Stricker and Tiger have helped each other with their games for a long time (it’s true — I remember them working together at Firestone in ’11).

Fresh off his 76th career PGA Tour victory and 19th World Golf Championship title, Tiger Woods joined ESPN Radio with Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo to chat about how the 14-time major winner believes he still has his best years ahead of him, the importance of playing healthy, beating Steve Stricker after getting a buddy lesson from his pal, and understanding the microscope that world no. 1 Rory McIlroy is learning to handle.

You can take a listen here, but the good folks at Sports Radio Interviews have taken the time to transcribe the interview, so you have the option of reading it. (I know, options! Those are good.)  (continue reading…)

Tiger stayed on his yacht last week in Miami

Well, I can think of a million-plus reasons why Tiger Woods had a better weekend than just about anyone else, but here’s another: Olympic champion skier Lindsey Vonn, who has reportedly been dating the golfer for the past few months, spent the *entire* week with him on his yacht, Privacy, docked at a marina in the Miami area, according to the Daily Mail. (continue reading…)

Through the cactus

Matt Kuchar bested Hunter Mahan 2&1 in a well-fought final duel at Dove Mountain in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. Fighting strong winds and chilly temperatures in Arizona — of all places — Kuchar took advantage of early bogeys made by his competitor Mahan, who had not previously trailed at any point during his prior five matches.

But just like that, Kuchar birdied No. 8 to go 4-up heading into the back nine.  (continue reading…)

Oh no! My bracket is dunzo!

I know this is a bit late notice — well, it is only 4:30pm on the west coast! — but due to popular demand, I’ve started WUP group over at Golfweek’s Match Play Challenge Crapshoot. How do you join?

Go HERE, fill out the bracket, and when it asks for your contact information, write in “Wei Under Par” in the group field. (continue reading…)

Woods will face Charles Howell III in the first round of matches

Sorry this is a bit rushed — I have to catch the last shuttle to the media parking lot, but I wanted to get the brackets/pairings out. I tweeted (crappy-quality) pictures of them and there’s no easy copy and paste format that I’ve seen yet, so I did the best I could below. The tee times and pairings are legible and I did my best with taking screen shots of the brackets. I also included a link so you can download the PDF file for clearer viewing.

There’s plenty to discuss and quite a few fun match-ups. We’ll discuss later. For now, here you go and let’s hear your early predictions.  (continue reading…)

It’s just about that time again! — golf’s answer to or closest version of March Madness: the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship takes place in Tucson, Arizona, next week. Wednesday — with the 32 first round matches — is one of the most compelling days of the season.

This year’s field has been finalized, as the deadline to enter was Friday at 5pm ET. Since the seeding and brackets are determined by the player’s Official World Ranking, they will be revealed on Sunday evening after the conclusion of the Northern Trust Open (when the latest OWGR standings are determined based on finishes at Riviera this week).  (continue reading…)

Pictured: sand.

Still air, sky-high temperatures and soft conditions appear to have a knack for producing low, low scoring. Who knew?

The first round of the WGC-HSBC Champions in China, held this year on Mission Hills’ Olazabal layout (the positively sprawling venue now boasts of 12 “championship” designs and a further 180 holes), yielded two rounds of 65, four of 66 and a further 20 that dipped below the (nominal) par of 72.

Not bad for a shortened field, even if it is one populated almost exclusively by the best and brightest of world golf (no Tiger or Rory, though: they’re the subjects of *sigh* another appearance fee controversy!). (continue reading…)

Furyk to sponsor 17 Hole Energy Product

Well, I’m not sure what there is to add. I’m still a little bewildered that Jim Furyk lost the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, but obviously not as much as he is. The ending was painfully similar to what happened at the U.S. Open in June when he blew the lead on the 70th hole instead of the 72nd. (continue reading…)

Boom baby

When Keegan Bradley stood on the 18th tee on Sunday, he was hoping to make birdie and force a playoff at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. As it happened, he dropped in a clutch 15-footer to save par, putting the pressure on Jim Furyk, who was trying to close out a wire-to-wire victory. Furyk had fluffed his first chip and his second attempt left him with about five feet for bogey. He missed. In fact, the ball didn’t even hit the hole. (continue reading…)

The tale of two 66s...

Tiger Woods was quick to compliment playing partner Matt Kuchar following Sunday’s final round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Both Woods and Kuchar posted scores of four-under 66 at Firestone CC, but they looked very different if you were watching (and from a stats perspective).

“Playing with Kuch today was a joke,” said Woods, who moved up the leaderboard to T8, clinching back-to-back top tens for the first time since 2009.  “Twenty putts on the day is not too bad, three chip-ins.  It was amazing.  I never saw the guy all day, and we had the same score.” (continue reading…)