I have stated previously I believe Tiger Woods was basically finished and he wouldn’t win again. His recent struggles have done nothing but strengthen that position.

However it appears the bell has gone off and he has realized a change was necessary. Enter Sean Foley into the picture. A new teacher, with new thoughts, new ideas, is exactly what Tiger needed. He needed someone to tell him how ridiculous his swing was getting.

So far the results appear to be excellent given his first round at the Barclays. If he sticks with Foley I stand a good chance of being proven wrong. I hope I am, I hope he returns to greatness, golf with Tiger at its peak is far better off than without. Here's hoping he doesn’t master this swing and then decide Foley is no good for him. Tiger, it appears you've found a good thing in Foley, stick with it for more than 2 seasons. Don’t go back to thinking you can diagnose and fix your own swing, you can’t, nor should you.

Tiger and Elin Split

Divorce usually takes years, not months, but for Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren, time was of the essence. Their marriage ended August 23, and it's safe to say this was the best decision for the couple, fans and media.

Why? Because the speculation of settlements and how the impending split was hindering Tiger's play on the course was becoming too much to handle. It sucked the life out of him - and it should have. Reports and confirmations of Tiger's prowling across the nation were daily fodder for the national media and especially bloggers. I have no sympathy for Tiger, he dug his own marital grave, but imagine the toll it took on his personal life. For a player with tunnel vision, there was no fighting the wandering thoughts of how big a fall he has taken in the past 9 months.

The larger question is, where will Tiger go now? It's a lost year for him, so throwing together any type of "come back" in the next few months of the PGA Tour schedule will simply be momentum for 2011. We know he isn't going to add to his major total - that opportunity is lost. We know he's never had a worst professional year on Tour.

But do we know he'll make it back to what he once was? No. However, we should expect it. The rust will be knocked off his brain and we'll see Tiger return to form in 2011. Take it to the bank (and tell Elin hello while you're there). No pre-nup could hold up under the situation Tiger put his family in - nor should it.

Money doesn't matter anymore, though. When you're worth over a billion dollars, shelling out an alleged $100 million is merely a blip in the financial radar. Tiger will make that up in the future.

But don't expect him to make up another year like 2010. He's too stubborn, too driven, and too good to have another lost year attached to his resume.

Where is Phil?

After the starting the year in triumphant fashion with a win at the Masters, we have seen little magic from Phil Mickelson in 2010.

He's played in 16 events with an average of 70.3 per-round, missed one cut and has had 5 Top 10 finishes. But this was the year he was supposed to take over the No. 1 ranking from Woods. With various opportunities throughout the year to do so, and Woods in a coma, it makes you wonder what has pushed Phil so close to being No. 1, but always falling short.

Maybe he's just Woods' Scottie Pippen. He may not be cut out to be the No. 1 golfer as he appears to be unable to make that next step. Or maybe his driver is just that bad this year: Driving Accuracy: 52.8% (188th); Total Driving: 198 (107th). Add in a 66% greens in regulation (119th) and you've got a recipe for No. 2 status.

It's just a hunch, but this should have been Phil's year to ascend to the PGA Tour throne and he fell short.

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.

Personally I’m betting no. I happen to like a lot of the young players. Anthony Kim, Sean O’Hair, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Camilo Villegas, and there are more we could add to the list. All are really talented, all have won on tour, and all will win again. But can this group of players and others draw ratings and crowds the way Tiger used to? Highly unlikely. I have written Tiger off, and not for his transgressions off the course but for his seemingly lackluster performance when he's on it. That combined with my suspicion that his swing is in real trouble. Yes, I know he is still the best, he has accomplished more than the players I listed will combined. He has more talent and more will to succeed than any other player. But physically he's in trouble. I think the Tiger void is here, and as this season progresses I fear it will get infinitely worse. I am hopeful some player other than Phil can captivate the audience to follow the game. Stay tuned.

-Hurricane Dan

Wide Open...

-Tony Bosma

Total rankings for the Memorial Tournament

16 birdies -  T26

47 pars - T26

8 bogeys - T52

1 double bogey - T27

0 other

58.9 driving accuracy - T70

278.0 driving distance - T18

27.3 Putts Per Round - T3

1.66 Putts per GIR - T8

65.3 Greens in Regulation - T50

50.0 sand saves - T42

What stands out now - Driving accuracy is still horrible, Greens in Regulation improved but still a ways to go. To win majors and get back to an elite level I think he's going to need to do better than 65.3 percent.

His putting stats are excellent, although they should be, he has a good short game and gets up and down very well which leads to lower putt numbers.

I’m not saying he's going to collapse and never be heard from again, but the player everyone used to fear is quite a ways off. It’s also worth noting that pretty much every major championship course this year is to his liking. Not winning a major this year is going to go a long ways towards keeping him from winning 19 majors to pass Jack.

-Hurricane Dan

It’s been clear since Tiger Woods burst onto the golf scene in 1996 the PGA Tour has revolved around his every move. If Tiger is in contention for a win on Sunday, ratings go up and golf fans are pleased. Yet, the Tour has had to deal with the fact Tiger is only playing sparingly in 2010 and has yet to return to major championship level form. To call this bad for the PGA is short-sighted. Where Tiger is absent, others have accepted the spotlight and shined brightly under it.

Phil Mickelson battled through an emotional three rounds to win the Masters in April while feeling the effects of a tough year in which his wife and mother were diagnosed with breast cancer. Many wanted Tiger to come back and win his first tournament at Augusta, but Mickelson’s story and golf game quickly trumped that subplot.

A week later, young phenom Rory Mcllroy won going away with a course record 62 at the Quail Hollow Championships. Tiger wasn’t present, but McElroy won his first tournament days before his 21^st birthday. Say the future of golf lies solely on Tiger and you’re missing the point.

The storylines have been present in golf beyond Tiger years – he just swallowed them up with his big swing, big smile, and dominating golf game. Look past Tiger and you’ll find there are great stories everywhere on the PGA Tour. Don’t believe me? Go pick up a John Feinstein book about golf and see how many interesting stories there are about Tiger in there. You’ll be surprised.

All of that leads us into the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, OH over the weekend. Yes, Tiger has qualified. Many other big-name players will as well, including Mickelson. But taking a glance at the in-progress leader board at 2pm Central made the weekend rounds seem even more appealing. Guys like Rickie Fowler, Rory Sabatini, KJ Choi, Kenny Perry and many more sit inside the Top 20.

You can love watching Tiger play golf, I do too. But in not paying attention simply because he has not been in some tournaments is a shame. There is so much quality golf being played, it may have been in the Tour’s best interest to have had Tiger out for a short time. It’s not quite as interesting without him, but it’s opened the door for some fresh faces to prove they belong.

That being said, it’s business as usual for the last 2 rounds. Tiger will be on the prowl (no pun intended), and we’ll be watching. Just don’t be surprised if another storyline keeps you watching along the way.

-Tony Bosma

Recently, Hank Haney resigned as Tiger Woods swing coach. Personally I think it's a great thing for Tiger. I never thought his swing was all that great with Haney as his teacher. Now how much of that was his injury and how much was Haney, we'll never know. Accurate information from the Tiger camp is hard to come by regarding the true extent of his injuries. But overall the head movement and the collapsing left leg lead to him driving the ball terribly. His raw talent with irons, wedges, and his great putting is what allowed him to perform at a really high level while driving the ball so badly. His recent lack of playing time has lead to him not being as sharp in all facets of the game, but his horribly bad driving puts tremendous pressure on his short game and putting, and when you drive it bad, if you putt it bad, look out for the big number.

The thought I have is, it's not entirely out of the realm of possiblity that he will never be the player he used to be. If he can't find a way to stabilize his left knee so he doesn't have this major collapse with his lower body, I don't see him driving the ball well anytime soon. Of course he has a lot of issues off the course, but there are some problems in his golf swing, serious problems, that need to be addressed by someone else.

I'm not sure where he goes from here, I'm betting on Sean Foley but we'll have to wait and see....

-Hurricane Dan