With Tiger out, take a look at the rest of the season

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Jun. 18, 2008
By Dave Shedloski, PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent

The news of his season-ending knee surgery means that Tiger Woods will no longer be able to pass Jack Nicklaus at the 2028 U.S. Open.

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Tiger Woods is hanging up his hat for the rest of the year. What does that mean for the season?

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That's the tournament that Woods, at age 52, would have overtaken the Golden Bear for the most major championship starts in a row. That remarkable record, which stands at 146 (and which ended, by the way, 10 years ago when Nicklaus skipped the British Open at Royal Birkdale) is no longer in jeopardy now that Woods has to undergo season-ending arthroscopic knee surgery following his gritty U.S. Open triumph Monday at Torrey Pines.

As for the record Woods most desires -- Nicklaus' mark of 18 major titles -- the No. 1 player in the world will now get repaired, then he can rest and rehabilitate and take up the chase again in 2009 with his Grand Slam title count at 14. As a secondary consideration, also on hold is his total victory count; he is third all-time with 65, trailing Nicklaus, with 73, and Sam Snead, who has 82.

Naturally, with the top-ranked golfer on the planet relegated to couch-potato duty, fishing and family planning -- what's the over-under on an expansion of his other major collection, namely offspring? -- there is definitely a void that needs to be filled.

At the same time, the rest of the professional golf population should be exceedingly well motivated.

With Woods on the sidelines, golfers worldwide have to be looking ahead to the final two majors of 2008 and to the FedExCup playoffs -- glancing at each other like urchins in a candy store salivating over the last piece of fudge.

So what could the rest of the season's competitive landscape look like? Wide open. Here's a rundown of what we might expect to see:

British Open: Justin Rose tied for fourth as a teenager 10 years ago at Birkdale, but the course has been renovated within an inch of its royal life. This might be an opening for Jim Furyk, who was among three others tied for fourth in 1998. Davis Love III who finished eighth that year, has to qualify first, but if he does, how about another feel-good comeback story?

PGA Championship: Let's just pencil in a European, at least one who played in the 2004 Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills, near Detroit. That was the first of the two nine-point whitewashings of the Americans. Luke Donald loves the old Donald Ross layout renovated by Rees Jones (who also doctored up Torrey Pines South).

The Barclays: A move from familiar Westchester Country Club to venerable Ridgewood Country Club, an unknown quantity, augurs a mystery experience for everyone. We like a player who is on the radar but not a primary target. Jeff Quinney, solid all season, comes to mind. But watch out for Ernie Els.

Deutsche Bank Championship: Adam Scott, who won the inaugural edition, comes out on top over defending champion Phil Mickelson. Could Rocco Mediate, who was second to Scott in 2003, make headaches for another top-ranked player? Vijay Singh, with the whole season under his belt perfecting swing changes could lurk, too.

BMW Championship: A one-year detour to St. Louis and Bellerive Country Club already was shaping up to be a free-for-all on those large Robert Trent Jones-designed greens. Aaron Baddeley, a good lag putter, is our top candidate.

Ryder Cup: All of a sudden, it's Europe's nightmare. Is a win a bit hollow without Woods on the other side? Is a loss one of the great upsets of all time? Oh, and the No. 9 slot in the U.S. Ryder Cup team standings just became valuable. Currently, it belongs to Brandt Snedeker by a measly 203 points over Steve Stricker.

TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola: Mickelson and Singh, given their history at East Lake Golf Club, have to be the favorites. If Mickelson wins, he's your FedExCup champion, too. Will he seal it with a kiss? Will he send a thank-you note to a certain address in Orlando?

FedExCup: Woods took a commanding lead of 6,755 points over Mickelson with his U.S. Open victory. However, Lefty could overtake him with two more victories, which are worth 4,500 points (4,950 for a major), and even more players could be brought into the mix after the reseed entering the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. After that's done, only 500 points will separate Nos. 1 and 2. In fact, the No. 1 seed is only 1,875 points ahead of No. 10 and 7,930 points up on the last player who makes the Playoffs. With a Playoff win worth 11,000 points for the first three events and 12,500 at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, there could be a lot of volatility.

Player of the Year: With four wins, including the U.S. Open, Woods is still the odds-on favorite -- particularly considering the gritty manner in which he won at Torrey Pines. However, Mickelson could stake his claim to his first Player of the Year title by winning one of the last two majors and continuing to contend -- and perhaps, win -- the FedExCup. Others who could be a factor with two majors remaining are Masters champ Trevor Immelman and Sergio Garcia, who won THE PLAYERS Championship. Both would need to step it up, though, and pick up multiple wins.