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It’s doubtful that more than 2% of you know who former professional golfer Ken Green is, but you can’t help but feel for him.

Green was involved in an ATV accident in June that killed his brother and girlfriend. Green ended up losing part of his right leg.

And Friday, Green’s 21 year old son was found dead in his dorm room at SMU.

Terrible.

In other, not so terrible news:

–A certain quarterback isn’t going to be given a certain retirement deadline by a certain coach.

–The Cowboys may essentially split the carries in thirds next year between Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice. As TB would say, adjust your (2010) draft boards accordingly.

–Ben Sheets and Jim Thome found teams today, but you already knew that.

–Would you pay Albert Pujols $30 million per?

–Matt Stairs also signed with the Padres today. He may be their third or fourth best hitter.

–And if you couldn’t get enough of Danica Patrick, Speed will offer in car and roof camera feeds for free on their website during next Saturday’s ARCA race.

When does the PGA Tour start to matter?  It certainly isn’t happening yet.  The best players are jet-setting around the world playing events where they are paid to just show up, leaving the domestic tour to be decided by the likes of Bill Haas and Ryan Palmer.  Nice players, close to their prime playing years and maybe even future stars.  Not compelling in any way, however.  The PGA Tour needs someone to step up.  I’m not the only one who thinks so.

Is it that Tiger isn’t around?  No.  He wouldn’t have been playing any of the events that have happened while on his self-imposed hiatus, anyway.  The game needs its marginal superstars to make the leap.  It needs guys to prove that they can win more than a single Major, nice though that is.  The Tour would be a better place if Y.E. Yang became a guy who won regularly.  It would be  better if Sergio Garcia won a major and used that as a springboard to more consistent performance.  The Tour needs its stalwarts to come out and win tournaments – I’m looking at you, Jim Furyk and Ernie Els.

Or it needs the Bill Haases and the Ryan Palmers of the world to step in and become what those guys aren’t anymore.  Stars.  Golf seems like it is entering a stage much like the mid 1980s, Golden Bear charging at Augusta excepted.  There is no one willing or able to step up and be the man when the guy who is the man isn’t around.

Another problem is that the Tour is a minor circuit right now, with the aftorementioned jet-setting stars setting up shop in Europe (Asia) for a couple of weeks.  No one can blame them; they get appearance fees.  Which is my point.  Start letting the tournaments pay players to show up.  I wouldn’t suggest that they allow the exorbitant fees that the Sheiks of the world can pay, but maybe something just for showing up is in order.  MLB players get paid if they play or not.  Hell, they get paid when they are hurt!  Golfers get nothing if they aren’t in an event.  So create some incentive for guys to set up their schedule to include your event.  Many sponsors would be happy to shell out some of their money to ensure that they get some top names to help build up their event.  And the more events top players enter, the more they will win.

Some will say that this will hurt the rank and file PGA members, that they won’t have the opportunity to fill these events and make a paycheck.  To which I say:  get better.  Become a player that sponsors will want to pay just to show up.  The bottom line is dollars.  A sponsor will pay money up front if it will mean more money on the back end.  The more events Phil and Ernie and yes, Tiger, play, the better exposure for the Tour.

Tiger drove a lot of purses up when he made golf front-page news (not the kind of front page news he’s created in the past three months, mind you).  All the players have benefited from that.  Now, let the sponsors do what they can to make their event relevant.  If that means paying people just to show up, so be it.  It would also mean more eyeballs on the television and more people in the galleries.   Sponsors and Tour can agree that is a good thing.

Leave it to TMZ to find the “huh” angle. And, given no alcohol reportedly involved, and the time of the incident, it does make some sense:

Tiger has yet to be formally interviewed by the Florida Highway Patrol — that should happen this afternoon. But we’re told Tiger had a conversation Friday — with a non-law enforcement type — detailing what went down before his Escalade hit a fire hydrant.

We’re told he said his wife had confronted him about reports that he was seeing another woman. The argument got heated and, according to our source, she scratched his face up. We’re told it was then Woods beat a hasty retreat for his SUV — but according to our source, Woods says his wife followed behind with a golf club. As Tiger drove away, she struck the vehicle several times with the club.

Like I said, that version of the incident has the luxury of making some sense.

Looks like some time for the Woods’ on the Dr. Phil Mickelson couch is in order.

Stuff that was of note that I just didn’t have time to get to in the last 48 hours:

—The Allen Iverson era in Memphis starts with a fizzle as with three weeks left in the pre-season he comes up with a partially torn left hamstring that will sideline him, conveniently enough, for three weeks. The cynics among Grizzlies fans think that is rather convenient. The realists among Grizziles fans think this is not all that surprising given his age and the abuse he has taken to play his style of game over the years. Frankly, I think he misses more than the three weeks, and the Grizzlies are soft-pedaling the issue to keep boosting ticket sales.

—The Washington Post columnists and local sports radio folks have been playing with the Sherm Lewis consultant hire in for 48 hours now like a cat with a mouse wrapped in catnip. Hire a guy who was on his way to call a Bingo game at a senior citizens center to consult and find yourself unable to articulate just what his position is with the team will do that. Michael Wilbon takes swings at ownership. So. easy.

—The President’s Cup is going on. The excitement level for that appears to rival the excitment for the FedEx Cup playoff.

—College basketball is almost here, and Luke Winn takes the time to explain how he built his 50-person ballot for the Naismith watch list for the upcoming season. Great overview, if you, like me, have completely forgotten who’s worth knowing in the college hoop as the season draws nearer.

Did you remotely care?

Phil Mickelson came from behind to win the Tour Championship yesterday and got the crystal trophy. Woods finished second to win the playoff thingy, that shiny trophy, and ten million dollars to use as kindling for a nice beach fire at his estate.

When the PGA came up with the uber-lame playoff idea a few years ago, I figured the test for whether it would ever catch on would be if Woods was in the running and needing a certain result to win. Would anyone care under those circumstances? Because, if Woods being in the chase didn’t make people care, nothing would.

And I, for damn sure, didn’t care.

Nice try, PGA, but the playoff remains uber-lame. Golf.com’s roundtable on just that subject and other tour musings here.

In theory, it is compelling this year. Two years ago, Tiger Woods could have skipped the Tour Championship as he already had the playoff thingy won. Last year, Vijay Singh only had to keep from drowning at some point in the four days and the $10,000,000 bonus was his. This year? Much more wide open. From golf.com:

Woods is the No. 1 seed by virtue of his five PGA Tour victories that put him atop the standings, and a sixth victory in a playoff event two weeks ago at the BMW Championship. The next four seeds – Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson and Heath Slocum – don’t have to look at a leaderboard. If they win the Tour Championship, they win the FedEx Cup. The points can get confusing, and there are a couple of wild possibilities.

-Furyk and Padraig Harrington can capture the FedEx Cup without having won a single tournament all year.

-Marc Leishman can win the FedEx Cup provided Woods finishes 10th or worse, and the next four seeds finish fifth or worse. How did Leishman get in this position? Furthermore, who is Leishman?He’s a PGA Tour rookie from Australia with a strong swing and beautiful touch with the putter. He was on the verge of being eliminated from the playoffs outside Boston three weeks ago until making an eagle on the final hole. His only way into the Tour Championship was to finish third in Chicago, and he played bogey-free the final round with Woods at his side to tie for second.

-Slocum could win the FedEx Cup by winning the Tour Championship. He wasn’t even sure he would make the 125-man field at the start of the playoffs until his wife did the math and realized he qualified at No. 124 by two points. A week later, he won The Barclays over a world-class cast of runner-ups – Woods, Harrington, Stricker and Ernie Els.

-And the most bizarre scenario of all? There could be two sudden-death playoffs on Sunday – one to decide the Tour Championship, another to decide the FedEx Cup. It might even be the same two players.

That sounds wild, but I sure am not getting the sense the greater sports public gives a shit. Using me as a measuring stick, I sure don’t. Already rich golfers playing for more riches isn’t all that compelling.

It will be interesting to see if the various wacky scenarios come close to happening over the weekend, and if that compels eyeballs in the middle of a college football Saturday and a pro football Sunday. I am guessing that will be “no”.

…being a national joke?

Perhaps.

The US women retained the Solheim Cup over the Europeans in what was a close match from start to finish. But the star of the American effort was the forever disappointing Michelle Wie, in that she didn’t lose a match all weekend. From si.com’s roundtable on golf happenings, these thoughts on Wie:

Alan Shipnuck, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: I don’t think the Solheim needed saving, but this should quiet the kvetching for another couple of years. Europe played very inspired golf in forging an 8-8 tie over the first two days, and during singles they were in control of seven matches until the tide turned on the back nine. It was thrilling, competitive golf. The real story, though, is Michelle Wie. She was the best player on either team and showed the kind of passion that has always been missing in her game. This will be remembered as the week her career finally took off.

Jim Herre, editor, Sports Illustrated Golf Plus: I thought Wie looked pretty good on the greens. She made a bunch of clutch 10- and 15-footers the first two days. Plus, I liked the way Michelle came back to take out a salty Helen Alfredsson on Sunday.

Ryan Reiterman, producer, Golf.com: How awesome was Wie’s drive on 18? She swung so hard she did a Gary Player follow-through. She seemed to be less technical all week and just played with a lot of feel and emotion. Great to see.

Damon Hack, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: I also think we’ll look back at this year’s Solheim Cup as the turning point to Michelle Wie’s career. She has been fully accepted now — by her peers, by the fans, by almost everyone. She looked awfully comfortable today. It’d be hard to imagine her not taking her 3-0-1 week and turning it into some LPGA hardware.

Herre: I agree, Damon. Wouldn’t be surprised to see her get that first W before the season ends.

Dick Friedman, senior editor, Sports Illustrated: Definitely significant that Wie’s parents, while on the scene, weren’t allowed to hover. That may have loosened her up.

Cameron Morfit, senior writer, Golf Magazine: Totally agree that this week was just what she needed. I’m happy to see a girl like that thrive with her peers and her elders. She needs a steady diet of that, not more time with her folks.

Van Sickle: How many times have we said that about Ryder Cuppers, that after this, now they’re going to be big winners? Hunter Mahan and others come to mind. Of course, Wie has a talent potential relative to her tour that they didn’t. The LPGA certainly hopes this is a turning point for Wie. She could be its big cross-cultural American superstar.

Farrell Evans, writer-reporter, Sports Illustrated: Wie was easily the best golfer in the competition. But I’m not sure she’s ready to win consistently on the LPGA Tour. She doesn’t putt well enough and there are plenty of women with her length. She’s not going to win a putting contest.

Given the shit she went through, some of it self-inflicted, some of it parent-inflicted, it would be cool to see her overcome the mis-steps and be a decent pro as an adult. She may be on her way.

Not that Y.E. Yang would do it, but, one would think, that eventually Tiger Woods would get caught on a Sunday of a major that he led after 54 holes (Woods now 14 for 15 in such situations). That time came yesterday, when, finally, the player walking the course in the last group with Tiger did not blink. A steady 70 from heretofore relative unknown Y.E. Yang including a Tiger-esque chip-in eagle on 14 to seize the lead for good was good enough to beat Woods, whose putter betrayed him all weekend.

And, no, Mike Greenburg, please stop trying to make this into the “greatest upset ever” regardless of sport, or even in golf. If I were to have beat Woods (or Yang) yesterday, with my 54 handicap, THAT would be a great upset. Probably ever. As for an actual professional golfer being better than Tiger Woods over the course of a tournament, even a major one? An upset, perhaps, but NOT the greatest ever.

Oh, wait, Greenburg is being joined by Gary Van Sickle of si.com in trying to categorize the upset in the “greatest ever” debates. Okay, fine. Have at it. But this knee-jerk need to make something that just occurred the “best” or “greatest” ever gets old.

A funny thing happened on the way to Woods’ 15th major yesterday, instead of placing his foot on the fields neck and applying pressure, Woods helped the field up, brushed them off, and gave them a light neck massage. It certainly feels like a less daunting task than it was 24 hours ago. It helps the drama that one of the two golfers at -6 is Padraig Harrington, the one golfer who has consistently embraced challenging Woods, and a multiple major winner himself.

Plenty of reason to tune in today as Woods tries to make it 15 for 15 when leading in a major heading into the final round…

A quick scan of the major sites show a general consensus as to the 91st PGA: It’s Tiger’s. (si.com “All but over“, foxsports.com “he won’t lose“)

With him four up heading into the weekend, and with a career 8-0 mark when leading in majors after two rounds, it’s, ah, “looking good”.

And, here’s the thing, the ratings will be elevated all weekend, no matter how big the lead might get (and there’s a chance it could get real big), because it is Woods.