With four straight Buick Invitational wins at Torrey Pines and six overall, Tiger Woods is even more of a U.S. Open favorite than normal. Mike Davis, the USGA's Director of Rules and Competitions, has joked that if Tiger does not win the Open at Torrey, the USGA would be blamed.

But with it now official that he will play no warm up event, has Tiger taken some pressure off of the USGA setup to produce him as a winner? Or is this simply the most inane question ever posed on this blog? 

Hey, it's Friday and I have to get back to the Laker game.