As much as U.S. Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger hopes otherwise, Tiger Woods doesn't seem all that interested in serving as an inspirational resource when the Americans face the Europeans at Valhalla GC in September. Asked during a Monday teleconference if he might accept Azinger's offer to join the squad as an unofficial assistant captain, Woods gave a non-committal answer in a tone different from his replies to previous questions.

"Because of my procedure, I'm not on the team," Tiger said, referring to last week's knee surgery, which will sideline him for the rest of 2008, perhaps beyond. "It's about those 12 guys. It's not about me. I'm not part of that crew."

Such reluctance is understandable, and those who know Woods, Azinger included, could not be surprised by his response. For the same reason Tiger withheld information on his torn ACL and double stress fracture of his tibia until after the U.S. Open, it's difficult to imagine him hanging out with the Yanks in Kentucky. The distraction factor caused by his presence becomes too big a story, especially once the competition has begun.

No one is more aware of this glare than Woods. He has never been a rah-rah type of guy, and in the context of the emotionally charged Ryder Cup, his role as ceremonial icon would awkwardly counter his tendency to lead by example. No matter how vast his greatness becomes, he simply doesn't define himself on those terms. It's one thing to unleash a few fist-pumps after holing a big putt, another entirely to show up without your clubs and sit in a cart with a pair of pompoms.

In recent years, Tiger has become more conscientious about upstaging a tournament or another player. To say he has no ego would be ludicrous, but he doesn't woof or showboat at the expense of others. His celebrations are born of raw emotion, nothing rehearsed, and though he might change his mind about Valhalla, I don't see it happening.

Woods likes the attention, but it's the performance that drives him, not how others react to it.

--John Hawkins

Inbee Park wasn't the only winner at this year's U.S. Women's Open, even though she took home the title and $585,000 in first-prize money.

Although disappointed by her 24th place finish, Annika Sorenstam's bittersweet victory came Sunday afternoon when she holed a 199-yard, 6-iron for eagle on the par-5 18th hole. It was a poetic ending for the final shot of what might be her last Open.

An in-ground plaque honoring Annika's memorable finish is a hot topic among Interlachen members. If approved, the placement could very well be near the plaque commemorating another historic shot at the course--Bobby Jones skipping the ball across the same pond Annika's soared over. He made birdie there en route to winning the 1930 U.S. Open, the third leg of his Grand Slam.

Another winner is the course itself. Set on rolling, wooded terrain, Interlachen Country Club opened with nine holes designed by Willie Watson in 1911. A decade later it was redone as an 18-hole venue, this time by Donald Ross. There were revisions by Robert Trent Jones in 1963. Brian Silva did some tweaking for this Open, renovating all 90 sand traps, running fairway bunkers perpendicular, extending them into the driving areas and narrowing several fairways.

PGA Master professional Jock Olson, the head pro at Interlachen since 1994, said "the course was set up for players to make some good numbers. The fact that only one person [Inbee Park] was under par for all four rounds is amazing." Olson had predicted that six under par would be the winning score, so he feels vindicated by Park's 72-hole score of nine-under 283 that won by four shots.

Touted by the USGA as the longest course in U.S. Women's Open history at 6,789 yards, par 73, Interlachen never played to that yardage. Tees were moved up and back and alternate tees were used when the setup warranted. As Olson pointed out, "The tee on No. 18 was kept up so players wouldn't be tempted to drive down the 10th fairway."

A unique feature of the design is its flexibility. Hole No. 7 can be played from a back tee at 316 yards, which it was for Thursday's and Friday's rounds. But on the weekend the forward tee at 248 yards was in play. It forced players to decide if they should go for the green. But the challenges of the hole, a tree right of the green, a bunker left and a green that slopes from back to front required a perfectly executed draw. No matter the tee, not a single eagle was recorded on the seventh during the competition. However, there were 18 birdies on Saturday and 19 on Sunday.

Interlachen, the site of six major championships in the last 78 years, has no plans for a future event. But that's not to say the club wouldn't welcome a national or international event. The only one it can't handle is the U.S. Open. "Not enough length or corporate space," says Olson, "but another Women's Open or a Senior Open are possibilities."

--Topsy Siderowf

(Photo: Darren Carroll)

EDINA, Minn. -- Playing in the featured threesome Thursday with Lorena Ochoa and Cristie Kerr didn't make the reigning U.S. Women's Amateur champion, Maria Jose Uribe (right) , nervous. Quite the opposite. She fed off their energy and shot an impressive four-under-par 69 in the first round of the U.S. Women's Open at Interlachen Country Club. That was three better than Kerr and four ahead of Ochoa.

Uribe, an 18-year-old from Columbia, is one of 27 amateurs in the field, and she isn't the only one on the leader board. Her UCLA teammate Sydnee Michaels also broke par in the first round, shooting a 71. Uribe has already made the cut in one LPGA major this year, tying for 58th in the Kraft Nabisco Championship in April.

"If you saw me at my club on Saturday, you wouldn't think I was much of a golfer," says Uribe. But put her against the best women players in the world and watch her shine. Her coral "golf dress" with its ruffled hem suited her outgoing personality. Asked about her especially enthusiastic fist pump after a good shot, she said, "That's just me."

Uribe, who'll be a sophomore at UCLA in the fall, plans to finish college before joining the LPGA Tour. She says she wants to mature as a golfer. "Unless," she says, "I win the Open. Then I'll reconsider."

Uribe said she couldn't have had a better pairing than playing with Ochoa. "She talks to you on the golf course, and I like that," said Uribe.

Ochoa said she equally enjoyed the round with Uribe. "We're from a common culture, we both value family, speak the same language, have the same Catholic background," said Ochoa.

Uribe's 69 included six birdies and seven 3s and was highlighted by consecutive birdies on Nos. 9, 10 and 11.

When asked if the Open felt much different than a college tournament, she said, "Here I have a caddie; it's always nicer."

There will be many more rounds with a caddie in her future.

--Topsy Siderowf

EDINA, Minn. -- There's a lot to like at the 63rd U.S. Women's Open that began this morning, but a few things stand out as my favorites after three days of practice rounds:

The course, Interlachen Country Club. It's a wonderful and historic venue. Designed by Donald Ross, it's where Bobby Jones won the U.S. Open in 1930, the third leg of the Grand Slam he completed that summer by winning the U.S. Amateur at Merion. Interlachen is in spectacular shape this week, and at 6,789 yards it's the longest setup in Women's Open history.

Michelle Wie. She's only 18 years old, but already is playing in her sixth Women's Open after finishing second in a 36-hole qualifier two weeks ago. Wie said she wasn't sure she could do it, but on a hot, humid day in Rockville, Md., she shot 70-67 to get into the field. Crowds at Interlachen are pulling for her.

Lorena Ochoa. The No. 1 player in women's golf drove the 316-yard, par-4 seventh hole during a practice round Wednesday. To the gallery's delight, she hit a perfect draw from the forward tee.

Juniors by the hundreds are enjoying the activity. As part of the USGA's Catch the Spirit program, they get in free when accompanied by an adult. They also get a hat, lunch and, for some, a clinic.

The substantial wooden rakes, not those flimsy plastic ones like they have so many places, to keep the sand pristine. And by decree, they are kept outside the bunkers when not in use.

The 3,200 volunteers, giving their time for a chance to be inside the ropes. Not just locals, they come from all over the country.

--Topsy Siderowf

EDINA, Minn. -- Official rounds at the U.S. Women's Open don't start until Thursday, but Annika Sorenstam is already drawing some of the biggest crowds at Interlachen Country Club. A gallery of about 1,000 followed Sorenstam during Wednesday's practice round, and she appeared to have her game in prime shape for her 15th, and possibly last, Open. Sorenstam announced last month that she'll retire from competitive golf at the end of 2008.

Annika coordinated her practice rounds with her tee times, playing Tuesday afternoon as she will on Thursday and early Wednesday as she is scheduled to play on Friday. Following inside the ropes were two Minneapolis policemen taking a week's vacation to volunteer their services. Only Annika and Lorena Ochoa get two security officers this week. Natalie Gulbis, Cristie Kerr and Michelle Wie are among the players assigned a single officer.

Also walking with Annika was Henri Reis, her longtime coach, giving pointers every now and then. Reis says he's pleased with the way Annika is playing right now and especially with how well she has come back from last year's neck injury with only a slight loss in distance.

Also in her gallery was Mike McGee, Sorenstam's fiance. When asked if Annika would play in future Women's Opens, McGee said she doesn't like to do anything halfway, so if she can't prepare to her standards, he didn't think she would want to play.

Annika was gracious to autograph seekers, signing at almost every hole. To a gentleman who asked her to sign his cap for the "old guy," she said, good-naturedly, "Catch me at the next hole."

Sorenstam looked very appealing in her magenta shorts and orange shirt with magenta stripes, complemented by an orange cap. Sorenstam spent time earlier this week signing apparel in the merchandise tent, and word is that much of the apparel in her line with Cutter & Buck was nearly sold out.

--Topsy Siderowf

EDINA, Minn. -- Gary Gilchrist, the instructor who developed Michelle Wie while he was working for David Leadbetter and then left when Leadbetter took over the coaching duties after Wie emerged as a star, has lost another top player -- once again to Leadbetter.

Gilchrist and Suzann Pettersen, the No. 3 player in the Rolex Rankings, parted ways a couple weeks ago. Late Tuesday the Norwegian star was seen working under the watchful eye of Leadbetter on the short-game practice area at Interlachen CC, were the U.S. Women's Open starts Thursday.

Sources in the Pettersen camp said Suzann was looking for more specific instruction rather that the feel game Gilchrist teaches. After beginning work in December 2006 with Gilchrist, Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott, Pettersen won five times in 2007, including the McDonalds LPGA Championship. Pettersen has played well this year, but has yet to win, finishing second last week at the Wegman's LPGA in Rochester to Eun-Hee Ji.

Gilchrist has been big-footed more times than Sasquatch's sidewalk. In addition to losing Wie and Pettersen to Leadbetter, he was also pushed aside last year when Hank Haney was brought in to run the International Junior Golf Academy on Hilton Head Island. Gilchrist includes Julieta Granada among his current LPGA clients.

-- Ron Sirak

Tiger Woods underwent successful reconstructive surgery on the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) on his left knee Tuesday in Park City, Utah. The surgery was performed by Dr. Thomas Rosenberg and Dr. Vernon Cooley, who performed arthroscopic surgery on the same knee on April 15.

"We were confident going in to this surgery and I am pleased with the results," said Dr. Rosenberg. "There were no surprises during the procedure, and as we have said, with the proper rehabilitation and training, it is highly unlikely that Mr. Woods will have any long-term effects as it relates to his career."

Woods, who won the U.S. Open last week for the third time, decided to move up the surgery to accelerate his rehabilitation.

"It was important for me to have the surgery as soon as possible so that I could begin the rehabilitation process," said Woods. "I am very appreciative of Dr. Rosenberg and Dr. Cooley and his staff's guidance and look forward to working with them through the necessary rehabilitation and training. I also wanted to thank everyone for their well wishes over the past week. I look forward to working hard at my rehabilitation over the coming months and returning to the PGA Tour healthy next year."

The top-ranked Woods has not announced a timetable for his return to competitive golf. In six starts this year, Woods has four wins and a second-place finish and leads the PGA Tour money list with $5,775,000. He also won the Dubai Desert Classic.

--Mark Soltau

63  This year marks the 63rd U.S. Women's Open. The first was played in
1930.

156 contestants in the field representing 23 countries.

27 are amateurs.

13  the youngest contestant, Alexis Thompson, who was also the youngest last
year at 12.

53  the oldest contestant, Martha Nause, a former LPGA regular, who now
coaches at nearby Macalester (Minn.) men's and women's golf teams.

279 Cristie Kerr's winning 5-under-par score at last year's open at Pine
Needles in North Carolina.

1911 the year Interlachen Country Club opened. William Watson designed the
original course. Donald Ross redesigned it in 1921 with some revisions by
Robert Trent Jones in 1963.

1930  the year Bob Jones won the U.S. Open at Interlachen, the third event
of his Grand Slam.

6,789  the number of yards the course will play, the longest in U.S. Women's
Open history. Par is 73.

560,000  the dollars first prize brought last year. This year's purse will
be announced later this week.

10 past champions in the field: Laura Davies, 1987; Liselotte Neumann, 1988;
Se Ri Pak, 1998; Juli Inkster, 1999 and 2002; Karrie Webb, 2000 and 2001;
Hilary Lunke, 2003; Meg Mallon, 2004; Birdie Kim, 2005; Annika Sorenstam,
2006; Cristie Kerr, 2007.

72 the number of holes in regulation play. The cut will come after 36 holes
and include the low 60 scores plus ties and anyone within 10 strokes of the
leader. A tie at the end of 72 holes will be decided by an immediate 3-hole
playoff and continue if need be until there is a winner.

And finally... 22,500 spectators expected each day

--Topsy Siderowf

After Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open, the good folks who run the Official World Golf Ranking announced that he celebrated his 500th week as the No. 1 player in the world. I'm not sure Woods celebrated the milestone, but in light of Wednesday's announcement that he'll take the rest of 2008 off to have surgery and rehabilitate his left knee, the question has been raised: Will Woods still be No. 1 in the world when he returns?

It's a question with no easy answer, primarily because there are too many variables. We don't know when Woods will return and we don't know how Woods' top rivals will fare in his absence. What we do know is that Woods will lose points every week until he returns to competition and he'll start losing them at the pretty rapid rate. We also know, obviously, that he won't gain any points.

First, a primer on how the ranking works. The World Ranking is determined by awarding points for top finishes in qualified tournaments. Tiger's current points average is 21.542. The bigger tournaments award more points and top finishes earn more points. Woods earned 100 points for his win at Torrey Pines. He earned 60 for his runner-up finish at the Masters and 18.24 for his T-5 at the WGC-CA Championship. The ranking then weighs these points on a two-year sliding scale. Full weight is given for the most recent 13 weeks. Points are reduced in equal increments for the remaining 91 weeks of the two-year period. For example, Woods' win at the 2007 PGA Championship was originally worth 100 points, but is now worth just 65.22. His win at the 2006 PGA is now worth 9.78 points and will not be worth anything when it falls out of the two-year window in nine weeks. A player's total points are divided by the number of tournaments he has played and he is ranked according to his average. If a player has not played 40 tournaments in the two-year span his point total is divided by 40 to determine his average.

Based on this information we know what Woods' point total and average will be at the end of the year. He will have 469.5 points. The U.S. Open win will be worth 82.61 points, the Masters runner-up will be worth 43.698 points, the T-5 at Doral will get him 12.689 and the win at Southern Hills in the 2007 PGA will get him 34.78. The win at the 2006 PGA in Medinah will be worth nothing.

On Dec. 31 Woods will have a points average of 11.73. He will have lost almost half his ranking points. (This is unofficial, my math might be very slightly off as I cannot be sure of rounded figures.)

Phil Mickelson is currently second in the world with an average of 10.214 points. If Mickelson does not play again in 2008 he will have an average of 6.627. Of course, Mickelson will play again. Probably 10 more times. In order to pass Woods with an average of 11.74 points, Mickelson would have to earn 575 ranking points in those 10 events. That's not an easy task. In fact, it's a Woodsian task. In his last 10 events, seven of them victories, Woods earned 586 points. And that does not include the incremental loss on the sliding scale.

So it's safe to say, Tiger Woods will top the ranking at the end of 2008. How much longer he stays there can only be determined by how long he goes into 2009 without playing.

My guess: He'll be back for the 2009 Buick Invitational--as the No. 1 ranked player in the world.

-- John Antonini

We now know why Tiger Woods called the 108th U.S. Open his greatest achievement ever. Woods won his 14th major championship with a stress fracture to his left tibia and anterior cruciate ligament damage that will require season-ending surgery, he reported today on his website.

What Woods did not discuss were the long-term affects of the injury; some of which is obvious, some undetermined. "If he wants to go after [Jack] Nicklaus' record, he'll need a good ACL reconstruction to do it," said Dr. Jim Bradley, team physician for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and a foremost expert on knee surgery. "But this is not career threatening."

It may not be career threatening, but the general message is, it's career interrupting and perhaps career deterring. This would be Woods' second knee surgery in two months and his fourth since 1994. The more operations, the more chance for arthritis, so the window for breaking Nicklaus' 18-major record may not last what was anticipated from a super-human athlete like Woods.

Woods revealed the stress fracture or stress reaction occurred while training following April's knee surgery. According to Bradley, the standard time missed by an NFL player with a similar injury is six weeks. But what makes this a long-term absence from golf for Woods is the ACL repair and rehabilitation. According to sources, he was fitted for an ACL or "uploader" brace two weeks before the U.S. Open, in order to take stress off that part of his tender knee. "You knew after he winced one time and started walking with a flexed leg gait that he was protecting his posterior lateral corner," Bradley observed. "I don't know how he did it. He has got a great mind. He knew it was going to hurt like hell."

Woods proved his will by fighting through the pain at Torrey Pines, but he faces a longer battle now as he manages proper rehabilitation with eventual mental roadblocks. Ernie Els is the most famous modern-day golfer to require ACL surgery. The South African tore up his knee in a boating accident in 2005, came back after surgery in three months, and won almost immediately. But according to swing coaches David Leadbetter and Butch Harmon, Els still favors the knee.

"It's like rebooting a computer," Bradley said. "In pro football, we say we get a guy back (from ACL reconstruction) in six months, but in fact, they're really not right until they go through a full season. It's almost a year's time before they're back to where they were beforehand."

-- Tim Rosaforte