After his fourth win of the year, Jason Day put his name in the conversation for PGA Tour Player of the Year honors. But how seriously can he challenge Jordan Spieth for the award?
And with three players -- Day, Spieth and Rory McIlroy -- holding a clear shot to be No. 1 in the world, who is likely to grab that title?
Our scribes weigh in on those topics, and more, in this week's edition of Monday Four-Ball.
1. Is there a scenario in which Day could surpass Spieth for PGA Tour Player of the Year? If so, what is it?
SportsCenter anchor Jonathan Coachman: I don't see a scenario in which Day wins. With two majors, finishing a shot out of a playoff at The Open, a second-place finish at the PGA Championship, and two more wins, Spieth has already done enough to wrap up Player of the Year honors. Day, to me, is the runner-up, which isn't too shabby.
ESPN.com senior golf analyst Michael Collins: Spieth has four wins and four runner-ups. Two of those wins and one of those runner-ups were at majors. Day has four wins and no runner-ups. The only way I see him taking the title from Spieth is if he won two more playoff events, with one of them being the Tour Championship.
ESPN.com senior golf writer Bob Harig: Day would need to win two of the three remaining FedEx Cup playoff events, as well as capture the overall FedEx Cup title. And even that might not be enough for some, given the relative lack of historical significance the playoff events possess. In that scenario, Day would have six wins to Spieth's four. But those two majors won by Spieth loom large, as does the fact that he was in contention on the final hole at The Open in his quest to keep the Grand Slam bid alive.
ESPN.com senior golf writer Jason Sobel: I actually asked Day about the possibility after his win on Sunday and completely agreed with his answer, so I'll let him field this one: "Right now, Jordan Spieth gets my vote. Winning two major championships at such a young age is big. Winning four tournaments overall is great. I think winning the FedEx Cup and maybe one or two more tournaments, that could put my name in the mix for Player of the Year."
2. Spieth's missed cut at the Barclays: Fluke or just worn out?
Coachman: Both. He has been everywhere doing everything and he should be commended for that. The missed cut this past week could be the best thing to happen to Spieth -- only falling to second in the world and also getting a couple of days off. He has proved too much to me to think it is any more than a fluke and fatigue.
Collins: It's a combo. Spieth has had only 21 starts this calendar year, and this was only his third missed cut. He has played a lot of meaningful Sunday golf. His swing looked a little "tired" on Thursday and Friday, but I wouldn't expect him to miss the cut at this week's Deutsche Bank Championship.
Harig: If you can call it both, that's where I would lean. Obviously, it's unlike him to miss a cut after a strong summer. It was his first missed cut since the Players Championship and he had not been out of the top four since the Memorial. That run is not sustainable -- not for anyone -- so there had to be a letdown of some sort. You can see where he might have been a bit spent, and fighting his game didn't help.
Sobel: He was tired this week, sure -- maybe more mentally than physically -- but I still think Spieth's missed cut was more a fluke than anything else. I've seen him without his A-game before and I've seen him compete on courses he didn't really like, but I've never seen him look so mentally fatigued as he did this week. As he mentioned afterward, though, he has an extra day to prepare for the Deutsche Bank Championship, so I'd expect him to come back re-energized this week.
3. McIlroy just took the No. 1 ranking back from Spieth. One year from today, who will be No. 1?
Coachman: Spieth will have both hands around the No. 1 ranking. It took him a full two years to get here, and he will be way too consistent for McIlroy to keep it from him. That week-in, week-out battle we could see between Spieth, McIlroy and Day might be the best we've ever seen.
Collins: If everyone stays healthy (it stinks we have to preface it that way every time), McIlroy will be No. 1 in the OWGR. Don't get me started on how ridiculous the ranking system is when not playing is an advantage over the players who are in action. Oh, by the way, the guy who's ranked third (Day) would beat the pants off Nos. 1 and 2 right now.
Harig: The crystal ball here says Spieth, and it has to do with the world ranking's formula of consistency. That is not to say the ranking won't change hands several times between now and then -- it almost certainly will. But Spieth has been on a roll of racking up high finishes, if not victories. That will help him get to the No. 1 spot.
Sobel: My guess is everyone else on this panel is going to say McIlroy, so I'll play the role of contrarian and answer Spieth. McIlroy will have a terrific campaign in 2016, but I'm going with Spieth based on math. The way the formula works, McIlroy will lose his two major wins from 2014 by late summer next year; Spieth will still have his two majors as part of the two-year rolling calendar. Advantage: Spieth.
4. Brian Harman made two aces in the same round. Give us your best (or closest) hole-in-one story.
Coachman: I have had one hole-in-one in my life. On my home course -- Turkey Creek Golf Course in McPherson, Kansas -- I had an ace on the sixth hole. It was the same day I shot the lowest score of my life, a 74. The closest I have come since is a 79. It was truly one of the greatest feelings of my life. But I can't imagine having two in a lifetime, let alone two in one round. That's crazy.
Collins: The only hole-in-one I ever made, the two guys I was playing with never saw it go in. But there were some spectators near the course that yelled, "Look in the hole!" as we were walking around the green searching for the ball. Needless to say, I was handed a $400 bar tab that night at Coconut's Comedy Club in Hilton Head, South Carolina, as I walked off stage. I learned "first drink is on me" includes ordering a bucket of beer as a chaser for each person!
Harig: Sadly, there is no personal tale, but the best story I've heard involves a British colleague (Derek Lawrenson) who aced a hole at a charity event in the U.K. -- and won a Lamborghini. He smartly sold it, and the story is even better because in the U.K. (unlike the U.S.) you are not taxed on such a transaction.
Sobel: Here's the problem with trying to catch aces while covering the PGA Tour: Nobody gives you a heads up on when they're going to happen. I've been on the golf beat for a long time now and just once -- once! -- have I seen a hole-in-one in person. Well, at least I saw one from a big name at a big event. It was Phil Mickelson on the sixth hole at Southern Hills in the 2001 U.S. Open. I was standing about five feet behind him, and when it happened, the wave of sound and the crescendo from the green back to us at the tee box was like nothing I've ever heard. One of the most memorable moments I've enjoyed while covering a tournament.