121027575The last two or three holes of a major championship golf course are supposed to strike fear into the heart of every golfer in the field, but it's safe to say the final three holes at Atlanta Athletic Club are taking the fear factor to a whole new level.

Just ask Luke Donald, who was cruising along in his third round at 5-under (4-under for the tournament) when he stepped on the tee at the 16th, and promptly watched 15 holes of of hard work go down the drain.

Following a bogey on the 16th, Donald hit his drive on the 18th into the fairway bunker, and proceeded to knock his third into the water on the right side of the green. The double bogey took Donald from 4-under to 1-under in the span of just three holes, and proved once again that this year's PGA Championship will most definitely be decided on the final three holes at Atlanta Athletic Club.

Despite being at 1-under for the tournament, Donald is still very much in contention, sitting just a handful of shot back of the leaders. But

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Tiger Woods is the biggest name to miss the cut at the PGA Championship, but he wasn't the only favorite that had to pack up early and catch a flight back home for the weekend.

Check out some of the other top-ranked players in the world that weren't able to get in the money this week.

Martin Kaymer-- World Ranking: 3 -- The defending champion gave back the Wanamaker Trophy on Monday, and then promptly made sure he wouldn't have a chance to take it back home. Following a 3-over 73 on Friday, Kaymer missed the cut by one shot. He finished 2011 with missed cuts at the Masters and PGA Championship.

Jason Day -- 7 -- Day would be in contention this week ... if he didn't have to play the final three holes at Atlanta Athletic Club. Considered one of the toughest stretches in golf, Day went 6-over on the holes over two rounds, missing the cut by a shot.

Dustin Johnson -- 8 -- If there's one player that really

Tiger Woods continues to say his new swing is a work in progress, but following one of the worst major championship weeks of his career, it's hard to see any positives in the direction his swing, and career, are headed.

Woods entered the PGA Championship with numerous questions regarding the state of his game and health. Most were hoping that he could answer a few of those questions in his second tournament back after a three-month layoff, but following his first missed cut in 14 PGA Championship appearances, Woods left Atlanta Athletic Club with more questions than answers.

Friday got off to a quiet start, as Woods parred the first four holes of the day. But as usual, the rollercoaster ride began. He bogeyed two of the next three holes, before carding back-to-back birdies to finish his front nine at even par.

For a moment it seemed like he was turning things around, as he finally started to look comfortable for the first time since Thursday morning. But in typical Woods fashion, he

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Phil Mickelson doesn't have the fondest of memories when it comes to Atlanta Athletic Club, site of the PGA Championship. The last time he was here in 2001, Mickelson watched David Toms lay-up on the 72nd hole, before holing a 20-footer to win his first and only major.

While Mickelson probably still remembers that final round, the Atlanta Athletic Club course he played back in 2001 is nothing like the one he's playing this week.

That's because golf course architect Rees Jones redesigned the course in 2003, making some significant changes that Mickelson clearly isn't a fan of. Following a 1-over 71 on Thursday, he ripped into Jones' redesign.

"... I also think if you look at the four par 3s here, it's a perfect example of how modern architecture is killing the game, because these holes are unplayable for the member," Mickelson said.

Mickelson went on to point the finger at Jones' redesign as a big reason why the game of golf hasn't increased in popularity over the years -- it's because

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He wasn't the favorite by any means coming into the PGA Championship, but following the best finish of his career in the United State -- a T-4 at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational -- there were some that considered Ryo Ishikawa to be a darkhorse candidate at the final major of the year.

At 19 and with only 10 major champions starts under his belt coming to Atlanta Athletic Club, it seemed like he was light on experience, but with a rock-solid swing and a deft touch around the greens, it didn't seem out of the question to see another youngster in the mix.

But after looking like the up-and-coming player we've seen time and time again at Firestone, Ishikawa looked, incredibly, like a normal 19-year-old on Thursday, knocking balls in the water with relative ease and piling up bogeys on his way to an unthinkable 15-over 85, that currently has him in last place.

[ Related: See how far Tiger Woods fell on Day 1 ]

So what are we supposed to make of the round? Well, it's tough to say at this

120763802We've reached the PGA Championship, the final major of the season. It's the field's last chance for majors glory in 2011. So who's going to take the prize at Atlanta? We'll run down the top players' chances, continuing with one of the most in-form players in golf.

Adam Scott

Current world ranking: 9

So far this year: Scott hasn't exactly been the model of consistency this season. After finishing T-21 to start the season, he promptly missed two consecutive cuts, before finding his game and notching six top-25 finishes in his last nine starts. He also won at Firestone, blowing away the field and quickly becoming one of the players to watch at the PGA Championship.

Record at the PGA Championship: His recent record would tell you he might not contend this week. Following a T-9 and T-3 in 2004 and 2006, Scott missed the cut in two of his last four appearances.

Why he could win: Because he finally seems to be getting comfortable with the fact that he's one of the best players in the game.

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Despite what some people might think, no job in the world is safe from the dreaded pink slip. Being a caddie on the PGA Tour is no different. Sure, you have those rare player-caddie relationships that look like they'll never end but eventually, there comes a time when both parties decide it's time to move on to greener pastures.

Following a run of 13 major championship victories with Tiger Woods, many people thought Stevie Williams would remain on the bag of the former No. 1 for the foreseeable future.

But following Woods' announcement that Williams' services were no longer needed, it's clear that even the best partnerships don't have staying power. However, there's always one exception to the rule, and that exception is Phil Mickelson and caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay.

The two have been together for over 15 years and have enjoyed four major championship victories. They're not only good friends on the course, but off it as well. If ever there was a player-caddie pairing that could break

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Welcome to "Glory's last shot," I mean, the PGA Championship. For every golfer in the field this week, this tournament represents the last chance to grab some big-time hardware before the end of the year.

With so many top players in the field at Atlanta Athletic Club, here are five groups you should consider keeping an eye on in the first two rounds. Based on their current form, there's a good chance a couple names could be in contention on Sunday afternoon.

Matt Kuchar, Lee Westwood, Jason Day (first round 1:55 p.m. EST; second round 8:55 a.m.): This threesome doesn't have a major title, but they have had some success at the PGA Championship in recent years. Day and Kuchar finished T-10 last year, while Westwood finished T-3 in 2009 (he missed the 2010 PGA with an injury). Only Westwood has a win this year, but the sheer consistency of all three players means this is a group to watch at Atlanta Athletic Club -- especially since all three players are long off the tee.

Dustin Johnson,