Singh admitted he used deer antler spray and it’s the Tour’s fault? 

As expected, TPC Sawgrass was buzzing with the news of Vijay Singh, who filed a lawsuit against the PGA Tour on Wednesday, the day before its flagship event, The Players Championship. It was a surprising turn of events since the Tour had cleared Singh of any wrongdoing last week, and the timing couldn’t have been any better — by better, I mean, worse.

Singh’s complaint purports the Tour’s action resulted in the Hall of Fame golfer to be “humiliated, ashamed, ridiculed, scorned and emotionally distraught.” (You can read the full complaint here.) He also claims the Tour acted unlawfully in the handling of the testing of the deer antler spray that Singh used.  (continue reading…)

Ogilvy checks out the 9th green, which is in the roughest condition

Everybody’s talking about the damaged greens at the usually pristine Quail Hollow Club. It’s only Wednesday and the state of the greens is the most popular topic of the tournament. Just walk out to the putting green — quite a few of the players will tell you that it’s the best one on the course. They’re half-joking, but there’s some truth to it. Which is a shame for the well-run tournament that’s a favorite among players, caddies and the media.  (continue reading…)

I know I should know better and use Word instead of WordPress to write my posts, but old habits die hard. The internet timed out and I just lost the last hour’s worth of work–which is always fun–but it’s my own fault. Anyway! It was a busy yet fun (and kind of weird) day on Wednesday at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Above, you can watch the #WUPHangout that I did earlier this evening. What did we talk about? (continue reading…)

Welcome (back) to Balls in the Air, where I size up my Fantasy Golf picks of the week, featuring guys to watch (or not), and interesting story lines and tidbits from behind the scenes. Disclaimer: I’m just as full of crap as the next guy, maybe slightly less than others, but take my ramblings for what their worth. Ramblings.

Good game, bro

Pardon me, but I’m having some trouble keeping my eyes open — chalk it up to old age or maybe I haven’t recovered from the British Open jetlag!

I had such great plans for all the prolific posts I was going to pump out today, but that didn’t happen. Good news is I have a lot on tap. I had an interesting chat with Ernie Els’ putting coach Dr. Sherylle Calder — her system and theory make a lot of sense from what I was able to gather and I was very intrigued. I liked her vibe. Stay tuned in the next few days… (continue reading…)

Wells Fargo, this week’s title sponsor at the Quail Hollow Club, has teamed up with First Book to stage a virtual book drive called “Reading Above Par,” a non-profit organization that is determined to see that all children, regardless of their economic conditions, can achieve more in school and in life through access to an ongoing supply of new books. As an extension of this annual initiative, the bank is encouraging fans to get involved — either on-site by stopping by the “Wells Fargo Banking Center” or online via its Facebook page.

Over the last few days I’ve gone around and asked probably about two dozen players about the program and their own reading interests. You may or may not be surprised by the most popular responses (and blank stares). (continue reading…)

The soundstage: a panoramic view of the 16th.

Buoyed by my complimentary words last week*, Spencer Levin is charging away from the pack during the second round of the Legitimate Businessmen Phoenix Open. (continue reading…)

Johnson's 'stash has a cult following

Only three weeks into the 2012 season, Johnson Wagner has become golf’s latest folk hero and even attracted a growing cult following.

Unfortunately, I don’t have photos, but if you caught Golf Channel’s telecast, then you saw the five young men — Steven Becker, 24, Geordi Lobe, 25, Willi Lobe, 27, Colby Nelson, 24, and Matt Nelson, 27 — from Alberta, Canada, who wore fake mustaches (that they bought from Party City), and lived and died by every shot for 18 holes on Sunday at the Humana Challenge, cheering on their inspiration. (continue reading…)

Power of the 'stache!

Johnson Wagner showed up for the 2012 season at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions with a new look — a mustache (also been called a “pornstache, “molestache,” etc.) that rivaled Magnum P.I. (which, by the way, Johnson considers a compliment) — along with a new sense of confidence, resulting from his hard work in the off-season.

Well, it looks like both are here to stay after firing a three-under 67, 13-under total to win the Sony Open by two over Carl Pettersson, Sean O’Hair, Harrison Frazar and Charles Howell III. (continue reading…)

Els survives to play another week

Ernie Els has won three major championships, captured 64 professional victories, including 18 on the PGA Tour, and has been inducted in the World Golf Hall of Fame, but over the last three weeks he’s been fighting to stay alive in the playoffs. Els, who has obviously struggled this season, faced elimination at the last three events, but he’s managed to survive under pressure — which he describes as more intense than being in contention. (continue reading…)

With the Match Play Championship happening, I doubt many of you cared about the results of the Mayakoba Golf Classic, the opposite field event — of course, unless you’re related to or friends with Johnson Wagner and/or Spencer Levin (pronounced Levine, by the way!).

I think it’s important to note that WUP Head Researcher Kevin Ryan (aka Intern Kevin) was Johnson’s first caddie at the qualifier for the ’95 US Junior Amateur, which Johnson made after winning a three-hole playoff. Because of Intern Kevin’s friendship with Johnson, I actually started leaderboard-watching on Sunday afternoon and I might have tuned in if the telecast hadn’t been on tape delay. PGATour.com scoring was also on some sort of delay due to technical difficulties, but guess what saved the day? Twitter!

(continue reading…)