Soccer betting

Tiger Woods will play the Frys.com Open in California the first week of October, his first time competing in the PGA Tours Fall Series as he tries to get his game ready for the Presidents Cup.

The Frys.com Open is Oct. 6-9 at CordeValle Golf Club, about 45 minutes south of his alma mater at Stanford.

“I always enjoy competing in my home state, and this tournament fits my schedule perfectly,” Woods said Monday on his website. “Im looking forward to seeing some old friends.”

Woods said a week ago he might add a tournament because of his limited schedule this year brought on by leg injuries. He chose a tournament from the Fall Series that he has never played.

The Frys.com Open, in only its fifth year, was one of the more exciting tournaments of the Fall Series last year. Rocco Mediate holed out for eagle in each of the four rounds, including the 17th hole in the final round, for a one-shot win. It also offers a $5 million purse, the richest among events after the FedEx Cup is over.

I always enjoy competing in my home state, and this tournament fits my schedule perfectly, Woods said. (Getty Images) “John Fry and his company have supported the tour, and Ive heard good things about the event and the golf course,” Woods said. “One of my goals this year was to participate in a tournament I hadnt played before. And now I will.”

Woods has played only eight PGA Tour events this year because of injuries to his left knee and Achilles tendon. He from the Masters i so he could make sure his injuries were fully healed. He said at Firestone that his leg felt as good as it had in years.

His results raised questions about his golf, however. He tied for 37th at Firestone, then missed the cut at the PGA Championship, the first time he had ever finished outside the top 100 in a major.

When he plays the Frys.com Open, it will be his first event in six weeks, although Woods is to play in a one-day exhibition in upstate New York on Wednesday to support Notah Begays charity work.

“Its been a long time between the PGA and Frys, and Ill be anxious to compete,” Woods said.

Fred Couples said last week he told Woods he would be a captains pick for the Presidents Cup, even though he was 28th in the standings and had been out of golf for much of the summer, missing two majors. Couples said he wanted Woods to play more before the Australian Open in November, a week before the Presidents Cup.

Even though there was spe the Frys.com Open had been a possibility all along.

The tournament consultant is Duke Butler, a former business executive with the PGA Tour who had come out of retirement in 2007 to help launch the AT&T National, which supports Woods foundation.

“This is a good start,” Butler said. “Wed like to think that players and caddies and fans who have been here have enjoyed it, and theyve been spreading the word.”

It likely will be the only Fall Series event that Woods plays.

He is hosting the first Tiger Woods Invitational a week after the Frys.com Open at Pebble Beach to raise money for his foundation. Proceeds from the three-day event on the Monterey Peninsula will support college-access programs for underprivileged youth.

Woods has some appearances in Asia before going to the Australian Open in Sydney on Nov. 10-13, followed by the Presidents Cup in Melbourne. After a week off, he would finish his year at the Chevron World Challenge, assuming he is eligible. Thats for the top 50 in the world, and Woods fell to No. 38 in the world ranking this week.

Print
Email a Friend
Facebook
Twitter
Stumble Upon
Google
Yahoo
Digg
Delicious
Share

Brittany Lincicome was singing in the rain Sunday in the Canadian Womens Open

“I was very patient, singing a lot of songs, very chatty,” Lincicome said after her second LPGA Tour victory of the season and fifth overall.

“The weather was not great, but I was still having fun. Im definitely going to remember this win.”

Canadian Womens Open Leaderboard

To stay focused, the long-hitting American sings to herself as part of her sports psychology program.

She wasnt quite ready for an encore in the media center.

“Im not a good singer, so Im not singing for you,” she said.

Lincicome, with former Canadian player A.J. Eathorne working as her caddie, saved par on the 18th hole for a 2-under 70 to edge defending champion Michelle Wie and Stacy Lewis by a stroke at Hillsdale Golf & Country Club. Lincicome finished at 13 under and earned $337,500.

“I never won on tour myself, so its kind of cool to say Ive been involved in two wins in one year,” Eathorne said. “I guess, I never thought it would get that good, that fast.

“Its been a lot of fun this week being a Canadian in Canada. Everyones asking me why Im not playing and obviously theres a very good reason Im not playing. Ive got a great job. I can be involved in a win and I know my game is not where it to match Wie (72) at 12 under.

“I knew the day was goi grind over every putt and every shot,” said Lewis, who got in 15 holes before the rain started.

Wie, the winner last year at St. Charles in Winnipeg, Manitoba, needed a birdie on the 18th to force a playoff, but missed the green, took a drop to get clear of a fence, and made par.

“Im proud of the way I hung in there,” Wie said. “Coming in, I had a lot of clutch shots that I can really take positives from. It feels good to be back in contention again.”

U.S. Solheim Cup players took the top five spots, with Cristie Kerr (71) and Angela Stanford (72) tying for fourth at 11 under.

Fears that the fourth round wouldnt be concluded because of remnants of Tropical Storm Irene didnt pan out. It rained heavily on the back nine for the leaders and the wind gusted, but play was never stopped.

Organizers moved up start times by 90 minutes, grouped the players into threesomes instead of twosomes, and sent them off both the first and 10th tees to get the round in before the course could be washed out.

If the final round had been wiped out, there would have been a playoff among 54-hole leaders Wie, Tiffany Joh and Ai Miyazato. Joh shot a 76 to tie for 12th at 8 under, and Miyazato had a 77 to tie for 16th at 7 under.

Lincicome pulled her tee shot on 18 into a tent and had to take a drop, but managed to get the ball up near the green, chip it close and make the winning putt. She also had fine saves on the eighth and ninth.

“Im growing as a golfer, I guess,” said Lincicome, also the ShopRite Classic winner in early June outside Atlantic City, N.J. “If this would have happened a couple of years ago, Im not sure how I would have handled it.”

Print
Email a Friend
Facebook
Twitter
Stumble Upon
Google
Yahoo
Digg
Delicious
Share

Defending champion Michelle Wie shot a 4-under 68 in the Canadian Womens Open for a share of the third-round lead with Ai Miyazato and Tiffany Joh on Saturday.

The winner last year at St. Charles in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Wie is trying to become the first player to win the national championship two years in a row since Pat Bradley in 1985-86.

Joh had a 65, and Miyazato shot a 71 to match Wie at 12-under 204 at Hillsdale Golf Club.

Canadian Womens Open Leaderboard

Angela Stanford (66) and Brittany Lincicome (69) were a stroke back, and Cristie Kerr (69), Jiyai Shin (69), Na Yeon Choi (69), Becky Morgan (70) and Song-Hee Kim (71) followed at 10 under.

There was some doubt that the final round can be completed before Hurricane Irene hits the area Sunday.

“Its something everyones going to play under,” Wie said. “Im kind of expecting the worst. But whether conditions are good or bad you still have to play well and there are still players to beat and things you have to do. I dont think it really makes that much difference.”

In a bid to beat the storm, starting times were moved up 90 minutes to 7 a.m., the players were grouped in threesomes instead of twosomes and will go off both the first and 10th tees. If the fourth round cant be completed, a three-way playoff will be held between the 54-hole leaders.

“Its a pretty quick turnaround, but I kind of like it,” Wie said. “It gives me less time to think about things.”

Joh had the best round of the day.

“Its really exciting for me because coming into this year I had conditional status and I didnt even know how many events I was going to play,” Joh said. “Just having a chance to contend at one, thats what dreams are made of. I just really excited. Im going in with no expectations because Ive never been in this position anywhere. Whoever Im paired with, Im sure Im going to learn loads from them.”

Miyazato is ready for anything.

“Either way, we need to finish the tournament,” she said. “So Ill just try to play my style of golf no matter what happens. I grew up in an area that was windy, so I actually like playing in windy conditions, but if it rains it will definitely be difficult. But because Im used to those situations, I dont think there will be any problem keeping my tempo.”

Maude-Aimee Leblanc was the low Canadian at 8 under after a 67.

“Coming into the tournament, I liked the way I was playing and hitting the ball, so I felt I had as good a chance as anyone,” said Leblanc, from Sherbrooke.

Jocelyne Bourassa (1973 La Canadienne) is the only Canadian to win an LPGA Tour event in Canada.

Print
Email a Friend
Facebook
Twitter
Stumble Upon
Google
Yahoo
Digg
Delicious
Share

Angela Stanford and Ai Miyazato took advantage of soft greens and calm conditions to top the leaderboard Friday after the second round of the Canadian Womens Open.

Stanford shot a 6-under 66 and Miyazato had a 68 to reach 11-under 133 on the tree-lined Hillsdale Golf Club course north of Montreal.

“The wind never really kicked up, so that helps, and the greens are still pretty soft,” Stanford said. “Its not surprising people are playing well.”

Canadian Womens Open Leaderboard

Song-Hee Kim was third at 9 under after a 68, with eight players another stroke back, including defending champion Michelle Wie, who shot a 69. Paula Creamer also was in the group after a 68.

The cut was at 1 under, tying th at Essex in Windsor, Ontario. Eighty of 155 players in the field broke par Friday.

Stanford had seven birdies and a bogey. She joked after her first-round 67 that her putter had finally shown up for a tournament, but cautioned a day later that “its still to be determined because I have two days left. I cant fall in love with him just yet. Were on speaking terms though, so thats good.”

Miyazato began the day tied for the lead at 7 under with Pernilla Lindberg, who shot 71 to join Wie, Creamer, Seon Hwa Lee (65), Becky Morgan (67), Sophie Gustafson (68), Gerina Piller (66) and Brittany Lincicome (68) at 8 under.

“The fairway is wide open, the greens are big,” said Miyazato, the Evian Masters winner last month in France. “You can be aggressive hitting the second shot. “So this weekend, will be close to 20 under, but it depends on the weather and it depends on the pin positions. Ill try to make as many birdies as I can.”

Wie had five birdies and two bogeys.

“Its what I wanted for the weekend,” Wie said. “Im motivated to go out and try to get this thing done. Ill do like Ive done the last two days - stay patient and try to make a lot more birdies.”

Top-ranked Yani Tseng had her second straight 71.

Suzann Pettersen, the Safeway Classic winner Sunday in Oregon, had her second straight 73 to miss the cut. Pettersen won the 2009 Canadian Open and tied for second last year.

Print
Email a Friend
Facebook
Twitter
Stumble Upon
Google
Yahoo
Digg
Delicious
Share

U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy says an arm injury wont keep him out of the European Masters next week in Switzerland, and confirmed Thursday that hes dating top-ranked womens tennis player Caroline Wozniacki.

McIlroy, attending the New Haven Open tennis tournament with Wozniacki, received a massage on his injured right forearm at the Connecticut Tennis Center on Thursday after spending Wednesday hitting golf balls at the TPC River Highlands in nearby Cromwell.

He said the arm feels about 85 percent healthy. He sustained what trainers described as a wrist tendon injury in the opening round of the PGA Championship earlier this month when he struck a tree root on a swing.

“Its not actually my wrist, its more up into the front of my elbow,” he said. “Its OK. Its not 100 percent.”

He also confirmed he plans to play “maybe 17, 18 events” on the PGA Tour next year.

“For me, I play my best golf over here and I just want to spend a bit more time over here,” he said.

He did not rule out playing in the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, but said the tournaments date, the week after the U.S. Open, might make that tough.

He said he would love to see Wozniacki win her own U.S. Open, calling the prospect of them both owning that championship, “pretty cool.”

He also told reporters it would be fine to refer to her as his girlfriend, ending one of the worst kept secrets in sports. He attended her second-round match here Tuesday, and has been seen by her side for weeks.

“Why its going so well is that we have so much in common,” he said. “Obviously, different sports, but were pretty much in the same position at a young age and we can talk about things that probably a lot of 21, 22-year olds cant talk about. Its nice to have someone that sort of understands what youre going through.”

Print
Email a Friend
Facebook
Twitter
Stumble Upon
Google
Yahoo
Digg
Delicious
Share

Apparently, going belly-up is a very good thing.

Well, for the guys resorting to navel intelligence in the first place, anyway.

As for our transoceanic analysts John Huggan and Steve Elling, theyre not so sure that bellying up to the bar is the best thing for the game at the moment. Barring the bellying, on the other hand, might be more to their liking.

At one poignant moment last week at the PGA Tour stop in Greensboro, N.C., with images of winning rookie Keegan Bradley hoisting his belly putter overhead at the PGA Championship still fresh in their noggins, the troops were clearly searching for a tonic.

One Twitter follower reported to Elling last week that at one point at Sedgefield Country Clubs practice green, there were 10 guys honing their putting stroke, and eight were using a belly or long putter.

You want some carefully considered belly-aching? Then European Tour correspondent Huggan and CBSSports.com senior writer Elling are here to lead the aural assault on the topics of oversized putters, Tiger Woods oft-debated decision not to play in Greensboro and other timely topics as the FedEx Cup series prepares to make its first stop this week at The Barclays in Edison, N.J.

Just like many Jersey residents, these guys dont mince words, either.

With Webb Simpsons victory in North Carolina on Sunday, thats three consecutive weeks that a player using a belly or broom putter has won on the PGA Tour, including the first major championship ever won with an oversized model. Is this a sea change or just a minor swell?

Elling: I had vertigo, there were so many guys putting with the tall sticks over the weekend. In the Greensboro top dozen were Simpson, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Charles Howell, Carl Pettersson, Jim Furyk and Scott McCarron. Some of these guys have been using big sticks since college, but others are more recent converts. If there was ever a stigma attached, it was blown to bits when Keegan Bradley won the PGA Championship two weeks ago with a belly model in hand.

Huggan: Dear, oh dear, oh dear. I suppose this was inevitable, but I dont have to like it. Those things have no place in golf because they allow players to hole putts without making a proper stroke. In fact, I hate them. I bet there are blazers on both sides of the Atlantic ruing the day they allowed those grotesque implements through the screening program. This is golf Steve, but not as we know it.

Elling: During the weekend broadcast, analyst Peter Kostis noted that the belly has been around since the mid-1930s, so it isnt like there hasnt been ample opportunity for the USGA or R&A to ban the thing. Those two governing bodies have been busy with other crucial, game-changing issues. Like grooves. Yeah, thats a revision that has really caused a revolution, huh?

Huggan: Its just another example of the authorities being asleep at the wheel when it comes to technology and equipment. History, I suspect, is not going to be kind to the numbskulls charged with overseeing the game over the past two decades or so.

Is the belly putter a new Tour trend or passing fad? (Getty Images this one can be fixed faster, right? Theres a max length on drivers, in fact. That rule is fairly recent one, too. Hard to envision manufacturers screaming about it. Most belly putters are just normal putter heads glued to longer shafts with a funky grip affixed.

Huggan: The biggest upcoming problem is that we are soon going to be faced with a generation of players who have never putted “properly.” All they are going to know is this pseudo-stroke, one that should have no place in the game.

Elling: Simpson has been putting with a belly since his freshman year at Wake Forest at age 18. You might just be right. But dont let it go to your head.

If they were going to ban the belly, they should have done it by now. Actually, the belly putter bothers me a bit more than the broom. This whole notion of “anchoring” the club against the body, the broom practitioners at least dont use their belly as a hinge point. The belly seems like it bends the spirit of the rule far more, uh, effectively.

Huggan: Indeed, money not being the biggest issue here, the game still has a chance to put things right. I mean, Im a bit dodgy on the old 70-yarders, but no one is out there making me a wedge that can bypass my poor technique/lack of nerve on those shots. Why are putting yippers so special?

Elling: Some guys have had the yips with drivers, too. But the biggest question looms: Is it worse to ban the thing or to give players like Adam Scott, Vijay Singh and Ernie Els another lease on life? the belly putter aficionados havent exactly been devout. Stewart Cink gave up on his and won a major soon thereafter. Same for Singh before his PGA Championship win at Whistling Straits. Retief Goosen, Furyk and Els have switched so many times, its hard to keep track. Even Lee Westwood has used it, including earlier this year at the Masters.

Huggan: Nerve has to be part of the game. With those awful things, that element is all but eliminated. So, while I feel sorry for those pros who would immediately be uncompetitive at the highest hate themselves for having to use a crutch, one that exposes their weakness to the world.

Elling: Heres what I would do. Rather than wait around for the USGA to drink some coffee and wake up, I would institute a local rule on the major tours banning any putter beyond a prescribed length. The tours are empowered to do exactly that, but they would have to agree across the board, and any amateur competing in a pro event would have to comply. It would amount to the same bifurcation scenario as with grooves in the pro and amateur levels at the moment. There, its fixed. Start date is January, 2012.

Elling: One last aside: Fred Couples won the 12th and final Champions Tour major of the season Sunday with a belly putter, too. Im telling you, if Tiger Woods isnt considering it, hes crazy.

Huggan: Prescribed length is tricky, given that golfers are not all the same height. All they have to do is say that the putter has to be the shortest club in the bag. And yes, Im only talking about the pros. Anything that keeps yipping amateurs out there on the links is fine with me. If Tiger goes belly-up, Im giving up.

Speaking of Eldrick the Absent, should Tiger Woods have played last week in Greensboro?

Elling: There seems to be this walking-on-eggshells issue here because Woods said he had family obligations, but it should be made clear that Woods made an elective decision not to play Greensboro, the final qualifying event to make the first FedEx Cup field this week at The Barclays. He started last week in a tie for 127th in points with two others, including unknown rookie William McGirt. Well, McGirt played and he cracked the top 125. Woods didnt. And now he gets the next five weeks off. But gee, McGirts in, thank goodness, so who needs Tee-Dub, right?

Huggan: Its clear he needs to play somewhere and soon. He cant expect to get a place on the Presidents Cup squad if he doesnt play again until the Aussie Open in November. I cant get too worked up about the FedEx thing. History isnt going to care how many of those money-grabs Tiger wins. So why should he?

Elling: Padraig Harrington had a family vacation planned for last week in the Bahamas and he played Greensboro. And he moved into the top 125 as well. Besides, the more astounding issue with Woods isnt that he didnt play, its that he then spent part of the week pimping his video game. Last Tuesday, he filmed m theres an invaluable commercial entity the world cant live without. When publicity shots of the EA Sports session were released, it just looked awful, at least to me. Heres a guy who cant be bothered to play, but he agrees to have publicity shots of a lame PR stunt released? The photos screamed aloud his indifference to the FedEx Cup and the title sponsors of the four events in the series. Whether he intended it or not, that was the implied message.

Huggan: Details, details. Once Tiger decided not to play, what does it matter what he did instead? The important thing is that he didnt play.

Elling: It matters because the implied message is that his few remaining endorsement deals matter more than the tour, rights-holders or title sponsors. Weak cheese, brother. Interesting, no, that when he mentioned at the PGA Championship that he was skipping Greensboro because of family issues, he didnt mention shooting video for EA Sports. Hmmm, Woods failing to give us the entirely honest picture? Who would have guessed?

Huggan: Youre being too hard on the wee soul. Even a devoted father like Tiger cant spend every waking moment with his delightful children.

Elling: As to your earlier point, were you surprised that Presidents Cup captain Fred Couples told the media that he wants Woods to play before he gets to Australia? Couples has to pick Woods as a captains selection the day after the Tour Championship next month, so Woods would have to commit to playing a Fall Series event. And Couples would have to pick Woods sight unseen whether Woods deserves to play at all. “Deserves” is a tough word in golf, which claims to be the ultimate meritocracy.

Huggan: You need to get your head round the fact that the Presidents Cup is nothing more than an exhibition. It means little in the big scheme of things. Plus, as we already touched on, Greg Norman is surely going to have to pick Ryo Ishikawa if the young Japanese doesnt make the squad on points. Japanese television is just too lucrative. When pressure like that is being applied, it is hard to take the thing too seriously.

Elling: By the way, while Woods was sitting in an Orlando studio getting stomped last week by a 19-year-old kid at his own video game, first-time winner Webb Simpson blew past him in the world ranking. Woods has dropped 34 spots since the start of the year and is now No. 36, three spots ahead of Jason Dufner, who has zero career wins.

Huggan: Where are you ranked? I see a big match between you and Tiger sometime in 2024 at this rate.

Elling: There is no belly putter in the world good enough to fix my creaky swipe. One last point I wanna make clear before we exit this talking point. I am not ripping the guy for spending time with his kids, just pointing out a few nits worth picking. The thing with Woods here is that people seem hesitant to express an opinion because he was said to be spending time with his children. Fine. But is Woods the first divorced father in history? He has the means to hire nannies, babysitters, whatever it takes. He has the financial wherewithal to make changes happen. Unlike the masses who work 50 weeks a year, not 15.

Huggan: You are of course correct. Tiger is a very bad man and should be punished at every av th but if you could make a tweak of your own to improve the product, what would it be?

Elling: I have a couple of them, neither of which would substantively change the tournaments themselves. First, get rid of the points. Use the yardstick by wh the money list. That would clear up about 90 percent of the fan confusion. Guys in the top 125 keep their tour cards, and guys in the top 125 advance to the first round of the FedEx series. Call it the FedEx money list if you want, but boot the points. Nobody eyeballs the points all season.

Huggan: Id get rid of it. What the PGA Tour needs is a month-long climax to the season played on really good courses. Make the venues the priority. Let the best players show us their talents on courses designed to enhance and showcase their best. Instead, we get bogged down with money and endless updates no one can keep track of. Lets get back to proper golf, I say.

Elling: Well, the biggest success of the FedEx is that it has mostly brought the best players together. Generally when covering it, I just ignore the points race and write about the tournament proper, as youd call it. The points become an issue in the final few rounds. Then we call in a professorial sort to stand before the TV set with a blackboard to spell out the stultifying permutations, like NBC Sports did last year. Yikes.

about some convoluted playoff nonsense where even the participants have no clue what is going on.

Elling: Secondly, on potential painless fast fixes, there are far, far too many limited-field events on the PGA Tour. The illusion of exclusivity is, in fact, anything but. There are just as many good players being left out of these events as there are being included. So like with NASCARs points race, I would continue to run full-field events, but for the purposes of the FedEx sweepstakes, only the qualifying players would collect more points. Then when a players wins, say, the BMW in Chicago, hes has beaten a full field, not just 69 other guys. Again, I have been beating this gong for four years, too. Might as well be beating my head against a wall. Fans with a full field get a complete day of golf and the tournament has much more of a buzz.

Huggan: I want to see the best players in an environment that separates them from the one-dimensional choppers that tend to prosper too often on the PGA Tour. They might also consider making at least one late-season event that forces the players to use persimmon woods and balata balls. Now that would get my attention. And expose the weaknesses of the game we currently watch week to week.

Elling: Oh, I like it. Make them all play with a standardized set of hickory shafted clubs? On an old, 6,000-yard venue like from front tees at Pinehurst.

Huggan: Tell me who won the FedEx every year since it started. Quick now. I have no clue. And I dont care that I have no clue. In fact, Im proud of the fact that I have no clue.

Elling: Tiger twice, Vijay and Furyk.

Huggan: You sad, sad man.

Elling: This aint bragging, but Steve Stricker is the lone player to have appeared in all 16 FedEx Cup events and I am the lone writer to have covered them all. Call me crazy. No, really. Go ahead. I deserve it.

Huggan: You have my sympathy. Are any men in white coats following you around?

Elling: No, but I am sure the company bean-counters are wondering why I am spending all this money when football season is about 10 minutes away.

While were talking about the Presidents Cup and all, the Solheim Cup team was finalized last night on the West Coast. Any surprises?

Elling: Well, U.S. captain Rosie Jones didnt have much to choose from in firepower. Her two picks, Vicky Hurst and rookie Ryann OToole, have no victories between them. An the first two players eve was a stretch. Brittany Lang has zero LPGA wins in her five seasons, either. So thats three players on the schneid. Christina Kim has no wins in six years. At least Natalie Gulbis wasnt picked. Hey, she uses a belly putter, no?

Huggan: The American side doesnt look that good to me. I mean, one player got in without recording a single point in 2011. Another is 51 years old! And one of the picks used to be married to John McEnroe right?

Elling: Hurst has been a disappointment, frankly. She has six top-10 finishes in three full seasons of LPGA play after a stellar junior career in Florida. Stacy Lewis and Brittany Lincicome are the only American who have won this year on the LPGA, which is rather shocking to those who have not been watching … for the past few seasons, I guess.

Stacy Lewis is just one of two Americans on the Solheim Cup team who have won this year. (Getty Images)  

Elling: McEnroe? Huh, eh, what?

Huggan: No wait, that was Tatum ONeal. All those Irish women sound the same to me. Especially those Ive barely heard of. Was that noise I heard Rosie Jones nails scraping the bottom of the barrel?

Huggan: To be at least semi-serious, the U.S. squad looks top heavy. The best players are really good. And I love that Juli Inkster is still keen enough to get out there and play. But the bottom half of the side looks pretty weak. But my bigge made the side. I hope her antics get the stony silence they deserve from a hopefully discerning Irish crowd.

Elling: Facts are, I am not sure a U.S. team could beat South Korea in a straight-up match right now, and the Koreans are having an off year, too. But if theres a womens event to watch, this is probably it. Hopefully, Kim wont hurt anybody out there.

Huggan: You are, of course, correct. The Koreans would kick butt on both sides of the Atlantic. The European squad isnt quite there yet. But Laura Davies, who is way past her best, will be there again for Europe. Im betting Paula Creamer is already licking her lips in anticipation of another 7-and-6 singles win there.

Elling: Inkster is 51. In fact, she is older than we are. We require carbon dating.

Huggan: I am 51, old boy.

Elling: Facts, facts, facts. Always with the freaking facts.

Elling: Ill watch just to see what Sandra Gal is wearing, and to see if feisty Suzann Pettersen drops another F-bomb on live, national television. Hey, at least we know she cares, right? Thats one of the all-time Solheim highlights, along with when Annika Sorenstam got zapped for playing out of turn. If that happened in a Ryder, wed still be writing about it.

Huggan: Oh yes. Suzann is up there as one of my all-time heroes. The best part was that she had no clue what she had just said, live on national television.

Elling: Yeah, it was great. She went all Steve Williams when they stuck a microphone in her face a minute after the match had ended and she blurted out an unfettered answer. Come to think of it, thats one great thing about the long putter used by Adam Scott. It makes for a heavier bag for our mate Stevie to tote.

Huggan: There have actually been a few unsavory incidents in the Solheim. My own “favorite” was witnessing some incredibly bad sportswomanship from Dottie Pepper at the Gr yelled out “yes!” Unbelievable. Pepper should have been taken out of play immediately.

Elling: Dottie did that? Not the same hyper-animated Dottie that a few years later called the U.S. Solheim team “choking dogs” on TV by accident, when nobody knew the microphone was on? Hey, that same spontaneity makes her a terrific analyst.

Huggan: She isnt terrific in my book. For that incident alone she should have been run out of the game.

Elling: As a guy who appreciated unvarnished honesty from broadcasters, I cannot disagree strongly enough. Pepper pulls no punches. And picks a peck of pickled peppers. Say that three times fast.

Huggan: Bottom line is that, sadly, the Solheim Cup isnt going to showcase the very best in womens golf. If this one fails to live up to expectations, it may be time to take a look at getting the Asian players involved.

Huggan: I like honesty, but hate what Pep losers play in the off-year for a chance to face the winner?

Huggan: Something along those lines. The biggest events need the very best players. Obviously.

Elling: For a moment there, I thought you were going to use a word like … Olympics.

Huggan: Golf is in the Olympics? Wow. Youll be telling me next that there are three majors every year in the one country.

Print
Email a Friend
Facebook
Twitter
Stumble Upon
Google
Yahoo
Digg
Delicious
Share

Webb Simpson grew up in North Carolina, and his favorite memory of the Wyndham Championship was caddying for Neal Lancaster as a teenager during a pro-am.

That might change now that he has won the tournament.

Simpson claimed his first PGA Tour title Sunday, shooting a 3-under 67 to win by three strokes.

The 26-year-old Raleigh native finished at 18-under 262 and collected $936,000 in the tournament about a 30-mile drive from the Wake Forest campus where he was a college star.

“I really couldnt think of a better place to win than here in Greensboro,” Simpson said.

George McNeill (64) was at 15 under, with Tommy Gainey (69) another stroke back in the final event before the PGA Tour playoffs.

Carl Pettersson (69), Vijay Singh (65), Jerry Kelly (65), Kyung-tae Kim (66) and Charles Howell III (67) finished at 13 under at Sedgefield Country Club.

Wyndham Championship Final scores, earnings Brinson: FedEx Cup winners, losers Brinson: Hometown crowd carries Simpson Simpson a humble star in the making Golf, social media, charity meet in Greensboro Video Simpson on Wyndham Championship win

Simpson said his first visit to the Greensboro-based tournament came when he was 16. His father brought him to the events former home across town at Forest Oaks Country Club to caddie for Lancaster during the Wednesday pro-am.

“That was probably the most fun 18 holes Ive ever been a part of,” Simpson said.

His final 18 of this tournament were marked by steady, bogey-free play and a strong finish marked by consecutive birdies on Nos. 15 and 16.

After taking the lead during Round 3 with a late five-hole stretch of four birdies and an eagle, Simpson opened his final round with eight consecutive pars before moving to 16 under with a birdie on the par-4 ninth.

He stayed there until late in the day. Birdies on the par-5 15th and the par-3 16th gave him a three-shot lead with two holes to go.

“When I made the putt on 15, I asked my caddie for the first time all day, Where do we stand? and he said, Were two ahead right now, ” Simpson said. “I knew I needed to play solid golf on the last three holes, and to birdie 16 was so huge. … I knew I had a three-shot lead on 18, and as soon as I hit the ball in play, I knew it was probably over.”

McNeill made a late charge, with the former Florida State player moving to 15 under with a birdie on No. 17, his sixth birdie of the round. But all he could do after that was hope for a few late bogeys from Simpson.

“Honestly, I thought it was going to be a lot lower,” McNeill said of the winning score. “I can only control myself. I cant control what everybody else does. Im very happy with the way I hit it, the way I played, the way I putted.”

Several players with strong Atlantic Coast Conference ties played pivotal roles during the fourth round at t and in a college-centric region where school ties run deep.

Simpson was the ACCs player of the year for the Demon Deacons in 2008. McNeill was an all-conference player for the Seminoles in the late 1990s.

And Pettersson grew up in Greensboro, played at North Carolina State, serves on this tournaments board of directors, won it in 2008 and made the daily 70-mile commute from his home in Raleigh.

“Im disappointed. Im a competitor,” Pettersson said. “I wanted to win this one badly, but Webb outplayed us all.”

Pettersson turned in perhaps the most remarkable birdie of the tournament on the par-4 first hole. After sending his drive well wide of the fairway and into a flower pot, he wound up chipping in from about 55 feet.

Gainey, a South Carolina native known as “Tommy Two Gloves” because he wears them on both hands, led or shared the lead after each of the first two rounds. After falling off the pace with two bogeys and a double bogey midway through the round, he reeled off four consecutive birdies on Nos. 12-15 to climb back in it.

The focus this week wasnt solely on the leaders, but on the names moving up and down the FedEx Cup points list.

The Wyndham annually marks the last chance for players to claim spots in the playoffs, and some big names came to Greensboro hoping to play their way in.

Padraig Harrington, who called off a family vacation so he could try to escape the playoff bubble, finished at 6 under and jumped from No. 130 to No. 124. The top 125 qualify for The Barclays later this week in New Jersey.

Ernie Els, who entered at No. 126, made it into the playoff field despite shooting a final-round 72. His 8 under finish pushed him to 118th.

“You dont know in these playoffs,” Els said. “Ive got to play good golf though. I played really good the first two days. Id like to get that back.”

Among those who didnt make it: Justin Leonard missed a 13-foot putt on the 18th, and that left him at No. 126.

“To try an you know,” Leonard said. “I mean, come on. I had 25 other weeks to play like this.”

Print
Email a Friend
Facebook
Twitter
Stumble Upon
Google
Yahoo
Digg
Delicious
Share

Fred Couples shot a 3-under 68 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead after the third round of the Senior Players Championship, the Champions Tours final major of the season.

Couples is at 11-under 202 for the tournament and is trying for his first Champions Tour title since a seven-stroke victory last October at the Adminstaff Small Business Classic in Texas. Since his fourth victory on the senior tour, Couples has struggled with his back, but the injury has healed following a non-traditional procedure in Germany six weeks ago.

“It was a good day,” Couples said. “I drove the ball well. The best thing I did is I felt I hit the ball solid. It was a good round, not great, but Im still in the lead and Ill have to have a better round tomorrow.”

Senior Players Championship Leaderboard

Peter Senior remained in second at 10 under after a third-round 68 and was tied with John Cook, who moved up from fourth with a 66. Corey Pavin was fourth at 8 under after shooting a 69.

Tom Lehman shot a 67, finishing in a four-way tie for fifth at 207 with Tommy Armour III (67), Mark Calcavecchia (67), defending champion Mark OMeara (69) and Jeff Sluman (69).

Couples, Senior and Pavin were the last trio teeing off at the Westchester Country Clubs tree-lined West Course, and the 51-year-old Couples booming drives drew some of the loudest cheers from fans following him on each hole. Couples began with pars on the first four holes, then took the lead with a birdie on No. 5 and followed that up with a long birdie on the seventh hole.

Those were two of Couples three birdies, though none were in the back nine. Couples maintained his two-stroke lead with pars on the final nine holes as his nearest competition failed to gain ground.

Couples steady and consistent round has put him on the verge of winning his second major and first since winning the 1992 Masters by two strokes over Raymond Floyd.

“Winning is winning,” Couples said. “Its hard to win Augusta, hard to win U.S. Open, hard to win the British Open, so any golf tournament is hard to win. For me tomorrow is a big day to see if I can win a tournament.”

Cook had the best opportunity when Couples failed to reach the fairway for the first time on No. 15 and missed a birdie putt. Cooks birdie putt on No. 16 nearly went in, but grazed the top of the hole before rolling out and he finished with par on the final two holes.

Cook moved up with five birdies during a bogey-free round, while Senior remained steady with four birdies, including two on the final two holes.

Cook is in good position for his fourth Champions Tour victory of the year and ninth overall, while Senior has an opportunity to be the first Australian to win a major on the Champions Tour since Stewart Ginn in 2002.

“Any win is special,” Cook said. “A major win is at that next level and when you win events at places that youve had great history at, it is special no doubt,”.

Pavin turned in his 13th straight round under par after bogeying three times on the front nine. He came on strong with four birdies and was three strokes back with a birdie on No. 16 but could not get any closer.

Print
Email a Friend
Facebook
Twitter
Stumble Upon
Google
Yahoo
Digg
Delicious
Share

Fred Couples shot a 5-under 66 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Senior Players Championship, the Champions Tours final major of the season.

Couples is at 8 under for the tournament and trying for his fifth Champions Tour victory. Playing in his first event since undergoing non-traditional back treatment six weeks ago in Germany, Couples has put together two solid rounds at Westchester Country Clubs tree-lined West Course.

“I drove the ball very well,” Couples said. “I didnt make many mistakes. … I dont want to say I left any out there. I did miss a couple but I made a few too, so it was a good day.”

Couples turned in his best two opening rounds since the Northern Trust Open in California in February. After a seventh-place finish there, Couples struggled in his next three tournaments, which led him to have the procedure.

Senior Players Championship Leaderboard

Peter Senior remains in second at 7 under after a second-round 69. Corey Pavin is third at 6 under after a second-round 69. John Cook is fourth at 5 under after a second-round 68, one stroke ahead of defending champion Mark OMeara. OMeara shot a 70 and is in a three-way tie at 4 under with first-round leader Jeff Sluman (73) and Morris Hatalsky (67).

Gary Hallberg, who tied with Senior in the first round, fell seven strokes behind with a 75.

Couples seemed headed toward a strong round Thursday but faltered on the back nine. He was in danger of a repeat after bogeying No. 12 but rescued the round with birdies on the 13th and 15th holes, sinking putts of 15 and eight feet.

“To be in contention is good for me, to go out Saturday and kind of get the feeling of having to hit a good shot here, make a putt there or get it up and down,” Couples said. “So Im in good spirits about the way Im feeling and playing.”

Senior trailed Couples by two strokes for most of the back nine, but after Couples final birdie, he was at least three strokes back.

“Its always good to be in a position like this. Ive had some opportunities this year and hopefully one weekend Im going to come through,” Senior said. “Weve got a lot of good players up at the top so its going to be a good weekend.”

Pavin finished below par for the 18th time in 19 rounds, hitting the fairway all 14 times. That set him up for birdie on No. 14 after bogeying the previous two holes, but Pavin could not get closer to the lead.

“I played well when Ive been around the lead,” said Pavin, who has yet to win a Champions Tour event. “Its just that someone has always played a little bit better.”

Sluman was unable to duplicate his impressive first round of 65, when he was the only player to birdie holes No. 12-14. Sluman made par on those holes, finished without a birdie and bogeyed the ninth and 16th holes.

Print
Email a Friend
Facebook
Twitter
Stumble Upon
Google
Yahoo
Digg
Delicious
Share

In the final foray at the seasons fourth and final major, the final four holes were the story.

The PGA Championship annually bills itself as Glorys Last Shot? But it was more like Gory this time around.

Somehow, with a closing stretch that was reminiscent of Rory McIlroys meltdown at the Masters and his ascendance at the U.S. Open, another youngster swam laps around everybody and hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy at the end as a result.

Theres a statue of hometown boy Bobby Jones outside the Atlanta Athletic Club, and back in his day, folks sometimes called the Grand Slam the “Impregnable Quadrilateral.” That term surely applies to the last four holes at AAC, an acronym which, when pronounced as a word aloud, sounds a lot like the noise emanating from Jason Dufners throat at times on Sunday night.

As rookie sensation Keegan Bradley became only the third player in the past century to win a major in his first appearance, European Tour correspondent John Huggan and CBSSports.com senior writer Steve Elling tried to take it all in.

Tried to put the wildest hour in recent majors history into a semi-coherent form. Tried to comprehend the incomprehensible. Now they will again try to explain it.

Bradley trailed by five shots with three holes to play. Leader Jason Dufner morphed from Ben Hogan into Ben Stiller. But nobody was laughing, were they? It was far too surreal.

The tension at the 93rd PGA Championship, like the humidity, was so thick, you could have cut it with a dull belly putter.

In this weeks iteration of Pond Scrum, the pair put Sundays sublime and occasionally ridiculous affair into context with the first three majors of 2011 and trod onward from there. Mind the bunkers and water hazards, boys, because AAC is full of them.

The four majors are in the books. What are you going to remember most from the 2011 fearsome foursome?

Elling: No question, the bookends are what stand out the most to me. By that, I mean the amazing contrast between the Masters and PGA outcomes. In April, Charl Schwar he birdied the last four holes at Augusta National to win. Sunday, Jason Dufner bogeyed three of the last four to toss it away. At Augusta, players were standing on the gas until the end, with eight different guys holding part of the lead at various times. At the PGA, it was a series of car crashes and a riveting unraveling. Memorable for entirely different reasons.

Huggan: Indeed. If ever there was an event that made it obvious Rees Jones doesnt have a clue about how to set up a course for proper golf it was this one. Hole after hole it was the same thing: “Can you hit your ball between the bunkers?” Boring, boring, boring … and thats what the PGA was until the last 90 minutes when, as so often happens, match play broke out and saved the day.

Elling: More major memories: This remains to be seen, but my opinion could absolutely evolve over the coming years. If Rory McIlroy turns out to be as good as many envision, then that runaway win he posted at the U.S. Open could supplant every memory from 11. In a hurry. I wonder, will he still be as good after his arm is amputated? Kidding. Barely.

Huggan: The good news is that American golf may have found its new standard bearer. Bradley seems like a very appealing young man with a strong game and the guts to get things done under the severest pressure. Pity about the belly putter though.

Elling: Still mulling the majors: As well-received as the win by 42-year-old Darren Clarke was at the British Open, I dont see it resonating long. In fact, based on the way he has played since, its already starting to look rather … flukish. The planets, kismet and Lady Luck were surely aligned for Clarke, and itll be interesting to see where he goes from here. Hopefully this isnt destined to become an inexorable slide to irrelevance, so to speak.

Huggan: You are right in that Rorys performance at Congressional must go down as the No. 1 highlight of the majors year, but Darren at the Open runs that close. Darren has barely paid golf any attention since he won. He needs a break, whereupon hell be back and as good as a 42-year-old can be.

Elling: Another takeaway: Starting last year at the British Open with Louis Oosthuizen, five of the last six major winners have been 26 or younger. Thats a good sign. Hopefully, the public catches on to these kids. Just as hopefully, a couple of them turn out to be major fixtures. I agree with you on Bradley. Can a guy win top-rookie and player-of-the-year honors in the same season? He has a terrific shot.

Huggan: He does now. I just wish he hadnt announced how “proud” he was to be the first practitioner of the belly putter to win a major. That is point-missing on a grand scale and rather soured me on him after what was a terrific display, especially after that triple.

Elling: I believe it was Steve Pate who once said he would clinch the putter between the cheeks of his posterior if it would help. The belly putter is here to stay. In fact, I bet Tiger has one by now.

Huggan: By the way, does that Dufner fellow ever smile?

Elling: If Dufner smiled, the entire can of Skoal he has tucked in his lower lip would fall out.

Huggan: Speaking of fallout, golfs rulemakers screwed up when they said anchoring the club against your body is okey-dokey. It just cant be. Im with Tom Watson on this one. The putter should be the shortest club in the bag. End of story.

Elling: One last thought about the PGA. People call it the least important major, but for those who have watched over the past dozen years, it has been the most consistently dramatic. Its not even close. Think about the past few iterations, from the Tiger-Sergio duel, Shaun Micheels hero shot on the 72nd hole, the Dustin Johnson debacle on the final hole last year, Tiger nearly catching Rich Beem, unheralded Y.E. Yang taking Woods down in hand-to-hand combat, to Keegan Bradley making up a five-stroke deficit in three holes. No matter what you think of the players involved, or if they captured your fancy, the stakes are high and so is the angst. Terrific television. It almost never fails to entertain.

Was the golf course overcooked last week and are Phil Mickelsons veiled criticisms of Rees Jones legit?

Elling: John, we both knew the outcome of Sunday was in the cards. It was ordained Friday, when Woods, Mickelson, Stricker, Woodland, Manassero and others dunked balls on the 18th. Drama and trauma was a certainty. Was the course too ripe? Well, three of the first four holes on the back nine played under par, so players knew they had to make an early move and hang on. Few did.

Huggan: What was clear from last week is that Rees Jones doesn’t have a clue when it comes to setting up courses for top players. I want to see different players with different strengths playing holes in different ways. There was none of that in Atlanta. On every tee the players were told how to play each hole. That cant be right. Let them make up their own minds and we will have a far more interesting spectacle. No wonder Mike Davis at the USGA has sent Rees packing. No more can he stroll around calling himself the “Open doctor.”

Elling: I have very mixed feelings when hearing Mickelson belittle Jones. Its become rather catty to me. Phil is hugely pro-technology and went on a reasoned rant last year against another favorite target, Dick Rugge of the USGA, about rule changes designed to keep players from inhaling golf courses whole in a single breath. Mickelson fails to acknowledge that with players flying drives 300 yards in the air, changes to courses are a necessity. So while Jones and his ilk might not get it right every time, they have to add teeth to keep scores from becoming laughable. Keegan Bradley birdied two of the last three holes in regulation. Somebody managed to avoid the carnage.

Huggan: You are right. That is where Phils argument breaks down. Of course, he is being well compensated for his support of turbo-charged balls and clubs. I suspect, deep down, he is just as hacked off as I am. After all, it would be to his advantage if shaping shots returned to the pro game. He is one of the best when it comes to that.

Elling: Mickelson already has psyched himself out about his chances at the British Open, where he rarely has contende are not to his liking. Well, Jones had tweaked many of the major-championship venues used by the USGA and PGA. He needs to get over it. Adapt or perish. Get out of your own head, buddy. Come on. We love the guy, but hes a beaten man before he hits a shot on the Restoration projects.

Huggan: Where you are not right is in your “adding teeth” comment. Simply making holes longer and adding bunkers on either side of the fairway is brainless and produces brainless golf. Yes it is hard, but judging by the viewing figures most people agree with me that it is not interesting. Never forget: making a golf course hard is the easiest thing in the world.

Elling: Viewing figures often reflect the artists in contention, not the canvas. You know what would have changed the entire dynamic of the event? If they had elected to play the 18th as a par-5, as the members do. It would have created the type of excitement similar to Torrey Pines in 2008, when Jones wanted to play the 18th as a par-4 but was over-ruled by the USGA. Tiger making birdie on the 72nd hole is seared in our collective memory as a result.

Huggan: Making a course interesting … now that requires some talent.

Elling: You know what unnerved me more than anything? The inconsistencies in the sand. The best break of the week was for guys who hit balls into areas where other players had visited earlier, and the sand had been re-raked by a caddie afterward. Otherwise, it was clumpy and lumpy. Hey, I think I just described Dufners shirt.

Huggan: Making it a par-5 is, in itself, not enough. It would have to be a par-5 they could barely reach in two and then only with two great shots. Im not sure the 18th last week was capable of that, given that the landing area was so small.

Elling: You have a point. Its just that, psychologically, I always like to see a guy win the tournament. Not another guy lose it, then hand it to the first guy. Or something akin to that.

Huggan: The bunkers were a joke. When balls start plugging on down slopes it is time to call halt and admit something has gone very wrong. Even the dopes who say “a bunker is a hazard and should be tough” were a bit quiet when confronted by some of the lies we saw.

Rory McIlroy became the talk of the tour Thursday when he raked a shot out of a tree root and hurt his right wrist and arm. Are the course-management criticisms he has heard from a wide variety of media analysts legitimate?

Huggan: He is definitely guilty of impetuousness that sometimes borders on madness. This was one of those occasions. But he is 22 and is supposed to be making mistakes. It’s just that he doesnt get to make them in the privacy of his own bad lie.

Elling: Of course the catcalls are legitimate. Has a single soul looked at the replay of the McIlroy shot at AAC and not cringed? The ball was resting against a tree root that was thic and Rory elected to whale away anyway. It was a potentially career-altering barely. Later, he ignored the advice of his caddie and trainer over another dicey shot. Egads, lad.

Elling: Why hit that shot on the third hole of the first round? It was reckless. Eventually, Rory admitted it was not a smart play. Savoir faire is one thing, but needlessly walking a medical tightrope in high winds is another.

Huggan: Having said that, he risked his whole career with that shot last week. I find it hard to believe his caddie didnt wrestle him to the ground in an attempt to get him to chip out. Now that would have made great television.

Elling: One of my favorite quotes of the entire week, and an incredibly illuminating one at that, came when McIlroys manager at ISM, Chubby Chandler, was asked about the criticism that caddie J.P. Fitzgerald has faced for failing to call Rory off certain risky shots. Chandler actually laughed. What difference does the caddie make, he noted? “[Rory] never listens to anybody,” Chandler said. McIlroy is his own man, for sure, but this was a boneheaded stunt. He has the MRI exam to prove it. You cant spell criticism without the letters ISM!

Huggan: I think youll find that Rory is a young man with a mind of his own. Im not sure that he listens to many people other than his parents. Especially his mum!

Huggan: Lets go back in time. Did you do anything stupid when you were 22? I bet you did!

Elling: Thats essentially what his dad conveyed when Rory went against the advice of his managers and decided to take up his PGA Tour card for 2012. Strong head. Strong tendons, too, thankfully.

Better question would be to ask whether I did a single thing that was smart. Perhaps not. I picked journalism as my major.

Huggan: Yes, although I suspect his social life has more to do with the PGA Tour decision than any desire to play more tedious courses like last week.

Elling: Speaking for every fan of the game, I am just glad he didn’t do serious damage to himself. I think the only guy with a right wrist that was more sore was Bryon Bell. We had Tiger hitting balls into 22 different bunkers over 36 holes. Thats a lot of raking for any caddie.

Huggan: I see McIlroy is off to Cincinnati this week. Interesting choice of vacation spots. Hang on, isnt there a tennis tournament there at the moment?

Elling: A womens tournament, perhaps? Coincidence. Pure coincidence.

Huggan: Hear, hear. Can you imagine the game without Rory? Ouch.

What happens now for the fading former world No. 1 Tiger Woods?

Elling: If anybody thinks they can answer that question, they are delusional. Woods isnt scheduled to play for two months. Hes falling out of the world rankings so fast, a teenager just passed him today, Matteo Manassero. A guy who had never made a PGA Tour start before this season just bolted past, too, PGA winner Keegan Bradley.

Huggan: I fear for Tiger, I really do. No one in the history of the game has ever undertaken two swing changes, never mind three as he is about to do. It is madness if you ask me. And I see you have.

Elling: Yeah, its been rather hard to miss, what with his drives sailing over my head.

Elling: Where will Woods resurface? The PGA Tour said that since Woods is not eligible for the forthcoming FedEx Cup series, which starts next week, he can play overseas. Whether he does, well see. I think that would be a spectacular mistake. Why? Because he would be drawing eyes away from the PGA Tour product. Lets face it, Woods made an elective decision NOT to play this week in Greensboro in an 11th-hour bid to improve his FedEx points dilemma. That can rightly be questioned.

Huggan: I really don’t think hes going to come back from this one. Yes, hell win the odd event here and there on talent alone. But dominating like he did before? Those days are done. And the worst aspect of it all is that it is self-inflicted. He should have stuck with either Butch or Hank.

Elling: Did you see the slo-mo swing analysis on the Golf Channel on Friday night? It was … frightening. He in no way resembles a player who is getting better. His posture over the ball looked like Charles Barkleys.

Huggan: What he should do is come over and play in Europe for two or three weeks. Hed enjoy that. And so would the spectators. Bet he doesnt, though.

Elling: In a roundabout way, the sex scandal continues to have a direct impact on his present and future. Because of his divorce, Woods is said to have access to his kids at certain agreed-upon times. Given the particulars of their split, it seems pretty safe to assume that Elin is in no mood to capitulate to any last-minute changes in schedule, or many other requests for that matter. So now he isnt playing.

Huggan: Charles Barkley?? Thats a bit strong even for you. If he wanted to play, he could. Cant he spell N-A-N-N-Y?

Elling: You obviously did not see the footage. Two of us watching the that guy looks more like Barkley than Tee-Dub. Take the kids to Greensboro? Hmmm. Why not?

Elling: Meanwhile, Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Paul Casey, Ian Poulter and several other very high-profile players are teeing it up this week in Greensboro with the hope of improving their FedEx Cup standing. Whatever the issues he is facing at home, Woods decision not to play this week sends a bad message. More bad P.R. at a time when he cant afford it. Woods says he needs at-bats, then he doesnt try to qualify for the FedEx series? If theres more to it than this, he should say so.

Huggan: I did see the swing video analysis, but it wasnt that close to the Barkley shuffle. You exaggerate for effect my man.

Elling: Hey, I exaggerate for a living, pal.

Huggan: It makes no sense for Tiger to go on and on about how he needs “reps” and then turn around and say he may not play again until the Aussie Open in November. Makes you wonder if he really does care about getting back into the worlds top-30.

Elling: You know, he could fall out of the top 50 by years end, according to some scorched-earth projections. Mind you, he started the season at No. 2. I have seen meteors fall to earth slower than that.

Huggan: Exactly. Of course, that would get him out of playing Firestone next year. Every cloud and all that.

Elling: As for his schedule, agent Mark Steinberg did not rule out playing in the Fall Series. Thats hard to envision, but if he really wants to see live fire, playing against a B-level field at the Aussie Open, followed by an exhibition called the Presidents Cup and Chevron Challenge, i the guy is quite likely shutting it down except for a few hit-and-giggle events.

Huggan: He isnt even exempt for the Chevron, is he? And if ever we needed confirmation that the Presidents Cup is an almost meaningless exhibition, it is Tigers almost-certain inclusion in a team he has no business being on. Of course, the Internatio will be picked if he has to be. Japanese television has a powerful voice, apparently.

Elling: Guessing that NBC will likewise exert some leverage to ensure Tiger gets the nod, even though Bradley has not yet made the team and might need a captains pick to play. As for the short term and Tiger, I guess this means some other dude gets to take home a $10 million bonus this year.

Elling: Life on the tour sure is rough lately, huh? No Tiger to fight, four major titles up for grabs and $10 million in bonus money on the table in September.

Huggan: Have we considered the notion that he is simply deeply unhappy and suffering from a not-so-mild version of depression? Maybe he needs to give up golf completely and build an entirely new life. Just a thought.

Elling: Naw, he just needs a hug from Stevie. And a belly putter.

Huggan: Has there ever been a more meaningless and less-interesting money-grab than the FedEx Cup? You can add incomprehensible to that list, by the way.

Elling: Actually, the Skins Game was a far more meaningless money grab. At minimum, the FedEx series represents four elite tournaments with excellent fields. So until we get to the end, I mostly ignore the points stuff and cover them like regular tournaments. And were planning to cover all four of them, too.

Print
Email a Friend
Facebook
Twitter
Stumble Upon
Google
Yahoo
Digg
Delicious
Share