Not even the snow and sleet could stop Donald.

On a bizarre final day in the high desert, which began with snow covering the fairways, Donald pulled ahead for good with a birdie on the par-5 11th and a par on the next hole, eventually closing out Kaymer on No. 16 for a 3-and-2 victory.

The consolation prize for Kaymer is going to No. 1 in the career, which he assured by reaching the championship match.

Donald was in more dire need of this trophy, however.

It was his first win in America in five years, and it was only his second win worldwide since he captured the 2006 Honda Classic. The 33-year-old Englishman had done just about everything right except win.

He took care of that in a week like no other in the 13-year history of the Accenture Match Play Championship. Donald played only 89 holes in six matches and never trailed in any of them. In fact, he led after 81 of those holes.

“It feels amazing,” Donald said. “I had a bit of a monkey on my back. I hadn’t won in the U.S. in five years.”

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The PGA Tour travels down the California coast to Los Angeles for the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club. Surprisingly, the weather won’t be perfect this week, but that’s nothing new for this season. Forecasts call for a chance of rain everyday but Sunday, which might help soften and slow down the greens.

It’s another strong field, with a number of players making their 2011 debut. Here’s how we see the week shaking out, beginning with our favorites:

1. Phil Mickelson — He’s regaining confidence in his game and no one has earned more money at the Northern Trust Open, which makes him the easy choice this week. While it would be nice to see Lefty close out an event, we won’t pick against him as he tries to become the first three-time winner at this even since Arnold Palmer did it in 1967.

2. Steve Stricker — Last year’s winner mainly makes it on track record. Stricker took this tournament off for three years before returning to finish T11, second and first the last three years. In his only two starts this year, Stricker finished T4 and T9. It’s hard to argue that anyone has played as well as the him the last two years — five total wins and back-to-back runner-up finishes in the FedEx Cup standings. A win this week would make a great birthday gift for the man that turns 44 next week.

3. Matt Kuchar — Don’t forget about Kuchar, who took the last three weeks off. He opened the year with three straight top 10s, where he only shot two rounds outside of the 60s (both of those were only 70). You won’t find a flaw in the three-time Tour winner’s game right now. He ranks inside the top five on Tour in driving accuracy, greens in regulation, birdie average, and all-around.

4. Bill Haas — Haas must have taken the AT&T off to work on his game after falling all the way down to a T29 finish at the WMPO. All kidding aside, you could argue that he’s played the best golf on Tour this year. A final-round 76 in Scottsdale kept him from his fourth straight top 10 to start 2011. You can ignore his missed cuts the last two starts here because his game is solid.

5. Luke Donald — The Northern Trust Open is a great place for Donald to begin his 2011 campaign. He’s notched three straight top 10s at Riviera, including a runner-up finish in 2010. There shouldn’t be much rust to shake off either. When we last saw Donald at the end of the year, he had recorded a top-three finish in four of his final six starts.

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The Tour heads back to California for one of the most scenic stops all year at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Players will be competing on three courses, all of which measure less than 7,000 yards and demand accuracy and a solid short game. Tiger Woods might be on the other side of the world this week, but the field in Northern California doesn’t lack star power.

Favorites

Dustin Johnson — After back-to-back top 10s to open the year, Johnson (pictured) might have made it three straight had the weather in Scottsdale not caused delays everyday. Less than 30 minutes after his opening-round 64, he was back on the tee for round two and shot nine strokes worse. The two-time defending champ at this event was a disastrous final round away from winning the U.S. Open here last summer.

Vijay Singh — Don’t look now, but the Big Fijian looks to be regaining his form. Winless since 2008, Singh has improved each week and earned his first top three finish in three years, which is pretty unbelievable. The 2004 winner here also has three runner-up finishes at the AT&T

Mark Wilson — Winner in two of his three starts this season, Wilson’s game is primed for the trip to Pebble Beach. He sits top 5 on Tour in greens in regulation, scrambling, and scoring, and his consistency will benefit him this week. While his past results here aren’t spectacular, the FedEx Cup points leader hasn’t missed the cut at the AT&T since 2003.

Jim Furyk — Last season’s FedEx Cup winner took a month off since missing the cut at the Sony Open. He also took a month break after playing both tournaments on the islands to open 2007, returning to the AT&T and finishing T6. Maybe that trend could be a bit of a stretch, but there’s no doubt Furyk enjoys Pebble Beach – he hasn’t finished outside of the top 40 since 1999.

J.B. Holmes — The two-time Tour winner nearly added number three at the AT&T a year ago. Holmes finished one stoke behind Dustin Johnson in a tie for 2nd and hasn’t missed the cut in four starts at this tournament. One of the longest hitters on tour, he also sits sixth in birdie average after a T5 at the WMPO.

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Phil Mickelson was locked in concentration over a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th, the some 20,000 onlookers mostly quiet on the amphitheater hole except a fan who screamed “Tiger would make it!”

Playing partner Bill Haas heard it, but Mickelson was oblivious to the slight, perfectly striking the putt that drew a thunderous cheer when it dropped in.

“It’s Saturday of the Phoenix Open. It’s always fun,” Mickelson said. “There’s a lot of people out here. I don’t think there’s a shot I wanted to make more, other than a major championship, than that putt on 16. I wanted to make that so bad.

“To see that go in with the crowd right there was a great feeling.”

The birdie and another on the short par-4 17th helped Mickelson close within four strokes of leader Tommy Gainey halfway through the frost-delayed tournament.

“There’s a lot of golf left,” Mickelson said. “Even though it’s Saturday — it feels like it’s the third round — but we’ve only played two, so we’re halfway through and to be within a few shots, it’s where everybody is trying to get to.”

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The Waste Management Phoenix Open is one of the few PGA events that has the feel of an NFL game or a NASCAR race — not to confuse the two demographics, but both atmospheres have very similar qualities. Huge crowds will again be in attendance, despite weather so cold the pro-am was canceled.

TPC Scottsdale’s par-3, 16th hole is the most exciting hole in golf with bleachers surrounding tee to green. It will serve as the Kodak Challenge hole for the week, which gives it an unneeded boost. Sit back and enjoy the party in Arizona, and keep an eye on these players.

The favorites for this week are familiar names who have started strong in 2011:

1. Phil Mickelson — After a strong performance at Torrey Pines, Phil heads to another course that he loves. With two wins and nine top-10s at this tournament, he is the favorite to win this week. The former Arizona State player will need to tighten up his game off the tee, but his short game looks to be in order.

2. Dustin Johnson — Any personal issues that Johnson might have been experiencing when he withdrew a few weeks ago are not affecting him. He was near the top in every major statistical category last week and finished with a final-round 66, which included no bogeys. With top-10s in both starts this year, it would be a surprise if he didn’t make it three.

3. Hunter Mahan — Last year’s winner should be primed for a title defense. Mahan entered Sunday’s final round last week in the last group, but a double bogey on the opening hole set the tone for day and he finished the Farmers T6. His win in Phoenix a year ago was highlighted by only 12 missed greens the entire week. If he can continue to hit his driver well, expect him to have a lot of birdie opportunities.

5. Jhonattan Vegas — It’s probably a bit premature to be including Vegas in the short list of favorites, but the rookie has earned it. The Venezuelan entered the 72nd hole last week just one stroke out of the lead and a realistic opportunity for back-to-back wins. The most impressive aspect of his performance was his calm and confidence in a high-pressure home stretch. The FedEx Cup points leader looks like he belongs.

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FanHouse Golf Writer Mick Elliott runs through a point/counterpoint on the last week of happenings in golf:

Fact: A man who allegedly took a woman hostage during a Friday bank robbery in suburban Washington, D.C., was shot and killed by authorities.

Observation: Good.

Fact: Playing in the opening round of last week’s European Tour event in Bahrain, Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez angrily broke his putter in two, picked up his wedge to use on the greens and made three straight birdies.

Observation: Would you expect anything less from the Most Interesting Man In The World?

Fact: Flying enthusiast Arnold Palmer (right) piloted his first aircraft in 1956. On Sunday, now 81, the golf legend made what he proclaimed his final flight as a pilot. With his license now expired, he will not seek to have it renewed.

Observation: Wait a minute. Arnold Palmer needs an airplane to fly?

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Each week, Monday Movers will look back on the previous week in the golf world to see whose stock is rising and who will likely be heading back to the range.

Stock Up

Bubba Watson — Watson’s victory at Torrey Pines won’t be remembered for the 362-yard drive he bombed on 13. Instead, it was the brilliant touch he showed with his short game as he got up-and-down from a tough lie in a bunker on the 72nd hole to secure the one-stroke win over Phil Mickelson. The left-hander had to earn his second career PGA win against an experienced group of competitors all making a push, but did so with consistency. He led the field in greens in regulation and only carded one bogey during the final round.

Paul Casey — The Englishman called Sunday at the inaugural Volvo Golf Champions “one of the toughest battles I’ve ever had.” On paper, Casey ended the day in the same position he started it — first — but he did so by surviving 23 final-round lead changes to win his first tournament in 20 months. If not for Mickelson finishing second in San Diego, Casey would have moved into the top five of the world rankings. Instead, he moved up three spots to 6th.

Golf Rulebook — PGA commissioner Tim Finchem spoke out about the recent rules violations that were reported by television viewers and led to disqualification for Camilo Villegas and Padraig Harrington. Finchem, speaking from the Farmers Insurance Open, said he wants a thorough review of the rules to decide whether there is a better way to punish players that aren’t aware of their violation. He’ll meet with the USGA executive committee next week and has also asked the European Tour to join him in examining the rule.

Sunday at Torrey Pines — The PGA was hoping for an exciting finish when Tiger Woods announced he would make his 2011 debut at Torrey Pines alongside Phil Mickelson — and they got it, despite Woods struggling efforts on the course. With the top of the leaderboard filled with some of the top players on Tour and super-rookie Jhonattan Vegas, the level of competition bordered on majoresque on Sunday. Nick Watney went out early and set the tone with a 28 on the front nine and the leaders followed. On a day in which only 11 of the 79 players broke 70, six of those came from the top 6 finishers, and that provided an incredible finish.

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SAN DIEGO — With a 5-under final-round 67 Sunday at Torrey Pines, Bubba Watson won the Farmers Insurance Open — his second PGA Tour title — by one shot over Phil Mickelson and put the PGA Tour on notice.

He’s serious.

“It just shows that I can do it,” Watson said. “I did it twice now. I’m only like 50 behind Phil and 80 behind Tiger, so they better watch out.”

Watson, no malice intended, is seen by many as something of a golf goof ball. The 32-year-old self-taught player from the little Florida Panhandle town of Bagdad, likes to post Internet videos featuring trick shots and comedy. One of his favorites is a wedge shot from out of a tiny loving cup, over a swimming pool and into a sand pail.

He also has posted a “Happy Birthday” tribute to Ellen DeGeneres, and, last December at the Shark Shootout, dressed as Santa Claus to sign autographs after finishing play.

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SAN DIEGO — Phil Mickelson and Bill Haas are 12 under par and share the lead going into Sunday’s final round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. Hunter Mahan, Bubba Watson, Anthony Kim and rookie Jhonattan Vegas are within three strokes as the sun-splashed week heads to the finish line.

What could possibly be wrong with a tournament like that?

Funny you should ask.

Sitting adjacent to Torrey Pines golf complex is the Scripps Clinic. When a visitor to the medical center arrived this week for a scheduled doctor’s appointment, she was confounded by signage in the parking lot that announced “NO ACCESS FOR FARMERS.”

Clinic officials are now aware of a coming petition demanding that in the future they accept the area’s farm workers for treatment.

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SAN DIEGO — After 19 PGA Tour seasons, 46 professional victories, four major championships, more than $60 million in career earnings and a public image that can pull more heart stings than Hallmark, Phil Mickelson should be a whole lot easier to figure.

But then he wouldn’t be Phil.

Few — in any — people in golf have ever done unpredictability bigger and better than Mickelson. Start with the fact that he’s a natural right-hander who plays golf lefty.

Over the years, Mickelson has lost events he should have won, and won others in which he probably should not have even been in contention. He has been heroic, steady and good. He has been his own worst enemy. He has been lampooned for talking too much about things he should not and applauded for insight and opinions on important issues inside the game. He has gambled and won, gambled and lost.

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The Farmers Insurance Open will likely mark the unofficial start to the 2011 PGA season for a lot of fans with Tiger Woods making his debut. Couple that with Phil Mickelson, pictured, and Torrey Pines is looking at its best tournament in the last few years. There’s no need to re-hash all of the storylines surrounding the 3rd-ranked player in the world (doesn’t sound right, does it?) so let’s give you what you need to know.

This challenging South course on the Pacific Coast in San Diego will test the field off the tee. It will be played at around 7,600 yards and ranked one of the more difficult non-major courses in 2010. While the length is significant, accuracy will also be at a premium with challenging rough and tough recoveries around the greens.

With that said, let’s take a look at the field and how it breaks down from our perspective.

Surging on Sunday

1. Tiger Woods — Look, I honestly don’t think Torrey Pines will be the site of Woods’ welcome back party, but his past results here are amazing. The last time playing here, Woods rode one bum knee to a U.S. Open playoff victory over Rocco Mediate. Prior to missing this tournament the past two years, he won it four straight times. And you have to believe that falling to third in the world rankings has ultra-competitive Woods motivated.

2. Bill Haas — The 28-year-old is playing the best golf of his career. After a breakout 2010, Haas lost in a playoff last week and finished T8 at the Tournament of Champions. After a T11 showing here in 2009, Haas failed to break 70 last year and ended T37. He hasn’t shot a round outside of the 60s this year so don’t expect a repeat of 2010.

3. Nick Watney — The 2009 winner has recorded just 11 bogeys in his last 144 holes at Torrey Pines and has finished top 10 in three of the last four years. This will be the first start of 2011 for the newly married Watney, and he’ll try to carry over his success from a year ago. He failed to record a win but only missed two cuts and finished outside of the top 25 just 10 times in 25 starts.

4. Justin Rose — There isn’t enough love for Rose this week as 2010 marked the best season for the Englishman as he recorded two wins and two other top 10s. This year, Rose has a T12 at the Tournament of Champions and a T13 at the Sony Open. Even with a 75 in his first round of the year, Rose still sits T14 in scoring with a 69.04 average. This will be the first time he’s played this tournament in consecutive years so maybe it will be his most prepared.

5. Robert Allenby — The Australian missed the cut in his only event this season but don’t let that fool you. One of the top all-around players on Tour last year and had two solo 2nd place finishes. He closed out the year with two top 5s in his final three starts. Allenby’s history at Torrey Pines isn’t too bad either – T9 at this event in 2010 and 2007.

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SAN DIEGO — OK, now we’re talking.

The PGA Tour has come to beautiful and challenging Torrey Pines this week for the Farmers Insurance Open and was considerate enough to bring a nice bottle of pay-attention.

Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Hunter Mahan, Anthony Kim, Rickie Fowler and Justin Rose are all entered — and with no NFL to block the sun.

Just like golf’s good ol’ days, Woods will be the attention getter — at least starting out.

Woods has owned Torrey Pines in the past. He has six victories in 11 starts here in PGA Tour play, in addition to the 2008 U.S. Open. But Woods hasn’t played at Torrey Pines since that major championship, missing the Farmers in 2009 because of knee surgery and skipping it last year while taking a break from personal issues that led to divorce.

The personal turmoil left the former world No. 1 player without a victory in 2010, the first winless season of his career.

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FanHouse golf writer B.J. George breaks down the week’s winners and losers in this special Tuesday edition of Monday Movers.

Stock Up

Martin Kaymer — The German dominated a strong field in Abu Dhabi by shooting a new record low. Kaymer topped last year’s record-tying 21-under by three strokes. The 26-year-old torched his self-proclaimed “home course” to the tune of 25 birdies and only one bogey. With the 8-stroke victory over Rory McIlroy, Kaymer passes Tiger Woods and now finds himself No. 2 in the world. You should expect last year’s PGA Champion to reach No. 1 at some point this season, likely before the year’s first major.

Jhonattan Vegas — Another 26-year-old picked up the win at the Bob Hope Classic but this one was much more improbable. Just three weeks into the new PGA season, the rookie picked up his first tournament victory and made history by becoming the first Venezuelan to win on Tour. Vegas’ final-round 69 was his worst of the week but good enough to land him in a playoff with Gary Woodland and Bill Haas, where a second hole par secured the win. The former Texas Longhorn jumped 101 spots to 86th in the world rankings in just his fourth year as a professional golfer.

Consistency — What do Matt Kuchar and Charles Schwartzel have in common? If you answered future major winners, you might be proven correct soon, but for now, neither has finished outside of the top 10 this season. Kuchar finished T7 at the Bob Hope Classic for his third straight top 10 and currently sits 7th in the FedEx Cup Standings. Schwartzel, who will be debuting on the PGA Tour this season, leads the European Tour’s Race to Dubai after his 5th top 10 in five events in 2011.

Ryder Cup Captains — The American and European Ryder Cup teams both officially named their team captains this week. Davis Love III will lead the U.S. while Jose Maria Olazabal will try to keep the Cup in Europe for a seventh time in nine matchups. Both men have a Ryder Cup history already. Love’s first three career matches in the Ryder Cup took place against Olazabal and Seve Ballesteros. Love won the first but never beat Olazabal again. Vice Captains won’t be named for a while but Fred Couples and Sergio Garcia are two favorites.

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FanHouse Golf Writer Mick Elliott runs through a point/counterpoint on the last week of happenings in golf:

Fact: Tiger Woods begins 2011 play this week in San Diego, hoping to bounce back from the first winless season of his career. “I’ve been working hard on my game, it’s game time, hooah!!” Woods posted on Twitter.

Observation: And Tiger knows “hooah.”

Fact: Woods will arrive at Torrey Pines No. 3 in the world rankings, now trailing No. 1 Lee Westwood and No. 2 Martin Kaymer.

Observation: Woods should be thrilled. Finally, he has something to look forward to.

Fact: Phil Mickelson made it as a vegetarian for five months, but recently returned to his old diet. “I was a strict vegetarian for five months, but ultimately, it was doomed to fail,” he said.

Observation: That explains Callaway’s new product line: The Rescue Club Sandwich.

Fact: Westwood, the Englishman and recent new No. 1, says he will not enter this year’s Players Championship, golf’s “fifth major,” because of scheduling conflicts involving his status as a non-member of the PGA Tour.

Observation: Meanwhile, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem continues to work on ways to attract foreign stars to the U.S. So far, the best idea is Marriott Rewards Points.

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Nowhere among the world’s top two ranked golfers will you find Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk or any other American.

U.S. golf supremacy, once as dependable as the American dollar, well, still is. While the PGA Tour’s Bob Hope Classic was playing out Sunday as a final-round battle between everybody’s favorites, Jhonattan Vegas and Gary Woodland, far across the world Germany’s Martin Kaymer was winning the Abu Dhabi Championship and vaulting into the world No. 2 spot behind England’s Lee Westwood ahead of Woods.

Kaymer, the 26-year-old who made last year’s PGA Championship his first major title, shot a 6-under-par 66 to finish 24 under and eight shots clean of Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy. Retief Goosen and Graeme McDowell were another two shots back in third.

Kaymer’s winning score and victory margin were the best in tournament history.

Making those facts particularly impressive is the Abu Dhabi field featured all four reigning major champions in addition to
Westwood, Mickelson and a total of seven of the world’s top 12.

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FanHouse Golf Writer Mick Elliott runs through a point/counterpoint on the early weeks of the 2011 PGA season:

Fact: World No. 1 Lee Westwood (pictured) heads the field this week at Abu Dhabi, joined by Graeme McDowell, Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington, Martin Kaymer and Rory McIlroy.

Observation: Not to be outdone, the PGA Tour’s Bob Hope Classic, with its pro-am format, has Alice Cooper, Craig T. Nelson, Sterling Sharpe and a Rush Limbaugh listener.

Fact: Of the 26 rookies who made their season debut last week at Sony, only five survived the cut with the best finish belonging to Chris Kirk, a former Ben Hogan Award winner at Georgia (T30).

Observation: Do you wonder if the Bulldogs elected Kirk team captain?

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It just doesn’t seem fair, but that’s where the once-proud event finds itself: in only slightly better health than its namesake. When the five-round, 90-hole pro-am event begins Wednesday, it will be playing second fiddle to the European Tour’s Abu Dhabi Championship, the week’s big-boy gathering that will draw six of the world’s top 10 players, and 12 of the top 25, including world No. 1 Lee Westwood and American favorite Phil Mickelson.

The Hope, meanwhile, has six of the top 50 (Matt Kuchar, Tim Clark, Bubba Watson, Bo Van Pelt, Ryan Moore and Stewart Cink). Kuchar, at 13th, is the highest-ranked player and the only player from the top 25. There was a time that the Hope was a must-play during the West Coast Swing. But players simply do not like five rounds that (because of amateur partners) last six hours in historically foul weather.

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There are 26 rookies, 11 of them playing in their career first PGA Tour event, teeing off Thursday the Sony Open in Hawaii, the year’s first full-field event.

In a related story, drug stores in the Honolulu area reported a recent spike in antacid sales.

Anybody’s first step is usually the toughest. In addition to playing the Waialae CC for the first time, the season’s newcomers arrive at their new work place carrying a live well of human emotions that certainly include doubt, raw nerves and a degree of insecurity.

That’s OK. Eighteen years ago, Jim Furyk made his rookie debut on the very same course and now has 16 career PGA Tour wins, a U.S. Open title and is the reigning Player of the Year.

That does not mean he hit the ground running. Actually, far from it.

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Each week, Monday Movers will look back on the previous week in the golf world to see whose stock is rising and who will likely be heading back to the range.

On the Rise

Jonathan Byrd – Byrd qualified for the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in dramatic fashion 11 weeks ago with a walk-off ace in Las Vegas, and he found himself in familiar territory again on Sunday. Unable to birdie the par 5 final hole, the 32-year-old was headed back to extra holes with Robert Garrigus. Par held up on the second playoff hole, giving Byrd his fifth career win and two straight. It has been an improbable few months for Byrd, who needed a solid finish in the Fall Series last year just to retain his tour card. Now he heads into the first full week of the 2011 season with earnings that nearly match all of 2010.

Louis Oosthuizen — The 2010 British Open winner seems to be using the European Tour to tune his game before he makes his PGA Tour debut in the coming weeks. Oosthuizen’s playoff win at the African Open Sunday follows a third place finish at the South African Open in his last tournament out. The best news for the South African might be that he appears to be fully recovered from an ankle injury suffered in September that sidelined him for two months.

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It’s time to play “Call It Brilliant, Or Call It Bull,” the new game show that looks at golf’s hot-button issues the way a politician eyes a photo op.

Today’s special guest is NBC golf analyst Gary Koch, a former PGA Tour player with six career wins and a whole bunch of knowledge and insight.

For those wanting to play along at home, the rules are simple. Contestants are read a statement relating to a PGA Tour subject of debate, then they make the call — “Brilliant,” or “Bull.”

And Koch, a veteran player and course designer preparing for his 14th year of service to NBC, knows Brilliant when he sees it, and Bull when it is being shoveled his way.

So, Gary Koch, are you ready to play?

Wait a minute. You’re not Bob Barker. … and we’re not even in a studio.

OK, let’s get started.

I’m calling my agent.

We’re playing now. First statement.

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Take a guess as to who is not at this week’s PGA Tour 2011 season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.

That’s right. As anybody who knows the difference between a short iron and an ironing board can tell you, Tiger Woods, despite being many things in 2010, was not a tournament winner.

So, Woods, a two-time winner of the event (1997 and 2000) will be missing at Kapalua’s Plantation Course Thursday when play gets under way. But at least he has an excuse.

More than a few of 2010 winners also are nowhere to be found: Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy, all currently ranked among the world’s top 10 golfers.

That’s really not that big a surprise. Even in Hawaii, early January rarely seems to be a favorite time for many of the PGA Tour’s biggest names.

Woods and Mickelson are among the big names who make a habit of starting their PGA Tour play later in the season and routinely skip Hawaii. Also, Europeans players who are not PGA Tour members don’t even bother to considered the event because they would rather use their limited visits to the U.S. for other events.

The result is that while Tournament of Champions sure has a spiffy ring to it, this week’s event is pretty much just like next week’s Sony Open in Honolulu — only without all the guys anyone knows anything about.

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Back from a short winter nap, the PGA Tour returns to Hawaii this week to start another season, bringing with it an assorted shopping list of questions, needs and challenges.

After play begins Thursday at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Kapalua, the new season will drag out for more than 11 full months. If history tells us anything, the long grind will produce new chapters to old stories, fresh faces, surprise winners, disappointing losers, great shots, miserable meltdowns and a fair share of ambivalence.

And when it is finally over, there will be a handful of stories, players and issues that shape the year and impact 2011′s place in golf’s history book.

Here’s 11 for ’11.

1. Tiger Woods — Old news or a new start?

Woods went winless in 2010, the first shutout of his professional career, because of a number of reasons — including bad golf.

The swing can be rebuilt. He’s done it before. The work with new coach Sean Foley, which began in August, should be ready to pay dividends by the time Woods makes his season debut (probably late this month in San Diego).

But can Woods, who turned 35 last week (Dec. 30), again show the mental toughness and confidence that distinguished him on the way to 14 major championships and almost six consecutive years as the world’s No. 1 player?

Woods remains four behind Jack Nicklaus’ all-time record of 18 major championships and the march that once seemed destined now makes for a good debate.

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(AP) — Framed photographs large and small hang in every room and adorn the walls of every corridor inside the Bay Hill Club & Lodge, memories of Arnold Palmer and more than a half-century he devoted to golf.

He is flinging his visor after winning the Masters. He is posing with one of his best friends, Dow Finsterwald, and his longtime rival, Jack Nicklaus. In one picture, he is wearing a Chinese hat during his first trip to China to design a golf course.

Unmistakable in nearly every photograph is a smile.

In his design company office one day in December, he was asked why he was always seemed happy.

“I loved what I was doing,” he said. “I got to play a great game. I have a great life, a great family, all the things you could want. I love the feeling of getting out of bed each morning.”

Golf featured its share of unpleasant moments this year — Tiger Woods, leaning back against his locker at Sawgrass with his eyes closed after pulling out of The Players Championship, perhaps the low point on the golf course in a year filled with them; Dustin Johnson, erasing his scorecard to change a 5 to a 7 after being told he was in a bunker on the last hole of the PGA Championship; Paul Casey, facing reporters who wanted answers he didn’t have as to why he was left off the Ryder Cup team.

The photos of Palmer are a reminder that it’s a great game, and a great life. As always, there were plenty of poignant moments from a year on the PGA Tour that go beyond birdies and bogeys and bunkers:

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If golf 2010 reminded us of anything it was that seasons are often remembered not as much by what was accomplished as they are by the moments that made people pay attention.

There are news stories and then there are newsmakers. Although easily confused, the two are as different as a hook and a slice. News is the result of proficiency and production. Something happens. It is created by events, challenge and adversity.

Making people look is always interesting, but not always an accomplishment.

Because no season in memory so blurred the lines as 2010, somebody has to sort the laundry.

NEWSMAKER — Tiger Woods

Never has so many words been written and said about a golfer who did not win a single event.

Everybody knows why. Woods’ tumble from his lofty perch became news, but the reasons that caused it were all self-inflicted wounds.

The rest of the story: There’s a little National Inquirer in everybody.

NEWS STORY — Lee Westwood

The 38-year-old Englishman replaced Woods as the world’s No. 1 ranked golfer. Considering almost six years had passed since anyone could make a similar claim, that’s news.

Westwood won only once on the PGA Tour in 2010, but finished second in both the Masters and British Open. And after coming back from being sidelined for almost two months, he immediately starred in Europe’s Ryder Cup victory and added a victory in South Africa.

The rest of the story: Now, let’s talk about a major championship.

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In a PGA Tour season full of surprises — Tiger went winless, Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen and Martin Kaymer won majors, Phil Mickelson went vegetarian — the biggest may have been Matt Kuchar.

Thirteen years after winning the U.S. Amateur and being spotlighted as a future big deal, he finally may have arrived.

Until this year, Kuchar had only two career PGA Tour wins. Only twice in nine years had he finished better than 70th on the money list.

Now? Let’s just say it’s never a bad thing to end a season by accepting a couple of awards named after Harry Vardon and Arnold Palmer.

The Vardon Trophy, presented annually by the PGA of America, is given for the season’s lowest stroke average. Kuchar completed 97 rounds, posting a 69.61 adjusted scoring average, .05 lower than Steve Stricker (69.66). Paul Casey and Retief Goosen shared third at 69.72.

The Arnold Palmer Trophy, meanwhile, goes to the PGA Tour’s leading money winner, which Kuchar took with earnings of $4,910,477 — just over $100,000 better than runner-up and three-time winner Jim Furyk.

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The PGA Tour season ended Sunday — 45 weeks and 46 tournaments after it began the first week of January.

There were 39 different winners. Ninety players earned more than $1 million each. Jim Furyk topped the tour in wins — three — including the Tour Championship. Matt Kuchar, with only one victory but 11 top 10s, claimed the money title with $4,910,477.

Europe beat the U.S. to win the Ryder Cup. Tiger Woods went oh-for-2010, the first winless season of his pro career. Vijay Singh, ranked among the world’s top 20 players since 1997, finished this year 86th.

England’s Lee Westwood, despite only one 2010 win worldwide and still without a major championship, took over the world No. 1 ranking, bumping Tiger from top the spot after 281 consecutive weeks.

Matt Every was suspended for three months of the season after a marijuana possession arrest in his hotel room in Silvis, Ill., while at the John Deere.

John Daly wasn’t arrested.

Dustin Johnson missed a chance to win the PGA Championship because of a two-stroke penalty incurred on the 72nd hole for grounding his club in a bunker that he didn’t know was a bunker — because he didn’t bother to read the local rules sheet.

Fred Couples turned 50 and went to the Champions Tour.

Paul Goydos (first round of the John Deere) and Stuart Appleby (final round, Greenbrier) shot 59s.

John Daly didn’t get divorced.

Phil Mickelson won the Masters for his fourth career major, but other than announcing he was going vegetarian, didn’t do anything interesting the rest of the year.

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy became the season’s youngest winner — 20 year, 11 months, 28 days — at Quail Hollow.

Rocco Mediate was the oldest — 37 years, 10 months — winning the Frys.com.

John Daly didn’t trash a hotel room.

And you thought the year was boring.

Actually, there were more memorable moments than the statistics might suggest:

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Each week, Monday Movers will look back on the previous week in the golf world to see whose stock is rising and who will likely be heading back to the range.

On the Rise

Robert Garrigus — For the second time this year, Garrigus had a three-stroke lead on the 72nd hole of a tournament. The first came at the St. Jude Classic in June, where he finished with a triple bogey and lost in a playoff to Lee Westwood. He can look back on that week now with much less regret after closing out the final hole of the Children’s Miracle Network Classic with a par and a three-stroke win. His first career victory came at a perfect time, as he entered the week 122nd on the money list and in jeopardy of losing his tour card. He became the first player to lead the tour in driving distance and win in the same season since John Daly in 1995.

Kodak Challenge — The inaugural year for the Kodak Challenge has to be considered a success. Tour rookie Troy Merritt won the $1 million first prize in a playoff over Aaron Baddeley and Rickie Fowler after all three finished the season at 17 under. Merrittt nearly holed out on the 17th at Magnolia and tapped in the birdie for the win. Not only did the Challenge provide extra drama to the final tournament of the season, it also gave fans an opportunity to see Fowler one last time in 2010. Without the opportunity to win this week, the young star would have skipped the finale after the last few weeks of extensive travel.

Stuart Appleby — The Australian capped off a bounce-back 2010 with a win in his country at the Australian Masters. It took a rally from seven shots back to secure his first win at home in nine years. Appleby made headlines earlier this year after shooting a 59 enroute to a victory at The Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia. Appleby failed to finish in the top 125 a year ago and needed a good year to gain exempt status in 2011.

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Once more with feeling.

Forty-four weeks and 47 tournaments since the year’s first competitive shot was hit the first week of January in Hawaii, the PGA Tour season is heading to the finish line.

Although golf has a tendency to just keep on playing, this week’s Children’s Miracle Network Classic at Walt Disney World Resort officially closes out the season.

That means the storyline of the week is the last-minute scramble to secure/save/salvage playing privileges for 2011.

The top 125 on the final money list earn full exempt status. Anyone in the top 150 manages partial status. The rest are cast off to the minor leagues or even worse — writing letters to tournament officials asking for sponsor exemptions.

So, while the field has drawn a respectable list of recognizable names like Vijay Singh, Rickie Fowler, Jeff Overton and Davis Love III, much of the focus goes to “bubble boys” playing for job security.

Veteran Joe Durant stands at 120 on the money list with $777,425. Nine spots down at 130, and four short of the magic cut line, is Michael Connell. About $100,000 separates the two. A top-10 finish this week would pay more than that amount.

Or consider the plight of Briny Baird (pictured). He’s 126 on the money list, $13,001 behind 125 Troy Matteson.

“I’m approaching it like a 3-foot putt,” Baird said of his situation. “There are only two things that can happen — either it goes in or it misses. Either I play well enough to keep my card or I don’t, and then I have to go to Q-school in two weeks. Those are the only two options, so it’s not like I’m dreading this week.”

“If you want to be one of the top players in golf, you have to perform,” Baird said. “That’s the beauty of the game. There are no five-year, guaranteed contracts in golf. You can’t sign a big deal and then just take it easy for a while.”

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To the very end, golf’s 2010 season keeps throwing curve balls.

The four top ranked players in the world — England’s newly anointed No. 1 Lee Westwood and closest challengers Tiger Woods, Martin Kaymer and Phil Mickelson — all came to the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, China, only to see Italy’s Francesco Molinari steal the show.

Leading wire-to- wire, Molinari finished with a 5-under 67 at Sheshan International for his first win this season, and only the second of his career. He became the first Italian to claim a World Golf Championships title, posting 19 under and one shot in front of Westwood.

“It wasn’t easy,” Molinari, who turns 28 on Monday, said. “I’m just really proud of the way I played and the way I handled myself. Lee is No. 1 in the world, and he was playing some fantastic golf. It was a great finish at the end.”

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The world’s No. 1 ranked golfer doesn’t think he has anything to prove. At least that’s what Lee Westwood has been saying.

Of course, he could be wrong. Rarely is there a downside to living up to expectations.

After 281 consecutive weeks of Tiger Woods atop the World Golf Rankings, the newly anointed Westwood on Thursday played his first round as the game’s new big cheese. He was sharp.

Westwood may be correct when insisting one round as world No. 1 means little. It’ll take at least four before the Englishman can move within 279 weeks of Woods’ record streak — or have the top spot quickly taken away.

One of the two options will happen Sunday. This week’s World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions being played in Shanghai, China, has drawn the world’s top four ranked players.

Joining Westwood in the field are No. 2 Woods, No. 3 Martin Kaymer, the PGA Champion from Germany, and No. 4 Phil Mickelson. A win by any of the four can earn next week’s No. 1 ranking.

So, whether Westwood has something to prove or not, he does have something to defend.

“Well, I don’t think I need to reinforce why I’m world No. 1,” he said. “I think you get there as a result of having good performances. But it’s nice to go out there and show everybody that there is a particular reason why I got to that stage. I think I did that today.

“But it’s only the first round of tournament and my main focus is on trying to win. So I didn’t really go out there with any particular thought to performing like the world No. 1 really.”

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Rarely does a tournament see such a quick rise in prestige as this week’s HSBC Champions, which begins Thursday. In just its sixth year and second with World Golf Championship, this event has the feel of a major.

Look no further than the field to get an idea of how competitive this week will be. Eight of the world’s top 10 and all but 17 of the top 50 will converge on Shanghai, China looking to garner the title of “champion of champions,” but it might be where the rankings end up at the conclusion of the week that has everyone’s attention.

“No event in Asia has ever impacted the top of the world rankings; having Sergio go to number two when he won in 2008 was a huge first in itself,” said Giles Morgan, HSBC Group Head of Sponsorship. “Now, after one year as a World Golf Championships tournament, we’re looking at deciding who the best player in the world is.”

The world’s top 4 players — newly crowned Lee Westwood, Tiger Woods, Martin Kaymer, and Phil Mickelson — all have a chance to take the top spot depending on how the week shakes out. While you can make an argument for all four guys to win this week, no one enters with as much motivation as Tiger. Having lost the No. 1 ranking for the first time since 2005, Tiger wants to avoid his first winless season since becoming a full-time professional in 1997.

“I’ve got three more events this year and, hopefully, I can end on a good note,” Woods said. “I’m really looking forward to these events and hopefully they will spearhead into a better 2011.”

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Golf‘s major championships are long gone, the Ryder Cup is over, Tiger Woods is no longer the world’s No. 1 player and the offseason (all six weeks of it) is just around the corner.

What an odd time for the season to never be more interesting. Funny how this is working. (Almost as funny as the above photo of Tiger, Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer getting a recent Tai Chi lesson with swords in China.) The PGA Tour could hardly be farther out of sight or out of mind, but one of the year’s most interesting tournament weeks is playing out at the World Golf Championship-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, China.

A little drama for the road.

Although Woods, winless in 2010, losing his No. 1 spot to Westwood after 281 consecutive weeks was a forgone conclusion, this week’s unseating, nevertheless, drew a lot of mainstream attention. Now, coming immediately on the heels of the big shakeup, Westwood, Woods, No. 3 Kaymer and No. 4 and defending champ Mickelson are all in Shanghai with a chance to be No. 1 with a victory.

It marks the first time since 1997 that four golfers have entered an event with a chance to claim the No. 1 ranking.

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How perfect is this?

After what will be 282 consecutive weeks ranked as the world’s No. 1 golfer, beleaguered Tiger Woods will finally lose the top ranking at the end of this month, in part because he is not competing again until November. Woods will be replaced by England’s Lee Westwood (right), who has played only one tournament since early August because of injury and is again taking a break.

So the biggest shift in Golf’s World Rankings in almost six years comes while neither of the featured participants are playing golf — and when Westwood arguably isn’t even golf’s best European.

Germany’s Martin Kaymer just won his third straight tournament, dating back to the PGA Championship.

“We have always bowed to America’s dominance of the world rankings, with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson one and two respectively,” said winning European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie. “But now we don’t just have Lee Westwood but also Martin Kaymer coming up as well.

“There is a changing of the guard towards Europe and also the European Tour.”

A lot of things about the PGA Tour changed this year.

Consider Matt Kuchar. Sunday’s 7-under back-in-the-pack finish in the McGladrey Classic is his last planned PGA Tour appearance of the year. Even so, Kuchar, with just over $4.9 million, is likely to win the PGA Tour money title. If he does, it will be the lowest amount to claim the title since David Duval ($2.5 million) in 1998, the year before the tour’s series of big TV contracts began.

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NEWPORT, Wales — The U.S. Ryder Cup team came to life on Monday. Somebody please wake up Corey Pavin and congratulate him.

It wasn’t altogether obvious the U.S. captain was with us the past few days. Pavin was so robotic, you’d have thought he was eating Ambien and chips for breakfast every morning.

That made him the perfect fall guy Monday, when the Yanks were supposed to get mud kicked in their face. A funny thing happened on the way to utter humiliation. They almost staged the greatest Ryder Cup comeback of the millennium.

So now how do we feel about Captain Corey?

As the English say, the guy did a lovely job. It’s hard to admit because Pavin has been so churlish and boring that I almost wanted his team to get stomped.

That would have made it easy to call Pavin the worst captain since Edward Smith, who guided the Titanic into that iceberg. But it seems there was a method to his robotic madness.

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NEWPORT, Wales — In honor of the cream of the U.S. golfing crop, the soup special at the Ryder Cup cafeteria Sunday was leek and blue cheese.

You could smell it a kilometer away.

Europe tossed the Americans into a boiling pot and stirred up the biggest one-day rout in history. It won’t take a miracle for the U.S. to come back from a 9 1/2 to 6 1/2 deficit, but it will require the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the world to start acting like it.

Upon further review, that would be a miracle.

Is Tiger Woods the leek, or is Phil Mickelson the blue cheese? They’ve done everything at Celtic Manor except spill soup on their pastel sweaters.

Mickelson has established himself as the worst Ryder Cupper to ever wear red, white and blue. As for Woods, Steve Stricker carried him to two points earlier in the match. The sheep grazing on the nearby hillsides would have put up a better fight on Sunday.

Their 6 & 5 loss to Lee Westwood and Luke Donald was the worst match-play whacking of Woods’ career.

Yeah, but why does it happen so often in the Ryder Cup?

Theories have ranged from disinterest to being marked men to a lack of camaraderie. Their Celtic Collapse isn’t exactly surprising given recent developments. Mickelson became a vegetarian after developing arthritis. Woods reportedly had marriage difficulties.

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A day later than expected, the first session of the Ryder Cup wrapped up on a sunny Saturday morning at Celtic Manor with the U.S. leading Europe 2 1/2 points to 1 1/2.

Matt Kuchar had an opportunity to make that lead even larger, but just missed a birdie putt on 18 that would have would secured the hole and a 1-up win over Europe’s Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy. Instead, Kuchar sent the putt about an inch left, was conceded par, and McDowell holed a three-footer to end the match even with both sides taking half a point.

The first match to finish was not so close. Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson couldn’t battle back against Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer, ending the match on the 16th hole 3 down to give Europe it’s first point in the 2010 Ryder Cup.

In another lopsided match, Ryder Cup rookies Jeff Overton and Bubba Watson seized control of their match against Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington early and never relinquished. The American pair picked up Friday’s delayed match with a 1-up lead through 9, and then Watson holed a crucial birdie on 10 to grab the momentum and grow the lead to 2 up.

Then Overton backed up his teammate with consecutive birdies on 11 and 12, increasing the lead to 3 up. Donald drilled a 10-foot birdie putt to halve the 11th hole, but was unable to match Overton’s birdie at 12 to keep it close. Corey Pavin’s gamble of pairing the rookies paid off, as they locked up a 3-up win and the first point for the U.S.

The final hole of the first session finished in dramatic fashion. With Woods and Stricker holding a 1-up lead, Poulter and Fisher needed to step up to keep the Europeans square with the Americans. But the Americans would prove to be too much. In a gutsy move, Woods went for the green on his second shot after a strong drive off the tee-box, but flubbed his approach left and into a muddy lie amidst the gallery.

Meanwhile, Stricker found the bunker out of the fairway, and then joined Poulter and Fisher in laying up for about a 100-yard approach. Stricker was dead-on, nestling his approach near the pin and putting all the pressure on Poulter and Fisher, who had each found the middle of the green and faced long birdie putts to take the hole. The Europeans failed to connect and the morning was awarded to the Americans.

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NEWPORT, Wales — Five Ryder Cup rookies help make up the United States squad that begins play Friday against Europe when the 38th renewal of the biannual competition begins at Celtic Manor.

In a bold move, American captain Corey Pavin is playing four of the first-time members in the morning’s open session of four-ball play — two paired together in the fourth and final match of the best-ball competition. Bubba Watson and Jeff Overton will go against the Euro glamour-name pairing of Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington to close the morning session.

It’s a decision that opens Pavin to a wave of second guessing.

Every captain speaks of a desire to grab control of the momentum early, so the American captain anchoring the opening session with a pair of rookies in front of a pro-European crowd attracted immediate debate.

“Well, he said he was tired,” Pavin joked of Furyk. “He was counting the money and he’s been very tired.”

As for the Watson-Overton pairing, Pavin said he has a good feeling.

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NEWPORT, Wales — The doors are closed to only the inner circle of Team USA — players, their wives/significant others, caddies and officials. Twitter messages have been muted. A vow of secrecy taken.

What happens in the team room stays in the team room.

But if you listen closely from outside you might recognize the sounds of “Kumbaya.”

“It’s a good team so far,” Ryder Cup rookie Dustin Johnson said. “Everybody’s in good spirits. Everybody is hanging out. So we got a lot of energy in the room. It’s coming from everybody.”

For this week, the every-man-for-himself PGA Tour mantra has been replaced with a foxhole mentality. The Ryder Cup tees off Friday morning and united everyone must stand.

Bonding 101 begins in private.

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After Tiger Woods responded to Rory McIlroy‘s challenge on Tuesday, Phil Mickelson spoke out regarding the topic on Wednesday.

Mickelson tried to quash any drama with the golfer from Northern Ireland, noting that McIlroy is one of the tour’s classiest players and made his comment to challenge Woods because any competitive golfer seeks to beat the top-ranked player.

Mickelson was surprised to hear that McIlroy’s comments commanded as much publicity as they did.

“That’s the type of charisma that Rory McIlroy has,” Mickelson said. “He’s just like any other top player that wants to take on the best. That’s not any type of controversy or saga.”

Mickelson was also surprised to hear that the comments seemingly irked Woods.

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NEWPORT, Wales — Welcome to Ryder Cup week, golf’s answer to the Rubik’s Cube. Lots of moving parts. So many possible twists and turns, none of them providing an indication of success or failure until the result is imminent.

When play begins Friday at Celtic Manor, the United States will be defending champs but significant underdogs. Despite an American victory two years ago at Valhalla GC in Louisville, Ky., the Europeans have won five of the past seven matches and the U.S. has not been victorious on foreign soil since 1993.

Now, the 38th renewal of the biannual competition is nearing and it’s raining and cold.

In Wales?

Imagine that.

Nevertheless, the eventual answer to success should come from 10 pressing questions.

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ATLANTA — The unwitting poster boy for everything, depending on who you ask, good or bad about the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoff system, is a 31-year-old, third-year player named Kevin Streelman.

When golf’s four-tournament post-season began last month, Streelman, without a career victory, was 112th on the points list that qualified 125 players. From there the Duke grad with a sociology degree inched up the standing each tournament, surviving the whittling-down process to play another day.

Now, all of a sudden, he’s part of this week’s 30-player Tour Championship field, while Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Stewart Cink and three of the season’s four major championship winners are not.

That accomplishment alone earns Streelman the unexpected reward of invitations into next year’s Masters, U.S. Open and British Open. And after Thursday’s even-par 70 at East Lake Golf Club, he’s on the leaderboard four shots behind first-round leaders Paul Casey, Luke Donald and Geoff Ogilvy.

“I’m playing well and I’m putting well,” he said. “I want to compete and win this golf tournament.”

Do you believe the nerve of this guy?

By one line of thinking, Streelman’s climb is like underdog Butler bounding through the NCAA basketball tournament. Another opinion is it cheapens the previous nine months of play like foreclosures destroy a neighborhood.

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ATLANTA — It’s safe to say Phil Mickelson has not gotten nearly as much out of the 2010 PGA Tour season as he would have liked.

Big hopes soared when everybody’s favorite Tiger foil won the Masters in April — Phil’s fourth career major — to position himself for ownership of golf’s world No. 1 ranking for the surprising first time in a wickedly good but not-totally fulfilled career. Except, Lefty hasn’t won since and Woods, despite a season to which only a Democratic incumbent could relate, remains top ranked.

“The Masters kind of made the year for me,” Mickelson said. “It meant a lot to us emotionally; it meant a lot to me personally. I look back at the year and it really comes down to that one event.

“There were other events I played OK in, but I haven’t won any events (since). For me the year was kind of salvaged by that Masters win.”

Along the way, Mickelson continued to deal with wife Amy’s fight with breast cancer, while also revealing health issues of his own — psoriatic arthritis.

If that doesn’t cut Mickelson some significant slack, what would? Nevertheless, a golden opportunity may have slipped away for the 40-year-old star. Woods’ game isn’t going to be mentally incapacitated forever. Also, a rich stock of young talent like Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler seems determined to alter golf’s immediate landscape.

It just might mean Mickelson’s shot at No. 1 is now or never.

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The big winner at last year’s Tour Championship was golf.

It can’t get much better for the game than having Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods pick up titles on the same day.

Mickelson took the Tour Championship with a final-round 5-under 65 that carried him from four shots behind to a three-shove victory, while Woods made two late birdies to finish second and secure the FedEx Cup and its rich bonus.

It finished a season in which Woods won six times and was no worse than second in nine of his 17 tournaments.

As for Mickelson, the tournament title capped off a tumultuous summer at home, providing his first victory since learning his wife, Amy, and mother, Mary, were diagnosed with breast cancer in the spring.

Woods collected $10 million in bonus money, while Mickelson earned $1.35 million for the Tour Championship title.

“I like the way today went,” Mickelson said after the final round. “I was two back of him, I beat him by three. He gets the $10 million check, and I get $1 million. I’ve got no problem with that. I just love holding this finally.”

Mickelson finished at 9-under. It was his third win of the season, and put him No. 2 in the world behind Woods, a spot he continues to hold.

“It means a lot to finish the year off on such a good note,” Mickelson said after the win. “We’ve been through a lot, and I’m very proud of my wife and my mom on the fight that they’ve been through. We’re in good shape. Although day-to-day is tough, and it’s not easy for them, we’re fortunate that our long-term outlook is good.”

But there’s a new story of misfortune in 2010: Woods has had well-documented troubles off the course, remains winless on the season and has failed to qualify for the Tour Championship. With the world’s No. 1 golfer on an early vacation, can Lefty finally take the No. 1 ranking, or will another player step up at the Tour Championship? The answers to those questions, and more, in this week’s FanHouse Roundtable.

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ATLANTA — By design the Tour Championship closes the PGA Tour season with a big bang — at least in theory.

Forget that five more golf tournaments remain to be played as part of the Fall Finish (all official money), the Tour’s big finale is this week’s visit to East Lake Golf Club. Along with paying Sunday’s winner a hefty $1.35 million, the tournament, one way or another, will determine who collects the FedEx Cup playoff bonus ($10 million) and Player of the Year honors (priceless).

That much is certain.

Now, can the week also make anyone beyond golf’s most loyal dimple heads care?

It’s football season — college and NFL.

Baseball has pennant races.

The Ryder Cup is next week in Wales.

Tiger Woods, the tail that wags the dog, did not qualify and will not be around to boost television ratings.

“We like the fact that the competition can’t be over before we get here,” PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, pictured above, said. “We like the fact that there is volatility, that players can make a significant move late in the season.”

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LEMONT, Ill. (AP) — This is the week the PGA Tour goes dark, which comes at a great time.

If nothing else, it might give players a chance to take a deep breath of reality instead of complaining about all the problems that come with driving German-built luxury cars to golf tournaments where they compete for $35 million in bonus money.

Heck, it’s just as easy to lose perspective driving rental cars and getting by on $35 per diems.

Really, is it that bad?

The year before the FedEx Cup began, this was the week of the 84 Lumber Classic.

Winning the FedEx Cup is not as meaningful as winning a major, nor was it ever meant to be. The majors ended a month ago at the PGA Championship, about the time most people are supposed to lose interest in golf. What followed were three tournaments that showcased the best players of the year on the PGA Tour.

If you don’t understand the FedEx Cup — or choose not to learn — is any translation needed for Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Steve Stricker competing in the same tournament for three straight weeks? It’s the only time it happens all year.

The FedEx Cup concludes next week with the Tour Championship, a 30-man field for those who played great during the regular season (Jeff Overton), those who played their best late in the year (Charley Hoffman) and for players who did a little of both.

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Can we please take a deep breath and count slowly to 10?

Yes, Dustin Johnson‘s victory Sunday in Chicago at the BMW Championship makes a very nice story. After his hard-luck finishes at the U.S. Open, where he took a three-shot lead into the final round at Pebble Beach only to shoot 82 and tie for eighth, and the PGA Championship, where a two-shot penalty on the finishing hole cost him a berth in a playoff, it would have been easy — even understandable — for Johnson to still be licking his wounds.

So, posting a final-round 69 and one-shot victory at Cog Hill, earned with a birdie on the 17th hole and well-played par at 18, is more than a significant accomplishment.

But as all too often is the case, golf’s reaction has been overreaction.

Johnson now is the leading candidate for player of the year honors, although the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup remains to be decided. He has been forecast as the future of golf, reading and waiting for Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson fade. He’s the favorite next year at Augusta in the Masters.

This news just in: Johnson still trails Jack Nicklaus‘ record 18 majors by 18.

Johnson is young (26) and obviously talented. He’s got distance and shot-making skill. He also has four career wins — two this year. Eleven other players in their 20s also won this year — including Hunter Mahan and Justin Rose, who, like Johnson, claimed two titles.

“I mean, I think there’s a lot of good players of all ages, but the young guys definitely have stepped up and played really well this year and we’ve got a lot of victories,” Johnson said. “I think we’re just getting a little better.”

Give Johnson his props, but do it with a little reserve.

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LEMONT, Ill.(AP) — Leave it to the PGA Tour to find the upside of Tiger Woods missing out on the Tour Championship.

In a press release Monday promoting the 30-man field at East Lake, it notes that Woods’ failure to qualify for the last playoff event guarantees there will be a new FedEx Cup champion this year.

Phil Mickelson said it “absolutely” will be strange not having the world’s No. 1 player at the Tour Championship, although it’s nothing new. Woods has only played East Lake twice in the past five years, skipping in 2006 after a long year coping with his father’s death and in 2008 when he was recovering from knee surgery.

The difference, of course, is that Woods couldn’t play the Tour Championship even if he wanted. He needed to shoot 65 in the final round of the BMW Championship, and it took him until the 17th hole just to get under par for the final round, and the tournament.

In an explanation he offered three times Sunday – to NBC Sports, XM Radio and the rest of the media – he blamed only himself.

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So what do you think of the FedEx Cup now? After hard-luck Dustin Johnson shot a final-round 69 Sunday to win the BMW Championship is the PGA Tour’s post-season inspiring or a snoozer?

Johnson melted down in the final round of the U.S. Open and he brain-cramped on the finishing hole of the PGA Championship. But Sunday at Chicago’s Cog Hill he didn’t let anything get away, producing two birdies and one bogey to finish 9 under and one shot in front of runner-up Paul Casey.

“You know, to finally get it done, especially after all the things I’ve gone through this summer, to finally get it done on Sunday, it can’t feel any better, especially because I played really good golf today,” Johnson said. “I didn’t make as many birdies as I would have liked to, but I made just enough.”

It was the 26-year-old Johnson’s fourth career victory and second of the season. He breezes into the post-season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, where the FedEx Cup winner scoops up a cool $10 million bonus.

Along with top-seeded Matt Kuchar, Johnson will join Charley Hoffman, Steve Stricker and Casey as players, by way of their top-five finish on the points list, who will control their own playoff destiny: a victory at East Lake guarantees the FedEx crown.

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LEMONT, Ill. (AP) — For the first time in his career, Tiger Woods won’t be playing a tournament because he’s not invited.

Woods got off to a rugged start Sunday in the BMW Championship and shot 1-under 70, leaving too far back to get into the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings and qualify for the playoff finale at the Tour Championship.

It will be the third time in five years that Woods has not played the Tour Championship. He missed in 2006 when he cut his season short, and in 2008 while recovering from knee surgery. This time, he’s not going to East Lake because he’s not eligible.

His next tournament will be the Ryder Cup.

Woods played with Phil Mickelson, who shot 67. It was their 26th time playing in the same group, and their head-to-head record is now even — 11-11-4.

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Inch by inch, Tiger Woods appears to be in the process of climbing back into form. But there remains considerable distance to cover.

Despite putting together three consecutive rounds in the 60s for the first time this season to finish T11 Monday in the Deutsche Bank Championship, Woods has played six straight tournaments on the PGA Tour without finishing in the top 10 — a first in his career.

He recorded five straight finishes outside the top 10 in 2001, then won the WGC-NEC Invitational. Woods’ last top 10 was at this year’s U.S. Open, where he tied for fourth.

The recent work with swing coach Sean Foley appears to be showing results. It’s amazing Woods is willing to attempt to rebuild his swing in midseason, but the results have been noticeable improvement in accuracy and distance.

Twice before in his professional career, Woods has gone through swing changes. The first was in 1997-98 under the tutelage of Butch Harmon. The second came in 2003-04 with Hank Haney. Interestingly, both times Woods undertook the task after coming off solid seasons.

This time the work almost seemed to be made in desperation.

Woods, who on Tuesday was added to the U.S. Ryder Cup team by Corey Pavin as a captain’s pick, says an indication that things are starting to work is that he now feel capable of making adjustments on the course and during a round.

“That’s the biggest thing is I wasn’t able to do that at the PGA because I was still learning the new technique basically,” he said. “This week was a good week. I was able to rectify it during the round, a couple loose shots here and there but was able to fix it right away and hit some good ones.”

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NORTON, Mass. (AP) — Charley Hoffman was rolling in so many putts he lost track of how many birdies he made Monday. His final stroke on a Labor Day masterpiece was his 11th birdie, more than enough to win the Deutsche Bank Championship.

The question is whether it was enough to make him a last-minute pick for the Ryder Cup.

Hoffman ran off four straight birdies early to erase a four-shot deficit, seized control by holing a bunker shot on the 13th and closed with a 9-under 62 on the TPC Boston for a five-shot victory over Geoff Ogilvy, Jason Day and Luke Donald.

Tiger Woods had three rounds in the 60s for the first time this year. He closed with a 69 to tie for 11th, and kept his No. 1 ranking in the world when Phil Mickelson imploded again.

Mickelson needed only to finish fourth to become No. 1 for the first time in his career. Instead, he took two double bogeys on the back nine and shot 76 to tie for 25th. A month ago, Mickelson had an equally good chance at Firestone and shot 78.

Even if he doesn’t make the Ryder Cup, the FedEx Cup is looking pretty good for Hoffman.

He was No. 59 in the standings and arrived at the TPC Boston wanting to make sure he advanced to the third round of the playoffs next week outside Chicago. He wound up a winner, moving to No. 2 in the standings. That assures him a shot at the $10 million bonus, and puts him in all four majors next year after not playing any of them this year.

Pavin had said earlier in the week that no one should assume a good week at the Deutsche Bank would put him on the team.

Hoffman, oozing California cool with his blond locks flowing from under his cap and kelly green pants to match his shoes, made a strong impression with his game and his words.

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NORTON, Mass. (AP) — Jason Day capped off an exciting day with a routine birdie to take the lead Sunday in the Deutsche Bank Championship, setting up a Labor Day finish with all sorts of possibilities.

Day watched a three-shot lead evaporate in two holes, only to get it back on the par-5 18th with a shot just off the back of the green, leaving him a simple two-putt for birdie and a 5-under 66. He had a one-shot lead over Brandt Snedeker, who made a mess of the 18th until chipping in for par and a 67.

Just like so many other times at this tournament, the Deutsche Bank Championship could be up for grabs.

And so could the No. 1 ranking.

Tiger Woods could only manage one birdie over the last 11 holes and shot a 2-under 69, leaving him tied for 23rd and 10 shots out of the lead. That set the stage for Phil Mickelson or Steve Stricker to end his five-year run atop the world ranking.

Stricker is closer to the lead. Mickelson has better odds.

Both of them might have a tough time catching up to Day, the 22-year-old Australian who won the Byron Nelson Championship in May and is starting to play his best golf during the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Day was at 17-under 196, matching the 54-hole record at the TPC Boston set by Mike Weir two years ago.

Luke Donald, winless on the PGA Tour in more than four years, was steady again in his first tournament since being picked for Europe’s Ryder Cup team. He birdied the last hole for a 66 and was two shots behind.

Defending champion Stricker played his third straight round without a bogey for a 67 and was at 13-under 200 with Charley Hoffman, who had a 69.

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The PGA Tour Playoffs roll on to the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston this week. The top 100 players on the FedExCup points list are in the field, and only 70 will advance to the BMW Championship next week.

Last year at the Deutsche Bank Championship, Steve Stricker (pictured) pulled off a late push to win the tournament with style, finishing with a final-round 67 after sinking two clutch putts for a one-shot victory.

Arriving on the 17th hole, Stricker was one shot back of then-leaders Jason Dufner and Scott Verplank. Stricker proceeded to hit his approach shot to within 15 feet on 17, and then stuffed the birdie putt to take the lead.

Then on the par-5 18th Stricker nailed a drive straight down the middle of the fairway, pounded a hybrid approach shot 234 yards and through the green. His chip shot came to rest within a few feet of the cup, leaving Stricker a tap-in to win.

The victory moved Stricker to a career-high No. 2 world ranking and allowed him to eventually finish third in the FedExCup. “It’s been a lot of fun,” said Stricker, “It’s a lot of fun getting in contention like that, and it’s even more fun when you can pull it off like I did today.”

And then there was Padraig Harrington.

This year, Tiger Woods is on the bubble for next week’s BMW Championship and a hurricane could swoop in and knock the whole tournament off its feet. How will the storm affect the tournament? What must Tiger do to qualify for the BMW? The answers, and of course, our picks are all in this week’s FanHouse golf roundtable.

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PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem has suspended the regulation that resulted in Jim Furyk’s disqualification last week from the Barclays after he was late to his pro-am starting time.

For the remainder of the year, a similar situation will be handled as a matter of unbecoming conduct. A player guilty of a similar offense will be required to participate in the remainder of the pro-am round and may be required to perform additional sponsor activity. A player who misses his pro-am obligation in its entirety will still be ruled ineligible for the tournament unless he has been excused in accordance with the provisions of the regulations.

The matter will receive further discussion at the Policy Board meeting in November.

Phil Mickelson made a solid argument why the old rule was a bad one: not all players are required to participate in pro-am competitions.

“The rule itself applies to only half the field,” Mickelson says. “So if you’re going to have a rule that does not apply to everybody, because not everybody played the pro-am, you cannot have it affect the competition.

“It’s got to be a different penalty. It can’t be disqualification if it only applies to half the field. So this rule — it’s not protecting the players. It’s not protecting the sponsors. It applies to only half the field and yet it affects the integrity of the competition.

“I have no idea how the commissioner let this rule go through.”

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The only way the PGA Tour 2010 season could get much stranger is if right in the middle of this week’s Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston — the second in the four-event FedEx Cup playoff series — a hurricane hits the New England coastline and …

Uh, oh.

So far this year Tiger went tabloids and Phil went to an arthritis specialist, meaning the top two players in the world ranking have a combined one victory. Three guys who couldn’t get through the clubhouse buffet line without photo ID when the year began have won the last three majors. Dustin Johnson learned that a bunker does not always look like a bunker. Jim Furyk, not exactly a night stalker, overslept and was disqualified from last week’s FedEx opener. And Matt Kuchar suddenly is the leading candidate for player of the year.

Unless he gets blown away this weekend.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center is projecting a strong possibility of Hurricane Earl swiping New England, warning coastal residents from North Carolina to Maine to watch the storm closely. Early predictions suggest a weekend arrival.

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PARAMUS, N.J. (AP) — Jason Day can’t get a straight answer from doctors on the mysterious health issues sapping away at his energy. He at least knows exactly where he stands after two rounds of The Barclays.

A tournament that once looked as though it might belong to Tiger Woods shifted late Friday to the hands of the 22-year-old Australian, who showed some of his great promise with three late birdies for a 4-under 67 and a one-shot lead.

Nine players had at least a share of the lead at some point during the second round until Day’s late surge. He was at 8-under 134, one shot clear of Kevin Streelman (63) and Vaughn Taylor (70) going into the weekend of the FedExCup’s first playoff event.

“I just tried to stay as patient as possible, and it just kind of fell in my lap, which was really good,” he said.

Woods didn’t so much lose his patience as much as his putting stroke. Part of that was playing in the afternoon on greens that became bumpy under foot traffic and a day of blazing sun, as Woods expected.

“I didn’t hit it bad at all,” Woods said. “I hit it really good. As I said, I didn’t putt really well. I hit it as good as I did yesterday. If I don’t make putts, I don’t score.”

He wound up with a 73, eight shots worse than his opening round.

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PARAMUS, N.J. (AP) — Yes, that really was Tiger Woods‘ name atop the leaderboard.

In his first tournament since his divorce, Woods finally looked like the No. 1 player in the world Thursday at the Barclays when he opened with a 6-under 65, his lowest score of the year, to share the lead with Vaughn Taylor. It was his first time leading after any round on the PGA Tour since the Tour Championship last September.

“It’s exciting to hit the ball flush again,” Woods said. “It’s something I’ve been missing all year.”

He didn’t miss much at Ridgewood Country Club. Woods hit all but one fairway and putted for birdie on all but two holes. And while he hit his driver only twice, they were two of his best shots of the day — including on the 291-yard fifth hole, where his drive landed pin-high and settled 15 feet away.

Was it just a coincidence that his game showed up so soon after his marriage was dissolved?

“I can’t really say that’s the case,” he said. “As far as golf, it was nice to put it together.”

Scott endured a long day in the pro-am Wednesday and didn’t think Ridgewood would serve up a 65 to anyone.

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Last year, Heath Slocum reminded us all what playoffs are about. He was the feel-good story of last year’s FedExCup, not to mention its biggest surprise.

First, he only made the post-season playoff series by the smallest of margins, getting into the 125-player field as No. 124 on the points list.

Then Slocum found himself in a tense final-day battle with some of the biggest names in golf: Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker, Padraig Harrington and Ernie Els.

But Slocum closed with a 4-under 67 to win for the third time in his career and first time in four years. The victory zoomed him up all the way to No. 3 in the FedExCup race and he eventually finished eighth in the final standings.

He made it all happen by holing a 21-foot put for par on the final hole, claiming a one-shot decision over Els, Stricker, Harrington and Woods.

Slocum’s nerve-defying final putt came only a short time after Woods missed from seven feet on the same green, a stroke that cost him dearly.

“It was an incredible day, incredible experience,” Slocum said. “I was just kind of lucky to come out on top. A lot of good players. At the end of the day, that putt on the last was magical. I’ll remember that for the rest of my life.”

Woods probably remembers it also, but for different reason.

It was his first tournament back after losing a two-shot lead Y.E. Yang in the PGA Championship and he let another title get away.

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The PGA Tour’s FedExCup, a four-tournament playoff series that culminates with the Tour Championship and a boat-load of bonus money for the ultimate winner, gets under way this week with The Barclays. And the more things change the more they have remained the same.

As has been the case since the postseason competition was introduced in 2007, Tiger Woods will draw much of the focus. He has won two of the three years, giving way to Vijay Singh in 2009 only when he was missing because of knee surgery.

This year, however, the attention is being created by the very-real possibility that the playoffs will advance without the world’s No. 1 ranked (at least for now) player.

The top 125 players off the current points list earned invitations this week to Ridgewood CC in Paramus, N.J. After play is completed Sunday, the top 100 advance to the second round.

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SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin now has eight of the 12 players who will go Wales to compete against the Europeans in early October.

There are four Ryder Cup veterans: Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker and Hunter Mahan. There are four who will be making their first appearance in the team competition: Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Jeff Overton and Matt Kuchar.

In three weeks Pavin will make his four captain’s picks that complete the squad. So how does the current roster impact the captain’s selections?

In Watson and Johnson, the team will have two of the longest hitters in golf. Does Pavin attempt to build around that?

“I believe the eight players that have qualified are really going to allow a lot of flexibility for the four picks,” Pavin said. “I couldn’t have drawn it up any better for the eight players that are on the team and the types of players that are there.

“So I believe that there’s going to be many choices to be made there. I think it’s not just going to be about a type of player. I think there’s going to be a lot of room for maneuvering, which I’m very pleased with.”

The first question, of course, is whether Pavin will use one of his picks to invite Tiger Woods?

Most likely, he will.

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SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (AP) — The disappointment of his playoff loss in the PGA Championship didn’t last long for Bubba Watson on Sunday.

He’s taking his booming drives to the Ryder Cup.

The question now is whether he will have Tiger Woods as one of his teammates.

Watson, who was 18th in the U.S. standings going into the final qualifying tournament, moved up to No. 3 with his runner-up finish at Whistling Straits to be one of eight Americans qualifying for the team.

“I made the Ryder Cup. So that’s all I care about,” Watson said.

Dustin Johnson, whose two-stroke penalty on a bizarre bunker ruling knocked him out of the playoff, tied for fifth and also secured a spot on the team.

Phil Mickelson led the standings for the first time in his career, followed by Hunter Mahan, Watson, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, Jeff Overton and Matt Kuchar, who nailed down the final spot when he tied for 10th at the PGA Championship.

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Play began fog-free on Saturday morning at Whistling Straits for the first time all week. This allowed players to finish second-round play, setting the cut at 1-over as players entered moving day hoping to climb up the leaderboard in the third round.

Many notable players missed the cut, including last year’s PGA champion Y.E. Yang who finished 4-over. Two out of three of this year’s major champions missed the cut as well. Paired with Masters winner Phil Mickelson, this year’s U.S. Open champion, Graeme McDowell, missed the cut at 3-over 147 and the British Open champion, Louis Oosthuizen, barely missed the cut by shooting a 2-over 146 through the first two rounds.

Meanwhile, Padraig Harrington, the 2008 PGA champion and two-time British Open champion (2007, 2008), closed his second round with a double-bogey six , missing the cut by one stroke. He appeared to be recovering from an awful opening round in his second round of play, until all his hard work was lost when he hit his second shot on the 18th into a hazard.

Despite shooting an impressive 3-under 69 in the second round, Sergio Garcia was unable to recover from his miserable 6-over 78 in the first round, and his total 3-over 147 won’t be enough to make the cut at Whistling Straits.

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SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — PGA Championship week began with such promise. Whistling Straits buzzed with interest, intrigue and more than a little bit of controversy.

Then the golf started.

And stopped.

And started.

And stopped.

Even under the best of circumstances it was doubtful the PGA could hold its early pace. After sex, lies and veggie-gate dominated pre-tournament interest, the actual golf had a lot to live up to. So far it hasn’t. Of course, there really hasn’t been that much golf.

After two days of play in the rural heather lands of Wisconsin, where the people are friendly and the mosquitoes are large and plentiful, there remains a long way to go just to reach the halfway point of the year’s final major.

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SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — The start of the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits has been delayed by a thick fog.

The final major — the 92nd PGA — also figures is predicted to face overcast conditions for the remainer of Thursday.

Bo Van Pelt, Scott Hebert and Vaughn Taylor were scheduled to tee off from the par-4 first at 8 a.m. ET, but that was likely to be pushed back a couple hours.

“Once the fog has lifted and it is clear to play, the first starting time will be 30 minutes following that time,” officials said.

Four-time champion Tiger Woods, who has failed to win this season in eight appearances on the PGA Tour, had been set to start from the 10th hole at 9:20 a.m.

Woods, hunting his 15th major title but first since the 2008 U.S. Open, has been grouped with defending champion Y.E. Yang and 2004 champion Vijay Singh for the first two rounds.

Masters champion Phil Mickelson had been scheduled to tee off from the first at 2:35 p.m. with U.S. Open winner Graeme McDowell and British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen.

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SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — The PGA Championship that tees off Thursday at Whistling Straits brings with it a catchy slogan. Playing on its role as golf’s final major of the season, the week is proclaimed, “Glory’s Last Shot.”

It’s a clever catchphrase but, considering the head-scratching fog that so far blankets the 2010 season, it significantly under clubs. Might we suggest, “Sanity’s Final Stand.”

Please, will somebody make sense of a golf season that so far has none?

This is the year Tiger Woods lost his game and Phil Mickelson went vegan. Graeme McDowell, a heretofore unknown from Northern Ireland, won the U.S. Open, a surprise only exceeded by South African Louis Oosthuizen running away with the British Open.

Up is down and down is up. Cars are chasing dogs. What’s next, Colin Montgomerie in fishnets and bondage gear?

After Mickelson won The Masters in April, 14 of the last 21 major championships belonged to four players. Since 2005 Woods has won six, Mickelson three, Padraig Harrington three and Angel Cabrera two.

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SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — Just a year ago, when the PGA Championship was played at Hazeltine in Chaska, Minn., it was still considered a pretty big deal to beat Tiger Woods.

A lot has changed in the months since, but Y.E. Yang‘s victory is no less impressive.

Woods was 14-0 when he went into the final round of a major championship atop the leaderboard. He had not lost a tournament in nine years when leading by two shots on the final day.

But the 37-year-old South Korean changed all that, closing out Woods in dramatic fashion to become the first Asian-born player to win a major.

Leading by one on the final hole, Yang lashed a hybrid 3-iron that cleared the bunker and settled 12 feet from the cup.

Yang made the birdie to close with a 2-under 70, giving him a three-shot victory when Woods missed another of several par putts on the day and shot 75.

Yang was No. 110 in the world at the time, his only victory on the PGA Tour coming in March at the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., on a course across the street from headquarters of the PGA of America.

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SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — We now know why Phil Mickelson hasn’t been raising his index finger and yelling “I’m No. 1!”

His finger hasn’t been working.

Neither has his wrist, knee, ankles or most other joints. Mickelson said Tuesday that he has an arthritic condition. It first flared at the U.S. Open eight weeks ago. Shortly afterward the pain was so bad he couldn’t walk, much less swing a golf club.

Mickelson dropped the semi-bombshell at the start of his PGA Championship press conference. What was supposed to be an inquisition into why this guy can’t reach the top suddenly started sounding like Lou Gehrig’s farewell speech.

“I have this thing called psoriatic arthritis where your immune system attacks your joints and so forth,” Mickelson said. “I say that because everything is fine now. I’ve been starting treatment and things have been great.”

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SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — It takes a lot to upstage a major championship, but this week’s PGA Championship is in danger of being left as part of golf’s other news of the week.

Could Tiger Woods be left off this year’s U.S. Ryder Cup team? That’s the question golf is asking itself, and the answer seems far more fascinating that the tournament that will decide it.

Along with crowning the season’s fourth and final major champion, Sunday’s final round at Whistling Straits will settle the final standings on the two-year points list. The top eight finishers automatically qualify for the American squad.

Right now, Woods ranks 10th and is coming off a miserable performance last week at the WGC-Bridgestone.

U.S. captain Corey Pavin could add Woods to the squad as an at-large pick, but has not seemed excited by the idea if the world’s No. 1 ranked player happens to be playing like 1,001.

At least Woods on Tuesday confirmed that he would like to be on the team — something he had previously avoided saying.

“Yes,” Woods answered when asked if he would accept being a captain’s pick.

“Hopefully, I won’t be a pick. I would like to be able to play myself on to that team.”

He’ll need to turn things around in a hurry. Woods arrived at Whistling Straits fresh from one of the worst performances of his career.

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SHEBOYGAN, Wisconsin (AP) — Phil Mickelson is being treated for a form of arthritis that surfaced just before the U.S. Open and left him in so much pain he couldn’t walk.

Mickelson revealed Tuesday that he has psoriatic arthritis, a condition he said causes the immune system to attack the body’s joints and tendons.

“I didn’t want excuses. Second, I don’t want to discuss something when I don’t know what the outcome will be,” Mickelson said. “I feel better about it and I’m a lot more at ease about it.”

The four-time major winner, who could take over the No. 1 ranking for the first time at the PGA Championship this week, said he woke up five days before the U.S. Open with “intense pain” in his tendons and joints that left him unable to move. He’d feel better after stretching, and he went ahead and played at Pebble Beach, where he shot 66 on Friday to put himself in contention. He wound up tied for fourth.

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You just have to know it’s a good day when, coming down the home stretch, as pressure starts to mount like compound interest, you make par out of a flower planter.

Hunter Mahan did just that Sunday afternoon at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, on his way to victory in the World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational. A free-drop out of the annuals after his tee shot on the monster-long 667-yard, par-5 16th hole went way right, and, bingo, a big-time victory that secured a U.S. Ryder Cup team berth. Is this a great game, or what?

“One of the TV guys said it was in a bush, in a flower bed, and I was thinking where the heck is a flower bed up there because I had no idea where,” Mahan said. “There’s stands behind and stands to the right. I’m like, gosh, I have no idea where we’re going to drop this, this could take forever. It ended up being pretty quick. It was one drop, and it actually ended up being pretty easy.”

Much like Mahan’s day.

Beginning the final round three shots back, Mahan shot a bogey-free round 64 — the lowest final-day score in the tournament’s 12-year history — for his third career PGA Tour title and second of the year. The round carried him to a 12-under finish, two shots better than Ryan Palmer (69), who began the day tied for the lead with Sean O’Hair.

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AKRON, Ohio (AP)-Hunter Mahan took a big step toward joining the elite in golf on Sunday, winning his first World Golf Championship title to lock up a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

Four shots behind to start the final round at Firestone, Mahan ran off five birdies on the front nine to take the lead, then had three clutch par saves down the stretch to finish off a 6-under 64 and a two-shot victory over Ryan Palmer.

It was the second victory this year for Mahan, and the $1.4 million he earned moved him to No. 2 in the Ryder Cup standings with only the PGA Championship remaining before the top eight Americans qualifying.The battle for No. 1 was far less inspiring.Tiger Woods will remain atop the world ranking for the 270th consecutive week, despite the worst tournament of his career. Woods closed with a 77 to finish at 18-over 298-his highest score on the PGA Tour as a pro or an amateur – and finished one spot out of last place.

That cleared the way for Phil Mickelson to replace him at No. 1, provided Lefty finished in fourth place alone.

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AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Tiger Woods logged another miserable round and then all but conceded the No. 1 spot in the world to Phil Mickelson.

In the third round of the Bridgestone Invitational on Saturday, Woods had five bogeys, a double-bogey and two birdies in a 5-over 75. He is 11 over — his worst score in relation to par through 54 holes since turning professional in 1996.

Woods, whose personal life has been in tatters since revelations of infidelity last November, has been the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world for more than five years. But Mickelson can overtake him with a high finish — something that Woods fully expects.

“Well, if Phil plays the way he’s supposed to this weekend, then he’ll be No. 1,” Woods said after completing third-round play at Firestone Country Club.

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AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Phil Mickelson is closing in on No. 1.

The first step is to make up a one-shot deficit against Retief Goosen, the 36-hole leader Friday at the Bridgestone Invitational. Looking more inevitable is Mickelson finally supplanting Tiger Woods atop the world ranking.

Goosen turned bogey into birdie by chipping in from 25 yards off the green at No. 4, sending him on his way to a 4-under 66 that gave him a one-shot lead over Mickelson and Justin Leonard (66) going into the weekend at Firestone.

Even as Goosen led another assault on par in soft conditions, Woods continued to look as ordinary as ever. The seven-time champion at Firestone hit only three fairways and stumbled to a 2-over 72-the first time he has ever had consecutive rounds over par at this tournament-that put him 13 shots out of the lead, and five players removed from last place.

Woods had no intention of speaking to reporters, instead walking to his car and driving away.

He has been No. 1 in the world since the week before the 2005 U.S. Open, but would lose his top ranking if Mickelson were to finish in fourth place alone and Woods-who is tied for 72nd-finishes out of the top 44.

“Obviously, it would be cool,” Mickelson said. “It would be something I would love to do, being regarded as No. 1 according to the ranking. And I know that I’ve got a great opportunity this week. I know that I’m playing well, and this is my best opportunity.”

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AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Just about any other tournament, Tiger Woods would be on his way home after missing the cut.

There is no cut in the Bridgestone Invitational, although Woods left immediately Friday after spraying shots around Firestone for a 2-over 72 that left him at the bottom of the pack in this World Golf Championship.

Two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen took advantage of another calm, overcast day for a 4-under 66 that gave him a two-shot lead over Justin Leonard among the early starters. Goosen was at 7-under 133.

Bubba Watson, Phil Mickelson and Kenny Perry played in the afternoon.

Woods was at 6-over 146, 13 shots behind. He will lose his No. 1 ranking if Mickelson can finish fourth place or better.

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AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Bubba Watson sure didn’t play as though it was his first time at Firestone.

Tiger Woods looked as though he had never seen it before.

Watson made his debut in the Bridgestone Invitational on Thursday by running off four straight birdies on the back nine and making a long putt on the final hole for a 6-under 64 and a two-shot lead over a group that included Masters champion Phil Mickelson and U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell.

The shocker was Woods.

On the course where he has won a PGA Tour record seven times, Woods opened with bogeys on the two easiest holes at Firestone and wound up with his highest score ever on the South Course, a 4-over 74 that put him 10 shots behind.

If that wasn’t bad enough, a fan said to Woods on his way to the scoring trailer, “You’re washed up, Tiger. Give it up.”

The world’s No. 1 player looked that way at times.

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Though the field at last week’s Greenbrier Classic wasn’t exactly loaded with the PGA Tour’s top players, Stuart Appleby shaped up one of the finest final rounds in golf to shoot a 59 and grab the title from Jeff Overton. Appleby became just the fifth player to join the “59 Club” in PGA history.

This week, the tables flip at a WGC-Bridgestone Invitational packed with star power. All 10 players from the World Golf Rankings, 2010 FedExCup Point and money leaders will be in attendance. Yes, that includes Tiger Woods, the defending champion who has dominated the past decade at this tournament, not once finishing outside the top five.

Can Tiger repeat and finally pick up his first win of the season, or will this week produce a new winner? The FanHouse team takes a crack out solving how the Bridgestone Invitational will shape out.

FLASHBACK

Last year, Tiger Woods came from three shots behind at the start of the final round to win the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational by four shots after a closing-round 65.

The tournament was decided on Firestone’s 16th hole, where Woods went from one shot behind Padraig Harrington to easy winner.

First, Woods stopped his 8 iron shot from 170 yards within a foot from the pin to make birdie. A short time later, Harrington found water on the hole and took a triple bogey on his way to a 3-over 73. He finished tied for second with Robert Allenby.
– Mick Elliott

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The PGA Tour season is steaming hard toward the home stretch and there’s something noticeably missing. Namely, a player of the year.

With the majors down to only next month’s PGA Championship, the 2010 season is looking very much like an interesting story with no ending.

Phil Mickelson won the Masters and has done little else.

Relatively unknown Graeme McDowell won the U.S. Open and Louis Oosthuizen was an even bigger surprise in the British, but what else have they done?

Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Justin Rose and Steve Stricker are the season’s only multiple winners, all with two titles — but none of them majors.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Tiger Woods‘ estimated endorsements for 2010 are worth $22 million less than last year, according to Sports Illustrated’s annual analysis of the highest-earning American athletes.

Woods is still No. 1 on the list, as he has been for the rankings’ seven years. But his estimated total earnings of more than $90 million are down 30 percent from nearly $128 million two years ago.

Rival Phil Mickelson is again No. 2 with total earnings of more than $61 million. His estimated endorsement income is $52 million, compared with $70 million for Woods.

Floyd Mayweather Jr., LeBron James, Alex Rodriguez, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning and Dwyane Wade round out the top 10.

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ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — With the Ryder Cup coming soon, the Europeans seem to be licking their chops at the thought of taking on a dispirited American squad — at least in their minds.

Although South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen left St. Andrews Sunday with the British Open’s Claret Jug, the Europeans exited with soaring confidence resulting from what they see as a shift in world golf muscle.

The reasons are more than just claiming eight spots among Sunday’s top 13 finishers, easily overshadowing three Americans.

The prevailing sentiment is that America’s best players are starting to show wear and tear, and the most qualified reinforcements are still wet behind the ears.

“So,” Englishman Ian Poulter suggested, “we have a 15-year window.”

The optimism is understandable. World No. 1 Tiger Woods, although 34, is not playing like Tiger Woods. From there, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker give the U.S. four of the world’s top five, but all are over 40.

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During second-round play on Friday, the rain and wind at St. Andrews hit Phil Mickelson hard and the 2010 Masters champion never fully recovered. Once again, the American left the British Open empty handed as the world No. 2 finished his round on Sunday with a three-over 75 at the Old Course at St. Andrews.

He ended his tournament 1-over-par, tying him for 48th overall and because of this result at St. Andrews, Mickelson will fail to claim the world’s No. 1 ranking from Tiger Woods.

Mickelson, not known for playing links golf well, faced unfavorable conditions all week – especially on Friday in the second round as winds gusted up to 40 miles per hour. While Mickelson struggled later in the afternoon, eventual champion Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa had already teed off earlier that day in favorable weather conditions and grabbed the tournament by the horns.

During the third round on Saturday, Mickelson battled back into contention before his play took a turn for the worse near the end of his round. He strung together two awful holes going double-bogey at No. 16 and a bogey at No. 17 and dropped off pace.

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ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Some 30 minutes after carding a 1-under 71 to rest at even-par through two rounds of British Open play, Phil Mickelson, not a happy camper, was discussing his chances of surviving the 36-hole cut when tournament officials halted play.

Gusting winds, as strong at 35 mph, that had tormented golfers throughout the day, in mid-afternoon finally reached the limit. When the gusts began to cause balls sitting on greens to move, the conditions were judged unplayable. For just over an hour, players were allowed to wait out the bluster before returning to competition.

Mickelson stopped in mid-sentence, raising a finger to signal for silence, as he heard the public address announcer at St. Andrews relaying the news.

“I’m so happy for those guys,” Mickelson said, his voice dripping in sarcasm as he nodded toward the rescued players.

The weather delay prevented Round 2 from finishing Friday, so the cut line wasn’t set until the round’s conclusion on Saturday.

Though Mickelson survived the cut, the inconsistent weather has already taken its toll. He needed a stellar round Friday to move up the leaderboard and didn’t get it. He’s teetering on the projected cut line, 12 shots back of early second-round leader Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa, who enjoyed favorable early conditions to shoot 67.

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ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Stewart Cink pretty much ruined the story everybody wanted.

Cink’s playoff victory last year at Turnberry came at the expense of 59-year-old Tom Watson, short-circuiting what would have been one of the greatest stories in major championship history.

It wasn’t all Cink’s fault. Watson had the opportunity. On the 72nd hole, the five-time British Open champ needed to make an eight-foot putt to win again, but the effort did not even come close. Four playoff holes later, Cink had his first career major.

“It would have been a hell of a story, wouldn’t it?” Watson said afterward. “And it was almost. Almost. The dream almost came true.”

Cink made a 12-foot birdie on the final hole of regulation that, at the time, seemed only good enough for second. But Watson could not finish the feel-good story with a needed par on the final hole.

From the middle of the 18th fairway, Watson was thinking about hitting a 9-iron, then settled on an 8-iron. The ball flew straight at the flag, then bounced hard , rolling to the back of the green. His putt back up the slope ran 8 feet past the hole.

After missing the putt to win, Watson gave way to the inevitable and was overwhelmed in the four-hole playoff.

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ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — On the telly a BBC announcer gave early warning, announcing that “things will be interesting for the golfers in town at St. Andrews.” And he spoke the truth. A lengthy drought that has plagued the country has come to an end just in time for Thursday’s opening round of the 150th British Open.

Rain began falling Wednesday and forecasts suggest the arrival of gale-force winds during the coming days. The raw conditions are expected to be complemented by temperatures in the 50s.

“We always joke around that they should try and play the British Open in the summer some year,” said Graeme McDowell, the newly crowned U.S. Open champion from Northern Ireland.

At least McDowell understands the challenge.

“Growing up on the north coast of Ireland, I guess my game is pretty adapted to playing in those type conditions,” he said. “It’s funny, when the wind blows and it starts raining people always say to me, ‘Geez, you must love this.’

“I hate it the same as everybody else does. But yeah, I grew up in it and maybe I’ve got a kind of game that can deal with it a little bit more.”

The British Open is supposed to be different than golf’s other three majors. Just as tennis played on grass is a different game than tennis played on clay, the British Open is links golf and different from any other golf.

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The 2010 British Open Championships returns to the birthplace of golf this year at St. Andrews. Tiger Woods won the past two Opens at the historic venue in 2005 and 2000, while Stewart Cink hopes to defend his 2009 title and keep Woods from becoming the first player to win three times at St. Andrews.

FanHouse TV’s Chris Sesno talks with senior golf writer Mick Elliott about the upcoming 2010 British Open at St. Andrews.

Click below to watch:

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LUSS Scotland (AP) — Phil Mickelson‘s latest chance to go to No. 1 in the world ended like his first opportunity two months ago — he missed the cut Friday in the Scottish Open.

Mickelson hit three tee shots on the 18th hole midway through his second round on his way to a quintuple-bogey 9. He never got those shots back in his round of 3-over 74, missing the cut by one shot.

The top 65 and ties make the cut on the European Tour. Mickelson might look back to his decision to hit a third tee shot on the 18th before realizing he could have played the second drive. That might have been the difference in playing the weekend at Loch Lomond.

The alternative is not awful. Mickelson now has the weekend to practice at St. Andrews for the British Open.

“It wasn’t too bad of a day except for two swings,” Mickelson said. “Those four penalty strokes hurt the round quite a bit.”

This was the fifth straight tournament that Mickelson had a chance to replace Tiger Woods atop the world ranking by winning. He only needed second place this week in the Scottish Open.

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NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa (AP) — Tiger Woods is assured at least one trophy this year.

Even though he tied for 46th at the AT&T National — his first time out of the top 40 in five years among tournaments that he completed — Woods stayed at No. 1 in the world. This being the second week of July, that means he has clinched the Mark H. McCormack Award for the 13th straight season, given to the player atop the world ranking for the most weeks in a calendar year.

So he has that going for him. Halfway through a PGA Tour season like no other, Woods at No. 1 is about the only thing that makes this year seem ordinary. It already has been anything but that.

Woods was only joking Sunday afternoon — early afternoon, it should be noted — when he was leaving the locker room at Aronimink and said over his shoulder, “Go watch some real golfers.”

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The U.S. Open was a draining four rounds of golf. Pebble Beach played hard and fast as the world’s top golfers battled the course and attempted to beat out the California elements.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson came into the final round in striking distance of the lead. But the greens rolled fast and two top-ranked failed to capitalize on opportunities with the putter. Instead, Graeme McDowell survived the weekend to finish with an even par for the tournament and kiss the trophy on Sunday evening.

Now, the PGA Tour rolls on to the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn. Veteran Pro Kenny Perry walked away with the trophy in 2009, but will a youngster step up to the challenge this year? The FanHouse team debates.

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Can a golf course be too hard to watch?

After Sunday’s last-man-standing round of the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach won by Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell, the best answer would be, “YESSS!”

It’s no secret golf fans get a kick from occasionally seeing pros struggle. The game can be so frustratingly difficult for many amateur/recreational players, they often receive great satisfaction from knowing the world’s best players can also be humbled by a ball that sits motionless, waiting to be hit.

But that does not necessarily make for a good championship.

The United States Golf Association, however, believes it does. The governing body of American golf has an absolute obsession for even-par as the gold standard. And after four rounds at Pebble Beach the USGA got its wish. McDowell finished even-par, one shot in front of Frenchman Gregory Havret, two better than Ernie Els and three clear of Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.

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Tiger Woods stood at the podium addressing the media minutes after finishing a disappointing final round in the 2010 U.S. Open. For a moment his press conference was interrupted by a roar from the crowd behind him on the 18th hole.

The man who was about to putt for victory was walking up the 18th fairway and the applause from the crowd spoke volumes. Graeme McDowell had stolen the moment, and the trophy, from Tiger Woods and the rest of the field.

FanHouse TV’s David Whitley reports on the biggest surprise winner in the history of the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

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With all of the hope of seeing Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods walking down 18 together on Sunday at Pebble Beach, there was some symmetry in the way they actually did finish the 2010 US Open. Phil and Tiger finished tied for fourth place with identical three over par scores for the tournament.

FanHouse TV’s David Whitley reports on their reaction to let down expectations.

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The 2010 U.S. Open may not have seen the best golf played at the challenging Pebble Beach, but there were still great shots mixed with lots of excitement heading into Sunday’s final round.

Though it seemed as if Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson would be in the hunt Sunday afternoon, the course was playing challengingly fast and the world’s top-ranked golfers couldn’t capitalize on chances to close the gap.

Instead, it was Graeme McDowell who survived the course and fended off the field to win his first major. In a tournament that doesn’t allow a single player to break par, survival is all you can ask for.

Click below to watch highlights courtesy of NBCSports.com.

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Before he teed it up Sunday, Graeme McDowell knew what really stood between him and the U.S. Open trophy.

“After the way he played yesterday, I thought if the same guy turned up today he was going to be really tough to beat,” McDowell said.

He was Dustin Johnson on Saturday. He was Dustin Hoffman on Sunday.

That’s what NBC’s Roger Maltbie accidentally called the third-round leader. At least we think it was an accident. The way Johnson was playing, Maltbie could have thought he was watching “Ratso Rizzo” or “Rain Man.”

Anybody got an Ishtar joke?

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Northern Ireland’s scruffy-faced Graeme McDowell, the man who on Sunday won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach to become the tournament’s first European champion in 40 years, had everything needed to alter history. On his side were a hot putter (third in the field), a steady and dependable swing (12th in greens hit in regulation) and plenty of help (the only real final-day pressure applied came from the 391st ranked player in the world, Gregory Havret, a Frenchman.)

“I couldn’t believe it,” the winner said. “No one was going crazy.”

That depends. McDowell, no doubt, was expressing his surprise that not a single golfer with a marquee name and promising final-round position had managed to mount a charge because there were certainly more than a few who went home less than mentally stable.

The voices in their heads that Dustin Johnson, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson will be hearing long into the future are all saying pretty much the same thing: “One that got away.”

That’s because McDowell, the first Euro winner since Tony Jacklin took the title in 1970, won with a final-round 3-over 74, the highest last-day score by a U.S. Open winner in 25 years — Andy North in 1985.

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For those interested in epic finishes on the big stage with the biggest stars in the sport, Saturday ended with a lot of promise.

With Tiger on fire, and Phil hot in contention, Sunday was shaping up to be one for the ages.

As FanHouse TV’s Jay Mariotti reports, it didn’t turn out that way.

Click to watch:

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — In a U.S. Open filled with golf’s biggest stars, it was Graeme McDowell who played like one.

McDowell seized control after a shocking collapse by Dustin Johnson, then failed to get flustered with Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els lined up behind him. The 30-year-old from Northern Ireland wasn’t perfect, but he was good enough.

He closed with a 3-over 74 to become the first European in 40 years to capture the U.S. Open, getting an embrace on the 18th green from his father, who spoke for thousands who watched this unlikely Open unfold along the Pacific coastline.

“You’re something, kid,” Kenny McDowell said.

It was a final round no one expected.

Johnson took a triple bogey on the second hole to lose all of his three-shot lead, and a double bogey on the next hole ended his hopes. Three of the biggest stars of this generation were right there, ready to continue the lineage of great champions at Pebble Beach, only to play far below their expectations.

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We know where the US Open Champion will be sitting on Sunday night, in the media room addressing throngs of reporters from all over the world.

What we don’t know is who that Champion will be. FanHouse TV’s David Whitley and Mick Elliott predict a winner from a very symbolic spot at Pebble Beach.

Click below to watch:

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — When Tiger Woods began third-round play Saturday at Pebble Beach Golf Links in the 110th U.S. Open, he was 4-over par and tied for 25th place, seven shots out of the lead.

Three holes later, having just bogeyed Nos. 2 and 3, he tumbled to nine strokes back.

“Not exactly the greatest of starts,” Woods appraised.

Then a most unexpected thing began to happen. Woods, who over the past six months discovered new and endless ways to be a newsmaker, finally did it the old-fashioned way.

Suddenly, the world’s No. 1-ranked player was once again the golfer to be feared, a looming shadow of swing, swagger and fist pumps. Rebounding from the early back-to-back bogeys, Woods birdied eight of his final 15 holes. He carded a 5-under 66, slaying the treacherous back-nine with a five-birdie (including three straight to finish) score of 31.

Although Woods returned in April from a five-month layoff to finish fourth at the Masters, his three appearances that followed produced more doubt than promise.

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Prime time brings out the best in Tiger Woods at the U.S. Open.

Nine shots out of the lead after a pair of sloppy bogeys early in his round, Woods came to life Saturday at Pebble Beach with some clutch putts and extraordinary shots that had been missing since his return to golf two months ago.

He birdied his last three holes for a 5-under 66 – his best round of the year – that put him at 1-under 212 through 54 holes and smack into contention going into the final round.

The old Tiger showed up on the 18th hole.

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Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods both had sub par opening rounds on Thursday. Tiger played slightly better on Friday, but Phil, well, Phil played like a champion. Mickelson shot a tournament best 5-under 66, and has put himself in position to win now that the weekend is here. David Whitley reports from Pebble Beach.

Click below to watch:

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — The man sitting atop the second-round leaderboard of the 110th U.S. Open is no one of particular profile. He will never be confused with Phil Mickelson or Ernie Els (both threateningly close) or Tiger Woods (way back).

That does not mean Graeme McDowell should not be taken seriously.

“Is this weekend my time?” McDowell said. “Who knows? I’m really not going to put any pressure on myself. I’m going to trust my game, believe in my game, stay as relaxed as I feel on the golf course right now and, if I get a chance Sunday afternoon, I’ll certainly give it my best shot.”

On Friday, the 30-year-old Northern Ireland native only needed 68 of them. The 3-under-par round moved him to 3 under for the tournament and two shots in front of Mickelson (66), Els (68), Dustin Johnson (70) and Ryo Ishikawa (71).

That’s some serious heat breathing on anyone’s neck. Mickelson already has four major championships, including this year’s Masters. Els has three majors of his own, including a pair of U.S. Open wins. And while Johnson still ranks as a youthful climber, two of his three PGA Tour career wins have come in the two most recent AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Ams played on this very golf course.

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