Courtesy: Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Brandt Snedeker didn't win the Buick Open on Sunday. Tiger did.

And Snedeker's finest moment at the Buick was in round one when he fired an incredible 11 under par, 61 - two shots away from the magical 59.

He was just 1 under on Sunday.

His opening 61 helped him secure third place and earn some big money.

Snedeker is the latest graduate from the Nationwide Tour to look like he's going to shake things up on the PGA tour.

But his Nationwide record is all over the map. Last season, he didn't really get going until mid June. One week, he finished 88th; the next week, he finished second.

He's got one of those "college" swings, though, doesn't he? It's big and sweeping on the backswing, fast and smooth on the downswing, perfect finish and balance at the end.

Close one eye and he could be Charles Howell or Jeff Quinney, both of whom finished in the top ten on Sunday. Or Luke Donald who, even though he's English, played college golf in the US at Northwestern.

In fact, you could argue that all college graduates these days have the same swing.

Remember the days when you could tell a golfer by his swing even though you were watching a long shot on TV?

Who could miss Arnold Palmer at a driving range with his arms flailing? Or Johnny Miller and his enormous leg drive and "reverse C" finish? Or Jack Nicklaus with his almost straight up and straight down swing?

Pick just about any golfer who was on tour prior to 1990 and you can guarantee a unique looking swing.

It seems as if the early 90s marked a crystallizing of swing technique.

Bobby Clampett, who almost got it when he tried to swing using the principles of mechanical engineering, learned from a book, has been eclipsed by guys who are swinging like machines and making it look easy.

So why didn't Snedeker or Howell or any of the other guys with the "college swing" win on Sunday? In fact, why don't they win every week? Heck, they're scary long off the tee and have really good short games. Their technique is flawless.

But it's not enough.

They don't have the mental technique figured out yet. Tiger does. So did Arnie, Jack, Gary and Johnny.

And that's the difference.

Will the college guys learn the mental technique? It would be easier to predict the world's next tsunami.

You just can't teach the mind game needed to win golf tournaments. That has to come from within, deep down in that furnace where the fires of ambition and intent burn like a California wildfire fanned by high winds.

Tiger is ablaze. His fires never go out. He remains the benchmark in the mental game.