Advantage: McIroy

So Team A-Game kinda went down in flames over the weekend at Kiawah Island. I'm not sure Secretariat could have kept pace with the blossoming thoroughbred named Rory McIlroy.

It was another command performance by the 23-year-old Northern Irishman, who added an 8-shot PGA Championship victory to his 2011 U.S. Open win of the same margin and, hopefully, ended titillating speculation that his girlfriend, tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, is bad for his game. For now, I'm holding off on the obvious Tiger Woods comparisons. But they're certainly worth exploring.

As for Woods himself, it was deja vu all over again at the Ocean Course. Two solid rounds and a spot at or near the top of the leaderboard, followed by a weekend of mediocrity. In a rare and welcome bit of candor, Tiger admitted to pressing in the majors this year -- exactly as I and many others suspected. Granted, it was pretty obvious...

The majors are over, the Ryder Cup coming up. And we may soon hear from the USGA and R&A on the future legality of anchored putters. How long can Webb Simpson, Ernie Els, Adam Scott and Keegan Bradley hold their collective breath?

If long wands are banned, McIlroy gains further advantage over his peers. Just what the young fella needs.

Open Championship: Wild Finish Raises Many Questions

Sure, I blew it by predicting Adam Scott to win heading into Sunday's final round of the Open Championship. But let's not dwell on that. What's really important is that I picked Ernie Els among my five favorites heading into the tournament.

What a finish, huh? Like most majors, this one left us pondering What It All Means:

Will Scott ever recover from his historic collapse? 

Was this Ernie's last hurrah, or is the Big Easy on the verge of a Vijay-like renaissance in his 40s? 

Will Tiger Woods' putter, of all things, prevent him from eclipsing Jack Nicklaus' majors record? 

After missing the cut, does Elliott Saltman have what it takes to win another ham?

Ah, the mysteries of golf. 

Open Championship: Tiger vs. Guy Who Won a Ham

The Open Championship gets underway in less than 24 hours at Royal Lytham & St. Anne's, which sounds more like a brand of English tea than a golf course. But I digress.

My 5 faves to win:

Tiger Woods: It's time
Padraig Harrington: Back on form
Ernie Els: Slow-ish greens will help
Matt Kuchar: Because I picked him to win a major this year
Martin Kaymer: Looking more like his 2010 self

And because the Open never fails to produce a leader or two from out of left field, my picks to fill that role:

Sandy Lyle: Better than you realize at age 53
David Duval: Won here in 2001, type who thrives on good vibes
Elliott Saltman: Because I need an excuse to link to this

Enjoy!

Random Thoughts on the Zurich Classic

I really like Jason Dufner, who won his first PGA Tour event Sunday in a playoff with Ernie Els. But I swear, poor Jason looks like a deer in headlights in every picture.

I was torn between rooting for Dufner, a player -- as stated previously -- I really like, and pulling for Els to end his two-year drought. Loss aside, Els is consistently contending again. Those 40-something nerves aren't doing him any favors in the clutch, though.

By the way, one knock against the belly putter is that it takes nerves out of the equation. You sure about that?