Three straight PGA Tour events have now ended in playoffs, the latest finding Lucas "Sasquatch" Glover besting his old Clemson buddy Jonathan Byrd for the Wells Fargo Championship title at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C., a course that, in a perfect world, should host a major — perhaps a sweltering PGA or U.S. Open, the 2009 edition of which happened to be Glover's last Tour victory.

Three straight nail-biters? Hasn't happened before on the big stage, at least in my memory. And a full eight tournaments have gone overtime so far this year. What the hell is going on?

The obvious answer is post Tiger-era parity. It's the same trend that finds us with a new name atop the World Rankings every other week and puts virtually every event, including the majors, within reach of the deepest pool of contenders since the days of Nick Price and Greg Norman.

Actually, it's not all that unusual to have so many close finishes. Only 144 players get automatic spots in every regular Tour stop, and the last time I checked, every one of them knows how to move that rock around the track. A hot putter, a break here and there, maybe a face full of whiskers and suddenly a guy like Glover — pretty much MIA for the past year — is hoisting the hardware.

It's good for golf even if Tiger's shadow still looms over the proceedings. But with his latest health issues, it looks more and more like that shadow is fading, leaving journeymen like Luke Donald and Lee Westwood — and yes, Phil Mickelson — in the driver's seat. Or putter's seat. Whatever works to get the job done. Even relative geezer Vijay Singh shows signs that he's ready to notch another win. He bashes the ball farther than ever and looks like he's settling in with his latest goofy flatstick grip — left-hand-low-meets-hammer grip concoction that ain't pretty but doesn't need to be. This is no beauty pageant, after all (unless you're Adam Scott).

So, here we are at Players Championship week, with all its attendant "strongest field in golf" hype and the specter of yet another photo finish, something even the Kentucky Derby can't manage these days. TPC Sawgrass is a strange bird among regular venues, the apogee of Pete Dye-ness in its design and the ultimate in golf theater as far as its famed homestretch goes. Is there a better finish than the reachable par 5 16th, confounding flip-shot 17th and wicked scythe-shaped 18th? Having played there and done that — watery double on 16, nine-iron-and-two-putt par on 17 and bogey from the greenside bunker on 18 — I think not. And I didn't have tens of thousands of beer-stoked fans watching me.

I have no idea who will be on top come Sunday evening. Vijay, who has a home on the Valley Course next door, should be in the conversation. Mickelson? Of course. Donald? Yep — he's an incredible iron player and sandman, two skills Dye demands here. I suppose that puts Glover in position to go back-to-back, too; when he's on, he's up there with Luke and Sergio in the iron game. Two guys who won't win are Rory McIlroy and current No. 1 Lee Westwood. That's a loss, but it's not fatal.

One thing's for sure: I wouldn't count out a playoff.

Before diving into all things Player, here's one last look at last week's Sunday fireworks:

Lucas Glover/Jonathan Byrd photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images