FedExCup points for the new season.

Justin Rose rallied Sunday to win the WGC at Doral. (David Cannon/Getty Images)

Justin Rose shot a 2 under par 70 in the final round to win the WGC Cadillac Championship at Doral Resort and Spa just outside of Miami.

Bubba Watson, who led by three heading into the day, had a rough go of it after two sparkling rounds of 62 and 67 on Friday and Saturday.

Watson struggled all day but scrambled well and kept his composure enough to have a chance down the stretch.

Coming up on 18, Watson and Bradley had a look at forcing a playoff. But after Bradley tapped in for double bogey, Watson had a 15-footer to force a playoff but missed on the low side.

Perhaps the biggest story of the day was Tiger Woods being forced to withdraw because an apparent left Achilles tendon injury.

Joe Fries is a sports writer and golf pro living in Miami Beach, Fla. You can follow him on Twitter @The7thFreezer.

Bubba Watson shot a 62 Friday and a 67 Saturday to take a three-shot lead at Doral heading into the final round. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Bubba Watson fired a 5 under-par, 67, Saturday to increase his lead to three strokes heading into the final round of the WGC Cadillac Championship at Doral Resort and Spa. Keegan Bradley and Justin Rose sit three shots back in second.

Watson caught fire Friday, shooting a 62, and then picked up right where he left off on Saturday.

As he watched many of his fellow competitors make a run up the leaderboard early in the day, Bubba came out and eagled the first hole, birdied the second hole, and it was soon clear that Friday’s round was no fluke. Bubba is hitting it as good as anyone.

Rory McIlroy blistered the front side and was -8 through the first ten holes. The number-one ranked player in the world eventually worked himself all the way up to second place before fading down the stretch. Yet McIlory still managed to put himself in a much better position heading into the final day, eight shots behind.

Former number-one Tiger Woods made a move of his own Saturday as well and is tied with McIlroy at -9.

So, how good is Bubba playing? McIlroy, at one point, was on pace to shoot 59. Tiger has actually made some putts to match his recently solid ball striking. That being said, they are still eight shots behind Watson.

Joe Fries is a sports writer and golf pro living in Miami Beach, Fla. You can follow him on Twitter @The7thFreezer.

With his win at the Honda Classic 22-year-old Rory McIlroy will be the number-ranked player in the world. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Rory McIlroy carded a final 1-under-par 69 to win the Honda Classic and overtake Luke Donald as the No. 1 player in golf’s world rankings.

The 22-year-old, McIlroy, held a two-shot lead heading into a final round that started early because of bad weather forecasted in Palm Beach, Fla. The storm blew through around 10 a.m. and caused havoc around PGA National for a short time with high winds and torrential rain.

After the weather blew through, conditions changed dramatically. The players knew that the already difficult PGA National Golf Club and it’s famous stretch of holes known as “The Bear Trap” were going to be as difficult as ever.

Not only did McIlroy have his work cut out for him with Mother Nature, he was also watching his idol march up the leader board like we haven’t seen in a long time as Tiger Woods had finally caught fire.

Tiger played the first three rounds in -2 and put some heat on the field right out of the gate to get right back into contention. After making eagle on three, Tiger poured in putt after putt and looked as solid as we’ve seen since his return to the golf world. Down the stretch, Woods finished birdie-eagle in front of an enormous gallery to cap off his lowest final round ever—62.

Even after making bogey on 12, his only one of the day, McIlroy wasn’t fazed. He saw his lead trimmed to one, over Woods, but promptly followed with a birdie on 13 to get the one-shot lead back. He managed the golf course and controlled his golf ball like a seasoned PGA Tour veteran. It didn’t matter what Woods was doing, McIlroy knew that as long as he kept his golf ball under control and kept pumping in pars and avoiding big numbers, the crown would be his.

When Rory finally got to “The Bear Trap,” he was two shots ahead and the tournament was still well in doubt. The 15th, 16th, and 17th holes at PGA National are among the toughest stretches in golf on a calm day. With the winds blowing as hard as they were, the slightest mis-hit could cost him the event.

It never happened though.

He played the par-5, 18th as safe and smart as he possibly could have, just as the top-ranked golfer in the world should play it. He carried the trophy off the green a few minutes later and will now, at 22, be No. 1 in the world.

Joe Fries is a sports writer and golf pro living in Miami Beach, Fla. You can follow him on Twitter @The7thFreezer.

Robert Rock (L) is congratulated by Tiger Woods for winning at Abu Dahbi. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Well, nobody saw that coming.

Abu Dhabi was the talk of golf this week after the opening round groups were announced. Golf fans around the world had been anxiously awaiting Tiger Woods’s first event of 2012 and could hardly contain themselves upon hearing who he’d be playing with.

The Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Luke Donald group is as good as it gets. Donald is the world’s No.1 ranked player and McIlroy is obviously many people’s top predecessor to Woods as the next golf legend.

McIlroy and Woods went back and forth all week, providing “oohs” and “ahhs” by the bucket load. It looked as though they were both on their game and on an early season collision course that golf fans dream of watching.

After three rounds Woods was tied for the lead and McIlroy was just two shots back. They would have been paired together if it hadn’t been for one guy that nobody was talking about—Robert Rock.

The Englishman, Rock, couldn’t be more of an unlikely candidate to ruin the party. He worked his way on the Euro Tour in 2003 after working as a golf instructor at a club in England. His only win on the European Tour came last year at the Italian Open.

Before Sunday, the only thing most people knew about Rock was that he didn’t wear a hat and has an impressive head of hair. He certainly wouldn’t be able to hang in there with the McIlroy-Woods pressure cooker, right?

Wrong. Rock was solid and he certainly didn’t crack in the face of what he calls his “idol” in Woods.

Tiger buried a long putt on the 2nd and chipped in for birdie on the 3rd, showing flashes of what we remember him doing in most Sunday pairings. Rock hung in there though, in the midst of the early barrage, by making birdie on two of the first three holes to match Woods.

The steadiness of Rock may have caused Tiger to try to do a bit more after not being able to pull away after a hot start. For the first time all week, Woods seemed to lose his rhythm.

Rock then pulled ahead by a few shots and never gave it up. Even when he bogeyed 13 and Tiger clawed back to within one shot, Rock kept rocking.

He birdied two of the next three holes to retake control of the tournament and even though he made the mistake of driving the ball into the hazard on 18, he had enough of a cushion to still have two putts for the win.

“It’s pretty hard to believe that I managed to win today. Very surprised,” Rock said, according to the AP. “I played good. So I guess I had a chance from early on; a couple of birdies made the day feel a little bit easier.”

Rock finished two shots ahead of Woods and one ahead of a late charging McIlroy. As it turned out, McIlroy would have won had he not committed a costly two shot penalty on Friday.

Joe Fries is a sports writer and golf pro living in Miami Beach, Fla. You can follow him on Twitter @The7thFreezer.

Tim Finchem, shown in this file photo, will remain PGA Tour commissioner for another four years. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The PGA Tour Policy Board announced on Wednesday that PGA Commissioner Tim Finchem received a four-year contract extension, according to the PGA website.

“We have accomplished a lot, but there remains a great opportunity to continue to grow over the next four years,” Commissioner Finchem said on the PGA website. “It is an honor to work in such a wonderful sport with the world’s best athletes and a terrific management team.”

Finchem is responsible for developing events such as the Presidents Cup, the World Golf Championship, the FedExCup, and the PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedExCup.

Finchem has been at the helm of golf’s highest tour since June 1994. He is the third person to hold the title in the history of the PGA.

Steve Stricker wins the first PGA event of the year in Hawaii. (Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Steve Stricker (-23) won the PGA Tour’s first trophy of the season on Monday, Jan. 9 by winning the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Kapalua, Hawaii.

Stricker held a five-shot lead heading into the final round though it didn’t last very long.

Stricker came out very flat Monday. He three-putted the Par-5 fifth hole and bogeyed the sixth after a rare hiccup around the green. He saw his one-time five-shot lead cut down to just one by the time he was on the seventh tee box.

Stricker gathered his thoughts though and buried a long putt for birdie on the eighth hole, then tapped in for birdie on nine, to create a bit of breathing room for himself. Nobody challenged the lead from that moment forward.

Stricker followed that with a birdie on the 12th and finished in style by birdieing two of the last three holes, finishing at -23, 269. It was three shots better than Martin Laird and four ahead of defending champ Jonathan Byrd.

The win in Maui is Stricker’s 12th career victory on the PGA Tour and his first in Hawaii. He will be 45 next month and continues to perform at a very high level. After having some medical issues with his left arm strength, late last year, Stricker was contemplating having surgery.

He seems to have regained that strength.

When healthy, Stricker is one of the best players in the game. He finished in the top 20 in all four majors last season but has never been able to capture a major championship.

He’s got his first career win in Hawaii in the first event of the year. Is his first major to come in 2012?

Joe Fries is a sports writer and golf pro living in Miami Beach, Fla. You can follow him on Twitter @The7thFreezer.

Tiger Woods celebrates winning the Chevron World Challenge. The win is his first in over two years. (Robert Meggers/Getty Images)

Thousand Oaks, CA.--Finally.

Tiger Woods birdied the final two holes to overcome a one shot deficit and win the Chevron World Challenge. It is the first win recorded by Woods in over two years, bringing an end to the longest drought of his professional career.

Woods held the lead through the first two rounds at the beautiful Sherwood Country Club in the mountains just north of Los Angeles, CA. He found himself trailing Zach Johnson by one stroke after Saturday’s play as Johnson had holed out from the 18th fairway for eagle to take sole possession of the lead.

Johnson and Woods battled a tricky course and brutal winds, but separated from the pack and were tied at -8 with three holes to play.

Just a year before, Graeme McDowell put on a clinic down the stretch to snatch the title from Woods in amazing fashion. McDowell rolled in a long putt on the final hole of regulation to force a playoff with Woods who was seemingly ready to stroll back into the winner’s circle. McDowell did the same on 18 and Tiger got, well, Tigered.

For a few minutes on Sunday afternoon, it looked as though Zach Johnson was going to repeat McDowell’s performance.

He birdied 16 to take a one shot lead over Woods heading to the par 3, 17th. Johnson had a chance to put the pressure on Tiger, but barely missed his birdie effort on the high side of the hole -- leaving Tiger a chance to turn the tables.

Woods buried a 15 footer for birdie, gave a mellow fist pump, and they went on to the final hole at -9.

Both players found the fairway on 18 and had very good looks to a pin position they could be aggressive with. Johnson hit his approach to about 20 feet. Woods stepped up to his ball, backed off, stepped up again, and hit a 9-iron that buzzed the top of the flagstick, funneling back to about 10 feet.

Center cut. Fist pump. Gallery frenzy.

Finally.

Joe Fries is a sports writer and golf pro living in Miami Beach, Fla. You can follow him on Twitter @The7thFreezer.

Tiger Woods of the US (2nd R) is congratulated by teammates Webb Simpson (L), Nick Watney (C) and Dustin Johnson (R) after winning his match on the final day of the President's Cup in Melbourne on Nov. 20. A non-European international team, comprising golfers from Australia, South Africa, Japan and South Korea, lost to the US 19-15. (William West/AFP/Getty Images)

The weather smiled on golfing greats from around the world as they battled in teams against each other for the prestigious Presidents Cup on Nov 17 to 20.

The Presidents Cup is an international golf event which began from the germ of an idea in 1990 to become one of the most popular international sporting events.

This year it was hosted for the second time by the Royal Melbourne Golf Club with an estimated 600 million viewers. The first time was in 1998 with 138 million viewers.

Excitement was high as twenty four of the world’s best golfers from six countries—Australia, South Korea, Japan, South Africa, New Zealand and America—battled it out on the fairways and greens of the superb Australian course.

The two teams consisted of 12 top players each, with the International Team featuring players from five countries working together to battle against the U.S. Team. International Team Captain’s Assistant Frank Nobilo found that playing in a team is a unique experience.

“When twelve play as one, it’s amazing what can be done and that’s why it rates at the top of the tree for me,” said Mr Nobilo.

Aaron Badderley, an Australian playing for the International Team, says he valued the camaderie of cheering on his teammates from around the world.

“The team is awesome, being part of the boys and being together as a group. I’m excited to be able to go out there and play but also I’m excited to go out and cheer them on,” he said.

Hunter Mahan, U.S. Team Player, says the atmosphere among all the players was friendly and “a lot of fun.”
“To come here and be part of this, it’s great it’s fun. Just to hang out with the guys everybody drops their guard a little bit and you get to see each player and each guy in a little different light,” said Mr Mahan.

The team competition, which is held every two years, is extremely popular with golf fans as it provides six days of high-class golf.

“It’s a beautiful day. What more would you want to do than come and watch the Presidents Cup and watch all those wonderful golfers?” said one Australian golf fan.

U.S. Team player Phil Mickelson says he could feel the Aussie crowd’s enthusiasm for the sport.
“The excitement level amongst the people here in Australia has been one of the highest that I’ve seen,” said U.S. Team player Phil Mickelson. “The support that we are having this week is pretty impressive.”

One of the biggest stars of show was U.S. Team Player Tiger Woods, who was back in the game again showing his golf prowess after recent poor health.

“We are trying obviously to do the right thing and help out as much as we can,” said Mr Woods.

Jim Furyk won all five matches at the President's Cup helping the American's take their fourth in a row. (David Cannon/Getty Images)

When the first group of the singles matches took the tee on Sunday at the treacherous Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia, the U.S. had what seemed to be a safe 13-9 lead. It looked as though the Americans would stroll to their fourth straight President’s Cup victory.

Not so fast…

The President’s Cup features the best players from the world, excluding Europe, against the best players from the US in various formats similar to the Ryder Cup. Team golf is a different animal than what the best players in the world are familiar with. They have a partner, for once, and can rely on each other to pick one another up if they hit a poor shot. The formats of golf that are played are strictly match play and the teams accumulate points for each match won or halved.

The crowds are boisterous and the intensity shown by the players is genuine. Momentum is key and the fact that there is a great deal of patriotic pride for these players to represent their countries makes for some very dramatic golf.

The drama for this year’s President’s Cup began with none other than Tiger Woods. US captain Fred Couples chose Woods as a captain’s pick, even though he hadn’t been played up to form and he’s been free-falling on the world rankings list after a few setbacks.

Many people criticized Couples for picking Tiger over 2011 PGA Champion Keegan Bradley, but Freddie stuck to his guns.

Australian Geoff Ogilvy added more drama before the event started, hinting that Woods had no business being out there. The drama was dialed up a notch when International team captain Greg Norman announced that Woods would be matched up against Adam Scott’s team on the first day and added that he would have chosen Bradley instead of Tiger.

Who is on Adam Scott’s…

Phil Mickelson will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. (Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem announced on Thursday that three-time Masters Champion Phil Mickelson will be elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame Class of 2012.

“On behalf of the PGA Tour, I congratulate Phil Mickelson on being bestowed with one of the highest honors in our sport,” Finchem said, according to a press release.

Mickelson received 72 percent of the vote, the second highest player percentage behind only Greg Norman in 2001 who received 80 percent.

Michelson said, “My thanks go to those who voted me into the World Golf Hall of Fame. It really is a tremendous honor to be mentioned alongside the greats of a game that’s centuries old.”

The ceremony will take place on May 7, 2012, at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla., the Monday of THE PLAYERS Championship week.

Twenty-nine-year-old golfer Bill Haas claimed both the TOUR Championship and the FedEx Cup title with his win on Sunday; this despite his somewhat low position, 25th, in the FedEx Cup standings heading into the final weekend. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The 2011 PGA Tour season ended in dramatic fashion on Sunday afternoon as Bill Haas and Hunter Mahan found themselves knee deep in the most financially lucrative PGA Tour playoff in the history of golf.

They would be going to the 18th hole to have a sudden death playoff for roughly $11.4 million.

The winner would not only claim a victory in the single event, but also be crowned the FedEx Cup Champion and win $10 million on top of the $1.4 million winner’s take. Golf’s FedEx Cup is a newly-implemented season-long points race where the winner is rewarded (big time) at the end of the season and players get eliminated in the playoffs.

Both players fought through a wild Sunday at East Lake Golf Club where it seemed as though half of the players had an impact on the outcome of the FedEx Cup race. It was so confusing that, for once, we needed the golfers to slow down and give us time to think.

Luckily, the playoff between Haas and Mahan was so intense and dramatic that it overshadowed the confusion. After we learned that the winner of the playoff would win the FedEx Cup as well, it became easier to focus on the actual golf rather than trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube full of scenarios.

They tied the first playoff hole with par. Haas was all over the place and found himself in a tough spot on the second playoff hole. He hit his approach into the 17th green and it flew a bit too far, trickling into the lake behind the green.

Mahan hit his ball onto the green and had a decent look at a birdie and a win. Everyone thought it was over. Haas took a look at his ball that was floating near the banks of the water hazard but wasn’t fully submerged. He took off his right shoe, right sock, rolled up his right pant leg, dug his foot in the lake, and hit one of the most clutch recovery shots we’ve ever seen.

In the midst of the mud and water that flew out of the lake, the ball came floating out. Remarkably, Haas was able to control the spin of the ball from the lake and it checked up nicely only a few feet from the cup.

Mahan wasn’t able to convert his birdie putt, which was the story of his day, and didn’t make one for par on the next hole. Haas got up and down, as he did all day, won the tournament, and walked away with all the money.

Haas was ranked 45th in the world coming into the final event and he was in 25th place in the FedEx Cup race coming into the weekend. For him to make up that much ground, in the last week of what is supposed to be a season-long accumulation of points, is silly. They might as well just give the winner of the Tour Championship a check from FedEx for $10 million. This gives little incentive for golf fans to follow the progress of the points race throughout the season.

The FedEx Cup points race/FedEx Playoff was implemented to offer some sort of competition with the beginning of football season and attract viewers after the majors concluded.

It hasn’t caught on like they had hoped.

ROOKIE WIN: Keegan Bradley celebrates the putt that put him into a play-off with Jason Dufner in the final round of the 2011 PGA Championship Tournament. (Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images)

25 year-old Keegan Bradley outlasted Jason Dufner in a three-hole playoff to win the 93rd running of golf’s PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club. It is Bradley’s second PGA Tour victory this season and it is the first major championship for the PGA Tour rookie.

In one of the wildest PGA Championships of recent memory, Bradley trailed by five shots after making triple bogey on the 15th hole. Many players would have mailed it in after such a setback—but Bradley kept plugging along.

Dufner, who watched Bradley’s meltdown from the 15th tee, promptly hit his tee shot into the water and made bogey, giving Bradley new life.

Bradley took advantage by making birdie on 16 and followed that up by making an improbable putt for birdie on 17 to close the gap.

As Bradley was marching toward the lead, Dufner was feeling the pressure. He bogeyed 15, 16, and 17. The five-shot lead he had possessed only three holes prior had vanished and he was forced to make a stressful three-footer on the 18th just to force a playoff.

Both players hit their approaches within ten feet from the pin on the first playoff hole, but Dufner’s putter simply wouldn’t respond. He missed his putt. Bradley made his to take a one shot lead.

Dufner, again let down by the putter, three-putted the second playoff hole, which gave Bradley a two-shot lead that he wouldn’t relinquish.

Bradley, nephew of LPGA great Pat Bradley, has had an exceptional rookie season on the PGA Tour and has found himself inside the top 30 on golf’s world ranking’s list. His first victory came earlier this year at the Byron Nelson Classic.

Earlier in the week, Bradley had posted a tweet saying, “Highlight of the day overhearing Jim Furyk thanking me for the advice I gave him about belly putters in a TV interview. Is this real life?”

Joe Fries is a sports writer and golf pro living in Miami Beach, Fla. You can follow him on Twitter @The7thFreezer.

Steve Stricker came within a stroke of a record-setting 62 the first round of the 93rd PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Steve Stricker came within one putt of scoring the best round ever in a major championship. He missed, but his final score of 63 (7-under) was good enough to give him the undisputed lead in the PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club Thursday.

His score was only the 25th time a player has shot 63 in a major tournament.

41-year-old American golfer has won 11 PGA tournaments in his 21-year career, but has never won a major. If he keeps golfing like he did today, he could change that.

Stricker is the highest-ranked American in the world rankings, the spot held for so long by Tiger Woods.

Woods set his own record Thursday: his worst ever PGA round at 77.

Tiger started strong but then fell apart on the 15th, his sixth hole of the day, landing in bunkers twice and the rough once. His game never improved.

Rory McIlroy, who won the U.S. Open and finished sixth WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, hurt his wrist on the third hole when he whacked a root hitting from the rough. He finished the round with a 70.

Adam Scott of Australia hits a tee shot during the final round of the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Australian Adam Scott (-17) won the WGC Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. It is his first win on the PGA Tour since winning at the Valero Texas Open in May, 2010. It was also his first victory with new caddie Steve Williams, formerly employed by Tiger Woods.

Scott held the lead for the majority of the week after blitzing Firestone on Thursday with an opening round 62. He was tied with Rickie Fowler after the second round of play after Fowler shot 64. Scott posted 66 on Saturday and 65 on Sunday to pull away from the field, winning by four shots.

The Bridgestone allowed golf fans to get a slight glimpse of bright future of the PGA Tour. On Sunday afternoon, the kids came to play. Scott was able to hold off up-and-coming stars like 22-year-old Rickie Fowler and 19-year-old Japanese teen sensation Ryo Ishikawa. 21-year-old Jason Day finished tied for 4th and 22-year-old Rory McIlroy tied for 6th. England’s Luke Donald tied for 2nd with Fowler, also finishing at -13, four shots back of Scott.

The win is huge for Adam Scott, a player who has always been on the radar of golf analysts and professionals alike for his amazing talent yet inability to consistently challenge the top players. Adding a caddie like Williams may be just what Scott needed. Steve has obviously had experience winning golf tournaments with Woods and isn’t afraid to let his player hear his thoughts, good and bad.

Before the week began and before Williams agreed to caddie for Scott, Williams had a talk with his new player. It was reported, early in the week, that the talk was based on Adam Scott’s drive to be the best that he could be. If Steve was going to carry his bag, Adam Scott better be serious about winning golf tournaments and ready to make sacrifices to do so.

Obviously, something clicked.

If Adam Scott can get accustomed to his relatively new long putter and roll the ball on the greens the way he did this week at Firestone, he will shoot up the world rankings in a heartbeat.

As for Williams’ ex-employer, Tiger Woods showed some signs of life this week but mostly only signs of rust. He seemed to get progressively worse as week went on after posting -2 (68) in the opening round and looking as though he’d found his putting stroke again. He followed that up with three rounds in the 70’s, finishing at +1 for the week, 18 shots behind the winner.

Joe Fries is a sports writer and golf pro living in Miami Beach, Fla. You can follow him on Twitter @The7thFreezer.

LOOKING GOOD: Tiger Woods hits his tee shot on the 14th hole during the first round of the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club. (Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Tiger Woods return to competition is proceeding smoothly. After three months off because of left knee and Achilles tendon injuries, Woods showed no signs of lingering effects, putting particularly well in the opening round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.

Woods, on his website, said the leg felt good. His golf game looked good, as he hit 12 of 18 greens and needed only 27 putts to finish the round. He finished the round 2-under at 68.

"I had no qualms,” he said on the site. “I hit the ball really flush today. Actually, the hardest part was controlling my distances. I hadn't been out in this environment for a while, and the way I was hitting it—so flush—the ball was just going."

Thursday’s round was not only Tiger’s first since he retired from The Players Championship in May; it was the first with his new caddy, Bryon Bell. Bell, a childhood friend, took over as caddy after Woods parted ways with Steve Williams, who had accompanied the golfer through 13 seasons and 17 titles.

Tiger Woods talks to the media after a practice round for the Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club on August 2. (Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

Tiger Woods will return to the PGA Tour this week in the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio. It will be the first time he has played in an event since injuring his left leg at The Players Championship nearly three months ago.

Woods will make his return on familiar ground, at Firestone Country Club, where he has won seven times. When he addressed the media on Tuesday, he made it clear that his mindset hasn’t changed and he has every intention to make this weekend his eighth victory at Firestone. “I’m excited to play,” he said, “and hopefully to win.”

In his absence, Tiger has still found his way on to the front of the sports pages, most notably for firing longtime caddy Steve Williams. Woods fired Williams after 12 years on the bag and 85 professional victories.

Williams will be replaced by Woods’ longtime friend Byron Bell. It was a surprising move from Woods, but a clear representation of how Tiger is disconnecting himself from his recent past.

Tiger’s slow decline in golf’s world rankings has also been well documented. He dropped out of the top ten for the first time since 1997. Slowly, he’s been watching one player after another pass him on the rankings list and now sits at number 28 in the world.

And, of course, Rory McIlroy won many hearts this year at Congressional as he shattered U.S. Open records en route to winning his first major. Most of those records were Tiger’s records. Some people even hinted that young McIlroy will one day be better than Woods.

You know that doesn’t sit well with Tiger.

The PGA Tour has struggled without Woods. Ratings in the recent major championships he hasn’t played in are down over 20%. A McIlroy-Woods rivalry would provide a much needed boost for professional golf and the game as a whole.

Now, the roles are reversed. Who would have ever thought?

Joe Fries is a golf pro and sports writer based in Miami Beach, Fla.

PARTING WAYS: Tiger Woods and caddie Steve Williams plan their next move during the first round of the Accenture Match Play Championship, February 23, 2011 in Marana, Arizona. Tiger and Williams parted ways after 13 years and 17 victories. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images Spor)

Tiger Woods and longtime caddy Steve Williams have parted ways after 13 years of working together on the PGA circuit.

In a statement on his official website Woods said, “I want to express my deepest gratitude to Stevie for all his help, but I think it's time for a change. Stevie is an outstanding caddie and a friend and has been instrumental in many of my accomplishments. I wish him great success in the future."

Woods did not name a replacement in his statement.

The move seemed unexpected by Williams, who replied to the news on his official website, “After 13 years of loyal service needless to say this came as a shock.” He went on to say, “I am very disappointed to end our very successful partnership at this time.”

Williams was on the bag for Tiger in 13 of his 17 major title victories.

Williams, who has been caddying for Adam Scott while Woods is out with an injured knee, will now work with Scott full time. “I am excited about the future working for another Australian,” Williams said.

This marks the second major change Woods has made to his supporting cast since his return to the Tour in April 2010 after the scandal that permanently damaged his image, and kept him away from the game for months.

Hank Haney resigned as Tiger’s swing coach in May of 2010 and Sean Foley was tapped with the task of getting his swing back on track.

The change in supporting cast will hopefully bring a much-needed spark to Tiger’s game. Woods has not won since November of 2009, and is three wins away from tying Jack Nicklaus for most major victories.

Follow Kristen on Twitter @Call2theBullpen

Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland holds the Claret Jug aloft following his victory in the 140th Open Championship at Royal St George's. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke is this year’s unlikely winner of The British Open. Clarke plodded his way around Royal St. George’s and fought through very tough weather at times, to capture his first major championship trophy, and fulfill his childhood dream of hoisting the Claret Jug.

He finished the tournament with 275 (-5) three shots better than Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson.   

Clarke’s demeanor and his story are equally impossible to ignore. The jolly Northern Irishman lost his wife nearly five years ago, after a long battle with breast cancer.  He left golf for a few months and returned to the game in a very emotional and memorable reunion at The K Club for the 2006 Ryder Cup.  

None of the Americans were able to beat Clarke that week, as he went 3-0, and broke down in the arms of his caddy and did so again as he addressed the media in an unforgettable press conference.

It seemed as though there was something extra guiding Clarke around the golf course at The K Club in 2006. The European team destroyed the Americans in record fashion and Clarke’s story was a rallying cry for him and his mates. If you remember that press conference in 2006 and you remember that week at The K Club, you were rooting for Darren Clarke this week.

Clearly the crowd favorite, Clarke began the final round with a one-shot lead over Dustin Johnson. This was the third time Johnson had been in the final pairing in the last six major tournaments. Although many felt that it was Johnson’s turn to be a first-time major winner, the early portion of the day found a familiar face charging up the leader board.

Phil Mickelson birdied Two, Four, and Six, eagled Seven, and birdied Ten. At one point, he stood at -5 and held a share of the lead with Clarke.  

Darren Clarke plays out of the rough on the 15th hole on the final day of the 140th British Open Golf championship. (Peter Muhly/AFP/Getty Images)

Phil missed a short putt on 11 which seemed to stall his momentum.  He drove the ball into the pot bunker on 12 and missed the green.  He missed the green from the middle of the fairway on 13, which resulted in his second bogey in three holes.

Now, it was Dustin Johnson’s turn to charge at Clarke. Johnson picked up two shots on 11 and 12 as he made birdie and Clarke made par.  He hit a gap wedge in close on 13 after Clarke missed the green and it looked like Johnson had a chance to really close the gap. He missed the putt, Clarke got up and down, and the lead was still two shots.  

Mickelson continued to falter, bogeying 15, 16, and hitting a ball halfway in to the grandstand on 18. Johnson hit his second shot out of bounds on 14 and, suddenly, Clarke was all alone with a comfortable three shot lead.     

Although Clarke was very steady throughout the week, there were a few lucky breaks that could have made Sunday afternoon a bit tougher if they hadn’t gone his way. On Nine, Clarke hit a ground ball out of the heavy rough that was headed for two treacherous bunkers that form a wall across the fairway. Clarke’s ball hit a hill and ramped over the bunkers, rolling all the way up to the center of the green and giving him a look at birdie. It was just one of many good breaks that gave viewers the idea that nobody was taking this away from Darren Clarke.  

Darren Clarke putts on the 18th green during the final round of The 140th Open Championship at Royal St George's. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

The good breaks go unrecognized unless you capitalize on them, and Clarke did. He was faced with a variety of different putts from inside ten feet and he buried one after another after another—all week long. Just as he was at The K Club in 2006, on Sunday at The Open he was unflappable.

As he walked up the 18th fairway and up to the green, the overpacked grandstands shouted one joyous comment after another. They laughed and cheered and Clarke catered to the crowd as if he was one of them. He had four putts to win The Open.

When he tapped in for the win and his first major championship victory, the golf world let out a collective sigh of relief. The right man won. The golf gods got it right.     
 
“I’m your normal ordinary guy; I want to share it with everyone. People like me and they’re very pleased,” Clarke said. “I’d like to thank my mom and dad, my family, the boys, and I think we all know there’s someone up there [pointing up] who is watching as well.”

Clarke’s win is the third major championship won by Northern Ireland golfers (Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell) in the last six tries, which is remarkable when you consider the population and size of the small country compared to other countries that are represented.  

“There may be lots of nice, Irish black stuff (Guinness) in this trophy tonight,” Clarke said after thanking the crowd for their support.  

Joe Fries is a Miami Beach-based golf pro and sports writer.

FAVORITE: After his performances at the U.S. Open and The Masters, Rory McIlroy has to be considered one of the favorites to win the British open golf tournament. (Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images)

The 140th British Open will begin Thursday morning at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, England. It will be the 14th time the Open Championship has been played at the English site.

The British Open is known for producing very exciting, unpredictable, back-yard style golf that allows for some of golf’s lesser-knowns to grind and scrape their way to being in contention down the stretch, if not hoisting the Claret Jug against all odds.

Recent History

Louis Oosthuizen won the 2010 British Open as a 200-1 long shot. (Michael Cohen/Getty Images)

In last year’s Open Championship at St. Andrews, Louis Oosthuizen won his first major championship. He was a 200-1 long shot to win before the players teed off on Thursday.

USA’s Ben Curtis won the Claret Jug the last time the Open Championship took place at the 2011 venue. When Curtis won at St. George’s in 2003, he was the 396th ranked player in the world and his odds to win were 300-1.

This week, anyone can win.

Many of the competitors in 2003 were disturbed by how firm the course played and how many seemingly good shots seemed to be taking strange bounces into trouble.

Along with the treacherous undulation on the greens, the mounding and the firmness of the fairways created a very unpredictable and uncontrollable result. Great shots ended up being stymied and the tournament turned into a putting contest.

Ben Curtis was the best putter that week and ended up being the beneficiary of late struggles by Thomas Bjorn who bogeyed three holes down the stretch to lose by 1.

The Favorites

Luke Donald putts during the final practice round of the British Open Championship. Donald might have momentum from his recent European Tour win. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

With the forecast being iffy and the course being a difficult links-style British Open golf course, the advantage would have to go to the local players.

England’s Luke Donald won last week’s European Tour event in questionable weather. If he can keep the ball in the short (-ish) grass this week, with his exceptional iron play, he might be the guy to beat.

Lee Westwood, Padraig Harrington (2007, 2008 Open Champ), Martin Kaymer, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey, and Graeme McDowell join Donald and Rory McIlroy as the cream of the European crop.

McIlroy, Northern Ireland’s latest U.S. Open champion, is the betting favorite. After blowing away the field at Congressional to win his first major earlier this year and nearly doing the same at The Masters, McIlroy has been the talk of golf for much of the 2011 season.

The absence of Tiger Woods has allowed the spotlight to roam elsewhere and McIlroy has captivated the audience. It will be interesting to see how the young star responds after kicking the golf world’s front door down just a month ago.

What About the Americans?

Steve Stricker's win at the John Deere Classic makes him an American favorite. (Franklin/Getty Images)

In Tiger’s absence, Phil Mickelson is the most decorated U.S. player in the field. His magical shotmaking skills and short game wizardry should be valuable assets at the British Open, but Lefty has only finished in the top 10 at the Open Championship one time out of 17 appearances.

Steve Stricker won his third straight John Deere Classic on the PGA Tour last week, making a long putt on the 72nd hole to win by one shot. Winning two professional golf events in a row isn’t the most likely scenario, but The Open Championship isn’t about likely scenarios.

Phil Mickelson's powerful drives will be at the mercy of the wind, as will be all shots by all players—except putts. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Bubba Watson, Nick Watney, and Matt Kuchar are a few American names that have had solid seasons and might find themselves in the thick of the action on Sunday.

Stewart Cink was the last American to win the Claret Jug. He accomplished that feat in 2009 by defeating 59-year-old Tom Watson in a playoff after Watson failed to par the 72nd hole in one of the more memorable Open Championships in recent history.

No matter who wins, The British Open is unique in the fact that it allows golf fans to see their favorite players play in golf’s worst conditions. It is a grind-it-out kind of battle to the finish line.

Just how windy are the conditions expected to be? Phil Mickelson, who averages nearly 300 yards off the tee, was trying to gauge the wind with his driver during a practice round earlier this week. The drive he hit downwind went 390 yards. The driver he hit into the wind went 210 yards.

Joe Fries is a Miami Beach-based golf pro and sports writer.

Tiger Woods hits a tee shot on the fifth hole during the first round of The Players Championship, May 12, 2011. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Tiger Woods announced on Tuesday, via his website, that he will not be playing in the 2011 British Open, which is set to tee off on July 14th at Royal St George’s Golf Club.

“Unfortunately, I've been advised that I should not play in the British Open. As I stated at the AT&T National, I am only going to come back when I'm 100 percent ready. I do not want to risk further injury," Woods said on his website.

“That's different for me, but I'm being smarter this time. I'm very disappointed and want to express my regrets to the British Open fans.”

This is the second major tournament that Tiger has missed this year due to his ailing left knee. The two-time British Open champion strained his left MCL knee ligament and left Achilles tendon back in April during the Masters. He tried to play at the Player’s Championship in May, but was forced to withdraw. He has not played since.

This may be a blessing in disguise. Tiger has not fared well at the British Open since winning back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006. He tied for 23rd last year after missing the cut in 2009.

Follow Kristen on Twitter @Call2theBullpen

RORY, NOT TIGER: Rory McIlroy hits a tee shot during the final round of the 111th U.S. Open. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

After blowing away the field at Congressional Country Club and winning his first major championship by eight shots, Rory McIlroy has gotten some very high praise over the last four days and it has been well deserved.

Immediately after the runaway victory at the U.S. Open, the name Rory McIlroy had gone from being a name thrown out in the back of the men’s locker room at your local club to a name discussed at the dinner table by casual sports fans around the world.

In the last 24 hours, however, another name has been included in the Rory McIlroy conversation—that name being Tiger Woods.

The comparisons carry little weight, if any at all at this point. It is incredible how fast modern-day sports fans are willing to forget the greats of the game and everything they accomplished.

Just a few weeks ago, after Lebron James and the Miami Heat disposed of the Chicago Bulls, Scottie Pippen made a remark about how Lebron James could possibly, eventually be the greatest player of all time (obviously comparing him to Michael Jordan) and quickly corrected his statement when he realized the remark was premature and a black mark on his credibility as an analyst.

Pippen’s comments sparked a debate that didn’t last much longer than Game 4 of the Finals, but it should have taught us a lesson. That lesson being: just relax.

I’m sure if you ask Lebron James and he gave an honest answer, he would say that Pippen’s remarks did nothing to help James’s future as a basketball player. Living up to THE Michael Jordan on the basketball court is nearly impossible, especially for a generation of players who idolized him growing up.

This leads us to the McIlroy and Woods comparison. The scenario is very similar. If you watched Rory’s post-round press conference yesterday, you would have noticed the immediate recognition of Tiger Woods. His eyes beamed when he told reporters “I was just trying to be like Tiger today.”

Apparently, someone in the room felt like McIlroy needed to expand on those comments and he certainly did. “With Tiger, no lead is big enough,” he said, and continued to echo Woodsisms for the rest of the interview saying things like, “I just wanted to keep the pressure on and put myself in position to win the golf tournament.”

Sounds like Tiger, no?

He went on to talk about Tiger in 2000. He talked about Tiger at Pebble and about Tiger at St. Andrews and knew every bit of history Woods was involved in.

Rory is a historian of the game and seems to be a Woods disciple. Most of this generation’s golfers will tell you the same thing. They (we) watched Tiger religiously. They imagined being Tiger and imagined beating Tiger and imagined fist pumping emphatically down the stretch, just as they’d seen him do so many times.

CLASS OF HIS OWN: Tiger Woods hits a shot during a practice round prior to the start of The Players Championship. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

McIlroy understands that Tiger won his first major at age 21 and by that time he was already well known all over the world. Woods’s junior golf career was as heralded as McIlroy’s professional career up to this point. The golf world fell in love with Woods as a teenager. He was the only young man to win multiple U.S. Junior Championships. He was the youngest player to ever win the U.S. Amateur (until Danny Lee broke the record in 2008) and only accomplished that feat three times in a row—which hasn’t been done, ever.

When Tiger turned pro, he was greeted with a $40 million dollar contact from Nike and $20 million from Titleist. His face was everywhere and the golf world had such high expectations for him to live up to.

How did he handle it? He has won 14 major championships, 15 WGC titles, and 71 PGA golf events—and he hasn’t really played golf in two years.

Compare that to one amazing week from McIlroy, who just won his first major at the tender age of 22.

Yeah, just slow down.

We almost witnessed the first of (hopefully) many epic battles between the two this year at Augusta. When Tiger was making his charge toward the lead on Sunday afternoon at The Masters, McIlroy was folding like a lawn chair after holding a 4-shot lead heading into the day. He had clearly felt the pressure that Woods had always found a way to overcome and couldn’t handle the heat of Sunday afternoon at Augusta National.

At Congressional though, nobody made a move, and the 22-year-old McIlroy strolled to victory. Would it have been different if Tiger were charging up the leaderboard as he did at The Masters? We’ll never know.

In an interview with CNN, McIlroy said, “Tiger’s praises give me goosebumps.”

Goosebumps? Really? The kid who is now being hailed as the “Celtic Tiger” and just shattered record after record at the U.S. Open is getting goosebumps from Tiger’s praises?

It didn’t work for David Duval. It didn’t work for Sergio Garcia. It hasn’t worked for any of the “next Tiger Woods” of the world.

I think we should just let him be the kind, friendly, boyish-looking, freckle-faced kid from Northern Ireland who just did his best impression of Tiger Woods by annihilating all opposition in one of golf’s greatest tests.

Just let him be Rory McIlroy and he’ll be fine with that.

Joe Fries is a golf pro and sportswriter in the Miami area.

FIRST MAJOR WIN: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland poses with the trophy after his eight-stroke victory the 111th U.S. Open golf tournament at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. (David Canon/Getty Images)

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy shot a final round 69 on Sunday to win golf’s 111th US Open at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. The 22-year-old McIlroy ran away from the field, winning by 8 shots, and breaking the all-time US Open scoring record (268) by four shots en route to winning his first-ever major golf championship.

McIlroy had an eight-shot lead heading into Sunday afternoon’s final round. He had already set a new 36-hole scoring record (-11, 131) and broke the 54 hole scoring record (-14, 199). Even though the lead was so large and records were falling by the wayside, there was still a slight bit of doubt whether the youngster could harness his nerves and close out a major victory.

In last year’s British Open, McIlroy tied the all-time record for lowest round in a major championship with an opening round 63. The next day he shot 80 and was never in contention again.

Just a few months ago at The Masters, McIlroy, again, was blistering the field. He had led after each of the first three rounds and it looked as though the golf world was ready to hand McIlroy his first green jacket and the first of many major championships to come.

McIlroy responded to the Sunday pressure at Augusta National by shooting a very humbling round of 80. In just a few hours, he had gone from holding a four-shot lead on Sunday at The Masters to not even finishing in the top 10. What seemed to be so effortless for three days all of a sudden crumbled for McIlroy, in just nine holes.

Questions began popping up concerning whether McIlroy could finish the job on Sunday to close out a major championship. This time, though, McIlroy was prepared.

He looked relaxed during the pre-round interview and seemed to be moving normally as he addressed his ball on the first tee. After he ripped his first drive down the middle, stuffed an iron in close, and buried his putt for birdie with perfect pace, it was relatively certain that this lead was safe.

He birdied two of his first four holes and never looked back. It was soon clear who the champion would be, but the drama was far from over. McIlroy was flirting with breaking Tiger Woods’s record for all-time low total in a major championship (-19).

McIlroy never threatened -19, but history was made all week by this adopted crowd favorite. Chants of “Rory, Rory” echoed around Congressional late in the afternoon as it was clear that the fans were pulling for the classy young man who had clearly benefited from the disappointments of his recent past.

As McIlroy marched toward the 18th green, his good friend and last year’s US Open champion Graeme McDowell was waiting in the gallery with McIlroy’s father to witness their home country’s second consecutive US Open championship.

After nearly holing an improbable putt on the 18th green, McIlroy tapped in, pumped his fist, and embraced his father while wishing him a happy Father’s Day.

“The whole week has been incredible,” said McIlroy. “I couldn’t ask for much more.”

Rory McIlroy’s golf talent has been no secret to golf experts and fans. His rise up the world rankings at such a young age has been noted and talked about for years now. Not only is his ability off the charts, but so is his makeup.

He has carried himself with class far beyond his years through good and bad times. His character is just as impressive as his talent—and his talent is some of the best talent the game of golf has ever seen.

Joe Fries is a Miami-based golf pro and sports writer.

MASTERING IT: Charl Schwartzel of South Africa won the prestigious 2011 Masters on Sunday at Augusta. (Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images )

It was a Sunday afternoon finish to remember at Augusta National Golf Club—as South Africa's Charl Schwartzel won the 75th version of The Masters.

Schwartzel shot a final round 66—making birdie on the final four holes to outlast a number of golfers en route to winning his first major championship. He is the third South African to win The Masters and now stands alongside fellow countrymen Trevor Immelman (2008) and three-time Masters champion Gary Player (1961, 1974, 1978).

Schwartzel wasn't on many people's radars when he showed up to the golf course Sunday morning. Much of the talk surrounded Northern Ireland's 21-year-old star, Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy seemed destined to win after posting three effortless rounds of 65–69–70. He held a four shot lead when he went to bed Saturday night and was so good in the first three rounds that many had penciled him in as the winner.

Those who have watched The Masters for years are familiar with the saying, "The Masters doesn't really begin until the back nine on Sunday," and that was as evident today as it has ever been before.

Ten players, representing six different continents, fought it out on the legendary back nine at Augusta National. There is little doubt that the roars on Sunday were echoing through the Georgia pines and being sent all over the planet.

McIlroy; England's Luke Donald; Argentina's Angel Cabrera; Australia's Jason Day, Geoff Ogilvy, and Adam Scott; USA's Bo Van Pelt and Tiger Woods; South Korea's K.J. Choi, and South Africa's Charl Schwartzel provided a suspense filled afternoon many golf fans won’t soon forget.

These 10 players were all within two shots of the lead for the majority of the day and seven of them held the lead at one point.

Tiger Woods got the patrons buzzing early as he blistered the front nine for 5-under par 31. Woods birdied 2, 3, 6, and 7. He followed that up with an eagle on the 8th hole that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Tiger was -10 at the turn, which was only one shot off the lead. He started his round seven shots back.

It seemed as though he was ready to do his version of Jack Nicklaus's comeback win in 1986, but his putter just wouldn't allow it to happen. Woods missed a short putt for eagle on 15 and his putt on 16 curled around the cup cruelly. Even with the near dramatics, Tiger held the lead at -10 as he headed into the clubhouse.

Just as quickly as Woods shot up the leaderboard, McIlroy fell.

Rory bogeyed the very first hole and never seemed to look comfortable with the pressure of leading on Sunday at The Masters. Even with the tough start, McIlroy was still in the lead when he made the turn.

At the par-4 10th though, McIlroy's dream week suddenly turned into a nightmare. When he walked off the green with a triple-bogey, seven, you could tell that it just wasn't his time—yet. He finished tied for 15th and shot a final round score of 80 (+8).

It was hard not to feel bad for the young man who has such a bright future.

He said of his round, "I'm very disappointed. I was leading this golf tournament with nine holes to go and I just unraveled. I hit a bad tee shot on 10 and never really recovered," said McIlroy. It's going to be hard to take for a few days but I’ll get over it."

If it seemed that the golf Gods were against McIlroy all day, then they must have been rooting for Charl Schwartzel.

He pulled away from the Aussies, Scott and Day, down the stretch as he birdied 15, 16, 17, and 18 to finish at—14—earning the right to wear the green jacket and forever be called The Masters Champion.

NICE SWING: Rory McIlroy on the 12th hole during the first round of the 2011 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 7, 2011. (David Cannon/Getty Images)

The first day of the 75th Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, was a beautiful and entertaining one in terms of the pleasant weather and low scores.

The 21-year-old Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland completed his par-smashing round of 65 earlier in the day, and the 28-year-old Spaniard Alvaro Quiros matched McIlroy’s 65 with a birdie at the 18th in the last group of the day.

“I feel like…I’ve practiced and prepared myself for this week…it’s just been working towards Augusta. And it’s paid off today and hopefully it can pay off for the next three,” said McIlroy.

The long-hitting Quiroz shot 10 strokes better than his best 18-hole score ever at Augusta in his previous two showings. “The key was the putter, there’s no doubt. I mean, I holed out, one-putt on 17…I holed many good putts, so obviously that was the best club,” said Quiroz.

Tied in second position are two Koreans, K.J. Choi and Y.E. Yang at 5-under. Americans Ricky Barnes and Matt Kuchar are tied in 5th position with 4-under 68s.

Phil “The Thrill” Mickelson, the winner of last week’s Shell Houston Open and with sparkling rounds of 63 and 65 for the weekend, is at 2-under 70, tied with nine other players in 14th position.

SPANIARD: Alvaro Quiros of Spain on the third hole of the first round of the Masters Tournament (Harry How/Getty Images)

Tiger Woods is at 1-under 71, 6 shots off the leaders but still in contention for the championship. Referring to his round, Woods said. “Well, I hit beautiful putts all day. I hit a couple bad ones but overall felt really good over the putts. Realistically the round probably should have been 68, 69.”

World-ranked No. 1 Martin Kaymer shot a 6-over 78 and is near the bottom end of the field in 93rd position, and must shoot a very good round on Friday in order to make the cut.

This is day one of a four-day tournament and as most watchers of the Masters know, the winner usually gets sorted out in the last nine holes on Sunday. So from now until then, many position changes can take place as the Augusta National course can both reward good shots and penalize errant ones and change a scorecard up or down in a hurry.

The young guns are doing well now and may continue to do so, but experience may surface to the top as the tournament progresses.

Golf’s "tradition unlike any other," as the first major and unofficial start to the golf season, has brought some of the sport’s most memorable moments, winners, stories, and pure bliss to fans all over the world.

If you haven’t gotten your sticks out and polished up, rubbed the cords out of the grips, loaded up the golf bag with tees, re-spiked the shoes, and gathered all the balls you’ve been putting and chipping under the couch, The Masters signifies that the time has come.

Half of the beauty of watching The Masters is the aesthetic perfection combined with the visual and audio serenity. The birds chirp and echo through the tall Georgia pines like one of those relaxing noise machines.

The grass is green, finally. The sand is white and the combination of colors, undulation, history, and intense competition make Augusta and it’s tradition unmatched in golf lore.

We remember chapters with Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus winning at 46 years old, Ben Crenshaw winning his second jacket the week his mentor Harvey Penick died, and Nick Faldo capitalizing on Greg Norman’s cruel streak of bad luck to win his third green jacket.

The 2011 Chapter

LOVABLE LEFTY: Phil Mickelson is one of the favored veterans to win this year's first major of the year. (Michael Cohen/Getty Images)

Coming into last weekend at The Shell Houston Open, it was fairly uncertain who the favorite would be. Now that three time Masters champion Phil Mickelson spent the weekend shredding the field with a 63–65 sharpshooting exhibition, it would be hard to look in a different direction.

The lovable lefty said of Augusta, "When I drive through the gates, I have this feeling of confidence, that I know how to play the golf course, that I don't have to play it perfectly and that the strength of my game, which is the short game, can often save or salvage rounds and pars for me and keep me in contention."

That other direction of golfers obviously would have four time Masters champ Tiger Woods in the conversation—even though Tiger hasn’t been much more than a shadow of his former self since 2009.

Hopefully, for him, he’s been out practicing real golf and not just playing his very popular new video game that finally offers Augusta National as a course you can play.

Tiger said, “Over the years, I’ve won there a few times, but the majority of my finishes have been pretty high. The course fits my game. I see the shot and I understand where I need to miss the golf ball and I feel very comfortable there.”

Obviously Woods knows the grounds at Augusta as well as anyone, but he put up his most dominant performances before the course was “Tiger-proofed” and lengthened.

Knowing the course is one thing, but the margin for error at Augusta is so precise that the golfer who wins must be as consistent and sharp as possible. Tiger has been far from that. He’s struggled with his short game and doesn’t seem to have any magic navigating any golf course from inside 100 yards. Augusta will eat a golfer alive if he’s erratic with his short game.

We’ve seen Tiger chunking pitch shots, which we rarely ever saw before. He’s popping up drives, missing short putts that he never used to miss, and looking like a lost soul at times in the same arena he was untouchable in for so long.

That being said, still, I’m not ready to count him out, ever, and especially at Augusta.

What About the Other Guys?

CONTENDER: Lee Westwood is another favored pro to win this year's Masters tournament. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Lee Westwood is a fine selection. He briefly held the No. 1 ranking in the world earlier this season. He has been doing everything he can to win his first major championship and has been so close at The Masters seemingly every year.

Last year he held the lead heading into the final round but was passed by a lefty on a mission. Even though he played four rounds under par, it just wasn’t enough. It really is only a matter of time for Westwood and this could be his time.

What about the current No. 1 ranked player Martin Kaymer? He’d be only the second German to ever win a green jacket (Bernhard Langer has won twice), but Kaymer’s track record at Augusta is brutal. He hasn’t made a cut in three tries.

How about Graeme McDowell? His track record is even worse.

Other recent champions Angel Cabrera (2009), Trevor Immelman (2008), and Zach Johnson (2007) really haven’t taken off as they’ve hoped after winning unlikely green jackets, and none of them have played especially well recently.

The 2011 Masters Champion just might come from the newer, younger breed of A-talent that has taken hold of the tour. Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler are always interesting selections because of their length and overall freakish skill when hitting a golf ball.

This will be Fowler’s first Masters and you would expect him to show some nerves and confusion but he held up pretty well in his first Ryder Cup and hasn’t been rattled very often. He looks like he belongs out there and certainly has a few major championship trophies in his future.

Dustin Johnson was so close to winning his first major last year at Whistling Straits until his lost it on the 72nd hole and he grounded his club in a waste bunker. He was penalized and missed being in the playoff by one shot.

Other young guys like Bubba Watson, Nick Watney, and Rory McIlroy all have the game to do it, but are they ready to make that push to the top? We will see.

Regardless of who wins, Augusta National always wins, and The Masters will continue to be the finest tournament in golf.

Joe Fries is a sports writer and PGA golf pro living in Miami Beach, Fla.

WINS IT ALL: Luke Donald celebrates with The Walter Hagen Cup trophy after winning on the 16th hole during the final round of the Accenture Match Play Championship. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

England’s Luke Donald defeated the new world’s No. 1-ranked player Martin Kaymer (GER) 3 and 2 to win the WGC-Accenture World Match Play Championship on Sunday, the first title he has won on American soil in five years. The victory vaults Donald up to No. 3 in the World Golf Rankings.

Donald’s win was the second WGC Match Play win by England; Ian Poulter beat fellow countryman Paul Casey to win last year’s event.

Golf’s ‘March Madness’

The WGC-Accenture World Match Play event has become the PGA Tour’s version of NCAA basketball’s “March Madness.” Invitations go out to the top 64 players in the world. They are separated into four brackets and are seeded 1-16, similar to the NCAA tournament. Die hard golf fans fill out their brackets and most of us find that this tournament is as unpredictable as March Madness.

The format is unique in that it offers head-to-head match play—a format common in major amateur golf events but not on the professional circuit. The World Match Play event is the only match play event on the current PGA Tour schedule. This format is featured in all its glory at the biennial Ryder Cup and President’s Cup tournaments. Team golf and match play go hand in hand.

In match play golf, the two golfers are playing against each other. In stroke play golf, they are playing against the golf course.

In match play golfers are much more apt to attempt risky shots where they might play it safe if counting strokes. Match play provides an arena for the best players in the world to showcase their skills without worrying about the double bogey—or worse—that would inevitably ruin their chances in a stroke-play event. This usually leads to some very unpredictable and exciting golf and this year’s event did not disappoint.

Highlights

Tiger Woods looks on from the 17th hole during the first round of the Accenture Match Play Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club on Feb. 23, 2011 in Marana, Arizona. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that Woods’s agent Mark Steinberg said he wouldl not play in the upcoming match, citing the golfer has a prior commitment to attend to.

Woods, the world No. 3, exited during the first round of the WGC Match Play in Arizona and looked as well as sounded defeated.

"[It was] disappointing, very disappointing," Woods said, according to ESPN. "I had all the momentum going down 18 and just gave it away."

Thomas Bjorn of Denmark, who said the game of golf needs Woods back at his best, won the Arizona match.

“And I've always been a great friend of his, and we've always had a good relationship,” Bjorn said, according to ESPN. “And I want to see him back at his best because I think it's much more fun to go up against him when he's absolutely at his peak.”

Woods said after the match that “probably now is not the right time to ask me," according to the Sun-Sentinel.

Points won for the first time in his career, closing with a 5-under par 67, according to PGA’s website.

“Pebble Beach may be the most iconic place in America to play golf, and to win here, it’s just a dream come true," Points said, according to The Associated Press.

Murray, who played Carl Spackler in the iconic golf comedy Caddyshack, won another pro-am tournament in the past during the Champions Tour.

“I'm thinking of turning pro,” Murray joked, according to AP. “I probably won't. It's really nice to play with a gentleman."

The actor praised his professional golf partner on his game and his courteousness.

Points "really won the tournament. All I did was sort of contribute when he kind of didn't have a great hole," Murray said. "He's a good person. He's from Illinois. He's Lincoln-esque in stature and unfailingly polite."

Tiger Woods plays a shot during the last round of the Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament in the Gulf emirate on February 13, 2011. Spain's Alvaro Quiros won the Dubai Desert Classic. (Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Image)

Woods had a chance to take the lead, starting off Sunday one stroke away from the lead. However, at the end of the day, he tied for 20th.

Woods hasn’t won a tournament in 15 months. He captured the Dubai tournament in 2006 and 2008.

"Yeah, very frustrating," Woods said, according to PGA.com. "I got off to such a poor start, I was two over through three early and just couldn't make it up from there."

Woods, a 35-year-old American, ended with a 3-over 74, leaving him 4 under for the whole tournament.

Alvaro Quiros of Spain won the tournament. Woods was seven shots behind him.

"I feel like I can still win golf tournaments," Woods said, according to PGA. "I'm not that old. I've still got some years ahead of me."

Tiger Woods during the first round the Omega Dubai Desert Classic on the Majlis course at the Emirates Golf Club on February 10, 2011 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—It should have been finished 18 months ago: a verdant 580-acre golf resort with villas and mansions selling for up to $16 million.

But four years into construction and only eight holes dug into the 72-hole course, the Tiger Woods Dubai has finally been laid to rest by its developer.

In a statement earlier this month, Dubai Properties Group said that the $1.1 billion project, which its subsidiary Tatweer had been working on with former world No. 1 golfer Tiger Woods, had been postponed indefinitely.

“This decision was based on current market conditions that do not support high-end luxury real estate,” the company said in a statement. “A decision will be made in the future when to restart the project.”

The project, conceived before Dubai’s property market tumbled so dramatically in 2008, was ambitious. Located in a relatively underdeveloped area of the city, the project would involve transforming an arid desert with little infrastructure into a 55 million square foot oasis.

Aside from the course itself, initial plans included a 60,000-square-foot clubhouse, a golf academy, a Michelin-starred restaurant, a boutique hotel, and 287 luxury residences.
In addition, there would be 11,000 imported trees, 777 million cubic feet of earth moved, and 4 million gallons of water used every day.

Woods largely dodged the issue at a press conference on Wednesday at the beginning of the Dubai Desert Classic. However, he said he would use the opportunity presented by his visit to find out what will become of the project that bears his name.

“A lot of it depends on what Dubai Properties wants to do going forward,” he told reporters. “We have a few meetings set up this week.”

In June last year, Woods said that a lot would depend on whether the economy in Dubai turned around, adding that it was “out of my hands.”

In a report Thursday Dubai-based magazine Arabian Business suggested that Woods had received $26.2 million from Tatweer in 2006 when the original contract was signed.

GOLF DRAMA: Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, and Jim 'Bones' Mackay have a laugh on the 18th tee during Round 3 last Saturday. (Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

The 2011 Farmers Insurance Open seemed to be the unofficial beginning of the 2011 PGA Tour season. The Tour’s two biggest draws, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, made their 2011 debuts and headlined a field loaded with talent. The venue, Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif., always provides incredible views, one of the best tests in golf, and, more often than not, thrilling golf.

It was a perfect time and place for Mickelson and Woods to make their much anticipated returns.

Woods has won eight times at Torrey Pines, including the memorable 2008 U.S. Open when he fought through torn knee ligaments to defeat Rocco Mediate in a Monday playoff. Tiger has been winning golf tournaments at Torrey Pines since he won the 1991 Junior World Championships. He won the Buick Invitational on this course four straight years beginning in 2005.

Mickelson has won three times at Torrey Pines and said he’s been coming to the venue for at least 25 years, having grown up nearby and playing at the public course as a young boy.

Both Mickelson and Woods got off to respectable starts in Thursday’s opening round. Tiger put together a solid, bogey-free 3-under par 69. Mickelson posted a very impressive 32 on the back nine of the difficult South course at Torrey Pines to finish with a 5-under par 67. Both seemed rusty at times but showed flashes of what we know they are capable of.

The story for Mickelson wasn’t the blistering back nine—it was the presence of his wife Amy, who followed along for the duration of the round. It was the first time she had done so since being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009.

Not only did Amy follow Thursday, she did so again on Friday, and there seemed to be a renewed energy in Phil, who followed up his 67 on Thursday with a 3-under 69 on Friday. The Mickelsons tried to downplay the importance of Amy’s return but the difference in Phil was undeniable. He couldn’t help himself after Friday’s round.

“It’s been a lot of fun having Amy out here this week,” he said. “She just looks terrific and after a year and a half, we’re in such a better place, and it’s been a lot of fun having her out here.”

Tiger got off to a fantastic start of Friday, birdying four of the first six holes and making the turn without a bogey again. After 27 holes, Tiger was 7-under par and nearing the top of the leaderboard. It seemed as though the Tiger of old was just around the corner, ready to pounce on the younger prey.

He proceeded to bogey 11, 14, and 15 before birdying two of the last three holes to finish again with 3-under par 69.

It didn’t get any easier for Tiger over the weekend. He failed to break par in either of the weekend rounds, shooting 74–75. The rust was visible for Woods and the consistency just wasn’t there yet.

He has struggled at times around the greens. It seemed as though when one part of his game is clicking, the other parts aren’t, which should change as he gets more comfortable with new swing coach Sean Foley and the golf swing they have settled on.

THE TIME IS NOW: The PGA Tour expects another big year from Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell. (Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

The PGA Tour’s 2011 season is underway, believe it or not, after the annual Hawaiian swing took place over the last two weekends.

The start of the PGA’s season usually comes at a time and venue that isn’t very suitable for audiences to take in. Many have argued that the opening weekend should be the weekend before the Super Bowl, when very little is happening. Not to mention, the Tour’s two biggest stars (Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson) rarely make the trip.

If you were able to catch any of the primetime golf action on The Golf Channel or have spent any time on PGATOUR.com, you would have noticed that the PGA Tour has gone forward with an advertising campaign for the FedEx Cup, promoting the younger players on the PGA Tour this season by saying, “There comes a time when every generation must rise up.”

Old Versus New

The new rivalry of sorts features PGA Tour veterans such as Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Steve Stricker, Vijay Singh, Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson, and Phil Mickelson going up against the many younger stars who already made noise last season and seasons prior.

The veterans are represented as the “the establishment” and the youngsters being known as the “new breed.” The “new breed” features names like Ricky Fowler, Hunter Mahan, Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Sean O’Hair, Zach Johnson, Australian Jason Day, Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy, and Colombia’s Camilo Villegas. The commercial also states, “The time is now!”

Actually, the time was last season for McDowell. He won the U.S. Open at historic Pebble Beach in June. It was the first time an Irishman had ever won the U.S. Open and the first time a European has won the tournament since 1970.

McDowell also came from behind to catch Tiger Woods and defeat him at the Chevron World Challenge in December. The win capped off McDowell’s greatest season as a professional and ended up being the greatest comeback by any golfer against Woods. If the PGA Tour expects McDowell to “rise up,” this season any more than he did last season, he may have to defy gravity.

Dustin Johnson made headlines at last year’s PGA Championship. After winning back-to-back Pebble Beach National Pro Ams in 2009 and 2010, Johnson was on everyone’s radar with his booming drives and calm demeanor.

On the 18th hole last year at Whistling Straits, he had a one-shot lead and played his second shot from a waste bunker after grounding his club. He finished the hole with a bogey and was preparing for a three-man playoff when he was notified that he had been penalized and ended up finishing fifth.

On PGATOUR.com they have also matched up one of “the establishment” against one of “the new breed” in each tournament to see where each group stands. The score is 1–1 at the moment after Jason Day beat Ernie Els at Kapalua and Steve Stricker beat Dustin Johnson in the Sony Open.

Bubba Watson will take on Stewart Cink in next week’s Bob Hope Classic.

We will find out if and when “the time is now” for most of these “new breed” players and it may still be now for some of “the establishment.” It is clear that the PGA Tour feels like “the time is now” to start promoting the other guys.

Joe Fries is a golf pro based in Miami Beach, Fla.

Graeme McDowell, current U.S. Open champion, adds the 2010 Chevron World Challenge to his list of tournament wins. (Dan Sanchez/The Epoch Times)

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.—Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland sank a 20-foot putt to birdie the first playoff hole and win the Chevron World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club. Tiger Woods had a chance to match McDowell’s birdie and prolong the playoff but just missed his putt of about 10 feet.

The magic of draining tournament winning putts seemed to have left Woods when he needed it most. But McDowell showed the same grit he needed to win the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and dropped his 20-footer in the center of the cup.

Tiger Woods hitting his shot to the ninth green on Sunday. He parred the hole and finished the first nine holes at even par 36. (Dan Sanchez/The Epoch Times)

Tiger Woods had a four-stroke lead starting the final day of his charity tournament that helps fund the Tiger Woods Foundation and appeared to be in position to garner his only win of 2010. But he did not bring his “A” game on Sunday and lost a stroke to par with a 73, five strokes more than his round of 68 on Saturday.

And true to the tournament’s history where there has never been a wire-to-wire winner at the Chevron World Challenge, the thee-day front runner Woods failed to win.

Both Woods and McDowell birdied the 18th hole to force the first playoff in tournament history. They both finished at 16-under 272. McDowell played a better 18 holes and finished with a 69 to Woods’s 72. McDowell was the only player in the field with all four rounds in the 60s.

Graeme McDowell hits his approach shot to the ninth green on Sunday. He parred the hole and finished the first nine holes at 3-under par, gaining 3 strokes on Tiger Woods, his playing partner. (Dan Sanchez/The Epoch Times)

“To play the weekend alongside Tiger, you know, it's a pretty special feeling to go out there four back and do the job. He was a little cold on the greens today, and I got off to a good start and gave myself the opportunities,” said McDowell.

“It was a great week, even though I didn’t win,” Woods said. “I’m proud of the way I played today even though I lost. We had a good battle out there.”

Paul Casey finished third with a 69 at 12-under 276, and Rory McIlroy was fourth at 11-under 277 after coming back strong with a 68. Hunter Mahan finished fifth with a closing 69 and 278 total.

The 2010 Chevron World Challenge has a total purse of $5.0 million with $1.2 million going to the winner McDowell.

ENNISKILLEN, Ireland—Sir Nick Faldo was ranked No. 1 in world golf for 98 weeks. He holds the all-time record for 11 Ryder Cup appearances, won the Open Championship in 1987, 1990, and 1992, and the Masters in 1989, 1990, and 1996. [Article continues following photo gallery]

What more can a legend do in his own time—a rhetorical question since he’s topped everything he’s already done by recently creating a spectacular course on the banks of Lough Erne in Northern Ireland.

The 18-hole course is part of a $30 million development on the rolling hills and banks of an area steeped in history and legend. Mists roll in to mask the morning sun, and afternoon light sparkles on the water. Other legendary golf courses lie within a short drive of Lough Erne. Royal Portrush is very near. Lough Erne is the newest, and most brilliant jewel in golf’s crown.

Jonathan Stapleton is general manager of the overall complex that consists of a main lodge, guest villas, country club, the Nick Faldo Golf Academy, golf village, and new golf course with logwood framed halfway house on a hill. The halfway house offers spectacular views down to the water. “I’m the least important person here,” Stapleton says modestly. His team has created every amenity for golfer and non-golfing guest.

“Those turrets are privately owned. They are managed by the resort. Owners can stay in them three weeks a year. Here in the golf village, while owners can rent them out, they are occupied every weekend,” Lynn McCool, PGA pro, director of golf, and head pro at Lough Erne said.

Investment in the few remaining houses on Lough Erne property may yet be the best bargain anywhere in golf. Many units pre-sold when the economy boomed. As it slacked everywhere in the world, prices have come down and memberships, included in Lough Erne golf facilities, are to be envied everywhere else especially for this world-class course, a short drive to Belfast.

McCool, a native of Strabane, County Tyrone, attended the University of Hawaii where she ranked No. 1 on the golf team. After graduation she returned to Ireland, decided to turn pro and played on the sponsored Ladies European Tour. “We had 22 events in 1994, only 12 in 1995. There was lack of sponsorship. I came home and completed four years of study to become a PGA pro. I qualified and worked for Hilton as teaching pro until I was promoted to director of Golf. We hosted the 2006 Ryder Cup at the K Club in Kildare when I was head pro.”

If that is not endorsement enough, Lynn added, “Eighteen superb golf holes on magnificent landscape. It is very unique, the water and land, the hotel is to a standard that excels all expectation. It is the highest level I’ve seen in Ireland.

“Very consistent in delivery of services. The owners did an excellent job in incorporating the local area into actual building. It’s good for me when I bring groups in. A good hotel team goes with a good golf team.”

It was not brag. The course and buildings are set between two loughs. One is entirely owned by the resort. Lough Erne is reminiscent of romantic legend of which Ireland is renowned. It wouldn’t do to lose your ball in the rough, for it will require quite a search to find it again. Sand traps seem to have grown into the hills themselves. Holes are surrounded by water, between valleys.

Beatriz Recari of Spain poses with the champion's trophy and the Rolex first-time winner's award following her victory at the CVS/Pharmacy LPGA Challenge at Blackhawk Country Club on October 17, 2010 in Danville, California. (Darren Carroll/Getty Images)

Beatriz Recari of Spain claimed her first US LPGA title on Sunday at the Blackhawk Country Club in Danville, California.

The 23-year-old was in her rookie season on the US tour and carded 70 in the final round, 2-under par. Overall, she had a 14-under par total of 274.

"I'm thrilled," Recari told AFP. "I'm very proud of how I handled myself out there. I did not allow the nerves or [look] any further than what I had to do right in front of me."

Gwladys Nocera of France shot just one behind Recari and finished in second place.

Recari was born and raise in Pamplona, Spain, the city that hosts the running of the bulls every year and learned the game from her dad Jose Luis.

WINNING TEAM: (L-R) European Team members Padraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy pose with the Ryder Cup following Europe's 14.5 to 13.5 victory over the USA at the 2010 Ryder Cup. (David Cannon/Getty Image)

U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell made a show-stopping putt in the closing match against Hunter Mahan to give Europe a spectacular 14.5–13.5 victory in the 38th Ryder Cup. It was an electrifying day when a motivated Team USA rallied in singles matches on Monday to possibly pull off a Ryder Cup upset with a huge come-from-behind victory.

Team USA was 3 points down (9 ½–6 ½) going into Monday’s 12 singles matches and fought back courageously by winning 6 and halving 2 matches. Europe won 4 of the singles matches.

Graeme McDowell became the hero for the European team. In legendary style, he won the winning point to get the Europeans to 14 ½ points, the exact amount needed to win back the cup. Hunter Mahan was both tearful and speechless at the press conference after the tournament. If Mahan could have rallied to at least halve the match with McDowell, the U.S. would have retained the cup. That is how close the contest became in the last singles match.  

Mahan was 3 down after 11 holes, but he fought back and was just 1 down after sinking birdies on holes 12 and 15. The momentum then seemed to be on the American side until McDowell drained a long birdie putt on 16 to get a 2-up lead. Mahan still had a fighting chance for a half-point by winning the last two holes but on the par-3 17th, he hit short of the green, and followed it up with a poor chip and missed putt for par that would have put pressure on McDowell. After his miss, Mahan conceded the match to McDowell, and thus the Ryder Cup to Europe.

European Captain Colin Montgomery received kudos for his effective leadership and for putting McDowell in the final singles match that confirmed McDowell as one of the toughest championship players in the world. He had showed his ability to close the deal by not only winning the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, but also the Wales Open just prior to his U.S. Open victory.

"Graeme McDowell was put there for a good reason; he's full of confidence, and that showed. That birdie on 16 was just quite unbelievable, quite unbelievable," said European captain Colin Montgomery.

Commenting on Montgomery’s captaincy, McDowell said, “He's been amazing. For the last two years he's been right up for this, there's nothing quite like Colin Montgomery. He's everything there is in The Ryder Cup and to be able to do that for him today was really special.”

If Captain Corey Pavin had put Tiger Woods in the closing match instead of Hunter Mahan, the U.S. may have retained the Ryder Cup. Of course, Pavin had no way of knowing that Woods would be on top of his game as he demolished his competent opponent, Francesco Molinari, 4 and 3, with 7 birdies and an eagle in just 15 holes.

Europe has won 6 of the last 8 Ryder Cups and now dominates this biennial championship the way the U.S. did in the years prior to the 1980s. Ever since the European side was expanded in 1979 from just the two countries of England and Ireland, to include continental Europe, the U.S. lost its dominance of this team championship.

The next Ryder Cup takes place in 2012 at Medinah, outside Chicago, Sept. 28-30.

Session 4 Results

Singles

Steve Stricker, USA, def. Lee Westwood, Europe, 2 and 1
Stewart Cink, USA, halved with Rory McIlroy, Europe
Luke Donald, Europe, def. Jim Furyk, USA, 1-up
Dustin Johnson, USA, def. Martin Kaymer, Europe, 5 and 4
Ian Poulter, Europe, def. Matt Kuchar, USA, 5 and 4
Jeff Overton, USA, def. Ross Fisher, Europe, 3 and 2
Miguel Angel Jimenez, Europe, def. Bubba Watson, USA, 4 and 3
Tiger Woods, USA, def. Francesco Molinari, Europe, 4 and 3
Rickie Fowler, USA, halved with Eduardo Molinari, Europe
Phil Mickelson, USA, def. Peter Hanson, Europe, 4 and 2
Zach Johnson, USA, def. Padraig Harrington, Europe, 3 and 2
Graeme McDowell, Europe, def. Hunter Mahan, USA, 3 and 1

Europeans Francesco Molinari and Edoardo Molinari (R) celebrate during the Fourball & Foursome Matches at the Ryder Cup. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images )

Ryder Cup organizers were hoping and planning for a Sunday finish but the rainy weather said differently as the final day’s 12 singles matches were postponed until Monday. This is the first Monday finish ever in the long history of the Ryder Cup.

From Team USA’s perspective, it was probably a welcome relief as Team Europe gave them a Sunday shellacking they will not soon forget. The Americans hope to turn the tide against the Europeans when play resumes in the morning.

Momentum, a key factor in these team competitions was heavily on the side of the Europeans on Sunday. A day before it was on the side of the Americans as they led 6 to 4. On Sunday, the Europeans won five of the matches and halved another for 5.5 points out of a possible 6 points, for a Sunday accumulated score of 9.5 to 6.5 heading into the singles matches on Monday.

European Captain Colin Montgomery said, “In my time, 20 years in the Ryder Cup, this is one of the greatest days for European golf we’ve ever had.”

A big reason for the momentum swing back to the Europeans was the trouncing of world No. 1 Tiger Woods and his partner Steve Stricker in the first match on Sunday by the English duo of Lee Westwood and Luke Donald. The score was an embarrassing 6 and 5, or 6 holes won with 5 to play, one of Tiger Woods’s worst defeats in Ryder Cup history. This drubbing was unexpected as the Woods/Stricker pairing was undefeated in their two Saturday matches.

When asked if Team USA could come from behind as it has done in the past, Woods said, “Absolutely, we have done it before and no reason why we can't do it again.”

Team USA needs 14 points to retain the cup they won in 2008 in Valhalla, Kentucky. The Europeans need 14.5 points to win back the cup from the Americans. All Team Euro needs to do is win 5 of the 12 singles matches or 5 points from any combination of won or halved matches to win the cup.

U.S. captain Corey Pavin’s squad needs to win 7.5 more points to retain the cup. Not impossible, but certainly a tough task for the Americans considering the loud, biased fans, performing as Europe’s 13th player.

The first singles match for Monday morning pits Steve Stricker against Lee Westwood, with each side hoping its leadoff player can get a win and start the momentum rolling for their side.

Monday’s Singles Pairings – USA vs. Europe
Steve Stricker vs. Lee Westwood
Stewart Cink vs. Rory McIlroy
Jim Furyk vs. Luke Donald
Dustin Johnson vs. Martin Kaymer
Matt Kuchar vs. Ian Poulter
Jeff Overton vs. Ross Fisher
Bubba Watson vs. Miguel Angel Jimenez
Tiger Woods vs. Francesco Molinari
Rickie Fowler vs. Edoardo Molinari
Phil Mickelson vs. Peter Hanson
Zach Johnson vs. Padraig Harrington
Hunter Mahan vs. Graeme McDowell

U.S. team leaders Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods prepare for a repeat of 2008's win. (David Cannon/Getty Images)

The 38th running of golf’s most prestigious team event, the Ryder Cup, will take place over three days beginning Friday, Oct. 1, in Newport, Wales, at the Twenty Ten Course of the Celtic (pronounced Keltic) Manor Resort.

When the United States team won the previous Ryder Cup in 2008 in Valhalla, Ky., it was the first time in nine years they were able to win it. The Ryder Cup had been a story of European domination prior to 2008.

But perhaps something changed for the good under captain Paul Azinger’s leadership in 2008 that allowed the United States to overcome their underdog status by becoming more of a cohesive team like the Europeans have demonstrated for so many years. As a result of their demonstrative joie de vivre and improved team play, the Yanks won the ultimate team bragging rights in golf. And they did this without Tiger Woods, who was nursing a broken leg.

Question is, can they overcome the odds and win for the second time in a row in a foreign land where tradition and the hungry fans are demanding retribution and the return of the Ryder Cup to Europe?

Incredibly, Team USA has not won on foreign soil since 1993. In the last three Ryder Cup events hosted by Europe, the U.S. teams have lost. So the Yanks are hoping to reverse a long losing trend on foreign soil, but the Europeans are doing all they can to make sure it does not happen.

Tiger Woods

Woods is still the No. 1 ranked player in the world followed by countryman Phil Mickelson at No. 2 and Lee Westwood of England at No. 3.

Leading up to this Ryder Cup, Woods and Mickelson have looked anything but like the top two players in the world. Woods has not won a tournament in 2010, and Mickelson has been playing at a less than stellar level in the last few months after his 2010 Masters win and after being diagnosed with an autoimmune condition.

On the European side, Lee Westwood has been recovering from a calf injury for over a month but says he is now 100 percent healthy for the competition. But the rugged terrain of Celtic Manor will surely test the condition of his leg.

With a week of rest by not playing in the Tour Championship, and with a new swing coach in Sean Foley, Tiger gave indications that he may be ready for a rebound from his doldrums, recent divorce, and difficult personal life.

Although he did not make the team by accumulating enough Ryder Cup points based on his performance, captain Corey Pavin decided to give him one of his four captain’s picks due to his overall record of 71 regular tournament wins and 14 majors wins.

When asked how important a Team USA win would be for him personally, Woods said: “It would be great to get a win. I’m looking forward to getting out there and contributing, hopefully get some points and hopefully we can get this thing done.”

Events
Friday and Saturday: 4 four-ball matches (morning), 4 foursomes matches (afternoon)

Sunday: 12 singles matches

Tiger Woods watches his shot from the fairway on the third hole during the final round of The Barclays on Aug. 29 in Paramus, New Jersey. (Hunter Martin/Getty Images)

Tiger Woods kept up his ranking as the number one ranked golfer in the world after he finished well at the Barclays tournament on Sunday.

Woods shot a seven-under 67 in the final round, which pushed him to 12th place.

However, his main rival and the world’s number two golfer Phil Mickelson wasn’t able to get it done at the Barclays tournament in New Jersey. A double-bogey on the last hole in the second round pushed him four shots over, seeing him eliminated before the last two rounds of the tournament.

However, Mickelson played well enough down the stretch to clinch a spot at next weeks’ second FedExCup series event.

During the Barclays Matt Kuchar shot five-under 66 and move to the number one overall spot in the FedExCup series.

The Barclays tournament is the first of four season-ending playoff tournaments in the FedExCup series.

Among all of his nine tournaments this year, Woods has failed to produce a win, putting his status as the number one ranked golfer in the world in jeopardy.

"If I had just putted well for all four days, I'm right there. I drove it pretty much on a string all week and really controlled my irons," he told Reuters.

This year’s winner will also take home $10 million.

Martin Kaymer of Germany with the Wanamaker Trophy after defeating Bubba Watson during a playoff at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Martin Kaymer is the PGA Champion of 2010 after a hard-fought four rounds of golf and three-hole playoff with Bubba Watson. Kaymer shot a 2-under 70 on Sunday for an 11-under par 277 total that tied Bubba Watson who completed his round earlier.

“I was very nervous in the last three to four holes but in the playoff I was very calm and confident. It was just amazing, just great. I just won my first major and I have just been on tour for four years and I have goose bumps just talking about it,” said Kaymer.

Kaymer already made two top tens in majors this year and has won five times on the European tour.

Kaymer is only the second German in history, after Bernhard Langer, to win a major championship as the 25-year-old won the 92nd PGA on Sunday at Whistling Straits, in Kohler, Wisconsin. But the victory was clouded by a rules violation by Dustin Johnson that was considered at one point to be a marginal violation that was not that clear. The violation, however, was later clarified by rules officials and Johnson accepted the ruling.

Johnson was the leader at 12-under after he birdied the 17th hole but a costly error on 18 cost him a playoff opportunity when he was unaware of a local rule on sand traps. Johnson grounded his club on sand that he did not think was part of a sand trap but was penalized two strokes for breach of rules that specified such areas to be treated as regular sand traps where grounding of clubs are prohibited.

The two-stroke penalty plus Johnson’s 1-over bogey at 18 left him at 9-under and tied for fifth with Steve Elkington.

“Yeah, I just thought I was on a piece of dirt that the crowd had trampled down. I never thought I was in a sand trap. It never once crossed my mind that I was in a bunker. Obviously I know the Rules of Golf, and I can't ground my club in a bunker, but that was just one situation I guess. Maybe I should have looked to the rule sheet a little harder,” said Johnson.

At the start of the final round on Sunday, Nick Watney had a three-stroke lead over the field at 13-under. By the turn at the end of nine holes he had quickly squandered the lead and was five strokes behind the new leader Martin Kaymer who was at 11-under.

Bubba Watson closed at 11-under 68 and waited in the clubhouse for the last two pairings to finish. Coming in to the finish, Martin Kaymer made a par putt on 17 and remained at 11-under. At the time, Rory McIlroy, Zach Johnson, and Steve Elkington were tied in 2nd position at 10-under.

Martin Kaymer on the 18th hit his 15-foot putt solidly into the middle of the hole for a two-way tie with Bubba Watson at 11-under. McIlroy hit his approach to 18 within 15 feet for a possible birdie and tie at 11-under. But he missed it on the low side and finished at 10-under and 72 for the day—a good run for the 21 year old.

Playoff

With Dustin Johnson eliminated from the playoff by the rules infraction, Kaymer and Watson then proceeded to the 10th hole for the start of the playoff. Watson birdied the 10th and Kaymer came away with a par. On the second playoff hole on 17, Kaymer drained a 15-foot birdie putt to even the score heading to 18.

Both drove to the right of the fairway on 18. Watson chunked his shot into the creek short of the green. Kaymer chipped it out about 50 yards and had a 170-yard shot to the pin with a 7-iron and stuck it to 15 feet short of the flag. Watson overshot the green and his 5th shot out of the sand trap hit the pin that would have created a tie if it had gone in.

Watson dropped his putt for a double-bogey 6. Kaymer then putted for a bogey 5 and the championship.

World No. 1 Tiger Woods performed well the first two days shooting 71 and 70 for a 3-under score at the halfway point, but his last two days of 72 and 73 at 1-over showed he has not yet achieved control of his game. He ended up at 2-under 286 for the four days.

PGA Championship -- FINAL

              Player                                  Score            Earnings

1.     Martin Kaymer (GER)         -11              $1,350,000
2.     Bubba Watson (USA)         -11                $810,000
T3.   Rory McIlroy (NIR)             -10                $435,000
T3.   Zach Johnson (USA)           -10               $435,000
T5.   Steve Elkington (AUS)          -9               $270,833
T5.   Jason Dufner (USA)             -9               $270,833
T5.   Justin Johnson (USA)           -9               $270,833

Tiger Woods watches his tee shot on the 14th hole during the first round of the 92nd PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

At a time when fans are wondering whether Tiger Woods can regain his winning form, he found a way to come back into contention for the first round of the 2010 PGA Championship.

Woods finished Thursday’s first round at 1-under 71, three shots behind the co-leaders Bubba Watson and Francesco Molinari of Italy, both tied at 4-under 68. Woods started spectacularly, birdying three of the first four holes and was 3-under after five holes, but eventually lost two more shots to par over the course of the round.

Commenting on his play, Woods said, “I hit the ball pretty good, I felt like I had control of the ball most of the day, and especially my trajectory.”

“I played too good not to shoot under par, and it would have been very disappointing and frustrating to end up at even par as well as I played today.” Woods had to sink an eight-foot birdie on the 18th to break par.

Watson and Molinari were the early leaders and were able to finish their round as many players weren’t able to due to a three-hour delay resulting from heavy fog.

The site of the PGA Championship is the Whistling Straits golf course in Kohler, Wisconsin. It is a par 72, 7,507-yard long track of intimidating golf that sits up against the banks of Lake Michigan. It resembles links golf with sand traps seemingly everywhere on both sides of the fairways and around the greens. It is considered one of Pete Dye’s best creations and is ranked as the third best golf course in the world by Golf Digest.

Co-leader Bubba Watson recently won the Travelers Championship in June and is the second longest driver on the PGA tour. He put his length to good use at Whistling Straits. On the 587-yard fifth hole, he hit his drive so far that he only needed a 56 degree sand wedge to hit the green in two shots.

He missed the putt for an eagle 3 but made his birdie 4. “Bomb and gouge” is what he and his fans call it.

Thursday’s late starters will finish the first round Friday morning and immediately start the second round. For Woods, Watson, Molinari, and the rest of the players in their side of the draw, they will face a late start and may not finish Friday.

Winning Perks

The PGA Championship has many rewards for the yet to be decided winner. His name will be permanently inscribed on the Wanamaker Trophy that can be seen at the PGA Historical Center in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Some additional perks include a lifetime exemption into the PGA Championship, five-year exemption into the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open, and a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour.

Phil Mickelson is interviewed by the media during a press conference during a practice round prior to the start of the 92nd PGA Championship on the Straits Course at Whistling Straits on August 10, 2010 in Kohler, Wisconsin. (Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

Psoriatic arthritis, a severe joint disease in which the body's immune system attacks healthy cells and tissue, is affecting golfer Phil Mickelson, according to media reports on Tuesday.

Mickelson, 40, told Golf.com that he started taking medication for for the condition, expecting a full recovery before he entered the PGA Championship, which begins Thursday.

The reigning Masters champion said that the psoriatic arthritis appeared several days before the US Open.

"I woke up with intense pain in areas of my body—some joints and tendons—so much so that I couldn't walk," Mickelson said, adding that the disease got “progressively got worse, and ultimately I had to figure something was wrong and had to go get it checked.”

He played through the pain, adding that the arthritis didn't affect him during the US Open, where he finished fourth.

For the upcoming tournament, the world's No. 2 golfer said, “Things have been looking great, and long term there shouldn't be any issues. It's very treatable, and the medicine I've been taking is very helpful.”

Doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota have been giving treatment to the left-handed golfer. Treatment of the disease can involve taking steroids or anti-inflammatory medication.

He started taking an injection of the drug Enbrel to reduce the inflammation. "This has put it in remission," Mickelson said, adding that he will take the drug for another year and then see if he can beat the disease for good.

Matt Bettencourt wins the Reno-Tahoe Open held at the Montreux Golf and Country Club, July 18, 2010, Reno, NV. (Marc Feldman/Getty Images)

Matt Bettencourt, 35, garnered his first PGA Tour win at the Reno-Tahoe Open with a closing round of 68 to best Bob Heintz by one shot.  Heintz could have forced a playoff by making a three-foot birdie on the 18th green, but missed the short putt and settled for par and second place.

“Man, it was tough, Bob Heintz played a great round of golf today, chipped in three times and holed a bunker shot. So not often you see that. It was gritty coming down the end, but I just had a great conversation with Matthew, my caddie, and he kept me so relaxed all week, and really made me believe in myself and my ability, and it's amazing what you can do when you believe in your ability,” said Bettencourt.

Bettencourt posted rounds of 66, 68, 75, and 68 for an 11-under 277 on the Montreux Golf and Country Club.  At 7,472 yards and a mile high elevation, the rarified atmosphere allows for longer ball distances and reduces the effective yardage of the course. The Sierra setting has towering pine trees, creeks, lakes, and waterfalls. Montreux is a Jack Nicklaus Signature Design golf course and is considered one of his top five courses. The PGA Tour stop at Montreux is the only West Coast Tour event held in the summer.

The Reno-Tahoe Open was held during the same week as the British Open and gave PGA tour players the opportunity to win an official PGA Tour title without having to compete against many of the top-ranked players in the U.S. and World.  The Reno-Tahoe Open has historically been an event with tournament dates that are opposite other larger Tour events.  

Scott McCarron, a Montreux member serving as the tournament host, started the final day with a one-stroke lead at 10-under then collapsed into a tie for 35th at 1-under after posting an 81.

The victory is the first PGA Tour title for Bettencourt and as a result he will receive full-exempt status on the Tour through the 2012 season and an invitation to next month's PGA Championship.

Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Billy Joe Toliver (pictured above) won this third American Century Championship title on Sunday. (Jonathan Daniel/Allsport)

Billy Joe Tolliver, former NFL quarterback, won his third championship at the American Century Championship, which pits sports and entertainment celebrities against each other in a 54-hole golf tournament at Lake Tahoe, Calif.

Tolliver, a quarterback with five different NFL teams and one CFL team, netted a record 84 points on Sunday to secure his victory at the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.

Dallas Cowboys' quarterback Tony Romo, former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway, former baseball pitcher John Smoltz, and actor Jack Wagner all tied for second place, finishing 19 points behind Tolliver.

For winning first place, Tolliver earned $125,000. He won the tournament in 1996 as well as in 2005.

The all-time leading NBA scoring leader and six-time NBA championship winner Michael Jordan finished with 45 points and the NFL's all-time leader in receiving yards Jerry Rice scored 44 points.

The golf tournament is popular with former sports figures, and namely former NFL stars, including ex-quarterback Jim McMahon and former running back Marshall Faulk, who both got in the top 30.

Former quarterbacks Trent Dilfer and Mark Rypien got in the top 10 to finish the event, while former NHL great Jeremy Roenick finished in eighth place.

Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa kisses the Claret Jug after his British Open victory at St. Andrews, Scotland on Sunday. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Louis Oosthuizen, 27, displayed to the world his powerful yet accurate play that gave him a lopsided seven-shot victory at the British Open Championship in St. Andrews, Scotland.  It was never a dramatic, emotion-laden contest among rivals, as he was the clear leader from the second day of the tournament right to the end.   

“To win an Open Championship is special, but to win it here at St. Andrews is just—it's something you dream about, Oosthuizen told PGA.com.

“I came in playing pretty well, made good putts the first three rounds and today I felt solid the whole way around,” he said on CBS. “I made good shots and I think there was a huge turn on Twelve when Paul [Casey, his nearest competitor] made triple bogey and I made birdie. From then on it was really just to keep composed and keep focused.

“I just focused on the shot that I had, and even on my little putts with that big lead, I wanted to take all my time, not do anything silly and not put myself under any pressure.”

Casey was the only player close enough to Oosthuizen on the final day to give him a challenge.  But Casey failed to put forth a challenge and instead fell from second to third position in the tournament, perhaps succumbing to the pressure of representing the motherland at the home of golf.

The South African started the final round with a four-stroke lead over Casey and finished with a one-under 71 for a 16-under 272, seven shots better than second place finisher, Englishman Lee Westwood, who shot a two-under 70 for a nine-under 279.

Oosthuizen showed amazing poise under the pressure of leading a Major. He chatted casually with Paul C asey while competing for the Tournament win. “It's still just a game you're playing, and you've got to have fun with the guys you're playing, otherwise it's going to be quite miserable out there,” he said on PGA.com.

Continued on Page 2…

Tiger Woods drives from the 6th tee during day two of the British Open Golf Championship at St Andrews in Scotland. (Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images)

Mother Nature showed her strength at the second day of the British Open, sending rain and then wind to make the world’s best golfers look bad. Except for a very small window in the mid-morning, the weather made the already tough St. Andrews links nearly unplayable.

South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen capitalized on amazing luck with the weather to turn in second excellent round of golf to take the lead in the 139th Open Championship.

“It’s just the matter of making crucial putts. Yesterday I made a few crucial ones, today I missed a few but I made some as well,” Oosthuizen told ESPN. “I‘m very confident the way I’m playing. I’m hitting it well and I’m just having a lot of fun, really.”

Oosthuizen might find that fun quotient shrinking if he has to play in 40 mph wind that most of the field faced on Friday.

After shooting a 65 before the wind kicked up on Thursday, Oosthuizen squeezed in eighteen holes between driving rain and gale-force winds on Friday to finish with a 67, tying best score of the day.

Rory McIlroy, who shot a record-tying 63 on Thursday, set a record for the biggest increase, with his 8-over 80 on Friday.

McIlroy was optimistic despite his score “I had two really good two-putts on 16 and 17 made a nice par putt at the last, so it could have easily been an 83 or 84.

“I’m pretty happy to be where I’m at, even though it’s been a really bad day for me. At least I’m here for the weekend. At least I can make up some ground.”

The good weather on Friday lasted for a very brief time; and once the wind picked up, it started picking up golf balls. Play had to be paused for an hour because balls were rolling around the greens without the impetus of putters.

After the break, the weather, increasingly cold and still very windy, added five strokes onto everyone’s scores. Not just drives were carried off-course. Even putts were blown aside or stopped in their tracks by the wind, which reached 40 mph.

Tiger Woods drove well despite the wind, but his new putter, or the wind, or something was not working for him: he bogeyed the first two holes and gave up many birdie chances, finishing the round at 73 for the day and four-over for the tournament tied for fifteenth.

Woods told ESPN the wind was “Unreal. The ball was moving—actually, the ball was oscillating in the fairway. I dad to back off two times because the ball was oscillating, we thought it might move.”

Woods said concentration was the key to the day. “I didn’t get off to a good start, three-putted the first two holes—I just had to stay sp present and so calm out there. It was just a tough day all around.

You’re going to hit good shots and end up in bad spots, and bad shorts will end up in awful spots, so you just had to keep your cool and keep your wits about yourself.”

Phil Mickelson shot two strokes better Friday than on Thursday, ending up even, two strokes ahead of the cut.

“For me I’m going to need some luck,” Mickelson told ESPN. “I didn’t play very well for these two days.”

Rory McIlroy tees off on the 16th hole during the first round of the 139th British Open Championship on the Old Course, St Andrews. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images )

One under after eight, McIlroy scored an eagle on the ninth hole, which kicked off a back nine of perfect golf.

“It was a fantastic score. I didn't get off to a flying start,” McIlroy told PGA.com. “I was 1-under through eight holes, and then the eagle on nine really sort of turned things around for me, and I just got going from there.

“I think it does take something in your round, a little spark, a little something to get you going, and I think that was the point today where my round really got going.”

The entire morning draw did well. Players with afternoon tee times had to watch bad weather moving in, with wind and cold rain plaguing them.

“I definitely thought that we needed to take advantage of the conditions and of the golf course. Going out there this morning with no wind, you're never going to get St. Andrews playing any easier,” McIlroy said. “I'm very happy that I was able to take advantage of those conditions. It gives me a little bit of a buffer going into the next three days, whatever weather comes our way.”

Tiger Woods was also in the morning draw. Tiger was using a new putter, and it worked well for him until the final two holes. Woods has not scored a bogey-free round all season. He made it to the 17th hole this morning before missing a six-foot putt for par.

Despite this, Woods turned in a very respectable 67, 5-under. He said the calm weather made a huge difference in the scores.

“At the time I think when I was playing either 17 or 18, to be in the Top 10 you had to be 5-under,” Woods told PGA.com. “You don't see that at too many majors. The guys are playing a golf course right now [in the afternoon] that’s probably two strokes harder, for sure, than what we had this morning.”

Woods said he felt awkward playing St. Andrews in good weather. “I’d rather have it blowing. We were talking amongst ourselves, it was just so odd to have it so calm.”

Phil Mickelson started in the afternoon, and after anticipating good conditions, he was disappointed to see the weather moving in. He finished the day at 73, 10 strokes off the lead.

“I think it kind of crept into my attitude,” Mickelson said to ESPN. “I woke up this morning and saw that it was pristine conditions—not a breath of wind and then as I was getting ready to go out it started picking up, and it kind of affected my attitude a little.

“I made a couple of poor swings—I drove it very poorly with the driver. I was able to salvage a lot of pars.”

Mickelson said he’d need to get lucky with the weather to get back into the tournament.

“That’s part of winning the British Open—you need to have luck.”