David Fay to retire as head of USGA

David Fay is retiring from the U.S. Golf Association, his two decades as executive director marked by a steady push for golf's return to the Olympics and for the U.S. Open to be held on golf courses that anyone could play at a reasonable price.

Fay's announcement Friday was somewhat of a surprise, although he turned 60 two months ago and said it was an important milestone for cancer survivors. He joined the USGA in 1978 and became its sixth executive director in 1989, serving under 12 presidents.

Mike Butz, the deputy executive director since 1995, will take over Jan. 1 until a national search to find Fay's replacement.

"Things are in good order," Fay said in a statement. "Our senior staff leaders, each of whom I have put into place, are highly talented and motivated. And looking ahead, there are a number of multiyear projects on the drawing board ... which makes this, for me, a good time to move on. Leave on a high note, as Seinfeld would say."

Fay was most visible during the U.S. Open, dressed in his trademark bow tie in the NBC Sports booth as possibly the premier rules expert in the country. His real passion, however, has been making golf more inclusive.

He showed that in the late 1990s when he resigned his membership from Pine Valley because he felt belonging to an all-male club would sent a mixed message in his role (the USGA had two presidents in the past six years - Fred Ridley and Walter Driver - who kept their memberships at all-male Augusta National).

Even as PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem showed little interest in the Olympics a decade ago, Fay continued to lobby for the sport's return to the Olympic program.

But his legacy might be public golf.

Never afraid to take chances, Fay was behind bringing the U.S. Open to Bethpage Black in New York in 2002, which cost no more than $50 for residents to play. It was such a huge success that the championship returned there in 2009, one year after it was at city-owned Torrey Pines in San Diego. The U.S. Open will go to Chambers Bay outside Seattle and Erin Hills in Wisconsin, two other public courses.

In another bold move, Fay announced that the U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open will be held in consecutive weeks in 2014 on the same golf course - Pinehurst No. 2.

"It's been a rewarding, satisfying and a fun run," he said.

Calif. man dies after hit in head with golf ballGoats earn historic win in Houston

Gillette won't renew contract with Tiger Woods

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Procter & Gamble Co. will not renew its endorsement deal with Tiger Woods at the end of the year, adding another name to the list of companies that cut ties with the golfer after last year's revelations of marital infidelities.

The company used Woods, Roger Federer, Lionel Messi and dozens of other athletes as part of its three-year "Gillette Champions" marketing campaign. Gillette said Thursday it was phasing out that program and not renewing the contract with Woods and several other athletes. It stopped using Woods himself in the campaign months ago.

The golfer was once the most sought-after pitchman in sports and was the first athlete to earn $1 billion from endorsement agreements. However, many corporations cut ties or distanced themselves from Woods after the scandal that broke just over a year ago and dominated headlines for months.

Accenture LLP, AT&T Inc. and Gatorade all dropped Woods as an endorser. Companies such as Gillette and Tag Heuer didn't end their relationships outright but stopped featuring him in advertisements.

Nike Inc. and Electronic Arts, which had more invested in his skills as a golfer rather than a more general symbol of excellence, stuck with him. Woods is trying to rebuild his golf reputation after his first year as a pro golfer without a tournament victory and losing his ranking as the top player in the world.

Gillette is also letting its contracts with other athletes, including soccer players such as Messi, Thierry Henry, and Kaka end as part of the conclusion of the marketing program.

Gillette, however, was keeping some of the athletes - such as Federer, NHL star Alex Ovechkin and New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter - for new local marketing campaigns.

Galaxy ready to head home after “tough week”Grand Jury Indicts Canadian Sports Doctor Accused of Drug Smuggling

A different year for Woods, and his caddie

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Steve Williams never imagined that losing his wallet could fuel so much speculation that he was on his way out as Tiger Woods' caddie.

Hours after the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, where Woods closed with a 75 and offered some veiled criticism of his caddie's advice in the final round, Williams was sitting alone in the Monterey airport while staring intently at his cell phone.

A golf blogger recognized him, took his picture and posted it with the headline, "Steve Williams at the airport, without Tiger Woods." Never mind that Williams lives in New Zealand and Woods lives in Florida. Along with Woods' post-round comments, it was enough to wonder if Williams would be employed much longer.

Told about the photo months later, Williams started laughing.

"I left my wallet in the rental car," he said, explaining the text he was reading on his phone. "The speculation is incredible, how many people thought I would be fired or that I would retire. People just make up these stories. Look, I work as a golf caddie. It's all I've ever done. I'm working for arguably one of the greatest players who ever played, who is fully committed to breaking Jack Nicklaus' record.

"Why would I quit in midstream?"

Williams has been on the bag for more than a dozen years with Woods, and they have shared some happy times - 72 victories around the world, including 13 major championships.

He also was guilty by association through some unpleasant times.

Williams never heard from his boss a year ago in December when Woods' personal life was collapsing with each report of infidelity. Most people assumed Williams was part of the deceit, and even his repeated denials didn't change some opinions. Getting through the gossip on and off the course wasn't easy on Williams or his family.

Getting back to the golf hasn't been as fun, either. Woods not only failed to win for the first time in his career, there were a couple of times when they finished a weekend round before lunch.

The caddie sure wasn't expecting a year like this.

"When you compete at this level, a large percentage of your success is due to your mental preparation," he said. "And evidently, Tiger's mind wasn't as sharp due to his own personal problems. He's come back from an injury before. I've caddied for him for 12 years, and the two times he had long layoffs, he came back like nothing had happened. I didn't think a lot would change."

It didn't take long to realize he was wrong.

Sure, Woods returned at the Masters and got right back in the mix. He opened with a 68, closed with a 69 and tied for fourth. Williams knows his game better than anyone, and none of the indicators were appealing.

"It was evident after Augusta that it was going to be a bit of a struggle," Williams said. "Then, of course, he was questioning his own swing and whether it might be time to change his swing. As soon as he made that decision, I knew right there and then it was going to be more of a rebuilding year. Which is fine."

No one felt sorry for Williams.

His worst year working for Woods was in 2004 - two victories, fourth on the PGA Tour money list with over $5 million, top 10s in all but five of his 21 tournaments. Which caddie wouldn't take that?

The feeling among some of his peers was, "Welcome to our world."

For most of the year, Woods looked no different - certainly no better - than some of the players in his group, whether it was Jason Bohn at the Memorial, D.A. Points at Aronomink or even 22-year-old Kieran Pratt, who made his pro debut at the Australian Masters and beat Woods by one shot when they were paired together.

"I race cars to win, and I caddie to win," Williams said. "I certainly couldn't be out here working for a player that can't win tournaments. That would have no appeal to me at all. Winning is what you want to do."

So what was the appeal this year?

"I quite enjoyed the challenge sometimes," Williams said. "The battle this year was making it to the FedEx Cup, then trying to make it through. It's not a position we're used to being in. But it was not frustrating at all."

What he found frustrating was wondering which guy was going to show up for work.

Three days after his divorce, Woods missed only one fairway and two greens and opened with a 65 at The Barclays. Two days later, he opened his round by hitting a 5-wood off the property.

He was in last place at one point late in his first round in Boston. The next day he shot a 65.

"When he got it right, it was great to see. But he couldn't keep doing it," Williams said. "You go to the golf course and wonder if he's got what he had yesterday, or can he improve from what he had yesterday. But that's what happens when you change your swing."

Early in the second round of the Chevron World Challenge, Williams had seen enough.

"The tide is turning," he said as he walked off the third green.

He was impressed with the progress Woods had made on his new swing in just four months. The last swing change took close to a year.

Williams left California believing the worst was behind them.

"I'm pretty confident when the new year starts that Tiger will be fully ingrained with this new swing," he said.

The old year could not end soon enough.

Woods was signing autographs at Sherwood when he was asked about his longtime caddie.

"He's been a heck of a caddie, there's no doubt about that," Woods said. After a few seconds of silence as he continued to sign, Woods looked up and added for emphasis, "And he's a great friend."

Woods needed a little of both this year.

Question is still not if Tiger will win, but whenGoats earn historic win in Houston

Tiger Woods saga voted AP sports story of year

NEW YORK (AP) — Tiger Woods' humbling return to the public eye, from his televised confession to a winless season on the golf course, was voted the sports story of the year by members of The Associated Press.

Do you agree with AP?: Was the Tiger Woods saga a bigger story than the Saints winning the Super Bowl?

The fallout from Woods' admission of infidelity edged a very different sort of story: The New Orleans Saints winning their first Super Bowl championship, giving an emotional boost to their hurricane-ravaged city.

It was late 2009 when Woods' pristine image unraveled after he crashed his SUV into a tree outside his home, unleashing salacious revelations of extramarital affairs. The story was a late addition to last year's voting and wound up fifth.

But the twists and turns weren't over for Woods. Many more developments were still to unfold in 2010.

There were 176 ballots submitted from U.S. news organizations that make up the AP's membership. The voters were asked to rank the top 10 sports stories of the year, with the first-place story getting 10 points, the second-place story receiving nine points, and so on.

The Woods saga received 1316 points, with the Saints' title getting 1215 and the NBA free agency frenzy coming in third with 1085.

Major League Baseball's ongoing travails with performance-enhancing drugs was the top story last year.

Here are 2010's top 10 stories:

— 1. TIGER WOODS: Woods returned to public view with a 13 1/2-minute statement in February, then came back to golf at the Masters in April with a fourth-place finish. That would be one of his few highlights on the course — Woods went winless on the PGA Tour for the first time in his career and lost his No. 1 ranking for the first time in years. In August, he and Elin Nordegren divorced.

— 2. SAINTS WIN: New Orleans residents loved their Saints for not abandoning the city after Hurricane Katrina, but it was hard to imagine the team bringing much joy on the field after 42 mostly losing seasons. Then Drew Brees and Co. upset the mighty Indianapolis Colts in their first Super Bowl, to the delight of French Quarter revelers and fans nationwide who adopted the Saints.

— 3. FREE AGENCY FRENZY: NBA fans were captivated by the mystery of where MVP LeBron James and other marquee free agents would land. Few would have guessed that three of them would sign with the same team: the Miami Heat, who became basketball's Evil Empire by adding James from Cleveland and Chris Bosh from Toronto to Dwyane Wade.

— 4. WORLD CUP: A World Cup of firsts ended gloriously for Spain and for Africa. South Africa hosted the continent's first World Cup without the pitfalls many predicted. And the Spaniards brought home the first World Cup title to the soccer-mad country with a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands in extra time.

— 5. GIANTS WIN: The Giants hadn't won the World Series since they moved to San Francisco in 1958 — and since 1954 overall. This didn't seem to be the year to end the drought when they barely squeaked into the playoffs. But with dominant pitching and clutch hitting, they beat the Texas Rangers in five games.

— 6. NFL CONCUSSIONS: New posters distributed to teams before the season warned of concussions' dangers in much harsher language than before. Another sign of how big the issue had become: increased reporting of concussions by players. Midseason, the NFL cracked down on helmet hits with huge fines and threatened suspensions.

— 7. JIMMIE JOHNSON: The NASCAR driver extended his record with his fifth straight Sprint Cup title. Perhaps most impressively, he did it despite not being in top form all season. Johnson became the first driver in the Chase's seven-year history to overcome a points deficit in the finale.

— 8. BRETT FAVRE: This comeback was nothing like last year's magical run to the NFC title game for the 41-year-old quarterback. His Minnesota Vikings struggled badly, and the NFL launched an investigation into whether he sent lewd photos of himself to a Jets employee. After voting began, his record streak of 297 starts ended.

— 9. UCONN WINS: The Huskies' women's basketball team extended their record winning streak to 78 games with a second straight national championship in April, becoming the first team to post consecutive unbeaten seasons. And Connecticut is a powerhouse again this season.

— 10. WOODEN DIES: The Wizard of Westwood died June 4 at the age of 99. John Wooden coached UCLA's men's basketball team to 10 NCAA championships, including seven in a row from 1967-73 and an 88-game winning streak.

Do you agree with AP?: Was the Tiger Woods saga a bigger story than the Saints winning the Super Bowl?

RBNY fans don't need a trophy to define D.C. rivalryWoods rebuilding his image as crash anniversary nears

Martin successfully defends Alfred Dunhill title

MALELANE, South Africa (AP) — Pablo Martin survived a triple bogey to successfully defended his Alfred Dunhill Championship title Sunday, shooting a 2-under 70 for a two-shot victory.

The Spaniard had a 7 at the par-4 17th but recovered to birdie the last for an 11-under 277 at Leopard Creek Country Club. He was two clear of Thorbjorn Olesen (66), Charl Schwartzel (70) and Anthony Michael (73), who took a one-stroke lead into the final round of the European Tour event.

"I played really well for nine holes, then I got myself into trouble," Martin said. "It was a good start and it gave me a little bit of a cushion, and I needed it."

He had surged ahead with an eagle-birdie start, and opened a five-shot lead through 11 holes following birdies on Nos. 7 and 9. With a three-shot lead on the tee at No. 17, the triple bogey then cut his advantage over playing partner Michael to one stroke with one hole to play.

But Martin recovered to put his second shot on the par-5 No. 18 on the middle of the green, and Michael found the water to end his chances.

Martin finished with a birdie four for successive victories at the European Tour's season-opening tournament, winning a $210,000 check. He is the first winner on the 2010-11 Race to Dubai and the first player to retain a European Tour title since Padraig Harrington won a second straight British Open in 2008.

"I was able to hit a couple of good shots coming in, especially the one on 18," Martin said. "On 17, I made a big mess but I was really lucky that everything went well."

Michael had led since after the first round, but the rookie had two bogeys and a double-bogey Sunday and couldn't match Martin's attacking play in his bid for a first professional victory.

He made a 15-foot putt for par on No. 18 to make sure of his share of second, but will have to wait for his first tournament win as a professional after his worst round of the tournament.

Martin made a blistering start when he almost holed his approach to the first and then sank a 10-foot eagle putt at No. 2.

He got lucky on No. 13 when a wayward shot was held up by a bunker that kept it from into a crocodile-infested river.

On No. 17 he found a fairway bunker off the tee and then fired his second deep into the thick grass on the lip of the bunker. He ended up chipping out onto the fairway and then three-putted.

But he regained his composure with a 5-iron to the heart of the green on the last and collected a third career title after his 2009 win here and the 2007 Portugal Open - when he became the first amateur to win a European Tour event.

Olesen, Denmark's Challenge Tour graduate, had six birdies in his 66 to jump 10 places.

Schwartzel mixed four birdies with two bogeys in his 70, securing the 2010 Order of Merit title on South Africa's Sunshine Tour, which co-sanctions the Alfred Dunhill, ahead of its season-ending 100th South African Open next week.

South Africa's Thomas Aiken (70) was alone in fifth on 7-under 281, while England's Robert Dinwiddie (70) and another South African, Alex Haindl (73), shared sixth at 282.

Goats earn historic win in HoustonAustralia’s Green wins Portugal Masters by 2 shots

Johnson-Poulter win Shark Shootout by 2 strokes

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Dustin Johnson and Ian Poulter won the Shark Shootout Sunday, shooting a 13-under 59 in the scramble format to beat Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell by two shots.

Johnson and Poulter took the lead with birdies on their first four holes and had no trouble the rest of the way in finishing at 30-under 186. Clarke and McDowell (59) never came closer than two strokes.

The two teams passed second-round co-leaders Jerry Kelly and Steve Stricker (64) and Fred Funk and Kenny Perry (66). Kelly and Stricker, the defending champions, tied for third at 26 under with Chris DiMarco and Anthony Kim (61).

The 12 teams in the tournament hosted by Greg Norman at Tiburon Golf Club played modified alternate shot in the first round and better ball in the second. Johnson and Poulter split $750,000 from the $3 million purse.

Johnson and Poulter, who played for the rival U.S. and European Ryder Cup teams two months ago, made the perfect duo in the three-format tournament.

After a birdie on No. 3, they maintained sole possession of the lead, although Clarke and McDowell gave chase.

"They kind of pushed us around," Poulter said. "You know what, making the birdies they did, it was kind of good for us to see good shot after good shot, and good putts going in. It's a lot easier to hole putts when your playing partners do."

Funk-Perry and Kelly-Stricker started the day in front by a shot, but both teams started slowly. Funk-Perry made a birdie, then eight straight pars. Kelly-Stricker had three birdies on the front.

With Johnson putting first in the scramble format, Poulter took advantage, perhaps nowhere more so than on the par-4 15th. Holding a two-shot lead, Poulter knocked his approach to 7 feet after Clarke had put his close. After Johnson missed his putt, Poulter made his to keep the two-shot advantage.

The two teams parred the par-3 16th, but with the par-5 17th ahead, Clarke and McDowell had another chance. They couldn't reach the green in two, but neither could Johnson and Poulter.

"It was definitely a lot harder than it looked," Johnson said. "Standing there we were like, 'Oh, this is a piece of cake.'"

Poulter came through, pitching to 7 feet. Then Johnson made the putt to follow Clarke and McDowell's birdie.

"Ian is one of the best chippers of the ball in the world, and he was the man for the job," McDowell said. "He was pretty clutch today. He played great."

Poulter takes 2-stroke lead in Hong Kong OpenGalaxy ready to head home after “tough week”

PGA Tour Confidential: Dubai World Championship

Every week of the 2010 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 and join the conversation in the comments section below.

Cameron Morfit, senior writer, Golf Magazine: Greetings, all: Lots to get to in this week's Confidential, so we won't have time to touch on Boise State's horrific loss to Nevada. Martin Kaymer became Europe's new No. 1 by finishing 13th in Dubai. First, though, Robert Karlsson won the Euro tour's season-ender on the second extra hole when Ian Poulter lost control of his golf ball, which landed on his ball mark, causing said ball mark to flip over on the green. For this, Poulter was assessed a one-stroke penalty. Karlsson might have won anyway, having set himself up with a three-foot birdie putt, but now Poulter didn't even have a chance. After a season of bunker/not bunker (Dustin Johnson, PGA Championship), plus other fiascos, do golf's rules need rewriting?

Mark Godich, senior editor, Sports Illustrated: Some rules need to be revisited, but is it asking too much to ask a guy to hold onto his golf ball?

Jim Gorant, senior editor, Sports Illustrated: There are a few head-scratchers, but overall the rules seem to work. This year has seen more than its share of odd situations and tough rulings.

David Dusek, deputy editor, Golf.com: The rules are the rules, so the penalties are what they are. At the same time, the spirit of the rules is the most important thing, and for that reason I think some rules could be re-examined.

Rick Lipsey, writer-reporter, Sports Illustrated: The rules have and will always stand the test of time. Some things always need revising, and that's why the rules are periodically reviewed and revised.

Farrell Evans, writer-reporter, Sports Illustrated: Poulter was sloppy. And so was Dustin Johnson at the PGA. Leave the Rules of Golf alone.

Gary Van Sickle, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Some golf rules could use a rewrite, but probably not this one. By accidentally moving his marker, Poulter effectively moved his ball. That's a correctable error on a green, so maybe the punishment doesn't fit the crime. Elsewhere on the course, however, you can't exactly re-create the ball's lie, so it's a necessary rule. As for D.J.'s episode, golf has been played forever without grounding a club in the bunker. I wouldn't change that one, either. The O.B. rule? Wind moving a ball on the green at address? I'd change those, for starters.

Mike Walker, senior editor, Golf Magazine: Yes! O.B. is the best place to start. While the arcane and mysterious Rules of Golf have a Hogwarts-like charm, they could use some streamlining.

Gorant: Yeah, the oscillating ball on the green thing seems unnecessarily punitive.

Jim Herre, managing editor, SI Golf Group: Some of the penalties, like the one Poulter called on himself, seem silly. I know there is logic behind all the rules, but how about no harm, no foul?

Dusek: That's my point Jim. The spirit of the rules was not broken, and in this case it would be easy to place the ball in exactly the spot where the marker had been. I get it, but I hate to see championships decided on technicalities instead of good play.

Lipsey: It wasn't decided on a technicality. Everybody knew the rule, including Poulter. He broke the rule. Whether the rule should exist is another story.

Michael Bamberger, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Nothing about D.J.'s situation, or Poulter's, makes me think the rules need rewriting. But I'm with Gary and Walker: O.B. should be stroke, not distance. Just play it where it goes out.

Lipsey: How many of us could pass the USGA rules official exam? It's easy to criticize from the outside looking in.

Van Sickle: Who said anything about passing a rules exam? But we all know a bad rule when we see it/experience it/get hosed by it.

John Garrity, contributing writer, Sports Illustrated: I attended a USGA Rules Workshop for a story in GOLF magazine, and I couldn't pass the exam if you let Johnny Miller and Nick Faldo help me. The rules are truly mind-bending.

Alan Shipnuck, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: I think it's a cool little rule — you're penalized for being clumsy!

Van Sickle: Good thing it's not a penalty if your ball falls off the tee and you have to re-tee. Hey, what an idea!

THE RISE OF KAYMER
Morfit: Let's talk about Kaymer. He didn't play great, but he did what he needed to do and wound up winning the money title in Europe with just under $6 million. He's the second German to be crowned European No. 1 after Bernhard Langer, and the youngest since Ronan Rafferty in 1989. Will Kaymer eclipse Langer's two majors and nearly 60 other victories worldwide, or nearly 75 if you count the Champions tour? And what's the over/under on how long it takes this kid to hit No. 1 in the world?

Gorant: He's only 25, right? He's got a shot, but you have to be great for a long time to catch Bernie. Dude has definite game though — long, short and he can putt. He is the real deal.

Van Sickle: Kaymer is already halfway to two majors. I like him to best Langer in that category. Sixty wins? That's all about longevity, health and desire. Not sure he'll get that. As I wrote in my SI Sportsman of the Year nomination, this guy is for real. I wouldn't be surprised to see him barrel into No. 1 early in '11, pull away and stay there for a couple of years.

Garrity: I think Kaymer will have a hard time overtaking Langer for career wins, but he could match his majors total almost before I'm done typing this. K should win several majors in the next decade.

Van Sickle: Impressive that Garrity used K to describe someone other than his personal hero, Robert Karlsson, who in fact rose from obscurity to win the tourney this weekend.

Garrity: Is it a crime to like tall, intelligent golfers? Actually, after picking Karlsson to win the past 10 or 12 majors, I'd sort of cooled on him. At 41, this win might be his swan song.

Shipnuck: Kaymer's golf will be as spectacular as anything Langer produced — it already is. But Bernie may never be matched for consistency and sustained excellence. Kaymer enjoys earthly pursuits way more than Langer, which is fine, but it means he may not be grinding so hard when he's 40.

Lipsey: At 25, Ernie Els looked as good or better than Kaymer does now, and Ernie's got, what, three majors? It's the very, very rare player who can become a major and enduring star.

Dusek: Ernie and a host of other players were born in the wrong era. Kaymer won't have to deal with a dominant player the way they did.

Godich: True, but you have to be good AND a little lucky to win majors these days. Kaymer at Whistling Straits is proof of that. I would argue that winning three or four majors would be quite the career for any player in this era.

Van Sickle: Maybe Kaymer is the dominant player everyone else will have to deal with.

Dusek: That's certainly possible.

PGA Tour Confidential: Hong Kong OpenKC's Espinoza reflects on his World Cup experience

GM back as golf sponsor, with Cadillac at Doral

DORAL, Fla. (AP) — Sponsor or no sponsor, the PGA Tour was coming back to Doral in 2011, even if no outside party was willing to pay the bill.

"It would have been expensive," Commissioner Tim Finchem quipped.

That's no longer a worry for Finchem when it comes to Doral, at least through 2016. Cadillac and the PGA Tour announced a six-year sponsorship deal Monday, the latest step by General Motors in its emergence from bankruptcy protection. The sides will meet again in the coming weeks to talk about extending the arrangement.

Doral's stop next March will be known as the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship, and Cadillac also is now an umbrella sponsor of WGC events, as well. The deal has been expected for some time, and Finchem said he never experienced any angst about the chance of coming to Doral without a sponsor in March.

"Any time you're in a downturn, it takes longer to get things done," Finchem said. "Companies just generally work very, very hard to study all the options and price points and evaluate options. ... It was worth the wait. We would have preferred, obviously, to get started a little earlier."

Monday's deal was the first of several Finchem is expected to reveal in the coming days. The PGA Tour's 2011 schedule, with 47 events, will be released Thursday, although Finchem said "one or two" will not show a title sponsor.

"We're virtually 100 percent sponsored, just short of it," Finchem said. "But we don't anticipate any issues there. ... We have more tournaments than we can put on the schedule, candidly, but we have to be loyal to our historic tournament partners, and that's what we're trying. So we're going through a bit of a transition."

So, too, is Cadillac and GM's approach to golf.

Finchem said Cadillac has assured him that it will be "fully engaged" at Doral within the next few weeks. Cadillac and the PGA Tour are also in talks about bringing golf back to the Detroit area, although Finchem said it would be premature to expect a stop there as early as 2012.

Last year, the automaker ended its half-century run as sponsor of the Buick Open golf tournament near Flint, Mich., as it cut expenses while under bankruptcy court protection. Buick ended a nine-year endorsement deal with golf superstar Tiger Woods in 2008.

Buick had been the longest-standing corporate sponsor on the PGA Tour and once had its name on four tournaments - the Buick Classic in New York, the Buick Challenge in Georgia, the Buick Open and the Buick Invitational. It also took over the Buick Championship in Connecticut for three years after the Georgia event folded.

"I think it's safe to assume from today's announcement and from how we're positioning the brand that Cadillac will be the face of golf for GM going forward," Cadillac marketing Vice President Don Butler said. "It makes sense for our target customers, it makes sense for what we think of the brand."

GM has returned to profitability. It made $4.2 billion through the first three quarters of this year despite slow auto sales in the U.S. The company shed much of its debt and slimmed down to just four brands as it went through bankruptcy court last year, allowing it to make money on far lower sales volumes.

Butler said Cadillac views Doral as the right fit at the right time.

"We reach the right audience. We reach it in the right way," Butler said. "It's all about the presence of being able to target the right kind of customer for us, the affluent customer interested in luxury vehicles, the prominence of being associated with the PGA and the terrific players, the best players in the world playing at the highest level."

Doral is on the 2011 schedule for March 10-13.

---

AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to this report.

Braun, Goats finally snap winless streakReport: GM negotiating to sponsor world event

Clearwater wins Champions Tour Q-school

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) — Two-time PGA Tour winner Keith Clearwater won the Champions Tour's national qualifying tournament Friday, closing with an even-par 72 in windy conditions at TPC Eagle Trace for a three-stroke victory over Lee Rinker, Frankie Minoza and Phil Blackmar.

The 51-year-old Clearwater finished at 16-under 272 to earn the first of five fully exempt spot on the 2011 tour. He shot a 9-under 63 on Thursday.

"It feels good to finish something and get it done," Clearwater said. "It was difficult today playing in this wind and every shot was hard; maybe five to 10 shots harder than yesterday. It meant having to make good choices and make a lot of 3-, 4-, and 5-footers. It was a tough day, so I was very pleased to make the putts when I needed to and keep that distance I had most of the day. This allows me to make my schedule for next year and play every week, so I'm looking forward to that."

Minoza shot a 67, Blackmar had a 68, and Rinker closed with a 72.

John Morse earned the fifth and final fully exempt spot, beating Robert Thompson and Roger Chapman with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff. Morse missed a 4-foot par putt on the final hole of regulation to drop into a tie with Thompson and Chapman at 12 under.

Chapman, Thompson, Mark Mouland, Jim Rutledge, Steve Haskins, J.L. Lewis and Fred Holton earned conditionally exempt status. The rest of the top 30 finishers and ties will be eligible to compete for spots in open qualifiers at all co-sponsored events.

Mathis wins to earn PGA Tour cardConfidence continues to build for rookie Gavin

PGA Tour Confidential: Hong Kong Open

Every week of the 2010 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 and join the conversation in the comments section below.

POULTER'S PROSPECTS
Jim Gorant, senior editor, Sports Illustrated: Lot's o' stuff out there, but let's begin with the actual golf. Ian Poulter held on to win the Euro tour event in Hong Kong, tying a tour scoring record in the process. What do we make of Poulter? Is this who he is, a borderline top 10 guy with attention-getting pants, or does he have what it takes to do more?

Jim Herre, managing editor, SI Golf Group: Poulter has a ton of game but has been pretty much a no-show in the majors.

Rick Lipsey, writer-reporter, Sports Illustrated: Poulter is a cool dude with big game. I love him.

Michael Bamberger, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Poulter has a ton of game, and I'd be surprised if he went 0-for-life in the majors.

Damon Hack, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: If I can trot out an NFL saying, he is who we think he is: brash, talented, chatty, bratty and, at times, brilliant. I think he'll nab a major — and have a few more fashion faux pas — before his career is done.

Farrell Evans, writer-reporter, Sports Illustrated: Poulter is another very good player, but he's not yet a great player. A lot of good players win majors when Tiger and Phil don't bring their best games. So he has to take advantage when he gets into contention.

Gary Van Sickle, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Consistency apparently isn't Ian's strong suit. You never know when he'll decide to play well. For that reason, it's hard to pin down just how good he is. Certainly good enough to win a major, but that doesn't guarantee that he will.

David Dusek, deputy editor, Golf.com: I think he showed a lot at Royal Birkdale. All the attention was being paid to Greg Norman on Sunday, but Ian stormed back to finish solo second in 2008. Yes, that was two years ago, but in a new era of golf without a dominant player, I think Poulter's confidence will help him win a major someday.

Van Sickle: I'd agree with that. If you were forced to bet on whether Poulter will win a major, you'd definitely put your money on Yes He Will.

Jeff Ritter, senior producer, Golf.com: Had to look it up, and I was surprised Poulter is already 34. It's possible he hits his prime over next few years and maybe snags a major. Hard to imagine he'll ever climb to No. 1, as he brashly predicted a couple of years ago.

Van Sickle: I don't know, it's suddenly not so hard to get to No. 1. At least, not as hard as it used to be. Another thing about Poulter: Give him credit for his crazy fashion stuff because the Tour needs guys like that, Payne Stewart types who have personality and like to show it off. Even if Poulter never wins a major, his colorful aura is good for the game. He's entertaining.

Dusek: He's also got a good sense for business. The clothing he wears is made by his own brand, Ian Poulter Design. He's never going to make Tiger/Phil-level endorsements, but Ian's accountant has been busy this year.

MCDOWELL STUMBLES
Gorant: For the second week in a row, Graeme McDowell started the final round with a chance to win. In Hong Kong he shot himself in the foot with a two-over on the front nine. Should we begin to wonder if G-Mack has peaked?

Dusek: No. McDowell is coming to the end of a long, emotional breakout season. Multiple victories, a major win, a Ryder Cup — he's done it all this season. If he starts to run out of gas down the stretch, in late November, I don't think it's anything to worry about. He's now one of golf's elite players.

Hack: I agree with Dusek. Graeme is probably more worn out than anything. Kudos to him for scrapping this late into November.

Van Sickle: I don't think G-Mac was scrapping into November. I think the term is cashing in.

Bamberger: G-Mack's year was the U.S. Open and the Ryder Cup. So now we know he's not Tiger, somebody who always has his cleated foot on somebody's neck, ready to close the deal. I wouldn't read anything into what he does (or has done) since Wales.

Herre: I think he's coming into his prime. The numbers show that his stroke average has been trending down for the past several years and hit an all-time low this season. He'll be one of many Euros to watch in 2011.

Van Sickle: The guy has been a birdie machine ever since his days at Alabama-Birmingham. He's seemed like a can't-miss player for a long time, and now he has arrived.

Dusek: I don't see any reason why McDowell can't achieve everything someone like Padraig Harrington, another relatively late bloomer from Europe, has achieved.

KC's Espinoza reflects on his World Cup experiencePGA Tour Confidential: Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

Poulter takes 2-stroke lead in Hong Kong Open

HONG KONG (AP) — Ian Poulter shot a 6-under 64 Saturday for a two-stroke lead through three rounds at the Hong Kong Open.

The Englishman followed up his second-round 60 by sinking birdies on the final two holes, pulling clear of U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell (63). Simon Dyson of England shot a 65 to trail by three strokes.

Poulter holed out from 20 feet for a birdie on 18 to a huge cheer from the crowd.

"With Graeme pressing and Simon pressing, you know, I wanted to make sure that I went into tomorrow with a little lead, so it was huge," Poulter said of his strong finish.

Poulter started with a birdie on the second and then eagled the 551-yard, par-5 third in his third straight round without a bogey.

McDowell shot the best round of the day. The Northern Irishman had an eagle on the 10th, driving the green on a hole that was shortened to 287 yards before making a long putt.

That began an impressive back nine that brought consecutive birdies at 13th, 14th and 15th.

Rory McIlroy (66)- runner-up in 2008 and 2009 - is four shots behind the leader along with American Anthony Kang (67).

Harrington ends drought, wins Iskandar Johor OpenGoats earn historic win in Houston

Bettencourt leads Pebble Beach Invitational

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — PGA Tour winner Matt Bettencourt shot an 8-under 64 at Del Monte on Thursday to take a two-stroke lead in the Pebble Beach Invitational, while Annika Sorenstam opened with a 69 at Del Monte in a rare competitive start since her retirement in 2008.

Bettencourt, the Reno-Tahoe Open winner in July who finished 114th on the 2010 money list, had two eagles, five birdies and a bogey in the Callaway Golf-sponsored tournament that features 76 male and female players.

"I started slow, but hit a great shot on No. 9 from about 250 yards to 12 feet and got the eagle," said Bettencourt, who tied for fourth in the tournament last year. "I didn't know I was in the lead, but I knew 64 or 65 was out here. Del Monte on a day like today is a pretty benign course."

Bettencourt birdied three of the final four holes, but missed a 15-inch birdie putt on the 14th.

"I was good round, although I left some putts out there," he said.

LPGA Tour player Morgan Pressel, PGA Tour veteran Bryce Molder and New York club pro Heath Wassen opened with 66s, also at Del Monte.

Five players, including Champions Tour player Tom Purtzer, shot 67s.

Ten of the top 11 opening-round scores were posted at Del Monte, which is used in rotation with Spyglass Hill and Pebble Beach for the first three rounds. The final round will be played at Pebble Beach.

Defending champion Mark Brooks, the only three-time Pebble Beach Invitational winner, had a 77 at Del Monte. Juli Inkster, who in 1990 become only female player to win the event, shot a 2-under 70 at Pebble Beach.

The winner will receive $60,000 from the $300,000 purse.

Sorenstam makes rare appearance at Pebble BeachConfidence continues to build for rookie Gavin

Nine candidates keen to host 2015 Solheim Cup

DENHAM, England (AP) — The Ladies European Tour says nine candidates have declared an interest in hosting the Solheim Cup between Europe and the United States in 2015.

Six of the nine have made their bids public while the other three wish to remain anonymous after the deadline for applications passed Oct. 29.

Germany has bidders in Hamburg and Berlin while Spain has candidates in La Manga and an unspecified course on the Costa del Sol. The Prosper Golf Resort in Celadna, Czech Republic, and the Forest Pines Resort in Lincolnshire, England, also intend to bid.

The Tour will announce the winning bid in 2011.

The next edition of the biennial match will be in County Meath, Ireland, next year.

Report: GM negotiating to sponsor world eventGalaxy ready to head home after “tough week”

Woods rebuilding his image as crash anniversary nears

(AP) — Tiger Woods in on Twitter, and that's not all.

Newsweek posted an op-ed piece by Woods on Wednesday titled, "How I've Redefined Victory." He is scheduled to be a guest for two segments Thursday on ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike in the Morning."

As he approaches the one-year anniversary of a Thanksgiving night car accident that wrecked his image, these are some of the signs that Woods is entering a rebuilding stage.

"It's a positive step for him," said Mark Steinberg, his agent at IMG. "He's making the effort to do some things different."

Woods has had a Twitter account since June 2009 - his sign name, "Tiger Woods" was secured about a year before that - but the only tweets were to announce his Twitter page, Facebook page and a redesign of his website.

Then came a tweet at 11:08 a.m. Wednesday: "What's up everyone. Finally decided to try out twitter!"

Woods had just over 90,000 followers until that tweet. Within three hours, he had added over 40,000 more followers, adding them by the thousands each hour. A person confirmed that he was typing the tweet himself, and Woods added this: "Yep, it's me. I think I like this twitter thing. You guys are awesome. Thanks for all the love."

"Tiger wants to do some things a little differently moving forward," Steinberg said. "He wants to be a little more connected to the fans, and this is just one new addition."

Woods is identified at the bottom of the Newsweek op-ed piece as "founder of the Tiger Woods Foundation, which has helped educate more than 10 million kids."

He writes about how much is life was out of balance and his priorities were out of order a year ago, when he was caught in numerous extramarital affairs that cost him three major endorsements and eventually led to his divorce from Elin Nordegren.

"At first, I didn't want to look inward," Woods wrote. "Frankly, I was scared of what I would find - what I had become. But I'm grateful that I did examine my life because it has made me more grounded than I've ever been; I hope that with reflection will come wisdom."

Woods said he spends some evenings alone with his two children, and it's helping him appreciate what he had overlooked.

"Giving my son, Charlie, a bath, for example, beats chipping another bucket of balls. Making mac and cheese for him and his sister, Sam, is better than dining in any restaurant," he wrote.

He ends the op-ed piece by writing, "I'm not the same man I was a year go. And that's a good thing."

Steinberg said it has not been decided if Woods will make an appearance on television during the next few weeks.

Woods, who lost his No. 1 ranking two weeks ago to Lee Westwood, recently returned from two weeks of tournaments in Asia and Australia, where he posted consecutive top 10s for the first time this season, but didn't come close to winning either one. By failing to defend his title in the Australian Masters, it marked the first time in his career he went a calendar year without a win.

He next plays the week after Thanksgiving at his Chevron World Challenge, his final tournament of 2010.

Galaxy ready to head home after “tough week”Woods not surprised by drop in ranking

Sorenstam makes rare appearance at Pebble Beach

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIF. (AP) — Annika Sorenstam will make a rare pro tournament appearance Thursday when she participates in the Pebble Beach Invitational.

The annual event held at Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill Golf Course and Del Monte Golf Course, is the only head-to-head, 72-hole competition among the men and women who compete on the four major professional tours.

Sorenstam retired from the LPGA Tour following the 2008 season, and she hasn't won since the Suzhou Taihu Ladies Open on the Asian Pro Tour on Nov. 2, 2008. Six months earlier, Sorenstam won the last of her 72 LPGA titles at the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill in Virginia.

Since her retirement, Sorenstam has played sporadically in invitational and charity tournaments. She finished tied for 12th on Oct. 12 in the Mission Hills Star Trophy in China.

Defending champion Mark Brooks, a seven-time PGA Tour winner, and about a dozen players among the top 125 on the tour's money list are entered in the $300,000 tournament.

Ryan Palmer, who last week in Florida completed his most successful PGA Tour season with a 19th-place finish at the Children's Miracle Network Classic, is the top player on the money list in the field. Palmer had five top-10 finishes, including his title at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January, and was 17th in earnings with $2,985,296.

Brooks, whose last PGA Tour win was the 1996 PGA Championship, birdied the final three holes last year en route to a 3-under 69 and a two-stroke win over D.A. Points and Rickie Fowler.

Brooks, who will be eligible for the Champions Tour next March, also won the event 1993 and 2002. He also finished second in 1990 to Juli Inkster, the only woman to win the tournament.

Matt Bettencourt, Bill Lunde, Derek Lamely and Cameron Beckman, who all won PGA Tour events this season, are also in the field.

In addition to Sorenstam and Inskter, seven players among this season's top 30 on the LPGA money list are in the tournament. Morgan Pressel at No. 13 leads the field.

Tommy Armour III, who won the event in 2008 and 2009 while a member of the PGA Tour, is among eight Champions Tour entrants. Former U.S. Open winner Scott Simpson is also among the eight Champions Tour entrants.

Jamie Lovemark, the top money earner on this season's Nationwide Tour, will be among 17 Nationwide Tour entrants.

The low 40 professional scores and ties will advance after the 54-hole cut for the final round Sunday at Pebble Beach.

Goats earn historic win in HoustonMathis wins to earn PGA Tour card

Barron, Tryon among big names at Q-School seeking another PGA Tour shot

Joseph Bramlett is a 22-year-old former star at Stanford who qualified for the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and got a sponsor's exemption into last month's Frys.com Open.

Mac O'Grady is a 59-year-old free thinker with an enviable swing whose best golf would seem to be behind him.

They are both in Monterey, Calif., at the Bayonet and Black Horse courses, for the second stage of PGA Tour Qualifying School, a stress-fest that attracts hopeless romantics, the briefly famous, PGA Tour winners, can't-miss kids that missed, and others.

The 72-hole event began at Houston's Redstone Golf Club on Tuesday, and at five other sites across the country Wednesday.

The major tours are mostly dark this week, with Europe as the lone exception.

Rory McIlroy, sporting a new, blond hairdo, is at the UBS Hong Kong Open, where he's finished second two years in a row.

Others in the field for Europe's penultimate event include Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell, Y.E. Yang and John Daly.

Stateside, the PGA Tour ended at Disney World last Sunday, but this week nevertheless promises four of the most significant and compelling days in golf, as long as you know where to look.

Stage two is full of college hot shots like Bramlett, but more compelling are the guys who peaked not so long ago (2004 British Open winner Todd Hamilton, who's at TPC Craig Ranch, in McKinney, Texas), the human-interest stories (two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton at Hombre Golf Club in Panama City, Fla.), and the five-minute phenoms (Ty Tryon, Southern Hills Plantation Club, Brooksville, Fla.; David Gossett, Redstone).

James Driscoll, who lost a one-hole playoff to Zach Johnson at the 2009 Valero Texas Open, was the early leader at Redstone after shooting a first-round 66 on Tuesday. Gossett shot 73, while Doug Barron shot 74.

Click here to follow the latest scores from Q-School.

The PGA Tour suspended Barron, 41, for testing positive for a beta-blocker and testosterone last year, but with his suspension over and with a newly won Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) from the Tour, the Memphis golfer said he felt great Tuesday.

After briefly flashing across your TV screen only to quickly disappear again, he and Driscoll are trying to elbow their way back onto the main stage, but they're just two of many such players.

Like Bramlett and Compton, Tryon qualified for the U.S. Open at Pebble last summer, but unlike them he made the cut. It provided just a glimmer of hope, but really, that's all it takes.

Greg Owen took a two-shot lead into the 17th hole at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in 2006, only to three-putt from three feet and fall into a tie with Rod Pampling, who won the tournament when Owen lipped out his 13-foot par putt on 18.

He's been trying to give himself another chance ever since.

Owen dropped out of the top 125 in '07 but made hay on the Nationwide in '08, playing his way back onto the PGA Tour for '09. He earned a respectable $764,000 that year, only to struggle again this season: 10 made cuts, 183rd in money ($269,000).

Money takes on a different meaning at Q-School.

It costs players $2,500 to enter pre-qualifying, and if they get through that, $4,500 to enter stage one of actual Q-School. The second stage costs $4,000, the third $3,500.

Today, Owen is at Hombre, which will split the field onto two courses called the Bad and the Ugly. For the feared, loathed second stage of Q-School, that sounds about right.

Of the 448 players who got this far, only about 156 plus ties will make the third and final stage — bleak odds, but not terrible.

What's terrible is that there is no safety net this week, making the second stage like the grim salesmanship competition in Glengarry Glen Ross, which compels viewers to feel for old Shelley Levene (Jack Lemmon) because, well, third place, you're fired.

Tadd Fujikawa, onetime darling of the Sony Open in Hawaii, who won an eGolf Tour event in August, is at the Bayonet and Black Horse courses. So is Brett Quigley, who has won $10.5 million in 14 seasons on the PGA Tour.

A couple of years ago Geoff Ogilvy was asked if there were any more great Australian golfers we should be keeping an eye on.

"Andrew Buckle," Ogilvy said.

Buckle is at Bear Creek Golf Club in Murrieta, Calif., for stage two this week. (We're still keeping an eye on him.) So is Bob May, who famously lost a playoff to Tiger Woods at the 2000 PGA Championship.

Then there are the guys you've never heard of but whom you cheer for anyway, like Zane Scotland, who sounds like he should be a Glaswegian children's entertainer but is at Hombre this week.

Golf Channel will televise the third and final stage at Orange County National in Orlando, Dec. 1-6. The top 25 plus ties will get their Tour cards. The rest go to the Nationwide in 2011.

The six-round third stage is the only one that's televised, but it can be hard to watch. Jaxon Brigman shot the qualifying score on the number at Doral in 1999 only to inadvertently sign for one shot worse and miss his Tour card.

Alas, we are a nation of second chances. Brigman, 39, is at TPC Craig Ranch this week, still trying. Unless you prematurely donated your heart to science, you kind of hope he gets through.

Gore holds on to win Nationwide Tour eventGoats earn historic win in Houston

Golfer blinded by bad shot sues pal for no 'Fore!'

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Two doctors are playing golf on Long Island. One hits such a poor shot from the rough that it hits his partner, standing somewhere off to the side, in the head. Whose fault is that?

New York's top court will hear arguments Tuesday about whether Dr. Anoop Kapoor was negligent and should have yelled, "Fore!" as a warning before the shot. A judge dismissed Dr. Azad Anand's lawsuit, finding he took on the primary risk by golfing.

A midlevel court, divided 3-1, agreed, concluding Anand was "not in the foreseeable danger zone" and his friend had no duty to yell the customary warning. Anand was blinded in one eye.

The Appellate Division majority also questioned whether even a negligent failure to warn another golfer before taking a swing is inconsistent with the doctrine that anyone stepping onto the course assumes the risk of getting hit.

A dissenting justice said there's a factual question under existing case law about whether Kapoor violated the sport's rule, "unreasonably increased" his partner's risk and caused the accident.

The Court of Appeals is expected to rule next month after hearing oral arguments Tuesday.

The men, frequent golf partners, were playing in October 2002 at the Dix Hills Park Golf Course with another friend, Balram Verma. After hitting a second shot on the first hole, each set off to find his ball.

Anand testified that he was hit as soon as he found his ball and turned around, about 15 to 20 feet away from Kapoor.

Verma testified that Anand was 15 to 20 feet away from Kapoor and about 50 degrees away from the intended line of flight for Kapoor's shot.

Kapoor testified that Anand was farther away and at an angle of 60 to 80 degrees. He said he shouted a warning when he realized the ball was headed toward Anand. Neither friend said he heard a warning.

According to the British Golf Museum, the term "fore" may have come from forecaddie, meaning someone employed to go ahead of players to see where their balls landIn his 1881 "The Golfer's Handbook," Robert Forgan wrote that a golfer shouts the word "to give the alarm to anyone in his way."

McDowell falls into tie with Maybin at ValderramaConfidence continues to build for rookie Gavin

After tumultuous season, Woods still stuck on 82 wins

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The trophy case for Tiger Woods is collecting dust.

He finally gave the big crowds at Victoria Golf Club something to cheer in the final hour of the Australian Masters by making two eagles in a four-hole stretch and closing with a 6-under 65 to get his name on the leaderboard for the first time all weekend.

At one point he was two shots behind, but Woods knew better. There was no point in sticking around. This tournament was going to be like so many others in a season that can't end soon enough. He stuffed his golf clubs into the trunk of a black sedan waiting to take him to the airport so he could head home.

For the first time in his career, Woods is no longer the defending champion of anything, anywhere in the world.

"I tried all week," he said. "Unfortunately, I didn't do it. I didn't play good enough. Didn't make enough putts. That's what happens."

When he won the Australian Masters a year ago at Kingston Heath, it was his 82nd victory around the world.

That remains his last.

Twelve days later, Woods ran his SUV over a fire hydrant and into a tree, and it wasn't long before allegations of infidelity came gushing out. What followed was a year not many could have expected. He sat out for nearly five months, including two months in a rehabilitation clinic. He changed swing coaches. His wife divorced him.

And he didn't win a single tournament - not even close.

Stuart Appleby made it official an hour later when he birdied the last two holes for his own 65, which turned into a one-shot victory when Adam Bland missed a 10-foot eagle putt on the last hole that would have forced a playoff.

Woods finished alone in fourth, recording consecutive top 10s for the first time all year. He finished three shots behind, the closest he has been to a winner since he was three back of Graeme McDowell at the U.S. Open.

Perhaps it was only fitting that Appleby posed with the crystal trophy before thousands who stuck around for the ceremony.

Tournament organizers, determined to raise the profile of the Australian Masters by bringing it world renowned players, signed up Sergio Garcia in the spring and added Camilo Villegas, Kapalua winner Geoff Ogilvy and Robert Allenby, the highest-ranked Australian. Woods also returned to defend his title.

Their faces were on the promotional posters around Melbourne. They were the guests at the gala dinner. Appleby wasn't even invited to take part in a press conference before the tournament, even though he got his name in the PGA Tour record book this year by becoming only the second player to close with a 59, at The Greenbrier Classic.

"I noticed it, but it was not even close to annoying me," Appleby said Sunday after closing with a 6-under 65 for a one-shot victory. "I have an ego, no doubt about it. But it wasn't like, 'Oh, they haven't got me up there?' It's the Tiger Woods show, and the others. You know what? It didn't play out that way."

Woods still has one tournament left in 2010. After two weeks at home - including Thanksgiving, the day his troubles began - he hosts the Chevron World Challenge with a world-class field of 18 players. Woods has not lost at Sherwood since 2005.

He feels his game is coming around under Sean Foley, although he only sees patches of it for now, such as the final six holes he played at Victoria, or the end of his Ryder Cup singles match when he played the final seven holes in 7-under par.

"It's coming in streaks," Woods said. "I played like this in the Ryder Cup, got into a streak there, went pretty low for 15 holes. This is very similar to that. I just need to get it for all 18 holes, and eventually, for all 72. The streaks are longer now."

How much longer will it take? Woods laughed.

"Hopefully, in two weeks at Chevron," he said.

The culprit at the Australian Masters, as has been the case for so much of the year, was his putting. On greens that were slower than he realized - even tougher with weekend rain and cloud cover - Woods finally switched putters.

He ditched his trusted Scotty Cameron for a Nike Method, a heel-shafted putter that he practices with at home. It helps him get a little more pace on the ball, which is why he switched to a similar Nike putter for three rounds at the British Open.

Both times, the result was not inspiring.

Woods missed two par putts inside 4 feet on the front nine Sunday, falling as many as 12 shots behind. The finish he put together only looked good for the final score.

"I struggled this week with the speed of the greens," he said.

Appleby had no such trouble, especially at the end. He rallied from a seven-shot deficit in the final round, stayed in the game by making a 30-foot par putt on the 16th, pulled ahead with a 25-foot birdie on the 17th and two-putted for birdie on the final hole.

It was a big win for Appleby, every bit as important as The Greenbrier, for different reasons. It had been nine years since he last won on Australian soil, and his victory Sunday gave him a sweep of the biggest tournaments Down Under. He already had won the Australian PGA Championship and the Australian Open.

And there's nothing better than winning at home.

"We play around the world for big money and big tournaments and big fancy ratings and everything like that," he said. "But you come home to Australia, and it's real. That's probably hurt me too many times, really wanting to win."

Right now, Woods would take a win just about anywhere.

Appleby ends drought in Australia; Tiger closes strongRBNY fans don't need a trophy to define D.C. rivalry

Appleby ends drought in Australia; Tiger closes strong

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Stuart Appleby received hardly any fanfare at the Australian Masters until he slipped on the gold jacket that a year ago belonged to Tiger Woods.

He wasn't among the five faces on promotional posters around Melbourne, nor was he invited to the gala dinner. And even though none of the others had more wins this year - and none had ever shot a 59 to win a PGA Tour event - that was fine with him.

"I noticed it, but it was not even close to annoying me," Appleby said Sunday after closing with a 6-under 65 for a one-shot victory. "I have an ego, no doubt about it. But it wasn't like, 'Oh, they haven't got me up there?' It's the Tiger Woods show, and the others. You know what? It didn't play out that way."

The only entertainment value from Woods came in his final hour, when he made two eagles over the final four holes and shot 65 to match his best score of the year. He still ended a full year without winning, as he finished in fourth place as the defending champion.

"I didn't play good enough," Woods said. "I didn't make enough putts. That's what happens."

Appleby was as golden as the winner's jacket he wore.

He rallied from a seven-shot deficit in the final round, stayed in the game by making a 30-foot par putt on the 16th, pulled ahead with a 25-foot birdie on the 17th and two-putted for birdie on the final hole.

Adam Bland, who had a three-shot lead going into the final round, was the last one with a chance to catch him. Bland hit 6-iron to 10 feet on the par-5 18th, but missed the eagle putt that would have forced a playoff.

Appleby already had reason to celebrate this year, winning The Greenbrier Classic with a 59 on the last day. This might have been even sweeter. It has been nine years since he won on home soil, dating to the 2001 Australian Open.

It wasn't from a lack of effort, or attention.

"We play around the world for big money and big tournaments and big fancy ratings and everything like that," he said. "But you come home to Australia, and it's real. That's probably hurt me too many times, really wanting to win."

Not many would have given him much of a chance going into the final round seven shots behind. With four birdies on the front nine, he got back into the game, then holed the two long putts to finally win the third leg of the Australian Slam. He previously won the Australian PGA and the Australian Open.

Appleby finished at 10-under 274 and won for the 12th time worldwide.

About his only mistake was nearly missing the trophy presentation. Coming out of the bathroom, he saw what looked to be the closing ceremony on a big video screen, then heard his name announced as the winner and sprinted under the grandstands and onto the 18th green. Another big gallery - the Sunday attendance approached 18,000 - stuck around to watch him.

Appleby thanked them, realizing that they weren't all there to watch him.

Woods was not quite the same character they saw a year ago at Kingston Heath, when record crowds topped 100,000 for the four rounds and the world's No. 1 player - at the time, anyway - delivered a memorable performance with a wire-to-wire win.

That was his 82nd victory around the world. It remains his last.

Twelve days later, Woods was in a car accident outside his Florida home and soon after came revelations of extramarital affairs. He sat out for nearly months, struggled through the year with his game, was divorced from his wife and is still piecing his game together with a brand new swing.

It remains a work in progress. He didn't show up on the leaderboard at Victoria Golf Club until the final hour.

The culprit all week was putting, and Woods replaced his reliable Scotty Cameron putter with a Nike Method version, which he uses at home in practice. It was the second time this year he swapped out putters, also doing it for three rounds at the British Open. Both times, he attributed the switch to slow greens. It wasn't terribly effective either time.

Woods missed two par putts inside 4 feet on the front nine and fell as many as 12 shots behind. He played the final six holes in 6 under, highlighted by the eagle putts on the par-4 15th and a 15-footer on the par-5 18th that brought the only fist pump of the week.

"It would have been nice if I had gotten off to that start," Woods said.

He finished three shots back at 7-under 277, the closest he has been to the winner all year. He also was three behind Graeme McDowell at Pebble Beach in the U.S. Open.

Woods now gets two weeks at home - including Thanksgiving, where his troubles all began - before finishing out the year in California for his Chevron World Challenge.

"I can do this in streaks," he said of his final six holes, and referring to his Ryder Cup singles match when he played the last seven holes in 7 under par. "Unfortunately, I haven't done this for an entire round. It takes time. The streaks are now lasting longer. I still need to do it for an entire round. Obviously, I didn't do it for 72 holes."

Appleby finished his amazing day by signing dozens of flags, along with a couple of posters that featured Woods, Geoff Ogilvy, Robert Allenby, Sergio Garcia and Camilo Villegas.

"They could have put, 'Mr. 59' in capital letters down the bottom," Appleby joked. "I don't need a picture."

Tiger makes up no ground in the rainGalaxy ready to head home after “tough week”

Lee Westwood remains at top of world rankings

LONDON (AP) — Lee Westwood has kept his place at the top of the world golf rankings for the third straight week despite not playing last week.

Former No. 1 Tiger Woods remained second after finishing fourth at the Australian Masters on Sunday.

The only change in the top 10 was Graeme McDowell's move to ninth from 10th, jumping ahead of Rory McIlroy.

Adam Scott moved from 41st to 20th after winning the Singapore Open on Monday.

Mickelson, Westwood paired at HSBC ChampionsGalaxy ready to head home after “tough week”

Ishikawa wins Taiheiyo Masters for third title

GOTEMBA, Japan (AP) — Japanese teenager Ryo Ishikawa won the Taiheiyo Masters on Sunday, shooting a 5-under 67 to hold off Australian Brendan Jones for his third title of the year on the Japanese tour.

The 19-year-old Ishikawa had seven birdies and two bogeys at the Taiheiyo Club's Gotemba Course to finish at 14-under 274.

Jones, who won this event in 2007, also closed with a 67, pulling within a stroke of Ishikawa when he made a 30-foot eagle putt on the par-5 18th. Ishikawa responded with a birdie on the last hole to secure the win.

Dynamo turn a corner in tie vs. CrewManassero seeks visa for HSBC Champions in China

Garrigus wins at Disney to keep PGA Tour card

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Robert Garrigus shot an 8-under 64 to win the Children's Miracle Network Classic on Sunday, allowing him to keep his PGA Tour card and atoning for his colossal collapse earlier this year at Memphis.

Garrigus finished three shots clear of Roland Thatcher for his first tour victory.

"It's an unbelievable feeling," he said simply.

Garrigus began the week 122nd in earnings and needed a solid finish to stay inside the top 125 - the cutoff for full PGA Tour status. Thatcher shot a final-round 70 and jumped from 179th to 122nd to keep his playing privileges, blowing a four-stroke lead but keeping his job.

The victory was sweet redemption for Garrigus.

He made triple-bogey with a three-shot lead on the final hole at Memphis, allowing Lee Westwood to win his only event this year - a win that allowed him to earn the No. 1 ranking.

The anxiety was on dozens of others to keep their cards, but no more than at the top.

Garrigus began the final round five strokes behind Thatcher - who led everyone by at least four - and put pressure on a player who needed an even stronger finish. Thatcher had to have at least a solo second place or he was heading to qualifying school next week.

That won't be necessary for either of them now.

Thatcher imploded with three bogeys on the back nine, including back-to-back at 16 and 17, when he badly misread putts. But he saved his card with a pressure-packed par putt from 5-feet on No. 18, barely pumping his fist while taking a huge sigh in relief.

"You'll never see a happier guy who just vomited away a tournament," Thatcher said.

Garrigus can relate.

In Memphis earlier this year, he knocked his tee shot into the woods, then hit one off a tree and eventually settled for triple-bogey. Then he bogeyed the first playoff hole.

It was a similar scenario this time around.

Garrigus had a two-stroke lead before he teed off on 18, but the shot found a patch of rough far left. Fortunately, the ball kicked back right, rolled onto the fringe and eventually had an easier approach to save par.

Thatcher joined Mark Wilson (123) and Michael Connell (115) as the only players this week to jump inside the top 125 after starting the week outside of it.

Meanwhile, Troy Merritt defeated Rickie Fowler and Aaron Baddeley in a playoff to win the $1 million Kodak Challenge.

Roland Thatcher eyeing fairy-tale ending at DisneyConfidence continues to build for rookie Gavin

Roland Thatcher eyeing fairy-tale ending at Disney

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Roland Thatcher was at home a year ago after missing the cut at Disney, stressfully updating the live money list on his computer to see if he would finish high enough to keep his PGA Tour card.

Things will be up to him Sunday.

Thatcher is on his way to an improbable bid to keep his card, shooting a 2-under 70 on Saturday in the Children's Miracle Network Classic to take a four-stroke lead over Chris Stroud into the final round. Five others are within five strokes of Thatcher.

"In a way, I'm in a much better situation this year because I control my own destiny, and that's a quality thing," Thatcher said. "And I have a chance to win a tournament, which is huge."

No pressure or anything: Thatcher will only be playing for his job.

He needs a victory or solo second-place finish to vault into the top 125 - the cutoff for full status - to retain his card. Nos. 126-150 will get partial status.

Quite a different scenario than last year.

Thatcher began a year ago at Disney at 119th in earnings. He missed the cut and couldn't stop watching the tour's website at home, with his name bouncing in and out of the top 125 several times during the live projections.

An anxiety-filled day, for sure.

"My wife left the house. She actually called my best friend at the time to come over and basically baby-sit me," said Thatcher, who eventually finished 121st to keep his card. "She couldn't deal with it anymore. I didn't blame her either. That was probably not the best way to handle it."

Only a disastrous finish kept him from being able to relax more this Sunday.

Thatcher had a six-shot lead when hit his approach on the 17th hole way right of the green, the ball landed just short of the water and was stuck in the mud. His right foot almost knee-high in the water, Thatcher chipped out and the ball caromed off a camera tower. He two-putted for a double-bogey, then bogeyed No. 18 to finish at 18 under.

"It's nice to be closer than I was," said Stroud, who also shot a 70. "I was trying to not pay too much attention to it, but he was running away with the tournament."

Thatcher isn't the only one fighting for a tour card.

Three others who began barely inside the top 125 - Joe Durant (120), Woody Austin (123) and Michael Allen (124) - missed the cut. Durant should be safe, but Austin and Allen are projected to fall out.

It will be an anxiety-filled day for a handful of others still playing Sunday. The projected money list can fluctuate by the second, and there are countless scenarios for some to keep their cards.

"Third or better by myself, obviously in any of those orders, and that'll get me to next year," said Brett Wetterich, who shot a 68 and was tied for third - five strokes back. Wetterich began the week 159th on the money list but also has a medical exemption that could get him into the first tournament next year and give another chance to earn enough.

For everyone in the field, Thatcher's history should at least provide some comfort.

He only needed to make par on the final hole in the final round of qualifying school in 2001 in West Palm Beach. Instead, his approach shot bounced off the cart path and onto the clubhouse roof and missed out.

Even in the big leagues, Thatcher has often been disappointing.

He has missed far more cuts (64) than he's made (45) on the PGA Tour. Thatcher's only top-10 finish this year came in New Orleans, and he would have needed an outright win this week to retain his card if it wasn't for that.

Thatcher was such a long shot at Disney he already signed up for the second stage of qualifying school near Houston next week. All Disney was supposed to provide was some momentum.

Now it might deliver a tour card.

"At least this week, regardless of what happens Sunday, I'm in charge of it," Thrasher said. "I don't need to be sitting there. It's a very uncomfortable situation to be really rooting against your friends is what it really comes down to. As crass as that sounds, that's what I was doing last year.

"And this year all I need to be doing is rooting for me."

Stroud edges Fowler, others for lead at DisneyDynamo turn a corner in tie vs. Crew

Tiger makes up no ground in the rain

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Whatever hopes Tiger Woods had of getting back into the mix at the Australian Masters ended quickly.

His 5-foot birdie putt on the easy opening hole didn't even touch the edge of the cup. Then came a three-putt from some 60 feet on the second hole, with his 4-foot par attempt missing to the right.

It was like that all day, as it has been all week.

"If I had putted normally, that's a couple of shots each day and I'm right there in the tournament," Woods said.

He hasn't. And he's not.

Adam Bland, who was 75th on the Nationwide Tour money list and his headed to the second stage of PGA Tour qualifying school next week in California, kept a smile on his face in miserable weather and shot a 1-under 70 to build a three-shot lead going into the final round.

Woods shot an even-par 71 and was 10 shots behind, leaving him resigned to going an entire year without a victory.

It was at Kingston Heath a year ago that Woods was atop the leaderboard from the opening round until he slipped on the gold jacket, winning the Australian Masters for the 82nd victory of his career.

He's still waiting on the next one, barring the largest comeback of his career.

"Unfortunately, I'm so far back that I've got to play a great round, and then I need help," Woods said. "The only thing I can control is hopefully to go out there and put a low one on the board."

All the low scores belonged to everyone else on a rainy day at Victoria Golf Club.

Ryan Haller had a 5-under 66 on a day so rugged that the average score was nearly 3 shots over par. Kieran Pratt, a 22-year-old Australian who only turned pro eight days earlier, got the shock of his life when he wound up in the same group with Woods. The kid was one shot better than the No. 2 player in the world.

"I saw him walking to the range on day one, and it's just unreal seeing him," Pratt said. "To play with him was really cool."

And posting a better score?

"Icing on the cake," Pratt said.

Bland briefly slipped into a share of the lead with Andre Stolz after a bogey on the tough eighth hole, but a birdie on the par-5 ninth allowed him to regain the outright lead. Over the final four holes, he had two looks at eagle - a driver on the par-4 15th and he reached the par-5 18th easily. Both times he settled for birdie, which was just fine.

"It was tough today - raining all day, and windy and pretty much miserable - but I just tried to stay happy and enjoy the day , and I did enjoy it," Bland said. "So it was good."

Bland was at 11-under 202 and will be in the last group on what is expected to be another soggy round with Daniel Gaunt, who shot a 68 and was at 8-under 205.

Stolz shot 72 and was another shot back.

Stuart Appleby was making a move until a double bogey on the par-5 17th forced him to settle for a 69, leaving him seven shots behind and perhaps in need of the kind of closing round he had at The Greenbrier this year, when he became only the second player in PGA Tour history to close with a 59.

Geoff Ogilvy, a member at Victoria as a teenager, shot 69 and was in the group at 211.

Woods was the only player to struggle. Sergio Garcia, who showed signs of turning the corner Friday with a 65, turned into a prophet. He cautioned people not to get overly excited about one good round, saying he could just as easily shoot 75 the next day. He shot a 77 and is no longer a factor.

Woods took himself out of the hunt earlier.

Along with missing two short putts to start his round, he was at least 60 feet short of the hole on four of the opening six holes, twice taking three-putt bogeys. He made another bogey on No. 8 with a bunker shot - well short of the flag again - that sailed over the back of the green and might have gone farther if not for hitting a pole holding the gallery ropes.

He countered with birdies on the ninth, then made all pars until a birdie on the par-5 18th.

"Again, I struggled with the pace of the greens," Woods said. "I left countless putts short, got off to a bad start the first couple of holes. Consequently, I didn't get anything going. I had a hard time making the adjustment."

Woods attributed his poor distance control to the weather - cool, at times windy and raining.

"The ball was flying nowhere," Woods said. "I just had to be committed to hitting the ball lower and harder. I hit a few good ones coming in, but not enough."

Someone asked Bland how he managed to stay so relaxed while being atop the leaderboard since Thursday. For him it was easy, considering he has been uptight the past three months as his hopes for a PGA Tour card slipped away.

"It was just beating my head against a brick wall," he said. "Hopefully, we can turn that around."

Woods shoots 72, drops 9 strokes back in AustraliaConfidence continues to build for rookie Gavin

Stroud edges Fowler, others for lead at Disney

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Chris Stroud is doing his best to make sure Rickie Fowler's memorable rookie season doesn't have a fairy-tale ending at Disney World.

Stroud shot a 10-under 62 in the opening round of the Children's Miracle Network Classic on Thursday, surging past Fowler by four strokes and taking the clubhouse lead after play was halted because of darkness. Roland Thatcher was three shots off the pace, and four others were tied with Fowler in third.

"No matter what golf course we play, no matter how hard they set it up, no matter how hard the conditions, somebody always shoots 62, 63 or 64," Stroud said. "It just happens to be me this week."

The late surge eclipsed an impressive day by Fowler.

The 21-year-old Fowler had eight birdies and two bogeys and showed no signs of jet lag after returning from the HSBC Champions in Shanghai. He led for most of the day until Stroud moved atop the leaderboard with 10 birdies before dusk. Fourteen players were still on the course when play was called.

Fowler has been bouncing around the globe with a busy schedule, from Wales to Las Vegas to Asia - among other stops - and then back to Florida on Monday. He was so tired in his only practice round that all he did was hit some range balls for about 30 minutes before heading back to bed.

As luck would have it, he got the day's first tee time at 6:45 a.m. Then had to wait when fog delayed it an hour.

"It's been more power naps at night. I don't think I've slept more than four hours straight," Fowler said. "When you're flying that much, it definitely feels like I hadn't touched the club for a week."

This is a familiar turf for Fowler.

Last year, he had just turned pro out of Oklahoma State and was only one shot off the lead after the first round at Disney. But he plummeted down the leaderboard through the weekend and was never in contention.

This year, Fowler has done everything but win.

He had second-place finishes at the Memorial and Phoenix, has $2.6 million in earnings, is well inside the top 50 in the world ranking, earned a spot on the Ryder Cup team and atoned for his surprising selection with an incredible birdie for an unlikely half-point.

All that's missing is a trophy.

"Definitely need to get that first win under the belt, get the monkey off my back and go from there," he said.

There was also another incentive for Fowler to come to Disney.

He is one shot behind Troy Merritt and Aaron Baddeley - who moved into a tie Thursday - for the Kodak Challenge. The contest designates a hole at 30 tournaments and keeps score throughout the year, and the lowest score for those who played at least 18 holes takes home the $1 million prize.

"I figure Rickie or Aaron are going to make birdie, and I'm sure Rickie's trying his hardest," Merritt said.

The battle at the bottom of the leaderboard for Tour cards is taking shape.

With Disney being the final tour stop of the season, it's the last chance for players to move up on the money list and secure their Tour cards for next year. Only the top 125 will have full status next year, but players who finish No. 126-150 on the money list will get conditional status that allows them to enter more than a dozen tournaments.

The scores can often fluctuate the first two days with players swapping between the Magnolia and Palm courses. Only the Magnolia Course is used on the weekend.

But Friday - cut day - is often where the biggest moves are made. All Stroud, who is 119th on the money list, will likely need to do is make the cut. And Thatcher, 179th on the money list, needs to finish alone in at least second place to move in the top 125.

After one round, that's exactly where he's at.

Goats earn historic win in HoustonTour cards up for grabs at PGA finale at Disney

Woods shoots 72, drops 9 strokes back in Australia

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Tiger Woods is in the same spot Down Under as he's been everywhere else in the world - trying to catch up to the leaders and on the verge of becoming an also-ran.

Right when it looked as though Woods was poised to give himself a chance at winning for the first time all year, he struggled in blustery conditions Friday at the Australian Masters and wound up with a 1-over 72.

That put him nine shots behind Adam Bland, who is leaving Sunday night for the second stage of Q-school on the PGA Tour. Bland played in the same side of the draw as Woods, in 20 mph wind that blew sand out of the bunkers, and finished strong for a 4-under 67.

Bland was at 10-under 132 and had a two-shot lead over Andre Stolz, who also had a 67. No one else was within three shots of them, while Sergio Garcia had the best round of the day - also in a strong wind - and his best score of the year with a 65 to get within six shots.

The Australian Masters is the final title defense of the year for Woods, and he hasn't come close in any of the others. His best finish in a title defense was a tie for 15th at the BMW Championship in Chicago.

Woods again played two perfect shots on the par-5 17th for a two-putt birdie, and again took himself out of an easy birdie with a poor tee shot on the par-5 18th. This one was on a dirt path, and Woods' attempt to hook it around a tea tree didn't work out. It sailed toward a corporate box, and he had to settle for par.

He was at 1-under 141 and tied for 16th with Camilo Villegas (70).

"It was frustrating, because I hit the ball well pretty much off the tee, and wasn't quite as sharp with the irons," Woods said.

Just like on Thursday, when he opened with a 69, Woods didn't make a putt longer than 8 feet. The problem Friday was that most of those putts were for par.

Bland, a left-hander from Australia, played the Nationwide Tour this year and didn't come close to finishing in the top 25 to earn his PGA Tour card. Instead, he leaves for California after the week for the second stage of Q-school, and the only reason he didn't go over early to inspect the courses was he thought he might find some confidence at Victoria.

So far, he has.

"I haven't been playing well, so I thought I would use this event to try and get a little bit of confidence, and hopefully build some game, something I can go over there with, that can get me through those two stages," Bland said.

Woods is looking for confidence, too, and not finding it.

This was the strongest wind he has faced since the Ryder Cup on Friday morning, and that lasted only an hour when the opening session was halted because of wet conditions.

Woods had a hard time trusting his new move under coach Sean Foley, trying instead to simply work the ball with the wind and get by. But he made careless bogeys, either though his iron play or short game, and kept falling further behind.

Asked about the progress with his swing change, Woods said, "It was tougher today."

"When the wind blows this hard, just like anybody I tend to revert back to some of the old stuff," he said. "I struggled with that today. I tried to be as committed as I possibly could. It was a little more difficult than I thought it should have been, but I got through it."

The rain began falling soon after Woods hooked his final tee shot, and more - much more - is expected.

The forecast was for heavy rain to start falling overnight and throughout much of the third round, this after Melbourne already has gone through an unusually wet time of the year.

That could soften Victoria, which has been playing so firm that players are aiming at spots on the greens, and sometimes the fairway, to try to get the ball close to the hole.

"It will be a lot more target golf," Bland said.

Stuart Appleby, not among the five players the Australian Masters promoted, had a 69 and was in the group at 2-under 140. Geoff Ogilvy, who has been home in Australia for the last six weeks and is not going back to America until he defends his title in Hawaii, birdied the last two holes for a 70 that brought him back to even par.

Saturday is shaping up as a big one for Woods. With only 15 players in front of him, he is still in the game. Even so, it continues a troubling pattern for a former No. 1 player in search of his first win in a year.

When he failed to birdie the 18th from about 15 feet above the hole - it stayed a foot left of the cup the whole way - it marked the seventh time in 14 tournaments this year that Woods went into the weekend at least nine shots behind.

The closest he has been to the lead through 36 holes was at the Masters - two shots - in his return to golf, which now seems like a lot longer than seven months ago.

Dynamo turn a corner in tie vs. CrewKaymer struggles, McDowell leads in Spain

Fowler, Kodak Challenge add intrigue to season finale in Orlando

Aaron Baddeley was set to play the JBWere Australian Masters this week, but he pulled out of the event so he could tee it up at the Children's Miracle Network Classic (a.k.a. Disney), the last official PGA Tour event of 2010.

Rickie Fowler is coming off starts in Malaysia and China but will also play the Disney — if he can just cope with the 11-hour time difference between Shanghai and Orlando.

They are in O-town not to chase the Snitch at Disney's new Harry Potter theme park but to track down Troy Merritt.

At 17 under par, Merritt, the skinny rookie from Boise State, leads Baddeley and Fowler by a shot in the $1 million, winner-take-all Kodak Challenge. The three would be tied if Merritt hadn't rolled in a critical, 16-foot eagle putt on the par-5 16th, the Kodak hole, on the last day of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Vegas two weeks ago.

"It was the only thing I asked for for my birthday, which was the following day," Merritt said. "And I got my birthday wish. Walking off the green I had the shakes so bad. Now I know what the shakes are."

This is only the second year for the Kodak Challenge, which highlights one hole per tournament for players to post their best single score during the event. Players must play at least 18 of the 30 holes throughout the year to be eligible for the cash, and the best 18 scores are used to determine the winner.

Having chatted about the Kodak with Baddeley and Fowler, and knowing their schedules, Merritt thought they might not bother showing up to the Disney. No such luck.Baddeley has not played the tournament since 2004, but he was drawn to Orlando not only to play for the Kodak lucre — "It is a big chunk of change," he said — but also to try to move from 110th on the money list into the top 70.

That would get him into most top-tier tournaments in 2011. He figures he needs a top-three finish.

Merritt added the RBC Canadian Open and Turning Stone Championship to his schedule last summer when he realized he was in good shape to win the $1 million bonus.He birdied the Kodak hole in both events, chipping in on the final day at Turning Stone.

The Disney's Kodak hole will be the par-4 17th at the Walt Disney World Magnolia Course — players will also use the shorter Palm Course — which can play as either a brutally long, 485-yard par-4 with water, or a 295-yard cupcake.

"There's a rumor that they're going to move the tee up to the ladies tee to make it drivable," said Kevin Streelman, who won the inaugural Kodak last year but is off this week.

"I don't think they're going to do that," Merritt said. "That would take away the integrity of the golf hole. If it were up to me, we would be playing from the middle of the 16th fairway at about 550 yards, par 4."

Streelman birdied the Disney's 17th hole to win last year, from a tee that made the hole play just 395 yards — a driver and a flip wedge as opposed to a driver and a 3- or 4-iron. He and his wife, Courtney, used the $1 million bonus to pay off their house in Scottsdale, Ariz. They helped out their families and gave some of it to charity.

"A huge blessing and a huge bonus," Streelman said.

The former Duke golfer has the Tiffany-made trophy on display at home, and when he turned 32 last week and had friends over for a birthday party, it caught the attention of Baddeley and Bubba Watson, who decided to play a prank.

They snapped a photo of Baddeley holding the cup as if he'd already won it, and sent it into the world via Twitter.

"Sure enough, within five minutes Troy was talking trash back to them on Twitter," Streelman said, laughing.

Should either Baddeley or Fowler birdie the hole, and Merritt fail to birdie it, there would be a playoff in which the golfers keep playing 17 until somebody wins.

BATTLE FOR THE TOP 125
The Kodak is one of two subplots at the CMNC, the other being the time-honored scramble to finish the season at 125th or higher on the money list.

At 121st on the money list, Merritt said his first priority this week will be playing well enough to make some money and make sure five players don't pass him. He is more than $37,000 ahead of No. 125, Troy Matteson. (Matteson is exempt through 2011 after winning the '09 Frys.com Open.)

Other players have more work to do. Cameron Percy climbed to just 144th in earnings after losing a three-man playoff to Jonathan Byrd in Las Vegas two weeks ago.

"Guys get a little more serious," Baddeley said of the vibe this week. "Guys have their swing coaches out or they have their psychologist out, really trying to do whatever they can to try and keep their cards for next year."

WORLD RANKING
Fowler is the highest ranked player in the field at 28, followed by Sean O'Hair (32) and Stewart Cink (44).

ON TV
Golf Channel will air the Disney from 1-4 p.m. and replay it from 7-10 p.m. EST all four days.

RED NUMBERS
The last four winners of the Disney have been in their 40s: Stephen Ames, Davis Love III, Ames and Joe Durant.

(Ames is suffering from a bad back and won't be able to try to defend his title this week.)

Two players, Stuart Appleby and Paul Goydos, have shot 59 so far on Tour this year. It's not out of the realm of possibility that we'll see a third this week.

"Courses here are in good shape," Cink said. "Gonna be low scoring again, I think."

Ames shot a final-round 64 to get to 18 under and win in '09. Love III won the year before that at 25 under.

THE UNDERCARD
Michael Allen (second at last week's Schwab Cup Championship), Mark Calcavecchia, Tom Lehman, Steve Lowery and Tom Pernice Jr. will compete for low oldie, what with no more events on the Champions Tour.

Chris Wilson, Dean Wilson and Mark Wilson will vie for low Wilson.

Mike Perez, brother of Tour winner Pat, gets a rare start on the PGA Tour this week.

It's tough to get to the top, but perhaps tougher to stay there. Among those searching for their old form this week: Rich Beem, Chris DiMarco, Todd Hamilton, Lee Janzen and Vijay Singh.

OTHER TOURS
Michelle Wie has been tweeting about the excellent guacamole south of the border in advance of the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara, Mexico.This week marks her first title defense on the LPGA.

The semi-retired Ochoa will make her first start since winning the pro-celebrity Star Trophy at Mission Hills C.C. in China, where she beat Colin Montgomerie by two strokes. Her husband, Aeromexico CEO Andres Conesa, will caddie.

Marquee names in the 36-player field also include N.Y. Choi, Paula Creamer, Christie Kerr, Brittany Lincicome, Ai Miyazato, Suzann Pettersen, Morgan Pressel and Yani Tseng.

Golf Channel will air all four rounds from 4-6:30 p.m. ET.

Nowak confirms Union in market for playersTour cards up for grabs at PGA finale at Disney