Coming into the week, PGA TOUR players are gearing up for a final push to the FedEx Cup playoffs.  Jim Furyk, a two-time winner this year, can take over the top spot in the points race with a win this week.  Matt Kuchar, who is having a career year, is looking to add a win to his eight top 10s.

Furyk is the top ranked player in the field this week.  Watch for players like Charlie Wi and Brendon de Jonge, who have been knocking and could break through this week.

Shin, who won the 2008 British Open, is joined by this season’s major champions Crisie Kerr, Yani Tseng and Paula Creamer, as well as defending champion Catriona Matthew.  Royal Birkdale hosted the 2005 Women’s British Open, where Jeong Jang won for the first time in her LPGA career.  Coming off a tie for eighth place at last week’s Evian Masters, Jang comes into the week looking for another victory.

Shin looks to distance herself in the Rolex Rankings with a win this week.  But, Ai Miyazato, Kerr and fourth ranked Suzann Pettersen are all favorites this week.  Kerr leads a strong group of American golfers, including Creamer and Morgan Pressel, that could be in the mix on Sunday.  Other players to watch this week are Michelle Wie, Angela Stanford, Brittany Lincicome, In-Kyung Kim and Christina Kim.

Shin tied Pressel at 13-under par with a birdie on the 13th hole, as Pressel narrowly missed her birdie along the same line just before.  Both players made par over the next four holes to remain tied heading to the 18th hole.  With a playoff looming, Shin and Pressel walked to the 18th green with birdie putts.  Shin made hers and Pressel’s rolled over the hole but did not drop.

Pressel finished tied for second place with Na Yeon Choi and 15-year-old Alexis Thompson, who was playing on a sponsors exemption after turning professional in June.

Suzann Pettersen finished in fifth place at 12-under par, two shots behind Shin.  Mika Miyazato and Song-Hee Kim tied for sixth place, with Jeong Jang a shot behind them at eight-under par.  Yukari Baba and Yuri Fudoh round out the top 10 tied for ninth place at eight-under par.

Defending champion, and Rolex Ranking top player, Ai Miyazato finished tied for 19th place with Cristie Kerr and Michelle Wie tying for 31st.  Paula Creamer, who won the U. S. Women’s Open a couple of weeks ago, finished tied for 37th at one-under par.

Petterssen made bogeys on the fourth and seventh holes before turning things around.  He made birdies on the eighth and ninth holes and added another on the 11th before carding three straight birdies on the 13th, 14th and 15th holes.  Wilson traded bogey for birdie on the eighth and ninth holes but lost his lead with bogeys on the 12th and 14th holes.  Pettersson made a bogey on the final hole but Wilson could not convert birdie on any of the final four holes.

With Wilson taking sole possession of second place, Luke Donald moved into third with a final round 66 to get to 12-under par, two shots behind Pettersson.  Tim Clark and Bob Estes fell into a tie for fourth place after shooting 71 in the final round.  They finished at 10-under par with Matt Kuchar, Jeff Quinney, Charlie Wi, Charley Hoffman, Greg Chalmers, Michael Letzig and Bryce Molder.

Clark followed an opening round 66 with a bogey-free 64 to tie Wilson, who shot a second straight round of 65.  Clark started with birdies on the third and fifth holes.  He birdied three of four holes at the turn – on the ninth, 10th and 11th holes, before finishing with a final birdie on the 17th hole.  Wilson birdied the first hole but made his only bogey on the fourth.  He went on to card five birdies on the sixth, 10th, 13th, 15th and 17th holes.

Brent Delahoussaye and Steve Wheatcroft are tied for third place at nine-under par.  Hunter Mahan, J. J. Henry, Rob Grube and Brock Mackenzie are tied for fifth place.  Tim Herron’s 63 moved him up 66 spots into a tie for ninth place at seven-under par with Bob Estes, Matt Jones, Nathan Green and Vance Veazey.

Mika only made one bogey in the second round while carding six birdies for a 67.  She is looking to follow her sisters, who is the defending champion, and make this her first LPGA victory.  But, with players like Morgan Pressel, Na Yeon Choi and Suzann Pettersen lurking, Mika has a long 36 holes to go for that first win.

Jeong Jang is in third place at seven-under par with Pressel, Choi, Meena Lee and M. J. Hur a shot behind in fourth place.  Pettersen is at five-under par, tied with Jiyai Shin, Sun-Ju Ahn, Kyeong Bae and Mi-Jeong Jeon for eighth place.

Pettersen is currently ranked third in the Rolex Rankings and Shin is fourth.  Both could top Ai Miyazato in the rankings with a win this week.  Ai is tied for 16th place at three-under par, six shots behind her sister, as is Yani Tseng and 15-year-old Alexis Thompson, who turned professional in June and finished 10th at this year’s U. S. Women’s Open.

Heading into this week’s Evian Masters, Ai Miyazato has re-took the top spot on the Rolex Rankings from Cristie Kerr but the mathematical difference is miniscual.  Miyazato leads with a 10.2656 average to Kerr’s 10.2650.  The rankings are so close that Jiyai Shin, the only other player to hold the number one spot since Ochoa, Suzann Pettersen, Yani Tseng and U. S. Women’s Open champion Paula Creamer are poised to make a move to the top.

Miyazato is the defending champion this week in France.  Her win last year was her first career LPGA victory and sparked a span where Miyazato has totaled five wins in 20 events, with seven top 10 finishes.  Kerr finished a shot behind Miyazato last year and is a strong favorite heading into the week.

Oosthuizen took control of the tournament with a 67 in the second round and pulled away from the field with a third round 69.  He became an unlikely champion but, that happens in major tournaments.

After 18 holes, it seemed like this year’s Open Championship could have the mark of a classic with Rory McIlroy leading the field with a nine-under par63. Tiger Woods was in the top five through 18, as was John Daly.  But, all would fall off in the second round – McIlroy shot 80 and Woods 73.

It was Oosthuizen who was the picture of consistency.  He was only two shots off McIlroy’s early lead.  Oosthuizen did what players that win needed to do – putt well.  He was nearly perfect from 10-feet in with the short stick all week.

Lee Westwood had another strong finish and is seemingly due for a major title.  McIlroy recovered from that 80 to shoot 69-68 over the weekend to finish tied for third with Paul Casey and Henrik Stenson.  Retief  Goosen took sixth place with Sean O’Hair, Nick Watney, Martin Kaymer and Robert Rock tying for seventh place.  PGA TOUR rookie Rickie Fowler, after shooting 79 in the first round, finished the tournament at four-under par, tied for 14th place.  Woods went on to finish tied for 23rd at three-under par for the week.  Phil Mickelson tied for 48th place at one-over par with Daly and defending Open champion Stewart Cink.

Creamer, at the age of …, was starting to get the label of best player without a major.  She has struggled much of the last season and a half, primarily related to the thumb injury that was re-aggravated at the Honda PTT LPGA Thailand, the first LPGA event of 2010.  After undergoing surgery and missing most of this season, Creamer returned to finish seventh at the ShopRite LPGA Classic.  She tied for 42nd the next week at the LPGA Championship and missed the cut the following week at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic.

Creamer regrouped for the U. S. Women’s Open and, after shooting 72 in the first round, shot 70-70-69 to land the elusive major title.  In doing so, Creamer also moved up six spots on the Rolex Rankings to number seven.  In the year of new number one’s on the LPGA, Creamer has added her name to the mix as the top of the rankings are closer than ever.  Cristie Kerr still holds the top spot with Ai Miyazato, Suzann Pettersen, Jiyai Shin, Yani Tseng and Na Yeon Choi filling out the top six spots.  Anna Nordqvist, Song-Hee Kim and Karrie Webb round out the top 10.

The PGA heads to England for The Open Championship

Tiger Woods has continued his struggles in 2010 but will a trip overseas help get the PGA TOUR’s top player back in the winner’s circle?  Or, will Phil Mickelson finally overtake Woods atop the Official World Golf Rankings?

The top players in golf are at the Old Course in St. Andrews for The Open Championship, the PGA TOUR’s third major championship.  Woods is still the top player in the men’s game but the field has caught up.  Mickelson has missed a few chances this year to overtake Woods and become the number one ranked player this season and don’t expect that to change this week.  Mickelson has not played well at the British Open in the past while Woods has won three times at St. Andrews.  But, neither player may win as “the field” has outplayed both players this year.  Lee Westwood and Justin Rose are two of the hottest golfers in the game and would love to win their home country’s championship.  Steve Stricker is coming off a win last week at the John Deere Classic and Ernie Els, Jim Fuyrk and Ian Poulter could all be considered top contenders this week.

Major championships bring out the best players in golf and some that could steal headlines are Ryo Ishikawa, Rory McIlroy, Camilo Villegas, Dustin Johnson, Hunter Mahan or PGA TOUR rookie Rickie Fowler.

Jiyai Shin is the top ranked player in Ohio this week, along with former Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic champion Paula Creamer, who won in 2008.   Morgan Pressel is in the field this week after losing in a playoff to Yi last year.  Other notables this week are Natalie Gulbis, Mika Miyazato, Brittany Lincicome, Angela Stanford and Christina Kim.

Highland Meadows Golf Club has hosted this tournament for fourteen years.  It is a traditional course with narrow fairways and small greens protected by bunkers.  The course plays to a par 71 measuring 6,428 yards.

Woods is joined by fifth ranked Jim Furyk, Robert Allenby and last year’s runner up Hunter Mahan.  Dustin Johnson is in the field this week looking to erase the U. S. Open from his mind with another win.  As is Justin Rose, who lost last week at the Travelers Championship after holding a three shot lead in the final round.  Other notable players at this week’s AT&T National are Vijay Singh, rookie Rickie Fowler, Jason Day, Davis Love III, Ryan Moore and J. B. Holmes.

Aronimik GC was originally designed by Donald Ross in 1928 and was remodeled by Ron Pritchard in 2000.  It has played host to the 1962 PGA Championship, 1977 Men’s U.S. Amateur, 1997 Junior Amateur and the 2003 Senior PGA Championship.  The course measures 6,995 years, playing to a par 70.

The race for the top spot has been closer than ever since the retirement of Lorena Ochoa, who was only the second player to hold the number one spot after Annika Sorenstam retired.  The rankings started in 2006.  At the start of the LPGA Championship, any one of the top six players could have overtaken Miyazato with a win.  Miyazato had to finish in third place or better to retain the ranking she earned with her fourth win of the 2010 LPGA season at the ShopRite LPGA Classic.

The new rankings can be viewed here.

Kerr finished the tournament with a birdie, her sixth of the day, to bring home her second career major championship.  She led from the start and, after breaking a tie in the second round, Kerr continued to extend her lead after each round.  It was a runaway tournament and a display of true golf from one of the best players in the game.

Kerr is one of the more consistent players on the LPGA.  She has finished with at least a win in each year, except 2003 where her best finish was second place, twice, since 2004.  She is currently ranked third on the Rolex Rankings behind Ai Miyazato and Jiyai Shin.  In nine events this year, Kerr has five top 10 finishes and is averaging 69.73 per round.

Song-Hee Kim won the battle for second place with a final round 69.  Kim finished the LPGA Championship at seven-under par.  Miyazato shot six-under par, 66, in the final round to get to five-under for the tournament and finish in third place with Shin.  In-Kyung Kim and Karrie Webb tied for fifth place.  Rounding out the top 10 were Morgan Pressel, Inbee Park, Meaghan Francella and Jimin Kang, who tied for seventh place at three-under par.

Watson started the day three shots behind leader Justin Rose.  Rose played the front side at one-over par but could not keep pace as the Englishman made three bogeys, a double bogey and one birdie on the back nine to shoot 75 and fall into a tie for ninth place.

Watson made two birdies on the front nine.  After a bogey on the 11th hole, he made birdies on four of the next five holes.  A double bogey on the 17th hole brought him back to the field before he finished with a birdie on the final hole.  Pavin, who will captain the United States Ryder Cup team, made five birdies and one bogey in his round of 66 to move into the playoff.  Verplank climbed 11 spots on the final day with two birdies on the front side and two eagles on the back nine for a round of 64.

Pavin was eliminated on the first sudden death playoff hole with Verplank sinking an 8-foot birdie putt to match Watson.  Verplank was not so lucky on the next hole as he missed an 8-foot par putt that would have forced a third playoff hole.  Watson two-putted from 48-feet to make par and land the win.

Chris Riley finished in fourth place after shooting 65 to fall one shot short of the playoff at 13-under par.  Padraig Harrington shot 64 on Sunday to move into a tie for fifth place with Chad Campbell, Retief Goosen and Ricky Barnes.  Rose tied for ninth place with Vaughn Taylor, Brendon de Jonge and Kris Blanks.

Kerr started with a bogey on the second hole, followed by birdies on the next two holes.  After a bogey on the 10th, Kerr made three straight birdies before carding another bogey on the 14th hole.  She made a final birdie on the 15th hole before finishing with pars.

As Kerr keeps pulling away, it seems the fight will be for second place.  Mika Miyazato, Jimin Kang and Azahara Munoz are tied for second at five-under par.  Jiyai Shin and Song-Hee Kim are a shot behind them in fifth place.  Karrie Webb is in seventh place at three-under par with five players tied for eighth place at two-under par.  Catriona Matthew, In-Kyung Kim, Inbee Park, Meaghan Francella and Sarah Jane Smith are at two-under par.

Rose struggled with the putter but made two birdies on the front nine, at the fifth and sixth holes.  After the turn, Rose made three pars before a bogey on the 13th hole.  He recovered with a birdie on the 15th hole before finishing with pars.

Curtis moved up eight spots into the final group on Sunday with a bogey-free round of 64, carding six birdies with five coming on the back nine.  Vaughn Taylor is in third place at 11-under par, five shots behind Rose.  Seven players are tied for fourth place at 10-under par, including Ricky Barnes, Bubba Watson and Corey Pavin.  Also at 10-under are Scott McCarron, Brendon de Jonge, Matt Jones and Bill Lunde.

Rose started on the back nine and, after a par on the 10th hole, made five straight birdies from the 11th to 15th holes.  He added birdies on the second and third holes before finishing with another birdie on the ninth hole.

Kevin Sutherland is in second place at 10-under par, four shots behind Rose.  Vijay Singh is tied for third place at nine-under with Corey Pavin, Charlie Wi and Bill Lunde, who shot 63 in the second round.  Vaughn Taylor, Matt Jones and Greg Chalmers are tied for seventh place.  Seven players are tied for 10th place at seven-under par, including Bubba Watson and Steve Elkington.  Also at seven-under par are Joe Durant, Chris Riley, Ben Curtis, Brendon de Jonge and Tim Herron.

Moving Day

It is nice to see Singh near the top of the leaderboard but, can anyone stop Rose?  Padraig Harrington disappeared after sharing the lead after the first round.  Can he rebound?  Wi was with Rose and Harrington after the first round and is five shots back.  Also, watch for rookie Rickie Fowler to make a move.  Fowler regrouped to shoot 65 in the second round, following 71, to move up to a tie for 34th place at four-under par.

Kerr started the second round with a birdie on the first hole and then made eight straight pars.  She birdied the 10th hole and finished the round with birdies on the 14th, 15th, 17th and 18th holes to take a commanding lead heading into the weekend.

Mika Miyazato, the younger sister of top ranked Ai Miyazato, is tied with Inbee Park at five-under par.  Brittany Lincicome and Amy Yang are a shot behind them in fourth place.  Tied for sixth place at three-under par are Jimin Kang, Michele Redman, Na On Min and Azahara Munoz.  Stacy Lewis and Seon Hwa Lee, who both shared the lead at the start of the second round, shot 74s to fall into a tie for 10th place at two-under par.  With Lewis and Lee are Jiyai Shin and In-Kyung Kim.

Moving Day

Kerr looks like she is running away with the LPGA’s second major championship but don’t count out major winners Lincicome and Shin.  Paula Creamer is at one-under par and could creep into the top 10 to have a chance on Sunday.  Yani Tseng may be too far back at two-over par to contend but she is a solid player and it would not be surprising to see her make a move in the third round.  The dark horse this week is Ai Miyazato.  The LPGA’s top ranked player shot 71 in the second round and would need two solid rounds to overtake the red-hot Kerr.

Kerr started the LPGA’s second major championship on the back nine with birdies on the 10th and 11th holes.  She added birdies on the 15th and 17th holes before carding her only bogey of the day at the 18th hole.  Kerr made birdie on the second hole and finished the round with seven pars.

Lewis also started on the 10th hole and made eagle on the par-5, 11th hole.  She gave the shots back with bogeys on the 13th and 16th holes.  After the turn, Lewis made three straight birdies on the third, fourth and fifth holes and added a final birdie on the ninth hole.

Lee started with a bogey on the 10th hole and made an eagle on the 12th.  She finished the side with a birdies on the 15th, 17th and 18th holes and a bogey on the 16th.  She started the second nine with a birdie on the first hole but made a bogey on the fourth before finishing with a birdie on the ninth hole.

Mika Miyazato, top ranked Ai Miyazato’s sister, is tied for fourth place with Inbee Park and Lindsey Wright at three-under par.  Christina Kim, Teresa Lu, Louise Stahle and Heather Bowie Young are tied for seventh place at two-under par.

Ai Miyazato struggled to a four-over par, 76, in the first round.  Second ranked Jiyai Shin returned to the LPGA with an even-par, 72, and is tied for 20th place with Natalie Gulbis, Michelle Wie, In-Kyung Kim and Morgan Pressel to name a few.  Paula Creamer is just outside the top 10 with a one-under par, 71, three shots behind the leaders.

Harrington started the day with three straight birdies and made his first bogey on the 14th hole, his fifth.  He added birdies on the 16th, 18th, fourth and fifth holes.  Rose played the front nine at two-under par with birdies on the second and ninth holes.  After a bogey on the 12th, Rose carded five straight birdies before finishing with a par on the 18th hole.

Both Goggin and Wi were bogey-free in the first round.  Goggin made birdies on the first, second and fifth holes to start and added three more on the back side at the 13th, 15th and 17th holes.  Wi started with birdies on the first and fifth holes and, after the turn, dropped birdies on the 10th, 12th, 13th and 14th holes.

Seven players are tied for fifth place with opening rounds of 65, including Vijay Singh, Bubba Watson and Corey Pavin.  Ben Curtis, Kevin Sutherland, Matt Jones and Aron Price join them at five-under par.

Nordqvist won last year by four shots but, at the tournaments new home, she placed tied for 36th, coming the week after winning the LPGA Championship.  Nordqvist will have to hold off red-hot Ai Miyazato, who won last week for the fourth time this year.

Miyazato comes into the LPGA Championship as the new number one ranked golfer in the world, according to the Rolex Rankings.  Jiyai Shin looks to return to form and try to take back her top ranking after missing the previous two weeks recovering from surgery.  Also, Paula Creamer looked to be in top form at last week’s ShopRite LPGA Classic after missing most of this season after undergoing thumb surgery.

Favorites

Miyazato is the most dangerous player on the LPGA Tour right now, adding a major title would complete a great year.  Yani Tseng, the 2008 LPGA Championship winner, is also a dangerous player.  Creamer played well last week but it may be too early to count her as a favorite.  But, Creamer is always a fan favorite and a player to watch, much like Tiger Woods.  Michelle Wie has been quiet recently and could be crowned a major winner when this week is done.

Perry has only one top 10 this year at the season opening SBS Championship and finished tied for 33rd at last week’s U. S. Open at Pebble Beach.  Padraig Harrington is the highest ranked player, at 15th in the world, in the field.  In eighth place, Matt Kuchar is the top ranked FedEx Cup points leader playing this week.  Other notable players in Connecticut this week are rookie Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose, Hunter Mahan and Retief Goosen.

Also in the field for the Travelers Championship are 2010 PGA winners Bill Haas, Derek Lamely, Jason Bohn and Adam Scott.  Two-time Travelers champion, and reigning British Open champion, Stewart Cink is also at River Highlands this week.

Who will win

Favorites coming into the week are Harrington, Rose and Fowler.  Harrington seems due for a win and Rose and Fowler have played great this season.  Fowler has come close to getting his first PGA win a couple of times this week and the River Highlands course could suit the talented rookie.

Miyazato was two shots behind M. J. Hur heading into the final round but pulled away from the field with seven birdies on the day.  Hur played to even-par through 16 holes, with two birdies and two bogeys, and finished the tournament with birdies on the final three holes to take second place.

Miyazato replaces Jiyai Shin from the top spot in the rankings.  Shin, who missed the last two events recovering from appendectomy surgery, took over the number one ranking when Lorena Ochoa retired earlier this season.  Shin hopes to return this week for the LPGA’s second major tournament – LPGA Championship presented by Wegmans.

McDowell, who hails from Northern Ireland, is  a terrific golfer.  He is not known too much in the US as he plays on the European Tour mostly but, he is ranked in the top 50 in the world and, with a new five-year PGA TOUR exemption, he plans to play more on U. S. soil in 2011.  Similar to last year’s winner – Lucas Glover – McDowell was the best player this week.  He was at the top of the leaderboard all week and pulled ahead as Johnson struggled early in the round.

Hopefully, Johnson can rebound from this and turn in into success for the rest of the season.  It is hard to let one slip away in the manor he did – see Brandt Snedeker in the Masters – but Johnson has won before and is a rising star on the PGA.

Woods and Mickelson just couldn’t tame a very tough Pebble Beach course on Sunday.  What we did learn is that Woods is nearing competitive form and Mickelson still can’t capture that elusive U. S. Open title he wants so bad.

Looking forward to the British Open at St. Andrews, Woods and Mickelson will be considered favorites, along with Lee Westwood.  Woods is going for his third Open Championship on the Old Course.

Steinhauer made birdies on the third and fifth holes and, after a bogey on the eighth, added and eagle on the par-5, ninth hole.  She carded four birdies on the back nine, at the 12th, 15th, 16th and 18th holes, to take the early lead.

Gulbis shot a bogey-free 65 to tie for second place with Elosegui.  Gulbis, after a birdie on the fourth hole, carded four straight birdies from the eighth to 11th holes before adding a final birdie on the 18th.  Ai Miyazato leads a group of five players tied for fourth place at five-under par.  With Miyazato are Jeong Jang, Inbee Park, Catriona Matthew and Kris Tamulis.

Thirteen players are tied in ninth place at four-under par, including Suzann Pettersen, Yani Tseng and Paula Creamer, who is playing her first event since February after undergoing thumb surgery.  Also in that group are Grace Park, Brittany Lincicome, Amy Hung, M. J. Hur, Gwladys Nocera, Laura Davies, Azahara Munoz, Hee-Won Han and Teresa Lu.