HOT
1. Scotland. Not literally — the 10-day forecast shows rain every day. But to have the Scottish Open followed by the Open on the Old Course is good for the soul.
2. Jim Nantz. He rates a mention merely for refraining from spouting poetry over the closing moments of Justin Rose's melodramatic victory.
3. NYC. Nice town, but we refer, of course, to Na Yeon Choi, who won for the third time in less a year. For those fans who haven't made the effort to get to know her, Choi is a fun, bubbly character, with a flashy wardrobe and stylish swing. And she'll be a force for at least the next decade.
4. Aronimink. Sign it up for a PGA Championship, pronto.
5. The Mechanic. Miguel Angel Jimenez may be 46 years old, but the dude can still play, as he showed with an overtime victory in France. He's also responsible for the most unforgettable image of my career, at a long-ago World Cup: Mechanic strutting on a Barbados beach in a black Speedo, with his Spafro spilling out from under a porkpie hat, chomping on a huge, phallic cigar. Still haunts me.
NOT
1. The Golf Channel. It ditched a rousing French Open playoff in favor of the meaningless early action at the AT&T, and all week long couldn't find time for a minute of LPGA action. Perhaps it should be renamed the Some Golf Channel.
2. Tiger. Some data to consider as you make your British Open picks: The AT&T was the first time in 11 years Woods hasn't broken par in any round at a PGA Tour event. He has six starts without a victory in 2010, his longest drought to start a year since 1998. And we won't even mention his 79 (with three balls in the water) on Monday at J.P. McManus's pro-am.
3. Loch Lomond. With all the great links courses in Scotland, it's criminal that their national championship is played on a lush, soggy track that looks like it was airlifted from Florida swampland.
4. Lee Westwood. A putative Open favorite, he's now a question mark thanks to an injured calf. That what he gets for spending so much time in the gym.
5. The media. The endless recycling and repackaging of the bogus report about Woods's supposed $750 million divorce settlement revealed yet again how lazy and unthinking the press can be. Depressing.
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