The 36th annual Players Championship kicks off this week at TPC Sawgrass.  The top ten players in the world are all scheduled to be at this weeks tournament.

The TPC Sawgrass is typically referred to as the unofficial 5th major.  As such, it has a bit more at stake compared to other tournaments.  The winner gets 600 FedEx Cup points.  Only 5 events on tour offer that many points to the champion.  The other 4 are the Masters, the US Open, the British Open and the PGA Championship.

Despite the points that are on the line, 3 of Europe’s biggest stars have decided to skip the event.  Ryder Cup stars Lee Westwood  and Miguel Angel Jiminez are taking some time off and Alvaro Quiros has opted to play in the Italian Open instead.

Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning will be teaming up in this weeks pro-am at Quail Hollow.  Manning and Woods tee off at 7:30 AM Wednesday.  Woods is making his first PGA Tour start since finishing 6th at this years Masters.  Manning teamed up with Kenny Perry in last weeks Zurich Classic pro-am.

Other notable celebrities participating are NASCAR drivers Jimmie Johnson and Michael Waltrip, former NBA great Julius Irving and ESPN’s Chris Berman.

Looks like belt buckles are the new big thing on the PGA tour.  Specifically buckles made by Bob Bettinardi.  Bettinardi is know for his hand crafted putters but more an more golfers are now coming to him for custom belt buckles.  Angel Cabrera wore one at the Masters two weeks ago.  Other customers include Sergio Garcia (who ha been wearing them for a long time), Padraig Harrington and Kevin Streelman, who has an endorsement deal with Bettinardi.

While Bettinardi makes some nice looking buckles, none of them will match the awesomeness of the buckles worn by Rory Sabatini.

Here’s the tournament winners this week.

Verizon Heritage – Brian Gay lit up Harbour Town on Sunday, with a 7-under 64.  He broke a 13-year old scoring record by finishing 10 strokes better than everyone else.  For his win, Gay gets $1 million and a spot in next years Masters.  Click here for the final leader board.

Volvo China Open – Scott Strange shot a final round 4-under-par 68 to win the China Open by one stroke.  Strange outlasted Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, who shot a 72 on Sunday.  For the complete final leader board, click here.

Athens Regional Foundation Classic – Patrick Sheehan sank a 22-foot putt on the first hole of a play-off to win the Athens Regional Foundation Classic at Jennings Mill Country Club.  Sheehan beat Australian Michael Sim for the $99,000 first prize.  Click here for the final leader board.

Here’s a pretty good article explaining why so many top players compete in the Verizon Heritage event at Harbour Town in Hilton Head, SC, after the Masters.

The PGA of America and US Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin announced the last weeks Masters launched the point system that will determine who gains a spot on the 2010 Ryder Cup team.  The US point system will determine the top 8 players and Pavin will have 4 selections at a later date to fill out the team.  Colin Montgomerie will lead the European team.

Points are based on the following:

- Prize money earned in the 2009 major championships (Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship): One point is awarded for every $1,000 earned; all U.S. players making the cut will earn points.

- Prize money earned in 2010 “Official” events from Jan. 1 through Aug.15: One point is awarded for every $1,000 earned, excluding the major championships, events played opposite major championships and events played opposite World Golf Championships; all U.S. players making the cut will earn points.

- Prize money earned for the 2010 major championships: (Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, and the PGA Championship). Two points are awarded for every $1,000 earned; all U.S. players making the cut will earn points.

- Prize money earned in 2010 events played opposite the major championships and opposite World Golf Championship events between Jan. 1 and the PGA Championship, Aug. 16 – one-half point will be awarded for every $1,000 earned; all U.S. players making the cut will earn points.

Angel Cabrera won the 2009 Masters on Sunday in a sudden death play-off at Augusta National.

On Tuesday, Cabrera was welcomed home in Argentina as a hero.

Cabrera addressed the crowd in his hometown of Villa Alende, Argentina, saying, “Green suits me.”  He went on talk about his hard work and laid out his plan to win more majors.  “With sacrifice and work, anything can be done.  Now I’m going for the third major and I’m not going to stop until I win at least five.”

Cabrera captured his first Masters win and his second win in a major (2007 US Open) on Sunday in a 3 hole, sudden-death play-off against Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell.  Cabrera joins South Africa’s Gary Player as the foreign player to win both the US Open and the Masters.

In case you missed it, after shooting 3-over par (75) on Saturday and a 2-over par (74) Sunday at the Master, a very bitter Sergio Garcia took out his frustrations on the Augusta National Golf Course.

“I don’t like it, to tell you the truth. I don’t think it is fair. Even when it’s dry you still get mud balls in the middle of the fairway. It’s too much of a guessing game.”  When asked when he would do to fix it, Sergio said, “They can do whatever they want. It’s not my problem. I just come here and play and then go home.”

Tuesday, Garcia issued an apology.  He apologized for blaming the course instead of rightfully blaming himself.

It would be nice if Sergio just kept quiet and worked on his game and worked on dealing with the pressure of majors better (0 major wins).  What do y’all think?

With apologies to Trevor Immelman, Sunday’s Masters finish was devoid of any dramatic development. There were a few train wrecks here and there, but overall, by the time the final group made the turn, Immelman’s victory seemed all but inevitable.

This was no knock on Immelman, who did everything right as a front runner to secure his first major victory. He held his nerves together down the stretch and played cautiously as a man with a five-stroke lead should.

Sunday’s high winds were the No. 1 culprit. With the swirling gusts everywhere at Augusta National, it became extremely difficult to hit precise shots. Only Miguel Angel Jimenez (68) and Heath Slocum (69) managed to break 70 and only two others broke par.

Among them was not Tiger Woods, whose balky putter cost him any real shot at a fifth green jacket. When he holed out a long birdie putt on the 18th hole, his quick swipe of hand basically said: “Now you go in. Where were you before, chump?”

The putts that didn’t go down on 13th, 15th and 16th will roil Tiger for a while. But in truth, it probably wouldn’t have made that much of a difference. Immelman was rock solid all day, with a singular mistake on No. 16 when he hit his tee shot into the water. He appeared to be immune to the pressure of the moment, getting through Amen Corner at even par and, with the exception of 16, coasted home from there.

If Woods was too far back to make a charge, the other challengers simply collapsed. Brandt Snedeker, playing in his first Masters as a pro, was shaky all day. Paul Casey was never a factor and Steve Flesch, after holding his own on the front nine, blew up following a water ball on No. 12. By shooting par, Woods moved from fifth to solo second.

It was Tiger’s second straight second-place finish at the Masters, where his green jacket drought now reaches three years — matching the longest in his career from 1998-2000. And he has to be wondering why he’s having trouble closing the deal on one of his two favorite golf courses in the world.

As for the winner, Immelman won’t care if his victory was drama-free. He became the only 20-something player currently holding a major title. Whether this catapults him into major stardom, it remains to be seen.

But this much we know for sure now:

There won’t be a grand slam winner this year. And because of that, the biggest storyline of the year will have to be shelved until we meet again in Augusta.

There is nothing in Trevor Immelman’s resume that suggests that he’s ready to don the green jacket. Let’s face it, despite his obvious talents, Immelman has done little to distinguish himself as a professional golfer. In his five years as a pro, he’s won just twice outside of his native South Africa — once on the PGA Tour.

But on Saturday, the supposed Moving Day, he further solidified his position as the leader at the Masters. The 28-year-old with a Hogan-like swing and seemingly steely nerves, now must be taken seriously as a front-runner. Playing under immense pressure in the Augusta twilight, he birdied three of his final six holes to finish the day at 11 under, two ahead of Brandt Snedeker — but more importantly, still six ahead of Tiger Woods.

Woods mounted a charge, and for a while, it looked as if he was right there at the end. When he walked off the 18th green after a 68 that put him at 5 under, he was merely three shots off the lead. But Immelman’s late birdie binge might have left him with an insurmountable deficit with just 18 holes to play.

In retrospect, Saturday was a lost opportunity for Woods. He missed all sorts of makeable birdie putts that might have helped him to card a 65. While he easily eclipsed Phil Mickelson, who self-immolated with a 75, Woods must not have envisioned that he’d still be stuck in Immelman’s vapor trail.

Few would have. Immelman’s played eight events this year and failed to make the cut in half of them. His best finish in a stroke-play event was a T-40 at Doral. In his previous five appearances in the Masters, he’s broken 70 once — when he finished fifth but a distant eight shots back behind Woods and playoff loser Chris DiMarco in 2005.

But he’s shot in the 60s in all three rounds this tournament and done it with poise. He’s made two bogeys in 54 holes and none in the back nine. Immelman really seems to be enjoying himself strolling around Augusta National this week.

Come Sunday, it will be a matter of controlling his nerves. He’ll have the benefit of being paired with Snedeker again instead of a big-name contender. Woods will be cushioned by another group of relative no-names of Steve Flesch and Paul Casey, so Tiger won’t have the chance slam-dunking him in the group immediately ahead. Finally, with the forecast calling for winds gusting up to 20 miles per hour, going low will be difficult — even for Tiger.

Does this mean that Immelman will become the second South African to win the Masters, a feat that has eluded his more celebrated countrymen Ernie Els and Retief Goosen? Not necessarily. But barring a collapse of Greg Norman proportions, the green jacket is well within his grasp.