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.