If Tiger Woods were to organize another Tiger and Pony show at the PGA Tour headquarters next week, appear from behind the blue, Saturday Night Live-esque curtain and tell the world that he is retiring from professional golf, how would he be remembered?

Would he be considered the greatest golfer of all-time?

Would he be considered the most dominant golfer of all time?

Would he be known for the most epic collapse in sports history?  

Or would it be a combination of the three?

It all comes down to a single question—how do we measure the greatest golfer of all-time?

In terms of sheer dominance over a period of time, you’d have to look at guys like Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Young Tom Morris, and Woods.

Jones won 13 majors over the span of just eight years, including four majors in a single season.

Hogan won six out of nine majors between 1950 and 1953 and didn’t finish outside the top-10 in the other three.

Young Tom Morris won four consecutive Open Championships between 1868 and 1872 (there was no Open Championship held in 1871). Had he not passed away in 1875 at the age of 24, he might very well have gone on to win eight, nine, or 10 Open Championships, which at the time was the only major being played.

Woods has won 14 majors (including four majors in a row), 71 PGA Tour events, and a total of 97 worldwide events over the past 13 years.  In terms of total wins, Woods is only two PGA Tour wins behind Nicklaus in half the time it took Nicklaus to win 73 events.

In terms of career longevity, there is one man that clearly rises above the rest—Jack Nicklaus.

Nicklaus won his first major in 1962 at the age of 22, and his last in 1986 at the age of 46.  Over the course of 25 years, Nicklaus won 73 PGA Tour events and 115 worldwide events.  

Although he might not have dominated the game as profoundly as guys like Woods, Hogan and Jones did over a period of time, Nicklaus was the best player in the game for at least 18 years, which is quite an accomplishment when considering that, Nicklaus and Woods aside, virtually every other great player the game has ever seen won all of their majors over a span of five to eight years. 

So, what is more impressive—winning 18 majors in 25 years, feats such as winning 13 majors in eight years (Jones), 14 majors and 71 PGA Tour events in 12 years (Woods), or winning six out of nine majors (Hogan)?

Based on pure talent and their ability to completely dominate the game, Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez might be the top two greatest hitters of all-time.

However, both players are still fairly young and have yet to break any of the most prominent offensive records in the sport.

So, if they were each to walk away from the game today, would they be considered the greatest hitters of all-time?

Or would we continue to look at guys like Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Barry Bonds (“alleged” PED usage aside), Ty Cobb, and Ted Williams as the greatest hitters of all-time based on their achievements over a longer period of time?

This may be the easy or politically correct answer, but in my mind, if Woods were to walk away from the today, there is no clear-cut greatest golfer off all-time.

Why?

Because there are two completely separate ways of evaluating the greatest golfer of all-time—most dominant and greatest overall career.

Nicklaus clearly had the greatest overall career.

In terms of most dominant over a period of time, you’re looking at Woods, Hogan, Jones, Morris, etc.

Woods was and still might be (the guy is only 34 years old and his “walking away from the game” idea is purely hypothetical) on pace to be the only man to transcend both categories used to measure the greatest golfers of all-time.

Over the past 13 years Woods has dominated the game like few, if any, ever have before; and he was also on pace to break virtually every career record as well.

If Woods winds up winning 20 majors and 100 PGA Tour events, combined with a stretch of the most dominant golf in history, well, then it’s clear who the greatest golfer of all-time is.

If Woods does not win another major or PGA Tour event, well, we probably have several greatest of all-times, because there has not been a single player in history that has transcended both categories—dominance and longevity.

In the end, it’s a matter of personal opinion.

What is more impressive to you?

Complete dominance over the period of five to ten years, or a span of winning major championships that stretches 25 years?

That is a question only you can answer.

For more PGA Tour news, insight and analysis, check out The Tour Report .

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It is only Thursday at the start of competitive golf at The Greenbrier Classic, and it already seems like it has been a week's full of excitement and fun.

Even with an hour-and-a-half weather delay, all 156 players completed Round One save Steve Marino, who withdrew due to back spasms before his 1:20 p.m. tee time.

In the morning wave two-time heart transplantee Erik Compton fired a 7-under par 63 to get off to his best start ever in 24 PGA Tour events.

"I'm just happy that I finally got off to a good start in a PGA tournament. It's been something that I've been waiting for and looking forward to. Hopefully I can capitalize and keep playing well through the week."

After a tough start bogeying two of the first three holes, he went on to record nine birdies.

Perhaps in this place where people have been "taking the waters" for over two centuries, this is the week for this inspirational man to better his career best T30 finish at this year's Arnold Palmer Invitational.

"I know I'm a good player, and I have a lot of the adversity in front of me with the game and health. But I always feel like if I stick in there and keep trying, something eventually good is going to happen."

Imagine utilizing your third heart and leading a PGA TOUR event.

Would you be scared? Is Erik Compton scared?

"I've lived most of my life with the situation that I'm in. So, no, I wouldn't say I walk around scared. If you do that, you'll shoot 85 in a heartbeat out here. You know, it is what it is. I mean, I've had to deal with death several times."

In the afternoon wave, Matt Every matched Compton's 63.  

His round was different in that he started off hot with a 6-under par first nine holes but then was delayed and cooled off a bit finishing the round off before the sun set.

Every is a PGA TOUR rookie this year by virtue of a season-ending victory at the Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island where he vaulted from No. 49 to No. 10 to earn his card.

Advantage Every over Compton in Round 2 as tee times are flipped and Every is off early in the morning.

Round 1 with afternoon tee time: "The greens on the last nine I played were getting pretty rough, spiked up, and it was tough to make any putts. I made a lot of my putts early.

Round 2 with morning tee time: "T here's less traffic on the greens, so, you know, less footprints."

Compton knows this as well: "It's just the first round. I've played this sport long enough to know that tomorrow I tee off at 2:00 (p.m.) and might be 7 (strokes) back."

Some other interesting occurrences that you had to be here to see or hear…

Governor Joe Manchin awarded the Greenbrier owner Jim Justice the Distinguished West Virginian Award at the 18^th green as the first players came to the tee. The award is the highest honor the Governor can bestow upon a native West Virginian that goes beyond the call of duty and does something extraordinary.

What Justice has done with The Greenbrier in one year is more than extraordinary.

"Jim doesn't want to be known as the owner of the Greenbrier. He wants the Greenbrier to do what it needs to do to help our state and to help the people. He's more proud of the people having jobs and security than saying, Oh, Jim Justice. He owns the Greenbrier. (The title) doesn't mean anything to him."

I ran into Nancy Tison wearing a "Grandma Groupie" button on her hat. She became interested in golf when she took her uncle Red Speigle to watch the pros play at the Michelob Championship at Kingsmill in Williamsburg, Virginia. According to Nancy Red, Spiegle use to give Sam Snead golfing lessons.

She has a bunch of big buttons covering her with pictures of her and PGA TOUR players. A nice lady to look for on the 17^th tee at THE PLAYERS or at the Children's Miracle Network tournament at Disney World.

John Daly looks pretty trim and fit. He is still smoking the Marlboro cigarettes and has a soda bottle in a sleeve of his golf bag. Not only does he wear loud pants but now his golf bag matches it along with even the shaft of his driver.

It was a floral pattern with scantily clad women. Fortunately, I did not see his underwear.

Daly's girlfriend Anna Cladakis was wearing a matching skirt with a black top. She looked nice, but he looked wild. Maybe that is why they call him "the wild thing."

After a comment was made about "a big country boy" named Chris Couch walking down the adjacent second fairway, Daly gripped it and ripped it down the 12^th fairway.

A marshal named Pamela told me he had on black and gold checkered pants yesterday. When he approached the 8^th green she turned to the gallery and asked if anyone had ordered a cab?

The golf business is all about promotion. John Daly, a two-time major champion is serious about the golf business these days.

Lynn Swann, The Greenbrier's Director of Public Relations proudly proclaims The Greenbrier Classic has the biggest bunker on tour… the 112,544 sq. ft. Cold War era Congressional bunker. I took a tour of it earlier in the week. It's pretty awesome but a little claustrophobic for me.

I am still trying to figure out the identity of the guy in the back who made sure he was not in any of the credentialed photographer's pictures… my guesses are: 1.) an undercover CSX intellectual property security officer (CSX maintains a business that stores confidential information in the bunker; that is why the public can no longer bring in any cameras); 2.) an FBI/government agent that did not get the memo that the bunker has been declassified; 3.) a man trying to avoid being served divorce papers; or 4.) a lost guy looking for a bathroom?

Your guess?

More golf tomorrow in the second round of The Greenbrier Classic.

Good living, good golfing, and good night my friends!

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer. He follows the PGA TOUR volunteering and working part time for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, and The Golf Channel.

He resides in Jacksonville Beach, Florida near the PGA TOUR headquarters and home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.

He enjoys pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it. He can be reached through his website www.MrHickoryGolf.net or by e-mailing him to AndyReistetter@gmail.com

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As you can imagine, it's been a huge uphill struggle to find his game after health problems almost ended Compton's career and life prematurely.

In third, one shot back, is a hot player lately in Jeff Overton, near the top of every leader board for a month now.

Overton is one of my fantasy players this week.

Kenny Perry was my A-player this week, but was quickly replaced with Stephen Ames after shooting five over on Day One.

Ames meanwhile, was a respectable two under, at least. Jim Furyk, my other B-player was also two under, and my fourth player in the C slot is Ricky Barnes at even par.

Other notable players with a good Thursday round include George McNeil, a local player where I live in Southwest Florida.

McNeil has a habit of making cuts, but disappearing on Saturdays when he needs to fire a decent semi-low round to be in position to win one.

Golf would be so much more interesting if the only person to get money would be the winner. Not so much playing safe to make a paycheck thing. Aha!

Pat Perez, who gets hot on occasion is at minus five, two back, along with Brendon De Jonge, who is also visiting the top portion of leaderboards for a couple of months now, like Jeff Overton.

One of these guys is a good bet to win a PGA Tour event soon.

Dean Wilson and Jeff Quinney took up where they left off in Canada last week where they finished high, and are both at minus four already this week to start.

Many many names are at minus four and minus three.

The cut on Friday will be minus one, or even minus two as everyone playing is scoring pretty well, with just a few exceptions.

The blooper round goes to Willie Ring and Rich Barcelo both at plus seven. I also think if you shoot around 80 on the first day, your caddie gets to play on Friday and you carry the bag.

See ya Friday.

Thomas[ NFL Mikee] Moreland

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This week Sahalee Country Club is hosting the Senior U.S. Open, and next month Chambers Bay will be the site for the U.S. Amateur Championship. And to top it off, Chambers Bay will host the U.S. Open next summer.

Sahalee has hosted big events before. The 1998 PGA Championship and the 2002 WGC-NEC Invitational. It is as unique a golf course as you can find for a tournament, with towering 120 to 140 foot Douglas Firs lining most fairways.

"It can be intimidating, especially coming from Carnoustie last week. The tallest tree over there was probably a 3-foot bush," Peter Jacobson said in his press conference earlier in the week. "And you come here and anybody who is not from the northwest has never seen 100-foot firs and 100-foot cedar trees so it is different. And as tight as fairways are, you just really have to keep the ball in play."

The USGA has had Sahalee's Golf Course Superintendent Rich Taylor graduate the rough out from the fairways, from 2" just off the edge to it's deepest, a thick, dense 4". The average fairway width is only 26 yards.

Putting the ball in the fairways will be essential. Tom Lehman, who is also coming over after playing in Scotland last week, said, "After playing links golf the last two weeks and then standing on that first tee, it looks like you have to walk sideways. The trees really make it feel like there's no room."

Lehman and Jacobson are part of an impressive field for the championship. Seattle's favorite son Fred Couples will be teamed with Tom Watson for the first two rounds.

Watson, in his press conference on Wednesday, agreed with the challenge that the trees will bring, but also thought the greens would be just as hard of a test.

"There's two things you have to do," he said. "First thing, you have to drive it straight. The first hole is like a slap in the face... You look right down there and it's as narrow a tee ball as you're ever going to see here at Sahalee. And it doesn't get a whole lot wider than that.

"The other thing is the firmness of the greens. The firmness of the greens is probably as hard as I've seen a green in America in a long time. They're very, very firm. And as a result the greens are not real big in depth."

Couples, the native of Seattle, will be the big draw for the week. Fred, playing in his first Senior U.S. Open Championship, was asked in his press conference earlier in the week what it would mean to win in Seattle.

"To win here?" he said. "It would be --first of all, it's a U.S. Senior Open or USGA event, so that would be incredible. But to win here would be -- it would rank right up there as any other tournaments probably besides Augusta... This is just like a U.S. Open; no one is going to tell me differently. It's very tough out there. So to win here would be, you know, like winning a U.S. Open. And I'm from Seattle, so I would think it would be a great, great accomplishment. But it would be very special for me."

Others in the strong field include defending champion Fred Funk, Ben Crenshaw, Hale Irwin and winner last week at the Senior British Open Bernhard Langer.

Paul Azinger and Nick Price both had to withdraw earlier in the week due to nagging injuries.

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Louis Oosthuizen. Graeme McDowell. Y.E. Yang.

These three players have won the three of the last four Major Championships in golf. Yang took home the 2009 PGA Championship after outlasting Tiger Woods in the final round.

Irishman Graeme McDowell won the 2010 U.S. Open, cruising to a victory on the final day.

Oosthuizen is the most recent Major champion, winning the 2010 Open Championship at St. Andrews by a whopping seven strokes.

These are all great stories to follow. However, in a poll conducted by Harris Interactive, Tiger Woods tied Kobe Bryant for the title of America's Favorite Sports Star. Americans still love Tiger, despite his recent transgressions and mistakes.

So, that poll result poses a question. Which is better for the sport of golf: An underdog Major winner or a popular Major winner?

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are two of the biggest American figures in golf. Many casual golf fans rally around these players whenever they are competitive in Major Championships.

However, isn't there a part of everyone that wants the underdog to win?

First of all, the story behind them is often inspirational. Louis Oosthuizen grew up poor and ended a champion. It also reveals one of the great facets of golf. On any given weekend, anyone can be a champion.

In addition, every great sports movie is centered around the underdog. Rocky, Rudy, and Hoosiers are all great movies centered around the story of an underdog.

Although some may like the great plays made by the favorites, golf needs unknowns to win tournaments. It keeps the game interesting and makes for a great story.

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There's really Justice for Golf Fans at The Greenbrier Classic.

His name is Jim Justice the new owner of The Greenbrier America's Resort.

Okay the Wyndham Championship is being progressive later this season in allowing fans to bring their cell phones inside the gates for use in designated areas during tournament competition…

But, Jim Justice is likely to give away CASH to the fans here at the Greenbrier.

When asked at yesterday's media conference what he hopes the spectators take away with them, the hometown hero replied, " I hope they take away a lot of money."

Then he announced for the first time what could likely be the fan-friendly PGA TOUR story of the year.

"I haven't told you (the media) this. We've got it set up now that if the pro makes a hole-in-one, we're giving away $1 million."

What?

"We're giving $1 million: $250,000 to the pro and $750,000 goes to the charity."

Holy gunsmoke this is a shot across the bow to other tournaments!

But what about the spectators?

"If a hole-in-one is made, everybody that's sitting in the stands around (the) 18 (green) gets $100. Every single person."

Talk about taking something a little odd or unique for your tournament, a finishing par-3 hole and turning it around to becoming a huge promotional tool.

There are lots of seats around the 18^th green by the way.

Two things are for sure.

One —the grand stands will be full.

Two —the media will be the first ones to get a seat when the sun comes up on Thursday morning!

But hold on, wait a minute, there is more from Mr. Justice of the Alleghany Mountains of West Virginia.

"If the second hole-in-one is made, same kind of deal. $250,000 to the pro, $750,000 to the charities, but $500 goes to everybody in the stands."

Tomorrow's article by this golf writer will be about every shot hit into the 18^th green!

Seriously take a seat at the 18^th on the Greenbrier because there is more.

"If a third hole-in-one is made, $250,000 to the pro; $750,000 to charities; and $1,000 to everybody in the stands.

Everybody that's sitting in those seats will get a card. If they get up and leave, or go to the bathroom, they lose their card.

Well maybe there are some potential downsides to this gift-horse promotion.

Be like Ivor Robson the starter on the first tee at the British Open.

Long days with no bathroom breaks.

"That's all there is to it," says the man who only recently on the 4^th of July spent $2 million on the party alone to open up his Casino Club at The Greenbrier.

Let's do the math on this one.

A family of four sitting in the stands and happens to see one ace. Benefit $400.

Family sees two aces. Benefit $2,000.

Family of four sees three aces in a day's entertainment. Benefit $4,000.

Talk about being "priceless" family entertainment incognito?

How about starting the college fund?

Let's look at the other side of the equation- how deep are Justice's pockets to make an offer like this?

"You give everybody in the stands (1,600) bucks (a day), four times (for the four days of competition), that's $6.8 million to go in the stands."

Do the reverse math folks, that's a little over 1,000 seats for the seating of entrepreneurial golf fans young and old alike.

Get 'em while they are open.

Toss in the million dollars per hole-in-one and that is another $12 million enchiladas.

 "You know, you would have to have an armed guard out there," realized Justice as he ruminated the possibilities of giving away almost $20 million in "fore" days.

"I hope that will generate some real live excitement. There will be a lot of cheering going on for the pros and everything, and I hope they make a beau coup of hole-in-ones, and I hope we have a lot of fun with it."

And I thought free beers for birdies on the 18^th hole on the Nationwide Tour was a big and popular deal?

"What I really hope they take away from the whole thing is just the little touch of happiness, and a little touch of joy. Not necessarily that I got Davis Love's autograph or that I saw Jim Furyk make a long putt.I want them to get a little bit of the magic of the Greenbrier and West Virginia."

DL3 —make an ace on 18.

Fluff —make sure you club Furyk right.

How realistic is making a hole in one on the 18^th at the Old White Course at The Greenbrier?

The home hole is 162 yards short and these are the best players in the world, each with four swings at making a lot of folks happy.

Heck I am so excited that I would like to get up there, and give it a swing for the hometown folks.

The green has an oddity about it in that it has a two foot ridge in the shape of a horseshoe smack dab in the middle of it.

There will likely be three difficult hole placements in the back, and only one in the front where the horseshoe ridge may act as a backboard.

Most aces in one PGA TOUR tournament to date?

Likely eight at last year's RBC Canadian Open where in Round 2 Briny Baird, Arjun Atwal, Casey Whittenberg and Leif Olson all aced the same hole, the 15th.

Baird, and Atwal are here this week as well as this year's Canadian Open champion Carl Pettersson.

Just a little bit of magic for Justice's Juiced up Jurists.

Justice grew up nearby with the PGA TOUR's iconic Rules Official "Slugger" White.

White helped make a PGA TOUR event at Justice's Greenbrier resort a reality in less than one year.

White also joked that he would "get a big funnel out there" with "an eight-inch cup."

Now let's not put the wealthy guy out of business the first year.

In the early 1950s George S. May was the preeminent promoter in the golf business if that is what one would call it back then.

It was his idea, and his broadcast that put the game of golf on television for the first time in 1953 in Chicago.

That was before Palmer even cashed his first professional paycheck.

Incidentally he did so right here at The Greenbrier in the 1955 Sam Snead Festival.

Talk about being a pioneer!

Jim Justice could be the modern day George S. May.

Let's see if there is any Justice for the golf fans at The Greenbrier Classic this week.

On this the 30^th anniversary of Caddyshack…

Good living and good golfing my friends!

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer. He follows the PGA TOUR volunteering and working part time for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, and The Golf Channel.

He resides in Jacksonville Beach, Florida near the PGA TOUR headquarters and home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.

He enjoys pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it. He can be reached through his website www.MrHickoryGolf.net or by e-mailing him to AndyReistetter@gmail.com

Read more Golf news on BleacherReport.com

The Greenbrier Classic is the first PGA tournament to ever be played in the state of West Virginia. The tournament will take place on the resort's Old White Course in White Sulphur Springs.

The golf course will play a shade over 7000 yards and, also for the second week in a row, is tree-lined, putting an emphasis on control play. The golf course is very similar in fact to last week's stop at St. George's Golf and Country Club in Ontario.

The Old White Course is known for undulating greens. Controlling the short iron shots into most of these greens will be critical. A premium this week will be placed on accurate driving, good short iron play and, as always, putting.

Although many of the world's top players are sitting out one more week in this month between the British Open and the PGA Championship, the field does have some big names.

Most notable is the world's fifth ranked player Jim Furyk. Also in West Virginia this week are Matt Kuchar, Segio Garcia, Davis Love III, and Kenny Perry. Carl Pettersson is also giving it a go this week after his victory last weekend at St. George's. Pettersson was right on the cut-line after Friday and then scorched the golf course on the weekend to add another victory for the Europeans on the PGA Tour this year.

European-born players have won as incredible 10 of the last 13 PGA tour events. The Americans do have a good shot at pulling off a win this week. 115 of the 151 players in the field hail from the USA.

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Don’t you just love speculation?  Especially when it comes to US Ryder Cup selections. 

Just to refresh your memory, our US Captain gets four picks these days, thanks to Paul Azinger’s insistence.  The selections are based on “what have you done for me lately,” otherwise known as this year’s money list. There are double points for majors plus leftover points from 2009 majors.    

Right now the top eight, in order, are Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Anthony Kim, Lucas Glover, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar and Tiger Woods. A formidable group.  If there’s any slippage by Woods or Kuchar, the next four on the list are Hunter Mahan, Jeff Overton, Ricky Barnes and Ben Crane.  

Who would you pick of the next eight or so players?

Hunter Mahan has won on the PGA Tour and has Ryder Cup experience. He went 2-0-3 in 2008 for 3 ½ points, the most of any US player.  You can bet he gets picked if he doesn’t rise in the points.   

Jeff Overton has not yet won a PGA Tour event, and that makes him unlikely as a choice. 

The next two are Ricky Barnes and Ben Crane.  Barnes won a US Amateur, the epitome of match play, but it has taken him several seasons to manage his swing to stay on the PGA Tour.     He’s now 58^th on the World Rankings, up from 194^th last year, so something is working for him other than looking like John Travolta.

Corey Pavin at his golf best was a brash, prickly, gutsy fighter of a guy.  He’s Raymond Floyd in a smaller body.  One would think Pavin will go for fearless players.  That may mean bypassing Crane, who doesn’t like to see who he is paired with because he “looks up to so many guys.”  At the Ryder Cup, you don’t want to look up to other players.  You want to look down on the other team, even if you are five foot four.   However, Crane, with one victory, could potentially slow play Padraig Harrington to a match victory.   

With three weeks left in the points gathering, expect the drama and guessing to build.

Overton and Crane have a chance to make the team on points.   Meanwhile, Tiger Woods has a chance to drop down, depending on how he plays at Bridgestone and the PGA Championship.   

In the important 13^th through 16^th places we have Stewart Cink, Nick Watney, newcomer Rickie Fowler, and Bubba Watson. Cink, lest we forget, is the 2009 British Open champ.

Watney is a student of Butch Harmon, with two victory notches on his belt, although his form of late is not as good as it was last season.  

Fowler, while short on experience compared to all the rest, climbed his way into the 15^th spot in a single season.  Everybody compares him to Lanny Wadkins, and that can’t be a bad thing for a golfer.  You just get the feeling he will chew a guy’s leg off to get a point.

In the 16^th slot is Bubba Watson, who recently won at Travelers, and afterward he started talking about how important it would be to play for his country.

Faced with a team of five lock veterans with the probable lock of Woods, Pavin definitely has three mystery picks if Woods doesn’t make it on points and four if he does.  There’s no way he leaves Woods off the team unless Woods asks to be left off.  As Paul Azinger said, you always want the best player in the world on your team. 

After that, no one knows what method Pavin will use.  Some captains have just gone down the points list for the next players.  Some, like Azinger, have asked those who already made the team for input.   That way everyone’s invested in the choices.

Pavin would be taking a chance on non-winners if he selected Barnes, Overton or Fowler. They are unproven, and he will already have three Ryder Cup rookies in Lucas Glover, Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar.  Kuchar, in 7^th , could get bumped with great play by someone just behind him on the list, and that could change the whole order of things.   

For certain, Stewart Cink gets a nod, and so does Hunter Mahan. Pavin then has two remaining choices, assuming Woods makes it on points.  

Does he dare go with untested Ben Crane or Jeff Overton?  With his legacy riding on it, Pavin will have to know something that the rest of us don’t.  In the end, it may come down to personal relationships.  Who does Pavin like and believe in his heart can go the distance.

Don’t you wish you could get inside Pavin’s head for a little while?    

Who would I pick today:   Stewart Cink, Hunter Mahan, Rickie Fowler, and I might go farther down the list to Ryan Moore who won everything in the world at match play as an amateur. 

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This movie was released 30 years ago this week, and remains a timeless classic loved by everyone who has had the pleasure of watching it.

That match pitting Czervik (Rodney Dangerfield) and Ty Webb (Chevy Chase) against Judge Elihu Smails (Ted Knight) and Dr. Beeper was the final scene to this classic comedy movie.

The foursome, with the help of caddy master Lou Loomis, decide that Czervik can be replaced. After being offered the booger eating Spalding Smails (the Judge's nephew), Webb says they should get to decide their own replacement.

After deciding that "Sonja Henie's out ," they decide on adding Danny Noonan, fresh off winning the Caddy tournament and getting the Caddy Scholarship. Danny has brown-nosed Judge Smails all movie long to get that scholorship and, knowing the Smails will pull his strings probably his entire life, decides to forfeit the scholorship play.

Smails : "I guess you don't want that Caddy scholarship ?"

Noonan : "I guess I don't ." 

Smails (in mocking fashion): "I guess you don't. I guess you don't ."

Noonan is the main character. He wants to go to college, but the family does not have the money and his grades are not that great.

Judge Smails to Danny : "There are more important things than grades. Winning the caddy tournament, for instance...might look pretty good on a young fellow's application ."

What is great about this movie is that there are so many sidebars to the main plot, and the story bounces around like a person with ADD holding the remote control. Webb, whose wealthy Dad (along with Judge Smails) founded Bushwood, focuses on being rich and enjoying Lacey Underall , Smails's visiting niece.

In fact, many people enjoyed Lacy. According to Noonan's girlfriend Maggie O'Hooligan, Lacey has been "plucked more times than the Rose of Tralee ."

That line DID NOT deter Danny from enjoying Lacy!

Ty to Lacey : "So what do you do ?"

Lacey : "I enjoy...skinny-skiing...going to bullfights on acid..."

Also, Czervik, wonderfully played by Dangerfield, is aggravating many of the stodgy Bushwood folk, complete with passing gas in the dining room, and boasting that he will buy Bushwood (Czervik : "Why would I want to join this crummy snobatorium. Why this whole place sucks! The only reason I'm here is maybe I'll buy it .), and make it into condominiums.

Al Czervik : "Country clubs and cemeteries...are the biggest wasters of prime real estate! Dead people? They don't want to be buried nowadays. Ecology, right? Ask Wang. He'll tell you. We just bought property...behind the Great Wall. On the good side !"

But what really steals the movie (besides the Judge) is Carl Spackler (Bill Murray), whose passion in getting rid of the pesky gopher on the golf course is among the funniest scenes.

The scene of Murray pumping water down the hole to drown the gopher is so good that even Tiger Woods and American Express borrowed it for one of their commercials.

Hmmm, I wonder if Tiger was ever with Lacy?

In doing research for this, I learned that most of Murray's scenes were impromptu, especially the famous Cinderella Story monologue scene where Spackler is pretending to win the Masters tournament "at Augusta."

He did that "tears in his eyes" scene all in one take, from only one bit of directing, and was all ad lib, no lines written. Harold Ramis told Murray to pretend he was a child announcing his golf victory, and the idea of cutting off the mums was Murray's idea.

As Murray said later, "Nobody wrote a word of script. It just came from my head into the camera. I did it in one take—but knew it had worked."

Carl : "Tears in his eyes, I guess, as he lines up this last shot. He's about 195 yards out, and...it looks like he's gonna hit an eight iron. This crowd has gone deadly silent. Cinderella story, out of nowhere, a former greenskeeper now about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a...it's in the hole, it's in the hole !"

The two funniest comedians in the movie, Murray and Dangerfield, only had bit parts in the original script, but over time, their talent won over the producers, and they had more time written in. Much to the chagrin of Knight and the caddies, who were originally the focus of the movie.

One scene written in late was the famous scene which begins when Webb's golf ball crashes into Spackler's "credit troubles" house. Carl: "Go ahead, sit down ." Ty Webb: "No, that's OK. I don't want to stick to anything ." It was added by director Harold Ramis after realizing that two of his biggest stars, Chevy Chase and Murray, did not have a scene together.

"Cannonball it ."

Both stars did not get along due to a feud dating back to their days on Saturday Night Live, but the three met for lunch and wrote the scene together. This is the only time that Chase and Murray have appeared together in the movie, although another scene with both actors made the cutting room floor.

The entire concept of the movie was created by Brian-Doyle Murray (Bill's brother) who also played the Caddy master, Lou Loomis. Doyle-Murray also played the father of the Bubble-Boy on Seinfeld .

He was a caddy when he was younger, as were director Ramis (who starred with Bill Murray in Stripes) and Murray's brothers. According Brian-Doyle, Bill Murray was a greenskeeper at a country club in Illinois when they were younger.

Many of the great scenes, including Judge Smails getting hit by the golf ball (Czervik: "I should have yelled two!"), and the Baby Ruth candy bar scene were actual events which happened when one of the writers were caddies.

Real life people were also included in the movie. Many of the people portrayed in Caddyshack, like the Haverkamps, the really old golf playing couple ("That's a peach, hon," and "That must be the tea !"), and Maggie were people the writers remembered from their younger days working at the country clubs.

I remember when I was in high school and used to know every line of the movie. It was common place to recite line after line. How many times are you at the golf course and hear at least one classic line from that movie?

Classics like:

Judge Smails : "I've sentence boys younger than you to the gas chamber. Didn't want to do it. I felt I owed it to them ."

Carl (telling a story about caddying for the Dalai Lama to D'Annunzio's younger brother with a pitchfork to the kid's neck): "So we finish and he's going to stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama! How about a little something, you know, for the effort? And he says, "There won't be any money...but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness. So I've got that going for me...which is nice ."

There are too many parts of this movie which can be told, but there is no room for them all here. There are so many lines that to repeat many of the other great ones would produce an article about an hour too long.

However, there are a few interesting things about the movie which need to be mentioned.

First, Chevy Chase was not well liked on the set by a few people, especially Lacy Underall (Cindy Morgan). Their scene in his home where he spills oil all over her was done on purpose by him.

She acted angry, saying, "You're crazy!" as a genuine reaction to Chase's antics.

Second, Rodney Dangerfield was in his first movie and couldn't come to grips with that type of set at the beginning. He was used to being up on stage and having people laugh at everything he said or did. But on a movie set, he was always worried he wasn't doing a good job or being funny because there was no immediate reactions.

Scott Colomby, who played D'Annunzio, had to calm Dangerfield down and explain the difference.

Third, the after hours set of Caddyshack was likely one of the wildest parties known in the Hollywood circles. Every night was a sex, booze, and drug fest which everybody (except for Ted Knight) usually participated.

Last, the girl who plays Maggie, Danny Noonan's girlfriend, was also the mayor's 13-year-old daughter who passed out drunk at the toga party in Animal House . After making Caddyshack , Sarah Holcomb fell into serious drug use and began a downward spiral which had her end up in a mental institution for a while.

Here is an interesting story about her . Take it for what it is worth.

Despite all the issues going on, Caddyshack is a timeless classic and was ranked as the No. 9 "sports" movie of all time in the Ray Didinger and Glen Macnow book, "The Ultimate Book of Sports Movies ." 

Caddyshack finished ahead of some great sports pictures like Field of Dreams , Million Dollar Baby , Remember the Titans, and Rudy .

The book suggest that the Repeated Watching Quotient is "Endless. Once a week. For the rest of your life."

I have to agree.

Feel free to comment about all the great dialogue and scenes from the movie.

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In the Land of West Virginia The Greenbrier Resort is known as the "Emerald City."

Around the world and in the United States it is simply known as "America's Resort" for its longevity and patriotic service in times of need.

To a couple of young kids growing up in Beckley less than an hour away, the yellow brick road never led then to play the Greenbrier until they qualified for the State Amateur.

Now one of them owns the resort and the other is a key PGA TOUR rules official that you likely have seen on television.

“We used to come here and play in the State Amateur,” Jim Justice said while the other one echoed “it was like coming to Emerald City. It was fantastic. We were in awe of everything around here.”

The other childhood pal was Carlton Palmer White II though you would know him as "Slugger" White, the rules official.

"Slugger" White is usually the guy who offers the hat containing the crumpled up papers with numbers on them to playoff contestants on the tee to see who gets to hit first.

"True as it could be" they have been great friends since Justice was 10 and White was 12. Their fathers, both athletes, White's a boxer and Justice's a football player brought them to the game of golf and that is where they found each other.

Perhaps White's nickname came from his boxing heritage or from the length of his drives as a tour player in the 1970s.

Or maybe it came from the funny story Justice told about playing a prank on White as kids growing up in a lot of ways on the golf course.

One day he put a heavy rock in the bottom of White's golf bag. White was so strong he did not notice it until Justice yelled over to him coming up the 18^th fairway.

Word has it that Justice ran so fast White never caught up to him but maybe he did and that is when the slugging started?

Justice came out from behind the curtain and worked his magic so all his fellow West Virginians could see as he put together the right combination of people and finances to purchase the National Historic Landmark a little over a year ago.

The two friends quickly came together to promote the idea that The Greenbrier would be a great host for a PGA TOUR event.

As fate would have it, the demise of the Buick Open created the opening for the Greenbrier Classic to come into existence this week in the Allegheny Mountains.

Everything is green at The Greenbrier though not necessarily what you think.

During World War II , the resort served both as an army hospital and as a holding place for diplomatic enemies of the United States .

When the country needed a place to build a bunker to host Congress during a potential Cold War emergency in the late 1950s The Greenbrier responded.

In war and peace, The Greenbrier is America's refuge.

Longevity has its place especially in West Virginia.

United States Senator Robert Byrd, the nation's longest-serving member of Congress died last week. He spent nearly six decades in Congress promoting West Virginia, first in the House of Representatives and then for 51 years in the Senate.

Slammin' Sammy Snead, the player in PGA TOUR history with the most wins, was the pro at the Greenbrier for 29 years and served as Golf Professional Emeritus from 1993 until his death in 2002.

Long-playing Tom Watson who almost won the Open at Turnberry at age 59 became only the second Golf Professional Emeritus at the Greenbrier in 2005.

Watson is not here this week because he is still playing the game he loves dearly, this week at the U.S. Senior Open Championship at Sahalee CC in Seattle.  

The Greenbrier roots go back to the late 1700s with the discovery of the medicinal sulphur springs.

The game of golf dates back to 1914 at The Greenbrier when the C.B. Macdonald designed The Old White Course opened for play.

The Seth Raynor designed 1924 Greenbrier Course hosted the 1979 Ryder Cup and the 1994 Solheim Cup.      

And now the Greenbrier Classic starts its own legacy as a PGA TOUR event when Tim Herron tees off the first tee at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday morning

I wonder what Sam Snead, who once shot 59 here would think about that?

Maybe we will see Ricky Barnes win his first PGA TOUR tournament?

Or John Daly completes his comeback with his first title since 2004?

Or Sergio Garcia gets his game back to where it was when he captured the 2008 PLAYERS championship?

Or Jim Furyk wins for the third time this year?

Somehow, some way someone will tap the heels of their golf shoes together on Sunday afternoon and emerge with a new edge and a new meaning in life.

Just like The Greenbrier has done in the last year under the leadership of Jim Justice and "Slugger" White.

Welcome to the Emerald City of PGA TOUR stops!

Good living and good golfing my friends!

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer. He follows the PGA TOUR volunteering and working part time for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, and The Golf Channel.

He resides in Jacksonville Beach, Florida near the PGA TOUR headquarters and home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.

He enjoys pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it. He can be reached through his website www.MrHickoryGolf.net or by e-mailing him to AndyReistetter@gmail.com

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As the women prepare for the championship, let's take a look at who could potentially come out on top in 2010.

Australia's Karrie Webb may not be playing her best golf as of late, having finished at +1 on Sunday at the Evian Masters and +9 at the U.S. Women's Open, but don't count her out this week. Webb seems to do well at the British Open. She won the championship in 1995 (before it was a major) and also in 2002. Last year, Webb came in just behind Matthew, losing the championship by three strokes. There is no doubt that Webb will be going after another win this year.

Paula Creamer, the Pink Panther of the U.S., recently won her first major championship at the 65th U.S. Women's Open earlier this month. Creamer finished last year's British Open tied for third at +1. Hungry for another major championship victory, Creamer is sure to bring her 'A' game this week. Be on the watch for her come Sunday.

Morgan Pressel is coming off a tie for second place at the Evian Masters with a final score of -13. Pressel, a Florida native, can be a real threat on the golf course when she is on her game. Though she struggled during last year's Open, finishing at +13, expect her to play well this week.

And last, but definitely not least, the 2010 Evian Masters Champion and number one in the Rolex Rankings, Jiyai Shin is sure to be on the leaderboard this week. After all, she already holds seven top-10 finishes out of 10 events this year and it doesn't look like she will be slowing down anytime soon.

No matter who takes home the title, the 2010 Ricoh Women's British Open Championship should make for an exciting weekend. Check it out airing July 29 through Aug. 1 on ESPN.

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Fresh off his win at the RBC Canadian Open, Carl Petterson will be a handful as he gets further south and closer to home for him.

However, Ricky Barnes is my sleeper favorite to win this week. Ricky Barnes has made 18 of 21 cuts this season and has six top-10s and a top-three finish.

Barnes has the talent to string together some very low rounds, and I believe he'll crash through very soon.

Ricky will be my C-player in Yahoo Fantasy Golf this week.

My other players will be Kenny Perry, Jeff Overton, and Jim Furyk. This should be a better result than last week, as I dropped a few positions in the standings.

Currently I am in the 84th percentile with 4193 points, and the position of 24, 191 for the full season.

Still, I am ahead of all the Yahoo golf experts since summer began except for one who I trail by 98 points now. He is being very stubborn and I'm sure checks on me every week.  Ahhahahahahahaahah!

Just kidding, as Matt Romig has no idea who I am, I'm sure.

Have a great week and I'll be back Thursday with your first round results of the Greenbrier Classic.

Thomas [NFL Mikee] Moreland

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Carl Peterson, after barely making the cut, made a nine foot putt on Friday, shot 60 on Saturday, and now is nipping at Wilson's heels all day like a tenacious terrier wanting a treat.

Wilson leads the contest with a score of minus 15 through 10 holes, with Jeff Quinney in second at minus 12, three shots back.

Wilson however, is only at even par today entering the back nine.

Tim Clarke is tied for third at minus 11, along with Trevor Immelman of Masters fame, and Carl Peterson who shot that 60 earlier this week.

My fantasy team struggled this week, and is somehow still in the 85th percentile, with 4161 points and position number 23,411 for the season.

Scott Verplank, Bill Haas, Fred Couples, and Sean O Hair all missed the cut, leaving me with Retief Goosen, Kevin Na, and Ricky Barnes.

Next week will be better, I would hope. This is the first slow week I've had in about 10 tournaments now.

I am staying ahead of all of the Yahoo Golf Experts for the season, save one, who I trail by 74 points still.

Back to the action in Canada, as Dean Wilson has a difficult bunker shot with his second, on the par five 11th.

He is further back than he wanted to be for a legitimate chance at birdie.

Luke Donald has joined the group at minus 11, with two birdies on the back nine, to fight his way into this tournament.

Tim Clarke birdies 11 to get to just three back of Wilson. No three putts for Clarke the entire week so far. Now alone in second is Tim Clarke at minus 12.

Jeff Quinney has dropped to minus 11. Luke Donald makes a nice birdie to also reach minus 12.

Carl Peterson will also birdie to reach minus 12. The action is heating up for the final few holes of this tournament.

Leader Board as follows:  Dean Wilson -15, Tim Clarke -12, Carl Peterson -12, Luke Donald -12, Jeff Quinney - 11, Trevor Immelman -11, Greg Chalmers -10, Michael Letzig -10, Charley Hoffman -10, Charlie Wi -10, and Kevin Na still on the course at -10.

Chalmers, Letzig, Hoffman, and Wi are in the clubhouse.

Dean Wilson makes par, and is crusing along with that three shot advantage. Wilson has shot three 65's in a row to lead today at -15.

Brandon De Jorge has just birdied 15 to reach minus 12 also, and tie for second.

Clarke just bogeyed to drop to minus 11. The field is running out of holes to catch Wilson as he merrily cruises along to victory.

Wilson will surely birdie the easy par five and reach minus 16. That should be a winner, as Wilson looks the part of a confident composed golf professional going about his business.

Wilson needs a good up and down for par.

De Jorge just misjudged his sand shot and has a difficult par attempt from off the green. He is probably done for the day with that one. A double bogey drops him to -10.

Ooooh. Wilson has come up well short and will probably bogey 12. A two shot lead is all that's left. Minus 14 is all.

Luke Donald needs to get one more birdie and post a number.

Tim Clarke grabs a birdie to get back to two shots back.

Dean Wilson lost his playing privileges last year, and this is a big moment for Dean, with exemptions returning, back into the Majors, and many other great benefits to turn around a bad run for Wilson.

He can play, and many guys go through this on the pressure packed PGA Tour. It is very hard to get back once those playing privileges are gone.

Wilson has a birdie putt on 13, and the butterflies are starting to churn in the stomach of a past champion trying to get it back again.

If Luke Donald can grab a birdie on 18, Wilson's lead might be only one, but he has a birdie chance on 15 for sure, and might be putting for the tournament.

It is difficult to win an event without making any birdie putts, but at one over par Wilson still has a two shot lead.

Game on as Carl Peterson makes a birdie right in front of Wilson, as he fist pumps his way to the 14th tee. Peterson is now only one shot back of Wilson.

These last few finishing holes are not easy, except for maybe the par five for these professionals.

Wilson and Peterson are safe in the fairway on 14 and ready to fire at the pin.

Peterson goes a bit long on his second shot, but has a putt while Wilson is in the deeper stuff on the right back edge of the green.

A very important chip looms in the golf life of Dean Wilson. He hits his chip way long and looks a bit flustered.

Peterson hammers it in from 15 feet for birdie, while Wilson has a tough par putt back.

It's curtains for Wilson I'm afraid. Wilson drops all the way to minus 13, and Peterson now has the lead by one.

The wheels have fallen off the Wilson trolley, as his second shot to the green is poor.

Peterson just hit the best shot of the day to get it within three feet for birdie.

This could be all for Wilson, unless he matches this birdie. Wilson is not close however, as he fights maintaining his tempo and rhythm in these finishing holes.

Peterson goes to -15 and it looks like this is Peterson's to win or lose now.

Wilson started the tournament with three 65's in a row, but could not get anything going today.

Tim Clarke just grabbed another birdie to reach -13. Peterson birdies again, for his 5th birdie in six holes. 

Three holes to play now, as people's lives and fortunes lay in the balance.

Wilson hits a marvelous shot at 16 to have a chance to get one back, as the drama in Canada continues on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

No one gets birdie on 16 and we move to 17 and both players hit good tee shots.

Peterson is two ahead, with 17 and 18 left to play. A two shot swing is not out of the question as these are difficult finishing holes.

Tim Clarke is fighting to stay above water at minus 12 and hoping for one more birdie and a chance. Clarke had a bad time of it on 17 and dropped a shot and is now at -11.

He's done. Just Wilson and Peterson now, as they fight to keep the nerves in check and finish well.

Peterson and Wilson both are safely around the green and all the pressure is on Dean Wilson now to make something happen.

Those untimely bogeys on the back nine are killing his hopes of a fresh start on the PGA Tour.

You just don't get much accolades for second except a nice payday.

Wilson makes his par and now Peterson lags his putts to the hole and taps it in for par.

One hole left now with a two shot lead for Carl Peterson who played his college golf at North Carolina State, and has amassed over $14,000,000 dollars on the PGA and European Tour.

Luke Donald will grab third place with a nice Sunday round of 66.

Carl Peterson will get this victory, with Dean Wilson a tough second place, and Donald as I mentioned, grabs third.

Fourth goes to Tim Clarke of England if he makes this six footer.

That does not drop and there is a nine way tie for fourth place.

Peterson is safely on the green, and Wilson must get it close on his second shot.

Wilson is about 20 feet away, and Peterson has just a two putt from 60 feet to wrap this one up.

Great golf on a superb course was the ticket all week at St. Georges Golf and Country Club at the RBC Canadian Open.

They had great weather, except for one spurt of rain, and Peterson lags it to about five feet on 18 as we finish up on Sunday.

Wilson must hole this big swinging 20 foot putt to have any chance as he eyes his line and steps up to the ball.

It's short and that is it, folks. Peterson wins, and on to Greenbriar next week for the PGA Tour.

That's Peterson's fourth win on the PGA Tour as he concludes a thrilling weekend of golf.

Have a fantastic week and read some football articles from Thomas [NFL Mikee]Moreland if your yearning for the NFL to start their engines.

Thomas[NFL Mikee] Moreland

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Led the by the non-profit National Golf Foundation, the 2010 American Golf Census is designed to accurately account for the number and ability level of golfers in the United States, along with various other fun-facts about the game.

That information will then be recorded, posted and relayed to the newly founded golf lobby “We Are Golf” who, armed with the new knowledge, will go to work badgering our elected officials on Capitol Hill for more of the niceties that the federal government has to offer (i.e. money).

Admittedly, at first glance this appears a pretty trivial, hopeless, and painfully boring way of accomplishing something that probably won’t work, but recent numbers churned out by the census and it’s counterparts actually bring to light some surprisingly interesting information.

For example, in the last wide scale survey, “We Are Golf” reported that in 2005 the golf industry took in $75.9 billion, more money than the motion picture and video industry.

The golf industry also creates (indirectly and directly), almost double the amount of jobs that the telecommunications industry does and more careers than the broadcasting, motion picture, and publishing industries combined. In 2006, Florida attributed over 160,000 of its jobs directly due to the popularity of golf in the state, a figure that continues to grow annually.

It really is amazing to see how this silly game we all love to hate acts as the vehicle towards prosperity for so many people and communities all around the nation.

Take the example of a little golf course in a small town in New York; Lenox Hills Country Club was the course and Farmingdale was the town. Lenox Hills was a failing country club until the local park authority purchased the plot of land in 1930. Two different architects were hired to construct four new golf courses.

That municipal course grew in stature and was so popular that residents demanded another course to be built, and so, in 1958 it was.

Today over 300,000 rounds of golf are played on those municipal courses every year.

One of it’s courses even draws golfers (myself included) from all around the world, all of whom are forced to wait in line in the cold, dark hours of the morning just in hopes of getting tee time. The name of that course? Bethpage Black, host of the 2002 and 2009 United States Open Championships.

Stories similar to that of Bethpage are not uncommon because golf has a history of canonizing players who give back to the game and their community. While icons in other sports are worshipped for their ability to buy expensive cars and negotiate large contracts, the game that demands character holds its players to a higher standard. Tiger Woods has his foundation, as does Phil Mickelson, Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus and Ernie Els.

Bobby Jones, who some argue is golf’s best ever player, remained an amateur his entire career and thus never accepted a dime of his winnings. Arnold Palmer was in 2004 bestowed the Presidential Medal of freedom, and every year Golf’s Professional tours contribute $130 million dollars to charity around the globe.

Golf is more than just a game. It demands character from its players and in return offers not just a fun few hours, but lessons about life and a strong center that countless communities have been built around.

So, as cheesy as it may sound, in taking three minutes to fill out your American Golf Census form, you are not just declaring support for your favorite hobby, but you are registering a belief that sometimes life’s most complicated questions, like unemployment and recession, can be aided by something so simple as trying to hit a ball in a hole.

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Wilson has earned almost $18,000,000 dollars on the PGA Tour, was born in Hawaii, and played his college golf at B.Y.U.

Also tied for the lead at 10 under is Tim Clarke from England, playing well on Friday with a 64.

Yesterday's leader,Brent Delahoussaye is now in third at nine under, along with Steve Wheatcroft, a player from Indiana, Pennsylvania who has been a pro since 2001 with almost $800,000 dollars earned.

It's like a journeyman pro golf convention in Canada. No big stars, just grinders, hoping for a big check and an exemption to the good life.

The most interesting player to watch on Saturday and Sunday is Nathan Green, who is trying to repeat as Champion again this year, currently in ninth at minus seven.

Hunter Mahan is still grinding along hoping to win one soon at eight under par. He is only two back and has the abilty to go low in any round he plays.

My best fantasy player so far this week would be Kevin Na at six under par. Both my A-players have missed the cut, which is a first for me this season. Gadzooks!

I picked the wrong two guys with Scott Verplank and Bill Haas for this event.

My other B-player, Retief Goosen made the cut at minus one, right on the line. I am 68 points behind one Yahoo Expert and ahead of all the rest.

Still in the 85th percentile, ranked at 22,848 with 4133 points, I am just trying to survive this difficult event to call without the star players.

I have three guys who can score, so it might work out alright.

Thanks for visiting.

Thomas[ NFL Mikee] Moreland

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Don’t get me wrong, Louis Oosthuizen was impressive. What wasn’t impressive was the showing by the U.S. golfers with only six finishing in the top 20.

By contrast, at the Senior British Open now underway, only six of the top 20 after round one are non-U.S. players. U.S. golfers in the senior ranks are the battle-scarred veterans of the 1980s and 1990s: John Cook, Corey Pavin, Jeff Sluman, Larry Mize, Tom Lehman, and Mark Calcavecchia, among others.

The top U.S. finishers at the British Open were Sean O’Hair and Nick Watney in seventh, followed by Rickie Fowler in 14th who tied with 50-year-old Tom Lehman, JB Holmes, and Dustin Johnson. After that, it was Tiger Woods in 23rd, Hunter Mahan in 37th, and Ricky Barnes in 44th.

At age 50, Tom Lehman outplayed guys 20 years his junior. And next Monday, he’ll get on a plane and fly to Seattle to compete in his third major in three weeks: the USGA Senior Open.

If he can still take a club back when he gets off the plane, they should give him a medal.

Other than Rickie Fowler, who has grabbed the PGA Tour by the tail and given it a good shake this year? 

Where are our great young stars?

Have they been beaten to a pulp by Tiger Woods? Is the thought of Tiger Woods too scary past college or the Nationwide Tour? Are they focused on the perfect swing instead of a score? Are foreign players that much better? Is the money so good now that the victories are less important?

While Woods has taken away money at the top, with 71 PGA Tour victories since 1996, he has also added more cash to purses.

For instance, the biggest first place check in 1995, the year before Tiger Woods said, “Hello World,” was at The Players Championship where Lee Janzen won $540,000. This year’s winner, Tim Clark, cashed a check for $1,710,000 at The Players. That's not just inflation over 15 years.

Money is one reason Phil Mickelson is always quick to defend Tiger Woods. Mickelson says he is grateful for the increase in prize money that Woods has brought to professional golf, and he means that.

Having Woods around is one reason that Phil Mickelson, according to a recently released survey, is now the second highest-earning athlete in the U.S. after Woods. Woods and Mickelson each earn more than any NFL, NBA, NHL, or MLB star, counting endorsements.

Jack Nicklaus said 10 years ago that Tiger Woods made it possible for golfers to earn a living just playing tournament golf. What he meant was that golfers no longer had to invent other side businesses, or play in 15 or 20 Monday and Tuesday private pro-ams to keep their families fed.

Of course, if you add in the outside business interests, pretty soon it's real money.

There’s the distinct possibility that money makes victories less crucial.

Tim Clark, who is from South Africa (let’s face it, it’s just their year), certainly considered himself a financial success prior to winning The Players. He has won more than $16 million in 10 seasons on the PGA Tour.

There is also an influx of foreign players who have a home base on the PGA Tour.

The PGA Tour is more of a world tour these days, and that’s different than the early 1990s, when a handful of foreign players were usually from Australia or South Africa. These days, they are just as likely to be from Sweden or Spain.

Foreign players were probably the very best in their country in a four or five year span. They were helped and guided. They were the Tiger Woods of their country. Because of that, they’ve had help and improved, just as Louis Oosthuizen credited the Ernie Els foundation for assisting him in making his way into professional golf. Here in the U.S., we have more than a top one or two.

In fact, the U.S. might have a top 100 or 150, making it hard to select one or two to groom as not just potential winners, but world beaters.

We have depth that other places don’t have because their country might be the size of Kansas, Minnesota, or Texas, for instance. It's hard for us to settle on just one phenom. 

None of those rationalizations answers the why, though.

Why were there only six U.S. players in the top 20 of the British Open while there are only six non-U.S. Players in the top 20 of the Senior British Open?

Maybe the rest of the world’s players have elevated their games.

Maybe it’s as simple as that.

Maybe we’re spoiled, expecting our talent to surpass that of other countries. That may be an unrealistic view in the 21st century, but it’s still a question.

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Delahoussaye has been a pro for five years, and only has career earnings of about $150,000 dollars thus far. This could be a huge leap for the golfer that played his college golf at Clemson.

However at this point, three more days is an eternity.

In second place is Vance Veazey, who fired a first round 64. 

I do not know who Vance Veazey is, nor will I try to even find out.

In third place is Brock Mackenzie, who I have vaguely heard of, but don't know much about.

If both, or even one of these guys is around on Saturday or Sunday, I'd be surprised.

Some more familiar names kick in now as we see Hunter Mahan, Dean Wilson, Charley Hoffman, Spencer Levin, Matt Jones all hanging around between four and six under par.

In fantasy golf, my team of Verplank, Goosen, O Hair, and Kuchar did not fare well—only scoring 22 points on day one.

Verpank will be used tomorrow as he shot just even par, while Goosen was minus three and will be used again tomorrow.

Verplank's back up is Bill Haas, who is at plus three. Needless to say, I can't switch to Haas.

O'Hair only managed even par, and will be replaced with Kevin Na, who was a bit better at minus three.

Kuchar also will be replaced by his back up, Ricky Barnes. Kuchar was even, while Barnes is at minus three.

The field will close the gap tomorrow on Delahoussaye as play continues at the RBC Canadian Open, and players scramble to make the cut.

Enjoy Friday, and I'll get back to you soon.

Thomas [NFL Mikee] Moreland

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