THE 20TH HOLE

Monday Backspin

2012-01-30T15:08:00.000-05:00

Morning Drive's Holly Sonders

Rocked in Abu Dhabi

Robert Rock defeats Tiger Woods and Rory McILroy to win in Abu Dhabi. (Washington Post)

Lydia Ko, 14 year old girl, wins a pro event at the NSW Open. (Fox Sports)

Brandt Snedeker wins at Torrey Pines after Kyle Stanley makes devastating snowman at 18th. (Espn)

Bubba Watson buys the General Lee for 110k. (Huffington Post)

Bubba Watson using a pink driver to raise money for cancer research. (PGA Tour)

Coverage of the 2012 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando. (Golfweek)

VIDEOS:

Sergio Garcia drains hole in one in Abu Dhabi.

Graeme McDowell hits approach shot off grandstands for lucky birdie.

PHOTOS:


Tiger Woods

Rory McILroy


Robert Rock

QUOTES:

Robert Rock
“It’s pretty hard to believe that I managed to win today. Very surprised,” the Englishman said. “I played good. So I guess I had a chance from early on, a couple of birdies made the day feel a little bit easier. But it’s difficult playing with Tiger. You expect almost every shot to threaten to go in. It felt a lot of pressure and couldn’t afford any lapses in concentration at all.”

Kyle Stanley
"It's not a hard golf hole," Stanley said. "I could probably play it a thousand times and never make an 8."

Tiger Woods progresses to third round 66 and leads in Abu Dhabi

2012-01-28T08:53:00.001-05:00

Tiger Woods has said it would be a "process" to overhaul his swing and bring his game back to the form that dominated for so many years. So far in Abu Dhabi, he's gotten progressively better with rounds of 70, 69, and 66 to share the lead at 11-under with Robert Rock heading into the final round.

Woods last played at the Chevron World Challenge in December where he birdied the final two holes to win by one shot over Zach Johnson. He will now have his chance for consecutive wins at a full field event against many of the top players in the world.

It should be quite a challenge as he will be chased by several players, including world number three Rory McILroy, who is two shots back.

Mickelson 15 shots back at Torrey Pines after "pathetic" first round 77

2012-01-27T13:40:00.000-05:00

Phil Mickelson is usually money at Torrey Pines but he had a terrible first round Thursday at the Farmer's Insurance Open. Playing on the more difficult South Course, he shot a 5-over par 77, 15 shots back of leaders Spencer Levin and Kyle Stanley, who both shot 62 on the North Course.

"I had some good days of practice and I was ready to play. I don't know what happened, I just wasn't able to focus. Obviously, I made some bad swings just in the wrong spots and so forth. But I felt like my game was ready heading in, and I don't know what to say about the score because it was pathetic."

Not sure what's going on with Phil so far in 2012 but he's obviously not off to the greatest start. Mickelson has admitted staying focused has been one of his weaknesses throughout this career and this round seems to be a good example.

Mickelson is known for pulling off brilliant shots and going on ridiculous hot streaks, but is also capable of having mental lapses and high scores that seem to come out of nowhere.

One possibility is that he's just bored with "normal tournaments" because he's been on Tour so long. Hopefully he will still be able to get fired up for the Majors this year because golf is much more interesting when Phil is in the mix.

Woods two shots off lead in Abu Dhabi after second round

2012-01-27T13:08:00.001-05:00

Tiger Woods shot a 69 on Friday and is two shots off the lead after round two in Abu Dhabi. He trails someone named Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark, who shot a 67.

"I thought I played well today," Woods said. "I made a couple putts here and there, but it was tough out there. The greens got a little quicker, a little bit drier and the rough is certainly getting deeper and more lush."

After an opening round in which he hit 17 of 18 greens, Woods continued to show a great deal of consistency with his much talked about new swing under coach Sean Foley.

"Certainly I have much more experience within the system, and I've grown to understand what Sean wants me to do and how my body is going to do those things and produce the numbers he wants me to produce," Woods said.

It's shaping up to be quite a weekend with Woods, McILroy, Garcia, Manassero, Harrington, and Schwartzel all near the top of the leaderboard.

Sergio Garcia drains hole in one in Abu Dhabi

2012-01-27T12:46:00.000-05:00

Sergio Garcia made a nice hole in one in Abu Dhabi at the 12th hole on Thursday. This showed quite a bit of improvement from his last tournament, when he got bitter and gunned his 5-iron into a lake after an errant shot.

Woods opens with 70 in Abu Dhabi

2012-01-26T09:58:00.002-05:00

Tiger Woods began his 2012 season with an opening round 70 at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship which included two birdies and no bogeys. He had complete control of his swing while hitting 17 out of 18 greens but struggled on the greens ending with 35 putts.

“It was a good ball-striking round,” Woods said. “But I had a hard time reading the greens. They were pretty grainy, and I just had a hard time getting a feel for it, especially for the first few holes. Towards the end I hit some pretty good putts, but overall I got fooled a lot on my reads.”

Woods played with world number one Luke Donald, who shot a 1-under 71, and world number three Rory McILroy, who is tied for the lead after a 5-under 67.

Bubba Watson is a character

2012-01-25T18:49:00.002-05:00

Bubba Watson is not the typical PGA Player. He's got an extremely unique swing which he uses to shape the ball more than anyone else in the game. He can also crush the ball although it looks like he doesn't completely shift his weight or complete his follow through. Either way, the swing works for him as he's won several tournaments and was a strong competitor for the United States team at the President's Cup.

He also will be playing with a pink shafted driver to raise money for cancer research, just bought the General Lee for 110K, had some controversial comments about the French last year, and has a watch worth 525k.

If nothing else, Watson is certainly an interesting character for the game.

Excellent field set for Torrey Pines

2012-01-25T18:27:00.000-05:00

It's about time for AK to get back into the winners circle.

Although Tiger Woods declined to play this week at a course he's dominated throughout his career, a top notch field is prepared to play at Torrey Pines for the Farmer's Insurance Open headed by the pairing of Phil Mickelson, Nick Watney, and Hunter Mahan.

Here are the betting odds for the tournament and other intriguing pairings include:

Anthony Kim, Jhonattan Vegas, D.A. Points
Justin Rose, Ernie Els, Geoff Ogilvy
Rickie Fowler, Bud Cauley, John Mallinger
Dustin Johnson, Gary Woodland, Camillo Villegas
Bill Haas, Bubba Watson, Keegan Bradley

Woods, Mcllroy, and Donald paired up in Abu Dhabi

2012-01-24T18:21:00.001-05:00

The pairings and tee times are set for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship with the featured group of Tiger Woods, Rory Mcllroy, and Luke Donald sure to take center stage for at least the first two days.

Question: Luke Donald raised some eyebrows at the end of last year, identifying Rory McIlroy as having the most talent he had ever seen, more even than you in your prime; I just wondered if you could talk to whether you see Rory as the most talented player you've ever seen, and also how you see Luke Donald's accomplishments and whether he deserves his world No. 1 ranking, despite not having won a major?

TIGER WOODS: Well, you don't have to win a major to become the No. 1 player in the world; you have to be consistent. You have to play well in the big events, and it's about accumulating points. That's how the system has developed. But as far as being the most talented player, I think the most talented player that I've ever seen in person was Seve. Never seen a person do the things with the golf ball that he was able to do and the creativeness that he was able to do. To me, he certainly had the most talent that I had ever seen in person. I had never saw Hogan hit a golf ball. Never saw Mr.Nelson hit a golf ball. I never saw Jack in his prime. But I did see Seve when I first came out here, and I was able to play with him a few times; it was impressive.

Other notable pairings include the group of Jason Day, Darren Clarke, and Alvaro Quiros, as well as Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer, and Lee Westwood.

Tiger Woods is not a fan of "The Big Miss"

2012-01-24T18:06:00.000-05:00

Tiger Woods had his season opening presser today for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and discussed the usual topics such as the form of his game, his health, the top players in the world, and his goals for the upcoming season. Woods also discussed Hank Haney's new book, "The Big Miss", set for release one week prior to the Masters, but he didn't go in to great detail.

Did you ever think Hank would write a book about you?
TIGER WOODS: No.

Q. And if not, why not? Why did you think he wouldn't?
TIGER WOODS: I don't know.

Q. And just when something like that‑‑ is it difficult to trust anybody, if everything is just going to get revealed in books and statements and telly and everything?
TIGER WOODS: One might say that.

Q. That must be sort of sad in a way.
TIGER WOODS: You think it's sad?

Q. Do you think it's sad?
TIGER WOODS: I'm asking you.

Q. I find it sad, yeah.
TIGER WOODS: Okay. There you go. (Smiling).

Q. It's on the book subject again, I'm afraid.
TIGER WOODS: Yep.

Q. I'm assuming you would appreciate why people in general and golfers in particular would like an insight into your game and swing and how things have developed. Please tell me what's so wrong about Hank writing a book about you?
TIGER WOODS: I think I've answered all the questions on that.

Q. What's so wrong‑‑
TIGER WOODS: I think I already have. I'm sorry.

It can't be all bad for Woods right now as he's being paid a monster appearance fee this week. He also has a chance to compete against the top players in the world and zoom up the world rankings with a good tournament.

Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship Betting Odds

2012-01-23T16:22:00.001-05:00

The real start to the golf season kicks off Thursday at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. The tournament features a top notch field including world number one Luke Donald, defending champion Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood, Rory Mcllroy, and Tiger Woods. They will be joined by 2011 Major winners Charl Schwartzel and Darren Clarke, as well as Sergio Garcia and Jason Day.

Notable player betting odds include:

Tiger Woods: 7-1
Martin Kaymer: 13-2
Rory Mcllroy: 13-2
Lee Westwood:12-1
Luke Donald: 12-1
Sergio Garcia: 25-1
Jason Day: 28-1
Charl Schwartzel: 30-1
K.J. Choi: 33-1
Darren Clarke: 175-1

Bubba Watson buys the General Lee

2012-01-23T15:56:00.000-05:00

Yes, Bubba Watson did spend 110k to purchase the General Lee, the most famous car in Hazard County. The original Daisy Duke was not included.

The Humana Challenge: Golf Betting Odds

2012-01-17T11:08:00.000-05:00

The Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation begins Thursday with some bigger names starting to make their way back to tournament mode.

Notable player betting odds include:

Matt Kuchar: 14-1
Phill Mickelson: 16-1
Bill Haas: 16-1
Martin Laird: 25-1
Zach Johnson: 30-1
Anthony Kim: 30-1
Camillo Villegas: 40-1
Bud Cauley: 50-1
Jhonattan Vegas: 66-1

And then Vijay said to Sabbatini...

2012-01-16T16:28:00.000-05:00

In a surprising episode, two of the friendliest players on tour got into a verbal altercation Saturday at the Sony Open.

Apparently, Sabbatini's caddie moved while Vijay putted a six-footer which caused him to miss. Vijay then had some choice words for the caddie, prompting Sabbatini to jump in and defend him.

“The only thing I told Vijay is whatever he was saying to my caddie is inappropriate. I was just sticking up for my caddie, who doesn’t deserve to be talked to in that manner."

It sounds like this one was Vijay's fault. Off the top of my head, Vijay has had problems with Woods, Mickelson, and now Sabbatini. Sabbatini has had problems with Woods, Crane, O'Hair, and now Singh.

Amusing. Hopefully they pair these two at the Masters.

Woods and Romo to tee it up at Pebble Beach Pro-Am

2012-01-16T16:05:00.000-05:00

Washington Redskins fans appreciate the fact the Tony Romo is playing a lot more golf than football this time of year. Romo will be teeing it up with Tiger Woods at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February.

Romo is a very good golfer and has attempted to qualify for the U.S. Open a few times. It should be interesting to see how well he plays in front of Woods. Hopefully Romo continues working on his golf game and his football team continues to miss the playoffs year after year after year.

Headcase on the course? Golf Magazine wants to help...

2012-01-15T20:13:00.000-05:00

In an amusing new promotion, Golf Magazine wants to help golfers going insane from the game. Are you good on the range but suck on the course? Do you get jitters so bad that it screws your scores? Do you have a Barkley-esque hitch in your game?

Interested in receiving possible game changing help from a PGA pro?

Answer the following questions and you may be selected for a mental game upgrade.

Your name:
Age:
Contact info:
How long you've been a golfer:
Your typical score:
What ties you in mental knots (first-tee jitters, putting, water holes, etc.):
In your own words, tell us why you need a mental-game makeover:

Email your reply to golfletters@golf.com, with the subject "Mental Game."

Matt Every breaks out the Black Hawk

2012-01-15T11:48:00.000-05:00

Matt Every has been using a new putter called the Black Hawk, which appears to be a stick attached to a DVD player. Either way, it's been working well for him as he's tied for the lead heading into the final round of the Sony Open.

If he wins, be prepared for golf purists to call for the putter to be banned, just like the long and belly putters.

Tebow mania swinging into Pebble Beach?

2012-01-13T13:57:00.000-05:00

There have been recent discussions between Tim Tebow and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am about the star quarterback playing in the tournament.

An appearance by Tebow in combination with Tiger Woods playing would mean huge ratings. Although rumored as a possibility, it's unlikely that the two would be paired up together. Woods is supposedly already playing with Dallas Cowboy quarterback Tony Romo.

A lot will depend on whether or not Tebow's Broncos can pull off another huge upset win against the heavily favored Patriots on Saturday night.

Woods to make 2012 PGA Tour debut at Pebble Beach

2012-01-09T15:21:00.000-05:00

Tiger Woods will start his 2012 PGA Tour season at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on February 9th, returning to the tournament for the first time since 2002.

"I'm excited to start my PGA Tour season at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am," Woods said. "AT&T is a great partner to my Foundation, and I'm looking forward to playing in this event. I haven't been to this tournament lately, but I have a lot of good memories at Pebble. It will be fun going back."

Being a Pro-Am, the rounds have been known to last 5-6 hours which will be one downside for Woods. On the plus side though, he's continuing to forge good relationships with his business partners while at the same time getting in another tournament in preparation for the Masters.

The Big Miss

2012-01-09T15:09:00.000-05:00

Hank Haney has written a new book titled "The Big Miss" which details his six years coaching Tiger Woods.

"I get asked all the time about Tiger, what it was like to work with him," Haney said. "I felt like I had a front row seat to golf history. It just kind of chronicles a little bit of what I went through, what I dealt with, how I coached and the observations I made."

Woods will most likely not be happy about this but I'm sure it will be interesting for readers to learn exactly what was going on behind the scenes from Haney's perspective.

"If he reads it, I don't think it will be a book that bothers him. It's hard to say," Haney said. "Anybody who reads it will think it's interesting, very fair and honest, and that's what I wanted to do. I was on that job for six years. There were 110 days a year I was with him. I stayed at his house for close to 30 days a year. You make a lot of observations."

The book is set to be released one week prior to this year's Masters for publicity purposes.

Betting Odds to win major championship in 2012

2012-01-03T10:55:00.000-05:00

Who will win the four biggest events in 2012? Here are some notable player betting odds to win a major this year.

Tiger Woods: 11-8
Rory Mcllroy: 15-8
Luke Donald: 5-2
Lee Westwood: 11-4
Phil Mickelson: 7-2
Dustin Johnson: 11-2
Martin Kaymer: 11-2
Adam Scott: 6-1
Jason Day: 6-1
Sergio Garcia: 13-2
Anthony Kim: 10-1
Rickie Fowler: 10-1

Brandel Chamblee earns 12.5% approval rating

2012-01-02T18:32:00.002-05:00

After the Masters in 2011, I wrote a post titled Brandel Chamblee = mute button because of the constant idiocy coming out of his mouth. This post had 16 comments added by readers of this site with 14 of them being negative. By my math, that gives Chamblee a 12.5 % approval rating. This is obviously an extremely small sample size but if a much larger poll was taken, I'm sure the results would be similar.

Here are some excerpts of the comments added about Chamblee and if these demonstrate what the golf public thinks of him, it makes a person ask two questions. Who hired this guy? Why is he still on TV?

"Chamblee is a complete joke. All he does is criticize everyone on tour. Especially Tiger, he needs to clean Tiger's clubs and shut his mouth."

"Chamblee is an idiot."

"Maybe when Arnie P. sobers up he will come to his senses and fire the dumb ass."

"Chamblee comes across as a sanctimonious stuffed shirt, cast from the same mold as the imperious, overly pompous Rich Lerner."

"Chamblee makes the Golf Channel look bad. He must do damage to the bottom line -- I don't linger very long when Chamblee appears onscreen. Absolutely horrible and biased."

"I am new to the Golf Channel and have really been enjoying most of what they do. But I totally cannot stand this cocky know-all. His brash, mouthiness runs directly counter to the civilized spirit that separates golf from a lot of other pro sports."

"Chamblee was a hack as a golfer, tries to be Johnny Miller as an analyst though he has neither the experience or the knowledge to make comments on pressure situations."

"He reminds me of my mothers toy poodle always barking for no apparent reason."

"His delivery and attitude make it almost impossible to actually listen to what he says on TGC."

"Brandel Chamblee has outworn his welcome in giving opinions. Logical inferences from his statements show he really wants Tiger to fail."

Although I can barely stomach listening to Chamblee for more than a minute, I did end up taking the time to also post Tiger Woods vs. Brandel Chamblee after listening to more ridiculousness.

It seems that by now, the Golf Channel should know that by far and away, Chamblee is the most disliked analyst they have. They must be sticking to the strategy that bad publicity is better than no publicity.

The 2012 Major Champions will be ...

2012-01-01T10:27:00.000-05:00

THE MASTERS: TIGER WOODS
Tiger has won the Masters four times and seems to be in contention at Augusta even when he doesn't have his A game. He finished in the top five the past two years despite injuries, swing changes, and the scandal. This year he appears to be healthy, his swing changes have become more ingrained, he's coming off a win at Chevron, and he'll have at least 4-5 tournaments to play prior to Augusta to prepare. Look for Woods to get his 15th major victory this April and get back on track to breaking Jack's record of 18.

U.S. OPEN: PHIL MICKELSON
Mickelson has finished runner-up five times in the U.S. Open and he wants this tournament more than any other. He's approaching his mid-forties so his window of opportunity to win is closing. No one knows if Phil will show up with one driver, two drivers, no driver, a regular putter, or a belly putter. Regardless, he will be gearing up and trying to peak this summer to try and win his first U.S. Open. He still has a good chance to win the career grand slam.

BRITISH OPEN: RORY MCILROY
Well on his way to becoming the number one player in the world, McILroy is the most talented golfer to hit the scene since Woods. Injuries aside, he will no doubt be a top ten player in the world for the next decade. He should have won the Masters last year and won the U.S. Open in a runaway. He grew up in Northern Ireland playing links style courses and there's no question he will eventually win the Open Championship. Other than Woods, McILroy is the only player with the potential in winning the calendar year Grand Slam. Look for him to earn his second career major in 2012.

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: SERGIO GARCIA
Now in his 30s, it doesn't seem possible that a player with his talent could go a career without winning a major championship. After a self-imposed hiatus from golf, he came back last year looking sharp and winning back to back tournaments on the European Tour. Of course, he also made news for slinging his 4 iron into a lake after a bad shot. Garcia is definitely a wild card, but if he gets his putter rolling and keeps his head in check, he could finally win his first major championship in 2012.

The top events on the golf calendar in 2012

2012-01-01T10:12:00.000-05:00

Luke Donald and Rory McILroy: The battle for #1 begins again in 2012.

January
Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship: Abu Dhabi Golf Club

February
WGC Accenture Match Play: Ritz Carlton Golf Club

March
WGC Cadillac: Blue Monster at Doral
Arnold Palmer Invitational: Bay Hill

April
THE MASTERS: AUGUSTA NATIONAL

May
Wells Fargo: Quail Hollow
The Players Championship: TPC Sawgrass
Memorial: Muirfield Village

June
U.S. OPEN: OLYMPIC CLUB
AT & T National: Congressional CC

July
BRITISH OPEN: ROYAL LYTHAM ST ANNE

August
WGC Bridgestone: Firestone CC
PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: KIAWAH ISLAND

August - September: Fed Ex Cup Playoffs
The Barclays: Bethpage
Deutsche Bank: TPC Boston
BMW Championship: Crooked Stick
Tour Championship: East Lake

September
RYDER CUP: MEDINAH CC

FULL PGA SCHEDULE

Westwood acknowledges fact that top golfers make insane money

2011-12-22T19:52:00.001-05:00

Lee Westwood recently topped 25 million dollars in career earnings on the European Tour and took the time to discuss the fact that top golfers make too much money.

"We play for a staggering amount of money, no doubt about it and I've always stressed we are very, very fortunate. I think we are paid too much money – compared to police and teachers and nurses," Westwood said.

"But then compare it to footballers. I think the only thing you can probably justify it by is that when golfers have a bad day, we don't get paid anything, but when we have a great day we get paid a lot. It's part of the pressure involved. There isn't a wage as such,” he said.

It is kind of ridiculous that guys hitting a little white ball around a field are millionaires many times over but that's just the way the world is. At least most of these guys give a lot to charity.

Woods hoping to shoot 58

2011-12-22T19:37:00.001-05:00

Apparently, Tiger Woods uses a quarter dated 1958 to mark his golf ball in the green.

Why?

“Because I’ve shot 59, and I’ve never shot 58,” Woods said. “Each and every day, I use it as an opportunity for me to shoot 58.”

He also has a 1957 quarter in waiting.

I'd like to see that one come into play.

Rory McILroy ends year on a high note

2011-12-22T19:25:00.000-05:00

Rory McILroy won his first major championship at the U.S. Open in 2011 and climbed as high as number two in the world rankings. He also hit balls off a helipad 700 feet high in the air at a seven star resort in Dubai.

Chris Berman finishes runner up in terrible announcer poll

2011-12-18T12:28:00.002-05:00

Chris Berman demonstrates excellent communication skills with his colleagues.

This poll was recently taken and Chris Berman was named second worst NFL announcer by the players. He can now add this honor to go along with being the most annoying golf announcer of all time when he works for ESPN's coverage of the U.S. Open each year.

Sergio Garcia gets livid and throws club in lake

2011-12-16T10:55:00.000-05:00

What do the PGA pros want for Christmas?

2011-12-15T16:36:00.001-05:00

A recent poll was taken to see what players on the PGA Tour want for Christmas. Here are some of their answers.

Tiger Woods: A major championship
Luke Donald: A bigger trophy case
Rory McILroy: A tennis racquet
John Daly: A new supply of golf balls or some scuba gear
Rickie Fowler: A haircut
Brandel Chamblee: A brain
Jeff Overton: An AA meeting
Sergio Garcia: A new 4-iron
Steve Williams: A muzzle
Greg Norman: Some players that don't suck at alternate shot
Phil Mickelson: Ping Pong lessons
Bubba Watson: A french translation book
Ian Poulter: Pink nail polish
Darren Clarke: A beer bong
Jason Dufner: A do-over on the last 4 holes at the PGA
Robert Allenby: A win at the Prez cup and a fight with Geoff Ogilvy

A look back at the big winners of 2011

2011-12-12T18:25:00.001-05:00

Luke Donald became the number one player in the world in 2011 and won both the PGA Tour money title as well as the European Tour Race to Dubai. The main accomplishment missing from his resume is a major championship, a goal he will be strongly pursuing in 2012.

Here's a look back at some of the big winners of 2011:

Major Championships
The Masters: Charl Schwartzel
U.S. Open: Rory McILroy
British Open: Darren Clarke
PGA Championship: Keegan Bradley

Fed Ex Cup Playoffs:
The Barclays: Dustin Johnson
Deutsche Bank: Webb Simpson
BMW Championship: Justin Rose
Tour Championship: Bill Haas

Fed Ex Cup Champion:
Bill Haas

WGC Accenture Match Play Champion:
Luke Donald

WGC Bridgestone Champion:
Adam Scott

WGC HSBC Champion:
Martin Kaymer

The Players Championship:
KJ Choi

The President's Cup:
United States defeated the Internationals

PGA Tour Money Title Champion:
Luke Donald

European Tour Race to Dubai Champion:
Luke Donald

Early Masters Betting Odds

2011-12-06T10:57:00.001-05:00

There are still about 5 months until Augusta, but never too early to start thinking about the Masters.

Tiger Woods: 11-2
Rory McILroy: 8-1
Phil Mickelson: 12-1
Luke Donald: 16-1
Lee Westwood: 18-1
Adam Scott: 28-1
Jason Day: 28-1
Sergio Garcia: 33-1
Anthony Kim: 40-1
Charl Schwartzel: 40-1

A "W" is a "W" for Woods

2011-12-06T10:44:00.000-05:00

"Don't call it a comeback, I've been in for years" Punks

Despite the Tiger naysayer portion of the population disregarding the Chevron World Challenge as a real tournament, Tiger Woods did earn his 72nd career PGA Tour victory Sunday and jumped up 30 spots to number 21 in the world rankings. There will not be an asterisk added in the record books as Woods won his own tournament for the 5th time.

In beating 17 of the top ranked players in the world, he won 1.2 million and donated the total to the Tiger Woods Foundation. He ended the 2011 season on a high note and earned his first win since the 2009 Australian Masters.

In the old days, he would have won the tournament by 10 strokes but he made several unforced errors throughout the week, especially during round three. Either way, he demonstrated that his new swing is getting closer to being fully grooved, his stinger is back, his short game is back, and his putting is improving. He also showed he can still handle the pressure moments by making birdies at the final two holes to win by one.

Woods is not anywhere near all the way back yet, but this win showed that his game continues to progress in a positive direction. Look for 2012 to be a monster year for Woods.

Betting Odds: Chevron World Challenge

2011-11-28T22:28:00.000-05:00

Tiger Woods has won the Chevron World Challenge four times previously and is once again the betting odds favorite to win this week.

Notable player betting odds:

Tiger Woods: 11-4
Webb Simpson: 9-1
Nick Watney: 11-1
Hunter Mahan: 12-1
Jason Day: 14-1
Steve Stricker: 14-1
Jim Furyk: 14-1
Rickie Fowler: 14-1
Matt Kuchar: 16-1
Keegan Bradley: 18-1

Monty gives golf lessons in war-torn Afghanistan

2011-11-28T22:09:00.000-05:00

Colin Montgomerie recently traveled to Kabul to provide golf lessons and equipment to both troops and children. He demonstrated shots on a firing range in Helmand and gave tips to kids who had never picked up a golf club.

"These kids, they were born into war and grew up in war and it's been very difficult," he said, adding he hoped that the Afghans might qualify a golf team for the 2016 Olympics, where golf will be played again. "It is great to promote the game here to encourage the Afghans to have a team there in 2016."

Mohammad Afzal Abdul, the golf pro at Kabul Golf Club, dubbed the most dangerous in the world, hopes Montgomerie will inspire new players in their country that has seen decades of occupation, civil war, Taliban rule, and NATO-led military campaign.

"Maybe when Afghanistan's security is better, maybe more golfers will come," he said.

Strong field set for Chevron World Challenge

2011-11-27T21:14:00.000-05:00

The Chevron World Challenge kicks off Thursday at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California. The tournament is hosted by Tiger Woods and features 18 of the world's best players, including nine members of the winning United States President's Cup team.

Players to watch:

Jim Furyk is coming off a perfect 5-0 record at the President's Cup
Matt Kuchar and Gary Woodland are coming in off their win at the World Cup of Golf
PGA Champion Keegan Bradley will be looking to cap off his stellar rookie season with another win
Tiger Woods is looking for his first win in over two years

USA wins World Cup of Golf

2011-11-27T20:17:00.000-05:00

The United States team of Matt Kuchar and Gary Woodland defeated 27 other countries, including favorites Rory McILroy and Graeme McDowell of Ireland, to win the Omega Mission Hills World Cup.

"You think of all the sporting events, and you think of all the teams that become world champions, and in golf there are not that many opportunities to be world champions," Kuchar said. "So to represent the United States of America and become world champions just feels great."

The event featured two days of fourball (best ball) and two days of foursomes (alternate shot), which is the same format used in the Ryder Cup and President's Cup.

The team shot a final round 67 in alternate shot format to win by two strokes over England and Germany, and three shots of ahead of Ireland.

On Saturday we really clicked together and played a great round and when Matt got up-and-down at the last that gave us the momentum into today's final round," Woodland said. "So we came out today to birdie the first two holes and that really got us going."

With it being a Ryder Cup year in 2012, Kuchar and Woodland would be a strong potential pairing for the United States assuming both players make the team.

The tandem became the first American team to win the cup since Tiger Woods and David Duval did so in 2000.

Tiger brings the stinger back to arsenal

2011-11-22T15:14:00.001-05:00

When Tiger Woods was running away with tournament after tournament, he tended to rely on a patented shot dubbed the "stinger".

The stinger is typically used when teeing off on par-4 holes, and is used for accuracy and positioning the ball for the approach shot.

He hits it somewhat like a knockdown shot, usually with a 2 or 3-iron with the ball positioned a bit back in the stance and with an abbreviated follow through.

It's an especially helpful shot on major championship venues or courses that tend to be hard and fast.

Woods began using the shot with his "Harmon swing" but was unable to pull it off towards the end of his time with the "Haney swing".

Now progressing with his swing changes into the "Foley swing", the shot was on full display at the President's Cup last week. On almost every par-4, Woods hit a low iron, made his stinger swing, and placed the ball down almost every fairway.

Woods biggest weakness over the years has been accuracy off the tee, especially with the driver. If he's able to continue progressing with his new swing, the "stinger" is going to be a huge weapon for him moving forward.

Questions answered at President's Cup

2011-11-20T18:34:00.002-05:00

We saw the passion that you had on the golf course and the fun you've been having with your teammates, considering that your game may not have been its best coming into this event, what did this event do for you?
TIGER WOODS: Well, I played really well last week. I just had one bad day, and one bad putting day. This week, I played even better, and a lot of putts, they just didn't go in. But today was a different deal. Stricks gave a little lesson on the putting green, and whatever he says about putting, I'm going to do. So all of a sudden, I found my natural body position, I started seeing the lines, my toe started moving again, I could feel the release and just felt really good. Now I've got a week off and play Chevron, so really looking forward to that.

Q. Compare your nerves to an AT&T National, another event you've won.
NICK WATNEY: It's different. I've heard guys say it's different, but I didn't know what they were talking about. And it is different to play in a team environment, and then in match play, 2-up, three to go, you should win, so there's that element of it. It's just that it's very different from what we do week-to-week. I feel like I really bonded with these guys and just very, very happy to contribute.

Q. If I would have said to you at the start of the week that Jim Furyk would be 5-0, would you believe me?
FRED COUPLES: I would have said thank you very much; no. That happens. We needed it. He was a leader. He and Phil told me, which was very odd, I wasn't planning on it, on Tuesday night, that they want to play together. And they rode and rode and rode, and obviously I rested Phil in the afternoon yesterday. But Jimmy going 5-0 is great. It's cool. It's unique. It's fun. And I think he's happy as the rest of the 14 guys are.

Q. Was it harder to play at home because of the pressure or easier to play at home because you were at home?
ADAM SCOTT: I think it's just a really demanding golf course. You know, we got 12 great players on our team and 12 great players on their team. No matter how good you are, on this course it's just too hard to hit the ball well to get it around here, and they might have done it just a little bit better than us this week.

Q. Were you surprised a little how well the Americans played on this golf course, because of what you were just saying about that; that it's a hard course to learn?
GEOFF OGILVY: A little bit. There might be in Royal Melbourne veterans on our team who have never seen a day like Friday. That was proper -- that was Royal Melbourne at her best. They did very well. It's hard for everyone there. I think over 72 holes of stroke play, the Royal Melbourne veterans will probably start showing their colors over a long period of time. The Americans are very good players and very adaptable these days. We play lots of different sorts of courses. They adapted very quickly. Freddie obviously had some sage advice, because he played here a long time, and John Cook and Jay Haas. Phil was here last time and Tiger had been here. So they have got some pretty wise heads on their team that obviously they came out here with the right mentality on a couple of those really tough days, Friday, Saturday, and did really well on a place that really does take experience.

Q. Obviously a tough day, but just talk about the experience overall for the week, what's it been like for you, being a local?
JASON DAY: It's a dish experience. The American guys are tough opponents. They do it every single year. For me this is my first experience and I know now certain things that I won't do in another couple years. It's been a hard work. It's good for a change, not just to think about yourself but think about others. And as long as I gave it 100 percent, I was happy with that. Obviously it was a tough day for me out there, bogeyed the first six holes or something. Yeah, I'm just looking forward to it. Obviously it's fun when things come down to -- it's getting close. There's a lot of work for us to do, and we just need to keep our heads down and keep moving forward.

All transcripts

What we learned at the President's Cup

2011-11-20T18:03:00.000-05:00

Jim Furyk became the fourth player in President's Cup history to go a perfect 5-0
Furyk and Mickelson made a great partnership (Hope Davis Love was watching)
Fred Couples is now 2-0 as captain (time to give him a shot for 3-0)
Tiger Woods is almost back (If he putts like he did Sunday, he'll win at Chevron in two weeks)
Matt Kuchar is the greatest ping pong player in Australia other than Lleyton Hewitt
Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson make a solid pair to get out early
David Toms put on a strong showing for being the oldest player on the team
Steve Stricker was rusty on day one from lack of competition, but picked it up from there
Verdict is still out on the Tiger Woods / Dustin Johnson pairing (neither made a putt in 3 matches together so it's hard to judge)
Course knowledge is overrated
Royal Melbourne is an unbelievable course
Robert Allenby turned out to be a disastrous Captain's pick for Norman (0-4)
Geoff Ogilvy doesn't miss any putts
Ernie Els has completely lost it on the greens
K.T. Kim and Ryo Ishikawa provided some sparks and will represent the Internationals a lot in future
Norman's team did not get to rip out the American's hearts and hand it to them
Norman still said he would have picked Keegan Bradley over Tiger Woods
Norman wants to rules to be changed so the Internationals don't have to play foursomes
Johnny Miller loves to exaggerate (When Tiger missed a 95 eagle putt by one centimeter, Miller says "He used to make those"
The golf channel showed a preview of the final big break episode approximately 152 times during the coverage
The U.S. is now 7-1-1 in the President's Cup with the tournament coming back to America at Jack's course in 2013

The U.S. wins President's Cup 19-15: Photos

2011-11-20T17:27:00.001-05:00

Royal Melbourne creates day two carnage at President's Cup

2011-11-18T11:46:00.000-05:00

"It's carnage on a golf course like this today,'' said Adam Scott.

"It was not much fun out there probably,'' U.S. captain Fred Couples said. "It was brutal. The golf course did not lend itself to any birdies. These guys played great.''

"This was awesome. It was awesome,'' Mickelson said. "We'll never see something like this in an every-day golf course. We'll never see that. We rarely see it in a major."

"The course gets progressively harder as you play because it dries out and it dries out and it dries out, said Geoff Ogilvy. "It's just unbelievable how short of clubs you have to hit downwind. You catch yourself thinking, there's just no way from 165 yards I can hit sand iron, but it's the only sensible club to hit, because anything more is going to go in the back. It's really hard to get that into your head.''

"Just trying to hit the greens, that was s heck of an accomplishment," Woods said. "Wedges weren't holding, balls were oscillating on the greens, you've got to play the wind on putts. It was a tough day."

"I've played the course many, many times," said Ernie Els. "And this is probably the fastest."

"On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give it an 11 today,” Norman said about the conditions.

United States in good position after day one at President's Cup

2011-11-17T15:53:00.000-05:00

After day one, the United States leads 4-2 and the captains have made their selections for day two matches.

Gentlemen, we'll just get some quick comments on how things went for each of you. Captain Couples, we'll have you go first and then Greg, and then some questions about today and tomorrow's pairings.

FRED COUPLES: Well, obviously, point wise, we are more excited than we were an hour and a half before the day ended. But that's happened before, and our guys fought hard. Like Greg, we had one easy match and we had two semi lopsided matches. But really, the end of the day, it was Billy Haas and Nick Watney getting a half a point from Schwartzel and Ogilvy. It was an unbelievable match. And then as you saw at the end, Dustin Johnson made a very nice putt to get a half a point. You know, 3 1/2 2 1/2 is great. Obviously 4 2, we are excited about that.

GREG NORMAN: At the opposite end of the spectrum, we are disappointed in the 2 4 result. My guys felt like they let a few matches slip away, no question about it. But they all understand, it's the game of golf. It does happen. Their heads are really held high. They are not worried about the next three days going forward. They are actually looking forward to it. They all feel like they are playing extremely good golf. They know the weather conditions are going to change a little bit; at adaptation to the golf course and the conditions coming forth over the next three days are going to be different than what it was today. You know, we didn't get the job done at the end of the day. It's unfortunate for us we are behind, but we believe we can no doubt catch up and probably catch up in our belief tomorrow.

Custom fit clubs for Wounded Warriors

2011-11-16T19:42:00.000-05:00

Golfsmith, the largest golf retailer in the United States, has recently spearheaded a donation campaign along side the Wounded Warriors project. This has helped to get injured veterans fitted with custom golf clubs so they can get back out on the course and improve their games.

Tiger skipping Torrey Pines to play in Abu Dhabi

2011-11-16T19:26:00.005-05:00

Tiger Woods has signed on to play the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in the Middle East January 26-29. He will join the top two ranked players in the world, Luke Donald and Rory McILroy. How about pairing those three together?

"I've always enjoyed playing in HSBC events around the world, so I have been interested in including the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship in my schedule for some time."

The field will also feature other tops stars including Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood, Charl Schwartzel, Jason Day, and K.J. Choi.

"The giants of golf are coming to Abu Dhabi," said Faisal Al Sheikh, events manager, ADTA. "Traditionally, we have prioritized depth of field at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, and that has not changed for our seventh year. It is safe to say we are amassing the finest field to ever contest a Middle East tournament."

Woods will be out of his usual stop during that time frame, the PGA event at Torry Pines, a course he has won on eight times previously.

President's Cup going to South Korea in 2015

2011-11-16T19:11:00.001-05:00

K.J Choi

The President's Cup will be held in South Korea for the first time starting in 2015. It has not yet been determined which course will host the biennial event featuring the United States vs. the Internationals.

"The growth of the game in Asia is well documented, and the fact that we have three South Korean players on the International Presidents Cup team this year illustrates the strength of golf in that country, which is only going to get stronger in the next four years," said Tim Finchem, PGA Tour commissioner.

K.J. Choi, K.T. Kim, and Y.E. Yang are the three Asian members on the current International team. "A lot of my peers, a lot of younger generation Korean golfers, are also eyeing to increase their world rankings, get better and hopefully have a few more Koreans on the International team by 2015," Kim said.

"With the Presidents Cup coming into Korea and with a lot of Asian players growing up, it's going to be another endeavor for the younger generation to build upon what we opened up."

President's Cup opening foursomes matches all set

2011-11-15T21:13:00.001-05:00

The opening foursomes matches are set to go. Fortunately, Tiger Woods and Adam Scott will be playing against each other so hopefully this ridiculous story will go away after the match.

1. Bubba Watson / Webb Simpson vs. Ernie Els / Ryo Ishikawa

2. Bill Haas / Nick Watney vs. Charl Schwartzel / Geoff Ogilvy

3. Dustin Johnson / Matt Kuchar vs. Jason Day / Aaron Baddely

4. Phil Mickelson / Jim Furyk vs. Robert Allenby / Retief Goosen

5. David Toms / Hunter Mahan vs. K.T. Kim / Y.E. Yang

6. Tiger Woods / Steve Stricker vs. Adam Scott / K.J Choi

President's Cup: Television Times

2011-11-15T15:34:00.000-05:00

The games begin Wednesday night on Golf Channel.

Wednesday: 9pm-2am
Thursday: 7:30pm-2am
Friday: 3pm-2am
Saturday: 6:30pm-12:30am

Coverage will also be replayed the following day on Golf Channel and NBC on the weekend for those that don't want to stay up all night.

Players discuss Royal Melbourne

2011-11-15T15:08:00.001-05:00

Q. Tiger, can you talk a little about the golf course and how you like it?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, it's a different routing than what we played in '98. Even though they got new grass on the fairways, it's still playing fairly week. The greens are very quick. Probably more firm than they are quick. And there's definitely a lot of run-out on the greens, and we have to be paying attention to that quite a bit this week.

Q. It looks like on paper the American Team is a little longer, the course is not very long out there, there's a lot of drivable par 4s, but is that an advantage for you guys?
PHIL MICKELSON: The par 4s may be reachable but they are really not drivable.
It's more important to set up your approach shot, get the correct angle, given that the ball won't stop as quickly, angles are much more important this week, much like a British Open where you want to have the ability to land the ball 30, 40, 50 feet short and let it release back to the hole.So getting the ball actually on the surface of holes that are reachable is not really feasible or probable I would say out here. Creating better angles and shorter shots here is probably more important than trying to get it on.

Q. What do you think about the course so far?
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, it's a great course. Kind of reminds me of a British Open style course, but also reminds me of Metropolitan when we were back here in 2002. So it has a great look to it. The course is in great shape. It's nice to be here. Can't say anything negative about the course. It's very nice. It's very fair. I imagine when the wind, if the wind were to get up and blow, it's going to be very difficult too. It's tough to get the balls close to the pin. It's really firm. The greens are really firm, so it's tough to judge it on the greens. Overall, it's in great shape and it's a great layout.

Q. I saw one hole out there on the 10th and the Americans came through and they were all on the high side of the hole and the Internationals came through and they were under the hole. As the local are you telling the boys to leave the ball under the hole? Is that a fair observation?
ADAM SCOTT: Well, you can try and leave it under the hole out here. It's not that easy on a lot of them. It's very, very firm and the fact is, you're just not going to be able to play them under the hole all week. You can get punished for trying to be too cute and leaving it under the hole. Sometimes you're just going to have to hit your shot and accept that you're going to have a fast putt. There is certainly a lot to take in on this golf course, and you get to play it for two days, and you there's a chance that some of our team, with a little more experience here, have a little better understanding of how to get it around the golf course.

Q. How much pride do you and your fellow Aussies and everyone in this country take in this golf course?
GEOFF OGILVY: Yeah, that's a good question. I think it's a very -- there is a lot of pride in this golf course. It's clearly our best course. It's probably clearly our best course. It's got probably as rich a history in professional golf tournaments as any golf course in the world, really, outside of Augusta and St. Andrews. It's had golf tournaments for as long as I can remember, and they were happening a long time before I can remember. All the greats have played here. I mean, the golf course is going to be a really big part of the story this week, and I think it should be. Alister MacKenzie was here, and it's a stunning place. I hope player is going around today on their first hit or yesterday going, wow, I wish we could play this sort of course more often. I think it's pretty special.

Q. Is the course too different for that to be what to do now, or was that experience what you expect here?
ERNIE ELS: No, it's great. I know for a fact that winning on a serpent course when it's as tough as this golf course it's always nice to have a little bit of experience on it. So I think our team, if we have any advantage, it's the fact that a lot of our players have played this golf course, and a lot of the guys have won here and done well, so we know how to play it.

Golf Betting Odds: The President's Cup

2011-11-14T20:25:00.001-05:00

Who will be the top point scorer this week at the President's Cup?

Here are the odds for that as well as some other prop bets at Bodog:

Tiger Woods: 10-1
Adam Scott: 13-1
Nick Watney: 13-1
Phil Mickelson: 13-1
Charl Schwartzel: 15-1
Dustin Johnson: 15-1
Geoff Ogilvy: 15-1
Jason Day: 15-1
Steve Stricker: 15-1
Webb Simpson: 15-1

Captains provide quick notes on each of their players

2011-11-14T20:16:00.001-05:00

United States captain Fred Couples provides quick quotes on each of his players such as:

On Bubba Watson: "Hits it 100 miles which I always like. Great putter. Someone you can pair up with a lot of guys. A great player."

International captain Greg Norman provides quick quotes on each of his players such as:

On Geoff Ogilvy: "Probably one of the toughest head to head guys you'll ever go up against."

Mickelson: Tiger comeback "inevitable"

2011-11-14T20:02:00.000-05:00

Phil Mickelson had some good things to say about the impending and inevitable comeback of Tiger Woods.

"I've played with him a couple times throughout the year, watched him hit it, and you can tell his swing speed has come back."

"So I don't know when it will all click and he'll be back to his normal self but I feel like it's inevitable that he will get back there because he keeps getting better and better.

Norman: "Cut out an American's heart"

2011-11-14T19:51:00.000-05:00

International team captain Norman is getting fired up for the President's Cup. He wants his players to set friendship aside for the week and be prepared "to cut out an American rival's heart and present it to him on the 18th hole." Sounds like Braveheart to me.

"I believe that in an individual sport, when you walked on to the first tee or into the arena, everybody was your enemy," Norman said. "I learned very early on that friendships are great. But it is hard to keep a close friendship if you are both in the top five in the world."

Norman has said he plans to be more assertive as captain this year and won't hesitate to put Adam Scott in a match vs. Tiger Woods despite the recent caddie controversy.

President's Cup Breakdown

2011-11-13T11:49:00.000-05:00

The United States team vs. The International team
2011 Event will be held in Royal Melbourne, Australia
Event held every two years beginning in 1994 (except for changes due to 9/11)
The United States has won six times
The Internationals have won once (last time event was held in Royal Melbourne)
The event ended in a tie in 2003 in South Africa
Match play event
Doubles matches played Thursday, Friday, Saturday in foursomes and fourball
Singles matches played Sunday
Each match worth one point

2011 details	Royal Melbourne Golf Club (Melbourne, Australia)					Fred Couples Greg Norman
2009 details	Harding Park Golf Club (San Francisco, California)	United States	19½	14½	International	Fred Couples Greg Norman
2007 details	Royal Montreal Golf Club (L'Île-Bizard, Quebec, Canada)	United States	19½	14½	International	Jack Nicklaus Gary Player
2005 details	Robert Trent Jones Golf Club (Gainesville, Virginia)	United States	18½	15½	International	Jack Nicklaus Gary Player
2003 details	Fancourt Hotel and Country Club Estate (George, Western Cape, South Africa)	Tied	17	17	Tied	Jack Nicklaus Gary Player
2000 details	Robert Trent Jones Golf Club (Gainesville, Virginia)	United States	21½	10½	International	Ken Venturi Peter Thomson
1998 details	Royal Melbourne Golf Club (Melbourne, Australia)	International	20½	11½	United States	Jack Nicklaus Peter Thomson
1996 details	Robert Trent Jones Golf Club (Gainesville, Virginia)	United States	16½	15½	International	Arnold Palmer Peter Thomson
1994 details	Robert Trent Jones Golf Club (Gainesville, Virginia)	United States	20	12	International	Hale Irwin David Graham

There have been three perfect performances in President Cup history:
Mark O' Meara 5-0 (1996)
Shigeki Maruyama 5-0 (1998)
Tiger Woods 5-0 (2009)

Woods on the upswing with third place finish in Australia

2011-11-13T10:41:00.000-05:00

Tiger Woods lipped out four birdie putts during round one. He shot a third round 75 in which he didn't make a single putt. On Sunday, he hit two poor drives which led to bogeys on holes he would typically birdie. And he still finished in third place, two shots behind winner Greg Chalmers.

"Two holes on the back nine today, and I putted awful yesterday, or I would have been right there," Woods said after his last round.

It wasn't the result he was looking for, but there were a lot of positive signs that Woods is on his way back despite what of his many critics have been saying.

With three out of four rounds in the 60s, his iron play, short game, and putting looking great with the exception of the third round. The big problem was the wild driver, costing him bogeys because he was so far out of position. If he can get the driver under control, look out.

Anyway you look at it, this tournament was a step in the right direction and his comeback appears inevitable.

Crikey mates! Tiger Woods has brutal third round in Australia

2011-11-12T10:11:00.000-05:00

Tiger Woods began his day bogey, bogey, bogey after failing to get up and down on the first three holes and could never recover. The putter that had been working well the first two round left him and he couldn't make a putt. All in all, it was a 75, putting him six shots back of leader John Senden.

"I just got off to an awful start," Woods said. "The round should have been an easy 71, no problem. I played the par 5s bad, I didn't take care of 13. But if I take care of the par 5s and make a couple of putts, it's a 1 or 2 under round. But I made nothing today."

Woods will need to shoot at least 65 on Sunday to have any chance at victory. "I need to play good on that front nine. Anything can happen on the back nine," Woods said. "If I can just play a good, solid front nine and get things going on the back nine, they have some easy holes on the back nine. If I can shoot some low scores, I'll be right there."

Tiger Woods tops leaderboard after second round 67 at Australian Open

2011-11-10T21:26:00.000-05:00

Tiger Woods made five birdies on his opening nine holes and finished with a 5-under 67 to reach the top of the leaderboard at the Australian Open. His game appears sharp, his swing back on rhythm, and his short game seems to be rounding into old form. Woods is looking to win his first tournament since the 2009 Australian Masters and he's off to a great start.

Mickelson going into Golf Hall of Fame

2011-11-10T13:54:00.000-05:00

Phil Mickelson will be the next member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

He's won 39 career tournaments including three Masters and one PGA Championship. Mickelson is playing in the Singapore Open this week and the President's Cup in Australia next week.

Q. Besides all the achievements and this landmark, as well, becoming a Hall of Famer, if you could give us a bit of perspective, what it means for a professional golfer to be part of this elite company, and also, does it make you feel old?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, the great thing about golf is that we're able to play for a lifetime. We're able to compete for a lifetime. What the PGA Tour has done, and much thanks to Commissioner Finchem by creating such a strong Champions Tour, it allows players to compete well into their 60s. So golf has become kind of a lifelong career, where other sports it's not. Other sports it's more of a finite timeline. So I guess it might be a little unique or a little bit different. I don't want to say that I feel old because I don't feel it. I feel like I've got a lot of great golf ahead of me, and I feel terrific and have been playing well. The scores didn't reflect it today, but it's close, and I just feel like I can take that knowledge from the last 20 years and apply it to my game and hopefully continue to add to the accomplishments that have already gotten me into the Hall.

Q. I'm curious, you're in the Hall of Fame now, but what's left? What important goals do you still want to accomplish before you retire?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, I still want to win a number of golf tournaments. I'd like to get to that magical number of 50 that only a few guys have gotten to as far as total tournaments, but also I think that finally getting a U.S. Open would mean a lot to me as well as a British Open, which would complete the career slam. I came very close last year at Royal St. George's to getting that British. I've had five seconds in the U.S. Open; I've been very close. And I'm going to try to take that knowledge I've gained over the years that have led to those good performances and see if I can get over the hump and win those. I think that would be two special monumental feats for me to accomplish.

Woods to endorse new energy product from Fuse Science

2011-11-10T13:37:00.000-05:00

Tiger Woods has signed an exclusive endorsement with Fuse Science, Inc.

This from the company's website: Fuse focus provides revolutionary energy and body replenishment products that combine cutting-edge body absorption technology with two proprietary formulas for powering professional athletes and weekend warriors.

Australian Open Photos

2011-11-10T12:36:00.000-05:00

Woods in the hunt at Australian Open with opening round 68

2011-11-10T10:38:00.001-05:00

Tiger Woods opened with 68 at the Australian Open, in a round that could have been much lower. He lipped out four birdie putts for the day but maintained his composure and finished without a bogey.

''Anything outside the lip just doesn't go in,'' he said afterwords.

Woods is currently in 8th place on a day that say an Albatross by Adam Scott, another tin cup meltdown for John Daly, a horrendous shank by Robert Allenby into the water, and a lot of low scores by top stars.

''I hit it really good today,'' he said. ''That was exactly how I've been hitting it at home; that's good. I was able to take it to the golf course, under these conditions, and hit all the shots.''

Adam Scott scores Albatross at Australian Open

2011-11-10T10:08:00.000-05:00

John Daly pulls a John Daly down under

2011-11-10T10:00:00.003-05:00

John Daly has done it again in fine fashion. At the 10th hole of the Australian Open, he played the wrong ball on accident, took a penalty, missed a gimme putt, and ended with triple bogey.

Five minutes later, the television announcer says, "We have word of a developing situation back at the 11th hole." Sure enough, they cut to Daly blasting a ball into the water at the par-5. He attempted to hit the green in two shots but hit seven balls in the water. He ran out of balls and walked off the course.

If any golfer out there needs to see a mental coach, it's Daly.

Golf Australia's director of tournaments, Trevor Herden, condemned Daly's actions in the strongest terms and said: "I would say this is the last time we'll see John Daly in Australia.''

This is certainly not the first time Daly has blown up on the golf course as he's withdrawn numerous times and is on the list for highest golf scores of all time.

Kisstory is made: Kiss golf course coming to Vegas

2011-11-09T13:28:00.000-05:00

The Kiss business empire includes over 3000 licensed products and will now add a new mini-golf facility in Las Vegas in January of 2012.

The Kiss Course will include an indoor glow-in-the-dark custom-designed rockin' 18-hole miniature golf course, a state-of-the-art arcade, the largest KISS® gift shop in the world, a KISS® Gallery, "Hotter Than Hell" Wedding Chapel, a private VIP Room, FANtastic KISS® themed event rooms andthe "Rock 'n Roll All Nite" Cafe.

London Entreprenuer brings "The Rolley" to golf

2011-11-09T12:49:00.001-05:00

A 23 year old London inventor was recently named Britain's best young entrepreneur with his invention called the Rolley which allows golfers to hop on their personal golf trolley and ride silently around the course.

Arnold Du Toit came up with the idea after a friend complained that a round of golf took too long.

“The judges were blown away with Arnold’s golf invention,” said Phil Birbeck, managing director, PC World Business. “Who says age is a handicap when it comes to starting your own business?

“I’ve had a really exciting two years bringing the Rolley to market after getting funding from London South Bank University. My next steps are to speak to golf courses around the UK about installing fleets of rental Rolley’s. The support and advice I’ve won will be invaluable and the IT kit will be a great help to drive my company forward. Now I’m going straight to the 19th hole to celebrate this win!”

Australian Open pairings: Woods to play with Day

2011-11-08T10:48:00.001-05:00

The Australian Open pairings and tee times have been announced headlined by the pairing including Tiger Woods and Jason Day.

Notable Pairings:

Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Robert Allenby
Bill Haas, Geoff Ogilvy, Bubba Watson
Greg Norman, Dustin Johnson, Aaron Baddely
Fred Couples, John Cook, Peter Senior
Matt Kuchar, Adam Scott, John Senden
Hunter Mahan, John Daly, Craig Parry

It had been rumored that Woods, Day, and Scott would be paired together which would have been the best possible pairing. However, due to Steve Williams recent comments, this would have been unfair to put the two in the same group. Woods group will follow directly behind Scott and his intelligent caddie.

Betting Odds: Australian Open

2011-11-07T20:16:00.001-05:00

A stellar field is set to begin play in Australia on Thursday with Aussie Adam Scott as the slight betting favorite over Tiger Woods.

Notable player betting odds:

Adam Scott: 9-1
Tiger Woods: 10-1
Jason Day: 11-1
Geoff Ogilvy: 13-1
Dustin Johnson: 17-1
Hunter Mahan: 17-1
Matt Kuchar: 17-1
Fred Couples: 67-1
Greg Norman: 100-1
John Daly: 2001

No punishment for caddie Williams

2011-11-06T08:53:00.000-05:00

Steve Williams will not be getting fined or punished for his remarks regarding his former employer.

"We consider the remarks of Steve Williams, as reported, entirely unacceptable in whatever context," said a statement from PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem and European Tour chief executive George O'Grady. "We are aware that he has apologized fully and we trust we will not hear remarks ever gain. Based on this, we consider the matter closed, and we will have no further comment."

This makes sense to me. In this case, they don't have a fine for utter stupidity.

The 2011 Australian Open: Unmissable

2011-11-06T08:36:00.004-05:00

The Australian Open is being pegged by organizers as unmissable, and I can't disagree with that description, as story lines are everywhere.

It's been rumored that Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, and Jason Day will be paired together the first two days
Tiger would then be in the same group with Steve Williams, the caddie he fired earlier this year
Steve Williams just created another media storm by spouting off a racist remark about Woods
This is the week before the President's Cup, also in Australia
President Cup captains Greg Norman and Fred Couples will be playing
Norman has recently run his mouth about Woods saying he would not have selected him for Cup and will never win another major
Many of the world's top players will be participating

The tournament will be televised in the United States beginning at 8pm Wednesday night on Golf Channel.

Kaymer blitzes field with 63 to take HSBC Champions

2011-11-06T08:08:00.001-05:00

Martin Kaymer closed with a final round 63 to complete the biggest comeback in World Golf Championship history and win the HSBC Champions in Shanghai. He finished with birdies on 9 of his last 12 holes in becoming the 10th player to win both a major championship and a WGC event.

"I just played really good golf, and I'm glad that it came together," Kaymer said. "The last few weeks, I played good golf, but it has not happened yet. And this week, it was nice that it happened here, the World Golf Championship event."

He finished at 20-under par and won 1.2 million.

"It was an OK year," Kaymer said. "But now it's a good year."

CaddySmack

2011-11-06T07:54:00.004-05:00

More from the Steve Williams fallout: "We knew he was an idiot....but"

2011-11-06T07:34:00.000-05:00

Mark Steinberg, Agent for Tiger:
"I was with Tiger when the story broke. We were obviously not there, but if all the reports are accurate, it is regrettable. Really nothing more to say," Steinberg said.

Unnamed caddie from ESPN:
The Daily Mail quoted an unnamed caddie who said: "Never have you been in a room and seen so many jaws drop at the same time. We knew he (Williams) was an idiot but we didn't know he was a racist idiot. I was standing next to a European Tour official who said, "Thank God he is not on our tour."

Adam Scott:
"Look, anything with Tiger involved is a story," Scott said. "I value Steve's contribution to my game and having him on the bag. While he's caddying, I hope he can caddie for me."

"Those things are not meant to go past that room," Scott said. "Obviously, somebody took it out and that's the way it goes. There's really no safe haven for what you say, and so you've got to be careful."

"I'm the guy stuck in the middle, but I don't really have a gripe with either guy,” he said. “So it's for them to sort out between themselves."

Williams apologizes via website

2011-11-06T07:24:00.000-05:00

After his brilliant remark about Tiger Woods, caddie Steve Williams released a statement on his website.

"I apologize for comments I made last night at the Annual Caddy Awards dinner in Shanghai. Players and caddies look forward to this evening all year and the spirit is always joking and fun. I now realize how my comments could be construed as racist. However I assure you that was not my intent. I sincerely apologize to Tiger and anyone else I have offended."

Former caddie Williams makes racist remark about Tiger

2011-11-04T20:16:00.001-04:00

When asked a question about gloating after Adam Scott won at Bridgestone three months ago, caddie Steve Williams responded. My aim was to shove it right up that black --------," in reference to Tiger Woods, his former employer.

The remark by Williams supposedly left the audience of players, caddies and sponsors aghast. While the occasion had been intended as a light-hearted celebration of the ‘caddie of the year’ award, Williams’ comment was uniformly seen as beyond the pale and escalated his bitter sniping at Woods to a new level.

If this is true, it's another media disaster for Williams, especially with the Australian Open and President's Cup coming up in back to back weeks. This will certainly add to the drama for both weeks, with the possibility of Woods being paired with Scott for the Open or playing in a match against him in the Cup.

Williams is obviously still extremely bitter about getting fired but he has to know better.

Woods getting 2 million dollar appearance fee, possible match will high rollers

2011-11-04T13:01:00.000-04:00

According to this Sydney Morning Herald article, Tiger Woods will be receiving a 2 million plus appearance fee for playing in the Australian Open.

During the week prior, he's rumored to be playing a round with Liz Hurley, as well as a possible round with high rollers at the Burswood Casino golf course. Hope they bring a lot of money.

He may also be attending the grand opening of Bar 23, co-owned by World Series of Poker Champ Joe Hachem.

What a terrible vacation.

Poulter's new mansion destroying his golf game

2011-11-04T12:27:00.000-04:00

Usually when Ian Poulter's name comes up, it has something to do with him buying a new wardrobe, getting his hair or nails done, getting massages, or purchasing a new sports car. Sounds like a tough life.

And now he's facing an even more difficult challenge. Having a new mansion built is making it difficult on his golf game.

Holly Sonders

2011-11-04T12:13:00.001-04:00

Morning drive girl Holly Sonders.

Golf Cartoon

2011-11-04T12:12:00.000-04:00

Woods travels to Japan, Singapore, and Australia

2011-11-02T21:00:00.001-04:00

Tiger Woods has made his way on an overseas expedition which will include several ceremonies, exhibitions, challenges, clinics, and receptions, as well as participation in the Australian Open and the President's Cup.

He seems to be making an effort to not only get his game back, but also focused on spreading his knowledge of golf and promoting his brand worldwide.

Bookies wary of Tiger assault in Australia

2011-11-02T20:30:00.000-04:00

Despite not having won in two years, Tiger Woods still has the top odds to win the Australian Open next week along with Aussie Adam Scott.

After being the number one player in the world for 623 weeks, he's now down to number 56. Even so, bookmakers are still worried.

"He's not one you want to take on," a TAB Sportsbet spokesman said.

"He's popular regardless of his form at the moment. If it all clicks he could win and we don't want to lose a fortune on him."

MJ out, Cook in for U.S. Presidents Cup team

2011-11-02T20:16:00.001-04:00

There will be no 6'6" former greatest basketball player of all time smoking cigars in Australia this year. Michael Jordan, assistant captain for the U.S. Presidents Cup team, has cancelled his trip due to his NBA obligations.

"After careful consideration, it is with regret that I have decided to cancel my trip to Australia later this month for The Presidents Cup," Jordan said. "With the NBA labor situation unsettled, as the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, I feel it is necessary that I remain in the country. It was an honor to have been chosen to serve as a captain's assistant. I wish Fred and the United States team the best of luck."

Champions Tour member John Cook will replace Jordan as an assistant captain for the cup, which begins November 17th in Sydney.

Golf Cartoon

2011-11-01T18:16:00.001-04:00

Betting Odds: HSBC Champions

2011-11-01T17:12:00.000-04:00

Adam Scott of Australia, Lee Westwood of England, Francesco Molinari of Italy, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Keegan Bradley of the USA take part in a traditional Chinese Dragon dance at the Peninsula Hotel to herald the start of the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, China. on November 1, 2011 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird)

Excellent field set for the WGC HSBC Champions event in Shanghai. Rory McIlroy is the betting favorite and will look for back to back wins this week.

Rory McIlroy: 6-1
Lee Westwood: 9-1
Adam Scott: 17-1
Nick Watney: 23-1
Charl Schwartzel: 25-1
Martin Kaymer: 25-1
Francesco Molinari: 29-1
Justin Rose: 40-1
Keegan Bradley: 40-1
Tom Lewis 67-1

Trick or Treat

2011-10-30T16:32:00.001-04:00

Political Golf Cartoon

2011-10-30T16:26:00.002-04:00

Sergio Garcia takes the Andulucia Masters at Valderrama for back to back victories

2011-10-30T16:22:00.000-04:00

Sergio Garcia with two beautiful trophies.

Sergio Garcia got his second consecutive win Sunday at the Andalucia Masters with a final round 71 to win by one over Miguel Angel Jimenez.

After winning last week by 11 shots at the Castello Masters, he had to grind this win out on the difficult and famed Valderrama course, where he had previously finished runner-up three times.

“It’s very, very special. Valderrama … I have so much history here and unfortunately it wasn’t as good as this until now,” said Garcia.

“It’s been two amazing weeks. I wasn’t as good as probably the last 13 days, but we hung on and managed to pull through.”

Garcia has jumped back onto the scene quickly which adds another great story line for the upcoming 2012 season. He's now joined Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald as players in top form.

McIlroy wins Shanghai Masters in playoff over AK, takes home 2 million

2011-10-30T16:06:00.001-04:00

Although without his best stuff Sunday, Rory McIlroy held on to win the Shanghai Masters and the 2 million dollar prize with a playoff victory over Anthony Kim. McIlroy birdied the first playoff hole for his first win since the U.S. Open.

"It's something that I feel like I can still get better at is winning and putting yourself in the position to win when you're not playing your best," McIlroy said.

"Even if it's scrappy golf where you grind it out, you're going to win a lot more tournaments by doing that rather than playing your best golf the whole week. I was very happy I was able to pull this one out."

You Vs. McIlroy contest.

Jason Day joins the race for number one

2011-10-29T11:02:00.000-04:00

Jason Day has risen fast over the past 18 months. The 23 year old won the Nelson last year and finished runner-up at both the Masters and the U.S. Open this year. He's currently the number seven player in the world but has his sights set a lot higher.

''You know, it's always been a goal of mine to get to the No.1 spot,'' Day said. ''But I know it comes with a lot of sacrifice, a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication to the game. It's small steps. At the start of my career, I thought I was going to come out and kill it. Unfortunately it didn't happen that way. I've worked my way back up to where I believe I can be [No.1]. I know it's going to take a while, but hopefully I can get to that No.1 spot in the next five years, and that would be nice.''

The race for number one throughout the next decade in golf should be interesting with so many great players vying for the spot. Luke Donald, the current number one, is playing great and seems to be getting better and more confident by the tournament. Rory Mcllroy, with one major under his belt already at age 22, also wants the number one spot and is closing in quick. Other young players out there capable of hitting number one include Martin Kaymer, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Ryo Ishikawa, and Anthony Kim.

Plus, there are a few veterans out there who may have another run left in them including Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, and the current number 55 in the world, Tiger Woods.

Day will next be seen playing down under at the Australian Open where he hopes to be paired with number 55. ''If they paired me with Tiger, there would be a lot of people out there, no doubt.''

You Vs. Mcllroy

2011-10-28T10:22:00.003-04:00

After blowing away the field at the U.S. Open to win his first major championship at Congressional, Rory Mcllroy has steadily climbed the world rankings and is currently the number three player in the world. It has been his stated goal to make it to number one and every indication has him reaching that mark sooner than later. At only 22 years of age, Mcllroy is the biggest star to hit the golf scene since Tiger Woods.

Want to go head-to-head against Mcllroy over 18 holes at Wentworth? Well, here is your shot to go up against one of the top players in the world.

Oakley, one of the leading sports brands in the world, has invented a new interactive video that sees you starring alongside McIlroy. This is part of their new You Vs. series. Earlier in the year, they pitted you against Tour de France sprint king Mark Cavendish. Now its Rory's turn.

Through a series of questions, you can test your course management and decision-making skills against one of the most exciting golfing talents in the world. What club do you choose for the 4th hole? Where do you place the putt on the 9th? These live decisions affect the outcome of the video, shot in a cool point-of-view style.

Besides being a engaging interactive game (and a personalised one, ensured by Liking Oakley's Facebook page!) this is an exclusive competition; if you make the correct choices on the 18th hole, and defeat Rory, you could very well be selected as the lucky winner who gets to caddy for him and see up close the type of shots the phenom is capable of hitting.

The You Vs. Rory McIlroy interactive video can be accessed from two places: the first being on a dedicated microsite (http://youvs.oakley.com), and the second on the Oakley Europe Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/oakleyeurope). First, like the page, select some Oakley sunglasses to wear, and then start exercising your golf expertise for a chance to win a one of a kind prize.

Be sure to check out their Fast Jacket eyewear and Oakley golf apparel that appear in the video and good luck taking down Rory!

Sponsored Post

The Swinkey looks pretty cool

2011-10-27T16:08:00.000-04:00

Here is a new training aid called the Swinkey which looks beneficial.

Uses
// Warm up swing weight
// Stretching/fitness pole
// Alignment aid
// Ball position indicator
// Putting plane aid
// Camera mount
// Club protector

Contents
// Main housing chamber
// 2 alignment rods
// 2 grounding spikes
// Alignment string
// Camera mounting pod
// Instructional booklet

The Mentor Project?

2011-10-27T09:53:00.000-04:00

Golf Channel has some new show called the Mentor Project in which an older veteran golfer mentors an up and coming player. I've only seen one segment of Jay Haas mentoring his son Bill Haas but I found it to be a bit ridiculous.

Seriously guys, I know life can be really difficult out on the tour. Its just so realistic to see the Dad with 50 million in the bank providing guidance for his son with 20 million in the bank. Everyone pray for the Haas family. Hopefully they can make through these tough economic times.

Golf Travel: Yas Links in the Middle East

2011-10-26T20:53:00.000-04:00

Yas Links is the UAE's new award winning golf course.

About Yas Links
Aldar Properties, the developer of Yas Island presents the first Links Golf Course in the Middle East region designed by Kyle Phillips, one of the world’s leading golf course designers.This championship course is located on the west shores of Yas Island and includes a 5750 m2 (57000 ft2) luxurious clubhouse and world-class, floodlit practice ranges and academy of golf. The Links course, which opened in March 2010, is a semi private golf club offering both golf and social membership as well welcoming guest play.

Yas Links’ widespread critical acclaim and prestigious accolades include:

‘Best course in the Middle East’ by Golf World contributor and Golf Course Architecture magazine editor, Adam Lawrence
Placed 5^th in a Golf Magazine USA ‘Top 10 New International Golf Courses of 2010’ ranking
Ranked 2^nd by one of the Middle East’s most prominent newspapers, The National, in its Top 10 ‘professional-level’ Golf Courses of the World – just behind the Old Course, St Andrews, Scotland, the historical home of golf
Yas Links has been referred to as a 'game-changer' for golf in the Middle East, as it takes the entire region to a new level with an exceptional experience and superior quality
Ranked at No. 1 in the latest Top 10 Courses of the UAE by the region’s The National newspaper
First ever club, less than a year old, to have been decorated with the coveted Best Golf Course and Best Club accolades by Middle East Golfer awards 2011
Crowned Best Sporting Club in Abu Dhabi at the 2011 Best in Abu Dhabi Awards hosted by Ahlan!, the region’s biggest-selling celebrity weekly
Declared World Top 100 Courses in to the influential Golf World rankings for 2011

Golf Betting: Shanghai Masters

2011-10-25T15:25:00.000-04:00

PGA Champion Keegan Bradley will look to make more history during his rookie year in Shanghai.

The Shanghai Masters begins Thursday at Lake Malaren Golf Course in Shanghai with the largest first place prize awarded in professional golf. The winner of the 30 player field will receive 2 million as well as appearance fees. Last place is guaranteed 25k. Unfortunately, this event will not be on television.

Notable player golf betting odds:
Rory McILroy: 5-1
Lee Westwood: 6-1
KJ Choi: 12-1
Charl Schwartzel: 13-1
Geoff Ogilvy: 17-1
Hunter Mahan: 17-1
Padraig Harrington: 17-1
Anthony Kim: 19-1
Keegan Bradley: 19-1
Louis Oosthuiven: 19-1

Golf Travel: Bald Head Island, NC

2011-10-25T12:53:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I played golf at the Bald Head Island Club in North Carolina. The course was in great shape with extremely fast and true rolling greens. While not the longest course, the winds coming off the ocean wreaked havoc all day adding challenge to the round. Water came into play on about 14 holes and large bunkers throughout the course made it vital to keep the ball straight.

One thing to be wary of when playing the course is the gators. We saw several both in the water and laying on the banks, just waiting to eat wayward balls and golfers.

I highly recommend Bald Head Island as a cool golf destination spot. Its about a 25 minute ferry ride to the island, and once you're there, the only mode of transportation is golf carts. They also have a great selection of beach houses for rentals. The Island is definitely a cool place to get away, hit the beach, and play golf.

Wear Oakley, swing like Rory McILroy

2011-10-25T11:32:00.000-04:00

TourPlayers.com video player now available at The 20th Hole

2011-10-24T19:25:00.000-04:00

TourPlayers.com is a new company majority owned by professional athletes including nine PGA Tour professionals. They not only provide unique and premium golf content of tour pros discussing their games, but also show glimpses into the athlete's lives off the course.

There are currently 200 videos available for viewing including the most recent with Luke Donald after his big win Sunday. An upcoming event they plan on covering will feature Steve Marino boxing his caddy G.W. Cable, in what has to be a first in golf history.

Throughout the new year, they will be adding compelling new programming with both instruction and behind the scenes activities from the tour life.

Check out the videos at the top right portion of this site.

Luke Donald: By the Numbers at the CMNHC

2011-10-23T17:59:00.000-04:00

Luke Donald, the number one player in the world, won the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic by two shots over Justin Leonard. With his final round 64, which included six consecutive birdies on holes 10-15, he passed Webb Simpson to win the money title.

Scores: 66-71-70-64 (-17)
Driving distance: 279 (40)
Fairways in Reg: 69.6% (T32)
Greens in Reg: 73.6% (T29)
Sand Saves: 75% (T7)
Putts per round: 27.5 (T8)
Putts per green: 1.604 (1)
Birdies: 24 (1)

Donald earned $846k with the win which put him just over $6.6 million on the year, beating Simpson by about $300K. He came into the event knowing he had to win the tournament to win the money title and he took care of business.

"Everything was on the line," Donald said. "I'm thrilled and over the moon."

El Nino en fuego en ganar a Castello Masters

2011-10-23T17:36:00.000-04:00

Sergio Garcia blazed his way to his first win since 2009 by winning the Castello Masters in Spain by 11 shots. He shot 67-63-64-63 to finish at 27-under par to blow away the field and tie for the third largest margin of victory in European tour history.

"It's hard to say that you expect to fire like I did, but I was feeling good and I've been improving all year," Garcia said.

He treated the hometown fans to his first win in nearly three years after going through a difficult slump. "I would like to thank not only my family and friends, but also my sponsors, everyone that's around me, for supporting me through two tough years," he said.

"They have stuck with me and believed in me and I'm happy to be able to pay them back with this victory."

The win was his 21st as a professional and should provide Garcia with a great deal of momentum heading into 2012.

McILroy moves on to new management

2011-10-21T15:36:00.000-04:00

Rory McILroy has decided to part ways with agent Chubby Chandler and the International Sports Management group after four years together. He will now join Horizon along with fellow Irishman Graeme McDowell.

"I am now keen to move onto the next stage of my career and I feel this will be facilitated by a fresh view and a new structure around me," McIlroy said in a statement. "Therefore I am delighted to be joining Horizon and I look forward to working with my new team."

Prior to this, it had been a banner year for Chandler, as his clients won three of the four majors. This will be a tough loss to handle for ISM, as McILroy will most likely be one of the world's best for the next 20 years.

Coming Soon: The Arnold Palmer, alcoholic version

2011-10-21T15:24:00.000-04:00

The famous "Arnold Palmer" drink will now have a version mixed with lemonade, arizona iced tea, and 5% alcohol. Sounds good.

It's been reported that both Darren Clarke and John Daly have pre-ordered 10 cases each.