After one of the more memorable Sundays in golf history, CBSSports.com senior writer Steve Elling and Augusta Chronicle columnist and golf writer Scott Michaux try not to bite off more than they can possibly chew.

Did the European points system produce the best Ryder Cup team possible?

ELLING: Uh, awk, urg, gurgle … Trying not to spit up my Wheaties in laughter at that notion. Not only did it fail to piece together the 12 players, it didnt come close. With an assist from the wildcard picks of captain Colin Montgomerie, the visiting American side has a better chance of winning than ever before. I am putting my money where my mouth is, too. In fact, for the first time at any golf event, I am going to plunk down some greenbacks on the underdogs at Ladbrokes when I get to the UK in four weeks. First, the last-minute tumult in the Euro points standings landed a spot for rookie Peter Hanson, plus longtime Ryder underachiever Miguel Angel Jimenez and his 2-7-3 record. Then Monty picked Padraig Harrington, who hasnt won in two years or logged a single win in a Ryder match in his last two appearances, and skipped over more-deserving players like Justin Rose and Paul Casey. Monty said he leaned toward personalities and pairings matchups with his three picks. From a jingoistic standpoint, for the American side. Caseys coach, Peter Kostis, nailed it Monday: “It sucks when you cant manage to get a player with two big PGA Tour wins [Rose] or a guy ranked No. 9 in the world [Casey] on the team. Their system is even more convoluted than FedEx Cup points.”

MICHAUX: The Europeans are so arrogant with their “we are better than the U.S.” team attitude that it might just cost them what many considered a slam-dunk victory in Wales as recently as a month ago. The convoluted points system produced the most underwhelming collection of 12 players from among the all-star candidates that it possibly could have. I liken it to a round when you hit every fairway and green and still shoot even par. Trading talent like Casey and Rose (presumably because they are too PGA Tour-centric) for Hanson and Jimenez is turning birdies into pars (or bogeys). Now a Euro squad that we all presumed would be loaded with Ryder Cup veterans has six rookies, a top star in Lee Westwood coming off a six-week injury layoff, another in Harrington who is in a two-year drought and a 46-year-old in Jimenez. Ironically, if theyd place priority value on their own Euro points half of the equation, it would have produced a better squad without all the controversy. The f Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell. If theyd added the fifth guy on the Euro points list (Ian Poulter) and then taken the next four guys on the world rankings list (Luke Donald, Edoardo Molinari, Harrington and Rose), suddenly all three of your captains picks are automatically in and Montys life becomes a lot easier. Monty could have taken Casey and any other two he wanted without any fuss at all. And he would have had five guys enjoying the benefit of riding the PGA Tour playoff surge into Wales.

Is Matt Kuchar, now No. 10 in the world ranking and leading the FedEx bonus race, for real?

ELLING: Not only is he legit, I would be personally stunned if he didnt hang tough all the way through the Ryder Cup matches Oct. 1-3. Kuchar has been amassing top-10 finishes at a clip like no other player. Now 32, maybe Kooch is a late bloomer. “I am a firm believer that guys dont reach their peak until 30-35 or so,” caddie Lance Bennett said. Theres been some work involved, too. Kuchar, who was bounced back to the Nationwide after losing his card, tore up his swing and became one of the most consistent guys in the world. He leads the tour in the all-around stat, a composite of eight key metrics like driving accuracy, greens in regulation and putting, and also tops the tour in scoring average. Last year, which at the time was his career-best, he missed advancing to the FedEx Cup finale in his hometown Atlanta because he screwed up the last round in Chicago and missed making the top 30. This time, you not only can pencil him in for East Lake, but assume he will be in the mix, too. His ascension and growing confidence levels have been impressive to watch.

MICHAUX: Are we really discussing whether a former U.S. Amateur champion who won on the PGA Tour as a rookie and now more than 10 years into his career leads the tour in scoring average and top 10s is for real? Id say this is clearly a case of the stats pretty much speaking for themselves. Kuchar has always been a talent waiting to emerge, and the forces in his life have finally aligned to the point where there is really no room for argument. Hes one of the best out there at knocking down pins and making them count by converting the putt. Kuchar could be the next Steve Stricker and become a late-blooming consistent force on the world stage. Now that he got off the schneid and into the win column last week, he will prove himself to be an even greater asset to the U.S. team at the Ryder Cup. That easy-going attitude of his will disarm any h smiling and making birdies. Who wouldnt want to be his partner? An all-Georgia Tech pairing of Kooch and Stewart Cink (assuming he gets a captains pick) could simply nice-guy the Euros to death.

After two starts in a row when he was not the top pick, Las Vegas has made Tiger the favorite again this week in Boston. Is he really back?

ELLING: No, but Tiger playing at 80 percent capacity is a guy that Vegas knows is going to generate some activity and interest. Woods had never been anything but the favorite dating back to the 1990s, but finally was knocked down the betting list at the PGA Championship and Barclays. This week, at TPC Boston, where he has won in the past, its hard to imagine that he wont continue to progress after last weeks surprising pick-me-up. Woods played his best round of the year at The Barclays, finally seemed to have an idea where the ball was going, was controlling the distance on his approaches as well as he had in at least a year, and has some of his swagger back. It was interesting being on the grounds last week in Jersey, when other players started paying attention to what Woods was doing for the first time in months. Is he back? Not hardly, not until he fixes his putting stroke and fully integrates his latest swing tweaks, should he elect to fully follow that path. But for the first time since last fall, the guy looked like some semblance of his ornery old self. How fans feel about that, of course, is up to them.

MICHAUX:He might not be all the way back, but at least it looks like hes on the road there. Woods downplayed the significance that finalizing his divorce had on his career, but he downplays everything. There is no way that any human going through all of the stuff hes had to go through over the last few months can be unaffected in all areas of their life. From the point when he stopped talking about saving his marriage, through the signing of the mutual separation agreement in early July to the getting-it-over-with part last week, Woods has been dealing privately with some stuff that we can only imagine, given our own personal portfolios. How can that not be a drain on your game? If closing that chapter didnt play a role in his improved play last week, it will eventually. Hes got a new normal life to embrace and the freedom to concentrate on working on his swing with his new swing coach. His talent didnt just disappear overnight. It just got mashed down beneath massive layers of personal crap. In a way, I think his mission of grinding through the playoffs will accelerate his recovery. And imagine how good it will feel to him to go to the Ryder Cup (assumption alert) as a wildcard pick with nothing else to focus on but the camaraderie of the team room and a European squad that bears all the pressure on its shoulders that he once held on his own. That could be quite fun to watch.

Last year, the winner of this event, Interactif came from 6th when making his turf debut to win by over 4 with a 85 Beyer. Two races later, he was third beaten three quarters in the BC Juv. Turf won by Pounced.

These juvenile races on grass are usually absolute scrambles and at the top of the lane, 6 or more usually have a chance to score.

From the rail out, Typhoon Slew graduated at Ellis Park last time in 2nd career out by almost 11 lengths with a comment rarely seen, as rider pleased.

Hes looking at faster splits here but hails from a very powerful Mike Maker barn.

Powhatan County comes off a troubled trip at Monmouth but has a win on the course. Would envision a journey where he will sit 3or 4 off the pace hoping the speed comes back.

Grigio is still seeking that first win but he was beaten a nostril last time by todays rival Air Support. Grigio has limited speed and will be at the mercy of how the race unfolds while Support was troubled in the debut and has a right to have a nice career as kin to stakes placed double grass winner Perusal.

Lou Brissie picked a tough spot to try grass for the first time and he will be trying to route for the first time too.

Manchurian High is a candidate that connections tried in a Grade 2 to start career and he was beaten 19 lengths. This $1,000 yearling buy has his work cut out.

Silver Medallion will be a handful. Game in his debut on this course when holding on by a nostril and the horse he beat graduated next out. On top of that, Medallion has a right to mature with class as a kin to Grade 1 millionaire on turf in Sweet Talker.

id Curry was scheduled to run on grass last time but it got rained out and its never simple to beat winners right back after breaking the maiden for a tag.

Soldat regressed a bit last time as he is looking for the diploma. He was clear for fun and has yet to catch a glib surface.

Todd Pletcher is looking for a repeat in this race with Sensational Slam, who won both of his races at Woodbine sprinting on the Polytrack, the last with only a 67 Beyer in a $151,000 stakes.

Two entered the race in case it comes off the grass. Madman Diaries and Running Tap. The former is trained by a guy great with babies but will be going long for the first time while the latter paid 5-1 taking dirt sprint bow.

For our purposes, well assume the race stays on grass.

Here is how it may unfold. Expect the two outside horses Soldat and Sensational Slam to be on the muscle early. Pletcher is on record as saying his trainee has to be ridden every step of the way in sprint races and he thinks stretching him out would give him an opportunity to improve.

That may put Typhoon Slew, Air Support and Silver Medallion in the second tier screaming for room at the top of the lane.

When the smoke clears. Medallion will hit paydirt on top with Air Support holding off Typhoon Slew in the exacta.

Thats the way we see it, good luck and watch this race with an eye to the Cup.

Sorenstam had three birdies before Cristie Kerr and Hunter Mahan rallied with six birdies on the back nine for a 10-under 62 and a two-shot victory at Notah Begays NB3 Challenge.

“It all comes down to the back nine because everybody plays well in a format like this,” Kerr said. “It just comes down to whos gonna make a couple more putts coming in. We were fortunate enough today to do that. We gave ourselves a good look at birdies.”

Kerr and Mahan trailed Sorenstam and Fowler by two shots at the turn before pulling away in the closing holes to win the $100,000 top prize in the best-ball competition at Atunyote Golf Club.

Sorenstam and Fowler (64) were second, followed by Vijay Singh and Suzann Pettersen (66), Camilo Villegas and Anna Rawson (67), Anthony Kim and Morgan Pressel (68), and Begay and Lorena Ochoa (69).

The event is the chief fundraiser for Begays foundation, which is dedicated to helping fight obesity and diabetes in the Native American community. He was presented a check for $1.25 million afterward.

“We feel we can make an impact on their lives,” Begay said.

The field was grouped into six mixed teams, with the ladies hitting from the shorter tee boxes.

The 39-year-old Sorenstam, who retired after the 2008 season, apologized to Fowler before they teed off.

“I havent played. Sorry Rickie,” said Sorenstam, who also was preparing for her daughters birthday on Wednesday.

There wasnt much to apologize for.

Shortly after a fan shouted “great to see you back,” Sorenstam hit inside 3 feet at the 198-yard, par-3 third hole for an easy birdie. Not to be outdone, Ochoa matched her with a birdie putt from just inside 10 feet.

At the 185-yard, par-3 sixth hole, Sorenstam and Ochoa both drove into the right rough beside the green. This time, Sorenstam reached back into her glorious past with a beautiful chip that bounced on the green and rolled in the cup for another birdie.

Sorenstam raised both hands in appreciation of the roar of the crowd, which hovered around 3,000 on a hot, hazy day with temperatures in the high 80s, then tossed her ball to a fan and headed for the next tee.

Something happened to Sorenstams second shot at the par-4 eighth hole as it landed well short of the green. It didnt matter when Fowler rattled home a 40-foot uphill eagle putt that put them at 6 under and gave them a two-shot lead over Mahan and Kerr and Begay and Ochoa heading to the back nine.

“I made four birdies, chipped in twice. Im not complaining, its my best finish all year,” Sorenstam said with a smile. “I love it. Its always fun to see my friends, but Im tired. My feet hurt. Im not used to it. Im a little rusty.”

Begay and Ochoa made bogey and double-bogey in the first three holes on the back to fall out of contention. Kerr had three birdies on the front nine and five on the back as she and Mahan surged into the lead.

“We gave ourselves a good look at birdies. We leaned on each other all the time,” Kerr said. “We were just having a lot of fun helping each other read putts. I think thats what this event is all about, teamwork.”

Fowler, who is part Navajo, missed short birdies putt at Nos. 15 and 16 before making birdie at 18 as he and Sorenstam fell just short.

Just being part of the fundraiser was all that mattered to every player.

“I was pumped to be part of it, especially to have Annika as a partner,” Fowler said. “Its pretty special to be here.”

Ochoa, who retired four months ago at the height of her game, said the transition to private life had been “way easier than I thought.”

“I made the right decision,” she said. “Im still very competitive. I think I did my job inside the ropes. Now its time to work outside the ropes.”

First off, lets talk Horse of the Year and the performance of Rachel Alexandra against 4 rivals in the one and a quarter mile Personal Ensign. Two of those foes were Graded winners and the favorites were tooth and nail till the top of the lane as Life at Ten pushed Rachel from the get go.

Rachel started to pull away late but the distance and the contested honest splits got to her. At the end, Persistently, trained by Shug McGaughey, who trained the miss that this race was named after, grinded out a win just wearing down the leader in the final 100 yards.

It was a game effort by Rachel and she dueled with a classy horse but it does put a major question on her ability to get the classic mile and a quarter distance.

As far as the winner, she always showed ability and still has upside to her as she matures. Dont be shocked if this upset was no fluke as Persistently continues to get better.

In the Grade 1 $250,000 Ballerina at Saratoga some of the fastest distaffers in the lane squared off at the demanding distance of 7 furlongs.

Eight lined up and all but one had a Graded win in the resume. Rightly So proved that she just invents ways to win. She cut out all the splits bringing her record to 7 for 11. This is the leader in the clubhouse, as she has never run a dull one, has been in the money in all 11 starts and will be one tough cookie in the Fall in the Breeders Cup at Churchill Downs.

In the Travers Stakes, otherwise known as the Mid-Summer Derby, 11 of the best sophomores in the land lined up to duke it out for the $600,000 first prize.

Talk about wide open, the Travers was as contentious as it gets. With a minute to go post the chalk was at 4-1 in Trappe Shot with 7 of the remaining 10 between 5 and 9-1.

When the smoke cleared after Miners Reserve finally gave up the lead, Fly Down and Afleet Express came to the wire virtually together and Express prevailed by the narrowest nose you will ever see.

What does it tell us? Well, both came out of the Jim Dandy, which was won by Travers also ran A Little Warm. And this result just seems to re-in force the theory that there is no dominant sophomore in the land so far.

Trappe Shot just never fired, Admiral Alex was in way too tough off just one win and First Dude ran as well as he could but just doesnt want to go a classic distance.

Ice Box didnt pull up right but was just left with too much work to do anyway.

Friend or Foe tasted defeat for only the 2nd time in 5 outs and has some upside to him if he matures this fall.

Afleet Again is just not this good while Super Saver could have been too close early and just could not out quicken these rivals. He may be best settling and making one run.

The projected best runner out of this race with an eye to the future just may be Fly Down, who will be coming to the fall events relatively fresh and he had an edge of breaking his maiden over the Churchill Downs strip.

Out West, older runners where showcased in the Pacific Classic and those that believe in the d?j? vu thing, got paid. Richards Kid won the 2009 Classic under Mike Smith and was re-united with that Hall of Famer in a superbly timed ride to defend his title.

Longshot Crowded House ran well at a big number in only his second race in the states.

Bottom line, this was not the best Pacific Classic of all time. Looking to the BC Classic in the fall, the one thing Kid has in his favor is fact he has handled the conventional surfaces at Laurel and hell likely get a hotter pace to close into at Churchill.

Hes not a new Kid, but there is now a legit Kid in town.

Davis, the U.S. Golf Associations director of rules and competition and responsible for developing the setup used at the U.S. Open, had some preconceived ideas of how Chambers Bay would play during the U.S. Amateur that ended on Sunday.

And after a week of watching the best amateur golfers in the world try and solve the hard fairways and sloping greens of the links course, Davis came away excited for what awaits five years from now when Chambers Bay hosts the U.S. Open.

“Its very fun to set it up,” Davis said.

Fun seemed to be the overwhelming word players and officials used to describe the way Chambers Bay played during the Amateur, won by Oklahoma States Peter Uihlein. Shot making was at a premium, as was imagination, taking away the idea of shooting right at pins or playing the hole exactly as it appeared.

Uihlein had a perfect example in Sundays final against David Chung. Knowing his downhill putt on the drivable par 4 12th hole had no chance of stopping near the hold, Uihlein rolled his putt past the hole, up a slope and watched it inch back toward the cup, settling just a couple of feet away.

“You cant really get close to the flags by hitting them at the flag. Youve got to use the slopes and be creative,” Uihlein said. “Youve got to hit every shot with a certain spin and height. Youve really got to control your ball.”

Chambers Bay was awarded the Amateur and the 2015 Open within a year of the course first opening. Its unique fescue grass, large footprint and setting on the shores of Puget Sound was the setting the USGA had been hoping to find to finally bring its national championship to the Pacific Northwest for the first time.

That meant the Amateur was a dress rehearsal for five years from now. The discoveries last week were plentiful.

For example, Davis learned that even with hard, brown fairways and greens, the grass at Chambers still needed sufficient water. During the stroke play portion of the Amateur, the firmness of the golf course got out of hand, Davis said.

The discovery: because of its sandy base, the golf course needed adequate water six, 12, 18 inches below the surface to maintain a level of fairness for players.

“There were some things that we did anticipate we thought might work really well. We had some questions about some things and there were some things that being very candid, we never had an idea, nor did the architects or any of the Chambers Bay people,” Davis said.

Davis said there will be plenty of adjustments to the golf course by the time its next in tournament conditions five years from now. Some fairways will be narrowed, others will be widened, and even others will be moved one direction or another. One major benefit for the USGA staff was seeing various weather conditions during the week and seeing winds blowing from three different directions.

Outside the ropes, there are issues with spectator transportation, crowd flow and fans climbing on the steep and slippery dunes around the course to be addressed.

“I think well spend the next few years trying to get that right because this was a dry run,” said the USGAs Tom OToole. “Thats why we came here. … A lot of notes this week [and] it will really help us in preparation for 15.”

If Super Saver bags The Travers (also known as the Midsummer Derby) tomorrow, he vaults right back into contention for 3YO division honors. The most recent winner of both races was Street Sense in 2007. He got the better of the mighty Curlin in the Derby, but Curlin beat him by a head in The Preakness, and went on to win Eclipse Awards for Horse of the Year as well as 3-Year-Old Male. Prior to Street Sense, you have to go back to Thunder Gulch in 1995 to find a dual Derby/Travers winner, and that colt garnered 3-Year-Old Male honors. With division leader Lookin At Lucky sitting this one out, its Super Savers time to shine.

Super Saver drew the outside post (No. 11) in The Travers, which should suit him well with such a long run to the first turn. Theres plenty of speed signed on, with #1-Miners Reserve, #4-First Dude and #5-A Little Warm expected to slug it out early. That should allow jockey Calvin Borel to find a comfortable spot for Super Saver in mid-pack. With a 2 ?-month break between The Preakness and The Haskell, its not surprising that Super Saver flattened out a bit in his comebacker, getting nosed for third. Im expecting a major move forward here. Note that Super Saver is the only horse in the field to win at 1 ? miles toting 126 lbs., and has been working well at the Spa for leading trainer Todd Pletcher. Ill bet on #11-Super Saver to win and place at odds of 4-1 or better, and key him top and bottom in exactas with the Nick Zito-trained duo of #6-Ice Box and #8-Fly Down. Both Zito runners are much better than theyve shown recently, and should relish the classic distance.

Reigning Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra returns to action on Sunday in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign at Saratoga. While its her first try at 1 ? miles, youll remember that she had little trouble dispatching her male counterparts in last years Preakness at the slightly shorter distance of 1 3/16th miles. She faces the red-hot Life At Ten, winner of six straight, including the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Handicap two back at Belmont Park. Life At Ten is a very nice horse, but shes never faced anything like Rachel Alexandra, who appears poised to make a serious run at back-to-back Horse of the Year titles. This mile-and-a-quarter test should provide her with the foundation to tackle all comers in The Breeders Cup Classic in early November at her favorite venueChurchill Downs.

Those are my horse racing betting tips for the weekend. Best of luck and happy gambling!

Best Pal took the inaugural running. The late great Bobby Frankel saddled the next 4 winners.

Dare and Go upset the legendary Cigar to the tune of $81.20 when that runner was seeking to win his 17th straight. Unbeaten Candy Ride cashed in 2003 and Californias favorite son Lava Man won three years later. Last season Richards Kid was coming off a nose beat in a $150,000 stakes but he put it all together in the Classic coming from 2nd to last to post a career best 107 Beyer at 24-1.

Contenders this year include The Usual Q.T. and Unusual Suspect. Ben Cecil has a pair in the field in Crowded House and Isle of Giants while defending champ Richards Kid will be trying to rebound from a recent lost.

Perfect is what The Usual Q. T. has been at Del Mar after 3 starts. He has a super stalk and pounce style and was most impressive winning the Eddie Read going away. Q.T. just may be phoning home from the winners circle.

Unusual Suspect tracked a slow pace but would not go by a game and fast Temple City in the Cougar last month. This guy has been around the block and back but his best days are behind him.

Richards Kid has some things to prove. He obviously needed the Hollywood Gold Cup two back but basically ran around the track in the Cougar.

Kid picked up the tempo in a recent :58.60 bullet work but that is typical of a Bob Baffert trainee. The pro is dependent on a hot pace and a perfect traffic-free trip and thats why he could be a liability at too short a price.

Crowded House was a Group 1 winner at 2 but only has one other victory on the slate. Backers have to hope he got a ton of experience out of his Read 4th.

Isle of Giants might have bounced a bit last time but his versatility is interesting as he can win on the front end or come from left field.

Temple City, just down the road from Arcadia, is a sleepy little suburb but there is nothing sleepy about the horse who is a flat out speed ball capable of tracking or leading and prevailing.

Hollywood Gold Cup winner Awesome Gem and San Diego Handicap victor Dakota Phone seem on target for their prospective starts in the Classic.

Gem recently prepped on the turf course where he finished with interest but his trainer is on record as saying he thinks the runner prefers Hollywood Park. And the horse is 0 for 8 at the beach.

Just the fact that Hold Me Back has shown up is important as his trainer Bill Mott does not go gallivanting around the country for fun.

Connections of Dakota Phone were confident going into this fixture. This is what Jerry Hollendorfers assistant trainer Dan Ward had to say about a recent drill.

Ward: He went very well. Everything is going perfect right now for him. Were right on target.

Awesome was far from that in last years Classic when a dull 7th at 17-1 but that happens when a runner has to come from left field.

Dakota Phone has a similar style but he loves this oval and won the prescribed prep in the San Diego in late July. He came from 11 back that day but can be much closer on his best day.

Battle of Hastings ran well to be second to Dakota Phone last time but his trainer Jeff Mullins is in the biggest slump hes ever had in California, this guy has no speed and only at the last moment did Mullins decide to go.

Heres the projected scoop as the race unfolds.

Isle of Giants and Temple City will cut out the splits with The Usual Q. T., Unusual Suspect, Richards Kid and Dakota Phone in the second tier. That will leave the other 4 trying to save ground and hoping for a fast pace.

At the top of the lane, the leaders will start to fell the pressure. Richards Kid and Dakota Phone will get first run but be quickly joined by Awesome Gem, Hold Me Back and Crowded House.

When the smoke clears, Mott, who won this race 2 years ago with shipper Go Between, will watch his synthetic specialist Hold Me Back make the last run and get the money over Awesome Gem and Richards Kind.

Good luck.

Kuchar beat Martin Laird in a playoff at The Barclays with a 7-iron out of the rough that rolled toward the back of the 18th green, then caught enough of the slope to turn back toward the hole and stop 30 inches away for a birdie.

It was a stunning conclusion to the first FedEx Cup playoff event.

Kuchar closed with a 5-under 66, and it didnt look as though it would be enough. Laird had a one-shot lead and needed two putts from just inside 25 feet for the victory, when he ran his putt 7 feet past the hole. He missed the par putt, setting up the playoff.

The timing could not have been better for Kuchar.

His first victory of the year came two weeks after he made his first Ryder Cup team, and the win can only give him a shot of confidence. Kuchar moved to No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings by winning the first playoff event, giving him a good shot at the $10 million prize. And his third career win is likely to move him to a career-best No. 10 in the world ranking.

“Even if I had shut it down without a win, I would have felt it was a great year,” Kuchar said. “To win, its an incredible year.”

The Barclays: Final round Analysis Steve Elling
With his first victory of 2010, Matt Kuchar vaults onto the list of Player of the Year candidates. Read More >> Related links Final scores and earnings Scorecards: Kuchar | Laird

Tiger Woods continues to make progress, which in this case means he gets to keep going.

Woods, who started these playoffs at No. 112 in the standings, closed with a 4-under 67 to easily make the top 100 who advance to the second round next week at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Woods tied for 12th, his best finish since June, and moved up to No. 65.

Laird, who recovered from a shaky start, looked just as shaky at the end, especially with his putter.

He was tied with Kuchar when he had a 20-foot eagle putt on the par-5 17th, only to roll it nearly 8 feet beyond the hole. He made that birdie putt to take the lead, then repeated his mistake on the final hole in regulation.

This time, the comeback putt never had a chance. Neither did Laird in the playoff after Kuchars shot stopped so close to the cup. Laird hit out of the rough to about 50 feet and made par.

Matt Kuchar shoots 5-under 66 before earning his first victory of the season in a sudden-death playoff. (Getty Images) “Obviously, not the finish I was looking for,” Laird said. “But Im very proud of the way I played today. I was kind of battling all day, and probably holed two or three of the biggest putts Ive ever holed just to be where I was.”

The only consolation for Laird was being safe through next month in the playoffs. He was at No. 95, hopeful of advancing to the second round, and his runner-up finish puts him at No. 3 and virtually guarantees hell be among the top 30 at the Tour Championship who compete for the $10 million prize.

Steve Stricker closed with a 66 to tie for third with Kevin Streelman, whose parents grew up in this neighborhood and whose grandparents are buried in a cemetery next to the seventh hole. Two years ago at Ridgewood, Streelman narrowly missed a playoff. He also was on the bubble, starting at No. 102, and moved up to No. 18.

Rory Sabbatini had the low round of the day at 64 and tied for fifth.

The other big winner Sunday was Andres Romero of Argentina. He made back-to-back double bogeys to fall well outside the top 100, then made a stunning charge with four birdies over his final five holes. Romero holed a 40-foot putt on his final hole to finish at No. 100 in the standings and advance to Boston.

“After the double bogeys, I figured it was lost,” Romero said. “I knew I had to make birdies to have a chance.”

Woods thought he had a chance, despite starting the final round nine shots behind. Practicing a drill on the putting green to keep his eyes over the ball, he took that to the course and pl but he was encouraged by his play heading into next week at the TPC Boston.

“I havent won all year,” Woods said. “But this is a week that I was very close. I felt that if I would have putted better for all four days, I would have been right there. Looking forward to next week.”

Best Pal took the inaugural running. The late great Bobby Frankel saddled the next 4 winners.

Dare and Go upset the legendary Cigar to the tune of $81.20 when that runner was seeking to win his 17th straight. Unbeaten Candy Ride cashed in 2003 and Californias favorite son Lava Man won three years later. Last season Richards Kid was coming off a nose beat in a $150,000 stakes but he put it all together in the Classic coming from 2nd to last to post a career best 107 Beyer at 24-1.

Contenders this year include The Usual Q.T. and Unusual Suspect. Ben Cecil has a pair in the field in Crowded House and Isle of Giants while defending champ Richards Kid will be trying to rebound from a recent lost.

Perfect is what The Usual Q. T. has been at Del Mar after 3 starts. He has a super stalk and pounce style and was most impressive winning the Eddie Read going away. Q.T. just may be phoning home from the winners circle.

Unusual Suspect tracked a slow pace but would not go by a game and fast Temple City in the Cougar last month. This guy has been around the block and back but his best days are behind him.

Richards Kid has some things to prove. He obviously needed the Hollywood Gold Cup two back but basically ran around the track in the Cougar.

Kid picked up the tempo in a recent :58.60 bullet work but that is typical of a Bob Baffert trainee. The pro is dependent on a hot pace and a perfect traffic-free trip and thats why he could be a liability at too short a price.

Crowded House was a Group 1 winner at 2 but only has one other victory on the slate. Backers have to hope he got a ton of experience out of his Read 4th.

Isle of Giants might have bounced a bit last time but his versatility is interesting as he can win on the front end or come from left field.

Temple City, just down the road from Arcadia, is a sleepy little suburb but there is nothing sleepy about the horse who is a flat out speed ball capable of tracking or leading and prevailing.

Hollywood Gold Cup winner Awesome Gem and San Diego Handicap victor Dakota Phone seem on target for their prospective starts in the Classic.

Gem recently prepped on the turf course where he finished with interest but his trainer is on record as saying he thinks the runner prefers Hollywood Park. And the horse is 0 for 8 at the beach.

Just the fact that Hold Me Back has shown up is important as his trainer Bill Mott does not go gallivanting around the country for fun.

Connections of Dakota Phone were confident going into this fixture. This is what Jerry Hollendorfers assistant trainer Dan Ward had to say about a recent drill.

Ward: He went very well. Everything is going perfect right now for him. Were right on target.

Awesome was far from that in last years Classic when a dull 7th at 17-1 but that happens when a runner has to come from left field.

Dakota Phone has a similar style but he loves this oval and won the prescribed prep in the San Diego in late July. He came from 11 back that day but can be much closer on his best day.

Battle of Hastings ran well to be second to Dakota Phone last time but his trainer Jeff Mullins is in the biggest slump hes ever had in California, this guy has no speed and only at the last moment did Mullins decide to go.

Heres the projected scoop as the race unfolds.

Isle of Giants and Temple City will cut out the splits with The Usual Q. T., Unusual Suspect, Richards Kid and Dakota Phone in the second tier. That will leave the other 4 trying to save ground and hoping for a fast pace.

At the top of the lane, the leaders will start to fell the pressure. Richards Kid and Dakota Phone will get first run but be quickly joined by Awesome Gem, Hold Me Back and Crowded House.

When the smoke clears, Mott, who won this race 2 years ago with shipper Go Between, will watch his synthetic specialist Hold Me Back make the last run and get the money over Awesome Gem and Richards Kind.

Good luck.

Now he can only hope he gets to keep playing after Sunday.

Four shots out of the lead to start the third rou that sailed over the trees and off the property at Ridgewood Country Club. It led to a triple bogey, and he never got those three shots back.

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Woods finished with back-to-back birdies for a 1-over 72 that put him well behind the leaders.

“In the end, it probably cost me a chance to win the tournament,” said Woods, who rallied to get to 3-under 210. “But Im pleased how I sucked it up and got it back the rest of the day, when it easily could have gone the other way. Hitting a ball like that, it can derail you. And it didnt. I got it right back.”

It was hard to believe the swing came from someone who had only missed two fairways over the first 36 holes. Woods attributed it to having too many swing thoughts swirling between the ears.

“I got caught between two swings,” he said. “And I wasnt committed to what I was doing. I wasnt focused on exactly what I should have been doing, what Ive been doing on the range, what Ive been doing the last couple of weeks. And it backfired.”

The top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings advance to the second round next week in the Deutsche Bank Championship outside Boston. Woods started the playoffs at No. 112, and he seemed safe after opening with a 65 to share the lead.

At one point Saturday, after a bogey from a fairway bunker on the ninth hole, Woods was projected outside the top 100. That was his last big mistake, however.

Woods hit to the front of the green in two on the 616-yard 13th hole for an easy up-and-down for birdie, and his 3-wood on the 587-yard 17th stopped 20 feet from the pin for a two-putt birdie. He finished with a 7-iron to 8 feet for birdie on the 18th.

Equally important were two pars in the middle of his round.

After his atrocious start, Woods hit through the green on the sixth hole and chipped poorly to about 10 feet. He made that putt for par, then escaped with par after getting mud on his ball in the middle of the seventh fairway.

Woods approach sailed right of the green and bunkers, leaving no room for error. The pitch under tree limbs landed in the rough, trickled onto the green and he made an 8-foot putt.

“I need to make that putt to not let it slide any further,” he said.

Woods all but ruled himself out of the tournament, although Sunday looms large.

He most likely will need a round somewhere around par or better to advance to Boston, and the better he plays, the higher he moves up and increases his chances for the third round in Chicago, which is for the top 70.

In the meantime, hes still working on his swing, although there remains a higher priority.

“Posting a score,” Woods said. “Always.”