The folks running the Northern Trust Open still think that Tiger might actually play at Riviera next year. (Hint: He isn’t.)

Tom Pulchinski, tournament director for the Northern Trust Open at Riviera, hasn’t had Woods in the field the last two years, but hopes that changes in 2009. Pulchinski said he expects Woods to return faster than expected.

“He’ll probably do something more than the normal human being coming back.”

Like play at courses he doesn’t like? Nah. He’s playing 15 events next year and that is it. Maybe less if he goes the Medical Exemption route!

So, the PGA Tour Playoffs are here and I could not be more excited. Take that how you want.

Anyway, the first leg of the Playoff race is the Barclays. It’s being held at Ridgewood CC in New Jersey after a big to-do and fallout with Westchester CC. As you may or may not be aware, Tiger Woods is injured and will not be competing. I can promise you, though, that CBS is intimately aware of that fact and what it will mean for golf ratings on their air. (But, the Golf Channel may have an improvement over last year!)

Ian O’Connor, of the North Jersey newspaper The Record, seems to have lost that point.

[T]he dent [of Woods' injury] didn’t cause irreparable damage to the first installment of the PGA Tour’s second playoff season, known as the FedEx Cup. In fact, Tiger’s absence could serve to improve the game’s long-term health.

Really? Because were it not for Padraig Harrington, this season would have been a complete lost cause. Woods would have had exactly zero challengers for the Player of the Year award – which would’ve been a real blow to the players healthy enough to finish the season. And, with the overthinking of Phil Mickelson and aging putting stroke of Vijay Singh exposed, it could be argued that the game is in some deep doo-doo if Paddy doesn’t keep this going.

Even worse, O’Connor is convinced that the Barclays will help determine the rival to Woods.

Golf has burned for legitimate threats to Woods’ reign to emerge, anyway, and with Tiger down and out significant events such as The Barclays become the perfect places for those men – whoever they are – to finally declare themselves.

News Flash: It’s Paddy Harrington and, at least this week, also Anthony Kim.

Look, I know this is a local paper and the guy is trying to promote an event that is going to feel awfully empty without Woods. (Then again, Woods skipped at Westchester last year.) But fans should feel some comfort in the host course. It’s a golden age gem no matter who is playing it.

Usually, at the end of majors season, fans are treated to a statistic showing the aggregate score for all four majors for the players that make all four cuts. Harrington posted +7 for the year. That was almost 15 shots better than second place Phil Mickelson. Normally, that position is reserved for Tiger Woods.

Tiger competed in just two majors and finished in aggregate at -6. Harrington was +7 for those two majors. Still, he came on at the best times and in the toughest of conditions. Arguably, Birkdale and Oakland Hills were the two toughest major venues this year. For Harrington to have won on the two toughest layouts – even without Woods in the field – he deserves a ton of credit.

The real question in whether or not Woods STILL is the player of the year? I would argue yes given his submitted resume for the year, but Harrington sure is making a strong case.

Normally, when I mention the Detroit Free Press, it’s to make fun of Carlos Monarrez – the lovable columnist who almost always gets it wrong. This time, though, it’s not Carlos that I want to analyze. It’s Drew Sharp. Sharp makes a claim dumber than all of the claims Monarrez has ever made: that the US Ryder Cup team is actually BETTER for not having Tiger Woods on it.

What. Here we go!

The idea of addition through subtraction of the world’s best player sounds crazy, but the Americans become less aristocratic without Tiger’s special care and feeding.

Whom to pair with him? How to keep him motivated?

Drew, the Americans haven’t found a pairing that consistently has worked in the Ryder Cup since Tiger has been a professional. Remember when we thought that Chris Riley and Tiger might work? Or how about the Davids Toms and Love III? American captains and players have done a lousy job in this format of findings teams that work.

Kenny Perry nailed it before the Buick Open six weeks ago when he suggested that despite the challenges of losing the greatest player around, the United States “may become a tougher team” in Woods’ absence.

They would have to be tougher in terms of talent because Woods cannot lend his services. That would definitely not imply that they’re better despite Woods’ meh record in the event (10-13-2). Also, Kenny Perry should not be quoted in reference to toughness – skipping qualifying for the US Open and an exemption into the British Open to do nothing and play in Milwaukee (a.k.a. kill time).

But, Sharp decides that this is something to be lauded in making the Ryder Cup team better because he wants to be there. I have to thoroughly disagree. Just because Hunter Mahan said what a lot of guys really think doesn’t mean that guys don’t want to play on the Ryder Cup team. They want to play on a fun Ryder Cup team. You know, like the Pres Cup teams that Jack Nicklaus captained.

Last, though, I have a statement in Sharp’s column that I kind of agreed with at first and then disagreed with vehemently.

Azinger would never admit it, but actually his job just got a little easier.

Ok, so Zinger doesn’t have Tiger. That means he loses a guy who is basically a crapshoot to win or lose his matches. Yes, Woods is the best player alive, but he is not the best Ryder Cup player alive – that goes to either Monty or Sergio. Therefore, Zinger didn’t really lose much in losing Woods. In exchange, he did lose some expectations from some of the golf community.

But, for anyone who follows golf, the expectations were not tempered. People know that Woods is marginal in the Ryder Cup. Therefore, having him on the team or not really doesn’t mean much in terms of points. And that means that we should basically expect the same from Azinger without the benefit of having Ryder Cupper Tiger Woods. (See action figure.)

Here are our 8 automatic qualifiers for the Ryder Cup if we made the team today.

Cink (3-5-4), Mickelson (9-12-4), Perry (0-2-0), Furyk (6-12-2), Kim (NR), Leonard (0-3-5), Weekley (NR), Stricker (NR).

They have records that are WAY worse than Tiger’s 50% point rate. That means that it is possible that the Americans could actually do worse on their own home turf than they did at Oakland Hills. Even with somewhat tempered expectations, how does that make Azinger’s life easier or Woods’ absence a positive?

Padraig Harrington looked unlikely to start in this week’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale due to a wrist injury. After winning a warm up event at the Irish PGA Championship, the defending Open Champion was barely able to practice at Birkdale. On the eve of the Championship, his status was still in doubt. In fact, first alternate Heath Slocum was ready to go in his place.

Harrington, though, did not give in to injury and found the strength to defend his championship. Could he have guessed, though, how successful his defense turned out to be? For the second year in a row, Harrington is the champion golfer of the year. He bested Ian Poulter by four shots with a final round of 69 to finish the championship on +3.

This time, Harrington was able to enjoy his walk up the 72^nd hole of the championship. After striping his tee shot to the last and then hitting the best approach of the day to the green, Harrington could have five-putted from less than 15 feet and still claim the title. He still only needed two putts to repeat in the Open and become a member of elite company to repeat at this storied championship.

Last year, after hitting into the Burn twice, the Irishman appeared to have surrendered the title to Sergio Garcia. While his eventual playoff victory over Garcia was considered fortunate, he was not considered a fluke champion. Harrington has been a sold and developing golfer for the better part of a decade now. The culmination of all of the hard work on technique and psychology paid off in becoming Ireland’s first major champion since 1947. His place in golf history was solidified and Harrington entered the Irish pantheon with the triumph.

Without Tiger Woods in the field this week, it appeared that many were expected an unheralded champion. The Open generally is a wide open championship because of the dramatic changes in physical conditions over the course of the week. Golf bettors were all over the place in trying to predict the winner. The golf world was expecting a champion that would have to back up this win with another in a field with Woods to validate the win.

Interestingly enough, there did not appear to be much talk about a repeat champion in the Open. Certainly, the wrist injury helped reduce expectations for Harrington. The pressure of defending his title with any measure of success must have been lighter than if Paddy had been healthy. It may have worked out to his benefit as he surged up the leaderboard. The experience of winning last year in such a dramatic and unlikely fashion helped him in the midst of the back nine on Saturday and all day on Sunday. The combination of having been there before but very few expecting a repeat may have been the perfect storm to lead to a repeat champion.

Harrington has now further solidified his place in golf lore. He joins names like Woods, Watson, Palmer, Faldo, and Thompson as repeat winners of the Open. He can now boast being a multiple major winner and the 26^th man to win multiple British Opens (the 15^th to do so in the modern era). His achievements can never be taken from him and will be viewed in an entirely new light.

The best part of the outcome is that it is almost impossible to view his victory as being skewed. Yes, there was no Tiger Woods to contend with, but 40 mile per hour winds and a large cast of contenders more than made up for his absence. Woods may have even struggled in the conditions that the players had to endure this week. In the end, though, it was Harrington that was best able to handle those conditions and grind his way back to another year with the Claret Jug. He won the Open under two completely unique sets of conditions and it more than validates the talent of Harrington.

In the final analysis, it appears that this Open had more than enough intrigue – something feared to be missing by the ignorant at the start of the week. Those same ignorant people were treated to an opportunity to be re-introduced to the winner, and still champion, Padraig Harrington.

Eric Adelson makes that case that the time could be now for Tiger Woods to form his own global series. (Man, Greg Norman must be PISSED if he is reading this on his $250 million yacht for his honeymoon!) It’s not that illogical of an argument, to be frank. But, would Woods want to replicate something like this? Before I try to answer that, let’s give Adelson some props with quotes.

Woods is the first athlete in a long time—maybe ever—who doesn’t need his league. He is the Oprah of sports—the most likeable athlete alive, according to a Harris poll, and the most successful. He ranks behind only Winfrey in Forbes’ latest list of most powerful celebrities, with $115 million in yearly income. And so much of the PGA Tour’s financial success comes directly from him.

All true. Now, get into the reality of creating a Tiger Tour:

So if Woods held a handful of his own tournaments a year, all over the planet, who wouldn’t want to bail on a smaller PGA event to play? When Tiger turned pro, nine Tour members earned $1 million annually in pay. A decade later, that number is 99. Don’t think pro golfers aren’t aware how their bread is buttered.

Woods can have IMG produce the events, and the networks would likely line up.

“TV wouldn’t be the problem,” says former CBS Sports president Neal Pilson. “If Tiger asked to see me, I certainly would take the meeting.” And yet the PGA Tour owns Woods’ likeness and image whenever he appears on a golf course. With Woods closing in on a record 18 majors, there’s simply no reason all that money should leave him and go to a bunch of suits.

“All the PGA Tour is really providing is the umbrella organization,” says CNBC sports business analyst Darren Rovell. “The local tournaments run themselves. The scary thing is, it’s not that hard to replicate things.”

Without a doubt, the networks would be on board for something like this. Adelson points out that the Tour players – using the ole standby Kenny Perry “he is our Tour” quote – know why there were 99 millionaires last year. He also mentions that many players, including Tiger, are probably not fans of the PGA Tour’s 15 tournament minimum, restrictions on marketing/imaging rights, limitations on play on international tours, and (just to topple on) that drug testing policy. (A Tiger Tour would likely have drug testing since Woods supported it vehemently.)

Yes, IMG does a particularly lousy job with the Samsung World Championship. But, if they put their mind into something, then they can do a heck of a job with it. Take, for example, the HSBC Women’s Champions and HSBC Champions events. They are successful, well-attended, and the men’s version benefits dramatically from the lack of Euro Tour restrictions on appearance fees.

Speaking of the Euro Tour, one would have to consider the dynamics of the International Federation of PGA Tours, of which the Euro Tour is part. Tiger has a strong relationship with the UAE – his first course is being built there and he has committed to appear in the Dubai Desert Classic for several years to come. There is still an outside chance that he could accept his Euro Tour card to play in the Dubai World Championship. Would forming a Tiger Tour mean straining the UAE-Euro Tour lovefest? Would the UAE entertain such a thing? Would the European Tour’s George O’Grady see this as a chance to one up Tim Finchem by joining forces with the Tiger Tour? All interesting questions.

At the end of it, though, the question is really whether or not this would be worth it to Woods. Adelson mentions that Woods probably is not too keen on playing the minimum 15 PGA Tour events per year. He would probably just rather play the majors and WGCs. So, let’s say that there is a Tiger Tour. Would he travel the world to play in his own events given that he may not be too keen on playing in US based events? Maybe – if his Foundation were to be a huge beneficiary.

Len Shapiro with the news from the Monday conference call with Woods from Orlando.

During a 25-minute conference call with reporters, Woods said he was not certain when he will be able to play competitive golf again and revealed he has had a sore left knee his entire professional career. He also said he was “very excited” that Congressional’s board of directors has recommended that the club’s membership approve a proposed new contract that would keep the tournament at the Bethesda course at least through 2017.

But if Congressional’s membership approves, the AT&T National will be back in the Washington area from 2012 to 2017. The board has recommended a three-year contract starting in 2012, with a three-year option on the deal that would keep the event at the club through 2017. Congressional is expected to earn about $1.5 million a year over the length of the contract, which still must be approved by a majority of the full membership.

A membership meeting to discuss the proposal is scheduled for July 29, and the mail ballot vote is expected to be completed by Aug. 19. More than 90 percent of the members voted last year to approve the initial contract for the first two years of the tournament (2007-08), and more than 80 percent voted again for a one-year extension for the 2009 event.

Certainly good news for the area’s golf scene. But, how about the site for the event in 2010 and 2011?

Greg McLaughlin, the tournament chairman and executive director of the Tiger Woods Foundation, said he has been scouting potential venues for those two year, but no decision is imminent. Several sources indicated yesterday that Aronimink Golf Club outside Philadelphia is among the leading candidates to stage the tournament, though the foundation also may look at other cities without a PGA Tour event, including Baltimore, Minneapolis and St. Louis.

Perhaps Baltimore Country Club? The contract to hold the Senior Players Championship there expires in 2010, so this could align the stars since WaPo has previously reported that the course formerly known as TPC Avenel might take over as host of that event.

In-Bee Park’s win has spurred a slew of pieces from around golf about the impact of Se Ri Pak. Some even have argued that Pak has had a larger impact on the global game of golf than Tiger Woods. Grant Boone joins that chorus in his weekly column.

Tiger Woods is the most popular athlete, let alone golfer, on the planet. But compare his impact to that of Se Ri Pak. In 1997, Woods won the Masters, becoming the first African-American to win a major. Zillions watched and still do every time he tees it up. But a decade later, he remains the only African-American on Tour.

In 1998, Pak won the LPGA Championship and U.S. Women’s Open, giving South Korea its first-ever major champion. Ten years later, she’s been joined by 44 of her compatriots, 16 of which have won official tournaments.

In terms of impact of the ethnic and racial makeup of their respective tours, Pak beats Tiger. The stats show it. Economically speaking, it is almost impossible to make the argument for Pak. The question to ask, though, is who will have a greater impact in the long term – 30 years from now.

Tiger will likely have passed Jack’s mark and be worth billions of dollars. He will also be retired, designing golf courses, and maybe even some apparel. He will inject billions of money into the global economy on his name alone. But the PGA Tour will likely regress some in his absence, barring the development of the next Woods.

Pak, though, has spurred a growth in the women’s game that has had a profound impact in just ten years. Imagine the ripple effect in 30. South Koreans have inspired other Asian players to become significant and for countries to make investments in youth golf. As Boone explains, those investments are surpassing the United States – which does so privately:

[S]urely some of it has to do with the enormous resources poured into that nation’s junior golf programs. The U.S., for all its wealth, is disproportionately low on the list of nations who make sure kids who want to play golf have the opportunity to learn the game, compete against others, and improve.

In the end, Pak may be more responsible for the explosion of the women’s game than any other golfer. Also, that may have a much longer lasting impact on golf than Tiger Woods – whose boom caused amateur participation to spike, but has since receded in the USA.

For my latest Sports Central piece, I analyze the common characteristics of the men that have triumphed over Tiger Woods in major championship play. I think I have found their common thread and explain the secret to beating Tiger Woods.

Check it out!

Joe Posnanski writes about sports in Kansas City for the Star. Generally, he doesn’t do golf. He posted a blog entry, though, about Woods and the makeup of champions of his ilk that is brilliant. The storytelling is a real treat and I think you’ll really enjoy his non-golf posts also.

Shout out to Sal Johnson at Golf Observer for the link.