“The response from the general public was tremendous."

If you tune into the 3M Championship this week take note that it's a free-admission week. Just in case you were wondering why there was a nice sized crowd at an old geezer's event.

Yet Another Reason Captain Pavin Should Thank Captain Azinger

With only one week left for Woods to automatically qualify for the Ryder Cup team on points, it's looking less and less likely that he will make the team on points, leaving Captain Corey Pavin with a tough decision to make: to select Woods with one of four Captain's picks.

Now, some of you will surely let me know that it's unfathomable to leave Tiger off the team, and the other American options aren't exactly enticing when you look at his breakdown. But the Americans did take the Cup back in 2008 without Woods and unless he shows dramatic improvement over his next ten rounds, it's hard to see him helping the team this year.

In the past, this Captain's decision would be made the Sunday night after next week's PGA, but you'll recall that part of Paul Azinger's sweeping changes for 2008 included four captain's selections to be made well after the PGA, closer to the Cup. To refresh my memory, I tweeted Azinger for confirmation:

Pavin now has until September 7th to make his selections.

In a newly posted interview, the Captain talks about how he's confident Woods will make the team on points and sounds like he'll pick him if necessary.

But the other looming question remains: would Tiger accept a Captain's pick. This week it sure didn't sound that way.

Thanks to Captain Azinger, this won't be an issue for another month.

"I think the big X factor these days is desire."

I'm most intrigued by Jaime Diaz's point in this roundtable exchange.

Tim Rosaforte, Senior Writer, Golf Digest and Golf World: We're going to see more of the Oosthuizens and McDowells as long as Tiger is in this holding pattern. If you know enough about global golf, these victories shouldn't be surprising. If you're a general sports fan, you rightfully say, "Who are these guys?" My wife couldn't watch the British Open and she loves watching majors on TV. She's a tennis fan and I said, "It's kind of like one of the grand slam events without Federer and Nadal. She came back saying she'd take the golf equivalent of a Djokovic.

Diaz: I think the big X factor these days is desire. Because so many players make such a comfortable living in today's game, it takes a special person to keep pushing like the old guys -- who weren't getting rich unless they were winning -- did.

Bestrom: There's the best point so far. Too many also-rans are making millions. During a Golf Digest meeting yesterday, I heard that Matt Kuchar and Jeff Overton are having GREAT years. Great? Since when is ZERO wins and a few top-10 finishes great?

Could this explain the theme of one-time major winners (other than Tiger, Phil and Padraig)?

Get Your 2010 Merchandise At The Prices It Should Have Been Sold At In The First Place!

Several USGA members have forwarded the email alerting them to the fire sale on this year's must-not have stuff from Pebble Beach, where a boring logo, boring products and bloated prices set by the Pebble Beach Company encouraged fans to buy less. So do your part to help the Pebble Beach Company and take some of this stuff off their hands.

Rory And Phil All Smiles Talking About...Grasses!?

That's what Rusty Miller reports. By the looks of that Getty Image I'd have guessed they were watching one of Tiger's tee shots. Or something else your devious caption minds will suggest.

Drumbeat Continues For Tiger To Hire Hank Haney**

Well, not yet, I was kidding, but isn't it a matter of time before it starts after this round at Firestone?

Update on 2010-08-06 02:28 by Geoff

**The reviews are in, starting with SI's Gary Van Sickle:

He hit only five fairways, 11 greens and had 32 putts, the worst of which were a couple from inside four feet that didn't even catch a piece of the cup.

Bob Harig writes:

So much for the good vibes, positive feelings and overall excellence that punctuated every previous professional appearance for Tiger Woods at Firestone Country Club.

The world's No. 1 golfer shot his worst score ever in 45 rounds dating back to 1997 on Firestone's South course, home of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Steve DiMeglio notes that the No. 1 ranking appears to be in jeopardy:

If Woods doesn't improve his standing, he could fall from the top of the official world golf rankings, where he has resided the past 270 weeks. Mickelson can supplant Woods if he wins or finishes fourth or better and Woods finishes outside of the top-37 and Lee Westwood is tied for second or worse.

And Shane Bacon at Yahoo wasn't writing about Tiger's shirt, which looked like it'd been run over by a Flushing Meadows line resurfacing machine.

Well, that was ugly. Ugly, ugly, ugly.

"Sports Illustrated called Snead's 59 'the greatest competitive round in the history of the game.'"

Nice note from Bob Harig this week on a forgotten 59 by Sam Snead at, you guessed it, the Greenbrier in 1959.

It doesn't count in the PGA Tour record book because the event was not a tour-sanctioned tournament. But it got plenty of attention nonetheless.

According to West Virginia's Register-Herald, Snead shot 59 on May 16, 1959 at the Greenbrier Open, a pro-am event staged at the annual Spring Festival at the Greenbrier.

Snead played alongside three amateurs and Robert Harris, the director of golf and recreation at the Greenbrier. Harris noted that at the time that Snead "did what no one thought was possible. He shot a 59 in a competitive event on a championship golf course during the Greenbrier's annual Spring Festival pro-am.

"Although the PGA Tour does not recognize the feat in their record books, the world recognizes that Sam was the first golfer, either professional or amateur, to achieve that goal."

Sports Illustrated called Snead's 59 "the greatest competitive round in the history of the game."

Snead did shoot 60 in an official PGA Tour event, one of 24 recorded overall. He became the seventh player to do so, accomplishing the feat at the 1957 Dallas Open at Glen Lakes Country Club.

“I'm planning on playing my way into the team.”

Steve Elling on his exchange with Tiger Woods today over the possibility of going as a captain's pick.

Later, ESPN.com’s Bob Harig asked Woods whether a meeting with Pavin was unnecessary, a roundabout attempt to get Woods to verbally commit to playing regardless of how he made the 12-man U.S. team.

No luck with the knuckleball offering, either.

“I think if I do well this week, I should sew up my spot,” he said.

Woods drew laughs with his stubbornness, but with a simple answer, he could have cleared up the discussion and ended the questions. Let the speculation continue. This time, he rekindled the speculative bonfire himself.

Perhaps pride forbids him from even contemplating the need to be a captain's pick, or maybe he's just that confident he'll make it on points. Or both.