1. Tiger Woods - I haven't given up hope on Tiger Woods winning a major in 2010 yet. He was tied for fourth at the Masters and U.S. Open, which signifies even with a million things swirling around in his head and a faulty golf game, he can still compete. Andy North said on ESPN Wednesday night that if Tiger wins a major this year, it should be considered a bonus to him in his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus after all he's gone through in the past year. I mostly agree with that statement because no one will truly fault him for not winning a major this year. St. Andrews is his favorite course (which seems to be a trendy thing to say this week) and it suits his golf game better than nearly any other course on the Tour. He's separated from his old Scotty Cameron putter and has chosen one more suitable for slow greens. The only question - how much does the putter get in this split?

2. Rory McIlroy - A hometown boy, McIlroy knows the course and how to play in the inclement weather that is sure to rear its ugly head throughout the next four days. McIlroy has shown he can compete with the big boys after winning the Quail Hollow Championship by four strokes. In 2010, we have seen a new scene of young golfers start to make their place on the Tour, and I don't have any intentions of counting McIlroy out on his home turf.

3. Justin Rose - Being paired with Tiger Woods in the first round used to be a very tall task, and in some ways it still is, but Rose is as hot a golfer there is on tour right now. He won the AT&T National and is the #3 ranked golfer in the world. With four Top 10s already in his bag in 2010, I'd be very surprised not to see Rose in contention on Sunday. Birdies are key at St. Andrews - so is avoiding hazards - but Rose ranks 3rd in birdies per round (4.07), so he'll have to reign in his driver (ranked 28th in driving accuracy) to round out his game.

4. John Daly - After seeing John Daly pose in his Jackson Pollack inspired sport coat for the Champions dinner, it's hard not to get behind him. His golf game is temperamental so he may shoot in the low-mid 60s one day and throw it all out the window the next... but I think he's due.

5. Phil Mickelson - Mickelson doesn't have a storied history at the British Open, but eliminating him from contention would be a huge mistake. He won the Masters and has five Top 10 finishes in 13 events this year. Oh, and he's also Top 10 in driving distance (7), birdies per round (6) and eagles (9). If he doesn't drive himself into hazards and take unneeded chances trying to remove himself from those mistakes, he'll be primed for a shoot-out on Sunday.

6. Stewart Cink - Cink battled Tom Watson in 2009 and edged him in a playoff for the victory. Taking a look at the leaderboard from last year will show their scores are the same at -2, but Cink walked away with the Claret Jug. There is always something to be said of a defending champion taking a run at repeating, but understanding the pressure he/she faces is something only the players can truly understand. He's only made 1/2 cuts at Majors this year, but his game is well-suited for St. Andrews.

7. Sergio Garcia - As long as Sergio doesn't spit in the hole or play mind games with himself, he should be able to compete at a high level and crack the Top 10. Then again, he's as inconsistent as John Daly at times and seems to be his biggest enemy. That being said, he can drive the ball a long way and is always a threat, but he seems to play his best golf when he's already out of contention. I believe he'll win a major one day, but not this one.

8. Steve Stricker - Golfers who win the week before a major rarely produce the same results the following week, but Stricker is red hot right now. Following a win at the John Deere Classic with a major win at the British open will be a tall task - not one I believe he'll achieve - but he's peaking at the right moment to make a run at it.

9. Dustin Johnson - He fell apart at the U.S. Open but one thing that's needed at St. Andrews is length off the tee - and Johnson has it. He'll need to improve his driver accuracy (ranked 160th) and rely on eagles (1) and birdies (10) to pull him through and recover from any off-the-tee mishaps. If his mental game is as strong as his golf game, you'll see him toward the top come Sunday.

10. Tom Watson - I'm putting him at 10, but I'd like to see him at 1 by the end of Sunday. He has so much history at this course and tournament and it is unknown how many more times we'll get to see him play here - especially at St. Andrews. Maybe he has one miracle left in him after falling a shot short in 2009.

Paul Goydos may have enjoyed the spotlight momentarily for his 59-shot first round of the John Deere Classic, but after the final round on Sunday, it was simply another record in the books. After becoming the fourth player in the history of the PGA Tour, Goydos couldn't hold on throughout the next three rounds

Goydos had suffered months of less than spectacular play leading up to the John Deere Classic, but turned his year around in one tournament. The only problem was Steve Stricker.

With 17 holes to play Sunday, Stricker (-26) had a seven stroke lead over the field that he saw slowly fall away as the round progressed. With five holes to play, Stricker's lead was down to two. After giving back so many strokes during the round, it was hard to imagine Goydos (-24) not pulling a little more magic out of the bag and snaring the win from Stricker.

But, Goydos' luck had been used up and Stricker was able to hold on, shooting a 1-under par 70. So much of the talk throughout the tournament was about Goydos' opening round 59, but it was Stricker's perseverance that paid off in the end.

Stricker may have given up 5 of his 7 stroke lead through 12 holes, but his work the first three days of the tournament was impressive. Coming into the final 18 holes of the tournament, Stricker shot 60, 66, 62 over three days giving him enough cushion to play it safe on Sunday. One more birdie on the first day of play would have put Stricker in the history books with Goydos, but my guess is the two birdies that kept him on top of the leaderboard mattered much more.

It was a two man show at the John Deere Classic - one man made history, the other raised the trophy.

Full Leaderboard

Another tournament, another starless 3-days

I urge you to click the link above that shows the full leaderboard. Scroll down... examine the names... then count how many of them you actually know. No Tiger. No Phil. No Els. Really... nobody.

As golfers prepped for St. Andrews this week (coverage begins Thursday), the John Deere Classic had to press on without golfs biggest stars. It's been a common theme in 2010, and my hope is golf fans have taken notice -- and not cared.

What we're seeing this year is the PGA Tour's ability to survive without stars, but with great golf. Many believed the sport could not survive without Tiger being showcased week-in and week-out, but that's not the case. The TV ratings may show otherwise, but the play this year has been captivating.

The John Deere Classic was the perfect appetizer to the British Open this week because it showcased golf as a game, rather than golfers playing the game. That's the perfect way to enter a tournament being played on the Original Holy Land of golf.

Don't worry about your job, sleep or anything like that come Thursday -- coverage of the British Open at St. Andrews beings at 4 a.m. on ESPN.

Traveling the line of class

Golf fans had to wait long enough to see Bubba Watson raise a trophy on the PGA Tour. His candid, down-to-earth interviews have captured the minds of fans around the world, especially in the U.S. Personally, I've heard him do interviews on Jim Rome's radio show a few times and he always comes with captivating stories and engaging answers to all of Rome's questions.

Few golfers give fans the kind of material Watson always provides. He appears to some as a billboard for ADD, as he jumps from one subject to the next, and at times can display cases of polar opposite emotional meandering. His honesty and humble confidence are why he is beloved. Sure, the huge drives and creative short game help too, but to judge him purely on his golf game would be absurd.

That's why Sunday felt like golf giving back to Watson a little bit of what he's given the game and its fans while he's been on tour. As Watson raised the trophy on the 18th green after a winning a two-hole sudden death playoff against Corey Pavin and Scott Verplank, he tearfully said:

_{“I’m a very emotional guy, I cry all the time. When I go to church on Sunday, I cry at church. I couldn’t get the ‘Yes’ out of ‘I do’ at my wedding. The pastor said, ‘You got to say it. You can’t just nod. You can’t nod. Everybody has issues. My family had some issues. My dad is battling cancer. My wife last year thought she had a tumor in her brain. We got lucky with that one, and now, we’re battling with my dad. It’s emotional.”}

It was classic Watson. Pure class, purely from the heart. 

Putt for dough.. literally

Kenny Perry respects coal miners so much he's willing to make birdie putts more nerve-wracking than they already are. A native Kentuckian, Perry said he grew respecting the work of coal miners and now wants go give back after a mine explosion killed 29 men at Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch mine on April 5.

Next month, Perry will play in the Greenbrier Classic in White Sulphur Springs, WV and has committed to donate $2,000 to families of the coal mine disaster. Jim Justice, resort owner, will match Perry's donation. The funds raised will be donated to the families through the West Virginia Council of Churches.

This would be a great cause for other golfer's to get behind for this tournament, but whether they do or not, all golf fans should be pulling for Kenny Perry to shoot a round similar to his 2009 Travelers Championship masterpiece -22.... or better.

Awaiting The Old Course

The Masters is called a tradition unlike any other. In many ways, it most certainly is, but next weekend, the truest golf tradition will resurface: The British Open at St. Andrews. Known as The Open Championship, this tournament is the real tradition unlike any other. While Bobby Jones stamped the perfect golf course in Augusta, GA, St. Andrews in Scotland is the birthplace of golf.

As a links style course, the landscaping - or lack thereof - may not be as polished and pristine as other major tournaments in golf, but that's the beauty of it. The bunkers are deep and difficult and the fairways let a ball run forever - even though they can be hard to distinguish from the rough. Avoid the nasty stuff and you'll be rewarded with huge double greens that welcome approach shots with open arms.

The beauty of the course lies within the unrefined, natural feel and look of all 18 holes. It's 6,387 yards of pure golf, allowing golfers the chance to turn back the clock and play golf the way it was dreamed up.

All we'll be missing next week are wooden clubs with rocks for golf balls.

-Tony Bosma