Having never been to a PGA Tour event, I jumped at the chance to pick up a friend's extra VIP ticket supplied by FactSet (thanks, whoever the hell you are!) to the final round of the Barclays Classic (formerly the Buick Classic) in nearby Harrison, N.Y.

Highlights:

• Loren Roberts being the first pro I ever saw tee off — and launching a hook shot that landed somewhere in New Jersey. The equivalent of going to your first baseball game and having the leadoff batter whiff and lose his bat into the stands (a la Dave Winfield, who was always a threat to take out the first row).

• The 16th-hole air-conditioned VIP hospitality tent. You might think Swedish meatballs, soft tacos, cookies, cake and beer don't mix, but don't tell that to my stomach.

• White people ... EVERYWHERE! Let me tell ya, there might be urban youth programs trying to spread the love of golf, but no one's busing kids up to Westchester to see the pros.

• The event volunteers. Who volunteers to work for a company handing out a first-place prize of over $1 million? That's like donating cash to Microsoft for computer-science research.

• The power and consistency of their long games. The amazing control of their short games. Nothing like seeing world-class athletes up close.

• That being said, golf is better on TV. You just can never get a better vantage point than those cameras. There are pros and cons to every TV-vs.-live debate, but being able to actually see what's going on should trump all, free Swedish meatballs notwithstanding.

• Surprising, no one wore a "Tiger Woods Made Me a Ton of Money" T-shirt. Look at it this way: Michael Jordan was worth $1 billion for the NBA and Nike, but Tiger has made a sick amount of money for everyone associated with golf. Every player, yes, but every sponsor as well. He's made so much more, indirectly, for Taylor Made, Callaway and other sponsors than Jordan ever did for adidas and Reebok.

• Padraig Harrington (not the guy who played Schneider on One Day at a Time) staging a three-stroke comeback in the final five holes, capitalizing on Jim Furyk's yips. That 65-foot eagle was something else, and you should have seen him just crush an iron to reach the green in two.

As for the Yankees:

• Four games back in the wild-card standings, we play the Orioles five of the next eight. The first four after the All-Star break are at Fenway. The Twins and Texas are also on the July sked. It's just like when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor, man.

• Alex Rodriguez is on track for .338, 43 HR, 140 RBI, 17 steals, .438 OBP and .606 slugging, and he's challenging Don Mattingly in 1985 and 1986 for the most productive season since ... Mickey Mantle's Triple Crown year in 1956. Believe it.

• Jason Giambi doesn't really make me throw up anymore. Just mild nausea. At least he's hitting some balls hard, going the other way here and there. I just hope he's continuing to work hard with the Greatest Living Hitting Coach and getting his daily intake of strippers.

• The next game Bernie Williams starts in center field should be in the Old Timer's game. Maybe even this season.

• Is anyone even paying attention to Jaret Wright's progress on the DL?

• Your "Mariano Rivera Is Done" update of the week! In his last 17 appearances, dating back to May 9 (game log), the Sandman is 2-0 with 11 saves in 19 innings, in which he's given 7 hits and 0 runs. Zero. None. No runs. 0.00 ERA since May 9, when he had a bloated 2.79 ERA. (It's now 0.94. See ya in the All-Star Game!)

And in conclusion...

• Heaven is selling two $15 Red Sux-Orioles seats for $131 on eBay. Though I've taken such a bath on event tickets the last couple of years, I have plenty of catching up to do.

Today's Sports Links:

• SportsByBrooks — I wrote Monday's update, so there's 13 links waiting for you there.