We don’t often get unabridged thoughts from athletes (see Alex Rodriguez for the confounding and incommensurately abridged), so Harrington’s take---not just because he might donate more than a million to charity if he wins---is especially appealing: “I’d be delighted to hand whatever over this week. Obviously, not being able to attend the funeral (is unfortunate but) when you go to funerals you can’t be of much help anyway. This is at least a practical way of helping.”

Extending from the practical, there are more important things, in life or death, than seedings for the Ryder Cup. More important things than any golf tournament.

So here we are. The fourth and last main event. How quickly chances of Mickelson sweeping the majors dissipated at the U.S. open. I can’t be the only Jones out there who cursed hospitality tents the way I curse luxury boxes: I bet he would have got up and down from a lava flow lie instead of the “friendly” hop. Doesn’t ultimately matter, anyone deserved to win in that debacle.

Now it’s Tiger. Whence Vijay? Still putting woes. All three have won the PGA, but so have Shaun Micheel, Rich Beem and Mark Brooks.

Last week: I was kicking myself all week for picking Stewart Cink in the head-to-head over Sergio Garcia and not in the outright, as Cink had his chances to win The International. He ended up fifth, though, which got me the H2H win and kept the old second guessing at bay. At 21-20, one unit down, I netted a unit and change ($1050), which covered the loss on the outright picks---Justin Leonard, Camilo Villegas and Daniel Chopra, who all missed the cut. Dean Wilson (the winner) and Tom Lehman (place), did not miss the cut. Go figure. Anyway, I finished up a fraction for the week, keeping my season total at -24 units.