- Tiger Vs. Ben:  Following Tiger Woods’ recent victory at Bay Hill, much attention was paid – quite justifiably, to be sure – to Woods’ equaling Ben Hogan’s career record of 64 wins.  Part of the congratulatory chorus, however, was predicated upon the implied notion that Tiger’s record was inherently more impressive, having been accumulated by the tender age of 32.  That he has done so much so fast is, undeniably, a special thing, but here’s an interesting point to consider:  Tiger won his 64th event in his 233rd official PGA Tour start, a dazzling accomplishment in that it equates to a 27.5% winning percentage.  Hogan, on the other hand, was forced by his 1949 car accident to follow an entirely different sort of schedule, playing only a handful of events each year from 1950 onward.  Consequently, while Hogan was 46 at the time of his 64th and final victory (the 1959 Colonial), he claimed it in only his 266th start, for a 24.1% average.  More interestingly, Hogan’s 1959 win can almost be viewed as a fluke, for it was separated from his last seriously competitive season (1953) by six years and 18 official starts.  Thus if we consider only Hogan’s “primary” years, he amassed 63 wins in 245 starts, a 25.7% rate that nearly matches the 27.2% average (63/232) that Tiger managed in claiming his first 63 titles.  This is not an attempt at building up Hogan or diminishing Woods, but rather just a reminder that a whole lot of golf’s new vs. old comparisons are far less simple than they may at first appear.

- Welcome Back:  After missing the last seven months with rheumatic pain in his shoulder and groin, Spain’s Jose Maria Olazabal makes a cautious comeback this week at the European Tour’s Andalucia Open.  A 29-time winner worldwide, including the 1994 and ’99 Masters, the 42-year-old Olazabal’s last appearance came at August’s PGA Championship, where he missed the cut.  He’s playing this week on a sponsor exemption, but is downplaying expectations significantly, stating “I am going to test myself and see how I feel, how does my body react. I am coming to the Aloha Golf Club with doubts, I am not sure whether it will be a matter of just one week and then back home, or I can continue playing some more tournaments."  Olazabal is clearly still young enough to have some great golf left in front of him…if his body will cooperate.

- Too Silly For Silly Season?:  I’m not sure whether it’s the general pointlessness of the concept or the Golf Channel announcers’ constant fawning over “this great event,” but the Tavistock Cup strikes me as an event that belongs in late March; it’s way too silly to embarrass Autumn’s vaunted Silly Season with.  Fair enough; when it’s played on a Monday and Tuesday, it’s easy enough to ignore.  The more pressing question is this: If Tiger Woods had somehow found a way to win at Doral last weekend, how many of golf’s talking heads would today be arguing that Isleworth’s victory over Lake Nona in the epic event simply must count towards Tiger’s ongoing streak?

- Quotable:  “I obviously didn't read the lie very well the first chip, and then the second chip was traveling. I guess that's why you want to hit it straight” – Geoff Ogilvy on holing his fast-moving third shot – which rattled in off the flagstick for a crucial par – during the final round of the WGC-CA Championship.

- Easy Come, Easy Go:  For the many of you who dedicated off-season time to studying the Japanese ladies schedule...   The JLPGA had originally intended to spend this week playing its first-ever overseas event, a tournament tentatively named the JLPGA Australian Championship.  It was cancelled  after potential sponsorship deals fell through amidst the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis, leaving the 37-event tour with an open slot this week, and demonstrating, I suppose, that we really are in a world economy now.