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.

A few quotes from day 1 of the AT&T National (courtesy ESPN and AP)...

...and here's a look at the Leaderboard

Tiger Woods (+3 T81)

"I just putted awful, really. My speed was good, but I never hit the ball on line. It was a very frustrating day on the greens, especially how good I was driving it. I was driving it on a string all day."

"If I keep hitting it like this, I'll be fine. Putts will start going in."

Arjun Atwal (-4 T1)

"Four under, I think, is a great score for me or anybody on this golf course. I'll take it every day."

"As far as comparing myself with him ... it's strange, because we practice and play every day, so I've stopped doing that. Initially, when I used to practice and play with him, I used to compare myself. But now, it's just ... whatever. He's always helped me if I have any questions about short game or whatever it is. He's always been there."

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After Round 1, any golfer is poised to make a run tomorrow to make the cut, but there are some big names well off the lead and potential cut line (+2).

Tiger Woods (+3), Y.E. Yang (+5), Notah Begay II (+5), Davis Love III (+8)

-Tony Bosma

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

If you tune into CBS this weekend, be ready to feast your eyes on a lot of red umbrellas - it's time for the Travelers Championship once again.

One day is already complete and the TPC River Highlands course is making a promise to golf fans: golfers will shoot under par on this course. The Travelers Championship produces more circled numbers than a Bingo competition. 

Just look at the past champions' scores: 2009 - Kenny Perry (-22); 2008 - Stewart Cink (-18); 2007 - Hunter Mahan (-15); 2006 - JJ Henry (-14).

Birdies were non-existent at the U.S. Open, leading to many complaints from the fans and media that the viewing experience was less than spectacular. Golf is a sport that needs incredible shots from god-like golfers to translate on a television screen and that wasn't the case at Pebble Beach. Fortunately for the U.S. Open, the scenery and golfer drama/anxiety kept it interesting. 

The Travelers will have no such issues. What it will lack in superstar appeal (no Woods, Mickelson, or Els) it will make up for in quality, birdy-laden golf. Fans like seeing a tournament in which any player has a chance to get hot and shoot up the leader board. 

While looking through the final scores from previous years, the easiest thing to notice is how many scores are under par. Which led me to researching the following: the winner's score; how many golfers shot under par on the round; how many golfers were within 3 strokes of the leader; differential in score between first and last; and best name on the leaderboard. Here are the results:

2009
Winner: Kenny Perry, -22
# of Players under par: 69
# of players w/in 3 shots: 2
First/last stroke differential: 26
Best name: Boo Weekley

2008
Winner: Stewart Cink, -18
# of Players under par: 65
# of players w/in 3 shots: 3
First/last stroke differential: 23
Best name: Tag Ridings

2007
Winner: Hunter Mahan, -15
# of Players under par: 42
# of players w/in 3 shots: 1
First/last stroke differential: 23
Best name: Tripp Isenhour

2006
Winner: JJ Henry, -14
# of Players under par: 47
# of players w/in 3 shots: 2
First/last stroke differential: 24
Best name: Tjaart Van der Walt

2005
Winner: Brad Faxon, -14
# of Players under par: 53
# of players w/in 3 shots: 6
First/last stroke differential: 27 
Best name: Hidemichi Tanaka

Averages (past 5 years)
Winning score: -16
# of Players under par: 55.2
# of players w/in 3 shots: 2.8
First/last stroke differential: 24.6

What does all of this tell us? Two things: 

1. This course pretty much plays exactly the same every year and materializes the same results. Golfers must shoot in the double-digits under par to win the tournament and there are always a few golfers closely behind. As of Friday morning at 11:00 am ET, only Justin Rose was in the double-digits at -13, leading by 6 strokes. With a lot of golf to play, though, that will certainly change.

2. Some golfers have really sweet and original names.

--Tony Bosma