Wei Under Par

AP Report: Tiger to Return at The Masters

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:57:00 -0500

After the NY Post reported that Tiger would likely play at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, two sources told the Associated Press he would stay out of golf until at least The Masters:

The two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because only Woods is supposed to release such information, say he is likely to play first at Augusta National in April.

And I had my hopes set so high on the Tavistock Cup! I can almost hear the officials at Augusta cheering with excitement when alerted their sacred grounds will turn into a circus side show.

Hot Sauce Company Practices Amazing Subtlety With New Woods-y Flavor

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:43:54 -0500

Hot Sauce Harry’s just rolled out its Cheetah Woods Habanero sauce. Only $6.95 a bottle! Yeah, seriously.

Now I wonder if Ari Fleischer had something to do with this.

Tiger Woods Elects Ari Fleischer for Image-Rebuilding

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:15:00 -0500

Since the strange unfolding of events after the car crash on November 27, we’ve wondered why Tiger didn’t recruit a PR-savvy guru to help handle the fallout. Well, now, the NY Post is reporting that he’s (finally) hired Ari Fleischer, former presidential adviser to George W. Bush, to devise a plan for his comeback to golf at the Arnold Palmer Invitational:

“They were in his living room this week going over a strategy for how to handle Bay Hill in two weeks,” one source told The Post.

The other source told The Post, “I would be shocked if he didn’t play the Arnold Palmer.”

Since Tiger announced his indefinite leave, many have pinned Bay Hill as the logical date for his return (prep for The Masters, which no one can imagine he’d miss).

The Post also says Palmer has told “close confidants that Woods is definitely playing Bay Hill.” Meanwhile, longtime buddy and fellow Isleworth resident Mark O’Meara declared to the Golf Channel he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Tiger came back at the Tavistock Cup, the two-day exhibition matches which pits pros from Isleworth against the neighboring Lake Nona club.

Back to the curious decision to hire Fleischer who established Ari Fleischer Sports Communications in 2008. He was brought on by Mark McGwire to help repair the shunned hitter’s image after the steroid scandal in 2005. And that obviously went really well. Among Fleischer’s other clients are the NFL, the MLB and, of course, the oft-mocked BCS.

But more important, does this mean we finally know Tiger’s political affiliation?

Balls in the Air: WGC-CA Championship

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:10:00 -0500

Welcome 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. Disclaimer: Don’t yell at me if my picks suck.

First of all, I’d like to take a second to give myself a big-freaking-high-five for posting this before the tournament started. (I know, finally.)

/HI-5!

Okay, I feel so much better about myself after that. Hoo-ray. Because you all care, I’m sure. Moving on to the picks!

Group A

Phil Mickelson: The defending champ needs to step up after a crappy showing on the West Coast swing. You gotta figure he’s found a new putting stroke by now (though not sure what was wrong with the one from the end of last season). It’s time to get hot, Phil — apparently Tiger is coming back soon, so the time is winding down to move closer to that number-one spot.

Group A Bencher

Steve Stricker: Safe pick…for every week. He’s a fantastic alternate to fill in for a potential no-show Phil. Hell, it would probably be smarter to have Phil on the bench. Stricks surpassed him as the number two in the world rankings after he won the Northern Trust Open. He’s placed in the top-10 in three for three starts.

Group B

Camilo Villegas: Uh, heard he’s playing pretty well on the course in between his job as the ambassador of Colombia. Apparently he has a lot of fans out in Miami (se habla Espanol). I’m told when he came second to Tiger in 2006, he overshadowed him (yes, seriously!). But he’s had more rest and not sleeping in his own bed this week, so might be a gamble.

Jim Furyk: My friend Kevin reminded me that Furyk has an excellent record at Doral (T2 in ‘08 and 3 in ‘09). He also advised me to take Furyk over Rory McIlroy, so if Furyk shoots, like, 76 every day, then I’m taking a hit out on him.

Group B Benchers

Rory McIlroy: The 20-year-old from Northern Ireland will be the first to share cover time with Tiger on Tiger Woods PGA Tour ‘11. He picked up some tips from Jack Nicklaus at lunch last week because he’s eager to learn. And he’s been playing Doral since he was, like, nine.

Geoff Ogilvy: He hasn’t done anything spectacular since he won the season-opening SBS Championship. (Maybe the new baby is keeping him up?) But he sure loves World Golf Championship events with three wins tucked away.

Group C

Paul Casey: Three top-10s in three starts. When asked what he’d say to Tiger on the first tee, he replied, “Nike 1, blue dot. I don’t know, what do you say?” Exactly.

Group C Bencher

Ian Poulter: He won the WGC Match Play Championship. Enough said.

Well, that’s all. Great field this week. For the record, I wanted to pick Alvaros Quiros to shake things up — the dude is fun to watch and hits the ball so far he almost makes J.B. Holmes look like Tim Clark. But I guess I’m laying up while wearing orange pants.

LPGA Players Ready to Get Their Mojo On

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:05:00 -0500

You have until Sunday to vote for the 16th player to compete in the inaugural Mojo 6 tournament in Jamaica on April 15-16.

The exhibition event features a new format the creators have decided to call “Raceway Golf,” featuring 16 ladies pitted against each other in a series of six-hole matches. As the competition heats up, the players will have a chance to choose their opponents, which is designed to encourage clawing and bitch-slapping. Kidding!

The ladies who have committed to play are Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Jiyai Shin, Brittany Lang, Cristie Kerr, Christina Kim, Angela Stanford, Mariah Stackhouse, Amanda Blumenherst, Yani Tseng, Anna Nordqvist, Na Yeon Choi, Brittany Lincicome, Suzann Pettersen and Kristy McPherson.

There are a dozen vying for the final spot. You can vote once a day here, choosing from Sandra Gal Beatriz Recari, Vicky Hurst, Anna Rawson, Amy Alcott, Nicole Castrale, Laura Davies, Jeong Jang, Eun-Hee Ji, Marianne Skarpnord, Catriona Matthew and Lindsay Wright.

According to the Golf Channel, Gal is leading the race, followed closely by Recari and Hurst. Interestingly, despite kicking off a PR campaign declaring she would donate all her winnings to charity, Rawson is in sixth place.

Speaking of which, I received two mass emails in five minutes with the same content but different subject lines (whoopsie!) — “Interview with LPGA Golfer” and “Pro LPGA Golfer Interview RE: Mojo6 Tournament” — from a PR flak, whom I’m assuming represents the company Rawson hired to handle publicity matters. Read and learn:

Hey!

I work with LPGA golfer and model Anna Rawson (www.annarawson.com), who was named Sports Illustrated’s Most Beautiful Female Athletes of the Year, Maxim’s Sexiest New Athlete and one of Golf Magazine’s Top Ten Golf Innovators.

I would like to see if there is interest in doing an interview with Anna about this incredible pledge Anna has made if voted into the $1 Million Mojo6 Tournament. See the release below for more details.

Best,

[Redacted]

Tip #1: Don’t send PR-y emails that are so blatantly impersonal. You know, at least take the time to say, “Hey, Stephanie!” Everyone knows there’s a standard email being sent, but the key is to pretend it’s somewhat personalized (I’ve had the tedious job before). I complained about it to my friend, a PR exec, who replied, “Tailor your pitching, tailor your pitching!!!”

I’m always happy (or at least glad to be informed) to get these things, but for some reason, this one annoyed me. Especially after receiving it twice. Big PR boo-boo!

I didn’t reply. Anyway, go vote for someone.

And the Winner of the Howard Stern Beauty Pageant With Ladies Who Have Boinked Tiger Is...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:56:00 -0500

Alleged Mistress #4 Jamie Jungers. Congrats on being the equivalent of the smartest kid riding the short bus!

Howard Stern held some sort of freak show called Howard Stern’s Mistress Beauty Pageant in his studio on Wednesday. He gathered a group of ladies who allegedly fornicated with Tiger and asked them probing TMI questions. Apparently the former Trashy Lingerie “Trashy Girl” gave the best answers regarding Tiger’s endowment and turn-ons.

Jungers reportedly took home $75,000 and a pretty diamond ring. Meanwhile, Jaimee Grubbs, the former Tool Academy star who played Tiger’s awful voicemail to the world, placed second to win $15,000.

Unfortunately, famed Mistress #1 Rachel Uchitel couldn’t participate because of the settlement agreement she signed with Tiger, sez TMZ. Or maybe she was too busy planning Derek Jeter’s bachelor party in Vegas or something like that.

PUMA Pounces On Cobra

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:07:00 -0500

PUMA has acquired Cobra Golf from Fortune Brands, Acushnet’s parent company which owns Titleist and Footjoy.

The German sportswear company has been expanding its presence in the golfing world, snagging the edgy 21-year-old Rickie Fowler to endorse its product (like bright orange pants!) last fall. Now with the purchase of Cobra — which is set to close in the second quarter — PUMA will offer equipment along with footwear, apparel and accessories.

“Through the acquisition of Cobra Golf, we reinforce PUMA’s commitment to our sports performance business by strengthening our growing and successful Golf category,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and Chief Executive of PUMA. “Cobra Golf has a history of innovative performance products fused with an edge and is therefore a perfect fit for PUMA, reinforcing our overall mission of becoming the most desirable Sportlifestyle company.”

Watch out, Nike!

All Signs Pointing to Tiger's Return

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:21:00 -0500

Even though Tiger Woods isn’t playing in this week’s WGC-CA Championship, he’s still managing to make a presence. On Monday a source close to him told the Golf Channel that Tiger was working with swing coach Hank Haney last weekend at Isleworth, the gated community where Tiger lives. It was also reported it’s the hardest Tiger has worked on his swing since before the unfortunate car “crash’ in November.

Last week Charles Howell III and J.B. Holmes independently stumbled upon him hitting balls and gave shining reviews of his game.

Then on Tuesday, Mark Steinberg, Tiger’s agent, just happened to pop by Doral Golf Resort. (No word yet whether he chatted about the location of the cave where Tiger was hiding during those long winter months.) Steinberg doesn’t have any clients playing in the event either. But who knows, perhaps he just wanted to say hello to some old friends and scout out new clients (surely players are jumping on that thought!).

Meanwhile, Doug Ferguson reported that the PGA Tour has been notifying officials at every tournament between now and The Masters to make preparations for Tiger’s return:

“We’ve not indicated that we have inside knowledge,” [PGA Tour spokesperson Ty] Votaw said. “We just want them to be aware so they’re not scrambling.”

Best be safe! But of those three events, historically, Tiger only plays the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. That said, I’ve heard there are other solutions to preparing for the inevitable circus — I mean, would it really be too much to ask for Tiger to notify the necessary parties with ample time (he’s known to commit to tournaments at, like, 4:59PM the Friday before)? It sure would help save millions of dollars in wasted resources. I don’t know much about the Twelve Steps, but I’m assuming “Consideration” falls under one of them.

Finchem and Solheim Relieved to Put Behind Grooves Mess

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:12:00 -0500

On Monday the big grooves controversy was finally settled after it was announced that PING agreed to waive its right to a 20-year lawsuit. So the following day, PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem and PING CEO John Solheim held a teleconference to make obligatory comments and answer questions from the media. I listened to it, but it was pretty uneventful — you know, filled with the usual thank-yous.

The Commish clarified this bit:

This was 100 percent a voluntary action by John Solheim and Ping to waive their rights, those rights emanating from antitrust litigation years ago, that prevented the PGA TOUR from — that could have prevented the PGA TOUR from prohibiting the use of pre-April 1990 Ping Eye 2 irons, which was the nub of the problem. There was no agreement to do this; John stepped forward to do it…There was no money here that exchanged hands. There was no settlement. John Solheim and Ping did this for the good of the game, and Ping received no financial or other direct benefit in exchange for taking this action.

Well, indirectly, he looks like a hero. But mostly, Mr. Solheim just sounds glad the matter is closed:

The family is very happy to do this, and I mean, it is purely a waiver on our part. We can go forward and not think about it, which is very important to the family, because I saw what my father went through years ago, and I didn’t want that to happen again. To achieve what we achieved yesterday is really neat.

In other words, he doesn’t want to deal with a big, messy lawsuit, like his dad did, so let the lawyers draft up the paperwork and tell him where to sign.

Tiger's Got Game, But Now He Has to Share It

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:15:00 -0500

EA Sports revealed that 20-year-old Rory McIlroy will share the cover with Tiger on Tiger Woods PGA Tour ‘11. The company is rolling out its new version of the game, featuring a Ryder Cup team format because it’s a match year. Apparently the inclusion of McIlroy, who hails from Northern Ireland, is to represent the European side. McIlroy, who has yet to play in a Ryder Cup, has been dubbed Boy That Will Save The PGA Tour, so clearly he was the logical choice.

But some might think the move has something to do with — oh, I don’t know — Tiger’s extracurricular activities. Of course, EA Sports, which has repeatedly affirmed its commitment to the troubled golfer, says otherwise via ESPN’s Jon Robinson:

[T]his truly was decided last October before all the events. That’s when we thought about the Ryder Cup and adding somebody else on the cover. It had never been done and we wanted to focus everybody on the team aspect of the game. That’s what we wanted to do regardless of anything else going on.

Mmmhmm. That’s what they all say.

Meanwhile, speaking from the site of this week’s World Golf Championship at Doral, McIlroy makes some generic comments about Tiger’s anticipated return:

It’s certainly going to be interesting to see not just how he plays but just how he handles the whole situation. But yeah, I think everyone is excited to see him just get back out on to the golf course and play golf. And from the reports I’ve heard, he seems to be swinging it well and as good as he ever was. It will be exciting the next few weeks, whenever he comes back, I know a lot of people are saying Tavistock or Bay Hill. It would be nice to see him back.

And it’ll be nicer when those dreaded questions don’t have to be asked or answered anymore.

Know Your Asians: Momoko Ueda (Mo-mo-ko U-eh-da)

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:40:00 -0500

There’s an influx of Asians on the LPGA. And they’re really good. In fact, they win a lot. But many fans find it difficult to keep track of who is who because, you know, all Asians look alike and their names sound the same. So, let’s get to know them better.

Born in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, she’s 23 years old.
She started playing golf at age 9.
She turned professional in 2005, and in 2007 she became the youngest player in the history of the JLPGA to finish first on the money list.
After winning the LPGA Mizuno Classic in November 2007, she became the first Japanese player to win an LPGA event in nine years and secured her LPGA tour card.
This season she’s placed T6 at the Honda PTT LPGA Thailand and T15 at the HSBC Women’s Champions.
She has a very bright website.
Her name means “Peach” in Japanese.
If she wasn’t playing golf, she would be a fashion designer, and sponsored by Pearly Gates, she dresses very stylishly (even when she’s playing ping pong!).
If she could be anyone for a day, she would be Victoria Beckham so she could be married to David Beckham.
She enjoys music, shopping, karaoke, pool, collecting earrings, soccer and swimming.
Her favorite colors are navy blue, pink and white.
She keeps a blog, but unfortunately for us English-speaking people, it’s in Japanese (but I’m told she speaks so-so English).
She appears to have a very comfortable bed, too.

Asian-ness Scale (1-10, 1: Michelle Wie, totally Americanized; 5: Se Ri Pak, somewhat assimilated; 10: Eun-Hee Ji, 한국말): Momoko = 5

PING and PGA Tour Finally Close the Wedge Loophole

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:06:00 -0500

Better check that eBay return policy — PING finally gave in to the unnerving pressures of the PGA Tour and waived its rights to a lawsuit that prevented the Tour from banning the 20-year-old wedges with square grooves, which didn’t conform to the new regulations set by the USGA.

As you may recall, the loophole caused some ruckus the other month when Phil Mickelson went on his anti-groove policy crusade. But since then, Phil, along with Fred Couples and Hunter Mahan, put the old wedges back in the garage because, well, Scott McCarron called Phil a cheater.

Tour boss Tim Finchem thanks PING for its appeasement:

John Solheim and PING had a terrific opportunity to do something very positive and significant for the game of golf and we very much appreciate his willingness to take this action.

And this from PING CEO John Solheim:

We all believe it is in the best interests of golf. It levels the playing field on the PGA TOUR and resolves a very unfortunate situation that we predicted would happen when the USGA first proposed the new groove rule more than two years ago. It keeps in place all of our other rights established in the 1993 PGA TOUR settlement and the 1990 USGA settlement, including ensuring amateurs will continue to be able to play their pre-April 1990 EYE2s at all amateur events played under the USGA Rules of Golf.

Beginning on March 29, the old PING Eye 2 clubs will be banned on the PGA, Nationwide and Champions tour. So good news for the average Joe — you can still play with the Eye 2’s in your club championship!

But what’s in it for PING? The AP’s Doug Ferguson explains via Twitter: “A USGA forum this fall that Solheim hopes will give companies a stronger voice when equipment rules are changed.”

Phew, glad that’s been settled. Now I can finally get some sleep.

Fred Couples Brings Life to the Senior Citizens Tour

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 04:19:00 -0500

In three starts on the 50-plus tour (otherwise known as the Champions Tour), Fred Couples has two straight wins. Firing a final round six-under 65, he breezed his way to victory by four strokes at the Toshiba Classic.

Freddie’s scoring average on the Champions Tour is 65.67 and he hasn’t carded anything over a 68 all season. In the event he didn’t win, he placed second. Also in the two tournaments he’s played on the PGA Tour, he finished T14 at the Waste Management Open and T37 at the Northern Trust Open. Impressive for, you know, an old guy.

And look out — there are a few others on the senior tour who can still compete with the young guys, like Tom Lehman and Tom Watson who finished T3 and T5, respectively. The 60-year-old Watson shot 62 on Sunday and we all remember what he did at Turnberry last year (let’s hope he gets that US Open exemption, too!). Lehman has placed T14 and T16 in two starts on the PGA Tour — Phil Mickelson also has two top-20 finishes.

When was the last time it was so much fun to watch a bunch of old dudes hobble around the course? Probably not since the days when Lee Trevino, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Chi Chi Rodriguez dominated in the early 90s.

What’s more interesting is that Couples, Lehman and Watson could potentially win on the big boys tour this year, too. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the last player to win after his Champions Tour debut was Fred Funk in the 2007 Mayakoba Golf Classic.

I put my money on Couples to be the next.

[Photo by Craig Dolch via PGATour.com]

This Is How the Kids Play in the Slums of India

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 03:12:00 -0500

Taken by Thomas Gudzowaty and posted at TotallyCoolPix, this photo is just one of an absolutely amazing series. Gudzowaty captures a group of kids on the streets of Mumbai, India, who haven’t let little details like the absence of real clubs and nicely groomed fairways hinder them from playing golf. Too poor to buy clubs and balls, they use melted iron bars and plastic balls to play with and rooftops and alleys as their courses. But while their approach is different, the kids still value the tradition of the game and abide by the rules.

Just a cool example of the interesting way the game can materialize with a little bit of creativity. The entire photo essay is a must-see.

Tiger Woods Jokes Miss the Cut at the Oscars

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:53:00 -0500

If you were looking forward to funnymen hosts, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, cracking some Tiger jokes, too bad — there won’t be any. According to the NY Post, a well-placed source said the Academy Award producers deleted the lines because they were “too rude.”

So instead, Martin and Baldwin are making cracks about, you know, the nominees — like how Matt Damon is secretly married to Jennifer Garner and how George Clooney is mad at everyone.

Who does everyone have for Best Picture? I just hope Avatar doesn’t win. Great movie, but overrated. I’ll take Inglorious Basterds or The Hurt Locker.

Paddy Power Tries to Bait Tiger Into Another Addiction

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:36:00 -0500

Ireland’s largest bookmaker, Paddy Power, is determined to sponsor Tiger Woods, who has lost three major endorsers — Accenture, AT&T and most recently, Gatorade — since the whole sex scandal mess broke out.

The company offered the golfer $75 million over five years to presumably parade its logo on some available real estate (like his bag) or plaster his face on billboards promoting online betting. But a Paddy Power spokesperson said the company “remains keen to work with Tiger Woods, and will re-engage with [IMG].”

Um, call me crazy, but endorsing a gambling service doesn’t seem like it’d be the logical move for a guy who is already allegedly recovering from addictions to sex, strippers and Ambien. But clearly, increasing the bid is a way to win him over. Despite the company’s denial, this so-called business proposition sure smells like something called a publicity stunt.

Come on, Paddy Power should know it would have better luck courting this golfer instead.

Meanwhile, for anyone who bet on Tiger returning to golf at next week’s WGC-CA Championship, no luck — the commitment deadline passed on Friday at 5pm EST without Tiger announcing his entry.

A Totally Inappropriate (But Funny) Tiger Apology Spoof

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:33:35 -0500

Be warned: NSFW. And, please, if you choose to watch it, make sure you have a sense of humor. As a friend pointed out, this animated Tiger Woods sounds like Gilbert Gottfied. So if that’s not your kind of thing, then move along.

Balls in the Air: Honda Classic

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:45:00 -0500

Welcome 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. Disclaimer: Don’t yell at me if my picks suck.

I swear I’m going to get better at posting this on a weekly (and more timely) basis, but mostly it’s because I haven’t come up with lyrics for a “Balls in the Air” theme song. Submissions are welcome.

Group A

Anthony Kim: Aside from the third round 76 at the Phoenix Open, Mr. Shiny Belt Buckle had a great tournament. No word whether he was hitting it hard at the Bird’s Nest on Friday night. Oh, and this is good — he’s paired with Robert Allenby the first two rounds. Fight, fight, fight!

Group A Bencher

Ernie Els: The options were slim, so it was either the Big Easy or someone like Steve Marino. Ernie is off to a quick start with two top-10 finishes at the Farmers Insurance Open and Northern Trust Open. Even though his three-year campaign to challenge Tiger Woods as the world’s number one has expired, maybe it comes with a one-year extension plan.

Group B

Rory McIlroy: Gotta love this kid. More important, he wouldn’t have laid up from 231 yards on a par 5 when he was in contention. At least I hope not.

Camilo Villegas: The flashy Colombian has been playing very well. In two starts, he finished third at the Match Play Championship and T8 at last week’s Phoenix Open, including a 9-under 62 in the first round. After complaining last year about the oh-so-grueling year-long golf schedule, he talked about his overall improvement in attitude and appreciation for the opportunity to play. They grow up so quickly!

Group B Benchers

Y.E. Yang: The defending champ is always a safe pick. He also played well last week despite a mental error, where he dunked it in the water, on the 17th hole last Sunday. But last night on Twitter, he mentioned having back pain. Not a good sign and something went wrong today — he shot (gulp) 79.

J.B. Holmes: I have a soft spot for the slow-moving long hitter after speaking with him last week at the Phoenix Open. Really nice guy. He’s also started the year hot with a runner-up finish at the A&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and third at the Northern Trust Open.

Group C

Paul Casey: In two starts, he finished runner-up at the Match Play Championship after losing to Ian Poulter in the finals, and T10 at the SBS Championship. Another safe pick. (Honestly, I’m ashamed how boring I’m getting.)

Group C Bencher

Rickie Fowler: I’m still kinda appalled with his gutless play coming down the stretch. John Hawkins summed it up very well, “Hey dude, did it ever cross your mind that you could make an eagle? You’re Rickie Freakin’ Fowler, the New Kid in Town, the second coming of Lanny…You believe, Rickie, because that’s what champions do. Better safe than sorry? Sometimes, they mean the same thing.” Lucky for him he’ll have another chance sooner than later — can’t discredit him for being able to play. As he heads into the Florida swing, it’ll be interesting to see how he does when not on familiar territory.

Alright, leaderboard check! The soft-spoken Australian, Nathan Green, leads with an early 5-under. Some guys called Alexandre Rocha and Michael Connell are tied for second along with Oliver Wilson and Villegas. Watching the telecast, looks like tough conditions with the wind blowing hard.

Someone else to keep an eye on is rookie Alex Prugh. He’s placed in the top-ten three times and made five cuts in five starts. After a few off-weeks, he’s in the clubhouse with a 68 and T10.

I realize I sound like a broken record this week with some of my picks — you know, so-and-so is playing well, which was annoying because it seemed like I have nothing more interesting to say. But if you’ve discovered a formula that doesn’t involve looking at the players’ current season results and their past performance at that tournament or simply going with your gut, then please share. Maybe next week I’ll get a little crazy and point my finger at the screen with my eyes closed and see which name it lands on.

At least Villegas is making me look smart.

Jack Nicklaus Expects Tiger to Play The Masters

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 02:47:00 -0500

Now that Tiger Woods is finished with his reported rehab stint at a facility outside of Scottsdale, Arizona, everyone is wondering when he’s returning to competition. He’s been spotted tuning up his game on the range at Isleworth Country Club. Charles Howell III ran into him on Tuesday and J.B. Holmes did, too, on Wednesday — both reported his game was looking sharp.

Asked when he surmises Tiger to come back, Jack Nicklaus, who played in the Honda Classic Pro-Am, bets on a tune-up event before The Masters:

It would surprise me if he didn’t [play]. Oh yeah, I can’t imagine in a hundred years he is going to miss Augusta. I’ve been very non-committal about everything because it’s none of my business. My guess is as a golfer he’s going to want to try and play Augusta if he has his other things in order. I suspect he will play something before Augusta, and I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t play before Augusta.

Which makes everyone look toward the week of March 22 for the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, which Tiger won last year and five other times. Oh, let’s not forget there’s the Tavistock Cup, too.

My Profile on Ryan Moore in SI

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:11:00 -0500

The story is in this week’s edition of Sports Illustrated. My favorite line?

“Ryan is never going to be upset that the media is covering someone because of the shiny belt they’re wearing.”

That came from Jason, Ryan’s younger brother, with a little smirk.

Surprisingly, 1,500 words — which initially seemed daunting — fills up the screen pretty quickly. Here are some more interesting bits about Moore:

He calls the PGA Tour a “very, very lonely place” at times, which is why his brother or friend caddie for him and family/friends always travel with him. His good friend and former UNLV teammate Andres Gonzales, who plays on the mini tours, says he’s never seen Ryan alone.
He’s misunderstood. In junior golf people thought he was arrogant because “he was confident and he loved to tell people about certain golf shots he hit,” says best friend and swing coach Troy Denton. During his college days his competitors felt threatened by him and wanted to beat him to prove something to themselves. Now, because he’s quiet and doesn’t go out of his way to make new friends, many just think he’s aloof.
His mother describes him as “intensely quiet,” meaning he’s mentally strong and observant, but keeps his thoughts to himself most of the time.
In college when Jason used to always ask him, “What’s your backup plan?,” he would reply, “I’m going to be on the PGA Tour.” It bothered Jason that Ryan didn’t have one, but Ryan says, “I can’t explain it, once I believe something, it’s going to happen. My theory on backup plans is if you have one, you’re going to use it. Call me crazy, cocky or conceited.”
Example of Moore’s mental toughness (and not caring what anyone thinks): At the ‘06 PGA Championship his wrist was really hurting him and he couldn’t swing without pain — except when he tried an old drill, where his wrists were already cocked and the club head is actually a few feet in the air above its normal position, and then he would simply turn his shoulders and swing away. He played the entire tournament like that and placed T9.
At the Bob Hope Classic he played with Arnold Palmer’s grandson, who told Ryan and Jason that his grandfather always says, “Watch what Ryan Moore does and copy it. If there’s anybody out there to follow, it’s him. He does his own thing and he doesn’t listen to the media, the swing coaches and try to be transformed into something different. He plays his own game and he plays to his own strengths. Don’t listen to what everybody else says.”
Moore’s girlfriend, Serena, isn’t the “average Tour wife,” meaning she has (gasp!) a job — she’s a journalist in NYC.
His family and friends wish people knew about his generosity. He’s constantly giving to people close to him and charities, but he does it quietly — or as his dad says, “He doesn’t put an ad in the newspaper saying, ‘Hey, you need help? Call me.’”
He enjoys watching romantic comedies and TV shows like Arrested Development and Scrubs.
He also likes cats, which his girlfriend gives him a hard time about.
He figured out he doesn’t like staying in hotel rooms, so this season he started renting houses on the road.

So there you have it — feeling comfortable is very important to Ryan Moore, and usually that means doing things differently from the norm.