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Golf has never really matched its peer sports when it comes to museums. The official Hall of Fame, admittedly, is pretty cool. I checked it out a few years back on a trip to St. Augustine, Florida.

For some reason, the golf media is pretty excited today because Tiger Woods has left the States. The destination? Ireland. He will be the headliner at a charity pro-am in the land of Graeme McDowell.

The Masters was a showdown, yet Angel Cabrera emerged as the victor mainly because of his peers' mistakes. Lucas Glover's US Open title was intriguing, but his run didn't have the same powerful underdog storyline as we have seen with some previous winners.

The first round of the Open Championship is almost entirely finished. Currently, Tom Watson stands alone at the top of the leaderboard after an unbelievable round of -5 on Thursday. This seems to be the year of the "old timer," given the run of Larry Mize back at Augusta earlier this season.

Irish star Padraig Harrington (left) beat Ryder Cup teammate Sergio Garcia in a playoff on the fourth day of the 2007 British Open. Harrington entered the 18th hole with a one stroke lead over the leader of the first three rounds, Garcia. However, Harrington limped out of the hole with an unfortunate double bogey. At least, Harrington was able to one putt the hole and give himself some hope of a playoff if Garcia was to falter.

So it was. Garcia entered the final hole needing only a par to capture the Claret Jug. Despite the tremendous pressure, Garcia was able to smash a long iron to the center of the fairway. His approach shot was not quite Van de Velde-esque, but still poor. However, Garcia left himself a great lie in the bunker with a good shot out. The bunker shot was adequate for a decent chance to win, but Garcia was unable to convert with an unlucky lip out.

Thus, Garcia and Harrington were tied at 7 under par. The two Europeans entered a four hole playoff, which came down only to the first when Harrington started strong with a birdie while Garcia bogeyed. After all was said and done, Garcia trailed Harrington by two giving Paddy his first major championship victory.

While Garcia was always the first to come up in discussions of the "best player never to win a major", Harrington could hardly be left out of the conversation. Having captured numerous prestigious European Tour titles, Harrington has been poised to take the big one for some time.

Garcia's (right) final round could scar him for the rest of his career. Sure, he has destroyed numerous high-pressure rounds in the past, but today's failure is a whole new level. Garcia had the opportunity for a dominant wire-to-wire victory, set up with a three stroke lead entering the final round. On a day relatively easy for scoring, a two over par 73 simply doesn't cut it. Who knows if Garcia will be able to overcome this effort in the future?

Regardless, Europe now holds a major championship trophy for the first time in nine years.

After years of struggling to win a major championship, the 27 year old Spaniard may finally be ready. Sergio Garcia has the 2007 Open Championship locked up. Players dream for situations like this: one schmuck from Wisconsin 3 strokes back, and a whole slew 6 strokes behind.

At this point, there is only one person who can steal the 2007 Open Championship away from Garcia and his funky red pants. A hint: it isn't Tiger. Garcia would have no excuse is he was to, hypothetically, lose the British Open. Sure, he's had many in the past. One way or another, the monkey on his back has always been pressure. Proof of Garcia's ridiculous temper tantrums:



On Sundays, Garcia's putting stroke has melted in the past like ice in the sun. Of course, most of the pressure in previous chances could be credited to Tiger and the crowds he brings with him.

On the other hand, 2007 may be different for El Nino. His major struggle in the past has been with his short game, but his 2007 putting statistics have been generally decent. Moreover, Garcia is entering Sunday with a new stick: the belly putter. While David Fehrety would protest the use of such a putter (alluding to his Crowne Plaza commercial), Garcia may have some new confidence with the long stick.

One way or another, Sunday at Carnoustie will likely define Garcia's career. Who knows? This round could be the turning point for the still young Spaniard allowing him to contend in future majors without fear.

Sergio Garcia continues to dominate the Open Championship by shooting a 3-under 68 to maintain his lead. If he wins tomorrow, Garcia would finally shed his long-term "Best Player Never to Win a Major Championship" title.

However, the big news of the day was Wisconsin's Steve Stricker (left). Stricker moved up 18 spots to sit alone in the #2 spot by shooting a 7-under 64. He set a course record for the Open and was only one stroke off the tournament mark. Stricker had nearly given up on his golf career only a short time ago. In 2005, he had lost his tour card. However, he has won three times on the PGA Tour during his long career. In 2006, he was voted PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year following arguably his first spectacular season.

Everyone knows that when Tiger is on, he's on. If Tiger is smiling, everyone else in the field is certainly in trouble. Yesterday, Tiger added another astounding shot to his long list of spectacular swings:



However, on day two of the British Open or Open Championship, Tiger's drive on the first tee joins his list of worst strokes.


Instead of smiling, Tiger inserts a very noticeable F-bomb while the ball is in the air. Luckily, Tiger will have a chance to redeem himself on the weekend if he puts up a show of shots similar to the one in the first video.

For the second Major in a row, it appears that Phil Mickelson will not make the cut.

With the majority of players finished after the second round, the projected cut is 5 over and Lefty is 6 over and apparently going home.

He won't be alone. Joining Mickelson will be Geoff Ogilvy, Stuart Appleby, Davis Love III, Rory Sabbatini, John Daly (who at one point in the first round was #1 on the leaderboard), Aaron Baddeley and Nick Faldo among many others.

The first day of the 2007 Open Championship began in cold and rainy conditions. With the course playing much fairer than in the 1999 Championship, low scores were quite a possibility.

Angel Cabrera, winner of the 2007 US Open at Oakmont, is tied with four other players for third place.

K.J. Choi is continuing his strong play, shooting a 69. Choi has already captured two titles in 2007, most recently Tiger AT&T.

John Daly played a game that epitomized his professional career. Of course, Daly won the Open in 1995. He played the first eleven holes of round one well, capping #11 with an eagle. Following the tremendous eagle, Daly found himself at the top of the leaderboard. Suddenly, as huge crowds amassed, Daly finished his round with two pars, three bogeys, one double bogey, and one triple in the final seven holes of the first round. The disappointing finish to the round gave him a 74, good for 83rd place. Unfortunately for Long John, he has gone from a contender for the championship to a fighter to make the weekend.

The R&A's setup of Carnoustie for the 1999 Open Championship faced criticism and controversy comparable to that of the USGA's constant design battles. The major problem: Paul Lawrie won. The course set up in a manner promoting luck over skill, as few fairways could be viewed from the tee box, and the area around the greens offered no reward to talented short game artists.

Thus, the Open allowed less skilled players to enjoy the top scores as the bigger names struggled. Of course, Jean van de Velde's epic 18th hole struggle will always be remembered, but similar struggles existed all over the course. To some extent, the course was simply not fair.

In 2007, many of the tee boxes have been changed to allow for easier tee shots. Additionally, the fairways have been widened, and the danger around greens scaled back. While Carnoustie will continue to be a tough test of golf, at least this time the stars will shine.