FanHouse Lee Westwood

If you didn't know any better when checking the leaderboard of the HSBC Champions, you'd think it was just another PGA Tour event. Unfortunately, it's not, but with all the American flags hibernating near the top, five of the top-12 to be exact, you'd think this tournament was being held in the States, not in Shanghai, China.

Nick Watney, an American, set the course record at Sheshan International Golf Club on Thursday with a 8-under 64, but near his heels are a few well known names, including Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, playing in this event together for the first time.

---

---

SAN FRANCISCO -- Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods had just improved their Presidents Cup record together this week to 4-0 and were about to do the obligatory network interview Saturday evening when a leather-lunged voice from bleachers behind 16 green stopped everything.

"Wisconsin and Stanford in the Rose Bowl!!"

Sticker laughed out loud. Even Woods, who can ignore a marching band, turned to look into the stands, shook his head in disbelief and responded with a smile. Some things just are not going to happen, but this week at Harding Park Golf Club the loud guy was on the right track. Stricker, a big cheese in Wisconsin, and Woods, the Stanford dropout, are the granddaddy of all golf pairings.

---

---

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) -- Luke Donald was almost perfect with his putter on the way to an 8-under 64 at Kingsbarns on Sunday that gave him a one-stroke lead over Rory McIlroy and Simon Dyson in the weather-delayed third round of the Dunhill Links Championship.

Donald had nine birdies and just one bogey, at the 15th.

SAINT-NOM-LA-BRETECHE, France (AP) -- Britain and Ireland led 3-2 over Europe after Thursday's opening fourballs of the Vivendi Trophy, a matchplay event on the European Tour.

Captained by three-time Ryder Cup winner Paul McGinley, Britain and Ireland had leads of 2-0 and 3-1 but Continental Europe hit back each time at the Saint-Nom-la-Breteche Golf Club on the outskirts of Paris.

The Vivendi Trophy, formerly known as the Seve Trophy after Seve Ballesteros, was created in 2000. Europe won the inaugural event before Britain and Ireland won it four consecutive times.

It seems almost like clockwork, that at some point during your week you'll find out that Colin Montgomerie is not happy about something. Maybe it's Sandy Lyle, saying he cheated. It could be a trigger-happy photographer that didn't know of Mrs. Doubtfire's wrath. Or it simply could be a painter that refuses to brush Monty on a canvas because of his man boobs.

What is certain is he does tend to toss shoes around a lot, and his recent Nike discharge flew directly at England's own Ian Poulter, who after missing out on the Tour Championship, decided that he wouldn't be accepting an invitation to the Vivendi Trophy match in Paris (previously called the Seve Cup), and that rubbed the 2010 Ryder Cup captain the wrong way.

Just like we did with Augusta, Bethpage Black, and Turnberry, we present your Sleepers for the PGA Championship. Hazeltine National is hosting its first major since the 2002 PGA Championship, and has been extended to a ghastly 7,678 yards of pure major championship nastiness. What players do we like to jump out of the bottom of the pack and contend over the weekend? Read on to see your Sleepers for Glory's Last Shot.

It was supposed to be the biggest prize in golf, eclipsing the FedEx Cup and making the European Tour's season-ending run the place to be. The problem is, even the wealthiest of places has struggled with the downed economy, and the once eight-figured Race to Dubai is now 25 percent poorer.

A report from The Guardian was confirmed on Wednesday by Lee Westwood that the $10 million prize for winning the Race to Dubai has been lowered to $7.5 million, something Westwood says was inevitable with what is going on in today's world.

Twenty-one-year-old Englishman Chris Wood earned his European Tour card prior to the 2009 season. A few months before, the then-amateur, making his first British Open appearance, tied for fifth at Royal Birkdale.

Twelve months later, Wood is again on the first page of the leaderboard at the Open Championship. And now, following four steady-as-she-goes rounds at Turnberry, Wood is the leader in the clubhouse. After a 3-under final 18 -- the best round of the day by two strokes -- Wood is at 1-under for the week, currently two back of leaders Lee Westwood, Mathew Goggin and Tom Watson.

---

---

He's 59. Fifty-nine. He isn't supposed to be leading the British Open. Hell, Tom Watson isn't supposed to be contending in the SENIOR British Open at this point, but there he is, at 4-under par with 18 holes left to have his name engraved for the sixth time on the famed Claret Jug.

He's the John McCain of this championship, hoping that for a second, golf will forget the number of years he's been around and just focus on his incredible ball-striking and wonderful lag putting that has him above guys half his age. On Saturday at Turnberry, Watson shot a 1-over 71 in windy conditions to keep himself above the pack at this very different Open Championship.

---

---