Fanhouse Golf http://golf.fanhouse.com Fanhouse Golf http://golf.fanhouse.com/media/feedlogo.gif Fanhouse Golf http://golf.fanhouse.com en-us Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2010 AOL LLC. All rights Reserved. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/PGA Works OT to Quell Wedge Firestormhttp://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/02/03/pga-works-ot-to-quell-wedge-firestorm/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/02/03/pga-works-ot-to-quell-wedge-firestorm/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/02/03/pga-works-ot-to-quell-wedge-firestorm/#commentsFiled under:

Ping Eye2 wedgesAdmitting PGA Tour leadership never saw the controversy coming, Tim Finchem now can do little more than wait.

"The lawyers are evaluating," the commissioner said Wednesday from Riviera Country Club, where the Northern Trust Open is being played outside Los Angeles.

Life has been anything but groovy for the PGA Tour since Scott McCarron -- a member of the player advisory council -- last week ignited a wildfire of controversy by suggesting Phil Mickelson was cheating by using a loophole to play the non-conforming pre-1990 Ping Eye2 wedges.

For a sport needing to put on its best foot forward in the wake of Tiger Woods' image issues, the resulting infighting was pretty much everything golf did not need -- its on-course action being upstaged by a top player having his integrity questioned. Even worse, it most likely could have been avoided.

 

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]]>phil mickelsonScott McCarrscott mccarronScottMccarrtim finchemMick Elliott2010-02-03T18:35:00+00:00Reports: Tiger to Return in Two Weekshttp://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/02/03/reports-tiger-to-return-in-two-weeks/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/02/03/reports-tiger-to-return-in-two-weeks/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/02/03/reports-tiger-to-return-in-two-weeks/#commentsFiled under:

Tiger WoodsIs Tiger Woods ready to make his comeback?

Numerous reports, all of them, however, unsubstantiated, suggest the beleaguered golf star is preparing to end his indefinite leave by competing in the Accenture Match Play Championship, to be played outside Tucson, Ariz., Feb. 17-21.

Since Woods took an indefinite leave of absence from the game following a personal-life sex scandal that broke in late November, speculation has targeted a handful of possible tournaments he might select to make a return.

The Accenture, along with March's World Golf Championship event at Doral in Miami, and the Masters are most commonly mentioned.

The positives for the Match Play is that Woods also chose the World Golf Event competition to return to competition last year after being out for almost eight months because of knee surgery.

 

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]]>accenturematchplaygeoff ogilvyphil mickelsontiger woodsMick Elliott2010-02-03T12:15:00+00:00Notebook: Wedge Controversy Another Black Eye for Sporthttp://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/02/02/notebook-wedge-controversy-another-black-eye2-for-sport/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/02/02/notebook-wedge-controversy-another-black-eye2-for-sport/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/02/02/notebook-wedge-controversy-another-black-eye2-for-sport/#commentsFiled under: ,

Phil Mickelson
A week of notes, quotes and gossip from the world of golf ...

PGA Tour brass did not do themselves proud with their handling of the Ping Eye2 controversy, created by Phil Mickelson and a handful of others using a legal loophole to play the non-conforming pre-1990 wedges.

Although acknowledging he was long ago aware of the avenue to skirt the new groove design rule, PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said it was decided there would be no advantage gained by playing the clubs.

Obviously, Scott McCarron disagrees, and suggested anyone using the club is cheating.

Mickelson responds by saying his reputation was slandered and suggests legal action. Brilliant! The tour finally figured a way to make people quit talking about Tiger Woods.

 

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]]>anthony kimernie elsjerry westjim thorpejohn dalyphil mickelsonscott mccarronstewart cinktiger woodstim finchemTimFinchemtom watsony.e. yangMick Elliott2010-02-02T13:17:00+00:00Slowly but Surely, Crane Triumphs Againhttp://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/31/slowly-but-surely-crane-triumphs-again/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/31/slowly-but-surely-crane-triumphs-again/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/31/slowly-but-surely-crane-triumphs-again/#commentsFiled under:

Ben CraneSAN DIEGO -- For a player who had two career PGA Tour wins in nine seasons before arriving at Torrey Pines for the Farmers Insurance Open, Ben Crane on Sunday looked very much like he knew exactly what he was doing.

At least he did until the winning three-foot putt for par on the final hole dropped.

That's when Crane turned quizzically to caddie Joel Stock, looking very much like a man suddenly realizing his pants were on fire.

"You know, I did not know that I had won when it was over," Crane said. "I didn't know who was playing well. I didn't know what was really going on in front of me. I had no idea what was going on.

"I'm thankful I didn't. Someone said, 'one-shot lead' when we were going to the last hole, so I thought he might be right."

Still, Crane insisted victory did not register until final-group playing partner Ryuji Imada made it official.

"He goes, 'Congratulations,' and I go, 'Did I win?' " Crane said. "He kind of looks at me. I said, 'Did I win the tournament?' He's like, 'Yeah.' "

It meant the 33-year-old golf wallflower did everything the pros with their own airplanes did, only a little bit better.

 

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]]>Ben CranePhil MickelsonRyuji ImadaMick Elliott2010-01-31T21:45:00+00:00Phil's Gone and Done It Againhttp://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/30/phils-gone-and-done-it-again/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/30/phils-gone-and-done-it-again/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/30/phils-gone-and-done-it-again/#commentsFiled under:

Phil MickelsonSAN DIEGO -- Phil Mickelson arrived at Torrey Pines for Saturday's third round of the Farmers Insurance Open embroiled in controversy.

Once play began Lefty was soon so far down a ravine after his tee shot on No. 4, he was almost as close to Black's Beach, a local clothing-optional hangout, as the fairway. Three holes later, he was up a tree, his tee ball stuck in a giant eucalyptus.

And then there was Mickelson's last stop for the day: The leaderboard.

It was Philly Mick at his most Philly Mick-est -- gambling, scrambling and then pontificating -- on the way to a 2-under 70 that puts him 9 under par for the week and four shots back of leader Ryuji Imada heading into Sunday's final round.

"I'm in position where a good round will get it done," he said. "Something in the mid-to-high 60s is going to have a chance."

 

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]]>Phil MickelsonRyuji ImadaScott McCarronMick Elliott2010-01-30T22:00:00+00:00Unknowns Lead While Mickelson Stalkshttp://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/29/unknowns-lead-while-mickelson-lies-in-wait/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/29/unknowns-lead-while-mickelson-lies-in-wait/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/29/unknowns-lead-while-mickelson-lies-in-wait/#commentsFiled under:

SAN DIEGO -- It is a little more than a week before the Super Bowl, college basketball is in the heart of conference play, Major League Baseball is ready to elbow its way into sports talk, and the PGA Tour gets Ryuji Imada and D.A. Points (photo right) on the leaderboard.

What did it do to deserve this?

It's one thing to be Tigerless. It's another when you start to wonder if Federal Witness Protection discovered this week's Farmers Insurance Open as a relocation site.

If you are the tournament ticket manager hoping big names will attract a weekend crowd, you read the scoreboard and look for a steep cliff -- which, by the way, are plentiful around here.

Whooooooo are those guys?

 

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]]>Mick Elliott2010-01-29T20:43:00+00:00John Daly Says He's Done With Golfhttp://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/29/daly-says-hes-done-with-golf/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/29/daly-says-hes-done-with-golf/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/29/daly-says-hes-done-with-golf/#commentsFiled under:

John DalySAN DIEGO -- John Daly retired from golf Friday.

After finishing 36 holes in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines 6-over and missing the cut, Daly said he was quitting.

It would make a bigger impact if the troubled golfer did not have such a long history of quitting -- quite often in the middle of a round.

Still, it is possible.

"I'm done," Daly said. "Just can't play like I used to. ... I'm tired of embarrassing myself."

 

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]]>Mick Elliott2010-01-29T19:32:00+00:00Phony Tiger Quotes Behind Him, the Real Ben Crane Stands Uphttp://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/28/phony-tiger-quotes-behind-him-the-real-ben-crane-stands-up/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/28/phony-tiger-quotes-behind-him-the-real-ben-crane-stands-up/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/28/phony-tiger-quotes-behind-him-the-real-ben-crane-stands-up/#commentsFiled under:

Ben Crane
SAN DIEGO -- Ben Crane finally had an opportunity to speak for himself.

That was something new.

The 33-year-old PGA Tour veteran with two career wins shot a 7-under 65 Thursday in the opening round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. It earned Crane more attention than anything he has done since being quoted during December's PGA Tour ripping Tiger Woods as "a phony and a fake."

Even better news: Crane actually did shoot 65 to trail first-round leader Scott Piercy by one shot. That's more than can be said of his reported comments about Woods.

The harsh words attributed to Crane last month by Life & Style magazine, penned by what the publication called an "experienced freelance reporter,'' were never spoken. The "face-to-face interview" conducted in West Palm Beach, Fla., that also included similar criticism of Woods' personal life by Charles Warren, never took place.

Crane is certain of it.

 

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]]>ben cranetiger woodstorrey pinesMick Elliott2010-01-28T21:13:00+00:00Mickelson: No One Can Fill Tiger's Shoeshttp://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/27/mickelson-no-one-can-fill-tigers-shoes/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/27/mickelson-no-one-can-fill-tigers-shoes/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/27/mickelson-no-one-can-fill-tigers-shoes/#commentsFiled under:

Phil Mickelson
SAN DIEGO -- Phil Mickelson is supremely confident, exceptionally talented and, in this particular circumstance, excessively overmatched.

All Mickelson is being asked to do is keep the PGA Tour relevant while its biggest newsmaker remains hunkered beneath the radar sweep. As long as Tiger Woods is away, Mickelson ranks as golf's most captivating figure, the only other battle-proven performer capable of making people look.

Amid predictions of doom, Mickelson's assignment, whether he likes it or not, suddenly is to provide golf with so much to talk about that Woods' absence is not a crippling issue.

"I haven't thought about it like that," Mickelson said. "I'm just excited to play golf. I'm excited to get back into competition and be a part of this. Again, I haven't really looked at it from that point of view."

 

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]]>nick watneyphil mickelsonrocco mediatetiger woodsMick Elliott2010-01-27T17:35:00+00:00Golf Needs Mickelson to Phil Voidhttp://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/27/golf-needs-mickelson-to-phil-void/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/27/golf-needs-mickelson-to-phil-void/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/27/golf-needs-mickelson-to-phil-void/#commentsFiled under:

Phil MickelsonIn hopes of reminding people that golf still exists, PGA officials tossed around a few ideas heading into this week's tournament.

Have John Daly play in a pair of Venus Williams' underpants. Run Tim Tebow pro-choice ads every commercial break. Invite Barack Obama to give the State of the Union address from Torrey Pines.

All those had merit, but there's really only one way and one person who can save the PGA's day.

Phil Mickelson, we're begging you to step up. If you don't fill a certain void, golf might fade into NHL-like irrelevance on the American sports scene.

"Nobody will be able to fill the shoes that are voided right now," Mickelson said Wednesday in California.

True enough, but he's the only one who can make the non-aligned sports fan care about golf. Though in true State of the Union spin, the PGA has been trying to convince us there's more to golf than You Know Who.

 

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]]>john dalyphil mickelsontiger woodsDavid Whitley2010-01-27T17:03:00+00:00Rocco Mediate Returns to Scene of His Greatest Near-Triumphhttp://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/27/rocco-mediate-returns-to-scene-of-his-greatest-near-triumph/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/27/rocco-mediate-returns-to-scene-of-his-greatest-near-triumph/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/27/rocco-mediate-returns-to-scene-of-his-greatest-near-triumph/#commentsFiled under: ,

Rocco Mediate, Tiger Woods
SAN DIEGO -- The last time Rocco Mediate was at Torrey Pines Golf Club it was for a Monday playoff with Tiger Woods at the 2008 U.S. Open.

The golfers went 19 holes that day before Woods, playing on a knee that two days later would need reconstructive surgery, finally subdued the blue-collar Mediate. All things considered, it's easy to argue the day was some of the most captivating golf ever played.

"Well, I've been told that by thousands of people, and I think that's cool they think that," said Mediate, who is back for this week's Farmers Insurance Open.

Woods, the No. 1 player in the world, was going for his 14th major championship. He was limping, playing in noticeable pain, but holing shots all week despite playing for the first time since the Masters, almost two months earlier.

 

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]]>rocco mediatetiger woodstorrey pinesMick Elliott2010-01-27T10:30:00+00:00Tragedy Strikes Ken Green Againhttp://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/26/tragedy-strikes-ken-green-again/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/26/tragedy-strikes-ken-green-again/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/26/tragedy-strikes-ken-green-again/#commentsFiled under:

Ken GreenDALLAS (AP) -- Hunter Green, the son of former professional golfer Ken Green (pictured), was found dead in his dorm room at Southern Methodist University last week, authorities said.

SMU officials said the body of a student was found about 12:30 p.m. Friday. The Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed Tuesday that the student was Green, 21, a sophomore. Campus officials said no foul play was involved and an investigation is under way.

It's the second family tragedy in eight months for Ken Green, who won five PGA Tour events between 1985-89 and played on the 1989 Ryder Cup team. Green had his lower right leg amputated last summer after a recreational vehicle accident in which his brother and girlfriend were killed.

Green acknowledged his son's death on his personal blog Tuesday.

 

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]]>Hunter GreenKen GreenFanHouse Newswire2010-01-26T21:12:00+00:00Tiger Woods' Shadow Looms Large at Torrey Pineshttp://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/26/tiger-woods-shadow-looms-large-at-torrey-pines/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/26/tiger-woods-shadow-looms-large-at-torrey-pines/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/26/tiger-woods-shadow-looms-large-at-torrey-pines/#commentsFiled under:

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The player who walked toward the first tee at sunrise on the North Course at Torrey Pines was not accompanied by a security detail. Maintenance workers did not gather on the pro shop balcony to watch him tee off.

This was Nicholas Thompson, not Tiger Woods.

And that's why the "indefinite break" from golf that Woods announced two months ago didn't really start until Tuesday.

 

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]]>Tiger WoodsFanHouse Newswire2010-01-26T19:55:00+00:00Torrey Pines Barely Weathered Stormhttp://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/26/torrey-pines-barely-weathered-storm/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/26/torrey-pines-barely-weathered-storm/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/26/torrey-pines-barely-weathered-storm/#commentsFiled under:

A week of notes, quotes and golf gossip ...

This week's PGA Tour stop at Torrey Pines was without a title sponsor until Farmers Insurance came to an 11th-hour agreement seven day's before the start of tournament week.

Then it rained.

Four consecutive days.

As soon as the Farmers Insurance Open became official, the goal for tournament organizers was to create a presentation that looked as if the new sponsor had been on site for months, not days.

 

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]]>bernhard langerbubba watsongary playergeoff ogilvyken greentiger woodsMick Elliott2010-01-26T18:36:00+00:00Like Father, Like Son: Bill Haas Wins Bob Hope Classichttp://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/25/like-father-like-son-bill-haas-wins-bob-hope-classic/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/25/like-father-like-son-bill-haas-wins-bob-hope-classic/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/25/like-father-like-son-bill-haas-wins-bob-hope-classic/#commentsLA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) -- Bill Haas made a short birdie putt on the 18th hole to earn his first PGA Tour victory at the Bob Hope Classic on Monday, beating Matt Kuchar, Tim Clark and Bubba Watson by one stroke with an 8-under 64.

Haas was the last of three co-leaders to play the 18th, and an outstanding approach shot allowed him to two-putt his way to a 30-under 330 finish.

"I'd been wanting to win from the first tournament I played, but it's a process, and there's a lot to it," said Haas, a rookie in 2006. "It's special, but I don't know if it's a monkey off my back. I know how hard it was to win, and I'm grateful."

 

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]]>FanHouse Newswire2010-01-25T18:58:00+00:00Seniors Deliver on Champions Tourhttp://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/24/respect-for-the-elders/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/24/respect-for-the-elders/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/24/respect-for-the-elders/#commentsFiled under:

On a Sunday when five of the top 10 ranked players in the world competed in the European Tour's Abu Dhabi Championship, but uncelebrated German Martin Kaymer won -- and the PGA Tour's embattled Bob Hope Classic was running a day late to the finish line -- a fascinating realization came over golf.

The week's best show, creaky old bones or not, belonged to the Champions Tour.

In Kaupulehu-Kona, Hawaii, 60-year-old Tom Watson beat senior newcomer Fred Couples by one shot in the Mitsubishi Electric Championship. Watson shot a final-round 65 to finish 22 under par. Couples closed with a 64, with a 15-foot birdie attempt on the final hole barely missing.

Watson, a Hall of Famer with 39 PGA Tour wins and 13 senior titles, shot 30 on the back nine with birdies on 17 and 18. Couples, a former Masters champion who was once ranked No. 1 in the world, shot 31.

 

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]]>fred couplestom watsonMick Elliott2010-01-24T23:45:00+00:00Watson's Course-Record 62 Paces Hopehttp://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/22/watsons-course-record-62-paces-hope/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/22/watsons-course-record-62-paces-hope/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/22/watsons-course-record-62-paces-hope/#commentsFiled under:

Bubba WatsonLA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) -- Bubba Watson loves a little rain on his game. With his mammoth drives sticking to fairways instead of bounding across them, he had the best round of his pro career to take the Bob Hope Classic lead.

Watson shot a course-record 10-under 62 on Friday to take a two-stroke lead over Alex Prugh after the second round, which began and ended in the driving storm that washed out Thursday's play and pushed the final round to Monday.

But there were just enough hours in between squalls for a SilverRock course record by Watson, who's trying to show there's more to his game than his jaw-dropping work off the tee.

"I didn't expect it to be that wet," Watson said. "I didn't come out of my house yesterday, so I didn't know what it was. It was really wet."

 

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]]>bubba watsonFanHouse Newswire2010-01-22T23:47:00+00:00Couples Gears For His Senior Momenthttp://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/21/couples-gears-for-his-senior-moment/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/21/couples-gears-for-his-senior-moment/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/21/couples-gears-for-his-senior-moment/#commentsFiled under: ,

Fred CouplesFred Couples tees off Friday in Hawaii's Mitsubishi Electric Championship, making his Champions Tour debut in golf's over-50 circuit season opener.

It's about time.

His ailing back already has been there for years.

"Hadn't been much fun," Couples says.

Not often will you find a player who spent his whole career looking so good and feeling so fragile. Couples has been Fabulous Freddy to golf fans since arriving on the PGA Tour in 1981, appearing like he just stepped off the pages of a mail-order fashion catalog, but at any moment capable of seizing up in the shape of a pretzel.

 

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]]>fred coupleskenny perryvijay singhMick Elliott2010-01-21T15:35:00+00:00Rain Washes Out Hope's 2nd Roundhttp://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/21/rain-washes-out-hopes-2nd-round/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/21/rain-washes-out-hopes-2nd-round/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/21/rain-washes-out-hopes-2nd-round/#commentsFiled under:

Bob Hope ClassicLA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) -- Heavy rains have forced the postponement of the second round of the Bob Hope Classic.

The latest wave of Southern California's major rainstorms hit the Palm Springs area Wednesday afternoon and scarcely let up Thursday morning, with water pooling on greens and fairways throughout the event's four courses.

With better weather in the forecast for Friday and the weekend, tournament organizers quickly decided to scrap Thursday's play.

 

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]]>FanHouse Newswire2010-01-21T15:34:00+00:00Nicklaus at 70: Looking Ahead, Not Backhttp://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/20/nicklaus-at-70-looking-ahead-not-back/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/20/nicklaus-at-70-looking-ahead-not-back/http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/01/20/nicklaus-at-70-looking-ahead-not-back/#commentsFiled under: ,

Jack NicklausTime waits for no man -- not even Jack Nicklaus. So golf's eternal hero turns 70 years old Thursday.

Unlike the way he invigorated golf for so many years, ransacking the game's record book on the way to immortality, the Golden Bear turns this page quietly. Accompanied by wife Barbara, with whom he will celebrate a 50th wedding anniversary in July, eldest son Jackie, and a couple of friends, Nicklaus is celebrating the milestone birthday on remote Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, fly-fishing for bonefish.

"I enjoy that," he said. "It's my diversion."

 

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]]>arnold palmerjack nicklaustom watsonMick Elliott2010-01-20T14:20:00+00:00