Ranking top 50 golfers: Nos. 30-21

We started ranking the top 50 golfers in the world with the bottom 10 (though that's a bottom 10 list I would love to be a part of). Then we did Nos. 40-31. Today we continue with Nos. 30-21.

These are the guys that are elite but not part of superstardom. Most are headed in opposite directions. Hideki Matsuyama, for example, is probably ticketed for the top 20. Luke Donald and Lee Westwood, not so much.

A reminder of my criteria: If you took every golfer alive and put them in a simulation where they played a random tournament 1 million times, this is the order they would finish most often.

That is, if every golfer in the world played a massive tournament 1 million times, Tiger Woods would likely finish first most often (I guess I'm giving some of my list away now).

You could say "Well, just take the top 50 in the world golf rankings" and that would work, I guess. But that's kind of boring and I think we can all agree it's a little broken (unless you believe Rory McIlroy was a top-five player for much of 2013).

This is a list for right now, not a rolling list for the past two years.

Here are Nos. 30-21:

Rank	Player	Analysis
21		Sergio Garcia: The Spainard has competition from countrymenGonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Miguel Angel Jimenez but he had maybe his most efficient season ever in 2013 (no missed cuts). As good as he has ever been.
22		Jim Furyk: Missed the cut at the both Opens then finished second at the PGA Championship before shooting 59 at the BMW Championship and then missing the Presidents Cup team. Still great but no longer part of the upper crust.
23		Charl Schwartzel: He might have my favorite swing in golf. I think he has at least two more major wins in him.
24		Luke Donald: Donald frustrates me. It feels like he should be a lot more prolific than he actually is. Still, I can't drop him outside the top 25.
25		Lee Westwood: Speaking of players who frustrate me ... I'm just going to keep citing his two career PGA Tour wins until it changes.
26		Hideki Matsuyama: How's this for impressive? He finished T10 at the US Open, T6 at the British Open and T19 at the PGA Championship consecutively.
27		Jamie Donaldson: One of my favorites on the European Tour. Five top eights in his past six events. I think that's good.
28		Graham DeLaet: Had about as good a year as a golfer can have without winning. Over 100 spots between him and Canada's second-best. Two hundred between him and Canada's third-best. And 400 between him and Canada's fourth-best.
29		Thomas Bjorn: Was as low as No. 93 in the world this summer but has now won two of his past eight events. There's a great stat floating around out there about most starts at a major without winning. Westwood, I believe, has the most with 63, Sergio has 61, Bjorn has 50.
30		Ernie Els: Look at the Big Easy just hanging around. He actually rose to as high as No. 13 in the world this summer but fell off a bit at the end. As smart and competitive a golfer as there is.

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Teenage golf sensation Lydia Ko signs with IMG

Wellington - New Zealand teen sensation Lydia Ko announced Friday she had signed with management giant IMG Worldwide, just two months after turning professional following a stellar amateur career.

The 16-year-old, who won her first pro tournament in Taiwan on Sunday is already ranked number four in the world, generating a wave of hype that has seen Time magazine name her as one of the world's most influential teens.

Ko, whose grounded attitude has impressed pundits, said having IMG manage her affairs would allow her to concentrate on her game.

"My family and I spoke with many candidates and IMG emerged as the clear choice to represent me, in large part because of their global reach," she said in a statement.

"I am comfortable knowing that IMG will commit the appropriate resources to help my career excel while I focus on golf."

The Korean-born prodigy will be keen to avoid the pitfalls experienced by her American stablemate at IMG Michelle Wie, who has failed to live up to expectations since turning pro aged 15 in 2005.

The US LPGA usually restricts membership to golfers aged 18 and over but granted Ko a special waiver because of her achievements as an amateur, which included becoming the youngest player to ever win a pro tournament at 14.

She won four professional tournaments as an amateur but had to forgo millions of dollars in prize money and sponsorships, a situation IMG will no doubt be quick to rectify when it takes over her management.

"We will be employing all of our experience and our global resources to her benefit," IMG's global head of golf Guy Kinnings said.

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Golf Schedule to 15

PGA Tour: Franklin Templeton Shootout, Florida (to 15)

European Tour: The Nelson Mandela Championship, Durban (to 15)

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Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose share lead in Thailand

CHONBURI, Thailand -- Propelled by a hole in one, Sergio Garcia carded a 7-under 65 Friday to share the lead with Justin Rose halfway through the Thailand Championship.

Garcia, who finished fourth last year, had a bogey-free round which included an ace on the 236-yard eighth hole.

Rose, the U.S. Open champion, followed a birdie on the second hole with a bogey on the third, and came back to sink two birdies and then eagle the 11th for a 68 at Amata Spring Country Club.

Their two-round tally was at 11-under 133, two strokes ahead of Anirban Lahiri (64), Alexander Levy (65) and Alex Cejka (71).

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Rain reduces Nelson Mandela Championship to 54 holes

A waterlogged course at Mount Edgecombe on the first two days of the European Tour's Nelson Mandela Challenge in Durban has forced organisers to shorten the tournament to 54 holes.

The first round was still to be completed early on Friday, the third day of competition, with England's Daniel Brooks holding a one-shot clubhouse lead at eight-under par.

The start of this year's tournament was brought forward by 24 hours to avoid clashing with the funeral of former South African President Nelson Mandela on Sunday.

Last year's tournament, won by Scott Jamieson, was also hit hard by the weather and was played over 36 holes.

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Rose and Garcia take over at the top in Thailand

Bangkok - Ryder Cup teammates Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose played sparkling golf to move into the joint lead of the $1 million Thailand Golf Championship after the second round at Amata Spring Country Club on Friday.

Garcia fired a sizzling seven-under par 65 which included a hole-in-one at the eighth, while Rose shot an accomplished 68 as the duo reached 11-under for the tournament.

Rose and Garcia are two strokes ahead of overnight leader Alex Cejka of Germany, France's Alexander Levy and India's Anirban Lahiri, who shot the day's lowest score, a magnificent eight-under 64. A further stroke behind was America's Rickie Fowler.

Pre-tournament favourite Henrik Stenson improved on his opening round with a 67 to move into joint seventh place with a cluster of players including Thailand's leading contender Kiradech Aphibarnrat and India's Sujjan Singh.

"It was a wonderful day," said a happy Garcia who in addition to his hole-in- one, sunk five birdies. "The hole-in-one was an extra bonus. It is always an exciting feeling," said Garcia. It was his third ace in tournament play.

Garcia, who has his girlfriend on the bag, said he felt comfortable with his form. "I've been playing well both days," he said. "But there are still two days to go."

Rose said he was pleased with his score despite a rather shaky beginning. "It was a funny round," he said. "I got off to a slow start," which included a bogey at the third.

He added: "I had more trouble reading the greens today and was fortunate to make some big putts to save par."

However after a birdie at the ninth his game really stepped up.

"That birdie really got me going," Rose said.

And things soon got even better when he was rewarded with an eagle at the 11th.

"My approach was the best iron shot I have hit in months," he said. "I'm looking forward to playing with Sergio in the third round."

Overnight leader Cejka said he had played quite well but a double bogey at the 18th spoilt his day.

"That double was a real pity, otherwise it would have been a decent round," he said.

Lahiri found himself in possession of a hot putter, sinking six birdies, and an eagle at the par-five 11th hole.

"I've had a great day," he said. "I felt like I could sink everything."

The Indian star said his form had been good for some time.

"I've been knocking at the door in recent months, but just haven't quite finished it off."

Fowler celebrated his 25th birthday in the best possible way with a 66, featuring a string of birdies on the back nine.

"I finally got things going and hit some better putts," he said. "It was nice to finish off strong."

Defending champion Charl Schwartzel was well down the field in joint 19th place after a disappointing 73.

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New Quebec venue for Champions Tour event

LEVIS, Quebec -- The Champions Tour event that was played in Montreal the past four years will be moving to the Quebec City area next summer.

Promoter Synchro Sports announced Friday the $1.6 million tournament will be held Sept. 5-7 at the La Tempete Golf Club. It is the first PGA Tour-sanctioned event in the area since Billy Casper won the 1956 Labatt Open.

The tournament will be called the Quebec City Championship. The event was called The Montreal Championship the last four years and was won by Larry Mize in 2010, John Cook in 2011, Mark Calcavecchia in 2012 and Esteban Toledo in 2013.

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Campillo, Nel shoot record 59s but fail to enter history books

Spain's Jorge Campillo and South African Colin Nel became the first players to card 59s on the European Tour in a birdie fest at the Nelson Mandela Championship on Friday but their efforts will not go into the record books.

Campillo, yet to win a tour event, fired seven birdies and two eagles in a faultless round made easier by the fact the players were able to place the ball on the par-70 Mount Edgecombe course in Durban due to the soft fairways.

As a result, the round will not be entered into the record books.

The 27-year-old shares the second-round clubhouse lead at 11 under par with England's Matthew Baldwin after Campillo had carded a level-par 70 in the first.

Nel, who shot a 77 in his opening round, managed nine birdies and an eagle to improve by 18 shots.

Organisers hope to finish the second round on Friday having reduced the tournament to 54 holes in the morning.

The tournament will end on Saturday as the start was brought forward by 24 hours to avoid a clash with the funeral of Nelson Mandela on Sunday.

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Brooks keeps lead as rain interrupts Mandela Championship

Englishman Daniel Brooks retained his slender lead at the Nelson Mandela Championship without playing a shot as persistent rain forced another suspension in Durban on Thursday.

Brooks, who has never finished in the top 10 on the European Tour, carded an eight-under 62 in the first round on Wednesday to establish a one-shot advantage over Frenchman Francois Calmels.

In the four hours of play possible on Thursday, South African Oliver Bekker advanced to six under through 14 holes to join French pair Edouard Dubois and Romain Wattel in third before a saturated course brought a halt to the day's proceedings.

"You just keep your head down and grind. There's nothing you can do about (the weather)," Bekker told the European Tour's website.

"If you can get past the mental battle and accept that it's the same for everyone, then I think you've already beaten half of the field.

"I'm actually happy with the delay, to be honest. The weather is brutal out there at the moment and I've got a couple of tough holes coming up. The forecast for (Friday) and Saturday is pretty good, so if it clears up we could get a few good rounds in."

Play on Wednesday was suspended for darkness following a seven-hour delay to the start of the round at the Mount Edgecombe Country Club.

Scott Jamieson won the inaugural Nelson Mandela Championship in 2012 when rain meant the tournament was shortened to 36 holes. He will resume on Friday on two over par in his first round with five holes to play.

The start of this year's tournament was brought forward 24 hours to avoid a clash with the funeral of former South African president Nelson Mandela on Sunday.

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Greg Norman thinks he would have beat Tiger Woods back in his prime

It's a trend we've seen with certain golf legends who have become a bit more expressive the older they've become, saying just about anything that comes to mind as the years continue to add up.

Jack Nicklaus has been the king of this, but names like Johnny Miller and Arnold Palmer and Gary Player all come to mind as men who have become more open about stuff as the years have added up.

Welcome Greg Norman to that elite group of major champions that said something that definitely will raise an eyebrow or two around the golf world. Norman, now 58, was interviewed by David DeNunzio over at Golf.comand was asked about the prime of his golfing life and how equipment would play a factor if his prime happened to be 2013.

I'm warning you, put the hot coffee down now before you read Norman's response.

A lot of people ask how I'd stack up against today's players if I had use of modern equipment. Listen, it's not about the gear. Winning is about what's in your heart and in your head. Equipment dictates how to play the game in an era, but the physical and mental skills are the same. And I had them. I never feared anything or anyone on the course, and I wasn't afraid to fail. So I think I'd do pretty well against Snead, Hogan, Tiger and Phil -- whoever. Tiger's a tough guy, but I was a tough guy on the course, too. I probably would have beat him.

Now, before we dig into this assertion from Norman that he would probably have beat Tiger Woods let me make a point that I tend to make whenever we come across a situation like this; comparing generations in sports is ridiculous. Honestly, none of us really know how Wilt would have matched up against Shaq, or how Ruth would have hit Mariano, but debating about it is something that will never be silenced.

Norman was an incredibly accomplished golfer, winning two Open Championships and nearly winning a handful of other majors. The reason he has just two majors and not six is simple; the guy struggled to close.

That is the one thing that Woods has over anyone else in the history of the game, so saying that a guy who was known to be a choker on the big stage would take out a guy that, in his prime, never missed an opportunity to close out a major if he had it seems a bit silly.

Still, I guess when you're someone as talented as Norman, holding yourself in rarified air is a part of the job of being a living legend. I don't fault Norman for thinking he could compete with the best in the world a generation later, but I'm pretty sure most of us know how that would have turned out.

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2 players shoot 59s in Durban, with preferred lies

DURBAN, South Africa -- Two players shot a 59 in the second round of the rain-affected Nelson Mandela Championship, although it won't count as a European Tour record because players were allowed preferred lies on the soaked layout.

Jorge Campillo of Spain and Colin Nel of South Africa both reached what is seen as golf's magic number. But their 59s come with asterisks because of the preferred lies, and the Mount Edgecombe course was reduced by one stroke to a par 70.

Campillo's round with two eagles and seven birdies gave him a share of the clubhouse lead at 11-under 129 with England's Matthew Baldwin (62).

Nel had an eagle and nine birdies to move into a share of 27th, with several players set to complete their round on Saturday.

The event was reduced to 54 holes after long weather delays on the first three days.

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Rose joins ace Garcia at halfway lead in Thailand

Spaniard Sergio Garcia sank a magical hole-in-one in a sparkling round of seven-under-par 65 to share the halfway lead with Englishman Justin Rose at the Thailand Golf Championship on Friday.

Garcia, 33, aced the par-three eighth hole at the Amata Spring Country Club to go with five birdies on his blemish-free card to lead at 11-under 133.

"Yeah, wonderful day for sure," the Spaniard, chasing his first win of the year, told reporters.

"I saw the ball hit right of the green and started rolling.

"I was calling it to go in, and thought it's probably going to end up close ... We were saying go in, go in and all of a sudden everybody goes 'wow' as I can't see the hole from the tee box. It was quite nice to see it happen.

"There are still two days to go. I'm obviously going to have to keep playing well, like I've done the first two days," said Garcia.

World number four Rose fired an eagle, three birdies and one bogey for a 68 to join his Ryder Cup team mate at the top.

"It was a funny round, I got off to a bit of a slow start and it all started to happen for me in the middle of the round," said Rose.

"I just want to keep having fun. I want to end the season in a good way, even if I win or don't win."

Overnight leader Alex Cejka shot 71 to fall two shots behind, along with Frenchman Alexander Levy and India's Anirban Lahiri who carded the day's best of 64.

Birthday boy Rickie Fowler rode a four-birdie spurt on his inward nine to shoot 66 and lie one shot behind the trio.

"I finally got a few things going, felt a little better and hit some better putts," the American said after moving into title contention.

"I just stayed patient and made the turn and started to kind of rattle off some birdies so it was nice to finish off strong and get a good round."

World number three Henrik Stenson of Sweden shot 67 to be four shots off lead while holder Charl Schwartzel of South Africa labored to a 73 and was eight adrift.

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Three teams share golf Shootout lead

Naples (United States) - Defending champions Kenny Perry and Sean O'Hair combined for an eight-under 64 on Friday to share the first-round lead at the Franklin Templeton Shootout with two other teams.

The duo were joined by the teams of Harris English and Matt Kuchar, and Charles Howell and Justin Leonard atop the leaderboard after the alternate-shot format opening round at Tiburon Golf Club.

Perry and O'Hair are trying to become the first back-to-back winners in unofficial event founded by Australian Greg Norman since Hank Kuehne and Jeff Sluman won in 2003 and 2004.

Perry is trying to win this event for the fourth time overall, but for the first time with the same partner.

South Africa's Retief Goosen and Sweden's Freddie Jacobson were in fourth place on five-under 67, while Chris DiMarco and Billy Horschel, and Jason Dufner and Dustin Johnson shared fifth on 68.

The tournament features 24 players competing in a team format. Saturday's second round will be a better ball format, and competition concludes on Sunday with a scramble.

Last year, O'Hair and Perry combined to shoot a 31-under-par 185 and beat the team of Howell and South Africa's Rory Sabbatini by one stroke.

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Tiger's half-brother accused of false bomb threat

PHOENIX - The half-brother of Tiger Woods was arrested Thursday in Phoenix for allegedly making a false bomb threat at the government building where he works.

Phoenix police said 58-year-old Earl Dennison Woods Jr. is accused of calling in the threat at the Department of Economic Security building about 8:30 a.m. Thursday.

Police say they were called after DES employees alerted building security.

More than 100 people were evacuated from the building before Woods came forward and told police the phone call was meant as a joke and he didn't expect his co-workers to take it seriously.

Police said Woods has been booked on suspicion of attempting to terrify, intimidate, threaten or harass others. They say Woods is apologetic and cooperating with the investigation. It's unclear if he has a lawyer.

Woods' daughter, Cheyenne Woods, is a professional golfer.

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Spieth receives 'key to the city' in Dallas

Jordan Spieth didn’t even have a PGA Tour card at the start of this year. 

Now, he has the key to a city. 

Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings awarded the first-ever honorary key to the city to the 20-year-old phenom on Wednesday, according to the CBS local affiliate in Dallas.

“I’m very proud, obviously to be a Texan … more specially to represent the city of Dallas,” Spieth said at the council meeting. “It’s home for me, always has been and always will be.”

After beginning the year with no status on any major tour, Spieth won the John Deere Classic, represented the U.S. at the Presidents Cup, earned the PGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year award and banked nearly $4 million. He was also GolfChannel.com's No. 9 Newsmaker of 2013.

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Duval seeks exemptions on Twitter

Former world No. 1 David Duval took to Twitter to seek sponsor exemptions to PGA Tour events in 2014 -- but added it would be the last time he asked for invites and that if he didn't perform well enough he "would do something else."

Duval, 42, captured the last of his 13 PGA Tour titles at the 2001 Open Championship and has dealt with myriad injuries and swing problems over the past decade.

Only once since 2002 has he finished among the top 125 money winners. In 2013, Duval made just one cut in eight appearances on the PGA Tour.

In a series of 14 tweets, Duval noted that he feels his work with golf instructor Chris O'Connell -- who also works with Matt Kuchar -- is paying off, and that his strides have simply not translated to low scores.

"The thing is though I believe you have to own what you are doing and where you are going," Duval tweeted. "I believe 100 percent I am doing right.

"With all that being said I wish to state without hesitation that 2014 is the last time I will ask for exemptions.

"I will be asking for starts but this is the last time. I think that if I can have a 20-event schedule then it's up to me to get my status.

"As a player you need to perform and if I don't do that in 2014 I will do something else."

In order to be exempt for the 2014-15 season, Duval would need to finish among the top 125 in FedEx Cup points or win a tournament. He has dropped to 1,528th in the world and his only status on tour is as a past champion, meaning his only way into tournaments is to attempt to qualify on Mondays or receive sponsor exemptions.

Duval said he considered playing on the European Tour in 2014 but decided against it for family reasons.

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Greg Norman to return in January

Greg Norman, who didn't play in any PGA Tour events during the 2013 season, has committed to play next month's Humana Challenge near Palm Springs, Calif.

Norman, 58, played the tournament in 2012 and cited its new partnership with former president Bill Clinton for his participation.

A 20-time winner on the PGA Tour including two major championships, Norman has played sparingly in recent years, not even competing on the Champions Tour in 2013 and just twice in 2012. He is scheduled to play in this week's Franklin Templeton Shootout, a longtime team event he has hosted in Naples, Fla.

The tournament announced several other commitments during its media day on Wednesday, including Zach Johnson, Keegan Bradley, Brandt Snedeker, Bill Haas and Rickie Fowler. The tournament is Jan. 16-19 and is played over three courses in LaQuinta, Calif.

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Justin Shin leads Web.com Q-school

LA QUINTA, Calif. -- Canada's Justin Shin shot an 8-under 64 on Thursday on PGA West's Nicklaus Tournament Course to take the first-round lead in the Web.com Tour qualifying tournament.

The 22-year-old former New Mexico State player holed two late chips, making a birdie on No. 6 and an eagle on No. 7.

"I never thought I would shoot 64," Shin said. "My plan was to try and shoot 2 or 3 under today. I missed a lot of greens but my chipping and putting helped me out in some tough situations.

Carlos Sainz Jr., Jonathan Fricke, Chris Epperson and Jason Millard shot 65. Sainz, Fricke and Millard opened on the Nicklaus course, and Epperson played the TPC Stadium Course.

The players are competing for positions in the Web.com Tour's priority ranking used to form tournament fields, with the medalist (or co-medalists) guaranteed fully exempt status. Every player who is at PGA West is guaranteed a spot on the Web.com Tour next season. The six-round tournament will end Tuesday.

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Tiger not driven by Palmer's 50

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Tiger Woods said long ago he would give up professional golf when he felt he could play his best and still not win.

That includes his lifetime invitation to the Masters.

"Let me put it to you this way," Woods said last week at his World Challenge. "I'm not going to beat Arnold's record. I'm not playing that long, that's for sure."

Palmer set a record in 2004 by playing in his 50th consecutive Masters. Woods won his first green jacket when he was 21, and with reasonable health (a big assumption considering his injury history), he would seem to be in the best position to break that record. Even with his injuries, the Masters is the one major Woods has never missed.

"For me, I always want to win," he said. "So if I can't win, why tee it up? That's just my own personal belief. And I know what it takes to prepare to win and what it takes to go out there and get the job done, and there's going to become a point in time where I just can't do it anymore. We all as athletes face that moment. I'm a ways from that moment in my sport, but when that day happens, I'll make a decision and that's it."

But for Woods or any golfer, it's tough to know when that day happens.

Palmer never won another PGA Tour event after the Bob Hope Classic in 1973, though he remained competitive for many years. Several players eligible for the Champions Tour are hesitant about moving on.

When is it time?

"In golf, you can still win golf tournaments in your 50s, and guys have done it," Woods said. "Probably the more difficult thing is that you can still finish top 10, top five, but you're probably just not quite as efficient as you need to be to win golf tournaments. But you can still be there."

Might he change his mind about the Masters as he gets older? It doesn't sound like it.

"Mellowing on that? No. I'll be on that first tee starting out the event, I'm sure," he said with a smile and a dose of sarcasm. "So I mean, you hit a good drive and you can't get to where you can see the flag? I don't know why it's even fun."

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Happy Birthday, Bob Barker! Here are five GIFs of you beating up Adam Sandler

It's Bob Barker's 90th Birthday today! To celebrate, we made five GIFs of the time he issued Happy Gilmore a beatdown.

In case you don't remember, it all started when Happy Gilmore punched Barker out of nowhere. Yes, Bob was complaining about how bad Happy was playing. . .but violence? Really, Happy?

Fine. You wan't to play game? Barker will show you what's up

To his credit, Happy did give him a fight at one point.

But come on, people. This is Bob Barker we're talking about.

Bob. Barker.

Happy Birthday, you 90-year-old stud.

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