It's Anybody's Game

"He has a tremendous impact every time he plays," Parnevik adds. "I don't know how you cannot feel [additional incentive]."

The weak turnout among top-tier types at Woods' own AT&T National suggests that when the cat's away, the mice won't necessarily play. Steve Stricker (seventh) was the highest-ranked guy in the field. When the Booz Allen Classic was played at this same venue in 2005, Garcia beat Scott in a thrilling duel to the finish. Neither was in D.C. last week, although Sergio did play in the European Open, where he finished a distant second to Ross Fisher.

Scott hasn't played since the U.S. Open, presumably so a broken bone in his hand has time to heal, which takes us to Perry. His victories at the Memorial and Buick Open have earned him a pair of big paychecks and a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team, but Perry's still not buying a plane ticket to England. A source who has known him for years says the 11-time tour winner may be reluctant to travel overseas because of a fear of flying.

"At this part of my career, my goals and values have changed," Perry told Golf World, noting that between now and the Ryder Cup he only has two other scheduled weeks off. "Family is very important to me, the majors are not near as important as they used to be, I'm not a good traveler, and I have a high stroke average in the British Open. I'm just an old country boy who likes to play American golf courses. I haven't traveled a lot to other countries to play and when I have, I haven't had much success. I'm going to stick to my guns and play Milwaukee."

Too bad. Of all the British Open venues, Birkdale would seem to suit Perry the best. It is a driver's ballpark, and few players employ a better combination of length and accuracy than the big fella from Kentucky. The same could be said of Garcia, who ranks 26th on tour in total driving after falling to 164th in 2007, his second consecutive year without a victory on either side of the Atlantic.

It has become common practice to blame Sergio's putting for his stretches of poor play, but the numbers can't lie. He was 15th in strokes per green in regulation in 2007 despite his well-documented struggles inside six feet. This year, he's 134th in the same category but is playing his best golf in forever because he's hitting fairways. In awful weather last Sunday, Garcia shot a 66 and needed just 21 putts, prompting him to chirp, "Now I know how Tiger Woods feels 98 percent of the time."

Call it an interesting choice of words. More than any of Woods' frequently deposed foes, Garcia's preoccupation with Tiger has dogged him since his ballyhooed U.S. debut in the spring of 1999. There have been two instances when they were paired together in the final group of the final round at a major -- the 2002 U.S. Open and 2006 British. Both times, Garcia took himself out of the hunt early by missing multiple putts from four feet or less.

Woods coasted to victory on each occasion, tossing yet another oversize suitcase into Garcia's overhead compartment, which is exactly where the Spaniard stores his emotional baggage. A considerable measure of redemption seemed imminent last July at Carnoustie. Sergio led everyone by three strokes after 54 holes and had Tiger by eight, but on a calm afternoon when Andres Romero would pile up an amazing 10 birdies and several players shot in the mid 60s, Garcia remained ultraconservative to the bitter end.

He hit nothing but irons off the tee, perhaps as an awkward mimic of Tiger's game plan at Liverpool a year earlier. Padraig Harrington would chase down Sergio, find a back door to a playoff and grab his own first major title, leaving Garcia disconsolate and disillusioned. It was a tough way to lose, and while the Spaniard handled it terribly during the awards ceremony and news conference, he has rallied admirably.