Tiger on target, shoots solid 68

Tiger's bubble

Tiger Woods weathered the heatwave sweeping through the greater D.C. area and played his way into contention at Congressional Country Club on Friday morning, firing a respectable three-under 68 (which was probably the highest score he could have shot) for a two-under 36-hole total.

Woods, who teed off on No. 10, kick-started his round with an eagle on the par-6 No. 16, ramming a 48-foot putt in the center of the cup.

From a statistical standpoint, Thursday and Friday look pretty similar ' he hit 7 of 14 fairways and 11 of 18 greens both days. He needed two less putts in the second round with 27. However, the stats don't do his play justice. On Nos. 10 and 18, Woods was just off the green on the fringe.

In the U.S. Open-like conditions ' sans the USGA's graduated rough setup ' you're more than likely in deep doo-doo if you're in the hay.

'It's playing like an Open, it really is,' said Woods, who had the advantage of playing in the morning and finishing before 1pm. 'It's quick, it's dry.

Woods missed the short grass off the tee on Nos. 14 and 15, leaving him with awful lies in the gnarly grass. He had no choice but to punch out and lay up, where he then was able to make two beautiful up-and-downs.

''The pars at 14 and 15 were something I needed to have happen,' he said. 'I hit two good wedge shots in there after two poor drives and gave myself a couple good looks, made those, and then I rewarded all that hard work at the next hole with an eagle.'

The tees were up on Nos. 9, 12 and 18 ' which, as Tiger said, will help Friday's scoring average ' and pushed back on No. 15. Otherwise, Congressional is baring its teeth for a second day in the row, along with the sweltering temperatures.

The hottest point of the day came at 4pm ET, where it reached 100 degrees with a heat index of 109.

No problem for Tiger, who is physically fit.

'That's why I train, that's why I run all those miles,' said Tiger when asked to discuss the most challenging part of the heat.  'If you're carrying a little bit of body fat, it's going to be a little insulation out there.  This is when fitness does help, and I figured that's one of the reasons why I've had the success I've had in the elements.'

Meanwhile, Brendon de Jonge, who isn't the most athletic specimen on Tour, is five-under, trailing 36-hole leader Hunter Mahan by two shots. I wonder what de Jonge's secret is!

Heading into the weekend, Woods is tied for 11th.

****

Pardon the interruption. I just rolled sprained my ankle really badly. They gotta take me to the paramedics. Ugh. Now I gotta go to the ER for x-rays. Jokes welcome.

(Getty Images/Rob Carr)

Mahan forges ahead as Congo claims casualties

Hunter preying

Many fell prey to the heat that scorched Congressional Country Club on Friday afternoon, but not Hunter Mahan, whose sweet swing and cool demeanor helped him en route to a blistering six-under 65 in the second round of the AT&T National, which included birdies on two of the last three holes.

Heading into what's expected to be another super hot and humid weekend, Mahan, -7, leads by two strokes over Brendon de Jonge, Jimmy Walker and Robert Garrigus. Mahan, 30, kept hydrated and played so well that the record-high temperatures didn't bother him or affect him mentally.

'It wasn't like hard round,' he said in his post-round presser early Friday evening. 'I hit so many fairways and greens, I made it easy on myself.  This is a pretty punishing golf course, if you get off line a little bit, and swinging well, hit a lot of good shots.  I put myself in some great spots to make putts.

'I felt like I played well on the back when it was getting really hot and you're getting a little bit more tired and kind of was able to bear down and stay focused and put as much effort as I could into each shot.'

Mahan, who shot a career-best 61 last Sunday at Travelers Championship, found 12 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens. He said he only probably missed one loose iron shot, which was on No. 17, but he recovered nicely with an up-and-down that he was 'really proud of.'

He's also happy with his mental game, which is crucial when grinding it out in the difficult conditions and charring heat.

'Once your mind goes, the body is going to go with it,' said Mahan. 'It's very important to be mentally strong.

'That's why these guys work out all the time and try to keep our bodies in shape for days like this when it tough out there and it beats you down and stuff.  We've got two more days of this, so it's going to be important to take care of yourself every night and every day when you're out on the golf course, or it's going to cost you shots.'

The 36-hole cut came at six-over, with 80 guys out of the 119-player field surviving to play at least another round.

***

Congressional took quite a few victims on Friday ' yours truly included, though it was due to clumsiness rather than dehydration. (Since you're going to ask, I tripped over my own feet and sprained my ankle ' the weak one that I famously hurt during the Monday playoff at the Phoenix Open in 2011. You see, the floor in the media center is concrete with thin carpet covering it, which makes it kind of bouncy, if that makes any sense. It happened quickly and I thought it was just a standard ankle roll and tried to shake it off. Well, not the case, probably because the impact on the concrete was so hard. Yes, it was and is very embarrassing.)

At least two players suffered from heat stroke. Chris Couch was treated by paramedics on the golf course, and Chris Stroud fell ill to dehydration and was forced to withdraw after eight holes.

Word is a minimum of five caddies went down in the afternoon. Lucas Glover's caddie Don Cooper supposedly vomited on a green. (Awful, but classic!) Other loopers who got sick included Chris Mazziotti (Kyle Reifers) and Mike Hicks (Spencer Levin).

It's been a tough week health-wise for the Henley brothers. First, Brent Henley, who works for Robert Garrigus, cut his head badly when he 'head-butted' the caddie trailer on Thursday morning (apparently there's still blood everywhere at the scene). Brent was sent to the ER, where he received more than 40 stitches. He was back at work on Friday, though, helping Garrigus on his way to a 67. His brother, the more gregarious and infamous, Kip Henley, was kind enough to post pictures of the gash yesterday, along with Brent's fancy headgear today.

Brent said he actually felt better than usual despite his head injury. Maybe he got some good meds?

Unfortunately, Kip ended up in the same ER as Brent on Friday afternoon after suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion.

Drink lots and lots of fluids this weekend, everyone! I mean, seriously, start the night before and don't stick with just water, either. Remember to throw in a Gatorade or two in between to replenish the electrolytes. In the meantime, I'll try to do a better job of walking ' or at least hobbling ' when I'm back on both feet.

(Getty Images/Rob Carr)

Thursday at AT&T National: the U.S. Open that didn't happen last year at Congo

Tiger scrambles for a 72

Just a little over a year after surrendering record-breaking scores, Congressional Country Club is playing like a U.S. Open course in U.S. Open-like conditions. The course is firm and fast. The heat is sweltering. And the scorching temperatures aren't letting up at the AT&T National.

Only ten players in the morning wave broke par, including Vijay Singh, Dustin Johnson, Davis Love III, Hunter Mahan, Stewart Cink and Marc Leishman, who captured his first PGA Tour victory last Sunday at the Travelers Championship.

Tournament host Tiger Woods struggled to find fairways on the front nine and grinded to shoot a one-over 72. Bo Van Pelt, who placed T14 at last year's U.S. Open here, fired a bogey-free four-under 67 to take the first-round lead over Singh, Brendon de Jonge and Jimmy Walker.

Players weighed in on Congo's conditions today compared to last year:

*Hunter Mahan: 'It's going to be hot this coming weekend, so the course is in unbelievable shape right now. It's perfect as it gets from the rough perspective, and the greens are rolling very true. It's playing similar (to the U.S. Open last year), but this is probably tougher, I would think.'

*Brandt Jobe: 'Compared to the U.S. Open last year, the greens are much firmer. Tee to green is much faster, and the rough is much deeper, so that combination makes it a little more difficult.'

*Marc Leishman: 'I think the conditions make it harder. The rough is not quite as long as it was last year, but the greens are a lot firmer. In that respect, it's tougher, definitely.'

*Davis Love III: 'I think it's playing a lot like a U.S. Open. Not quite what they wanted last year, but they got it this year. The course is playing tough.'

*Beau Hossler: 'From what I can tell it's set up harder than last year.  The scores seem like they're lower because maybe the pins aren't quite as hard, but the greens are faster and firmer than last year, that's for sure.'

*Bo Van Pelt: 'I think everybody knows the golf course last year just wasn't quite ready to be set up the way they wanted it to be set up, and it's unfortunate.  I know they spent a lot of time and money to get it ready, and some things are out of your control. I said it last year, they needed one more year, and basically you could have a U.S. Open here this week if you wanted it.  That's the way it's set up.  The rough is very uniform, it's very thick.  The greens are firm and they're fast.  It's a great golf course, and when it's set up like that, it's going to play tough all week.'

*****

The Hoss

What did you do the summer before your senior year in high school? I'm betting you didn't play in your second U.S. Open and weren't playing on a sponsor's exemption at the AT&T National. 17-year-old Beau Hossler, who missed the cut at last year's Open here, is back at Congressional and posted a first-round even par 70.

Although he three-putted his last hole, the 9th, from 25 feet, he can't draw many negatives.

'I had a pretty good day,' said Hossler. 'Unfortunately I had some three'putts.  I had four birdies, which is pretty good, so just got to work on the putting a little bit.

'These have got to be the fastest greens I've ever putted on.  I don't know, maybe the same speed as Olympic a couple weeks ago, but these have a lot more pitch to them, so if you get on the wrong side of the hole, you've got no chance.'

Hossler, who is headed to play for the University of Texas next year, is growing accustomed to the spotlight and the big stage.

'I'm starting to feel pretty comfortable out here, so I feel like I belong,' he said.  'Obviously my game needs to get better before I'm out here all the time, but I feel pretty comfortable out here, feels like I can make the adjustment from junior to amateur to professional golf.'

The kid is doing alright.

***

Billy Hurley III isn't your average rookie on the PGA Tour. For starters, he's 30 years old, attended college at the Naval Academy, where he majored in quantitative economics, and spent five years as an officer in the Navy.

'There's certainly a mental toughness that I learned from the Navy and the Naval Academy that translates well into golf, but the pressures and the life are very different,' he said.

It's only fitting Hurley chose to post one of his best rounds of the season at the AT&T National, a tournament that honors the military. On the 17th hole, a servicemen tends the pin that has an American flag attached to it. Hurley discovered that the guy works with his roommate from his last post at Pearl Harbor.

Despite a bogey on the last hole, the Leesberg, Virginia, native shot a two-under 69, two strokes behind leader Bo Van Pelt, on the steamy Thursday.

'This is certainly a special tournament, and you have a lot more military out here, which is really fun for me today,' said Hurley, who was granted a sponsor's exemption.  'There was a lot of military, a lot of 'Beat Armies' getting thrown around there.  Somebody said, 'Go Army.'  We had to correct him.

'But the tournament here is '' I mean, the connection to the military, and I got to play here last year when it was in Philly, so just the way that this tournament has decided to honor the military is fantastic, and it always seems to fall around 4th of July.  I mean, not obviously this week, but sort of in that mix. And I think that any time that we as an American public take time to pause and remember, reflect and honor the military, it's a great thing.'

(Getty Images/Patrick McDermott)

ESPN serving up one naked Norwegian

About Me

Hi! My name is Stephanie Wei. I grew up in Seattle. I live in Manhattan, NYC. I played competitive golf for ten years in the junior and college ranks. I went to Yale, where I played on the women's golf team and graduated in '05 with a B.A. in History.

I still enjoy hacking a small, white ball around the golf course. Oh, I'm feisty and I like to smile a lot.

I'm a freelance writer and reporter. I'm a regular contributor to Sports Illustrated Golf+, and I covered the majors for Wall Street Journal in 2010 and 2011Wall Street Journal. I'm also a senior editor at Back9Network

In the past I've contributed to Huffington Post and Mediaite. My work has been published herehere and at ESPN.com.

*****

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Email: steph.wei@gmail.com

*****

"Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening - and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented." -Arnold Palmer

Woods' one-over underwhelming

Tiger Woods walks to the 17th green during Round One of the AT&T National at Congressional Country Club

Since I'm waiting out the gridlock traffic in the media center, I might as well toss up a gratuitous post on Tiger Woods, your tournament host. Anyone catch the coverage today, anyway? I'm guessing some of you were more interested in the DVR'd Irish Open, Wimbledon and/or the Euro soccer semifinals.

Well, you didn't miss too much in the first round of the AT&T National. As you've heard, the U.S. Open that didn't happen last year is taking place this week at Congressional Country Club.

Tiger shot a ho-hum one-over 72 to trail 18-hole leader Bo Van Pelt by five strokes. He didn't do anything excellent, but the glaring weakness that cost him was his bunker play.

'I didn't hit it that bad today,' said Woods, who is currently tied for 30th. 'I just didn't get a lot out of my round, a couple short game shots on the back nine out of those bunkers, a lot of sand in those bunkers and we have to hit the ball a little bit closer to it, and I didn't do that, and I stuck too many of them in the ground.'

Wait, so what's the issue?

'There's so much sand in these bunkers,' he said. 'There's just a lot of sand in them. My 60 is not built for this much sand, not designed for that, designed for less sand, so I have to make an adjustment and hit the ball a little bit closer, make sure I hit a little bit closer to the golf ball, and I just didn't do it.'

Yeah, those were pretty ugly bunker shots on Nos. 15 and 16, where he knocked them to 14 and 30 feet, respectively.

Woods, who admitted his short game had hurt him recently in his pre-tourney presser, said despite the poor bunker play, he was pleased overall around the greens.

'Otherwise it was actually pretty good,' he said. 'I had to get up'and'down quite a bit today.'

After he striped his first tee shot, Tiger didn't hit another fairway until No. 8. He straightened out his drives coming in, though.

Oh, don't blame Tiger for the difficult course setup and firm conditions. He'll give feedback on how he'd like to see things before the tournament week starts, but once it does, as a player and a competitor, he stays out of it.

Due to the springy greens, he tended to fire a little away from the pin, even if he had a sand wedge in his hands.

'It's very similar to what we played at Olympic,' said Tiger, referring to the U.S. Open a few weeks ago. 'It's survival. The ball will bounce as high as it flies on some holes. It's an adjustment we all have to make.'

He also agreed with other guys that Congressional played like a major championship on Thursday.

'It did,' said Tiger, who missed the 2011 U.S. Open due to injury. 'It's certainly, I think, a little retribution for what happened last year. Don't be mad at me, I didn't play.'

However, the setup is different because there's no graduated rough, making it arguably more challenging if you're not accurate off the tee.

'If it's not in the fairway then it's in the deep stuff,' he said. 'So it's a different setup. It's hard and fast, and we have to be careful a lot of times, and when you have an opportunity to be aggressive, better do it.'

It'll be interesting to see how the course plays the next three days, especially in the afternoon. If you've got a morning tee time, take advantage of it before the greens bake out!

(Getty Images/Rob Carr)

Nationwide Tour is now the Web.com Tour

Meh-heh-heh

Here we go. The PGA Tour has found a new umbrella sponsor for its developmental tour: Web.com ' which, effective immediately, will replace the Nationwide Tour as the title sponsor. Yes, that means you will now call it the Web.com Tour.

All parties insist the Q-school format change had nothing to do with inking the deal. So then, let's just keep the status quo, right?

Check out the company's homepage (kinda weird, no?)'and here's the media blast:

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. ' The PGA TOUR and Web.com (Nasdaq:WWWW), the leading provider of internet services and online marketing solutions for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), today announced a 10-year agreement whereby the company becomes the umbrella sponsor of the newly named Web.com Tour.

Formerly known as the Nationwide Tour, the Web.com Tour will continue to identify and transition players who are ready to compete and win on the PGA TOUR. It currently awards PGA TOUR membership to the 25 leading money winners at the end of the season. Beginning in 2013, however, the importance of the Web.com Tour will further increase when the new qualifying structure for the PGA TOUR expands that number to 50.

The Web.com umbrella sponsorship takes effect immediately with this week's United Leasing Championship at Victoria National Golf Club near Evansville, Ind., and extends through 2021. In addition to the umbrella sponsorship, Web.com will also become an Official Marketing Partner of the PGA TOUR, Web.com Tour and Champions Tour.

The announcements were made jointly by PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem; David L. Brown, Web.com's Chairman, President and CEO; and Bill Calfee, President of the Web.com Tour.

Web.com to Significantly Expand Reach to SMBs through Sponsorship

'This sponsorship is a perfect fit for us ' Web.com is committed to helping small- and medium-sized businesses compete and succeed online, just as the Web.com Tour helps talented, dedicated athletes maximize their potential and fulfill their dreams,' Brown said. 'The Web.com brand will gain exceptional visibility as a result of our sponsorship of the Web.com Tour. In addition, we believe that the professionalism and competition of PGA TOUR golf resonates strongly with small- and medium-sized business owners, making the national and international exposure we achieve with this sponsorship an unparalleled opportunity to reach more of our target market.'

As the umbrella sponsor of the Tour, Web.com will receive media coverage throughout the year and international television exposure through Golf Channel's live telecasts of Web.com Tour tournaments and ancillary programming. Extensive branding and promotion at tournament sites; local and national advertising opportunities across print, broadcast, internet and social media properties; regular exposure through PGA TOUR media assets and various hospitality opportunities are also part of the Web.com agreement. The Web.com Tour will also be a familiar element during PGA TOUR telecasts, particularly when alumni play their way into contention.   In addition, Web.com, via its Official Marketing Partnership, will offer its internet services and online solutions for players across all three Tours and events looking to grow their individual brands.

Brown continued, 'This sponsorship is a unique and powerful opportunity to elevate our brand on a highly desirable global platform, but it also offers us deep, local exposure in the 27 markets where Web.com Tour events are currently staged as well as access to other markets where the PGA TOUR and the Champions Tour have forged strong ties. We intend to actively engage in those communities and use our expertise to help local businesses and organizations succeed online.'

Web.com will also enhance each Web.com Tour community through charitable outreach. In 2011, the Web.com Tour raised $7.35 million for charity, pushing its cumulative total since inception in 1990 to $75 million.

Solidifying the Future of the Web.com Tour

With today's announcement, the Web.com Tour's long-term future is solidified by aligning with a growing, highly successful company whose expertise caters to the size of business that would include tournaments, charities and even players, as independent contractors. Through its relationship with the PGA TOUR, Web.com will make its services available for website development and online marketing to those groups.

'We are extremely pleased to welcome Web.com into the PGA TOUR's family of sponsors,' Finchem said. 'The Web.com Tour truly is an extension of the PGA TOUR and has proven to be the most effective and consistent indicator of future success on TOUR. We consider this an ideal association with a recognized industry leader in helping small- to medium-sized businesses become successful as a result of using its services. To that end, we are particularly delighted that, in addition to the sponsorship, Web.com will be offering its expertise to help our tournaments, players and charities enhance their own web presence.'

The success of the Web.com Tour is reflected in the success of its alumni since the Tour was introduced in 1990. As the 'official proving ground of the PGA TOUR,' three out of four PGA TOUR members have played on the Web.com Tour and alumni have accounted for more than 330 TOUR victories.

With structural changes to PGA TOUR qualifying in 2013 that were first announced in March, the Web.com Tour will become even more important to the TOUR.  Starting next year, all 50 new PGA TOUR membership cards will be awarded through the Web.com Tour, with the three final tournaments on the Web.com Tour combining PGA TOUR and Web.com Tour players to determine who earns those 50 cards. The fields for the three final Web.com Tour events, which will be held around the FedExCup Playoffs, will include the top 75 players on the Web.com Tour's money list, the players ranked 126-200 on the PGA TOUR's FedExCup points list and non-members who meet certain eligibility standards. The annual Qualifying Tournament now will become the eligibility avenue to the Web.com Tour.

'Since its inception in 1990, the Web.com Tour has been the proving ground for many of the most successful players on the PGA TOUR,' said Bill Calfee, President of the Web.com Tour. 'In addition to the quality of play, the standard of our tournaments has been significantly elevated to the point that today the Tour truly is an extension of the PGA TOUR in every way. Now, with an outstanding new umbrella sponsor in Web.com and the new PGA TOUR qualifying changes that will award all 50 new cards through our final three tournaments, the Web.com Tour is poised to continue to shape and strengthen the future of the PGA TOUR.'

Nationwide Insurance sponsored the Tour since 2003. As previously announced, the Columbus, Ohio-based company decided to assume presenting sponsorship of its hometown PGA TOUR event, the Memorial Tournament, when that opportunity opened for the 2011 season. It was prepared to fulfill its umbrella sponsorship of the Tour through this year before Web.com expressed interest in assuming the sponsorship immediately.

'Nationwide has been a terrific partner of the PGA TOUR for more than 20 years, dating back to its involvement as a tournament sponsor on the Champions Tour, ' Finchem said. 'We thank Nationwide for its tremendous support and contributions as an umbrella sponsor of the Tour since 2003. We are delighted we will continue to work together on Nationwide's two Columbus-based events, Jack Nicklaus' Memorial Tournament on the PGA TOUR and the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational on the Web.com Tour.'

'Nationwide is proud of our 10-year association with the Nationwide Tour, the PGA TOUR and all the outstanding individuals dedicated to developing and preparing golfers for the next stage of their professional lives,' said Matt Jauchius, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer for Nationwide. 'We look forward to our continued partnership with the PGA TOUR as sponsor of the Memorial Tournament and the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational, and wish both the Tour and Web.com the best in their new partnership.'

About Web.com                                                                                                                                                                 Web.com (Nasdaq: WWWW) is a leading provider of online marketing services that make it fast, easy, and cost-effective for small businesses to attract and convert new customers on the web. Web.com offers a complete range of web services, including domain registration, website design, online marketing, search engine optimization, lead generation, and e-commerce solutions for every stage of the small business lifecycle. In fact, more than 15 million successful websites have been created with Web.com tools and services.

Headquartered in Jacksonville, FL, Web.com has nearly three million customers. With the acquisition of Register.com in 2010 and Network Solutions in 2011, Web.com is now a leading domain registrar focused on the small business market.

About the Web.com Tour

Founded (1990), owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Web.com Tour identifies those players who are ready to compete and win on golf's biggest stage. As the official proving ground of the PGA TOUR, three out of four PGA TOUR members are Web.com Tour alumni. Tour alumni have won nearly 340 PGA TOUR titles, including 16 majors and five PLAYERS Championships. Twenty-five PGA TOUR cards are at stake over the course of 27 events in 2012.

(Getty Images/David Cannon)

Video: A.J. Hawk gives new meaning to 'hitting into a hazard'

About Me

Hi! My name is Stephanie Wei. I grew up in Seattle. I live in Manhattan, NYC. I played competitive golf for ten years in the junior and college ranks. I went to Yale, where I played on the women's golf team and graduated in '05 with a B.A. in History.

I still enjoy hacking a small, white ball around the golf course. Oh, I'm feisty and I like to smile a lot.

I'm a freelance writer and reporter. I'm a regular contributor to Sports Illustrated Golf+, and I covered the majors for Wall Street Journal in 2010 and 2011Wall Street Journal. I'm also a senior editor at Back9Network

In the past I've contributed to Huffington Post and Mediaite. My work has been published herehere and at ESPN.com.

*****

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Email: steph.wei@gmail.com

*****

"Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening - and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented." -Arnold Palmer

Tiger's peppy presser at Congo: The essentials (and more)

Hello, DC!

AT&T National host Tiger Woods, who was cheery and chatty (by Tiger standards), greeted the media on Tuesday afternoon at Congressional Country Club ' after a two-year hiatus where it was contested at Aronimink GC ' for his pre-tournament presser. Of course, the most-anticipated question: What happened over the weekend at Olympic, where you were in prime position to grab victory by its throat and break the major-less since '08 steak?

Well, there was no beating around the bush! ' First question:

Q.  Coming off the (U.S.) Open, do you take more from the first two days or the last two days?
TIGER WOODS:  I think that overall it was'' the way I struck the golf ball was'' I was very pleased by that.  I didn't particularly chip or putt well that week, something that I had done at Memorial.  I just didn't do that week, and obviously at the Open, that's just one of the things you have to do, and I didn't do that.  I didn't make anything from 15 or 20 feet.  I made a bunch of putts from 8 to 10 feet and in, but I didn't make any other putts.

That week I played very conservative.  My game plan worked for the first couple days.  I was playing away from a lot of flags, lag putting, but I didn't make anything.  I need to hit the ball a little bit closer than I did that week.

Q.  A lot has been made about your U.S. Open performance.  Concerned about the way things went on Saturday and Sunday?  There are those out there that feel you regressed, went backwards, which hasn't been your pattern for the most part in majors.

TIGER WOODS:  No, it was one of those weekends where I just didn't quite get everything out of my rounds.  I was so close on Saturday to getting a good round out of it, and I didn't.  You know, it's just one of those things where a fraction off on particularly that U.S. Open venue, or a fraction off, balls that land in the fairway don't stay in the fairway, and I kept hitting the edge of the fairways and going in the rough.  There you've not only got to hit the ball in the middle but you've got to hit the ball in the middle with the correct shape.  Being a fraction off, certainly it showed up on Saturday, and the beginning of Sunday for sure.  But I got it back towards the end of it, played 3'under coming in, and that was something positive.

Yada, yada, yada. Tell me something new. Ha!

Onward. Highlights and excerpts from the rest of his length presser:

*On his preference of playing Congo when conditions are quick (duh):  ' I like it quick, because it certainly puts a premium on shaping shots, and more than anything, keeping the ball under the hole.  I mean, really got to try and keep it under the hole.  We've seen what this place can do when it gets soft, you know, and what the guys can shoot.  But I think this week with the weather forecast with it supposed to be as hot as it's supposed to be, I don't think we're going to quite see it as fast as it is right now.  They're going to have to put some water on it to try to keep it alive.'

*On how much he's practiced since Olympic: 'I didn't really practice a lot this week.  I was with my kids, and I got away from the game, and I was just present with them.'

*On how difficult it is to get pumped up for a regular event when he's won so many majors: 'Well, that's one of the reasons I don't play that much is to make sure that I'm focused and I'm excited, I'm ready, physically fit and mentally ready to play.  You know, if I played 30 times a year, 30 plus times a year, I don't think I would be as ready as I am each and every week I tee it up. And when I think of how my career has turned out, I think I've done the right thing.'

*On wanting to win the regular tournaments: 'Absolutely I want to win, and I certainly want to win, and I think that, as I said, over the course of my career, being able to practice and be ready to play, I think that's been very important to me.  I've always enjoyed practicing and practicing my way into a tournament.  Some guys like to play their way into shape and play.  They don't really practice a lot.  I'm one of those guys that just really enjoys practicing.'

*On why Jack Nicklaus' majors record gets so much more attention than Sam Snead's PGA Tour wins record: 'Well, I think it's the same thing, why was Pete Sampras' record so much greater than what Jimmy Connors has done?  No one really knows how many wins he's had.  I don't know, is it over 100?  I believe it's over 100. But I think that the majors certainly have more importance, and we put so much more on it, especially now.  I think that with the media and the way it's been, I think that there's so much more media coverage and more attention on major championships.  Certainly that's something that wasn't exactly in Jack's day and obviously prior to him. And I think that's just the way it is.  Our big events are big, and they're bigger than any other events that we play.'

[*Ed note: Most impressive part is Tiger knowing around how many wins Jimmy Connors has...]

*On why majors are harder to win than regular events..: 'Well, majors are a harder event because, one, you're going to have the best fields, and two, you're going to have the most difficult setups that we play all year.  Three of the four rotate, so you don't get the consistency of'' even Augusta, they seem to change it most years.  So there's no real consistency to the major championships.  You're obviously going back to venues that you haven't played in over a decade and you're having to relearn a golf course where they've either changed pars like they did at Pebble Beach, changed tees, changed fairway lines, so you have to relearn a golf course for a week.'

*On why Tiger won't putt with a belly/long putter: 'I've tried it, and my stroke is infinitely worse.  It's just not good.  I like the flow of my stroke.  I like how I putt.  Putting with anchoring or even different configurations of a standard grip, my stroke doesn't flow at all.  I think I've done all right with mine, and I think I'm going to stick with it.'

*On whether Congo is a good test or not on progressing to win a regular event before a major: 'I see what you're saying.  Yeah, there is.  I went through a period there in, what, '97, '98 where I didn't really do anything in major championships, and then finally ended up'' I had a pretty good year in '99, at the beginning of the year I won a few tournaments, and then finally put it together at the PGA. And the same thing when I'' was it '03, '04, I didn't really do anything in the majors, as well, and finally put it together in '05 and '06.  I've been through this before, been through a process like this, and then certainly this golf course is just a fantastic golf course, and it's very different than what we're going to be facing a month from now, but it's still a great test.'

[*Ed note: I thought winning the Memorial was a great sign and test of Tiger being "ready" to win a major again, but alas, here we are again.]

*On the evolution of Lebron James: 'Well, I think what he did in The Finals is just absolutely amazing.  Actually the whole year.  People forget he was MVP of the year.  He had an unbelievable Playoffs.  He showed every single facet of his game.  Things he needed to work on versus last year showed up and were not just'' they didn't show up, but they were dominant. It's pretty neat to see somebody who's that talented work on his game and then display it under the most extreme conditions.  We saw it with M.J.; he couldn't jump over everybody with the Pistons and eventually learned a different shot, and he mastered going off his right hand, left shoulder.  It didn't matter, he could fade away either shoulder.
To me it's just amazing to watch player development like that.'

*On comparing Lebron's career to his own: 'As far as the other part of your question, I think that what he did, going into the NBA at age 18 is very different.  I went to college for two years and had that type of environment to grow and learn.  He went straight into the NBA and was a professional, and that's a big change.  That's a big jump from playing high school ball to professionals, and we find the same thing out here.  Guys who go from amateur golf and straight into the big leagues, it's tough. You know, he did a fantastic job.  He grew.  We saw him physically grow but also mature into his game over the years, and it's fun to just sit back and watch.  I think that we should all look at what he's done and just sit back and watch one of the greatest players to ever play.'

I thought this question was interesting and worth quoting'

Q.  That was really interesting about the players who adapted their games and learned.  I wonder if M.J. learning to alter his game after he couldn't jump over everybody is similar to you making swing changes to compensate for your knee.

TIGER WOODS:  Absolutely, absolutely.  I didn't want to play the way I did because it hurt, and it hurt a lot.  Was I good at it?  Yeah, I was good at it, but I couldn't go down that road, and there's no way I could have had longevity in the game if I would have done that. Four knee surgeries later, here we are.  I finally have a swing that it doesn't hurt, and I am still generating power, but it doesn't hurt anymore.

*On whether or not he's 'back' until he wins a major and whether that's unfair criticism: 'Well, I think it's something that I've done over the years.  I've won major championships, and I haven't done it since '08.  We all go through periods where that doesn't happen.  Some periods are entire careers.  But I think I understand how to win major championships. The key is just giving yourself chances.  That's the key, giving yourself opportunities on the back nine on Sunday each and every time.  That's one of the reasons why Jack was so good at it.  He won 18, but you think about it, he finished second 19 times, so he was there. You're not going to win them all, but if you're there a lot, chances are you're going to win your share. '

*On Patrick Cantlay turning pro after his sophomore year at UCLA: 'Well, I think he did the right thing in turning pro a little bit earlier.  I think that Justin Leonard did the same thing, turned pro right after the Open and played his way and got a TOUR card.  I think that gives you the best chance.  You play the Masters, you get the U.S. Open, you get a couple majors under your belt, you get to play with your team in college, play your entire collegiate schedule, and now you've got a lot of tournaments under your belt, and then go ahead and turn pro and try and get your card. For me in '96 it was a little bit different story.  I had a chance to make history.  No one has ever won three Amateur Championships, and that was important to me, to at least give it a run.

'One of the things that I conversed with my dad at the time is that I didn't quite feel I was quite good enough to be a pro yet, until I played the British Open at Lytham and had a really good I think second round.  At the time I was either tied or broke the lowest amateur record for a British Open, and to me that was important.  It gave me a good sign that, you know what, I think I can do this, and let me see if I can get the Amateur first, and then if I can get the Amateur, go ahead and turn pro, and that's what ended up happening.'

*On turning pro early because of the Q-school system changes that start next year: 'Yeah, you know what, it's probably more advantageous to turn pro a little bit earlier now because we don't have that'' if it does get passed, you don't have that Q'school carrot at the end of it.  You have to go through the Nationwide Tour and spend a year out there and hopefully get your card in a year, unless you win three tournaments and get your battle field. But I think if you want to do it, I think that it's more advantageous to turn pro early, then if you finish top 10 you don't have to use your exemption the next week; you're automatically exempt into the next week.  It starts going, and you can build momentum that way.

'But that Q'school carrot is always kind of in the back of your mind.  I remember when Curtis Strange was a prime example of that.  They had two Q'schools at the time.  He missed the first one, ended up getting the second one, the same year.  That's a different time, and obviously we've changed away from that and had one and potentially this one is not going to get the guys out here on Tour.'

*On using his influence to extend 17-year-old Beau Hossler a sponsor's exemption: 'What he did at the U.S. Open is pretty remarkable.  You know, it's consistency and handling that golf course and being as consistent as he was, but on that big a stage.  That was impressive to see. He's going to college, obviously going to go to UT, I believe, and that's going to be a great experience for him.  Fantastic team, obviously they just won the National Championship, so he's going to go out for that team, and it's going to be fun for him.'

*****

Whew. That's all for now.

Oh, expect the Congressional to bare more teeth than it did last June when Rory McIlroy ripped it apart and shot a record-breaking 16-under to cruise to his first major championship.

(Getty Images/Andrew Redington)

Fall Series events no longer PGA Tour's bastards

About Me

Hi! My name is Stephanie Wei. I grew up in Seattle. I live in Manhattan, NYC. I played competitive golf for ten years in the junior and college ranks. I went to Yale, where I played on the women's golf team and graduated in '05 with a B.A. in History.

I still enjoy hacking a small, white ball around the golf course. Oh, I'm feisty and I like to smile a lot.

I'm a freelance writer and reporter. I'm a regular contributor to Sports Illustrated Golf+, and I covered the majors for Wall Street Journal in 2010 and 2011Wall Street Journal. I'm also a senior editor at Back9Network

In the past I've contributed to Huffington Post and Mediaite. My work has been published herehere and at ESPN.com.

*****

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Email: steph.wei@gmail.com

*****

"Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening - and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented." -Arnold Palmer

Bubba: See you in England!

Bubs

After missing two cuts in a row, Masters champ Bubba Watson returned to the first page of the leaderboard, finishing tied for second at the Travelers Championship, where he won his maiden PGA Tour victory in 2010. Prior to the Memorial, Watson had finished T18 or better in his nine previous starts this season.

What's next for the part-time* golfer?

A(nother) three-week break to take care of loose ends and spend time with his family in their gated community, of course.

'British Open,' said Watson after posting a second consecutive five-under 65 on Sunday when asked when we'd see him next.

'I got a lot of stuff to do at the new house. Buying a new house, got a lot of adoption stuff to do, got a lot of paperwork to go through with that. So I've got time off, got three weeks off now to hopefully get all that stuff done.'

Cool. He's not the only guy who takes three weeks off between the Travelers and the Open. He also made the same scheduling decision last year pre-Masters glory. Well, actually, that's not entirely true. In 2011 he played in French Open this week instead of the AT&T. Remember that debacle?

Have a good break, Bubs. I don't blame you. I didn't win the Masters and I'm pretty pooped from traveling (20 starts this year!). As a fellow independent contractor, I'd like a three-week vacation to recuperate before the Open Championship if I could, so enjoy your time with your family and sunning yourself by the pool or whatever it is Bubba likes to do.

*Joking re: 'part-time' golfer. Bubba is an independent contractor and he can choose to play as little or as much as he'd like. Besides, he still has more starts than Tiger Woods! ' though I should note that Tiger is playing this week at the AT&T National and the following at Greenbrier, so he'll have the same number of starts going into the Open as Bubba: 12.

(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Video: Mahan's low round ends on high note

Hunter's new caddie on No. 18

Make that two high notes. With the help of a new caddie on the 72nd hole, Hunter Mahan, who has already won twice this season, rolled in a 20-footer for birdie to fire a career-best 61 at the Travelers Championship.

On the 18th tee, Mahan's regular looper John Wood took off his bib and put it on David Finn, a 19-year-old from River Edge, N.J., who suffers from a mitochondrial disorder that has left his limbs shriveled and his mouth unable to form words. Finn, the 'Golf Fanatic to the Bones,' 'caddied' for Mahan as Wood pushed him up the fairway in his wheelchair.

'Well, we did it yesterday (had Finn 'caddie'), but it didn't quite have the impact since we were one-under and no one was watching us,' said Mahan, who started the day tied for 68th and teed off in the first starting time. 'We met him a long, long time ago. Wood has known his family for a while and I got to meet him through Wood.

'(David) is so aware, but he just can't do the things that he wants to do. His folks do an incredible job of getting him out to so many Tour events and he's a fun kid. It's an opportunity you couldn't pass up.'

Hi mom!

David must be good luck. Mahan dropped a 15-footer on No. 7 when David caddied for him on No. 7 on Saturday.

'He went crazy!' exclaimed Wood. 'It was really special.'

Since it was such a unique moment, Wood planned a second opportunity for Finn, along with himself and Hunter, in Sunday's final round. (Of course he cleared the plan with officials before the fact.) This time it was the 18th hole with a great deal of fans watching.

'That's what's kind of neat about the PGA Tour,' said Mahan, who birdied nine of his last 13 holes after opening with five straight pars. 'We can have the fan interaction and give someone like that really kind of a dream come true.'

Oh, but it gets even better.

'The cool thing was I had this obviously planned out, and it was bonus that H was having a ridiculous round and David there  for the last putt,' said Wood. 'But another real cool thing was when we got to the ball and I got the yardage, I read H the numbers and I said '147 total.  Sound familiar?'

'He laughed and said, 'Yeah it does.''

It was the exact same number they had on 18 in regulation in 2007 when Hunter made birdie to force a playoff and eventually capture his maiden victory on the PGA Tour.

Here's the video footage:

Mel Reid earns emotional win in first start since loss of her mother

About Me

Hi! My name is Stephanie Wei. I grew up in Seattle. I live in Manhattan, NYC. I played competitive golf for ten years in the junior and college ranks. I went to Yale, where I played on the women's golf team and graduated in '05 with a B.A. in History.

I still enjoy hacking a small, white ball around the golf course. Oh, I'm feisty and I like to smile a lot.

I'm a freelance writer and reporter. I'm a regular contributor to Sports Illustrated Golf+, and I covered the majors for Wall Street Journal in 2010 and 2011Wall Street Journal. I'm also a senior editor at Back9Network

In the past I've contributed to Huffington Post and Mediaite. My work has been published herehere and at ESPN.com.

*****

GET WEI UNDER PAR NEWS

*Follow me on Facebook

*Follow me on Twitter

Email: steph.wei@gmail.com

*****

"Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening - and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented." -Arnold Palmer

Leish goes low as others unravel at Travelers

First man in; last one standing

Marc Leishman fired a bogey-free eight-under 62 to post a 14-under total at the Travelers Championship. Teeing off two hours and ten minutes prior to the final group, Leishman sat around and waited to see if it'd hold up ' even though he didn't think it would when he came off the course.

'I say to (Matty Kelly, my caddie,) this morning that I probably had to get to 15 to have a chance,' he said, speaking to reporters following his round. 'I couldn't quite get there, but 14(-under) is not bad. I gave myself a chance, anyway.'

At the time the guess was maybe 15 but probably 16-under would win. Well, that was before the back nine at TPC River Highlands turned into Choke City, for lack of a better term. It wasn't like it was fun to watch players botch their chances, but you know what they say about train wrecks'

How many were there? Well, James Driscoll, a Boston-area native, knocked it out of bounds on Nos. 10 and 14. Tim Clark putted his eagle attempt off the green on No. 13 and then missed a two-footer on No. 17. Bubba Watson hit it in the drink on No. 15. So did Roland Thatcher. Brian Davis looked tentative and backed off several times as he set up to his second shot on No. 13 and then pulled it in the water.

Standing on 17 tee with a two-shot lead, Charley Hoffman hit a 2-hybrid in the water that guards the right side of the hole (and it looked like he almost shanked it, according to the Shotlink image, or it came right off the toe because it went *straight* right). He ended up making a double-bogey and then closed with a bogey on No. 18. Defending champ Fredrik Jacobson, who played with Hoffman, followed him in the drink on his approach shot.

Ouch.

Leishman had his own run-in with nerves and final-round pressure on the 18th. His mistake was much less costly and didn't involve penalty strokes. From the middle of the fairway with 107 yards to the front-right pin, Leish pulled a gap wedge to the left fringe. It was a pretty awful shot, but he recovered nicely with a lovely left-to-right breaking lag putt across the green to tap-in range (actually it looked like it had a chance to go in until it tailed off to the right at the end).

'I tried to fade a gap wedge in there and I just pulled it,' he said. 'It was a bad shot. I double crossed it and hit it into that valley. But I hit a really good putt out of there and it was short right in the middle of the hole, so with a little more pace, it would have went in. That happens.'

*Sorry, I've gotta run. My ride from Hartford back to NYC is going to leave without me. Will update later, but congrats to Leish ' he's a really good dude, or I mean, bloke.

(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Gay's penalty shot gets 18 more players paid

Gay's misstep keeps 18 more players afoot

Brian Gay incurred a one-stroke penalty on No. 17 at TPC River Highlands (his third hole on Saturday morning and 8th of his second round). While searching for his ball in the hazard he found it by accidentally stepping on it.

Gay and his caddie, Kip Henley, tried to appeal the ruling after the weather-delayed second round. Despite nearly an hour-a thirty-minute-long discussion with VP of Rules and Competition Mark Russell, along with Stephen Cox, the rules official who was on-site, the decision held up.

Had it been overturned, Gay would have carded a 7 rather than an 8 on the hole to post a 36-hole total one-under instead of even par and changed the cut to one-under at the Travelers Championship.

However, since that wasn't the case, it stuck at even par, giving 18 more guys who were tied for 70th the chance to advance to the third round (cut is top 70 and ties).  88 players made the 36-hole cut, the second-highest total of the season (90 made it at the Shell Houston Open). With more than 78 players making the cut, a 54-hole cut, otherwise known as 'made cut, didn't finish' (MDF), will be set following the third round, which will consist of the top 70 and ties. The guys who don't play well enough will be credited with a made cut and last-place money.

Back to Gay and the ruling (and yes, it's clearly a slow news day).

While he didn't think he moved his ball, he couldn't say for sure that he had *not* caused it to move. He couldn't see it initially because it was embedded in the long grass and mud. Gay said he felt the ball on the bottom of his shoe when he stepped on it.

'Brian couldn't say whether or not he moved it with 100% certainty,' Russell told a huddle of reporters in the media center. 'If you start kicking your ball or accidentally (stepping on) your ball, you've got to take the worst of that. If the ball minutely moves, it went down, it's a penalty. It's not personal, it's the rules of the game.'

Unfortunately, in this case, the officials can't give the player the benefit of the doubt because it doesn't apply here.

Russell added: 'Well, if I say he didn't move it, how are we going to rule it next time?'

Under the Rules of Golf, Gay was penalized under 18-2.

Kip was disappointed with the ruling, saying he 'fought hard.'

'They can all buy me a beer,' quipped Henley, referring to the 18 players who benefited from Gay's misstep.

*Update: I caught up with Brian and Kip again after the third round to follow up. Brian said, 'No way in heck the ball moved. It was fully embedded in the dirt. The rule is about the ball landing in the grass. My ball was embedded in the dirt in the hazard. The rule that (Russell) read me was the ball moving vertically in the grass.'

Kip said he wanted Russell to tell the media what he told him and Brian ' that the evidence was weighed toward the ball not moving, but they were going to get penalized, anyway. Officials admitted the evidence weighed toward the ball not moving, but since they couldn't be 100% sure, they were penalized.

One of those rules where there are some shades of gray'

(Getty Images/Mike Ehrmann)

2012 U.S. Open mega-hangover'

Olympic: a good U.S. Open venue?

I had a few post-U.S. Open discussion points I wanted to throw out there, but it's obviously a little after the fact now. I should have a put something up earlier this week, but when I tell you I've been sick and barely been able to make it from my bed to the bathroom, I'm not kidding. I caught some sort of bug in San Francisco ' thanks to the awesome weather ' and naturally it got worse flying cross-country, not to mention the general exhaustion.

I still don't have much of a voice, so don't make fun of me if you see me at the Travelers this weekend (I'm trying to get my butt up there!). Good news is I'm pretty sure I'm no longer contagious. I mean, it's been over a week.

Again, my apologies for the interruption in your regular programming.

In case anyone is still interested in discussing, what were your thoughts on Mike Davis' setup of the U.S. Open, particularly the final round? What did you think of the curve ball he threw at the player by moving the tees on No. 16 up 100 yards, where they had never practiced from? That hole probably cost Jim Furyk the tournament, but he knows he only has himself to blame.

I wasn't a huge fan of the eventual champion (Webb Simpson) watching from the locker room and hoping that Graeme McDowell and Furyk missed their putts. G-Mac had a shot to tie, but it all grew kind of anti-climactic when Furyk made a mess of 18 and G-Mac misread his birdie putt. Webb played great over the weekend, but it's way less pressure to post a number when you're a few groups back than when you're ahead.

***

Moving on.

The next major (my favorite one) is just around the corner (or four weeks away): the Open Championship at Lytham.

The Claret Jug is actually on tour in NYC today. If I weren't hacking up a lung, I may have gone to check it out...here's a pic via ESPN and The Open's Twitter:

Speaking of which, Webb is skipping the Open to be with his wife Dowd when she gives birth to their second child in late July. Dowd said last Sunday that she was going to get induced the week before the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational because Webb wanted to play at Firestone.

'After winning, it's certainly a little harder not to go, because I'd love to go and try to win another major,' he said. 'But in the grand scheme of things, in the grand scheme of life, it's a decision that I know that I'll always be happy that I made.'

***

Meanwhile, inclement weather has suspended play in Hartford at the Travelers Championship. I swear, this happens every year. Pumped for the heat wave to break. One good thing about being sick? The indoor air-conditioning was awesome (but I could feeling the steam room trying to make its way inside).

I think it's safe to say Fredrik Jacobson really, really likes TPC River Highlands. The defending champ is in prime position for back-to-back victories at the Travelers Championship after posting scores of 65-66.

Beloved Masters champ Bubba Watson fired a four-under 70 on Thursday, his first under-par round since Sunday at the Zurich Classic in April. Unfortunately, Bubba followed the 66 with a 71 on Friday. U.S. Open champ Webb Simpson is in the mix for the second week in a row, trailing Jacobson by four strokes.

At least half the field didn't finish the second round due to the stop-and-go weather delays. They'll return on Saturday morning to finish. Woot.

***

Oh, guess what? Lee Westwood is coming to America! What? Seriously? Yes, really.

Westwood is moving his family to the U.S:

'There are a number of reasons, but the main one is I haven't got that much time left at the top and I want to give myself the best chance of staying there as long as I can,' he said. 'I am moving to America at the end of this year because with our weather (in England), it is hard to practice when you want to practice.'

Well, that certainly makes sense. It took him a while, but he's finally yielded. I am pretty sure Westwood is one of the few top players in the world that didn't have a second residence in the U.S., particularly somewhere warm, like Florida.

***

Oh, more pictures of The Squawking Bird Man from last Sunday'

I wonder how that night in jail was'

(Getty Images/David Cannon, Jeff Gross)

Sunday eerie Sunday: Furyk falters

The rare reaction on the 16th tee to the shot that cost him the title

When the last putt dropped at Olympic ' or rather didn't ' there was a sense of emptiness. That was it? The tournament was over? I was left with a pit in my stomach, like the plain salad and soup wasn't enough to ease my hunger, or I had just watched a really compelling movie that ended with an anti-climactic cliffhanger.

Now this was nothing personal against Webb Simpson, a deserving champion, who shot impressive rounds of 68-68 over the weekend to rally from four shots back heading into the final round of the U.S. Open. And it had nothing to do with the venue. I loved Olympic Club with the large Cypress trees lining the fairways, built on a pretty steep cliff. It was severe and challenging, but a pure and fair test.

 

The twist-and-turns throughout the day created a dramatic and intriguing Sunday. Then at the end, I was left with an odd pit in my stomach. Maybe it was the nervous excitement and buzz in the gallery, which provided interesting people-watching and raised eyebrows. I found myself pacing around and trying to find a direction, but the tournament was up in the air until the last group of Jim Furyk and Graeme McDowell finished.

'I don't know how to put that one into words,' Furyk began, 'but I had my opportunities and my chances and it was right there. It was, on that back nine, it was my tournament to win and I felt like if I went out there and shot even par, 1 under, I would have distanced myself from the field. And I wasn't able to do so.

'I played quite well, actually,' he paused, 'until the last three holes'I was tied for the lead, sitting on the 16th tee, with wedges basically if I hit good shots, I got wedges in my hand or reachable par'5s in my hand on the way in and one birdie wins the golf tournament, I'm definitely frustrated.'

It was gut-wrenching to watch Furyk collapse, starting with the tee shot that doomed him on No. 16. USGA head Mike Davis threw the players a curve ball and set the tees 100 yards forward on the left, one they hadn't expected to be used.

Furyk was baffled and unprepared to play the tee shot and sniped it way left. He punched out and then hit the third short into a bunker and failed to get up-and-down. Bogey.

'I don't know what to say, other than there's no way anyone else in the field was prepared for the tee to be that far up. I just didn't handle it very well. And I'm not sure I hit the wrong club off the tee, but probably hit the wrong shot.

'But the rest of the field had that same shot today,' Furyk said. 'And I'm pretty sure no one hit as sh*tty a shot as I did. I have no one to blame but myself.'

He got in his own way and beat himself. The ever-patient and resilient golfer couldn't recover. The U.S. Open will do that even to the toughest.

'Jim's very competitive,' said Zach Johnson, who finished three hours before Furyk and McDowell teed off. 'As a result, he's lethal on the golf course when it comes down to crunch situations. When it comes to the crunch time, he wants the ball. He wants to be in there. He wants to have the putt. He wants to have the shot. That's why he's played well when he's had to. He's good at rising up and overcoming the nerves.'

When he reached an unfamiliar situation, he wasn't able to adjust and made a poor swing. After that, he couldn't regroup and hit the shots coming down the stretch. In fact, he admitted on 18 that he wouldn't have been surprised if he had missed his last putt for bogey because 'the air had been let out of the balloon.'

When I stepped out of the shuttle bus on Sunday morning and noticed the thick fog looming over Olympic Club, I said to a colleague, this is eerie ' it feels like the scene is set for an epic disappointment. The atmosphere felt electrified yet spooky and the crowd was filled with'errr'characters, constantly hollering random phrases, like, 'Esophagus' or 'Hoochie Mamma.'

The previous days leading up to the final round of the U.S. Open had been unusually warm and mostly clear skies. The infamous haze that often casts a misty shadow over San Francisco had been absent, which was also a bit strange.

U.S. Opens at Olympic have resulted in several major letdowns. It's almost become the venue's M.O., but I don't mean that in a negative way. If anything, it makes it more memorable even if it's not always for the right reasons or the feel-good story.

Furyk took the blame for losing the tournament. After all, it was his to win. His matter-of-fact and candid answers made me wince. His disappointment and despair were contagious. He obviously didn't want our sympathy, but it was hard not to just feel'blah.

It hurt more for Furyk than McDowell partly because of his unfolding in the last three holes, but also because of a sense of urgency as Furyk is now 42-year-old ' and he was sick of people continuously bringing up his age.

'I don't know how to say it '' in the proper sense.  Two years ago I was the Player of the Year in the United States.  I played poorly last year, and all of a sudden I'm middle'aged.  So I got to be honest with you with you, that pisses me off.

'I think I have a few more good years.  I've been saying it all year and I would like to get another opportunity, whether or not that happens again in a major championship, I don't know.  I know I let one slide today and slip.'

Furyk made sure not to discount Webb's fine play and holding his nerve.

'Hey, Webb went out there and got it,' said Furyk. 'He went out and shot 68 and to do that on this golf course on a Sunday is phenomenal.  He's a very good player and a good person.  So I'm very happy for him and (his wife) Dowd.'

It took Webb a moment to grasp that he had won since it's not the ideal way you want to win a major ' sitting in the locker room with your wife and hoping for the guys left on the course to botch it.

'When Graeme missed on 18 and I realized I had won, I just kind of shook my head in disbelief,' said Webb. 'I couldn't believe it actually happened.'

He wasn't alone.

Furyk had taken 15 minutes to cool off before he spoke to the press. He looked understandably ticked off, but as he talked more, he calmed down. It was almost like it was a cathartic release. The mood was still melancholy. Other players felt it, too. So did the fans. (Maybe other than the Bird Man.)

After Furyk spoke with reporters, he did a Golf Channel interview. He was done with his media obligations, but put in extra time when a local radio guy asked if he'd chat with him. They spoke for quite a while, and at that point, Furyk seemed to get progressively calmer or less distressed ' not that he looked overjoyed.

At the end, the radio guy told Furyk how disappointed he was and how hard he was rooting for him. He said he hadn't felt that badly since maybe when Tom Watson lost in a playoff to Stewart Cink at the '09 Open Championship.

'No one feels more sick than me,' he said, trying to force a tiny smile. 'Well, maybe my son, actually. I had to calm him.'

Furyk's wife Tabitha, along with his kids Caleigh and Tanner, were waiting for him on the stairs around the corner. He leaned over and put his arm his son's shoulder and patted him on the cheek.

(Getty Images/Harry How)

Cantlay: Hello, Steiny; Goodbye, UCLA'?

Cantlay eyes PGA Tour card

There's been chatter over the last month at least that Patrick Cantlay, the top-ranked amateur who just finished his sophomore year at UCLA, is expected to turn professional and sign with Tiger Woods' agent Mark Steinberg of Excel Sports. After Cantlay finished T41 at the U.S. Open on Sunday, he said he hasn't 'really made a decision yet' *coughBScough* and planned to sit down with his family to discuss it, according to GolfChannel.com's Rex Hoggard:

Cantlay, 20, who recently completed his sophomore season at UCLA and was runner-up at last year's U.S. Amateur, is playing next week's Travelers Championship and is scheduled to hold a news conference on Tuesday afternoon at TPC River Highlands.

Despite Cantlay's denial, sources say he plans to sign with Tiger Woods' manager Mark Steinberg with Excel Sports Management. GolfChannel.com asked Steinberg about his relationship with Cantlay Sunday at Olympic and he declined to comment.

Like I said, I've heard from a reliable source the same and I'm not surprised this announcement is coming right after the U.S. Open.

What's interesting is Cantlay was adamant last year that he was going to finish college and graduate with a degree from UCLA. He was repeatedly asked about his status after his success at the 2011 U.S. Open, where he finished T21 and received Low Amateur honors, and placed well at three PGA Tour events, including T9 at the RBC Canadian Open.

Excerpts from Cantlay's transcript after he made the cut at Congressional last year:

Q. Do you have any kind of timeline for turning pro and has your performance here made any difference? Are you thinking about it any more now after shooting '

PATRICK CANTLAY: No, my timeline is after I graduate from UCLA.

Q. So this changes nothing?

PATRICK CANTLAY: No.

Q. What did you say your future plans were?

PATRICK CANTLAY: To graduate.

Q. So the earliest you would entertain going pro would be what?

PATRICK CANTLAY: After I get a degree.

Q. This year you're talking about?

PATRICK CANTLAY: No, I just finished my freshman year, so I have three more years at UCLA.

Q. So no matter what you did, you'd stick it out at UCLA?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah.

Then here's this from the following week at the 2011 Travelers Championship:

Q. Can you talk about the decision process that goes into when and whether ' or obviously you will, but when you'll turn pro. How is that all working in your mind?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah. I've been getting that question a lot these last couple weeks, but I just think that it's important to get a degree, because you never know what's going to happen. And I think that turning pro is always going to be there.

I can play on the TOUR for 25 years if I wait six years to turn pro. So you know, playing amateur golf is really fun, and I'd love to play on a couple Walker Cup teams. I've heard that's just fantastic. I'd like to play well in the U. S. Amateur and try and win that one. That would mean a lot to me.

But there's really just ' there's no rush for me to turn pro. You can play a lot of great amateur golf, and I can still mature my game while I'm at college, and I can get better and get physically better, mentally better and at the same time earn a degree.

Obviously, circumstances changed and he's just a kid, so even though we may have seen him turning pro early, I admired his resolve in wanting to graduate from college. What was the main reason for the flip-flop?

Well, this year will be the last opportunity for amateurs and mini-tour players, etc., to qualify for the PGA Tour directly. Yes, we're on Q-school deathwatch. The Tour is revamping the qualification process, so players will have a much harder chance of earning their PGA Tour cards in the new system ' details have yet to be sorted out on how it will work exactly ' that is supposed to go into effect starting in 2013. Instead, players will have to spend a year on the Nationwide Tour first.

Expect a record high number of players to sign up for Q-school this fall'

Inspiring message for the Tour to send: Hey kids, quit school!

Well, for some guys, they don't really need degrees if they know what they want to do for a living and that's to play golf, but it's never a sure thing. What if you get injured? It never hurts to have a back-up plan, but college isn't for everyone. However, I think it is essential for character development and maturing into a well-rounded individual.

Cantlay is a unique situation, where he's clearly ready for the pros, but if you're good enough, then what's the rush, right? I guess boredom and money for starters.

(Getty Images/Harry How)

Caption this: Bird is NOT the word

Really? Really.

Oh, the scene on the 18th green during the trophy presentation couldn't have been more fitting to the punch-drunk ending that left me feeling kind of empty. Of course, it has nothing to do with Webb Simpson, a deserving champion. It was just weird, but I shouldn't be surprised since the atmosphere was eerie from the start on Sunday.

The Squawking British Bird, wearing a UK-patterned-peacock-ski cap, charged the 18th green and camera-bombed the ceremony crowning Simpson as the 2012 U.S. Open champion. Best part? USGA Executive Director Mike Davis not missing a beat and yanking the guy out of the way. Simply classic. Also, lesson learned: Don't mess with Mike!

Webb chimed in, 'Enjoy the jail cell, pal.'

The same Squawking Brit was in the grandstands behind the first tee to watch the final pairing of the day hit their opening drives. When Graeme McDowell was introduced, the Squawking British Bird stood up and hollered, 'McDowell, you can do it, lad!

G-Mac acknowledged him and went about his business.

Well, like I said, that was amazingly perfect to conclude or contribute to the overall weird finish.

Oh, here's the video ' I can't stop hitting the replay button. Pure comedy.

(Getty Images/Andrew Redington)

Dads take the bag on Father's Day

Keegan Bradley with his dad Mark Bradley looping for him on the 18th

At the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, Kevin Streelman came up with an idea to share a special moment with his dad Dennis on Father's Day. A player can change caddies at any time and Kevin confirmed it with the walking official.

Four years ago, heading into the 72nd hole on Sunday, Kevin teed off well ahead of the leaders, allowing him the opportunity to surprise his dad when he told him to switch places with his caddie Mike Christensen.

'So he caddied for me on the last hole on Father's Day and I made a birdie,' said Streelman after he shot a five-over 75, +15 total at this year's U.S. Open at the Olympic Club. 'It was just a really cool moment.'

The plan this Sunday was the same as it was in 2008 ' Dennis Streelman would caddie for his son on the 18th hole. At the last minute, Dennis graciously turned the opportunity over to Jim Coaker, a family friend who had flown out to San Francisco on a redeye to watch Kevin play the final round.

'I just thought of it in '08,' said Kevin. 'Since then, some people have picked up on it.'

This Sunday at Olympic, Steven 'Pepsi' Hale facilitated a memorable Father's Day for his boss Keegan Bradley, the reigning PGA Champion and his dad Mark, a PGA pro and ski instructor at Jackson Hole Golf and Tennis Club.

With Keegan teeing off three hours before the last group, the stars were aligned for him and his dad to share a very cool moment on Father's Day.

It was more of a surprise to Keegan than it was to Mark, who had an idea of the plan when Pepsi told him before the round to meet him at the 18th tee.

At the walkway between the 17th green and 18th tee, Pepsi quipped, 'I'm resigning,' and took off his caddie bib and helped Mark into it before he strolled down the 18th  to make sure he was 'out of the way and not 'helping.''

What a thoughtful gesture by Pepsi, whose nickname stems from his ritual of stashing away sodas in secret hideaways around the golf course before the start of every tournament.

'It was the highlight of my life,' said Mark, beaming. 'It was really a wonderful experience, to be walking the fairway with my son. To talk down the 18th at a U.S. Open is a dream come true.'

With his dad on the bag, Keegan hit his tee shot to the right side of the fairway, knocked his approach short into the bunker and then blasted it out of the sand to six feet. Though he missed the par putt and had to settle for bogey to shoot a seven-over 77, it was still a moment the 26-year-old will relish for years to come.

'It was a very cool experience that I'm sure we'll never forget,' said Keegan, who shot a four-day total 18-over to place 68th at his first U.S. Open.

Happy Father's Day.

(Photo via Facebook)

Video: Tiger crashes into cameraman (*Update)

To add insult to injury after moving the wrong way in the third round of the U.S. Open, Tiger Woods stomped off the 18th green, looking like he had just shot five-over 75. As you can see, it's always quite chaotic with everyone trying to get out of the way or in the way.

What a strange, strange day.

I was standing next to the stairs. If you're looking at the video, I'm the one closest to the bottom of the steps on the right (wearing all-black and my hair is black, so it's hard to make me out). It was a pretty dramatic moment and I swear you could almost hear the impact of Tiger's hand hitting the lens (*update: or his elbow smacking the guy's head). Maybe not. It was probably more of the tension in the air. I think Tiger's melodramatic reaction was partly to the pain and partly to feeling pissed off about his ugly round.

 

It was one of those perfect storm situations.

The photographer cameraman was packing up his equipment rushed in to try and snap a close-up shot of Tiger's face, using what appeared to be a wide-angled lens ' and not paying attention, while the rest of us were standing back to let Tiger pass. Right as he marched by, his right hand smacked hard into the camera.

Tiger grimaced in pain and shook his hand and then quickly grabbed his right with his left. He muttered, 'Son of a',' just as he passed me. The guy to my right and I exchanged 'wide-eyed-sh*t-that-was-not-good-and-kind-of-scary' looks.

[*Update: On the shuttle bus back to the hotel, a colleague, who was also on the scene, helped re-jog my memory and I figured out the missing piece of the puzzle I was struggling to find all evening. Literally, I replayed the video footage over and over, hoping it would come to me. I know, I need to get a life, but you know the feeling when you can't quite put your finger on it and it drives you nuts? Yeah.

Here's the deal: I saw the photographer sweep in, and oh-so-slightly, cross into the pathway cleared for His Highness. Then, I saw the car wreck coming. In that split second, you're thinking, uh-oh, this is going to be ugly. What's this guy doing? He's infringing on Tiger's "space" and Tiger is going to run him over, which is pretty much what happened.

The chat with one colleague turned into an enlightening group discussion on the bus ride. We watched the footage together several times and came to the this conclusion: The photographer decided to get aggressive with the shot, but when he saw Tiger charging, he tried to back away at the last second. Thing is, Tiger also saw the photog and took out some of his aggression out on the guy and his camera.

We agreed Tiger actually elbowed the photographer in the head initially -- I'm betting the he has a nice bump on his head. Unfortunately, the "accidental" run-in backfired on Tiger and he probably got the worse end of it and felt like an idiot. What do they call that again?

Karma's a..b*tch.]*

***

Asked by NBC's Roger Maltbie in his post-round interview if he was hurt, Tiger replied curtly, 'I'm fine.'

Same answer when he was asked by a reporter in the media scrum.

As for the blame game, I'm not assigning it to Tiger or the cameraman. Look, the guy probably should have been paying better attention, but there's so much pandemonium going on, not to mention so many people that it's easy to lose yourself in the commotion.

Tiger also wasn't looking where he was going because he was so pissed off that he shot 75 and he's accustomed to people getting out of his way. It reminded me of this amusing anecdote from Quail Hollow when Tiger almost plowed into me and Ellie Day. 

Well, the edginess in the air was much, much more pronounced here at Olympic. Let's just say, if I'm that cameraman, I'd feel like a huge a-hole ' even if he wasn't at fault.

In this slo-mo version of The Collision, it almost appears like Tiger rammed his hand to push the guy away and take out a little frustration. Probably not and I can't remember from my perspective on-scene. However, I do remember seeing it coming, so'tough call. You be the judge.

Well, I'm thinking running into a camera lens is hopefully less damaging than a fire hydrant'

U.S. Open moves into Sunday: Plodder's paradise

It isn't always the prettiest or the most conventional, but Furyk gets the job done

The strangeness in the air on Saturday carried over into the wee hours of Sunday morning when the fire alarm woke up a bunch of cranky scribes at the media hotel around 1am. Myself included. Naturally, it turned out to be a false alarm. Somehow, the disconcerting announcement didn't sound in my room (thank God for Twitter,huh?), but I did get the 'false alarm' one. Good news is I could understand all three languages used: Spanish, Mandarin and English (played in that order). You know, just in case I missed the first or second message the fourth time it was repeated. Better news: I didn't listen to the evacuation order and leave my room for the Media Pajama Party in front of the hotel. Now that would have been a spooky nightmare!

The game plan was to rest up and then wake up early to write this post ' which I've been thinking through since Friday evening ' but alas, here I am, up and at 'em. Let's hope some of this makes sense'it goes back to a quote Jim Furyk gave me after the final round of the Masters in April.

Jim Furyk, the 42-year-old veteran, shot an even-par 70 to remain atop the leaderboard, along with Graeme McDowell, heading into the final round of the U.S. Open at Olympic. No surprise. The course and the setup is a perfect fit for Furyk Golf. What does that mean? Think the opposite of Bubba Golf.

During his opening comments of his Friday post-round presser, Furyk, who won the 2003 U.S. Open at Olympia Fields, said he 'plodded along' that afternoon at Olympic.

'I kind of collected myself and plodded along today and was able to birdie No. 15,' said Furyk on Friday. 'Although I missed a short one at No. 18, I played very beautifully on the front and was able to make a couple birdies on the way in and get it to 1'under (Friday).'

Funny. 2010 U.S. Open champ McDowell, who was paired with Furyk in the first two rounds, used the word 'plodder' to describe him.

'You've got to play Jim Furyk Golf, said McDowell on Friday when asked to identify qualities a player needs to succeed at a U.S. Open. 'I watched (Thursday) and I watched it again (Friday). He doesn't take chances he doesn't have to take on. He gets it back in the fairway. He putts well. Holes out well. Takes his chances when it comes. And that's my type of golf as well.

'I think you have to be, I don't like the world plodder ' it's kind of a little bit disrespectful. I think that it's an aggressive-to-conservative-to-targets-type player You got to take your shots on, but play safe.'

G-Mac and Furyk, who both posted 54-hole totals of one-under, made several complimentary remarks about the other this week. Furyk likes G-Mac's game because he's 'tough.'

How do you define 'tough'? Or for that matter, 'plodder'?

Well, the two go hand-in-hand. In my mind, a plodder is tough player who shows a lot of resilience, and most importantly, patience. He's a grinder. Sometimes it's not the prettiest golf in the world or the most sexy, but it gets the job done and the ball in the hole. He doesn't waste any shots. He keeps the ball in play. He's textbook, predictable, steady and conservative, but he makes his move and strikes when he sees the right opportunity. He's relatively boring, which is considered a compliment to a golfer, especially if he's a plodder.

'I think basically that on a golf course like this you have to go from spot to spot and it doesn't have to look or be fancy, it has to work,' said Furyk in his post-round presser on Saturday when asked for his definition of a plodder and interpretation of G-Mac's remarks.  'And I think we have styles of games where we put the ball into play, we put the ball on the green and take our chance at the putt and then move on.

'When I'm playing well, that's the kind of golf you play at a U.S. Open usually, especially at a place set up firm and fast like this.  And I think that's what he meant by his definition.  And I believe it's a good one.'

***

Definition of plodder: Jim Furyk

Look at the leaderboard ' it's actually not surprising. There's a type of golfer whose game fits this style of golf. They're not necessarily 'plodders,' but they're strategic and smart players. Many names are past U.S. Open champions: Furyk, McDowell, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, and of course, Tiger Woods. Then there  are guys who have good records at this major championship: Lee Westwood (T7 at the '98 U.S. Open when it was last held at Olympic,; 3rd in '08 and T3 in '11), Kevin Chappell (T3 in last year's debut), Matt Kuchar (T14 and low-amateur in '98, T6 in '10), and Martin Kaymer (T7 in '10). Jason Dufner is someone I'd consider a bit of a plodder.

Sunday won't be a two-man race. Not at a U.S. Open. Not when the scores are so tightly packed. I'm thinking if you're within five shots of the lead (+4), you still have a chance. Rewind to '98 here. Eventual champion Lee Janzen started the day five off the pace and trailed by as many as seven after bogeying two of the first three holes. He rallied to beat the late Payne Stewart by one stroke.

A similar scenario is likely in 2012, of course. It's quite possible for a player at +4 to shoot 3- or maybe 4-under, while the leaders shoot a few over. Let's say Tiger fires a 67 and Furyk and G-Mac post 73s.

With the exception of Tiger and maybe Chappell, who is the youngest and least proven of the guys at four-over or better, these guys aren't bombers. They are good ballstrikers who tend to fly under the radar. That's what gets it done at the U.S. Open. Like any major championship or run-of-the-mill PGA Tour event, you have to pick and choose your spots to score and also when to back off.

Some golf courses and tournament set-ups are more forgiving and don't put as much of a premium on precision, like the Masters. The U.S. Open obviously takes it to the nth level, which some consider sadistic, but that's the USGA's M.O. It's most challenging test of the year that rewards patience, accuracy and toughness. It's the four most grueling rounds of a golfer's season. There are more roars for pars than birdies.

When Sunday rolls along ' if you make the cut ' you're spent. Mentally and physically (Olympic ain't an easy walk). Every golfer I stalked down on Saturday looked and sounded worn out.

'(Furyk) is super mentally tough,' said Hunter Mahan, who is six-over through 54 holes. 'He's not going to waste any shots. There's not one shot out there that doesn't have his full attention. This is a long week. It's the longest four days of a golfer's year. There's just not an easy shot. You can't let you guard down. No matter no club you have, no matter how far you have, it's just tough and it wears you down.'

Yep, only the strong survive. The type of golf is a bit defensive, but as Furyk points out, you have to pick the right moments and you can't attack ' you have to reel back. It's not the most thrilling golf in the world. Many don't have the discipline to play U.S. Open-golf for 72 holes. They get greedy and too aggressive.

'I think you have to bide your time and get through certain holes each day trying to make pars,' said Furyk in his post-round presser on Saturday. 'And there will be a couple of opportunities you get.  If you can drive the ball in the fairway, there are some places you can get short irons in your hand and there are some pins that you can attack.  You just have to be patient and wait for those moments instead of trying to force them.'

***

Familiar names on a U.S. Open scoreboard and there are more than a dozen with a shot at winning

Now, when I spoke to Furyk at the Masters, I wanted his insight on Bubba winning (before he had actually won ' I think Bubba was on the 11th or 12 hole still). Furyk brought up knowing when to be aggressive and the advantages of being a long hitter, but he emphasized creativity being the most important factor.

With all the hype around Phil Mickelson heading into this week, disappointment ensued when he opened with a 76. I think I was among the minority that either hadn't tipped Phil or wasn't surprised. Oh, and same goes for Bubba, who shot 78-71. You can't play Bubba Golf and win a U.S. Open ' at least not at Olympic.

You see, this all comes back what Furyk told me at the Masters, which is one of my all-time favorite quotes:

'Until you get the chance to win here, it's definitely an extra notch up of controlling your nerves and slowing the pace down and sticking to what got you there,' said Furyk, whose playing style is more conservative and conventional (not his swing, though).

'I'll tell you what ' I wanted to throw a brick through the TV when I saw Phil on No. 13 (in 2010) in the pine straw, I was yelling, 'Just lay it up!'

'And then (Phil) hit it five feet. So I said, 'Maybe that's why he's winning the Masters and I'm not.'

'I think you have to pick and choose your times, but eventually at a course that's difficult and severe, you're going to have to hit some really good golf shots.'

You see, this is a fitting way to understand why Furyk is tied for the lead and Phil is T42. The tables are turned at the U.S. Open. Furyk takes the safe shot and lays up, which is why he already has won a U.S. Open and in prime position to capture another.

Meanwhile, Phil picks the risky and aggressive approach (and he doesn't like it when he's forced to pull back and play more conservatively ' he's not a big fan when there's such a premium on precision), which is why he's been a bridesmaid five times at the U.S. Open.

***

This tournament is far from over, though. Phil is too far back to end his bout of close calls, but there are 17 players within five shots of the leaders, Furyk and McDowell, both of whom would make great champions and stories ' one for the steady vets and a third consecutive U.S. Open title for Northern Ireland, respectively.

I'd love to see Lee Westwood, who has come up just short seven times in the past five years, get that major monkey off his back. We'd all like to see Tiger redeem himself from Saturday's shoddy round (but if history is a good indicator, Tiger has never come from behind to win a major). Then there's 17-year-old amateur Beau Hossler, a junior in high school, who bested Tiger by five shots on moving day. Ernie Els, a two-time U.S. Open champion, endured a rough patch and then had several close calls to win recently. A win for Els would complete the wonderful, feel-good comeback story.

May the best plodder win. Or perhaps I should replace that with underdog. They're almost interchangeable in my mind. As I keep saying, history has taught us that the U.S. Open at Olympic sets the stage for major disappointment. Even if that's the case, it'll still be an intriguing finish.

(Getty Images/Harry How)

Casey Martin has more grit than most; pulls another 'Casey Martin'

Part-time disabled golfer Casey Martin has bigger balls than most

Take note, U.S. Open competitors (and golfers in general): Casey Martin, a 40-year-old disabled golf coach for the University of Oregon, deserves even more props than he already does, if that's possible.

Martin got off to a rough start, jumping on the bogey train and playing the first six holes at five-over par. He rallied in very difficult, windy and cold conditions in the later afternoon to post a four-over 74 in the first round at Olympic Club.

Olympic is an extremely challenging golf course and the U.S. Open setup takes it to another level ' one some find 'unfair' or 'over the top' or 'too hard.'

Take your pick.

Well, if you feel the U.S. Open is 'too hard,' then guess what? Don't play in it and don't sign up for the qualifier. I know at least one Tour winner who has skipped it the last three years because he says half-jokingly that he's 'not good enough.'

Guess what? Man up and stop whining. Take a moment and just try to imagine what Martin has to go through to play a round. You have no idea. Put things in perspective and remember how lucky you are to play pain-free (at least most of the time). Besides, everyone has to play the same course. There are going to be iffy pins and things that are 'unfair' or make you go 'WTF?'

It's almost a sadistic experience, but you're playing in the effing U.S. Open. And if you don't like it, there are plenty of alternates that would love your spot in the field.

Again, Casey Martin, a part-time golfer and full-time golf coach who prepared for the major championship by playing in BBQ circuit scrambles, not only qualified for the U.S. Open at Olympic fourteen years after he placed T23 here in '98, but he managed to post a 74 on Thursday.

'I think it's been five or six years since I've been in a legit tournament that you would actually say, hey, this is a golf tournament,' said Martin on Monday in his pre-tournament press conference. 'A lot of barbecue circuits, a lot of scrambles, let me tell you. I played a lot of scrambles. And I did '' twice before my preparation for this was playing in a Young Life scramble and an Oregon Club scramble.

'So that's I guess how you prep for a U.S. Open. You play golf courses from about 6200 yards in a scramble.'

Admittedly, Martin was extremely nervous on the first tee on Thursday afternoon.

'I tried not to be,' said Martin after his round. 'I tried to realize that there's really not much pressure on me, but it didn't work'the first five or six holes were a stress. Obviously they were really hard, but I missed a couple putts and did some stuff that wasn't great. But fortunately the birdie on 7 settled me down and I was able to play nicely after that.'

I've observed him walk with a limp and practice over the last few days and I'm trying not to look like I'm staring, but if it does, it's only because I'm in awe and so inspired by his tenacity and heart. At his press conference on Monday, I just sat back and soaked it in. He was everything I expected him to be like: charismatic, candid, self-deprecating, funny, likeable, you name it.

Martin himself admitted to feeling fearful of playing the demanding golf course. The guy lives and plays golf in incredible discomfort because he was born with a rare circulatory condition in his right leg that left him disabled. He's in constant pain. Getting in-and-out of the cart he rides during rounds (which he fought the PGA Tour in a lawsuit that reached the supreme court) isn't easy for Martin, let alone walking and swinging a club.

Martin hadn't felt nerves like he did on the first tee on Thursday in a very long, long time. The sectional qualifying is one thing, but the U.S. Open is another, especially for someone who hasn't competed in 5-6 years. It's hard to deal with the emotions that you used to be able to manage after such a long time. At the same time it's kind of like riding a bike, except this is a major championship and Martin wasn't sure he'd still have his leg 14 years after playing in his first U.S. Open in '98 here.

'I'm trying not to be overly dramatically that way other than that's how I feel, it's just really really stressful,' Martin told reporters. 'Especially when I'm not used to playing in front of people and there's people and then the fairways are really tight and the greens are so tough. It's just everything combined I just, it's overwhelming at times, but you just got to kind of take a deep breath and just try to (calm down).'

To see this man grind it out in the cold, gusty conditions late Thursday afternoon and beat almost 100 other players who aren't disabled sparked goosebumps up my spine. Just watching him and hearing him talk is incredibly inspiring. I can't explain it, but even if you've seen him on TV, then you probably know what I mean.

How did he feel physically after the round?

'Okay,' he replied.

Which means 'awful,' but I don't want to make a big deal out of it. Even though he's riding in a cart, there are still some hills he has to walk up (and trust me, the course is a hike ' I had a few people give me some strange looks because I was out of breath all day'which is partly due to a chronic injury).

I'm not sure many expected him to break 80, but I think we've learned with Martin that he has more passion and grit than the average person can fathom. Who knows if Martin's health and game can hold up another 18 holes at Olympic, but if anyone can do it, he can. Now, wouldn't that be something?

Martin is paired in the first two rounds with the other big Cinderella story at sectional qualifying 42-year-old director of golf, PGA club pro Dennis Miller and 19-year-old amateur Cameron Wilson.

'We're all fish out of water I think as far as this level,' said Martin.

*****

This is a little random, but I've been thinking about Casey Martin's story and meaning to write something more thoughtful ever since he qualified. So here we go.

Believe it or not ' in '98 I didn't watch very much golf on TV. I was 15. I practiced every day after school 'til dark. I played more tournaments than the LPGA currently has on its schedule throughout the year. As a teenage girl, the last thing I wanted to do in my free time was to watch other people play golf. In turn, I'm rusty with my golf history in that department. However, there are a few memories ' especially from 1998 ' that stand out.

One was Casey Martin's lawsuit against the PGA Tour and his case, along with hearing about the condition of his leg, and then seeing him ride in the cart in between shots at the U.S. Open.

I also remember watching Tiger Woods for the first time in real life at the '98 PGA Championship at Sahalee and being traumatized to see THE Tiger Woods throw clubs, curse and act like a chump. Which, I might add, was truly scarring and shocking. I recall seeing Vijay Singh play the 18th hole and win, along with him hoisting the trophy on 18 during the presentation.

Most of all, I remember Tiger's former caddie Mike 'Fluff' Cowan trying to give away Tiger's ball after the third round to kids waiting alongside the walkway after 18. I was one of them, but bigger than the younger boys who were in better position. They kept dropping the ball, though. Fluff kept going out of his way to pick it back up and try again. The third time, it landed in my hands.

But I digress, Martin's story and case inspired me. I felt sympathetic and compassionate. I didn't see what the big deal was. As a competitive junior golfer at the time, I understood that walking is an integral part of the competition (well, kind of), but that's not the issue with Martin. He has a birth defect that prevents him from walking 18 holes, no less in general.

It's not like he sprained his ankle or has a torn ligament in his knee. And I guarantee that not a single player ' no matter how injured they are ' would try to take advantage of Martin's successful lawsuit against the PGA Tour to ride in a buggy at a tournament. No one wants to be *that* person. No competitive athlete or golfer wants special treatment or their peers to see them as having an advantage, unless it's absolutely 100% justified and necessary ' which was Martin's case.

Actually, the whole point is Martin's not even getting an advantage on the field.

It's funny looking back on how controversial the case was back in '98. Those who fought Martin publicly and haven't apologized since then should be ashamed of themselves. Actually, as a society, we should feel ashamed that it was even an issue. I understand where the Tour was coming from and the fears this would open the floodgates of some sort, but that was never going to be a problem. Instead, the powers-that-be chose to bully a disabled Casey Martin, who has more guts and tenacity than half the tour combined.

Hindsight is 20/20, but if I was able to understand the situation at 15, then'well, yeah. Point is, this was not about protecting the integrity of the game. It was simply workplace discrimination. Think about it.

End rant.

(AP Photo/Ben Margot)