Kaymer struggles, McDowell leads in Spain

SOTOGRANDE, Spain (AP) — Martin Kaymer is unlikely to take over the No. 1 ranking from Tiger Woods after falling 11 shots behind leader Graeme McDowell at the Andalucia Masters on Friday.

Kaymer struggled to a 3-over 74 in the second round to seemingly fall out of contention for the victory he needs to pass Woods. McDowell shot a 67 and was at 7-under 135. Fellow Northern Irishman Gareth Maybin was two strokes back after a 68.

Niclas Fasth of Sweden was another two shots back in third after a 66.

If Kaymer finishes outside the top two, Lee Westwood of England will take over from Woods as No. 1 - despite not playing this weekend.

McDowell said he doesn't think Kaymer has a chance to catch up to him.

"Martin has not had the best two days out," McDowell said. "He is a world-class player and I fully expect him to have a good weekend, but the forecast is for the wind to get up which could make low scoring difficult."

McDowell and Maybin played amateur golf together as teenagers, and were the only two players to break 70 in both opening rounds at the Valderrama Club, which hosted the Ryder Cup in 1997.

"I lost a bit of contact with Gareth since our amateur days because we don't compete in too many of the same tournaments," McDowell said. "But it is no surprise to see myself and Gareth up there on the leaderboard.

"Because Valderrama is his type of golf course and my type of golf course. You have to plot your way around it, you cannot overpower and that suits us."

McDowell falls into tie with Maybin at ValderramaGoats earn historic win in Houston

McDowell falls into tie with Maybin at Valderrama

SOTOGRANDE, Spain (AP) — Graeme McDowell and Gareth Maybin of Northern Ireland took a four-stroke lead at the Andalucia Masters on Saturday after a windy third round sent scores soaring.

McDowell, the U.S. Open champion, shot a 1-over 72, while Maybin had a 70 to reach 6 under. Conditions were so difficult at Valderrama that only six players were under par at the end of a day that began with 13 in minus territory.

Damien McGrane of Ireland shot a 70 to reach 2 under and grab a share of third with Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain, who had a 71.

Martin Kaymer, who needs to win or finish second to take Tiger Woods' place atop the world rankings, improved on his first two rounds, but his 70 still left him nine shots off the lead on the course that staged the 1997 Ryder Cup.

McDowell squandered a good opportunity to take a big lead into the fourth round and boost his bid for a third title this year.

He had a two-stroke lead at the 18th when he misjudged the strength of a crosswind, put his second shot in a greenside bunker and ended up with a double bogey.

"Standing on the fairway I thought about having a comfortable lead and what happened was just careless," McDowell said.

"But there was enough good golf out there to make me happy. I am going into the Sunday afternoon with a chance to win a golf tournament and that's where I want to be."

Maybin struggled early, but stayed in contention for his first European Tour victory.

Beginning the third round two shots behind McDowell, he opened with two bogeys before responded with two straight birdies. He added another birdie at No. 9 and finished with nine straight pars.

Maybin knows he'll need his best to beat McDowell.

"Graeme is probably the hottest golfer in the world at the moment," he said.

Niclas Fasth of Sweden, who was third after two rounds only four shots off the lead, was among those who struggled with the wind. He dropped out of contention with six bogeys in nine holes and then lost his temper on the 18th tee.

After a camera shutter clicked as he drove into trees, the Swede stormed into the nearby crowd shouting abuse and branding a club before demanding officials take away the cameraman's credentials.

Australia’s Green wins Portugal Masters by 2 shotsDynamo turn a corner in tie vs. Crew

3 tied for lead at Nationwide Tour Championship

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Joe Affrunti, James Hahn and Brendan Steele shot 6-under 66s on Thursday to share the first-round lead in the Nationwide Tour Championship, the last chance for all three to earn 2011 PGA Tour cards through the developmental circuit money list.

The top 60 earners qualified for the season-ending tournament at Daniel Island Club. The final top 25 will earn spots on the PGA Tour.

Hahn is 29th on the money list, Steele is 30th, and Affrunti 34th.

Mathis wins to earn PGA Tour cardGoats earn historic win in Houston

Barnes shoots 63 for lead at Asia Pacific Classic

SELANGOR, Malaysia (AP) — Ricky Barnes shot an 8-under 63 Thursday to take the lead after the first round of the inaugural Asia Pacific Classic, the first PGA Tour-sanctioned event in Southeast Asia.

The 29-year-old American, seeking his first professional victory, had what he called a "stress-free" round sprinkled with eight birdies.

"I got off to a good start by making some good swings and had a 10-foot look at eagle on three which kind of got my round started," Barnes said.

Ryan Moore (64) trails by one stroke, while Canadian Open winner Carl Pettersson (65) was two back along with Brian Davis and Charlie Wi.

Moore, who arrived in Malaysia on Friday to acclimatize to the time change and humid weather, had seven birdies. He has earned more than $2 million this season on the PGA Tour but has no victories.

"For me, this is my last chance to get a win and finish off the year the way I want to," the American said. "It was a good season. I feel like it was better than last year, and last year I had a win. That's what I'm coming here for. It's my last tournament of the year."

The 40-man tournament at The Mines Resort and Golf Club, which has Ernie Els (67), Luke Donald (67) and Retief Goosen (69) in the field, is also sanctioned by the Asian Tour. The winner will receive $1 million from the $6 million purse.

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

Shoal Creek Country Club founder dies at 87

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The founder of Shoal Creek Country Club, whose comments about the admission of blacks created a stir, has died.

Club president Bob Luckie says in a statement that 87-year-old Hall Thompson died Wednesday morning. Thompson developed the club in suburban Birmingham and it played host to the PGA Championship in 1984 and 1990, and the U.S. Amateur Championship in 1986.

He was the subject of controversy before the 1990 PGA Championship after he was quoted as saying the golf club could not be forced into accepting blacks as members. Thompson claimed he was misquoted.

The club now has black members, including former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.

Professional golf will return to Shoal Creek next year with the Regions Tradition, a PGA Champions Tour event.

Calif. man dies after hit in head with golf ballNowak confirms Union in market for players

Nationwide pros seeking PGA Tour spots

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Kevin Kisner won't ever forget the disappointment of watching six competitive rounds last fall come down to one stroke.

Kisner missed his PGA Tour card by a shot at Q-school last year, a 15-footer for par that slid by on the 108th and final hole that left him outside the game's top tour.

"It's was 108 holes and I missed by a man," Kisner said Wednesday, the day before the start of the Nationwide Tour Championship.

Kisner won't have such regrets this year. He comes in No. 11 and is secure among the Nationwide's top 25 money winners - all who earn PGA Tour playing privileges in 2011.

"I'm sure it takes away some pressure, more than if I was number 25," Kisner said. "But I'm trying to treat it like another golf tournament."

There's incentives out there for everyone in the field. While 25 golfers leave with PGA Tour status for next season, only the Nationwide's top money winner is fully exempt and earns a place in The Players Championship next May.

Former Southern California standout Jamie Lovemark, at age 22 the youngest player on tour, leads the way with $421,784, which is a $10,578 edge on Chris Kirk in second place. Lovemark is grateful he won't be sweating out where he'll play next season.

"For, I think, probably the top 15 guys on the money list, you know what you're doing" in 2011, Lovemark said. "For guys from 20 to 30, it's a lot of pressure to play well, a lot of pressure to get your card."

Competitors who finish 26-40 on the money list move directly to final stage qualifying. All golfers here have Nationwide Tour status for 2011.

The Nationwide Tour's top 60 money winners are either shooting to move up to a PGA promotion or are protecting their hard-earned spot on the big tour.

"Nobody wants to play on the Nationwide Tour. It's a stepping stone to something else," said Steve Pate, the 49-year-old six-time PGA Tour winner who's No. 43 this season.

No matter where Pate finishes, he's pointed toward his birthday next May when he can tee it up with his friends on the 50-and-over Champions Tour.

Not everyone's got those options.

Jim Herman, who'll turn 33 on Nov. 5, had his best Nationwide Tour season this year at No. 20 on the money list and his first victory at the Moonah Classic in Australia last February.

Still, he's got less than a $21,000 lead on Brandt Jobe in 26th and knows a horrible week might shuffle him right off the PGA Tour.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about it," Herman said. "You try not to dwell on it, but you're aware of it."

Justin Hicks, at No. 21, has an even more tenuous hold on the top 25. Hicks has made seven of his past eight cuts, though, and feels confident he'll play well enough to maintain, if not improve, his ranking.

"I'm not in a position to have a week of fun or sightseeing," Hicks said. "I've got to take care of business out there."

Kisner, a 26-year-old in his first full Nationwide season, felt the pressure much of the season until a win last month at the Mylan Classic in Canonsburg, Pa., assured him an easier stretch run.

He knows playing well at the Daniel Island Club's Ralston Creek Course could mean moving up into the top 10 and increasing his PGA Tour opportunities.

Those outside the top 25 plan to let it loose one last time to reach their goal like Matt Every here last fall. Every came in 49th but won the tour championship to jump up to 10th and secure his PGA card.

The winner's check of $180,000 is big enough to bring any of the chasers a spot on the PGA Tour.

Jeff Curl, coming off two shoulder surgeries, played only 13 events this year. However, he finished fifth, fifth, 23rd and second in his past four tournaments to move from 147th on the money list in September to 54th now.

"I've kind of been riding a good wave," Curl said. "I'm really not that stressed over it, as long a I go out and do what I do."

Herman turned pro in 2000 and has ended most seasons since then at qualifying school. His goal is to finish high enough that he won't have to again wind up in the grueling, six-round pressure cooker playing for a chance at PGA Tour success.

If Herman slips a bit, he'll likely still compete at Q-school where his best finish was a tie for 62nd in the final stage of the 2008 event.

"Obviously getting the card is important," Herman said. "But I want to finish as high as I can."

Confidence continues to build for rookie GavinGore holds on to win Nationwide Tour event

Manassero seeks visa for HSBC Champions in China

CASTELLON, Spain (AP) — Matteo Manassero is scrambling to get a visa on short notice so he can play in the HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai next week.

The 17-year-old Italian qualified Sunday when he became the youngest winner in European Tour history at the Castello Masters in Spain.

So rather than travel as scheduled on Monday from Valencia to Valderrama to play in Thursday's Andalucia Masters, Manassero flew back to Italy to try to obtain a visa for the Nov. 4-7 World Golf Championship event.

But his manager, Gorga Guillen, says getting a letter of invitation from China on short notice "is not going to be easy."

Thorrington's “invaluable” Man Utd experienceManassero becomes youngest European Tour winner

PGA Tour Confidential: Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

Every week of the 2010 PGA Tour season, the editorial staff of the SI Golf Group will conduct an e-mail roundtable. Check in on Mondays for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors and join the conversation in the comments section below.

BYRD'S ACE IN THE HOLE
Gary Van Sickle, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Jonathan Byrd makes a hole-in-one in the dark on the fourth playoff hole to win Justin Timberlake's event in Vegas. Who said the Fall Series is boring? First Rocco holes out all four days, now this from Byrd. Unbelievable.

Jim Herre, managing editor, SI Golf Group: Never seen anything like that before — Byrd wins with an ace!

Cameron Morfit, senior writer, Golf Magazine: That's two weeks in a row that a crazy hole-out has determined the winner.

Van Sickle: Byrd saved somebody's butt. Without that ace, it might've been a Monday finish for no good reason. Why were they aiming for 8 p.m. EST, which left them only a modest window for a playoff? It's not like it's the Masters or the U.S. Open on a major network hoping to pick up a big prime-time audience. No reason you can't get 75 guys around a course in daylight. But it ended up being one of the most amazing finishes I can remember. Like when Craig Parry holed out on 18 to beat Scott Verplank at Doral.

Herre: It was so dark that Byrd couldn't see his ball go into the hole.

Rick Lipsey, writer-reporter, Sports Illustrated: Pure Vegas.

Morfit: Looked like there were about six people and a sparrow around the green to go crazy when it dropped.

David Dusek, deputy editor, Golf.com: I think it was an owl.

Van Sickle: That ace has to be a nominee for Shot of the Year. Nice coverage by Golf Channel at the end of an otherwise flat telecast. I liked the touch of showing his ball in the cup. It lent a feel of authenticity. Also, it was pretty interesting when the rules officials let the players decide if they wanted to go to a fourth playoff hole. Golf Channel had cameras in their faces and we could hear the chatter. Laird asked if they could quit if it was too dark when they got to the green. When the official said yes, he said, let's go play.

Morfit: It was funny that those guys had to make the decision on camera. Who's going to be the stick-in-the-mud in that scenario?

Van Sickle: Exactly, Cam. That was great TV by Golf Channel. I criticize them for a lot of other stuff, but they were right there when they needed to be.

Lipsey: That's more than the nominee for shot of the year. Make an ace to win a Tour playoff? To me, that tops Mickelson's 6-iron at 13 at Augusta.

Morfit: No way it tops Phil's 6-iron through the goalposts, Rick.

Herre: I don't think so, Rick. The tournament was pretty routine until the ace, which was dumb luck, like all holes-in-one. I'll take Mickelson's 6-iron at 13. Much higher degree of difficulty, plus it came on the back nine on Sunday in the Masters.

Lipsey: Last week, we said Rocco's hole out was lucky. Now Byrd's ace is luck. No luck. Just great shots.

Dusek: Byrd said he hit a great shot, but the fact that it went in the hole was just dumb luck. As Jim said, same is true for nearly all holes-in-one.

Van Sickle: Yeah, one of my holes-in-one happened when I missed the green with a 5-iron. It doinked off a bank, bounced onto the green and went into the cup. Stupid dumb luck. Byrd's shot was better, even great, but still lucky.

Lipsey: Call it what you want. Byrd hit an ace to win a Tour event in a playoff. That is freakin' amazing.

Van Sickle: Byrd didn't hit his ace off a mat of pine needles between a couple of trees, but the walk-off factor is impressive. I felt rewarded for watching for the previous several hours.

Farrell Evans, writer-reporter, Sports Illustrated: Byrd hit the shot of the year in terms of pure golf. Forget the Fall Series setting. The lights were dim, and he went lights out.

Gore holds on to win Nationwide Tour eventNowak confirms Union in market for players

Manassero becomes youngest European Tour winner

CASTELLON, Spain (AP) — Matteo Manassero of Italy became the youngest winner on the European Tour on Sunday, shooting a 4-under 67 to claim the Castello Masters by four strokes.

Manassero finished at 16 under at the Club de Campo Del Mediterraneo to beat Ignacio Garrido of Spain, who had a 68.

The Italian, who is 17 years, 188 days old, eclipsed the record of Danny Lee of New Zealand, who was 18 years, 113 days old when he won the Johnnie Walker Championship in 2008. Manassero had already become the youngest winner of the British Amateur Championship, capturing the title in 2009 as a 16-year-old.

The teen was at a loss to find a way to celebrate his latest accomplishment.

"I am too young to have a drink, I am too young to drive, so I will not be buying a car and I have not got a girlfriend who would like a present," said Manassero, who earned $460,000 for the victory.

"But this was my first chance to win a tournament, which I never thought would come so quickly and to do it is unbelievable. My first aim when I turned professional was to win enough money to keep my card for next year and I achieved that in September."

He started the final round two strokes behind overnight leader Gary Boyd of England, who had a 74 to finish in a four-way tie for third at 11 under. Boyd collapsed down the stretch with three poor drives starting on the 15th hole, leading him to drop four late shots.

Joost Luiten of Netherlands (68), Peter Lawrie of Ireland (70) and Christian Nilsson of Sweden (72) also were at 11 under.

Jose Maria Olazabal was able to overcome his chronic rheumatoid arthritis and play four rounds for the first time in 2010, but he finished with a series of bogeys and then was disqualified after signing for a wrong score.

Olazabal had handed in a 77 to the official recorder when it should have been 78.

"I feel happy to have played four rounds for the first time of the year," the two-time Masters champion said. "The only pain is the way that I played today and what happened afterwards."

Gore holds on to win Nationwide Tour eventRBNY fans don't need a trophy to define D.C. rivalry

Report: GM negotiating to sponsor world event

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A business magazine is reporting that General Motors is in the final stages of a deal with the PGA Tour to put its Cadillac brand on a World Golf Championship event at Doral.

Sports Business Journal cited unnamed industry sources in saying GM was close to returning to PGA Tour sponsorship. Doral is the only World Golf Championship event without a title sponsor after CA declined to renew its contract.

PGA Tour spokesman Ty Votaw was in South America and could not immediately be reached for comment.

GM, which declared bankruptcy in June 2009, was not part of the golf landscape this season for the first time in more than 50 years. Its sponsorship was through Buick, which had its name on as many as four tournaments and had a personal endorsement with Tiger Woods.

Q&A: Bolton midfielder Stuart HoldenGore holds on to win Nationwide Tour event

Mathis wins to earn PGA Tour card

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — David Mathis closed with a 1-under 69 on Sunday to win the Jacksonville Open on the Nationwide Tour, earning more than enough money to secure his return to the PGA Tour next year.

Mathis started the tournament at No. 35 on the money list, and the $108,000 for winning moved him up to No. 12. The top 25 earn PGA Tour cards, and the only tournament remaining is the Nationwide Tour Championship next week.

He finished at 8-under 272 for a one-shot victory over Won Joon Lee, Jeff Curl and Kyle Reifers. Curl was at No. 81 on the money list, and his runner-up finish moved him to No. 54, putting him into the 60-man field next week in the Tour Championship.

Mathis rallied from a three-shot deficit on the Valley Course at the TPC Sawgrass, then struggled once he got out in front. He led by as many as three shots, but his lead was only one shot after his double bogey on the par-5 16th. Mathis hit a delicate chip-and-run to tap-in range from short of the 17th green for par, then made par on the final hole to close out his second career Nationwide win.

"I was actually very comfortable on the front nine, but that's because I was chasing," Mathis said. "I was happy to have that 150-yard walk from the 16th green to the 17th tee box. I beat myself up pretty good, but refocused for the last two holes."

Jon Mills, who had the 54-hole lead, shot 74 and tied for fifth.

Jeff Brehaut bogeyed the last two holes, but still managed to secure the 60th spot on the money list to get into the Tour Championship.

It was the first time all year on the Nationwide Tour that the winning score was in single digits under par, although the tour changed the Valley Course from a par 72 to a par 70 for the Jacksonville Open.

Goats earn historic win in HoustonGore holds on to win Nationwide Tour event

Jimin Kang wins LPGA Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Jimin Kang won the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia for her second LPGA Tour title, beating Juli Inkster by a stroke Sunday when the 50-year-old Hall of Famer bogeyed the final hole.

Kang, the 30-year-old South Korean player who went to high school in Edmonds, Wash., and starred at Arizona State, made a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th for a 6-under 65 and a 9-under total at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.

"Speechless," Kang said. "That's not that easy to do for me. I played solid. I hit a lot of putts. As you guys can tell, my score was good enough to win a tournament, and you know, it's been a while. So I'm trying to soak this in.

"Oh, my God, I can't believe I won!"

Inkster finished with her second straight 67. She birdied Nos. 15-17 to take the lead, but couldn't hold on in her bid to break the LPGA Tour age record of 46 years, 8 months set by Beth Daniel in the 2003 Canadian Women's Open.

Playing in the group behind Kang, Inkster pushed her second shot into the right greenside bunker at 18, then nearly holed out from the sand before two-putting for bogey.

"When I miss it, I miss it right," Inkster said about her approach shot. "It was a three-quarter shot and I left it out there. I played well all day.

"I really enjoy what I do. It's nice to be able to compete."

Kang, also the 2005 LPGA Corning Classic winner, birdied three of the last four holes and earned $270,000 in the inaugural event.

"All I know is it's been five years," Kang said. "It's priceless."

She was momentarily confused about her position on the final hole, thinking she was tied with Inkster instead of a stroke behind.

"I saw the scoreboard, and I thought that I was like tied, and I was like, 'Maybe I could win with a birdie,'" Kang said. "And I saw it, Juli was at 9 under. I realized I was like, oh, 'I've got to make this birdie to go to the playoff.'

"I came too far to just make par and stay in second place. So at that point I wasn't nervous at all, which I was impressed with myself. And yeah, putt rolled in."

Sweden's Maria Hjorth (71) and Japan's Mika Miyazato (69) tied for third at 6 under, South Korea's Meena Lee (69) was 5 under, American Christina Kim (69) and South Korea's Jiyai Shin (70) were 4 under, and American Cristie Kerr (67) was 3 under.

Kerr is projected to regain the top spot in the world from Japan's Ai Mayazato when the rankings are released Monday. Ai Miyazato shot a 69 to tie for 28th at 2 over.

"It would feel great to take over No. 1 this week," Kerr said. "It's been so close the last four tournaments. It came down to one putt in Alabama and last week I had a great finish, but just wasn't close enough. I've been thinking about this race all year. It's coming down to a putt here or there and it cannot get any closer."

Michelle Wie shot a 74 to tie for 34th at 3 over.

The tour will remain in Asia the next two weeks for events in South Korea and Japan.

Australia’s Green wins Portugal Masters by 2 shotsKC's Espinoza reflects on his World Cup experience

Questions For ... Kevin Cook, author of Titanic Thompson: The Man who Bet on Everything

Kevin Cook is the author of Titanic Thompson: The Man who Bet on Everything , due out in November from W.W. Norton.

Who was Titanic Thompson?
He was one of the most remarkable figures of the 20th century. His life intersects with Al Capone and Harry Houdini. Hogan and Nelson looked up to him. He was born in 1892 in a log cabin in the Ozarks. He left home at 15 with nothing and started traveling. He was self-taught and he was charmer. He had a computer-like mind for the odds in poker. He would cheat and mark cards like you wouldn't believe. He cheated at everything.

So he was a scam artist and a gambler who found golf to be easy prey for suckers.
What drew me to Titanic and to Old Tom Morris, who was the subject of my last book, was that Titanic was a guy that I had heard about through the years from old pro golfers who talked about him as this guy who did some unbelievable things. So for years I kept waiting for the movie to come out and it never did. So after awhile I decided that I would go out and try to sort out the fact from the legend on this guy.

When did he emerge as a golf hustler?
He was 40 years old before he ever started playing golf. What he realized is that there is a lot better money in golf than there is in shooting pool. He used to hustle pool with Minnesota Fats. While the pro golfers of his day might play for $10,000 in a whole year, Titanic sometimes played for as much as $15,000 a hole. He could play left-handed or right-handed.

What were some of his main golf scams?
He would let you beat him by a couple of strokes. Then he would tell you lets play for ten times what we just played for and I'll play left handed. He would also team up with a lot of noteworthy pros before they were famous. He teamed up with Herman Keiser who won the 1946 Masters. He could take these great players on the road with him because this was before TV. So they didn't have famous faces. They would travel with him and pretend to be his caddie — dressed in overalls.

Did Titanic really beat Byron Nelson in a match in 1934?
Nelson was a real straight arrow. He wasn't a big gambler. In those days you would play and a friend would stake you. So Nelson's big money friends in Forth Worth would back him. Byron didn't want to know how much he was playing for. Nelson is reaching his prime and he beats Titanic by a stroke. Only later did he find out that before the match that Titanic had arranged with Nelson's backers to get three shots. So he won the bet. He would famously beat a guy by a shot to encourage him to play for more money.

What was Titanic's relationship with Hogan?
He once helped Hogan get work at an illegal gambling house between Dallas and Ft. Worth. Hogan told Harvey Penick that Titanic was the best shot maker that he had ever seen.

Why didn't he play the pro tour?
Titanic would always answer that question by saying that he couldn't afford the cut in pay. By the time the money was significant on the tour he was too old to play. Also he wasn't a guy who was going to wake up early or play when somebody told him to play. He set up his own matches.

What's the story behind the bet that he could drive a ball 500 yards?
He made this bet in the middle of the summer in Chicago. But he didn't say when he would do it. Some of Capone's cronies chipped in thousands of dollars to cover him. December comes around and he goes out to the frozen Lake Michigan and drives the ball onto the ice. These were called proposition bets and this was his specialty. He would make a crazy sounding bet and sometimes guys would just bet him to see if he could pull it off.

That sounds like a scene out of Tin Cup.
Gary McCord was a big fan of Titanic and he knows all of these stories. So he adapted some of them for the movie.

In the book you talk about Titanic traveling through the South with Lee Elder, the first black to play in the Masters in 1975.
Titanic loved company on the road. He drove this big Pierce-Arrow car. Sometimes he would drive 60 mph backward just to prove that he could do it. In those days it was pretty unusual to have a black golfer and white golfer traveling together. He would pass Elder off as his caddie and his driver. He unsuccessfully tried to get Raymond Floyd and Lee Trevino to join him in this same scam, but he did set a match between them in 1965 that Trevino won. Thompson lost this bet, however.

Did Titanic have rivals?
There were other people who did the same thing like John Montague and Jeanne Carmen, who was the most famous female golf hustler. She did this trick where she would stack three balls on a tee and drive the middle ball 200 yards, the top ball would pop up and she would catch it and the bottom ball stayed on the tee. But Titanic didn't really have enemies. There was a great Indiana pool player by the name of Daddy Warbucks who once came after Titanic with a gun. But they ended up working together.

What happened to Titanic?
He wound up broke like seemingly most gamblers. The match between Trevino and Floyd was his last shot.

Is there a lot of gambling today on the PGA Tour?
Yes, but I think it's mostly for fun during the practice rounds. These guys are making so much money now. Most of the old-timers will tell you that the gambling was a lot more important in their day. When Hogan and Nelson were on tour they could make more money by playing each other than they could in the tournament. When Herman Keiser won the Masters he got $2,500. He made that in a day sometimes with Titanic.

How did Alvin Clarence Thompson get the nickname Titanic?
He went into a pool hall in Joplin, Missouri shortly after the Titanic sank in 1912. He sees a sign that says that $200 will go to anyone who jumps over a particular pool table. He comes back with an old mattress and gets a running start and does a flip over the pool table into the mattress. He wins the $200. The owner of the pool hall says I don't know his name but it ought to be Titanic because he sinks everybody.

Is it harder today to do what Titanic was able to do in his day? Do people take fewer risks because of our relative comfort to most people in Titanic's day in the first part of the 20th century? Are we less naïve?
In Titanic's day people admired outlaws. Also you have to remember that word didn't travel as fast as it does now. He would go into one little town and just take all the money and on down the road he would go.

How much money did he make hustling?
In San Francisco playing cards with Nick the Greek he got around $1 million. There were many times on the golf course where he would play for $30,000 to $50,000. He certainly went through many millions of dollars in his day.

Where is Titanic buried?
Colleyville, Texas, near Dallas. He died in 1974.

Is there one of his scams that you want to try?
Yes. I can throw a watermelon to the roof of a 20-story building. The way you do that is that you take an elevator to the 21st floor, and after you've made the bet you walk over to a window and pitch it off the side to the roof of the 20-story building.

Toms leads Els by a shot in Grand Slam of GolfNowak confirms Union in market for players

Hot this week? Rocco, Recari and Rickie. Not hot? Van Pelt, Lincicome, NorCal fans

HOT
1. Rocco. This doesn't quite make up for losing the 2008 U.S. Open but with his thrilling Fall Series win Mediate proved there's still some magic left in that old, battered body.

2. Beatriz Recari. The rookie from Spain earned her first LPGA victory, to the delight of all golf fans ... particularly male golf fans.

3. Paddy. Yes, the field was weaker than press room coffee, but his win in Malaysia ended a two-year drought and sets up Harrington for a big '11. Or so we'd like to think.

4. Rickie. Last year, when he was unknown, the Frys.com gave him a sponsor's exemption, and Fowler's strong play helped launch his career. Now he's big-time but Rickie showed an admirable loyalty by returning to the Fry's to support the tourney. Bonus points for a top-5 finish.

5. Jason Gore. Big man, soft hands, big heart, long road.

NOT
1. Brittany Lincicome. Yes, it's supposedly hard to follow-up a 61, but going +2 over the ensuing three rounds was pretty lame. But that's our Brit: awesomely talented, occasionally infuriating, but never boring.

2. Bo Van Pelt. He's now 15th on this year's money list with $3.3 million but still hasn't won a tournament. I don't begrudge a man a good living, but at some point dude has to get a W, no?

3. The LPGA schedule. The tour has some nice momentum coming off of a pair of rousing domestic events but now begins the black hole of its Asian swing, disappearing from U.S. television and, sadly, the thoughts of golf fans everywhere.

4. NorCal golf fans. Playing within 50 miles of each other, both the PGA and LPGA tour drew sparse crowds, to put it politely. C'mon people, I don't care if the Giants are in the playoffs and the 49ers were playing the Raiders, we gotta do better than this.

5. Early Retirees In the coming weeks Annika Sorenstam will play in the Pebble Beach Invitational and Lorena Ochoa at her eponymous LPGA invitational. Why do they have to tease us like this?

Mediate scores another eagle, keeps lead at Frys.comRBNY fans don't need a trophy to define D.C. rivalry

Toms leads Els by a shot in Grand Slam of Golf

SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda (AP) — David Toms had the best score Tuesday in the PGA Grand Slam of Golf.

PGA champion Martin Kaymer might have had the best feeling.

In an opening day led by the two alternates, Toms got off to a fast start before losing momentum with a pair of bogeys. He still managed a 4-under 67 at Port Royal Golf Course for a one-shot lead over Ernie Els.

The 36-hole event is for the four major champions. Toms replaced British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, who is recovering from an ankle injury. Els filled in for Masters champion Phil Mickelson, who chose not to play.

U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell had a 72, while Kaymer brought up the rear with a 74.

Kaymer, however, finally began to realize what he has accomplished this year. The 25-year-old German not only captured his first major in a playoff at Whistling Straits, he has a chance to go to No. 1 in the world with a victory next week in the Andalucia Masters.

Standing on the 16th tee, staring into the serenity of the Atlantic Ocean, Kaymer said it all began to hit him.

"I didn't play the best golf today," Kaymer said. "But I was standing on 16 and trying to enjoy the moment. For me, I'm only five years a golf professional. I just thought about, 'It's quite stunning to be here already that early in my career.' It was one of those moments where you realize you're a winner. It takes some time to realize. It's not normal what I've done the last few years, especially this year."

Alternates at the PGA Grand Slam of Golf must be former major champions. They are offered a spot depending on how they played in the majors this year. Toms, who won the PGA Championship in 2001, was 5 under through 10 holes and was poised to set the course record. He followed with two bogeys sandwiched around a birdie, however, then closed with five pars.

Els struggled with his putter, but he made enough birdies to stay in the game. Els last won a major in 2002 at the British Open.

"It feels like I left a lot of shots out there, especially on the front nine" Els said. "I think I'm in a good position. Hopefully, I can play a little better tomorrow."

McDowell made a triple bogey on the 11th hole, then closed with back-to-back birdies for a 72.

Confidence continues to build for rookie GavinWoods to play with Justin Rose at St. Andrews

After long road, Duval earns back PGA Tour card

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — David Duval flunked Q-school twice, and both times came away feeling good about himself.

Because at least he tried.

The question is how many others, who haven't achieved nearly as much, will even bother.

Duval was one of those can't-miss college stars - he had the 54-hole lead at a PGA Tour event as an amateur - but in his first attempt to get on tour, he failed miserably. He didn't even make the 72-hole cut for the final two rounds of qualifying school.

"Failed miserably? Thanks," he said with a chuckle. "Actually, I birdied five of the last 10 holes in the fourth round. Moved right up to the number to make the cut. Then watched that arrow move right up to 2 under and I was out. But I gave it my best shot."

Duval returned last year with a resume unlike any other at Q-school - a 13-time tour winner, British Open champion, former No. 1 in the world. He didn't want to be there. But without a tour card, Duval felt that's where he was supposed to be.

His five-year exemption from winning the British Open ended in 2006. He used a one-time exemption for being top 25 in the career earnings, received an extra year because of health issues at home, then used his exemption for top 50 in career money. He finished 130th on the money list in 2009 to lose his card and faced a tough decision.

Duval could still get in a fair number of tournaments, and since he remained a popular figure in golf, he could count on sponsor exemptions to get him through the year. Instead, he packed away his pride and headed back to school.

"I don't know why you wouldn't," he said. "You do what you need to if you're serious about playing great golf. I'm sure at some point, the people at these tournaments who decide on sponsor exemptions look at who goes to Q-school and tries to do it themselves. Because they know you're working, you're going. You've got to make an effort on your own. Some people don't even try."

Duval failed again. He shot 79 in the fourth round, never recovered and finished in a tie for 78th, a category that doesn't even award full status on the Nationwide Tour.

As expected, Duval got into enough tournaments and received enough sponsor exemptions to put together a decent schedule. And he played well enough in two tournaments - a tie for second at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, and a tie for sixth last week in the Frys.com Open - so that he won't be going back to school.

He is No. 99 on the money list with two tournaments remaining. Duval is playing Las Vegas this week, hopeful of a win. At the very worst, he gets to return to The Players Championship next year for the first time since 2006.

Was going to Q-school even worth it?

Duval thinks it was worth at least a couple of sponsor exemptions he received.

"I went to Q-school knowing that I could play well and get through," he said. "And if I didn't, that my status over 15 years and support of these tournaments would be remembered. But I didn't count on that entirely. I still went. Because I think it shows I'm doing all I can."

Duval was among 25 players who had conditional status by finishing out of the top 125 but inside the top 150 on the money list. That essentially puts them only in tournaments that have the weakest fields, and often the smallest purses.

Fifteen of them went back to Q-school, and for good reason. The six who made it through played an average of 27 tournaments this year because they had higher status. Not surprisingly, five of those six look to be a lock to keep their cards this year (the exception is Joe Ogilvie, who is at No. 134 going into Las Vegas).

The nine players who failed Q-school average just over 20 starts. From that group, Duval is the only one who has locked up his card. Robert Garrigus is at No. 122, while Aron Price is at No. 126 and Tom Pernice Jr., a 51-year-old model of hard work and high hopes, is at No. 133.

Among those who didn't go back to school was Chris DiMarco. He has played 23 tournaments and is No. 167 on the money list. DiMarco at least signed up for Q-school this year.

John Daly, meanwhile, didn't sign up again. The two-time major champion has been living off exemptions and his status as a past champion for the last four years, and those offers are starting to dwindle. His first year on exemptions, he talked about having so many that he had to turn some down - a nice problem to have. This year, he has played only 19 events and is No. 193 on the money list.

If he's serious about his game, why not go?

"I would say it's just ego," said Dean Wilson, referring not only to Daly but anyone who doesn't have a card and won't go back to school. "I can't find a reason why not to go. I think I mailed my application in before Canada."

Wilson was runner-up in the Canadian Open, and his play last week at the Frys.com Open makes him secure for next year. He didn't get out of the second stage of Q-school last year, but at least he tried. Relying on his status as a past champion, he played 16 events.

Daly isn't the only player who avoids Q-school, but he has become the face of those who would rather ask for a handout.

One incident at the start of the year spoke volumes.

Tim Herron, who finished at No. 131 on the money list last year, left his wife and three young boys at home in Minnesota to fly to Honolulu for Monday qualifying. He failed. Then he flew to San Diego and failed again. Heading out to his car at Torrey Pines, Herron mentioned that Daly had invited him to take part in a corporate outing that week in southern California.

"I told him that I'd love to help," Herron said. "But I had to Monday qualify."

Galaxy ready to head home after “tough week”The race to keep a PGA Tour card

Harrington ends drought, wins Iskandar Johor Open

JOHOR BAHRU, Malaysia (AP) — Padraig Harrington earned his first victory in two years Sunday, winning the Asian Tour's Iskandar Johor Open by three strokes over Noh Seung-yul of South Korea.

The three-time major champion shot a 3-under 69 to finish at 20-under 268 in his debut in the tournament at Horizon Hills Golf and Country Club. Harrington last won at the 2008 PGA Championship.

"Two years is a long time, especially when you're reminded every week you play," said Harrington, part of Europe's Ryder Cup winning team. "It's nice and very important for me to win. It's somewhat a monkey off your back."

It was the Irishman's third Asian Tour title after wins in Taipei and Hong Kong.

"There's no doubt that it was my week to win," he said. "If you had followed me for the four days, I don't think anyone would have questioned that my name was written on the trophy before the tournament started. ... I hit some good shots and had a few breaks."

Harrington took a five-stroke lead into the final round of the event and tightened his grip with three straight birdies beginning at No. 2, but had two bogeys over his closing three holes.

The 19-year-old Noh retained the Asian Tour Order of Merit lead after a 65. He moved to 5 under for the round through 11 holes, but a bogey on 13 where he found water with a drive ended his challenge.

Lin Wen-tang of Taiwan finished four strokes back in third after a 68 that included a double bogey on the seventh hole.

"Padraig was in good form," Lin said. "There were no par-5s for him as he played them like par-4s."

Mediate keeps lead at Frys.com OpenBraun, Goats finally snap winless streak

Australia's Green wins Portugal Masters by 2 shots

VILAMOURA, Portugal (AP) — Richard Green shot a 65 to win the Portugal Masters Sunday, beating a group of four players by two strokes after overnight leader Pablo Martin collapsed down the stretch.

Green started the round seven shots behind Martin, but birdied four of the first five holes at the Oceanico Victoria Club. The left-hander from Australia was at 9 under after No. 15, but two late bogeys meant he had to spend an anxious hour in the clubhouse to see whether his 18-under 270 would hold up.

"Coming from seven behind I knew I had to play the best round of golf I probably could and I had a 64 in mind," Green said. "And when I got to 9 under for the day and 20 under and I thought I was in with a chance. But then I had a couple of bogeys, which I thought left me short. But in the end a 65 was good enough, and a win is a win."

It was Green's third victory on the European Tour, but his first since the 2007 BA-CA Open in Austria.

Martin, who held a three-shot lead going into the final round, stayed one stroke ahead by making a 15-foot birdie putt on the 12th. But the Spaniard bogeyed three of the next four holes, before managing a birdie on the 17th. He then drove into the water on the final hole to finish with a double bogey for a 75 - putting him in a tie for sixth place at 15 under.

Ryder Cup player Francesco Molinari of Italy came from even further back, shooting a 62 to finish in a four-way tie for second. Molinari, Robert Karlsson of Sweden (67), Joost Luiten of the Netherlands (69) and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano of Spain (68) were all two shots behind Green.

Molinari also shot a 62 in the second round, but had 74s Thursday and Saturday.

It was the second straight year that Martin wasted a chance for victory in the final round of the tournament. Last year, he partnered with eventual winner Lee Westwood in the final round but shot a 77.

Braun, Goats finally snap winless streakKarlsson, Edfors, Lafeber lead at Portugal Masters

Gore holds on to win Nationwide Tour event

MIAMI (AP) — Jason Gore shot a final-round 71 to hold off a charge by Kevin Kisner and Scott Gutschewski and win the Miccosukee Championship by four shots on Sunday.

Gore was 16 under through the first three rounds before his even-par finish, but he had built such a big lead that the outcome was never really in doubt. Kisner finished with a 4-under 67 and Gutschewski shot 69, with four others another shot back.

The Nationwide Tour victory was the seventh for Gore but first since 2005, when he also won the 84 Lumber Classic on the PGA Tour. He's been playing mostly on that tour ever since.

The former Pepperdine standout won his first Nationwide event in 2000, won twice two years later, and won three times during his breakout 2005 season. He earned more than $1 million on the PGA Tour in 2007, before struggling the past couple years. He's made only five cuts in 10 tries on the PGA Tour this season while splitting time with the Nationwide Tour.

Gore struggled from the start on Sunday, bogeying the first two holes at Miccosukee Golf and Country Club, before rallying with a pair of birdies to get back to 16 under.

He birdie the par-4 13th and bogeyed the par-4 closing hole, with a slew of pars thrown in.

John Kimbell, Won Joon Lee, David Hearn and Keegan Bradley were in the group at 11 under, while five more were six shots off the pace.

There's two events left during the Nationwide season, beginning with the Jacksonville Open next weekend at Ponte Vedra, Fla., and closing with the Nationwide Tour Championship on Oct. 28-31 at Daniel Island Club in Charlston, S.C.

Confidence continues to build for rookie GavinGore holds on to win Nationwide Tour event

Calif. man dies after hit in head with golf ball

CHINO, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say a man who was hit in the head with a golf ball at a Southern California country club has died.

The San Bernardino County coroner's office said on its website Sunday that 69-year-old Hiroshi Tango of Brea died at a hospital Saturday.

On Oct. 7, Tango was playing golf at Los Serranos Country Club in Chino when he was hit in the head by a ball.

The coroner says he complained of head and neck pain after he was hit and he was taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he "succumbed to his injuries" on Saturday, nine days after he was struck by the stray ball.

Mediate keeps lead at Frys.com OpenGalaxy ready to head home after “tough week”

Gore holds on to win Nationwide Tour event

MIAMI (AP) — Jason Gore shot a final-round 71 to hold off a charge by Kevin Kisner and Scott Gutschewski and win the Miccosukee Championship by four shots on Sunday.

Gore was 16 under through the first three rounds before his even-par finish, but he had built such a big lead that the outcome was never really in doubt. Kisner finished with a 4-under 67 and Gutschewski shot 69, with four others another shot back.

The Nationwide Tour victory was the seventh for Gore but first since 2005, when he also won the 84 Lumber Classic on the PGA Tour. He's been playing mostly on that tour ever since.

The former Pepperdine standout won his first Nationwide event in 2000, won twice two years later, and won three times during his breakout 2005 season. He earned more than $1 million on the PGA Tour in 2007, before struggling the past couple years. He's made only five cuts in 10 tries on the PGA Tour this season while splitting time with the Nationwide Tour.

Gore struggled from the start on Sunday, bogeying the first two holes at Miccosukee Golf and Country Club, before rallying with a pair of birdies to get back to 16 under.

He birdie the par-4 13th and bogeyed the par-4 closing hole, with a slew of pars thrown in.

John Kimbell, Won Joon Lee, David Hearn and Keegan Bradley were in the group at 11 under, while five more were six shots off the pace.

There's two events left during the Nationwide season, beginning with the Jacksonville Open next weekend at Ponte Vedra, Fla., and closing with the Nationwide Tour Championship on Oct. 28-31 at Daniel Island Club in Charlston, S.C.

Rose holds on to win at AroniminkConfidence continues to build for rookie Gavin

Mediate scores another eagle, keeps lead at Frys.com

SAN MARTIN, Calif. (AP) — Rocco Mediate holed out with a pitching wedge from 111 yards on the par-5 15th hole for his third eagle of the week and finished with a 4-under 67 to maintain a three-stroke lead Saturday in the Frys.com Open.

The 47-year-old Mediate, looking for his first PGA Tour victory in eight years, became the first player to make three eagles in a tournament since Tiger Woods in the 1998 Sprint International. Mediate had a hole-in-one on the par-3 third hole Thursday and holed out from 160 yards Friday on the par-4 fourth hole. He had a 17-under 196 total on the CordeValle Golf Club course in the Fall Series event.

Bo Van Pelt was second after a 65, rookie Alex Prugh (66) and Ryuji Imada (69) were five strokes back at 12 under, and U.S. Ryder Cup player Rickie Fowler (68) was 11 under.

Mediate got into a conversation with a group of people as he approached the tee on the 15th hole. They wanted to follow him, but were more interested in watching the NLCS opener between the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies.

"I told them I don't blame them," he said. "I would do the same thing if I could."

Three other players also recorded an eagle, all on the short par-4, 298-yard 17th hole.

Prugh used a 3-wood off the tee to get within 23 inches of the cup for his eagle. That capped a 5-under 66, which included five consecutive birdies and helped ease the pain of a couple of bogeys.

"I hit it perfect right up the left fringe," Prugh said. "It kind of rolled around the backstop and came back."

Prugh played the course through his collegiate years at UCLA and felt that helped.

"I love the west coast," he said. "We usually played here in fall, so it's similar conditions now."

Charles Warren nailed a 27-foot putt for his eagle, and Chris DiMarco came within five inches of a hole-in-one.

The start of play was delayed 45 minutes because of fog.

Mediate holds at least a share of the 54-lead for the seventh time, most recently at the 2002 Wyndham Championship, his last PGA Tour win. This is his 193rd start since.

"If I keep doing what I'm doing I have a good chance of getting this done," Mediate said. "There's no reason why I can't keep going."

Van Pelt drew within a stroke of the lead with a birdie on the 12th hole, but he bogeyed 14 and birdied 15 while Mediate had a birdie and his eagle.

"It was good to shoot a low number to get a little closer," Van Pelt said. "I wasn't happy after two holes but then I made a couple of birdies and settled in."

On the 18th fairway, Van Pelt had a run-in with a bee, which landed on his ball and refused to leave for a few minutes despite the player's best efforts.

"We were 65 yards away. I had a good chance to make birdie," Van Pelt said. "I was always good at 'Operation.' I have steady hands. I'm glad I took the time and made a good shot."

Fowler was five strokes back at this event last year before forcing a playoff. He said a good start to his final round helped propel him to the top of the leaderboard.

"I'm going to focus on getting off to a good start," he said. "Rocco controls the tournament right now though, and he's going to be tough to catch."

The tournament, the third of five Fall Series events, is in its first year at CordeValle Golf Club after three seasons at Grayhawk in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Defense the key to Kansas City's fortunesMediate keeps lead at Frys.com Open

Mediate keeps lead at Frys.com Open

SAN MARTIN, Calif. (AP) — Rocco Mediate holed a 7-iron approach from 160 yards for eagle on the par-4 fourth hole and finished with a 6-under 65 on Friday to increase his lead to three strokes in the Frys.com Open.

The 46-year-old Mediate, looking for his first PGA Tour victory in eight years, made the eagle on the 426-yard hole a day after a hole-in-one on the par-3 third hole. He had a 13-under 129 total on the CordeValle Golf Club course in the Fall Series event.

Ryudi Imada (67) was second, and Dean Wilson (64) and David Duval (65) followed at 9 under.

U.S. Ryder Cup player Rickie Fowler shot a 65 to join Tim Herron (67), Will MacKenzie (68), Henrik Stenson (67) and Bo Van Pelt (68) at 8 under.

Mediate had eagles in consecutive rounds for the first time since 2001.

"It is just weird," Mediate said. "A lot of stuff is happening. When that went in, I was 'Really?' I was pleased, but shocked."

Mediate, for years troubled by back problems, was slightly on edge because of his 7:20 a.m. tee time, concerned that he couldn't get loose in the cold.

"I was a little nervy to start because I was concerned the morning might be chilly," Mediate said. "I don't do well in the cold. But it wasn't too bad. I hit a couple of putts and got some momentum."

Mediate birdied four of his first 12 holes before his eagle, which made up for a later bogey.

"That was my record by miles, 34 holes without a bogey," Mediate said. "I was so disappointed, but how could I be that angry? I wanted to go at least 36 holes. I actually tried to bogey the ninth hole too."

Mediate said he took a putting lesson from Lee Trevino in May, and it has made a huge difference in his results.

"I spent four or five hours with him and learned so much about moving the ball to the right," Mediate said. "It was priceless. I didn't want to leave. Him and I are the same; we're nuts."

Wilson said he took advantage of smoother greens, birdieing six of eight holes at one point, recovering nicely from an early bogey.

"I think there is a lot of danger out there," Wilson said. "I need to drive the ball well, get it on the fairway. The greens were nice and smooth in the morning, versus yesterday when they were a little bumpy."

Duval said he played consistently well in the second round.

"I wasn't real close to a bogey," he said. "I felt like I hit the ball pretty well. I had a few mistakes but I came here and have gotten into a rhythm so far."

Fowler birdied four of his final five holes to move into the top five.

"I drove the ball better," Fowler said. "Rocco set the pace and I needed to stay with the pace. I think I did that."

Defending champion Troy Matteson missed the cut, following his opening 72 with a 76.

The tournament, the third of five Fall Series events, is in its first year at CordeValle Golf Club after three seasons at Grawhawk in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Defense the key to Kansas City's fortunesKarlsson, Edfors, Lafeber lead at Portugal Masters

Grand Jury Indicts Canadian Sports Doctor Accused of Drug Smuggling

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A Canadian sports doctor already charged with smuggling unapproved drugs into the United States to treat high-profile athletes has been formally indicted by a federal grand jury in Buffalo, N.Y.

A five-count indictment returned Thursday charges Dr. Anthony Galea (GALE'-eeh-uh) of Toronto with smuggling human growth hormone and other substances across the U.S. border, as well as conspiracy, fraud and lying to border agents.

A phone message for Galea's Toronto attorney, Brian Greenspan, was not immediately answered. A person at the office of his Buffalo attorney, Mark Mahoney, says Mahoney is out of town and unavailable for comment.

Galea is accused of making frequent trips across the Peace Bridge in Buffalo to see athletes in several cities.

The indictment doesn't identify athletes by name. Galea has treated Tiger Woods, Alex Rodriguez, Jose Reyes and other prominent athletes.

Gary Player talks Tiger, mental toughness and how he stays fit at age 74Davis, Dynamo to salute military against Columbus

Karlsson, Edfors, Lafeber lead at Portugal Masters

VILAMOURA, Portugal (AP) — Robert Karlsson and Johan Edfors of Sweden and Maarten Lafeber of Netherlands led the Portugal Masters after shooting 64s in the first round Thursday.

Karlsson and Edfors had bogey free rounds, while Maarten had six birdies over his last nine holes to help atone for an earlier double bogey.

Alexander Noren of Sweden was one shot back in fourth, tied with Mikko Ilonen. The Finn was the only afternoon starter among the top five.

European Ryder Cup team member Edoardo Molinari, another late starter, shot a 4-under 68.

"The greens were uneven," the Italian said. "I had one stupid three-putt from 20 feet on the seventh green. But when that happens it important to think about the putts you have made rather than the ones you miss."

A week of heavy rain also has softened the 7,231-yard course, leaving it playing longer than usual.

"The fairways are quite soft and it is a big hitters' golf course," Karlsson said. "If you hit it long you can still get up in two at all of the par-5s, but the shorter players are having to lay up short. So it is suited to the big hitters."

The conditions also could produce very low scores.

"If the wind stays down, this is one of the courses you can shoot very low, especially now when the rough is down as well," Edfors said. "So without wind, the 59 is possible."

Lafeber had 11 birdies and would have had the outright lead if not for a double bogey after he found water by the 18th green, his ninth hole of the day.

Rose holds on to win at AroniminkConfidence, swagger growing for LA's Juninho

Fowler still looking for PGA win

SAN MARTIN, Calif. (AP) — Rickie Fowler came close to winning his first PGA tournament at the Frys.com Open when it was held in Scottsdale, Ariz.

He's hoping a different site will bring a different result.

"There's some unfinished business," said Fowler, decked out in a purple shirt and white pants. "I think winning is the start of the process. The more I am in contention, the more comfortable I feel."

The event is making its Northern California debut on Thursday at the CordeValle Golf Club, about 30 miles south of San Jose, Calif.

"I want to put myself in contention to have a chance to win on Sunday," Fowler said. "The Fall Series was a big part of me getting started on the tour. It gave me the confidence."

The colorful 21-year-old Fowler followed his impressive performance last season by finishing second twice this season, climbing to No. 33 in the rankings.

"That was my second tournament and I have to thank Frys for giving me the spot," Fowler said. "It gave me the confidence to go to Q-School, get my card and run around the tour in 2010."

Team Fowler even won Wednesday's Pro-Am tournament.

Fowler began playing in tournaments at the age of 4 1/2, and spent hours hitting golf balls at the local driving range.

"I had a coach from when I was 7 through high school," Fowler said. "Basically he sat in a chair, smoked a cigar and watched me swing. He didn't know how to run a video camera. But he taught me how to teach myself."

Southern California grad Jamie Lovemark, part of the three-way playoff in last year's event, has played the course here about a dozen times during his collegiate days.

"The course has changed a little bit," he said. "There are some new tees and the rough is longer. It's playing a lot tougher but some of the lines and the greens are the same."

Ricky Barnes, a Stockton, Calif., native and the 2002 U.S. Amateur champion and 2003 NCAA champion in his senior year at Arizona, said "Anywhere within about two hours of Northern California feels like home."

Two-time major winners Lee Janzen and John Daly are also in the field.

Past winners in the current field include Cameron Beckman and defending champ Troy Matteson, who won a three-way playoff over Fowler and Lovemark.

Stanford grad Joseph Bramlett, part of the 2006 NCAA championship team, received a sponsor exemption to play. This is his second pro tournament.

Under African Skies: Chivas duo straddle Africa, USFowler confident he’s ready to get his ‘W’

Matt Kuchar proved a lot can happen in the Fall Series

A little over a year ago, Matt Kuchar was a lanky journeyman who had scratched out a respectable but not very exciting pro career on the PGA Tour.Then he survived a six-hole, two-day playoff with Vaughn Taylor to win the Turning Stone Resort Championship in early October, the first event of the 2009 Fall Series. No one could have predicted what came next. Kuchar not only won for the third time on Tour (the Barclays), he's on track to win the Vardon Trophy for low scoring average (69.57) and the money title ($4.91 million) in 2010. The second honorific comes with a five-year exemption, and Kuchar may also be voted Player of the Year.

There is much to be decided as players gear up for this week's Frys.com Open at CordeValle Golf Club, a new venue in San Martin, Calif., replacing Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. At this, the third stop in the Tour's Fall Series, there's the usual mad rush to crack the top 125 in money and secure full status for 2011, and the top 30 to land an invitation to the Masters. But just as tantalizing is the prospect of becoming this year's Kuchar by jumping off a late success and crashing the Tour's sanctified elite.

"I would like to finish a good year off and make it a great year by getting a victory not only here this week, but maybe next week as well," said Ricky Barnes, 29.

Like the pre-emergent Kuchar, Barnes is a former U.S. Amateur champion (he beat Hunter Mahan 2 and 1 in the final at Oakland Hills in 2002) who has never quite achieved stardom since turning pro. He tied for second at the 2009 U.S. Open, but quickly lost traction, missing six straight cuts — a rally-killer, in retrospect.

"Didn't finish off the year like I wanted to," Barnes said. "I was actually quite mad at myself, and also disappointed."

Perhaps as a result of his post-June swoon, his 2010 season has been more good than great. Barnes has had six top-10 finishes, including at tie for 10th at the Masters (getting him in for 2011) and a tie for third at the Memorial, where, paired with Tiger Woods, he shot a third-round 62. But he's still looking for his first win.

So is Rickie Fowler, who lost a three-man playoff to Troy Matteson at last year's Frys.com but is riding a wave of momentum after making four straight birdies to salvage a half point in his Ryder Cup singles match against Edoardo Molinari nine days ago.

This week will mark Fowler's first start since that thrilling performance, and after two more second-place finishes on Tour (at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, in late February, and the Memorial, in June) he's a popular pick to nail down his first W.

Jamie Lovemark, the third man in the Frys.com playoff last year, didn't get through Q school after his near miss in Scottsdale, but he leads the Nationwide tour money list in 2010, which will get him onto the PGA Tour in 2011.

Just as he did last year, he got into the Frys.com on a sponsor's exemption.

"One shot, one putt changes everything," Lovemark said, when asked about the 2009 playoff, which Matteson won with a birdie on the second extra hole. "I'm happy where I am this year. The Nationwide tour has been great for me. It's great for a lot of people for different reasons. It's taught me how to be in contention, how to score and make a lot of birdies, how to travel by myself and live that kind of life."

Having played CordeValle about a dozen times in college, Lovemark is more familiar than most with the 7,368-yard, par-71 track, which was built in 1999 and makes full use of the rolling hillsides and natural beauty of Northern California. The course has been touted as one of the best ever designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., and as with last week's McGladrey Classic, tournament officials hope players love it enough to return.

"We played a month later, so it was a little colder," Lovemark said. "So the ball was going shorter and the course was playing tougher. I think we probably shot 10-, 12-under for three rounds. I'm expecting to be between 16 and 20 [under par]."

Kevin Chappell, who is eighth on the Nationwide money list but like Lovemark is a California native, also has been given a sponsor's exemption to the Frys.com.

On other tours this week ...

• Just a few hours up the road from CordeValle, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Brittany Lincicome, Christina Kim and Cristie Kerr will be among the headliners at the CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge at Blackhawk Country Club in Danville, Calif.

• Ross Fisher leads a small group of European Ryder Cup teammates into the Euro tour's Portugal Masters at Oceanico Victoria Golf Course in Vilamoura.

Weather-weary after a rainy Ryder and last week's cold, windy Dunhill Links, Fisher, Miguel Angel Jimenez and the brothers Molinari (Edoardo and Francesco) hope to dry out and improve their position in the Race to Dubai, the Euro FedEx Cup. Six tournaments remain before the season-ending Dubai World Championship.

Lee Westwood is the defending champion in Portugal, having edged Francesco Molinari a year ago, but Westwood is still nursing a calf injury and won't play this week.

• This week's Miccosukee Championship at Miccosukee Golf and Country Club in Miami is the second to last full-field event before the Nationwide Tour Championship, which takes only the top 60 players on the money list.

The top 25 men on the final money list will earn promotions to the PGA Tour.

The latest to move above the cut line is Australian Scott Gardiner, 34, who won last week's Chattanooga Classic in a playoff to move from 62nd to 24th — a tremendous leap up the money list but, alas, still on the bubble for advancement next year.

Peter Tomasulo, captain of the 2004 NCAA champion Cal Bears golf team, will likely have to sit and hope he's okay at 15th on the money list. He broke his right foot in a pick-up basketball game in Chattanooga last Tuesday, and will miss the next few weeks.

"Hopefully I've made enough money to lock up my card," he said, "but freakier things have happened."

Lovemark wins Mexico Open BicentenarySalinas chip shot wins AT&T Goal of the Week

The race to keep a PGA Tour card

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — It's going to take a lot more money to stay on the PGA Tour this year.

Blame some of that on Tiger Woods.

Woods has gone over $10 million in earnings three of the last five years. The exceptions were 2008, when he played only six PGA Tour events before season-ending knee surgery and still made $5.75 million; and 2006, when he earned $9.94 million.

With chaos in his personal life and changes in his swing, Woods is at No. 65 on the money list with just under $1.3 million. It stands to reason that Woods failing to rake in so much cash means it has been disbursed down the ladder.

Another big factor is the tour has one extra tournament this year - the Viking Classic was washed out in 2009 because of rain.

A year ago, Jimmy Walker finished at No. 125 on the money list with $662,683. With three tournaments left in the season, Aron Price is at No. 125 and already has surpassed that amount. Price has $693,502.

Tour officials expect it will take as much as $775,000 to finish in the top 125 and keep full status for next year. Among those who might still have some work left are David Duval (No. 109), Canadian Open runner-up Dean Wilson (No. 122) and Kevin Sutherland (No. 116), who has not finished out of the top 125 since his lone victory in the 2002 Match Play Championship.

The two biggest spikes in money required to finish No. 125 came in 2007, the first year of a new six-year television contract, and in 2008, the year Woods played a limited schedule.

It also affects the top part of the money list.

Matt Kuchar is at No. 1 with about $4.9 million, and Sea Island was his last official event of the year. Whether he wins the money title depends on Jim Furyk, who is just over $100,000 behind and has not decided whether to play Las Vegas next week.

Either way, it will be the lowest amount to win the PGA Tour money title since Duval earned just under $2.6 million in 1998, the year before the tour signed its first big TV contract.

GRAND SLAMMED: British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen had to pull out of the PGA Grand Slam of Golf after damaging ligaments on the outside of his left ankle while at home in South Africa.

Oosthuizen already had to withdraw last week from the Dunhill Links Championship, preventing his return to St. Andrews.

The PGA Grand Slam is only for major champions, so Oosthuizen will be replaced in the four-man field by David Toms, who hasn't been to this event since he won the PGA Championship in 2001. Only past major winners can be alternates, and Toms accepted the spot after Retief Goosen (schedule conflict) and Zach Johnson (new baby) declined.

Alternates at the Grand Slam are nothing new.

Last year was the first time since 2004 that the field had the four major champions. There have been years when Tiger Woods (2005, 2006) and Padraig Harrington (2008) won multiple majors, and years when major champions (Woods, Phil Mickelson) stopped going.

This is the first time in 20 years that the Grand Slam has two alternates in a season when four players won majors. The other alternate is Ernie Els, who is filling in for Mickelson. The PGA Grand Slam is Oct. 19-20 at Port Royal in Bermuda.

KUCHAR'S RISE: Matt Kuchar is virtually a lock to win the Vardon Trophy for the lowest adjusted scoring average. He tied for 25th last week at the McGladrey Classic with a 7-under 273, lowering his average to 69.57. That's 0.04 ahead of Steve Stricker, who is done for the year, and Kuchar is 0.21 ahead of Jim Furyk, which likely is too much ground to make up.

It would be the highest average to win the Vardon Trophy since Steve Elkington (69.92) in 1995.

The real perk for Kuchar would be if he holds his lead on the money list.

Players to win the money title on the PGA Tour are given a five-year exemption, which has not been relevant over the last decade with Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh winning it. Both are lifetime members. Kuchar, however, was on the Nationwide Tour just four years ago.

Furyk already gets five-year exemption for winning the FedEx Cup.

EXPECTING THE WORST: Johnson Wagner already is resigned to going back to Q-school just two years after winning the Houston Open. His hope is that expecting the worst can lead to a change for the better.

Wagner was forced into a five-week break when he failed to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs. After taking two weeks away from golf, he spent time with his coach and got after it so he would have no excuses.

He tied for eighth in the Viking Classic, then tied for 25th at Sea Island. That at least has moved him to No. 147, with the belief he at least is headed in the right direction.

"I'm looking at these five weeks as basically Q-school," Wagner said. "It's looking like I might have to go back, and I don't want to. I've been playing to protect something all year, and now I have nothing to protect."

What was he trying to protect?

"My job," he said.

He was hurt by finishing at No. 153 a year ago. While he was exempt from his 2008 Houston Open win, Wagner was not eligible for limited-field events like the Colonial, Memorial and AT&T National.

"I just wasn't getting the starts when I was playing well," he said.

The bigger problem was being consumed with results - making the cut, climbing the leaderboard, trying to get into the top 125 to qualify for the playoffs, trying to cash a decent check.

"The point is to win and have chances to win," Wagner said.

He has three more weeks to sort that out.

DIVOTS: Michael Allen was runner-up for the second straight week - first at the Viking Classic on the PGA Tour, then at the Senior Players Championship on the Champions Tour. ... Rick George, the PGA Tour's chief of operations, is leaving to become the chief operating officer of the Texas Rangers. ... Davis Love III now has played 2,100 rounds on the PGA Tour. The McGladrey Classic was his 619th career tournament. Among players under 50, only Brad Faxon (692) has played more. ... The McGladrey had a stronger field than three tournaments during the FedEx Cup portion of the schedule.

STAT OF THE WEEK: Padraig Harrington has played six consecutive Ryder Cup matches without reaching the 18th hole.

FINAL WORD: "If it had been 10 or 15 degrees colder, it would have been absolutely miserable - as opposed to just miserable." - Matt Kuchar, on the weather at Celtic Manor during the Ryder Cup.

Under African Skies: Ekpo crosses fingers for NigeriaWoods to play with Justin Rose at St. Andrews

Matt Kuchar proved a lot can happen in the Fall Series

A little over a year ago, Matt Kuchar was a lanky journeyman who had scratched out a respectable but not very exciting pro career on the PGA Tour.Then he survived a six-hole, two-day playoff with Vaughn Taylor to win the Turning Stone Resort Championship in early October, the first event of the 2009 Fall Series. No one could have predicted what came next. Kuchar not only won for the third time on Tour (the Barclays), he's on track to win the Vardon Trophy for low scoring average (69.57) and the money title ($4.91 million) in 2010. The second honorific comes with a five-year exemption, and Kuchar may also be voted Player of the Year.

There is much to be decided as players gear up for this week's Frys.com Open at CordeValle Golf Club, a new venue in San Martin, Calif., replacing Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. At this, the third stop in the Tour's Fall Series, there's the usual mad rush to crack the top 125 in money and secure full status for 2011, and the top 30 to land an invitation to the Masters. But just as tantalizing is the prospect of becoming this year's Kuchar by jumping off a late success and crashing the Tour's sanctified elite.

"I would like to finish a good year off and make it a great year by getting a victory not only here this week, but maybe next week as well," said Ricky Barnes, 29.

Like the pre-emergent Kuchar, Barnes is a former U.S. Amateur champion (he beat Hunter Mahan 2 and 1 in the final at Oakland Hills in 2002) who has never quite achieved stardom since turning pro. He tied for second at the 2009 U.S. Open, but quickly lost traction, missing six straight cuts — a rally-killer, in retrospect.

"Didn't finish off the year like I wanted to," Barnes said. "I was actually quite mad at myself, and also disappointed."

Perhaps as a result of his post-June swoon, his 2010 season has been more good than great. Barnes has had six top-10 finishes, including at tie for 10th at the Masters (getting him in for 2011) and a tie for third at the Memorial, where, paired with Tiger Woods, he shot a third-round 62. But he's still looking for his first win.

So is Rickie Fowler, who lost a three-man playoff to Troy Matteson at last year's Frys.com but is riding a wave of momentum after making four straight birdies to salvage a half point in his Ryder Cup singles match against Edoardo Molinari nine days ago.

This week will mark Fowler's first start since that thrilling performance, and after two more second-place finishes on Tour (at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, in late February, and the Memorial, in June) he's a popular pick to nail down his first W.

Jamie Lovemark, the third man in the Frys.com playoff last year, didn't get through Q school after his near miss in Scottsdale, but he leads the Nationwide tour money list in 2010, which will get him onto the PGA Tour in 2011.

Just as he did last year, he got into the Frys.com on a sponsor's exemption.

"One shot, one putt changes everything," Lovemark said, when asked about the 2009 playoff, which Matteson won with a birdie on the second extra hole. "I'm happy where I am this year. The Nationwide tour has been great for me. It's great for a lot of people for different reasons. It's taught me how to be in contention, how to score and make a lot of birdies, how to travel by myself and live that kind of life."

Having played CordeValle about a dozen times in college, Lovemark is more familiar than most with the 7,368-yard, par-71 track, which was built in 1999 and makes full use of the rolling hillsides and natural beauty of Northern California. The course has been touted as one of the best ever designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., and as with last week's McGladrey Classic, tournament officials hope players love it enough to return.

"We played a month later, so it was a little colder," Lovemark said. "So the ball was going shorter and the course was playing tougher. I think we probably shot 10-, 12-under for three rounds. I'm expecting to be between 16 and 20 [under par]."

Kevin Chappell, who is eighth on the Nationwide money list but like Lovemark is a California native, also has been given a sponsor's exemption to the Frys.com.

On other tours this week ...

• Just a few hours up the road from CordeValle, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Brittany Lincicome, Christina Kim and Cristie Kerr will be among the headliners at the CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge at Blackhawk Country Club in Danville, Calif.

• Ross Fisher leads a small group of European Ryder Cup teammates into the Euro tour's Portugal Masters at Oceanico Victoria Golf Course in Vilamoura.

Weather-weary after a rainy Ryder and last week's cold, windy Dunhill Links, Fisher, Miguel Angel Jimenez and the brothers Molinari (Edoardo and Francesco) hope to dry out and improve their position in the Race to Dubai, the Euro FedEx Cup. Six tournaments remain before the season-ending Dubai World Championship.

Lee Westwood is the defending champion in Portugal, having edged Francesco Molinari a year ago, but Westwood is still nursing a calf injury and won't play this week.

• This week's Miccosukee Championship at Miccosukee Golf and Country Club in Miami is the second to last full-field event before the Nationwide Tour Championship, which takes only the top 60 players on the money list.

The top 25 men on the final money list will earn promotions to the PGA Tour.

The latest to move above the cut line is Australian Scott Gardiner, 34, who won last week's Chattanooga Classic in a playoff to move from 62nd to 24th — a tremendous leap up the money list but, alas, still on the bubble for advancement next year.

Peter Tomasulo, captain of the 2004 NCAA champion Cal Bears golf team, will likely have to sit and hope he's okay at 15th on the money list. He broke his right foot in a pick-up basketball game in Chattanooga last Tuesday, and will miss the next few weeks.

"Hopefully I've made enough money to lock up my card," he said, "but freakier things have happened."

Salinas chip shot wins AT&T Goal of the WeekLovemark wins Mexico Open Bicentenary

Fat-fighter Feherty battles squididdlies, catheters and a nurse named 'Joy'

Correct or not, I credit my regular readers with enoughintelligence to know by now that I'm not right in the head, butonce again, folks, it appears to be time for another therapy-by-writingsession. I apologize for using you, but frankly this is aboutme, so just keep reading. All my life I've battled with my weight,and when I look back I can see a direct correlation between thetimes during which I was successful and productive and thekind of physical shape I was in at the time. Any time I won atournament, I was running and not drinking too much, at leastby Irish standards. The same applied when I had a big project, likea book, or my children's Englishhomework. But as in Newton'slaw, each success was balancedby an equal and opposite failure.For me, "success" was always followedby a period of "excess." Iwould get lazy, eat and drink toomuch, quit exercising, and then,only when financial circumstancesforced me, I'd get out my runningshoes, lose the blubber, andwin enough money to start thewhole cycle again.

The only fun part about losingweight is putting it backon again. Just like anyone whogets addicted to anything, I wasmaking the critical mistake ofconfusing fun with happiness.Now that I'm four years sober Iknow the difference, but I'm anaddict, so I also know it will always be something. For most ofthe last four years it has been about a half-gallon of ice creama day, along with an insane cycling habit.

Shortly after becoming an American citizen, I noticed thatonce again, at 5' 10" and 240 lbs., I was a fat sack of crap, andwas struck perhaps by my first uniquely American thought."Wait a minute, Tubby," my lard-assed subconscious said tomy aching back via my swollen front as I was trying to pry mybulbous love-handles out of She Who Must Be Obeyed's car."This is America, and you're an American. Here, you're guaranteedlife, liberty, and the pursuit of skinniness. Dude! Whynot buy yourself thin?"

The following week, I woke up in the hospital with six tinywounds in my abdomen stapled shut, 75 percent lessstomach, and a screaming dose of the squididdliesthat would last a week. Through overconfidence anda series of mental mistakes, this cost me exactly sevenpairs of underpants, five of them in one day. No matter,I was on my way back to 170 lbs., and for the first time in mylife, I knew I could stay there. The gastric-sleeve procedure isnormally a one-night in-and-out experience, but normal is notwhat I am. Most of you will know that in order to escape a hospitalafter surgery, one has to be able to both pass gas (never been aproblem) and urine. But with a prostate gland the size of a lifepreserver, details were sketchy on the piddling part.

So I had to be catheterized, and sweet Mother of Lee Trevinoon a velvet-quilted skateboard, what an ordeal! A regular softcatheter wouldn't go through the tiny caliber with which I'vebeen squirting Morse code intothe toilet for years, so a harder,flexible-tipped wee jobby calleda Foley catheter had to be hammeredinto my southern plumbing,and suddenly Little Davedeveloped an astonishing abilityto duck and dive—of his ownvolition! He was like the cartoonworm avoiding Elmer Fudd's fishhook! If I had known that he wascapable of such rapid independentmovement, I might have had himtry out for conductor of the NewYork Philharmonic years ago. Ialways wanted to make the Artssection of the New York Times...

Anyway, in a cruel irony, thenurse in charge of this procedurewas named "Joy," and bless herheart, she almost had to have merestrained in the bed like a mental patient. I screamed abuse ather, yodeled The Sound of Music, and threatened to disembowel theSurgeon General with a broken bottle before Joy got it done—butthen it got worse! Before I was capable of wringing out the pitifuldribblage required for my release, this torture had to be repeatedfour times, rendering Joy incapable of finding her happy place,and me a hollow-eyed basket case, trapped in the corner of theroom like a rabid wolverine.

But that was then. Now, if I say it myself, at 52 years old Iam 170 lbs., with a new hairstyle I like to call "Insane Civil WarGeneral," an utterly magnificent panty-waisted specimen of windsweptand interesting manliness, rivaled only by the great BarryMelrose in his prime. I can eat whatever I want, I am taking halfthe amount of insanity medicine I was previously on,and in my greatest triumph, one of those nine CamiloVillegases now owes me lunch. Of course if I eat morethan six bites of it I'm liable to woof it all over him,but whatever, that works for me too.

It’s time for the LPGA Tour to go globalFCD suddenly solid after second straight win

McGladrey will draw some players home, and others looking for a home

Graham DeLaet, who won the Canadian Tour Order of Merit in 2009 and made it through Q school to join the PGA Tour in 2010, was languishing at 129th on the money list until he tied for fifth place at last week's Viking Classic. That paid $131,400 and vaulted him to 114th in earnings, which means he will likely keep his card for 2011.

Now the bubble boy from Boise State is Troy Merritt, who like DeLaet played golf for the Broncos. The 2009 Q school winner, Merritt dropped to 123rd in earnings last week, meaning that with only four tournaments remaining on the schedule he's in danger of falling out of the top 125 and being relegated to only partial Tour status next season.

Welcome to the Fall Series, which sounds like a baseball thing but in fact is the last best hope for pros to salvage 2010 and give themselves somewhere to play in 2011.

This week's inaugural RSM McGladrey Classic at Sea Island, Ga., hosted by Davis Love III and featuring a gaggle of other Sea Islanders, is the second tournament of the five-week series and the first to drop into the home of Tour pros Love, Zach Johnson, Lucas Glover, Matt Kuchar and Jonathan Byrd, among others. (Leaderboard: Field and tee times.)

All of them will compete to help get the first-year tournament airborne.

"We believe that when players and spectators come once, it will quickly become their annual seaside tradition," said Mark Love, tournament director and Davis's brother.

The McGladrey is yet another reminder of the Tour's caste system and the dividing line between the haves and the have-mores. Ryder Cup golfers play for God and country and the rest of it in part because they can afford to.

Many of the Fall guys who will be in action over the season's final month are trying to either establish a foothold on Tour (DeLaet, Merritt) or return to prominence. Henrik Stenson, Justin Leonard, Trevor Immelman, David Duval, Todd Hamilton and David Toms are among the onetime A-list stars who will play the McGladrey.

Kuchar, the former Georgia Tech star who just moved from Atlanta to the golf-mad island community, is coming to the end of a breakout year in which he had 11 top-10s, won the Barclays and went 1-1-2 for two points at the Ryder Cup.

Also in the 132-man field is Charley Hoffman, one of the Tour's hottest players after he won the Deutsche Bank and finished sixth at the Tour Championship.

The McGladrey is in the first of a three-year title sponsorship, and will be played at the 7,055-yard, par-70 Seaside Course at Sea Island, a 1929 Harry S. Colt/Charles Alison design that was renovated by Tom Fazio in 1999.

On other tours this week:

• Lee Westwood is one of eight European Ryder Cup team members who will play the Dunhill Links Championship over three courses at St. Andrews, and he will take over the No. 1 ranking with a first- or second-place finish.

Tiger Woods is not expected to play again until the HSBC World Championship in Shanghai and the Australian Masters in Melbourne, both in November.

The loaded Dunhill field will also include Ryder hero Graeme McDowell, his sidekick Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer, Padraig Harrington, Ross Fisher, Peter Hanson, Edoardo Molinari and European captain Colin Montgomerie — who might be a bit rusty.

All of the above are probably still hung over.

• Michael Allen, who finished second to Bill Haas at the PGA Tour's Viking Classic last week, will be among those trying to win the Champions Tour's fifth and final major of the year at the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship.

The field at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm in Maryland will also include Fred Couples, who was victimized by Gary Hallberg's stunning 61 at last week's Ensure Classic; Bernhard Langer, who will be going for his sixth W this season; and former Maryland men's golf coach Fred Funk.

• Just three full-field events remain before the Nationwide Tour Championship, first among them the Chattanooga Classic at Black Creek Club in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Chris Kirk, a two-time winner on the circuit this year, will be noticeably absent as the Sea Island resident got a sponsor's exemption to the McGladrey on the big Tour.

• The Navistar LPGA Classic at RTJ Golf Trail in Prattville, Ala., will feature U.S. Women's Open champion Paula Creamer, Christie Kerr, Christina Kim, Brittany Lincicome and Japan's Ai Miyazato, who will be going for her sixth win this season.

Khan gets into U.S. OpenRBNY fans don't need a trophy to define D.C. rivalry