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. I just started playing a few weeks ago, because, well, I really enjoyed Fantasy Football last year. Disclaimer: Don’t yell at me if my picks suck.

I know the tournament has already started and I believe the deadline was sometime on Wednesday. Going forward, I’ll have my picks posted earlier. FYI, I picked last week’s winner, Steve Stricker. /big high-freaking-five! And I just jinxed myself. My apologies to Luke Donald.

Group A

Luke Donald: The options were slim, but I went with Donald. He was runner-up at last week’s Northern Trust Open. He tied the course record at Spyglass with a 62 at this tournament in 2007.

Group A Bench Dude

Phil Mickelson: I was hesitant to pick FIGJAM, but like I said, it was slim pickings. Plus, I’m playing to win, so I’m doing my best to put my personal feelings aside. Phil has had two relatively disappointing weeks, but you never know when he’ll get hot. Hopefully he found his putting stroke, or got a new one since Sunday.

Group B

Jim Furyk: Safe pick. Plus, I played a few holes with him at Pebble on a simulator back in November at a Johnnie Walker junket. He knew the course very well and made two birdies in the three holes we played. Oh, Furyk also has a strong record at Pebble.

Dustin Johnson: The defending champ is always a good bet. He’s off to a decent start this season, too. He was the 36-hole leader at the Northern Trust Open and finished T3.

Group B Bench Dudes

Alex Prugh: This rookie has stayed under the radar and hype, but has actually been playing the best. He has three consecutive top-10 finishes. He’s also a fellow Washington State native. Hoping he plays well and is up for an interview after his round…stay tuned. (If you have any question suggestions, drop them below.)

Retief Goosen: In two starts on the PGA Tour, he’s placed fourth and T6. At the Qatar Masters he earned another top-10 finish. GOOSE!

Group C

Mike Weir: Last year he was runner-up at this event. He was cut last week, but finished sixth at the Bob Hope Classic, the other tournament where celebs run rampant.

Group C Bench Dude

Brandt Snedeker: Two top-10 finishes in 2010, including runner-up at the Farmers Insurance Open.

OK, I’ll do a better job next week. Time to watch the always enlightening coverage on the Golf Channel. I also might be dropping in comments to Mike Walker who is live-blogging the tournament over at Golf.com’s Press Tent.

/checking leaderboard

K.J. Choi is leading at 6-under through 11 holes. David “Mock Turtleneck” Duval is off to a good start at 5-under through 12 — now let’s see if he can keep it up for four rounds, or hell, even two. And what is this? John Daly is three-under through seven!

So who are your favorites for the week? Drop them below.

*Update: Because several people asked if “Balls in the Air” was my remix to “Pants on the Ground,” here’s this:

So, clearly this weekend I’ll be thinking up lyrics for a “Balls in the Air” song.

I couldn’t have been happier to see Steve Stricker win the Northern Trust Open and dethrone Phil Mickelson as the world’s number-two golfer. So the guy is a little boring, but it’s hard not to cheer for such a genuinely nice and humble player — especially one that has a great comeback story.

After struggling for most of the first half of the 2000s, Stricker fell so far in 2005 that his world ranking dropped to 337th and he didn’t make the top-125 on the money list. He was forced to return to Q-school, where he failed to regain his card. But things started looking up for Stricks in 2006 when he was named the PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year (if that can be taken as a compliment) after seven top-10 finishes. The following year he played his way back to the winner’s circle at The Barclays. Once again, he was named the CPOTY — an unprecedented consecutive season recipient.

So that partly explains the tears in his post-win interview with NBC’s Roger Maltbie. Stricker clarified in his presser:

That’s a common thread for me. I tell myself every time I’m not going to cry, and maybe it’s seeing Roger that makes me cry. I don’t know, it means a lot. I work hard at this, and when it finally — you pour everything into it for 72 holes, and there’s a lot of emotions through the course of the round, and I typically don’t show any emotion. So I think it’s just the ending of it all and finally coming out on top that I lose it.

With Tiger Woods on his indefinite leave from the game, there’s the possibility of Stricker reaching number one, but he’s not thinking about rankings:

[W]e all know who the best player in the world is, and I’ll just continue to do what I do, and that’s practice hard and work at it and try to improve. I’m not saying that I’m going to just not try to work at it anymore, but just continue to do the things that I do when I’m trying to — and that’s to try to get better. That’s all I can ask.

Meanwhile, with all the talking Phil has been doing, it hasn’t translated to his play. Let’s see, rewind back to the Farmers Insurance Open, where he confidently babbled about his improved accuracy and distance. Oh, and he launched his anti-USGA new grooves policy crusade, of course. He finished 19th at Torrey Pines, carding a final-round 73 — after he flew in swing coach Butch Harmon the night before.

Then there’s his putting. We can’t forget his success after working with putting guru Dave Stockton at the end of last year. Well, in eight rounds he’s averaged almost 30 putts a round. Looks like it’s back to the drawing board.

While he opened with an eagle in the third round at the Northern Trust, he played the remaining 35 holes four-over. Whoopsie. Blame it on those darn grooves. Now enough FIGJAM-critiquing from me, there was enough of that elsewhere.

First, let’s go to the guys at the SI Golf Group in the latest edition of PGA Tour Confidential:

Alan Shipnuck: The thing about Phil is that he regularly lays an egg, even when he’s ostensibly playing well. He might win five times this year, including a major or two, but there will be plenty of weeks when he’s a non-factor. That’s what’s so remarkable about Tiger’s body of work — even when he’s struggling he contends.

Gary Van Sickle: Once again, the Phil hype outpaced the Phil reality. I think that’s the hazard of pinning the marketing and hype on one guy. Golf isn’t a game where you can predict who’s going to do well every week. (Not like, say, NASCAR.) It’s also the hazard of pinning the game’s focus on one player whose entire career has been built on spectacular inconsistency. Phil may win at Pebble by 12; it wouldn’t be a surprise. Or he may miss the cut, and that wouldn’t be a surprise either.

That pretty much sums up the wonderful career of FIGJAM. Next up, excerpts from a FoxNews.com article without a byline:

[T]he grand transition plan didn’t allow for the fact that golf’s a meritocracy and Mickelson is now, officially, no longer the heir to the throne.

And after blowing his chances in both San Diego and L.A.’s Riviera, where he was seeking to become the first man to win three straight times at Hogan’s Alley, Mickelson doesn’t deserve to be. That might be a hard truth for Phil’s legions of fans to accept, but it’s also inescapable.

He had three months to prepare for the start of 2010 — knowing what was at stake — and couldn’t deliver. Think Tiger would’ve been an also-ran, finishing 19th and in a tie for 45th, if the roles had been reversed?

No, Phil blew it. He couldn’t even get himself into the running at Torrey Pines or Riviera because he couldn’t find a fairway with binoculars and a compass. Three months to prepare and he couldn’t keep the ball in play. It’s a sad reminder that obsession with distance in golf really is a double-edged sword.

Ouch. Perhaps the harsh tone explains why the writer decided to remain anonymous. But hey, if you’re going to bash someone, at least have the decency (and balls) to sign your name — and so I can email you to impart my praise.

[Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images]

In Saturday’s edition of The Onion…

In response to accusations of cheating that he called hurtful, insensitive, and simply not true, Phil Mickelson lashed out at Scott McCarron Thursday, demanding that his fellow PGA Tour member publicly apologize for humiliating Mickelson’s 20-year-old pitching wedge. “You can say what you will about me, but you do not attack Ping-Eye 2,” said Mickelson, addressing McCarron’s claim that a loophole in the PGA Tour rules had been unfairly exploited to allow the club to take part in sanctioned competitions. “Scott, that pitching wedge has done nothing to you, yet you dare criticize the square grooves on its face? How could you? You either apologize to my wedge or I swear to God I will say things that will bring your stupid-looking putter to its knees.” According to sources close to Mickelson, the two-time Masters winner has urged his pitching wedge to explore taking legal action against McCarron for slander.

But I thought the culprit was the lob wedge? Eh, minor details. (Unless you want to insert a bad joke about the pitching wedge copping blame to protect the lob wedge or something like that.)

Well, sources have told me Phil has a nasty habit of filing preposterous lawsuits.

[h/t Shack]

The USGA finally responded to Phil’s scathing comments about the new grooves policy.

Last week Phil stirred up controversy when he decided to play with an old Ping Eye-2 lob wedge, which doesn’t conform with the new groove regulations, but is within the rules because of a loophole. He continued his crusade at his press conference on Wednesday, accusing the USGA of “killing” the game and manufacturers. But “out of respect” for the other players, he decided not to use the Ping wedge at this week’s tournament, confessing his “point has been made.”

He sure did.

Dick Rugge, the senior technical director of the USGA, said the system the organization uses to set equipment standards is meant to protect the game. He told Gary Smits:

The USGA does a lot to improve the game. As far as someone accusing us of killing the sport, I’m not going to get into a response to Phil Mickelson on that. He’s entitled to his own opinion.

Phil’s “opinion” is full of contradictions. To recap some of his previous comments, he wailed:

I’m very upset with the way the rule came about, the way one man essentially can approve or not approve a golf club based on his own personal decision regardless of what the rule says.

Rugge’s response:

…[T]he process is hardly “one man.”

I have a staff of 16 people, including six engineers with Ph.D.s. We get about 2,500 clubs submitted to us every year, and we approve about 80 percent of them as conforming. And the 20 percent have an appeal process. They can go to the USGA executive committee, so there’s 15 more people involved. We can’t please everyone, but I think we do the best we can.

Meanwhile, as Geoff Shackelford pointed out earlier this week, Phil admitted he stands to benefit from the groove change, but he refused to elaborate on his strong opposition to the USGA’s intent to bring back emphasis on skill.

Really, it seems that Phil launched his crusade to lash out at the USGA. He’s angry because a set of Callaway irons submitted to the USGA for approval were non-conforming. And it’s in his best interest to please his sponsor, which has always been his forte. Let’s be real — he’s not looking out for the other players as he so claims.

As for those who opt to use the Ping Eye-2 wedges, Rugge said, “They’re conforming clubs. I have no problem with a player who uses them.” But if the USGA’s intent is to protect the spirit of the game, it should have considered the repercussions of having such a contentious loophole — particularly one that allows players to arguably violate the honor and integrity the USGA is meant to uphold.

While the implementation of the policy could have been better, Phil has handled the situation poorly, acting like a spoiled child and launching a personal vendetta against the USGA because his sponsor’s clubs were rejected. But he can keep bitching about how it’s so terrible for his peers and the game. Nice work, FIGJAM.

[Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images Europe]

Last week when Phil Mickelson declared he would be playing with an old Ping Eye-2 lob wedge, it instigated all sorts of controversy over the new grooves regulations. In Wednesday’s press conference, a prickly Phil explained his vehement distaste for the USGA’s rule and demanded it be rectified:

In regards to the groove and playing the club and whatnot, I have been very upset over the way the entire groove rule has come about and its total lack of transparency. I’m very upset with the way the rule came about, the way one man essentially can approve or not approve a golf club based on his own personal decision regardless of what the rule says. This has got to change. To come out and change a rule like this that has a loophole has got to change. It’s ridiculous. It hurts the game, and you cannot put the players in a position to interpret what the rule has meant. That’s why we have a decisions book, to decide this stuff.

This should have been decided well before this came out. It put me and it put all players in a bad spot, and it needs to be changed. This rule-making process needs to be changed.

He also implied that his decision to use the Ping Eye-2 wedge last week was to bring about the shortcomings of the new grooves guidelines:

So this week I won’t be playing that wedge. My point has been made. I won’t play it. But if these governing bodies cannot get together to fix this loophole, if players stop using this wedge, which would stop the pressing of the issue, then I will relook at it and put the wedge back in play. But I hope that players continue to play the wedge. I hope that the governing bodies get forced into changing their rule-making process. I hope there’s more transparency amongst the governing body. We cannot have one man have arbitrary power over this. It’s frustrating for players, and it’s extremely frustrating for manufacturers, and I hope all this stuff gets changed.

He added that it was out of respect for the other players. (What a hero!) But he sure got irritated when pressed on the issue:

Q. So as far as making a point, you said you think you made your point with putting the club in last week; you said it was because it was an advantage that was under the rules. Was there any reason that you put it in your bag last week to make a point that it was a ridiculous rule?

MICKELSON: I didn’t catch all that jarble (sic), but I thought my point was pretty clear amongst most everybody else.

Yikes. That’s all for now — I must run off to this event, where I’ll stumble over my words in a different forum.

Because of some terrible stomach virus, I was out of network for the past four days. Thanks to everyone for their well wishes. Apparently it was a drama-fueled weekend with this whole “Groovegate” fiasco breaking out. Though my head is still spinning, let’s try to catch up…

Who said there was no drama in the golfing world? In less than three months, the world’s number one and two golfers have been accused of cheating.

Last week when Phil Mickelson announced he would be playing with a Ping Eye-2 lob wedge — which doesn’t conform to the new groove regulation but is permitted within the rules because of an old lawsuit — he sparked a very public and ugly spat on the contentious issue.

Ryan Ballengee makes a compelling case, arguing that Phil’s decision didn’t have anything to do with performance; rather it was a calculated move by him and his sponsor Callaway Golf to stir up controversy in attempt to embarrass the USGA (and PGA Tour).

If that was the goal, it worked. Scott McCarron used the opportunity to express his vehement distaste for the loophole, directing some inflammatory remarks at Phil:

I think it’s cheating. All those guys should be ashamed of themselves for doing that. … As one of our premier players, (Mickelson) should be one of the guys who steps up and says this is wrong.”

Not surprisingly, Mickelson was very upset that McCarron called him the C-word and after his round on Saturday, he implied he might be taking legal action:

We all have our opinions on the matter, but a line was crossed and I just was publicly slandered. And because of that, I’ll have to let other people handle that…Again, everybody has their opinions and so forth, and it’s healthy to talk about it. But when you cross that line and slander someone publicly, that’s when the Tour needs to step in – or someone else.

Only after this very controversial issue hit a public and personal stage, the Tour was forced to issue a release:

In light of the public comments that have been made regarding the use of pre-1990 Ping Eye 2 irons in competitions sanctioned by the PGA TOUR, it is important for our players, fans and the media to understand the following:

• Under the Rules of Golf and the 2010 Condition of Competition for Groove Specifications promulgated by the USGA, pre-1990 Ping Eye 2 irons are permitted for play and any player who uses them in PGA TOUR sanctioned events taking place in jurisdictions of the USGA is not in violation of the Rules of Golf; and

• Because the use of pre-1990 Ping Eye 2 irons is permitted for play, public comments or criticisms characterizing their use as a violation of the Rules of Golf as promulgated by the USGA are inappropriate at best.

Ping CEO John Solheim also released a statement to clarify the legal agreement between Ping and the Tour in 1993 and expressed his willingness to “discuss a workable solution to this matter that would benefit the game and respect the role innovation has played over the long history of golf.”

Meanwhile, Jason Sobel reports on McCarron’s entertaining non-apologetic apology on Monday:

I never called Phil Mickelson a cheater. That being said, I want my fans, sponsors, and most importantly, my fellow players, to know that I will not be silenced and I will continue my efforts to get the groove issue resolved.

The USGA and the PGA Tour were made aware of this potential issue by its players last year. Instead of acting or addressing the matter, the tour chose to put the onus to comply on its players. Unfortunately, a handful of players have chosen not to comply and that is what has led to this current ordeal.

In my opinion, as a 16-year veteran of the PGA Tour and a member of the tour’s Player Advisory Council, the tour must now put a rule in place to protect the field and ban these wedges. Most of the players on the PGA Tour feel the loophole in this rule needs to be closed.

So there you have it — McCarron will not permit threats of lawsuits or fines to shut him up on his heroic crusade. Scary! Seriously speaking, the Tour should have foreseen the inevitable outrage and taken measures to prevent this from turning into such a mess.

Other players have also weighed in with their opinions. Joe Ogilvie has taken a more humorous approach to the absurdity with the following tweets (start from the bottom):

Padraig Harrington, who is considering using an old PING wedge this week, chimed in with some thoughtful comments during his press conference on Tuesday:

As regards what I feel about whether it’s right or not, I don’t know what the direct comments were by Scott McCarron, but I think most of us were brought up that you’ve got to adhere strictly by the rules, and whatever those rules are in place, you’ve got to play by them…

I would like to see a clarification myself. I would like to see a situation. Legally I don’t know how they can go about it, but maybe the PGA TOUR could play under the rules of the R&A, then we’d have no problem. Maybe Ping could forego the lawsuit, then there would be no problem. Or possibly, I don’t know, this is what I would sort of suggest, is that maybe everybody sign up to a charter and say we won’t use them. But while they’re out there being used, it’s a difficult situation not to — for anybody who’s competitive not to go out there and take full advantage of what you can if somebody else is.

…I’m hoping for some good clarification this afternoon from Tim Finchem. I’m hoping something comes out of that that makes the decision and takes the decision out of my hands, really.

Finally, Golf Magazine’s Connell Barrett spoke with veteran Hale Irwin who doesn’t like the idea of players exploiting the loophole:

But aren’t the Tour’s hands tied because of the 1990 lawsuit settlement that came after Ping sued the USGA?

If that’s the case, then we’re being run by a lawyer, not by a commissioner. If that’s the case, let’s fire Finchem and hire an attorney. What disappoints me about the players [using the Ping wedges] is that they’re finding this loophole to go around the rule.

So you would never play these Pings, even though they’re legal?

No. My conscience wouldn’t let me. At the same time, I would never say that a guy is cheating. There are times to keep one’s mouth shut. It can’t be cheating if it’s allowed in the rules. But can you say it’s against the spirit of the rules? Yeah. I think it is. In my era, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, in the spirit of competition, would not have [played Ping Eye2s]. But we play in a different time. To circumvent the rules by playing old grooves is going outside the spirit of competition. Phil doesn’t need to do that.

So, Irwin agrees with McCarron that Phil is essentially cheating. Let’s hope Finchem can help put this all to rest when he addresses the matter in more detail in a press conference tomorrow.

On the bright side, at least everyone is up in arms about a controversy dealing with play (or alleged cheating) on the course — you know, rather than Tiger’s dalliances with his (alleged) dozen or so mistresses.

[Photo left by Donald Miralle/Getty Images, right via Waggle Room]

It’s nearly impossible for Tour players to avoid dreaded questions about You-Know-Who these days. Like most everyone, Jim Furyk can only speculate on when Tiger will return to competition. But if the well-spoken, pensive Furyk had to be a betting man, he would put his money on The Masters:

I’d bet we’d see him at Augusta. Tiger hasn’t come out and made any real public statements, so it’s hard to figure out. Everyone is guessing it will be Augusta. Whether he comes out earlier, or there, I have no idea.

Which reiterates what most others have surmised, including the eloquent Geoff Ogilvy, who last week offered some intelligent advice for Tiger. Obviously both are just speculating, but coming from them, at least they’re educated opinions.

Rather astonishingly, Furyk candidly remarked that when Tiger does return, he should expect to be met with “mixed feelings” from fellow players:

There will be people who probably won’t be as friendly and people who are. Tiger probably understands that and realizes that the people who he considers his friends will pat him on the back and encourage him. It’s been a real life-changing experience. I’m sure you’ve seen it with friends and I’ve seen it with friends. Some people take sides. He probably expects some people to be pretty cold about it and some will support him and give him encouragement.

Mean Girls on the PGA Tour! Well, as we heard earlier today, Tiger can count on his pal Phil Mickelson to welcome him back with open arms — which surely Tiger must find totally reassuring.

[Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images]

For the first time in ages, Phil Mickelson headlines the major golf story of the week in the Farmers Insurance Open held at Torrey Pines. With Tiger Woods on his indefinite leave, the media swarmed to the next best thing at Phil’s press conference, where we finally got to hear his thoughts (or lack thereof) on the revelations surrounding his frenemy, Tiger.

Phil kicked off the presser by reading a prepared statement. Talking points included  Tiger, the groove change, his game, and of course, his family. In other words, he took control of the situation, or simply, a media manipulation tactic:

Before we talk about that and the tournament, there’s a few other areas I’d like to discuss before we go into that. The first is obviously Tiger. That’s a common topic. The game of golf needs him to come back. I mean, it’s important for him to come back and be a part of the sport. But right now he’s got a lot more important things going on in his life. Amy and I are good friends with both Tiger and Elin, and we care deeply about how this turns out. But I’m going to choose not to talk about it publicly anymore, and I appreciate your understanding on that.

But this didn’t stop reporters from pressing him on the topic. Asked if he had tried to contact Tiger, “either through calling or text,” he stood by his no comment policy, politely replying, “You know, we’ve had limited communication with the Woodses, and again, I just feel like discussing any of that is just not appropriate.” But has he had contact with him? “With the family, not necessarily saying with who in the family.” So, no, he likely hasn’t directly spoken to Tiger.

When questioned on the prolific coverage of the scandal, he shrewdly cast it back at the press:

As far as the media exposure or coverage, reaction, I think it’s more a question for you. That’s your industry. That’s what you guys do for a living. How do you feel it was covered? I don’t know, that’s more of a question for you guys.

Phil also confirmed the report he would be playing with an old Ping Eye-2 lob wedge, which has been a contentious matter since it doesn’t technically conform to the new groove rule, but was grandfathered in following a lawsuit. Unlike some players who have voiced their disapproval of the loophole, deeming it as a form of cheating, Phil disagrees:

After talking about the TOUR and the USGA, the only thing that matters is are they approved for play. So I don’t feel that there’s any problem if I were to play those clubs or if anybody else were. All that matters is that it is OK under the rules of golf.

He freely voiced his disdain for the groove change:

You know, this affects my career. This is a big change. I think it’s a ridiculous change. I think that it costs each manufacturer millions of dollars. I think it’s confusing, and I don’t agree with it one bit.

His viewpoint caught me a bit off-guard, considering he’s celebrated for his deftness around the greens. But perhaps his disapproval stems from his bomb-and-gauge style of play, and the new grooves will make things tougher on those guys, according to Ryan Moore. Phil is also known for his sometimes questionable decision-making on the course and players will have to make smarter decisions and have more trouble recovering from missed shots.

Phil went on to discuss his optimistic feelings about his game and prognosticates this year will be one of the best of his career — with or without Tiger. He believes he has the opportunity to “challenge” Tiger’s throne and move to the number-one spot, which he says is something he’s aspired to his whole career, but he just “hasn’t had much success.” Even if Phil surpasses Tiger in the rankings, there will still be an asterisk that goes along with the title (it doesn’t count unless he does it with Tiger actually competing). I guess he’ll take it, though.

Going into Torrey Pines this week, Phil is the overwhelming favorite given his past success at the tournament, including three wins. Not surprisingly, the world’s number two is now the most beloved player — the one who is the quintessential family man, gracious to the media, friendly with fans and always smiling (or secretly smirking these days).

After living in Tiger’s shadow for over a decade, Phil now has the limelight to himself. Get ready for FIGJAM-squared. Just hope he doesn’t run over a fire hydrant in 2010.

Since the beginning of the Tiger Woods sex scandal, EA Sports, the creators of video games Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and Tiger Woods Online, has maintained its support of the golfer.

After Tiger posted a statement on his website apologizing for his “transgressions” in early December, EA Sports declared:

Our strong relationship with Tiger for more than a decade remains unchanged. We respect Tiger’s privacy, we wish him a fast recovery and we look forward to seeing him back on the golf course.

But questions remained whether the company would move forward with the beta launch of Tiger Woods Online, which is set for later this month. A few weeks ago, EA Sports president Peter Moore confirmed it would move forward as planned and explained via his blog:

Our relationship with Tiger has always been rooted in golf.  We didn’t form a relationship with him so that he could act as an arm’s length endorser. Far from it.  We chose to partner with Tiger in 1997 because we saw him as the world’s best, most talented and exciting golfer.  We struck that partnership with the assumption that he would remain near or at the top of his sport for years to come.

By his own admission, he’s made some mistakes off the course.  But regardless of what’s happening in his personal life, and regardless of his decision to take a personal leave from the sport, Tiger Woods is still one of the greatest athletes in history.

Now it appears the company is skeptical about its relationship with Tiger. According to Kotaku, a third-party survey was circulated with general questions and then Tiger-focused ones, like these:

EA SPORTS makes a Tiger Woods video game. Has the controversy made your impressions of EA SPORTS more or less favorable, or has it had no impact?

Has the controversy made you more or less likely to buy a Tiger Woods related video game in the future?

Surely the results will dictate how the company proceeds with handling the release of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, which is scheduled to hit stores next summer.

To promote Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 last June, Tiger played the game with Jimmy Fallon in Times Square and again on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. After that very public PR campaign, it will be interesting to see how EA Sports tackles the marketing of Tiger Woods Online. I guess the game’s announcers, Scott Van Pelt and Kelly Tilghman, can stage a match in NYC. Or Phil Mickelson can stand in for Tiger. Or something like that.

The PGA Tour kicks off the 2010 season today in Maui with the SBS Championship. While we’re all excited for play on the golf course to return, the absence of Tiger, who usually isn’t even in the field, is causing all sorts of ruckus.

First, let’s hear from some of the players via Doug Ferguson’s article:

“I think it’s an interesting time,” [Geoff] Ogilvy said. “Obviously, No. 1 in the world might be up for realistic grabs this year, depending on how it all takes shape.”

“He wins six times, he plays 15,” [Pat] Perez said. “There’s what, 38 events? So there’s always a lot up for grabs. I hope the people can see there is more to the Tour than just Tiger. We know how great he is. We know the whole thing. No one is questioning that. Maybe people will have a chance to say, ‘We are not watching Tiger all the time.’ We have to watch somebody else now while Tiger cleans up this mess…”

In Tuesday’s press conference Commissioner Tim Finchem made his standard “Look on the Bright Side!” opening remarks and then reluctantly answered Tiger-dominated questions. I especially enjoyed the dialogue between Finchem and one brave soul who grilled him:

Q. Have you talked to Tiger or attempted to talk to him? 
COMMISSIONER FINCHEM:  Have I talked to who?  

Q. Tiger? 
COMMISSIONER FINCHEM:  I answered this question before.  The answer
is, I have not. 

Q. When? 
FINCHEM:  The day I did my press conference. 

Q. It’s a few weeks later?

FINCHEM:  No, I have not talked to Tiger.  No, I have not talked to him.  I don’t know when I would talk to him. 

Q. It’s been three weeks, I just thought I would ask.  
FINCHEM:  When I address that, I thought I addressed it in this context that he asks for privacy.  We pledged our commitment to give him privacy so that would include me trying to talk to him.

Q. I understand that.  I thought with a personal relationship, if you tried to reach him at all?

FINCHEM:  No

Cranky Commissioner. Anyone know the identity of the question-asker? That was brilliantly done. /Hi-5!

Moving along! From Larry Dorman’s article:

Y. E. Yang, the South Korean golfer who beat Woods head to head at last year’s P.G.A. Championship, said he had not given it much thought. But he said through an interpreter that many of his friends in golf have “half-heartedly and jokingly” posed questions about it, like: “Are you going to miss Tiger for a while, right? Or, aren’t you glad Tiger is not there. Since Tiger is not there, you don’t have anyone to beat. It’s always been more fun and silly comments.”

“I’m on record saying I hope he comes back tomorrow, as soon as possible,” [Lucas] Glover said. “Because we need him and sports needs him. You could say, man, this is a great opportunity. But at the same time, say somebody goes out and wins four tournaments, and they happen to be four that Tiger usually plays. Do they still get the credit because he wasn’t there? There are several ways to look at it.”

And then, Lawrence Donegan pointed out the need to reevaluate the Tour’s business plan despite optimistic assessments by several suits who remain in denial:

“There were two other times in the last three years where he [Woods] took a prolonged leave of absence and on both occasions we came through it very well,” says Ty Votaw, a PGA Tour spokesman.

“It isn’t ideal that he isn’t around, but maybe it behoves everyone in the sport to explore other stories and look to other players. People say Tiger Woods is the greatest ever but I have never been in that boat. There have been great players in the past and there will be great players in the future,” says Brandel Chamblee, a commentator on the Golf Channel.

“When Arnold Palmer stopped playing the PGA Tour didn’t grind to a halt. Tiger is a great player and he will be back at some point, but maybe this is a chance for other players to shine,” says David Yates, president of Gaylord Sports Management, which represents 20 PGA Tour players, including Phil Mickelson.

True. True. And true again. But in this instance three truths don’t necessarily add up to a complete picture. Woods will be missed, and to a far greater extent than those within the game are prepared to admit, albeit for perfectly understandable reasons. It is bad for business, especially in this economy, to make too much of the absence of your biggest star and the lack of what marketing gurus would call “cross-over appeal” when it comes to the vast majority of golfers. The difficulty comes in quantifying exactly what Woods’s disappearing act will cost the sport.

Yep, sums it up nicely. So, you see, Tiger, get the obligatory public apology over with and come back. And where are you? Apparently a few might be nearing a scoop (no, he’s not in a sex addiction rehab, etc.)…maybe TBD soon? (Trying to track flights for tail numbers registered to Tiger, Inc. becomes, you know, excruciatingly silly after a while — what does “GTW” Corp. stand for, anyway?)

As a golf geek, I’m perfectly happy watching guys like Pat Perez (for, like, two more months), but I’m probably in the minority. I guess let’s just enjoy the good play and nice Maui views this week and hopefully some of you are in warmer climates than NYC and Seattle.