Many good players, including Tiger Woods are on the bubble so to speak, and need a win this weekend to remain in the Fed Ex Cup $10,000,000 dollar prize hunt.

Other good players are basking in the glory of a good outing last weekend and are high atop the points list right now.

Today, early on, a series of birdies bodes well for Jason Day and Zach Johnson who are both at minus eight for day one.

Close by in the first round are Ryan Moore, Ryan Palmer, Rory McIIroy, and Hunter Mahan who are all at minus seven.

In Yahoo Fantasy Golf it's all systems a go with Steve Stricker at minus five, my A player, Rory McIIroy at minus seven, one of my B players, along with Dustin Johnson starting later today.

My C player alternate, Matt Kuchar is at minus four, and my starter Justin Rose plays later as well.

I predict those scores will be low as well.

On a small side note, my back up to Steve Stricker, Tiger Woods, is plus one after three holes.

He had better get busy this weekend or his Fed Ex Cup season will end rather early.

I will get back with you on the second round scoring, more fantasy updates, and your leader board tomorrow.

Have a fantastic Friday and start your Labor Day Weekend.

Read more Golf news on BleacherReport.com

Despite Kuchar's radiant playoff victory over a disintegrated Martin Laird, there lurked players just one, two, and three shots behind a swarm of dogged competitors who will undoubtedly be out for blood when the Deutsche Bank Championship gets underway Thursday September 2nd at the TPC Boston Golf Course. 

The Course: TPC Boston

The 7,304-yard New England track boasts gorgeous panoramic views, but TPC's beauty is deceptive. The majority of holes demand pinpoint accuracy from tee to green. Players' whose shots go awry are brutally punished by treacherous wetland areas, fescue, and enormous trees that devour golf balls for kicks. Players will also have to putt through a maze of both massive and miniature blindingly fast putting greens.

Currently, the Boston area is expecting some light rain, which will undoubtedly favor longer hitters. But while the precipitation is not expected to be constant, what remains a perennial presence at TPC Boston are the swirling winds that could reach up to 20 MPH. 

Who To Watch: Matt Kuchar, Steve Stricker, Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson

With the win at the Barclay's, Matt Kuchar officially seized control over the Fed-Ex Cup Points. Kuchar's win solidified his potential as a candidate for PGA Tour Player of the Year, considering his stats and finishes are unrivaled. His Top 30 finishes in all four Majors remains an exceptional feat, and he also leads the money list, scoring average, and come to think of it, in all-around ranking, too.

But Kuchar is not the only player heading into the Deutsche Bank with a hot hand.

Steve Stricker, the defending champion of this tournament, came within two shots of entering the playoff with Kuchar and Laird at the Barclay's after his stellar five-under-par 66 on Sunday. In addition to his two victories this season, Stricker hasn't missed a single cut. Pair his consistency off the tee with his extraordinary touch on the greens and we may have a back-to-back winner of the Deutsche Bank come Sunday.

It seems like a simple idea, and yet for some reason it took Tiger Woods nine tournaments to decisively keep his driver in the bag. Sure enough, Woods led the field in accuracy off the tee the first day of the Barclay's and shot an opening-round 65. Though his second and third rounds were mediocre, there was visibly substantial progress in Woods' game, which led to an encouraging T-12 finish.

Tiger is a solid prediction this week, not just because he's still the World's No.1, or because he has 71 victories, or even because he has a video game based on him. Actually, at the Deutsche Bank, Woods has not only won once (2006), but finished second twice and never worse than 11th.

Dustin Johnson has become a perpetual presence on Sundays of the 2010 PGA Tour season. After tying for ninth last week and fourth at this event last year, Johnson will ride his momentum, and outrageous distance, into the Deutsche Bank.

Fed-Ex Cup Points Race

1. Matt Kuchar (3,937),
2. Steve Stricker (2,572),
3. Martin Laird (1,977),
4. Justin Rose (1,860),
5. Ernie Els (1,851). 

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Can you ever remember a year when more winning scores were in the 20 under range? Or lower? How many guys shot 62s and 63s throughout the year. Heck, there was even a couple of 59s.

Yet, despite the PGA professionals assaulting American golf courses on a weekly basis, there are still some courses that refuse to take it lying down.

Here are the ten golf courses that put up the best fight in 2010 on the PGA tour. If the golf course didn't always win the battle, it certainly went down trying.

For the sake of this top ten list, we will not include any of the major tournaments in 2010. Just the toughest non-major courses that the PGA visited, or will yet visit, this year.

Begin Slideshow

Uproar spread like wildfire from the shores of Scotland all the way to Paramus, NJ, where The Barclays was being held.

People were downright shocked over Montgomerie’s decision to select Harrington, who hasn’t won a sanctioned event in two years, over players such as Justin Rose (two PGA Tour wins in 2010) and Paul Casey (ninth ranked player in the world).

Monty’s decision was based almost solely on Harrington’s past accomplishments, most notably his three major championship victories.

Hmm, a selection based on past accomplishments rather than current form or Ryder Cup record… sound familiar?

You’d be hard pressed to find a golf writer, analyst or broadcaster that would question whether or not Woods deserves to be a member of the 2010 U.S. Ryder Cup team.

Almost unanimously across the board people believe that Woods should be selected to the U.S. Ryder Cup team.  But, if Woods were selected today, that decision would be based almost solely on his past accomplishments and not the current state of his game.

Now, Woods is obviously far more accomplished than Harrington.  After all, three major championships is a far cry from 14, and Harrington is ranked 19th in the World Golf Rankings while Woods is ranked number one (albeit, also largely based on past accomplishments).

But for the Europeans, Harrington is more similar to Woods than you may think.

No European since Nick Faldo has won as many majors as Harrington.

Harrington has three times as many major championships as anyone else on the European Ryder Cup team.

Harrington may very well win another major or two before he’s done, which would place him amongst the top-five greatest European golfers of all-time.

Unless Woods goes out and wins this week at the Deutsche Bank Championship, not questioning Corey Pavin’s decision to select Woods based on past accomplishments (if he does indeed decide to put Woods on the team) while bashing Monty decision to select Harrington based on past accomplishments is somewhat hypocritical.

Woods is obviously a much bigger name than Harrington.

But let’s not forget that Harrington is by far the most accomplished European golfer out there.

So, if Corey Pavin HAS to select the most accomplished active U.S. Golfer, why should we question Montgomerie’s decision to select the most accomplished active European golfer?

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Because we had comments about leaving out Annika Sorenstam in the list of golfers from the 2000s, you’ll find a few surprises here.  What counts for the men counts for the women, majors and other significant achievements.  That’s how history remembers golfers, especially the great golfers. You can draw your own conclusions about where Annika and Lorena would have been in the 2000s list.   

Begin Slideshow

15 tournaments. Zero missed cuts. Seven top tens. Four top three finishes. Two wins on the PGA Tour this season.

Oh, and he won here last year.

One more win and Player of the Year perhaps is his, and a chance at $10,000,000 dollars besides.

A player this week in Yahoo Fantasy Golf  is Steve Stricker as I get the big guns ready to play this week.

Relegated back to back-up, alas is Tiger Woods, not consistent enough quite yet, but seems to have confidence, having wins at the next three events previously.

He stated that everything seems pretty good, but his putting needs to come around.

That's the case of about 98 percent of all good players, by the way. If the putts start dropping, the score does too. Funny how that works.

My B players this week will be Dustin Johnson and Rory McIIroy. You tell me, how could I go wrong with those two?

On the bench in case of disaster are Jeff Overton and Camilo Villegas, both who can shoot low numbers and maybe be activated for the weekend.

The C fantasy player will be Justin Rose, undoubtedly irritated for not being chosen on the Ryder Cup Team by Colin Montgomery.

Justin Rose should be on that team, but the only way he plays is if Lee Westwood calls in sick.

Padraig Harrington's dismal record of 2-7-1 in Ryder Cup action, plus no wins for two years, and this is their choice? 

Good for us, bad for them. Tiger can still beat him, maybe.

The Deutsche Bank Championship is played at the TPC of Boston in Norton, Mass.

I mentioned power rankings.

No. 1 Steve Stricker

No. 2 Ernie Els

No. 3 Matt Kuchar

No. 4 Dustin Johnson

No. 5 Jim Furyk

No. 6 Hunter Mahan

No. 7 Justin Rose

No. 8 Martin Laird

No. 9 Rory McIIRoy

No. 10 Phil Mickelson

Enjoy the first round of the Deutsche Bank Championship on Thursday, and God bless our troops in Afghanistan and bring them all home soon!

Thomas Moreland

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To the untrained eye, golf is a sport showcasing limited physical movements: swing, walk to the next shot, swing again, walk, line up a putt, stand over a shot, stroke a putter. If this were all there were to the game then, yes, as the Dear Wife argues, you wouldn’t burn many calories. 

What the untrained eye misses out on are the most important calorie-burning aspects of the game: gestures. Yes, those calorie-eating gestures that are permeating the game, like the:

Fist Pump!

You know the move Tiger makes when he hits a great shot, fist closed enthusiastically and swiftly drawn down like you’re ripping off your own face mask to where you just miss slamming your elbow into your ribs?

That’s the fist pump.

And the next time someone tries to persuade you golf isn’t aerobic, do the fist pump, first down and then back up at your doubter’s chin. If it lands properly, they will appreciate the energy involved, even if they are Jersey Shore idiots.

Another impressive golfing gesture is the:

Two-Hand Victory Dance. 

Phil Mickelson demonstrates; simply raise both arms overhead, not fully, and then jump four inches off the ground. This gesture tells your opponent that you beat him without the necessity of completely raising the roof.

How many sports provide you with a prop for gesturing? Golf does; the club can sometimes be used as a baton, sometimes as a pool cue, and most gloriously, a sword.  This brings us to the:

Chi Chi Rodriguez.

Chi Chi had in his arsenal the saber, the epee, the holster draw, the air touche’ and the neck lop. When Rodriguez dropped a long putt, he danced, he weaved, he became the Puerto Rican Musketeer.  

Still not convinced that golfers exert mucho energy chasing the little white ball? In team golf there are chest bumps, low fives, body English dances and the most caloric burner of them all, the:

Golfer High Five.

If you haven’t done it, it’s a riot, a reason in itself to play the game. Here’s the script:

It looks like a yoga move—Downward Acting Plaid. Be ready for it.

There. Don’t say your eye is no longer trained. The next time you watch a
match, keep an eye out for the gestures, and then shock your spouse when you give a name to the moves they’re doing.

You can thank me at one of my book signings.

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But unfortunately for Laird, very few golf tournaments are won on Saturday.

The 2010 Barclays was yet another reminder that golf tournaments are rarely decided before the back nine on Sunday.

Some may say that eventual winner Matt Kuchar was the beneficiary of yet another Sunday meltdown on the PGA Tour, and there may be some truth to that.  After all, Laird did three-putt the 72nd hole from 23 feet, while holding a one-stroke lead.

“I feel bad for Martin,” Kuchar said after capturing his second victory in two years.  “You don't want to win with a guy three-putting the last hole. I'm glad we got going in a playoff and I made birdie to win. It's never a scenario where you'd like to win on a bogey.”

But Kuchar also demonstrated that the age old tactic of posting a number on Sunday and letting that number wreak havoc on the minds of those attempting to beat it can still be quite effective.

While guys like Laird, Dustin Johnson, and Jason Day were grinding away, Kuchar swooped in and posted a final round 66, which brought him to 12-under-par for the tournament.  

At the time, 12-under-par didn’t seem like it would be enough.

However, add in Sunday afternoon pressure, five times the number of FedEx Cup points and more cameras and commotion with each additional hole played, and 12-under-par was indeed enough.

For Laird, that unwanted guest known as pressure began rearing its ugly head on the 17th green. 

After two beautiful three woods on the par-five 17th, Laird was left with 24 feet for eagle and simple two-putt for birdie. 

Although Laird would make birdie on the hole, it was anything but simple.  He sent his first putt seven feet past the hole and was forced to make a tremendous putt coming back to save birdie and take a one-stroke lead to the 72nd hole. 

“I was kind of battling all day, and probably holed two or three of the biggest putts I've probably ever holed just to be even where I was,” Laird said after his round.

Laird pulled his tee shot into the thick left rough on the 18th and hit a great shot just to get the ball onto the back-edge of the green.

On 17, Laird was faced with two putts from 24 feet to take a one-stroke lead into the final hole, now on 18 Laird was left with two putts from 23 feet to win the first playoff event of the FedEx Cup series.

This time, however, the nerves got the best of him.

Laird once again shot his birdie putt seven feet past the hole, and he was unable to convert on his par attempt. 

Laird’s bogey on 18 tied him with Kuchar at 272 for the tournament, thus forcing a sudden death playoff. 

On the first playoff hole (the 18th at Ridgewood Country Club), Kuchar pulled his tee shot into the left rough while Laird pushed his tee shot right.

What happened next was something no one would have expected.  

Kuchar punched his ball out of the thick rough towards the right side of the green.  The ball slowed down, caught a ridge and began slowly rolling closer and closer to the hole before coming to rest a mere 30 inches from the cup.

“I ran it up to that back right bank and saw the crowd just all of a sudden, the momentum building and they went just like a wave of people standing up and cheering, Kuchar said.  “I knew it was getting good.”

“Good” was the understatement of the year to describe what could very well have been the shot of the year on the PGA Tour.

Over in the right rough, all Laird could do was smile and admire what Kuchar had just done.

“You know, you gotta smile,” Laird said.  “You can't do anything about that. He hit a great shot.”

Laird hit his approach shot to around 40 feet, and was able to two-putt for par, only it was too little too late as a few moments later Kuchar tapped in for birdie and The Barclays title.  

“There's nothing like the feeling of winning a PGA Tour golf tournament,” Kuchar would later say.  “You feel like you are the best player in the world for this week.”

Kuchar now has 10 top-10 finishes and a win in 2010.  He’s earned over $4.2 million and now sits atop the FedEx Cup point standings.  All of these accomplishments put Kuchar on a short list of potential PGA Tour Player of the Year candidates, although Kuchar didn’t want to hear anything about that.

“That's a topic that I'd like to be as humble as I could be over,” was all Kuchar would say about his chances of being named the 2010 PGA Tour Player of The Year.

Kuchar may or may not be named PGA Tour Player of The Year, but he was certainly right about one thing—he was indeed the best player in the world last week at Ridgewood Country Club.  

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Captain Colin Montgomerie of the European squad rounded out his 12-man team on Sunday with his three picks. Monty raised some eyebrows with the selections of Padraig Harrington, Edoardo Molinari, and Luke Donald.

Left off the squad were two huge names: Justin Rose, having his best season ever, and Paul Casey. Both players, interestingly enough, play their golf in America, not Europe. If that had anything to do with Monty's decision, he wasn't saying.

Molinari almost forced Monty to pick him by winning the European event on Sunday. Molinari had to birdie the last three holes of the Johnnie Walker to win by a stroke, all in front of the watching eyes of Montgomerie.

And the pick of Donald cannot be questioned. He is 5-1-1 in his Ryder Cup history.

It is the Harrington pick that is the head-scratcher. Paddy has slipped to No. 18 in the world and has not won a golf tournament in over two years.

Montgomerie stubbornly defended his pick by saying how no one on the American squad would want to match up against him. Perhaps someone forgot to tell Monty of Paddy's recent Ryder Cup record. In his last nine matches he is 0-7-2. 

That record hardly strikes fear into the U.S. squad.

The 12 that will represent the Euros are Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald, Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell, Padraig Harrington, Edoardo Molinari, Ross Fisher, Francesco Molinari, Miguel Angel Jimenez, and Peter Hanson.

The fact that players like Hanson and Jimenez made the squad outright has put Montgomerie in a tough position. Obviously some good players were going to be left off the team. Still, leaving Casey off may end up being one of the great gaffs of European captains' history.

As if Casey didn't get enough of a slap in face on Sunday (he was playing with Harrington when Padraig found out during the round from his wife that he made the squad, meaning Casey did not), Montgomerie announced that if the injury to Lee Westwood prevented him from playing in the Ryder Cup matches then Justin Rose, and not Paul Casey, would be added to the team.

Casey, the world's No. nine-ranked player, was visibly upset after his round on Sunday.

American captain Corey Pavin chooses his four picks September 7th. Two of the picks seem to be almost set. Tiger Woods and Zach Johnson have all but sewed up the first two spots. The other two picks are still being fought for between several golfers, including Sean O'Hair, Stewart Cink, and senior Fred Couples.

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Ms. Wie won The Canadian Open after leading, or co-leading, for 68 of the 72 holes she played.  She shot a final round 70 to beat playing partner Jiay Shin, and three others by three shots.  It's the second win in her two-year career as a pro. 

The naysayers will argue that she should've won at least double this amount already.  I say this: in two years she's won two tournaments full of elite fields on the LPGA tour.  She's had numerous top-10s, including majors, both as a pro and amateur.  She also goes to Stanford—which is no easy task—and will be a senior starting back in a few weeks.

And she's only 20 years old.

She's been hyped for nearly a decade now.  Maybe it's been an over-hype.  There's a lot of pressure on her.  But I think its all unwarranted.

I've read (maybe incorrectly) that her father has put a lot of pressure on her.  I could be wrong, but I believe he had a lot to do with her playing the men's events.  The women don't need to play the men's events, even if they can beat a lot of them.  The LPGA has been struggling the past couple of years, losing a lot of tournaments and such, and should have its stars play every week there's an event on the calendar.

Nike, I'm sure, puts a lot of money into advertising for Wie as well.  With Tiger and his issues, she could help give the company a much-needed boost.

The LPGA and its higher-ups are probably another group that would love to see Wie succeed.  With Ochoa and Sorenstam retired, Michelle is arguably the biggest name out there for women's golf, especially in the United States.

Let's face it.  Cristie Kerr is older than the majority of lady golfers out there.  Paula Creamer, despite winning the U.S. Open, is still recovering from thumb surgery.  Other names like Pressel, Gulbis, Lincicome, and Christina Kim have been inconsistent overall.  Wie could be the savior the LPGA has been looking for.

But again, that is putting a lot of unnecessary pressure on a 20-year-old who's only been a pro on tour for almost two years.

A lot of similar pressure was on Paula Creamer until her big major win.  That, in my opinion, was also bogus.  She came straight out of high school to the LPGA, and she's only 24.  Annika didn't win her first major until 25.

So let Michelle Wie enjoy this win.  The naysayers will still be there, but like me, I'm sure she'll ignore them.  She can then move on to something that most people will think is an even greater accomplishment than winning a golf tournament: getting a college degree.

Get your degree from Stanford and be proud of what you've accomplished.  Then you can start concentrating on winning LPGA majors. 

And leave the naysayers to putting their collective feet in their mouths.

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In what is being considered one of the best shots of the 2010 PGA Tour season, Matt Kuchar struck a remarkable 7-iron from 182-yards in deep rough, which after catching the up-slope of the undulated green rolled to within two feet of the hole, solidified Kuchar's first victory of the season.

Matt Kuchar shot four rounds in the 60's at the Barclay's, highlighted by his superb 5-under 66 in his final round. Undoubtedly one of the most gifted players on Tour right now, Kuchar has become a blueprint for consistency carding nine top-10 finishes, including a T-6 at the US Open.

This loss may sting Martin Laird for weeks to come, but truthfully, he buckled under the pressure. Laird birdied his 17th hole after a miraculous 3-wood into the par-5, which solidified a one shot lead and his victory appeared imminent. 

But after hitting a wayward tee shot on the 18th, Laird looked lost on the green, ultimately leading to a gut-wrenching three-putt and eventual loss in the playoff.

Two weeks ago, Steve Stricker was predicted to win the PGA Championship, but disappointed his hometown crowds with an underwhelming T-18 finish. However, Stricker brought his A-game this weekend at the Barclay's, shooting 68-66 to finish T-3.

Kevin Streelman nonchalantly posted an 8-under par 63 in his second round, leaving golf fans in shock after blistering through Ridgewood Country Club. After shooting an even-par third round, Streelman found his rhythm with the flatstick Sunday, draining putts like it was his job en route to a 4-under 67 and T-3 finish.

Jason Day, the young Australian who earned his first PGA Tour victory at this year's Byron Nelson Championship, had tremendous momentum entering his final round after three consecutive under-par rounds. Day failed to produce Sunday, shooting a 1-over par 72, but recorded his fourth top-10 of the season at the Barclay's with a T-5 finish.

Tiger Woods' sensational 6-under par opening round at the Barclay's was an uplifting sign of progress, but was followed by mediocre second and third over-par rounds that essentially eliminated his potential to win. His 4-under par 67 in the final round sealed a solid top-20 finish and will definitely generate some momentum for next week's Deutsche Bank Championship.

Rory Sabbatini stormed out of the gates Sunday and shot a 7-under par 64 for the round of the day.

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Laird was leading the tournament after round three and has played very well this season with almost $1,000,000 in earnings. This will certainly improve on that today.

Matt Kuchar is the only player that can beat Laird at this point, so as the last few holes unfold, we will see what happens. Kuchar sure has been there before as well.

All the other players atop the leader board never mounted much of a challenge today, and Laird looks steadiest of all.

This will be another win for that 27-year-old or younger club this season.

Laird came to Colorado State University on a golf scolarship and has never looked back.

Laird has a 30 footer for eagle to close this thing down. He won the Justin Timberlake event last season, and now wham, a PGA playoff win.

Next on this PGA playoff schedule is the Deutsche Bank Classic, where the field will be narrowed again as the players reach for their A games going into the Players Championship.

Tiger Woods finished around minus seven, so he will advance to the next round as well.

Laird made birdie and has that one shot lead going into the last hole.

Laird, however, bogeyed 18 and is tied for the lead with Matt Kuchar again.

I hope I don't have to re-title this article.

Both players go back to 18 now in a sudden death playoff.

Matt Kuchar hit his second shot just perfectly to two feet and will win this tournament and grab the first seed in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Read more Golf news on BleacherReport.com

Let's dispel those notions right now. Tiger Woods has had quite a proficient record in match play when playing for his country.

In fact, one would be hard pressed to find another current American player already on the 2010 team, or vying for a spot on the team, who has done any better.

Don't buy it? Well, let's look at some numbers.

Tiger's Ryder Cup record is 10-13-2. Not impressed? How about this: His singles match play record in Ryder Cups is 3-1-1. A little more impressive, eh? The match play record that has been less than Tiger-like is when he is paired with someone.

If you were to go back and look at those matches over the years, it is usually Tiger who is playing well and his partner who is struggling. Tiger has been the victim of some poor pairing choices by different captains over the years. Some of the pairings that have not worked well have been Tiger with Stewart Cink, Tiger with Jim Furyk, and certainly Tiger with Phil Mickelson.

One player Tiger has done well playing with in recent years, especially at the President's Cup, is Steve Stricker. Stricker recently said how much he would like to play with Tiger again at this year's Ryder Cup.

"I would love to play with him again," Stricker said at the PGA Championship. "The reason it works is I think we get along with each other very well. I think we complement each others games nicely."

Tiger's President's Cup record is 13-11-1, including a 5-0 record less than a year ago in leading the U.S. to a win over the international team.

Here is a quick breakdown of some of the other veteran players on the U.S. side, and how they have fared in the two competitions.

Phil Mickelson: Ryder Cup 10-14-6; President's Cup 11-13-9.

Jim Furyk: Ryder Cup 13-8-2; President's Cup 8-13-2.

Stewart Cink:  Ryder Cup 4-7-2; President's Cup 8-4-1.

Steve Stricker: Ryder Cup 0-2-1; President's Cup 5-5.

Justin Leonard: Ryder Cup 2-4-6; President's Cup 6-10-2.

Yes, Justin Leonard, who seems like he has had all kinds of match play success for the red, white and blue, has struggled over the years in both competitions.

The point is clearly this: No one on the U.S. side has had a lot of success in these two events, and if they have done well in one they haven't done well in both.

Leonard will not be on the 2010 team, and Cink may not be either. Several of the players that will be representing the squad have no Ryder Cup experience at all, or very little. The only meaningful Ryder Cup experience on this team will be Mickelson, Furyk and Woods.

Tiger has joked recently that Pavin should save him for the singles matches.

"I think I have a chance of maybe helping out in singles," he said following the last round at the PGA Championship... "I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully Corey will pick me."

It is no longer a question of will Corey Pavin will pick Tiger. The only question is, can  Mickelson and Furyk and the unproven young lads step up and help Woods?

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AEGON/TransAmerica will help support the foundation, along with a Pro-Am to be held in his hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

At least four PGA players, Johnson himself and the rising stars of golf, will participate at Elmcrest Country Club on August 1,2011. AEGON/TransAmerica will also sponsor the tournament. The goal for his first year of his foundation is to raise $250,000.

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Yet many in the crowds still hope he wins. The media plays to his tune, saying Tiger Woods is back after only part of the first round of a tournament is over. And everyone hopes for Tiger Woods' real return as a winner again.

Leaving aside sensibilities about whether we need to apologize for not liking his antics away from the golf course, those who no longer root for him are considered more beneath contempt than anyone who ever criticized Jack Nicklaus. This is backed by the claim that he will come back, he will yet conquer the great Nicklaus and sit at the top of the pantheon of golf.

One blogger recently suggested that there is no point in writing about golf if the writer believes Tiger Woods is beyond his prime. His claim was based on Woods' first round score at The Barclays, which he said proved Tiger was back even before the rest of the field had finished.

Then came the rest of the round, and the next round, showing Tiger Woods too far back to make any comeback unless the field in front totally collapses.

It is easy to claim that Tiger Woods just had a tough second round. But the picture says it all. Tiger is chasing the future riddled with demons from the past. And they will not stop.

As the year presses on, with Ryder Cup and other details to follow, Tiger Woods' last chance for the Ryder Cup is probably The Barclays. And this championship is eluding his grasp. The pressure is enormous. And is not likely to diminish tomorrow or Sunday.

The PGA at one time deemed Tiger Woods a must draw. And others still see Tiger Woods as the best in golf. However, these unyielding fans must soon withdraw and find another golfer to back.

Tiger Woods certainly lost his hero position when he started chasing and sexting women. And his fall from grace is over. His marriage at an end. And the history books marred by another sports hero whose private life left much to be desired.

In the end, we must all agree that fans who continue to laud Tiger Woods as still the very best golfer are missing the mark by a long shot. He is a has-been, who has had the farthest fall from grace from the top of any sport at the fastest pace in history. The Real Truth is that he is done chasing Nicklaus and may be done winning Majors.

So it should be with fallen sports heroes.

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Just in case you’ve been living in a cave for the past month, Johnson had a little run-in with a bunker on the 72nd hole at the PGA Championship…or was it not a bunker at all, or did it used to be a bunker before being trampled down to flat ground by 120,000 spectators?

That debate will live on for as long as they are playing PGA Championships.

But either way, Johnson had tied for the lead after 72 holes before being penalized two-strokes for grounding his club in what was deemed to be a bunker.  As a result of the two-stroke penalty, Johnson eliminated from a three-hole playoff with Bubba Watson and eventual winner Martin Kaymer.

This week at the Barclays, Johnson has once again demonstrated just how thick his skin is.

Johnson came back from his U.S. Open meltdown in June with a tie for 14th at the Open Championship less than a month later and then of course his near miss at Whistling Straights just a few weeks after that.  

Now, Johnson is looking to erase the PGA Championship debacle with a huge win at The Barclays.

Johnson carded a 64 on Saturday at Ridgewood Country Club which boosted him 25 spots up the leaderboard.

Johnson currently trails Martin Laird, who carded an equally impressive 65 in round three, by three strokes heading into the final round.

Although this is not a major championship, Johnson knows better than anyone how quickly three-strokes can disappear on Sunday. 

He saw it happen to himself on the second hole at Pebble Beach, and he saw it happen to final round playing partner Nick Watney at Whistling Straights.  

“I guess you never know out here,” Johnson said after his round.  “If I can play like I did today, there's not too much out of reach.”

Johnson is currently 11th in FedEx Cup points.  A win this week will put him in the lead heading into the Deutsche Bank Championship and will put him in prime position to win the 2010 FedEx Cup.

A $10 million pay day might not make up for a major championship victory…but it sure would help.

But Johnson will not be the only one chasing Laird on Sunday afternoon.

There are nine players within five-strokes of the lead, including Australians Jason Day and Adam Scott, two-time 2010 winner Justin Rose and Mr. Consistency Matt Kuchar. 

If Laird falters in the slightest way, he could upon the door to a hungry pack of titanium wielding golfer all looking for a $10 million payday.  

However, Laird might be difficult to rattle on this Sunday afternoon, particularly when playing on one of his favorite golf courses.

Laird tied for seventh the last time The Barclays was held at Ridgewood Country Club back in 2008, and he has broken 70 in five of his last seven rounds at Ridgewood.

“I love it,” Laird said after his round on Saturday.  “I don't think there's a bad hole on this golf course. I've been raving about this course since we were here two years ago. I think it's the best one we play.”

Although Laird won his first PGA Tour event last fall at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open, a win at The Barclays could be a career changer for the 27-year-old native of Glasgow, Scotland.

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Martin Laird is your leader of the Barclays at -12 going into Sunday's round.

At minus nine with a chance to win also are Dustin Johnson, recovered from his penalty at the PGA and playing well again.

It seems like Dustin Johnson is going to be around a long time. with his good demeanor, class, and good golf game to go with those great attributes.

Also in the chase at minus eight is Adam Scott playing better lately as well.

With Tiger as my A player in Yahoo Fantasy Golf this week, well you know where this is going.

I have dropped to the 83rd percentile now, the lowest in quite a few weeks of fantasy golf.

The team of Woods,Watney, Johnson and Fowler needs to pick it up a notch today so not to lose any more ground.

After a nice first round and 56 points, round two got nothing. Thank goodness round three scored 34 points and I jumped back to the 84th percentile and Dustin Johnson has a shot at winning today so I will still gain some ground back.

Hang in there guys and gals, this week is going to turn out alright.

All of the Yahoo Experts in Fantasy Golf are hot on my heels now.

I still score ahead of three out of the four experts however, but the gap is getting smaller.

Enjoy the golf on Sunday on CBS and stay tuned for more Fed Ex Cup Play Off coverage.

Thomas Moreland

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Reportedly several people yelled "Taken," and after five minutes of shuffling papers Smith again said, "Tiger Woods."

John Keller said, "Still taken," as others looked at each other in confusion.

After two more delays that ended in a furtive Woods selection, the commissioner put him on a timer.

The mere threat of a timer was enough to get him to go out of book.  "Oh, I'll jut take Ben Hogan, I guess."

No one told him Hogan died in 1997.

"Fred is a knowledgeable guy," said Hank Peters.  "He can talk at length about the putt on 11 or the drive on four.  It was only after starting the Pine Glenn Fantasy Golf League that everyone noticed he used pronouns instead of golfer names."

Steve Hart said, "I was concerned he was having some mental issue.  Sure he has drafted guys on the senior tour before..."

"And remember the year he took Wie," interjected Nigel Hart.  "I was planning on taking flier on her in round 15, but he picked her No. 1 overall."

"That Woods bit was weird. then drafting a dead guy," said Mr. Peters.  "I think he needs an MRI.  I think we'll tell him after the season."

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