Tiger Woods is out, mercifully for many golf fans. Watching coverage on TNT today was reminiscent of a wake. So who’s left on top? A bunch of old guys and a links rookie in Steve Marino.

Co-leader Marino figures not to hold up because he’s never won before on the PGA Tour, much less a major championship. Tom Watson figures to go away because he’s already used up his annual allotment of 50 foot putts. One shot back of those two is the aching, aging, overweight Mark Calcavecchia. It’s just hard to believe that his body will make it 36 more holes.

So we have the “real” lead at 3 under par, shared by five players tied for fourth, including solid veterans Retief Goosen and Vijay Singh. But they have had consistency problems of late. In my opinion, the man to watch in that group of five is Ross Fisher, who very well could have won the US Open as well as the Match Play earlier this year.

Then there are very hot players like Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood and Jim Furyk just another shot or two back, as well as streaky Masters champ Angel Cabrera. Too close to call.

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