Tiger Woods
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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - Tiger Woods has faced more scrutiny that any other golfer from his generation. Maybe ever.
Just not this variety.
Woods must long for the days when the golf world obsessed over his swing changes (all four of them) and questioned his coaches (all three of them). He was criticized for not playing enough tournaments and not giving the tournaments he did play enough notice that he was coming.
Some complained he practiced so early in the morning that paying customers didn't get a chance to see him. Others complained he didn't sign enough autographs. Most of it was petty.
But this is different.
Now it's his integrity on the golf course that's being questioned.
Woods won The Players Championship on Sunday for his fourth victory this year. Making it even more memorable, Woods ended his public spat with Sergio Garcia by posing with the crystal trophy. They were tied with two holes to play, and Garcia hit three shots in the water.
That all seems like B-material compared with the buzz over the drop Woods took on the 14th hole of the final round.
He hit what he called a "pop-up hook" with a 3-wood from the tee, and the ball landed in the water left of the fairway. Consulting with Casey Wittenberg, he dropped it some 255 yards short of the green. Woods then hit a remarkable shot short of the green, pitched on and missed a 6-foot putt to take double bogey.
The Internet has been alive with video showing the ball's flight on the 14th, along with analysis dissecting what was and was not said by a TV analyst, and seemingly endless theories how the ball could possibly have crossed land where Woods took his drop.
The chatter won't stop, even though there is nowhere to go with it. Consider this statement put out by Mark Russell, the tour's vice-president of competition: "Without definitive evidence, the point where Woods' ball last crossed the lateral water hazard is determined through best judgment by Woods and his fellow competitor," the statement said.
Woods conferred with Wittenberg, his playing partner.
"I saw it perfectly off the tee," Wittenberg said. "I told him exactly where I thought it crossed, and we all agreed. So he's definitely great on that."
And if video suggests otherwise?
Decision 26-1/17 says a penalty would not be appropriate because it comes down to an honest judgment.
Of course, this might not be that big of an issue except that Woods in his most recent tournament - the Masters - was guilty of taking an illegal drop on the 15th hole at Augusta National. He eventually was docked two shots, but spared disqualification by the Masters because officials said they erred in not talking to Woods about the drop before he signed his scorecard. The rules back up that decision, though this one (Rule 33-7) is subject to interpretation. It could have gone either way.
Back to Sawgrass, where there was that Saturday incident with Garcia which was one case where Woods shared some responsibility.
The scene on the par-5 second hole was chaotic. Woods was so deep in the trees that it appeared it was his turn to hit. Garcia stood over his second shot for the longest time. There was a burst of cheers when Woods pulled out his 5-wood. Garcia finished his swing and looked over at the crowd, clearly frustrated.
Woods and Garcia don't like each other and haven't for the better part of 13 years. That much can be established.
Garcia suggested in a TV interview during the storm delay that Woods pulled the club at just the right time to fire up the crowd and disrupt his swing. Woods said in a TV interview that evening, "The marshals, they told me he already hit, so I pulled a club and was getting ready to play my shot."
Sports Illustrated talked to the chief marshal for that section of the course, John North, who said he stood over the ball to keep the gallery away from it and was 5 feet away when Woods played his shot.
"Nothing was said to us and we certainly said nothing to him," North said. "I was disappointed to hear him make those remarks. We're there to help the players and enhance the experience of the fans. He was saying what was good for him. It lacked character."
To suggest Woods purposely tried to distract Garcia is a stretch. It was hard to even see Garcia from where he was in the trees. But it was silly to hang this on "the marshals," unless he mistook any of the hundreds of people around him as marshals.
Woods' mistake was not doing what just about every other tour player would have done - look over to the other player to determine who was away. This would require eye contact, and there wasn't much of that in the third round.
Garcia's mistake was not doing what just about every other tour player would have done - say something to Woods, instead of calling him out on TV. The ball was back in Woods' court at this point. Instead of telling Garcia he didn't see him (if he didn't) or apologizing (if he did) he threw out the line about the marshals and couldn't resist taking a shot.
"Not real surprising that he's complaining about something," Woods said of Garcia.
Both of them should have been put in time-out.
"It's very unusual for an individual spat to get out," Padraig Harrington said. "There's no winners when that gets out there. I think when players have an issue, they find things. So if you don't like somebody, you read things in, and you make more of a situation than there is."
Lost in this mess is that Woods is playing golf at a very high level. He is four short of Sam Snead's record for career wins. He is a month away from the next major, where he will be the heavy favourite again. Woods is motoring right along.
But it sure is a bumpy ride at the moment.
THIS WEEK IN GOLF
PGA TOUR - HP BYRON NELSON CHAMPIONSHIP
COURSE: TPC Four Seasons Resort (7,166 yards, par 70).
PURSE: $6.7 million. Winner's share: $1,206,000.
TELEVISION: Golf Channel (Thursday, 3-6 p.m., 8:30-11:30 p.m.; Friday, 12:30-3:30 a.m., 3-6 p.m., 8:30-11:30 p.m.; Saturday, 12:30-3:30 a.m., 1-2:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m.-midnight; Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m.-midnight) and CBS (Saturday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m.).
CANADIAN CONNECTION: Stephen Ames, Graham DeLaet, Brad Fritsch, Mike Weir,
NOTES: Keegan Bradley won the 2011 tournament for his first PGA Tour title. ... Jordan Spieth, the 19-year-old Texan who tied for second in the Puerto Rico Open, will play the event for the first time as a professional after receiving a sponsor exemption. He has special temporary status on the PGA Tour after two top-10 finishes in March. He made headlines three years ago when he tied for 16th at this event as a junior. ...Chinese teen Guan Tianlang, who at age 14 made the cut at both the Masters and Zurich Classic of New Orleans last month, is in the field on a sponsor exemption. ... Louis Oosthuizen, ranked seventh in the world, is among seven entrants among the top 25 in this week's world rankings in the field this week. ...Defending champion Jason Dufner, who finished fourth in the FedExCup standings last year, has yet to find the same form in 2013. His best finish was 12th at Trump Doral. ...Jason Day, the 2010 champion, has yet to finish outside the top 10 in three visits to the TPC Four Seasons, tying for ninth last year.
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EUROPEAN TOUR - VOLVO WORLD MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
COURSE: Thracian Cliffs Golf & Beach Resort (7,291 yards, par 72).
PURSE: $3.9 million. Winner's share: $1,040,800.
TELEVISION: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 7-11 a.m.; Saturday, 6-11 a.m.; Sunday, 5-11 a.m.).
NOTES: The tournament is the European Tour's first in Bulgaria, the 40th nation to host a tour event. ...Belgium's Nicolas Colsaerts won at Finca Cortesin in Spain, beating Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell 1-up in the final. ...England's Ian Poulter won in 2011. ...After round-robin play in eight three-man groups, the top two in each group will advance to the round of 16. ... Bo Van Pelt is the lone American in the 24-man field.
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EUROPEAN TOUR/EUROPEAN CHALLENGE TOUR - MADEIRA ISLANDS OPEN
COURSE: Santo da Serra Golf Club (6,826 yards, par 72).
PURSE: $780,600. Winner's share: $130,100.
NOTES: Ricardo Santos became the first Portuguese-born player to win a European Tour event in his home country, closing with a 9-under 63 for a four-stroke victory a year ago.
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LPGA TOUR - MOBILE BAY LPGA CLASSIC
COURSE: Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, Magnolia Grove, The Crossings (6,521 yards, par 72).
PURSE: $1.2 million. Winner's share: $180,000.
TELEVISION: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 6:30-8:30 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 5-7 p.m.).
CANADIAN CONNECTION: Sara-Maude Juneau, Lorie Kane, Sue Kim, Maude-Aimee Leblanc, Rebecca Lee-Bentham, Alena Sharp, Jessica Shepley, Stephanie Sherlock
NOTES: Maude-Aimee Leblanc and Stephanie Sherlock are playing for the first time since qualifying for the Women's U.S. Open last week. ...Sue Kim of Langley, B.C., is playing in her first LPGA Tour event of the year. She currently sits fourth on the money list on the developmental Symetra Tour. ...Stacy Lewis, currently the number two ranked player in the world, is the defending champion, holding off teen Lexi Thompson by a stroke. She has two victories this year, winning consecutive events in Singapore and Phoenix. ... Top-ranked Inbee Park, a three-time winner this year, is skipping the tournament.
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WEB.COM TOUR - BMW CHARITY PRO-AM
COURSES: Thornblade Club (7,024 yards, par 71); Greenville Country Club, Chanticleer Course (6,664 yards, par 72); The Reserve at Lake Keowee (7,112 yards, par 72).
PURSE: $650,000. Winner's share: $117,000.
TELEVISION: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 12:30-2:30 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 3-5 p.m.).
CANADIAN CONNECTION: Adam Hadwin, Matt Hill, Jon Mills, Andrew Parr, Riley Wheeldon
NOTES: Nick Flanagan won the event for the second time in six years, beating fellow Australian Cameron Percy with a par on the third hole of a playoff a year ago. ...Adam Hadwin missed the cut for the first time in four events two weeks ago. ...Matt Hill has missed each of his last two cuts. ...Jon Mills is making only his second start of the year. He missed the cut in Brazil last month. ...Both Andrew Parr and Riley Wheeldon are making their Web.com Tour debuts this week. ...Twenty-eight celebrities are scheduled to participate in this year's tournament including Wayne Gretzky, Janet-Jones Gretzky, Carolina Hurricanes coach Kirk Muller, Craig T. Nelson, Kurt Russell and Terry O'Quinn.
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SYMETRA TOUR - FRIENDS OF MISSION CHARITY CLASSIC
COURSE: Country Club of Asheville, Asheville, NC (6,339 yds, par 72)
PURSE: $100,000
CANADIAN CONNECTION: Izzy Beisiegel, Angela Buzminski, Samantha Richdale, Nicole Vandermade, Jessica Wallace
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CN CANADIAN WOMEN'S TOUR
COURSE: Beach Grove Golf Club, Tsawwassen, B.C.
PURSE: $60,000
NOTABLES CANUCKS: Natalie Gleadall, SooBin Kim, Kirby Dreher, Brooke Henderson, Jisoo Keel, Jennifer Ha, Samantha Richdale, Augusta James, Brittany Marchand, Brogan McKinnon
NOTES: The opening event of the season features a rematch between Brooke Henderson, the top ranked amateur player in Canada, and Jisoo Keel, the B.C. amateur who is also the defending champion. Last weekend it was Henderson who came out on the winning end by a single stroke at the CN Future Links Pacific Championship. ...The winner earns $10,000 and an exemption into the CN Canadian Women's Open this August in Edmonton.
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ONEASIA TOUR- SK TELECOM OPEN
COURSE: Pinx Golf Club, Jeju Island, South Korea
CANADIAN CONNECTION: Richard T. Lee, Darren Griff (alternate), Sung-shik Park (alternate)
NOTES: This will be Lee's third event on the OneAsia Tour. He currently sits 31st on the money list. His best finish was a tie for 18th at the Indonesian Open.
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PGA TOUR LATINOAMERICA - MUNDO MAYA OPEN
COURSE: Yucatan Country Club, El Jaguar Course, Merida, Mexico
PURSE: $150,000
CANADIAN CONNECTION: Matt Johnston, Ryan Yip, Derek Gillespie,
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eGOLF PROFESSIONAL TOUR - THE PALISADES CLASSIC
COURSE: The Palisades Country Club, Charlotte, NC (6,797 yds, par 72)
CANADIAN CONNECTION: Cam Burke, Robbie Greenwell, Mackenzie Hughes, Ryan Terdik
NOTES: Cam Burke is coming off a tie for second at the last event, his second top three result in his last three tournaments. He won the Founders Cup Classic last month. The two-time Canadian amatuer champion currently leads the money standings with more than $33,000 in earnings this year. Burke has made eight starts on tour this year, with seven of the eight finishes a tie for 16 or better.
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NGA TOUR - THE CHERRY BLOSSOM CLASSIC
COURSE: Cherry Blossom Golf Club, Georgetown, Ky
CANADIAN CONNECTION: Yohann Benson, Marc-Etienne Bussieres, Spence Laurie, Ben Silverman, Sebastian Szirmak
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NCAA DIVISION I MEN'S GOLF - REGIONAL FINALS
(teams listed in order of seeding in each regional)
PULLMAN, WA: California, TCU, USC, St. Mary's (Calif), Virginia Tech, BYU, Northern Texas, Baylor, San Diego State, Ball State, Memphis, Pacific, Princeton, Saint Francis (PA)
BATON ROUGE, LA: Alabama, Florida, LSU, Mississippi St., Houston, Northwestern, Tennessee, South Alabama, Coastal Carolina, UAB, Wichita State, Southeastern Louisiana, Houston Baptist
TEMPE, AZ: UCLA, Duke, Georgia, Texas A&M, Clemson, Vanderbilt, UCF, North Carolina, Arizona State, Kennesaw State, Arizona, Austin Peay State, New Mexico State, Lehigh
FAYETTEVILLE, AK: Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, SMU, Kent State, Illinois, Liberty, Tulsa, Kentucky, Colorado, Indiana, UNC-Wilmington, UMKC, Alabama State
COLUMBUS, OH: New Mexico, Stanford, Auburn, South Carolina, Missouri, UNLV, Texas Tech, Chattanooga, Georgia Southern, San Francisco, Virginia, Charlotte, Valparaiso
TALLAHASSEE, FL: Washington, Georgia Tech, Florida State, North Florida, Oklahoma, Wake Forest, NC State, Oregon, Oregon State, Iowa, South Florida, San Diego, Loyola Maryland
The low five teams and the low individual not on those teams from each regional will advance to the finals to be played May 28-June 2, at The Capital City Club, Crabapple Course in Atlanta.
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