The Monday Recap: FedEx Cup begins with a bang

Adam Scott, who shed the stinging defeat at the 2012 British Open from his memory bank in capturing this year's Masters title, took an important first step toward winning the FedEx Cup this past week.

The Australian fired a bogey-free 66, before watching each challenger misfire on forcing a playoff in capturing The Barclays championship in New Jersey.

Scott's final round produced an 11-under par total, while England's Justin Rose (three-putt on the 18th), Tiger Woods (birdie putt inches short on the 18th) and Gary Woodland (putt just short on the 18th) each missed a chance to force a playoff.

The end result is more important than the $1.44 million first-place prize, if there is such a thing. Yes, there is and that is the race for the FedEx Cup title. Scott's victory earned him valuable points, pushing him to No. 2 on the list. He's 162 points behind Woods following his second win of the year.

Despite not winning more tournaments, Scott has played well when it's counted the most. Besides the major championship he claimed to begin this season, Scott tied for third at the British Open and tied for fifth at the PGA Championship.

The latter came on the heels of the FedEx Cup race, and now he's heading to the site of his inaugural PGA Tour victory. Scott won the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2003, and is having a breakthrough season 10 years ago with the chance to add to his win total. Should he accomplish the feat of winning back-to-back, he'll be in prime position to win the FedEx Cup, which has three events remaining in the playoff portion of the schedule that includes this week's tour stop at TPC Boston.

Only the top 100 players in the standings advanced to this week's tournament. The top 70 progress to the BMW Championship, slated for mid-September, before the top 30 qualify for the Tour Championship.

PGA Championship: Woody Austin's error

We've all brought extra clubs to the course at one time or another without regard in a friendly round.

But when you do it in a competitive round, it sure can hurt your score in a heartbeat.

So when Woody Austin began his second round of the PGA Championship at Oak Hill on Friday,  nothing was askew. But Austin failed to keep a bulky out of his bag that already was at the maximum of 14 clubs. That's a big no-no when it comes to the United States Golf Association's rulebook.

And thus Austin was assessed a two-shot penalty for each hole that the extra club remained in his bag.

The total damage after it was discovered on the third hole was four shots - the maximum for the rule breach.

Austin shared in the responsibility for the miscue, which wasn't noticed until the third hole due to a rain cover blanketing the clubs to keep them dry from Mother Nature.

Austin posted a 75, which left him at 4-over par for the championship after his opening 1-under par 69.

He missed the cut as a result, and would have made the weekend if not for the four-shot penalty.

It's not the first time the mistake has happened in major championship golf. The last time, and probably the most famous outburst in golf, came from Ian Woosnam in the 2001 British Open.

Here's a clip from the mistake that cost Woosnam some momentum and a chance at the Claret Jug:




Hopefully, Austin's caddy doesn't meet the same fate as Woosnam's did following that fateful final round in '01. (Hint: he was fired).

PGA Championship: Early first round reflections

Glory's Last Shot, oh wait, that moniker was dropped for this year's PGA Championship at the PGA Tour's request.

So what we have is the final major championship getting underway in Rochester, N.Y., at Oak Hill.

Tiger Woods was the prohibitive favorite entering this week on the heels of the victory he secured last Sunday in Akron, Ohio at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

However, some early reflections from the PGA Championship's first round show Woods didn't get off to the start everyone expected. Instead of putting a strong round together, Woods faltered late and posted a 1-over par 71.

Currently, he's six shots behind two men: Jim Furyk and Masters champ Adam Scott.

And while that's not an inconceivable margin to make up over three rounds, the telling stat is this: there are 40 golfers under par at the present time and a total of 58 players ahead of him on the leaderboard.

That's a large number to get by, but Woods is capable of such a feat. So yours truly isn't counting him out of the running just yet. It just means he'll need to figure things out a bit more when Friday's second round rolls around.

Another thought from Thursday's opening round is how Scott has elevated his game this season. After such a heartbreaking performance at the 2012 British Open, Scott could have packed it in and never competed again on the big stage. Instead, he became the first Australian to ever win the green jacket when he caught some late magic at Augusta National for his first major championship.

He also played well at this year's British Open for awhile, despite not walking way with the Claret Jug (that went to Englishman Justin Rose).

Another musing is two-fold: Phil Mickelson is trying to string together a solid start after a tough beginning, and where on Earth has Paul Casey been hiding?

Casey, who ascended to a career-best No. 3 world ranking in 2009, has plummeted to just inside the top 100 in the world coming into this week's tournament.

Yet the Englishman is tied for fifth in the early going after a superb 3-under par 67 leaves him just two off the lead.

However, Casey hasn't put four strong rounds together in majors this year. At the U.S. Open, he was having a respectable tourney until a 79 dropped him into a tie for 45th place. How about the Masters and British Open? Casey didn't play in either.

But that 67 is a solid start for the former world No. 3.

Meanwhile, Mickelson's bid for a second straight major title began in horrendous fashion as Lefty bogeyed and double-bogeyed Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, en route to a 2-over par 37 on the front nine.

Mickelson, though, has birdied three of four holes and is currently playing a par-5 on the back nine.

The Monday Recap: Tiger's rout and Paula Creamer fades at Women's British

Tiger Woods. Photo courtesy of McClatchy-Tribune News Services.

Tiger Woods earned an easy victory this past weekend, leaving all the drama to rest on Sunday after a scorching 61 in Friday's second round at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio.

That bodes well for Woods ahead of the PGA Championship in Rochester, N.Y. this week.

Woods is searching for that major title to resurrect his chase of Jack Nicklaus hallowed mark of 18 major championships.

Woods has claimed 14 major championships, and Oak Hill is a prime place for him to win his first one since the 2008 United States Open based off last week's performance.

Phil Mickelson is another favorite after he broke the British Open jinx to become one of a select few to have won three different major titles (that dastardly U.S. Open still eludes Lefty).

And Woods should find solace in Mickelson's form leading into this year's Open. Prior to the July major, Mickelson won the Scottish Open in a playoff to show he was capable of winning across the pond.

While the style of the game isn't the question (Mickelson had a horrid history with links courses) for Woods, the issue is on El Tigre's finishing in major championships.

That will remain a question mark until proven otherwise, which didn't require much proof last weekend after such a torrid round that flirted with the magical 59 mark. But Woods is in a good spot entering the final major of 2013 on the heels of such an impressive victory.

Paula Creamer. Photo courtesy of McClatchy-Tribune News Services.

Meanwhile, IMG Academy alum Paula Creamer faded in the RICOH Women's British Open after a 76 in the final round left her tied for 11th place.

Creamer was four shots behind eventual winner Stacy Lewis as the fourth round began Sunday, but bogeys on three of her first four holes doomed her to just missing a top 10 finish.

Creamer has just one major title under her belt, the 2010 U.S. Women's Open. In past seasons, she'd have to wait until next year to fight for another major. But the Evian Masters was added as a fifth major beginning this year, so Creamer still has a chance before the season concludes to get her second major title.

The Evian Masters is scheduled for mid-September in France.

The Monday Recap: FedEx Cup Playoffs

Dustin Johnson earlier this year at the Masters. Photo courtesy of McClatchy-Tribune News Services.

With Hurricane Irene barreling north toward New Jersey, PGA Tour officials decided to shorten The Barclays to a 54-hole event.

Dustin Johnson became the benefactor with his scorching three rounds that tallied a 19-under par total on the Plainfield Country Club in Edison, N.J.

However, DJ has a history of imploding in final rounds (see 2010 United States Open or Bunkergate at the 2010 PGA Championship).

Another 18 holes could have sorted out whether DJ really can close the deal. Sure, the tournament was already announced long before Saturday's round as a 54-hole event. But with an additional round and the Sunday feeling, Johnson needed that scenario to overcome whatever mental block he might have coming down the stretch.

Regardless, the tournament proved Johnson is a top American player, ready to grasp a major sometime soon. Remember, Phil Mickelson took a long time to snag a major championship and several more followed his maiden triumph.

This was the first step in a season-ending playoff format that is supposed to give golf fans a reason to watch the sport after the PGA Championship concluded.

Newsflash: jazzing it up with a title (FedEx Cup) and adding some additional money isn't going to make the late August and September schedules any more enticing to watch than the previous few months.

Those past months gave us four major championships and a bona fide fifth in The Players Championship.

It's football season, anyway, but perhaps the PGA Tour can scrap the playoff idea and push back the PGA or some World Golf Championship events.

The PGA is already the least popular of golf's four majors and isn't tied to a season like the Masters is with spring time at Augusta National.

And frankly, venues for the PGA are still viable later in August or even in September. American sites for the Ryder Cup and President's Cup are in prime condition even as fall begins.

But if officials were to move that last major in September, then it'd have to be in the early portion of the month as to not conflict with possible Ryder Cup scheduling (we don't want another rain-filled edition like Celtic Manor was in October).

Whatever the decision is, though, let's chuck the playoff system into the abyss designed for team sports to utilize. Leave golf tournaments the way they should be, 72-holes and that's it.

The Monday Recap: PGA Championship Edition

Keegan Bradley lines up his winning putt as a dejected Jason Dufner walks off the 18th green at the PGA Championship. Photo courtesy of McClatchy-Tribune News Services.

The PGA Championship always will be the least glamorous of the four majors. It's the second youngest, but it also doesn't possess the aura and mystique that Augusta National and the Masters provides each spring.

The tournament is also the only one of the four major championships exclusively for the pros, meaning amateurs are not welcomed no matter how good they are.

So it wasn't all that surprising to witness Sunday's final round battled between a journeyman and a rookie.

(Spoiler alert: the rookie, in this case Keegan Bradley, won).

Bradley caught fire at the right time and watched as Jason Dufner turned into a duffer befit for once a week duties on the links.

Dufner imploded down the stretch, losing a four shot lead with four to play and then had to square off against the inferno known as Bradley in the PGA Championship's three-hole playoff system.

Even though Dufner three-putted the second extra hole to fall two shots behind with one playoff hole remaining at the Atlanta Athletic Club, he still provided the everyman pro some hope.

His incredible week was marred by that finish, but he still hit a deft approach on the first playoff hole to generate excitement among the thousands in attendance.

Of course his Wanamaker Trophy bid went almost as soon as that putt was pulled left.

Then there's Bradley, who birdied Nos. 16, 17 and almost curled in a bomb on the difficult par-4 18th.

If he had made that putt, it would have marked the first time all week that any player birdied three straight holes at any point during the 72-hole tournament.

But alas, he birdied the first playoff hole and routinely parred out to claim a two-shot playoff victory and net his maiden major triumph in his first ever major start.

Bradley's historic day put him in an exclusive club. Only Ben Curtis (2003 British Open) and the legendary Francis Ouimet (1913 United States Open) claimed a major title in their first time playing a major.

The only question from Sunday's thrilling end was, did anyone bother to watch?

I have to admit, before Sunday's end, I probably watched about five minutes of action. Five minutes in total. All week.

With Tiger Woods looking like he should call it quits before he hits 40 years old, the viewership numbers shouldn't be eye-popping.

Woods missed the cut badly, and with him off the weekend coverage a decrease in audience figures is almost a guarantee.

But golf won this week, regardless. We had a dramatic ending, and an American won the tournament.

That's saying something, since the fourth different major champion this year (Bradley) ended an American drought in the majors. Not since the 2010 Masters, when Phil Mickelson won another green jacket, had an American hoisted a major championship.

But the question still remains: did you watch the PGA Championship? Vote in the new poll located on the right-hand side.

Tip of the week: The Fried Egg

No, we're not talking about some breakfast food.

We're talking about the dreaded fried egg bunker shot that plagues so many golfers.

Bradenton resident Paul Azinger, a former PGA Championship winner and Ryder Cup winning captain, offers tips and drills through his Golfplan App for the iPhone and iPod.

Here's Zinger's advice on handling the fried egg bunker shot:

Tip of the week: Two-club chipping drill

Need a short game drill to get those chunks and skulled shots out of your system?

Well, check out Bradenton resident Paul Azinger's tip.

The former PGA Championship and Ryder Cup captain winner offers a drill from his Golfplan App series.

Here it is:

Peter Uihlein misses cut at Masters: UPDATE

Peter Uihlein hits from the second hole on Thursday at the Masters. Provided by the Associated Press.

Peter Uihlein's stay at the first major in 2011 is over.

Uihlein opened his first-ever Masters tournament with an even-par 72, but ballooned to a 77 in Friday's second round.

The Oklahoma State University standout and former IMG Academies student recorded just two birdies en route to hitting nine greens during his second round trip around the famed Augusta National layout.

Uihlein finished at 5-over par, while the last spots to make the weekend was the group sitting at 1-over par.

Still, though, the experience of playing with defending champion Phil Mickelson and former U.S. Open champ Geoff Ogilvy was a thrilling time for the reigning U.S. Amateur champ.

Rory McIlroy leads the tournament at the halfway point, with Tiger Woods lurking three shots behind.

And one final interesting tidbit from the first two rounds - the last three major winners (U.S. Open champ Graeme McDowell, British Open champ Louis Oosthuizen and PGA Championship winner and the world's No. 1-ranked player Martin Kaymer) all missed the cut.

In Kaymer's case, he has yet to make a cut in four appearances at golf's youngest major

Dan Stone is on fire

Logo provided by the West Florida Golf Tour

The West Florida Golf Tour had its second two-day event last week at Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club.

The ever-hot Dan Stone capped his third straight WFGT victory with a scorching 62 in the final round.

Stone's 10-under par round was a course record at Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club's Royal Lakes course.

Bradenton resident Paul Azinger, a former winning Ryder Cup captain and PGA Championship winner, held the previous record with a 65.

Stone edged Scott Berliner by one shot to take home $2,400.

The tournament began on the Cypress Links course for the first round, before players battled on the Royal Oaks side on day two.

The Sarasota Kennel Club sponsored the event, which also included dinner and drinks at SKC.

And one other thing happened that night.

To see the "race," check out the following video:

Davis Love III tabbed as next U.S. Ryder Cup captain

Davis Love III at the 2009 Quail Hollow Championship/courtesy of McClatchy-Tribune Service

Davis Love III is the new United States Ryder Cup captain.

The former PGA Championship winner was selected to captain the 2012 edition, which is slated for Medinah (Ill.) Country Club.

Love's illustrious career includes 20 PGA Tour victories and several Ryder Cup appearances - the last coming in 2004.

The decision to pick Love comes on the heels of Europe choosing Jose Maria Olazabal as its captain.

Olazabal's chronic back injuries has sidelined the former two-time Masters champ in recent years, but the Spanish legend will take charge of a European side littered with talent.

That talent was on display this past fall when the Europeans regained the Ryder Cup over the Americans at Celtic Manor in Wales.

Now that the news is out on the captains, we'll just have to wait 18 months before the first shot is hit in the next Ryder Cup and watch to see who qualifies for each team.

Kaymer's performance lost in the shuffle

Lost in the shuffle at the PGA Championship was how well Martin Kaymer played and how poor Nick Watney was.

Kaymer had just two bogeys in his last 54 holes and made several clutch putts along the way.

The German became the first person from his country not named Bernhard Langer to win a major.

Langer won the 1985 and 1993 Masters.

Kaymer jumped from No. 13 in the world to No. 5 with his maiden major championship victory.

He did it with about a 15-foot par saving putt at the 72nd hole just to get into the clubhouse at 11 under, where Bubba Watson had finished at.

Then Dustin Johnson's two-stroke penalty cost D.J. a spot in a three-way playoff paved the way for Kaymer and Watson to duel for the Wanamaker Trophy.

Kaymer fought back after Watson birdied the first playoff hole, with about another 15-footer for birdie at the second playoff hole.

Then Kaymer opted for the layup and conservative approach after Watson smashed his approach on the final playoff hole in the water.

His two-putt bogey was good enough to lift the trophy.

Meanwhile, Watney did his best Dustin Johnson impersonation.

Watney had birdied the first two holes in each of the first three rounds.

However, he doubled the first hole and his triple bogey at No. 7 ended any chance at his first major.

Watney ended up with an 81, which was reminiscent of how Johnson blew up his final round of the U.S. Open earlier this year at Pebble Beach.

In fairness to Johnson, he did redeem himself with the way he played down the stretch at Whistling Straits.

Johnson was three back with six holes to play and entered the 72nd hole with a one-stroke lead before fate and ill-timing entered the picture.

To read about my feelings about the situation, click here

Freak accident forces Allenby out of PGA Championship

Robert Allenby's recent accident away from the golf course came at a crucial point in the 2010 schedule.

Now the Australian golfer will miss three weeks, including this week's PGA Tour stop and next week's PGA Championship - the final major of the season - according to various reports.

Allenby is reported to have torn ligaments in his knee after slipping on the deck of his boat while fishing in the Bahamas.

"I was so ready to go," Allenby told the Associated Press from his home in Jupiter, Fla. "I had two weeks of working out at home, pounding it in the gym, pounding golf balls ... and bang! Just a day of fishing. I thought that would be nice, get some lobster on the way home. Very depressing."