An Asterisk for Tigerless Majors?

BETHESDA, MD. –- With Tiger Woods out for the season, some of my golf pundit pals argue that the winners of the upcoming British Open and PGA Championship won’t be true champions. They say there should be an asterisk by the winners’ names: “* Tiger Woods Not in Field.”

Paul Goydos was asked about that this afternoon at the AT&T National, and the popular journeyman had a glib rejoinder: “Then we need to put an asterisk next to all 18 of Jack’s majors, because Tiger didn’t play in any of those.”

I’m with Goydos, but I come at it from a slightly different angle. I say there should be no asterisk because whoever wins the next two majors will have beaten the same field that Tiger outclassed to win his 14 major championships –- i.e., everybody but Tiger. It would actually devalue Tiger’s accomplishments to say that another golfer isn’t worthy of respect when he beats the very same players under major-championship conditions.

In fact, you can make the specious argument that it is Tiger who deserves the asterisk when he wins. After all, he’s the only player in the field who doesn’t have to beat Tiger Woods to claim the prize.

Goydos turns NBC into Comedy Central

Self-described journeyman Paul Goydos stole the show Saturday at the Players. He did it first with his play, shooting an impressive 70 that featured 11 one-putt greens as his magical putting week continued.

He capped off his round with a rare star shot on NBC with Bob Costas, who showed highlights of Paul's round. On the first one, Costas set up the video of Paul's birdie putt. Then, silence. "You're allowed to comment here, Paul," Costas quipped.

"Nice," Goydos said.

"Good comment," Costas said.

After a few more clutch putts, Costas asked the big question -- why do you keep your shirt buttoned to the top when it's over 90 degrees outside? "Because I don't have any shoulders, and this is the way the shirt stays on," Goydos deadpanned.

Asked about his deadly putting, Goydos said, "The greens are perfect here, and my caddie has had a good week reading them."

Finally, Costas asked Goydos (ranked 169th in the world) if he'd ever had a 54-hole lead in his career. "No," Goydos said, "but I've only been out here 16 years."

Forget the journeyman label. The NBC spot proved what writers already knew -- Paul Goydos is a media star.

(Photos: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Goydos hanging with the older crowd

No, it's not an AARP convention, it's the Players. It just seems like a commercial for The Villages, what with Kenny Perry, 47, holding the lead by one over Bernhard Langer, 50, Paul Goydos, 43, and the clearly out-of-place twenty-something Sergio Garcia.

"I've been playing well but yeah, if you'd told me Wednesday that I'd be five under par and tied for second going into the weekend, I would've been surprised," Goydos said Friday evening. "Basically, we're all still just pace cars right now. But this is a good place to start from on the weekend."

Goydos, who has two wins in his career, sparked his second-round 71 with an eagle at the par-5 second hole. He hit a 3-wood shot that rolled up to eight feet and then made the putt. "That's my second eagle this year," said the unpretentious Goydos. "I'm dominating the par 5s. I might even be under par on the par 5s this week."

Sporting the Long Beach State University baseball cap that he purchased in the Charlotte airport's Lids store on his way to the tournament, Goydos said he got a number of messages from Long Beach alums, including the baseball coach, about the black cap he's wearing. On the bill is the team's nickname, Dirtbags.

"It's rough, the black is fading to brown," Goydos said of his purchase. "And it's hot--it's black."

His previous best finish in nine Players was a tie for 38th in 1999.

Breaking News: Goydos bought his own hat

Paul Goydos did something the other day that few tour pros do or have probably ever done. During Thursday's first round at the Players, Goydos wore a cap that he bought himself at a Lids store in the airport after his contract with Pep Boys ran out. (You can almost sense the pros and golf writers of America shrinking back in horror, can't you?)

It was a Long Beach State (his alma mater) baseball cap, sporting an LB logo on the front. On the bill it had the team's nickname in script: Dirtbags.

Tour players buy caps about as often as they pay for balls, clubs, rental cars or greens fees. That is, never. But Goydos has always been a wonderful Everyman in golf, a player without much ego. He has a self-deprecating streak that has earned him the slightly sarcastic nickname of Sunshine.

Well, Sunshine shot 68 on Thursday, a pretty impressive performance for a guy who had never broken 70 at the Stadium Course in his entire career. "It's a hard course," he said. "Why I have never had any success here, I couldn't answer."

And if he did know, he'd probably keep it under his hat.

(Photo: Stan Badz/PGA TOUR/Getty Images)