Tiger Woods Y’all!

While conditions firmed up and a mild breeze blew through TPC Sawgrass, there were still plenty of low scores in the afternoon wave of The Players Championship, but no one came close to touching Roberto Castro’s nine-under 63 — his lead of three remains safe heading into Friday.

Tiger Woods, who hasn’t traditionally fared well consistently here, opened with a solid five-under 67. With the exception of a fatted chip on the 18th that led to a bogey, Woods’ scrambling was exceptional and he only needed 24 putts. He missed in favorable spots that resulted in good up-and-downs, but strangely, he didn’t make a putt over six feet (because those darn greens were so crusty!). (continue reading…)

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…)

Rory back to being the ultimate driving machine

Phil Mickelson still has nine holes to play, but he’s cruising so far, rolling in four birdies on the front nine to take the outright lead at eight-under. In the meantime, let’s take a look at the guys who teed off in the morning wave on Friday at Quail Hollow Club.  (continue reading…)

Generous Garrigus in caddies’ corner

Robert Garrigus is always giving back, even though it’s usually done behind the scenes and without a big shiny press release. He often picks up the food tab at the caddie trailer for the entire week. He’s thrown in a big-screen TV for the winner of the caddies’ closest-to-the-pin contest on Wednesday of The Players Championship. He’s paid the fees for the Caddies’ Tournament golf course, along with the $10K purse, the past several years.

This time, Garrigus, who earned a career-high $3.2 million in 2012, is taking it a step further and making things more official. He’s setting up a “Caddie Emergency Fund,” where PGA Tour caddies will have access to $100,000 for — yep, you guessed it — emergencies, and a scholarship foundation for caddies’ kids, which will probably be called Professional Tournament Caddie Association (PTCA) Foundation. (continue reading…)

The caddie races on the 16th have become part of the festivities at the famed Waste Management Phoenix Open, known for the rowdy, drunk crowds, not to mention ginormous — 179,022 fans attended on Saturday, setting the all-time single-day record in pro golf history.

And it sure was memorable. Phil Mickelson continued to wow the crowds, posting a seven-under 64 for a 54-hole total of 24-under, six shots clear of the next nearest competitor, Brandt Snedeker. But really, the highlight of the day was the Henley Brothers putting on an epic show No. 16.

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Moore played his way into the top 30

Advancing to the Tour Championship from the BMW Championship means more than a mathematical chance at winning the $10 million wheelbarrow at the end of the FedExCup PLAYOFFS. Unless you’re one of the top players in the world (I’d usually say 50, but no guarantees even then), meaning your name is Rory McIlroy or Tiger Woods, the average player doesn’t have the luxury of picking and choosing their schedules to their exact liking. When you qualify for the Tour Championship, you’re set up for success in the following season and it takes out a lot of unknown variables. (continue reading…)

Hunter preying

Many fell prey to the heat that scorched Congressional Country Club on Friday afternoon, but not Hunter Mahan, whose sweet swing and cool demeanor helped him en route to a blistering six-under 65 in the second round of the AT&T National, which included birdies on two of the last three holes.

Heading into what’s expected to be another super hot and humid weekend, Mahan, -7, leads by two strokes over Brendon de Jonge, Jimmy Walker and Robert Garrigus. Mahan, 30, kept hydrated and played so well that the record-high temperatures didn’t bother him or affect him mentally. (continue reading…)

Pretty in pink at The Players

There are always a bunch of leftover tidbits from talking with players about whatever topic or observing something interesting/weird/funny/sad that I wish I could have shared, but for one reason or another, I didn’t have time to post or write it, or it just didn’t fit anywhere else. Maybe I’m an ultra geek and no one else cares, but that’s too bad. I’m not forcing you to read on… (continue reading…)

Just kidding, of course. Well, Rory did knock his shot into the water and ended up making a double-bogey in the first round on Thursday.

During Wednesday’s practice round, Rory McIlroy’s looper J.P. Fitzgerald knocked it closer than his boss on No. 17 at TPC Sawgrass during the annual caddies closest-to-the-pin contest at The Players Championship.

Rory and J.P. had a side bet of their own. The wager? Rory had to carry his bag for the rest of the hole. (continue reading…)

On the eve of the 2012 Masters...

I can’t believe it’s already here. It feels like just the other week that I was giddy from last year’s wild finish, but you know what they say…361(ish) days have passed, so it makes sense we’re back at Augusta National Golf Club. Well, actually, it’s technically my first time officially with press credentials. I’m not going to lie — after I went through the gates, took the press shuttle to the media center, I nearly started skipping down the stairs before I checked myself (no running allowed!) to the entrance to the front desk where you pick up your credentials.  I felt like I was Charlie winning the Golden Ticket. (continue reading…)