FanHouse AnthonyKim

Anthony Kim, the defending champion at the AT&T National, was off early this morning. And by the time tournament host Tiger Woods was starting his round, Kim had signed for an 8-under 62, a Congressional Country Club course record.

But Woods, who, according to the media, is either winning or in a slump, looked primed to do the former after a near-flawless round. Woods went out in 31, carding four birdies. He added three more on the back. And if not for a bogey on the par-4 11th, he would be alone in second place, one shot behind Kim.

Lucas Glover was born in Greenville, SC, played golf at Clemson, just won his first major -- the 109th U.S. Open at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, NY -- and more surprising than that, perhaps, he's a Yankees fan.

So even though Glover grew up 750 miles south of the Big Apple, he loves the city and its Bronx-based baseball team. Alex Rodriguez appreciates the support.

On Tuesday, after outlasting the field -- and the weather -- over five days, Lucas was in New York City, making the rounds, and that included a stop at the Ed Sullivan Theatre to rattle off the Top Ten List. Hilarity ensued.

Moving pictures after the jump.

Blame it on youth. Blame it on this stupid, friggin' game. Blame it on what you will, but whatever the cause, the end result is a dreaded "slump," and Anthony Kim is dead in the middle of one.

If Tiger Woods' current "slump" is the equivalent of a decent bottle of Johnny Walker green (not the best, but not all bad), Kim is currently sipping on Early Times Whiskey and not liking it. Coming off 2008, when Kim won two times on the PGA Tour, his play this year after the first event (a t-2 at the Mercedes) has been rather humdrum. One top-10, three top-25s and a missed cut at the Players Championship that included a second-round 82.

Every Monday during the PGA Tour season, Monday Pin Placement will run as a wrap-up of the weekend's action. Basically, we'll focus on what you missed while you were out grinding on the putting green.

Johnson Delivers Another Playoff Victory -- Before April of 2007, Zach Johnson was a relative nobody in the golf world. He'd won the BellSouth Classic back in 2004, but he hadn't been making noise before he headed to Augusta National last year.

Yet twelve strategic lay-ups and a bunch of well played golf had Johnson wearing his first green jacket. Johnson's 2007 Masters win made us believe that golf isn't just about booming tee shots and big names.

Working as a golf writer online, there are basically two rules you should know. First, anything Tiger Woods does is worth posting. Second, if isn't about Tiger, you damn well better mention the guy, because page views feed the kids, and Tiger equals page views.

The interesting part about that is, people get upset about it. "Why are you talking about Tiger?!" "Why not mention the leaders?"

As a golf fan first and writer second, I find myself reacting that same way to the television coverage. As I'm viewing the Players Championship right now, Tiger is seven shots back of the leader, Alex Cejka, yet we have seen every single swing Tiger has made. At that same time, I haven't seen but a handful of Ian Poulter shots, and he sits in second place alone.

Every Monday during the PGA Tour season, Monday Pin Placement will run as a wrap-up of the weekend's action. Basically, we'll focus on what you missed while you were out grinding on the putting green.

It wasn't supposed to be Sean O'Hair's week. This was about Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, jumping up the leaderboard on Thursday and sticking there until the last putt dropped. This was supposed to be Augusta continued. This wasn't supposed to be the week for a 26-year-old to finally cash in after five top-10 finishes in 2009.

The thing is, O'Hair's talent knows no bounds, and the guy that once had to run miles for each bogey he made is quietly becoming the best young golfer on tour. Sure, he's not flashy like Anthony Kim or as hopeful as Rory McIlroy, but this win was O'Hair's third of his career during a week at Quail Hollow that had one of the toughest non-major fields of the year.

There is only one match play tournament a year on the PGA Tour, but it sure seems of late that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are playing a little "whatever you can do, I can do better" game against each other. At Quail Hollow this week, you might as well forget all the other names. Mickelson's round of 67 after Tiger posted a 65 this morning was a tournament director's dream, and allowed the rest of the field to look up at the leaderboard and say, "Oh, them again."

Playing with defending champion Anthony Kim and Davis Love III, Mickelson birdied his first hole, followed that up with another on the 5th and then chipped in for eagle on the par-5 7th. At times, it seemed Mickelson's short game got too much credit, similar to veteran journalists ogling Brett Favre's arm when there were younger, faster quarterbacks in the league. That isn't the case this season with Phil. He was quoted as saying his short game is as good as it has ever been due to a short game clinic he put on in the offseason, and it is showing.

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Every Monday during the PGA Tour season, Monday Pin Placement will run as a wrap-up of the weekend's action. Basically, we'll focus on what you missed while you were out grinding on the putting green.

Ochoa vs. Woods -- When Annika Sorenstam was at the peak of her game, a stretch between 2001-05 that had Annika claim eight major championships in 18 stars, she became buddies with Tiger Woods, text-messaging Woods after majors to compare their big tournament wins.

With Lorena Ochoa continuing to dominate the LPGA, it might be time for Tiger to land Lorena's phone number.

Who knew Quail Hollow would be the site of one of the best fields in golf next week?

The Quail Hollow Championship (formerly the Wachovia Championship) committee chairs probably celebrated early Friday like they had won the dang golf tournament when Tiger Woods committed to playing next week. The week after Quail Hollow, Tiger committed to the Players Championship, making it the first time since his knee surgery that Woods will play back-to-back events.

Every Monday during the PGA Tour season, Monday Pin Placement will run as a wrap-up of the weekend's action. Basically, we'll focus on what you missed while you were out grinding on the putting green.

In 1996, Greg Norman had one of the most epic collapses in the history of golf. Carrying a six-shot lead into the final round of that year's Masters, Norman was set to finally grab that green jacket that had eluded him for so long.

You all know the story. Norman wound up losing the tournament to Nick Faldo and in accordance with the old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words," has this lasting image that summed up his experience at Augusta. After a final round 78, Norman had two choices: he could duck out of Augusta or he could face the music. Norman responded courageously by heading into the press room and answering all questions asked of him for 45 minutes. He earned the respect of darn near any golfer that has played the game.