Pettersen, Mahan tied for lead at Charity Classic

BARRINGTON, R.I. (AP) — Suzann Pettersen and Hunter Mahan made up two strokes on the last two holes and tied Juli Inkster and Boo Weekley for the lead at 10-under par after the first round of the CVS Caremark Charity Classic on Monday.

The teams shared the lead after opening 61s in the 10-team best-ball tournament involving PGA Tour, LPGA and Champions tour members at Rhode Island Country Club. The 36-hole event concludes Tuesday.

Pettersen and Mahan were 8-under with two holes remaining before the six-time LPGA Tour winner rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt at the 17th and Mahan made a 10-footer for birdie at the 18th to forge a tie.

"Suzann made a great bird on 17 and I had an easier one on 18," Mahan said. "The greens were exceptional. I thought they would be softer but they were in perfect shape.

"It's a great course to play on because you can make some birdies."

Inkster and Weekley combined for six birdies in a back-nine 29. That score on the inward nine was matched by tournament co-founder Brad Faxon and Rickie Fowler, who finished in a five-way tie for third at 8-under.

"Boo got on a nice birdie run," Inkster said of the four birdies Weekley made on the back nine. "Fortunately, we didn't birdie the same holes, which was nice.

"When you can make those 15-footers like Boo did, it helps you keep the momentum. As the round progressed, I got my pompoms out."

The teams of Bubba Watson, who was coming off his first PGA Tour victory at the Travelers Championship, and Camilo Villegas, Angela Stafford and Brett Quigley, Ricky Barnes and J.B. Holmes, and Billy Andrade and Bill Haas, were also 8-under.

Andrade recorded the only eagle of the round when he made a 12-foot putt on the 538-yard 11th hole.

Fire notebook: Blown lead has tie feeling like a lossFeng takes early lead at State Farm LPGA Classic

Kerr caps LPGA Championship with 12-stroke win

PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — Cristie Kerr soared to a 12-stroke victory at the LPGA Championship on Sunday in one of the most lopsided wins at a major, leaving her in position to become the first American ranked No. 1.

Kerr closed with a birdie for 6-under 66, finishing at 19-under 269 and leading all four rounds. This was her second major title, the other coming at the 2007 U.S. Women's Open.

"It's been such an amazing week," she said. "To play here well on a golf course this tough and to win by that many shots in a major championship - that's just unreal."

Kerr began the final round with an eight-stroke lead on a humid, overcast day at Locust Hill Country Club. She opened with six straight pars before birdieing three of her next four holes.

By winning the $337,500 purse at the $2.25 million tournament, Kerr was projected by the LPGA to overtake Japan's Ai Miyazato when the world rankings are released Monday. Miyazato needed to finish second to remain No. 1.

Kerr is the first American to win the LPGA Championship since Juli Inkster in 2000. She becomes only the fifth player to hold the No. 1 spot since the rankings were introduced in 2006.

"There are no words," Kerr said.

Miyazato opened the day at 1 over. She mounted a big rally with seven birdies before closing with a bogey-5 after hitting her tee shot into the rough. The four-time winner on the LPGA tour this season shot 66 to finish at 5 under in a tie for third with Jiyai Shin (71), the world's No. 2 player. Song-Hee Kim (69) finished second.

Kerr's margin of victory beat the previous LPGA Championship record by one stroke set by Betsy King in 1992. Among all LPGA majors, the 12-stroke advantage is tied for second on the list with Babe Zaharias' victory at the 1954 U.S. Open. Louise Suggs holds the record with a 14-stroke victory at the 1949 U.S. Women's Open.

Kerr began celebrating while walking up the 18th fairway, having stuck her approach shot within 5 feet. She raised her arms, broke into a wide smile and hugged playing partner Jimin Kang.

After sinking her birdie putt, Kerr pumped her fist and raised her arms before breaking into tears. She was then doused by champagne by friend and fellow LPGA Tour player Natalie Gulbis.

This was Kerr's 14th win in 14 years on the tour. It's also her second victory - and fourth top-three finish - this season after winning the State Farm Classic two weeks ago.

Kerr opened her final round with flawless efficiency, hitting most of her fairways and shooting for the middle of the greens to protect her lead. Then came her run of birdies, which she began by sinking an uphill 18-foot putt on the par-3 seventh. As a big cheer arose from the gallery, Kerr punched the air and flashed her first big smile of the day.

Emboldened by her birdie, Kerr went for the green off the fairway on the uphill par-5 eighth and two-putted from 30 feet to go to 15 under. After a par on the par-3 ninth, she closed with four birdies on the back nine in her second bogey-free round of the week..

Kerr opened with a 68 to sit in a three-way tie for the lead Thursday. She then took control with a 6 under in the second round to open a five-stroke margin. With a 69 Saturday, she extended her lead to eight to set the LPGA Championship record for largest 54-hole lead.

The only question was whether she would be pass Miyazato in the rankings. Miyazato matched Kerr in carding the day's low round despite the bogey on No. 18.

"It was a little disappointing on the last hole, but I played really good, and didn't expect I could shoot like 6 or 7 under," Miyazato said. "I did my job, so it makes me feel good."

What blew her away was Kerr's dominance.

"That's almost too good," Miyazato said, figuring 8 under would be good enough to win the tournament. "She's just amazing. I played really good, too, but she is just better than me."

Kerr's rise comes with women's golf going through a changing of the guard. In April, Lorena Ochoa followed Annika Sorenstam into retirement, leaving a vacuum at the top.

Kerr will become the third player at No. 1 in the past three weeks. Miyazato supplanted Shin last week by winning the ShopRite LPGA Classic, her fourth victory of the year.

Americans have won only four of the past 14 majors, with Kerr winning two of them. Americans also have won only six of the past 34 LPGA Tour events, with Kerr winning three times.

Aguirre wants El Tri to bring a winning attitude to the field, not just the locker roomKerr up by 8 after 3rd round at LPGA Championship

Lovemark wins Mexico Open Bicentenary

LEON, Mexico (AP) — Jamie Lovemark won the Mexico Open Bicentenary on Sunday for his first Nationwide Tour victory, beating B.J. Staten with a 3-foot eagle putt on the first hole of a playoff at El Bosque Country Club.

Lovemark, the 22-year-old former Southern California star who won the 2007 NCAA title, closed with a 4-under 68 to match Staten (69) at 12-under 276, then hit a 6-iron from 235 yards to set up his winning eagle on the 567-yard 18th hole.

Lovemark earned $108,000 to jump from 10th to second on the money list with $247,351. The final top 25 will earn 2011 PGA Tour cards.

Tommy Gainey wins Nationwide Tour eventPoll: Where will Mexico finish at the World Cup?

PGA Tour Confidential: The Travelers 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.

GRADING THE PGA SEASON
Mike Walker, senior editor, Golf Magazine: Wow! Another fantastic PGA Tour finish. Meltdowns by Justin Rose and Ben Curtis. The Tour's longest and shortest hitters involved in a playoff. An almost-holed approach and a true-grit putt on the first playoff hole. Since we're at the halfway point of the season, what grade do you give it so far?

Jim Herre, managing editor, SI Golf Group: I'm going to say solid B. Lots of new faces, good finishes, Phil's Masters win, a great Open (on Saturday anyway) and the ongoing/continually developing Tiger story. As for the Travelers, here's a shout out to TPC River Highlands, one of the most fun courses on Tour. Where else can you get Corey Pavin and Bubba Watson in the same playoff?

Jim Gorant, senior editor, Sports Illustrated: When I think back, what jumps out are the Garrigus meltdown, Phil at the Masters and some of the young guys winning, so maybe a B- or C+. Clark, Rose and Watson breakthroughs are nice, but it took me longer to remember them. Been a little light on buzz.

Rick Lipsey, writer-reporter, Sports Illustrated: This week's finish was proof beyond a reasonable doubt that a Tour event can thrive without Woods and Mickelson on the premises. I give the season a B+.

David Dusek, deputy editor, Golf.com: Hartford has prided itself on bringing out spectators in droves to the TPC since way before Tiger and Phil hit the scene. The locals really love the event and have supported it through thick and thin. And to Jim's point, while the course doesn't get a lot of mentioning, clearly it provides a ton of excitement and allows a lot of different players a chance to compete and win. My in-laws, who are not golfers, live in Central Connecticut and speak with almost as much pride about the GHO (they still call it that) as they do the UCONN women's basketball team.

Herre: David's right. The Hartford stop is one of the best-supported events on the PGA Tour, not that that seems to matter these days. I'd say Hartford is the PGA Tour's version of the now defunct Corning Classic on the LPGA tour — beloved by the area fans and many players, expendable to the powers that be.

Walker: I'm going to say A- for 2010 so far. Mickelson's Masters win was one for the ages, and the U.S. Open was fascinating. (While it's never good for a course to overshadow a tournament, at least the course was Pebble Beach.) Plus, week-in, week-out, the last hour on Sunday has often been pretty compelling stuff.

Dusek: I'll also go with B-. Phil's Masters was one I'll remember for a long time, but the U.S. Open will be remembered more for guys' losing than for McDowell's winning (which is a shame). The biggest storyline for me, though, is the emergence of all the young talent. The aforementioned Rose, Bubba Watson this week, along with Jason Day at Colonial and Rory McIlroy at Quail Hallow.

Cameron Morfit, senior writer, Golf Magazine: Phil's Masters win is about the only thing anyone will remember from the actual golf of 2010. So far, anyway. Maybe it will also be the year the young guys started to assert themselves, with McIlroy and Day and the rest of them.

Alan Shipnuck, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: A for the season. So many young guys have stepped up, the Masters was epic, the Open memorable, and Tiger is the gift that keeps on giving.

WILL WATSON AND VERPLANK MAKE THE RYDER CUP CUT?
Walker: Both winner Bubba Watson and runner up Scott Verplank got a great audition with Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin today. Are they good candidates for this year's team?

Lipsey: Watson's putter is too shaky under fire, so one W doesn't earn my Ryder Cup vote. Verplank needs a good W.

Dusek: Agree about Bubba's inconsistency. To genuinely consider him for the Ryder Cup, he'd need to make this win the start of a hot streak. Maybe another win or a few Top 5s at least. Verplank's putter and experience could be useful, but again, I'd want to see the Hartford result as the beginning of a good summer run.

Shipnuck: Verplank was a warrior at the K Club. Bubba is too unpredictable, but he'd be a blast in fourballs.

Morfit: I agree that if Verplank is in the top 15 or so in points you've got to pick him. Guy's got a pretty good record as a battler.

Farrell Evans, writer-reporter, Sports Illustrated: Corey got a good look at Bubba this week. He could be a great weapon for the American team. He is comfortable in that Lee Trevino kind of way with almost anybody he would be teamed with. He gets nervous, which is a good thing, and he's emotional, which is always good at the Ryder Cup.

Gorant: Plus, he's good buddies with TW, assuming Pavin picks him.

Evans: One more thing on Bubba. Seeing the emotion he showed after the win was one of the best moments of the season for me. He's a breath of fresh air on a tour where too many guys forget how fortunate they are to be playing golf for a living. His dad, who is battling cancer, is a blue collar man who gave his son every opportunity in tiny Bagdad (Fla.) to make it to the show.

Brazilians win VW Junior Masters titlePGA Confidential: Looking ahead to U.S. Open, St. Jude Classic recap

Forsman leads Dick's Sporting Goods Open by 1

ENDICOTT, N.Y. (AP) — When Dan Forsman knocked a 3-wood straight down the middle of the first fairway, he thought it might be another good day.

It was.

Forsman shot his second straight 6-under 66 on Saturday to surge past first-round leader Wayne Levi and take a one-shot lead over Brad Bryant after two rounds at the Dick's Sporting Goods Open.

"I trusted my swing, finally. It gave me a lot of confidence," Forsman said. "All of a sudden it just took a lot of the anxiety (away)."

Forsman was at 12-under 132 and somewhat lucky to be there alone - Bryant (67) kept pace until a bogey at the final hole. Russ Cochran (66) and Levi (69) were tied at 10 under.

Bill Glasson (66), Mark Calcavecchia (68), and Nick Price (66), third in the Schwab Cup standings, were another shot back.

Andy Bean, who had an 8-under 64, just two shots off his career low and the best round of the day (Bruce Vaughan also shot 64), was tied with Loren Roberts (68) at 8 under. Fred Funk (70) was alone at 7 under.

Ken Green, in just his second start in a stroke-play event since an RV crash a year ago resulted in the loss of the lower part of his right leg, had a 2-over 74. It was the best round in his comeback.

Levi, so solid in the opening round with seven birdies and no bogeys, lost his edge at the outset despite ideal conditions, save a few afternoon sprinkles, and virtually no wind. He saved par at No. 1 but made bogey at the second hole when his second shot found the water hazard in front of the green.

"You can't do that. It's devastating," Levi said. "It could have been worse, but I couldn't do anything on the front side."

That allowed his playing partners to surge past and duel for the lead all day around the En-Joie Golf Club course.

Forsman, who won the Regions Charity Classic in May, one of six top-10s on the season, birdied the first three holes to quickly erase Levi's one-shot lead. He followed that with birdies at Nos. 7 and 8 to reach 11 under at the turn.

Bryant, tied for second with Forsman to start the day, kept pace with the lone eagle of the tournament at the 379-yard, par-4 second hole. Bryant's soaring sand wedge from 80 yards at the dogleg left landed on the green and bounced right into the cup, eliciting a smirk from Bryant and a roar from the gallery.

Bryant matched Forsman with birdies at the seventh and eighth holes and headed for the back nine one shot behind.

Both men birdied Nos. 10 and 12, and Bryant finally drew even at the 215-yard, par-3 14th hole when Forsman drove the rough to the right of the green and couldn't get up and down, missing an 8-foot par putt. It was Forsman's first bogey in a span of 33 holes, but he averted a two-shot swing when Bryant pulled a short putt for birdie.

"You don't want to make two bogeys in a row. You want to stop the bleeding immediately," said Forsman, who parred the final four holes.

Bryant escaped trouble at No. 15 with a clutch shot out of a stand of trees after an errant drive right and saved par. He got lucky on the final hole when his drive sailed toward the trees that line the right side of the fairway and caromed into the rough. But his second shot landed in rough at the back left of the green and he was unable to save par, missing a 12-foot putt. It was his second straight bogey at the par-4 18th hole.

"I'm really disappointed again in my finish. I left a couple of out there on the last three holes," Bryant said. "Hopefully, tomorrow I'll find a way to finish strong.

"I didn't drive the ball quite as well as I'd hoped, but I hit several great shots out of the trees to get the ball up on the green or around the green. I'm lucky to be where I'm at."

The last time the 58-year-old Levi was in sole possession of the lead after the first round was at the 2005 Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn, and he eventually finished tied for 21st. He seemed destined to repeat that performance until rallying late.

Levi made a nice uphill birdie putt from just over 20 feet at No. 15, one of only 10 birdies on what statistically was the most difficult hole of the day. His second shot at the par-4 16th hole spun backward and barely past the pin to set up another birdie that got him to 9 under, and he drove within 6 feet of the pin at the par-3 17th hole but missed the putt.

Unfazed, Levi rebounded with a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole.

"That's a good way to finish," he said.

There was a chance off showers overnight, and Bryant was wary of Sunday's final round.

"We're going to have to go make lots of birdies," he said. "The golf course is just playing that way right now. It's probably in the best shape I've ever seen it, and when a golf course is in this good a shape, guys are going to make birdies. If we get a little bit of rain tonight and this place softens up, it'll be a shootout tomorrow."

Divots: There were 27 rounds below 70 and 48 rounds below par. ... Green was at 8-over par, two shots ahead of Dave Eichelberger and four in front of Jim Dent, and he matched defending champion Lonnie Nielsen (74) on the second round.

Forsman shoots 66 to win on Champions TourEngland squeak past Slovenia and into 2nd round; Slovenia out.

Kerr up by 8 after 3rd round at LPGA Championship

PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — Holding an eight-stroke lead and 18 holes away from a second major title, Cristie Kerr wasn't about to declare victory in the LPGA Championship.

"I can sit here and say, 'Give me the trophy now.' But it's not going to happen," Kerr said after shooting a 69 Saturday. "I've got one more round of golf to play. There's one reason I'm sitting here and so far ahead at this point is because of the attitude I'm bringing."

Kerr's focus was on display during a rain-soaked round at the Locust Hill Country Club, where she went to 13-under 203 entering the final round Sunday. Her advantage tops the previous largest entering the final round of the LPGA Championship - Mickey Wright led by seven in 1961 on her way to a title.

And Kerr fell just short of matching the largest 54-hole lead at an LPGA major set by Babe Zaharias, who had a 10-stroke lead at the 1954 U.S. Women's Open.

Mika Miyazato double-bogeyed No. 18 to finish at 72 and fall into a three-way tie for second with rookie Azahara Munoz and Jimin Kang after both finished with 70s in the LPGA Tour's second major of the year. The only others within 10 shots of Kerr are Song-Hee Kim, who shot a 69 Saturday, and Jiyai Shin (70), who are 4 under for the tournament; and American Karrie Webb (69) at 3-under 213.

Shin, the world's second-ranked player, is competing in her first tournament since an appendectomy two weeks ago.

Kang could only shrug when asked if there's a chance of catching Kerr.

"I've got nothing to lose but 18 holes to go," Kang said. "That's all I can say."

Miyazato's not conceding anything just yet, either.

Speaking through an interpreter, Miyazato said: "If I keep my patience and endure to the last hole, then I am going to be able to catch up."

There's even more on the line for Kerr should she win on Sunday.

Opening the week fifth in the world rankings, Kerr is in position to take over the No. 1 spot currently held by Ai Miyazato, who supplanted Shin by winning the ShopRite LPGA Classic last weekend. The LPGA announced that if Kerr wins, Miyazato would need to finish second overall to retain her ranking.

That's highly unlikely after Miyazato shot a 70 on Saturday to put her in a tie for 24th at 1 over for the tournament.

Kerr has an opportunity to become only the fifth player - and first American - to hold the top spot since the rankings were introduced in 2006.

"It would be great to get there. That's step one," said the 14-year tour veteran and 13-time tour winner. "But then you have to prove it over and over again every week."

Kerr's been on a roll all season. She's posted three top-three finishes, including winning the State Farm Classic two weeks ago.

This week, she's been nearly flawless since an opening 68 Thursday that put her in a three-way tie for first. Kerr opened Saturday ahead by five and eventually took control with three straight birdies on Nos. 11-13, and with the rain steadily falling.

The run happened immediately after Kerr hit into the trees and bogeyed the par-4 10th, while Miyazato birdied to inch to within three strokes of the lead.

Kerr responded with a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 11, followed with a 12-foot birdie on 12, and finished the surge with a 10-footer on No. 13. That put Kerr at 12-under for the tournament and moved her six strokes ahead of Miyazato.

Kerr explained she was motivated because of her poor play, not because of what Miyazato was doing.

"I was just mad that I bogeyed 10. I just got on a run," she said. "I definitely want to keep the foot on the gas. It doesn't matter how many shot lead you have in golf, it's not enough."

After a bogey-5 on No. 14, she came back with an 8-foot birdie on the par-3 15th.

Kerr had three bogeys on Saturday after producing just one in her first two rounds. She continues to dominate the back nine, which she is now playing at a combined 10-under 101 for the week.

With thunderstorms forecast to roll in early in the afternoon, officials moved up the tee times by 90 minutes, and had the players go off in threesomes and off both tees in a bid to squeeze in the third round. The rain began about noon, and grew heavier an hour later as the final group reached the 14th green.

With thundershowers forecast for Sunday evening, officials have moved up the start of the final round by two hours, with Kerr and Kang set to tee off at 12:40 p.m.

Only three Americans have won the past 13 majors - including Kerr's victory at the 2007 U.S. Women's Open.

"I'm happy I'm way ahead, and I am hoping to go further ahead," Kerr said. "But I can't get ahead of myself."

World Cup Preview: Argentina vs. Nigeria, Group BMunoz tops LPGA Tour leaderboard in Mobile

Tubert tops McCloskey to claim public links title

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Emily Tubert beat Lisa McCloskey 3 and 2 in the 36-hole final match to win the Women's Amateur Public Links championship on Saturday.

Tubert trailed 2-up after five holes, but won seven straight holes to go 5-up after 12. The Burbank, Calif., native and incoming Arkansas freshman held at least a 3-up lead the rest of the way.

Tubert recorded five birdies during her streak, including four straight from holes nine through 12. She took a 4-up lead after 18 and was 4-up after 27.

McCloskey, a junior-to-be at Southern California, pulled within 3-up by winning 15 and stayed in the match by halving 16, but her 12-foot birdie putt on 17 missed, giving Tubert the title.

Tubert qualified fifth from stroke play, shooting a 1-under 141. She breezed through the first three rounds of match play before needing 19 holes to advance from both the quarterfinals and semifinals on Friday.

The start of the championship match at Notre Dame's Warren Golf Course was delayed an hour by lightning.

14-year-old is tops at Women’s Public LinksFCD suddenly solid after second straight win

Dredge leads BMW International Open by 3 strokes

MUNICH (AP) — Welshman Bradley Dredge extended his lead in the BMW International Open to three strokes Saturday, shooting a 5-under 67 in the third round.

Dredge started the day with a one-stroke lead and quickly built on it, birdieing three of the first five holes en route to finishing the day at 18 under.

Ross Fisher of England had an eagle and five birdies in a 66 that tied him for second with Simon Thornton of Ireland, who shot a 67.

Dredge is chasing his third European Tour title and his first since the 2006 Omega Masters in Switzerland. He knows he will have to shoot low again with the greens at the Golfclub Munchen Eichenreid softened by weeks of heavy rain.

"That start was just what I needed. I chipped in from the back of the first green which helped, put the ball stone dead at the third and then holed a 15-footer on the fifth," Dredge said. "But the way this course has been playing there are always going to be guys shooting low. ... In the fourth round I will attack all the pins when I can with my wedges and short irons."

Fisher's form since he won the 2009 Volvo World Matchplay in Spain has been disappointing with missed cuts at both the Masters and U.S. Open.

"I would say it was probably as good as I have hit the ball for a long time," Fisher said of his round. "It reminded me of when I breezed my way around Wentworth in 64 shots last year. I know that, if I can sink a few more putts, there could be a ridiculously low round in me."

Thornton claimed the 29th card at European Tour School last year and has never played in the final group going into the fourth round of a main tour event before.

"There has to be a first time for everything," the 33-year-old said. "I heard someone say that four 67s should be good enough to win round here. Well, I have got three of them now, let's hope I can shoot the fourth."

Paul Lawrie of Scotland reached 14-under and fourth place after a 68.

Three players are a shot further back in fifth place - David Horsey of England, Peter Whiteford of Scotland and Ignacio Garrido of Spain.

Nkufo, Swiss bow out with scoreless drawDredge takes 2nd-round lead in Munich

Dredge takes 2nd-round lead in Munich

MUNICH (AP) — Bradley Dredge of Wales had two eagles in a round for the first time in his 14-year professional career to earn a one-shot lead at the midpoint of the BMW International Open.

He shot a 5-under 67 in Friday's second round, picking up four shots at the sixth and 11th holes at the Golfclub Munchen Eichenreid.

Dredge moved to 13 under for the tournament to pull ahead of Spain's Pablo Larrazabal, who shot a 6-under 66 earlier in the day.

Spain's Ignacio Garrido and Scotland's Peter Whiteford were tied for third at 11 under.

Ernie Els missed the cut when he couldn't make a 15-foot eagle putt on the last green.

Nkufo, Swiss bow out with scoreless drawFernandez-Castano, Edberg lead at Mallorca Open

The $6 Billion Scam: Inside the Battle to Shut Down Golf's Black Market

Of the measures golf equipment manufacturers have taken to crack down on the booming counterfeiting business, none is more dramatic than the raids they spring on unsuspecting shops and factories in China. GOLF MAGAZINE joined a recent ambush for a never-before-seen look at a seedy and sprawling industry.

On a smoggy winter morning in Dongguan, China, an industrial boomtown two hours north of Hong Kong, a black sedan with tinted windows slowed to a crawl along a gritty commercial drag. It was a street like many others in the low-slung urban center, its sidewalks crowded, its storefronts cramped and fluorescent-lit. But its proximity to a leafy country club lent its retail operations a distinctive slant. Arrayed along the strip, within blocks of one another, stood more than a dozen golf equipment shops, all advertising the latest models by the leading brands—clubs, hats, shoes, gloves, balls, you name it—at bargain-basement prices that seemed too good to be true because they were.

The sedan kept rolling, past the Lotus Golf Centre and the Green Grass Golf Shop, a tiny corner store with a Titleist banner stretched proudly on display. A few doors down, near the Qun Xin Golf Shop, the sedan stopped and its driver, Jason Yao, checked his cellphone.

"These guys don't know it, but we've been watching them," he said. "That's okay. They'll find out soon."

As if on cue, a fleet of blue and white vans sped around the corner and pulled up to the curb. The van doors swung open and out rushed a squadron of uniformed officials. Yao killed his ignition and followed close behind.

Several alert shop-owners, seeing what was coming, switched off their lights and pulled down the metal curtains that hung above their doorways. But most were caught red-handed.

"They're not fakes! They're not fakes!" a flush-faced merchant cried in Mandarin, as Yao and the officials began emptying his shelves, carting off armloads of fairway woods and irons.

Yao ignored him.

"I don't feel bad for guys like that," Yao murmured, when the man was out of earshot, his shop stripped bare. "They act like they're innocent, but they're not."

In the bluntness of his speech and the firmness of his manner, Yao, who is 37, betrays a bureaucrat's insistence on by-the-books procedure and a sheriff's zero-tolerance for scofflaws. Both are handy traits, given his job. As a point man for the Acushnet Company in its escalating battle against golf equipment counterfeiting, Yao is an enforcer on a wild frontier, deputized to crack down on a crime that costs U.S. manufacturers an estimated $6.5 billion a year.

Every month, teamed with Chinese government inspectors and local police, Yao takes part in raids of retail shops and factories around mainland China, nipping at a problem with complex roots and global reach. Their target is a shadowy network of counterfeiters and their middlemen, who, abetted by the Internet, operate pipelines that run from China through wide swaths of the golf world. Authentic in appearance, if not performance, the fake goods they produce—outgrowths of increasingly sophisticated reverse-engineering—crisscross the continents at the speed of broadband. Though the bogus equipment rarely makes it into golf shops in the United States, it still floods across the border and into golfers' hands. It is not uncommon for ersatz versions of the latest Cleveland wedges, say, or the newest Callaway irons, to turn up on eBay or other online auction sites weeks before the real things land on U.S. shelves.

Unwittingly, American consumers purchase tens of millions of dollars worth of golf counterfeits a year. Faced with this assault, the major golf equipment-makers have joined forces to combat it—training federal customs agents to sniff out fakes, hiring private eyes and lobbyists to work the trenches overseas. Their efforts have yielded some headline results.

This past fall, authorities in England arrested the ringleader of an online operation suspected of trafficking in millions of pounds worth of fake golf products. Less than a week later, in a separate case, another English online seller of counterfeit Titleist equipment was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for his role in the crime. Even in China, where golf counterfeiters are often met with no more than a hand-slap and a fine, convictions have been levied. Last November, in a case watched closely by the industry, two men charged with manufacturing, distributing and selling fake equipment received three-and four-year prison terms, respectively—China's first prison sentences for golf counterfeiting crimes.

"We've made some progress," Yao said. "But we'll never be able to stop the problem. We can only hope to control it."

A Chinese-born and U.S. trained attorney, Yao spent eight years fighting counterfeiting in the cosmetics industry, until 2004, when he signed on as Acushnet's chief legal counsel in China. His is a rare golf-related job that carries physical risk. In remote regions of the mainland, where entire local economies often depend on jobs provided by counterfeiting factories, employees don't take very kindly to outside intervention. They circle the wagons, and often respond with force. Undercover agents, dispatched to the hinterlands to infiltrate illegal operations, have been beaten, stabbed and even murdered. Yao himself has received death threats. He uses aliases. On surveillance runs at markets known for selling fakes, he carries a video camera in his breast pocket, disguised as a ballpoint pen.

Under African Skies: Ekpo crosses fingers for NigeriaGreen returns to individual play after tragedies

Ballesteros abandons Open plans

MADRID, Spain (AP) — Seve Ballesteros has canceled plans to attend the British Open at St. Andrews next month.

The 53-year-old Spaniard underwent life-saving surgery in 2008 after being diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Ballesteros had planned to play in a four-hole event for former champions on July 14, the day before the Open starts.

But he canceled the trip after undergoing his latest round of health checks at the La Paz Hospital in Madrid on Tuesday.

A statement on his website Thursday says his medical team decided "he should not put himself under any undue stress or in potentially emotional situations."

Els’ streak reaches 18; Brits still talking WCupUSMNT Notebook: Whirlwind days for the Cup 23

Calcavecchia ready for Champions Tour debut

ENDICOTT, N.Y. (AP) — Mark Calcavecchia remembers the good old days, when he was a threat to win almost every time out on the PGA Tour.

"Going into any tournament, my goal was to make the cut. Back in my so-called heyday, that was never really an issue," said Calcavecchia, who has won 13 times and pocketed more than $16 million on the PGA Tour. "It was just how high up I was going to finish, and how low I was going to shoot."

Time stands still for no one, though. His considerable skills have diminished, and he's more than ready to become the newest member of the Champions Tour.

"Just battling that cut line every single Friday was a nightmare," said Calcavecchia, who turned 50 less than two weeks ago and will make his debut on Friday in the Dick's Sporting Goods Open. "When I made it, it was almost like I was out of gas. It was like it was out of the question to have a good weekend. So I mastered the tie for 55th or whatever it was, and that's no good.

"It's a great change of pace," Calcavecchia said. "I know everybody. That will be nice not to have to go to the range to crank my head to look to see who that kid is over there. The relaxed atmosphere of it, everybody tells me it's a lot of fun. The golf is still super competitive."

It sure is. Lonnie Nielsen shot a 21-under 195 in winning the 2009 Dick's Sporting Goods Open. It was the lowest 54-hole total by a winner on the Champions Tour last year, and his 9-under 63 was the lowest final-round score by a winner.

The field this year includes most of the top 30 players on the Champions Tour, and Ben Crenshaw will be making his first trip to Endicott.

When play begins, all eyes are likely to be trained on Ken Green, who will be making just his second start in a stroke-play event since a tragic crash a year ago.

Last June, after playing a tournament in Texas, Green's RV blew a tire on a Mississippi highway and careened into an oak tree. His girlfriend and brother were killed in the crash, as was Nip, his beloved German shepherd.

Green opted to have his lower right leg amputated a week later and replaced with a prosthetic because it was his only hope of playing golf again.

Then another setback. In January, Green's son was found dead in his college dorm room.

Green persevered and made his return to the game at the Legends of Golf, a two-man team event in April. He followed that by playing the Regions Charity Classic in mid-May at Ross Bridge, the longest course on the Champions Tour, and finished 73rd in the 77-player field.

Nielsen marvels at Green's grit.

"He's an inspiration for everybody. I can't imagine even getting out of bed with what he's had to go through," Nielsen said. "I saw him walking up the steps after he played at the Legends, and it was all he could do. If there wouldn't have been a railing, there was no chance he could have gotten into that clubhouse. I know how much pain he's in. You can just tell it by watching him walk around, but he's gone out and played some pretty respectable golf."

The En-Joie Golf Club course is a 7,034-yard layout with narrow fairways and short par-5s. It should be easier for Green to traverse.

"I think he was a little worried at first that he wasn't going to be competitive," tournament director John Karedes said. "But the other players made him feel right at home. This is a course that's flat, isn't the longest. I think Ken will be able to play well. I certainly hope so."

Repeating, which no one has done in the first three years of the tournament, promises to be a difficult task for Nielsen, just days from his 57th birthday and hobbling on wounded knees. He's had eight knee operations - four on each - and just started playing again in March after surgery on his left knee.

"It's going to be quite a challenge," said Nielsen, who opened the final round a year ago with birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie to quickly erase Fred Funk's three-shot lead and went on to beat Funk and Ronnie Black by three shots. "I haven't been able to walk 18 holes this year with the problems I've been having."

---

Divots: In his only previous title defense on the Champions Tour, Nielsen finished T2 at the 2008 Commerce Bank Championship, one stroke behind Loren Roberts. ... Calcavecchia played En-Joie six times when the B.C. Open was a stop on the PGA Tour. His best finish was a T11 in 1982.

Forsman shoots 66 to win on Champions TourChampions League final goes mainstream in US

14-year-old is tops at Women's Public Links

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Fourteen-year-old Ariya Jutanugarn shot a 67 to finish with a 7-under 135 and win medalist honors in stroke-play qualifying at the Women's Amateur Public Links Championship on Tuesday.

Jutanugarn, from Thailand, finished two strokes ahead of Argentina's Martina Gavier, who shot a 68 in round two at the University of Notre Dame's Warren Golf Course.

Lizette Salas, of Azusa, Calif., finished third with a 4-under 138. Two other players, Brittany Altomare (3-under 139) and Emily Tubert (1-under 141), broke par.

Kimberly Kim led after Monday's first round with a 66, but shot 78 Tuesday. She still qualified for match play, which includes the top 64 players from stroke-play. The first-round of match play begins Wednesday.

Poll: Who was the US man of the match against Slovenia?Donald rebounds to take joint lead in Madrid

Tiger Woods's new reality: he's just like every other golfer

Every so often, an announcer will say EXACTLY what you happened to be thinking. It doesn't happen often, of course, which is why there are more Websites with names like "Fire Joe Morgan" than "Ian Eagle Rules" (which he does). But it does happen, now and again, and over the weekend Johnny Miller said exactly what I was thinking when watching Tiger Woods play.

His line: "He looks like everybody else now."

Yes. That was it exactly. That was what struck me watching Tiger Woods play sluggish, then brilliant, then bizarre golf at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. His game — genius at times, awkward at others — seemed indistinguishable from the other top players. He hit good shots. He hit bad ones. He charged. He bowed to the pressure. He finished three shots back.

Sure, we all know that Tiger Woods has absurd golfing skills. We all know that he has competitive hunger. We all know that he has a sense of the moment, the way Jordan did, the way Nicklaus did, the way Montana did.

But what made Tiger Woods different was, well, that he WAS different. He simply didn't play the same game other golfers played. He didn't miss eight-foot par putts under pressure. He didn't make double bogeys when the heat was on. Television announcers would say, "That's an IMPOSSIBLE up-and-down," and he would make it up and down. On-course commentators would say, "He really has no shot at the green from there," and he would put it on the green from there. The moments that rattled other golfers did not rattle him. The false breaks and sneaky flag placements that tricked other golfers didn't trick him. The ever-changing scoreboard and momentum that left other golfers unsure of how aggressive to play never swayed Tiger Woods. He didn't win every time, of course, but he never lost. He was a man apart.

The very first sporting event I ever covered was a girls high school basketball game, and it featured a player named Andrea Stinson, who would go on to become one of the great women's basketball players of her time. Anyway, they told me to watch out for her, and I said, "How will I know which one she is?" And they said, "Oh, you'll know." Sure enough: I watched warm-ups and immediately knew. There was something exclusive about her, about the way she dribbled, the way she shot lay-ups, the way she carried herself. She wasn't only better, she was different. That's how it was with Tiger Woods, too. There were the greatest golfers on earth ... and then there was him. Golf is a game of failure, but it wasn't for him. Golf is a game of punishing mistakes, but he worked out reprieve after reprieve. Golf is a game where you can't just will in a long putt because you need it to go in, but somehow Tiger Woods could. He seemed able to muster whatever he needed whenever he needed it.

That part of him is gone now. Maybe he will get it back. Maybe he will not. But, for the moment, it's gone. Tiger Woods looked like everybody else. Sure, he hit some amazing shots. He also hit some terrible ones. He made a great run at the championship. And he fell off the pace. He shot a superhuman 31 on the back-nine on Saturday. He shot an all-too-human five bogeys in his first 10 holes on Sunday.

"I made three mental mistakes," he snapped in one of the shorter television interviews of 2010. "And the only thing it cost us was a chance to win the U.S. Open."

Now, let's not get carried away: We are only two major championships into Tiger Woods' "comeback" — and he finished in the top five in both of them. So it's hardly fair to say that Woods' game looks all that different. The guy still has ludicrous golfing skills. He could go to St. Andrews and win the British Open by 10 shots and I don't think anybody would be even mildly surprised. He could go on to win the next four major championships, and I don't think the papers would be filled with obituaries of people dying of shock.

But, it's true that he looks different. Or, more to the point, he doesn't look different. He suddenly looks like he's out there grinding with the rest of the grinders, sweating with the field, trying desperately to slay the short, twisting putts and sloping greens that batter and maim everyone else. Maybe it wasn't easier for Tiger Woods to play golf, but it sure looked easier. And now, it doesn't.

I have spent many hours listening to Tom Watson talk about what makes someone the best golfer in the world ... and he often uses the word "balance." That has always seemed to me to be one of those vague sports words that could mean pretty much anything — like "leadership skills," or "gamer," or the dreaded "intangibles" — but Watson has a very specific idea of what balance means.

The way I understand it, Watson's idea of balance is a combination of four things:

1. Skill (that mix of talent and hard work)
2. Confidence (that certainty that you can do exactly what you are trying to do)
3. Focus (the ability to think only about what matters in the moment)
4. Perspective (the capability to neither make the shot too important or not important enough)

The way Watson explained it, balance can come crashing down if your skill fades, your confidence is shaken, you don't learn from your experiences or if the moment overwhelms you (or in certain cases underwhelms you).

Tiger always had perfect balance on the golf course. He may not have had it in his life, but that's a whole other thing and — much to the chagrin and surprise of many — entirely beside the point. The most balanced PEOPLE don't win. The most balanced GOLFERS do. Tiger Woods was the most balanced golfer. His skill was unmatched. His confidence was sure. His focus was legendary. And his perspective was surprisingly rational considering how badly he wanted to win. The combination made him seem unbeatable. And seeming unbeatable is just about as good as being unbeatable.

Well, his skills are still there. But his confidence ... not so much. His focus ... not so much. Maybe these things will come back, maybe they won't. But there's the matter of perspective. And this, it seems to me, is where Tiger Woods has changed for good. He can never go back to being the old Tiger. This isn't only because of his tango with the tabloids. Woods turns 35 this year. This is hardly over the hill for a golfer ... but he's no kid anymore, either. His neck hurts. His knee has been operated on. He's been scarred. Certain feelings come with age, certain doubts, certain pains, certain challenges. Tiger Woods may still be the best golfer in the world, but he will never be the Tiger Woods of 10 years ago. And that is a hard realization.

As time goes on, he will become more and more ordinary. That's the one sure thing in sports and in life.

Over the weekend, I put up a poll on my blog — I actually put it up just before Tiger Woods had his amazing back-nine at Pebble Beach on Saturday. He shot 31 on the back-nine, 66 for the round, and put himself in great position to win the U.S. Open after a lackluster first two days. I had this strange feeling that a round like that was coming — he just seemed due for it. So I thought the poll timing was perfect.

Anyway, the poll question was simply: Will Tiger Woods break Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors?

The poll, so far, shows what I suspected: Most people seem to believe (with varying degrees of confidence) that Woods will break Nicklaus' record. He just seems to have so much time left — five prime years for sure, maybe another five or 10 good years after that. There are so many majors ahead. He has won 14 already. Sure. He will win five more. How could you believe anything else?

Only, here's the thing: Five major championships is hall of fame career. It's MORE than a Hall of Fame career. Phil Mickelson has not won five majors in his career. Vijay Singh has not won five majors. Ernie Els has not won five majors. Raymond Floyd, Hale Irwin, Curtis Strange, Johnny Miller, none of these men won five majors. Davis Love, Greg Norman and Fred Couples have not won five majors combined. There's still a whole Seve Ballesteros career between Tiger Woods and the record. There's still a Byron Nelson between Tiger Woods and the record. He cannot break the record by being very good. He has to be transcendent again.

I'm beginning to wonder, more and more, if Woods actually might not break the record. Yes, there's a lot of golf left in his brilliant career. Yes, he's still in the early stages of reinventing himself. Yes, despite his Sunday troubles (and, to be fair, those troubles happened on a vengeful Pebble Beach, where not one golfer managed to shoot under par for the week) Woods was in contention to the end, and he hit the ball well for the most part, and he hit a couple of shots for the ages, and at times looked like he's getting his groove back. Yes he remains the best golfer in the world and the favorite at St. Andrews and for all the major championships in the foreseeable future. Yes, he still wants it desperately, and the smart money won't bet against Tiger Woods.

But Johnny Miller was right ... this week, at least, Tiger Woods looked pretty much like the other golfers. This was another chance lost. This was another major championship torn off the calendar. Will he get it back? Maybe. But time goes by faster than anyone wants to believe.

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Nordqvist ready to defend LPGA Championship

PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — It's reality-check time for Anna Nordqvist.

"It's hard to believe. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to actually understand that it happened," Nordqvist said as she prepared to defend her LPGA Championship title.

It happened all right. Playing in only her fifth professional tournament, a year ago the unflappable Swede carded a final round 4-under 68 at Bulle Rock to beat Lindsey Wright by four strokes, then capped her amazing rookie year by winning the season-ending LPGA Tour Championship.

The 23-year-old Nordqvist, sixth in the world rankings, will attempt the first title defense of her brief career on somewhat familiar ground. Longtime LPGA Championship sponsor McDonald's did not renew its sponsorship, and the event was moved to Locust Hill Country Club in suburban Rochester, N.Y., when Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. agreed to place its own tournament on hiatus and be title sponsor in a one-year deal.

That averted what would have been an embarrassing scenario for new LPGA commissioner Mike Whan. He's very appreciative to have Wegmans still in the fold in these difficult economic times.

"Majors are based on long-term quality partners, long-term quality venues, on the right kind of fan base. All that exists in Rochester," Whan said. "You talk about history, you talk about community, you talk about longevity, and Wegmans just matches all those things.

"When you talk to players about places that have a special place (in their hearts), they talk about Rochester, talk about fans, volunteers, sponsors they've known for decades," Whan said. "It was already special. We're just adding a couple of names to the banner this year."

Wegmans has been a partner of the LPGA for more than three decades, and its June tournament usually ranks as one of the best-attended events on the schedule. Transforming it into a major - and the Wegman family would like it to be for more than one year - has boosted ticket sales this year by more than 50 percent.

Record-setting galleries are expected at Locust Hill, which has never hosted a major. First-round play begins Thursday morning.

"Once you come here, it's all about the golf," said Nordqvist, who finished tied for 36th at the 2009 Wegmans LPGA the week after her triumph at Bulle Rock. "A lot of fans are coming out, in parking lots, backyards. That's what I love about this (tournament)."

Paula Creamer identifies with that sentiment probably better than any of the players. The demise last year of the LPGA Corning Classic deprived her of one of her favorite events. Her grandfather always made the half-hour trip from his home in Ithaca, N.Y. At least now he'll get to see her compete in a major, because it's still just a 90-minute drive.

"He'll come down with my aunt and uncle," Creamer said. "It's nice to be able to play in front of them, and now that it's a major it would be great to win in front of them.

"This is a great golf course. It always has been one of my favorites," said Creamer, who has expressed concern about not knowing where the LPGA Championship will be next year. "Coming here is one of the highlights of my year. Everybody here is so supportive of my golf and golf in general. That's neat when you have a tournament that is recognizable - and now it's a major. I would hope (it would remain a major). We can keep our fingers crossed."

Whan is expected to make an announcement about the future of the LPGA Championship in July. He hinted at a pre-tournament news conference here in May that rotating it was a possibility because he believes future success lies in taking the LPGA global.

In the meantime, the Locust Hill course has been altered for the second major of 2010 and first without the recently retired former No. 1 player, Lorena Ochoa.

Eight holes have been lengthened a total of 141 yards, raising the course length to 6,506 yards. Nine fairways also have been narrowed and the rough is thicker and deeper.

"It's pretty impressive what they've done," Cristie Kerr said. "I like the way this course is shaping up. I think you're going to see some special stuff out there."

The top 15 players in the Rolex Rankings - including new No. 1 Ai Miyazato of Japan - will be among the 150 vying for the top prize of $337,500. The purse is $2.25 million.

Creamer, ranked 12th, threatened for two rounds last weekend at the ShopRite LPGA Classic before fading to seventh in her first tournament since surgery on her left thumb in March. She's still recuperating but ready for the challenge at hand.

"Every shot hurts, but we're toughing through it," she said. "I feel a little bit more prepared. I got that rust brushed off a bit."

Divots: Only four players have won back-to-back LPGA Championships: Mickey Wright (1960-61), Patty Sheehan (1983-84), Juli Inkster (1999-2000), and Annika Sorenstam (2003-05). ... Jiyai Shin returns this week from emergency appendectomy surgery. Shin, who won last year's Wegmans LPGA, withdrew prior to the LPGA State Farm Classic two weeks ago, was hospitalized for the surgery and lost her spot atop the Rolex Rankings ... Wegmans is one of only five companies to have its name attached to the LPGA Championship. McDonald's Mazda, AIG and Coca-Cola are the others.

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There will never be another champion quite like Tom Watson

The old hands will tell you that the '60 U.S. Open was thebest ever. Arnold Palmer, 30-year-old working-class hero, won. JackNicklaus, 20-year-old Ohio State frat boy, had his coming-out party.Ben Hogan, 47-year-old golfing legend, had his last gasp at a major.Pebble Beach 2010 was no Cherry Hills 1960. It was a dance that neverfound its rhythm. Still, an intriguing triumvirate emerged, with abigger-than-life star (Tiger Woods), a singular young talent (RyoIshikawa) and an aging, relevant lion (Tom Watson).

Ishikawa, the 18-year-old Japanese golfer, made asplashy U.S. Open debut, breaking par in his inaugural round whiledressed from head to toe in bubble-gum pink. (He finished 33rd, with afinal-round 80.) Woods, 34, desperate to reclaim his place in the world, played well enough to maintainhis No. 1 ranking. (He tied for fourth, as he did at the Masters.) AndTom Watson, 60, playing on a USGA invitation and an artificial lefthip, became the only golfer to compete in all five Opens held atPebble.

The old man practically stole the show. Watson played the first tworounds with Ishikawa, known in Japan as the Bashful Prince. Somethingmust get lost in translation. The kid practically screams, "How doyou like me now?" After checking out his action, Watson decided,in his voice-of-god way, that Ryo's the real deal. "His putting is excellent," Watson said. "I love it. He hasgreat touch. He hits the ball very high. That combination, you'regoing to win. Not a question."

Regarding TW I and TW II: They both went to Stanford (Watsongraduated); they both won the Open at Pebble; they both have lockersin the Champions Room at Augusta National. But Watson, not a bashfulprince, has been all over Woods for his cussing and club throwing and,in an indirect way, his life with the ladies. (Regarding Woods'sprivate life, Watson said in January, "It's something he needs to get control of.") During a practice round last week,when the TWs got trapped in a 10th-tee traffic jam, they ignored each other, "their cold shoulders turning the tee into an outdooricebox," in the words of Karen Crouse of The New York Times . The passage of greatness goes from Nicklaus to Watson toWoods, and Woods, Watson feels, has stained the game.

Watson is the last great player voice representing the golfestablishment in the game today. (Nicklaus and Palmer had that voicebefore him. Davis Love III would have it today, if his game got him into more press tents.) When Watson talks, he's really talking about the game first and his own game second. Woods was never builtfor that even before he ran over a fire hydrant last November, and now there's no chance. Last week, when several players — Woods mostnotably — complained about the greens, Watson noted that in '72 "they were black and blue." Golf is lucky to have a player on the scene with a memory and a perspective.

Watson may not be the most huggable guy in the game, and hishigh-mindedness can be off-putting, but how can you not admire him?You could make the case that he's never been more relevant. Inhis prime, for a decade beginning in 1975, golf was a back-burnersport. What he did last summer, when he took the lead at the BritishOpen at Turnberry to the 18th hole, then lost a playoff to StewartCink, caught the attention of millions of nongolfers and gave rise tothe ubiquitous bumper sticker: 59 is the new 39. In February, Watsonwon a Champions tour event in Hawaii, going head-to-head with one ofthe most popular and long-driving players in the game, Fred Couples. InApril, at the Masters, Watson shot a first-round 67 and finished 18th.He came to Pebble Beach last week with high expectations and his son,Michael, 27, on his bag.

Watson, like Hogan before him, is in his own way a wee ice mon.Back in the day, a personal revelation from him would be that he couldread greens with his feet. Watson, grudgingly and in a limited way,has entered the age of sharing. Did you know that Michael popped thequestion to his longtime girlfriend on the 13th tee at Augusta thisyear, on the Sunday before the Masters? Yep. Did you know thatMichael's first exposure to Pebble came in '82, when Watson won his only U.S. Open and his then wife, Linda, was pregnantwith little baby Michael? Also true.

Still, Watson hides hurt, athletic and otherwise, as well asanybody, which is why the Scots love him so. His last major win was in1983, in the British Open at Royal Birkdale. The next year, when theOpen was at St. Andrews, Watson needed a par-par finish to win arecord sixth British Open. His second shot on 17, the Road Hole, foundthe road. He said, "I hit the wrong shot with the wrong club atthe wrong time." They don't make quotes like that anymore.He never blamed his caddie, Alfie Fyles, for pushing a two-iron on him.Likewise, Watson never credited Bruce Edwards for his famous chip-inon the 17th hole of the '82 U.S. Open at Pebble. But he loves totell the story of how his caddie told him to "get itclose," and how he one-upped him.

Next month the British Open returns to St. Andrews, where Woods wonthe Open in 2000 and '05. Watson knows that the OldCourse — like Turnberry last year and Augusta National this yearand Pebble last week, like any course that's playing fast andfirm — is one where he has a chance to beat Tiger Woods and RyoIshikawa and maybe even Stewart Cink.

In other sports you get pushed out, but for old golf championsthere's always a home and always something to play for. After anopening 78 last week, Watson said, "Tomorrow I'll beplaying better golf. It grates on me when I miss the cut. I hateit." He shot a second-round 71 to make the cut on the number.

Then came a third-round 70. Only five players shot lower scores onSaturday. Through three rounds he was in 16th place. On Sunday he wastrying to get himself into the top 10, which would earn him a spot innext year's U.S. Open at Congressional. One of Watson'sheroes is Sam Snead, "who could play golf, really play, throughage 78," Watson has often said.

On Sunday, you know Watson was thinking of his father, Ray, whofirst brought him to Pebble as a teenager in the '60s. You knowhe was thinking about the trips he made to Pebble in the '70s,when he was studying psychology in college. You know he was thinkingabout Bruce and their U.S. Open win in '82. You know he wasthinking about the many AT&T Pro-Ams he has played at Pebble withSandy Tatum, the former USGA president, right through the '90s.You know he was thinking about the second-place finish he and Michaelhad as pro-am partners at the AT&T in 2007.

When Watson learned that the U.S. Open is returning to Pebble hesaid, "Twenty-nineteen at Pebble? That's cool."He'll be 69 then. Maybe he'll be back. "How long willI play? I hope it's a long time. I'm a golfer. That'swhat I am, plain and simple."

His friend Tatum, 89 years old now, followed Watson around lastweek. Heading back to his hotel on Saturday night, driving pastCypress Point, Tatum said, "Good thing Watson's not in thecar — he'd want to play nine now." It waspitch-black.

When Watson and Michael — father and son, pro and am — cameup 18 on Sunday afternoon, the top 10 dream was long over. Watson washolding back tears the last 200 yards as he closed with a par to astanding ovation. His Sunday 76 left him in 29th place. At age 60. Andhe didn't even play well. Amazing. He threw his ball intoStillwater Cove and came in and talked to the press, just as he alwayshas.

Watson showed more emotion last week than he ever has in public.He's not going to spell out to you what he was feeling. You canfigure that out for yourself. He knows what you know. That the passageof time is painful. That he and Jack will never go at it again. Thathis father is dead. That Bruce is dead. That Michael's all grownup. That holes 1 through 15 of his life are in the rearview mirror.That as a golfer he's not what he once was. "It'ssad," he said. "I'm sad."

Golf's wistful, and life is too. He wouldn't want it any other way. Wouldyou?

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Mickelson jokes about Open futility: 'I'm glad it wasn't a second'

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — There was no golf ball caroming off a hospitality tent, no opponent's up-and-down nipping him at the tape. Phil Mickelson's U.S. Open at Pebble Beach lacked the calamity of his previous journeys, save for a tee shot on the 71st hole hitting a volunteer in the chest. Mickelson saved par from there.

But the 110th U.S. Open expired with Mickelson missing the trophy again, ending his bid for a first national championship, a fifth major title and the Grand Slam, and the chance to supplant Tiger Woods as the No. 1 player in the world.

That's a mouthful. Mickelson knew that a heavy burden was resting on his shoulders, even if he had spent weeks playing it down. With four less shots on his scorecard, that landslide of history would have been his.

"I had opportunities," Mickelson said. "All I had to do was shoot even par on the back, and I'm in a playoff."

Mickelson's final-round 73 left him three shots behind the winner, Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland, and in a tie for fourth with Woods. It also left him without the championship that has teased and tempted him for two decades.

"I wanted to win," Mickelson said. "I'm glad it wasn't a second."

He already has five of those — at Pinehurst No. 2, Bethpage Black, Shinnecock Hills, Winged Foot, Bethpage again — more than anyone else. At Pebble Beach, where Mickelson has played some of his best golf through the years, he sent a jolt through the championship with a second-round 66, only to stall with a pair of 73s on the weekend.

On Sunday, dressed in a black shirt and white pinstriped pants and playing alongside Ernie Els, Mickelson set off for the final round trailing by seven shots. After a birdie at the first — and a collapse by the leader Dustin Johnson — he was thinking big. Mickelson saw the first seven holes as scoring opportunities. Instead, he made no birdies after the first hole and bogeyed Nos. 10, 14 and 16.

"Other than the first six or seven holes, it just wasn't there," Mickelson said. "I had a 15-foot eagle putt on 4, and I make par. That was frustrating. I have a 5-iron into [the par-5 sixth], and I make par. That was frustrating, letting those strokes go. It got progressively tougher. The pin placements got progressively more difficult, and there just [weren't] the opportunities."

Unlike other near-misses — at Winged Foot in particular — Mickelson was more clinical than emotional as he spoke after the championship. While another chance to win the Open had passed, Mickelson doffed his cap to Pebble's toughness and prepared to move on.

One year ago, after his wife, Amy, and mother, Mary, were diagnosed with breast cancer, Mickelson fought gamely at the United States Open at Bethpage Black. Even as he fell to Lucas Glover, his play electrified the New York faithful.

At Pebble, several hours north of his boyhood San Diego home, Mickelson was the gallery favorite, at least until Woods put in a strong challenge with his Saturday 66.

Mickelson couldn't duplicate the magic he had in April, when he won his third green jacket by digging eagles and birdies out of the Augusta National soil.

The U.S. Open doesn't do magic. It does survival. It also does frustration, a subject in which Mickelson needs no instruction.

Prime time helps push U.S. Open TV ratingsKewell: Handball wasn't deliberate

Prime time helps push U.S. Open TV ratings

NEW YORK (AP) — NBC says its preliminary rating for the final round of the U.S. Open was up 35 percent over last year.

The overnight rating was 6.9 with a 15 share, compared with a 5.1/12 a year ago at Bethpage Black, in which only the third round was completed Sunday because of rain.

NBC was helped by the final round pushing into prime time on the East Coast because it was played at Pebble Beach, where Graeme McDowell of Ireland won his first major. Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els all had a chance to catch him.

Ratings represent the percentage of all homes with televisions tuned into a program. Shares represent the percentage of all homes with TVs in use at the time. Overnight ratings measure the country's largest markets.

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McDowell holds on to win U.S. Open by one stroke over Havret

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Graeme McDowell doesn't have the golfing pedigree of a U.S. Open champion at Pebble Beach.

All he had Sunday was the game it takes to win.

Even as the biggest stars - Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els - were lined up behind him on the leaderboard and poised to contribute to the lineage of champions on this majestic course, McDowell never felt out of place.

Despite making only one birdie in the final round, the 30-year-old from Northern Ireland was steady amid the stars of his generation and closed with a 3-over 74 to become the first European in 40 years to capture America's national championship.

He seized control after a shocking collapse by Dustin Johnson, then failed to get flustered by the three stars behind him, who have combined for 184 victories and 21 majors. All he had to do on the final hole was two-putt for par from 20 feet to join a distinguished list.

"To win at Pebble Beach, to join the names - Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Tom Kite, Tiger Woods, me - wow!" McDowell said. "I'm not quite sure if I belong in that list, but hey, I'm there now. It's a pretty amazing feeling."

Almost as surprising was the guy who gave McDowell the most trouble. Gregory Havret, a Frenchman who is No. 391 in the world, played with heart until he failed to convert putts over the final holes. He shot 72 and finished one shot behind.

"When you have Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els there, you're not expecting Gregory Havret to be the guy you've got to fend off," McDowell said.

Indeed, it was a final round no one expected.

Johnson took a triple bogey on the second hole to lose all of his three-shot lead, and a double bogey on the next hole ended his hopes. Not only was McDowell handed the lead, but Woods, Mickelson and Els were given new life.

What a wasted opportunity that turned out to be.

McDowell's lone birdie was an eight-foot putt on the fifth hole, and his final round was the highest score by a U.S. Open champion since Andy North in 1985.

"I can't believe I'm standing with this right now," McDowell said, posing with silver trophy. "It's a dream come true. I've been dreaming it all my life. Two putts to win the U.S. Open. Can't believe it happened."

Woods couldn't believe it, either.

Poised to end six months of bad publicity over a shattered personal life, he bogeyed five of his first 10 holes and took himself out of contention with a 75.

"I made three mental mistakes," Woods said sourly. "The only thing it cost us was a chance to win the U.S. Open."

Els and Mickelson hung around a little longer, and both had opportunities, but neither could capitalize.

Els had a brief share of the lead on the front nine but came undone along the coastal holes - including one stretch of bogey-double bogey-bogey - and never quite recovered. His hopes ended when he missed his target with a sand wedge on the par-5 14th and took bogey, then missed a four-foot birdie putt on the 15th.

He closed with a 73 to finish alone in third.

Mickelson, with another great chance to end a career of disappointment at the U.S. Open, holed a birdie putt from just off the green on the first hole, then didn't made another birdie the rest of the day. He also shot a 73 and tied for fourth with Woods, missing a chance to supplant Woods at No. 1 in the world.

"It was anybody's ball game," Mickelson said. "I had a number of opportunities to get well under par, and I didn't do it."

Even so, nothing compares with what happened to Johnson. The 25-year-old American looked so unflappable all week, and came apart so quickly. On the final hole of a round he won't forget, Johnson missed a two-foot birdie putt and wound up with an 82, the highest closing round by a 54-hole leader in the U.S. Open since Fred McLeod shot 83 in 1911.

McDowell finished at even-par 284 and ended 40 years of questions about when a European would be U.S. Open champion again. Tony Jacklin of England was the last one, in 1970 at Hazeltine.

McDowell had to work harder than he imagined.

Even under overcast skies and a stiff breeze, the course was as firm and dangerous as ever. Davis Love III, with a 71, was the only player in the final five groups to match par.

"I can't believe how difficult this golf course was," McDowell said. "No matter how good you play ... good golf got reward, and bad golf got punished really badly."

McDowell got into the U.S. Open by narrowly getting into the top 50 in the world at the deadline to avoid qualifying. He wound up with his first victory in America to go along with five European Tour victories, most recently the Wales Open last month at the home course for the Ryder Cup in October. He is sure to be part of the European team now, moving up to No. 13 in the world.

"To play steady and to withstand some tough holes the way Graeme did and to come out on top, he played some great golf," Mickelson said. "It was a wide-open tournament. Many guys had a chance. And it made for kind of an exciting U.S. Open, I thought."

It didn't sound like one.

The gentle waves lapping the shore almost made more noise than the gallery, with so few birdies to cheer on a day that was more about survival. McDowell had a three-shot lead as he walked down the 10th fairway, and from there it was a matter of hanging on.

"You go chasing and you'll make bogeys," McDowell said.

Mickelson gave it one last try when he fired at a dangerous pin on the right side of the 16th green. It came up just short and buried in the deep grass, and when the Masters champion heard the groan, he said to caddie Jim Mackay, "I took a chance, Bones. Didn't pay off."

Els played the par-3 17th in 5-over par for the week, including a bogey from the bunker on Sunday. Needing an eagle on the 18th to have any chance, he came up woefully short and right in a bunker.

None of this would have been mattered without Johnson's collapse, which was simply spectacular.

He had a three-shot lead and was in the middle of the fairway at No. 2 with a wedge in his hand after a 343-yard drive. When he walked off the green at No. 4, he was three shots behind, a six-shot turnaround in three holes:

- From thick grass on the edge of a bunker, he chopped at it left-handed, then nearly whiffed right-handed, and, when he finally chipped it to three feet, he missed the putt and took triple bogey. His lead was gone.

- With a driver on the par-4 third, he pulled it so far left that it disappeared into a cluster of trees behind the 16th greens. Fans heard it, but didn't see it. The five minutes allowed for the search ended, and seconds later, someone cried out, "Found it!" Too late. He went back to the tee, hit into a fairway bunker and made double bogey.

- Trying to drive the fourth green, it went right into the hazard along the ocean for a bogey.

Three holes into the final round, the U.S. Open was wide open, setting up perfectly for the three biggest names in golf - Woods, Mickelson and Els - to seize the moment.

To most everyone's surprise, none of them did.

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Havret takes the long road to US Open success

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Gregory Havret almost didn't make it to the U.S. Open.

Late last month, he nailed an improbable 50-foot putt to get into a six-man playoff at an Open qualifier in England, then later sank a 20-footer to secure one of the final five spots in the 156-player field for Pebble Beach.

And what an Open debut he had as someone few would have picked to contend - or even make the cut to play on the weekend.

On Sunday, the little-known Havret finished an impressive runner-up to Graeme McDowell. Havret played his final round, a 1-over 72, with top-ranked Tiger Woods and a gallery of thousands who had no choice but to discover who he is.

Not bad for the 33-year-old Frenchman ranked 391st in the world who hadn't finished higher than 10th in any European Tour event this year.

"All of a sudden I'm playing a Sunday with Tiger. It was very exciting," Havret said afterward, balancing the emotions of being thrilled and disheartened at the same time. "I knew I had some chances and I did everything thinking I was able to win it. It's a shame I came up short. ... It's fantastic emotion, in between the best surprise of my life and the best disappointment, too. But for sure, to play golf like this, compete for the title (is great)."

He shot 1-over 285 for the tournament, one stroke behind McDowell.

Havret's round began in encouraging fashion. He made birdies on 1 and 6 before recording three bogeys on the final 11 holes, including at the troublesome 17th.

Then, Havret needed a birdie on the par-5 18th to pull even with McDowell and force McDowell to birdie 18 and avoid a playoff. Havret pulled his 8-foot birdie putt left and below the hole.

"Well, that's a very bad putt. Probably the worst of the week," Havret said.

There weren't many mistakes.

"He played beautifully today, he played beautifully," Woods said. "He did everything he needed to do to win a championship. He hung in there and grinded. He was placing the ball in the correct spots. When he did miss, he missed in great spots and left himself with all the green to work with."

Countryman Jean Van de Velde knows all too well about near-misses at a major.

Van de Velde walked on to the tee of the 72nd hole of the 1999 British Open at Carnoustie needing only a double-bogey 6 to take home the claret jug.

Instead, Van de Velde made an excruciating triple-bogey, hitting one shot off the bleachers, dumping another into the Barry Burn and dropping yet another into a bunker before finally sinking a 6-foot putt for a 7 that put him into a three-man playoff with Paul Lawrie and Justin Leonard.

Lawrie ended up winning and Van de Velde became a punchline for all late collapses on the golf course.

At least Havret's second place provided France with something to celebrate on a weekend in which its World Cup fortunes were all but sunk in South Africa. Les Bleus - embarrassed and underachieving with a draw and a loss so far - refused to train Sunday in protest of striker Nicolas Anelka's expulsion from the squad, prompted by a profanity-laced tirade against coach Raymond Domenech the day before.

Havret seemed happy to provide a boost - not only for his country but for his golf future. A golfer since being encouraged to play by his father at age 10, Havret's first title came in 2001 at the Italian Open and his biggest when he defeated then-world No. 3 Phil Mickelson in a playoff for the 2007 Scottish Open at Loch Lomond. That victory helped him break into the top-20 of the Order of Merit for the first time.

It was Havret who in the late 90s won three straight French Amateur titles just shortly after Woods burst onto the scene by winning three in a row at the U.S. Amateur from 1994-96.

Havret went to bed Saturday night determined to keep his performance in perspective, while also relishing a rare chance to play alongside Woods on golf's big stage.

"I was very excited. I slept beautifully," Havret said. "I woke up this morning very nicely, happy to play golf at a beautiful site with the best player in the world. When you look at him on TV and see what he's doing, it's always exciting to see that from very close and compare yourself to him. It was a very good experience."

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USGA executive: Woods wrong to criticize greens

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Tiger Woods was wrong to criticize the Pebble Beach greens as "awful," USGA executive director David Fay said Saturday at the U.S. Open.

Woods, who won the previous U.S. Open at Pebble Beach by a record 15 shots by making just about every putt inside 8 feet, failed to make a single birdie in his first round of 74. He said in a television interview, and later to reporters, that the greens were "just awful."

Woods didn't back down from that statement following his third-round 66 that left him at 1 under for the championship.

"Well, a lot of players thought the same, they just didn't say it," Woods said Saturday evening.

Fay couldn't resist making a comparison between Woods and Phil Mickelson, who shot 75 in the first round.

"I think two players used the word awful on Thursday," Fay said. "Phil said he putted awful. Tiger said the greens were awful."

It was veiled, but blunt criticism of a three-time U.S. Open champion who had not been to Pebble Beach in eight years. One reason Woods stopped playing the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am was the greens. They are far more bumpy in February when conditions are soggy and the hole location is in the same spot for three days to accommodate 360 players, half of them amateurs.

"As far as the greens are concerned, he's wrong," Fay said. "That old statement that you're entitled to your opinion? He is entitled to his opinion, but he's off on his facts. These putting surfaces have never been better."

Fay said if there should be criticism of the greens, it's more of a cosmetic issue than an agronomic one. Poa annua greens have brown splotches, but he says an "A-team" of superintendents from around the country have made these surfaces better than ever.

"They are much truer than we had in 2000, '92 and '82," he said of past U.S. Opens at Pebble Beach. "They wanted them fast, firm and smooth. And I think they have accomplished that."

Woods followed his first-day 74 with a 72 and was seven shots out of the lead going into the third round.

On Saturday, Woods got back in it with a solid short game. He made eight birdies after two early bogeys that had him at 6 over after just three holes. Woods shot 5-under 31 on the back nine with birides on Nos. 11, 13, 16, 17 and 18.

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USGA evoking new F-word from players: Fun

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Tom Watson used a word you don't hear much at the U.S. Open after shooting a one-under 70 in the third round at Pebble Beach on Saturday.

Actually, he said it twice."They put the tee up at 4 today, which is a lot of fun," Watson said after getting back to six over for the tournament. "It's a lot of fun to go ahead and take a crack at that green."

Fun . Watson was talking about the fact that the USGA moved the tees up 40 paces on the hole to turn it into a 284-yard par-4, playing straight downwind.

He used driver to almost get there, then made a chip and a putt to get down in 3. Dustin Johnson hit the green with a long iron and made the putt for eagle. Davis Love III reached with 3-wood and also made eagle.

"It wasn't my game plan to go birdie, birdie, eagle," said Love, who shot three-under 68 to get to four over for the tournament.

Tiger Woods anticipated the new tee, and though he failed to reach the green, he did make his first birdie of the day on No. 4, the spark that ignited his 66.

Turning the fourth hole into a par 3.5 was only one of the USGA's bold changes for the third round.

The seventh hole was abbreviated to only 99 yards, the first time a U.S. Open hole has been in double digits. Players like Ian Poulter still had trouble holding the green.

The third tee was moved up 34 paces to tempt players to try to drive the area in front of the raised putting surface, leaving only a long pitch for their second shot. The bold play backfired on Woods, who flew the green with his second shot and bogeyed.

"It's all fluid out here, because you have to make adjustments," he said. "We were all surprised they moved the tee up on three. It's not a tee they said they were going to move the tee up on. We knew the tee was going to move up on 4 one of the days, but definitely not 3. And again, I haven't hit driver there all week, not one. But today it was, hey, you've got to hit driver down there now."

Finally, the tee markers on the 206-yard, par-3 17th hole were moved left, onto the tee of the neighboring fourth hole. This time Woods liked the change, and birdied the hole.

Different is good, the marketers and politicians say, but when did the staid old USGA become Russell Brand? The organization used to be become Judge Smails. That hasn't been the case under wild-and-crazy guy Mike Davis, the 45-year-old former Pennsylvania junior state golf champion who is in his fifth year as senior director of rules and competitions.

"I'd say we've done a 180-degree turn in philosophy since the 2002 Open," Davis told me for a profile in Golf Magazine back in 2008. "We used to not want to be flexible in the teeing grounds we used, but now there's a concerted effort to give the players a different look every day. We want them out on the course having to think right then and there. They used to know from practice rounds exactly how everything was going to be."

Woods's surprise at the new tee on three said it all: Players are now on their back foot, dealing with a golf course that can be transformed literally overnight.

This year's biggest innovation was the decision, made in concert with Arnold Palmer Design, to move Pebble's fairways closer to the cliffs along the Pacific Ocean and shave any rough that might save off-line shots from bounding haplessly into oblivion.

Those changes kneecapped Phil Mickelson, who fought a losing battle with the cliffs of doom Saturday as he double-bogeyed the par-4 ninth hole.

Davis has broken new ground with his imaginative course setups, starting with the graduated-rough concept that began five years ago. Mickelson loves it. Woods loves it. Vijay Singh loves it, as does every other player for whom length off the tee is usually an advantage.

The driveable par-4 concept was a hit at the 2008 Open at Torrey Pines, as was the revelation of prime-time golf.

The leaders began late in the afternoon again at Pebble on Saturday, at 3:50 p.m., meaning they played the back nine through cocktail hour, ensuring a rowdy crowd.

Phil Mickelson, who was off at 3:30, joked about the unusually late tee times after his round Friday.

"It's weird because I thought Augusta was late at 3," he said. "I mean, 4 o'clock, I'm driving home, getting the kids ready for doing their homework, getting ready for bed."

But the USGA isn't about to let a little thing like that get in the way. Prime time means big ratings. Said Rand Jerris, the USGA's managing director of communications, "The intent is to get as many people watching as possible."

Thanks to the USGA's willingness to add wrinkles like the driveable fourth, there's more to watch. As Watson said, it's fun. Even at a U.S. Open, isn't that the point?

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Time for the real Duval to step forward

The big galleries might have been following the glamorous Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Lee Westwood pairing or the May-December Tom Watson, Rory McIloy and Ryo Ishikawa group. But those fans with a sense of history and a feel for the struggle at the heart of this game found their way over to the first tee at 1:03 p.m. Pacific Time, when three former British Open champions teed off together.

Although they all shared a trophy, the three men could not be at more different stages of their careers. Tom Lehman, a former No. 1 player in the world, recently won the Senior PGA Championship, while Ben Curtis is still trying to prove he's not the Jack Fleck of Generation X. Then there is David Duval.

Another former No. 1 player, Duval might just be the worst-best player in the history of the game. He lulls us too sleep with a steady stream of duck hooks and snowmen and then — like a genie out of a bottle — he shows up big at the best tournaments. Throughout the years I've watched him up close — from college to a year on the Nationwide Tour to his rise to No. 1 in the world in 1998. His best is Tiger caliber and his worst rivals Roy McAvoy in Tin Cup.

On Thursday, the three men were a combined 16-over par on a day when the field's stroke average was 75.2. Duval met the field standard with a four-over 75, the best score in his group.

"What do you want?" said Duval when a reporter tried to downplay the effect of wind on the scores. "We had a two-club wind through holes 8, 9 and 10."

Duval knows something about playing well in tough conditions. Last year at the U.S. Open at Bethpage, he emerged from the abyss to finish in a tie for second. This week he looks like a man at the top of his game, despite missing eight cuts in 13 starts this season. In his trademark wraparound sunglasses and with a full mouth of Skoal, the 38-year old former Georgia Tech star fought through the elements like the wily veteran that he is. Watching Duval fret over club selections with his caddie, you would have thought he had never played Pebble Beach in the past. "No doubt," he said after his round. "It's a different course than we played back in February when I tied for second at the AT&T."

Duval's group played at a glacial pace. Coming off the third tee, they were told that they were out of position and by the time they finished they were 30 minutes behind schedule. But the Rules official who told me this must have forgotten about the 10 minutes they waited at the brutal 17th, which played as the hardest hole (3.58) on the course on Thursday.

Plus, it was hard to blame guys from playing slow in Thursday's conditions. After the wait on 17, Duval pured a 5-iron that found the front bunker. Ben Curtis, a much shorter hitter, hit a 21-degree hybrid that found the same trap and, playing last, Lehman put his ball in the same bunker. The wind was howling.

Most of the bloodshed and anxiety happened on the greens. I used to think that only Bernhard Langer could line up a 2-footer, but I saw Duval and company doing it all day. "Some of the greens were bumpy and the pins were in some tight places," Duval said. Yet Double D made the best of it. He putted well and — but for a double bogey on the 16th hole on an admittedly boneheaded tee shot — his round would have been respectably unblemished by U.S. Open standards.

After his Cinderella story at the Bethpage last year I wondered if Duval had found his game. But after that week, he played so poorly that he didn't even have full status on the PGA Tour at the beginning of the year. Duval has one more day to prove that Bethpage wasn't a fluke. He looks confident and engaged. It just depends on which Duval we see Friday: the one who is a top 10 player in the world or the one who rakes up missed cuts like a washed-up veteran or the 22-year old kid straight out of college struggling to learn the Tour's golf courses.

So the question is: Will the real David Duval please stand up?

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Hoffman's day in the sun crumbles with quadruple-bogey on 18th hole

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — The ball bounced on the rocks five times by my count. CLICK ... Click ... click, click, click ... and then splashed with a mournful plunk in the inches-deep foam below the sea wall. About a dozen of us — officials, reporters, security guards and red-jacketed marshals — walked over to the grassy verge behind the 18th green and looked down. We saw the dream of a terrific young golfer ride the foam out and then tumble back in on tiny waves. Out and in. Out and in. And isn't that just golf?

Twenty-year-old Morgan Hoffmann, the owner of the ball, said precisely that late Thursday afternoon, having just ended his first-ever major championship round with a ten-foot putt for a quadruple-bogey 9. Standing outside the scorer's cabin with his hands in his pockets, a stoic Hoffmann said, "That's golf."

The game he plays so well, he could just as easily have said, was a temptress who led him down to the beach at sunset, only to push his face into the surf and hold it there until he was spitting up salt water. Two weeks ago, golf broke Hoffmann's heart on a mountain golf course in Chattanooga, Tenn. That's where his top-seeded Oklahoma State Cowboys lost the NCAA Division I Championship to little Augusta State University, partly because the two-time All-American was humbled, 5&4, by ASU star Henrik Norlander. And now golf had done it again, spoiling the Walker Cupper's dream debut in the U.S. Open.

How bad was it? Well, Hoffmann was 1-under par and one shot off the first-round lead when he bounced a long-iron into the rough behind the green on the par-3 17th. That cost him a stroke. He then hit a splendid drive on Pebble's par-5 18th, his ball stopping short of the two cypress trees that punctuate the dogleg fairway.

Did Hoffmann overreach? Did he pull a Mickelson and try to attack the green with a 3-wood, driver or hybrid crossbow? He did not. He calmly selected a 3-iron, took dead aim and gave it a solid whack — neglecting only to notice that the second cypress tree was marginally in his line. "I didn't see it," he would say of his re-routed shot. "I heard it. I had no idea, I was just looking around."

He needed to look left, because his ball had hit the tree and ricocheted into Carmel Bay. Still reasonably composed, Hoffmann dropped a fresh ball fifty yards up the fairway and went for the green with a more aggressive swing. That's the ball, pull-hooked, that landed on the rocks and bounced repeatedly along the sea wall to cries of woe from the grandstands, winding up in the foam.

Lying five now, a shaken Hoffmann dropped yet another ball — "like Tin Cup," he would say with a pained smile — and pushed a 7-iron shot into a buried lie in the right-front bunker. Two bunker shots later, Hoffmann rolled in his ten-footer to sympathetic cheers and raised both arms in mock relief. He then plucked his ball from the hole and pitched it into the bay to swim with the others.

Hoffmann's memorable collapse left him at 4-over-par 75, so he'll be scrambling to make the cut and play on the weekend. To his credit, he refused to whine or fuss. "I had a great day," he insisted, "I'm playing real well. I just have to take the good out of it and go out tomorrow and have fun."

The good of it? What was the good, we had to ask, that Hoffmann could take from a closing 9 on worldwide television in his U.S. Open debut?

"I made a good putt," he said without a trace of irony, "and hit a good drive."

That, friends, is a golfer.

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