He is the third best golfer in the world right now, but he hasn't won a PGA Tour event since 1998. He has never won a major championship but he has finished in the top-three the last three big ones. He is arguably the best golfer to come out of the United Kingdom since Nick Faldo, but when it comes to taking home trophies, he comes up short.

With another U.S. Open looming a week away, Lee Westwood decided to play the St. Jude Classic as a preparation for Pebble Beach. So far, it seems that was a great idea.

Westwood is tied for the lead with Garrett Willis, nine-under after two days in Memphis. He is hitting the ball far (302 yards per poke), making his putts (tied for fifth at the St. Jude) and has found 70 percent of the greens in regulation.

While a win here would be huge for a guy like Westwood, it is apparent that the focus is next week, at a tournament that he can win.

If his play continues, it might not just be the St. Jude that Westwood dominates. Pebble Beach might finally be

Golf fans probably do a double-take when glancing past Casey Wittenberg's name. "I've heard of that guy," they probably say when his name appears randomly here or there.

He was the runner-up in the 2003 U.S. Amateur, where he was known more that week for his cocky attitude on the course than his impressive play. (At one point in a match, he started walking to the next tee as a putt was 5-feet out, not even looking as it disappeared in the cup to win the hole.) Although that attitude might not be well received, we've learned that the great ones must have it.

Back in junior golf, I remember walking past Wittenberg on the range during a muggy first round in Alabama only to notice he was wearing pants, the only kid in the field doing such a thing.

The road toughened for Wittenberg after his amateur days, when he joined Phil Mickelson in Butler Cabin after closing the '04 Masters with a back-nine 31, the lowest ever shot by an amateur at Augusta National (he'd make the cut in both majors he

When you think Pebble Beach and the U.S. Open, "the shot" comes to mind. In deep rough, 71st hole, needs to save par; these were the elements before Tom Watson pulled off one of the most stunning chips in the history of this championship. He went on to win that major, one of eight in his career. Mr. Watson took a few minutes out of his busy schedule leading up to another major at Pebble to chat with Devil Ball.

Bacon: You're returning to Pebble next week, obviously site of your 1982 victory. What's it like going back to a venue that brings back such positive memories and how does that help you play well during the week?

Watson: The main thing is, how many times have I played the golf course, is a factor that I look at as a real positive. I've played (Pebble) a number of times in all kinds of conditions. The U.S. Open conditions, the Crosby/AT&T conditions. There are three holes that are new on it, basically, you've got the length at 9, 10 and 13. That's the question mark. If they

Each week, we break down the coming week's tournament, giving you the big dogs, the sleepers, and the storylines to watch. This week, it's the tournament before the U.S. Open, but still a solid field despite a few guys dropping out. Here is who we've got our eye on:

David Toms: Who cares if the shoulder injury has derailed his career, Toms owns TPC Southwind. He has two victories at the event, and has had some decent finishes the last few weeks, so expect Toms to bring the magic again.

Ben Crane: He has snuck under the radar this season as one of the most consistent golfers, with three top-7 finishes in his last three events. He is fifth on the FedEx Cup list, and has played well at the St. Jude before, including a top 20 last season.

Robert Allenby: The guy hasn't won since 2001, but he is playing some of the best golf of his career this season, and is in a field that doesn't have a lot of experience. Can the St. Jude be his breakthrough?

Rory McIlroy: How can you not pick this kid

I'm sure a few of you reading this are big soccer fans. This Friday you'll be at work, knocking out a few reports and spreadsheets while the World Cup kicks off. You'll most likely be antsy, ready to get out of the office so you can be home for the weekend and catch some of the better matches.

Imagine you just decided that on Friday you weren't going to work. Instead of calling in sick, you email your boss, "You know sir, I'd rather watch soccer than be at work. Have a good weekend!"

You, sir, are Nathan Green, a PGA Tour player who won the Canadian Open a year ago. Green finished tied for 41st at last week's Memorial and was set to qualify for the U.S. Open on Monday, along with a week at the St. Jude Classic. Green bagged on both, telling a reporter that he'd rather watch soccer than play golf. Seriously.

“I’m really not that interested in playing it,” Green said. “I’d rather sit home on the couch and watch soccer than beat my head against a brick wall for four days.”

Ahh, the

When doing a little research on the man that is now Ty Tryon, I ran across this lead on his Wikipedia page, and it says everything you need to know about the public perception of Tryon: "William Augustus `Ty' Tryon IV (born June 2, 1984) is an American professional golfer who was touted as a child prodigy, but has yet to make a competitive impact in the sport."

The most telling part of that entire introduction to the kid that once made a cut on the PGA Tour when he was 16? He was born in 1984, making him barely 26 years old. Most golfers hardly find their game until late in their 20s, yet the expectations with Tryon have always been more hefty than a McDonald's dumpster.

On Monday in Rockville, Md., Tryon qualified for the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, his first appearance in a major championship and something that shouldn't come as much surprise to anyone that knows the talents of Tryon. While he hasn't done a ton of good things on the PGA Tour (his last appearance was way back in 2003),

Update: Romo withdrew from qualifying after a tough start to his second round that included quadruple-bogey on his first hole and air horns that ended the day after four holes.

When play ends on Monday at the Carlton Woods Club in Houston, two golfers will have earned spots into the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

After 18 holes of the 36 hole qualifier, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo still has a legitimate shot at being one of the two.

Romo, who had to sneak through a playoff in local qualifying to make it to the next cut, shot a one-under 71 in wet conditions that was stopped by a weather delay to put himself within earshot of the leaders after the first round. Sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open is always 36 holes, and the field will attempt to conclude the rest of its round Monday afternoon.

Romo's round was bogey-free, but he made a nasty triple-bogey on the fourth hole, a 535-yard par-5. He was 3-over at that point, and some thought it was probably doomsday for Romo, but he

The only number you need to know about Tiger Woods' golf swing right now is three. That is the total number of fans that fell victim to Tiger's errant tee shots on Sunday at the Memorial, where he posted a final round 72 to finish tied for 19th.

Jeramy May, Alan Flood and Jimmy Craig were all introduced to the Nike golf ball Tiger was playing in the rudest way possible, and if there are people that can explain how bad Woods is swinging it, it should be those three.

In four tournaments this season, Tiger has hit just 54.4 percent of his fairways, good for 163rd on tour. Maybe more telling is how short Tiger is hitting it on average (just 281 yards per poke), meaning that Woods is swinging far too many fairway woods and irons because, as a guy that tends to miss fairways can tell you, the driver scares him.

It would be one thing if the misses were going the same way, but that isn't the case. Tiger drilled May and Flood with hooks left, but pushed his tee shot on 15 when he smoked Craig