The story is in this week’s edition of Sports Illustrated. My favorite line?

“Ryan is never going to be upset that the media is covering someone because of the shiny belt they’re wearing.”

That came from Jason, Ryan’s younger brother, with a little smirk.

Surprisingly, 1,500 words — which initially seemed daunting — fills up the screen pretty quickly. Here are some more interesting bits about Moore:

• He calls the PGA Tour a “very, very lonely place” at times, which is why his brother or friend caddie for him and family/friends always travel with him. His good friend and former UNLV teammate Andres Gonzales, who plays on the mini tours, says he’s never seen Ryan alone.
• He’s misunderstood. In junior golf people thought he was arrogant because “he was confident and he loved to tell people about certain golf shots he hit,” says best friend and swing coach Troy Denton. During his college days his competitors felt threatened by him and wanted to beat him to prove something to themselves. Now, because he’s quiet and doesn’t go out of his way to make new friends, many just think he’s aloof.
• His mother describes him as “intensely quiet,” meaning he’s mentally strong and observant, but keeps his thoughts to himself most of the time.
• In college when Jason used to always ask him, “What’s your backup plan?,” he would reply, “I’m going to be on the PGA Tour.” It bothered Jason that Ryan didn’t have one, but Ryan says, “I can’t explain it, once I believe something, it’s going to happen. My theory on backup plans is if you have one, you’re going to use it. Call me crazy, cocky or conceited.”
• Example of Moore’s mental toughness (and not caring what anyone thinks): At the ‘06 PGA Championship his wrist was really hurting him and he couldn’t swing without pain — except when he tried an old drill, where his wrists were already cocked and the club head is actually a few feet in the air above its normal position, and then he would simply turn his shoulders and swing away. He played the entire tournament like that and placed T9.
• At the Bob Hope Classic he played with Arnold Palmer’s grandson, who told Ryan and Jason that his grandfather always says, “Watch what Ryan Moore does and copy it. If there’s anybody out there to follow, it’s him. He does his own thing and he doesn’t listen to the media, the swing coaches and try to be transformed into something different. He plays his own game and he plays to his own strengths. Don’t listen to what everybody else says.”
• Moore’s girlfriend, Serena, isn’t the “average Tour wife,” meaning she has (gasp!) a job — she’s a journalist in NYC.
• His family and friends wish people knew about his generosity. He’s constantly giving to people close to him and charities, but he does it quietly — or as his dad says, “He doesn’t put an ad in the newspaper saying, ‘Hey, you need help? Call me.’”
• He enjoys watching romantic comedies and TV shows like Arrested Development and Scrubs.
• He also likes cats, which his girlfriend gives him a hard time about.
• He figured out he doesn’t like staying in hotel rooms, so this season he started renting houses on the road.

So there you have it — feeling comfortable is very important to Ryan Moore, and usually that means doing things differently from the norm.

You might remember Jean Reynolds from last year’s US Women’s Open. If you watched at all or were at Saucon Valley (like I was), then you definitely remember her. During the third round I watched her play about five holes. The fans at Saucon Valley fell in love with the sprightly petite lady from Newnan, Georgia, who spent the past two years playing on the Futures Tour. Jean made headlines after the first two rounds of the US Open when she was two shots off the lead. She ultimately placed T17.

Competing on the Futures Tour, she won two tournaments in 2009 and finished second on the money list to secure her LPGA Tour card.

Last month I received a nice email with some kind words from Paulie Maggiore, who introduced himself as Jean’s caddie. Naturally, I replied to thank him and asked if he could put me in touch with her for an interview. He graciously did. Read on for my chat with Jean.

Also, be sure to follow Paulie on Twitter (@TheTourCaddieOG) — he’ll be tweeting about his and Jean’s adventures this season and she’ll be using his account, too (she’s self-admittedly not tech-savvy).

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

SW: Talk about your experience at the 2009 US Women’s Open. How did it influence the rest of your year?

JR: Going into the Open, I had a lot of confidence. I started off well on the Futures Tour and had two wins tucked away. So going into that week, I knew I was playing well and I was just looking forward to make the cut — like I did the first year. I had the experience, so I knew kind of what to expect. I played a few practice rounds and my coach flew up — I work with Charlie King out of Reynolds Plantation — on Tuesday of that week. He settled my nerves a bit. I got off to a good start on Thursday [in the first round] and it just led to a good week. I was, of course, disappointed with Sunday, but I’d be lying if nerves weren’t a factor on the final day. Other than that, the experience was incredible and it just gave me a confidence boost for the rest of the year. I also met some awesome people. Everyone was just so nice, supportive, complimentary, and it added to making that week unforgettable.

SW: Your caddie, Paulie, told me to ask you about the games you guys played on the course at the Women’s Open. Talk about that.

JR: I had a lot of family and friends up there, and to keep me distracted we played a rendition of “Where’s Waldo?,” where we looked for a family member or friend. It takes your mind away from leaderboards, three-foot putts and just what was really at stake. So, Paulie was a tremendous help out there, especially as far as keeping me relaxed.

SW: Yeah, I followed you for a while on Saturday [during the third round], and you looked like you were having a good time.

JR: Yeah, we were just both laughing and cutting up. I mean, that’s the most important thing, for me, anyway — when I’m in that kind of stressful situation at a golf tournament, I just try to relax the best I can without forgetting what I’m there to do.

SW: Who introduced you to golf?

JR: My grandfather, father, and two brothers are huge golf nuts and I tagged along with them when I was 6 or 7. I got more into it when I was about 10 and started playing in some Atlanta Junior events, the Southeastern Junior Tour, and a few American Junior Golf Association ones. But I just had a really good state and amateur record. I played in four of the USGA Girls’ Junior Championships.

SW: You were on the University of Georgia Women’s Golf Team for one year. Why did you quit?

JR: I redshirted my freshman year. I was just enjoying college and I joined a sorority. I was doing normal college kid things and my head just wasn’t 100% in golf at that time, so I walked away from it. I think it was a really good decision because I don’t think I would be playing now if I stuck with it…I’ve had people ask me, “Do you feel like you missed out playing college golf?” I had that one year of experience. I didn’t travel with the team, but I really don’t think I missed out at all. I don’t regret the decision I made.

SW: Yeah, I hear that. It’s understandable. I mean, at Yale it was time-consuming enough and that’s just the Ivy League. I know it’s way more intense at a school like UGA.

JR: Yeah, you’re going from 6-8 five days a week — I’ve never played that much in my life. I mean, I practice, but I was just getting sick of it. I knew something had to change.

SW: What inspired you to turn pro after college?

JR: It was one of those things where my friends and I were like, “What are we going to do?” I’d played in a few Georgia State Amateur events prior to turning pro and finished pretty well. So I went to Futures Q-school and placed fifth. Then I played full-time in 2008 and had a mediocre year. I finished about 45th [on the money list] and that doesn’t get you anywhere. My attitude was heinous after that and I missed the cut at the final stage of LPGA Q-school. So I took the off-season to figure out what I wanted to do and sat down with my coach to reevaluate the year and what I really wanted. I started fresh in March ‘09 and here am I, about to start up in March on the LPGA. It’s been kind of a whirlwind.

SW: Paulie also said to ask you about mashed potatoes in your sorority house.

JR: Oh yeah…we had a huge mashed potato fight in the kitchen. There might have been brownies involved. But after that, they shut the kitchen down, where you couldn’t get in after ten at night.

SW: You’re a big Georgia football fan. How was that a part of your college experience?

JR: We would go to a lot of away football games. We always went to Georgia-Florida. Also, Georgia-Auburn was fun. Just weekends like that, we’d get together with friends from other schools. The [golf] coach wasn’t really big on me being in a sorority. At that point, friends were more important to me than my golf game. But it worked out best for me. A lot of people thought I’d quit for good, but I always knew I’d go back to it.

SW: Do you have any superstitions or rituals?

JR: I have a buckeye that I keep in my bag — a good friend of my parents gave me that he got from his father. He gave it to me about a year ago. I’m thinking that might be my good luck charm. I’m not sure, but I haven’t taken it out to see if the luck is going to change. So I’m just going to keep it in there and pretend it’s good luck.

SW: What’s the craziest fan encounter you’ve had?

JR: It was funny because at the US Open, a lot of my friends were there and we all have nicknames for each other. So there were fans were yelling, “Where’s Butters?” and “Where’s Jules?” Because [reporters] had written about them in some of the articles. I got a laugh out of that. But no crazy autograph stories. Someone asked me, “What’s the weirdest thing someone has asked you for an autgoraph?” I don’t have any weird stories like that. I had a fan ask me for my hat. I would have given it to him, but I had really bad hat hair, so I decided I better hold on to that one.

SW: What’s your drink, alcohol-wise?

JR: Beer.

Do you have a favorite kind?

JR: No, just beer.

SW: What’s your favorite place to travel? And why?

JR: Probably Chicago. It’s just such a cool city — so much to do. The golf courses there are incredible. I mean, I don’t like to stay in big cities for very long, but I definitely like to check out the activities and what’s going on.

SW: Do you have a celebrity crush?

JR: Oh, Ryan Gosling. Or, who did I just see? I’m a reality TV show watcher — you know the kind that just rots your brain. I love Keeping Up With the Kardashians. They just crack me up.

SW: What do you look forward to the most on the LPGA and what do you think will be the greatest challenge?

JR: Well, the greatest challenge will be the competition — it’s just gotten so good out there. But I’m just looking forward to playing awesome golf courses, meeting different people, traveling again, and just getting back to competing.

I caught up with PGA Tour rookie Alex Prugh on Thursday night. We know each other from playing in many of the same tournaments growing up because we’re both from Washington State. I asked our mutual friend, Andres Gonzales, who is a pro on the mini tours, to put us in touch. (Thanks, Dres!) I hadn’t spoken to Alex in, oh, like, a decade, but he was easy to chat with and I appreciated his candid, entertaining answers (he hasn’t been 2.0’d yet).

Alex has played very well, right out of the gate. He competed on the Nationwide Tour in 2008 and 2009. After finishing 16th on the money list last year, he earned his 2010 PGA Tour card. In four starts this year, he’s placed top-10 in three consecutive tournaments. This week at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, he is 8-under through two rounds, good enough for T8. He’s definitely one to watch for the weekend.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

SW: What do you attribute your success to right out the gate?

AP: It’s been weird. At the Bob Hope, I was striking the ball really well, just hitting tons of greens and, you know, giving myself tons of birdie opps. It’s funny, looking back, I’ve been hitting the ball shi..[sic]. Sorry not [sic]…worse and worse throughout the weeks, but my short game has gotten better and better. I’ve been making up-and-downs and putting pretty well, fortunately. When it comes down to it, I’ve been making most the putts that I’ve needed to.

SW: Are you generally a better ballstriker or short game player?

AP: Ha, generally ballstriker. At least throughout my career, it seems I hit fourteen or fifteen greens in all my good rounds. I definitely know looking back at my college career, I’ve had tons of two-putt birdies, just on par-5s and drivable par-4s. I mean, even today, I shot four-under and had one two-putt birdie. And a couple of my other birdies were literally kick-ins, so I mean, you can attribute those to ballstriking.

SW: You played Spyglass yesterday. Had you ever played there before?

AP: I played there yesterday. So, if you count that or Tiger Woods PGA Tour on Xbox. The only problem with Tiger Woods is you hit your drives 320 yards with pinpoint accuracy in the game. Honestly, the ball goes about 270 yards out here it seems like.

SW: You obviously played well at the Bob Hope, and now you’re playing at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the other tournament where celebs run rampant. How do you feel about these events?

AP: It’s been fun. Just in the fact that it’s more relaxed. I tried to be relaxed on the golf course and generally I guess I do play better, it definitely takes the edge off. It’s kind of hard to get down and mad at yourself when you’re trying to show these amateurs a good time and entertain them, so I think that helps mentally a little bit. It makes me a little more…sane.

SW: Have you played with anyone really interesting?

AP: Probably the most interesting — I didn’t play a practice round at Monterey Peninsula because I didn’t play that many rounds in a row. So I walked around the course and on the last nine holes, I ran into a Steve Wheatcroft who was playing with Jeffrey Donovan. I don’t know if you know him or not…

SW: Is that the Burn Notice guy?

AP: Yeah, the Burn Notice guy. So we walked around nine holes with him, which was fun. He’s a real nice guy. I think he pretty much quote for quote recited every line from Anchorman. I asked him about his show and found out it was all filmed in Miami.

SW: What’s the transition been like from the Nationwide to the PGA?

AP: For me, it’s been really easy. The Nationwide definitely prepares you very well for the PGA. The only difference to me is that you have more media, spectators, grandstand and that sort, but when it comes down to it, you still have to put the ball in the hole somehow and some way. Fortunately, most the guys out here are very nice and welcoming and as long as you play well, life is all good.

SW: In your PGA Tour media profile, you listed Andres [Gonzales] as your hero. Explain.

AP: Honestly, last year we were at the final stage of Q-school and staying together that week. We were both sitting there, filling out this media form. And we looked at each other and said, “Who the heck are we going to put for our hero?” I just said, “I’m going to put you, Andres. You are my hero. I mean, look at you with your mustache and those handlebars. How great is that?”

SW: Have you seen Ryan Moore, the other guy from Washington [State] who has made it to the bigs, at all?

AP: I’ve ran into him a couple of times. It was funny last week at Riviera. Before the tournament started I saw him and he was like, “Oh, hey Alex. I just want to remind you, you are on the PGA Tour, you know.” He meant I was playing really good golf and he was kind of more shocked [how well I was playing]. He was like, “You are playing on the biggest level here.”

SW: What’s your favorite part about playing on the PGA Tour?

AP: Playing at this level of competition. You look down the range and there’s Phil Mickelson or Vijay [Singh] hitting balls. It’s pretty nice knowing I grew up watching those guys for the last 10 to 15 years and now I’m playing with them.

SW: So I saw what you said about Rickie in your presser.

[Ed note: This was the question and answer: Q: You’ve flown under the radar a bit as far as the big rookie coming into the year, this week we have Ishikawa; do you like kind of being a little under the radar unnoticed?
AP: I’m not going to lie, I’m not a flashy guy. I’ve played with Ricky before. Just to show how flashy he is, he has six pairs of shoes and color-coordinates them with his outfit, which to each his own. Ricky has gotten a lot of publicity and attention. That’s fine with me. I would rather let my golf talk for me. In the long run, that’s what I’m out here for. I’m out here to compete, and hopefully make a bunch of birdies, and show the crowds a good time. But a lot of them do tend toward Ricky.]

AP: I think that was taken out of context a bit, but it does blow my mind how many pairs of shoes he has. They asked me something like, “Do you mind not being in the spotlight like Rickie Fowler and Ryo Ishikawa?” I said I didn’t mind and I’m not a flashy guy. Then I gave the example of Rickie traveling with six pairs of shoes. Then they somehow spun that to sound like I was almost making fun of him, but that wasn’t the case.

[Ed. note: I believe he was referring to this article at PGATour.com]

SW: Are you friends with Rickie?

AP: Oh yeah, we played together at Riviera last week and had a great time. I asked him because for every outfit he has, it seems like he has a matching pair of shoes for it. So I was just playing around with him and asked, “How many pairs of shoes do you have?” He was like, I have this, this, this, and so on, but only travels with six pairs.

SW: So, how do you feel about the spotlight? Do you mind it?

AP: No, I don’t mind it. I think if I keep playing as well as I do, eventually I’ll get that spotlight. You know, obviously coming out, there are certain names people know and they’re going to sell more tickets. But hopefully the tides are turning a little bit, and I’ll get some of that action.

SW: Why do you think people should watch you and follow you? Why are you interesting?

AP: I wouldn’t say I’m interesting. I mean, I’m just a kid from Washington [State] that likes to play golf. I’m pretty laid back. I don’t let a whole lot of things bother me. I’ve had a ton of people hype up the PGA Tour, like, “Oh My God, you’re on the PGA Tour!” You know, I’m just playing golf. I’m trying to have fun out there. I take things seriously, but I don’t necessarily ever get down on myself — I just feel lucky that I’m playing golf as a living and try to appease to the crowds.

SW: Who’s been your favorite to play with?

AP: Honestly I had a really good time playing with Rickie last week. Also playing with Bubba Watson and Bill Haas in the final round at the Bob Hope was fun. They’re two younger guys and obviously they were in my shoes not too long ago. It was relaxed, but also had that atmosphere of being in the final group. We were cracking jokes all day.

SW: Have you been told who to avoid? Do people talk about that?

AP: Not really. Most the talk of the town has been about Tiger. There were some pretty funny moments in San Diego. They had planes flying over with those banners. The first day, there was one that said, “We miss you, Tiger,” from Deja Vu Showgirls. The next day, it was, “We miss you, too, Tiger,” from the Hustler Club or something like that. I got a pretty good laugh out of that. Every day it seemed like they had a jab at him. I feel awful for the guy, but at the same time, he dug his own grave, unfortunately.

SW: When do you think Tiger will be back?

AP: I’m guessing he’s playing The Masters.

SW: What do you think of the grooves controversy?

AP: I play Ping myself. When it comes down to it, I look at it, if someone wants to use the old Ping Eye 2 wedges, then go for it. But if you really think that’s going to help you, that’s your own choice. Thing is, any of those clubs you’re buying, they’re on eBay right now and you can’t get new ones. More than likely they’re going to be used ones, anyway, so they’re going to be worn down a little bit. I mean, I guess I also just really like the wedges I have, which are the new conforming ones. We’ve been playing in so much wet weather lately, I’ve almost been getting too much spin. There were a couple of times in San Diego where I actually laid up in the rough to control the spin.

SW: So is there any advantage to using them?

There might be a little one when we get some deeper rough and firmer greens. But for me, I know I’m not going to find any.

SW: You play with a Ping Craz-E Belly Putter. When did you switch to the broomstick and why?

AP: Yeah, sometimes I feel like a little old man doing that. I switched the summer before my senior year, so that would be summer of ‘06. I had a really bad putting round at the last round of the Sahalee Players Championship and I was like, I’ll just mess around with one, and I never switched back

SW: What’s your favorite event been so far?

AP: I really liked playing Riviera last week. It’s one of those courses I’ve played on Tiger Woods Xbox. That course is just pure. The way they treat you there is great. The only reason I got in was because I placed in the top-10 the week before.

SW: Have you purchased anything big with the half million you’ve earned yet? If not, what will be your first buy?

AP: I have a house in Vegas now, but I’ll probably get one in Spokane [where I grew up], too.

[Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images]

The NY Post identified Julie Postle (photo left) as Tiger Woods’ alleged mistress number 13 (varies depending which site you’re using to keep track). Postle was outed by her vindictive ex-boyfriend, Brian Kimbrough, who blames Tiger for their break-up.

Kimbrough claims Postle, who was 20 years old at the time, met Tiger in 2004, while she was a cocktail waitress (sound familiar?) at Roxy Night Club in Orlando. Allegedly Postle was two-timing him with Tiger, and when he confronted her about it, she promised the affair would stop. Kimbrough contends Postle recently contacted him, asking for his phone records to prove her relationship with Tiger.

“She said she wasn’t pursuing it but [that] she couldn’t stop [Woods] from calling. She’d tell me he’d call, invite her out to dinner, invite her to play golf, invite over to his house,” he said.

One time, her phone rang, and it said a weird name on it — ‘Mr. Brightside,’ ” Kimbrough said. “And I was like, ‘What the hell is this?’ She grabbed the phone, smiled and said it was Tiger but didn’t answer it. But she played me the voice mail. It said, ‘Hey, it’s Tiger, just seeing how you’re doing. Give me a call.’ ”

Postle hasn’t returned calls (good for her) and her attorney, Michael O’Quinn, told the Post, “I have no comment.”

And now for alleged mistress number 14 — Theresa Rogers, a 40-something-year-old woman from Wellington, FL, is also Gloria Allred’s newest client, according to RadarOnline. Apparently she’s the oldest of the women that have been supposedly linked to Tiger (let the “cougar” and “Mrs. Robinson” jokes commence), and maintained a relationship with him before and after he married Elin.

Sources tell RadarOnline.com that Rogers traveled with Tiger extensively during the past five years. She met him in various cities for sexual hookups. She is the only known woman to continue a relationship with him after he married.

Rogers has refused to comment on her connection to Tiger. Hush money negotiations already in the works?

There’s an influx of Asians on the LPGA. And they’re really good. In fact, they win a lot. But many fans find it difficult to keep track of who is who because, you know, all Asians look alike and their names sound the same. So, let’s get to know them better.

• Born and raised in Okinawa, Japan, she’s 24 years old
• As an amateur, she won her first professional tournament on the Japanese LPGA Tour in 2003
• She dominated the JLPGA for two years with 15 victories, including 5 during her rookie year
• Her outstanding victory at the Japan Open Championship when she was 20 made her the youngest JLPGA player to triumph in a major (!) with 32,000 people in the gallery (the largest ever)
• She ran away from the field at LPGA Q-school in 2005, winning by a mind-blowing 12 strokes
• After totally killing it on the JLPGA, everyone had ginormous expectations for Ai-chan, but the hype died down when she was winless on the LPGA for four years, which resulted in heavy scrutiny from the fickle Japanese fans
• Her first victory on the LPGA was at the Evian Masters in July ‘09, where she beat Sophie Gustafson in a playoff and was ceremoniously groped by two Frenchmen
• She’s one of the most recognizable athletes in Japan with omnipresent ads of her adorable, smiling face plastered across the country
• Other players say you wouldn’t know she was born and raised in Japan if you met her because she speaks English, does interpreter-free interviews and looks like a half-breed
• She travels Diddy-style with a small entourage

Asian-ness Scale (1-10, 1: Michelle Wie, totally Americanized (born in US, duh!); 5: Se Ri Pak, somewhat assimilated; 10: Eun-Hee Ji, 한국말): Ai, 5

[Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images Europe]

Tiger Woods doesn’t play in as many tournaments as the average PGA Tour player. He chooses select events with the strongest fields, the most elite ones. But this year he’s elected to have a more demanding schedule. In the past, he hasn’t bothered to play in all of the FedEx Cup events. Why did he decide to do so this season? It was rather baffling he was at The Barclays, but he basically did it as a favor to the PGA Tour and the title sponsor. It’s likely he’s hungry to win after he lost to Y.E. Yang at the PGA Championship — he wants redemption.

The BMW Championship, the third part of the FedEx Cup series, marks his 6th tournament in 7 weeks. He’s tired. So tired that he’s had to adjust his practice schedule. He confessed:

It’s a lot of golf for me. I normally don’t play this much…It’s getting out here and having long practice sessions and things like that. You start cutting back on that and just have a short burst and make sure you get your rest.

He wouldn’t mind a week off in between the first two legs and the final two:

It would give you another little breather in there. You’ve got a big event in the Bridgestone, and then you have the PGA, and then you have these three big events right in a row. So they’re big events, five big events in six weeks.

He’s not the only one who is fatigued. Steve Stricker, who tied for second at The Barclays and won the Deutsche Bank Championship, chimed in:

I don’t think it’s fair to the players or the tournament too much to whip us around in such a quick fashion and get us going again. It’s a tough turnaround, it really is…I haven’t heard any player really enjoy — say they enjoy the quick turnaround…But I’m tired. I haven’t gotten a lot of sleep.

So, there you have it: We should feel sorry for the pros that are cashing in millions of dollars. Poor babies! No, but really, they’re not being spoiled brats or wimps, the pros lead a tougher life than it may appear — the constant travel and mental and physical stress they endure are, in fact, taxing. (But I don’t feel that sorry for them. Most successful people have to work hard.) The rigorous schedule has even taken a toll on Tiger, a guy with such athletic prowess.

The man has spoken. Expect to see changes in the Tour’s schedule next year.

[Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images]

With three FedEx Cup events remaining on the PGA Tour calendar, including the Tour Championship, it’s still too early to determine who will be crowned Player of the Year. But just for fun, let’s size up the best candidates:

Tiger Woods: He didn’t win a major, but so what? After having major knee surgery last year, he has won 5 times in 14 starts this season. Yes, he MC’d at the British Open. Other than that blemish, his worst finish was T17 at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, his first event of the year. He’s also placed in the top-10 in every other tournament. There’s no denying he’s the best player in the world and likely will always be number one until he retires, in like, 20 years. Now the question is whether or not another player has outshined him in ‘09.

Angel Cabrera: To be frank, he doesn’t stand a chance notwithstanding he is the ‘09 Masters Champion. His only other top-10 finish was at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. He played decently at The Players and the British Open, placing T14 and T24, respectively. Though he has a knack for stepping up at the big tournaments, he missed the cut at The Barclays (maybe he feels indifferent about the FedEx Cup?).

Lucas Glover: Like Angel, he’s in the running because he won a major, the U.S. Open. He has had a good year, though. He’s been steady, placing in the top 5 on four other occasions.

Stewart Cink: Ah, our favorite PGA tweeter and ‘09 British Open Champion. Stewie has four total top-10 finishes. He is usually a middle-of-the-pack kind of player — you know, he’s pretty consistent and obviously he’ll win one occasionally. He broke our hearts by beating good ol’ Tom Watson in a playoff at the Open to secure his first major win. So, both of those achievements definitely count for something. And, he pioneered the PGA Twitter movement.

Y.E. Yang: YANG! He probably has the best chance of winning behind Tiger. What he accomplished at the PGA Championship was truly remarkable. I mean, he marred Tiger’s perfect 8 for 8 record of winning when he held the 54-hole lead at a major. And he’s the first Asian-born player to win a major championship. How about the 3-hybrid he hit into the 72nd hole, too? I still can’t get over how amazing that was — the best I’ve ever seen under those circumstances. Yang also won the Honda Classic early in the season.

Kenny Perry: Poor KP almost won the Masters, which would have been one of the greatest Cinderella stories in golfing history. As it happened, he choked in the final few holes. Oh well. He’s still had an incredible season. He’s made the cut in all 21 starts (I’m pretty sure he’s the only player who hasn’t MC’d yet). He has seven top-ten finishes, including two wins, the FBR Open and the Travelers Championship. Not to mention he’s 49!

Steve Stricker: He’s another who has played very consistently. He’s won twice, placed second twice and finished in the top-ten 9 times. He hasn’t done anything that noteworthy — he T2 at The Barclays last week. He missed a 10-footer on the final hole and the chance to force a playoff with Heath Slocum.

The next three weeks will give a better indication of who is the most deserving. As of now, it’s hard to vote against Tiger. I know, I know, how boring! While it would be nice to see someone else win the title for a change (though he didn’t win last year because he missed half the season) — based on the results — he is hands-down the favorite.

But I would love to see Yang receive the honor. I think what he’s achieved has been the most impressive. And, he would not only be the first Asian-born player to win a major, but first to win Player of the Year. He gets my vote. Here’s hoping he wins one of the FedEx Cup tournaments.

Who do you think deserves the title?

[Photos (from L to R) by Chris Graythen/Getty Images, Streeter Lecka/Getty Images, Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images Europe, Andrew Redington/Getty Images, Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images]

On Monday, I caught up with Ryan Moore in NYC. He finished T4 at the Travelers Championship this past weekend and placed T10 at the US Open the week before. Not too shabby, wouldn’t you say?! Ryan chats with me and relates what, or perhaps who, gets credit for his stellar play.

Spoiler Alert: His streetwear is pretty similar to his golf course attire. Throw on a collared shirt and he’s all set. Are you surprised? Probably not.

(B-T-Dubs, the Empire State Building is in the backdrop. Now you have to watch, right? And I’m pretty awkward in this video for whatever reason. So feel free to laugh at me.)

Over the past few days, you might have gotten wrapped up with the tragic losses of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Billy Mays, and for many in particular, Michael Jackson. I watched a few hours of the tribute to him on VH1. Whatever your opinion is on him, no doubt he is a legend. And I’d almost forgotten some of the EPIC music videos he recorded. I mean, Thriller, Bad, Black or White or Billie Jean (just to name a few)? Amazing. So in case you missed the happenings in the golf world this past weekend, below are some great links from my fellow golf blogging buddies - they certainly kept me up to speed while I was on my brief respite.

• The Golf Girl spent the week at the Travelers Championship. It sounds like she had an awesome time and she did a fantastic job covering the tourney. I love all the pics, especially this one. I’ll have to get the deets later. [Golf Girl’s Diary]
• Some LPGA players complained expressed their discontent via Twitter with the LPGA’s tournament decisions. Maybe the tee times should have been moved up. Sorry, I know it sucks to play in the rain or to get the bad end of the draw, but that’s golf for you. Not to mention, the ladies venting still finished pretty well and made some good money. I mean, I’d take it…[Waggle Room]
• Seventeen-year-old Ryo Ishikawa qualified for the British Open by winning the Yomiuri Classic this past weekend - which brings up the topic of “golf’s youth movement.” Are these kids emotionally mature enough to handle all that comes with limelight and success? I’d say it depends on the individual. [Devil Ball Golf]
• Shane is having a contest to give away two tickets for the AT&T National this week.  So if you live in the DC area, just email him your best Fourth of July golf story. Woohoo! [Dogs That Chase Cars]
• Hound Dog gives a great recap of the LPGA Wegmans tourney. Congrats to Jiyai Shin on her second victory of the year! [Hound Dog LPGA]
• The Ladies’ Tours for Dummies. I think most people should take a gander at this informative guide. [The Constructivist]
• The comedians guys over at NiceBallz breaks down some fun golf nicknames. (I’d share a few of mine from the good ol’ days, but they’re probably NSFW.) My favorite? Hands down, “Shankopotamus.” The E*Trade baby kind of gives me the creepers, but that’s why he’s so awesome. [Nice Ballz]