An Open Letter to Tiger Woods

Dear Tiger,

As one of your biggest fans, I wanted to write to you to tell you how disappointed I am in the way things seem to be going in your world of late.

You've always been my hero mostly cause I'm a golfing nut and I am baffled at what you can do with a golf ball, but also more on a personal level, because you were the very definition of strength, composure, focus and bottle - things I wish I had more of. Everything about you always seemed so admirable and honest. Until recently...

Your personal life is your business and its clear to those who watch and take interest, that no matter what you say in carefully controlled speeches (probably written by your management company), that you dont really think you should have to explain yourself to people like me.

When you consider your upbringing and the honour and integrity your parents seemed to drum into you, it would have suggested you would treat yourself, family and fans with the same values but now I liken you more to Michael Jackson - someone who missed out on their youth cause you were so busy being a prodigy and exploded in all the wrong ways some way down the road.

Back to the apology speech. If someone has said to me months ago you'd see Tiger Woods up grovelling about infidelities to the world, I would have laughed. You put forward no emotion to suggest you really meant any of it (except when asking the press to leave your family alone of course). I never thought I would say this, but it felt like we were watching a sleazy politician address the nation to dig himself out of a hole.

When news broke that you had been with more woman than I've had 3 puuts and pledged to put your career on hold to save your marriage, I couldn't help but thinking that the timing was all just a bit too well timed with your usual want to avoid golf between November and February. The real sacrifice I guess Elin would have been looking for, was for you to miss one or more of the majors (the only tournaments you seem to think are worth playing any more). And here you are, coming back in time conveniently for the first of the year. You really made your point with that one eh?

Then there was that "rehab" thing. What was that all about? If someone had told me that the greatest sportsman of all time, a man who man considered super human, had gone to the lows of trying to kid himself that seeing a therapist would "cure" his inability to keep his hands to himself and vindicate himself with the public, I just wouldn't have believed it. This kind of trash behaviour is usually reserved for the super deluded element of Hollywood that live on another planet, so to hear you going down this route really killed it for me.

Just another celebrity with too much money and power and whose lost all sense of what is important in life. So sad.

I'm sure like many I will be glued to the TV when you grace us with your presence as even if you were a bank robber, it would still be hard to deny your ball striking is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.

But the mystique of Tiger Woods is gone and I'm quite gutted to say that.

I hope you get it together as the hopes of millions of seeing Nicklaus's record broken, are in your hands.

Sincerely,

A Fan.

Golf is dependent on Tiger Woods

My favourite golfer, who is probably bigger than the overall game of Golf, is returning at the US Masters.


I am, of course, referring to 14-time major winner Tiger Woods.

This is exactly what the game needs, because without Woods there's no star quality in the field. No golfers worth talking about. No excitement at the majors. And half the viewers only watch golf when Tiger's playing; which shows how dependent golf is on its talisman.

Watching Tom Watson battle Stewart Cink in a play-off doesn't quite live up to watching Woods. Or watching chokers like Garcia and Mickelson throw it away again.

You get my drift. Golf needs Tiger to make the sport worth watching again.

Gain 15 yds off the Tee

Well I finally got out to play golf for the first time this year and tried a couple of new things. One of those was my new TaylorMade R9s and they were great, but that's another story all together.

One of my goals this year was to lower my spin and get a little more distance off the tee, I just didn't think it would be this easy. I usually tee the ball about an inch or two behind my front foot. Yesterday I was messing around and started putting the ball about an inch in front of my left foot. The result was amazing, the flight was a much higher lower spinning shot. I mean these things were bombed. I was hitting both types of shots on pretty much every hole for comparison and I walked off at least 15 yards farther on EVERY tee shot with the new method.

What this does is have you hit the ball on the clubs upswing producing a higher launch angle with less spin. It may feel a little weird at address but it wasn't too much of a problem with me. Mess around with it a bit and see if anyone else has the success that I did. Oh yeah, and make sure to tee the ball pretty high.

80 years young: Arnold Palmer

Is he ready to shoot lower than his age yet?

Palmer is a seven-time Major winner and one of the all-time greats of golf. Have a great birthday Arnie!

Here are some great images from his career:

 

arnold palmer coast guard 1963

 

great haircut

 

Arnold Palmer at the US Open

Eye Candy Caddies banned

The women, who wear tight-fitting pink uniforms, are provided by Eye Candy Caddies, which describes its service as the "gorgeous new solution for unforgettable golf days."

However, Leaderboard, a golfing firm, has imposed a ban at four courses, Chart Hills in Biddenden, Kent; Dale Hill in Wadhurst, East Sussex; Sandford Springs in Kingsclere, Hants; and The Oxfordshire Golf Club in Oxford.

A spokesman for Leaderboard said: "Anyone who seriously cares about the development of the game should work to ensure that it is as professional, inclusive, and culturally inoffensive as any other major sport.

"Exploiting outmoded notions of golf as a male bastion is not 'just a bit of fun', it damages the reputation of the sport as a whole as well as its appeal to members of the younger generation of either sex."

The Eye Candy website suggests the service is primarily for the corporate market. Caddies can be hired out at £230 for a day's golf. The agency promotes its service by claiming that with "an Eye Candy caddie by your side, other golfers will be green with envy."

It adds that its "team of girls in attractive uniforms are much more than just a pretty face."

Katy Glyn, one of the models, describes herself as having "bombshell" looks, and says her favorite food is chocolate and almonds.

Another, Abbie Burrows, 27, a professional flautist, who has played private concerts for the Queen and the Prince of Wales, and also appeared on the BBC1 programme Songs of Praise, said: "Put simply it is corporate hospitality much the same as I have done at Wembley, Ascot, and Twickenham. We act as hostesses, serve drinks, smile and chat to guests."

She added: "We have learnt the rules of golf and that we shouldn't speak as a player takes a shot, or not to stand in the line of a putt.

"A lot of the time we go in the buggy with the player, but we do carry the bags around. We offer up the clubs when they are needed, just like any normal caddy would."

The company's managing director, Sarah Stacey, said: "We add that extra sparkle and difference to any golf day and put a smile on people's faces.

"All the girls are trained in the etiquette of golf and uniformed in appropriate golf attire.

"They all sign a code of conduct so everyone is clear about the boundaries."

The code of conduct says models are "not encouraged" to fraternize with clients at the end of an assignment.

It adds: "If a client asks a model to engage in social activities after an assignment has ended, it is the model's responsibility to

refuse the offer or if accepting to make it clear that he or she is doing so on a personal basis."

Even when Tiger loses, golf wins

So Tiger lost the USPGA and is still on 14 majors. The press want him to catch Jack so they can unequivocally state he's the greatest of all time. Most of the fans want it too, we love to see someone with such talent fulfilling their destiny.

But win or lose, Tiger is the news in golf. Knee injury? Cue bizarre articles: "inside Tiger's injury"; "will Tiger be the same on his return?". But now he's back and that's all that matters for the TV ratings. Missing the cut at the British will have been a big disappointment - though Tom Watson saved the day and made the job a lot easier for the headline-writers.

Take the following extract from PGA CEO Joe Steranka:

"You can't quantify Tiger's impact," Steranka told Reuters in an interview during Sunday's final round at Hazeltine National in Chaska, Minnesota.

"It's just extraordinary to consider all the aspects of the sport of golf, the sports industry and general entertainment that he's affecting."

TV ratings were up 150% over last year's tournament - a direct result of Tiger being back. Last year's championship saw two Europeans (Harrington and Garcia) fight out a brilliant finale. This year saw the biggest thing in golf and an unknown underdog fight it out. In reality, figures should have been similar. But you're not thinking Tiger-logic.

"Looking at the galleries you wouldn't know there's any economic downturn," said Steranka, reflecting on crowds of about 40,000 a day at Hazeltine. Our attendance is way up over last year."

He added, however: "We were in Detroit (in 2008) at the start of the recession, Tiger was not playing because of injury, so everything is up considerably over last year."

Make no mistake - Tiger is golf right now. He's effectively bailing the other guys out of this recession - the rain he makes doesn't just get him wet, it trickles all the way down.

Source: Reuters

So Tiger lost the USPGA, but who to? Y.E. Yang factfile

Tiger Woods' first loss when taking a lead into the fourth round of a major was a massive surprise - almost as much as the identity of the man who beat him. I'm sure Yang will forgive is when we say Y.E. Who? So here's our factfile on the newest major champion in golf.

Personal

Name: Yang Yong-eun
DOB: 15 January 1972 (1972-01-15) (age 37)
Country of Birth: South Korea
Residence: South Korea
Height: 5ft 9in.
Weight: 88 kg (190 lb; 13.9 st)

Career

Turned pro: 1996
Average driving distance: 292.1 yards
Major wins: 1
Previous best performance at a major: Tied for 30 at 2007 Masters
Pro wins: 9

What clubs does Yang use?

DRIVER: TaylorMade r7 Limited (Aldila NV, 75 grams), 8.5 degrees
3-WOOD: TaylorMade Burner, 13 degrees
5-WOOD: TaylorMade V Steel, 18 degrees
HYBRID CLUBS: TaylorMade Rescue TP (19, 21 degrees)
IRONS (5-PW): TaylorMade r7 TP
BALL: TaylorMade TP Red LDP

Watson & Cink shoot up world rankings

Following their playoff for the Claret Jug at Turnberry this weekend, former number 33 Cink and 1374 Watson moved to 9 and 104 respectively.

Cink will hope to move on from his first major and claim more - following the example perennial also-ran Padraig Harrington set in 2007. However it's more likely he'll join the ranks of Ben Curtis and Lucas Glover in the "nice guys who won a major" category. Sorry, Stew.

The world rankings in golf are somewhat farcical - it's basically a case of who can get to number 2 behind Tiger, or number 3 behind Phil these days.

New world rankings:

1 Tiger Woods 10.82pts

2 Phil Mickelson 8.53

3 Paul Casey 6.60

4 Kenny Perry 6.21

5 Sergio Garcia 6.02

6 Steve Stricker 5.88

7 Henrik Stenson 5.88

8 Geoff Ogilvy 5.74

9 Stewart Cink 5.04

10 Jim Furyk 5.01

11 Vijay Singh 4.84

12 Martin Kaymer 4.80

13 Camilo Villegas 4.69

14 Lee Westwood 4.65

15 Sean O'Hair 4.39

16 Padraig Harrington 4.33

17 Anthony Kim 4.22

18 Robert Karlsson 4.21

19 Ian Poulter 3.97

20 Lucas Glover 3.94

Sandy Lyle calls Monty a drama queen as well as a cheat

The war of words between sullen Scots Sandy Lyle and Colin Mongomerie continues to rumble on with Lyle now accusing "chubs" Montgomerie of being a "drama queen".

"We sometimes call him a bit of a drama queen. He's probably milking it a bit" Lyle said.

Montgomerie was furious over Lyle dredging old news regarding his blatant cheating in what was tiresomely dubbed "Jakartagate" by the press. Basically Monty moved his ball - see damning video evidence here.

"Colin has nothing to add and wants to distance himself from any issues Sandy has," Monty's manager stated.

"He can't, nor will he, get involved in this sort of thing. He just wants to get on with his golf. People say there is bickering going on but bickering requires two people.

"Colin can't quite understand why he is being dragged into this."

I've never been a lover of Monty - his attitude to fans and press, his arrogance despite never winning a major and his fat belly upsets me. He's a poster boy for a bygone era of golfers who thought gym was the guy who cut their grass.

But dear old Sandy is a cantankerous fellow. Obviously overlooked for Ryder Cup captain as most of the players can't stand him so what does he do? Goes and upsets more of them and distances himself further. He'll now never be captain of the European team.

"I've tried to talk to him but I don't think he wants to talk to me right now."

I don't blame him Sandy, not one bit.

A little history on the Green Jacket

The first ever Masters Tournament was in 1934, although it was called the Augusta National Invitational Tournament until 1939. Bobby Jones did not like the title the "Masters," but he finally relented to his partner Clifford Roberts in 1939.

The first ever green jackets were given to members of Augusta National to distinguish them from the crowd during the "Invitational" in 1937. This way if there was a rules question an official or player could easily identify a member if necessary.

The first ever green jacket awarded to a winner went to Sam Snead in 1949. There is a common misconception attributed to winning multiple Masters Tournaments. For instance is is common for people to say, "Jack Nicklaus won 6 green jackets." This is actually not true. You only win the jacket once...thereafter the same jacket is placed on your shoulders after each victory.

As a Masters winner you are allowed to take the jacket home for one year, at which time you are to return the jacket to Augusta National and you can wear it each time you return. This has been the gold standard and has only been broken once...by Gary Player who refused to return his first green jacket to Augusta.

That could be a trivia question: Name a golfer who has won two green jackets? There technically is only one right answer: Gary Player.