Vijay Singh's Putting Stroke Sure is Pure

If you didn't catch the Bridgestone Invitational yesterday at Firestone, you actually missed watching some of the top professional golfers on the planet choking harder than an infant throwing back a 20-ounce porterhouse.

Phil Mickelson was right in the mix, driving that car to the winner's circle until he bogeyed three of his last four holes, all sloppy, all ill-timed, all Mickelson-y.

Everyone's favorite Fijian golfer, Vijay Singh, decided that what Mickelson was doing looked fun, and after making four birdies in his six holes, bogeyed three coming in with a putter that looked shakier than an extra on "Turbulence" with Tourettes (sorry, I'm honing in on my inner-Rick Reilly this morning for some reason).

You know when athletes have quotes that are so deep, so meaningful you realize why they're pros and you're not? Well, this isn't one of those times.

"I was wondering if I tried to hit it as close as possible so I didn't leave myself a putt," Singh said.

Does any of that sentence make sense to you? I'm fairly confused at the point he was making, but I think he is saying that he thought he might wonder if he hit it close to the hole the putt would be as long?

Here, I'll make it a formula.

(Hitting ball far from hole) ~ + (hitting it close to the hole) * (pin) - (wind direction at the time) / (hitting ball and not ground) = birdie

Got it? Anyway, it was Singh's first WGC title of his career but I still can't consider him a favorite this week at Oakland Hills with that putter. It wasn't pretty, and that's saying a lot when talking about Veej.

Photo courtesy of Stuart Franklin, Getty Images

And Lefty Is Doing Exactly What Lefty Does

I mentioned it earlier this week in my picks, but Phil Mickelson always seems to win events when he has absolutely zero pressure from the media. It's the Bridgestone Invitational, but it isn't even the most talked about event this week because of a certain Michelle Wie.

Well, he's going by the book accordingly, shooting two-under on the front nine today at Firestone to move into a tie with Retief Goosen at the top of the leaderboard. Schmickey has yet to make a bogey this week and also has yet to eat anything Animal Style either.

You can keep up with live scoring here or just assume Tiger wins and go about your day.

Photo props to Stuart Franklin, Getty

Why is Chris DiMarco Playing in the Bridgestone?

You remember Chris DiMarco, right? He's the guy with the claw grip, the bad attitude and the near defeat of Tiger Woods in the 2005 Masters.

He was always one of those guys that people had in their "Major championship sleeper" columns up until he forgot how to play. Last year he finished 93rd on the FedEx Cup point list and this year he's 163rd, making just eight of 19 cuts thus far in '08.

So, why the hell is he included in the Bridgestone Invitational?

Apparently, being a part of the 2006 Ryder Cup team (a proud moment in American history) landed them the invite.

Not much better off is Chris DiMarco, who has made only eight cuts in 19 starts on the PGA Tour, has yet to qualify for a major this year and is now No. 207 in the world. Then there's Vaughn Taylor, who also has fallen on hard times after coping with allergies and vertigo last year that caused him to sink to No. 178.

All of them have the Ryder Cup to thank for their tee time this week. Six players from the 2006 team that got clobbered at The K Club in Ireland are no longer in the top 50 in the world, but they are eligible for this World Golf Championship.

That isn't fair, if DiMarco is in, Michelle Wie should be in. She was also great about the last time DiMarco was relevant. I'm starting a petition.

(Also, the bow tie, seriously? It looks like he stole that from an extra in Dick Tracey.)