Let's see. How bad is it?

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson didn't show up. Nothing new there.
But wait. It gets even worse.

Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly didn't show up, either.

That's right. It's time for the U. S. Bank Golf Tournament at Brown Deer Park.

For 40 years Milwaukee has staged a golf tournament for professionals. For 40 years, we have gotten sand kicked in our face by the PGA Tour. For 40 years we have been second class, then third class and finally we have reached no class at all.

For 40 years, a dedicated band of civic-minded men, and an occasional woman, have battled the odds, solicited sponsors, curried favor, kissed butts and put this tournament on, the to delight of local golf fans and the disgust of whichever television network is forced to broadcast the event. If it hadn't been for underwriting, there would have been no telecast of this tournament.

There are about 40 events on the PGA Tour that are part of the FedExCup challenge. Most events are worth 25,000 points. Majors are worth more. And three are worth half-points, 12,500: The Mayakaba Golf Classic, The Tahoe Open and the U.S. Bank Championship.

Two of Wisconsin's favorite sons, Stricker and Kelly, are skipping their home tournament this year to play in the British Open.

The folks who run the tournament put on a brave face. The spin this year was that some players who need FedEx points would come to Milwaukee, thereby making the field even better. It's turned out to be a sad joke.

Milwaukee has 12 of the top 100 players in the world in the field. Twelve. I'd be willing to bet that's the lowest total of any tournament on the schedule, with the possible exception of The Mayakaba Golf Classic.

Every time the PGA Tour needs to juggle its schedule to accommodate its lustful gluttony for money, Milwaukee gets slapped around. I can hear the conversation in the PGA Tour offices: "Don't worry about moving them. It's just Milwaukee. And they're just happy to have any tournament."

And it's true. I've been around this tournament for 30 years or so, and I know the characters who have been involved in running it. And they are get-along, non-confrontational people. They are just happy to have the tournament, complete with Brandon de Jonge, Matt Hendrix and John Merrick. That'll draw a crowd.

It's not that these guys can't play. They can all play. There are several players in the field that you've probably heard of before. Golf fans are a pitiable lot. Almost all golf fans actually play the game, making it very unlike other sports in America. And as golfers, we will clutch at straws to improve our game. If we think that Brandon de Jonge can show us something we can use, we'll watch him.

But at some point, Milwaukee ought to just thumb its nose at the PGA Tour. Tell them we've been slapped around enough. We are tired of being kicked to the curb.

And when we do that, place a call to the LPGA office. Tell the ladies we'll keep our purse the same size, making it one of the biggest on the ladies' tour. Tell them the course, Brown Deer, is ideally suited for the women.

Tell them that we treat the golfers like royalty, complete with cars, Kopp's custard, Brewers tickets and child care.

And tell Milwaukee that we want the best golfers in the world to come to our town each summer. And if they wear shorts and skirts instead of pants, it doesn't matter to us. The best is the best.