Player of the year debate begins...well, not really

For all intents and purposes, the Player of the Year race has come down to four players--Tiger Woods, Kenny Perry, Padraig Harrington, and Trevor Immelman.  A win this week for Harrington or Immelman would almost surely throw them into the race. 

And as John Hawkins expressed during his tirade on the Golf Channel Wednesday night, Kenny Perry would have to win out in order to get the honor (he withdrew from the PGA earlier today).  And then there's Tiger, who said he doesn't even plan to watch the PGA.  Leonard Shapiro of the Washington Post writes that it's no contest:

They're calling the 90th PGA Championship this week "glory's last shot," but unless British Open winner Padraig Harrington or Masters champion Trevor Immelman happen to prevail in the final major championship of the season, virtually all the golfing glory this year simply has to go to one man who can't even tee it up starting tomorrow morning at Oakland Hills in the Detroit suburbs.

That would be Tiger Woods, just now beginning the first baby steps on his very long road of rehabbing his surgically repaired left knee. Never mind if someone else wins the PGA Tour money title or the season-ending FedEx Cup. Barring a two-time major champion, or Kenny Perry winning this week and a couple more tournaments over the next month, Woods simply must be considered Player of the Year on the PGA Tour, even if it was only about a half-year.

Who knows, Perry could win "comeback player of the year."