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At last week’s Presidents Cup at Harding Park, Mickelson and Stricker led the U.S. to a 19 1/2-14 1/2 victory over the Internationals that wasn’t as close as the score might indicate.

After inexplicably uneven play in his first five Presidents Cups — and, for that matter, his five Ryder Cups — Woods at long last had found his comfort zone, and he carried the momentum into singles, waxing Y.E. Yang 6 and 5 and clinching the Cup with a birdie on the 13th hole. “We won, and that’s the name of the game, whether you go 0-5 or 5-0.” Woods said. Especially when you go 5-0.

Mickelson, 39, solidified his role as the Americans’ elder statesman by guiding, cajoling and inspiring to victory three partners who were in varying states of fragility. Stricker, meanwhile, had to worry about pleasing only one very important teammate, Tiger Woods, who had handpicked the mild-mannered Wisconsinite to be his wingman. Over the Cup’s first three days they rolled to a 4-0 record together.

Among the lush green grasses of the Brazil in 2016 we are gonna see Tiger Woods, yup its not just a surprise to just golf lovers but also to all the Olympic lovers. IOC has voted to bring GOLF to Olympic face and Rio de Janeiro would be the hunting grounds for the event.

Many Golf players from around the world have shown their excitement towards including the game in Olympics. Tiger woods is said to be very happy for the news and is more than pleased to be a part of the MEGA_ SPORT event.

There’s a lot of talk in the golf world these days that the PGA Tour is boring without Tiger Woods.
I haven’t believed for a second since the world’s No. 1 player just after the U.S. Open said he would miss the rest of the season via a lingering injury.

Woods is an iconic athlete, but the world of golf doesn’t need hime to be exciting. A prime example occurred Sunday with Padraig Harrington rallied from three strokes behind to win his second straight major and third major of his career at the PGA Championship.

Harrington doesn’t have the Woods’ over-the-top fist pump or pelvic thrust that television cameras love to focus on. And Harrington has his brother-in-law as his caddy. There’s no Steve Williams,  Woods’ caffeine-induced shadow to mug as the camera and chest thump the signer of his paychecks.

But does golf really need that? Me thinks not.

How about a guy like Harrington as a player for the golf world to grab a hold of? He’s an Irishman with a sense of humor and competitive wont that’s refreshing.

Harrington has now won six of the last six majors in golf. And here’s what he said Sunday after winning the PGA Championship by two strokes over Sergio Garcia and Ben Curtis:

“I live to play the last nine holes of a major championship. I love it so much I am disappointed that the next major championship is eight months away.”

In the meantime, there’s always the Ryder Cup next month. And now with his consecutive major wins, Harrington will make it all the more interesting.

As for the next major, that’s the Masters in April 2009.

Wouldn’t in be great if Harrington got his wish and he and Woods were matched in the final round and they swung it out on the final nine holes?

The PGA Championship, the final of the season’s four major championships, began today at Oakland Hills Golf Club in Bloomfield Township, Michigan. And I couldn’t care less if Tiger Woods is playing or not.

I’d rather see a guy like Kenny Perry win.

Perry has won nine PGA Tour titles, including three events this season, the best of his long career.

A dozen years ago, I sat next to Perry on a bus for a couple of hours en route to a golf tournament in Morocco. He told me stories about winning the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in Southern California and hilarious stories about meeting the tournament’s namesake. And he told me about his fondness for living in Kentucky.

Perry’s the kind of guy you’d want as a neighbor. If you happen to crack two beers after (or before) mowing the lawn on a Saturday afternoon, Perry would be guy to whom I’d like to hand the second beer.

With or without Woods, the World’s No. 1 player, Perry said in a pre-tournament press conference that the PGA Championships has an “everyman” feel to it.

“This remains my favorite major,” Perry was quoted as saying in the Detroit Free Press. “It’s more inclusive. The Masters is basically a putting contest. The British Open is usually about the weather.

“But this tournament appeals to more aspects of a guys’ games. If that creates a better opportunity for new faces to step up, then that’s great for the game.”

And that’s another reason why I’d like a guy like Kenny Perry to win the PGA Championship.

You may also be interested in:

golftribune.com, montereypeninsula.org, theweeklydriver.com

Welcome to SportsPageFair.com. As a sportswriter for more than 30 years, I contribute articles to myriad print and online publications and news organizations — The Associated Press to PGA Tour Partners (the national magazine of the PGA Tour) and the Sacramento Bee, a regional daily newspaper in the capital of California, to Reuters, the international news service.

Author of SportsPageFair.com

I’m particularly fond of endurance sports. I’ve reported on cycling for more than 25 years. I’ve attended the Tour de France start to finish 10 times, and in 2005 I co-wrote Tour de France For Dummies with renowned international broadcaster Phil Liggett.

I like endurance sports in part because I’m endurance sports participant; I’ve completed more than 80 marathons and ultramarathons.

Golf is also among my favorite sports. With rare exception, the pro men and women I’ve interviewed and reported on through the years are cordial, articulate athletes. And it’s easy to like the location of most golf tournaments.

During my career, I’ve also covered the National Football League, National Basketball Association, Major League baseball, tennis and boxing. And in more than a dozen countries, I’ve written about the full spectrum of niche sports followed by passionate fans — cross country skiing to motorcycle racing, rowing to triathlon.

I’ve interviewed Julius Irving about his golf game and Lance Armstrong about running. I’ve never met anyone nicer than the great Norwegian runner Grete Waitz. Three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond has been extraordinarily friendly to me (and to lots of other journalists) through the years.

With SportsPageFair.com, I look forward to commenting on the global sporting scene. Your comments are encouraged.