First round of Viking Classic postponed by rain

MADISON, Miss. (AP) — As an alternate who barely squeaked in, Shaun Micheel had to wait long enough to get into the Viking Classic.

Now, the former major champion is forced to wait even longer.

Thursday's first round was suspended because of impending rain and wet conditions at Annandale Golf Club, pushing the tournament into a Monday finish and leaving officials hoping for better weather on Friday. [Friday morning brought bad weather as well, and the first round has been delayed even further.]

"We're definitely into Monday right now," said Slugger White, the PGA Tour's vice president for rules and competition. "Monday for sure."

The first tee times for Thursday's round were pushed back three hours because of the saturated course. Officials suspended the round before noon.

Early morning rain soaked an already waterlogged golf course. The weather left pools of water on fairways and bogs of mud throughout the 7,199-yard layout.

"It's probably as bad as I've seen it in my tenure," White said. "There's no where for the water to go. It's just mud."

More rain was expected Thursday and the forecast gets no better Friday, when rain is expected about noon, White said.

The Viking Classic is the second-to-last PGA Tour stop this season. The final tournament is scheduled for Nov. 12. With no tournament next week, the tournament could go beyond Monday. White wouldn't speculate on that.

While White sloshed through muddy Annandale, players lingered around the clubhouse. Micheel quietly practiced putting. Micheel was the fifth and final alternate and got into the Viking when Tommy Armour III withdrew on Wednesday.

"It's tough being an alternate," the 2003 PGA Championship winner said.

Micheel received a major medical extension to play on the PGA Tour this season. The 40-year-old had shoulder surgery in June 2008. But he failed to make enough money through the first half of the 2009 season to keep the extension. That leaves him as an alternate at many late-season events.

"Playing that game of wondering if I'm going to get in is tough," he said.

Micheel is one of several players fighting to get inside the top 125 on the PGA Tour money list with just two tournaments left. The top 125 get exempt status on next year's tour. Micheel is at No. 177 with $257,074 and needs to finish runner-up at the Viking or take the $648,000 winner's check to attain his card.

At No. 102 on the money list and with two events left, Bill Lunde will get his tour card back for next season.

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Kim wins 2 matches, Casey falls twice

CASARES, Spain (AP) — American Anthony Kim won two round-round robin matches Thursday in the Volvo World Match Play Championship, while fourth-ranked Paul Casey lost twice to drop out of contention for a semifinal spot.

Kim topped the Seve Ballesteros Group with four points after beating Casey and Retief Goosen, both 3 and 2, at Finca Cortesin Golf Club. Scott Strange beat Casey, returning from a rib injury, 1-up. Goosen beat Strange 1-up.

"This is the first round where I really played solid golf in over a year," Kim said. "I've been scoring pretty sporadically ... but this was a consistent round with some great ball striking. It's important to get a huge lead because if there is a tiebreaker, then that counts. We're just trying to keep our foot on the gas."

Casey lost to the 168th-ranked Strange when he missed a 7-foot birdie putt on 18.

"I can't swing the way I want," Casey said. "I'm coming out of a lot of the shots. Scott played well, but, having said that, I gave him three holes on the front and you can't do that against anybody in this field."

In the Mark McCormack Group, Oliver Wilson beat Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer, both 1-up, and Robert Allenby topped Kaymer 1-up and halved with Garcia.

The Wilson-Allenby match Friday will determine the semifinalist.

"I was very nervous all day yesterday," said Wilson, fighting neck pain. "Towards the end of my first match it was tightening up, but overall it was pretty good and to win twice on the first day is everything I wanted to do."

In Gustaf Larson Group play, Angel Cabrera beat Rory McIlroy 3 and 2, and Simon Dyson held off Henrik Stenson 3 and 2. In the Assar Gabrielsson Group, Jeev Milkha Singh topped Lee Westwood 5 and 4, and Ross Fisher edged Camilo Villegas 1-up.

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Work begins on Trump's Scottish golf course

EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — Work has begun on Donald Trump's controversial golf resort in Endinburgh, Scotland.

Workers are clearing rocks and other debris from the site Wednesday after planners at the Aberdeenshire Council granted permission.

Trump was given permission last year to build the resort featuring a five-star hotel, 1,200 homes and two international-standard golf courses north of Aberdeen.

Grass will be planted from November to March on an environmentally sensitive stretch of sand dunes to stabilize the beach for development into a championship golf course.

Some local residents who oppose the project have threatened legal action, claiming violations of environmental laws and planning procedures.

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Roberts has points lead heading into final tourney

SONOMA, Calif. (AP) — Loren Roberts doesn't have much ground to give as he closes in on his second Champions Tour championship in three years. He does have history on his side.

Roberts holds a 165-point lead over Fred Funk heading into this week's Charles Schwab Cup Championship, though - with points being doubled for the final event of the season - Bernhard Langer and 2008 champion Jay Haas are also within range.

Yet the 54-year-old Roberts can take comfort knowing that only once in the previous eight years has the leader heading into the final tournament lost the points lead.

"It's nice to come in here with a lead but it's not safe," said Roberts, who won the Tour title in 2007. "I haven't shown good form the last two weeks so I'll have to take it up a notch, raise my game up a level. I will probably look at the (leader board) more than usual."

Roberts is second on the tour with three wins this season but finished tied for 22nd at last week's AT&T Championship after placing 26th at the Administaff Small Business Classic before that.

The 54-year-old Roberts leads in points despite taking an entire month off this summer. Upon returning, he ran off seven straight Top 10 finishes, including a win at the Senior Open Championship in July, to move past Bernhard Langer, who led the points race for the first six months of the season.

"The break in the middle of the season really recharged my batteries," Roberts said. "I hadn't done that in 28 years, and I really credit that for my success the last half of the season."

Roberts has 2,458 points while Funk is in second with 2,293 followed by Langer (2,110) and Haas (1,856).

Langer leads the Tour with four wins. He also has placed in the Top 10 in 14 of 19 tournaments this season but struggled in August when Roberts passed him for the points lead.

"The bottom line is we still have four rounds of golf to play," said Langer, who shot a 7-under 65 during Wednesday's Pro-Am. "You have to do the business first and try to win the tournament, then the rest will happen. I don't think you want to be out there thinking about it constantly every shot. You just have to play the course."

The 72-hole event is being played at the Sonoma Golf Course for the last time in seven years. The Schwab Cup Championship moves to San Francisco's Harding Park, site of this year's President's Cup, for 2010 and 2011.

Points are doubled for the year-end tournament, with the winner receiving 884 points. Only Funk, Langer and Haas are within 900 points of Roberts.

Haas won the 2008 tournament by just 12 points over Funk in the closest race in the eight-year history of the Cup race.

The only time someone has rallied to win the points race in the final tournament was in 2005 when Tom Watson finished first to edge past Dana Quigley for the overall title.

The field for this week's tournament was narrowed to 29 players after Tom Lehman withdrew Wednesday due to a family emergency. The nature of the emergency was not disclosed.

Lehman was 22nd on the money list to qualify for the tournament. Because he withdrew, the winner of this year's tournament will receive 884 points and $442,000, meaning four players will have a chance to claim the $1 million annuity for winning the Charles Schwab Cup competition.

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Casey tries to shrug off rib injury at Match Play

CASARES, Spain (AP) — Paul Casey is trying to shrug off a rib injury that could trouble his chances at the new-look World Match Play Championship.

The Englishman, who won the event in 2006, said Wednesday that his rib area was tender and tight as he gets ready to play a full event for the first time since July.

"Trouble is, there's no way really of testing it until I'm out here in the mix playing golf," Casey said at Finca Cortesin golf course, which is hosting for the first time.

Casey is scheduled to open play Thursday against Scott Strange, while 16 players including Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Masters champion Angel Cabrera are all in action. Casey will also play two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen and Anthony Kim in Group A.

Injuries could be a factor in a tournament that has transformed from a straight knockout to a round-robin group format where the four winners will advance to Saturday's 36-hole semifinals.

Sunday's final will also be 36 holes.

Martin Kaymer arrived with broken toes from a kart racing accident, Oliver Wilson has a neck problem and Jeev Milkha Singh of India is also experiencing foot troubles.

Kaymer and Wilson meet in Group B, which also includes Garcia and Robert Allenby.

Westwood comes into the head-to-head competition at the top of the European Tour money list following his first win in two years at the Castello Masters. The Englishman, No. 5 in the world, is the top-ranked player in Group D, which also includes Milkha Singh, Camilo Villegas and Ross Fisher.

The $1.1 million winner's check would certainly help Westwood secure the top spot in the Race to Dubai standings. Kaymer, Rory McIlroy and Casey are also in the chase with three events remaining.

"It is now in my hands. If I win all of the tournaments, it will be impossible for anybody to get past me," Westwood said. "It's as good a chance as I've had all year really and it's as good a position as I've been in all year."

Henrik Stenson leads Group C, where the seventh-ranked Swede opens against Simon Dyson. McIlroy gets Cabrera.

This year's event moved to Spain after being held in Wentworth, England, since 1964, although last year it was not played. Ernie Els won't be defending his title due to a contractual obligation to play at the Singapore Open.

The event is replacing the Volvo Masters on the calendar after the usual end-of-season event turned into the Race to Dubai.

Jonzon birdies final hole to win Castello MastersInjury bug again bites Revolution

Ballesteros' recovery from cancer positive

MADRID (AP) — Seve Ballesteros says his latest medical checks show his recovery from brain cancer is going well.

The 52-year-old Spaniard said Wednesday on his Web page that exhaustive checks two weeks ago confirmed that an aggressive radiotherapy treatment used over the past six weeks had provided "very positive" results.

Ballesteros said that he would rest as much as possible now after feeling fatigue over the course of treatment. He underwent four separate surgeries last year to remove a malignant tumor from his brain.

Ballesteros, who won three British Open and two Masters titles, is attending the World Match Play Championship at Finca Cortesin golf course in Spain this weekend. He won the event a record five times.

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Snedeker, Weekley win Skills Challenge

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Brandt Snedeker and Boo Weekley won the Golf Skills Challenge in a playoff at The Breakers on Monday.

In the final of the worse-ball portion of the contest, Snedeker and Weekly initially tied finalists J.B. Holmes and Kenny Perry at par, forcing a playoff on the 305-yard, par-4, 14th hole.

Snedeker and Weekly, who split $314,000 in total prize money, gained an edge when Holmes' drive landed next door on the 15th tee. Holmes put them into further trouble by hitting into a trap 46 feet from the hole.

"He hits it so long it's kind of hard for him to gear down," Weekly said. "When J.D. hit it left I figured he'd kind of hit a 4-iron or 3-iron and lay back a little bit.

"It was a tough shot from over there."

The champions sank a three-foot putt to win $200,000 for the reverse scramble portion of the event. Holmes made a six-foot putt for par, but Perry's putt skimmed past the hole, ending it.

"I thought it was awesome," Snedeker said of the format. "It put a lot more pressure on you when you realize you could let your partner down besides yourself. That makes it much harder."

Snedecker and Weekley set themselves apart from the rest of the field by winning three of the first six skills challenges - the bunker shot, chip shot and trouble shot.

The other three were the long drive, mid-iron, and short iron.

In the worse-ball semifinals, also played on the 14th, Snedecker and Weekly faced Fred Couples and Hunter Mahan.

The other semifinal had Holmes and Perry against Fred Funk and Nick Price.

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Jonzon birdies final hole to win Castello Masters

CASTELLON, Spain (AP) — Michael Jonzon shot a 4-under 67 on Sunday to win the Castello Masters, allowing him to keep his European Tour card for another year.

The 37-year-old Jonzon finished at 20 under at Club de Campo del Mediterraneo, one shot clear of German Martin Kaymer and fellow Swede Christian Nilsson.

Without a top-10 finish since December, Jonzon needed to come first or second to guarantee he'd be exempt in 2010. He also took home the $500,000 first prize, which is more than four times the biggest check in a 16-year career that includes eight trips to qualifying school.

"I'm on the moon," said Jonzon, whose only previous win in 290 Tour starts was the 1997 Portuguese Open. "It's been desperate for me and I am kind of speechless at the moment. It's unbelievable."

Defending champion Sergio Garcia, who also serves as tournament host, finished three shots off the pace in fourth.

Jonzon led by one entering the final round and was in control most of the day. But a double bogey on the 15th, followed by a bogey at No. 17, allowed Kaymer and Nilsson to draw even.

Jonzon made a birdie on the final hole, and his two pursuers could only manage par.

"It's going to take time to let this sink in, I guess," Jonzon said. "I'm just so thrilled to have a playing status for next year and I'm so proud of myself, the way I handled these days."

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Every wins Nationwide Tour finale

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Matt Every won the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship on Sunday to earn a 2010 PGA Tour card with a 10th-place finish on the money list, closing with a 5-under 67 for a three-stroke victory over Michael Sim.

Every earned $180,000 to jump from 49th to 10th on the money list with $300,936, with the top 25 earning PGA Tour cards. The former University of Florida star had a 21-under 267 total on the Daniel Island Club's Ralston Creek Course.

Sim, a three-time winner this year, shot a 69. He earned $108,000 to push his tour-record total to $644,142.

Josh Teater (70) and Steve Wheatcroft (72) tied for third at 13 under.

Every and Wheatcroft were the only players to move into the top 25, with Wheatcroft earning $58,000 to jump from 31st to 20th with $213,165.

Chad Collins wins Nationwide Tour eventNew ‘keeper lifts United past Crew

Bean, Cochran share 2nd-round lead at AT&T

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Russ Cochran birdied three straight holes before a bogey on the 18th dropped him into a tie for the lead with Andy Bean at 8-under 134 after the second round at the AT&T Championship on Saturday.

Cochran, a first-round co-leader, shot a 3-under 68 at Oak Hills Country Club. Bean birdied the 15th and 16th holes before he parred out for 67.

Jay Haas was at 7 under after a bogey-free 4-under 67. Jeff Sluman (67) and Tom Kite (69) were another shot back.

Bean and Cochran tied for second at the Greater Hickory Classic in North Carolina last month when Haas won after a final-round 65.

"I thought I had a chance to win, but Jay looked like Usain Bolt running past me," Cochran said.

Cochran, who's trying to become the first left-hander to win on the Champions Tour since Bob Charles in 1996, let some adrenaline from the three-straight birdies and new shafts get to him on the tee at the 203-yard 18th.

"I just had the shafts put in on Thursday night, and if I hit them just right the ball will really take off," Cochran said. "But I thought I would really have to work hard to get a 7-iron there, and I went from working really hard to get it there to being 50 feet past the pin. I hammered it."

And he three-putted, despite making "a bomb" from 35 feet for the birdie at No. 16.

Bean, a three-time runner-up this year, bogeyed at No. 6. It was his last one of the day, finishing up with four birdies through the final 11 holes.

Haas has won two of the past three tournaments he's played on the Champions Tour and finished in a tie for second in the other last week. He won this tournament at Oak Hills four years ago and won here twice when it was the site of the Texas Open on the PGA Tour (1982, '93).

He's surprised he's got another shot after Saturday.

"I wasn't very sharp from tee to green," Haas said, "but I managed to put it in some spots I could play out from. I made some nice saves to keep my par streak alive."

That included a putt to set up par on the 18th that he had to aim about 20 feet to the right of the hole because of the severe break. He almost made it and tapped in what was left.

"It was diabolical," Haas said. "That was a nice way to end."

John Cook, looking for his third consecutive victory at Oak Hills and a winner last week at Administaff Small Business Classic near Houston, double-bogeyed No. 8 to drop to 4 under and went from a one-stroke lead to one behind. He lost another stroke with a bogey at 9 and ended five shots back of the lead.

Keith Clearwater, the first-round co-leader with Cochran, shot a 3-over 74 and was six shots behind the leaders.

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Former Masters champion Trevor Immelman has wrist surgery

NEW YORK (AP) — Former Masters champion Trevor Immelman has had surgery on his left wrist and expects to return to the PGA Tour next year at full strength.

Immelman, who has not won since the 2008 Masters, missed most of this year with severe tendinitis in his left wrist. He tried to let the injury heal with rest until it was clear that surgery was his best option.

The surgery was Thursday in New York by the same doctor who did similar procedures on Luke Donald and Jim Furyk.

Immelman is expected to start strength exercises in six weeks, and hopes to begin chipping and putting after three months of rehabilitation.

Garcia leads Castello Masters after windy dayRevolution ready for battle with rival Fire

Golf isn't the new imperialism, despite what you might read

I went to Vietnam in 2008 to write a story for Golf Magazine about a Marine veteran, Ron Chambers, who returned to play golf in the areas where he had served in 1968. So I read Tuesday's New York Times article about backlash against golf-course development in the country with more than casual interest.

My article was specifically about Chambers and his reception in Vietnam, his own personal feelings and how much Vietnam had changed. I saw golf in Vietnam as a symbol of normalcy. A man who originally came to Vietnam to fight a war returned 40 years later to play golf and received a surprisingly warm welcome from the people he once fought against. It was a story about how in some sense the war is ancient history in Vietnam (the median age is about 26), and yet remnants of the war are still everywhere, in old bunkers, in persistent concerns over the effects of American use of Agent Orange, and most especially in the Vietnamese people's complicated, love-hate attitudes toward the United States.

But golf has become much more than a game in the contemporary lexicon. For some critics in the developed world, golf symbolizes a new type of imperialism. The New York Times article is definitely in the "golf is a four-letter word" camp, quoting the views of critics who see golf-course development as a pretty terrible deal for the Vietnamese:

And when rich people play, it appears that farmers and villagers pay the price.

Development of a single course can cost the land of hundreds of farms, displacing as many as 3,000 people, sometimes devouring an entire commune, Nguyen Duc Truyen, an official of the Vietnamese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Sociology, said at the recent conference. Only a small number of them find jobs on the new golf courses.

For example, the Dai Lai golf course in Vinh Phuc Province drove thousands of people from their land but provided jobs for only 30 local residents, according to a report in July on the Vietnam News Service. Farmers are typically compensated at a rate of $2 to $3 a square meter, the news service said, about the cost of a sack of rice.

Along with land, golf courses also put a strain on water resources, said Le Anh Tuan from the Can Tho University Environmental Technology Center. In a widely quoted estimate, he said an 18-hole course could consume 177,000 cubic feet of water a day, enough for 20,000 households.

The criticism is overheated — golf-course developers have challenged many if not most of the article's figures — but the concerns are not easily dismissed. It does feel weird paying $100 to play a round of golf in a country where the average yearly income for a family is $2,800. And it was creepy to learn that cemeteries were being relocated to build luxury hotels in seaside Danang, home of the famous China Beach R&R spot for American troops. I visited a traditional Vietnamese village that was being relocated to make way for a golf course. The villagers' attitude toward the relocation was, in a word, fatalistic. Their only protest was the occasional thrown rock onto the course.

Still, these problems are not unique to Vietnam, and they're not unique to golf; issues like these arise whenever tourism comes to the developing world.

The Times article quotes people who work for the courses as well as Vietnamese officials, but it is far from a comprehensive portrait of the country's attitude toward golf. For many of the regular people who actually live in Vietnam, golf has much more positive associations. The sport is aspirational, and owning a set of clubs is as much proof of business success as driving a new BMW in Scottsdale. That's why driving ranges in Ho Chi Mihn City are packed all day with people who might not play a single round of golf all year. That's why golf is seen as an indicator of whether a country has a healthy middle class.

We need a thoughtful examination of the costs and benefits of golf-course development in Vietnam, not a condemnation of the entire sport that ignores the feelings of many Vietnamese.

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20-year-old Fowler, Owen share Frys.com lead

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Rickie Fowler is making his presence felt in a hurry as a professional golfer.

The 20-year-old former Oklahoma State standout, in his second PGA Tour event since turning pro, shared the lead with Englishman Greg Owen halfway through the Frys.com Open on Friday.

Both shot 6-under 64s in the second round in ideal conditions on the Raptor Course at Grayhawk Golf Club to reach 11-under 129.

Justin Leonard also shot a 64 and was one behind at 10 under. First-round leader Nick O'Hern (68) and Ryan Moore (65) were 9 under in the third stop of the PGA Tour's Fall Series.

Heath Slocum was in a group of five at 8 under. Troy Matteson shot a 61 and was in a pack with Tom Lehman (65) and Rocco Mediate (66), among others, at 7 under.

Fowler, who helped the United States beat Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup last month, tied for seventh in his first PGA Tour start as a pro last week in Las Vegas at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

He was even for the round through five holes on Friday, then kicked his game into high gear with an eagle on the par-4, 345-yard sixth.

"I swung out about as hard as I could and hit it about as hard as I could and it went about as straight as a ball could go," Fowler said. "I ended up about 12 feet behind the hole and rolled in a good putt to kind of get things jump started."

The youngster was unflappable throughout the round, which ended with a birdie on No. 18.

This wasn't all new to him.

He noted he had played "a few tour events" as an amateur, including two U.S. Opens. He also played stops on the Nationwide Tour and two Walker Cups.

"So I feel I've been through plenty of experiences to make me feel comfortable out here," Fowler said. "You know, what you're seeing is pretty much how I feel. I just feel like I'm going around and having fun. Right now the game feels good, so that makes it even more fun."

He plans to go to PGA Tour qualifying school after this weekend. That would be unnecessary if he wins the tournament, though, because a victory would qualify him for next year's full PGA tour.

Fowler, who lives in Las Vegas, seems a natural for the game. He says he hasn't had a swing coach since high school.

"Other than that, I'm basically on my own and doing my thing," he said.

Like Fowler, Owen played his round in the morning on the north Scottsdale course, not far from the site of February's FBR Open.

Owen entered the event 116th on the 2009 earnings list with $677,627. The top 125 automatically qualify for next year's tour.

"First of all, a good week would mean I've got a job for next year," he said.

Owen's best PGA Tour finish was a tie for ninth at this year's John Deere Classic.

Leonard is a 12-time PGA winner and part of this year's victorious U.S. Presidents Cup team.

Asked if he came to the tournament because he needed to just because he likes the Phoenix area, Leonard said "it's kind of a combination."

"I played here two years ago and enjoyed the golf course and had a nice week," he said. "I think the fact I had three weeks off after the playoffs and to really get rested up is another reason I am here."

Leonard said he spent part of those three weeks "analyzing the year and working on a few things, you know, toward next year. I like the way things are going so far this week."

The Australian O'Hern began the day with a two-shot lead after shooting a 63 on Thursday. Starting his round on the back nine, he had an eagle on his second hole - the par-5 11th - to go 9 under.

Then came the 18th, when his second shot hit the water and he wound up with a double-bogey to fall back to minus-7. He regrouped for two birdies and seven pars on the final nine holes.

"It wasn't a good way to finish that nine," O'Hern said, "but as I said, I was happy with how I played the second nine just to get over that as quick as possible."

Defending champion Cameron Beckman shot his second 70 and missed the cut.

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Garcia leads Castello Masters after windy day

CASTELLON, Spain (AP) — Defending champion Sergio Garcia was leading the Castello Masters after an 8-under 63 on Thursday, when wind interrupted play and half the field failed to complete the first round.

Gusts of up to 40 mph forced the players off the Club de Campo del Mediterraneo course for three hours at lunchtime.

Garcia was on his second-to-last hole when the round was suspended. He returned to birdie No. 8 but bogeyed the last.

"You never like to finish like that, but other than that it was pretty solid and I made some nice putts," he said. "We get a wind like that only three or four days a year - and usually on those days we chill at home."

The Spaniard, playing on his home course where his father is the club pro, is hoping to retain a title for the first time in his professional career.

He held a one-shot clubhouse lead over Sweden's Michael Jonzon. Australia's Robert Allenby was also at 7 under but through 11 holes.

Jose Maria Olazabal and Italy's Emanuele Canonica were at 6 under.

Masters champion Angel Cabrera was disqualified for missing his tee time.

Cabrera was runner-up on Wednesday in the Grand Slam of Golf in Bermuda. He planned to catch an overnight flight to Spain, and he was helped by an afternoon start. But after a series of delays, along with the strong wind, not even a private helicopter once he landed could get him to the course on time.

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Erin Hills to be sold, remain public

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The course that is scheduled to be the host of the U.S. Amateur in 2011 and is under consideration for a U.S. Open is being sold to a Milwaukee business executive who plans to keep the golf course open to the public.

Andy Ziegler, co-founder and CEO of Artisan Partners Limited, has agreed to buy Erin Hills from Robert Lang. The deal is expected to close on Friday.

Ziegler says he sees the deal as a chance to give back to golf in Wisconsin. Lang bought the property 10 years ago and will stay on as a consultant.

The golf course opened in 2006. It is in the Kettle Moraine area northwest of Milwaukee and was named America's best new course by Golf Magazine. It hopes to land the U.S. Open in 2017.

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Japanese teen Ishikawa to play in HSBC Champions

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese teenager Ryo Ishikawa will participate in next month's HSBC Champions tournament in a field that includes Tiger Woods.

The 18-year-old Ishikawa was scheduled to play in a smaller event on Japan's domestic tour but was given permission by his sponsors to take part in the $7 million event in Shanghai.

"I'm looking forward to seeing how I perform in such a strong field," Ishikawa said Thursday.

Spain's Sergio Garcia is the defending champion at the Nov. 5-8 event at Sheshan International Golf Club.

Ishikawa has won four domestic events this year and currently leads the Japanese money rankings. He has played three majors this year, missing the cut at the Masters and the British Open and finishing tied for 56th at the U.S. PGA Championship.

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Weir looking to extend mastery at Frys.com Open

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The Frys.com Open has camped at Grayhawk Golf Course until its home course in California is ready.

Mike Weir has heard good things about the event's future home at the Institute Golf Course in Morgan Hill, Calif. But after winning the inaugural Frys.com Open in 2007 and finishing in a fourth-place tie last year, Weir is happy the tournament has at least one more year in the desert.

"You still hate to see it leave here," Weir said on Wednesday. "I love coming here."

Two years ago, Weir joined dozens of Canadian fans for an impromptu toast outside the media center after his one-stroke victory over Mark Hensby. Weir celebrated his first tour victory in three years - and he hasn't won since.

"It's been a little bit of a drought again," said Weir, whose best finishes this season were third in the Bob Hope Classic in January and second at Pebble Beach the following month.

This is the third year the Frys.com Open has been played on the par-70, 7,125-yard Raptor Course as part of the PGA Tour's Fall Series. Victories and earnings in the five fall events count on tour records and in the world golf rankings.

There's a $5 million purse, with the winner taking home $900,000.

Scottsdale is one of only two cities, along with Orlando, that hosts two PGA tour events. In February, TPC Scottsdale is home to the FBR Open, the tour's most heavily attended tournament.

But the struggling economy has put a squeeze on Scottsdale's two events.

The FBR Open, formerly called the Phoenix Open, is seeking a new sponsor after FBR announced it would not renew its deal after 2010.

Meanwhile, the Frys.com Open is "year-to-year" at Grayhawk, tournament director Scott Reid said. The Institute won't be ready to host the event in 2010, he said, and organizers will consider other cities as potential hosts.

"I think that Grayhawk would continue to host this event if we wanted to stay," Reid said. "But I think we're just kind of going to evaluate the opportunities that might be in another market that doesn't have a PGA Tour event already."

The Frys.com Open drew 35,450 last year, up about 8,000 from its first year as word spread about the event. The Frys.com Open doesn't draw the same partying throngs as the FBR Open, but that can be a bonus for golf fans.

"We feel like we're more of a true golf-fans event," Reid said. "It's more about the golf tournament, seeing the players and seeing the golf than it is about being seen."

This year's tournament has attracted some big names in the field of 132, including Fred Couples, David Duval and Justin Leonard.

Some golfers, like Couples, Tom Lehman and Tim Clark, are playing because the course is in their neighborhood.

"They can sleep in their own bed and still play for a $5 million pursue," Reid said.

For others, the tourney represents a chance to move up on the money list.

"You've still got stuff to play for," Clark said. "A win is big. It does a lot for you."

Just ask defending champion Cameron Beckman.

Beckman entered last year's Frys.com Open ranked 176th on the money list and 447th in the world. He had skipped eight weeks because of back problems and was in danger of losing his tour card.

But Beckman defeated Kevin Sutherland on the second playoff hole to earn his second career victory.

Beckman's only other tour win had come in 2001, in the Southern Farm Bureau Classic. In between victories, Beckman had to go back to Q school twice. Thanks to his victory here last year, Beckman has an exemption through 2010.

"I went through some tour schools in between (victories) and had some rough years," the 39-year-old Beckman said. "For some of us, if you're not playing well, you're trying to keep a job."

FCD defeats Rapids, continues chargeMilwaukee PGA Tour organization dissolving

Storms welcome major champions to Bermuda

SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda (AP) — Some reward for winning a major.

Y.E. Yang slept on a pullout couch in the locker room. Lucas Glover read a book. Stewart Cink twittered. Angel Cabrera scowled.

The four major champions spent Monday dodging thunder and lightning that interrupted the pro-am for the PGA Grand Slam of Golf at Port Royal Golf Course.

Yang, who took down Tiger Woods to win the PGA Championship, spent several hours asleep on a hastily supplied bed after a journey that began in South Korea at 7 a.m. Sunday and didn't end until 5:30 a.m. Monday. His slumber was captured by Cink on camera and immediately posted on Twitter. Cink has more than 1 million followers after his British Open victory.

"I thought this was just an opportunity I just couldn't pass up," Cink said. "When you only have four in the field, and one of them takes a nap, and there is a fold-out bed in the locker room, that's pretty impressive. And he slept with all the commotion going on, as well. When the rain would come, we would all rush back into the locker room, and there would be lots of noise. And he never moved.

"It was pretty impressive, but he had a long night. I was intentionally vague about it being a long night. Most people will think that he was partying."

The incident added some comic relief to a pro-am where the players were each able to finish just six holes due to weather Glover described as the "worst I have ever played in."

Glover is opting to trust the yardage book to guide him around the rest of the course during the first round Tuesday, while Cabrera, the Masters champion, may look at the rest of the course in the morning.

"It was tough out there obviously," said Glover, whose won his U.S. Open in five days of rain and muck at Bethpage Black. "I think that's the worst conditions I've ever played golf in. I'm not going back out. There is probably a good chance that I'll get even wetter. I think I'll just go with the yardage book."

The only one to brave the rain was Cink, who took a cart around the parts of the course he didn't see. Yang sent his caddie.

"I got to play six entire holes," Cink said. "And I don't think you could say I played those holes, because the weather was absolutely atrocious. But it seems like a nice course, a good course for wind because it's not that long. There are holes that will play very difficult in the wind. It looks to be a course that is in great shape."

The quartet of major champions start the opening round Tuesday round at 9:30 a.m. EDT. All expect the wind to play a big part.

"The wind is going to play the biggest part, rain or not," said Glover, who hammered one drive at No. 14 all of 215 yards into the wind. "The greens are still very firm, but the wind will be the big issue. It'll be tough and it'll be a good test, regardless. If it was dead calm, it would be a good test, because the course is so good. But the wind is going to be the main defense."

United draw Toluca, must wait on fate in Champions LeaguePGA Tour Confidential: Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital

Road Hole lengthened for '10 British Open

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — The Royal and Ancient is lengthening the famous 17th hole of the Old Course at St. Andrews for next year's British Open.

The tournament organizers are changing the Road Hole from 465 yards to 490 yards in time for the competition's 150th anniversary.

The R&A says the change means that ``an increased premium will be placed on an accurate drive of sufficient length ... encouraging players to take the driver from the tee.''

The move is the only significant change planned for the Old Course for the 2010 championship.

• Explore the Old Course with satellite photos in our Course Finder.

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The 1st award of the year for Tiger

NEW YORK (AP) — The awards are starting to pile up for Tiger Woods again.

Woods has won the points-based award as player of the year from the PGA of America, which was virtually a lock when the FedEx Cup ended and became a mathematical fact this week. His six PGA Tour victories (10 points each) were twice as many as anyone else, and Woods already wrapped up the PGA Tour money list (20 points) and lowest adjusted scoring average (20 points).

It was the 10th time Woods has won the PGA award.

He also wins the Vardon Trophy from the PGA of America and the Byron Nelson Award from the PGA Tour for having the lowest adjusted scoring average at 68.05. It's the eighth time he has won the Vardon.

Woods wins the Arnold Palmer Award on the PGA Tour for winning the money title for the ninth time, earning just more than $10.5 million. Still to be decided is the Jack Nicklaus Trophy for the PGA Tour player of the year, which is a vote of the players. The other candidates likely will be Steve Stricker and Phil Mickelson, with three wins each, or perhaps Y.E. Yang, who won the PGA Championship and Honda Classic. None of the other major champions won more than once.

If Woods were to win PGA Tour player of the year, it would be only the fourth time since it began in 1990 that a player won the award without having won a major. Woods (2003), Greg Norman (1995) and Wayne Levi (1990) were the others.

FRUITLESS FURYK: Jim Furyk ended his 2009 season on the PGA Tour with a 62 in Las Vegas and finished the year with 11 top 10s (second only to Tiger Woods) and nearly $4 million in earnings.

He will start next year with a question that is beginning to bug him.

When is he going to win again?

"I would be lying if I said it didn't bother me," Furyk said. "Not that it's brought up - it's only my fault. I didn't get it done."

Furyk now has gone 54 starts without winning, his longest drought since he went 62 tournaments at the start of his career before winning for the first time in Las Vegas in 1995.

"I'm just not doing enough to keep those rounds going," he said. "When you win a tournament, you always have that one day where you're not really clicking on all cylinders. But you've got to find a way to scratch it out."

SIM STAYS PUT: Michael Sim picked a bad time to win earn an instant promotion to the PGA Tour.

Sim won his third Nationwide Tour event on Aug. 23, right before the FedEx Cup playoffs began. That meant no tournaments in the big leagues for five weeks. And now that the Presidents Cup is over, his luck is not improving.

The Australian did not get in the field in Las Vegas, and he didn't get in the Fry's.com Open this week in Arizona. Instead, Sim is playing the Nationwide Tour Championship this week, with nothing to gain except a chance to build on his record earnings.

PGA Tour officials say Sim will get in the Viking Classic next week. That will give him at least two starts as a PGA Tour member, half as many as Nick Flanagan got in 2007 when he earned his instant promotion.

The Fall Series has some of the weakest fields of the year, although the field in Las Vegas was 18 percent stronger than last year. One reason could be so many players having to wait so long without competing during the playoffs. Along with a week off during the playoffs, there was another week break with the Presidents Cup.

Cunningham wins MLS Player of the Week honorsCampbell eagles final hole for share of lead

Cook wins Houston Champions Tour event

THE WOODLANDS, Texas(AP) Tired of only coming close to winning this year, John Cook reined in his impatience and hit some clutch shots to win the Administaff Small Business Classic on Sunday for his third career Champions Tour title.

The 52-year-old Cook, an 11-time winner on the regular PGA Tour, closed with a 4-under 68 to hold off Jay Haas and Bob Tway by two shots. Cook finished at 11-under 205 on The Woodlands Country Club's Tournament Course.

``I've had trouble finishing events,'' said Cook, who lost to Mike Reid in a playoff in August at the Tradition in Oregon, one of the Champions Tour majors, then was fifth two weeks ago at the Senior Players Championship.

``I was getting ahead of myself. Today, I just didn't do that. I wanted to make sure I trusted what I was thinking coming down the stretch. And that's all you can do. And I hit some good quality shots coming down the stretch.''

Cook was two shots behind first- and second-round leader Dan Forsman when play began Sunday. Cook started birdie-bogey, but birdies at Nos. 5 and 9 got him within one shot of Forsman. Cook got to 10 under, still a stroke behind Forsman, with a birdie at 12, then claimed a share of the lead when Forsman bogeyed the hole.

Cook took control after Forsman's triple bogey at the par-3 14th and pulled away with a birdie at 17.

``Down the stretch, I'm very proud of that,'' Cook said. ``I was happy to finish the way you're supposed to finish. One of my friends says: Finish like a champion. I haven't done that this year. It was really disappointing. I think I did that today.''

Water comes into play on both the 17th, where he birdied, and the 18th, where he made par.

``On 18, I hit one of my best drives of the week,'' he said. ``I trusted what I was seeing.''

He said he was looking at flags on the adjacent driving range and they were blowing in his face, so he knew he didn't want to leave his shot short. Then he two-putted for par, putting the pressure on Haas, playing two groups behind him.

Haas, bidding for a victory in his third consecutive start and one stroke off the lead at the start of the final round, shot a 71. He had three birdies on the back nine, but couldn't offset an early double bogey. He had late chances to tie but a putt for birdie at the 17th lipped out.

At 18, his drive landed in the rough just short of the water guarding the green, then his shot to the green wound up far on the back fringe. When his long birdie attempt slid past the hole, Cook was the winner.

``My drive at 18, I pushed it just a hair and I had no chance to go at the flag,'' Haas said. ``Overall, it's fun to be in the hunt. I'm a little disappointed that it didn't finish off better. But I was there and had a chance.

``I just gave it a little bit too much gas there. It was a tough putt and under the situation, you still like to finish tournaments off better than that.''

Tway, who shot a 70, started two shots off the lead Sunday, got close but never could catch the leaders. He had one bogey and three birdies but closed out the final round with four straight pars. The eight-time winner on the PGA Tour joined the Champions Tour earlier this year after turning 50 and his previous best finish was a sixth-place tie a month ago at the Greater Hickory Classic in North Carolina.

Forsman was cruising Sunday and at 11 under through 13 holes. His run ended with the triple bogey at No. 14 where he put his tee shot in the water. He finished with a 73 to tie for fourth at 8 under with 2007-08 winner Bernhard Langer (69) and Tom Lehman (68).

Forsman’s 64 leads Champions Tour eventEast notes: Champs show resolve

PGA Tour Confidential: Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital

Every week of the 2009 PGA Tour season, the editorial staff of the SI Golf Group will conduct an e-mail roundtable. Check in on Mondays for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors.

Gary Van Sickle, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Martin Laird did something fellow Scot Colin Montgomerie never did — win a PGA Tour event. He won on the third playoff hole at Summerlin with a birdie. Laird has a very solid game tee to green, but he's a little spotty with that long putter. His ballstriking should still earn him a nice career. Scotland has a new star. Could he possibly be a contender for a Ryder Cup spot on Monty's team next year? Hmm.

Cameron Morfit, senior writer, Golf Magazine: Europe has some hot young players coming up. Laird, Rory McIlroy, and Chris Wood — the tall dude with Muppet hair who was in the mix at the British Open the last few years and was the big revelation at this year's Vivendi (formerly Seve) Trophy. It's going to be tough for a lovable old warhorse like Miguel Angel Jimenez to make next year's Ryder team.

Michael Bamberger, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Maybe Monty would have won in the States had he played in more Las Vegas Opens. Still, you have to love the idea of coming from Scotland to Las Vegas to win a Tour event with a long wand. Good times.

Van Sickle: I really enjoyed the Vegas finish. It was a birdie-fest course, but the pressure of the finishing holes got to the leaders, most of whom dunked a shot into the water at 17 or 18. Then there was Scott Piercy, a local guy, who dunked a couple and finished with two straight doubles. He snapped an iron in half after messing up on 18.

Rick Lipsey, writer-reporter, Sports Illustrated: It was Tour golf at its best. No Tiger or Phil, but intense action nonetheless.

Van Sickle: Jim Furyk also made a nice final-round run, shooting 62 to just miss the three-way playoff. He's gone 54 tourneys without winning. He's 39. Will he get back to the winner's circle? Does he still have another major in him?

Alan Shipnuck, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: He'll backdoor a few more wins, but I'd be surprised if he won another major. His putting has slipped a bit, and that was the difference-maker for him.

Evans: Jim Furyk could win 20 more times before his career is over, including a few majors. This is just a rough patch.

Van Sickle: He's been plagued by odd stretches of poor play — a bad nine here, a poor six holes there. His putting has run hot and cold, too. He's too young to give up on, and too dedicated. I think he'll win more, and I think he'll swipe another major along the way.

Bamberger: If the new grooves make a difference, it will be good for Furyk and other control players. He could certainly win a major, especially a U.S. Open.

Van Sickle: Golf Channel talked about how it's amazing that Chad Campbell has won only four times on tour. On Sunday night we just saw, again, why. Campbell missed a short par putt in the playoff in Vegas, just like he missed that short putt in the Masters playoff. He simply can't give up strokes from inside four feet.

You may not have noticed, but the Grand Slam of Golf is in Bermuda this week. No Tiger Woods, but the four major winners will be there — Angel Cabrera, Lucas Glover, Stewart Cink and Y.E. Yang. They all rank outside the top 10 in the world. With the PGA Tour season ending earlier, we can probably look forward to more made-for-TV events like these. Will you watch this week? Are these events good for golf in the long run?

Jim Herre, managing editor, SI Golf Group: The best Grand Slams are usually the ones with first-time participants, who are thrilled to be there and often bring family and friends. Don't know if that will be the case with Yang and Cabrera, but I bet Cink and Glover will bring their posses.

Dick Friedman, senior editor, Sports Illustrated: I wouldn't want this stuff as a steady diet, but this one seems eminently watchable. Wonder if they'll let Cink tweet from the course?

Van Sickle: Cink has already tweeted about the Grand Slam. His latest — "Hello, Bermuda!" — may mean that he's already there and excited to play. So I'm making him the favorite this week. Also, his tweets may provide more tournament coverage than any other media outlet.

Morfit: Sorry, PGA of America. These made-for-TV things all blur together. I'd be just as likely to watch the one with Hunter Mahan and whoever else in New Zealand. What's the difference? The major winners were too random this year to settle any barroom arguments (Tiger vs. Phil, Phil vs. Vijay, Tiger vs. Paddy).

Farrell Evans, writer-reporter, Sports Illustrated: If the PGA Tour could manufacture a Shell's Wonderful World of Golf match between Tiger and Phil every week, it would. No matter who's playing, the Grand Slam is always a boring event, but advertisers continue to support it, so it must get an adequate rating. Still, I won't be watching. I'm going to try to play.

Five-a-side: What’s hot around the league2009 Presidents Cup facts and figures

Goosen shoots 64 to take 1-shot lead in Portugal

VILAMOURA, Portugal (AP) Retief Goosen of South Africa has shot an 8-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead after the third round of the Portugal Masters.

The two-time U.S. Open winner was at 20-under 196 after seven birdies and an eagle on Saturday.

Overnight leader Francesco Molinari of Italy was in second after a 68. Lee Westwood (66) of England was at 199 and Pablo Martin (68) of Spain was another shot back.

Padraig Harrington (71) of Ireland was six shots off the pace.

Reports: Beckham, Milan near loan dealFrancesco Molinari keeps lead at Portugal Masters

Chad Collins wins Nationwide Tour event

MIAMI (AP) Chad Collins won the Miccosukee Championship for his second career Nationwide Tour title, closing with a 1-under 70 in windy conditions Sunday for a two-stroke victory in the final full-field event of the season.

The 31-year-old Collins, also the 2005 Henrico County Open winner, had a 10-under 274 total on the Miccosukee Golf and Country Club course. He earned $112,500 to jump from eighth to second on the money list with $386,014, with the top 25 next week after the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship earning 2010 PGA Tour cards.

``It's nice to get one, finally,'' Collins said. ``Winning is awesome. It never gets old. It's nice to win again. I was wondering if I would ever win again.''

Collins holed a 35-foot birdie chip on No. 15, then bogeyed 16 and 17 before finishing with a 30-foot birdie putt on 18.

``I was just trying to cozy it down there,'' Collins said. ``I guess my nerves got the best of me and I hit it too hard. I don't know how far past it would have gone, but I'm sure I would have missed that one coming back. Luckily, the hole got in the way.''

He has five top-five finishes, including three seconds, in his last eight starts.

``I didn't hit the ball exceptionally well, but I did make a lot of up-and-downs,'' Collins said. ``My putter did its job this week. I made a lot of those 3- and 4-footers for par that you need to make.''

Won Joon Lee (71), Brian Smock (71) and Monday qualifier Justin Smith (72) tied for second at 8 under, and Fabian Gomez (71) and Bradley Iles (71) followed at 7 under.

The top 60 on the money list qualified for the Nationwide Tour Championship next week at Daniel Island Club in Charleston, S.C.

Darren Stiles, 67th entering the week, edged Michael Sims by $2,145 for the 60th and last spot. Stiles (73) tied for 12th at 4 under, and Sims (76) tied for 17th at 3 under. Lee jumped from 73rd to 47th, and Smock went from 64th to 41st.

Michael Sim tied for 17th to earn $9,062 and push his tour-record total to $536,142. He has three victories this year.

Forsman’s 64 leads Champions Tour eventCunningham wins MLS Player of the Week honors

Forsman keeps lead at The Woodlands

THE WOODLANDS, Texas (AP) Dan Forsman remained in position for his second Champions Tour victory of the year, shooting a 1-under 71 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead in the Administaff Small Business Classic.

Forsman had a 9-under 135 total on The Woodlands Country Club's Tournament Course. Jay Haas (66), Gene Jones (67) and Mark Wiebe (69) were tied for second, and Tom Watson (68), Bob Tway (70) and John Cook (72) followed at 7 under.

Forsman, who had six straight birdies in his opening 64, started steady Saturday, birdieing Nos. 4, 6 and 9 to reach 11 under and pull three shots ahead. With the wind swirling and greens drying, he faltered on the back nine with three bogeys and only one birdie.

``I'm a little disappointed by the way things came apart on the back nine, but I feel good about what I've done,'' Forsman said. ``It's different from the lead than it is coming from the pack.''

A five-time winner on the PGA Tour, Forsman acknowledged being nervous and humming songs to himself on the last several holes, trying to relax.

``It's a great opportunity,'' he said. ``It shouldn't feel like this weight is on your back. But it comes with leading the golf tournament.''

Forsman is in his first full year on the Champions Tour and won his first title in March in his 12th start, but this is the first time he has taken the lead into the final round. He has already earned more than $1 million and has 18 top-25 finishes in 20 starts, including seven top-10s.

Haas, six shots back after the first round, had a bogey-free 6-under 66 - the day's low round. He has won his last two events on the tour, the Greater Hickory Classic and Senior Players Championship.

``Today I gave myself more chances,'' Haas said. ``My irons were closer to the hole and I got off to a really good start... It made it a little more comfortable to play.''

Jones started the day five shots back. He was 3 under for the day after six holes, including a 22-footer for birdie at No. 3, then birdied Nos. 11 and 12.

``Those are the kind of birdies you don't forget,'' he said about a 50-footer at 11 and a chip-in from 10 yards off the green at 12.

He finished with six pars.

Jones has been close several times this year, with three runner-up finishes, the most recent a month ago at Pebble Beach. In 20 starts, he has seven top-10s and 15 top- 25s, pocketing more than $1 million. Last year, his first on the circuit, he finished second in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup race, but his first victory has remained elusive.

``Winning is a matter of doing exactly what I did today, making a 50-footer, chip one in,'' Jones said. ``That's what it's all about.

``To win out here against these guys ... winning would mean the world to me, but you can't go out there with that attitude. You've got to go into it as another round of golf and let the chips fall where they may.''

For years, the course was the home of the PGA Tour's Houston Open. The last time Forsman held a tournament lead going into the final round was at The Woodlands in 1998. He tied for sixth.

MLS Alums: Parreira’s second chanceForsman’s 64 leads Champions Tour event

Campbell eagles final hole for share of lead

LAS VEGAS(AP) Chad Campbell closed with an eagle on the par-5 ninth for a 9-under 62 and a share of the second-round lead Friday with Troy Matteson in the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

Campbell, a former UNLV player, also had seven birdies in his bogey-free round in warm conditions at TPC Summerlin.

``I didn't hit a very good tee shot,'' Campbell said about his final hole. ``I hit it a little left. Luckily, it stopped short of the bunker and had a perfect lie. (It was) just a perfect 3-wood (shot) and I was able to hit it up there 12 to 15 feet. ... It was definitely a great way to finish a round.''

Matteson followed his career-best 62 with a 67 to match Campbell at 13-under 129.

Matt Kuchar, coming off a victory two weeks at Turning Stone in the Falls Series opener, shot a 64 to join former UNLV player Ryan Moore (63), Bob Heintz (67) and Martin Laird (67) at 12 under.

``I think the back nine is the nine that people are going to be taking advantage of,'' Kuchar said after his sixth straight round in the 60s. ``I did it today. I shot 6 under on the back side and only 1 under on the front side.

``It seems like people are making the majority of their birdies on the back side. It makes for some fun finishing holes.''

Moore eagled the par-5 16th and had six birdies.

``Every hole is a birdie hole if you can get in position,'' Moore said. ``So even if you do make a bogey or two, you feel like you can bounce back right away and make some birdies.''

Rickie Fowler (64), the 2008 college player of the year as a freshman at Oklahoma State, was 11 under in his first PGA Tour start as a professional.

Three-time Las Vegas winner Jim Furyk (67) also was 11 under along with Las Vegas native Scott Piercy (67) and Tom Pernice Jr. (69), the Champions Tour winner who shared the first-round lead with Matteson and Spencer Levin after an opening 62. Piercy's wife Sara delivered son Jett on Thursday night.

U.S. Presidents Cup team member Hunter Mahan was 9 under after a 63.

``Yes, I hit a lot of fairways,'' said Mahan, who had 26 putts. ``I gave myself a lot of good looks with some short irons and was able to make some.''

Levin also was 9 under after a 71.

The cut was at 4-under 138. Among the 73 players who failed to advance were defending champion Marc Turnesa and U.S. Presidents Cup team member Anthony Kim.

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Forsman's 64 leads Champions Tour event

THE WOODLANDS, Texas(AP) Dan Forsman reeled off six straight birdies Friday en route to an 8-under 64 and a one-shot lead after the first round of the Champions Tour Administaff Small Business Classic.

John Cook was next at 7-under 65, two better than Jay Don Blake, Mark Wiebe, Nick Price and Bob Tway. Two-time defending champion Bernhard Langer was among five players another shot back at 68.

``It's one of those days you just cherish,'' Forsman said of his best round of the year. ``You hope to continue to play that well and get your game to that level where it was today and felt as comfortable as I did.

``The enigma for all of us players and challenge we face as professionals is is how do you manage that and do it again tomorrow,'' he said.

Starting his round on the back nine at The Woodlands Country Club Tournament Course, Forsman was 1-over after a three-putt bogey at the par-4 12th, but got back to par with a tap-in birdie at No. 13.

``That really settled me down,'' Forsman said.

Then he took off with six consecutive birdies beginning at the 15th hole and ``feeling the momentum,'' he said. A par at No. 3 broke the streak, but then he reached 8-under with back-to-back birdies at 4 and 5 and ``tried to relax, that's the operative word,'' by coasting home with four consecutive pars.

Forsman won his first Champions Tour event in March in his 12th start on the age 50-and-over circuit and is having a strong first full year. He's 10th on the money list with more than $1 million in winnings and in 20 tournaments has finished 18 times in the top 25, including seven top 10s.

He said he never looked at the scoreboards Friday until he reached the final green with about a 6-inch putt for his par.

``At that point, I just took a breath and said: 'Good job. That's well done, a job well done, Dan.' We don't get a chance to do that enough to ourselves,'' he said. ``It's nice to have an opportunity.''

Cook, who has a victory in each of his last two years on the Champions Tour, has a second-place in August as his best finish this year and was fifth two weeks ago at the Senior Players Championship, where he was in contention until fading in the final round.

``Kind of been my downfall this year is maybe playing a little too safe,'' Cook said. ``I'm not going to be stupid. But I thought ... I might be a little more aggressive than I have been. And it kind of paid off.''

Also starting at No. 10, he had six birdies on his front nine, offset by a double-bogey at No. 16. He bounced back with back-to-back birdies at 17 and 18, then three more on the backside, including a 1 1/2-footer at No. 9 to close out his round.

Langer, four shots back, is trying to join five other golfers who have won three straight at the same Champions Tour event. Jay Haas, looking to win in his third consecutive start, finished the opening round at 2-under 70, six shots off the pace.

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Francesco Molinari keeps lead at Portugal Masters

VILAMOURA, Portugal (AP) Francesco Molinari has matched the lowest halfway total of the European Tour this season to take a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Portugal Masters.

The Italian shot a 6-under 66 on Friday, with five birdies and a bogey on the back nine. The overnight leader finished at 15-under 129.

South African Charl Schwartzel made three straight birdies from the 15th, but then finished with a bogey for a second successive 65.

Padraig Harrington, who was tied for 32nd overnight, collected 10 birdies in a 62 that moved him into third place two strokes back.

Retief Goosen and Pablo Martin were tied for fourth place, a further shot behind. Martin became the first amateur to win a title on the circuit when he won the Portuguese Open two years ago.

East notes: Revs’ playoff push well underwayItaly’s Molinari takes lead at Portugal Masters

Milwaukee PGA Tour organization dissolving

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- The organization that handles the annual PGA Tour stop in Milwaukee is dissolving after failing to find a sponsor, leaving the future of professional golf in the area on shaky ground.

The move virtually guarantees the Tour won't return to Milwaukee next year. Tournament director Dan Croak said Thursday the organization has run out of money after paying its bills and other financial obligations, including a donation of more than $520,000 to charities.

``We have run out of funds and, thus, cannot continue to operate,'' Croak said in a statement. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first reported the organizers' decision to dissolve.

The tournament, originally known as the Greater Milwaukee Open, has been in operation since 1968. Among its notable moments was Tiger Woods' professional debut in 1996.

But the tournament's popularity had been in decline of late, especially after it recently was moved to a date opposite the British Open and U.S. Bank announced its sponsorship of the tournament was ending.

PGA Tour chief of operations Rick George said the search for a company to sponsor the Milwaukee event continues, but acknowledges no significant progress has been made.

``At this point, we don't have anything positive to report,'' George said. ``We've been working with them since we knew U.S. Bank was going away, and we'll continue to look for sponsorship. For our membership, we want an event opposite the British Open. Even though they're shutting down, it doesn't mean we can't find a sponsor. It's just tough right now.''

For now, George said, the tournament's organizers are doing the right thing.

``Until we find a sponsor, you're spending money you don't have,'' George said.

A pair of players with strong Wisconsin ties, Jerry Kelly and Steve Stricker, have pledged their support to keeping the PGA Tour alive in the area and finding a title sponsor. But their plan has not come to fruition yet.

``I'm confident in the work that we've done,'' Kelly said after playing the tournament in July. ``After watching the golf tournament and the turnout, I'd bump it (odds of getting a sponsor) up to about 90 percent.''

Euro Tour says Dubai prize money cut by 25 percentWizards, FCD continue playoff charge

Italy's Molinari takes lead at Portugal Masters

VILAMOURA, Portugal (AP) -- Francesco Molinari had an eagle and eight birdies Thursday to take a 2-shot lead with a 9-under 63 after the first round of the Portugal Masters.

Despite one bogey, the Italian matched his lowest-ever score on the European Tour.

The last time Molinari scored that well was at the Irish Open five months ago. He was disqualified in the second round of that tournament for signing for the wrong score.

Alastair Forsyth, Justin Rose and Charl Schwartzel were tied for second, and Lee Westwood was in a group of six another shot back.

Colin Montgomerie showed a return to form by making birdies on four of his first six holes and finished with a 68. The European Ryder Cup captain has failed to finish in the top 10 this year.

Rory McIlroy, the current European Tour money leader, carded a 69 as did Padraig Harrington who made five birdies before bogeys at the 17th and 18th.

Rumford shoots 62 to lead European MastersDC making James feel welcome

The Americans devoured Internationals at a one-sided Presidents Cup

Phil Mickelson and Steve Stricker are tall and handsome, and each married his college sweetheart, but the similarities pretty much end there. Mickelson is one of golf's extroverts, a brash know-it-all with a wicked wit he rarely displays for his adoring public. The size of his personality is exceeded only by the depth of his talent. Stricker is soft-spoken and shy, and his quiet success has stamped him as the game's biggest overachiever, despite a brutal mid-career slump that earned him not one but two comeback player of the year awards. At last week's Presidents Cup at Harding Park, Mickelson and Stricker unexpectedly had something new in common: They led the U.S. to a 19 1/2-14 1/2 victory over the Internationals that wasn't as close as the score might indicate.

Mickelson and Stricker summoned spectacular golf, but just as important was the effect of their differing presences, especially during the opening three days of partner play, when the U.S. built a decisive lead that rendered Sunday singles mostly ceremonial. Mickelson, 39, solidified his role as the Americans' elder statesman by guiding, cajoling and inspiring to victory three partners who were in varying states of fragility. Stricker, meanwhile, had to worry about pleasing only one very important teammate, Tiger Woods, who had handpicked the mild-mannered Wisconsinite to be his wingman. Over the Cup's first three days they rolled to a 4-0 record together. After inexplicably uneven play in his first five Presidents Cups — and, for that matter, his five Ryder Cups — Woods at long last had found his comfort zone, and he carried the momentum into singles, waxing Y.E. Yang 6 and 5 and clinching the Cup with a birdie on the 13th hole. "For me, obviously, it's one of my better Cup experiences," Woods said. "We won, and that's the name of the game, whether you go 0-5 or 5-0." Especially when you go 5-0.

The tone for this Cup was set during the first session, last Thursday's foursomes. Mickelson was sent out in the opening match alongside Anthony Kim, the flighty 24-year-old who had been one of the stars at last year's Ryder Cup (at which he played three matches with Phil). Kim has struggled ever since, but he found a spark teaming with Mickelson for a 3-and-2 victory over Mike Weir and Tim Clark. "Phil helped me get out of this funk I've been in for the last year," Kim said. "He kept pushing me to play aggressively, and that was a sign he believed I could pull off the shots. It was the confidence boost I've been looking for."

In their first-ever match together Woods and Stricker didn't lose a hole in a 6-and-4 thumping of Geoff Ogilvy and Ryo Ishikawa. "We had Steve putting on every hole, which, trust me, is a pretty nice feeling to have," said Woods.

Mickelson was sent out first again for Friday's four-ball. This time his partner was Justin Leonard, who the day before had missed a short putt on the 18th hole to cost his team a half point and leave the U.S. with a slim 3 1/2-2 1/2 lead. With Mickelson jawing at him throughout the match, Leonard made a handful of key putts, and Phil added five birdies en route to a 3-and-2 victory over Adam Scott and Retief Goosen. "He's a great coach out there," Leonard said. "We started talking strategy last night, so he helped me mentally get into playing today."

Woods and Stricker kept rolling with a 5-and-3 takedown of Ogilvy and Angel Cabrera, who according to the rankings made up the Internationals' strongest team. Woods's 10-9-1 record in previous Prez Cup partner play was a reflection not of his apathy, as is often perceived, but of the unease he instills in his teammates, who either try too hard or feel unworthy, or both. But Stricker is unflappable, and he tenaciously played his own game. For his part Tiger doesn't like playing with flashy types — recall his disastrous pairing with Mickelson at the '04 Ryder Cup — and prefers the company of fellow grinders. Of Stricker, he says, "I hit the ball a little farther, but our mentality and how we play and how we compete is exactly the same." From Woods, that's the highest praise.

A late rally by the Internationals on Friday kept them within a point, but that only set the stage for Woods to give this Presidents Cup its defining moment during Saturday-morning foursomes. Tiger was a nonfactor for most of the match versus Weir and Clark, and the U.S. was 2 down playing the 13th hole. But at 17 Woods buried a fist-pump-inducing 22-footer for birdie that squared the match. Then, on the par-5 18th, from 232 yards out, he ripped a high, cut three-iron. Woods chased after the shot, posing with a frozen follow-through. His ball settled within nine feet of the hole, and the eagle was ultimately conceded, giving the Yanks a tide-turning comeback win.

In his traditional leadoff spot Mickelson brought home another point paired with rookie Sean O'Hair, who had looked shaky losing his first two matches. For all the pom-pom waving Mickelson was doing, O'Hair said he was elevated more by his partner's fine play. "Right now Phil is hitting it very long, very straight, and he's putting it straight [into the hole]," said O'Hair. "That takes a lot of pressure off the partner."

With 3 1/2 of five points in the session, the U.S. bumped its overall lead to three points, and it maintained that advantage by splitting the afternoon four-ball.

A scintillating golf marathon was in the books, but for the Americans the highlight of the day was still to come. Her battle with breast cancer had kept Amy Mickelson at home near San Diego, but on Saturday afternoon she surreptitiously flew up to San Francisco and sneaked into her hubby's hotel room. "She was hiding in the bathroom and scared the crap out of me," Phil says.

Beaming, he escorted her to the team dinner, and much hugging and crying ensued. This is the Mickelsons' 15th straight Cup — Ryder or Presidents — and though Phil was often the life of the party last week, he was clearly missing his bride. "That was a special thing to have Amy here," said Stricker. "It wasn't the same without her around. She definitely gave all of us a lift."

It was the Internationals who could've used a little extra inspiration as they were in the desperate position of needing to win eight of 12 points in singles. A fast start to build momentum was crucial, but captain Greg Norman inexplicably led off with rookie Camilo Villegas, who was 0-3 to that point, and his captain's pick, Adam Scott, who had lost three straight matches after an opening victory. Predictably, both got thumped (by Hunter Mahan and Stewart Cink, respectively), making the outcome inevitable. All three of Mickelson's pet projects came through for the U.S. in early matches, and it was left to Woods to officially end the Cup in his grudge match with Yang, the surprise winner over Tiger at this year's PGA Championship. With the singles victory Woods became only the third player, joining Mark O'Meara (1996) and Shigeki Maruyama ('98), to go 5-0 at the Presidents Cup. (Mickelson, who defeated Goosen, had to settle for 4-0-1, while Stricker ran out of gas on Sunday, losing to Ogilvy to finish 4-1.)

"You need [Woods] to step up to the plate, and sometimes he hasn't done that," said Norman. "This time he did. That injected a lot of adrenaline into the rest of the team." Indeed it did, but Tiger wouldn't have been the same without Stricker, just as the other Americans were lifted by Mickelson's estimable contributions. In his own way, each offered a compelling lesson in teamwork.

RSL hold on for key victory over KCHandicapping the Presidents Cup

Montgomerie takes note of Woods' perfection

NEWPORT, Wales (AP) — European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie believes Tiger Woods' perfect performance in the Presidents Cup will make his own team's task harder at the Ryder Cup.

Woods, who missed the U.S. win at the Ryder Cup last year because of knee surgery, made the clinching putt for a 19 1/2-14 1/2 win Sunday over an International team in San Francisco.

``He seems to have his team game down as well as his individual one now,'' Montgomerie said at a news conference at Celtic Manor with U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin.

``Five points out of five. There's never been a European who has ever achieved that feat in Ryder Cup play. This will be difficult enough to try and regain the Ryder Cup without Tiger Woods (on the American team) never mind if he's back to his top form and winning five points out of five. It makes our job even tougher.''

Appointed in February, Montgomerie needs to turn around a European team outplayed 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 at Valhalla last year.

``So we have to counteract that by playing as well we can against him and also the other 11 players on the team,'' Montgomerie said. ``But I think it makes it, I hate to say it in front of Corey Pavin and our American friends, but it makes it a better win if we can regain the Ryder Cup with Tiger Woods in it.''

Woods and Steve Stricker won all four of their matches. But Pavin said he hadn't yet decided whether they would be paired next year at Celtic Manor.

``It's not safe to say,'' he said. ``I haven't made any pairings yet and you have to assume that both Tiger and Steve Stricker both made the team as well. They are both in tremendous form right now. If you put two players together who are playing well, they are going to be a tough team to beat.''

Unbeaten in singles matches, Montgomerie has played in eight Ryder Cups and been on five winning teams. He and Pavin, who played in three, are considered two of the most competitive team players.

``We were friends before we were made captains of our respective Ryder Cup teams and will remain so. Of course, this is not an exhibition match,'' Montgomerie said. ``So this is a highly competitive competition and, the more competitive it is and the more passion that is brought to it, it just fuels people watching and viewing the Ryder Cup. But it's not OK to cheer for a missed putt and never has been and never will be.''

The rival captains played nine holes of a course that has changed considerably in the last few years.

Organizers weren't happy with the original layout, saying it was too strenuous for thousands of fans to climb up and down the course. Nine new holes were constructed, 1-5, 14, 16-18. The 18th tee now has a spectacular panoramic view of the course and the rolling hills in the background.

Tiger Woods enters opening playoff event at The BarclaysMidfield workhorses give Dallas hope

Best and worst of Presidents Cup

DAY 1

Best Drive
Adam Scott, Internationals The much-scrutinized captain's selection summoned a monster mash down the middle of the fairway on the 1st hole, an impressive display of brio that foreshadowed his strong play during Scott's and Ernie Els's 2-and-1 victory over Hunter Mahan and Sean O'Hair.

Worst Putt
Justin Leonard, U.S. In the final match of the day, J Low had a four-footer on the 18th hole that would have given him and partner Jim Furyk a hard-fought victory over Retief Goosen and Y.E. Yang. Leonard yipped it, forcing the U.S. to settle for a halve and a 3 1/2-2 1/2 overall lead at day's end.

Best Recovery
Leonard Following the halve, he had Furyk's caddie, Fluff Cowan, line up five shot glasses in the team room. Leonard stormed in and started pounding the shots, quieting the room. Furyk's wife, Tabitha, was so concerned that she beseeched her husband to intervene. After the fifth shot Leonard revealed that the glasses were filled with water.

Best Random Celebrity Sightings
Barry Bonds, Charles Schwab

DAY 2

Best Shot
Mike Weir, Internationals At one stage, behind in five of six four-ball matches, the Internationals rallied furiously, highlighted by Weir's spectacular fairway metal on the 18th hole. His ball hard against a fence with a squirrelly lie, Weir ripped it to 20 feet for an eagle opportunity that iced a 2-up victory over Furyk and Anthony Kim.

Best Putt
Tim Clark, Internationals His do-or-die 14-footer for eagle on 18 to steal a win with Vijay Singh over Lucas Glover-Stewart Cink was pivotal, helping the Ints climb to within a point.

Worst Case of Tigeritis
Ogilvy The Internationals' best player (according to the World Ranking) had the misfortune of going up against Tiger Woods-Steve Stricker two days running and played miserably in a 5-and-3 defeat alongside a listless Angel Cabrera. Ogilvy's back-to-back debacles got him benched for Saturday-morning foursomes.

Best Random Celebrity Sightings
Bill Clinton, John Madden, Willie Mays

DAY 3

Best Bilingual Skills
Yang The Korean is conversant in Japanese, helping to put Ryo Ishikawa at ease as they turned into a formidable team, with young Ryo showing a little more swagger during a 3-and-2 takedown of Zach Johnson and Kenny Perry.

Best Use of Sulking Time
Ogilvy He came out on Saturday afternoon with guns blazing, sparking the all-Australian pairing of himself and Robert Allenby to a 2-and-1 victory over the woebegone duo of Cink (0-3-1 in partner play) and Glover (0-3-0).

Muggsy Bogues Award
Clark The 5'7" South African was the shortest hitter on either team, but he made an absurd number of birdies in two matches on Saturday. Unfortunately he didn't get much help from his mates. Weir blew a four-footer on the 17th hole in morning foursomes, opening the door for Woods-Stricker. Then, in the afternoon four-ball, Singh was largely absent, leading to a halve with Phil Mickelson-O'Hair.

Best Random Celebrity Sightings
Condoleezza Rice, Ken Venturi

DAY 4

Classiest Move
Singh On the 18th hole he conceded a 10-footer to Glover, halving their match and giving Glover his first (partial) point of the week.

Keenest Teenybopper
Ishikawa The 18-year-old captain's pick beat 49-year-old Kenny Perry, capping a 3-2 week during which he earned effusive praise from the holy trinity of Woods, Greg Norman and Johnny Miller, among others.

Reds look to rebound against RapidsHandicapping the Presidents Cup

John Daly to play in Australia

SYDNEY (AP) — John Daly will play in the Australian Open and Australian PGA golf tournaments in December after recovering more quickly than expected from a rib injury.

The two-time major winner said Wednesday he was reversing a decision announced in September to withdraw from the Australian tournaments. A swift recovery has allowed him to return to competitive golf earlier than expected.

``My recovery from stem cell surgery has been closely monitored by my doctor and I have been cleared to begin playing competitively in two weeks,'' Daly said in a statement.

``As such, I have added the Viking Classic to my 2009 U.S. schedule plus have accepted invitations to play in the 2009 Australian Open and 2009 Australian PGA Championship.

``I regret the confusion the injury process has caused but I'm relieved things have begun moving in the right direction.''

Daly will play in the Australian Open at the New South Wales Golf Club at La Perouse in Sydney from Dec. 3-6, in a field that will include Greg Norman and defending champion Tim Clark.

A week later he will join major winner Vijay Singh and defending champion Geoff Ogilvy in the Australian PGA at the Hyatt Regency Coolum course in Queensland state.

During his trip to Australia last year, Daly missed three consecutive cuts and made headlines for more than his golf.

He received a suspended fine from the PGA of Australia at the Australian Open after taking a spectator's camera and throwing it against a tree.

Open organizers took no action, saying Daly had been bothered by the man, who was taking photos at close range despite a ban on cameras at the course.

United host Seattle in Open Cup final rematchDaly to return to Aussie Open after camera clash

Dottie Pepper's thoughts on golf in Olympics and LPGA layoffs

• Golf's drug-testing push finally came up positive. No way the sport would have been considered for the Olympics without the random testing now being done by both major tours.

• According to Masters champion Angel Cabrera of Argentina, there is no golf facility in or near Rio that is capable of holding a world-class event. Recession-idled golf architects everywhere are salivating, but the buzz is that Jack Nicklaus and his firm already have a plan in the works.

• How will the PGA Tour fit the Olympics into its schedule? The 2016 Games are set for Aug. 5-21, and that time frame usually contains the PGA Championship and the start of the FedEx Cup. Things can only be pushed back so far because the Ryder Cup is scheduled to take place in Minnesota that year.

• Golf in the Olympics will be a 72-hole stroke play contest, but it seems to me that a mix of individual and team stroke play would be more compelling, adding the element of group competition that gets players and fans fired up.

• LPGA interim commissioner Marty Evans laid off eight staffers last week. Why? Isn't it the new leader's job to assess the structure, personnel and budgets? This makes me wonder about the cash flow in Daytona. I'm sad and disgusted because the LPGA's level of play has never been better and yet its fortunes are so troubled.

Dottie Pepper on the Solheim CupReeling Red Bulls filled with frustration

Unbeaten Woods leads Americans to dominant singles showing and Presidents Cup victory

SAN FRANCISCO — Zach Johnson lay spread-eagled on the 15th green, flat on his back after South Africa's Tim Clark holed yet another putt for yet another birdie. Call it a comedic compliment, because Johnson made five birdies on the back nine, including one at the 15th moments earlier, but Clark finished with seven straight 3s to deliver a knockout blow to Johnson, 4 and 3.

Johnson's flop was the perfect microcosm of this Presidents Cup at chilly Harding Park, only in reverse. Johnson looked like the International squad felt after getting run over by the 18-wheeler that was the American team in Sunday's singles finals.

The final score wasn't indicative of the last-day whupping. The U.S. won the Cup, 19 1/2-14 1/2, but it wasn't really that close.

How much of a rout was this? The Americans won the five matches they needed to clinch the Cup before the Internationals managed to score a single point. This time, Yogi Berra was wrong — it was over before it was over. The U.S. had the Presidents Cup wrapped up by 1:30 p.m. Pacific time. Woods did the honors himself, rolling in a putt for his fifth birdie to easily finish off Y.E. Yang, 6 and 5. Woods was a perfect 5-0 for the week.

It couldn't have been good for NBC to have Tiger done and the Cup already won with 90 minutes of airtime left to fill and NFL games beckoning on other channels.

Woods was only the third player since Mark O'Meara and Shigeki Maruyama to have a 5-0 record in Presidents Cup play. It was hardly a surprise. If there was one singles match that seemed like a mortal lock, it was Woods vs. Yang. Tiger is a proven avenger. Any perceived slight or old defeat gets paid back, sooner or later. Yang, who beat Tiger at this year's PGA Championship to become the first player to knock him off when he had the 54-hole lead in a major championship, was in trouble from the start. (Tiger also teamed with Steve Stricker to trounce Yang and Ryo Ishikawa in Saturday's four-ball matches, 4 and 2.)

Woods was typically coy when asked if beating Yang meant anything special to him. "I tried to get my point, and I got my point," he said with a knowing grin. In Tigerspeak, that's as close to a "yes" as you're going to get.

Unfortunately, the Presidents Cup finale wasn't much of a show. The singles were a disappointing anticlimax after three days of close, hard-fought matches in which a handful of strokes effectively accounted for the Americans' advantage. Captain Greg Norman's players needed a good start Sunday and a huge effort to win the eight matches they needed. There was no such charge.

"Each of our guys gave 101 percent," Norman said. "I look back over four days and five rounds and my guys stacked up in ballstriking. The Americans probably outputted us."

That was pretty much the scouting report going into the matches. It certainly described the start of Sunday's play. The Internationals badly needed a couple of early wins, but Hunter Mahan and Stewart Cink made sure that didn't happen. Mahan handled Camilo Villegas in the opening singles match, 2 and 1, but it was actually Cink who drew first blood and put up the first point. He was five under par through 15 holes, soundly defeating Adam Scott, 4 and 3.

Two more blowouts helped eliminate any doubt about the outcome. Anthony Kim, who had struggled with his game the first three days, came to life and held a 4-up lead over Robert Allenby through 11 holes. He won, 5 and 3. Sean O'Hair, who had struggled with his putting stroke, got off to a birdie-birdie start and pummeled Ernie Els, 6 and 4.

It was easy to see those wins coming well before they were finalized. And on the tail end of the scoreboard, there was Woods administering his thrashing of Yang. Tiger was already 4 up at the turn, leaving little doubt about how that match was going to turn out. With three big leads in matches, it was well before 1:30 when the realization that the Presidents Cup was already over hit home.

"It was almost demoralizing," said Vijay Singh, who conceded a putt to Lucas Glover on their final hole so their meaningless match would end in a halve.

"It was a good gesture," said Glover. "We were out there when Tiger won on 13, and we were ready to go right in then."

Woods will go down as the Man of the Matches this week because of his unbeaten mark, but he owes Stricker a big thank you. He couldn't have done it without his partner. Stricker and Phil Mickelson probably played the best golf of anyone, although Stricker lost his singles match to Geoff Ogilvy and Mickelson and Sean O'Hair settled for a halve in their Saturday four-ball match.

Jim Furyk also had a noteworthy week, practically winning his Saturday four-ball match by himself when Kim was off his game. Kim bounced back with the big singles win. So did Cink and O'Hair. Like all Cup victories, this one really was a team effort.

"Basically, these guys did it all," said U.S. captain Fred Couples. "For me, it was a fun thing to have Tiger and Steve beat up on everybody. I wanted Tiger to win every match, and I thought that was important to our team. Every tournament Tiger plays, everyone wants to know what he's shooting and where he's at, and the Presidents Cup is no different. For Tiger and Steve to win every match, we basically shut their team down from saying, 'Hey, we have them where we want them.' That was a big boost to us."

There was agreement on both sides that the Cup's turning point was when Woods and Stricker rallied from one down on the 17th hole in Saturday's foursomes match to beat Mike Weir and Tim Clark on the 18th. Woods made a long birdie putt on the 17th to square the match and played a masterful 3-iron second shot into the par-5 18th green. That led to a conceded eagle and a 1-up win.

"That was a big change for the team," Stricker said. "It gave us big momentum. It was a blast to play with Tiger, and I felt like I held up my end of the deal, which was a big concern for me coming into this. I wanted to make sure I contributed, and I felt like I did."

The victory raised the Americans' record to 6-1-1 in this event. In 2011, the Presidents Cup will be played at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia. The captains haven't been chosen yet, but it would be shocking if Norman, Australia's greatest golfer, wasn't asked for an encore performance. Couples seems a likely choice, too, and his star turn as captain has to have PGA of America officials looking at him as a prime candidate for Ryder Cup captain in 2012.

"Fred just seemed to be on top of everything — even details, which isn't his personality," said Mickelson. "We were impressed with the job he did."

In the end, that's what everyone was saying about the entire American team.

Defense leading first-place Crew2009 Presidents Cup facts and figures