Hound Dog has his 2009 preseason picks out. And The Constructivist is threatening to have his soon. So I suppose it's time for me to chime in again, too. Let's see how lucky I can get with this years picks (because apparently I got very lucky with last year's).

Mulligan Stu's Top 30 for 2009

1. Ji Yai Shin

2. Lorena Ochoa

3. Paula Creamer

4. Cristie Kerr

5. Angela Park

6. Jee Young Lee

7. Karrie Webb

8. Michelle Wie

9. Suzann Pettersen

10. Seon Hwa Lee

11. Stacy Lewis

12. Yani Tseng

13. Jeong Jang

14. Hee-Won Han

15. Angela Stanford

16. Christina Kim

17. Stacy Prammanasudh

18. Song-Hee Kim

19. Karen Stupples

20. Eun-Hee Ji

21. Natalie Gulbis 

22. Ji Young Oh

23. Shanshan Feng

24. Amy Yang

25. Lindsey Wright

26. Na Yeon Choi

27. Ai Miyazato

28. Se Ri Pak

29. Minea Blomqvist

30. Sandra Gal

Now you all have that song stuck in your heads, don't you? Ahhhhh hahaha ... wait ... wait ... damn! Now it's stuck in mine too!

Congrats on the move to SB Nation, Hound Dog. It's a great group of people at SBN, and you raise the bar even a little bit more. And good point about crashing through the gender barrier in sports covered here. Hadn't thought about that before.

Just wanted to wish you well in your new digs. Carry on.

It is with great sadness that I announce my departure as the bossman at Waggle Room. I've had some things happen recently (good things - not pending jail time) that will prevent me from being able to devote myself to proper blogging.

But fear not, Waggle Room isn't going anywhere. Because WR has never been about me, it's always been about you. WR has never been my site, it's always been your site.

That's the SBNation ethos: It's about the fans. I've just been the caretaker (cue creepy Shining music) during my time with SBN. Of, by and for the fans.

There's no other blogging network or blogging platform like SBN's on the Web. And so I urge you to continue writing those FanPosts, to continue posting those FanShots, to continue chiming in with comments.

To hold down the fort, as it were, until the new sheriff arrives and guides Waggle Room in new directions and to new heights.

"Mulligan Stu" is dead. Long live Waggle Room.

Count her own coach among those who believe Michelle Wie is making a mistake playing in the PGA Tour Reno-Tahoe Open this week. And David Leadbetter believes it's a mistake even though he also believes she might make the cut:

“I can see, now, what’s going to happen this week,” Leadbetter continued. “She will start swinging out of her shoes as she tries to keep up and that’s when things can go wrong technically. She may just become the first woman to make a cut since Babe Zaharias — but at what price?”

Leadbetter's comments were made to Lewine Mair of the Telegraph of London, and at Sunningdale, site of the Women's British Open. That's where Leadbetter is this week, working with Suzann Pettersen rather than heading to Reno to work with Wie.

Leadbetter says the decision for Wie to play Reno was a surprise not only to him, but also to Wie's agents - and he blames the family for what he views as a terrible decision:

“It’s a shock to me and to her agents that this is happening,” said Leadbetter, who has worked with the teenager for five years. “I don’t think the family has made the right choice. There’s definitely more to lose than to gain.”

...

“I’m one of Michelle’s greatest fans but what we’re seeing now smacks of what happened last year,” he said. “Then, she tried to come back far too soon and did none of the necessary rehab work. Now, just when there’s this little light at the end of the tunnel, they have her back playing against the men.”

...

“I’ve put too much time and effort into Michelle to be able to sit by and watch this happening without saying something,” Leadbetter said. “If she doesn’t stick to doing what’s sensible, we could see one of the greatest potential talents the game has ever known going to waste."

Later this year, the silly season and a silly series will collide. Sort of.

Brand new silly season event, the Kiwi Challenge, takes place in New Zealand Oct. 27-28. Brandt Snedeker is one of the four participants. And at the same time, the Golf Channel's "Big Break X: Michigan" will be airing. And Haymes Snedeker will be a contestant.

Brandt and Haymes. What were those parents thinking ...

Amber Prange - Ashley's little sister - will also be a contestant on "Big Break X," which will be a team competition. Two-person teams, with the two people on each team having some sort of "relationship" - whether familial, friendly, or very friendly (wink wink, nudge nudge). You can check out the cast here.

As for the Kiwi Challenge: Its sounds like a Grand Slam of Golf format, but not necessarily with major champions. Just the best four golfers they can get to commit to play 36 holes of stroke play for a first prize of $1.5 million. The total purse is $2.6 million, and in addition to Snedeker the other three golfers are Adam Scott, Anthony Kim and Hunter Mahan (good on the Kiwis for not sticking Michael Campbell in there). NBC will televise it in the States. 

A few golfers made the trek to Michigan to check out Oakland Hills today, the site of next week's PGA Championship. Phil Mickelson took three hours to analyze the front nine. Geoff Ogilvy and Adam Scott took four hours to play 18.

Mickelson and short-game coach Dave Pelz went through their pre-major routine, charting every hole and planning the attack. Said Phil: "We've got a lot more work to do." Yep, at least nine more holes of work.

I suspect the PGA Championship might be a 5-wedge tournament for Phil. Oakland Hills has perhaps the most severe greens in championship golf. Mickelson is going to want his full short-game arsenal.

We all know the answer: Because she puts fannies in the seats. So to speak. Or at least, everyone involved with the Reno-Tahoe Open is banking on Michelle Wie's ability to continue doing just that. As long as she maintains that ability, she'll continue receiving opportunities to play in the major leagues.

That ability was disappearing all during 2007. But coming off three days of great play at the State Farm Classic - followed by several days of controversy (nothing like controversy to generate free publicity) - Reno-Tahoe officials and PGATour.com officials are convinced the girl still has "it."

To wit:

• In the Monday First Tee clinic yesterday in Reno, the three tour professionals participating were ... two old guys, plus Wie (Jay Delsing and Steve Pate, to be exact). The tournament is putting Wie out front.
• On the PGATour.com tournament site on Monday, the main photo and headline were of Wie. Today, the main photo and headline have switched to Nick Flanagan, but three of the four sub-heads are about Wie.
• And according to a report in Sports Business Journal (subscription only), PGATour.com will devote more attention to Wie during tournament play (the first two rounds, at least) than the Web site has devoted to any individual player not named Tiger Woods:

A special page on PGATour.com will contain blog-style coverage from a Web site staffer following Wie around the course. There also are plans to have a photographer document her rounds and post video of exclusive post-round interviews.

Woods is the only other individual player who has received such prominent treatment at PGATour.com, said Matt Hong, vice president and general manager of sports digital for Turner Sports.

So while PGA Tour professionals are overwhelmingly opposed to Wie (or any other woman - but especially Wie) taking part in their events, the folks who are in charge of generating interest in the tournament locally - and therefore, generating attention for the sponsors and money for the charities - and the people who are in charge of generating ratings (Web, television or otherwise) remain absolutely conviced of Wie's ability to sell a tournament.

And it's hard to argue with that belief when looking at the attention generated so far, and anticipating what is still to come.

... and Open Thread ...

WGC
Bridgestone Invitational
Firestone Country Club, Akron, Ohio
Thursday-Friday, Golf Channel; Saturday-Sunday, CBS

PGA Tour
Legends Reno-Tahoe Open
Montreux Golf and Country Club, Reno, Nev.
Thursday-Sunday, Golf Channel

USGA
U.S. Senior Open
The Broadmoor Resort, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Thursday-Friday, ESPN; Saturday-Sunday, NBC

Nationwide Tour
Cox Classic
Champions Run, Omaha, Neb.
Thursday-Sunday, Golf Channel

LPGA Tour
Women's British Open
Sunningdale Golf Club, Berkshire, England
Thursday-Friday, TNT; Saturday-Sunday, ABC

Greg Norman today announced he is turning down the "special invitation" offered him by the PGA of America to play in the 2008 PGA Championship.

Said Norman on his Web site:

"While I truly appreciate the PGA extending me an exemption for this year's PGA Championship, I have elected to decline in favor of adhering to the professional and personal commitments I made prior to The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. I wish the PGA and Oakland Hills all the very best for what I'm sure will be a great week for golf."

Business before pleasure.

The decision isn't a surprise, really, given that Norman - less than a part-time golfer these days - would have to play four straight weeks if he chose to accept the PGA's invitation. The news item on Norman's site denies, however, that Norman is worried about being too tired to play:

The decision proved difficult for Norman, who labored over the honor and privilege bestowed by the PGA against prior professional and personal commitments. While the PGA Championship would have been Norman's fourth consecutive week of tournament golf, physical fitness was not a factor in the 53-year-old World Golf Hall of Famer's decision to decline the invitation.

I don't think Norman was worried about having the stamina to play in the PGA Championship. I think he was worried about having the stamina to play with new wife Chris Evert (wink wink, nudge nudge, know what I mean?). The guy's on his honeymoon. How tired must he be?

The final 19 spots in the field for this week's Women's British Open were up for grabs today in the Final Qualifier, played at the Berkshire Golf Club. Here are the 19 who played their way into the field:

Martina Gillen, 68
Lydia Hall, 68
Marjet van der Graaff, 68
Stefania Croce, 68
Naomi Edwards, 69
Anja Monke, 69
Samantha Head, 69
Lora Fairclough, 69
Margherita Rigon, 70
Krystle Caithness, 70
Tania Elosegui Mayor, 70
Erica Blasberg, 70
Elizabeth Bennett, 71
Lee-Anne Pace, 71
Rebecca Coakley, 71
Par Claire Coughlan-Ryan, 72
Iben Tinning, 72
Leah Hart, 72
Kiran Matharu, 72
Full scores

Very few Americans made the attempt. Only about a half-dozen were entered in the final qualifier. So it's good to see a young LPGA player like Blasberg making the effort. "Big Breaker" Samantha Head was another qualifier.

... and Open Thread ...

Just how far Tiger Woods is ahead of the competition is neatly illustrated on the money list: Kenny Perry has played in 20 tournaments, won three of them, yet still trails Woods - who played only six times this year - by $1.3 million.

PGA Tour Money
1. Tiger Woods, $5,775,000
2. Kenny Perry, $4,456,550
3. Phil Mickelson, $4,034,985
4. Stewart Cink, $3,718,671
5. Anthony Kim, $3,595,365
6. Justin Leonard, $3,051,260
7. Padraig Harrington, $2,876,731
8. Geoff Ogilvy, $2,745,454
9. Vijay Singh, $2,582,531
10. Robert Allenby, $2,467,141

FedEx Cup Points
1. Tiger Woods, 22,695
2. Kenny Perry, 20,824
3. Phil Mickelson, 16,199
4. Stewart Cink, 15,039
5. Anthony Kim, 14,997
6. Justin Leonard, 12,399
7. Ryuji Imada, 10,854
8. Geoff Ogilvy, 10,660
9. Padraig Harrington, 10,331
10. Vijay Singh, 10,309

European Tour Money
1. Miguel Angel Jimenez, €1,707,702
2. Graeme McDowell, €1,580,913
3. Robert Karlsson, €1,578,492
4. Padraig Harrington, €1,438,076
5. Lee Westwood, €1,433,080
6. Henrik Stenson, €1,396,279
7. Oliver Wilson, €1,139,406
8. Ross Fisher, €1,084,203
9. Trevor Immelman, €1,050,723
10. Martin Kaymer, €1,006,880

Men's World Rankings
1. Tiger Woods, 19.12
2. Phil Mickelson, 9.54
3. Padraig Harrington, 6.38
4. Adam Scott, 5.42
5. Ernie Els, 5.42
6. Sergio Garcia, 5.39
7. Stewart Cink, 5.35
8. Geoff Ogilvy, 5.32
9. Steve Stricker, 5.24
10. Henrik Stenson, 4.94

LPGA Tour Money
1. Lorena Ochoa, $2,177,959
2. Annika Sorenstam, $1,503,473
3. Paula Creamer, $1,331,669
4. Yani Tseng, $1,064,916
5. Inbee Park, $1,064,724
6. Seon Hwa Lee, $1,008,714
7. Helen Alfredsson, $950,812
8. Na-Yeon Choi, $941,814
9. Jeong Jang, $867,619
10. Suzann Pettersen, $768,363

Women's World Rankings
1. Lorena Ochoa, 19.04
2. Annika Sorenstam, 11.51
3. Suzann Pettersen, 8.7
4. Paula Creamer, 8.32
5. Yani Tseng, 6.53
6. Karrie Webb, 5.94
7. Cristie Kerr, 5.25
8. Seon Hwa Lee, 5.11
9. Jeong Jang, 5.02
10. Ji Yai Shin, 4.75

Now that the last tune-up is over, time to move on to the last major of the LPGA season, the Women's British Open. The poll below, of course, leaves out some good options: Cristie Kerr, Ji Yai Shin, Karrie Webb, et.al. I probably could have left out Morgan Pressel, but she fits in so well with the other two 20-ish one-time major winners.

Sunningdale is a parkland course, not a links course, so no need to consider golfers with games suited to links play.

(And I'll go with Lorena Ochoa to be Ricoh suavé.)

... and Open Thread ...

PGA Tour
Chez Reavie won twice as much money Sunday as he had won in his previous (short) PGA Tour career. Reavie was solid throughout the Canadian Open, posting a final-round 70 and finishing three strokes better than runner-up Billy Mayfair.

Story | Scores

European Tour
Mikael Lundberg of Sweden won the Inteco Russian Open for the second time. Lundberg finished two strokes better than Jose Manuel Lara, who closed with a 64.

Story | Scores

R&A/Champions Tour
Bruce Vaughan defeated John Cook on the first playoff hole to win the Senior British Open. Cook fell into the playoff with a bogey on the 72nd hole, then Vaughan made a 20-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole.

Story | Scores

Nationwide Tour
It wasn't the storybook final round at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational for Bill Lunde, but his 2-over 73 was good enough to get the job done. Lunde won with a total of 5-under 279, one ahead of Dustin Bray.

Scores

LPGA
Helen Alfredsson won a three-way playoff for the Evian Masters title. Alfredsson, Na Yeon Choi and Angela Park finished 72 holes tied at 15-under 273. Alfredsson and Choi then played to the third extra hole (Park was eliminated earlier) before the Swede claimed the crown.

Story | Scores

Futures Tour
Second-round leader Mo Martin brought home the win in the USI Championship with a final-round 67, earning a 4-stroke victory over Gerina Mendoza.

Scores

Jay Williamson blurted out his truth upon hearing that Michelle Wie would be playing the Reno-Tahoe Open:

“When I saw it I actually thought it was a joke, quite honestly.”

Then added something else that is probably true:

“I know she is going to sell a lot more tickets than I will, but I would say it’s surprising. I don’t think it’s a real popular decision out here.”

Today, Michelle Wie blurted out her truth upon hearing that Jay Wiliamson's initial reaction was "it was a joke":

"I don’t know who he is."

Then added something else that is probably true:

"A good score will resolve everything."

An in-between, David Duval blurted out the truth:

“Whether I agree if she should be playing – I think she would be better off on the Futures Tour competing against women – is neither here nor there.

“Michael Stearns [Tournament director] thinks she can bring people in, and that’s his job.

“If some guy needs a spot in the field, chances are he’s not going to sell any tickets. She might add 2,000.”

SemGroup filed for bankruptcy earlier this week. The management company that owns the SemGroup Champship, the event played in Tulsa, says it is optimistic it can find a new title sponsor and keep the tournament in Tulsa.

Hound Dog (or do we have to call him Ken now? No! I won't! He'll always be Hound Dog to me!) has been tracking the LPGA's list of endangered tournaments here, here and here.

This short article from AP doesn't provide much in the way of details, but Andrew Giuliani - yes, the son of former New York mayor and presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani - was kicked off the Duke University men's golf team.

So he filed a lawsuit claiming "the coach has interferred with Giuliani's efforts toward becoming a professional golfer."

Update: Here's a more detailed article in the New York Daily News:

The 22-year-old aspiring pro golfer claims in a federal suit that Duke's new golf coach trumped up a series of allegations to force him out and turn his classmates against him.

...

They claim Vincent suspended the junior for a series of minor or fabricated infractions: driving too fast out of a parking lot, breaking a driving wood and getting into a confrontation with a teammate.

Then the coach allegedly told Giuliani the suspension would be lifted only if all 12 of his teammates lobbied for him - a scheme the suit likened to "Lord of the Flies."

It's official. A panel of 30 past and present Olympic stars were asked by Forbes.com to select the person they believe represents "the perfect athlete." And Tiger Woods was the choice, beating out Michael Jordan, John Daly and Mulligan Stu (hey, Tiger finished first, that means he beat out every other "athlete" you can name ... but Jordan really did get the second-most votes).

What did the Olympians have to say about Woods?

• Gymnast Carly Patterson: “I really like Tiger Woods. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are. If the odds are against him or if he has an injury, he comes through. He always does his best. He can always perform under pressure and pull through.”
• Track and field legend Jackie Joyner-Kersee: “Just winning the U.S. Open in pain shows the greatness and guts of a true champion. He has the ability, he’s humble and he’s very good at what he does.”
• Swimmer Matt Biondi: “[Tiger Woods is] the one person I most respect right now. He’s made an impact on the world and has transcended his sport. … Tiger has captured a global audience and gained a mental and physical advantage over his opponents.”

Craig Stadler has something to "wine" about this morning (other than my headlines, that is): He aced the famous "Postage Stamp" in the Senior British Open today. The 123-yard No. 8 hole with the tiny green is at Royal Troon, and for scoring the hole-in-one Stadler received 123 bottles of wine (one for each yard).

Good thing John Daly has never won this prize. He'd finish 'em off before the round was over.

The most famous ace at the Postage Stamp occurred in 1973. What makes it famous? It was recorded by 71-year-old Gene Sarazen, making his final Open Championship appearance.

Sarazen received 123 tablets of Geritol.

At least, that's what appears to be the case now that Kimberly Kim - who won the U.S. Women's Amateur at age 14 and was a member of the recent Curtis Cup team - has enrolled in Xavier College Preparatory school in Phoenix. You don't enroll in prep school unless you're planning on college, right?

In Golfweek's Blog U, Beth Ann Baldry writes:

“I want to get my academics in order,” said Kim, who has been taking classes online the last year.

Enrolling in the academically stringent Xavier Prep is Kim’s way of gearing up for college life. That’s right, the youngest player to ever win the U.S. Women’s Amateur has decided to put professional golf on hold for a least a little while.

“I’ve never seen anyone regret going to school,” said Kim, who will be a senior this fall.

Xavier Prep is one of the top golf programs in the country, coached by the famous  Sister Lynn.

The golf coach at Xavier College Preparatory in Phoenix occupies an office down a long hallway that pictorially pays homage to women of note, including Mother Teresa, Rosa Parks and Margaret Thatcher, none of whom could break 90. Isn't that the point, if not the objective, of this pantheon, a reminder that there is more to life than golf?

The office is cluttered with the accoutrements of success that seem to argue otherwise: plaques and framed certificates of commendation, yellowing newspaper clips, photos of championship teams, a cluster of trophies and a simple handwritten note, the team's motto this year, that says, "We're going to push it to the limit, cuz we're in it to win it! Oh, yeah."

It is here that you find Sister Lynn Winsor, and she is wearing a golf shirt. You were expecting a habit? Sister Lynn has a habit, of course, several probably. Her most noticeable one is winning Arizona state championships. Xavier Prep has won 25 of them in 27 years, including the last nine straight, most recently in 2006 by 82 strokes. In 1989 its margin of victory was 191 strokes.

Check out John Strege's Golf World article from last year about the legendary program and its legendary coach. Baldry adds, "Just don’t look for Kim to show up with blonde streaks in her hair again anytime soon. Sister Lynn runs a tight ship."

Kim's move seems to have caught everyone by surprise. It's so ... unexpected ... these days for a top junior female golfer to actually attend college. Baldry points out that many of the top college programs have already given out all their 2009 scholarships.

Of course, there are no guarantees. Going to Xavier Prep is an indication of Kim's plans, not a promise. She'll be successful regardless of the path she chooses.

Forbes magazine has released another of those highest-paid athletes list, this one focusing on female athletes.

And in golf, Michelle Wie is still No. 1 (No. 5 overall on the list). Four tennis players lead the list, but Forbes likes what's happening in women's golf:

Golfers Annika Sorenstam, Michelle Wie and Lorena Ochoa have broken into eight-figure earnings territory, a testament to the LPGA's efforts to globalize. The women's tour not only has top golfers from numerous countries (Sorenstam is from Sweden, Ochoa from Mexico, while Wie is Korean-American, born in Hawaii), but has made a point to broaden its international appeal by holding more events for players in their home markets.

"The tour has a much more international flavor to it," says David Carter of the Sports Business Group, an industry consultant.

A blurb accompanying a photo of Wie says:

A limited schedule this year (injuries, college enrollment) didn't hurt Wie's endorsement career. But if the teen sensation wants to extend her deals with Nike and Sony, she'll need to spend more time on the course in 2009.

It will be interesting to see what Nike Golf does with Wie when her contract is up. Do they keep the faith and give her a new deal? Do they give up and drop her? If I'm Nike, I'm trying to re-sign her. Because I (meaning me, Mulligan Stu) am still convinced that she will be a big-time winner. Many others have lost that faith, of course (or never had it). Has Nike?

Following Wie's $12 million earnings on the Forbes list is Annika Sorenstam at No. 6 and $11 million. Then Lorena Ochoa at No. 7 with $10 million. Paula Creamer rounds out the Top 10 at $6 million.

Waxing nostalgic: I miss the days when the Canadian Open was a big tournament. Not that I'm quite old enough to remember the Canadian Open in all its glory. But now it's just another PGA Tour stop in-between the big events - in-between those "must play" tournaments that dot the schedule and reduce all other events to filler.

Excluding the U.S. Open and British Open, the Canadian Open is the second-oldest tournament on the PGA Tour (only the Western Open ... ahem, the BMW Championship, is older). But like the U.S. Open and British Open, the Canadian Open is a national championship.

And while it was never on the same level as those other two national championships, the Canadian was on a level just a smidge below. Sort of a WGC tournament of its time. The big stars wanted this title.

When Lee Trevino won the Canadian Open in 1971, he also won the U.S. Open and British Open - making him the first golfer to win all three in the same year (some guy named Tiger later did it, too). You don't hear anybody today extolled as the guy who won the U.S. Open, British Open and St. Jude Championship in the same year. But Trevino is still proud of that achievement, because when he achieved it, it was akin to winning the U.S. Open, British Open and Players Championship in one season.

Throughout his career, Jack Nicklaus was desperate to win this event. It's well-known that Nicklaus finished second seven times at the British Open. Not as well-known is that he finished second in the Canadian Open seven times, too. But he never won. He kept trying, though, and some of his best post-1980 showings came in a handful of majors and in the Canadian Open. Three times in the 1980s - 1981, 1984, 1985 - Nicklaus was runner-up here. He also finished second in 1965, 1968, 1975 and 1976.

The guys Nicklaus finished second to were, in chronological order, Gene Littler, Bob Charles, Tom Weiskopf, Jerry Pate, Peter Oosterhuis, Greg Norman and Curtis Strange. That's a pretty good champions row right there.

The tournament struggled into the 1990s, though, with sponsorship problems among other issues, and with fields thinning out. But it still produced some great champions: Tiger Woods in 2000 (he hasn't played the Canadian since 2001), Vijay Singh in 2004, Jim Furyk the last two years.

There's no way, with its "big event" strategy, the PGA Tour can keep all its tournament officials happy. Half the tournaments on the schedule are going to get the shaft - are going to appear to be the "B" team - no matter what. But if I were prioritizing events that deserved to be built back up, the Canadian would be one of them.

Update: Perhaps I wrote this too soon. Golfweek says there's a "Canadian Open revival under way."

... and Open Thread ...

PGA Tour
RBC Canadian Open
Glen Abbey Golf Club, Oakville, Ontario
Thursday-Friday, Golf Channel; Saturday-Sunday, CBS

European Tour
Inteco Russian Open Golf Championship
Le Meridien Moscow Country Club, Moscow, Russia

Champions Tour/R&A
The Senior Open Championship
Royal Troon Golf Club, Ayshire, Scotland
Thursday-Friday, TNT; Saturday-Sunday, ABC

Nationwide Tour
Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational
The Ohio State University Scarlet Course, Columbus, Ohio
Thursday-Sunday, Golf Channel

LPGA Tour
Evian Masters
Evian Masters Golf Club, Evian-les-Bains, France
Thursday-Sunday, Golf Channel

Futures Tour
USI Championship
Beaver Meadow Golf Course, Concord, N.H.

The news just came over: Michelle Wie is heading back to the PGA Tour. She'll be playing the Legends-Reno Tahoe Open next week.

Story

How would you react if you were standing on the first tee and a PGA Tour player walked up and said, "Hey, mind if I join you?"

OK, how would you react if you were standing on the first tee with your dad, and that first tee was at the Old Course, and Golf Channel cameras were there to record your round, and the PGA Tour player had his own son in tow?

That's what happened to Joshua Madsen of Centerville, Utah, who won the Golf Channel's Father's Day Dream Trip sweepstakes and got to take his dad to The Old Course at St. Andrews. (Dad - David Madsen - is on the right, his son next to him.)

Unbeknownst to the Madsens, Tom Lehman had agreed to bring his own son, Thomas, to St. Andrews. The Madsens didn't know about this bonus until Lehman walked up to them on the first tee and asked if he and Thomas could join their group.

Cameras were there because the Golf Channel will edit the round into a future episode of Playing Lessons with the Pros.

"He taught me how to hit out of the famous Road Hole bunker on number 17, and I got it up and down," said Joshua. "I can go home a very happy man."

(Photo credit: Peter Adamson)

I love Little Debble snack cakes. (Anyone remember the SCOTS song "Camel Walk?") Thanks to courtgolf for finding the clip.

Michelle Wie's options? Michelle Wie's options are severely limited. She has only two, really, if she wants an LPGA Tour card for 2009 (which she has indicated she does):

1. Finish in the Top 5 at the CN Canadian Women's Open.
2. Go to qualifying school

That's it. I believe I've indicated before that Wie could try to Monday qualifying, but that was in error. Monday qualifiers are open only to non-exempt LPGA Tour members (Wie has no status, non-exempt or otherwise) plus two amateurs invited by the tournament.

The Canadian Women's Open is the last of six sponsor exemptions available to her this season. Last year, the two players tying for fourth in Canada won $103,000 each. Wie has approximately $21,000 in earnings from her five previous sponsor exemptions (the last of which, of course, ended in disaster). If Wie finished fifth - possibly solo sixth - she'd have enough money to earn that 2009 Tour card. If she remembers to sign the scorecard, that is.

Lower than sixth, and the only option is Q-School. Would Wie enter Qualifying School? There are conflicting reports from the Wie camp about that. I recall an article from several weeks back - sorry, can't find it now - in which Michelle was quoted speaking skeptically about Q-School. She's returning to Stanford for the Fall semester, and Q-School conflicts with regular school dates.

Dad B.J., on the other hand, was quoted speaking optimistically about Q-School. Or resignedly, rather. He said, "What other choice will we have?"

As of now, none. Except to try this again next year. But given how well Wie was playing at the State Farm Classic, a Top 5 finish in Canada doesn't seem as unlikely as it did just a couple weeks ago. As with everything about Wie, wait and see.