"Although we've come
to the end of the road
still I can't let go
it's unnatural."

-Boys II Men

Bad references have been my forte all season. I see no reason to stop for the final event.

The End of the Road. One last hurrah. The Skinny Showdown.

Whatever you want to call it-this is it.

With this week's first annual Granite Links Open, which begins Wednesday, the only hurdle still to clear, Rob Oppenheim and Geoff Sisk are in a dead heat for the money and point titles.

Through nine events, Oppenheim, who mainly answers to the nickname Land O' Lakes, has amassed 4382.34 points. Sisk: 4319.64.

In other words, they're closer than Tom Cruise and Joey Potter.

Oppenheim has held the money and point lead since his season-opening win in Atkinson, but he's maintained his margin with a combination of individual consistency and parity across the entire Tour.

He's finished in the top 16 in each event, and has four top 5s. To boot, the Tour has yet to produce a multiple winner in '05, something that CGT eyes have never before seen.

Geoff Sisk, following a three victory 2004 campaign, has positioned himself for a fourth consecutive player of the year honor on the strength of nine top 10s.

Sisk doesn't baseball-ify the New York Yankees. He's the Chicago White Sox: disciplined; steady; and soon to be prey of the Boston Red Sox.

His best chances of removing himself from the winless snide have come in the last two weeks. Both times, uncharacteristic Sisk performances led to T3 finishes. Last year, he pounced on a W like a cheetah on a fawn, winning three times.

Maybe his third opportunity to pose for a picture with Tour Director Andrew Dearborn and Tour Chairman Brian Hebb will be the charm.

Just in case Oppenheim and Sisk forget to set their alarms Wednesday morning, I have devised a contingency plan…

…Entitled, "Operation: Alternative Player of the Year."

Nick Cook, with 3,762 points, and Andy Bare, with 3751.5 points, are the most likely candidates.

Cook, a pseudo rookie (he competed in two events last fall), and Bare, a CGT fresh-facer, have had polar opposite seasons.

Cook has finished no worse than 13th in each event, but thrust into overdrive of late, collecting his first Tour win at Samoset and contending in Burlington before tough final round conditions sent him spiraling in the face of Storm Zelnik. Statistics reflect his form, as he has accumulated 1620 points in his last three starts, the most on Tour.

Bare, meanwhile, started the season like that one heavy-set guy who always sprints off the starting blocks in a marathon.

Fifth at Atkinson in his CGT debut. A course record 64 in the final round of Atlantic City that lifted him to his first win as a professional. A course record-tying 65 in the second round at LeBaron Hills en route to another fifth place showing.

But a hand injury slowed him down mid-season, and his last three events read: MC, T24, T19.

If we could combine each of their half season splits, like a deranged episode of Captain Planet, Andy Cook or Nick Bare (whatever you like) would top the money list with $46, 381.66.

But seriously, a win from either Cook or Bare, combined with a top 30ish finish or, dare I say it, an MC from Oppenheim and/or Sisk will give them an outside shot at the point title.

The Skinny also has a keen eye on Billy Downes and Eli Zackheim this week, for both professional and personal reasons.

Professionally:

Neither has missed a cut all year, and they have 10 top 10s combined. With games so strong, their place in CGT Victory Lane is more overdue than that library book that has been tucked underneath my bed since junior year.

Personally:

I'll be honest: I hate spending money. I'm talking NHL ownership type stinginess here.

Three months ago, Eli Zackheim forced little ole' me into placing a wager that he wouldn't miss a cut the entire season.

Cornered in LeBaron Hills dark locker room by Zackheim, who was wielding a 3-iron, I was forced into the bet.

The wager: Loser buys dinner after this week's second round.

Three months later, I don't know what I was thinking. The guy has missed as many cuts as Tiger Woods in the past 13 months-One, last year's event at Nevele Grande.

Jeff Curl returns to the CGT Sandbox this week. He's looking to steal our shovel and play with our toys for the second consecutive event, three months after he fired a final round 66 at Cranston to win in his only other start.

And for the second time in three weeks, the CGT will welcome another first-class amateur to the professional ranks. Two-time New England amateur champion Mike Welch, who will graduate from Johnson & Wales (Fla.) in November, will make his long-anticipated debut.

It seems like just yesterday that The Skinny made his debut. Now it's time to retire The Skinny Shake (my poor excuse for a dance move).

Send potential job offers, final goodbyes, or this week's picks to media@clevelandgolftour.com

I hope you enjoyed reading The Skinny as much as I enjoyed writing it.

-Dom