Tiger Woods
Textbook. Clinic. Routine. Good old-fashioned beat down. Twelfth major. Fifty-first Tour win. Call it whatever you want, it was impressive.
Interest
No one made a run at Woods during the final round, turning the back nine into a snoozy coronation rather than an unfolding drama, but television viewers didn't seem to mind as ratings were up 22% (7.2/16) over last year's closing 18.
Adam Scott
Solid play all week topped off by a final-round 67 at Medinah pushed him to a tie for third, the 26-year-old Australian's best finish in a major and his second straight top 10 after a tie for eighth at Hoylake. He's finally living up to the hype.
Hank Haney
With his star pupil picking up major titles the way the rest of us grab free mints while leaving a restaurant, the energetic Texan's methods have been vindicated.
Wildcats
Northwestern alum Luke Donald tied for third at the PGA, equaling his best finish in a major, while his college teammate Jess Daley made it to a playoff and finished second in the Nationwide tour's Northeast Pennsylvania Classic.
Billy Mayfair
Two weeks removed from surgery to treat testicular cancer, Mayfair, who turned 40 on Aug. 6, shot an inspiring one under to finish 37th.
Rees Jones
The golf course architect who tweaked Medinah was all over TV and in the news discussing his work and thereby solidifying his place as the Open Doctor.
Woods-Mickelson Rivalry
It seems like years ago that we were talking about the Mickelslam. Right now Tiger would be favored in a tournament on Phil's home course, playing lefthanded.
Reason
TNT and CBS called Woods & Co. men of great achievement, gladiators, alpha dogs and Elvis. Should the Pope feel insulted?
Geoff Ogilvy
After two impressive rounds playing with Woods and Mickelson, Scott's best buddy started Sunday with a chance to win his second major and wrap up player of the year, but he shot two over to fall into a tie for ninth.
Dave Pelz
Maybe he was trying to boost Mickelson's confidence when he piped up about his understudy being "unbeatable," but Phil failed to back up the talk. Free advice: Unleash the trash talk postgame.
Teammates
Young guns Vaughn Taylor, Zach Johnson and Brett Wetterich, three of the final four guys to qualify for the U.S. Ryder Cup team, all missed the cut at Medinah. Is it foreshadowing?
Walking Wounded
Wayne Grady (wrist), Dudley Hart (back), Mark Hensby (foot, right) and Shingo Katayama (undeclared) pulled out with injuries. If Mayfair can play after cancer surgery....
Medinah
When early-week rain softened up the place and the wind failed to blow, the course and its flat, relatively easy greens were abused by the world's best golfers.
• For WGC-Bridgestone Invitational coverage, go to SI.com/golf.
EIGHT PHOTOS
ROBERT BECK (WOODS, OGILVY); DARREN CARROLL (MICKELSON); WARREN LITTLE/GETTY IMAGES (HANEY); STUART FRANKLIN/GETTY IMAGES (PELZ); FRED VUICH (MAYFAIR); ALESSIA PIERDOMENICO/REUTERS (HENSBY); PETER GREGOIRE (JONES)
