Golf FanHouse

Dreams Still in Sight for Ken Green

Mick Elliott — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: FanHouse Exclusive, Champions Tour

ORMOND BEACH, Fla. -- Ken Green, with the stump that used to be his lower right leg still tender and frail less than five months after the accident, eases himself out of a wheelchair and plops downward onto a mattress that lays flat on the floor. Although a stylish bedroom set fills the guest room, it has been pushed, for good reason, to the side to provide room for Green's ground-level living space.

"You have to pay attention when you get out of bed," Green says. "Because if you are not thinking and you step with the leg that's not there, it's not a good result."

Green allows himself a soft laugh. The RV crash in June took the lives of Green's older brother, Billy, long-time girlfriend, Jeannie Hodgin, and beloved German shepherd, Nip. It took his leg. It will not take his style.

A prosthetic leg sits nearby, the toenails -- if it had toenails -- painted bright green, a subtle reminder of the gaudy-hued golf shoes that were his trademark when winning five times on the PGA Tour. Munch, a 12-week-old German shepherd puppy, having just lost interest in trying to chew Green's cell phone, is curled up next to his new master.

The floor where Green, 51, has reclined is a guest room in the home that belongs to brother-in-law Slugger White and sister Shelley. After being released from the hospital following the accident, this is where Green has come to rehab body and mind.

"It's OK. I have to handle this," Green says. "The loss, as I perceive it, is my three best friends. They are gone. There is no other way around that. Then you throw in the leg on top of that."

How much more can this man take? Green's life odyssey already included an ugly divorce, a bad back, the loss of his golf game, financial troubles and clinical depression. Now, a front-tire blowout on the Monday afternoon of June 8 as Green's 40-foot Holiday Rambler whizzed east on Interstate 20 near Hickory, Miss., has raised the ante.

"I won't argue with you that I've had maybe more than the average share of curveballs," Green says. "You sit here and question it sometimes. Whoa, are you going to be strong enough? Are you going to be able to fight through this one?
"I want to play golf. I don't want to just get back on my feet. It will be an absolute failure if I don't get back. I will be disgusted by myself if I don't. And I mean competitively. I mean playing well, even better."
- Ken Green
"I feel like I am. I do have more faith in God than I did when I went through the depression and some of the other issues. So that helps. But the one thing that scares me is will this set off the depression again?"

Not, not this time, please. By Green's estimation, he has only one thing left that's truly worthy of a fight. Damned if he will lose it, too.

On one leg, he vows to return next year to compete on the Champions Tour.

"I want to play golf," he says. "I don't want to just get back on my feet. It will be an absolute failure if I don't get back. I will be disgusted by myself if I don't. And I mean competitively. I mean playing well, even better.

"Golf is my biggest love on the planet, besides basically those three people I have already lost. I was just starting to get it back. The demons were gone. It was a slow process. It took me almost a year since I turned 50. Things were turning around. They were going really well."

******

Green had good reason to believe he had taken and weathered life's best shots.

After turning 50 in July of 2008 and becoming eligible to play the Champions Tour, good things finally began to again happen to a hard-luck guy. Mainly, he was playing well.

In 11 events this season there had been $123,906 in earnings, more money than he had earned in about the last 10 years combined. He had finished seventh at the AT&T Championship in March, and, the day before the accident, shot 71-75-72 in Austin, Texas to tie for 37th and collect $8,486.

"I was beating the demons," he says.

Green once had been a marquee name on the PGA Tour, a man with a good game and a smart ass -- both good at drawing attention.

At the 1997 Masters, when paired with Arnold Palmer, he ordered a friend to hand off a beer as they played the 15th hole, so he could forever brag about having a drink with Arnie at Augusta.

He was fined.

When LPGA star Annika Sorenstam received an invitation to play Colonial, Green protested by vowing to "shave my legs and put on a bra," to see if he would get an invitation to play on the women's tour.

He was shushed.

"I still think I didn't even come close to saying everything I wanted to say," Green insists. "I thought I was actually very well mannered. People remember me for saying things that maybe you were not supposed to say, but all I did was try to be truthful."

Unfortunately, Green's life would move from colorful to dark. Between 1998 and 2008 he faced two issues that, even separate, would torture a soul. Together they tormented him to the core.

Along with suddenly being unable to hit even a semi-quality golf shot, he was diagnosed with full-blown, five-alarm depression. He spoke of hearing voices and admits thoughts of suicide.

That's why even the modest success Green was just starting to find on the Champions Tour was so promising.

"When I first started playing professionally again, as a number, let's say I had a hundred demons that were influencing all the shots," he says. "By the end of last year, I had gotten it down to maybe 80 -- nothing great.

"Just evil thoughts you have before you hit a shot. The fear, the anxiety.

"Then, starting out this year, it just kept getting better and better. And I know this is going to sound like it's a fish story, but I literally had told Jeannie and Billy, out there after we left Austin, that it was down to zero. They were all gone."

The RV, basically Green's home when parked on a friend's empty lot in West Palm Beach, pulled out of Austin, Texas, shortly after Sunday's tournament finish and rolled into Louisiana for the night. The ultimate destination was a week-long break in North Carolina, where Hodgin had family, before driving on to New York for another tournament.

It was quite a crew. Billy, 57, had caddied for his younger brother four years on the PGA Tour and had come back this year to lend his support. Jeannie, "far more than a girlfriend," by Green's account, had been with him for 10 years, through ups and much of the downs.

"I used to beat Billy up unmercifully," Green says. "That's just my style. I beat my friends up. That's my humor. So that part now sucks.

"And Jeannie was Jeannie. She was great."

Then there was Nip, the dog Green loved so much he fought an alligator to save.

Chasing a ball, Nip jumped into a South Florida canal six years ago and was suddenly chomped and pulled under by a gator judged to be seven feet long. Green dove in and swam into the fight, finally freeing the dog and then rushing it to the veterinarian.

"Everybody thinks they have the best relationship with their dogs and all that," Green says. "But this dog and I were kind of psychotic in some respects. She was everything.

"This is going to sound absolutely awful, but there are times I miss her more than I do Jeannie and Billy. Billy and Jeannie I know can understand. Nip, I don't know if she understands why I'm here and she's not. I know only dog people can understand what I'm talking about. People who are not dog people are going to look at me like an idiot."

******

Green says he does not remember anything about the crash that took place near Mississippi mile marker 118 of Interstate 20, about 40 miles west of the Alabama state line.

According to the police report, the right-front tire blew as the camper was traveling approximately 70 mph. A witness reported seeing the vehicle swerve, then go off the road and down a steep embankment before colliding with a large oak tree.

The front of the vehicle was totally destroyed. Billy, Jeannie and Nip were most likely killed instantly. Green, who was thrown through the windshield, believes he survived because he had been laying down in the back while Billy drove.

All he remembers is waking up in a Jackson, Miss., hospital and seeing his sister standing bedside.

"I don't even have a memory of the two hours or so we drove before the accident," he says. "I only remember waking up and seeing Shelley -- 'What are you doing here?' ''

Multiple surgeries were performed as doctors tried the save the mangled leg. But even if they could, Green was told several days later when more lucid, it would require many more surgeries and the limb would never work properly.

"I just remember saying, 'Will I be able to play golf?' '' Green says. "He told me, 'Certainly never again like a professional.' "

With a prosthesis, however, he would have a chance.

"Well then, cut it off."

******

For a guy remembered for ruffling so many feathers, it turns out a lot of people seem to think the world of Ken Green.

Last month a fundraiser in Green's native hometown of Danbury, Conn., drew golf celebrities like Mark Calcavecchia, Greg Kraft, Andy Bean, Fred Funk, Curtis Strange and David Feherty. About $120,000 was raised for the "Ken Green Living Expenses Trust Fund." A similar event has been scheduled Nov. 23 at West Palm Beach.

"I'm certainly concerned for him," Bean said, a regular practice-round partner with Green during their young days on the PGA Tour. "I truly can not imagine.

"The good part is he's channeling a lot of energy that's going to make him better and get him through these next couple of years."

Friends and strangers alike have been touched by Green's plight and have reached out.

One in particular made an impact.

"I played with a man in a Dallas pro-am probably 20 years ago," Green said. "I remember because he had a love of shepherds, also. He read about my accident and knew the lady he had gotten his dog from just had a litter. So he called and wanted to give me a shepherd. As it turns out, a descendant of Rin Tin Tin.

"I actually turned him down at first but a couple of days later I called him back. Something just told me to go."

The day after the Danbury fundraiser, Green flew to Dallas to accept the new puppy.

"Technically, I'm probably not ready for a dog," Green says. "If I didn't have my sister or somebody helping me, it probably wouldn't be the cleanest of houses. But something just told me this was right. And he's perfect. He's incredibly calm. He's incredibly smart.

"Dogs are the best to me. There's dogs and golf. It's not even close what comes third."

The addition, however, presented yet another challenge.

"I don't believe in putting a dog on a plane," Green said. "I just don't."

The answer was having a friend meet him in Dallas four weeks ago and drive back to Florida. On Interstate 20. Through Mississippi. Past mile marker 118.

"Yeah, drove right by it," he says. "I really intended to stop and see the spot. But there were like three things that happened that day that cost us about a hour, and by the time we got there it was too dark.

"Missed it probably by no more than 20 minutes -- seeing the tree and everything that would have still been down. It's probably better I didn't. But I'm sure one day I will. That's just my nature for whatever reason."
"What (people) are failing to understand is our level is nowhere near their level. There are a lot of wonderful, really good golfers who are amputees. But going out and having to shoot 5 under each day for 54 holes is a big difference than going out and playing with your friends."
- Ken Green
"Have you ever seen a movie where people say, 'I have to do this, or see that?' I've always wondered what the hell are they thinking? That makes no sense. You would never do that. Yet, here I was trying to do the same thing."

******

The timeline Green imagines will have him back to tournament golf by next summer.

Already he is playing, going out six weeks ago for the first time, and, albeit from the red tees, has broken par a couple of times.

Still, let's be realistic.

"Everyone who has had the amputation and goes out and plays golf says it's not a problem: You will be able to play." Green says. "What they are failing to understand is our level is nowhere near their level. There are a lot of wonderful, really good golfers who are amputees. But going out and having to shoot 5 under each day for 54 holes is a big difference than going out and playing with your friends."

On the first Wednesday of November Green took his initial serious step back to competition, returning to West Palm Beach to work with teacher Peter Kostis for the first time since the accident.

"I wanted to get him going in stages," said Kostis, also a CBS golf analysis. "Get him a foundation to start building on. I think he had a good start."

Green was optimistic.

"He knows I desperately want to come back and play," Green said. "We've talked a little about what he thinks some of the things we want to do, but he had to show me.

"There's going to be chances. I'm never going to be able to fire hard. Probably going to be all upper body. I'm going to lose some distance.

"Whether I get back or not, I have no ideal. But I don't want to succeed or do this just to be the first guy without a let to play. That means nothing to me.

"It's about me coming back and doing it. To win the battle. Jeannie was in that battle with me. Billy was part of that battle. They went through all of it with me. So it's more about that than trying to do something special."

Kostis, who has known and worked with Green since the golfer's early days on tour, picked up immediately on a different passion.

"As long as I have known Kenny, I'm not sure I have ever seen him as single-minded, committed and so totally believing in what he's doing as right now," Kostis said. "He showed me a purpose that I had not seen before.

"And I want to tell you. I'm as committed to this as he is. It's going to happen."

******

As Green sits and talks he rubs the gnarly stump that comes to a point just below the knee with a crisscross of stitch marks. It's not nervous habit. It's a necessity.

"I've had what I'd call a decent amount of pain with my back problems, my shoulder problems," he says. "So I thought I was pretty good at tolerating stuff. But this has been bizarre. It has different levels but it's constantly there. I've never experience anything like this."

Green likens it to an electric shock that seems to spin around the stump. And strange things dial up the voltage. An electrical storm. Getting near a computer. Going to the bathroom. Spicy foods. They all cause nerve surges.

"It's awful sometimes," he says. "I literally just cry. It's just the nerves. Maybe it's because of all the surgeries. Because of an infection they had to go in there about seven times. So maybe the nerves just got slammed around.

"I'd be lying if I didn't admit, I ask the Big Guy, like, I'm OK handling everything else, but is there really a reason we have to have this pain, too? OK, enough is enough."

He will not, however, even mention the idea of being deterred.

After two hours with his visitor -- a time during which not once did he use the phrase "Why me?'' -- Green announces the desire for a soft drink and pulls himself up and into the wheel chair. Around the corner and down the hall he rolls. Munch trots behind.

"Kenny's motivation has just been insane," Shelley says. "He has come a long way in a short amount of time.

"He's going to get back out there. I have no doubt. And I promised, I'll caddie for him when he first goes back out. Yeah, I'm going to caddie."

Green nail polish for everybody.

Dreams Still in Sight for Ken Green originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse Chats With The Golf Channel's Rich Lerner

Shane Bacon — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: FanHouse Exclusive, Golf Odds and Ends

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.

FanHouse: Tell us a little bit about the project you guys put together.

Lerner: It's five stories centering on the momentum events of 1999. They would be, Payne Stewart winning the 1999 U.S. Open right before his tragic death, USA team coming back at the Ryder Cup, David Duval's 59 at the Bob Hope, Tiger's win over Sergio at the PGA at Medinah and Jean Van de Velde's collapse at the British Open.

FanHouse: And you're focusing on the Van de Velde collapse.

Lerner: Each piece is to be the reporter's account of having been at all these events. I was at Carnoustie, and simply put, it was the most bizarre event I've ever been to in my career.

FanHouse: Talk a little bit about when the event was unfolding.
It was the most bizarre event I ever covered, but until the 71st hole, it was on its way to becoming the most forgettable and least appealing events I had ever been to.
- Rich Lerner
Lerner: I'll give you sort of my account. It was the most bizarre event I ever covered, but until the 71st hole, it was on its way to becoming the most forgettable and least appealing events I had ever been to. If you remember, the superintendent John Philp had the course set up to basically embarrass the players. It was at the height of the distance explosion. A couple of years before this Tiger had hit a sand wedge to a par-5 at Augusta (National) and that was the major discussion. That, and should the players be paid to play in the Ryder Cup.

You remember, that was a very hot debate was distance and how you contain it. ... I remember earlier in the week riding around Carnoustie with the superintendent and you could clearly tell that he had it in for these players. He was not going to allow these wild swingers to win.

They grew the rough, it was knee high, a yard off the fairway. (Greg) Norman I think whiffed a yard off the fairway! Sergio Garcia shot a 89. Tiger said it was just unfair, and it was.

Nobody's happy. The press can't wait to get out of there. The players can't wait to get out of there. I recall distinctly the mood was really flat on Sunday. The press basically had their stories written. It was that Jean Van de Velde, an obscure Frenchman, was going to be the first person from his country since 1907 to win (the Open Championship) on a week that proved to be an embarrassment to the R&A and certainly the greatest players in the world who would just be happy to never come back to Carnoustie. End of story, close up your laptop, get me on the next plane lets get out of here. That was the feeling.

And then it started to rain. And then the Frenchman jumped in the burn and all hell broke loose. ... He goes on to make the greatest triple-bogey in the history of golf, because he made a clutch putt, and it got him into the playoff. ... Only the Scots remembered that Paul Lawrie won. The story was Van de Velde, even in defeat. You knew you'd seen something that they were going to write about and talk about for as long as they played the game. It would be among the most infamous collapses in the history of the sport, if not the most.

FanHouse: Have you ever seen something in your career that rivaled what happened with Van de Velde?

Lerner: You could argue that what's the difference between what Van de Velde did and what Phil Mickelson did at Winged Foot in 2006. Just the single shot, Phil made double and Jean made triple. Phil made a decision that has been criticized and hotly debated. Mickelson is the second-greatest player of this generation. Van de Velde is someone nobody has ever really heard of. Mickelson didn't roll up his pants and jump in the water with a wall starring him in the face.

Mickelson did it at a golf course that was fairly well respected. Carnoustie was reviled for the way it was set up that week. There were so many other good players and it's how Van de Velde handled it that is also a big part of the story. He met this calamity with just this cavalier attitude. This sort of "C'est la vie," what can you do! Although, Phil had a great line too, "I'm such an idiot."

So, that's one way to look at it, but have I ever been around something this bizarre? No, I'd have to go through my mental Rolodex of all the majors. Majors have a way of producing some absolute craziness. At this point, there is nothing that comes to mind that rivals. Norman at Royal Birkdale was pretty intense. I did not go this past year to Turnberry for (Tom) Watson. I'm sure that was incredible.

FanHouse: I guess the craziest thing to happen to rival it on the other side of the spectrum is Nicklaus at Augusta. People always complain that Tiger has never won a major coming from behind, but it's just so hard to do that. Nobody wins majors coming from behind because you've got to go out on a really tough golf course and shoot a low number. And Nicklaus actually putting that together at the age he was at, to me, I still love to watch.

Lerner: That is the best. That is the absolute best. And going back to 1999, that year produced something extra special. That Sunday at the Ryder Cup, that was probably the happiest Sunday in American golf history. They were dead, they were flat on their back, they were being ridiculed as pampered and spoiled and the whole world was against them and in an absolute frenzied fury, they fought back.

That was an all-time Ryder Cup. David Duval, shirt untucked, pumping his first. Ben Crenshaw wagging his finger. This is the key. Any of these other years, you'd have to think a little bit, but 1999 produced some of the most famous moments in championship in the history of the game.

Duval shooting 59, makes the putt on the final hole. The U.S. Open with Payne Stewart, making that clutch putt and grabbing Mickelson by the face, and telling Phil that he was going to be a great father.

The PGA, and significance there. The Masters in 1997 was the big announcement that this guy (Woods) was here. That he had arrived and then some. Then he went through 1998, changing his swing, and well, maybe it wouldn't be so easy. And then he grinds out that win about Garcia (at the 1999 PGA), and gets number two, and the flood gates opened. We were off to the races and off to Nicklaus Land.

Every single one of those moments are big. Bigger than big.

FanHouse: And if Sergio wins that, who knows how his career would have changed.

Lerner: Exactly! Exactly! I mean, if Garcia wins that, I have to believe that Garcia has won four or five majors right now.

FanHouse: I agree with you. Because who knows what he has done at Carnoustie in '07.

Lerner: What about Oakland Hills in '08. He putts that ball in the water on 16. We're in the habit in the press of marking these anniversaries, and so here we are at ten years, and it just so happens that '99 was really an epic year in golf.

FanHouse Chats With The Golf Channel's Rich Lerner originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Loss of Leg Won't Stop Army Vet From Being a Champion

Mick Elliott — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:05:00 EST

Filed under: FanHouse Exclusive, Champions Tour

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.

The conversation was friendly and relaxed. Alston, a U.S. Army veteran who describes himself as "an excessively early person,'' had arrived for the tournament's scheduled noon start shortly after 8 a.m. When he walked into the clubhouse, the only two people already there were Bryant and Bean, both on hand as Champions Tour hosts for the PGA Tour-sponsored event.

"We ended up standing there 45 minutes or an hour, just having a conversation," Alston said. "I'm a golf idol worshipper. So it was a neat, neat thing."

That, Alston figured, was the extent of their exchange. Once the golf started he had seen the two tour pros again only in passing. Now, as darkness began to fall almost 10 hours later, Alston was packing up to head home, happy with the knowledge he had a story to tell the next morning when he returned to work behind the counter at Fox Hollow Golf Club in Trinity, Fla.

But all of a sudden, here was Bryant again, needing a minute to talk, pulling Alston to the side.

"Donny," Bryant said. "I have a question for you. Have you ever thought about playing golf professionally?''

"Come on, Brad. I'm a five handicapper. I'm an assistant club pro. I'm left handed. And, you do know, I only have one leg."
- Donny Alston Alston laughed. "Other than being a soldier, golf's all that I ever wanted to do," he said.

Bryant nodded his approval, and, to Alston's bewilderment, began citing reasons he thought the military veteran should take a shot at playing the Champions Tour.

And now you may think you know where this story is headed. But you have no clue. Not until you read Alston's response. Better still, read it several times until it sinks in.

"Come on, Brad," Alston replied. "I'm a five handicapper. I'm an assistant club pro. I'm left handed.

"And, you do know, I only have one leg."

Perfect.

******

There is nothing coincidental about Bryant's crazy idea coming to life at a Birdies for the Brave event.

Birdies for the Brave is a PGA Tour-sponsored series of charity events that support injured U.S. military personnel, and Bryant, like pretty much the entire Champions Tour roster, is an old-school, proud American with bubbling passion for country and patriotism.

So, as the morning's chance conversation with Alston moved from initial small talk to more serious subjects, Bryant began to realize he just might have found the guy he had long been imagining.

"Like a lot of players on our tour, I've been involved in a couple of different things with veterans," Bryant said. "We're really proud of those guys and want to give back to them.

"For a long time I had thought very seriously about what a great thing it would be if we could have a vet, someone who had distinguished them self in service for America, become a Champions Tour player."

As they visited in the TPC Tampa Bay clubhouse, Bryant soon learned Alston, who turns 48 next month, grew up playing the game -- family owned a golf shop -- and went on to eventually play mini tours, give lessons and work as an assistant club professional.

In between he served in the U.S. Army.

And lost his left leg from the knee down during an incident he will not discuss.

"In 1983 I got hurt," Alston says. "In '85 finally lost the leg after 22 surgeries. Got an infection from dirty instruments used on me in the field, which is nobody's fault. That's just the way it is in the field."

Pretty soon, Bryant had only one more question he needed answered: Can the guy on the prosthetic leg really play?

Bryant, unbeknownst to Alston, would later follow the military veteran to the practice range just to see. What were the odds? Ridiculous at best, right? Still, at this point, the far-fetched idea was gaining traction in Bryant's head.

"I went out to watch him on the practice tee," Bryant recalls. "And then, when I saw him swing, I said, 'Holy cow!' He makes this beautiful circle with the golf club. Yes, he has some flaws, but that was about as good as I've seen.

"You just don't see many golf swings where the guy just naturally makes a circle."

******

A month later, Bryant was back in touch, calling Alston at home with a slew of details.

ChampionsGate, the plush resort course outside Orlando that is home to the David Leadbetter Golf Academy, was offering its facilities for Alston to use for practice. That was particularly convenient since Alston now was enrolled as a new student at the Leadbetter Academy. Kevin Smeltz, ranked among the top 50 teaching pros in the country, a guy who works with a list of tour pros, specifically volunteered to work with Alston.

Callaway Golf would be helping with equipment. And another thing: With barely two years to go before Alston would become eligible for Champions Tour qualifying school, too much work needed to be done for this to be anything other than a full-force commitment. So Alston was just going to have to resign his assistant club pro job.

Bryant had talked to some of his buddies -- nobody special, just guys like Gary Player and Fuzzy Zoeller and Peter Jacobsen and Brad's little brother, Bart, the PGA Tour player, as well as Bean and some others -- and everybody was on board.

They would be matching Alston's old salary, meaning his new fulltime job would be working toward qualifying for the Champions Tour.

"Think about it," Bryant advised. "Talk to your wife. No pressure. But we think you can do it."

"This is to let all our service people know how much we appreciate them and how much we care about them. Even though the checks are made out to Donny, they are written to all our American vets.''
- Brad Bryant Retelling the story recently while taking a break during another long day on the practice range, Alston shook his head and laughed, still uncertain such a wild tale could actually be true.

"I talked to my wife," he recalled. "I said, 'What do you think? This guy is insane, right? Truly, he's crazy.''

"Obviously, a super-nice man, but he's nuts.' "

Bryant pleads guilty. He's absolutely, certifiably crazy about this cause.

"If he could become a really good player, it would do so much for our veterans," Bryant said. "Especially wounded vets. So the picture is much bigger than Donny.

"This is to let all our service people know how much we appreciate them and how much we care about them. Even though the checks are made out to Donny, they are written to all our American vets.

"If he never plays a golf tournament, we've already had a victory because we've given people an opportunity to say thank you to our veterans and try to fulfill one of their dreams. And maybe it will be a challenge to other groups to do things for our veterans."

Bean agreed from the start. Now, after playing several practice rounds with Alston, he's more certain that ever.

"Donny served our country and had the misfortune of not coming back quite the way he left," said Bean, an 11-time winner on the PGA Tour. "He loves golf. Anything you can do to give him a chance at a dream, shoot, that's the least I can do.

"Whether Donny makes it or not is not what this is about. It's about being able to help him with a dream he had. If I can somehow help make that come true, hey man, God bless him for trying."

******

Even before Bryant so surprisingly popped into his life, Alston counted himself among the lucky ones.

There was plenty of self-pity and anger to start, but eventually he adjusted to life with a prosthesis. Adapt and overcome. That's what he learned in the army. It carried him in civilian life, too.

Growing up in his dad's golf shop, Alston always imagined one day playing on tour, but even on two good legs, it would have been long odds. So, putting his life back together after the injury and getting back into golf on the club level had become the new goal.

Now, married for 20 years to wife Angie, Alston was living happy and content in the small town of Holiday, about 50 miles north of Tampa. His assistant pro position at Fox Hollow allowed time to play and teach.

"I was perfectly happy," he said.

Then all of a sudden, here is Bryant talking about qualifying for the Champions Tour.

"If I was going to sponsor a player right now, it wouldn't be me," Alston said. "But I also know the uniqueness of it is the hook. I understand the chances. Brad likes to say it's 40,000-to-one. I think it's more like a million-to-one.

"Whatever, it's a long shot. But a big part of me really wanting to give this a try is the opportunity for exposure for what the troops go through. Especially the amputees. It will give me a chance to touch people I could not get to otherwise.

"My big thing is with amputees. You may think your life is over, or your life will never be what it was again. It's true only if you let it be true. I can't hold a candle to some of the guys I have met. Guys with both legs off. A leg and an arm and half a face. And they're getting it done, viable members of our society.

"Don't let your disability make your life less. Your life can be more than. It does not have to be less than."

Angie sees the fire Bryant's proposal has lit. She notices the fresh passion injected into an old routine.

"He's happy when he's playing golf," she says. "He's very driven and wants to accomplish things. Whatever he happens to be doing at the time, he's driven, but if it's not golf there's not a light in his eyes. When it's golf related he's just happy. Very, very happy."

Angie stops. She doesn't speak the words, but still says it: OMG! This is for real.

"I thought it was the coolest things I had ever heard when Donny first told me," she finally says. "Donny was in shock. He felt like he was dreaming.

"It almost seemed like a too-good-to-be-true type of thing, but that has not been the case at all. It's been exactly what Brad said it would be: Fantastic."

******

So, will Alston actually defy all odds and logic? Can a blue-collar assistant club professional with a prosthetic leg actually transform himself into a world-class senior player?

You can argue stranger things have happened. In the early 1990s a small-town Texas farmer named Robert Landers, showed up for qualifying school in tennis shoes and swinging home-made clubs and beat the odds.

"Well, I am a pit bull," Alston says. "I'm very into perseverance. I have a competitive spirit. And I can putt the eyes out of it.

"So Kevin is building me a swing that I can repeat time and time again. As long as I can hit some greens, I'm going to make some putts."

Since the grand experiment officially began in March, there has been no shortage of effort. Five days a week, no less than eight hours a day, Alston works on his game.

"I believe in God. I believe there is such a thing as fate. There's a plan for you whether you know it or not. Maybe all these guys helping me is because I can help someone else."
- Donny Alston "As far as his swing, technically, his leg has not posed too much of a problem yet to be honest with you," Smeltz said. "I think as far as playing tournament conditions, I think he still has pain daily, so it's more of an endurance factor than it is a technique factor.

"Certainly there are factors that make it more challenging, but he's got the work ethic."

When Alston first reported to Leadbetter Academy eight months ago for instruction from Smeltz he carried a five handicap. Now he's a two.

"We're trying to get his ball to go a little straighter," Smeltz said, "but more importantly a little higher, so he can hold some of the greens in the conditions that he is striving to play in."

Striving to play in. That's the key phrase.

"The whole thing does sound a little off the wall," Smeltz said. "But I'm up for the challenge. Let's give it a shot and see what happens."

******

Whatever eventually transpires, Bryant is correct about at least one thing: This is not just about Donny.

"I wanted to be the first amputee to ever be a regular playing member of a professional golf tour," Alston said.

Now, he realizes his job might be to see that someone else does it first.

In June, PGA Tour veteran Ken Green's lower right leg was amputated following a recreational vehicle accident in which his brother and girlfriend died.

The 51-year-old golfer recently was fitted with a prosthetic limb and is in early rehabilitation. Returning to golf, Green has said, is the motivation that is keeping him going.

"I've been on the phone with him a lot, just talking," Alston said. "Brad and Andy and Ken, all those guys are buddies. I let them know if I could get with Ken and try to help him, just let me know.

"We're going to start meeting as soon as he's really able to get up on his prosthetic. I'm going to help him find his balance, all the little things. So, chances are I may be helping someone else be first. He's already a member of the Champions Tour.

"But if I help Ken Green go out first, that's fine. I believe in God. I believe there is such a thing as fate. There's a plan for you whether you know it or not. Maybe all these guys helping me is because I can help someone else."

And that's not such a crazy idea.

Loss of Leg Won't Stop Army Vet From Being a Champion originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Annika Sorenstam Enjoying 'New Life'

Mick Elliott — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:45:00 EST

Filed under: LPGA, FanHouse Exclusive

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."

Although Sorenstam, 39, stepped away from competition at the end of 2008, and six weeks ago gave birth to daughter Ava Madelyn McGee, she remains active on the business side of golf and is serving as an adviser to the LPGA board of directors.

The LPGA hall of famer with 72 career wins and 10 major championships made her comments from the U.S. Golf Association Museum in Far Hills, N.J., where she was participating in an American Express promotion that included Lucas Glover and Morgan Pressel.

"I'm here to give my opinion as a player," Sorenstam said of her LPGA advisory role. "The last 15 years I've been traveling. I know what every tour stop is like. I've seen the growth of the game."

Although an increase in foreign tour stops would inevitably lower the American-based tour's presence on its home turf, Sorenstam believes the move makes sense.

"Wherever the market takes us," she said. "If there are tournaments here in the U.S., of course, we should welcome that. I think that would be wonderful.

"It's just a tough time now economically and companies are staying away from entertainment and sponsorships of golf events when you having to let go of several hundred people.

"I welcome opportunities to play for the players. If it's in the U.S., wonderful. If it's globally, that's wonderful also. I just want to make sure the players have places to play and can pursue their dreams."

The LPGA's player roster long ago went global. Korean Jiyai Shin is this season's leading money winner, and only three American are among the top 10. Of the top 50 players in the current Rolex World Rankings, only 11 are Americans, topped by Paula Creamer at No. 6. Some 120 foreign players are LPGA members, representing 26 countries. South Korea with 45 tops the list of non-Americans.

Former LPGA commissioner Carolyn Bivens even made a push to make it mandatory for players to speak English, in an effort to attract sponsors, before a public relations backlash torched the idea.

But, while LPGA heads labor with the task of replacing Bivens, who resigned in July under pressure, and to protect its brand, Sorenstam sounded content in her new life.

After ending her playing career and marrying Mike McGee in January, Sorenstam turned her energies to the business side of golf. Her commitments include the Annika Foundation, the Annika Teaching Academy, golf course design, Annika Fragrance for women, a clothing endorsement deal and a new wine.

She also worked on golf's successful push for a place in the 2016 Olympic Games.

"And, oh yeah, I'm a new mother, too," she laughed.

Happy and content, she added.

"The new life is wonderful," she said. "Our little girl, Ava, has changed our lives, I can tell you that.

"Competition seems like it was ages ago. It's a new life and a new chapter. I'm staying very, very busy. I feel like I'm busier now than I was. I'm just not traveling as much, but doing a lot of work and enjoying it."

Annika Sorenstam Enjoying 'New Life' originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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From Tiger to Barkley, Hank Haney Has Coached Them All

Shane Bacon — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:49:00 EST

Filed under: FanHouse Exclusive, Golf Odds and Ends

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.

FanHouse: Before you decided to become an instructor, what were your own golf goals? Were you interested in playing professionally?

Haney: I played golf in college, at the University of Tulsa, so I always worked on my game and I enjoyed trying to become better, it's a passion of mine. But I majored in education at Tulsa, and knew I wanted to be an instructor, and that was the only job I've ever had, so I decided early on that I wanted to do something in golf and teaching was what I wanted to do.

FanHouse: Do you still play?

Haney: I still play a lot. I play more than I've ever played. I've got a little more time now and I'm a little further along in my career so I play a lot. I probably play 100 times a year.

FanHouse: Mark O'Meara (one of Haney's students) was always a good player ... Did you see that? He was always a good player, but when he won two majors in one year, were you surprised at that, or did you expect something like that could happen for someone with his type of game?

Haney: You never know. Mark was very capable, but you have to be in the right place at the right time. The one thing about Mark O'Meara is he was always a great finisher. If he got in position, he could finish the deal. A lot of things that people don't realize is you get to where ... I always thought he could do well at Augusta (National), but you know, the British Open was always a good tournament for him too, and you get on good golf courses that you've had success on in the past, it makes it easier to have success in the future.

FanHouse: So you and I go to the practice tee, and we have an hour to hit some range balls. What's the first thing you look at?

Haney: The first thing I look at is what the ball does, in particular what the ball does with maybe a middle iron and then what the ball does with their driver, and find out what their critical ball flight mistake is. You either hook the ball to the left or slice the ball to the right and, you know, that's your critical ball flight mistake and then that is what we need to fix first.

FanHouse: And I saw online that you really want to make people realize that the ball flight is so important and you want to make them understand how to make it work. Is that really what you focus on?

Haney: You've got to be able to diagnose based on the ball flight because it's what you can see as a teacher and it's what you can see as a student. You can't see yourself swing, but you can see where the ball goes. To hit a golf ball a certain way, you can only do that by making a certain kind of impact and that impact is telling you what you're doing wrong. So you have to be able to read the ball flight.

FanHouse: What would you say the appropriate amount of time is for someone to divide between the driving range and short game?

Haney: The stock answer for that is half the time on short game and half the time on full swing, and half the short game time should be spent putting, but it all just depends on what you're having the most trouble with and where your biggest weaknesses are. Golf is a game where there aren't enough hours in the day to practice everything so you really have to put out fires, if you will, and sometimes you'll have to spend more time on your short game and sometimes you'll have to spend a little more time on your full swing.

FanHouse: When Tiger missed the cut at the British, people were chattering about his swing. Do you read or listen to any of that, or is it just people not understanding that golf is a hard game and sometimes it just isn't there?

Haney: Well, everybody has an opinion, and they're entitled to their opinion. Yeah, I listen to it all and I hear it, but it's one tournament, and it wasn't even really one tournament, it was six holes, and there was a three-putt in there and a two chip and it wasn't just his bad shots. I always look and think that you have to pick the low hanging fruit first, and I think the three-putt from 10 feet would be the lowest hanging fruit that there was in those 36 holes.

But, somehow, everybody had it figured out that all of a sudden his swing is no good. He's human, and it happens, and you have bad days, you have bad six holes, and he finished no worse than 11th in any stroke play event except for one, and in that one, he had a bad six hole stretch.

FanHouse: Yeah, I try to get that across to people that you have to understand that it's still this game that's really hard to master. The fact that Tiger blew up so quickly, and won so many tournaments in a row, people haven't ever done what he did before.

Haney: Yeah, exactly. And they criticize him all the time for his driving and everything; he's like sixth on the tour or seventh in total driving. You measure distance and accuracy, and that isn't even an accurate measurement because everyone knows that distance is more important, but even if you give it 50 percent distance, 50 percent accuracy, he's seventh on the tour in total driving, but yet, somehow, there is this perception that he doesn't drive it good.

FanHouse: And after Turnberry, did you guys go at the practice harder? Because after the missed cut, he went three wins and three seconds in seven tournaments.

Haney: He just sticks to what he's doing. Tiger is good at sticking to his plan, sticking to what he's working on. He doesn't let highs and lows bother him, and that's one of the things that he's good at, and frankly, it's one of the things that I think is a parallel between what I do in golf instruction and what Charles Schwab does in investments. You have to have a plan, you have to stick to that plan, you can't let an up-and-down throw you totally off course, you have to be patient, and it's one of the reasons why I'm so excited to have a partnership like I have with Charles Schwab is because there are so many parallels between golf and investing, and obviously Charles Schwab is an incredible sponsor of the PGA Tour. There are a lot of similarities that you can see in the two areas.

FanHouse: And what is your partnership going to be with Charles Schwab?

Haney: One thing we've got is a great website, and I give some exclusive golf tips on there, and we've also got quite a few experts from Charles Schwab that give financial planning advice on retirement and saving for college and just a lot of investment advice that you can find on the website, and just drawing some parallels between the two. Being patient, and having a plan, and those are important if you want to get better at golf and they're important if you want to play for the future.

FanHouse: Okay, I have to talk about Charles Barkley for a minute. He was your first student on The Haney Project and I haven't watched a more entertaining show in a while. Was it as fun as it looked and was it as challenging as it looked?

Haney: Charles is one of my favorite people in the world. He's just a great person, he's a great ambassador for sports in general and he's the most gracious professional athlete I've ever been around, so it's just a lot of fun.

Now, as far as his golf as concerned (laughs), that's why it was called The Project. It was a project, and it's the ultimate challenge for a teacher. You love having a challenge like that. I would have liked to have done better, but you realize that, hey, it's not easy. It's a tough game and he's got a tough problem. I enjoyed the whole process and especially enjoyed being with Charles, who's just a good guy.

FanHouse: And he seemed like he would work as hard as you'd push him.

Haney: He wasn't going to give in. He tries hard. He works hard. He didn't give up. It's just a hard game.

FanHouse: And upcoming, you'll be filming The Haney Project with Ray Romano.

Haney: I'm starting this weekend, and I'm looking forward to that because Ray is a real passionate golfer, wants to improve, wants to get better. Obviously, he's an incredibly gifted performer, so it should be a lot of fun.

FanHouse: And finally, with the Presidents Cup coming up, what do you see as something that Tiger, or any of the golfers involved in the event, do differently, playing in a team event?

Haney: I think a lot of the players feel more pressure playing in a team event because they don't want to let their team down or their captain down or their country down. You see a little different kind of pressure and that's kind of fun to watch, to see how the different players handle it.

I think the Presidents Cup is great. It's a little more relaxed atmosphere, fun to watch, and should be great golf, and really entertaining.

FanHouse: Well, great. Thanks for talking to us, Hank. We appreciate it.

From Tiger to Barkley, Hank Haney Has Coached Them All originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Six Is Only Handicap Worth Mentioning to One-Armed Champion

Mick Elliott — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: FanHouse Exclusive

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.

Biser, 21, from Baltimore, recently won the North American One-Armed Golfer Association championship played on extremely difficult PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., the same course where the PGA Tour's Honda Classic is held. The winner suffers from cerebral palsy, has limited vision, virtually no use of the entire right side of his upper body and, as a result of surgery five years ago required to alleviate debilitating seizures, is missing a section of his brain.

What Biser does have is two tons of positive attitude and a USGA-certified 6 handicap to show for it. His career-low round at the Country Club of Maryland where he plays with father, Andy, is 74.

Able to swing clubs only with his left arm, Biser regularly hits tee balls 240 yards and uncorked a 290-yard smash during play at PGA National. He can launch arching wedge shots and putts like a guy carrying a 6 handicap should.

"Just a lot of time hitting balls,'' Biser says. "I feel pretty good about playing really well.''

Only a rock form could not share that joy.

Born with his affliction, Biser found early support in a Baltimore sports program for disabled children. "They were well know in the disability world for teaching kids they can before someone tells them they can't,'' Andy said. Vince liked baseball most but, more importantly, was drawn to all activities.

As he grew older, however, occasional seizures became frequent attacks. Vince was soon taking handfuls of anti-seizure medications that only served to knock him out.

"Sometimes he'd sleep all day," dad remembered.

By high school, with any quality of life diminishing by the day, Vince was judged a good candidate for a medical procedure called a hemispherectomy, an intensive operation that could relieve the seizures by removing a part of his brain that was generating the attacks.

The recovery was long -- well over a year -- and painful, but the seizures finally were gone and it wasn't long before Vince again was itching for activity.

"To be honest, the real reason we joined the country club was social," Andy said. "So he could play some golf and be around people. Bring him out of his shell."

Now everybody at the club knows Vince. And the smart ones want him as a partner.

"He's a tremendous young guy,'' said Alan Gentry. "He has unbelievable talent.''

Gentry knows from a first-hand look. The former hydrogeologist, who lost an arm from his elbow down to a drill rig, is the executive director of the North American One-Armed Golfer Association, and was at PGA National as a competitor and organizer.

The NAOAGA is in its eighth year of operation. It formed in Louisville, Ky., where, according to Gentry, "a few of us basically decided to put on a golf tournament for one-armed guys."

The idea grew from the simplest of reasons. Fill a need.

"We played amputee golf for several years and felt there was need for awareness for the one-armed prosthetic industry,'' Gentry said. "Arm prosthetics were just not moving forward like legs were in our opinion. The industry felt like there was not a market for it, to be honest with you.

"So we just decided to start this separate organization.''

The labor was a passion. Previously involved in amputee golf, Gentry had assisted with a program called First Swing, a group that provided rehabilitation professionals and physical therapists to teach golf to the physically challenged. He had seen and experienced what opportunities to compete and be active can do for attitudes and wellness.

"I was participating in those clinics and seeing the joy and inspiration on the faces of these patients and they wanted to get out and learn the game,'' Gentry said. "But some really had no place to turn to from a competitive standpoint. The amputee association is limited to amputees. Our one-armed association kind of filled a niche that was out there.''

Now the organization is growing with some 150 members who are proud of their handicap.

Ask Mike Carver of Granada, Miss.

He is the guy with one leg, one arm and only three fingers who on several occasions has shot 69 on 6,500-yard courses.

And, yes, he has become accustomed to strangers seeing him on a golf course, stopping, staring and finally asking about his handicap.

"It's single digit,'' he will proudly respond.

"I tell those guys who have lost a limb, I got mine the easy way. I was born this way,'' Carver says. "I didn't go through having it and losing it. That's a big difference. When I was born, I just adapted to what I had.''

As a child Carver often accompanied an uncle who played golf, riding and watching from the cart.

"I tried it,'' he said. "Well, I might be able to do this.''

Similar thoughts served as a common thread for the 47 players who gathered at PGA National, a cross section of maladies, accidents and challenges.

A number of participants had lost arms in automobile or motorcycle accidents. One was a victim of an alligator, another a utility worker who fell into live electrical wires. Still others were victims of birth defects, strokes or illness.

All were bonded by a shared desire not to be left on the sidelines.

There were two divisions: Unassisted, where the golfer plays with one hand only on the club, and assisted, where the player uses a prosthetic arm or hand or a residual stump as a result of a permanent disability.

While Vince Biser won the unassisted title, John Trenchik of Toledo, Ohio, took the assisted division.

"I just can't say enough about the association,'' Andy Biser said. "People can have a good time playing golf and forget about their disabilities because they can do it.''

Golf, as it turns out, is the easy part.

Six Is Only Handicap Worth Mentioning to One-Armed Champion originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ryan Moore on Sponsors: 'Certainly Not Against' Them

Will Brinson — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:15:00 EST

Filed under: PGA, FanHouse Exclusive, Golf Odds and Ends

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

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Once upon a time, Ryan Moore had many sponsors. This is because he was a U.S. Amateur Champion and the golf world had high expectations for him on the PGA Tour. Of course, at the point that "once upon a time" equates to "five years," well, people tend to forget.

And Moore concedes that a certain point he himself forgot what he was doing and that at a certain point, three years into a winless career, he needed to refocus on what was important for his golf career. And that, apparently, meant shedding almost all of his sponsors and concentrating on his golf game.

So, it was with great earnest that FanHouse asked him about whether or not that would change now that he's a winner on the PGA Tour. And, apparently, it could. Maybe. Or whatever. He doesn't seem all that concerned.

"I'm certainly not against sponsorships. I just wanted to get the last three years behind me, kind of get a fresh start and get back to basics and just focus on playing golf," Moore waxed somewhat philosophically following his win at the Wyndham.

And that's the amazing thing about this prodigy-turned-semi-bust-turned-PGA-winner -- you would almost never see a golfer, or anyone for that matter, give up money and free clothing under the auspices of improving their game. But Moore did that.

It took him a while, even after going "clean," to get where he needed in terms of mental and physical health, but he got there. And while it was the last "regular season" tournament of the 2009 year, Moore is a champion. The lack of sponsors doesn't necessarily make it better; it just means that he did it his own way. And luckily for him, there's probably a decent chance he'll be getting some phone calls in the near future anyway.

Ryan Moore on Sponsors: 'Certainly Not Against' Them originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kevin Stadler Does Not Make With the Clutch on 18 at the Wyndham

Will Brinson — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 18:20:00 EST

Filed under: PGA, FanHouse Exclusive, FedEx Cup

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

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Kevin Stadler needed just an eight-footer to win the 2009 Wyndham and, as you may have seen on your teevee, he missed it. It made things less awkward for new crowd favorite Ryan Moore who also tossed up a bogey after going right of the fairway on 18. Did Stadler choke? Or did Donald Ross just design an impossibly difficult 18th hole? It's hard to say, so let's just go to the video. (Bonus: The dude next to me does his best -- worst? -- Jim Mora impersonation immediately following Stadler's whiff.)

Kevin Stadler Does Not Make With the Clutch on 18 at the Wyndham originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Sun, 23 Aug 2009 18:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Davis Love, John Daly's Pants Victims of Second Cut on Wyndham Sunday

Will Brinson — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 13:39:00 EST

Filed under: PGA, FanHouse Exclusive, FedEx Cup

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

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Typically speaking, after two days of PGA golf there is a cut. (This, I hope, is obvious to even the most casual of golfing readers.) But this year's Wyndham was a little different, which seems fitting given the nature of the tournament's scheduling so far.

See, 87 players made the cut through 36 holes. That, of course, is too many. So an additional 17 were chopped off of the end of the leaderboard, and that group awkwardly included some pretty big names. And I'm not just talking about 16-year-old Justin Thomas.

John Daly -- who was rocking a super-sick pair of red pants ON Saturday -- was left out of the final 18 holes as well, in a group that included fan-fave Davis Love III and Brinson-fave Charley Hoffman (his hair just goes for miles, people).

So, yeah, the second cut, while necessary, hurt the field. And the additional time this morning also seemed to hurt Fred Couples. The 49-year-old started Sunday just a few strokes back of the lead, but quickly limped off a pair of bogeys that sent him tumbling down to a tie for 14th, at one-over on the day thus far.

Davis Love, John Daly's Pants Victims of Second Cut on Wyndham Sunday originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Sun, 23 Aug 2009 13:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Couples, Garcia Contending at Rain-Battered Wyndham

Will Brinson — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:13:00 EST

Filed under: PGA, FanHouse Exclusive, FedEx Cup

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.

More: Wyndham Championship Leaderboard

Garcia started at 9-under but ripped off birdies on the first, third and fifth holes before play was suspended around 4:30 PM ET -- both he and Couples, who birdied one, two and five, now sit barely back of Riley, who has come on strong in his last three tournaments, finishing no lower than seventeenth.

It appears -- at least from the quality of the course (which is somehow worse in person than it is on the teevee) and the general attitude of the players and tournament officials, that play will be suspended for the day. More rainstorms are en route later in the evening, and the current flood-like conditions aren't guaranteed to clear up in time for the Donald Ross-designed Sedgefield to become playable.

That's the bad news. The good news is that right now, as noted above, Couples and Garcia are squarely in contention, and they are joined by Kevin Stadler (an enjoyable fellow and son of the Walrus), Bill Haas (another semi-local who played golf at nearby Wake Forest), the loveable Moore, fan-favorite Snedeker and once-upon-good golfer Justin Rose on the immediate leaderboard.

All of that means that the Wyndham should expect big crowds (along with decent weather -- Greensboro's forecast is surprisingly sunny tomorrow) and a lot of dart-throwing on Sunday, with today's weather paving the way for low scores.

As for what we can expect, well, it seems unreasonable to presume that Garcia is going to win just because he's the biggest name on the board at this stage in the game; it's been more or less his MO, career-wise, to not win when he's sitting one back. Couples, on the other hand, probably provides the most compelling storyline as a near-50-something fan favorite who seems past his prime but somehow seems poised to make a run for a late-season win.

*May not be accurate

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Boo Weekley hits from the rough on the second hole during the third round of the Wyndham Championship PGA golf tournament at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

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Spectators leave the area due to a weather delay during the third round of the Wyndham Championship PGA golf tournament at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Kevin Stadler, right, waits to hit on the third tee during the third round of the Wyndham Championship PGA golf tournament at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Fred Couples reacts after making a birdie putt on the second hole during the third round of the Wyndham Championship PGA golf tournament at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Eduardo Romero, from Argentina, hits off the seventh tee during the third round of the Jeld-Wen Tradition golf tournament at Crosswater Golf Club in Sunriver, Ore., Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

Fred Couples watches his tee shot on the second hole during the third round of the Wyndham Championship PGA golf tournament at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Sergio Garcia, of Spain, chips to the fifth hole during the third round of the Wyndham Championship PGA golf tournament at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Sergio Garcia, of Spain, lines up a putt with his caddie during the third round of the Wyndham Championship PGA golf tournament at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

GREENSBORO, NC - AUGUST 22: D.J. Trahan waits to hit his approach shot on the 10th hole during the third round of the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club on August 22, 2009 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Chris Keane/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** D.J. Trahan

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Couples, Garcia Contending at Rain-Battered Wyndham originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Golf in the Olympics? Just Say No

Greg Couch — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: FanHouse Exclusive, Golf Odds and Ends

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.

Update: IOC Approves Golf For 2016 Games

Golf should not be in the Olympics. But on Thursday, an IOC committee is expected to announce which two sports it plans to recommend for the 2016 Olympics, leaving only a rubber-stamp vote by the full IOC in October to make it official.

Golf is expected to be selected.

"Golf is a truly global sport and I think it should have been in the Olympics a while ago," Tiger Woods said. "If it does get in, I think it would be great for golf, and especially some of the other smaller countries that are now emerging in golf."

And would Tiger, at 40, play?

"If I'm not retired by then, yeah," he said.

This is a big topic going into the PGA, and all of the golfers seem to say exactly the same thing, that it would be good for golf.

And well, sure it would increase golf's profile, if that's what the Olympics are for.

But I don't like golf in the Olympics.

The plan is for a regular stroke play women's tournament the first week of the Games, and then a men's tournament the second week. That's according to Colin Montgomerie.

Players will compete as individuals, not countries. The top 15 players in the world could come. No country could have more than two golfers, unless those players are in the top 15. So in the current world rankings, the U.S. has six in the top 15. That would equate to six Olympians. But No. 16 Anthony Kim is out.

Golf in the Olympics. This is not a good fit, and I'm particularly bugged by what seems to be the motive. Golfers and the game's officials keep talking about how the Dream Team led to a worldwide boom in basketball. That's true. And this could be a chance for golf to grow in places such as Russia, because the game does not expect a ton of growth in the places where the game is already established.

So it's not about a grand event for the game, but instead about marketing, about conquering new turf.

See if you notice a difference in this story:

After the U.S. softball team lost the gold medal game in Beijing, I had a long talk with pitcher Jennie Finch, who was close to tears, feeling that she had been one of the leaders of her game, and had failed it.

She felt it was on her, in big part, to promote the game, to grow it, and to give young girls another opportunity to play sports. Now, it was being bumped from the Olympics.

That's far more about the Olympic spirit than what golf is after.

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Anthony Kim high fives with a young child while signing autographs following his practice round for the 91st PGA Championship at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn., Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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CHASKA, MN - AUGUST 12: Martin Kaymer of Germany hits a putt during the third preview day of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club on August 12, 2009 in Chaska, Minnesota. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Martin Kaymer

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CHASKA, MN - AUGUST 12: Martin Kaymer of Germany hits a shot during the third preview day of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club on August 12, 2009 in Chaska, Minnesota. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Martin Kaymer

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CHASKA, MN - AUGUST 12: Martin Kaymer of Germany pulls a club during the third preview day of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club on August 12, 2009 in Chaska, Minnesota. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Martin Kaymer

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CHASKA, MN - AUGUST 12: Rory Sabbatini of South Africa lines up a putt during the third preview day of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club on August 12, 2009 in Chaska, Minnesota. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Rory Sabbatini

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CHASKA, MN - AUGUST 12: Anthony Kim hits a shot during the third preview day of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club on August 12, 2009 in Chaska, Minnesota. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Anthony Kim

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CHASKA, MN - AUGUST 12: Dustin Johnson hits a shot during the third preview day of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club on August 12, 2009 in Chaska, Minnesota. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Dustin Johnson

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CHASKA, MN - AUGUST 12: Jason Dufner hits a shot during the third preview day of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club on August 12, 2009 in Chaska, Minnesota. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jason Dufner

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CHASKA, MN - AUGUST 12: Martin Kaymer of Germany walks across a green during the third preview day of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club on August 12, 2009 in Chaska, Minnesota. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Martin Kaymer

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The Olympics are about an ideal, about a sport's best coming together for its big moment, or at the very least, one of its big moments.

That's not what this would be. Golf would seem like an exhibition in the Olympics, with Tiger Woods creating the stir and a handful of other top players. I guess you could argue that the PGA Tour is already like that.

Woods and other top players -- presumably Phil Mickelson will be too old by then -- will be there for fun, not for their Super Bowl.

We already see golf's big moment at four majors a year. Tennis has the same problem, and works only marginally in the Olympics, and that's because most of the top players come.

In golf, you'd find players in the top 25, top 30 being left out to make room for golfers from non-golfing countries getting their 500th ranked, or unranked players in.

On the women's tour, that would be a disaster, as we'd be talking about Michelle Wie going against someone lucky to break 90.

I just looked this up: If the Olympics were today, and you took the current men's world rankings, you'd put the first 15 into the Games, and then, of the next 35, just 13 would be eligible.

It's true that the Olympics aren't the pinnacle in basketball. The NBA Finals are bigger. But at least Olympic basketball is the one time the sport has all, or at least most, of the best players together in one place at one time.

Padraig Harrington said that a lot of people would be upset because they don't consider golf a sport. And let's face it, it's a tough skill, but it's not aerobic and doesn't require fitness. But that really doesn't bother me.

At least golf is an international game, moreso than plenty of other sports. Baseball and softball have been dropped from the Games, and are hoping to get back in tomorrow.

Softball is played only in a few countries. And baseball? The best American baseball players do everything they can to avoid the Games.

Why? Because the Olympics have much tougher steroid testing.

That's my theory, anyway.

But also, one day during the Athens Games, I was walking around the concourse of the baseball stadium when two Greek police officers came after me. "What are you doing?" they asked.

Uh, just walking around. Nothing wrong.

"No, no. What are you doing? They hit the ball and then run around in a circle."

The world doesn't necessarily know baseball.

So not everything already in the Olympics fits better than golf would.

But from here, let's leave the Games to athletes who find them special.

Send me an email at gregcouch09@aol.com

Golf in the Olympics? Just Say No originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scott Van Pelt Chats US Open, 'Regular' Tiger and Twitter

Shane Bacon — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: PGA, US Open, FanHouse Exclusive

This week, FanHouse caught up with ESPN's Scott Van Pelt, who is out at Bethpage Black, to talk about golf, the evolution of media and who he thinks might win this US Open. Van Pelt, whose Scott Van Pelt Show debuts on ESPN Radio July 6, is good buddies with Tiger Woods and has some funny stories to tell about the star golfer. But you'll still be interested in Van Pelt's choice to win this week. Enjoy.

Shane Bacon: Hey Scott. Thanks for taking a few minutes to chat with us. First things first, your new radio show, The Scott Van Pelt Show, debuts on July 6. Not having Mike Tirico around will be disappointing, but is there anything cool you have planned with the new show and anything that will be different?

Scott Van Pelt: I think the thing about the show, Ryen Russillo will be my co-host and if anything, it will probably sound younger, and i don't mean by that that Mike made it older, it's just that I have more in common with Ryen because, you know, we're both single and we both waste time at two in the morning playing video games, which is pretty pathetic, but I think the way we look at the show is that whatever you and your buddies are talking about, whether it's most likely sports, but maybe it's music, maybe it's film, maybe it's a video game, we'll probably spend more time talking about things like that. I guess the cliche would be to call it "guy radio," but it isn't like we're going to be doing Maxim boob jokes, that's not our goal. But it will sound a little younger, I guess is the best way to put it.

Bacon: What does Bethpage feel like right now? I've read some things, like Ryan Moore saying he didn't think it would be playing as tough as 2002. What are you getting from the players?

SVP: I was just on the range, and the words "firm and fast" are what always seem to describe a U.S. Open, but this year, those seem not in play because it's rained so much, that the golf course is just soft and it's longer than hell. It's playing all of its (7,426) yards. It's going to play like an absolute mammoth golf course ... Because greens are soft, it takes a little bit of fire out of the golf course, so, I think you'll see more birdies, but it's so long, honestly, that you're still hitting 3-irons, 4-woods, 5-woods into greens, so I don't think people will go out and light it up.

Bacon: Will these conditions take out the short hitters or will it give them more of an advantage since they can hold the greens?

SVP: Well, if you can hold a 4-wood, god bless ya. Tiger was out (on Monday) and had a 5-wood into a par-4, and we're talking about Tiger Woods. If you're short, you're going to have to be so good with your long irons, that that's asking an awful lot. I think you have to be able to hit the ball miles long and awfully high in the air, in my opinion, to have a chance.

Bacon: What do you think is the toughest part about Bethpage Black besides the weather right now? What is the toughest part for these guys this week?

SVP: Well, I mean, there is no let-up. The thing about most golf courses, like, think of Augusta National. If you get to the eighth hole, it's not easy, but it's a par-5, (you're thinking) "Maybe we can score here." We get to 13, (and think) "I ought to be able to make a four on this hole." I don't how many holes there are you where you step up on the tee at Bethpage and think, "Oh, I'm putting a circle on the card here." There's just very few, if any, given birdies when you step up to the tee. I think that the USGA though, and I'll give them this, I think their set-up looks awfully fair and I think there are enough options with tees that if they get rain, and they're supposed to, they could give guys chances on some holes. Make a couple of par-3s short(er). Give a guy a pitching wedge or a 9-iron in their hand, and if it's soft and a pro has a 9-iron in his hand, he ought to be able to hit it inside of 10 feet.

The toughest thing in any U.S. Open is to be patient, and it's such a cliche, but I've seen it so often. Can a guy stay mentally in the present and not get ahead of himself and not try to fire at flags and not try to make birdies?

Bacon: And with Phil Mickelson, a lot of stuff coming in this tournament emotionally. How are the players reacting and what will the crowds feel like with him around?

SVP: They loved him here in 2002, I think it will be more of the same in 2009, and the one concern that I know Andy North talked about today was when you go play golf and you're trying to put your mind somewhere and not think about, you know, your wife's medical situation and every tee and every hole you go to, fans are wanting to tell you how much they're praying for you, and that's great, but it never allows your mind to get off of it.

The hardest part for him is he won't have a chance to turn his brain off, because these fans won't let him know, they'll never stop letting him know that they care about him, which is cool, but it might get to be kind of heavy.

Bacon: That's an interesting point. I actually mentioned to a friend of mine earlier that when Mickelson finished second to Payne Stewart at Pinehurst in 1999, he had his mind somewhere else with the birth of his child, and I'm not saying that will happen here because it's a different situation mentally, but maybe him not thinking about golf the whole time might be a little bit of a bonus for Phil. He's not grinding it out, and can just let his talent drive his round instead of his mind.

SVP: I think it's possible. I agree with what you're saying, and last week Phil talked about how golf is five hours of sanctuary where you get out there and focus on trying to make a shot and you grind away at your round, but because these people love the guy so much and because there are so many of them and they're so vocal, there's just bound to be someone on every hole saying, "Hey, we're praying for you, we love Amy," and that's great, but if you're trying to grind your ass off and make a four on the 15th hole and someone says that and you let your mind slip for a second, the cold, hard truth of the U.S. Open it'll eat you up, you know what I'm saying?

Bacon: Yep. There's a double-bogey just waiting there.

SVP: That's for sure.

Bacon: Okay, not to completely shift gears here, but I dinked around online and couldn't find a Twitter page of yours. Is this correct?

SVP: No, that's funny, I did a thing with the guys in LA and explained to them that, for a while, I tried to dismiss it as folly, but it's clear to me that this is becoming a way in which people communicate and I don't know if I can ignore it anymore. Let me ask you, what is your assessment, should I tweet? Does anyone give a rat's ass what I think? I would say no.

Bacon: Well, I obviously have never hung out with you or anything, but I've seen you on TV and it seems you have a good attitude for Twitter. You seem to joke with yourself and poke fun at yourself and I think that's what it takes. It isn't like you're going to tweet, "Hey, I just went and got Subway," it's going to be funny little tidbits. Bill Simmons does really well on Twitter, because it isn't like he's talking about his daily life.

SVP: That would make sense to me. Bill would translate well. I heard Ian Poulter got a page and apparently his is hysterically funny, which totally makes sense, I could see that. My whole bit about being self-deprecating, I'm not doing that for performance art, I just can't imagine anyone would give a s**t what I think about anything. You know, it's humbling, you walk around here and there's a lot of people that want to say hey. I think you're right, I'm more than happy, and I've shown that in a lot of different ways, to make fun of myself. What does one do to (get set up with a Twitter page)?

Bacon: You just sign up. It takes a couple minutes. Maybe we could get an intern walk you through it or something.

SVP: (laughing) I'm not full idiot here, I could probably make it happen.

Bacon: With the recent push for LPGA players to Twitter during their rounds, could you see the PGA Tour ever going to something like that?

SVP: I know Stewart Cink is pretty into it, it's like anything else, certain guys, like Rocco Mediate, he could have tweeted throughout the whole round last year (at Torrey Pines) and I don't think he would have played any different, because his mind is off in a million places anyway, but Tiger would no sooner tweet during a PGA Tour round than he would play in hot pants, the guy is never doing that.

Bacon: Well, I have to say, I really enjoyed the commercials that hit the Internet this week for Tiger Woods 2010. Was that a lot more work than you thought it would be, being the voice for an EA Sports game?

SVP: The commercial stuff wasn't because they just cut him out at a golf course carrying around a cardboard cut-out and we just did a bunch of dumb voice-overs and they made them fit, but as for being in the game, it was absurd. I knew (Kirk) Herbstreit had done it for college football and he was like, "Bro, you can't imagine how long it takes," and I'm thinking sure it can, because every possibility you can encounter in a game you have to voice. It took two days worth of voicing stuff to actually get to a point where they thought we covered every eventuality that there could be in the game.

Bacon: Were you impressed at how well Ben Roethlisberger played at the U.S. Open Challenge?

SVP: I was stunned! When I got here that was one of the first things I asked was what did Roethlisberger shoot, and they told me he shot 81, which blew my mind. I thought anything in the 90s would be decent and I think they all broke 90, which from the back, it just speaks to how soft it is, but that means they had to hit it pretty long.

You know, world class athletes, Roethlisberger, what he can do, what Jordan could do when he played ball, there is something innate in understanding how to perform when people are paying attention.

Bacon: You have a relationship with Tiger that's been documented. Do you have anything you can share with us about the man that won't get you deleted from his iPhone?

SVP: Honestly, he's really a pretty regular dude. He likes the stuff that guys like. He's a big sports fan, he's been at a blackjack table in his life, he's got an unbelievable golf swing that affords him the right to do what the rest of us only dream of.

He enjoys a good off-color joke, he and his caddie are legendary on the tee for trying to see who can blast the biggest fart of the day, and it's all sophomoric stuff, but I think it's nice to know that this guy who is like from outer space, who, at his core, is kind of a guy's guy and that sense. All the dumb stuff that we don't admit to thinking is funny to him, and I've been impressed that I've known him since he was a freshman at Stanford and everything about the guy's life has changed in terms of being a true icon, maybe the most recognizable person in sports, but, you know, I've always been able to be honest with him, I've always been able to bust his chops, and our relationship is really no different than when I first got to know him when I worked at The Golf Channel. He hasn't changed, he hasn't become insufferable, he doesn't call himself third person names, he's really a fairly, boring, regular guy.

Bacon: Alright, last question, you have to give us a pick, and you can go with Tiger if you want.

SVP: Well, I won't pick him because it's so boring to, but I'll say this by default -- if he drives it like Memorial, and this isn't an original thought, but if he hits it like that, than honestly, who's beating him?

But, outside of that, I really like Geoff Ogilvy. I like what he does. He's got an effortless golf swing. He gets really streaky hot with his putter and he's won one of these before. Even though he didn't do it out of the last group, he knows what it's like to make shots under pressure. What he did late at Winged Foot was sick, and if I'm not going to pick Tiger, and I'm not just to be original, I'll take Ogilvy.

Bacon: Nice. I think he's quickly becoming the second favorite among people at Bethpage. Scott, we appreciate the time and hope you have some fun out there this week.

The Scott Van Pelt Show debuts on ESPN Radio on July 6, with the final hour simulcast on ESPN2 weekday afternoons.

Scott Van Pelt Chats US Open, 'Regular' Tiger and Twitter originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Henrik Stenson Out-Tigers Tiger

Greg Couch — Sun, 10 May 2009 22:15:00 EST

Filed under: PGA, FanHouse Exclusive

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- It took two shots for Tiger Woods to throw his club. Two. The final pairing, the red shirt, the killer instinct. You know, the usual. Except it was going to be a mind thing for Woods to win the Players Championship Sunday because his swing is all wrong.

Turned out, though, his mind was crumbling from the start. And when the real tiger stood up Sunday, he was a Swede named Henrik Stenson. A cool, calm, killer. By far, he was the toughest guy out there.

More Coverage: Lefty Takes Wrong Turn | TPC Leaderboard

Stenson hit the ball long and straight. He just kept coming and coming, hitting every fairway but one, never making a bogey, throwing in six birdies, and shooting 66. He finished 12-under par, winning by four strokes. At this place, that's a blowout.

"You know, the mind always wants to play some tricks on you when you're up there," he said. "Obviously, there's somebody sitting on your shoulder there coming into the back nine, and you want to fight him off, stick to business."

Someone sitting on your shoulder, you say? What was he saying?

" 'It's looking pretty good right now. You're two ahead and it's looking pretty good,' " Stenson said. "I'm like, 'Yeah, it is, but we've got six holes to go or something like that. Stay off my back.' "

OK then. At least Stenson kept his clothes on this time. In March, Stenson had a little incident, when he stripped down to his underwear and golf glove to hit a shot from a muddy spot. He didn't want to get his clean clothes muddy.

"I'll probably take that to my grave with me," he said at the time.

Yes, he will.

"One-hundred and forty-three articles when I Googled it," he said Sunday. "It was just everywhere.

"I managed to get a few new fans, which is nice. I guess I got as much attention off that thing as from my results the last 10 years."

At 33, he already was the ninth-ranked player in the world, even though no one knows that. Among European players, he's hidden behind Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington in the spotlight. Last year, when they announced him at the first tee for the Ryder Cup, they couldn't get his name right: Stevenson. Stevens.

So will this win, in what players call the fifth major, finally escalate him past all this stuff? No way. You do not strip down to your underwear during a golf tournament, not in the days of YouTube, and live that down.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL- MAY 10: (L-R) PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem, Henrik Stenson, and Tommy Douglas, Tournament Chairman, posed for a photo after the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass held on May 10, 2009 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Stan Badz/PGA TOUR) *** Local Caption *** Tim Finchem;Henrik Stenson;Tommy Douglas

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL- MAY 10: PGA TOUR Commisssioner Tim Finchem, left, and Henrik Stenson, right, posed for a photo after the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass held on May 10, 2009 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Stan Badz/PGA TOUR) *** Local Caption *** Tim Finchem;Henrik Stenson

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA - MAY 10: Henriks Stenson and his caddie Fanny Sunesson posed for a photo after touring the clubhouse after the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass held on May 10, 2009 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Stan Badz/PGA TOUR) *** Local Caption *** Fanny Sunesson;Henrik Stenson

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA - MAY 10: Henrik Stenson exits from his new locker located in the Past Champions locker room which is given to the new champion of THE PLAYERS Championship on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass held on May 10, 2009 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Stan Badz/PGA TOUR) *** Local Caption *** Henrik Stenson

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA - MAY 10: Henrik Stenson checks out his new locker located in the Past Champions locker room which is given to the new champion of THE PLAYERS Championship on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass held on May 10, 2009 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Stan Badz/PGA TOUR) *** Local Caption *** Henrik Stenson

US PGA TOUR

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA - MAY 10: Henrik Stenson points to his new locker located in the Past Champions locker room which is given to the new champion of THE PLAYERS Championship on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass held on May 10, 2009 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Stan Badz/PGA TOUR) *** Local Caption *** Henrik Stenson

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Henrik Stenson, of Sweden, holds his daughter Lisa after winning The Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Sunday, May 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Phil Coale)

Henrik Stenson, of Sweden, holds his daughter Lisa, after winning The Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Sunday, May 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Phil Coale)

Henrik Stenson, of Sweden, kisses his wife, Emma, after winning The Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Sunday, May 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Phil Coale)

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL - MAY 10: (L-R) The PGA TOUR Commissioner Timothy Finchem, Henrik Stenson of Sweden and Tournament Director Tommy Douglas smile together with the trophy after Stenson won with by four strokes during the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on May 10, 2009 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Timothy Finchem;Henrik Stenson;Tommy Douglas

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Meanwhile, Woods is now, official and undeniably, in a bad spot. His defenders will point out that he has finished in the top 10 every time, with one victory, since returning from reconstructive knee surgery. He shot 73 Sunday and finished seven strokes back, in eighth place. Another top 10!

No, Woods has lost control of his shot, particularly his driver. But not only that. He was in the sand, missing the fairways all day. And even when he would get back in the middle of the fairway, he would choose the wrong club, hit too short or too far left or, usually, right.

"I'll fix it," he said with a smile. "When you're playing a golf course like this and you don't have it, and the greens are this fast and this hard, you can shoot some pretty high numbers."

It's not just that. Woods has lost his confidence. You could see from that second shot on the first hole, when he flipped his club at the start of what was supposed to be a Tiger Run. Can he get things straightened out by the U.S. Open next month?

"Yeah," he said, "I've got plenty of time."

He said his knee does not hurt. But TV analysts are talking about him dropping his shoulders, or maybe having bulked up too much. Rumors flew a few weeks ago that he and coach Hank Haney might split, though that seems unlikely. When someone asked Woods if he might bring Haney in to look at the swing to see if they can figure something out, he said, "We know what it is. It's just a matter of me doing it.

"Sometimes, as we all know, playing the game is harder to do on the golf course. I just need to do a little better job of it."

Meanwhile, Stenson said to cut Woods some slack, that everyone has ups and downs. Stenson should know. His nickname is the Iceman, but he wasn't always this cool. He saw a sports psychologist for years, and after a hot start to his career, mostly in Europe, he lost complete control of his swing.

Not just for a short period, the way Woods has. At one point, Stenson walked off the course mid-round and seemed to be finished. He mentioned several times Sunday how proud he was of his mental state all day. And as serious as he looked on the course, he kept letting out examples of a dry wit afterward.

What will you do now? "I'm going to the Bahamas tomorrow, practice some bunker shots there for a week."

Did you consider stripping down and jumping in the lake when you won? "I'll save it for a day with a bit of drizzle."

Why haven't you played more on the U.S. tour? "I would have been stuck with you guys [reporters] the whole time."

"My mom's got a sick sense of humor," he said on TV. "Happy Mother's Day, mom."

Stenson said he rented a house on the beach for his family to be with him all week. It was the first time his father ever saw him win. So this was the best day in his career, the best round at the most important time. He still needs to win a major to be a true star, but the Players Championship is the next best thing.

It was just a matter of being a tiger. Someone had to be.

Henrik Stenson Out-Tigers Tiger originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Sun, 10 May 2009 22:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Will Someone, Anyone Challenge Tiger?

Greg Couch — Sat, 09 May 2009 21:17:00 EST

Filed under: PGA, FanHouse Exclusive

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- It would be nice to think it was just a coincidence, that roughly nine seconds after Tiger Woods' name went up on the leaderboard, the other golfers suddenly couldn't put the ball in the hole. It got a little windy. It was so hot that the greens were fried into concrete. Some of these guys were no-names playing over their heads.

Could those be the reasons? Well, partly.

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But you get the feeling that everyone had just been waiting to fold, waiting for Woods. On Sunday, Woods will go into the final round of the Players Championship in second place, five strokes behind leader Alex Cejka, the one guy who is putting up a fight.

How will the field do against Woods Sunday with his every shot being posted ominously on the board?

Well, imagine a great fighter stepping into the ring, and the guy in the other corner waiting for the bell to ring just decides to fall down now and get it over with. That's what the rest of the field did on Saturday. And the thing is, Woods still isn't playing well. He's all over the place, especially off the tee. On the 11th hole, he drove behind a tree, was forced to hit his second shot lefty, then sliced his third.

On 18, he teed off far right, then watched his second shot slide off toward the water, and he stared and waited and waited ...

"We didn't see any splash," he said, "so that was good."

Come on, other golfers. WAKE UP! Woods is there for the taking. You can't just be afraid of his name, when his game isn't there.

I mean, it's always good for golf when he's in the final group, wearing the red shirt, pumping his fist, winning. But the rest of the field might want to consider getting a little self-respect.

"I was trying to hang in there," Cejka said, "like a pit bull."

Yes, he did it. He was the one.

But the questions to him afterward were about his chances Sunday.

Remember, at 11-under, he has a five-stroke lead.

"Yeah, it's going to be tough," Cejka said. "He's the best player."

Frankly, it was not a glorious day for the other golfers on tour. The conditions made the course rough, but the biggest condition was Woods.

Yet he's playing some of the worst golf he can possibly play.

So the story is half amazement that he can do that and be ready to win what golfers call the fifth major anyway. How great must this guy really be? I've said the past few days that he looks like a superhero without his powers. In some ways, it's even more impressive watching him beat everyone up without them.

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Camilo Villegas, of Colombia, lines up his tee shot on the 10th hole during the third round of The Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Saturday, May 9, 2009. Villegas shot a 75 and fell to 2-under-par for the tournament. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Camilo Villegas, of Colombia, watches his tee shot on the 10th hole during the third round of The Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Saturday, May 9, 2009. Villegas shot a 75 and fell to 2-under-par for the tournament. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Henrik Stenson, of Sweden, tees off on the 16th hole during the third round of The Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Saturday, May 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Alex Cejka watches his tee shot on 15th hole during the third round of The Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Saturday, May 9, 2009. Cejka takes a five shot lead into the final round paired with Tiger Woods. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Tiger Woods shakes hands with playing partner Daniel Chopra, of Sweden, after the third round of The Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Saturday, May 9, 2009. Woods finished birdie-birdie-par to shoot a 2-under-par 70 and move into a tie for second place. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Tiger Woods pitches to the 18th hole during the third round of The Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Saturday, May 9, 2009. Woods saved his par and shot a 2-under-par 70 to make it into the final group for the last round. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Tiger Woods hits a shot left-handed from next to a tree on the 11th hole during the third round of The Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Saturday, May 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Tiger Woods follows through on an approach shot to the 11th hole during the third round of The Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Saturday, May 9, 2009. Woods bogied the hole. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL - MAY 09: Fans watch play on the 17th hole during the third round of THE PLAYERS Championship on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on May 9, 2009 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

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Woods, who shot a 2-under, 70 Saturday and is 6-under for the tournament, has been doing this on guts and stubbornness, always scrambling to recover from his bad shots.

"That's how you're supposed to play, isn't it?" he said.

But the other half of this is a condemnation of the other guys. Woods said, "I'm not that far off," and hinted that he might be one day, one hold from everything clicking.

"If I have an understanding of my misses, yeah, I can figure it out," he said. "This week I have an idea of what I need to. It's just a matter of doing it."

At this point, he's just bluffing, pretending to be his usual self. And that's good enough for the fear factor to set in to everyone else.

Does that factor really still exist?

"I'm sure it does," said Daniel Chopra after his round with Woods Saturday.

"Yeah, yeah," said Retief Goosen, who's tied with Woods. "Obviously, you always know he's going to be out there to try and catch you. But then again, if the leaders start making birdies, he's feeling a bit depressed if he's falling way behind. You don't expect anybody to be running away on this golf course."

Actually, Cejka has run away. You don't notice because the assumption is he's going to fold Sunday.

Be honest.

"It's going to be a difficult day for Alex tomorrow," said Ian Poulter, who also is in the six-way tie with Woods. "He's playing with Tiger. He's got a five-shot lead. He's going to be having dinner tonight thinking 11-under par should be good enough.

"And if you go out there with that mindset, it's going to be difficult."

Cejka, who's 38, has never won on the PGA Tour. So this is going to be new for him, this pressure, this crowd, this spotlight.

I can't wait to see the buildup: the golf prodigy vs. the guy who fled Czechoslovakia when he was 9 with his father. NBC already hit us with this sappy stuff, playing ominous music and turning the picture to black and white to show about his harrowing childhood escape, involving running, swimming, biking, everything.

Don't buy NBC's embarrassing attempt to tug at your heart. I mean, it happened 30 years ago, and Cejka thought they were just going on vacation. And since then, he hasn't exactly been washing dishes for a living and struggling to get by. Cejka has made more than $5 million, mostly on the European tour.

The honest contrast is good enough, and while this will be new for Cejka, it also will be a test for Woods. Since coming back from reconstructive knee surgery, he has won once. But he has also slumped, and failed to come through in crunch-time.

His defenders point out all his top-10 finishes, as if that's a measure for Woods.

It seems a given that he'll charge and win Sunday, but if he doesn't, then even he might have to admit that something truly is wrong.

Wrong, in superhero terms, anyway.

Will Someone, Anyone Challenge Tiger? originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Sat, 09 May 2009 21:17:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Caddie Tales: The Final Putt

Shane Bacon — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 04:00:00 EST

Filed under: LPGA, FanHouse Exclusive

Over the weekend, Shane Bacon was out at the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International caddying for one of the pros on the LPGA Tour, Erica Blasberg. He documents his journey with his Caddie Tales.

I stood, holding the bag, on the sixth hole Sunday. We had just reeled off two birdies and were staring deeply into a third one on the par-5. It was a short tee and it was inviting us to go for it. We decided on the smaller of the two hybrid clubs. The ball, as cruel as the little bastard can be at times, snuck up on the front of the green for only a second before pausing, only to trickle back in the bunker and lead to a disappointing par.

The rest of the day was for naught. Erica Blasberg was frustrated, as she should be, and we spent the rest of the day climbing Everest without any gloves. The course didn't want us. We didn't want it.

That is the life of a professional golfer. One goes week in and week out either making it with a smile, or leaving it with a snarl. We walked away from Papago Golf Course not so happy with our performance in relation to par, but glad we teamed up and did what we did.

Saturday was daunting. For 18 holes in the third round, we never heard a birdie putt hit rock bottom. They hit lips, they stopped short, but they never dropped in and that was our day. Sometimes you get pocket aces ... sometimes the dealer tosses you 9-3.

I observed a lot as a golf fan this weekend. I exchanged pleasantries with David Leadbetter. I bulls*****d with numerous caddies in the tent reserved for loopers. I even became confident enough to raise my hands as police were walking in the back line of my player (Sure, they didn't stop, but I tried!) It was a week that I'll never forget and a week that I learned a lot about golf, even though I thought I knew it all.

Erica deserves a lot of the credit. She hits her driver like a machine -- high and drawing and near the middle sprinkler head just about every time. I never once told her the line off the tee because, honestly, it would be a waste of breath. At one point in the third round the stat guy for our group approached me on the 13th tee asking if Erica had hit the 12th fairway. I answered "yes" nonchalantly, more because I knew that if there was a dust-up, the answer with Erica and fairway is always yes. It's like Tiger and clutch, or George Clooney and "that girl thinks he's really cute."

I am not a professional caddie, and that was apparent. With the poker reference still at hand, imagine dealing a couple of cards to your buddies on the occasional Sunday and one day you show up and you're the dealer at the World Series of Poker. It isn't the same. You won't be the same.

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PHOENIX - MARCH 29: Karrie Webb of Australia tees off on the 13th hole during the fourth round of the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International golf tournament at Papago Golf Course on March 29, 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Karrie Webb

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PHOENIX - MARCH 29: Suzann Pettersen of Norway chips out of the bunker onto the 10th hole green during the fourth round of the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International golf tournament at Papago Golf Course on March 29, 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Suzann Pettersen

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PHOENIX - MARCH 29: Jiyai Shin of South Korea tees off on the 15th hole during the fourth round of the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International golf tournament at Papago Golf Course on March 29, 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jiyai Shin

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PHOENIX - MARCH 29: Karrie Webb of Australia celebrates on the 18th green after winning the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International golf tournament at Papago Golf Course on March 29, 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Karrie Webb

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PHOENIX - MARCH 29: Karrie Webb of Australia poses with the winner's trophy after winning the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International golf tournament at Papago Golf Course on March 29, 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Karrie Webb

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Karrie Webb, from Australia, kisses the trophy after winning the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International golf tournament in Phoenix, Arizona March 29, 2009. REUTERS/Rick Scuteri (UNITED STATES SPORT GOLF)

Reuters

Shin Jiyai from South Korea reacts after missing a birdie putt on the 16th hole during the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International golf tournament in Phoenix, Arizona March 29, 2009. REUTERS/Rick Scuteri (UNITED STATES SPORT GOLF)

Reuters

Jiyai Shin, from South Korea, reacts after teeing off on the 17th hole during the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International golf tournament in Phoenix, Arizona, March 29, 2009. REUTERS/Rick Scuteri (UNITED STATES SPORT GOLF)

Reuters

Jiyai Shin, from South Korea, acknowledges the gallery after finishing second to Kerrie Webb at the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International golf tournament in Phoenix, Arizona, March 29, 2009. REUTERS/Rick Scuteri (UNITED STATES SPORT GOLF)

Reuters

Karrie Webb, from Australia, tees off on the 17th hole during the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International golf tournament in Phoenix, Arizona March 29, 2009. REUTERS/Rick Scuteri (UNITED STATES SPORT GOLF)

Reuters

Erica was a trooper. She's a great golfer and an amazing person, and maybe the best part about her is she isn't fake. She doesn't smile when she makes bogeys just so people think everything is fine. She waves birdie applause shyly because she doesn't want all that attention. It's her livelihood and she's as serious about it as any of us are about our jobs, but does it with the attitude we should all carry to our respective 9-to-5s.

I would like to conclude with this, and it's a simple thing that changed a lot of my outlook on sports. Sunday morning, I was groggily pulling myself out of the car, heading to the cart barn to get Erica's bag so we could start the pre-round procedure that is the same everyday. I got there a few minutes early because I was planning on grabbing a banana and a Diet Pepsi. As I walked from the Papago parking lot, I noticed a pink shirt and a rimmed hat, and immediately knew it was Michelle Wie and Leadbetter. I stood for a moment watching teacher and student, with a few dozen fans witnessing the LPGA's own version of Tiger Woods hit some shots.

It was at that moment that I realized something. I live in an objectionable situation with the golf world. It is easy to knock Wie or Anthony Kim or Ryo Ishikawa. The bottom line is Michelle is 19. She is 19 and has the LPGA firmly on her back. This is a tour that is quietly dying. On 16 in the final round, Erica told me of another tournament that was lost this year because a sponsor pulled out. The ladies are playing all the tournaments because they don't know how much longer they will be around.

I'm a blogger. I write snippets because I'm asked to write them. They may or may not have a purpose and they are published so quickly you don't have time to pull them. The bottom line is, Michelle Wie is a 19-year-old girl that still smiles, and laughs and tries to make 10-footers just like we all do. She didn't choose this life, talent did, and she is saddled with fans, expectations and a big, leather Sony bag. Maybe I learned a simple thing this week that I haven't ever grasped -- they might be professionals, but they are just normal people doing a trade they were gifted enough to do. Being hard on them for no reason is ridiculous. It's golf. Birdies, bogeys, pars and handshakes. Hopefully the knowledge I gained this week will remain with me as I spend the next few months writing about this lovely game.

When it comes down to it, they go about it just like we do -- put the peg in the ground, take a few practice swings and try not to screw up. Who can't relate to that?

Caddie Tales: The Final Putt originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 04:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Caddie Tales: Answers Inside the Ropes

Shane Bacon — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 05:00:00 EST

Filed under: LPGA, FanHouse Exclusive

This weekend, Shane Bacon will be out at the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International caddying for one of the pros on the LPGA Tour, Erica Blasberg. You can follow him daily with his Caddie Tales.

On Friday, Erica Blasberg (and myself, I guess) did what we needed to do to make it to the weekend. It was a solid round on greens that continue to dry out, and unfamiliar Phoenix winds keep messing with a golf course not used to such gusts. Erica finished with at 1-over 73 to make the cut by three shots and earn a weekend bonus with yours truly. Some of my fellow FanHouse scribes asked questions about the experience thus far. I tried my best to answer with a shoulder that continues to ache.

Have you noticed any interesting behavior from Blasberg or any of the LPGA golfers? Maybe OCD-type behavior or otherwise?

The answer has two very unique parts. First, Erica might be the least obsessive-compulsive golfer you will ever see. She knows what she is doing, takes it seriously, but golfs the way you and your weekend buddies do. Line up, hit it, except she knows where it's going.

Now, for LPGA golfers as a whole, I will say this. The only time I felt like I was doing a poor job at caddying was when we'd get on the greens and the other two professional caddies were stepping off yards to the weekend pins like they'd get tortured if they didn't. LPGA golfers are way more technical, in my opinion, than PGA guys and work way more off of yards for their short game than anyone I've ever played with.

Erica, like myself, plays way more off of feel than numbers (which is a bonus for a caddie that may or may not know exactly what he is doing. Honestly, if I was with someone that wanted numbers all the time I might have to bluetooth my buddy Andrew).

What's the toughest part of being a caddie? Do you ever think you could do this for a living and be good at it?

I think the toughest part about being a caddie for a tour player is making sure you are as confident as they are.

At times I find myself using words like "Maybe left edge ...," or "I think that is the club." Just like the golfer, being confident as a caddie at least helps the player commit to a certain line or club, and that means just as much to the golfer as the ability to pull the shot off.

As for being able to do this, I'd answer that with a friendly nope. I think it is a cool experience and I love doing this with Erica, but I think after a few weeks of this I'd wonder what was next. With that said, the caddies that are out on tour week in and week out have earned my utmost respect. These people make it look easy, and while I'm bumbling with the rake or slowly pulling the putter out while Erica is patiently waiting for it, they do all this with the ease of Ernie Els' golf swing. Your job is to basically be the confidence booster, yardage man, bag toter, club cleaner, jacket/food/drink holder, green reader, enforcer and buddy all at the same time. It isn't nearly as easy as I thought it would be.

If you had to caddie one golf star for the rest of your life, would it be Blasberg or a different golfer?

Erica and I have a good chemistry on and off the golf course, so I wouldn't mess with that. I can make her laugh on the golf course, even after tough holes, and I think that is a huge bonus when so much is on the line for these people. I heard a certain player and her caddie bickering after an early Friday round by the chipping green, with the player annoyingly telling her caddie, "I said bring the lob wedge! That is the club we would have used on 18." I could never see Erica doing that, because she understands that I am trying just as hard as she is, even if I'm not as good at my trade is she is at hers.

There was a funny moment on Friday where Erica was hitting a drive on one of her last holes into a tough wind. Before I handed her the driver, I gave her one of those "Hit a good one here!" pep talks. She stripped the fairway and told me after, "That was the most nervous I was over a shot all week," because of my added push. I think that is good for both player and caddie.

The PGA is curious about miking caddies for television broadcasts ... what's the best soundbite between you two that we'd pick up on if you had the mic?

Now that is an interesting question. Probably the best soundbite golf-wise came on the par-3 13th. The wind was picking up and Erica muscled a 4-iron to a left pin that probably was really a longer club, but she hit it perfect to get it on the front. Erica had about a 25-footer for birdie, and after we both looked at it, I did what you are supposed to do as a caddie -- I asked her what she thought it would do first. Erica thought it was a cup out on the left side, the exact read I had thought when first observing the tricky left-to-right birdie try. Erica stroked it wonderfully, it had the right amount of speed and dropped directly in for a two. After she waved off the applause, she walked with a funny grin my way and said, "Finally, you read a putt correctly and I hit one right." Hey, at least I got one right.

Caddie Tales: Answers Inside the Ropes originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Sat, 28 Mar 2009 05:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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