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Tiger Woods is outside the top 50 in the world for the first time since his 1996 rookie season Greg Norman doesnt think much of the way Tiger Woods plays golf these days, saying he would not have picked him to play in the Presidents Cup.

Norman, who in a recent magazine interview said he didnt think Woods will win another major, told the that PGA champion Keegan Bradley would have been a more logical choice for U.S. captain Fred Couples.

Norman is the International team captain for the Presidents Cup, to be played Nov. 17-20 at Royal Melbourne.

“I can understand the name of a Tiger Woods and his history of what hes done on the golf course,” Norman said. “But I pick the guys who I think are ready to get in there and play and have performed to the highest levels leading up to it.”

Couples said a month before announcing his picks that one of them would be Woods, saying he was the “best player forever.” Woods has not won in the past two years and has fallen out of the top 50 for the first time since he was a 20-year-old rookie in 1996. Couples also picked FedEx Cup champion Bill Haas.

He said Bradley would be added to the team if Steve Strickers neck injury prevents him from playing.

Norman made his comments Saturday while promoting his Shark Shootout tournament at Tiburon Golf Club. Bradley is part of the 24-man field in the Shark Shootout, and Norman said he felt bad that the 25-year-old rookie was not part of the U.S. team.

“If I was in his shoes, I would feel like I got gut-checked a little bit,” Norman said. “Hes a young guy. He likes the Presidents Cup. He loves the idea of playing for his country, and hes not. So I feel for him.”

Woods played for the first time in nearly two months at the Frys.com Open last week and tied for 30th.

“I just dont think hes swinging the golf club the way he used to when he won all those major championships,” Norman said. “Hes a different player out there nowadays. He even looks tied up. He looks more confined. I know what it takes to have freedom in a golf swing and I just dont think hes technically in the right position to do what he used to do.”

His comments are sure to add some spice to the Presidents in 1998 at Royal Melbourne. That year, Woods played Norman in singles and won on the 18th hole.

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Webb Simpson and caddie Paul Tesori get a lay of the land Sunday at Sea Island. (Getty Images) Ben Crane wasnt sure why he was even playing the McGladrey Classic. The real mystery came Sunday afternoon, when he sat down next to a shiny silver trophy.

“What the heck am I doing here?” Crane said.

His wife is expecting their third child, though a Caesarian section is scheduled for Monday in Dallas. Crane thought about withdrawing five minutes before his tee time Thursday because of a sore hip that was getting worse.

And with 11 holes left in the tournament, he was seven shots out of the lead.

More on McGladrey Classic Analysis Steve Elling
The U.S. money title, Player of the Year races are creating real buzz heading into the season finale. Read >> Related links Immelman ties Seaside Course record Is Fall Series better end than FedEx Cup? Leaderboard Steve Ellings Blog | Follow on Twitter

Crane ran off four straight birdies around the turn, then another batch of four straight birdies for a 7-under 63. He wound up winning in a playoff when Webb Simpson missed a short par putt on the second e a lot of shock,” Crane said. “I dont know how those guys played, but I know I played just about as good as I can play.”

Michael Thompson, a 25-year-old tour rookie who had a one-shot lead going into the final round, stretched the margin to three shots on the front nine until he stalled. He hit his tee shot into a hazard on the 18th hole, made bogey and shot 69 to finish one shot out of the playoff.

Billy Horschel, also playing in the last group, imploded early and late and shot 75.

Simpson closed with a 66, despite not makin the looked as though it might go longer when Crane made a 5-foot comebacker for par on the 17th. Simpson only had to knock in a putt just over 3 feet for par, but it caught the right edge and spun away.

“As soon as I hit it, I looked up expecting it to be going in, and saw it catching the right lip,” Simpson said. “It was unfortunate to end that way.”

Despite missing a chance to become the PGA Tours only three-time winner this year, Simpsons runner-up finish gave him a commanding lead over Luke Donald in his late bid to win the tours money title.

Crane, who earned $720,000 for his first win this year, and Simpson finished at 15-under 265 at Sea Island.

Starting the day five shots out of the lead, Crane thought a 63 or 62 might be enough. He really didnt pay much attention, not realizing until he saw a leaderboard on the 16th hole that he was still in the game.

His 7-iron on the 14th stopped a foot from going in. His 3-wood on the par-5 15th set up a two-putt birdie from long range. Once he knew the score, Crane was at his best with the putter, holing birdie putts of about 20 feet on the 16th and 17th.

“I thought, Well, I need to make two birdies in three holes. Do you guys have any idea how many times we say that to ourselves? And how many times does it actually happen?”

It did on Sunday, giving Crane is fourth career win.

With his runner-up finish, Simpson moved to the top of the money list by $363,029 over Donald. Both have entered the season-ending tournament next week in Disney, though Donalds task became a lot more difficult.

At the very least, Donald would have to finish no worse than a two-way for second to have any chance to move past Simpson and resume his bid to become the first player to win money titles on the PGA Tour and European Tour. Donald already has a comfortable lead in Europe.

“Finishing second is going to make it a lot harder for Luke,” Simpson said. “But Im sure hes going to play well. Hes played well most every week this year. I still wouldnt be surprised if I have a little work to do next week.”

Crane was playing his last official PGA Tour event of the year. His wife, Heather, is home in the Dallas area and they arrange a he might go to Malaysia to defend his title in the unofficial Asia Pacific Classic.

Thompson missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the 15th that would have given him the outright lead, and then his nerves started to show with errant tee shots. He got away with one on the 16th, but not on the final hole, when his tee shot went into the hazard and cost him a penalty drop.

“All I think about on those tee shots is just hit in the middle of club face,” Thompson said. “And for one reason, that one tee shot I didnt. And It got me.”

The small consolation was a third-place finish that assures him keeping his card for next year.

Also locking up his card was Bud Cauley, the 21-year-old who left Alabama after his junior season to turn pro. Cauley shot 67 and tied for 15th to earn $64,000, and now is the equivalent of No. 112 on the money list.

He is only the sixth player to go from college and earn his tour card without having to through Q-school, and Cauley joins Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson as the only players to accomplish that feat in eight starts or fewer.

“Its very exciting for me,” Cauley said. “I cant wait to come out here and play all year out here.”

A pair of major champions had their best finish of the year. Louis Oosthuizen, who won at St. Andrews last summer, was one shot out of the lead until a bogey on the 18th. He closed with a 66 to finish fourth. Former Masters champion Trevor Immelman, slowed the last two years by a wrist injury that eventually required surgery, had a 69 and finished finish.

It was Immelmans first top 10 since 2008.

Notes

Scott McCarron shot a 68 to tie for sixth, earning a spot in the field next week at Disney. He also moved to No. 145 on the money list, which would at least give him conditional status next year if he stays there. … Going into the final tournament, James Driscoll is at No. 125 on the money list by $6,287 over Bill Lunde, who already is exempt next year. Billy Mayfair, who won Q-school last year, is at No. 127 by $12,367.

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Fred Couples birdied six of the first seven holes and finished with a course-record 10-under 62 on Saturday to take a seven-stroke lead in the Champions Tours AT&am and a double bogey to reach 17 under at TPC San Antonios Canyons Course, the first-year venue after nine years at Oak Hills.

“It was just a lot of birdies, which you need to do, though I dont think you need to get 12 of them,” said Couples, who only remembers shooting a 61 in a competitive round at the Scandinavian Masters in Sweden. “You dont get leads like this very often.”

On the par-3 fourth, Couples pushed his tee shot and dumped a chip into a bunker en route to the double bogey. He won the Senior Players Championship on Aug. 21 at Westchester for his first senior major title.

AT&T Championship Final leaderboard

Mark Calcavecchia was second after a bogey-free 66. He made a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th.

The seven-stroke lead is the largest 36-hole margin on the 50-and-over tour since 1998 when Isao Aoki, Hale Irwin and Larry Nelson led events by eight shots.

“Odds are weve identified this years champion,” Calcavecchia said. “I dont see Fred having a bad day.”

Couples broke the tournament record of 130 set by Mark McNulty in his 2004 victory, and the 62 tied the event record set by Gil Morgan in 2004 and matched by John Harris in 2005.

“I thought after the double bogey that I wasnt going to let that get to me,” Couples said. “I dont remember having any really good rounds with a double, but most of the time today I put my iron shots where I had nice, flat putts.”

Nick Price (69) was third at 9 under. Scott Simpson had a chance to join Calcavecchia in second, but bogeyed the 18th and finished at 8 under after a 67. John Cook (67), Tom Lehman (67) and Peter Senior (67) also were 8 under. First-round co-leader Steve Lowery (72) was 7 under.

Calcavecchia, second in the Charles Schwab Cup, is trying to cut Lehmans lead. The top 30 after the tournament will advance to the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship on Nov. 3-6 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco.

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They long ago dubbed it the “Fall Series,” but more than just leaves from massive oak trees were wafting through the air.

Birdies, bogeys, hot dogs, Nike drivers and F-bombs were flying at the Frys.com Open outside San Jose, Calif., where Tiger Woods was returning to PGA Tour play for the first time in two months.

Hey, maybe its got potential as a new PGA Tour marketing mantra: “Something for nearly everybody. Especially vulgarians, but maybe not vegetarians.”

he squeaked into his own tournament on Tuesday and is winless this season. (Getty Images) Woods finished an undistinguished T30 against one of the weakest fields of the year, but was full of happy pronouncements afterward, and didnt seem fazed in the slightest that a man was hauled off by cops after heaving a UFO at him in the final round.

Unidentified frankfurter object.

As ever with Woods, there were so many questions left unanswered, and only a few related to whether it was a kielbasa, bratwurst, sausage or chorizo that came flying his way.

CBSSports.com senior writer Steve Elling was at the tournament venue, where the hot dogs cost $5 a pop, and logs in with his views on the Woodsian week, while European Tour counterpart John Huggan adds his own critical condiments from Scotland.

For a season thats supposed to be winding down, flying meat products certainly helped add some panache, huh?

Elling: Lets start with the fun fare before moving on to the Tiger trail and travails. Webb Simpson is playing this week at the McGladrey event in an attempt to catch Luke Donald in the top spot on the PGA Tour money list. The tour Player of the Year race could be decided by who wins the cash dash. Should Luke add the finale at Disney?

Elling: Donald has played eight of the past 10 weeks and is attending the wedding of his caddie this weekend in London. His wife is in Chicago and due to deliver the couples second child next month and he deserves some time off. But the comp hell have to commit to Disney by late Friday afternoon. Which, of course, is two days before Simpsons results will be finalized this week. Webb needs to earn about $70,000 to pass him in earnings, and solo 15th pays $72K. Donald will basically have one day to watch Simpsons results before deciding whether to play the U.S. season-ender.

Huggan: I have no doubt that Luke will add Disney if he feel without giving it a go at being the first man to top both the U.S. and European money lists in the same season. Officially that is. Whisper it, but Tiger has been leading money winner over here about half-dozen times, but as a non-European Tour member, he hasnt been eligible. One year, if memory and won twice as much money. Al of which is just as well for dear old Monty. His eight Order of Merit wins would become maybe three if Tiger had bothered to play another couple of events.

Elling: Yessir, Donald plays both tours and meets the tournament-membership minimums on each. So topping both financial orders of merit has never been done by a card-carrying member of both tours. And yes, Luke knows all about it.

Elling: Simpson and Donald have been mentioned as fro which is decided by a vote of players. The five-year exemption that comes along with winning the money race aint a bad deal, either, even for a top player. Its a nice insurance policy against injuries and the like.

Huggan: Boy, does this Player of the Year thing get you guys in the States revved up. Its obviously Donald, no matter who tops the money list. The guy has been way more consistent over the course of the year than anyone else. At which point Im sure that you point out that you are talking about the PGA Tour Player of the Year. Well, since when in the land where you have a Series of baseball, have labels mattered? Donald is clearly the top player of 2011.

Huggan: Which is not to say that I think he will win. I have a nasty feeling that a potent mix of xenophobia and insularit will combine to give it to someone like Watney or Simpson. Give me a break.

Elling: You are putting me in a difficult position here. I am not going to dispute his credentials or disagree in principle. But he has one victory in the States, and nobody has ever been named Player of the Year here with just one win. So topping the money list would clearly help his cause.

Huggan: So what of the one-victory stuff? This is about a level of performance over the course of a whole season, not an award for hitting home runs and whiffing the rest of the time.

Elling: No, its about his level of performance on the PGA Tour. Its a three-horse race. Donald is the best player, but won one event here. Simpson closed hard down the stretch and won twice in the fall, and lost another event in a playoff. Then you have Keegan Bradley, who won twice, including a major. We used to emphasize majors in the States, back when Yanks won the darned things. I think Bradley would get my vote, if it was due today … if I was allowed to vote.

Elling: Selfishly, since I live in Orlando and cover the Disney event every year anyway, it would be cool to have a race for the top spot on the money list to correspond with the race at the bottom at No. 125, where the bubble boys will be in a season-finale throwdown to keep their cards for 2012. I think fans might enjoy the crazy paradox of those two races. Think the Golf Channel would not milk that cow, just a little? If I was Disney, Id be on the horn trying to give Luke all the theme-park passes his kids could ever want for the next decade.

Elling: Then theres the whole possibility of incentives. If Donalds handlers are smart, and they are, hes got some endorsement bonuses on the line if he tops the money lists. What if they both play Disney? Bet your bottom buck that the network would want them paired. Any drama is welcome at this time of year.

Huggan: Besides, havent we kinda passed the time when money lists meant anything? These days its all about making the top-50 in the world and staying there. Money has always been the weakest measure of a golfers ability. Even more so these days when purses are so nonsensical.

Hug and saw that someone called Briny Baird has $12 million in career prize money. And he has never won! Still, I am willing to bet he is the best golfer ever named Briny. </ over time. But in the same season? Its a good yardstick. Luke tops the U.S. list despite playing fewer events than the other big boys, too. Impressive work. But hes likely gonna have to hustle to win that Arnold Palmer Award, which goes to the top wage earner.

Huggan: And who has the best stroke average on the PGA Tour? Oh, yes, that would also be Donald. He is, by any measure other than victories achieved in the U.S., c won two of the four biggest events on the European tour this year. I rest my case.

Elling: And he will get some votes no matter how this plays out. His body of work is impressive. However….

Huggan: Yeah, I know. He isnt an American.

Luke Donald, NU alum and current world No.1, beat the scoring record formerly held by Woods when he won the NCAA title in 1999. (Getty Images) Elling: No, its because he went to Northwestern. Seriously, its because he w and decided by guys who dont necessarily pay close attention to nuance. He wants to nail it down; the money list would surely help.

Moving from the reigning world No. 1 to a former top dog … Amid much anticipation and scrutiny, Tiger Woods made his final appearance in a PGA Tour event this season, in suburban San Jose last weekend, finishing a forgettable T30. In your opinion, how did he look?

Elling: Thats a two-part question, really. Theres how he looked and how he behaved, and in neither fashion was it particularly memorable. Yeah, I know he hadn a lot more, especially given that there were only three players from the world top 50 in the field.

Huggan: He was better than the last time we saw him, but not by much. This looked like baby-steps up the ladder, to me. Of course, there is no point in listening to anything Tiger says, because what he says invariably has no relation to either reality or the truth.

Elling: Wow, well said. Ironic, no, that hotdogs are 50 percent filler and Tigers comments are roughly the same percentage of complete crap? Yet Id generally agree with Woods own assessment that he improved as the days rolled on. Of course, after an opening 73, thats not hard to accomplish. Also, and please straighten me out here, John. In Tiger talk, theres now a difference between “reps” and “competitive reps?” Because he had two months to prep for this tournament, and still looked wildly inconsistent.

Huggan: As for his game, he at least seemed to be missing most of his shots one-way, which makes it a lot easier to play, as you kn as was the case for Tig you cant play at all, barring getting up and down from everywhere. So his bad shots were better, which means his overall game was better. As was his putting, despite his moans and groans to the contrary.

Elling: At one point during the final round, he ranked 70th out of the 71 players who made the cut in driving accuracy. So maybe he is back! On the plus side, youre right, the putting improved tremendously from the first to second days, thanks to a posture and alignment tweak made by Sean Foley. That, to me, remains the biggest question of all. Because he isnt going to beat anybody, at least regularly, without reverting to his previous putting form, he just doesnt practice it enough. He added lead tape to his putter fo he has lost some of his touch on the greens. He never had these issues before.

Huggan: One more thing: he doesnt look that fit to me. Was it my imagination or was he struggling to walk properly all four days? Maybe thats why he doesnt play, say, four in a row to get in those famous “reps” … he is physically incapable of doing so. And Im not buying the “family obligations” thing, either. He could take his kids to the Disney, for example, show them a great time and play four rounds.

Elling: He was asked if he hurt his leg. He said he was fine. Beyond that, only Tiger and his doctor know for sure. Yeah, he played the family obligations card again. Hes the only divorced father in the history of the PGA Tour. Hard to grasp how a guy who has played about 10 times all year has the continual conflicts.

Huggan: Im betting his knee is the problem, and that it is going to be a problem for the rest of his life. As I said, it is difficult to believe anything he says on any subject other than the color of the sky or the direction in which the sun sets. Even then, Id have to check for myself.

Elling: The second part of the equation has to be mentioned. A couple of years ago, he stood before a phalanx of TV cameras and promised hed try to clean up his behavior on the golf course. Well, it remains downright appalling. When he was driving the ball wildly during his second round, he took his driver and did a violent, flying, two-handed, tomahawk throwdown spike of the clubhead into the turf on the first tee, with the driver clanging down the tee box. There had to be a thousand people who saw it. Some actually gasped and looked away, embarrassed. When will the PGA Tour modify his behavior? Oh, right, never. The on-course language, as ever, needs some Clorox, too.

Elling: Synopsis: Tiger hurled F-bombs, fans hurled Frankfurter bombs. Ah, symmetry.

Huggan: Im more troubled by the language than the club-throwing, bad as that is. Then again, I was there in Australia two years ago when he bounced his driver into the crowd, narrowly missing the heads of the spectators. Ive just had my first look at the hot-dog incident video, if one can call it that. I understand the implications of such things, but really, the guy didnt get within 50 feet of Tiger. He didnt even try to evade the security/police- no weaving or anything. It was a pathetic performance all around.

Elling: What can the tour do given Tim Finchems hands-off edict on such things? They wont fine him enough to change his antics. And they cannot really suspend a guy who plays 10 times a year. They dont announce fines, so embarrassing him is out. I guess its up to the media to modify his classless behavior. Nice job, Ponte Vedra.

Huggan: They could suspend him and announce the suspension to the world. Then again, nothing seems to embarrass Tiger.

Elling: Im not sure what to make of the hot dog incident. The video is borderline hilarious. The clown yells his name twice, runs onto the green, and a hot dog and bun go flying. A marshal picks up the tube steak and carries it off with a thumb and forefinger like its going to be dusted for prints. Coming up next on CBS, its the season debut of CSI San Jose. The weiner jokes were flying furiously, most of which cannot be repeated here, sadly.

Huggan: My own favorite tweet was, ahem, my own: was it thrown with relish?

Elling: I heard Tiger picked it up and threw it back at the guy, but like he had all week, missed by 30 yards to the left.

The week got off to a solid start for Woods, who signed a contract with Rolex, his first endorsement deal of note since the scandal broke and companies began dumping him and severing ties. Does this mean he has begun to rehab his image in the marketplace?

Huggan: Well, it has to be a good sign. But Id like to see the wording and the numbers on the contract. I suspect the former is tougher and the latter smaller than before.

Elling: You nailed it. No question the signing helps, but its crucial to note that the terms of the deal were not disclosed. For all we know, its incentive-laden contract that additionally requires him to make a slew of corporate appearances annually, or play in select tournaments. From a marketing standpoint, Tiger needed Rolex worse than the company needs him, for sure. The company should have had all the leverage. He needed a deal with a major firm to show there are still companies out there willing to bet on his upside. But for all anybody knows, he isnt getting a dollar and the move is all about positioning him for the next deal.

H sponsors would be silly not to look at Ti even you is evidence enough that he is still the biggest show in town. The length of the deal is significant too. It may be just a short-term thing.

Elling: True, but for how long can he remain The Man? How a guy who finishes 30th and flings his driver around like a sword helps an upscale, image-conscious firm like Rolex sell watches, I have no idea. Maybe they are courting mega-rich hotheads in their latest marketing campaign.

Elling: As for his next deal, by the way, the back-channel buzz in San Jose is that the three brothers who run Frys are so warm to sign him, its been characterized as a “man crush.” The buzz is, its a matter of when, not if, he gets an endorsement deal of some sort from the company, and that he will be playing in the companys Fall Series event for years to come. For the Frys website, it might actually make sense. They dont have a presence on the East Coast. Even with a controversial pitchman like Woods, he would help spread the brand, so to speak, although a certain segment of the marketplace will avoid anything associated with Woods like its downright toxic. The company wants to upgrade the event and move it to a nearby venue owned by the Frys family, too. The Frys boys believe Woods will help elevate the whole enterprise. Hey, its their money.

Elling: Maybe Frys.com, which hawks electronics, they can use Tiger in a cell phone ad. I hear he sends a pretty mean text message.

Huggan: Yes, saying t and an indication of how far Tiger has fallen. In his former life he never finished 30th. Not ever. Third was a bad week for him at the top of his game. For him to express even the slightest satisfaction in being beaten by 29 guys is still shocking to me. As, Im sure, it is to him. Which brings me back to not believing anything he says.

Huggan: Talking of “man crushes,” it has been amusing me to note which of our fellow scribes are keen to jump back on the Tiger bandwagon and which are not. I suspect we may but only with those willing to write the “right” stuff.

Elling: Beaten by 29 mostly pedestrian guys, to boot. By the way, Bryce Molder is the 30th first-time winner since the Tiger scandal broke. More guys gaining confidence as Tigers results continue to look wobbly at best. He dropped to 52nd in the world on Monday, a skid of 50 spots this year.

Elling: To your point, Mark Steinberg has plenty of time to talk. What with Tiger being the lone client he has with a tour card.

In a place far, far away, Rickie Fowler finally logged his first professional win in an offshore event in South Korea. That has to be a positive for the game, no?

Elling: Its a much bigger positive for Fowler on a personal level, since he had repeatedly failed to seal the deal in the States when in position to win on past Sundays, including the British Open earlier this summer.

Huggan: Yes, it is. Ive been high on young Fowler ever since he played so well at the Ryder Cup last year, then again at the Open this summer. He has obvious appeal to the younger generation in the way he dresses and behaves. And old farts like me can enjoy his game. He displayed a nice range o a rare th and made Rory McIlroys comments rewind and weather seem immature and silly. So, yes, it was good to see him win.

Elling: I have said it before, but I believe that Fowler has more followers than any player on the U.S. tour not named Tiger or Phil. You notice more kids with those jarring, orange Puma hats than you do wearing Nike lids, thats for sure. Im not crazy about the flat-billed cap look, but Im not exactly the demographic they are pitching their wares to. When Fowler plays, it looks like there are hundreds of teenage traffic cones walking down the ropes.

Huggan: Of course, now well have to listen to those who love to point out he has not yet won on the PGA Tour. Like that matters (see Briny).

Elling: Gotta get you one of those flat-bill lids, so you can cultivate your Original Scottish Gangster look.

Huggan: I look good in anything. Or was it nothing? I forget.

Huggan: His Sunday garb does look like it should have Dade County Correctional Facility stenciled on the back.

Elling: No doubt, Fowlers win was popular with his peers. In fact, while I was shadowing the final group on Sunday, Paul Casey walked over and mentioned the victory without any prompting and said, “Good for him, hes a great kid.” Thats a fairly universal sentiment. Fowler truly “gets it,” as we like to say. He signs autographs, has a good rapport with the scribes and fans, and is a unique, homegrown player who doesnt use a swing coach. Everybody likes him, especially the young fans. Puma struck gold with him and LPGA teen Lexi Thompson. Now theres some resume substance to go along with the style.

Huggan: Indeed, Puma should be congratulated for their prescience. But he hasnt won yet on the PGA Tour! Oh, sorry.

Elling: Casey also added, “Its good to win anywhere.” Paul ought to know, having won a smaller event in Korea exactly seven days earlier. Maybe Fowler gets some mojo going. It was the longest drought between wins at any level since he was a pre-teen, I bet. Of course, he was a pre-teen about 15 minutes ago.

Elling: Speaking of puppies, rookie pro Bud Cauley effectively nailed down his 2012 tour card Sunday, and will become the eighth player since 1980 to secure membership while using sponsor exemptions and via skipping Q-school. He is 21 and looks about 15. The youngsters are taking over. I bet Tiger and Ernie have noticed.

Huggan: Ernies suffering too much on the greens to notice. But it was good to see him on the edge of contention last week. When I saw him at the Dunhill Links at St. Andrews the week before, he was strangely subdued. Bad putting eventually takes a toll on even the best.

Elling: Total PGA Tour wins by world top-five fixtures Tiger, Phil, Ernie and Furyk this year: One.

Huggan: Ah well, at least I was there to see it. Good old Lefty won at Houston.

Elling: Houston: A Rees Jones venue. Thats funnier than flying meat products.

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Bryce Molder captures his first tour win by making a 6-foot birdie on the sixth playoff hole. ( Bryce Molder knows better than most that theres no sure thing in golf.

That wasnt the case when he left Georgia Tech nearly a decade ago after being an All-American all four years. And it certainly wasnt the case Sunday at the Frys.com Open in the longest playoff of the year on the PGA Tour.

Molder captured his first tour victory by making a 6-foot birdie putt on the sixth playoff hole to outlast Briny Baird.

“Its a little surreal right now,” Molder said.

More on Frys.com Open Analysis Steve Elling
Hot-dog tosser adds yet more absurdity to Tiger Woods two-year odyssey in returning to tour competition. Read >> Related links Woods ends at 7 under, ties for 30th Results, earnings Elling: Els slowly losing grip on game B/R: Coverage of Woods crazed at CordeValle Is a Tiger turnaround guaranteed? Steve Ellings Blog | Follow on Twitter

Molder and Baird were stuck in time, going from the 17th hole to the 18th hole in three cycles, matching birdies and pars, both players feeling at various points that they were going to win.

Three times, Molder hit driver on the 284-yard 17th hole over the water and had eagle putts for the win, each one a little closer to the hole than the previous one, all of them sliding by the side of the cup.

On the fourth extra hole, Baird felt like a winner when Molder drove into the hazard. Molder was able to get to the front of the green from the junk, while Bairds wedge hit the top of the flag and spun back some 12 feet. He missed.

After nearly two hours, Baird blinked and Molder finally made a putt to win.

“You practice and work, and you just hope theres some validating behind it,” said Molder, who won in his 132nd start on tour. “I dont feel I deserved to win. But I happened to settle myself down to play.”

The playoff was packed with plenty of drama, and so was the rest of the sunny day at CordeValle.

Tiger Woods managed to make news when a fan ran toward the seventh green as he was putting and tossed a hot dog in his direction. The 31-year-old man was arrested and never came close to Woods.

“I guess he wanted to be in the news,” Woods said. “And Im sure he will be.”

It was the 17th playoff this year on the PGA Tour, setting a record dating to the modern era that began in 1970.

Baird looked like a winner when he chipped in from short of the 17th green for eagle in regulation to take a one-shot lead. In the group ahead of him, Molder rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th to close with a 7-under 64, which got him into the playoff.

Baird, 0 for 348 in his 12 years trying to win on tour, shot a 4-under 67. He twice had birdie putts on the 18th in the playoff to win, missing from 8 feet and 12 feet.

They finished at 17-under 267, and then looked as though they would never finish.

“Obviously, its more than disappointing right now,” Baird said. “I thought Id be standing where Bryce is. I had my chances. Given a chance, youve got to make putts.”

If there was a consolation for Baird, he earned $540,000. Baird, who started his year with conditional status on tour, was at No. 148 on the money list and now is assured of getting his card back for next year.

Bud Cauley, the 21-year-old who turned pro this summer, shot 66 and finished third to earn $340,000, which looks as if it will be enough for him to earn a card next year without having to go through the qualifying tournament.

It was the second straight week that a player won for the first time after a long drought. Kevin Na won in Las Vegas after 210 tries. Molder was regarded as a sure thing when he left Georgia Tech, but nothing comes easily on the PGA Tour. And as he found out in fading sunlight, noting comes easily in a playoff.

Woods had three rounds in the 60s for the first time in more than a year on the PGA Tour, although he finished 10 shots behind in a tie for 30th. In a year lost mainly to left leg injuries, it was his ninth and final tour start.

Cauley left Alabama this year to turn pro, and it appeared to be a smart decision. He is projected to be the equivalent of 114th on the money list with two tournaments remaining. He at least gets into the McGladrey Classic next week. to earn a full PGA Tour card without ever going to Q-school.

Cauley was among five players tied for the lead at some point in the final round. As usual at CordeValle, this tournament was always going to be decided over the final four holes, which offer to eagle possibilities with the par 5 at No. 15 and the tees moved forward on the 17th, making it play 284 yards over the water.

Shane Bertsch surged into the lead alone with an eagle at No. 15 to reach 15 under, only to miss a short putt on the next hole. He failed to make another birdie and tied for fourth with a 64. Ernie Els also tied for fourth. He went bunker-to-bunker on the 15th and had to settle for par and closed with a 68.

Ultimately, the duel came down to Baird and Molder, two players looking for their first PGA Tour win on a course that tests the nerves because of so many possible swings in momentum.

Molder birdied three of the first four holes on the back nine to take over the lead, and appeared to be playing safe by laying up on the 15th and making par. His 10-foot birdie putt on the 17th spun 270 degrees around the cup.

In the group behind him, Baird reached the 15th green for a two-putt birdie to get within one stroke, then put himself in position for the win with a drive that narrowly cleared the water on the 17th and stayed on the bank.

Trying to get up-and-dow t for a one-shot lead. Up ahead, however, Molder recovered by rolling in a 12-foot birdie putt on the last hole to catch him.

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Top-ranked Yani Tseng won the LPGA Hana Bank Championship on Sunday for her sixth LPGA Tour victory of the season and 10th overall title of the year, shooting a 5-under 67 to edge Na Yeon Choi by a stroke.

Hana Bank Championship Leaderboard

The 22-year-old Taiwanese star, the LPGA Championship and Womens British Open winner, finished at 14-under 202 on Sky 72 Golf Clubs Ocean Course.

“It was very tough out there,” Tseng said. “Na Yeon Choi was playing so good today. … She made two birdies in a row and I missed the birdie putt. I really enjoyed it out there. Its not easy. I tried to focus on every shot, every hole.”

Tseng earned $270,000 to push her tour-leading total to $2,396,838. She has 11 victories in four full seasons on the LPGA Tour.

Choi, the 2009 and 2010 winner, shot a 68, closing with a birdie in front of the large home crowd.

“The crowd is amazing,” Tseng said. “When Na Yeon makes birdie, it was like a huge crowd, and I think its the first time in my life I saw that many people on a golf course.”

In 2009, Choi birdied the final hole to beat Tseng by a stroke.

“I didnt think anything like two years ago,” Tseng said. “I kind of forgot and learned from that. She played great and I played good. I did my best then, and I feel like she just played better than me and she deserved to win the tournament.

“Two years after, we both have got some more experience and we both got more wins. Its very different out there.”

Brittany Lincicome (66), Jamin Jang (68) and second-round leader Soo-Jin Yang (71) tied for third at 11 under. Michelle Wie had a 69 to tie for 35th at 1 under.

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Tiger Woods digs his way out of a bunker on No. 18 to finish with a bogey. ( The fog finally lifted at CordeValle and revealed a Tiger Woods that looked vaguely familiar.

Woods ran off three straight birdies early in his round, survived a rough patch around the turn and kept the stress to a minimum Friday in his round of 3-under 68 in the Frys.com Open that assured he would be around for the weekend.

“I dont like missing cuts, period,” Woods said. “If I miss the cut, that means you cant win the tournament on the weekend. Ive got a shot at it this weekend.”

He still was seven shots behind Paul Casey, who is making a revival of his own.

More on Frys.com Open Analysis Steve Elling
Still wild off the tee at CordeValle, Tiger Woods makes the cut as his putting touch returns. Read >> Related links Leaderboard Round 1: Tiger takes step backward Tiger signs with Rolex Steve Ellings Blog | Follow on Twitter

Casey, at No. 135 on the money list and in danger of losing his PGA Tour card, has been fighting a foot injury since the middle of May. He showed signs of getting better by winning in South Korea last week, and then he got over jet lag in time to post a 7-under 64.

That put him at 8-under 134. Bud Cauley, who turned pro this summer and is trying to avoid having to go to Q-school, had a 66 and was one shot behind. Fog delayed the start of the second round by two hours, 20 minutes, meaning it would not finish until Saturday.

Woods was so disgusted this his putting after his opening 73 that he went to the practice green in the chill of late afternoon after the first round and rapped 5-foot putts, sometimes using only one hand.

He also put two strips of lead tape on the bottom of his putter, and it seemed to pay off. He holed a 25-foot birdie putt on No. 14 to begin his run of three straight birdies, and all but one of his birdie putts looked to have a chance. He was missing, but not by much.

“I hit one bad putt today, and that was it,” Woods said. “Every other putt was on line.”

It was the first time since the Masters that Woods made a 36-hole cut, and the first time in two months that he broke par. That speaks only to the kind of stop-and-start year he has had, missing three months this summer to let injuries to his left leg fully heal, and missing the last seven weeks when he failed to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs.

And while the 68 was what he needed to make it to the weekend, the pleasant sunshine over CordeValle allowed for good scoring. He wasnt the only one who took advantage, and several others did far better, starting with Casey.

Casey came up just short of the green on the par-5 15th, and then rolled in birdie putts of 40 feet and 25 feet on the next two holes, before finishing the back nine with a shot into 12 feet on the 18th. He added a pair of birdies on the front nine to put himself atop the leaderboard and raise his hopes going into the weekend.

“To be honest, its probably the best Ive hit the golf ball all year,” Casey said.

Its a good time for that to happen. Casey is playing the next two tournaments to meet the minimum requirement of 15 starts. If he doesnt finish among the top 125, he likely would get enough exemptions as a past champion and for being among the top 50 in the world that he wouldnt need to go to Q-school.

His only concern is playing better. The first sign should have been Thursday, when he was still dragging from the flight from South Korea, got to the top of the leaderboard only to lose a few shots at the end of his round for a 70.

Cauley left school early from Alabama this summer because he thought he was ready for the PGA Tour, and he has done little to show otherwise. Through six starts, he has earned $331,150. If he fin he could join an exclusive list of players who avoided Q-school, which includes Woods, Phil Mickelson, Justin Leonard and most recently Ryan Moore.

“I want to miss Q-school as much as the rest of the guys,” Cauley said.

Woods had a 64 in mind when he arrived at CordeValle to a thick fog, twice warming up on the range as the delays dragged out. His three straight birdies included an 8-foot putt on the 15th after driving into a bunker, and a 7-iron to 3 feet on the 16th.

“I had it going early there, three in a row to get to 3-under par for the day, and if we could just keep it going, I could shoot my number,” Woods said. “I made a couple mistakes there at 18 and 1. But overall, Im still within seven shots of it right now.”

His 3-wood on the 18th went just enough left to find a hazard, and he had to get up-and-down just to save bogey. It really looked ugly on No. 1, when he snap-hooked his tee shot and threw his driver to the ground. With the ball on the side of a hill and his feet on the cart path, Woods slipped badly on the swing and tumbled over, coming up well short of the green. He pitched only to 25 feet.

That was his seventh consecutive tee shot without hitting the fairway. On the next hole, however, he drilled one down the middle on a far more difficult driving hole, and missed only one fairway after that.

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Scottish golfer Elliott Saltman has hit a hole-in-one during his second his bodyweight in ham.

Madrid Masters Leaderboard

Saltman made the shot from the par-3 third at El Encin Golf Hotel. Heavily cured and salted ham is a Spanish delicacy.

Despite the feat, the 686th-ranked player is well off the leaders pace. His opening-day 75 left him 3 over and 11 shots behind overnight leader Ross McGowan of England.

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Tiger Woods is out of the top 50 in the world ranking for the first time in nearly 15 years.

Woods, who hasnt won in nearly two years, was assured of dropping from the top 50 when Louis Oosthuizen finished in a three-way tie for fifth in the Dunhill Links Championship.

That ends a streak of 778 consecutive weeks inside the top 50, dating to when Woods was No. 61 on Oct. 13, 1996.

Woods, who has not played since missing the cut at the PGA Championship, returns to competition this week at the Frys.com Open at CordeValle in northern California.

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The tune, worn out to the point of becoming a place-name cliche over the years, is actually doubly perfect in a certain, limited regard.

Dionne Warwick has had a career thats spanned multiple decades, but she will forever mostly be known for a ditty thats already coursing through our heads this week for obvious geographical reasons.

Then there are the lyrics, which suddenly scream of relevance and foreshadowing.

In fact, Tiger Woods ought to be humming the tune as he heads to the Bay Area to play on the PGA Tour for the first time in two months, this time in the suburb of a well-known California city.

Do yo I may go wrong and lose my way.Do yo some peace of mind in San Jose.

No doubt, Burt Bacharach didnt have golf or the current world No. 51 in mind when he penned the Grammy-winning tune released in 1968, though it sure seems apt now, huh?

This week, we get a chance to see if Woods still has the same old chops, or can hit the same high notes, as he did before his latest series of setbacks forced him to enter the Frys.com Open, a third-tier Fall Series event that never would have gotten a second glance from him otherwise.

In this weeks iteration of Pond Scrum, transcontinental pundits Steve Elling and John Huggan take a gander at the weeks global comings and goings, which at times can move as quickly or slowly as a California freeway, depending on the time of day.

Huggan was at the Dunhill Links event at St. Andrews on the European Tour last week, while Elling is headed to suburban San Jose to track the latest Tiger comeback on the U.S. tour.

Gentlemen, please riff away, and try not to let that old-but-infectious Warwick song get stuck in your heads, OK?

After eight years of playing with the big boys, Kevin Na has finally won on the PGA Tour. Why the breakthrough, finally?

Elling: Well, we knew he was slow. But eight years for his first win, despite some pretty fair talent? Who knew they had glaciers in Las Vegas? The guy is so deliberate, he has pump fakes in his golf swing.

Elling: Vegas is the City that Never Sleeps? Try watching Kevin play 18 holes. That would put black coffee in a coma.

Huggan: All I know about Kevin Na is that he is, according to many, a bit of a pain in the you-know-where. I also know that he is very slow. I now know that he rather expertly misses the ball on occasion. What else? Oh yes, he has the sort of name you want when faced with a lot of autograph hunters.

Elling: He has autograph seekers?

Huggan: I do recall him taking 15 or so strokes to play a hole earlier this year. All in all, he sounds quite interesting.

Elling: Thats a heckuva new swing thought he has over the ball, for sure. If his backswing feels a little amiss, panic sets in and he bails on the shot on the downswing. His “whiff” on a tee shot on Saturday was one of the oddest one-day talking points of the season, which only fits with Na, who is a strange egg, indeed.

Huggan: Why are you complaining? Dont you wish every PGA Tour player provoked so much copy? Ill take one Kevin Na for every three Matt Kuchars, nice as young Matthew is.

Elling: Decent point. The guy is in Bubba Watsons class as far as tics and such, eh? He can play, too. A few months back, in our weekly New World Order list posted on Tuesdays, I listed the top 10 players on tour without a victory at that point and Na was right up at the top with Steve Marino. There has never been any doubt that he could play, and in a way, his prickly reputation obscures a pretty good story. Na turned pro at the same time Ty Tryon did, under very similar circumstances, while still a junior in high school. Na played in Asia briefly before finding his foothold in the States, where he had attended high school. Definitely not the tr doesnt want people who are different. If youre not a country-club brat with blond hair and a visor, dont bother to apply. He sounds like a great story to me.

Huggan: Has he been rude to anyone important? If so, I like him even more.

Elling: Its a little more complicated than that with Kevin. (Hes never been rude to me.) His caddie deserves a fat bonus, because nobody works harder out there, lining up Nas putts, checking his alignment. But caddie Kenny Harms is used to being around high-maintenance people. He was once married to former LPGA player Emilee Klein.

Huggan: Wow … that is high maintenance. Didnt she have an incredible number of shoes?

Elling: Ill not belabor the point, but Na has always radiated an aura of cockiness that has chased away peers in droves. Years ago, I recall him being on the putting green at Torrey Pines, asking players if they wanted to join him for a practice round. You never heard so many guys offering lame excuses. It was the equivalent of, “Ive got to wash my hair tonight.” I almost felt sorry for him. Hes a bright kid and very quotable. Its a little surprising, then, that he hasnt toned down the abrasiveness. Hes good, just not . Maybe the victory will peel away some pressure and allow him to decompress.

Huggan: But, to be serious, why is Na such a pariah? I can think of any number of guys who are just as dismissive of the press and who get away with it. World No. 1 Luke Donald doesnt exactly hide his disdain for the Fourth Estate, yet he is a beloved figure, or close to it.

Elling: Its not that he is dismissive of the press. He is no Vijay Singh. Its just a matter of attitude.

Huggan: OK, you know him way better than I do. But he sounds like a great quote.

Elling: In fact, he gets along fairly well with the media. We just havent had much need to speak with him. In his career, he had seven top-three finishes entering this season.

Huggan: And you have to admire the way he missed the ball and got away with it. That old “intent” rule sure does come in handy sometimes.

Elling: Yeah, my joke headline was, “Kevin Na Doesnt Have a Whiff in Vegas.” Double entendre clearly intended.

Huggan: You only speak to winners? I like losers myself … far more interesting. See Jean Van de Velde.

Elling: Hardly. Some of my favorite guys are the journeymen. I say hello to Kevin when I see him. I have no issues with him at all. Its many of his peers who find him insufferable at times.

In another big day for Northern Ireland, native son Michael Hoey won the Dunhill Links title at St. Andrews with a clutch performance on Sunday that included birdies on three of the last four holes. What more can be said about the success of the Emerald Isle, guys? Huggan, you were on hand.

Elling: Ulstermen finished 1-2-3 on the board. Its getting a bit scary, actually. Irelands struggling Padraig Harrington cracked the top 10. All this a week after perhaps the most memorable Solheim Cup ever was successfully staged in Ireland, too. Its been quite a ride for the clover brigade.

Huggan: This Northern Ireland thing is getting out of hand. I think there are maybe two Ulstermen left on the European Tour who have not yet popped up and won something huge. As for H but has underachieved since. Ive watched him hit balls a few times and been impressed. Word is any problem has, until now, been between his ears and, maybe, in his dedication to the cause. An Irishman who likes to enjoy himself … who would have thought eh?

Huggan: They actually finished 1-2-T3. A hardly-heard-of Scot, George Murray, was also T3.

Elling: Theres a cool back story with Hoey, who played at Clemson for two years. His teammates included Lucas Glover, Jonathan Byrd and D.J. Trahan, who all have multiple PGA Tour wins in the States. Now Hoey has three wins himself on the European Tour. Another player on their team, John Engler, played briefly on the U.S. tour. Musta been some college lineup, huh?

Huggan: Thats a pretty potent lineup. Why did they never win the NCAA? Or did they? College sporting nonsense is not really my thing.

Elling: Nope, never did win the Division I title while Hoey was there, amazingly.

Michael Hoey held off more celebrated countrymen to continue a lengthening streak of success for Northern Ireland. (Getty Images) Elling: While Hoeys win was easily the biggest of his largely unheralded career, it was a bit disappointing that his nearest pursuers, Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell, fell flat on the back nine and never made a remote run at him, really. McIlroy briefly assumed the lead, but like McDowell, they didnt make any noise at all heading down St. Andrews back nine. By the time Hoey got to the famed and easy 18th, surrounded by those ancient buildings, all he needed was a par.

Huggan: Thats a pretty harsh assessment of G-Mac and Mr. Wozniacki. But it is true that both stopped making putts over the clo three birdies of Rorys putting when he isnt either out of contention or seven ahead.

Elling: I liked how Hoey whipped out driver on the last hole with a one-shot lead and hammered it down there. Of course, not a lot of risk on that final tee ball.

Huggan: The star of the show, however, was the Old Course. Even if the games most famous the scoring wasnt too outrageous. Par may have been 68 or so, but that was down to the combination of weather, time of year and technology. R&A chief executive Peter Dawson was in the field and got a closeup view of just how far the top players propel balls with those metal drivers, so, you never know, something might finally get done soon. Dont hold your breath though.

Huggan: You say that about the 18th, but I remember watching Graham Marsh knock it out of town up the right when playing the 72nd hole of a long-forgotten Scottish Open.

Elling: Bad golf course for slicers. I ought to know.

Now that the LPGA has finally green-lighted 16-year-old Lexi Thompson for membership in 2012, what should we expect from her on the course?

Huggan: I would hope that she is careful with her schedule. Yes, she is a big girl with a game to die for. But playing too much at that age could hurt her. Of course, the way the LPGA schedule is these days, playing too much isnt really an option.

Elling: Ah, the most dangerous query of all? Have we not learned anything from predicting career paths of the cant-miss kids in the past, like Aree Song and Michelle Wie, who had tremendous success playing against the professionals while still teen amateurs. As it turned out, those two players, and a few others, didnt exactly take off on meteoric trajectories upon turning pro.

Elling: O the aforementioned teen amateurs never won an LPGA event as an amateur. She has. And she beat a stacked field, too. So, make that a huge difference.

Huggan: The tour is crying out for a young American star who doesnt go to Stanford. And judging by what I saw at the Solheim Cup, another strong player wont do the U.S. side any harm, either.

Elling: Im not conversant enough in identifying he I know to handicap her likely path over the short term. But she has created a spike of interest. That, in itself, is a win.

Huggan: You are correct. Unlike Wie, Thompson has won at every level on the way up. She is a seasoned competitor, even at age 16. Not sure I can say the same of Wie, even now.

Elling: Translated: Thompson learned how to win in her proximal peer group. Personally, I think shell liv one brother has played on th and her family knows the drill of tour life. Shell start out slowly in 2012 and it wouldnt be a surprise if she won again. Not based on the way she has played in her limited at-bats so far.

Huggan: Lets hope she proves to be as good as she presently appears. The LPGA needs her as much as she needs them, thats for sure.

Elling: Thats the unnerving part: expectations and perceived pressure. Predicting the play of teenage females is like reading tea leaves in a three-club crosswind. Some of them peak at 16 or 17 and thats the best they ever get. Some, like Annika Sorenstam, dont bloom until their 30s. Its a foolish exercise. This is one kid where we should just sit back and watch what develops for once.

Huggan: Indeed, but how will you contain yourself?

Elling: Well, I can always watch Kevin Na play. That kills plenty of time.

Golfs prodigal son, Tiger Woods, returns this week on the PGA Tour, Tiger Woods. Any reason to suspect he will contend at the third-tier Frys.com Open?

Elling: I have honestly lost track of the comeback numerology. This is, what, his fourth or fifth reintroduction since knee surgery in mid-2008? Wow, that seems like a lifetime ago.

Huggan: I wasnt aware that hed come back at all since he saw off Rocco more than three years ago. Things have changed markedly. But what will be interesting is a) what Tigers latest swing looks like and b) his putting stroke. He hasnt looked too clever on the greens during the few appearances he has made lately. Hes at that age when the ball mysteriously starts to lip out rather than dive in.

Elling: Yep, you are correct. Thats the deal-maker or deal-breaker, right there. Belly putter time! I saw Duval with one in Vegas.

Elling: As for Woods, he hasnt played in seven weeks. Anybody who says they know how hell play is guessing. Clearly, he was unprepared to play in his last two starts, at the Bridgestone Invitational, where he finished T37, and PGA Championship, where he never sniffed the top of the board and missed the cut.

When he was last seen in August, Tiger Woods was missing the cut at the PGA Championship. (Getty Images) Hug is anywhere near enough preparation for the Presidents Cup. I mean, isnt Tiger being a little disrespectful to Freddie? Can you imagine anyone deciding to play twice in more than two months before a team event? Tiger may have lost his game, but he still has his arrogance apparently.

Elling: Well, Mickelson isnt exactly stacking up on pre-Prez events either, is he? In that vein, Ill be interested in how Woods is received. The tournament site isnt far from where he attended college (albeit, he dropped out after two years) and that mojo from his fans might give him a leg up. Note: Thats not an injury joke.

Elling: Reports from South Florida are that Woods shot a 62 in practice last week, although he claimed he was tearing it up at times before attempting his other recent comebacks too, and nothing happened. In fact, hes been in and out of the tour lineup so many times in the past two years, the details blur.

Huggan: You are joking. Can you really see a bunch of geeky Stanford nerds heading out to cheer on their man? Although, come to think of it, that would make a great picture.

Elling: Its the Silicon Valley, brother. Filled with nerds. Although when you say silicon, Tiger probably snickers for other reasons.

Elling: As for his impending reception, I had an interesting conversation with a club member at East Lake two weeks ago. Unprompted, the member noted how there had been zero talk about Woods absence at the club and how ticket sales for the Tour Championship had been as strong as ever, regardless of his absence. In other words, nobody missed him. While Im sure thats hardly a universal truth, it was interesting that the member brought it up out of the blue.

Huggan: I laughed out loud at the coverage that informal round got. Did he hole out on ev such a round is meaningless. Ive seen enough of them in action away from the tour to know that when you eliminate the pressure of competition, all of those guys go round in “nothing.”

Elling: Exactly right. But apparently it is being accepted as the new course record at Medalist, by a couple of pops.

Huggan: Must have been a slow news week on your side of the pond.

Elling: Slow? Is that another Kevin Na joke?

Huggan: Meanwhile, we had five of the worlds top six playing in Scotland.

Elling: Back to Woods. … Amazingly, the guy has logged a total of eight rounds since the Masters, fallen out of the world top 50 for the first time in 15 years, and somebody still is going to pay him a fat appearance fee to play in Australia before the Presidents Cup matches next month.

Huggan: Although world No. 5 Dustin Johnson, unused to having to make a cut, didnt make it to Sunday by at the Old Course himself. qualified, so D.J. had to tee up in the “am” section of the Dunhill “pro-am.”

Elling: Saw that. D.J. had to play for free on Sunday, along with his new caddie. See, Joe LaCava made the right call. He bailed before he had to work on the weekend for free.

Huggan: You dont want to talk about the European Tour? I love it when you squirm.

Elling: Sure. Luke Donald defends his title in Espana this week. I am sure the field will be stacked with never-weres. To modify a phrase: His reign in Spain falls mainly on the plain.

Huggan: Very good. Did you get that from Finchem?

Elling: No, made it up while I was trying to log the number of European Tour players outside the top 1,000 in the world ranking making starts every week.

Huggan: Im sure youll be working that out even as we type. While youre at it, let me know how many of your compatriots are currently in the worlds top 10.

Huggan: Four! I just looked. Only 19 Yanks in the top 50, though. Oh, how times they are achanging.

Elling: My top-1,000 data comes straight off the European Tour websites leaderboard. No question, the ET has stars. The supporting cast … not so much. So, in your math, you count Europe as one country now?

Huggan: We have to, if we are to get a viable comparison with the enormous U.S.!

Huggan: I tell you what, its a good job your lot are clinging to the Curtis Cup. After the Prez Cup, I suspect thats all Our Cups Runneth … Away.

Last question one for the day and were cleaning up on some old business – were you surprised by the additions of the four captains picks for the Presidents Cup last week?

Elling: Not in the least. Surprised is not the same as disappointed, however.

Huggan: I felt sorry for Bradley Keegan/Keegan Bradley. If Id been skipper, I would have taken him rather than the parentally advantaged Bill Haas, who stumbled into the FedEx Cup win, if you ask me.

Elling: Normans picks were perfect. But it bears repeating: U.S. rookie Bradley, with two wins and a major, deserved a seat at the table. I have received pointed reader emails from a handful of people who are so annoyed at U.S. captain Fred Couples selection of Woods to the team, they said they would be pulling for the Internationals. That ought to tell you something. Of course, a bunch of other yahoos emailed to defend Tigers selection. No accounting for taste. No accounting for bad accounting. No wins in two years.

Huggan: The international picks were both predictable and sound. Opting for two Melburnians made perfect sense. Royal Melbourne takes a lot of knowing and both Robert Allenby and Aaron Baddeley are way ahead of any other candidates on that scale.

Elling: Youre a proud Scotsman. Let me put the question to you thusly: Forget his golf game for the moment. Is Tiger Woods the kind of guy you want representing your country in an international match? Wearing the blue-and-white colors of the St. Andrews cross on the Scottish flag? Does he deserve to?

Huggan: As Ive said many times, I suspect Fred wasnt solely responsible for Tigers presence on the team. Television executives will surely have played a part in that dubious piece of backroom nonsense.

Elling: Well, Fred is being held accountable now.

Huggan: Hes not really representing your country. Hes playing for the PGA Tour, just as those over here play for the European Tour in the Ryder Cup.

Elling: I prefer to think that hes playing for Cablinasia. A country with a population of one.

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