After he shot 69 in the third round of the Masters to move within four shots of the lead, Paul Casey of England was interviewed by CBS golf analyst Peter Kostis, who asked him about his swing and his game plan for the final round.

These were natural questions to be asked of a player who is in contention for the first major of the season, especially a player who has never won a major championship.

There was only one problem with the interview.

When he isn't commentating for CBS Sports, Kostis is a noted instructor who works with many of the game's best players. One of his pupils is Casey.

What resulted was an embarrassing, awkward and even indulgent session in which Kostis didn't always ask questions as much as he made observations. At one point, Casey even said "thank you" the way a first-grade student might if he had just received a star on his forehead from the teacher.

But the whole thing sank to a new low when Kostis asked Casey what his game plan would be for the final round at Augusta National. Casey looked at his teacher and said, "I was going to ask you that."

I kept thinking of that interview Sunday afternoon when Casey, after moving within two shots of the lead after three holes, suddenly started leaking shots. He double-bogeyed the fourth hole, followed that with four consecutive bogeys and finished the front nine with 41. He shot 79 and finished with an even par 288, eight shots back.

Wonder if CBS would have Kostis interview his pupil again? Of course, they didn't.

Having Kostis as an analyst for its broadcasts isn't a bad thing for CBS Sports. In fact, Kostis is very good at what he does for the network, which is analyze swings and provide insight for the network's super-slo-mo cameras. But having him interview one of his pupils after a good round was as ingratiating and self-serving as it was professionally compromising.

Which PGA Tour player was the first to win $6 million, $7 million, $8 million and $9 million in career earnings? Answer at end.

Winning the Masters wasn't Trevor Immelman's first famous moment. And it might not have been his finest.

Not if you consider the television commercial he did last year with Vijay Singh, promoting the FedEx Cup for the PGA Tour.

In the commercial, Immelman is standing in front of mirror in the bathroom, using a brush as a microphone and pretending to interview himself about winning the PGA Tour playoffs.

When Singh walks in unexpectedly, a startled Immelman quickly starts brushing his hair, as though he were doing that all along.

"You all right, Trevor?" Singh asks after a couple moments as he is washing his hands.

Immelman nods and keeps on brushing his hair.

Hey, he doesn't have to pretend anymore.

Enjoy having dinner or dessert watching the final round of the Masters?

Well, if you want to do the same with the U.S. Open, it might be a late-night snack.

The U.S. Open will be played at Torrey Pines in San Diego, and the United States Golf Association is planning to finish the final round at 7 p.m. local time, 10 p.m. Eastern -- the first time the USGA has done that with a West Coast event.

When the U.S. Open was played at Pebble Beach in 2000, the final round finished at 5 p.m. Pacific. The late finish means the winner won't be crowned in Britain until 3 a.m. and one hour later in most of continental Europe.

Bob Collins knows there are many reasons why the number of rounds are on the decline and have been for five years.

But he has another: Youth sports have cut into the number of players because the parents go to all the soccer and Little League games.

"I go to these games on a Friday afternoon or Saturday morning and I see why there are no golfers -- they're all in the stands," said Collins, general manager and director of golf at Oak Tree Country Club in West Middlesex. "And the reason they stand out is I see the FootJoy rain jackets and the Titleist hats. I say, 'There are all our golfers.' "

Collins said times have changed in that regard.

"When we were kids, I don't think my dad made it to one or two games. Now you go to games, it's not only the mother who is there, it's the father, the uncle, the grandparents, the grandkids. These are all our golfers."

John Kerins, a PGA professional whose family owns Tam O'Shanter Golf Course in Hermitage, agreed with Collins.

"You go to a softball practice, 500 people are watching practice," Kerins said. "Parents watch practice now. They used to be out golfing."

• The Larry Richert American Cancer Society Celebrity Classic will be June 20 at the Longue Vue Club, Verona. Entry is $400 per player or $1,500 per foursome. Call 412-919-1044 or email Leanne.Schepner@cancer.org.

• Hidden Valley Golf Club in Champion is offering spring packages in which greens fee during April are $29 (includes cart). After 2 p.m. weekdays, it's $25. Tuesdays are $99 per foursome through June 10.

• The American Cancer Society's 2008 Golf Pass, featuring free or discounted rounds at more than 100 participating courses in Pennsylvania, is available for a minimum donation of $30. Call 1-888-227-5445 or visit an ACS office to order.

Tom Kite.