FanHouse RetiefGoosen

SAN FRANCISCO -- Anything with the name Presidents Cup sounds like it is ripe for a Golf Czar appointment.

Are you qualified to rule over this week's PGA Tour team matches between the United States and an International squad of non-Europeans that tees off Thursday at Harding Park Golf Club?

Take this test and decide for yourself.

Now that the Deutsche Bank Championship is in the books, we're at the halfway point of the FedEx Cup. The BMW Championship is up next, followed by the Tour Championship. But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves: unlike the Barclays, which played more like a pro-am than a playoff, the Deutsche Bank made for compelling viewing.

First things first: Tiger Woods, who tied for second last week, started Monday's round nine strokes behind the leaders, fired a 63 to move into third, before eventually finishing tied for 10th. Not bad for a guy who began the day in 30th place.

Two weeks ago, John Daly made his first PGA Tour appearance of the year. Thanks to a sponsor's exemption, he was in the field at the St. Jude Classic, and not only did he make the cut, his four days in Memphis were relatively uneventful. No pit stops at the Hooters hospitality tent, no on-course outbursts. Just JD, dressed like an overweight Carnaval performer, taking in a leisurely 72 holes of golf.

If nothing else, it was different.

It is really hard for Tiger Woods to do anything without garnishing the utmost attention. Anything he does off the course is newsworthy and we treat it like a presidential move. What is so interesting about this week at the Players Championship is Tiger is doing what made him famous, only we're too busy complaining about all that he is doing wrong and not focusing on what he's doing right.

On Saturday at TPC Sawgrass, Woods had a camera on his every swing, and while critics were complaining about his driver (Guilty party number one -- I actually tweeted during his round, "When was the last time Tiger didn't block a tee shot right, the Mike Douglas Show?"), we were forgetting to pay attention to the more important thing ... his golf.

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Tiger would probably be the first to admit that Friday wasn't Tiger Woods' A game. In fact, it might not even have been his B or C game, but Tiger does what Tiger does, and a second round 72 has the top golfer in the world one shot back of the leaders and still very much in the hunt at Quail Hollow.

Bubba Watson and Retief Goosen are both leading at 8-under. The lengthy left-hander Goosen matched Tiger's 30 on the front nine from a day ago, and Retief wound up carding his second straight 68. Watson's 65 on Friday included eight birdies, three bogeys and an eagle. Goosen, meanwhile, has made at least five birdies in each of his first two rounds.

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If you know anything about Tiger Woods, it's this -- when the top golfer in the world gets off to a hot start, it usually means doom for the rest of the field. Since 2005, Tiger has opened tournaments with rounds of 65 or better six times, winning four of those events.

On Thursday at Quail Hollow, Tiger's first tournament since a disappointing Masters, Woods was on fire, torching Quail Hollow Club for a 7-under 65 that included a 30 on his second nine. Woods started on the 10th hole, and was slow to get going, making just one birdie on his first nine holes, but the front nine was where he got a little crazy.

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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.

Goosen Breaks Four-Year Drought -- When Retief Goosen first burst on the scene with his '01 U.S. Open victory, he was an unknown golfer to most anyone. But unlike the regular U.S. Open one-and-done scoreboard Cinderellas, Goosen had a different look. Southern Hills Country Club, one of the toughest tests in golf, just didn't seem to rattle the Goose. Everyone kept waiting for him to falter. He wouldn't.

Up until the 18th hole, that is, when two putts were all he needed for his first PGA Tour victory and an unprecedented major championship. When he blew it, needing an 18-hole playoff to win, "Rattled" and "Goosen" almost became synonymous.

On Sunday at the 2009 Transitions Championship, a golf tournament lost in the shuffle of all the madness of March, Goosen found himself in an eerily similar situation.

You hear a lot about Phil Mickelson and his short game, which he's able to keep relevant more from muscle memory (the brain is a muscle, right?) than from any recent success he's had. His short game is fabulous, sure, but it seems that people speak more about the crazy shots he has pulled off over his career than the simple ones he's missed of late.

Well, on Thursday at the WGC-CA Championship, Phil's short game was back on, and I mean on. On a day people were focused, once again, on Tiger Woods returning to the golf world, this time in a stroke-play event, Mickelson reminded everyone that he was still around too. Phil went out on his front nine in a mediocre 35, that included a chip-in par on the par-3 4th hole, but went bananas on the back, making six birdies that included consecutive chip-ins to close his round.

Tiger Woods rejoined the world Wednesday, not as a political speaker or a new dad, but once again as "just" a golfer. Woods dusted Australian Brendan Jones 3 and 2 at the Accenture Match Play with two eagles, a number of effective, pain-free shots and just an incredible start all-around. Now, Tiger will be up against another non-U.S. golfer, South African Tim Clark. Here is what you need to know about the match.