The Spaniard was on stage at the European Tour’s gala players’ awards dinner, where he was questioned by the Golf Channel’s Steve Sands. García, who has been embroiled in verbal battles with Woods since the Players Championship at Sawgrass this month, was asked in jest if he would have the American round for dinner one night during the upcoming US Open. “We will have him round every night,” García said. “We will serve fried chicken.”

Not to make any excuses for Sergio, but I’m sure he didn’t mean it like it sounded. And I’m sure there was alcohol involved.

Clearly, this was bad. Not just bad or in poor taste, but Sergio, you’re better than that.

The expected apology:

García left last night before he could be asked to clarify his remarks, but later issued a statment through the European Tour, saying: “I apologise for any offence that may have been caused by my comment on stage during The European Tour Players’ Awards dinner. I answered a question that was clearly made towards me as a joke with a silly remark, but in no way was the comment meant in a racist manner.”

We will give him the benefit of the doubt, but Sergio, no! Just no!

Adam Scott plans to keep the broomhandle. (Reuters)

As expected, the USGA and R&A availed of this morning’s conference call with journalists to confirm their amendment of rule 14-1b to prohibit the anchored putting stroke. The announcement brings to an end what the official statement describes as an “extensive review” of the issue, during which comments from various dissenting parties and interest groups — among them the PGA Tour and PGA of America — were considered at length.

Join us below the line for a breakdown of the rule change itself, plus quotes and reaction from the saga’s chief protagonists (except for Carl Petterson; he needs a few days to process things, apparently).

Conor Nagle

Not afraid of Tiger

Well, there’s one thing Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia agree on, and that’s the anchoring ban, which the USGA and R&A announced would go into effect on January 1, 2016, but that’s pretty much where their similarities end. As we know, Tiger and Sergio really don’t like each other (or “enjoy each other’s company”).

It’s Sergio’s turn to vent in this never-ending feud, which doesn’t simply date back to The Incident at The Players, and no, he just won’t hold back (which, regardless of your opinion of Sergio, you have to respect or at least appreciate his honesty). From Golf.com’s Paul Mahoney:

“He called me a whiner. He’s probably right,” Garcia said Monday at Wentworth, England, at the start of the week of the BMW PGA Championship. “But that’s also probably the first thing he’s told you guys that’s true in 15 years. I know what he’s like. You guys are finding out.”

I mean, hey, Sergio is admitting to being a whiner. We won’t disagree with him there. He’s too candid for his own good sometimes, but I shouldn’t say that because I, for one, enjoy the non-sanguine bit of straightforwardness.

We know Tiger won’t be calling or texting Sergio, but don’t worry, it’s mutual:

“First of all, I don’t have his number. And secondly, I did nothing wrong and don’t have anything to say to him. And he wouldn’t pick up the phone anyway. But that’s OK; I don’t need him as a friend. I don’t need him in my life to be happy and that’s fine. It’s as simple as that. Like I have always said, I try to be as truthful as possible,” Garcia said. “That’s why I think sometimes most of the people love me and some hate me. I understand that but I’m not going to change. That’s what makes me who I am and that’s what makes me happy. And that’s what makes the people I care about happy because they know they can trust me. Tiger doesn’t make a difference to my life. And I know that I don’t make a difference to his life.”

Sports relishes in rivalries, and golf is too polite, too gentlemanly on the surface — there’s that underlying tone that the game is “too good” for this petty nonsense when in reality, it thrives on such trivialities. You have to admit that this Tiger-Sergio saga has added a bit of spice to the drama on the golf course and it’s about time the guys dropped their gloves and stopped being fake PC and polite.

Let’s hope that the USGA and/or R&A have a sense of humor and pair these two together in this upcoming summer’s majors. Now, who wouldn’t watch that pairing??

(AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Tiger doing his best Phil impression

Considering he’s not playing in a tournament this week, Tiger Woods sure has made a ton of headlines already. Between hanging out with his kids and girlfriend Lindsey Vonn and hosting charity events, Woods even squeezed in a press conference for his tournament, the AT&T National, on Monday morning at Congressional.

Let’s start with the stuff you care about most — Tiger vs. Sergio saga. In the latest episode of The Real Housewives of the PGA Tour, Tiger was asked if he had reached out to Sergio to mend things instead of relaying comments through the press. The answer was straightforward and simple: “No.” 

Following the press conference, he expanded on the incident with Garcia during the third round of The Players Championship.

“Obviously, the matter has been put behind me. The truth came out,” Woods told USA TODAY Sports about the incident with Garcia. “As I was saying the entire time, I told people what I had heard and what had happened.”

So, Sergio and Tiger will continue to not enjoy each other’s company. I don’t think this comes as a surprise to anyone in the golf world.

Here’s a video of the comical moment.

*********

In other Tiger-related news…

*Woods has not changed his stance on anchored putters. On Tuesday morning, golf’s governing bodies, the USGA and R&A, are holding a press conference to make their announcement on the proposed rule change that would ban anchored putting strokes, used most commonly with the belly or broomstick putters.

Tiger reiterated his feelings on anchoring and hopes the PGA Tour implements the rule as soon as possible.

“Well, I hope they go with the ban,” said Woods when asked about the anti-ban stance the PGA Tour has taken. “That’s something that I’ve said, that anchoring should not be a part of the game.  It should be mandatory to have to swing all 14 clubs.  There are different ways of making the butt end of the club move.

“You’ve seen it with Bernhard Langer when he won the Masters putting against his forearm, what Kuch does putting against his forearm, as well.  But it’s not a fixed point; the butt end does travel.  So I think that’s where guys are going to try and ‑‑ will figure it out if that’s the ban and that’s where they go, I think it’s great.

“And as far as the PGA Tour, I hope they do it as soon as possible to be honest with you.  I’ve always said that.  I’ve always felt that golf you should have to swing the club, control your nerves and swing all 14 clubs, not just 13.”

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As I mentioned, Woods had his annual charity fundraiser in Las Vegas last weekend that headlined Kid Rock and Uncle Kracker at Mandalay Bay. In the celeb high-stakes poker game, which included Mark Cuban, L.A. Clippers star Chris Paul, Kid Rock, actor Mekhi Phifer and poker legends Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, among others, Tiger was the first to bust out.

He also avoided professional pictures taken with Vonn, for some reason, according to the Las Vegas Sun:

Try as I could, there were no photos of the duo arm-in-arm and cheek-to-cheek. I asked Tiger politely. He ignored me — looked straight through me like I was a ghost. Not one word from him. I asked his PR people, and they did try but were rebuffed.

Tiger made certain Lindsey was whisked into a stage-side dressing room in a phalanx of security bodyguards and kept away from the small contingent of photographers, including our contributing photographer Tom Donoghue. Lindsey was a guest at last year’s Tiger Jam before they began dating.

My bet is that Tiger is skittish being here because it was the scene of many of his party-girl nights before his marital mess and eventual costly divorce. I think he just doesn’t want any memories of that seamy and sordid time in his life.

Apparently, there are also rumors of an engagement between Woods and Vonn.

*********

Well, it must be quite serious with the couple, so it wouldn’t be surprising to hear they’re going to tie the knot, but doesn’t it seem a bit soon (at least with the timeline we’ve been provided)? TMZ posted a photo of Lindsey taking Tiger’s kids to school on Monday morning. Yes, really!

 (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Guan Tianlang, the eighth-grader who became the youngest ever to make a cut at a major championship when he finished 58th at the Masters last month, has accepted an exemption to play in next week’s Memorial Tournament, held at Jack Nicklaus’ place, Muirfield Village.

After making history at Augusta National, the 14-year-old from China, who clearly isn’t required to go to school, played at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and saw weekend play again. He was aiming to go 3 for 3 at the Byron Nelson Championship last week, but (finally) missed the cut after a second-round 77.

Oh, goodie! He’ll finally be at a tournament I’m covering (or I’ll be covering an event he’s playing, whatever).

“I am very excited to accept the invitation to play at the Memorial Tournament,” said Guan. “It is Jack Nicklaus’ event, and the same as all the golf fans out there I have very high respect to Mr. Nicklaus, not just as a golf legend, but also as a great person. He has been actively involved in the development of golf in China, and junior golf development worldwide, and as a junior golfer myself I appreciate what he has done to help us grow.”

Nicklaus met Guan and his parents at the Masters last month and was very impressed with the Asian Amateur champ’s maturity, according to the AP:

“He came to me and wanted to know what I felt about his education and what he should do. I said, `For the next few years, I’d let him finish up high school.’ Let’s start with that,” Nicklaus said with a laugh.

Nicklaus counseled the family to take it slowly, make sure he gets his schooling and is surrounded by friends and peers.

“His parents are trying to figure out the best way to promote his life in golf,” he said. “I said, `Let him make a few of the decisions.’ They’re very sharp people and he was very sharp for an eighth-grade kid to sit there and talk to us all down there. He’s pretty mature. But he’s still 14.”

Many have considered Guan an ambassador for the game, who can get the masses in his homeland interested in the game.

“For his country, he’s going to be the poster boy of being able to say, `Look, I can do this. You all go do it, too,” Nicklaus said.

I’ll be floored if he plays all four rounds at Muirfield. In fact, if he does, I’d say, forget even pretending to go to school, just turn pro!

Sang-Moon Bae deserves a vacay!

In difficult conditions with gusts up to 40mph, Sang-Moon Bae captured his first PGA Tour victory at the HP Byron Nelson Championship. Bae, who entered the final round on Sunday trailing Keegan Bradley by two strokes, built up a four-shot lead on the front nine, but he squandered it after a double-bogey on no. 9.

Bae and Bradley were even through 15 holes, but Bradley, who was trying to become the first wire-to-wire winner at the Nelson since Tom Watson in 1980, missed a short birdie putt on no. 16 and Bae would take the lead for good from there.

“It’s something I’ve always dreamed of, winning on the PGA Tour,” Bae said, via the AP. “It was surreal to have Mrs. (Peggy) Nelson there and with all the history … I was in awe, actually, so almost I didn’t know how to react.”

Bae previously had notched 11 international victories on the Korea, Japan and Asia Tours.

(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Oh. My. God.  At the quarterfinals of the Volvo World Match Play Championship, Nicolas Colsaerts found himself in some deep doo-doo on the par-4 10th hole. Literally. 

You can’t make this crap up!

Colsaerts, who was playing against eventual champ Graeme McDowell, hit his ball into the hazard and the European Tour rules official determined that his nearest drop from where the ball crossed was actually in the loo, leading to a comical moment that had players, caddies, fans and officials all cracking up.

“I ain’t hitting it out of the loo,” Colsaerts joked.

Colsaerts dropped his ball in the toilet and then took relief from there because it was in an unplayable place or in an unmovable obstruction.

“I’m sure now the whole episode at 10 is going to make all the TV news programs, Facebook and all the social media sites with the caption: ‘Here’s some Belgium guy playing golf in some toilet block in Bulgaria,”’ Colsaerts joked. “It’s the first time I’ve ever hit a ball into a toilet block, and you would have thought as a kid I would have been crazy enough to practice that shot. But I never did.”

What’s perhaps more unbelievable is that Colsaerts ended up getting up-and-down from a stinky situation and making par! However, McDowell obviously prevailed and won the match 2&1.

It’s been quite the year when it comes to errr…interesting drops!

Venturi: Oh my God, I’ve won the U.S. Open

Golfing great and legendary broadcaster Ken Venturi passed away on Friday after being hospitalized for nearly two months from pneumonia and infections in his back and intestines. Venturi, who won the 1964 U.S. Open at Congressional, was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame last October and he was not well enough to travel to St. Augustine, Florida, for the induction ceremony on May 6th.

We all have our memories of Mr. Venturi and I’ll share my own. 

I actually was introduced to the game by him and his teaching videos. Before I even picked up a club, my stepdad would have me watch Venturi’s instructional tapes. I can’t remember much of them, but I can still picture a congenial, white-haired man talking about golf and he was engrossing.

I also remember Venturi in the broadcaster booth, specifically for my first vivid memory of any major — the ’96 Masters when Greg Norman had his epic meltdown and lost to Nick Faldo. Venturi, who had a few Masters disappointments of his own, empathized with Norman.

I wish I could speak more eloquently about Venturi’s life, but he was a bit ahead of my time.

San Francisco Chronicle’s Ron Kroichick wrote his obituary in Venturi’s hometown newspaper:

“He meant so much to the game, in so many different ways,” said John Cook, a longtime tour pro whom Venturi mentored starting when Cook was 14. “Not just his great playing record but also as a transcending television analyst, and then with his philanthropic endeavors.

“Really, I can’t think of one person who has hit the game so vastly and through so many different channels.”

Mr. Venturi was an accomplished amateur golfer, but his path to prominence as a professional included several speed bumps. He overcame a severe stutter, weathered two crushing losses in the Masters, sustained lingering injuries in a September 1961 car accident and disappeared into a maddening, career-threatening slump.

So it seemed fitting, somehow, that his most triumphant moment occurred in trying circumstances, when he played 36 holes in scorching heat and humidity at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.

And on the U.S. Open victory:

There, on the broiling Blue Course on June 20, 1964, Mr. Venturi became an enduring symbol of perseverance in winning the U.S. Open under brutal conditions. He shot 66-70 on the final day – back then, the tournament concluded with 36 holes on Saturday – to win his only major championship.

When his final putt dropped, sealing a four-shot victory, the magnitude of the moment almost stunned Mr. Venturi. He raised his arms, mumbled, “Oh my God, I’ve won the Open!” and began crying when he saw tears streaming down the face of fellow competitor Raymond Floyd.

Mr. Venturi didn’t just win the Open – he won it in unforgettable fashion.

“I’ve seen people over the years who tell me where I won, what I shot and exactly what I did,” he said in an April 2011 interview. “There aren’t many Opens where everyone can tell you all about it.”

It already was hot for the morning round, when Mr. Venturi surged into contention. His swift pace slowed as the heat took its toll. He started shaking on No. 17 and struggled to walk off the 18th green after completing his round.

Here’s a video of Venturi taking a walk down memory lane of his ’64 win.

He’ll be missed, but also remembered fondly. R.I.P. Ken Venturi.

(AP Photo/File)

Tiger lounging on his yacht

Looks like Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn are serious. At least serious enough for Woods to bring the Olympic skier for a day on his yacht to spend quality time with his daughter Sam. 

On Tuesday in the Palm Beach area, Woods and Vonn stripped down to beachwear and showed off their toned physiques. Tiger was spotted fishing and soaking up the sun without his shirt, while Lindsey was wearing a bikini on the deck.

The couple made their red-carpet debut at the Met Ball last Monday. In March they went Facebook official with their relationship.

Hot bod!

 (Photos via New York Daily News)

Rory McIlroy is leaving Dublin-based Horizon Sports Management and setting up his own shop with family and close friends, according to The Irish Independent. 

McIlroy’s father Gerry is expected to play a prominent role in the new operation. Just over 18 months ago, McIlroy, one of world sport’s hottest properties, stunned golf by quitting the giant International Sports Management, run by Chubby Chandler, and joining Horizon, a Dublin firm with global ambitions.

McIlroy’s management team at Horizon have been taken aback by this latest development in the ever-eventful career of Irish golf’s charismatic world No 2. However, they are remaining tight-lipped pending further discussions with McIlroy (above), whose management contract at Horizon has a number of years to run.

Professional golf circles have been rife with speculation about McIlroy’s plans to set up his own management structure, but Horizon boss Conor Ridge declined to comment on the matter or answer any questions.

“We simply do not comment on industry rumours or speculation,” he insisted. “Horizon Sports Management always has and always will give first priority to the confidentiality of its clients.”

I first heard about this development the week of The Heritage from a friend at another agency, who called asking if I had Rory’s dad’s phone number. At Quail Hollow, I asked Rory’s day-to-day manager, Sean O’Flaherty of Horizon, about the rumor. He denied it, but I got the feeling he was “denying” it because of legal or contractual bindings. I had also heard Rory was bringing Sean with him, which would make sense.

Two of Rory’s childhood friends have accompanied him in his last two starts at Quail Hollow and The Players. I’m speculating that they’ll be involved in his new management group.

On Sunday at The Players, reporters asked Rory about the rumors he was leaving Horizon and he firmly denied them.