Golf Fanhouse Exclusive

Every sports fan has a little bit of a photographic memory. They remember images of their favorite players or incredible moments. The Joe Carter home run leap. The concluding seconds of the Miracle on Ice. Michael Jordan's final shot against the Jazz in 1997.

In golf, one year stands out for images that will forever be burned in our skull. That year was ten years ago, in 1999. You had the David Duval eagle putt for 59 drop as his yellow Tommy Hilfiger shirt came untucked and a rare first pump ensued. Sergio Garcia closing his eyes to hit a shot from behind a tree at Medinah, only to run down the fairway as it somehow found its way on the putting surface, scissor kick and all. Payne Stewart's statuesque image when the winning putt dropped at Pinehurst. Jean Van de Velde, hands on his hips, standing in the Barry Burn at Carnoustie, pants rolled up, making the most famous triple-bogey in the history of golf. Any and all images from that Sunday at Brookline, when the Americans stormed back to beat the Europeans at the Ryder Cup.

GolfChannel.com decided to put all these in writing in something they're calling "Project '99", and had some of their most talented voices jot down what they remembered from the event personally. Rich Lerner, who has been with The Golf Channel since 1997, chatted with FanHouse about the Van de Velde collapse, amongst other things. Click away for a little trip back in time.

TAMPA, Fla. -- The two men had met for the first time only a handful of hours earlier on a warm December morning last year while standing in the clubhouse at TPC Tampa Bay before a Birdies for the Brave charity golf event.

Donny Alston and Brad Bryant. Brad and Donny.

Alston, an assistant club professional at a public course about 45 miles away, called the chance visit with the Champions Tour player "a hoot.'' Making it even better, Andy Bean, another senior tour star, had been there, too.

As the LPGA seeks to hire a new commissioner and deal with a shrinking schedule caused by economic and management woes, golf great Annika Sorenstam says global growth is key to the tour's survival, even if it means a lower profile in the United States.

"I'm all in favor of a more global expansion of the tour because that's where the demand is today," Sorenstam told FanHouse Wednesday afternoon. "I'm all about trying to grow our tour and create awareness around the world and get new fans.

"That's what I'm trying to push. Hey, let's just grow globally. That way we are going to raise the profile of the players, the product and what we have to offer."

People these days know Hank Haney as the instructor of Tiger Woods, the best golfer in the world, but Haney is more than that. He's been instructing golfers for 32 years, teaching over 200 touring pros in that span. Haney now owns and operates four teaching facilities in Dallas, Texas, and is the star of The Golf Channel's The Haney Project, which puts Hank with celebrities that want to improve their game. Along with that, Haney has signed a deal with Charles Schwab that includes a program they've called "Talk to a Pro," which allows Haney to give special tips about the golf world.

FanHouse caught up with Hank right before the Presidents Cup, and talked to him about Mark O'Meara, Tiger Woods and what he would do to evaluate someone in a first lesson. Read the exclusive FanHouse interview below.

Golf, you say, is a hard game. You think hitting fairways, avoiding bunkers, reading greens and breaking 90 without clubbing a ball washer in frustration is an accomplishment to celebrate?

Please. Try playing 18 holes in Vince Biser's body.

FanHouse is fighting the rain at Greensboro's 2009 Wyndham Championship.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- There are an impressive number of "hometown favorites" at the Wyndham this year: Davis Love is a semi-local and previous winner; Carl Pettersson is an actual ex-Greensboro resident and last year's winner; and Brandt Snedeker even has his own fans -- literally. There are fans for patrons to purchase that have his face on them.

But the story heading into Saturday afternoon and the 4,000th rain delay* of the tournament is the presence of Sergio Garcia and Fred Couples on the leaderboard, sandwiched between the unknown Chris Riley and the unsponsored Ryan Moore. Couples, now approaching 50 years of age, and Garcia, winless since last year's Players, both have an opportunity to make some noise heading into the FedEx Cup.

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CHASKA, Minn. -- If golf becomes an Olympic sport then we would finally get to see all the best golfers in the world, as they would come together and play a special, important event.

How many lies did I tell in that sentence?

1) We already see all the best come together. In fact, 98 of the top 100 ranked golfers are in the field here, at the PGA Championship this week. 2) Most of the top players wouldn't go to the Olympics, and the field would be weak and entirely unbalanced. 3) It would not be a special event.

And that doesn't even count the one about golf being a sport.

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