Mahan was the sleeper story of the week

You could argue Rory's romp at Congressional sated which need. Fair enough, but it's a new year. It's time for new accomplishments. A conquer Mahan will mean McIlroy would vault Luke Donald for your No. 1 ranking added whipped cream, nuts along with a maraschino with a potential Sunday sundae of goodness.

Now how to describe McIlroy's seventh and eighth holes on Sunday, as he made double bogey from the center of the fairway after which couldn't make the most of a Mahan three-putt making bogey? Those two lost holes were the difference.

Mahan was the sleeper story every week. The first week at Dove Mountain centered on Sergio garcia neglecting to get rid of the other Titleist MB 710 Forged Irons round, or No. 64-seeded Ernie Els toppling top-seeded Luke Donald. And then, focus now use the impending Lee-Rory smackdown. Hunter Mahan? Scant attention was paid to the PING-hatted, shades-sporting, goatee-wearing guy who had the trustworthiness of a majors-free ball-striker who won't rock your world throughout the greens. Actually, NBC thought we would roll film of Mahan's Chili Dip Heard ??Round the globe from Celtic Manor equally as he was set to chip from off the green in Sunday's final round.

Mahan is now No. 9 in the world rankings, and was gracious about McIlroy afterward, saying Rory is the best player on the globe today, definitely.(Somewhere in Chicago, Luke Donald had a minion fax a state World Golf Rankings to Mahan.)

Mahan showed a battle, a battle that has been impressive. When McIlroy closed from 4-down to 2-down, Mahan never buckled, even though Johnny Miller Ping K15 fairway wood suggested on-air: I gotta believe Hunter's knees are gonna start a-knockin. Nope. Birdies on Nos. 10, 11, 13 and 15 made sure the only knockin' Mahan would do was on walls in the soon-to-be-finished 19,000-square foot mansion in Texas he or she is building with his former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader wife. How do you like ??dem apples?

Since Oscars were held yesterday, let's put it in cinematic terms and remind everyone how the storyline of Amadeus the 1984 winner discount golf clubs for Best Picture could be that the less-accomplished composer Salieri, played by F. Murray Abraham, ached with jealousy on the otherworldly gifts of Mozart, played by Tom Hulce.

Am I saying that Chamblee nailed it so much that Westwood is Salieri and McIlroy is Mozart? Certainly, that would be overstatement.