INCAgolf All you ever wanted to know about golf (well almost)

AKRON, Ohio – Tiger Woods has never looked worse.

As he has done so often on Sunday at the Bridgestone Invitational, Woods doffed his cap as he walked up toward the 18th green to warm applause from fans who occupied every seat in the grandstand.

Only there was no trophy waiting for him. This sounded more like a sympathy cheer.

The world’s No. 1 player looked utterly beaten, and he was.

“Shooting 18-over par is not fun,” Woods said. “I don’t see how it can be fun shooting 18 over.”

He missed one last birdie putt to close with a 77. That gave Woods the highest 72-hole score – 298 – of any PGA Tour event he ever played, even as an amateur. It was the first time he shot over par in all four rounds since the 2003 PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

This from a guy who had never finished worse than fifth at Firestone in 11 previous events, who had not shot over par on the South Course since 2006, who last year made PGA Tour history by winning for the seventh time on the same course.

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. – Stuart Appleby understands the scrutiny that might come with shooting a 59 on a par-70 course.

The Australian won the Greenbrier Classic on Sunday and became the fifth PGA Tour player to hit golf’s magic number. His milestone came less than a month after Paul Goydos had a 59 at the John Deere Classic.

Appleby was the first to reach 59 on a par-70 course; Goydos’ course was par 71. The three other 59s were on par 72s: Al Geiberger at the 1977 Memphis Classic, Chip Beck at the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational and David Duval at the 1999 Bob Hope Classic.

“Look, I’ll debate it with you. I agree,” Appleby said. “I can see both sides of the fence. It is a number. I shot that number. But who says par is supposed to be 72? There’s a lot of great courses that aren’t 72.”

Golfers had raved about an Old White course that already yielded J.B. Holmes’ 60 and D.A. Points’ 61 on Saturday, and Jeff Overton’s 62 on Friday.