The Loop

Woods, Wie, et al.: Setting up an interesting weekend

July 03, 2009

Woods' two victories this year, at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial, each came in his final tuneup for a major championship. In each of the ensuing majors, the Masters and the U.S. Open, he tied for sixth. Should he win the AT&T, should we assume then that he'll tie for sixth in the British Open?

Wie will break through with a victory eventually. This weekend, perhaps?

Lee stands tied for eighth at the AT&T and desperately needs a big check and a top-10 finish, the latter good for a start in the John Deere Classic next week without having to burn a sponsor exemption.

He has already used five of the seven sponsor exemptions to which he's entitled in an attempt to earn in the neighborhood of $860,000 (enough to equal or better what the player who finishes 125th on the money list will earn this year) to earn his card for 2010, and to date he's earned only $169,304. The other pertinent number: $537,958. That's the sum earned by No. 150 on the money list last year. Can Lee reach that number, he'll be entitled to accept an unlimited number of sponsor exemptions the rest of the year.

-- John Strege