Source: Tiger ($1.8 Mil) Edges Phil ($1 Mil) In The Greenbrier Indirect Payment Cup

Robert Lusetich on the two megastars missing the Greenbrier Classic cut, reveals what they were "indirectly" paid.

According to a source close to Justice, Tiger Woods was paid — indirectly, so as not to contravene PGA Tour rules that prohibit appearance fees — $1.8 million to sprinkle star dust on the Old White course this week.

For the second straight year, Justice indirectly paid Phil Mickelson $1 million and, for the second straight year, the Californian left the stately Greenbrier resort early after laying an egg.

Justice? Tiger And Phil Won't Get To Experience A Greenbrier July Weekend

A few of you emailed to ask if Greenbrier founder Jim Justice gets a break on the purported appearance fees he paid to lure Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson to the West Virginia resort (which looked incredible in the late evening light during Golf Channel's rain delay bonus coverage).

We'll never know what the arrangement was, but both legends have gone home early. Tom Watson, Geezer, has made the cut.

First, Steve Elling on Phil Mickelson's mini-slump heading into the Open Championship, where he nearly won last year.

Mickelson several times this year has admitted to being unable to shake himself from a lethargic state on the course, which certainly seems to be reflected in his play. He was looking for answers Friday, too.

For the second year in a row.

“I don't get it,” Mickelson said. “I certainly struggled a little bit on the greens both years, but nothing that should have led to these scores.”

Mickelson three-putted his first hole from 15 feet, missed another short one later in his front nine, and never really recovered. He also absorbed a one-shot penalty early when he dropped his ball on his marker, dislodging the coin.

"It doesn't feel like the parts are that far off," he said, "but I'm not putting them together."

It didn't help that Mickelson had a one-shot penalty for a fluke incident where he dropped his marker and it hit his ball. Jonathan Wall with the details.

Meanwhile a Golfweek.com staff report explains Tiger's woes: the putter.

Despite a shaky start, Tiger got it going over his final nine holes, but missed birdie putts at Nos. 13 and 15 proved costly as he fired a 1-under 69 to miss the cut at the Greenbrier Classic by a single shot.

"I didn't quite have it," Woods said. "I drove it really good today and I just did not have the feel for the distances. The ball was just going forever. I know we're at altitude, but I just couldn't get the ball hit pin high no matter what I did, and subsequently, I made some bogeys."

The second round highlights:

"This week marks a change. Appearance money [is being paid in the] U.S. but not in Europe."

Steve Elling looks at the possibility that appearance money is being paid in clever ways at the Greenbrier Classic and at events like the Zurich Classic.

He gets several tournament directors and agents to talk, and they are not pleased to see what's going on.

The tour uses a very narrow, if not convenient, definition of "appearance fee." If a player has deeper business dealings with a corporate entity beyond taking cash to play, then he's generally free to ink a personal-services deal for whatever dollar figure he can command. If this sounds mostly like semantics, well, the line forms here.

As one very high-profile international player put it on Tuesday, "This week marks a change. Appearance money [is being paid in the] U.S. but not in Europe."

After arriving Tuesday, Woods was not specifically asked if he was being compensated by Justice this week, though a local reporter did ask if Justice resorted to “pulling his arm” to get him there.

"What sold it to me was watching it on TV and seeing how players enjoyed it," Woods said unblinkingly.

Um, did he say "sold?"

Mickelson played at Greenbrier last year -- for two days. He missed the cut.

"I know for a fact that Phil got $1 million last year," one top-tier agent insisted, citing a figure that was echoed by two other tour-related sources.

#FirstWorldProblems To The Extreme: Tiger Admits The Constant Questions About Hitting Small White Ball Can Sometimes Be A Little Annoying

David Dusek on Tiger's press conference today at the Greenbrier:

"I have to deal with it in every single press conference," he said. "I have to answer it in post-round interviews—whether it's with your guys or in a live shot [on TV]. You do that for a couple of years, sometimes you guys can be a little annoying."

Meanwhile, Notah says the annoying has been movtivating Tiger. Who to believe?

Tiger's Taking Great Inspiration From The Media?

Jay Coffin notes an interesting Golf Channel Morning Drive discussion where Tiger bud Notah Begay suggested that based on Sunday's post round comments, Tiger takes great inspiration from proving his media critics wrong.

"Well, a lot of media people didn't think I could win again, and I had to deal with those questions for quite a bit," Woods said Sunday. "It was just a matter of time; I could see the pieces coming together."

Begay was asked if he believes Woods keeps score with the media, if he's aware of everything that's said or written about him.

"He doesn't forget what people write," Begay said. "He probably has a list under his pillow that motivates him at night."

Then shouldn't he actually like what the media is doing for his game? Maybe send down some champagne after a victory? You know, a little something for the effort?

Tiger Is Back For At Least The Fourth Time

And maybe the most impressive, as he faced withering heat, a stubborn Bo Van Pelt and a difficult test,  pulling off only-Tiger-can-hit-that-shots at 12 and 18 to win the AT&T National.

Brian Wacker on Tiger's third win of the year, and number 74 to put him second on the all time list, with this from Bo Van Pelt:

That's what Woods is in the eyes of Van Pelt.

 
"No offense to any of those other guys, but he's the only guy to win three tournaments on TOUR this year;" said Van Pelt, who assisted Woods by bogeying his final three holes. "On three different golf courses, and he was leading the U.S. Open after two days. So I'd say that he's playing the best golf in the world right now."

Can anyone really argue otherwise?

Doug Ferguson on what a worthy adversary Van Pelt turned out to be as the rest of the field wilted.

Three times, Woods took the outright lead in the final round. Each time, Van Pelt made a birdie of his own to catch him. The tournament was decided on the last three holes, and it featured a surprising turn of events.

Van Pelt had Woods on the ropes on the par-5 16th by ripping a 345-yard tee shot and having only a 6-iron into the green. Woods hit a spectator in the left rough with his tee shot, laid up, and then attacked a back flag only to see the ball tumble over the green and down an 8-foot slope. It looked as if it might be a two-shot swing for Van Pelt, or at least the lead going to the 17th.

That's when Van Pelt answered with unforced errors of his own. His 6-iron was slightly heavy and didn't quite reach the bunker, meaning he had to plant his feet in the sand and grip the wedge on the shaft for his third shot. He moved it only a few yards, still in the collar of the rough, and chipped about 12 feet by the hole. Woods' chip up the slope rolled 15 feet by, and he missed the par putt.

From the SI/golf.com crowd on where this puts Woods heading into the final two majors:

Cameron Morfit, senior writer, Golf Magazine: What meant the most to Tiger, I'd guess, is that he won at a Congo that played more like a major course than the Congo of June 2011, when that other "next Tiger" won. (What was his name again?) Maybe the next Tiger is ... Tiger.

Alan Shipnuck, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: He's certainly POY so far, but even for Tiger 3.0, a year without a major is not a success. The British and PGA will determine how we (and he) view this season.

John Garrity, contributing writer, Sports Illustrated: Declaring Tiger "back" or "not back" may be a pointless exercise, but it's been a full-time job for most of us. My Tour Tempo co-author, John Novosel, declared Tiger "back" at the U.S. Open because Tiger was swinging with consistent tempo again. Same thing this week. So I say the Cat is Back and yeah, he's POY.

Farrell Evans with Tiger's post-round comments:

"I remember there was a time when people were saying I could never win again," Woods said. "Here we are.

"A lot of media people didn't think I could win again, and I had to deal with those questions for a quite a bit. It was just a matter of time."

Yet many of his doubters were also average golf fans. Since I joined ESPN.com in August, I have received an avalanche of mail from readers who have grown impatient with Tiger. Nearly every day for the past three years, people from all walks of life have drilled me with questions about Tiger's future.

Many of the fans or commenters generally fall into three camps. The first group abhors any mention of Tiger unless he's winning the tournament. On Saturday night, when Brendon De Jonge held a 1-shot lead over Tiger and Van Pelt, a reader pelted me for barely mentioning the 31-year-old Zimbabwe native in my column.

CBSSports.com includes this Feherty post-round interview with the usual sucking up from one EA Sports colleague to another, and also has Tiger talking about that incredible approach to 18.

The PGA Tour highlight package includes that 9-iron from 190 on 18 that, while not flashy, will go down with serious golf fans as an epic clincher.

Must See Video: Tiger Takes On A Tree And Wins

This was simply incredible from the 12th hole of the AT&T National final round.

Vintage Tiger.