Oosthuizen Birdies His Way Into the Lead at Deutsche Bank

South Aftican golfer Louis Oosthuizen made seven straight birdies Sunday to help build a three-shot lead. (Michael Dwyer)

Most people expected PGA Champion Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods to set the pace Sunday at TPC Boston. However, as the third round of the Deutsche Bank Championship got under way, it was clear that someone else was set to emerge as the pacesetter. That someone turned out to be South African golfer Louis Oosthuizen.

Oosthuizen found his groove and didn't look back. On the front nine, he made seven birdies for a tournament record 29. From holes four through ten, Oosthuizen made seven consecutive birdies. He didn't even miss a green until the 17th hole. The same hole where Oosthuizen had his only bogey of the round, but he made amends for it on the 18th with yet another birdie.

Oosthuizen finished his round Sunday with an 8-under 63. Through three rounds, he has shot a tournament-record 19-under 194. Oosthuizen leads McIlroy by three shots and Woods and Dustin Johnson by six shots each. He is right where he wants to be going into the final round on Labor Day.

There's no guarantee that Oosthuizen will just stroll away with this win Monday. However, he has dominated like this before. After all, Oosthizen is the same golfer who won the 2010 Open Championship by seven shots. Though he is also the same golfer who dramatically lost the Masters last April in a playoff to Bubba Watson.

The question becomes which Oosthuizen will we see Monday as he tries to hold his lead in the final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship. He will have the added pressure of having Johnson and Woods directly ahead of him and being placed in the final pairing with McIlroy. Oosthuizen has told reporters that he is ready to prove that the Open Championship win wasn't a fluke. That he can win another major. Well this appears to be just the opportunity he was looking for.

Oosthuizen has the three-shot lead in a significant tour tournament. If he is going to win this thing, he is going to have directly beat a pair of former major champions. As they say, to be the best, you have to beat the best. Oosthuizen isn't the best golfer in the world right now, but if he wants to be in that conversation, this is the type of tournament he must win. All eyes on Labor Day will be directly on Oosthuizen to see what he does.

Adam Scott's 6-Under 64 Leads 2012 British Open

Australian Adam Scott converted eight birdies as part of his 6-under 64 in the first round of the British Open Thursday. (Getty Images)

Royal Lytham & St. Annes in northwest England has set itself apart as the type of golf course that tends to bring the creme of the crop to the top. If the first round of this year's British Open is any indicator of how the rest of the tournament will play out, we could expect to see some of golf's best battling it out for the coveted major championship. While there were many great first round scores, one man's round was exceptionally better than the rest. That man was Adam Scott of Australia.

After an early bogey, Scott quickly bounced back and found his groove. His drives were precise, irons were steady, and putting game was confidently consistent. Scott came to the 17th hole on par to tie the record score (63) for the lowest round of any major ever. With a chance to make history, he settled for a par on the 17th and a bogey on the 18th to finish with a 6-under 64. Scott's score tied the course record set by Tom Lehman in 1996.

While Scott has never previously won a major, many of the players atop the leaderboard are former major winners. Paul Lawrie and Zach Johnson are one shot off the lead. Ernie Els, Bubba Watson, Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, and Tiger Woods are all three shots back. That makes 7 of the top 13 in the leaderboard former major winners, who have won a combined 22 majors (14 by Woods). The other non-major winners near the top of the leaderboard are Nicolas Colsaerts (one shot back); Brandt Snedeker (two shots back); and Toshinori Muto, Steve Stricker, and Peter Hanson (all three shots back).

Royal Lytham has really distinguished itself as one of the greatest venues in the world. While it is only 6,973 yards in length, it more than compensates for it with its 205 bunkers and rough that swallows any balls that venture near it. In fact, since the Official World Golf Ranking debuted in 1986, every winner at Royal Lytham has been ranked #1 at one at some point in their career. No other course can boast of such an accomplishment.

Looking at our current leaderboard, the three former #1 ranked players are Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, and Rory McIlroy. If the aforementioned trend continues, these could be three of the top contenders to win the Open. Woods had a very good first round, hitting 13 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens. His putting may need to improve if he is going to win. Els is a savvy veteran who is a former Open Championship winner. McIlroy won his first career major last year. He could be in prime position for a run at his second.

While that is all merely speculation, there are some things we can seem to bank on for the rest of the tournament. If first round scores are any indicators, we could be in for some excellent golf. Royal Lytham has provided a beautiful venue for the golfers and spectators. We appear to be in for some very exciting and well played golf. I look forward to seeing what takes place the rest of the way.

Woods Earns 74th Career PGA Win Passing Nicklaus

Tiger Woods holds his trophy after winning the 2012 AT&T National at Congressional in Bethesda, Maryland (Pete Marovich)

Tiger Woods is beginning to leave his critics with little left to say. Being among the leaders, Woods came into the final round of the AT&T National in the final pairing. He and Bo Van Pelt were one shot behind surprising Brendon de Jonge of Zimbabwe. Unfortunately for the Zimbabwean, his success didn't carry over to Sunday.

That meant it came down to Woods and Van Pelt. Early on during the final round, Woods took the lead, but each time Van Pelt answered with a birdie of his own. The two went to 16th hole all level. Van Pelt had a 345-yard tee shot, which meant he needed only a 6-iron from there. Woods looked to be in trouble when his tee shot struck a spectator in the left rough. However, a few poor errors by Van Pelt left him to settle for a bogey. Woods managed to recover enough to earn the same fate.

More unforced mistakes by Van Pelt led to his demise. On the 17th, he went through the rough, then over the green to near the grandstand, before finally managing to salvage bogey. Woods stayed calm and confident while making par, without any real difficulty. He took his one shot lead to the 18th hole. With Van Pelt in trouble again, Woods knew all he needed was to tap in for par to seal the win. He did just that.

The win was Woods' 74th of his PGA Career, passing Jack Nicklaus for 2nd all-time. He is now just eight wins behind Sam Snead's record. The win was also Woods' third this year, the most of any golfer on the PGA Tour. While he remains #4 in the world, he did take the lead in the PGA Tour money list and in the FedEx Cup standings for the first time since September 2009.

When asked about Woods' play, Van Pelt stated, "I think he's the only player to guy to win three tournaments on tour this year, is that correct? On three different golf courses. And he was leading the U.S. Open after two days. So I'd say that he is playing the best golf in the world right now." I happen to agree with Van Pelt's assessment. During one stretch here at Congressional, Woods went 41 holes without a bogey. That's vintage Tiger. While he isn't going to be perfect, he is going to be very, very good. This win is just another display to showcase that Tiger Woods is indeed back in form.

Furyk, Toms, and Woods Tied for 2012 U.S. Open Lead

Tiger Woods acknowledges the crowd during Day 2 of the 2012 U.S. Open (Ben Margot)

No one said winning the U.S. Open would be easy. Olympic Club in San Francisco has been giving the PGA's top golfers all they can handle and than some. Round 2 saw the world's #1 Luke Donald and #2 Rory McIlroy miss the cut. So did Masters champion Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson, who was coming off a PGA Tour win last week.

You might me be wondering well who is in the lead. There are three wily, old veterans tied for the lead and who are looking to prove they've still got what it takes to win a major.

After winning the U.S. Open in 2003, Jim Furyk is looking to become the tournament's first multiple winner since Tiger Woods won his third in 2008. Furyk finished Friday's second round early with his 1-under 69. He gained the lead when first round leader Michael Thompson lost his stroke.

2001 PGA champion David Toms is also striving for another major win. Toms remained steady as can be during a straightforward even-par 70 for Friday's second round. His two bogeys on the front nine where remedied for by two birdies on the back nine.

Then, there is Tiger Woods, who is seeking to win his 15th major and to return to the level of greatness he achieved earlier in his career. During Friday's second round, Woods overcame three straight bogeys on the front nine for an even-par 70.

With Furyk, Toms, and Woods tied for the tournament lead at 1-under 139, the rest of the field sits over par. Of course, all of the attention will be on Woods. He is a media magnet and will likely have the support of the crowd on his side. Furyk and Toms have shown calm, veteran demeanors. They have positioned themselves well for making a run to win it all. Another player I would keep an eye on is Graeme McDowell, who remains just two shots off the lead. Two years ago, McDowell won a similarly difficult U.S. Open. I guess you could say he knows how to win ugly in a sense. It will be interesting to keep an eye on these golfers as we watch to see who will win the 2012 U.S. Open.

Tiger is Back on the Prowl

Tiger Woods has been through some pretty dark and dreary days. Woods went through an ugly public scandal, 26 tour events, and 923 days since winning a PGA Tour event. All of that is now history. Today, Woods finished the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill with a 2-under 70 final round. He won easily by five shots of Graeme McDowell. Woods could hardly contain his excitement during his tap in for par on the 18th. After it rolled in, he yelled, "Yeah!" and did the famous fist pump.

Woods would be the first to tell you this just a simple tour win. He said afterwards, "It's not like winning a major championship or anything, but it certainly feels really good." He also described the win as "pure joy." Woods is correct that it is just a tour event win, but it was a dominant win. A win reminiscent of the vintage Tiger we all loved. The question becomes whether or not the new Tiger can regain the some of the convincing success of the old.

The win returns Woods to the top 10 of the PGA rankings at #6. Golfers at Bay Hill were well aware of Woods' outstanding performance. Ian Poulter stated afterwards about Woods that, "He is going to be a force at Augusta." We will just have to see if that is the case. Woods stated his case for it in this tour event. The win not only ended the drought, but reminded viewers of the olden days. Tiger Woods appears to be back. And folks, that is a story worth following.

Lefty and Tiger Head to Head Once Again

The final round at Pebble Beach saw two familiar faces paired once again. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have won a combined 111 PGA Tour events and 18 major championships. On Sunday, they were grouped again for the 30th time. Many viewers hoped for another thrilling finish. They got a thrilling performance, but that does not mean the final scores were close.

In fact, Mickelson pretty much wasted Woods on Sunday. He beat Tiger by 11 strokes with an 8-under 64. Lefty entered the day six strokes off the lead, but ended up winning by three. He had the lowest score of the day by three shots. In his dominating round, Mickelson made two beautiful long putts to save par and didn't have a single bogey. The victory gave Lefty his 40th career PGA Tour title, putting him in ninth-place all time.

Jim "Bones" Mackay has been Mickelson's caddie since his professional debut in 1992 (actually also at Pebble Beach). Following Lefty's incredible final round, Mackay stated, "Phil's a big-stage kind of a guy. I think it's fair to say that he enjoys what you saw out there today. He loves playing with Tiger. He loves having the chance to win tournaments. I think he gets fired up to have everybody watching."

Many viewers were indeed watching, which was good for a sport that has suffered in popularity since Woods' scandal. It was great to see these two old rivals at it once again. It was awesome to see Mickelson play so well once again. It was nice to see the sport matter once again for a day. For one Sunday, two old boys shared the spotlight once again. How many more times will this happen again? It is impossible to know for sure. What is for sure is that this day belonged to Phil Mickelson.