Tiger upbeat (for now) despite pesky mud ball dilemma

Tiger sticking out his tongue at mud balls

Nearly a year ago, Tiger Woods started the final round of the Honda Classic trailing Rory McIlroy by nine shots. Tiger put on a solid come-from-behind performance, firing an impressive 62 ' and just enough to let Rory consider his lead coming down the stretch to secure the win and his ascendance to the world's No. 1 ranking.

Since then, Rory and Tiger have developed a strangely endearing and puzzling to some friendship and cordial rivalry, which was tattooed across headlines a gazillion times, causing the complete ruin of the word 'bromance' (for me, personally). After Tiger finished knocking it around with some amateurs in the pro-am Wednesday morning at PGA National, he shared some insight into their friendship, changing equipment, anad of course, the anchoring ban, among other topics.

Oh, by the way, he shot three-under 69 in the pro-am, and due to the somewhat oddly soft conditions in South Florida, he had 5 or 6 mud balls (Tiger loves those!). With all the rain this afternoon, expect he might have a few more when he tees off for the first round at 7:25am on Thursday. Luckily, he will keep count for us.

'The golf course has certainly got a lot of grass on it this year,' said Woods in his informal press conference. 'The rough is up. The fairways are a bit watery. We had probably five or six mud balls today. Greens are running perfectly smooth. But there's a little bit more grass on it than there was certainly last year for sure.'

Here are excerpts from his better-than-most presser:

*In case you didn't want to assume anything since it seems like at least half of the Tour players have flip-flopped on their stance (or succumbed to peer pressure or compassion for several of their peers, which is understandable) regarding the USGA and R&A's proposed rule to ban anchoring, Woods expectedly is sticking to his guns.

'My position hasn't changed,' he said. 'I still think that it should be swung, it shouldn't be anchored, and that hasn't changed at all. But obviously nothing is set in stone, nothing's firm. The USGA and R&A are the governing bodies of our rules, and we'll see what happens. Hopefully we don't have to bifurcate or adapt a local rule like we do sometimes out here on Tour with the stones and bunkers and things of that nature. Hopefully we won't have to do that with our putter.'

*On Commissioner Tim Finchem announcing the Tour's position against the USGA's proposed rule: 'I understand that. I get it. I mean, the guys that play our Tour, all three of them play our Tour full-time, have won major championships with an anchored putter. I understand his position but I still feel that all 14 clubs should be swung. That hasn't changed at all whatever.'

*On his relationship with Rory McIlroy: 'He's a friend of mine, who just happens to be the No. 1 player in the world. That's about it.'

*On their private 36-hole match at Medalist last Sunday: 'He moved down here, and we figured, let's get a game sometime. We were kind of hoping that it wouldn't be that Sunday, but we were both free, and went out and played. Played a quick 36, and he headed off to do whatever he needed to do, and I went back home and did some more training. '

*On the contrast between his current relationship with McIlroy and his elder statesmen when Tiger was around Rory's age: 'I don't think it's quite the same level as I was with Mark (O'Meara) and Cookie (John Cook). Back in those days, those guys really took me under their wing. Went out to dinner all the time and basically travelled together on Tour, went fishing all the time. Whether it's here in Florida, whether it's to Alaska, we did a bunch of vacation trips together but they were like my big brothers at the time. They basically still are. It's a different type of relationship.'

*On losing in the first round of the Match Play last week to Charles Howell III: 'It's different. Generally if you're missing a cut, you're probably not playing that well. I actually played well, and only played one day. So I missed a few putts out there, but other than that, I really played well and unfortunately I ran into a guy who also played well, actually better than I did. He made a couple more birdies, and that's just the nature of the business in that format.

'You know, you can win matches, as I said, when I was out there, I've seen guys shoot 7under par and go home. I remember at La Costa, a guy shot 79 and moved on. It's just the nature of the format.'

*On whether the current course conditions will change as the week progresses (FYI, we're in for some not so great weather for South Florida): 'I don't think they are going to be changing that much. There's so much water out there right now. It's so soft, we're picking up mud balls, and if we get anymore rain, it's probably going to be even more of a factor. It will change, obviously it's going to get cool, but it's not going to dry it out enough.'

*On chasing Rory last year in the final round: 'Well, it was not exactly best position to start off the round, that far back. I made a run and I thought it might get me into a situation where I might have a chance at a playoff. But Rory made a couple birdies down the stretch and basically iced it.'

*On Rory's ascendency to No. 1 compared to his own: 'I think Rory is doing a fantastic job. As far as in my career, it happened very quickly. I turned pro in August; I think by Augusta, somewhere in there, I became No. 1. So it was a bit quick. Just came out of college and next thing you know, I'm No. 1 player in the world. It was a little bit faster than what Rory has had. He's had time to adapt and to grow into it. I think he's done a fantastic job of it.'

*On Rory's equipment change to Nike Golf, which is obviously Tiger's sponsor, too: 'I went through equipment changes over the years, but as I said, it's over the years. There have been a lot of players who have done wholesale changes with sponsorships. I think Ernie has played for every company there is out there. There are a few guys who have done that and they have had a lot of success, and there are a lot of stories where they have not done well and been off the Tour soon.

'Rory, understandably, he's going through the process. We talked about it a little bit. It is a process. The good news is about today's equipment, we have so many different ways of testing it and tracking it and getting numbers, which back in the days even when I came up and obviously well before then, you didn't have these numbers in which you can get your launch conditions, your spin rate, basically any kind of data you want, any kind of data you can get; that wasn't the case.'

[Ed. note: In other words, Nike will find something that suits Rory.]

*On the different scheduling this year where there are two weeks between Bay Hill and the Masters: 'I definitely will go to Augusta and play. Don't know how many holes I'll play. Sometimes it's 18; sometimes it's 36, but I'd like to get up there and take a look at it, they made a couple little changes here and there. Would like to chart those and get that all situated so that I don't have to do any charting during the tournament week. '

(AP Photo/Palm Beach Post, Bill Ingram)

ICYMI: Hanging out late night with WUP at the Honda Classic (Tuesday)

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 pegging it, but don't ask me my handicap because I stopped keeping one when I left for college. More important, I'm feisty and I like to smile a lot. I also love sports, spandex and surprises.

I'm a freelance writer and reporter, as well as a contributor for Sports Illustrated Golf+.

Golf.com

Sports Illustrated (2012)

Wall Street Journal

Mediaite

Read more about me here.

Tiger-Rory private match woulda been the one-two watch

Still BFFs and almost neighbors in South Florida

Last Thursday after both were eliminated in the first round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, world No. 1 Rory McIlroy was wheeling his travel bag out to the parking lot when he saw world No. 2 Tiger Woods was putting his in the trunk of his car. The two acknowledged each other in a 'yeah, this sucks, I'll see you later, man' kind of way, and then later Tiger texted Rory and invited him to play at The Medalist on Sunday morning. 

Yep, that was the face-off everyone hoped to watch in a perfect world at the actual finals of the Match Play Championship in chilly Marana, Arizona.

Instead, it happened at Woods' home course in sunny South Florida (in more ideal conditions). Rory said it was his first time playing Medalist and they were joined by former NFL receiver and new panelist on the daily talk-show Morning Drive on Golf Channel.

Oh, and they played 36 holes fast ' though it should be noted that they rode in carts.

'We teed off at about 8:00 and I was home by 1:30,' said McIlroy at his press conference at PGA National on Tuesday morning. 'So we played quick.  He putts with pin in.  He doesn't, I mean, it's just like speed golf.  It was good.  It was really enjoyable.'

Tiger won the first match and Rory beat him in the second round, so they finished even.

'We thought we would play our own match-play final,' said Rory, laughing, 'except it was over 36.'

Now that sounds like a fun, friendly yet competitive match that many wouldn't mind as their dream foursome, so to speak.

Rory didn't reveal any more during his formal presser, but he did disclose more details during an informal gathering at the Bose event, announcing and toasting Rory as a new global ambassador.

Wearing a button-up plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up casually and blue jeans, McIlroy, who was surrounded by around 15 media members and perhaps half-a-dozen photographers, held court for nearly 30 minutes, answering questions from everything about what he listens to with his Bose headphones to his relatively recent move to Old Palm. (Imagine another world No. 1 or just top player doing the same thing.)

McIlroy is a member at the Bear's Club in Jupiter, Florida. Asked when he'd have Tiger come play a match on his home turf, Rory said, 'Whenever he wants to come.'

Since it was Rory's first time playing Medalist in his 36-hole grudge match on Sunday, Tiger was 'very generous' in giving him home-course tips. Rory said he gave him sight lines and some putts. (Asked if he had a game going on with Rashad, he shrugged and said, no, but Tiger had a side bet or something with him ' I wonder how many strokes Tiger gave him?)

'If I play with Tiger, I jump at the chance because he's maybe the best ' if not, the best ' in the world to have played the game,' said Rory in the informal scrum at PGA National. 'It's good to go up against him and see where your game is. I mean, this is going to be his 19th Masters (at the age of 37)! That's just impressive.'

Added Rory when asked about Tiger being different than the guy we usually see at the golf course: 'Yeah, he's just a normal guy.'

They exchange friendly jabs and joke around, like the other boys. Rory said one comment he made to Tiger was, 'All that fist-pumping on the 18th green was for nothing.' McIlroy was referring to Tiger's final-round 62 at last year's Honda Classic. However, Rory didn't falter and still beat him by two shots, winning the event that launched him to world No. 1 for the first time in his career at the ripe age of 22. (Hard to believe he's only 23 since he holds himself with such composure and maturity.)

Rory also talked more about the constant questions and criticisms he gets when he faces the media ' whether it's regarding a mini-slump or equipment change, etc.

The 23-year-old from Northern Ireland acknowledged that it's part of the deal of being the world's No. 1 player. In other words, he gets it.

'It's a nice position to be in,' said McIlroy, surveying the crowd encompassing him. 'To have 15 media members surrounding you at a sponsor event'rather than being ranked-(much lower) in the world and nobody caring.

'It's only been three months. It's not like I've played six events and missed six cuts.'

He caught himself and quickly knocked his head twice to be safe, causing the scrum to erupt in laughter (which happened throughout the 30 minutes).

McIlroy, who switched to Nike Golf clubs and ball in the off-season, has played three competitive rounds in 2013. He missed the cut (along with Woods) in his season-opener in Abu Dhabi, and then he was upset by boyhood friend Shane Lowry last week in Match Play.

Despite defeating his old pal, Lowry has texted Rory asking to play The Bears Club this week. Lowry tried to Monday qualify into the Honda Classic, but he missed a spot in the field by one shot.

Rory, who sported a slight tan (for him), has liked his decision to sell his home in Northern Ireland (which is just about finalized), and his move to South Florida last year in regards for practicing and playing golf.

'I've always enjoyed this area,' said Rory. 'For me, it's a perfect base. The east coast is an easy flight back to Europe.' (His parents are in town a lot, but they still live in Belfast.)

He joked that his dad Gerry plays more at The Bear's Club than he does.

For the not-so-upcoming future? Rory told me it's nice to live in Florida for golfing purposes, obviously. But when it's all said and done, he'd prefer to settle somewhere else. He even said with enthusiasm, 'Like New York!' (Knowing that's where I live.) His girlfriend tennis star Caroline Wozniacki recently bought an apartment on Union Square West. Wow, we're practically neighbors! ' that's only a few blocks from me.

I was going to suggest we all get together sometime and have a double-date dinner party or something, but a fan jumped in and asked if Rory would take a picture with him. The nerve! (Kidding in case that wasn't clear.)

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

#WUPHangout: Here we come, Florida!

I tried something different this evening because I was short on time and had to get to the airport for my flight to the Palm Beach area. Yep, the Honda Classic kicks off the Florida swing, which in the past two years has been a joy to cover.

I also went on a little adventure today ' nothing crazy. I just went on a field trip to 30 Rock to check out the taping of 'The Crossover,' a new sports/pop-culture show hosted by Michelle Beadle and Dave Briggs (my apologies, I called him Rob when I was stammering during the solo #WUPHangout) on the NBC Sports Network.

It just so happened that after the taping of the show, Beadle interviewed Olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps for several different shows. Phelps, an avid golfer, is instructor Hank Haney's latest student on Golf Channel's 'The Haney Project,' which premieres tonight.

Sounds like it's working ' Phelps said he broke 90 for the first time recently! Previously, he'd shoot 100+.

Beadle also had to ask him about a comment that his 'girlfriend' made recently, saying Phelps' talents extend to the bedroom. Uh, awkward. Yeah, Beadle didn't write the question and Michael knew it was coming (this interview was for 'Access Hollywood'). Beadle handled it like a pro, while Phelps blushed with embarrassment, playing coy and saying he didn't have a girlfriend. Beadle and Phelps ended up exchanging bro high-fives. Well played.

I ramble talk some more about Phelps and his golf game in the Hangout. I also touched on anchoring, the Match Play and the Florida Swing.

Most important: Congrats to M. Keto for finishing 49th overall in GolfWeek's bracket challenge and besting the 250-ish people who signed up at the last minute. Please email me: steph[dot]wei[at]gmail[dot]com, so you can claim your prize ' a TaylorMade RocketBallz Stage 2 fairway wood. Woot! Nice job!

Alright, see you soon at PGA National and many thanks to Ron Weschler for letting me check out the taping! And it was nice to meet him and Beadle in real life after several years of following each other on Twitter. IT'S LIKE YOU KNOW THE PERSON ALREADY.

Cray-cray.

[Ed. Note: I wrote this on my phone on the way to Newark. Please excuse any typos. I'll fix them later. Thanks. -SW]

Finchem: Anchoring ban is not good for big business!

The USGA and the R&A notified us several months ago about their intention to put forward a proposal to change'' essentially change the rule as it relates to what a stroke is by further defining it as something where you can't ground your club and anchor your club.  In addition to the historical limitations on what a stroke is of scraping the ball or scooping the ball or pushing the ball.

We then undertook to go through a process to determine our position on that because they had a commentary that ends next week.  We brought that to a conclusion last week.

You're all aware of that because of the comments that have been made by folks who were involved in that process.  Our Player Advisory Council looked at it twice.  We had the USGA come in and make a presentation to a player meeting in San Diego, USGA made a presentation to our Board.

We researched and looked at it and articulated our position at the end of last week to the USGA and shared that thinking also with the R&A.

Essentially where the PGA TOUR came down was that they did not think that banning anchoring was in the best interest of golf or the PGA TOUR.  I would note that the PGA of America came to the same conclusion after consultation with their membership.  Golf Course Owners Association came to the same conclusion, as well.

I think there are a number of factors here, a number of details, a number of issues, but I think the essential thread that went through the thinking of the players and our board of directors and others that looked at this was that in the absence of data or any basis to conclude that there is a competitive advantage to be gained by using anchoring, and given the amount of time that anchoring has been in the game, that there was no overriding reason to go down that road.

Recognizing a couple of things:  One, that an awful lot of amateurs today use anchoring; and two, that a number of players on the PGA TOUR who have grown up with a focus on perfecting the anchoring method, if you will, did so after the USGA on multiple occasions approved the method years ago, and that for us to join in supporting a ban we think as a direction is unfair to both groups of individuals.  So those were the overriding reasons.

I'd be happy to answer your questions in just a second, but I would like to add to that because I've read some things that would suggest that this is kind of a donnybrook between the PGA of America and the PGA TOUR on one side and the USGA on the other, and that's not really, I think, correct.  You know, the USGA did on multiple occasions look at this and come to one conclusion; 25 or 30 years later now they've come to another conclusion, at least tentatively.  They've asked us to give our comments.  All we're doing at this point is saying this is our opinion.

We have worked with the USGA over the last 20 years on a wide range of rules issues.  We are represented on their rules committee as an ex'officio member by members of our staff.  We worked together on the grooves issue, we worked together on capping the ball after it took off in 2000.  We have partnered with the USGA on the creation of the World Golf Foundation, the World Rankings Board, the International Federation of PGA Tours to some extent, certainly the international Olympic effort that we have made has been in partnership with the PGA, the PGA TOUR, and the USGA.

None of this debate over this particular issue is going to change any of that, so I want to'' as I said in Hawai'i, I continue to hope that regardless of where this matter ends up that it gets there after a process that is good natured, open, and not contrary or divisive, and that's certainly our intention.

We hold the USGA in the highest regard as a key part of the game of golf.  We don't attempt to denigrate that position in any way whatsoever.  It's just on this issue we think if they were to move forward, they would be making a mistake.

Upset alert: Tiger spotted with hot blonde (and no, it's not Lindsey)

Tiger & Elin come together for the kids

After Tiger Woods was knocked out in round one of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, he flew home to Florida and spent some time with his kids, Sam and Charlie. Woods hasn't been photographed with his ex-wife Elin Nordegren since, like, eternity ' well, at least not since pre-scandal in Thanksgiving of 2009. Until now.

There are a series of pictures of Woods and Elin attending a local youth sports organization event in Jupiter, FL, according to the sleuths at TMZ.com. 

Tiger arrived to the event first with his son and daughter and Elin arrived about an hour later.

We're told that when their paths finally did cross, they chatted together for about 30 minutes and appeared to enjoy each other's company.

Our sources say that once the pair started to get attention, they took off ' both leaving in Elin's car.

Hard to believe it's been 3+ years since Tiger's day after Thanksgiving crash that led to the revelations of his rampant cheating ' and introduced us to a world of countless mistresses.

Elin and Tiger look perfectly cordial in the handful or so of pictures posted on TMZ.com, including the one above.

Woods is playing in the upcoming week's Honda Classic in nearby Palm Beach Gardens.

(Photo via TMZ)

Kuchar wins All-American final at Match Play

Through the cactus

Matt Kuchar bested Hunter Mahan 2&1 in a well-fought final duel at Dove Mountain in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. Fighting strong winds and chilly temperatures in Arizona ' of all places ' Kuchar took advantage of early bogeys made by his competitor Mahan, who had not previously trailed at any point during his prior five matches.

But just like that, Kuchar birdied No. 8 to go 4-up heading into the back nine. 

What looked like a runaway victory by Kuchar didn't happen, as Mahan fought back, birdieing Nos. 11-12 and Nos. 14-15. Mahan, the defending champion, won No. 16 when Kuchar hit it over the green and didn't get up-and-down for par.

'He played a fantastic back side, just really kind of put the pressure back on me,' said Kuchar, referring to Mahan's battle back. 'You could feel Hunter gaining the momentum.  I had that 4'up lead on the front, and then every hole was just so difficult with the conditions the way they were today that there was just a bogey around any corner, and Hunter made a couple birdies there to put some pressure on me.

'Fortunately he slipped on his approach shot, or not slipped, he missed his approach shot on 13 to kind of give me the advantage there, and then bounced right back and stuffed it on 14, and it looked like we were having just a fight to the end.

'A lot of credit goes to Hunter for staying and fighting the way he did.  That 4'down deficit had to be tough for him at the turn where things could have easily gone quickly to finish the match out had he not put the pedal down and really started playing some good golf.'

With two to play, Kuchar was 1-up. It didn't end pretty too pretty as Mahan conceded No. 17 after he found himself stuck in a greenside waste area, while Kuchar had a five-footer for birdie.

Similar to Luke Donald in 2011, Kuchar never played the 18th hole the entire week. Donald and Kuchar are the only two players in the history of the Accenture Match Play Championship to capture the title without playing the final hole in any of their six matches.

Kuchar's path to the Championship Match:

R1: Defeated Hiroyuki Fujita (No. 44), 3 and 2

R2: Defeated Sergio Garcia (No. 12), 2 and 1

R3: Defeated Nicolas Colsaerts (No. 37), 4 and 3

QF: Defeated Robert Garrigus (No. 36), 3 and 2

SF: Defeated Jason Day (No. 41), 4 and 3

FINAL: Defeated Hunter Mahan (No. 23), 2 and 1

Kuchar credits his instructor Chris O'Connell for helping with his resurgence from a stellar amateur career to a middling pro and then back to the elite echelons of the world.

'(Chris) really helped rebuild my game,' said Kuchar in his post-victory press conference. 'That was in 2006, I found my way back on the Nationwide Tour, got introduced to Chris O'Connell, we started working, and he's turned me into the golfer I am today.  I mean, just my work with him, I've become so much more consistent of a player.  I was good in my younger days but streaky.  I could be really good for a while and then struggle.

'And now I feel like I'm a golfer that can hit quality shots week in and week out, day in and day out.'

No doubt. Kuchar is known for his consistency as a top-ten machine. After capturing The Players title last season and now the WGC Match Play Championship, the easy and hackneyed question is, what's next? It must be a major, right?

 (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Report: PGA Tour to defy golf's governing bodies on propose rule to ban anchoring

Part-time pro golfer and Policy Board Member Steve Stricker opposes the anchoring ban

On the final day of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, the semifinal and finals matches won't necessarily dominate the headlines and the discussion. Instead, the announcement PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem is expected to make on Sunday will likely overshadow the actual golf.

In two meetings this week 15-member Players Advisory Council and the nine-member Tour Policy Board to thrash out the Tour's stance on the USGA's and R&A's proposed ban on anchored putters, the majority of the players want the Tour brass to ask golf's governing bodies to back off the rule change. And Finchem, who knows the 'game' as good as anyone, will appear on Sunday's broadcast to inform the world of the Tour's objection, according to Sports Illustrated's Michael Bamberger. 

Finchem, of course, could do that in a letter to the USGA, and surely will. He's going on TV, during the final day of the Accenture Match Play Championship, because he knows how this game is really played. It's being waged, as all fights are in this unprincipled age, in the court of public opinion. He wants the golfing public to be behind the Tour's position. War is on, and he's playing to win.

The USGA is not. The USGA is run by a true gent, Mike Davis, and he thinks that the simple act of doing what's in the best interests of the game will carry the day. In other words, he and the Far Hillers sincerely believe that anchored putting ' holding the butt end of the club in your belly or against your chest or (most weirdly) under your chin ' does not constitute a traditional, free-swinging stroke.

When the USGA and R&A made its joint announcement on the proposed ban of anchored putters that would go in effect starting in 2016, the governing bodies also welcomed a 90-day window for parties to voice their opinions before they made a final decision. At that time, it seemed like it was a foregone conclusion that belly and broomstick putters were as good as gone. That 90-day period ends next Thursday, February 28th.

Since then, the arguments for- and-against the anchoring ban have triggered a contentious debate in the golf world. Even though the USGA and R&A's role is to protect the integrity of the game for the millions around the globe, it is clear now that the opinion of a relatively small percentage of 200 ' give or take ' PGA Tour players, outweigh the governing bodies.

This is a rough estimate, but in all likeliness 95% of Tour pros don't care either way because it doesn't affect them personally. That's the nature of the 'Tour beast,' as a player, who asked to remain anonymous (and would prefer to be referred to as 'The Dude'). However, there are two prominent players who have expressed their strong support for the anchoring ban: World's Nos. 1 and 2 Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods.

After the meetings earlier in the week, Alex Miceli reported that well-respected veterans on the Player Board, which consists of Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, Paul Goydos and Harrison Frazar, have voiced  their opinions against the ban. Well, Stricker started the week for the ban, but he has since changed his tune.

Last month at the Farmers Insurance Open, USGA chief Mike Davis was invited by the Tour to attend and speak at the annual Players Meeting to explain the proposed rule to ban anchoring and to answer questions. According to players in the room, the atmosphere became a little contentious ' and awkward, overall ' especially when the topic of current players' livelihoods was broached.

Tim Clark, who wasn't in the field that week, flew in from Scottsdale to attend the meeting and make his case. Clark was born with a condition that prevents him from turning his wrists inward, and thus, can't physically make a traditional putting stroke. He spoke passionately for the ban and won over many players who were on the fence or simply don't care because the ban doesn't impact them.

Clark admitted he was looking out for Number One (himself), but that seemed to have struck a chord with the majority of his peers. After all, golf is an individual and selfish sport at the end of the day (nothing wrong with that, but it's just different). And we all sympathize with Clark's plight, along with others' right to make a living.

One of the players, who I referred to as 'Bart' because he asked to remain anonymous, took a stance that is largely in the minority. From my post on last month's meeting:

'It's so arrogant'it's not YOUR game. It's a product, but the rules were here before you played the PGA Tour and the game of golf will be here after you're done playing the PGA Tour.'

Oh, snaps!

He added: 'A couple of people said they were so upset that it caused sleepless nights because they didn't know what was going to happen. If you don't know how you're going to make a living three years down the road when they change it, and I totally agree with the sentiment, but then again, it's not YOUR game. There are two organizations that make the rules, the USGA and the R&A. That's just the way it is. You can counter it by saying the PGA Tour doesn't have to follow it, but most would probably agree that its' in their best interest to do so.'

Point is, Finchem, who reportedly is against the anchoring ban, will likely open another can of worms and trigger the start of the end to the proposed anchoring ban. In other words, this will undermine the USGA's authority as the guardians of the game. And then, there's the whole bifurcation issue (different set of rules for pros and amateurs).

Thing is, how many amateurs do you know that strictly abide by the Rules of Golf in every round they play? Zero. When was the last time you made one of your buddies return to the tee after hitting a wayward tee shot out-of-bounds? (Assume he didn't hit a provisional and didn't discover his ball was OB until leaving the tee and 200-something yards later.)

'The Dude' believes the USGA will stick to its guns or else it will lose credibility as a governing body. However, if the PGA Tour allows anchoring, then there's no way the the ban will hold any water.

How will this play out?

'No kid who aspires to play PGA Tour is going to stop using their belly putter for the next 5 years so they can play USGA/NCAA, 'said The Dude via text on Friday night. 'Joe club member doesn't give a crap about the 'rules' doesn't care if his handicap is not 'legit'' if Ernie can use it then why can't he?

'The PGA Tour comes out strongly opposing the ban. USGA holds strong in language before deciding to 'revisit' the issue in the next four-year rule period'it quietly fades into the background and eventually out of thoughts/minds completely.'

And that's probably exactly what will happen.

Added The Dude, who uses an anchored putter but supports the proposed rule to ban it: 'Although I hope I'm wrong.'

Thing is, he rarely is. The Dude abides.

Ready to talk bifurcation? I sense a headache coming on'

*********************

[Ed. note: Sorry, it's late and Friday night. Gotta have a sense of humor and spice things up. --Steph]

(AP Photo/Ross Franklin)

VIDEO: Talking Match Play and all things golf (duh) with Luke Elvy

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 pegging it, but don't ask me my handicap because I stopped keeping one when I left for college. More important, I'm feisty and I like to smile a lot. I also love sports, spandex and surprises.

I'm a freelance writer and reporter, as well as a contributor for Sports Illustrated Golf+.

Golf.com

Sports Illustrated (2012)

Wall Street Journal

Mediaite

Read more about me here.

Join WUP's 2013 Match Play bracket crapshoot'I mean, challenge

Oh no! My bracket is dunzo!

I know this is a bit late notice ' well, it is only 4:30pm on the west coast! ' but due to popular demand, I've started WUP group over at Golfweek's Match Play Challenge Crapshoot. How do you join?

Go HERE, fill out the bracket, and when it asks for your contact information, write in 'Wei Under Par' in the group field.

I've contacted a few manufacturers re: donating prizes, so I'm sure one or two will step up to the challenge. But either way, similar to last year, you'd win BRAGGING RIGHTS for the rest of the 2013 season! And a bunch of cool golf stuff from my stash! *Update: We have a taker: the winner gets a TaylorMade RocketBallz Stage 2 fairway wood (which TM is officially debuting at Doral). Sweet!

I might still pursue another prize(s), where I chose the winner by literally picking a name out of a hat. That would only be fitting.

That said, hurry up and fill out your bracket. Deadline to enter or to make a switch is 9:59am ET on Wednesday. First pairing tees off at 9:25amET (7:25 Arizona, 6:25PT). Oh, and don't overthink your picks ' which is what I do every year before I remind myself I'd be sitting here for days on end (perhaps even until the semi-finals) if I were to make seriously analytical decisions (I'm overly analytical, can't you tell?).

Think of it as throwing darts or even flipping a coin. Which is something I did last year and may do again. OR, better yet, I might have my roommate, the soon-to-be-former senior gossip columnist at the New York Daily News (congrats, Car!) who knows nothing about golf, try her hand at completing a bracket.

FWIW, the forecast calls for crappy weather ' rain, wind, cold, the works. What does that all mean? Advantage Euros.

One last thing: Jerry Foltz, Shoshana and I started previewing the matches in the #WUPHangout..and then we got hacked.

(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

A very'err'special #WUPHangout with GC's Jerry Foltz, until we got trolled

Well, that was interesting. We were having a great #WUPHangout until we got trolled, which was an experience ' yep, popped by troll cherry ' and kind of funny. Except I was clearly super confused. We've figured out what happened, and as always, there was a silver lining!

Right before we were about to go live, Golf Channel's Jerry Foltz popped into the Hangout out of nowhere, so naturally, he stayed on to chat with us. (Sorry he was the black screen, but he had just woken up from a nap after his redeye. In other words, he wasn't 'camera-ready'.) Perfect timing! ' Foltzy was able to provide his professional expertise and insightful opinions, not to mention a few funny James Hahn stories.

Check out the video-cast above. I've edited out the last minute of chaos due to NSFW language the trolls used).

World leader, world beater tee it up

The First Golfer invited a big-time ringer to join his Sunday game and round out his foursome in Florida. President Obama's trip was originally planned for him to receive a lesson with Butch Harmon, along with his son Claude Harmon III.

Golf Digest's Tim Rosaforte broke the news on Twitter, writing, 'The President is arriving at The Floridian range. Awaiting is Tiger Woods and club owner Jim Crane. Historic day in golf. Their first round.' 

 

No Obama-Tiger Tracker?!? C'mon, Rosey!

Obama and Tiger were supposed to play at Woods' home course (one of them, at least), The Medalist, but they eventually settled for the Floridian''a secluded yacht and golf club on the state's Treasure Coast,' as described by one report'where the President has been based all weekend, according to Golf Digest.

 'Just to see the interaction between the two on the range was pretty neat,' said Harmon, who was on the tee. 'The President said to Tiger, 'The last tournament you played was fun to watch. It's good to see you play well again.' You could tell he meant it. It just wasn't a throw it out compliment.'

The round, which also included U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Floridian owner Jim Crane, began with Woods holing out for birdie on the first hole, and continued at a rapid clip. With all four players playing from the third tees at 6,208 yards, they made the turn in a little more than two hours. After the first 18 holes, Woods left the golf course, but Obama stayed on to play another nine. Neither Woods nor the President commented after the round.

The Floridian does have a website, but news of Tiger and Obama's play date ended up crashing it due to 'bandwidth limit exceeded.' 

According to the Washington Post, White House press corps expressed their frustration for the lack of access all weekend while the President has been at the Floridian. Yep. Welcome to Golf! 

And now, let the bracketology commence'(!!!)

 

Woods will face Charles Howell III in the first round of matches

Sorry this is a bit rushed ' I have to catch the last shuttle to the media parking lot, but I wanted to get the brackets/pairings out. I tweeted (crappy-quality) pictures of them and there's no easy copy and paste format that I've seen yet, so I did the best I could below. The tee times and pairings are legible and I did my best with taking screen shots of the brackets. I also included a link so you can download the PDF file for clearer viewing.

There's plenty to discuss and quite a few fun match-ups. We'll discuss later. For now, here you go and let's hear your early predictions. 

 

2013 WGC Accenture Match Play Championship

Round 1 Pairings and Starting Times

Wednesday 2/20/13

Tee Time Player Player

1 07:25 AM Match 1 Sergio Garcia ' ESP vs Thongchai Jaidee ' THA

1 07:35 AM Match 2 Matt Kuchar ' USA vs Hiroyuki Fujita ' JPN

1 07:45 AM Match 3 Ian Poulter ' ENG vs Stephen Gallacher ' SCO

1 07:55 AM Match 4 Bo Van Pelt ' USA vs John Senden ' AUS

1 08:05 AM Match 5 Charl Schwartzel ' ZAF vs Russell Henley ' USA

1 08:15 AM Match 6 Zach Johnson ' USA vs Jason Day ' AUS

1 08:25 AM Match 7 Jason Dufner ' USA vs Richard Sterne ' ZAF

1 08:35 AM Match 8 Hunter Mahan ' USA vs Matteo Manassero ' ITA

1 08:45 AM Match 9 Justin Rose ' ENG vs K.J. Choi ' KOR

1 08:55 AM Match 10 Bill Haas ' USA vs Nicolas Colsaerts ' BEL

1 09:05 AM Match 11 Adam Scott ' AUS vs Tim Clark ' ZAF

1 09:15 AM Match 12 Jamie Donaldson ' WAL vs Thorbjorn Olesen ' DNK

1 09:25 AM Match 13 Bubba Watson ' USA vs Chris Wood ' ENG

1 09:35 AM Match 14 Jim Furyk ' USA vs Ryan Moore ' USA

1 09:45 AM Match 15 Lee Westwood ' ENG vs Rafael Cabrera-Bello ' ESP

1 09:55 AM Match 16 Martin Kaymer ' DEU vs George Coetzee ' ZAF

1 10:05 AM Match 17 Keegan Bradley ' USA vs Marcus Fraser ' AUS

1 10:15 AM Match 18 Ernie Els ' ZAF vs Fredrik Jacobson ' SWE

1 10:25 AM Match 19 Steve Stricker ' USA vs Henrik Stenson ' SWE

1 10:35 AM Match 20 Nick Watney ' USA vs David Toms ' USA

1 10:45 AM Match 21 Dustin Johnson ' USA vs Alexander Noren ' SWE

1 10:55 AM Match 22 Graeme McDowell ' NIR vs Padraig Harrington ' IRL

1 11:05 AM Match 23 Webb Simpson ' USA vs David Lynn ' ENG

1 11:15 AM Match 24 Peter Hanson ' SWE vs Thomas Bjorn ' DNK

1 11:25 AM Match 25 Louis Oosthuizen ' ZAF vs Richie Ramsay ' SCO

1 11:35 AM Match 26 Branden Grace ' ZAF vs Robert Garrigus ' USA

1 11:45 AM Match 27 Luke Donald ' ENG vs Marcel Siem ' DEU

1 11:55 AM Match 28 Paul Lawrie ' SCO vs Scott Piercy ' USA

1 12:05 PM Match 29 Rory McIlroy ' NIR vs Shane Lowry ' IRE

1 12:15 PM Match 30 Rickie Fowler ' USA vs Carl Pettersson ' SWE

1 12:25 PM Match 31 Tiger Woods ' USA vs Charles Howell III ' USA

1 12:35 PM Match 32 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castavnso ' ESFPrancesco Molinari ' ITA

 

*******************

Click here for the PDF file and a more readable version: AMPC Rd 1 Brackets

 

 

 

Lydia-mania in full force (even live coverage on GC!)

Can Ko go low on Sunday?

Fresh off her victory at last week's Ladies' European Tour event in New Zealand, 15-year-old amateur Lydia Ko is gunning for back-to-back wins on the pro circuit. Ko, who captured the LPGA's Canadian Women's Open in 2012, and Jiyai Shin share the third-round lead, six shots clear of the rest of the field.

And we will actually get to watch. Get this: Golf Channel adjusted its programming schedule to air the final round of the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open LIVE tonight beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET.

(Um, I'm supposed to meet some friends from college for dinner, but I almost want to bail so I can watch Ko.)

Ko, who was born in South Koran but based in New Zealand, and Shin, who nearly seems old at age 24, staged a thrilling duel on Saturday's third round, with the pair trading birdies and eagles, and just overall compelling golf.

Via the AP:

Ko said she was looking forward to the challenge of going head-to-head with Shin in the final round.

'I've seen her play before at the Canadian Open and then on TV,' she said. 'She's a pretty accurate player off the tee, so in that way we could be pretty similar. She's a great player and there are things that I do need to learn from her.'

Shin said the leading pair realistically only have each other to worry about, though the low scoring of the opening three rounds mean a late challenger cannot be ruled out.

'This makes it comfortable for us because we just focus ' I just focus about her score and she also just kept looking at my score,' Shin said. 'But this course has a lot of chance to birdie, a lot of par 5s, so I'm still keep watching for other players. First day Lydia hit a 10 under, I hit an 8 under, so all players had a chance to make the lower scores.'

Ko and Shin share similar playing styles and reserved demeanors on the course, but the 15-year-old phenom seems to have a sense of humor, too, according to this report from The Australian:

'Oh, well they say we look alike too,' Ko said.

'She's a pretty accurate player off the tee. A great player and there are things that I do need to learn off her.'

One facet where the two couldn't be more different is the emotion they show on the course.

When Shin landed her eagle on the 5th she let her celebration rip, whereas Ko has been noted for her calm manner in both good times and bad.

'I don't really like to show my expressions a lot unless it's pretty big,' Ko said.

'There has been (times) in the past where I've shown emotion or expression and, even if it was good, it has led on to not a good hole after.'

So, anyone going to spend their Saturday night watching women's golf? It's OK to admit it! I mean, Lydia Ko is damn impressive. And imagine the buzz if she beats out Shin for back-to-back titles as a 15-year-old! Crazy.

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

ICYWOFN: #WUPHangout Friday at Riviera

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 pegging it, but don't ask me my handicap because I stopped keeping one when I left for college. More important, I'm feisty and I like to smile a lot. I also love sports, spandex and surprises.

I'm a freelance writer and reporter, as well as a contributor for Sports Illustrated Golf+.

Golf.com

Sports Illustrated (2012)

Wall Street Journal

Mediaite

Read more about me here.

Haas rules Riviera

Haas likes Riviera

Defending champion Bill Haas outplayed the rest of the pack, firing an impressive seven-under 64, three shots better than the next lowest round ' which is the second-largest margin of the season (Phil Mickelson was four clear of the rest when his putt for 59 lipped out in the first round in Phoenix).

Haas kicked off the day in a ho-hum style, parring the first hole, which is playing the easiest this week, at Riviera. He opened with four straight pars before he appeared to get his rhythm going. The game-changer was rolling in a tough 30-footer for birdie on No. 9, chipping-in for eagle on No. 10 and getting up-and-down (for birdie) on No. 11, and then he made some good par saves to keep the momentum going.

'No. 12 ' that hole has kind of got my number so far,' said Haas, who has a three-shot lead Webb Simpson, Charl Schwartzel and John Merrick heading into Sunday. 'I think that's going to be a key hole tomorrow, just if I can find that fairway, it will feel like a totally different hole, because I haven't seen it yet.'

That's an intimidating tee shot. Haas has still managed to par the hole in the first three rounds.

'I was kind of just plugging along,' said Haas, who is looking to become the first player to defend his title since Steve Stricker at the 2011 John Deere Classic. 'Great save, great up-and-down at 17.  I certainly would have liked to make that putt on 18 after a nice drive and a nice second shot, but overall, very pleased.'

Haas hopes to fend off the guys at nine-under (Simpson, Schwartzel and Merrick), along with Luke Donald and Fredrik Jacobson, who are at eight-under.

'The course, as Bill just talked about, completely different from the first two days,' said Simpson, who exchanged a handshake/bro-five with Haas as they passed each other in the interview room. 'It was firm and fast, and the back nine, especially, reminded me of a U.S. Open, just the way the ball is releasing, and the temperature got up, which made the ball go even further.

'So it was difficult to get the ball close to the pin, especially front pins.  I had a lot of 3- and 4-footers today for par.  Just managed myself well around the course, made one bogey.  Bill shooting 7-under is incredible out there.  I mean, it was very tough.  I felt like my 3-under was pretty good.  And I didn't know what (Bill) shot.  I just looked at my phone as I was waiting.'

While it's difficult to go low at Riviera, it's also easy to blow up and make doubles, as most in the field will tell you. However, Haas hasn't even made a bogey in the last 40 holes.

'Just try not to get ahead of it,' said Haas, referring to a swing thought that has helped him. 'That's kind of my biggest flaw is I don't turn and I kind of get ahead of it.  You'll see it a few times, hopefully not tomorrow, but I hit some right shots and just really trying to work on, I don't even know how you want to say it, but hitting it high.'

'On the range, I try to hit a lot of shots high, like pretend there's a tree in front of me, which if you're hitting a shot high, you can't get in front of it.  It helps you stay behind the ball a little bit.  It's kind a simple swing key but that's what I'm working on.'

Haas is ranked first in ballstriking this week, but he's also rolling it well on the greens ' he only needed 24 putts on the way to his 64 on Saturday.

He made a change at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, lengthening his Scotty Cameron putter by an inch.

'It's something I think feels a little more comfortable,' said Haas after the second round in Scottsdale, where he went on to finish T6. 'This has been the first week where I feel like I'm rolling it nice for two days, and I don't know if that's exactly the key, but it was a little bit.

'I was talking about Stan Utley and he basically said, who says what standard is. We're all different.  You shouldn't use a 35-inch putter because you're shorter than me.  You should use a shorter one.  So my standard maybe is a little longer.'

Haas is using a conventional stroke rather than the belly putter that was in his bag during last year's victory. He asked Stan Utley to take a look at him (officially) for the first time the week of the Phoenix Open.

Haas will try to continue his superb ballstriking and putting on Sunday, which will crucial to hold on for the win. (Well, I think if he shoots even-par or one-under, he'll be fine.)

'To have success out here, you've got to putt well, and yesterday I chipped in on the last hole for par.  I certainly was not playing that well, and to be able to shoot 4-under  you can say I'm playing well but if you watched me play yesterday, you wouldn't have said that.

'Today I struck the ball a little bit better and the putter felt pretty good.  No one thing; every day is a new day and you're always working.  My dad always said, when you're playing well, you're not far off from playing poorly; and when you're playing poorly, you're not far off from playing well.  So there's just such a fine detail in your swing that can change daily.  So you just always keep working on it.'

**************

The shot of the day goes to Luke Donald.

 (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Get ready for golf's bracket madness

 

It's just about that time again! ' golf's answer to or closest version of March Madness: the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship takes place in Tucson, Arizona, next week. Wednesday ' with the 32 first round matches ' is one of the most compelling days of the season.

This year's field has been finalized, as the deadline to enter was Friday at 5pm ET. Since the seeding and brackets are determined by the player's Official World Ranking, they will be revealed on Sunday evening after the conclusion of the Northern Trust Open (when the latest OWGR standings are determined based on finishes at Riviera this week). 

For example, Fredrik Jacobson is currently ranked No. 64, so if the seeding/brackets were based on this week's OWGR standings, he'd would face the world No. 1 Rory McIlroy (which could potentially be a fun battle). However, Jacobson is faring well at Riviera at the moment. In fact, he's atop the leaderboard, with four holes left to play in the second round. If he keeps up his fine form through the weekend, then he'd obviously move up in the rankings.

Four of the top-five in the world have committed ' Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Luke Donald and Justin Rose. Who's missing? Brandt Snedeker, who climbed to No. 4 after last week's impressive victory at Pebble Beach, withdrew on Tuesday due to sore left ribs. Which is unfortunate since he's arguably the hottest player and putter on Tour at the moment.

Per usual, Phil Mickelson will not be playing at the event, as it conflicts with a family vacation.

Here's the field:

From the Tour's media blast: 'If a player withdraws after the brackets are released, the next player on the alternate list takes his place in the bracket.  The next three players in the Official World Golf Ranking (as of February 11) are: Bernd Wiesberger (No. 67; AUT); Anders Hansen (No. 69, DEN); Scott Jamieson (No. 70, SCO).  Spain's Miguel A. Jimenez (No. 68) is recovering from a broken leg.'

Stay tuned for the brackets ' we'll have them posted as quickly as humanly possible when they're finalized on Sunday.

(Photo via)

ICYMI: #WUPHangout in Malibu, Thursday

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 pegging it, but don't ask me my handicap because I stopped keeping one when I left for college. More important, I'm feisty and I like to smile a lot. I also love sports, spandex and surprises.

I'm a freelance writer and reporter, as well as a contributor for Sports Illustrated Golf+.

Golf.com

Sports Illustrated (2012)

Wall Street Journal

Mediaite

Read more about me here.

Pardon the hiatus: Catching up with WUP

Michelle Wie high-5s Lydia Ko for being absolutely awesome

Sorry I've been MIA. I've had some personal issues to sort out the last few days, but I'm back, and I've missed you all!

Not to get all sappy and cheesy, but I'm going to go there. Just wanted to give a quick shout-out to the few friends who have gone above and beyond to help a damsel in distress. A friend who asks his friend to take in a total stranger, no questions, is so underrated. I've expressed my undying gratitude to these wonderful people, but again, your kindness and friendship and support mean more to mean than words can express (and has outweighed the crappiness or at least helped loads).

Alright, now let's get on to what we've missed in golf news this week. Oh, by the way, I am in the L.A. area, and I will be at Riviera starting tomorrow (hopefully ' I probably shouldn't promise that given the way things have gone this week). It was just kind of difficult to pull myself away from refuge here. 

*Move over Yani Tseng and Michelle Wie! ' you guys were so 2011-2012 and 2002, respectively. Kidding. Kind of. There's a new phenom in the circuit who has proven herself on more than one occasion against the pros. On Sunday, 15-year-old amateur Lydia Ko won SPS Handa New Zealand Women's Open, and last year, she dominated at the LPGA's Canadian Women's Open, cruising to a three-shot victory.

Ko, who played alongside world No. 1 Yani Tseng and Michelle Wie on Thursday at the Women's Australian Open, fired a career-best 10-under 63 to open with the first-round lead. No big deal. From the Australian, with comments from Tseng and Wie:

In equal fifth place, five strokes off the lead, was world No1 Yani Tseng, who was playing alongside Ko.

'I feel I'm getting old,' the 24-year-old Tseng said.

'She just looks like a child, she still looks like 15 but, the way she's playing golf, she looks like a pro.'

Starting her round on the 10th hole, 15-year-old Ko began slowly by bogeying her first hole of the day.

However, she soon went on a rampage, shooting six-under in the next five holes.

'.

'I didn't really see it go in, someone else told me that it backspinned in and, yeah, it's pretty cool after a bogey on the first hole,' Ko said.

Ko dropped a shot the next hole, before scoring two more birdies to finish the front nine without a single par in just 30 strokes.

Her back nine was looking just as dominant until she bogeyed her second last hole of the day to finish two shots better than her previous best scorecard of eight-under.

Ko's playing group also included her childhood idol and former teenage sensation Michelle Wie, who finished the day one-over-par.

'I was in a really good group to start off with. I was pretty nervous when I saw the draw and that I was playing with two big names,' Ko said.

'But it was fun out there and, with a good round, it makes it better. Yani and Michelle, we had really good conversations so I think it made it more enjoyable.'

*Brandt Snedeker, who is taking a well-deserved vacation in Maui after going 2-2-1 the last three weeks, has withdrawn from the WGC-Accenture Match Play due to sore ribs in his lower left side. He's expected to be on the DL for three weeks to recover. Well, it's not that surprising. After all, pushing around all those wheelbarrows of cash is hardcore labor.

Via Rex Hoggard on GolfChannel.com:

 

'I don't know if it's just weakness in that area, the way he sits on a plane, I just don't know. I don't think it has anything to do with his golf swing,' said Todd Anderson, Snedeker's swing coach.

'Right now it's a big unknown, he just wants to be sharp and ready for Augusta.'

Snedeker's Sea Island (Ga.)-based trainer Randy Myers told GolfChannel.com that he strained the rib during a practice round at the Humana Challenge and re-aggravated the injury on Thursday at Pebble Beach. Snedeker had an X-ray on Monday in California and is awaiting the results of that test. He plans to return to Nashville, Tenn., later this week to meet with his doctor, Dr. James Elrod.

*USGA has announced that the U.S. Amateur Public Links, which dates to 1922, will be eliminated starting next year. At the same time it unveiled the addition of a new four-ball tournament. Basically, the USGA decided the Pub Links no longer serves a purpose. The USGA claim the decisions aren't linked but announced them on the same day.

We'll talk more about this later, but there's a lot of outrage over the decision, especially since the Pub Links catered to the golfers who didn't grow up on country clubs with silver spoons'

Here are the details on the new events: the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship and the U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball Championship will begin in 2015. The format will consist of two-person team competitions playing best ball. There will be no age requirement and partners are not obliged to be from the same club, state or country.

While this sounds like an exciting and compelling event, it's a shame that it comes at the expense of the Pub Links.

*Geoff Shackelford posted some interesting quotes from Fred Couples, Bill Haas and Keegan Bradley on Riviera's intriguing risk-reward par-4 10th hole.

*And Ernie Els thinks his win at the Open Championship, along with Webb Simpson's at the U.S. Open, influenced the USGA's decision to impose the anchoring ban.

As you may recall, a decade or so ago, Els spoke out against anchored strokes and called for them to be illegal, but then he reluctantly switched to a belly putter at The Heritage in April, 2011. He also has made comments since then, like, 'As long as it's legal, I'll keep cheating like the rest of them.

*************

Alright, who's up for a #WUPHangout? Raise your hand! Or leave a comment below.

(Photo via)

Sneds goes to 2-2-1, now eyes majors

Snedeker quenches the thirst for first

After taking a back seat to Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in the last two events, Brandt Snedeker had the spotlight to himself ' well, he kind of shared it with his pro-am partner and friend Toby S. Wilt since the duo won that portion of the tournament. Snedeker, who has played solidly, ran into two guys who just happened to be unbeatable the last two weeks.

This week he was the one that was the man to beat, despite entering the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am tied for the lead with PGA Tour rookie James Hahn.

If anything, being the bridesmaid for two straight weeks made him even more hungry for the victory.  

'It helped a lot,' said the 32-year-old from Nashville, who clinched his fifth-career PGA Tour win on Sunday at Pebble Beach, referring to his back-to-back runner-up finishes. 'It certainly made me not complacent.  I definitely didn't want to do anything but win today.  I was out there for one purpose and one purpose only, and I was extremely focused all day.  I did a great job of staying patient and I did a great job of playing the golf course the way you're supposed to play it.'

Snedeker shot an impressive seven-under 65 on Sunday. He became the first player to follow up consecutive runner-up finishes with a win (dating back to 1990 when Mark Calcavecchia placed second three straight weeks).

There was never much of a doubt that Snedeker, the heavy favorite, entering the final round would close the deal. Before last fall's Tour Championship, Snedeker had been chasing the leaders on Sunday instead of being chased ' which is mentally easier sometimes to come from behind because there's not as much pressure and aren't expectations. But he showed the world he had ascended to a new level when he closed out a three-shot win at East Lake last September.

'I was very calm today,' said Snedeker, who helped his pro-am partner on the greens, keeping in mind there was a team competition on the line, too.  'I was not jumpy at all.  I had a complete  same feeling I had at East Lake.  I just knew it was going to happen or how or why or what I was going to have to shoot; I just had a good feeling that today was going to be my day.'

Snedeker hit a perfect shot on the iconic par-3 17th to about 12 feet. He rolled in his putt for birdie to take a two-shot lead over Chris Kirk, who mounted a valiant effort to catch Sneds, going into the 18th.

'Birdieing 17 was huge today and to have that two-shot lead walking down 18 is a lot different than having a one-shot lead,' he said. 'So that was a big shot at the right time and to make that putt was very special to me'

'I kept telling myself:  You have to do this at some point.  You are going to have to make a putt to give yourself some leeway coming down the last hole, and it doesn't get much easier than that:  Dead-straight up the hill from ten feet; those are the kind of putts you need to make.'

He made it clear on Sunday at Pebble that he had elevated his game to the elite ranks. Snedeker is now in the conversation when it comes to the discussion of 'Best American' player. Which is an aspiration of his.

'I would love to be known as the best American golfer,' said Snedeker, who moves to No. 4 in the world rankings, displacing Justin Rose and Louis Oosthuizen. 'I've got a long way to go to do that, but this is a great start to the year.  Couldn't have scripted much of a better one, except for maybe winning the last two weeks if the guys hadn't played, would have been nice.

'This is a great way to come back from that and a great four round of golf this week.  I played solid every day and didn't give away too many shots.  This is what I'm capable of, so I'm looking forward to putting on more on display the rest of the year.'

Tiger Woods is ranked No. 2 in the world, so he still carries the distinction as Best American.

What's next for Snedeker? First, he's vacationing in Maui for a week before the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. Next, he'll play in the Match Play and then a few in Florida before trying to win his first major in April at the Masters.

As you may recall in 2008, Snedeker played in the final group on Sunday at Augusta, two shots behind leader and eventual champ Trevor Immelman, and shot 77 to finish T3. He infamously choked up and tried to fight back emotions when he spoke to reporters afterward.

'It will be very different,' said Snedeker when asked what it will be like for him going to the Masters this year. 'I've gone there in the past thinking I can contend, and this year I'm going in knowing that I can contend and knowing that winning is not a farfetched idea. It's very much a reality.

'And to do that, I've got to do the same stuff I've done this week and the last three weeks, be very simple, do the small stuff really well, that kind of stuff.

'But I go in there with a ton of confidence.  I know that if I play the way I played the last three weeks that there's very few people in the world that can beat me, and I will relish that challenge being there Sunday trying to beat the best player in the world or whoever it may be down the back nine at Augusta.  That's something I look forward to instead of dreading maybe four years ago.'

If he keeps up his solid play, he should also be a favorite or guy to watch at the U.S. Open at Merion this summer.

 

****************

Brandt Snedeker ' AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am statistics

Driving Distance                              277.4                                        T41

Driving Accuracy                             43 of 55            78.2 percent      T14

Greens in Regulation                       56 of 72            77.8 percent      T6

Putts (GIR)                                      1.643                                        6

Total Putts                                      112                                           T15

Brandt Snedeker PGA Tour 54-hole leads

Event                                                                     R3        R4 Score          Finish

2007 Buick Invitational                                             T1         71                     3

2010 Waste Management Phoenix Open                   1          78                     T43

2012 TOUR Championship                                       T1         68                     1

2013 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am               T1         65                     1

Brandt Snedeker's last nine starts

Event                                                                     Finish

2012 The Barclays                                                   2

2012 Deutsche Bank Championship                         6

2012 BMW Championship                                        T37

2012 TOUR Championship                                       1

2013 Hyundai Tournament of Champions                  3

2013 Humana Challenge                                           T23

2013 Farmers Insurance Open                                  T2

2013 Waste Management Phoenix Open                   2

2013 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am               1

****************

Meanwhile, 31-year-old PGA Tour rookie James Hahn, who was tied with Snedeker going into the final round, shot 2-under 70 to finish a career-best T3. Hahn, who finished fifth on the Web.com Tour money list in 2012 to graduate to the bigs, has made five cuts in five starts ' not a bad start to his first year as a member on the PGA Tour.

Other good finishes include T4 at the Humana Challenge and T16 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, where he fired a final-round 62 to move significantly up the leaderboard. After he birdied the famed par-3 16th at TPC Scottsdale on Sunday, he broke out the gangnam-style dance to celebrate.

'I need to work on my putting,' said James after his round on Sunday when asked what he learned about his game. 'Brandt rolled them in early.  I didn't, and he rolled them in late and I didn't.  He birdied 17 and I didn't.  That's kind of the difference.  One roll here or there, a couple putts, and momentum goes the right way and he took advantage of that.'

Hahn is enjoying the solid start to his rookie season and hopes to keep it going. Most of the time a top-10 finish would automatically get him into the field for the following week's event, but the Northern Trust Open has some different rules, so he's moved to the top of the alternate list, along with Patrick Reed, a fellow rookie who placed T7.

'It's been great so far, five of five cuts,' said James. 'This week was the best tournament I've had so far. But being so close to winning a golf tournament, playing in the final group, it's a little bittersweet.'

****************

What else? Chris Kirk deserves a shout-out. Kirk's runner-up finish was his best since his victory at the 2011 True South Classic, and his second career runner-up (2011 Shell Houston Open). He led the field with 24 birdies this week. In 15 rounds this season, he has shot under-par in all of them (which means he hasn't posted even-par, either).

Oh, one last thing: Snedeker and his amateur partner Wilt tied for first, posting a total of 31-under in the Pro-Am part of the tourney, with Michael Letzig and John Erickson.

Someone might want to look into Erickson's 18-handicap. Letzig, who missed the cut in the actual tourney, only made 6 birdies in the first three rounds. Somehow as a team, the duo shot 21-under and tied with Snedeker/Wilt to win the pro-am portion of the tourney. Seriously?

Actually, I demand a thorough investigation of Erickson's handicap. I smell sandbagging! Ah, whatever. Maybe he just had a career week.

 (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Red-hot Snedeker and YouTube-star Hahn tied for the lead at Pebble Beach

Eyeing a win after finishing runner-up to Tiger and Phil the last two weeks

There's a name that's been gracing the first page of the leaderboard who is tied for the 54-hole lead: Brandt Snedeker, who finished runner-up the last two weeks to Tiger Woods (Farmers Insurance Open) and Phil Mickelson (Waste Management Phoenix Open), respectively. PGA Tour rookie James Hahn birdied his last three holes at Spyglass (the hardest of the three venues) to fire a six-under 66 and tie Snedeker for the lead at 12-under through 54 holes.

Good news for Snedeker ' Mickelson, who triple-bogeyed the 18th at Pebble Beach today after knocking two in the water (if you haven't seen the GIF of his slip, then here's a link), made the cut on the number (one-under), so he's not a threat. And Tiger isn't in the field.

Snedeker is by far the hottest player on Tour, currently. He's been in the top-four in the standings after 11 of his 18 rounds in 2013. In 15 of his last 16 rounds, Snedeker has posted scores in the 60s. He's played fantastic the last few weeks, but unfortunately he ran into two guys who simply have been just a bit better. It's not too shabby to come second to Tiger and Phil.

Snedeker is gunning to become the first player to finish second-second-first in three consecutive weeks.

After placing second last week in Phoenix, he became the eighth player to finish runner-up in back-to-back weeks on Tour. None of the previous seven went on to win the following week. In 1990, Mark Calcavecchia finished second in three consecutive weeks.

Prior to his victory at the Tour Championship last fall, Snedeker was chasing the leaders in the final round, rather than starting at the top.

'It's definitely a different animal and something that you have to be prepared for,' said Snedeker, the 2012 FedExCup Champion, referring to going into the final round with the lead rather than coming from behind.  'The Tour Championship did a great job of letting me  how I should handle it and how I need to handle it.

'I think when you have a lead, you almost need to be more patient than you typically play and give yourself a little bit more lax, or a little bit more credit for how you have played.  Go out tomorrow and just try to play the same way I have the last three days.

'The last three days I've been very smart, pick my spots when to be aggressive, play away from certain pins and leave it on the proper side of holes, and I've been doing a pretty good job of that and hopefully I can keep doing that tomorrow.'

Similar to his current situation, Snedeker was tied for first through three rounds at East Lake and cruised to a three-stroke victory to claim the Tour Championship and the FedExCup titles.

The 32-year-old from Nashville is oozing with confidence, especially since his next four closest contenders only have one win out here combined: Hahn (T1, -12), Chris Kirk (3, -11), Patrick Reed (4, -10), and Richard H. Lee (5, -9) ' compared to Snedeker, they're relatively inexperienced.

Then, you have five players at eight-under ' a four-shot deficit is not hard to overcome if Snedeker has a mediocre day and one of them goes real low.

You know, a lot of it has to do with confidence coming off of last year.  Obviously with the FedExCup, THE TOUR Championship, the confidence I gained from there, I definitely took it into this year and realized how good I can be.

How does he explain his stellar play thus far in 2013 (and the end of 2012)?

'I worked on my stuff that I was not particularly excited about with my game at the end of last year, and a lot better this year,' said Snedeker. 'My scrambling is a lot better.  My proximity from 150 yards and in is a ton better than it was last year and I'm making less dumb mistakes than I did last year, so all of that on top of each other has produced a lot better golf out of me.'

All of that combined with his experience and poise make him the favorite to come out on top.

'I feel like I have a little bit of an advantage going into tomorrow just because of playing Pebble today,' said Snedeker.  'The golf course is definitely playing differently than it did in the practice rounds.

'Today it was drying out a little bit towards the end of the round, but greens are a lot more receptive than I thought they would be, and chipping the ball is extremely important on the greens because they can do some funny stuff sometimes, sometimes they check up and sometimes they don't and I kind of have a feel for how they are doing that now, so there should not be too many surprises out there tomorrow.'

Gangnam style

Even 54-hole co-leader James Hahn, a native of Northern California and UC Berkeley grad, picked Snedeker to win earlier in the week. However, Hahn, who become an instant YouTube star last Saturday when he celebrated gangnam style after birdieing the famed 16th, feels less pressure than usual playing in the final group for the first time since Snedeker is the heavy favorite.

'I root for the underdog, but I still think he's going to win,' said Hahn, speaking to the scrum of reporters that encompassed him after his official presser ended.

Hahn, a 31-year-old Web.com grad, spoke of the relaxed atmosphere, especially since his brother Tom is caddying for him this week.

'He helped me a lot,' said James, who has made the cut in all five starts in his rookie season.  We talked through a lot of shots.  The biggest thing was just making me feel comfortable out there.  Like he was caddying for me  we were out there talking about shots, having a good time, talking about what we are going to eat for dinner tonight or what movies we are going to watch later today.

'It's just fun.  I'm not sure if you guys have brothers or sisters, but when you hang out with family, you feel more comfortable and I feel like he's allowed me to do that this week.'

That should come in handy on Sunday, along with his previous high-stress experiences playing in Q-school and the Web.com Tour Championship.

'I feel like the Web.com Tour has allowed me to get to a point in my life in my career make feel comfortable in the final group in a PGA Tour event,' said Hahn, whose best finishes so far are T4 at the Humana Challenge and T16 at the WM Phoenix Open. 'Not exactly sure what I will be feeling, but it's  going to be very excited, going to be very nervous.

'To be able to play in a final round with Brandt Snedeker, I feel like I can learn a lot from the experience.'

If Hahn wins tomorrow, will he celebrate similar to the way he did in Phoenix? Or perhaps he'll break out the other options he considered doing last week ' which were Aaron Rodgers' discount double-check, Tim Tebow's Tebowing, and Beyonce's 'if you like it, then you should put a ring on it.' Before going gangnam style on national television in front of a rowdy crowd on 16, Hahn said he had never tried performing the dance (though some of his friends have told him he did it wrong, whatever).

***************

Random notes

*In the pro-am portion of the event, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, a scratch handicap, and Jordan Spieth are leading with a combined score of 25-under. While Spieth has 17 birdies in three rounds, Romo is holding his own. It's quite impressive since he's not getting any strokes like the amateurs who are tied for second ' Snedeker's partner Toby S. Wilt is a 7-handicap, and John Erickson, Michael Letzig's partner, is an 18 (which is  resulting in some raised eyebrows, especially since Letzig missed the cut).

*The third-round lead/co-leader has gone on to win three of four 72-hole events on TOUR this season.

*Bogey-free rounds:

R1 ' Greg Owen (MP/65), Brendon de Jonge (MP/67), Brian Stuard (PB/69), Brendon Todd (MP/68)

R2 ' Mike Weir (MP/65), Chris Stroud (MP/67), James Driscoll (SH/67), Brandt Snedeker (SH/68), Kevin Sutherland (MP/68), Patrick Reed (PB/69)

R3 ' James Hahn (66), Peter Tomasulo (66), William McGirt (67), Ken Duke (69)

*Third-Round Scoring Averages:

             Front 9             Back 9              Total                Cumulative

PB        34.942              36.615              71.558              71.814

SH        36.423              36.192              72.615              72.641

MP       34.308              36.000              70.308              70.244

 

(AP Photos/Eric Risberg and Ben Margot)

ICYMI: #WUPHangout at Pebble Beach, Saturday

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 pegging it, but don't ask me my handicap because I stopped keeping one when I left for college. More important, I'm feisty and I like to smile a lot. I also love sports, spandex and surprises.

I'm a freelance writer and reporter, as well as a contributor for Sports Illustrated Golf+.

Golf.com

Sports Illustrated (2012)

Wall Street Journal

Mediaite

Read more about me here.

Air Tiger swoops in to rescue injured Vonn

According to TMZ, Tiger Woods spared his private jet to pick up Olympic champion skier Lindsey Vonn from Austria after her terrifying crash on the slopes Tuesday that caused season-ending injuries. The gossip site posted the above photo of a blonde woman using crutches boarding a plane that appears to be Woods' plane.

In TMZ's live video segment earlier today, they showed pictures of Vonn getting on the jet that included the tail number ' which, not-so-shockingly, is identical to Tiger's. 

Tiger and Vonn are reportedly an item.

Woods, naturally, has refused comment, while in December, Vonn has insisted they are just friends. Well, they must be super good pals if Tiger is lending her his own plane! (And as we know, Woods isn't exactly known for his generosity') More recently, Vonn was reportedly 'giggly' when asked if Tiger was coming to watch her compete, and saying, 'Oh, my god! I don't know, you should ask him.'

Rumors about the pair were ignited when Tiger and Lindsey were both in Vail at the same time in November. Then, last month the Salzburg Times reported that Tiger made an overnight stop in Salzburg, Austria, landing on Sunday and leaving on Monday, the week he played the Abu Dhabi Championship. Vonn was in the same city for a TV interview at the same time.

Coincidence? Perhaps. But why else would Tiger go to Salzburg for a day (or less)? Perhaps he had business there ' the personal kind.

Vonn was injured while competing at the Alpine World Championships in Schladmin. She was racing in the super-G when she took an alarming tumble, where she tore two ligaments in her right knee and broke a bone in her lower leg. She will need reconstructive surgery and the team announced she will not return for the remainder of the season, but expects her to be fit to race in the 2013-14 World Cup season, which starts in October, and the 2014 Olympics.

Well, on the bright side, Tiger is familiar with knee injuries and can support and console her while she recovers ' that is, if they are actually dating. (Wink, wink.)

(Photo via TMZ)

There's mutton goin' on at Pebble Beach

Yes, that is indeed Bill Murray, sporting an interesting beard!

Of course that's a reference to Bill Murray's facial hair. The Pebble Beach National Pro-Am regular is making a scene, per usual. He's partnered up with D.A. Points, who won the event in 2011 ' the pair were also victorious in the pro-am portion of the tournament.

Murray and Points played at Monterey Peninsula Country Club's Shore Course on Thursday, and posted a team effort of five-under 65, putting them in a tie for 51st after the opening round.

Here's a closer shot of Murray's beard:

 

A closer look

However, Murray didn't steal the show. Russell Knox shot six-under 64 at MPCC (par-70), while Hunter Mahan posted six-under 66 at Pebble Beach (par-72). I know it's a little confusing since the tournament is contested at three venues ' Pebble, MPCC and SpyGlass Hill. Pebble and SpyGlass are par-72s and MPCC is par-70. It all evens out when the cut is made after 54 holes on Saturday. The final round is played at Pebble.

Mahan had a relatively boring day. He hit 16 of 18 greens and 12 of 14 fairways. It was an all-around solid day. He made seven birdies and one bogey, which came on the par-3 17th when a spectator snapped a photo that made a beeping sound in the middle of Mahan's backswing. C'mon, guys. Can we give a tutorial on how to turn your phone on silent so that doesn't happen? Anyway, Hunter pushed it short, right of the bunker.

The other green he missed was also a par-3. On the 12th hole, Mahan pushed his tee shot right and made an eight-footer to save par. Otherwise, nothing too exciting happened besides good golf.

All smiles

The forecast called for rain in the afternoon, but the weather is unpredictable in the area. The cloudy skies cleared in the afternoon and the sun came out, making it a perfect day. Which may have been even sweeter because everyone expected crappy weather.

'The conditions were so benign right now that you can be aggressive and there are some pins that were definitely accessible today,' said Mahan in his post-round presser.  'So it was nice to take advantage of that.  I played pretty solid all the way throughout.  Hit a lot of good putts that had an opportunity to go in, but the greens are quick and you have to pay attention, because you can easily run it by four or five feet and you don't want to have 4- or 5-footers out here all day long.  That's not going to help your score at all.

'I like how I played and hit a lot of good-quality shots and it was nice to end with a birdie today.'

Players have raved about the conditions at Pebble, which are firmer and faster than they usually are at this time of the year. The greens aren't too bad, either, considering there are eight people stomping on them in each group.

**************

Six players are tied for third at five-under, including Matt Every (PB), Seung-yul Noh (SH), Ted Potter Jr. (PB), Greg Owen (MP), Ryuji Imada (MP) and Scott Langley (MP), who has had some success at Pebble Beach. Langley teamed with Dana Quigley to win the Pro-Junior division of The First Tee Open at Pebble Beach in 2006, and also shared low-amateur honors with fellow rookie Russell Henley at the 2010 U.S. Open when it was held here.

'I came here when I was young and I was so amazed at how beautiful this place is,' said Langley, who played MPCC in the first round. 'You get distracted a little bit by the views.

'I remember when I was younger, I came here and played and I was so nervous on 7 and 17, these iconic holes of Pebble Beach.  And I feel differently now.  I feel more comfortable here, more at ease.  I've had good results here so maybe that helps my confidence a little bit.

'I don't know if I'm more prepared than other rookies but it's nice being here before today and before this tournament to kind of get more rounds under my belt and have a familiarity with the area.'

[Ed. note: You can definitely get distracted by the views. When I played MPCC and PB, I spent more time taking pictures (like everyone else) than I did focusing on my golf game. Hence, I didn't play great, but also didn't care because it was all about the experience.]

Langley and his amateur partner Doug Mackenzie posted a team total of 11-under 59 to take the early lead in the pro-am portion of the event.  They were paired with Patrick Cantlay and Kelly Slater, who also had a good day, firing a combined nine-under, good enough for a tie for third.

**************

These pictures are classic. Every wasn't thrilled about his approach shot on No. 9 at Pebble, his last hole of the day. He hit it over the green and finished with a bogey. His reaction was kind of funny' I guess he forgot there were cameras? But they are great pics.

I guess he didn't like that shot'

 

Another nice view'

 

 **************

Other random notes'

Fist-bumps after Condi birdied the second hole

*Condoleezza Rice, the former U.S. Secretary of State to President George W. Bush and one of the two first female members of Augusta National Golf Club, was partnered with Jason Bohn, who shot one-under 71. Rice, a 17-handicap, and Bohn posted a team effort of two-under 70.

*Defending champ Phil Mickelson, who is coming off a dominant victory last week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, shot a one-under 69 at MPCC. Phil played well from a statistical standpoint, but since he was in the third-to-last group to tee off, he wasn't happy with the quality of the greens.

'Statistically, I had a good day, but on the greens, I had a tough time getting the ball in the hole,' said Phil, who is playing with longtime amateur partner Skip McGee. 'We all do. It's a difficult situation.

'But I played okay today, and I was 3-under for a while, so it's disappointing to give a couple shots back coming down the stretch.  I'll have to go out tomorrow at Spy and see if I can get a hot hand.

'One of the things I've learned over the years here is you need to be patient.  There's plenty of birdie holes throughout the three courses throughout the first three days.  Hopefully I'll get a good run tomorrow and try to shoot myself up into contention.'

As expected, Mickelson is not playing in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

*Brandt Snedeker, who has back-to-back runner-up finishes to Tiger and Phil, respectively, got off to another good start, posting a four-under 66 at MPCC.

'I made a few putts early to get the momentum going but tough to make a lot of putts over here today,' said Snedeker.  'Golf course is in great shape.  Greens are a little bumpy but rolled really fast and hard to make a lot of putts on.'

Snedeker and his partner Toby S. Wilt are in second place in the pro-am part of the tournament, posting a combined 10-under 60.

*Two-time AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am winner Dustin Johnson (2009, 2010) matched his highest-ever opening round at the event, shooting a three-over 73. He'll have some work to do in the next two rounds to make the cut. However, he's doing well in the team portion of the event. Partnered with the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, who is also his girlfriend Paulina's father, the two are tied for third. Sounds like Gretzky carried DJ on his back ' they shot nine-under 61 as a team.

Hmm. Gretzky is listed as an 11-handicap.

Yesterday, actor Josh Duhamel (in a good-natured way) questioned the legitimacy of Gretzky's handicap, and basically, in so many words, he said that Gretzky is a known sandbagger. Their score today makes me wonder' Just saying. I don't really care, but it's amusing. Let's see if he keeps up the fine play!

*Bogey-free rounds: R1 '  Greg Owen (MP), Brendon de Jonge (MP), Brian Stuard (PB), Brendon Todd (MP),

*Scoring Averages:

Front 9             Back 9             Total                Cumulative

PB              35.346              36.269              71.615

SH             35.423              35.962              72.385

MP             33.865              35.731              69.596

(AP Photos/Eric Risberg, Ben Margot)

ICYMI: #WUPHangout at Pebble Beach, Thursday

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 pegging it, but don't ask me my handicap because I stopped keeping one when I left for college. More important, I'm feisty and I like to smile a lot. I also love sports, spandex and surprises.

I'm a freelance writer and reporter, as well as a contributor for Sports Illustrated Golf+.

Golf.com

Sports Illustrated (2012)

Wall Street Journal

Mediaite

Read more about me here.

VIDEO: 'Sorry, Mr. Tiger!'

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 pegging it, but don't ask me my handicap because I stopped keeping one when I left for college. More important, I'm feisty and I like to smile a lot. I also love sports, spandex and surprises.

I'm a freelance writer and reporter, as well as a contributor for Sports Illustrated Golf+.

Golf.com

Sports Illustrated (2012)

Wall Street Journal

Mediaite

Read more about me here.

By the Numbers: Waste Management Phoenix Open

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 pegging it, but don't ask me my handicap because I stopped keeping one when I left for college. More important, I'm feisty and I like to smile a lot. I also love sports, spandex and surprises.

I'm a freelance writer and reporter, as well as a contributor for Sports Illustrated Golf+.

Golf.com

Sports Illustrated (2012)

Wall Street Journal

Mediaite

Read more about me here.

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am pairings and celebs: Harbaugh, Condi, Gretzky & more

Bill Murray wore this two years ago at the event. Seriously.

We saw some entertaining antics that veer from golf's usual decorum at the Waste Management Phoenix Open last week. Well, the 'fun' continues at Pebble Beach, where the rich and the famous play with the pros for the 'pro-am' portion of the event.

It's probably just me, but it seems like there are more bold-faced names than usual on this year's list, which can be found here ' though I have an updated version below, with additional entries, like Jim Harbaugh (the brother who was on the losing side of the Har-Bowl Super Bowl) and Condoleezza Rice. Also, I've noted their pro partner in parenthesis.  

 

Bret Baier (Todd Hamilton): Host of Special Report on Fox News.
Rubens Barrichello (Tim Petrovic): IndyCar driver.
Harris Barton (Greg Owen): Former offensive lineman for 49ers.
Bill Belichick (Ricky Barnes): New England Patriots head coach
Chris Berman (J.J. Henry): ESPN anchor
Matt Cain (Matt Bettencourt): Pitcher for San Francisco Giants
Carson Daly (Tim Clark): Television host and personality
Tom Dreesen (Ken Duke): Stand-up comedian
Josh Duhamel (David Lingmerth): Actor
Jackie Flynn (Joe Durant): Actor and comedian
Kenny G (Aaron Baddeley): Musician
Andy Garcia (Webb Simpson): Actor
Wayne Gretzky (Dustin Johnson): Former hockey player (whose daughter, Paulina, is dating DJ)
Jim Harbaugh (Jason Day): Head coach of the San Francisco '49ers
Oliver Hudson (Brendon Todd): Actor
Charles Kelley (Tommy Gainey): Musician
Brian Kelly (James Driscoll): Notre Dame head football coach
Joe Kernen (Retief Goosen): CNBC News anchor
Huey Lewis (Brad Fritsch): Musician
J.P. McManus (Padraig Harrington): Renowned sandbagger and Irish businessman and racehorse owner
Gary Mule Deer (Andres Gonzales): Comedian and musician
Bill Murray (D.A. Points): Actor
Chris O'Donnell (Camilo Villegas): Actor
Jake Owen (Kelly Kraft): Musician
Condoleezza Rice (Jason Bohn): Former Secretary of State and one of the two first female members of Augusta National Golf Club
Andy Roddick (John Mallinger): Former tennis player
Aaron Rodgers (Jerry Kelly): Quarterback for Green Bay Packers
Ray Romano (Erik Compton): Actor
Tony Romo (Jordan Spieth): Quarterback for Dallas Cowboys
Darius Rucker (Jim Furyk): Musician
Charles Schwab (Rod Pampling): American businessman and investor and the founder of the Charles Schwab Corporation
Kelly Slater (Patrick Cantlay): Surfer
Heidi Ueberroth (Luke List): President of NBA International
Justin Verlander (Robert Garrigus): Pitcher for Detroit Tigers
Clay Walker (Jeff Maggert): Musician
John Westwood: Lee Westwood's father (and yes, Lee and John are pro-am partners)
Jerry Yang (Chris Stroud): Taiwanese-born American internet entrepreneur, the co-founder and former CEO of Yahoo! Inc.

 

*****************

Okay, maybe I take back what I said before about how there are more big names than usual'but it is a pretty good field. Pro notables include: Lee Westwood, Phil Mickelson, Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Brandt Snedeker, Dustin Johnson, Hunter Mahan, Jim Furyk, Webb Simpson, Padraig Harrington, Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen and Nick Watney.

17-year-old Q-school grad Si Woo Kim is getting his first start on a sponsor's exemption.

A few of the tourney's regular celebrities are missing, though, like comedian George Lopez, who apparently wasn't invited this year, and Alice Cooper, who seems like he's always a staple at a 'celeb' ' I use that term loosely ' golf event.

The event is contested on three courses: Spyglass Hill, Monterey Peninsula Country Club (Shore Course), and Pebble Beach Golf Links. I've actually had the privilege of playing them, and in my humble opinion, Spyglass is a better track than Pebble, but if I could only play one on this trip, I'd still play Pebble. Why? Because it's Pebble (and easier than Spyglass).

****************

I have crappy Internet and cell service at my motel this week, so I'm having trouble uploading the pairings, but I posted them on Twitter earlier today.

You can see them here and here.

(Sorry about the quality, but I had to take pictures of the paper copy we got in the media center and I don't have an online version to copy and waste and it doesn't seem to be posted anywhere else yet.)

 

****************

Meanwhile, Vijay Singh, who withdrew last week from the Waste Management Phoenix Open, is in the field at Pebble Beach. He's supposed to play with Lee Westwood and his dad John Westwood. However, Vijay is meeting with PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem on Wednesday, according to GolfChannel.com.

Last Tuesday, a Sports Illustrated story reported that Singh had admitted to using Deer Antler Spray, which contains IGF-1, a banned substance in all major leagues, including the Tour.

Is a suspension pending? Does Vijay deserve to be suspended for using a banned substance? ' whether he knew it was prohibited or not (ignorance isn't necessarily innocence).

Vijay was hitting balls on the range in the morning and again late in the afternoon on Tuesday.