With a win, Hoffman OK with missing Ryder Cup

After winning last week's Deutsche Bank Championship, Charley Hoffman's name suddenly surfaced as a possible captain's pick by Corey Pavin for the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

Didn't happen.

"No disappointment," Hoffman said. "I had all year to play my way onto the team, and when you leave it up to a captain's pick you can't be disappointed because you had your chance to earn your spot.

Not a fan: While Steve Stricker visually likes the layout at Cog Hill, the one part of Dubsdread he could do without are the contours on the greens.

"I think the greens are the biggest adjustment," Stricker said. "Visually it looks great from the tee. I think Rees Jones did a great job visually.

"The greens, on the other hand, are somewhat different, to put it nicely. He's got a characteristic about them that I don't really care for. But that's just my personal feeling. "

Fond memories: If you're looking for a way to keep the perpetual smile on Matt Kuchar's face, just mention his U.S. Amateur victory at Cog Hill in 1997.

"Yeah, it's great," Kuchar said. "The people inside the locker room still remember me, still get big smiles on their faces. It's kind of a fun homecoming for me to see those old faces.

"On this course, I've got some great memories of tee shots or putts or approach shots that stand out in my mind as some of the better shots that stand out in my mind as some of the better shots I've hit in my career to this point."

Local award winner: Nikhil Patel of Schaumburg has been selected the 2010 PGA Tour Chip Beck Evans Scholar, an award based on academic achievement, extracurricular activities, caddie record and interest in golf.

Patel, a graduate of Conant High School, is a freshman at the University of Illinois where he is studying chemical engineering.

"I get to have this great lifetime opportunity that not many people have," Patel said of the scholarship established by Beck in 1992. "You form lifelong friendships with other Scholars. This is really a scholarship that lasts for the rest of your life."

He said it: Tiger Woods on the support he's received this year: "It's meant a lot to have people come up to me and just wish me the best and hope that my life heads in the right direction. That means a lot, it really does."