Tiger's OJ Simpson moment.
The withdrawal of Tiger Woods from the WGC-Cadillac Championship yesterday afternoon sparked hysteria among a press corps desperate for some controversy or weighty human interest with which to stuff the threadbare narrative unfolding out on the course. (continue reading…)
Look out!
It was one of those bizarre days at Doral– we saw clouds, glimpses of sun, short bursts of torrential showers and swirling winds, with gusts up to 31mph (felt like it was constant!). The outcome? Pure carnage for most of the WGC-Cadillac Championship field, especially on the par-4 18th, where the scoring average was 4.743, higher than three of the par-5s (Nos. 1, 10 12).
Well, as you can see in the clip here, Dustin Johnson’s tee shot epitomized the first round’s wackiness, along with the perils. Johnson pushed his drive far right, incidentally directly at Golf Channel’s TV crane and the guy in the air operating the camera. Well, the guy managed to keep his cool and track the ball until it struck the crane and dropped below. Well done, sir. (continue reading…)
Scott crouches while holding what looks like a javelin.
It appears that Adam Scott has chosen this week to launch his annual fortnight-long hot streak. The Aussie, who began his round on the tenth, blazed his way to the first tee in 32 shots before adding an eagle to an already impressive card. At six-under through ten holes, he holds a two-shot lead over in-form oldsters Steve Stricker and Thomas Bjorn. (continue reading…)
Due to popular demand, “Behind the Scenes” is back — not that it really left — but it will appear on a weekly (or regular) basis going forward now…
Here now, I’m attempting the TaylorMade’s Rocketballz Launch Party Glow Ball Experience, wearing a dress and no shoes (not to mention a two glasses of wine deep). The first swing was decent and made it into the “target box,” but I should have stopped while I was ahead because it’s an understatement to say the next few attempts were embarrassing!
Tiger signs up for home game!
Say it ain’t so! — Tiger Woods announced on Tuesday that he’ll play next week’s World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, followed by The Honda Classic, March 1-4, and the WGC-Cadillac Championship, March 8-11. No surprise he’s competing in the WGCs, but this will be his first start at the Honda Classic, held at PGA National Resort & Spa Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. (Okay, he played as an amateur in 1993 when it was called something else and held somewhere else.) (continue reading…)
Just when it looked like Nick Watney might finally have run out of gas, he goes on another birdie tear, making seven birdies and one bogey to shoot 65 and surge back into contention at the Transitions Championship, with a 54-hole total of 10-under, three shots behind leader Justin Rose. Coming off the biggest victory of his career last week at the WGC-Cadillac Championship, Watney hit a wall on Thursday after rolling in seven birdies through 12 holes, which carried over to Friday.
Hello from Palm Harbor, Florida, and Innisbrook, the site of the Transitions Championship! A huge thanks to Conor for his contributions the last several days, especially for holding down the fort yesterday (even golf writers needs a day off or two). If you haven’t read it already, check out the SI Golf Group’s weekly Sunday e-mail roundtable.
We touched on plenty of debatable topics, such as — Is this the beginning of more success for Watney? Is Kaymer still worthy of No. 1? What to expect from the struggling Phil Mickelson the rest of the season? Was Tiger’s Sunday 66 at Doral a sign he’s going to win soon or just one round? Did Doral deliver as a big-time event?
And, of course, the one I posed in the headline: Which young American has the best chance of becoming the next major media star?
Nick Watney doesn’t have the best memories of the 18th hole at TPC Blue Monster. Just yesterday, he knocked a poor drive into the drink, spoiling a fantastic round with a double-bogey. Two years ago Watney needed to chip-in to force a playoff with Phil Mickelson and left it one roll short. On Sunday afternoon he got his redemption — bombing a drive down the middle, hitting his approach to 13 feet and pouring the putt in the center cup to throw a dagger in the hopes of Dustin Johnson, who was watching from the 18th fairway. Watney also secured the WGC-Cadillac Championship title.
Tiger Woods walked off TPC Blue Monster and out of the scoring tent in good spirits. He even wore a nice, big smile. Finishing his round while the leaders had yet to make the turn, Tiger finished strong with a six-under 66 in tough conditions on Sunday (though it wasn’t exactly a high-pressure situation) and crept in to place T10 at the WGC-Cadillac Championship — his first top-ten since the WGC-HSBC Champions last November in Shanghai where he finished T6 (unless you count exhibition events like the Chevron Challenge).
During Ryan Palmer’s second round at the WGC-Cadillac Championship, his caddie James Edmondson discovered it was the birthday for Patrick, the standard bearer in their group. Asked how he was celebrating, Patrick said he planned to celebrate turning 15 with dinner at the Macaroni Grill, which planted the seed for James’ and Ryan’s Friday evening plans.
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