Golf babes mourn the loss of the web’s most eligible golf web geek

For those of you who didn’t know, I have a big announcement to make regarding my world away from the golf web. Golf babes around the globe are in mourning with the news that the world’s most eligible golf web geek will no longer be eligible as of May 22, 2010. Yes I’m

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Golf babes mourn the loss of the webs most eligible golf web geek

Tiger: ‘It’s Time’

Forsix minutes Sunday afternoon the actual and metaphorical storm clouds that have been fixated over the posh confines of Isleworth Country Club relented, allowing perhaps the most anticipated Q&A in the history of golf, if not the game itself, to move forward.

Breaking a silence that stretches back to a Nov. 27 car accident that ignited revelations of infidelity and a tabloid media frenzy, Tiger Woods answered questions from Golf Channels Kelly Tilghman just six days after the world No. 1 announced he will return to competitive golf at next months Masters.

The six-minute interview the first time Woods has taken questions since crashing his SUV into a fire hydrant featured 13 questions and, finally, some answers.

Watch continuous coverage of Tiger Woods’ one-on-one interview with Golf Channel all week!

From his 45 days of therapy and his tarnished legacy to how Woods plans to explain his actions to his children, the interview covered a lot of ground, but none more telling than Woods answer when asked how he feels to have been transformed from the games greatest player to a punch line?

It was hurtful, but then again I did it, Woods said. Looking back now with a more clear head I get it. I understand why people would say those things because, you know what, it was disgusting behavior. Its hard to believe that was me, looking back on it now.

Much like his earlier statements and his first public appearance since the crash last month at TPC Sawgrass, Woods maintained a rigid distinction between his public and private life, particularly when asked what happened between he and his wife, Elin, on Nov. 27?

Its all in the police report. Theres a lot of stuff between Elin and I that will remain private, Woods said. I wasnt going very fast but unfortunately I hit a few things.

There was, however, a greater sense of contrition, particularly for a man that doesnt do humble.

Asked how a golfer who prides himself on control between the ropes was so easily led astray off the golf course.

I dont know. Now I know. It was part of my therapy and treatment. For 45 days you learn a lot, you strip away the denial, rationalization and you come to the truth and the truth is very painful at times, Woods said. To stare at yourself and look at the person youve become. You become disgusting.

Woods also was asked how his father, Earl, who died in 2006, would have reacted to his actions?

Hed be very disappointed in me. Wed have numerous long talks and thats one of the things I miss, Woods said. I wish I could have had his guidance through all this, to have him help straighten me up. I know he would have done it.

Instead Woods has a team that seems to finally be playing offense after months of defensive, and divisive, actions. Unlike his Dec. 2, 2009, press release, a five-paragraph missive that spent more time barking at the media (three paragraphs) than apologizing for his actions (two), Woods Q&A on Sunday had the look and feel of a man who has undergone 45-days of inpatient therapy and who is trying, in his words, to become a better person.

Although there has been no official confirmation from Camp Tiger, Sundays sit down had Ari Fleischers fingerprints all over it a public mea culpa followed by an intense media blitz. If the former White House press secretary holds to script expect Woods to stand and deliver in front an even more relentless media audience in the coming weeks, perhaps even before he wheels down Magnolia Lane.

The questions will get harder, particularly over his connection with a Canadian doctor who is being investigated by authorities in the United States and Canada for prescribing performance-enhancing drugs.

Of course Woods can change the subject, not with his words but with his actions. Solid play next month at Augusta National will do more to help Woods tattered public image than an army of publicist ever could. And if there were a moment of true clarity during his six-minute sit down it came when Tilghman asked why he picked the Masters for his comeback?

Its time to get back and play, Woods said, who also added he remains unsure of his schedule the remainder of the year. I miss the game. I miss competing. I wanted to play (the Arnold Palmer Invitational) but I just wasnt ready, but Im starting to get my feel back. I know how to play (Augusta National). That helps a lot. I just have to play it.

And maybe that was the most important message, at least for now. Its time.

Forsix minutes Sunday afternoon the actual and metaphorical storm clouds that have been fixated over the posh confines of Isleworth Country Club relented, allowing perhaps the most anticipated Q&A in the history of golf, if not the game itself, to move forward.

Breaking a silence that stretches back to a Nov. 27 car accident that ignited revelations of infidelity and a tabloid media frenzy, Tiger Woods answered questions from Golf Channels Kelly Tilghman just six days after the world No. 1 announced he will return to competitive golf at next months Masters.

The six-minute interview the first time Woods has taken questions since crashing his SUV into a fire hydrant featured 13 questions and, finally, some answers.

Watch continuous coverage of Tiger Woods’ one-on-one interview with Golf Channel all week!

From his 45 days of therapy and his tarnished legacy to how Woods plans to explain his actions to his children, the interview covered a lot of ground, but none more telling than Woods answer when asked how he feels to have been transformed from the games greatest player to a punch line?

It was hurtful, but then again I did it, Woods said. Looking back now with a more clear head I get it. I understand why people would say those things because, you know what, it was disgusting behavior. Its hard to believe that was me, looking back on it now.

Much like his earlier statements and his first public appearance since the crash last month at TPC Sawgrass, Woods maintained a rigid distinction between his public and private life, particularly when asked what happened between he and his wife, Elin, on Nov. 27?

Its all in the police report. Theres a lot of stuff between Elin and I that will remain private, Woods said. I wasnt going very fast but unfortunately I hit a few things.

There was, however, a greater sense of contrition, particularly for a man that doesnt do humble.

Asked how a golfer who prides himself on control between the ropes was so easily led astray off the golf course.

I dont know. Now I know. It was part of my therapy and treatment. For 45 days you learn a lot, you strip away the denial, rationalization and you come to the truth and the truth is very painful at times, Woods said. To stare at yourself and look at the person youve become. You become disgusting.

Woods also was asked how his father, Earl, who died in 2006, would have reacted to his actions?

Hed be very disappointed in me. Wed have numerous long talks and thats one of the things I miss, Woods said. I wish I could have had his guidance through all this, to have him help straighten me up. I know he would have done it.

Instead Woods has a team that seems to finally be playing offense after months of defensive, and divisive, actions. Unlike his Dec. 2, 2009, press release, a five-paragraph missive that spent more time barking at the media (three paragraphs) than apologizing for his actions (two), Woods Q&A on Sunday had the look and feel of a man who has undergone 45-days of inpatient therapy and who is trying, in his words, to become a better person.

Although there has been no official confirmation from Camp Tiger, Sundays sit down had Ari Fleischers fingerprints all over it a public mea culpa followed by an intense media blitz. If the former White House press secretary holds to script expect Woods to stand and deliver in front an even more relentless media audience in the coming weeks, perhaps even before he wheels down Magnolia Lane.

The questions will get harder, particularly over his connection with a Canadian doctor who is being investigated by authorities in the United States and Canada for prescribing performance-enhancing drugs.

Of course Woods can change the subject, not with his words but with his actions. Solid play next month at Augusta National will do more to help Woods tattered public image than an army of publicist ever could. And if there were a moment of true clarity during his six-minute sit down it came when Tilghman asked why he picked the Masters for his comeback?

Its time to get back and play, Woods said, who also added he remains unsure of his schedule the remainder of the year. I miss the game. I miss competing. I wanted to play (the Arnold Palmer Invitational) but I just wasnt ready, but Im starting to get my feel back. I know how to play (Augusta National). That helps a lot. I just have to play it.

And maybe that was the most important message, at least for now. Its time.

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Tiger: ‘It’s Time’

Furyk ends drought, wins Transitions Championship

PALM HARBOR, Fla. A PGA Tour winner again after 32 long months, Jim Furyk walked into an interview room at Innisbrook with a three-page transcript that had been folded in half.

It wasnt a statement or a speech. They werent even his words.

As Furyk was finishing off a messy 18th hole that wrapped up a most beautiful victory at the Transitions Championship, ESPN and the Golf Channel broadcast the first interviews of Tiger Woods since his Nov. 27 accident, which set off a shocking sex scandal that has dominated sports news the last four months.

Furyk, one of the closest players to Woods on tour, feigned disappointed and joked, No one was watching me, then.

Considering how long it had been since his last tour victory 58 tournaments over 32 months dating to the 2007 Canadian Open he didnt seem terribly bothered.

You know what? Tomorrow, the paper is going to read that I won the golf tournament, and I dont really care if its a three-page spread or a little blurb in the corner of the paper because the article is about him, Furyk said.

I won the damn thing, and it really doesnt matter to me.

The timing was coincidental in at least one respect.

While it only counted in the world ranking, Furyk won the Chevron World Challenge against a world-class field of 18 players in December, a tournament hosted by Woods when this sordid saga was just beginning to unfold.

This was more about Furyk, and a badly needed victory.

He almost wanted it too badly.

The facts no matter how much space or attention they receive will show that Furyk closed with a 2-under 69 for a one-shot victory over K.J. Choi, and that he earned $972,000 for his 14th career victory.

It was a final round that was at times brilliant, at times sloppy, and uncertain to the very end, which includes weather delays of nearly six hours that left in doubt whether the tournament would end on Sunday.

Whenever he felt the most pressure, Furyk answered with crisp iron shots and clutch putts. No sooner had he built a cushion, Furyk managed to keep it interesting with bogeys, including a trio of three-putt bogeys on the par 3s.

He simply couldnt get out of his way.

I made it difficult, theres no doubt, said Furyk, who finished at 13-under 271. It seemed like every time K.J. got close I was able to bounce right back and hit some really good shots, make a bunch of birdies and get some more distance. And then as soon as I got the distance, I went back to making that same mistake again, or he played well.

It worked out in the end, but getting there was quite the ride.

As a small consolation prize, being the runner-up meant Choi goes from No. 75 to No. 47 in the world ranking, and he only needs to stay in the top 50 after the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill this week to secure an invitation to the Masters.

Upon hearing this news, Choi raised his arms in strongman style with a wide grin.

Its actually better than what I thought I would be at this point, Choi said. So definitely Ive exceeded my expectations. All I can say is I will try my best next week to maintain or better that position.

Equally surprising is that he had a chance several of them as did Bubba Watson, who shot 68 and finished third.

Furyk had a three-shot lead, which was erased by Chois four birdies through six holes. The turning point for Furyk came at the par-3 eighth, when he rolled in a birdie and Choi missed the green and made bogey, a two-shot swing that Choi never made up.

Furyk knocked in a 35-foot birdie putt on the 12th as Watson was starting to make a move, and after Furyk three-putted the 13th, he answered with another splendid shot, a knockdown 8-iron from 136 yards into the breeze to 3 feet for birdie on the par-5 14th.

And then came another three-putt bogey.

Furyk failed to hit the green in regulation on the final two holes, but he escaped with pars on the first two a lag from 80 feet off the green on the 16th to tap-in range, and a superb bunker shot from sand that had been washed out by the earlier rain to 8 feet on the 17th.

More negative thinking crept into his head. Furyk had hit the ball beautifully on the 18th all week, but knowing that a tee shot left could lead to a big number, he hit right into the trees. Trying to advance the ball close to the green, he hit what Furyk called a half-shank that nearly took out NBC Sports reporter Roger Maltbie.

I have a habit of making it tough on myself, Furyk said. Just nerves got me, to be honest with you.

From a good lie in the rough, Furyk kept his shot pin-high and removed all drama by lagging that par putt to an inch, assured victory when Choi failed to chip in for birdie from just short of the green.

And thats when the Woods interview began, although it was only about five minutes.

Pretty much the same stuff that we already knew, said Furyk, who managed to scan one page of the transcript. But I think its good for him to get his face out there and have people see him. They are going to make their judgments, but I think it allows him to kind of move on and get focused for the next thing.

The good news for Furyk? He no longer has to focus on the past.

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Furyk ends drought, wins Transitions Championship

The 6-Minute Man Looked Like a New Man

If this is the Tiger Woods were going to see chasing golf history from now on, a front-row seat just got better.

Yes,six minutes with Golf Channel and a similar allotment with ESPN Sunday night didnt seem like enough for his first interviews since his fall from grace, and yet Woods managed to give us a more telling glimpse of who he intends to be from now on than he did reading his public apology over 16 minutes a month ago.

Six minutes isnt enough to know the new man, or if there truly is a radically different man emerging, but it was a promising start.

This six-minute man doesnt look like he could angrily bounce a club into the gallery without appearing to care who he hits.

He doesnt look like he could use a certain vulgar word as a noun, verb and adjective in the same sentence without caring how those words bruise innocent bystanders.

This guy looks like he might be undergoing a transformation beyond the way he views marriage. This guy sounds like somebody who might be changing his relationship with the world.

For six convincing minutes, at any rate, Woods did.

If theres more of this new man to come, then this great journey Woods will resume when he tees it up at the Masters next month might not be something to dread after all. It might not be a repeat of Barry Bonds miserable march to break Hank Aarons record. Its full of hope that it might be the greatest march to redemption weve yet witnessed in sport.

Because Woods quest to break one of the great records in the history of sport, Jack Nicklaus 18 major championship triumphs, is not a solitary journey. Everyone who loves the game, who loves sport, will walk with Woods. This six-minute man looked and sounded like somebody you could embrace when he officially becomes the greatest player who ever lived.

This six-minute man deftly dodged a question that he deems as personal but so many of us deem more than that.

What happened the early morning hours of Nov. 27 matters.

It didnt just change Woods life; it changed the golf world.

Yes, something happened between Woods and his wife, Elin, to set off the crash that was obviously personal, but the crash damaged more than Woods. It damaged the entire golf industry. How and why the game was forever changed is relevant, even important.

Its all in the police report, Woods told Golf Channels Kelly Tilghman.

It isnt all in the police report, but it appears we may never know how and why the game was changed. It seems destined to go down as one of the sports great mysteries. Of course, Woods will protect his family, and thats understandable, but some general accounting is due because of the way the game was injured early that morning.

There also are still serious questions about why Woods would seek treatment from a doctor who has a history of using and prescribing banned HGH substance. The games integrity is potentially damaged by the link, no matter how innocent the treatments were.

Still, the six-minute man set a tone that leads us to believe he might be more transparent in the future, if not in these matters, in matters he has closed us off to so severely in the past.

Frankly, even after the public apology, it was difficult to envision Woods transforming his nature, to envision him somehow becoming less guarded, less controlling, less private and more revealing. The suggestion that he might even become more of a people person seemed farfetched. It was easier to envision him as a man determined to aim the formidable powers of his personality at fixing a problem, at taming the unruly lust that turned his life upside down. The six-minute man is easier to see changing.

The revelation that Woods is wearing a Buddhist wrist band for protection and strength tells us a lot about his fragile state of mind. So did his revelation of how therapy is helping him: The strength I feel now, I have never felt this type of strength before.

The six-minute man looked and sounded like somebody on his way to winning more than golfs biggest events again.

Forsix minutes, Woods sounded like a man who will win his redemption.

Of course, it will take a lot more thansix minutes to know if Woods wins that match, but it was a sure-footed step for a guy who’s counting his steps.

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The 6-Minute Man Looked Like a New Man

Bunker Shots: Home of a Monster and Trump’s playground

Blasting into the week ahead, from the home of a Monster to Trump’s playground . . .

WGC-CA Championship

Feverish, shaky and drenched in cold sweat . . .

No, that isnt how PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem has been waking mornings since Tiger Woods drove into a neighbors fire hydrant three months ago. Its how Phil Mickelson felt sleeping on the 54-hole lead the last time the WGC-CA Championship was staged at Doral.

Mickelson won at Doral despite suffering from a bout of food poisoning on the eve of last years final round.

Mickelson is back to defend his title at whats now being called the TPC Blue Monster at Doral, and theres something ailing him again. Hes been sluggish, out-of-sorts and just not himself so far this season. This time he appears to be suffering from a bout of ordinary golf, a malady far more difficult to win with than food poisoning.

Longtime fans of Dorals PGA Tour stop are fighting a sickening feel, too. The event begins with CA having yet to announce it will renew title sponsorship after its contract runs out at the end of this week.

Stance: If you stuck a thermometer in Leftys mouth, you might detect some frost. Mickelsons gone cold. In fact, you can argue this is the coldest hes been in a decade upon his arrival for the Florida Swing. Thats more a testament to Mickelsons past success on the West Coast Swing than an indictment of his uninspired form this season. In four starts, Mickelsons logged one top-10 finish. We know Mickelson can get off to slow starts, but this is his slowest since 2000, when he didnt have a top 10 in his first five starts. With Woods on the shelf, Mickelsons failed to capitalize on an opportunity to gain ground on the worlds No. 1. Of course, its all about the majors for Lefty, and hes still got a month to heat up for the Masters.

Takeaway: Hurry up, fellas. It looks like the money grab in World Golf Championship events is winding down with news that Woods is intensifying his work at Isleworth for a possible return. You could argue that Woods skipping the CA Championship is akin to tournament officials announcing theyre adding $1,530,000 to the purse. Thats the first-place check Woods would be eyeing if he were in the field. Woods is far more a sure thing in WGC events than he is in majors. Throw out the two-man team World Cups that were staged as WGC events, and 33 WGC tournaments have been played since they were initiated in 1999. Woods has won more than half of them. Hes won as many WGC titles (17) as Curtis Strange won PGA Tour titles. He has more WGC titles than Tom Weiskopf (16), Ernie Els (16) and Mark OMeara (16) have PGA Tour titles.

Bunker shot: Best player never to win a WGC title? Mickelson took his name out of that mix last year winning the CA Championship and the HSBC Champions. Who does that leave? Sergio Garcia isnt just in the running for best player never to win a major, hes also never won a WGC title. Neither have Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Jim Furyk.

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Bunker Shots: Home of a Monster and Trump’s playground

As the Golf World Turns

WOODS, PART I: Tiger Woods returned home from a week-long stint at an Arizona rehabilitation center, The Associated Press reported Tuesday. The AP said he was in Arizona for marriage and family counseling with his wife, Elin. It is still not known when Woods will return to the PGA Tour; though, he has started practicing again, the story said.

The focus now shifts from Woods’ personal life to his professional one at least until he encounters an open media forum. That likely won’t happen until he plays again, which begs the big question: When will he play again? The Masters Tournament is one month away. A week ago that didn’t seem like a target, but now it’s a definite possibility. If Woods has taught us one thing it’s: never be surprised by anything he does [on or off the course].

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As the Golf World Turns

You Might Have Miss the Cut if…

Dueling HiDefs in a local Unos restaurant were simultaneously airing reports on Tiger Woods (ESPN) and John Daly (ESPN2) late Thursday, a reality that stretches the validity of the old maxim that any publicity is good publicity.

From Steve Williams curious televised two-step and Ian Poulters single-fingered salute to the Birds Nest to John Dalys 10-digit prank, golf had a Blue Collar Radio feel to it this week.

Made Cut

A return. The white-haired lady who pushes me my grande Americano each morning doesnt know a U groove from a U turn, but she couldnt resists asking the $1 million question this week: When is Tiger coming back?

The answer, of course, is when hes ready. But that doesnt mean we cant attempt to make two plus two equal four. Woods path back, after all, is littered with clues.

He is out of rehabilitation, tirelessly plowing through range pellets at Isleworth and, according to Charles Howell III, making it look as easy as ever. Per his MO, Woods prepares for the majors with swing coach Hank Haney at home, plays a Tour event to get in the desired reps and ultimately fine tunes back at home for a week before hitting the major trail.

Check the timing, he has about two weeks before his title defense at Bay Hill followed by a traditional off week (Shell Houston Open) and the Masters.

A Bay Hill return would be great for the game, but even better for Woods because it means he has successfully navigated the difficult path from therapy to real life, a place where actions, not words, count.

Of course, Ive been wrong in the past.

Oh, Canada . . . and Mahan. At about the same time Hunter Mahan was putting the finishing touches on his second Tour title at TPC Scottsdale, Team H was torn between the desert and the ice.

Swing coach Sean Foley and physical trainer Craig Davies are Canadian like potent beer and socialized medicine, so Sunday was a big day on two fronts as Mahan prevailed in Scottsdale and the Canadian mens hockey team outdueled the United States in golden overtime.

It was close, said Davies, who missed both Sunday bouts on a flight home to Orlando, Fla. But impact-wises, the gold medal was huge. Canada could have set medal records and it wouldnt have mattered if we would have lost the gold medal game in hockey.

Foley, part swing coach, part philosopher, was slightly less patriotic when asked which victory was more meaningful?

Hunters win was bigger, Foley said. That Canadian Olympic team should be winning at hockey.

Made Cut-Did Not Finish (MDF)

Oh, Rickie. Baseball wonks call it pitching to contact, code for a pitcher who is confident in his own stuff as well as the abilities of his defense. On Sunday at TPC Scottsdale we watched one of the games brightest rising stars avoid contact like a three-10 split.

Whatever Rickie Fowlers reasoning for laying up on the par-5 15th hole during the final round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, and you have to give him credit for having a plan and staying with that blueprint, the episode turned a potentially defining moment into a chorus of double-takes.

Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee said it best, He denied us the moment. Fowler owes us nothing of course, but one cant help but think he shortchanged all that talent.

Orient Express. The Tour added to its burgeoning Asian portfolio last week, announcing the addition of the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic to the Fall Series.

The event will be played Oct. 28-31 in Malaysia, a week before the WGC-HSBC Champions in China, and will extend the circuits reach into a growing market. All of which is great stuff, grow the game, get on a plane, but the truth and the timing of all this will result in a field something south of the Isleworth member-member.

Tweet of the week. @ianjamespoulter To address the 16th (hole at TPC Scottsdale), great hole, great atmosphere, but I was getting something off of my face. Will I play next year? Hell (sic) yes loved it.

Criticize Poulter all you want for his inappropriate actions, but its safe to say none of the thousands crowded around the zoo-like 16th were offended.

Missed Cut

John Daly. No, not for the litany of reasons that made this weeks unearthing of Long Johns 456-page personnel file a must-read. Weve covered that ground.

JD lands in the Cut Line dog house because he took the golf writer who unearthed his sordid past to task, going so far as to call him a jerk and a non-journalist and posting the scribes cell phone number on his Twitter account and encouraging his fans to harass the writer.

Alcoholism we can forgive. Shameless self-promotion can be dismissed. But childishness doesnt wash off.

Steve Williams. On the same week we learned Woods was out of rehab and back searching for answers in the Isleworth dirt, the world No. 1s looper took what seems to be a few ill-advised hacks at his boss.

Of course Im mad at him, why would you not be? Williams told New Zealands 60 Minutes. Im close with his wife and hes got two lovely children and hes let them down. When a guys having a tough time, its not up to me to beat him with a stick right now. Hes getting enough grilling from everybody else.

Williams is a good caddie. Maybe the best of his generation, but with his man on the ropes and more scrutiny to come the Kiwi seems to need a refresher course in the caddie credo: show up, shut up and keep up.

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You Might Have Miss the Cut if…

Landing an Exemption

It was a three-page, handwritten letter that did it for Tim Herron. Not a playing career that spans two decades or four PGA Tour titles or one of the most endearing nicknames in the game.

For Manuel Villegas, brother of Tour star Camilo, it was a simple phone call that landed him one of the toughest tickets in sports. Whatever the tonic, one of the most unscientific and exhausting aspects of golf, at least for tournaments directors, almost always boils down to a personal touch.

John Daly called me in October and said, Im available for whatever you need me to do, Puerto Rico Open tournament director Sidney Wolf said.

Its little surprise that JD was granted a sponsor exemption into the Puerto Rico event. Hes a name player that puts butts in bleachers and has no problem showing a little appreciation, and this year more than any tournament directors want to feel it.

The art of doling out exemptions has always been an inexact science. As a general rule, former champions at a particular event get a close look Todd Hamiltons invite this week at the Honda Classic would qualify and down-on-their-luck former major champions are low-hanging fruit. Call it the John Daly exemption.

Its so hard this year because there are so many names that dont have priority, said Ken Kennerly, the executive director of the Honda Classic and a long-time player manager on Tour. Some of my own clients that dont have exemptions didnt get in. Its tough.

In many ways sponsor exemptions are occupational hazards for tournament directors, even more so than a bear economy or a tee sheet that is bear of the names Tiger or Phil, because its never easy to shoehorn the list of players who deserve an exemption into the narrow confines of the half-dozen available exemptions.

That truth is compounded this year because of all the established players without full status, including headliners David Duval, Rocco Mediate, Chris DiMarco and Hamilton.

For this years Puerto Rico Open, which will be played opposite next weeks WGC-CA Championship, Wolf said he received over 40 letters, e-mails or phone calls looking for a spot in his field. Thats more than double what he normally gets.

We never got anything like that before, Wolf said. Next year the most creative request will get an exemption. Well have a contest.

In many ways the art of landing a sponsor exemption has already become a contest.

One player produced a 5-minute video for a spot in the Quail Hollow Championship a few years ago explaining how he would take the time to teach the other competitors the proper way to be southern, like how to wear a camouflaged hat or eat BBQ, while others offer to hold clinics and entertain sponsors.

Kennerly, uniquely positioned to see the issue from both sides, said he has stressed to his clients for years the need to engage tournament directors. I spoke to the Q-School and Nationwide (Tour) class, and said, Guys, just take the time to reach out to these tournaments.

Its a lesson, however, that some young players are having a hard time learning. Wolf recalls a player who sent a form letter asking for an exemption last year and he called the players manager and told him his man needed to do better.

The player called me, which was great. But then this year I get another form letter from the kid, Wolf sighs.

Gerald Goodman, the tournament director for the Transitions Championship which will be played later this month near Tampa, Fla., said he received over 100 requests this year, and points out that the exemptions hes already given out Duval, Mediate, DiMarco and Daly all sent hand-written letters and followed up with a phone call.

Of course, personal communication goes both ways. For every one exemption a tournament doles out a tournament director has to tell a dozen or so other players that theyre out. Never an easy Dr. John moment.

Its extremely hard to call a player and tell them there is no spot for them, Goodman said. I try to go down the method of why we made the decision. I face the music. I man up and I think they appreciate that. They just want to be talked to.

Every job has a cringe moment, and sponsor exemptions are a tournament directors cold chill, so much so one director once mused, Id give up all my exemptions for one right of refusal. Him? Oh no, he cant play here.

No such luck, but maybe if he wrote a hand-written letter to commissioner Tim Finchem the Tour would consider it.

Originally posted here:
Landing an Exemption

Only One Final Piece

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. Work on Tiger Woods new home continues in the shadow of the Honda Classic.

If Woods is going to build a new life, the folks who have invested their hearts and souls in returning the Honda Classic to its former status as one of the PGA Tours elite events would love hearing that he plans to do so with South Florida as his new home.

Woods created yet another buzz in the game this week with news that hes returned from rehab to the Isleworth community he calls home and that hes back on the range hitting balls.

Whats happening in Tigers home, where hell ultimately call home, may be personal matters but they are also relevant developments to the Honda Classics future.

The tournament is being rebuilt so formidably Woods looks like he could be the last piece in the events renaissance.

Im pleasantly surprised at the field, said Englands Paul Casey, runner up at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship two weeks ago. Its stacked with the worlds best.

Four of the top 10 in the world rankings are here. Theres No. 4 Lee Westwood, No. 6 Casey, No. 9 Rory McIlroy and No. 10 Padraig Harrington. There are plenty of other big names. Theres Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia, Vijay Singh, Anthony Kim, Camilo Villegas, J.B. Holmes, Trevor Immelman and Rickie Fowler.

Corporate sponsors may be distancing themselves from Woods, polls may be showing that his popularity is plummeting, but the Palm Beach residents rebuilding the Honda Classic cant wait to welcome him to South Florida.

Thats if he still plans to move here after his fall from grace.

The uncertainty of that impacts this events future.

Just 26 miles north of PGA National Resort & Spa, Woods is building a palatial estate, a 9,000-square foot mansion on 12 acres of property he purchased for $44.5 million more than four years ago. The construction is reported to be the dream-home aspiration of Elin Woods, Tigers wife. The strife in the marriage, uncertainty whether the couple is still even living in the same house, casts doubt on the future of the property.

Still, constructions continuing, according to local real estate agents who work Jupiter Island. In fact, the Palm Beach Post reported last month that even as Woods was enduring the onslaught of reports of his infidelity, one of his attorneys was signing documents notifying Martin County officials of Woods intent to complete construction.

Honda Classic officials have worked hard to rebuild the event with hopes that Woods has noticed whats happening. Woods is a familiar presence in the area. Hes spent a lot of time in Jupiter with his yacht, Privacy, docked there. The hope among tournament officials was that Woods would be moved into his Jupiter Island compound before next years tournament.

Though Woods played the Honda Classic on a sponsors exemption when he was 17, hes never played the event as a pro.

Weve heard that he will support the Honda Classic as a hometown event, Honda Classic executive director Ken Kennerly said. Should he choose to relocate here, we hope he does play. Whether he moves here or not, I hope he considers playing because its a championship caliber venue and championship caliber tournament and our fields getting better and better every year. I think he would do well here.

The Honda Classic was an instant hit in its inception as the Jackie Gleason Inverrary Classic outside Fort Lauderdale in 1972. Gleason brought all his Hollywood buddies to the tournament and all the PGA Tours biggest stars showed up. Jack Nicklaus won the event twice in its formative years. It was conceived as a way to sell homes around Inverrarys new golf courses.

Through the 90s, with the West Coast Swing growing stronger and players dissatisfied with the Honda Classics move to new courses, the events fields weakened.

Kennerly and tournament director Ed McEnroe have engineered a re-making of the Honda Classic since moving into their roles before the 2007 event. They billed it as the new Honda Classic. They were part of the move to PGA National Resort & Spas Champion Course, a course redesigned by Nicklaus that features the trio of challenging holes (Nos. 15-17) called the Bear Trap. Nicklaus wasnt just recruited to spruce up the design before the inaugural event, he was brought in as a partner of sorts. The Nicklaus Foundation and its charities are among beneficiaries of the event.

The Champion Courses popularity has been a large factor in wooing players back.

The PGA Tour is viewed as events with Tiger Woods and those without Tiger Woods, said Rick Horrow, a CNN sports business analyst. Clearly, Ken Kennerly and Ed McEnroe have done a stupendous job of taking the Honda Classic to the next level. If this morphs into a Tiger Woods event, the skys the limit.

Originally posted here:
Only One Final Piece

Fantasy Island: Honda Classic

The PGA Tour swings over to Florida for The Honda Classic, the first of four consecutive events in the Sunshine State.

Each week, our GolfChannel.com staff will offer up their winning selections. The team includes senior writers Rex Hoggard and Randall Mell; Golf Channel annalyst Charlie Rymer; on-course reporter Jerry Foltz; editorial director Jay Coffin; editorial manager Mercer Baggs; senior producer Brian Koressel; travel editor Erik Peterson, and instruction associate editor Richard Currey.

Rex Hoggard Winnings: $1,785,071	Winner: Robert Allenby	The guy is two fliers away from two potential Tour titles this season, plays PGA National like he owns it (top-5 finishes in his last three starts) and lives close enough to the Champion layout that if he did own it he’d qualify for a homestead exemption.
Randall Mell Winnings: $687,730	Winner: Camilo Villegas	Though his long trip home to Colombia early in the week could weaken him, Villegas still looks like the man to beat at PGA National. You can see his game coming together and he has good vibes on a course he came so close to winning on three years ago. He makes his home now in Jupiter, Fla., just up the road from this golf course.
Charlie Rymer Winnings: $703,833	Winner: Ernie Els	Els is off to a solid start in 2010 with no finishes outside of the top 20. He won The Honda in 2008 and its hard to believe that was his last win on the PGA Tour. He is well rested from a reduced travel schedule for this season, and more importantly he has reacquainted himself with the old Big Easy form on the greens. Watch for Els to tame the Bear Trap this week.
Jerry Foltz Winnings: $1,775,095	Winner: Charles Howell III	With three top-10s already this season, he seems to be on the verge of finishing one off soon. Plus, the Augusta native has a higher goal: to qualify for this year’s Masters.
Jay Coffin Winnings: $434,937	Winner: Robert Allenby	Its the obvious pick, but Allenby is too good at PGA National to pass. That, and Ive gone with some off-the-wall picks the past couple weeks and need to make some cash. Still, Allenby hasnt finished worse than fifth the past three years and hes playing well now.
Mercer Baggs Winnings: $2,845,228	Winner: Ernie Els	Els won this event a few years ago and hasn’t won since on the PGA Tour. He’s playing better; it’s just a matter of if he still has the nerves to win.
Brian Koressel Winnings: $559,975	Winner: Padraig Harrington	The Irishman looks to get his 2010 campaign kick-started in a top-heavy, loaded European field.
Erik Peterson Winnings: $1,585,777	Winner: Rory McIlroy	The young stud validates his resume with a win on American soil, and takes another positive step toward becoming the first 21-year-old to don the green jacket since You Know Who.
Richard Currey Winnings: $1,484,208	Winner: Robert Allenby	Having a strong start to the 2010 season, with his worst finish being T-27 at the Northern Trust and being a past winner here at The Honda even if it was back in 97 I am looking for Allenby to come out strong at the start of the Florida Swing.

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Fantasy Island: Honda Classic

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