＜速報＞上原彩子と表純子が首位発進、さくらは53位

2011年07月01日16時29分




リーダーズボード
順位 選手名 スコア1 上原　彩子 -6
表　純子 -6
3 川原　由維 -5
ソン・ボベ -5
中村　香織 -5
6 久保　啓子 -4
小松　亜有 -4
シン・ヒョンジュ -4
服部　真夕 -4
不動　裕理 -4


順位の続きを見る


＜日医工女子オープンゴルフトーナメント　事前情報＞◇1日◇八尾カントリークラブ(6,476ヤード・パー72)

　富山県にある八尾カントリークラブを舞台に開幕した、国内女子ツアー「日医工女子オープン」。初日を終えて上原彩子と表純子が6アンダーで首位タイ、1打差の3位タイに川原由維ら3選手が並んでいる。

　翌週に「全米女子オープン」を控える馬場ゆかりは3アンダー11位タイと好発進、同じくメジャーに向けて勢いをつけたい横峯さくらは首位と7打差の1オーバー53位タイと出遅れた。


【初日の結果】
1位T：表純子(-6)
1位T：上原彩子(-6)
3位T：中村香織(-5)
3位T：宋ボベ(ソン・ボベ)(-5)
3位T：川原由維(-5)
6位T：小松亜有(-4)
6位T：不動裕理(-4)
6位T：シン・ヒョンジュ(-4)
6位T：服部真夕(-4)
6位T：久保啓子(-4)

11位T：馬場ゆかり(-3)他4名
53位T：横峯さくら(+1)他13名

遼、またまた新パター投入！和合制覇へ手ごたえ

2012年04月25日17時53分






表情からも調子の良さがうかがえる（撮影：米山聡明）








＜中日クラウンズ　事前情報◇25日◇名古屋ゴルフ倶楽部 和合コース(6,545ヤード・パー70)＞

　国内男子ツアー「中日クラウンズ」が愛知県にある名古屋ゴルフ倶楽部 和合コースで開幕する。この日はプロアマが行われ、10年大会チャンピオンの石川遼はショット、パット共にキレを見せ好スコアをマーク。状態の良さをうかがわせた。

石川遼、初日は11時30分スタート

　石川は今季開幕からセンターシャフト、スコッティキャメロンのL字パターと自分に合うパターを探して試行錯誤を繰り返してきたが、この日もスコッティキャメロンの新パターを手に18ホールをラウンドした。新パターの形はエースパターに近いL字マレットと呼ばれる形だが、ボールに当たる部分に樹脂性のインサートがないためより繊細なタッチがだせる。硬く速い和合のグリーンとは好相性といえそうだ。

　石川自身も世界主要ツアー最小ストローク“58”を出したコースとあって「グリーンとの相性は良い」と手ごたえは十分。「これまでのものよりグリップが細いので、あまり手首を使わず良いストロークができれば」と本戦を見据えていた。

　この名古屋GC和合コースは、戦略的なコースレイアウトと風が選手を苦しめる難コースとして知られているが、比較的距離が短いため、ドライバーでグリーン近くまで運んでピンを狙うというプレーがはまればビッグスコアも期待できる。「30ヤードから120ヤードくらいまでを5、10ヤード刻みで打つ練習をしているので、それを試せるコースだと思う」。状態の良さと鍛錬の成果を今大会こそ発揮することができるか。

＜中間速報＞遼は通算イーブンパーで後半へ、久保谷が首位キープ

2012年04月27日10時54分




リーダーズボード
順位 選手名 スコア1 S・コンラン -9
2 久保谷　健一 -5
3 河井　博大 -3
白　佳和 -3
5 白潟　英純 -2
高山　忠洋 -2
谷原　秀人 -2
J・B・パク -2
原口　鉄也 -2
C・プラポール -2


順位の続きを見る


＜中日クラウンズ　2日目◇27日◇名古屋ゴルフ倶楽部 和合コース(6,545ヤード・パー70)＞

　名古屋ゴルフ倶楽部 和合コースを舞台に開催中の国内男子ツアー「中日クラウンズ」2日目。初日1アンダー11位タイとまずまずのスタートを切った石川遼。この日は出だしからパーを重ねる静かな滑り出しとなる。7番パー3ではティショットを1メートルにつけるが、これを決めきれずスコアを伸ばせない。逆に続く8番でボギーを叩いてしまい、トータルイーブンパーにスコアを後退させてしまった。

　石川は現時点で12位タイ。初日、首位に立った久保谷健一が11ホールを消化しトータル6アンダーで首位をキープ。2打差で石川と同組の山下和宏らが追走している。

＜速報＞遼、通算イーブンパーで2日目終了

2012年04月27日13時01分




リーダーズボード
順位 選手名 スコア1 S・コンラン -9
2 久保谷　健一 -5
3 河井　博大 -3
白　佳和 -3
5 白潟　英純 -2
高山　忠洋 -2
谷原　秀人 -2
J・B・パク -2
原口　鉄也 -2
C・プラポール -2


順位の続きを見る


＜中日クラウンズ　2日目◇27日◇名古屋ゴルフ倶楽部 和合コース(6,545ヤード・パー70)＞

　名古屋ゴルフ倶楽部 和合コースを舞台に開催中の国内男子ツアー「中日クラウンズ」2日目。1アンダー11位タイからスタートした石川遼は前半でノーバーディ・1ボギーとスコアを1つ落とし折り返すと、後半も我慢の展開となりパーを重ねていく。結局、後半でもバーディを奪えずトータルイーブンパーに一歩後退して2日目の競技を終えた。

　石川は現時点で14位タイ。トータル5アンダーでホールアウトした久保谷健一が首位をキープしている。

＜速報＞S・コンランが単独首位に浮上、遼は9打差12位タイ

2012年04月27日17時44分




リーダーズボード
順位 選手名 スコア1 S・コンラン -9
2 久保谷　健一 -5
3 河井　博大 -3
白　佳和 -3
5 白潟　英純 -2
高山　忠洋 -2
谷原　秀人 -2
J・B・パク -2
原口　鉄也 -2
C・プラポール -2


順位の続きを見る





2日目、単独首位に浮上したオーストラリアのS・コンラン（撮影：米山聡明）






＜中日クラウンズ　2日目◇27日◇名古屋ゴルフ倶楽部 和合コース(6,545ヤード・パー70)＞

　名古屋ゴルフ倶楽部 和合コースを舞台に開催中の国内男子ツアー「中日クラウンズ」2日目。2位タイからスタートしたスティーブン・コンラン(オーストラリア)がこの日5つスコアを伸ばしトータル9アンダーで単独首位に浮上。2位の久保谷健一に4打差をつけている。

　6打差の3位タイにはコンランと同じくこの日5つスコアを伸ばした河井博大と白佳和の2選手がつけている。石川遼はこの日スコアを1つ落としトータルイーブンパー12位タイに後退。アマチュアの伊藤誠道もこの日4つスコアを落として37位タイまで順位を下げてしまった。



【2日目の順位】
1位：スティーブン・コンラン(-9)
2位：久保谷健一(-5)
3位T：河井博大(-3)
3位T：白佳和(-3)
5位T：白潟英純(-2)
5位T：高山忠洋(-2)
5位T：谷原秀人(-2)
5位T：J・B・パク(-2)
5位T：原口鉄也(-2)
5位T：チャワリット・プラポール(-2)
11位T：金聖潤(-1)
12位T：石川遼(E)他5名

37位T：伊藤誠道(+3)※
37位T：藤田寛之(+3)他12名

LPGA: Park takes over No. 2 in world rankings

LPGA: Park takes over No. 2 in world rankings










The Sports Xchange April 8, 2013 3:00 PMThe SportsXchange





Korea's Inbee Park move up two spots to No. 2 in the Rolex World Rankings following her dominating victory Sunday at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first major of 2013 on the LPGA Tour.

She trails American Stacy Lewis by only 11 hundredths of a point for the top spot. Former world No. 1 Yani Tseng made the cut, but was never in contention and has slid to No. 3.

Korea's Na Yeon Choi also fell one spot, while countrywoman So Yeon Ryu rose four spots to close out the top five following her second-place finish at the Kraft Nabisco.

Rounding out the top 10 are Norway's Suzann Pettersen, Korea's Jiyai Shin, China's Shanshan Feng, Japan's Ai Miyazato and American Paula Creamer.

Wounded WW II veteran John Heard had a unique rehab assignment - play Augusta National

Wounded WW II veteran John Heard had a unique rehab assignment - play Augusta National











PGA.COM April 8, 2013 4:29 PM

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John Heard, a member of the 308th Engineering Combat Battalion assigned to the 8th Army at the Battle …


Tom Heard had never heard his father, John, talk about golf, and he had never seen him play. John was a farmer and poultry inspector in rural Georgia, and he spoke occasionally about his days playing baseball. But golf never came up.


Then in 1975 Tom and his brother sat in the living room to watch an epic final round of the Masters as Jack Nicklaus won over Tom Weiskopf and Johnny Miller. As the CBS cameras showed panorama shots of the 13th hole with azaleas and dogwoods in full bloom, Tom said, "Wow that is beautiful."

He was shocked when his father said, "Yeah, that is a pretty place, but it's a tough hole."

The boys looked at their father and asked, "You've been to Augusta National?"

John said, "Sure. I played it every day I was there."

Tom said, "I never knew you played golf."

His father said, "I don't. Augusta National's the only place I ever played."

The fact that John Heard played the only golf of his life at Augusta National, not once but numerous times, came as almost a big a shock to his sons as the fact that he had never mentioned it before. But men of that generation kept a lot of things locked away. More often than not, it was for good reason.

John Heard was with the 308th Engineering Combat Battalion assigned to the 8th Army at the Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1944. On a snowy December morning, a member of their unit tripped a large German mine buried in the French countryside. An entire squad was blown to bits. John was the only survivor.

With shrapnel in his shoulder, back and hip, he was medically evacuated to Paris, and then flown to England for several weeks. When he was strong enough to travel, John returned stateside on the Queen Mary, and was transported by train to the Army's Camp Gordon Hospital in Augusta for rehab.

Physical therapy wasn't much of a science in the 1940s, so John's rehab consisted of whatever calisthenics he could do, followed by golf in the afternoon at a local club, Augusta National, which opened its doors to wounded veterans.

John played the National almost every day for six months. He had never played the game before and never played it after. Like most parts of the war, he put that piece of his life away never to be visited again.

Those who knew Bob Jones and Clifford Roberts personally would not be surprised by John's story. Roberts discovered Augusta and the old Berckman's Nursery during his time in the Army at Camp Gordon (now Fort Gordon), and Bob Jones was a captain in the Army Air Corp and landed in Normandy on D-Day plus one.

For years Roberts and Jones allowed any uniformed serviceman free admittance to the grounds for the tournament. That was how Arnie's Army got its name. And for decades the club provided aid and support to military families in the area.

But Augusta National members kept quiet about the good deeds they did for wounded heroes like John Heard, just as they remain silent to this day on matters big and small. You won't hear anyone at the National speak about the extraordinary charity work the club does, not just in Augusta but throughout the country, nor will the men in green jackets utter a peep about their ongoing support for wounded veterans and their families.

The best charity is always the quietest. That is something to remember when the lazy criticisms of Augusta National are trotted about again this year. The privacy they so jealously protect does not conceal some nefarious conspiracy.

Sometimes, as in the story of John Heard and the wounded heroes of World War II, it is for the good.

Stricker turns to Woods for advice on Augusta

Stricker turns to Woods for advice on Augusta











PGA.COM April 8, 2013 10:33 PM

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The Masters is the only major in which Steve Stricker has never been in serious contention.(Getty I …


By Doug Ferguson, Associated Press


AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Steve Stricker wouldn't mind if Tiger Woods returned the favor, only it's not that easy.

Woods is back to No. 1 in the world, a return to the top that received a boost last month at Doral when Stricker worked with him for nearly an hour on the putting green.

He noticed that Woods needed a slight adjustment in his setup, and when the light came on, Woods seemed to hit warp speed. He won Doral, he won Bay Hill two weeks later and showed up at the Masters as the favorite to win.

Now if only Stricker can get Woods to show him how to win a green jacket.

The Masters is the only major in which Stricker has never been in serious contention. He was runner-up in the PGA Championship at Sahalee. He played in the final group in the British Open at Carnoustie. He was tied for the lead going to the back nine at Oakmont in the U.S. Open.

For some reason, Augusta National has his number. He tied for sixth in 2009, his best result, though he was never a factor that day.

"I've had a couple decent tournaments here," Stricker said Monday. "For the most part I've struggled here a little bit. I'm starting to feel a little bit more comfortable going around here, but there's still a few things I haven't figured out -- or I've gotten in my way a few times here, too. Just not committing to shots, not committing to lines, feeling a little overwhelmed about this place at times, I think.

"So there's been some issues, not only physically, but I think mentally here, as well," he said. "It's a challenging spot and it's a challenging course."

Time is not on his side.

Stricker began the second chapter in his career in 2006 and since then has won nine times on the PGA Tour, reached as high as No. 2 in the world and has been part of every Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup team. But no major. And no Masters.

Stricker spent last week in the thawing snow of Wisconsin, hitting out of his heated, three-sided trailer at the club, and even taking a few shots from the grass when enough of the snow began to melt. He arrived on Sunday and got in 14 holes of practice with Woods.

"We were talking about pitching and chip shots and little wedge play," Stricker said. "We were talking about that a lot. I was asking him what he does and what he tries to do, and his action on the way back and on the way through. It's mutual. We try to help out one another every once in a while.

"He's ranked No. 1 now again, and it's fun to bounce some ideas off him here and there."

The Masters means so much to Stricker that he still remembers how he qualified for his first trip to Augusta National in 1996. But if there's a mental block about this place, perhaps because he wants so badly to do well, some of that might be alleviated by this stage of his career.

Stricker decided to go into semi-retirement, with a schedule of no more than about 11 tournaments. He has played only four times this year -- two runner-up finishes, a quarterfinals loss in the Accenture Match Play Championship and middle of the pack in Houston.

He feels fresh. He's hitting the ball well.

"And I don't feel like there's any pressure on me at all, which is a good thing," he said.

Angel Cabrera helped re-start Adam Scott's career

Angel Cabrera helped re-start Adam Scott's career











Jay Busbee April 14, 2013 10:20 PMYahoo Sports






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Adam Scott reacts after making a birdie putt to win the Masters. (Getty Images)AUGUSTA, Ga. – Adam Scott wasn't just in a swoon. He was in an absolute free-fall.



It was September 2009, and Scott was in the midst of the worst stretch of his professional career. He'd seen his world ranking drop from 3rd after the 2008 U.S. Open to 53rd. He'd missed cuts in 10 of his last 14 events and in four of the pri five majors. He'd broken up with a longtime girlfriend and had made some dubious business decisions, like the purchase of a Gulfstream G450 jet.

Fellow Australian Greg Norman knew all this and still selected Scott for the 2009 Presidents Cup team.

Norman came under withering criticism for picking the underachieving Scott, criticism which served to motivate Scott that much more.

[Related video: Cabrera, Scott talk about dramatic Masters playoff]

"It was kind of a gut-check time," Scott said on Sunday evening. "My game was in a bit of a rut, to be fair, and I wasn't enjoying it. But Greg as the captain had a lot of faith in me, and belief that I could win a point for his team, and he gave me a pick, and I didn't want to disappoint him."





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Adam Scott hugs Angel Cabrera after winning the Masters. (AP)What Norman would do in 2009 would contribute, more than three years later, to one of the most dramatic playoffs in golf history. Scott was radioactive, playing so badly that he was almost contagious. So Norman connected him with someone whom he thought could help steady Scott's nerves and game: the then-reigning Masters champion, Angel Cabrera.



"Nobody wanted to play with Adam [in the Presidents Cup]," recalled Charlie Epps, Cabrera's swing coach. "Angel said, ‘I'll play with him.' " Standing in the light of the Augusta National clubhouse Sunday immediately after Scott's Masters victory – winning in a two-hole playoff against … Cabrera – Epps smiled at the memory – and the irony.

[Related: Scott, Cabrera save the Masters]

"That was Greg's decision, and it was a good one," Epps said. "Greg had faith in Adam. It was the start of a great relationship [with Cabrera]."

Scott and Cabrera would lose the only match they played together, but they weren't alone. Norman's International Team would lose to Fred Couples' United States team 19½ to 14½.

Still, Cabrera and Scott got along well, and at one point, Cabrera pulled Scott aside and told him, "You're a great, great player." On Sunday night, wearing the green jacket, Scott nodded at the memory. "Something I didn't forget," he said, "and really nice of him."

Perhaps it's a coincidence, perhaps not, but Scott's career turned around after that Presidents Cup, first slowly and then with avalanche speed. He missed only one cut in the 2010 majors. He notched two top-10s in the 2011 majors, including a runner-up in the Masters. And he appeared headed for his breakthrough victory at the Open Championship in Royal Lytham last year before falling apart in the last four holes. And now, a green jacket.

Cabrera's warmth and generosity toward Scott even extended to their playoff. As they were walking down the 10th fairway, playing their second playoff hole, likely as tense a moment as either man had ever experienced, Cabrera looked out from under his umbrella and gave Scott a thumbs-up. It's not a gesture many other golfers would have done for a rival.

[Related video: Controversial putter a game-changer for Adam Scott]

"Angel is a great man," Scott said. "To do that at that point is very nice. I think, with limited abilities to converse, you know, we would consider each other friends and have a lot of respect for each other."

Just minutes after Cabrera gave Scott the thumbs-up, Scott's birdie putt on the second playoff hole dropped into the hole. Cabrera embraced Scott, later saying he told Scott how happy he was for him, and how much Scott deserved this moment.

"Unfortunately in playoffs, it's one-on-one, head to head," Cabrera said afterward. "And there's got to be only one winner, and he was able to win."

If Cabrera's able to take comfort from this loss at all, it's that he can take at least some small measure of credit for Scott's success. That's not nearly as good as a green jacket, true, but in a game that prizes sportsmanship, it's essential nonetheless.

A Lesson Learned: Set up to Drive Well

A Lesson Learned: Set up to Drive Well











Jon Tattersall April 14, 2013 10:28 PM


A lot will be made of the extraordinary birdie putts Adam Scott holed, first at 18 and then at 10 in the playoff, to win the Masters. But Scottie wouldn't have been in that position if he hadn't driven the ball with such deft precision all week.


Sure, the old adage "drive for show and putt for doe" still applies, but at a course like Augusta National, where playing to the right spots on the greens in vital to have any chance at making a putt, the driver is the second most important club in the bag.

Adam Scott hit perfect tee shots coming down the stretch, piping it down the middle at 14, 15, 17, 18 twice, and at 10 during the playoff. In every one of those cases, he was able to hit the ball hard because of his perfect balance. And while the average golfer will never achieve the kind of clubhead speed Scottie generates with a driver, you can learn from what he does to get himself into position for those quality swings.

Scottie has one of the best setups in golf, especially with the driver. His feet are slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, which gives him a solid base around which to turn.

His posture is perfect -- shoulders back, chest out, chin high, knees slightly flexed and he bows at the hips. And his ball position is just right for power, far enough forward that the left arm and the club shaft form a straight line. That allows him to make contact with his tee shots just slightly past the bottom the arc. By catching the ball as the club is traveling slightly upward, the driver shots fly on a flat trajectory, high but with very little spin. That insures maximum length and great accuracy.

His swing is a thing of beauty. That was especially true at Augusta National where he hit some of the best shots under pressure in recent memory. Unless you are a gifted athlete, you won't be able to replicate that swing. But you can work to imitate his setup.

Photos of Scottie won't be hard to come by. Stand in front of a mirror and try to mimic his setup, including the forward position of the ball with the driver. Once you master the feel for an Adam Scott-style address, you will be in great shape to make a simple turn and return to the ball.

It won't win you a green jacket, but a good setup is the start of all great shots. And if you can only mimic one player's setup with the driver, make that player Adam Scott.

Jon Tattersall is co-founder of Golf Performance Partners and a certified strength and conditioning specialist in addition to his PGA credentials.

Australians worldwide jubilant over Scott's win

Australians worldwide jubilant over Scott's win











PGA.COM April 14, 2013 10:46 PM

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When Adam Scott slipped on the Masters green jacket, all of Australia rejoiced.(Getty Images)


By Dennis Passa, Associated Press


BRISBANE, Australia -- It began overnight on social media in Australia, hours before three of the country's best golfers teed off among the top five in the final round of the Masters in that elusive pursuit of a green jacket.

Adam Scott and Jason Day were trending on Twitter. Marc Leishman was also a popular subject.

Golf fans anxious for Australia's first win at Augusta National even developed their own hashtag: #itsourtime.

The 32-year-old Scott obviously thought it was, too.

The affable Queenslander beat Angel Cabrera in a two-hole playoff. That finished at 9:40 a.m. Monday local time on Australia's east coast, nearly five hours after the keenest of fans woke up -- at 5:00 a.m. -- to watch the start of the telecast from Georgia.

Finally, the drought had ended. It was Scott's first major, and the only major an Australian had never won.

Tom Watson, who missed the cut at Augusta this year, tweeted: "You showed great courage Adam ... and resiliency from last year's disappointment at Lytham." Scott bogeyed the last four holes last year to lose the British Open by a shot to Ernie Els.

Golf Australia tweeted "quite simply, the most magnificent Monday imaginable." Australian pro Marcus Fraser, who plays mostly on the European Tour, said "still speechless!"

Jarrod Lyle, an Australian golfer recovering from leukemia, posted: "you (censored) beauty Scotty. Great win well deserved."

American Jessica Korda, a member of the LPGA Tour who won last year's Women's Australian Open, tweeted: "Adam Scott!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A million girls just fell in love."

Before the result was known, The Australian national newspaper underscored some of the frustration -- and pressure -- on the country's golfers.

"Three Aussies share Masters burden," blared a headline on its website, with the first line of the story reading: "This time, a nation's expectations won't fall on to the shoulders of just one man."

But the Australian telecaster, Network Ten, may have jinxed at least one them.

The network sent a TV crew to the Warnambool Golf Club in southern Victoria, Leishman's home club. They did live crosses to the clubhouse during the telecast, but there were few cheering opportunities as Leishman finished with a 72 and was tied for fourth with Tiger Woods, four behind the closing 9-under totals of Scott and Cabrera.

Day, who shot 70 along with Cabrera, finished third, two behind the leading pair.

Scott and Day came close in 2011 at Augusta but were left stranded by South African Charl Schwartzel's late run of four consecutive birdies, and the Australians finished tied for second.

Another Australian, 2006 U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy, was also in the hunt that year, but finished tied for fourth, four shots behind. Surprisingly, Ogilvy didn't qualify this year.

Greg Norman had a couple of high-profile losses at Augusta. In 1986, Jack Nicklaus shot a 30 on the back nine to take the green jacket from him. In 1987, Larry Mize chipped in from 140 feet during a playoff to leave Norman second. In 1996, a six-shot lead over Nick Faldo wasn't enough when Norman shot a final-round 78.

In his victory speech Sunday night, Scott was gracious in thanking his mentor: "Greg Norman has been incredible to me and all the young golfers in Australia. Part of this definitely belongs to him."

There was a minor faux pa Monday from the sport's national governing body, the PGA of Australia. Late in the final round, it sent out a tweet saying: "We need a mistake from the big hitting Argentine down 13."

A few minutes later, the PGA was criticized by a California follower: "Really? #badssportsmanship."

The PGA of Australia quickly tweeted a reply: "We shouldn't wish bad luck for anyone and the previous tweet was bad sportsmanship Clearly let our enthusiasm get in the way."

Cabrera hit into the creek on the 13th and later bogeyed the hole to fall out of the lead.

Social media was set to be the haven for suggestions for next year's champions dinner at Augusta, with Scott getting to call the shots on the menu.

Will it be crocodile canapés, emu burgers, kangaroo steaks or even koala-shaped cupcakes for dessert? Whatever, it should probably be pretty interesting after waiting all these years.

Singh sues PGA Tour over deer-antler spray

Singh sues PGA Tour over deer-antler spray










The Sports Xchange May 8, 2013 11:21 AMThe SportsXchange



A week after the PGA Tour lifted sanctions against Vijay Singh for acknowledging his use of a deer-antler spray, he filed suit Wednesday against the tour.

Singh was cleared last week by the PGA Tour of wrongdoing, but that didn't stop him from taking his case to the Supreme Court of the State of New York, alleging that the tour violated its duty of care and good faith.

The suit claims that the tour should have recognized through testing and research that the deer-antler spray contained no banned performance-enhancing substances.

Singh had acknowledged in an interview in January that he had used the spray but did not realize it had been linked to a human growth hormone. The World Anti-Doping Agency no longer has the deer-antler substance on its banned list.

"The PGA Tour has now finally admitted that the use of deer antler spray is not prohibited," the suit indicates. "Rather than performing its duties to golfers first, and then determining whether there had been any violation of the Anti-Doping Program, the PGA Tour rushed to judgment and accused one of the world's hardest working and most dedicated golfers of violating the rules of the game."

Singh's lawyer is Peter Ginsberg, who handled Jonathan Vilma's case against the NFL in the New Orleans Saints' bounty scandal.

"We just received the statement," PGA Tour vice president Ty Votaw told USA Today. "We will have no comment."

Singh has won three major championships and has 34 career PGA Tour victories. He's also a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame

"I am proud of my achievements, my work ethic, and the way I live my life," Singh said in a statement. "The PGA Tour not only treated me unfairly, but displayed a lack of professionalism that should concern every professional golfer and fan of the game."

Vijay Singh Bucks Up, Sues PGA Tour in Wake of Deer-Antler Spray Situation

Vijay Singh Bucks Up, Sues PGA Tour in Wake of Deer-Antler Spray Situation











Ryan Ballengee May 8, 2013 12:03 PM


COMMENTARY | Vijay Singh wrote the PGA Tour a "Deer John" letter on Wednesday, in the form of a lawsuit filed in New York State Supreme Court.



Singh and his lawyer Peter Ginsberg accuse the PGA Tour of "reckless administration and implementation of its Anti-Doping Program" and subjecting the Fijian to "public humiliation." The problem is that Singh brought this all on himself.



In a Jan. 28, 2013, Sports Illustrated piece, Singh admitted to taking a substance known as deer-antler spray which, at the time, was banned under the Tour's anti-doping program. It was banned by the Tour and the World Anti-Doping Agency (who helped guide the Tour's creation of its banned-substance list) because the spray was thought to contain an insulin-like hormone, IGF-1, that is considered a performance-enhancing drug.



The PGA Tour had warned its players about taking deer-antler spray in 2011 after Mark Calcavecchia not only admitted using it, but promoted it. Despite the warning and the slap on Calc's wrist, Singh used the spray anyhow. The 50-year-old's admission triggered an investigation of the case by the Tour despite two factors: (1) the fact that IGF-1 can only be absorbed by the body if injected as opposed to orally via deer-antler spray and (2) the Tour could not conduct a test for IGF-1 because it only takes urine, not blood, samples from players.



For three months, the outcome of the case was the subject of speculation and questioning. Singh continued to play on the PGA Tour through the entire process, refusing comment on the topic.



Then last week, the PGA Tour announced its response: nothing. The Tour consulted with WADA, which had since decided taking deer-antler spray alone is not enough to warrant a sanction. Only a positive test for IGF-1 was enough. Since the Tour could not produce that evidence, the decision was made to not suspend Singh at all instead of a 90-day suspension Singh alleges in his lawsuit was to be his original penalty.



Of course, the timing is not by mistake. Singh could have waited to file his lawsuit but took to the court system on the eve before the Tour's biggest event. That's some way to repay the Tour and commissioner Finchem for essentially absolving Singh of any wrongdoing despite his blatant disrespect for the anti-doping program and the Tour's warnings about deer-antler spray. Curiously, Singh's suspension, had it been enforced by the Tour, would have ended at the conclusion of this week's Players Championship.



The suit itself is riddled with typos, errors and misleading statements, including that the PGA Tour operates the PGA Championship (no, that's the PGA of America), as well that Singh's urine samples did not indicate a banned substance (great, only a blood test could identify IGF-1).




The filing also goes into a lengthy string about IGF-1, the tiny concentration of it found in deer-antler spray and that cow's milk contains the substance as well. However, the concentration of IGF-1 in deer-antler spray is as much as 20 times higher than what's found in milk. That's merely a distraction.



It may turn out that deer-antler spray is as effective in enhancing performance as deer urine, sold in far higher quantities to hunters than the product produced and supplied to Singh by Sports With Alternatives to Steroids (S.W.A.T.S.). The company has experienced a boom in business since the S.I. story, convincing at least a few thousand people that a little buck shot in the throat might make them stronger or faster. The joke's on them. Even still, the Tour's anti-doping program says it's a no-no to even attempt to take a prohibited substance.



Perhaps the height of the filing's comedy, however, is the notion that the Tour caused "media and fans focused on Singh's alleged violation of the Anti-Doping Program rather than on Singh's play." That stemmed from his admission that he took a substance the PGA Tour banned at the time, which the anti-doping program clearly states is a violation.



This filing was meant for public consumption. It was meant to cause a stir and create sympathy for Singh. He doesn't deserve any, but the Tour is not without fault. To use the words of Singh's lawyer, the nature of this lawsuit is rather specious, but it may force some important changes in the Tour's anti-doping program.



Perhaps it will force the PGA Tour to adopt blood testing, which could have identified IGF-1.



The Tour may no longer be able to rely on WADA for advice on its program and enforcement, as well as take drug testing administration completely in-house.



If those changes happen, they will be a good thing, no matter how preposterous the events that precipitated them.



Ryan Ballengee is a Washington, D.C.-based golf writer. His work has appeared on multiple digital outlets, including NBC Sports and Golf Channel. Follow him on Twitter @RyanBallengee.

Hall of Famer Ken Venturi Transformed Televised Golf

Hall of Famer Ken Venturi Transformed Televised Golf
2013 Inductee Venturi Raised the Bar for Golf Commentators While Ken Schofield Elevated the Ryder Cup











Mark McLaughlin May 8, 2013 1:10 PM




COMMENTARY | When Jim Nantz joined the CBS broadcast team in 1985, televised golf was limited to two hours every Saturday and Sunday.

Golf cov
erage has boomed since then with fans now able to see much more action across global professional tours accessible on multiple media beyond TV. It was against this backdrop of plenty that Nantz stepped to the podium during Monday night's World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony in St. Augustine, Florida.



He was there to introduce 2013 inductees Ken Venturi and Fred Couples. Venturi played a significant role in elevating the popularity of the game and sharing it with millions through television. A third inductee, former European Tour executive director Ken Schofield, has also been a mover and shaker in bringing golf to a worldwide audience.

I have to thank Venturi and his CBS broadcast mates for stirring my interest as a fan. Vin Scully was the lead commentator with Venturi as his analyst when I started watching in the late 1970s. Tournaments then went by names like the Glen Campbell Los Angeles Open, Jackie Gleason Inverrary Classic and the World Series of Golf.

Venturi was lead golf analyst for CBS from 1967-2002, the longest such tenure in sports. He later worked alongside Pat Summerall in the 18th hole booth before eventually teaming up with Nantz, who paid tribute to Venturi in this letter.

Many credit Venturi for his style of correctly predicting a player's strategy but he did much more than that. He raised the profile and cachet of golf analysts, paving the way for Johnny Miller, Paul Azinger and Nick Faldo. But unlike that acerbic bunch, Venturi made his mark by sharing his passion for the game and delivering it with honesty and humility.

I associate Venturi with Torrey Pines, Riviera, and Pebble Beach as well as Doral, Muirfield Village and Firestone, tour stops covered exclusively by CBS for years.

Back in those days, CBS broadcast the Masters while Jim McKay, Peter Alliss and the ABC crew televised the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship. Weekday coverage was nonexistent and we were lucky to catch back nine action on the weekend.

NBC made a serious golf push when it gained broadcast rights to the Ryder Cup in 1991.



One of the men most responsible for adding competitiveness to the Ryder Cup was Schofield. During his 29-year tenure running the European Tour, he was instrumental in adding European players to an undermanned Great Britain & Ireland team and turning the Ryder Cup from a lopsided contest dominated by the U.S. into gut wrenching, must-watch TV.

How important has the Ryder Cup become? Well, it got European stalwart Colin Montgomerie into the Hall of Fame this year without a major victory or a win on U.S. soil.

Scoring the Ryder Cup was a coup for NBC, which had stepped up its golf coverage with the hiring of Johnny Miller in 1990. Three years later it outbid ABC for the rights to the U.S. Open and has been a major force in golf ever since.

Along with the Golf Channel, NBC will provide 22 hours of live coverage of the 2013 Players Championshipstarting Thursday. We as viewers owe a debt of gratitude to new World Golf Hall of Fame members Ken Venturi and Ken Schofield for this bonanza.

Mark McLaughlin has reported on the PGA Tour for the New York Post, FoxSports.com, Greensboro News & Record, and Burlington (N.C.) Times-News. He is a past member of the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association. Follow him on Twitter @markmacduke.

Garcia makes insensitive remark about Woods

Garcia makes insensitive remark about Woods










The Sports Xchange May 21, 2013 10:30 PMThe SportsXchange



The verbal sparring between Sergio Garcia and Tiger Woods keeps getting uglier.

On Tuesday during a European Tour awards dinner, a TV reported jokingly asked Garcia whether he might invite Woods to dinner during the U.S. Open.

Garcia replied, "We will have him round every night. We will serve fried chicken."

Later, Garcia tried to smooth over the racially insensitive remark with a statement issued by the European Tour.

"I apologize for any offense that may have been caused by my comment on stage during The European Tour Players' Awards dinner," the statement read. "I answered a question that was clearly made towards me as a joke with a silly remark, but in no way was the comment meant in a racist manner."

Garcia and Woods have feuded since they played in the same group during the third round of The Players Championship on May 11. Garcia complained that Woods riled the gallery at Sawgrass when he pulled a club from his bag from across the fairway while Garcia was preparing to hit a shot.

Garcia later suggested that the world's No. 1 player should have known better. Woods countered that he thought Garcia had already hit.

"Not real surprising that he's complaining about something," Woods commented at the time.

Since then, the two players have done little to mask their feelings about one another.

: On Monday, Garcia suggested that Woods has a problem with honesty.

"He called me a whiner. That's probably right," Garcia said. "It's also probably the first thing he's told you guys that's true in 15 years. I know what he is like. You guys are finding out."

He added that he didn't plan to call Woods to discuss the matter.

"First of all, I don't have his number," Garcia said. "And secondly, I did nothing wrong and don't have anything to say to him. And he wouldn't pick up the phone, anyway."

Garcia's latest remark resembled a response by Fuzzy Zoeller in 1997 when asked what Woods would have on the menu after his won his first Masters title.

"You pat him on the back and say congratulations and enjoy it and tell him not serve fried chicken next year. Got it? Or collard greens or whatever the hell they serve," Zoeller said.

Sergio Garcia's racist comment makes him the loser in his feud with Tiger Woods

Sergio Garcia's racist comment makes him the loser in his feud with Tiger Woods











Martin Rogers May 22, 2013 9:54 AMYahoo Sports







View gallery.

The feud between Sergio Garcia and Tiger Woods escalated through The Players Championship. (Getty Images)Just for a while there, Sergio Garcia actually had it pretty good; back in form, contending on Sundays and holding the sympathetic vote in an edgy little rivalry with the best player in the business. And then, with a pair of ill-chosen words, it all changed.



Garcia took his ongoing verbal joust with Tiger Woods way out of bounds at an awards dinner for the European Tour on Tuesday, foolishly joking that he would invite the world No.1 around for dinner during the U.S. Open and saying, "We will serve fried chicken." An immediate and seemingly genuine apology was issued but not in time to prevent everything from having shifted.

The Spaniard's words took a soap opera founded on mutual dislike, but one that was amusing, entertaining and occasionally childish, down a thorny path littered with racist undertones that golf wants no part of.

In a split second he ensured that his part in the pantomime is now most certainly that of villain, and those who sympathized with him in his dispute with Woods will now rapidly scatter.

"What seemed to be a funny question, and I tried to give a funny answer – it came out totally wrong," Garcia said Wednesday in what amounted to his second apology. "I want to make sure everybody knows I'm very, very sorry. I can't apologize enough times.

"As soon as I left the dinner, I started getting a sick feeling in my body. I didn't really sleep at all. I felt like my heart was going to come out of my body. I've had this sick feeling all day. Difficult to hit a shot all day."

The Tiger and Sergio Show began in earnest during the second round of The Players Championship, with Garcia complaining he had been distracted by crowd noise excitement caused by Woods pulling a club out of his bag while he was about to swing.






View gallery.

Sergio Garcia immediately apologized for his remarks about Tigers Woods. (Getty Images)Tit-for-tat exchanges in news conferences, post-round interviews and television segments followed, with Garcia describing Woods as "not the nicest guy on tour" andWoods responding with a blunt "no" when asked if there was a reconciliation between the pair in the works.



Yet aside from the Tiger diehards – those lovable souls who choke at the mere hint of a suggestion that the world's greatest golfer might not be the cuddliest of characters – Garcia seemed to have many observers on his side.

Garcia's portrayal of Woods as an arrogant and aloof opponent who cares little for his peers did ring somewhat true, and the simmering tension injected a dash of spice into the sometimes vanilla world of top level golf. Furthermore, there was that nagging sense that as long as this spat continued, Garcia might be able to channel it to help him play better, maintain his strong start to the season and bring him bounding up the world rankings.

With a game built on confidence, Garcia has never shied away from hostile obstacles and some of his finest hours have come in the cauldron-like atmosphere of the Ryder Cup.

With each fresh outburst or snub, the rivalry – one that stretches back nearly a decade and a half to when a teenage Garcia gave eventual champion Woods a fright on the final day of the 1999 PGA Championship – drew in a few more souls whose interest in the game is normally reserved only for the majors.

There is nothing like playground histrionics from two leading stars to engage the audience in the gap between the Masters and the summer showpieces. Having two strong characters make no secret whatsoever about the fact they have no time for the other carried delicious appeal.

But then Garcia went and blew it with a moment of idiocy that turned him into a cautionary tale and gifted him membership to the Fuzzy Zoeller School of Inappropriate Speech (Hon. President Steve Williams).

Garica, who doesn't have Woods' phone number, reached out to Tiger's agent, Mark Steinberg.

"I would love to talk to him as soon as possible and make sure everything is OK," Garcia explained.

It matters not that the apology swiftly arose from Garcia’s own free will and reflection and not as a response to a public outcry.

Or that Garcia had the class not to try to hide behind the pitiful excuse of "cultural differences" that his countrymen on the Spanish basketball team used when defending a slant-eyed gesture they made ahead of the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Because it is too late. Woods is now the victim, the one with the sympathy. And the one with the last laugh.

"The comment that was made wasn't silly. It was wrong, hurtful and clearly inappropriate …" Tiger said via Twitter. "I'm confident that there is real regret that the remark was made."

For a player once seen as having unlimited promise, it must already hurt Garcia enough to compare his career, devoid of a single major title, with that of 14-time major winner and 78-time tournament victor Woods.

Garcia’s confidence is always prone to disappear at a moment’s trigger, and the scrutiny that will inevitably follow this furor could be enough to halt the momentum that had been building nicely through seven top-20 finishes and four top-10s in the eight PGA starts to date in 2013.

Notwithstanding the fact, of course, that even that run pales in comparison to Woods' four victories on the year, his return to the top spot in the sport and now even the moral high road from which to peer down on Garcia.

Suddenly, it is not so much fun being Sergio Garcia anymore, and it is entirely of his own making.

Woods calls Garcia's comment 'hurtful'

Woods calls Garcia's comment 'hurtful'










The Sports Xchange May 22, 2013 10:31 AMThe SportsXchange



Tiger Woods responded Wednesday morning to Sergio Garcia's fried chicken remark made a night earlier, saying it was insensitive but that the golf rivals should move past their verbal sparring.

"The comment that was made wasn't silly. It was wrong, hurtful and clearly inappropriate," Woods tweeted. "I'm confident that there is real regret that the remark was made.

"The Players ended nearly two weeks ago and it's long past time to move on and talk about golf."

During a European Tour awards dinner on Tuesday night at the BMW PGA Championship in Virginia Water, England, Garcia responded to a question about inviting Woods to dinner at the U.S. Open in June.

"We'll have him 'round every night," Garcia said. "We will serve fried chicken."

Garcia issued an apology later in the evening for the racially insensitive comment.

"I apologize for any offense that may have been caused by my comment on stage during the European Tour Players' Awards dinner," Garcia said in a statement. "I answered a question that was clearly made towards me as a joke with a silly remark, but in no way was the comment meant in a racist manner."

Garcia said he was sorry again Wednesday during a news conference.

"Obviously, finally, most importantly, I want to apologize to Tiger and anyone I could have offended by the comment I made," he said. "I just want to say I feel sick about it, and I'm truly, truly sorry. ... I hope we can move on."

Garcia emphasized that he wasn't trying to be racist and that he had reached out to Woods' agent.

"It was very hard," Garcia said. "As soon as I left the dinner, I started getting a sick feeling on my body. I really didn't sleep at all last night."

The spat started at The Players Championship earlier this month when Woods and Garcia played together during the third round. As Garcia prepared to hit a shot on the second hole, he said Woods pulled a club from his bag across the fairway, which caused the crowd to stir and distracted Garcia. A dispute ensued between the two.

Garcia clearly doesn't get along with the world's No. 1 player.

"I mean, you can't like everybody," Garcia said earlier Tuesday. "I think that there's people that you connect with and there's people that you don't. You know, it's pretty much as simple as that. I think that he doesn't need me in his life, I don't need him in mine, and let's move on and keep doing what we're doing.''

Webb earns 39th LPGA win

Webb earns 39th LPGA win










Rick Woelfel, The Sports Xchange June 2, 2013 8:20 PMThe SportsXchange


GALLOWAY, N.J. -- For all the young talent there is in the game of golf, experience still counts for a lot.

On a blustery Sunday afternoon, Karrie Webb came from five shots off the pace to win the ShopRite LPGA Classic.

Webb fired a 3-under-par 68 at the Bay Course at the Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club near Atlantic City. She finished the 54 holes at 4-under 209.

China's Shanshan Feng, who started the final round with a three-shot lead, soared to a 75 and wound up alone in second place at 2-under 211. South Korea's Hee Young Park's closing 71 left her in third place at 212. Jenny Shin, another South Korean, was at 213.

It was the 39th LPGA victory for the 38-year old Webb, an LPGA Hall of Famer, and her first official win since March 2011.

"I'm really excited," she said. "It's a lot of hard work paying off sitting here, probably more hard work on the mental part of my game, but I've been working really hard on all aspects of my game. Just to do it in such tough conditions today, I'm really pleased."

Webb and the rest of the field were buffeted by winds that blew as high as 25 mph in the afternoon and sent scores climbing. The top three finishers were the only players in the field of 74 to finish the 54 holes under par.

The putter proved to be the most important club in Webb's bag Sunday. The Australian got off to a hot start by rolling in a 25-foot birdie putt at the par-4 second hole and followed up with a 10-foot eagle putt at the par-5 third.

At that point she moved her into a tie for the lead with Feng, who was playing two groups behind her and had double-bogeyed the second.


At the fourth, Webb saved par by making a 7-foot putt, one of six par chances she converted on putts of between four and eight feet.

"When I made that putt, I knew that I was feeling pretty good today," she said, "and just tried not to get ahead of myself."

Webb stumbled at the sixth when an errant chip shot led to a bogey, her only bogey of the day, but she remained in a tie for the lead at 3 under par with Feng, who double-bogeyed the fifth.

Feng admitted the wind caused her some difficulties.

"(Saturday) I played in the morning," she said, "so the wind wasn't blowing as hard, I would say maybe from 5 to 10 (mph), but today it was more like 20, with gusts to 25. So it was tough."

Webb pointed out that the Bay Course at Seaview plays tougher than its listed 6,155 yards might suggest.

"You look at the scorecard and it's not an exceptionally long golf course," she said, "but we never play the course with no wind. (Sunday's conditions) were probably extreme, but you know when you get here and you're playing the practice round that it's just a tricky golf course."

After her bogey at the sixth, Webb ran off 11 consecutive pars. She took the lead alone for the first time after Feng bogeyed the 11th and 13th.

Webb finished her week by hitting her approach to the par-5 18th inside five feet and making her birdie putt to increase her lead to two shots.

Feng got one of them back with a birdie at the 16th but missed the green at the par-5 17th and wound up with a bogey.

It was an emotional victory for Webb, whose grandmother has been ill and in the hospital. At one point this week, she considered withdrawing from the tournament and flying to Australia until her grandmother's condition improved.

"She's still in the hospital, but things are looking a little better than they did a couple days ago," Webb said. "So hopefully this will give her reason to feel better."

NOTES: Prior to this week, Webb's last official LPGA win came at the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup. She also won a tournament in her native Australia earlier this year. ... Webb's winning total tied for the highest in the history of the tournament, relative to par. Juli Inkster finished 4 under par for 54 holes in the inaugural event in 1986, which was also played at Seaview. ... Webb is the sixth LPGA Hall of Famer to win the ShopRite tournament. The others: Inkster, Betsy King, Annika Sorenstam, Nancy Lopez, and Se Ri Pak. ... Michelle Wie, who played with Webb on Sunday, shot a 74 and wound up tied for ninth at 215. ... Former world No. 1 Yani Tseng of Taiwan shot an 80 on Sunday to finish her week tied for 69th place at 223.

A Lesson Learned: Work Your Plan

A Lesson Learned: Work Your Plan











Craig Renshaw, PGA June 2, 2013 9:41 PM



I pulled up Matt Kuchar's stats Sunday morning to get a look at what this man was doing well and how he has been able to put himself to number three in the Fed Ex Cup standings (prior to the end of the Memorial). As I poured over Kuchar's stats, one thing became abundantly clear. Matt is not exceptionally long or straight, not great in greens in regulation - but he finds a way to get the ball in the hole in fewer strokes than most others. And when you get down to the basics - that's what championship golf is all about.

Kuchar's greatest strengths all relate to scoring. He can scramble well when he needs to, he makes the birdie putts when he has the chance and he's not afraid to go low. In other words, Kuchar is the consumate scorer, he's tremendous at avoiding mistakes and dangerous areas and he's exceptional at taking advantage when the situation allows. It's a careful, measured, methodical way to get around the course - something all golfers could learn from. If someone was going to catch Kutchar on Sunday, when he started with a two shot lead, they were going to have to low on a hard, Jack Nicklaus course that normally does not allow for real low scoring. Today's lesson learned will be about making a plan for a round and following through with that plan.

Matt knew that he had two shots in his pocket when he stepped up on the number one tee. You could see from the beginning that Matt's plan was to keep the ball in the fairway as much as possible - even so much as hitting hybrid off the Par 5 7th, which was an usual play for these pros, but allowed him to hit the green in three with a comfortable yardage, which led to a tap in birdie. For those trying to catch him, they would have to be exceptional - he was not going to come back to them.

Matt followed this game plan, hitting good tee shots to the widest parts of the fairways, hitting 13 of 14 fairways. Shooting for the middle of the greens, Matt hit 14 Greens in Regulation in a row, while hitting 16 of 18 for the day. This game plan gave him the best chances to make putts and keep his lead. His only mistakes were 2 three putts.

Having a good game plan allowed Matt to withstand a nice run from Kevin Chappell late in the round, but hitting shots from the fairway and having putts made for a fairly stress free day. Remember the next time you play a round of golf. Hit to the largest parts of parts on the course, keep from making a huge mistake, take your medicine when confronted with some trouble and I think you will see a fairly simple round of golf and a lower score.


Craig Renshaw is a PGA Teaching Professional at the Legacy Golf Performance Center in Phoenix, Arizona at the Legacy Golf Resort. You can contact Craig atCrenshaw@raspberrygolfacademy.com

Lateral Hazard: Matt Kuchar commands limelight with virtuoso Memorial performance

Lateral Hazard: Matt Kuchar commands limelight with virtuoso Memorial performance











Brian Murphy June 2, 2013 9:47 PMYahoo Sports




View gallery.

Matt Kuchar celebrates after winning the Memorial Tournament. (USA Today)
Matt Kuchar, at age 34, is apparently hell bent we all acknowledge that he is one of the best players on planet Earth.



Maybe that's why he's always smiling. "I'll just keep putting up great performances," he says behind those pearly whites, "and these Tiger Woods- and Rory McIlroy-obsessed lunatics will have to acknowledge the magnificence of 'Kooch'."

So, from us, to you, buddy, a hearty: "KOOOOOOOOOCH . . . "

He deserves the love. After a triumph at Jack Nicklaus' prestigious Memorial tournament, while Tiger and Rory were fumbling around in bunkers, firing golf balls into water hazards and running short putts past the hole at breakneck speed, Kuchar carved a final-round 68 for his second win of the year. His other was also against a big-time field, the World Match Play at Dove Mountain in chilly February, when he took down Hunter Mahan while wearing snow gear borrowed from that 80-year-old Japanese guy who climbed Mount Everest.

How hot is Kuchar? He's made the cut in all 13 of his stroke-play starts this year, and 21 of 22 last year. That's one missed cut in the last two years. Rory would murder for that kind of consistency. Heck, I think McIlroy sometimes misses two cuts in one week.

[Watch: Highlights from Sunday's Memorial action]

Of course, this being golf, everybody wants to know: Can Kuchar, who was ranked No. 9 in the world and will likely be top-5 now, be considered great without a major championship?

And of course, this being golf, everybody wants to know: Wouldn't Merion's U.S. Open next week be the ultimate place for Kuchar to win? After all, they tell us Merion is a ballstriker's heaven which will reward patience, putting and strategy – all the qualities that make Kuchar who he is.



View gallery.

Matt Kuchar celebrates with his family after winning the Memorial. (Getty)



The answers, of course, await. And you'd be a fool to overlook Kuchar. But there's also that weird golf history that being SO hot coming into the U.S. Open – Kuchar was runner-up last week at Colonial after holding the 54-hole lead – means the game owes Kuchar a backhand across his smiling mug. You don't just go out and win U.S. Opens because you're sizzling on the links. Rather, that's the time the U.S. Open gods tap Webb Simpson at Olympic in 2012 (missed two cuts just prior) or Lucas Glover at Bethpage in 2009 (tie-45th, tie-41st in his two prior starts).

So let's not worry too much about Kuchar needing the validation of a major, and instead admire a player with six career wins now, including the last four – the 2010 FedEx playoff Barclays, the 2011 Players Championship, this year's Match Play and now Jack's party at Muirfield Village – in heavyweight events. In case that's not impressive enough, consider that Kuchar's 35 top-10s since 2010 are best on Tour. Kuchar shows up, makes cuts, and generally plays golf better than 90 percent of the field on any given week, making us all feel lesser about how we do our respective jobs.

Can Kuchar launch a multi-major run at this point in his career, with players like Adam (Have You Seen My Green Jacket? It's Rather Splendid) Scott ready and willing to crop up at any random major? On The Golf Channel, Brandel Chamblee noted that Ben Hogan – whose swing contained features Kuchar likes to replicate – didn't win his first major until age 32, and then, at 34, he won the Merion's U.S. Open. I'd say the poetic symmetry awaits, except the analogy fails when you consider their personalities. Kuchar's nickname could be 'The Grinning American', while Hogan only made smile-like movements with his facial muscles when he had gas.

No, let's just admire Kuchar's game and see what happens. He isn't long off the tee, but what he does do is avoid three putts (4th on Tour), birdie par 5s with sound game plans and good decisions (5th in par-5 birdies on Tour) and most of all, scores his golf ball (8th on Tour). He led the PGA Tour in scoring in 2010, also.

Put it all together and you have Matt Kuchar leading the kind of life where Jack Nicklaus, sitting greenside as 'Kooch' rolled in one final birdie to hold off Kevin Chappell by two strokes, high-fived Kuchar's two little boys, who clearly had no idea who the blonde haired dude was asking for some skin up top.

That's OK. They wanted to jump into Daddy's arms, and when they did, Kuchar asked them to "lay one on me" as David Feherty interviewed him on CBS. A smack on the cheek from his cute little buggers on national TV, another win in the bag? It's good to be Matt Kuchar these days.

SCORECARD OF THE WEEK

71-74-79-72 – 8-over 296, Tiger Woods, tie-65th, The Memorial Tournament, Muirfield Village GC, Dublin, Ohio.

Well, there's only one explanation for this shocking turn of events: Sergio Garcia is clearly inside Tiger's dome.

Rimshot, please.

OK, OK, let's all start overanalyzing Tiger's awful week, in which he finished 20 shots behind Kuchar (a record deficit for Tiger in a full-field event) and put up the worst nine-hole score (44 on Saturday's back nine) of his pro career.

Or, let's not start overanalyzing. Sometimes, golf happens. Or, as Tiger said about 15 different ways in his Sunday post-round chat with the media: "It happens." I think he'd love to have included two letters before the "—it" part of that quote, but Tiger usually saves his profanity for on the golf course.

He even got a pick-me-up from Luke Donald, who tweeted out after Tiger’s Saturday round: “I’m guessing Tiger’s 44 for nine holes today gave every single golfer on the planet hope for their own game. #ThatWasNiceOfHim #GolfIsHard.” Nothing like a electronically transmitted “It’s all good, bro” from a peer to make the Saturday night beer go down smoother.



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Tiger Woods hits a shot on the 11th hole. (AP)



You can't tell me a guy with four stroke play wins in seven starts this year should be overly concerned with a lousy week on a very tough golf course. Besides, the new, post-Escalade-into-a-tree, Sean Foley-coached Tiger is more prone to an inconsistent performance than his past self. Witness this year's missed cut at Abu Dhabi on the European Tour; or this year's first-round Match Play loss to Charles Howell; or a final-round 74 at the Honda Classic en route to a tie-37th. And that's in a year where he's posed with a big trophy four times and returned to No. 1 in the world.

The one aspect of his game that has dazzled the most this year – his putting – was the aspect that abandoned him at Muirfield Village. Tiger finished 71st of 73 players who made the cut in putting. This, in the same year where he set a record for fewest putting strokes over 72 holes in his career back in March.

Maybe it should be noted that Muirfield Village has bentgrass greens – same as Merion – and Tiger said he had consistent trouble finding the speed all week. That's something to watch at the U.S. Open, how Tiger handles the speed of the greens.

On The Golf Channel, Chamblee noted that Tiger's swing changes slightly from week to week in his new iteration, accounting for some of the inconsistency. Combine that with Muirfield Village's many trouble spots, and Tiger had what he called a week of "funky stances," en route to three double bogeys and two triple bogeys on his scorecard.

What did Tiger say is his solution to his woes? "Go home," he said, "and practice."

And likely turn up at Merion, ready to contend deep into Sunday.

BROADCAST MOMENT OF THE WEEK

"I really don't, but that's OK." -- Jack Nicklaus, in six words sticking a verbal pin into the balloon of Nick Faldo's ego, on CBS.

There's something so refreshing about the Golden Bear's inability to spend time slinging the bull. It's probably why – along with a vibrant family life, a golf design business, money to make elsewhere, a life to live – he's never made the transition to the broadcast booth.

This was a funny moment on Sunday. CBS opened with Faldo reminiscing about the 1977 Ryder Cup at Muirfield Village, a walk-in-the-park U.S. victory over Great Britain and Ireland, 12 ½ to 7 ½. But Faldo wanted to make sure the national audience knew that he and Peter Oosterhuis teamed to beat Nicklaus and Ray Floyd, 3 and 1, in the Friday fourball matches that year for a brief moment of glory.

"Remember that, Jack?" Faldo said, puffing his chest out even more than usual.

Nicklaus then delivered his zinger of a return.

The Ryder Cup was such a lopsided affair before Great Britain and Ireland expanded to include all of Europe (read: Seve Ballesteros) that Nicklaus was probably doing crossword puzzles in between shots of that match against a young and plucky, not-yet-Sir Nick Faldo.

MULLIGAN OF THE WEEK

Kyle Stanley seems like a nice young player. He earned fame last year when he blew a five-shot lead at Torrey Pines, capped by a 72nd hole meltdown. Then, showing the kind of mettle that wins over sports fans, he bounced back the very next week to win at Phoenix. Cue the soaring theme music.

Only 25 years old, Stanley is one to watch, especially given his third place at New Orleans and his tie-6th at Quail Hollow in the past month. Now, here he was at Jack's Memorial, making noise. Birdies on Nos. 5, 6, 8 and 9 got him to 9-under par, one back of Kuchar.



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Kyle Stanley reacts after missing a putt on the 14th green. (AP)



He came to the par-5 11th hole, thinking birdie and maybe a tie for the lead.

Except ... his tee shot got royally hosed. His lie was not only a fried egg, but a fried egg into the lip of the bunker. Good times! Or, as it's alternately known, the death of a dream.

Stanley did well to even get it out of the bunker, then had to try a risky, too-long approach to the green, which went left. He made bogey, and finished in third place, five shots back.

So, while Kuchar was a deserving winner, and while Chappell made Kuchar sweat a little down the stretch, let's add young Stanley to mix, as well. Let's go back out to the 11th tee box, tell the golf gods not to saddle the young kid with one of the world's worst lies and ... give that man a mulligan!

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

The week before a major always feels like that moment in a football pregame when the team finishes its warmups and starts bouncing around midfield before sprinting back into the locker room for a final speech.

That's how it looks for the likes of Tiger and Rory and Kooch, who will skip this week's St. Jude Classic in Memphis to disappear into the cave of preparation for Merion's test.

Of course, Phil Mickelson being quirky Phil Mickelson, he likes to play the week before a major, and will tee it up. He and defending champ Dustin Johnson are part of only five players in the world's top 30 who will head to Tennessee.