I usually don't watch a PGA event unless the big tour players are there.

Turns out there are a lot of events that I've never known about, and some people associated with the tour don't really like it. Some people like Tom Pernice Jr.

The former member of the PGA's policy board thinks that the tour should make it's stars play more events. Tiger Woods is probably the most notable player who chooses his events very carefully.

There are some things that the tour could do to help the sponsors. I think there's got to be something. Michael Jordan didn't get to skip and not go play in Madison Square Garden against the Knicks when the Knicks were good and he didn't like playing there or whatever.

This analogy made a lot of sense to me, but I turned to my higher golf authority (reporter friend who covers the tour) to get some better context. Here's what I found out:

There's been a thought out there for a number of years that players should have to play a tournament once every X years... it makes sense with the dollars the sponsors have to put up to host a tournament... it's brought up all the time. The flip side is, players are independent contractors and can play where they want.

So, the PGA really would have to force Tiger and other stars to play in certain tournaments.

But should they?

Because they are independent contractors, it's hard for me to answer yes. After all, in being a freelancer I am also a contract worker.

My gut reaction is that there is no good reason to force someone who's already rich to play in a tournament he doesn't want to. I feel for the sponsors, but perhaps they should try and work out a promotional deal with one or two of the stars they want.

It's a good question, and no answer will work best for everybody.

Tiger Woods, who won the 2007 Bridgestone Invitational is out for the rest of the season with a knee brace and recovering from surgery. A great move for perhaps the greatest player on the green. But that leads to the next question, Who is going to win the 2008 Fedex Cup?

If you haven't yet been to Akron, Ohio or you just love golf, don't miss the Bridgestone Invitational this year. It promises to be a great show. Book your airfare now if you haven't already and there are a number of hotels available in the area including the brand-new Cambria Suites in Akron which is an all-suite hotel with tons of room and great amenities for all travelers.

Be ready for the World Golf Championships, it's shaping up to be one for the ages.

Over the next nine months or so, PGA Tour officials – not to mention ashen-faced television executives south of the 49^th – are going to get a visual of what golf after Tiger is going to be like.

Let’s just say it isn’t going to be a pretty picture.

With the world’s best player on the shelf until, at best, the New Year recovering from reconstructive ACL surgery, there is no need to haul out the TigerVision from production trucks each week. No close-up of an F-bomb as Tiger slams his driver into the ground following a rare errant tee shot,  no frame-by-frame slow-motion replay to see just how high the Wince-O-Meter can go as the world’s best does more and more damage to a wonky knee, all in the name of another major championship.

When the smoke has cleared on Woods’s career, he will stand alone as the best golfer of all time. Of that there is little debate.

No one really knows when that time will come, and a lot will depend on just how successful last week’s surgery turns out to be. Truth is, reconstructive surgery and torn ACL’s are not exactly words you want to hear in the same sentence, especially if you are a pro athlete.

No, not even for Woods. As hard as it may be to fathom, with destiny and Jack’s spots in the record book seemingly on borrowed time, Woods, who has undergone four knee surgeries, may not be playing by the time he blows out 40 candles on his cake.

Whammo! How’s that for a little reality check?

Since an unforgettable 12-shot win at the Masters eleven years ago, Tiger Woods has been the PGA Tour’s meal ticket. So while his fellow competitors, those used to playing for second more often than not,  breathe a sigh of relief at not seeing Eldrick’s name in the starting field every week, Tour officials and TV bigwigs are holding their breath that Woods will return better than ever – if there is even such a thing.

Sooner or later, it goes without saying, there will be a PGA Tour without Tiger, just like there was without Sam, without Byron, without Arnie, without Jack.

The PGA Tour is about to get a premature look at what that will be like and you can bet they won’t be liking what they see.

Remember when an ACL tear was a devastating blow to an athlete’s career? Think Tiger Woods and Philip Rivers believe otherwise?

I was amazed when I found out Rivers played the AFC Championship with a torn ACL. But that was one game. Woods has been walking miles and miles — and winning and winning — for 10 months.

Carlos Zambrano’s minor shoulder strain isn’t foreshadowing another demoralizing Cubs’ collapse, right? Right? RIGHT?

I can’t talk about this right now. Next.

If the Kansas City Royals can sweep the St. Louis Cardinals in Busch Stadium, why can’t the Boston Red Sox beat the Cards in Fenway?

The NL Central will be a three-team race (Milwaukee’s a-comin’) in September. I’ve ordered a lifetime supply of Maalox.

If Kobe Bryant is the second coming of Michael Jordan, then how come his team blew a 24-point lead in an NBA Finals game?

Because he ain’t Jordan. Never was, never will be. End of discussion.

Why would Penguins star Evgeni Malkin turn the Russian league down?

$12.5 million tax-free. That’s the offer.

Does the PGA Tour matter now?

At the British and PGA, yes, kinda. Everywhere else? No.

Why doesn’t ESPN give Erin Andrews her own private jet and fly her to be the sideline reporter at every ESPN broadcoast?

No male has an answer for this one, nor does want to give one. Just make it happen.

Why is Roger Federer’s career considered in a nosedive when he gets blasted in the finals on his worst surface by perhaps the greatest clay court player tennis has ever seen?

This won’t even be on the radar in a fortnight.

Did anybody else hear Kevin Garnett, in the middle of his post-Finals interview with ABC’s Michelle Tofoya, say, “Michelle, you look good tonight”? And did anybody else hear Garnett’s analogy of getting the “never-won-a-championship” monkey off his back to confronting the school bully? How can anyone not like Garnett, but love Kobe?

Good question. (Careful on the "bully" link, which features some strong language.)

If a columnist like espn.com’s Jemele Hill gets suspended for a politically incorrect line in her column, does her editor get suspended, too?

I want to know the answer to this one.

Why won’t they bring Vanilla Coke Zero back?

Because I like it.

Why was the amateur baseball draft televised?

Because Peter Gammons said so?

How much pressure does NASCAR, with its fat TV contract, put on several Sprint Cup drivers to appear in Nationwide Series races? There’s got to a be a reason why these guys keep criss-crossing the country at small-time tracks, right? It can’t all be about the money drivers are making, right? 

Seriously, the only reason anybody watches these races is because half the field is well-known. And NASCAR has to keep that happening.

Remember when the Carolina Panthers thought signing David Carr to a two-year deal was a good idea?

Don’t remind me.

How soon will the NBA team that drafts Roy Hibbert next week regret its decision? By the weekend? Next month? 

Not soon enough.

The fact that a guy like Jim Thome can’t do anything but pinch-hit in games played at Wrigley Field suggests how one-dimensional a DH is, doesn’t it? So if you wouldn’t be good enough to play on at least half of the teams in the league, why wouldn’t there be questions regarding the Hall of Fame credentials of a career DH?

I’m not saying the DH needs to go away or that somebody like Edgar Martinez shouldn’t be considered for the Hall. But there are justifiable concerns.

Did you know that Michelle Wie is ranked 200th in the world — in women’s golf? And did you know she made the cut this week in the LPGA Tour event?

Let’s all hope she can make a Jennifer Capriati-like comeback and win someday.

Would anybody in their right mind bet that Floyd Mayweather Jr. will stay retired?

Um, he’s a boxer. See Foreman, George.

Who lives a better life? Top-flight race horses or homeless people?

Can we get our priorites straight, please?

Why would a baseball general manager have a radio show?

Only bad things could happen.

Remember when senior tour golf was televised live?

...and the NBA finals were not?

Has it ever rained this much in Omaha?

Probably, but never with the Tar Heels in town.

So Chipper Jones is actually human?

Yes. Nobody’s ever hitting .400 again.

When will Dale Earnhardt Jr. win again?

Probably soon, but what else is everybody gonna talk about?

When will I get some answers?

Dunno. 

I'll start with a preliminary list of what I use daily that you hopefully already know about. If you aren't familar, go check 'em out NOW. I won't describe here, but if you want more info feel free to email me or ask questions in the comments.

1. Twitter & Twhirl ( the desktop apps that puts my Twitter feed on my screen)
2. FireFox Browser (Version 3 is out now!)
3. Facebook (not just for college students!)
4. Meebo (congregates all your IM programs into one)
5. Pandora radio (the desktop app is HANDY)
6. PGA TOUR's Live Shot Tracking and Live Leaderboard Widget

Another tool I use almost daily, and am a BIG fan of, is del.icio.us. I am sick of getting emails with "so and so has sent you a link", losing bookmarked sites going between computers, or printing out every article I want to save for later. You too? Then go sign up for del.icio.us. Once you get past the strange URL, you'll find its a great tool for personal and workplace use.

The site allows registered users to save bookmarks in a list online. For each bookmark, users can edit the title, a description of the link and add tags for future reference. del.icio.us also has "social" features including allowing users to create networks, save links for each other and see what other people have saved as bookmarks (much better than emails, huh?). For an example, see my personal links at http://del.icio.us/ltbeyer

Last thing -- if you have favorite sites or web tools you can't live without, tell me (comments, Twitter, email, etc). I'll be happy to check them out and share them down the road.

Tiger Woods’ definition of a great year has always been simple – win a major. If he does that, then the year is great. Anything more, and it is greater. Anything less is unacceptable.

Tiger limped his way around the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines last weekend, needing 358 strokes and 91 holes to capture his 14th major championship, and first of the year to define 2008 as great.

In the process he defied doctors’ orders, had to resort to painkillers and all but admitted he reinjured or further injured his left knee.

Now he is going to miss the rest of the season to deal with it.

Tiger announced Wednesday on his website he will undergo reconstructive anterior cruciate ligament surgery on his left knee while also taking time to heal a double stress fracture on his left tibia. He also disclosed his ACL had torn last summer while jogging but he decided to wait to treat it.

His march toward breaking Jack Nicklaus’ record 18 major championships is on hold until next year’s Masters.

“Now, it is clear that the right thing to do is to listen to my doctors, follow through with this surgery, and focus my attention on rehabilitating my knee,” he said.

If Woods had won the Masters earlier this year (making it a great year) rather than finish second, perhaps he would have heeded his doctors’ advice prior to Torrey Pines. Without that though, there was no chance.

That’s what makes Tiger, Tiger. His ferocious competitive streak – which in this case may prove harmful – coupled with his intense mental strength allowed him to not only proceed when he shouldn’t have, but actually thrive.

If he was going to have to shut it down, it wasn’t going to be until after he won a major. Once he got it done, then so was he.

“I’m done,” he kept saying on the 91st hole.

“I was determined to do everything and anything in my power to play in the U.S. Open,” he said on the website Wednesday. “Although I will miss the rest of the 2008 season, I’m thrilled with the fact that last week was such a special tournament.”

What Tiger we get from here on out remains to be seen. This will be his fourth surgery on the knee and it is a complete admission that the arthroscopic one performed in April didn’t do the trick. Knee surgeons across the country watched Woods play last weekend, two months after going under the knife, and knew this was not the lingering effects of surgery.

“Arthroscopic surgery on someone to repair a meniscus, that person should be back in eight weeks without any problem,” said Dr. Howard Luks, an orthopedic surgeon in Westchester, N.Y. told Yahoo! Sports Monday. “There are some degenerative symptoms or arthritic symptoms, or something that doesn’t respond well to pivoting, turning, and twisting.”

It turns out there was even more than that.

Woods said his doctors expect a full recovery and at age 32, youth is still on his side. That said, knee injuries can be nagging and golf is a sport of precise physical movements. Tiger has long been the hardest swinger on the tour and the torque he generates has to be absorbed somewhere. His left knee appears to be that place.

Whether this new surgery can bring him back to the exact same physical condition is the question. If not, can he adjust his swing accordingly? And if not, where exactly does he go from here? He’d still be the best putter on tour and as he displayed at the Open, like an aging boxer he is more than capable of winning on guile and timing.

In this June 15, 2008 file pho…
AP - Jun 18, 11:41 am EDT

Tiger’s goal of 19 major championships (and beyond) remains highly probable. However, it no longer is just a matter of time, something he’d accomplish in the next year or two.

Woods had reached a stage of his career where he wasn’t just winning a lot of majors, he was almost always in contention. Over the last 14 majors he has 12 top four finishes and six victories. One of those misses came after a prolonged absence due to the death of his father.

This was Nicklaus’ trick, he was always in it – as incredible as his 18 major victories are, his 19 second places are almost as astounding.

Woods had just begun to reach that level of consistency. In the last eight he had four victories and three seconds. By comparison, over that same period the world’s No. 2 golfer, Phil Mickelson, had just one top five.

While Woods lacks that one elite rival to test him, he has to deal with a deep pool of competitors, one of whom seems to step up and challenge him with the tournament of his life. Sometimes a Zach Johnson or an Angel Cabrera gets him; sometimes he gets a Rocco Mediate or a Woody Austin.

For golf, pushing forward without Tiger will be a challenge. The hard core fan will continue to watch, but the casual one – the folks who sent the Open’s television ratings through the roof – will have a difficult time believing whomever is winning in Woods’ absence is legitimate.

The guy just won the U.S. Open with one leg tied behind his back, after all.

Now he’ll undergo surgery and a prolonged rehabilitation. There’s nothing important to play for until Augusta in April, when a new season needs to be defined as great.

No, not this year. This year at least there’s a chance for Tour players.

Next year, though. And beyond. Just fold it. It will be too easy for one guy, and it’s impossible to think he can even be challenged.

Tiger Woods revealed on Wednesday that he needs ACL surgery and will miss the remainder of the 2008 golf season. He played the U.S. Open with a torn ACL and with two stress fractures in his left tibia.

He played 91 holes in 1 under on a U.S. Open setup, walked somewhere in the neighborhood of 21 miles last week in playing the tournament, winced a bunch and pulled off some of the most memorable shots of his incredible career.

All on one leg.

His doctors told him two weeks ago to walk the next three weeks on crutches. First Woods told his doctors he’d win the Open, and then he told his golf coach Hank Haney that they’d just work on putting that day. Had he followed doctor’s orders, Tiger would still have another week left on crutches and a 14th major still to be won.

But not only did Woods win the Open on one wheel, he first suffered the ACL tear last July jogging at home after the British Open. 

Last July.

Um, last July.

That’s almost 12 months ago.

A year.

So with a torn ACL, Tiger decided against surgery and, well, won seven straight tournaments, including a little tourney called the PGA Championship.

And then he rested in the offseason, hoping the pain would subside.

It didn’t, but neither did his golf game.

Again, with a freaking torn ACL, Woods made seven starts in 2008 and won five times.

Five — which is five times as many healthy knees he has.

Only now, when forced to, Woods will break down and have the surgery, which means the rest of the golf season is basically irrelevant. Sure, the British and PGA still have yet to be played, but they’ll be played without Tiger, which will put a small tarnish on whomever wins either event. And then there’s the Ryder Cup, in which now the Americans face no pressure to win. None. A Ryder Cup without pressure? What?

But that’s the way it is. Sure, there’s likely to be some competitive golf played out there over the next few months. Yawn.

And then, when Woods returns, it’s lights out. Remember, on one leg, Woods won 12 times, including two majors (and a second).

Who knew that the golfing world’s best chance to compete against the greatest player ever to play the game — and, knowing what we know now, that debate can be put to rest — would have been during one of the most dominant stretches of his career?

Tiger Woods will be healthy in 2009. And the PGA Tour may as well be dead.

The best of Tiger Woods is yet to come.

Because, if you can believe this, we’ve been seeing him at his worst.

Ace

Does everybody remember when Michael Jordan "retired" for a season or so? The Houston Rockets won two NBA Championships while Jordan was away. Those two seasons and the winners of this year's British Open and PGA Championship should have asterisks beside them.

Cinematically Correct note: From this point forward, any story relating to Tiger Woods will include a picture of him and his wife, Elin. No reason will be cited. Ever.

I have had arthroscopic surgery and it’s not much fun – and my knee still bothers me 5 years later. Six weeks after surgery, I still was having problems walking and was dragging myself to physical therapy. This is what makes me understand and admire this man and the natural ability along with the hard work he does to keep in shape. Tiger Woods is the true definition of greatness.

I watched Tiger when he won his first major PGA tournament, the Masters in 1997. And I have watched and admired him ever since. I am not really a golf fan, perhaps because I can’t play well enough to even enjoy the game and I always thought watching a golf tournament on TV was so boring. But then Tiger joined the tour and I have rarely missed watching a tournament that he is playing in. He has been ranked number one on the tour for a record 500 weeks, which is only one of the records that he has earned. His list of records, achievements, and awards is much too long to list.

At the press conference following the win, Tiger said "I think this is probably the best ever,"

Congratulations Tiger – you are my hero – give the knee a rest and enjoy your baby girl on her 1^st birthday!

How about Tiger Woods though.  My brother is a golf fan and he had me hooked on the U.S. Open this weekend.  That guy is amazing.  He finished his round with a birdie yesterday to force a playoff and after another tie today, Tiger came out on top in the first round of sudden death.  Not too bad after being out for knee surgery.

Tiger Woods takes his second shot on the first fairway during a playoff round for the 2008 US Open championship

2008 US Open: Tiger Would

We’ve reached a new level of insanity here in the High Countries. What once was an unabashed impartiality towards the game of golf has now––upon conclusion of this year’s US Open––become something so much more lethal: full-fledged fun.

As I opened my office door this morning, the only thought I had was the balancing act between productivity and full out, final-round-watching insubordination. I know, I know, its hard for me to admit to myself that I sat there updating a live web blog (courtesy of Jason Sobel over at ESPN), only to write him and express the same thing I am to you now; that as much as I hate to say it, I’m having a great time. I can’t say that the play-by-play was minute-by-minute, but it was...five-minute-by-five-minute, so what’s the big deal? It was like baby-back rib relay race: slow, but genuinely exciting at its finale. As Tiger thought back on his rounds, I thought back on my short-lived journey this this moment...

I've only recently began playing consistent golf. A friend and I found an appealing Super Twilight rate at a nearby course that allows us to get in about 15 holes 2-3 times a week for a staggering $8 a round. While I boast a '90 something' as my best score (cough...on 17), I can use all the cheap golf I can get. My golf game wasn’t something I really enjoyed until about three months ago and golf on TV wasn’t appealing until about 3 years ago––when I first saw Tiger induce Phil Knight’s screams of delight as his brand rose and fell with the resounding ‘clinkle-clunk’ only a billion dollars could make. Its true, the genius of the 2005 Masters brought me closer to the actual game than anything else. Tiger Woods brought life into a dusty, old pastime and I found his charisma to be just the medicine I needed.

I can’t say that I saw any of this coming. I can’t say that I had any predictions today other than, “There is a 1-5 chance at the beginning of any given tournament that Tiger will win.” I can’t say that I even watched every round of this years Open. Granted, I am a fair weathered golf fan (I listened to Lakers-Celtics game 5 last night on radio though, gasp!) Lefty's Pooh Bear-esque moobs are the only reason I recognized him for the first half decade of my fanship. My tenancy in the PGA has been nothing short of short-lived, but one thing is true: I can no longer say I don't care. No longer am I simply... impartial. I am anything but impartial, in fact, I am only partial. I want only Tiger to win. Even when he’s wearing purple or only half tanned, its always Tiger. Call me crazy, call me anything but unique. I was alive when Tiger Woods was playing.

For Tiger, he should be thankful to even be in the playoff, but also worried about how is surgically repaired left knee will handle another full round of golf. Having never lost a major championship when he had a 54-hole lead, Tiger looked to be in some trouble early after he double bogeyed the first hole and bogeyed the second. As the round progressed, Tiger continued to flutter around even par for the remainder of the round, but his left knee caused him to grimace after nearly every shot. Having never had knee surgery myself (especially not three times on the same knee), I have no idea the amount of pain that Tiger was feeling. However, I can't help but believe that Tiger may have embellished a little bit. That's not to say he wasn't in any pain, but I think that Tiger may have exaggerated the pain slightly to make a victory at Torrey Pines seem that much more incredible.

Whether or not he was in pain, Tiger's comeback on the par-5 18th was nothing short of incredible. Down a shot on the final hole, Woods drove his tee shot left into a bunker and then hit a poor lay-up shot which left him about 80 yards from the hole, but in deep rough. Tiger then hit two classic shots. With very little green to work with and unable to put any spin on the ball, Tiger hit a perfect chip shot which left him with a 10-foot putt for birdie. It came down to that one putt: Make it and force a playoff, miss it and go home. Breaking a couple of inches right to left, Tiger pushed the putt a tiny bit, but got a kind roll from the cup as it circled 180° around the hole and dropped in for birdie.

Rocco Mediate is a completely different story. Around the leader board for every round, few people gave Rocco a seriousshot at winning the Open. How could a 45-year old player ranked 158th in the world really make shots under pressure? Well, he did it and he did it having fun. I know Tiger has as many fans as Barry Bonds has haters, but how could you not root for Rocco? Talking to fans on every hole and laughing between shots, Rocco was having as much fun as you could possibly have on a golf course. And after Tiger made the tying putt? Rocco still had a smile across his face as he congratulated Tiger on his clutch performance and said he was looking forward to playing 18 holes with the games' best. (Photos: Bloomberg News)

The  genial    smile   says   it  all    as   Woods    holes     out   on  the   17th   hole   from  a   bunker   with  a   birdie  during   the    third   round   of   the  US  Open.  picture  courtesy  of  afp/getty  images Robin  Peck ........

Much    has  been   made    with   regards     returning   to   the   PGA   Tour   after    having     his   knee  scoped    to  move   remnants   of   calcium   that'd    built    up    there.  And   though   much    had   been   made   of   the    surgery  and    the    ensuing    problems   that   many    felt   that   he   might    have.    None   of   that   was   apparently    evident    yesterday.      Woods'    performance   if    nothing   else   was    exceptional   to  say    the  least. 

Woods  lines    up     that    eagle      putt     that  seemingly   could  be   describe  as     the  shot   heard  around   the   world.   And   with   the   world's   press  and   cameras   watching   what   transpired  left    us  all   in   amazement.  picture   courtesy  of    getty  images/ Harry  How.......

 Woods   is    now     proving    carte   blanche'   why  it   is   that   he  remains     supreme   as   the    world's     number   one    golfer.   The    intimidation   factor    isn't  the    only  thing ,   it   is   also   that   he's  so   much  more   physically  capable  and  adept     than   that  of    his     peers   whom   he's   competing  against.       And    with    Phil   Mickelson     nowhere     in   sight   to     provide   any    sort    of    competition .  It'll   be  left   to  the  likes     of   England's   Lee  Westwood,   Rocco  Mediate  ,  D  J Trahan  ,Geoff  Ogilvy  ,  and     a   few   others    to    provide   the   competition    for   Woods       at   the   Torrey  Pines    course     in    San  Diego.   With   Ogilvy    being    the    only    prominent  player      amongst    those   named    who's   actually    won   a   major.

The   fans    show   their   adoration  of   Woods  as    he   celebrates   his   long  eagle    putt   that    garnered  him   the  lead   at     the  end  of  the   third   round   of    the    108th US  Open, at  Torrey  Pines ,  San  Diego, Ca,.   picture  courtesy   of  getty images/Harry How   ......... 

 And   whilst    Woods    chases    history     as   he   sets   about   in   attaining   his   fourteenth    major.   It  can   be   said   with   each    amazing    feat   on   the   course ,    Woods    does   set  the   bar    even    higher     for   others  to   follow.    Nicklaus'   feat    of    18   majors    notwithstanding     it  seems   now   that   while    Woods   sets   about    in  surpassing   that      record.     The   superlatives   that've   been   used   already  to   describe   him   now    seem   to  be  merely    redundant   with    each   passing   feat   achieved    by      him.

Woods   tees   off    on   the   seventeenth   hole     during   the   third   round   of   the   US  Open    at   Torrey  Pines   in  San  Diego,  Ca.      picture   courtesy  of  ap/photo/Charlie Riedel   ........

 And   with  a   decade   already    under    his    belt   on  the  PGA  Tour  and    numerous    wins   around   the   world.   Woods'  legacy    on   the    tour   and   the  sport    itself  will  be    one  that   will    definitely    leave   an    indelible   mark    on   the    game   of    golf.   His    predecessors   and    peers  of    today     ought   to    be    genuinely      appreciative  as  to  what    he's    brought  to   the   sport   but  also   their   games.     If    they   haven't      improved    their     own    level  of   peformance    then   it   can   be  said     that    it   has    either    been   from     their     lack    of   trying     or    the   fact   that    they're   just    not     prepared  to     meet    the    lofty    standards    set   by   Woods   as  a   player  ,    both  physically   and    mentally.

Woods    raises    his    cap    to    the   approval   and    applause    from  the   crowd   having   sunk    his   eagle    putt   on  the  13th    hole    at    Torrey  Pines    during   the   third  round    of  the  US  Open.   picture  courtesy  of   getty  images/ Harry   How .........

Professional   golf  as   a  game,   is   no   longer   about     guys     just    playing    four    rounds   for  the   fun  of   it.    It   has   become   a  distinct    business     where    countless    millions   can   be   made.  Endorsers    line    up  to     sponsor    tournaments   and   the   rewards      are    now   astonishing     from  a   financial   standpoint.    Woods    has    brought    the    sport    to    the  masses  and    it  has   now    reached    its   zenith.      At   this     point    whether    he   wins   this    tournament   or    not  .      The    game    as   it  is    now    would    be    something    less   without    his   presence....... a  great  deal  less  !     But   at  this     juncture    I    do    believe    that   it's     highly    unlikely    that   we'll   see   Woods   succumb   to    any    of     his    opponents.       It's     just   not      within    his   DNA  ! 

arbritishman   ................ 

Personally, I would be curious to see what the scoring average is of the playing partners of Woods.  From my informal observations, it appears that Tiger's presence, and all that comes with it (crowd/caddy/350 yard drives) has a negative effect on performance.  Perhaps this also contributes to Tiger's stellar record when holding a 54-hole lead.

Is this why Tiger appeared to be such a fan of the number 1, 2, and 3 players in the world being grouped together for the first two rounds of the Open?

From my experience, when golfing with players that are head and shoulders above me in terms of skill, I become more aware of the shortcomings in my own game, my confidence decreases, and my performance suffers.  In a game as cerebral as golf, it should come as no surprise that Tiger's mere presence has an adverse effect on the performance of his opponents.

Good luck today Robert Karlsson!

junenewsletterintro

junegolfnewsletter

Rubenstein, along with Temple University Mathematics professor John Allen Paulos propose that while Woods may in fact be 'most likely' to win relative to his opponents, the odds of a victory are still not significant enough to be considered 'likely'.

The article states that Tiger has won 64 or 221, or 29 per cent of the tournaments he has participated in as a professional.  In regards to just major championships, Tiger has won 13 of 45, or 29 per cent.  In comparison, the world's number two ranked player, Phil Mickelson has won 9 per cent of his tournaments played. Lorena Ochoa, the most dominant player on the LPGA tour has won 17 per cent of her tournaments played.

It is incredible how much influence the media's perception of Wood's dominance can lead one to believe that a Tiger victory is inevitable and highly likely while he may simply be the best option among many.

Enjoy the Open!

As the U.S. Open begins today at the treasured Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, CA, we will see a field of 156 golfers, all of whom (to a degree) hit the stick and ball very very well.  The U.S. Open has been notorious for fast greens, thich rough, and blown chances.  Both Phil Mickelson and Colin Montgomerie needed a par to win or a bogie to tie on the last hole in 2006.  They both failed, and Geoff Ogilvy won the Open as the first Australian to win since 1995 (Aussie, Aussie, Aussie...OY OY OY!!)

As the U.S. Open has been around for 113 years there has been a diverse history of victors.  Bobby Jones won the U.S. Open 4 times, all 4 times as an amateur.  Then came Ben Hogan, who won the Open 4 times.  The Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus has also won the tournament 4 times.  And along came the Tiger, who has won the US Open twice, both on public courses.  Tiger has traditionally fared quite well on Torrey Pines - he has won 6 tournaments there as a professional, and he won the Junior World Championships when he was a wee laddy.  And there there is Lefty...  Phil Mickelson grew up in San Diego, and has dreamed for the U.S. Open to be at Torrey Pines.  Mickelson's first challenge will be one of the partners he is matched with on Thursday and Friday - Tiger Woods.  Tiger has always done better under pressure against Mickelson.  The advantage for Mickelson could be that Tiger is recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery after the Masters this spring.  But the disadvantage for Mickelson could be down the stretch. 

As the press pays constant attention to Tiger and Lefty (as I have right now), I'd like to rank my top 5 potential winners at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines:

1) Sergio Garcia

 Sergio has never won a Major tournament.  I saw him compete with Tiger at Medinah Country Club in Illinois, and he gave Tiger a major run for his money.  Fresh off his win at the Players Championship, expect Sergio to play hard.

2) Stewart Cink

 Stewart Cink has had 8 top ten finishes in Major tournaments over the last 10 years - 3 of them have been in the US Open.  

3) Colin Montgomerie

 Colin has had 5 top ten finishes in the US Open, but has always been bothered by the US fans.  Last year he was cut from 3 of the 4 Major championships.  He has always had the talent, but couldn't seem to overcome the pressure around him.  Will Montgomerie prove himself this year at Torrey Pines?  He has never won a Major championship.

4) Vijay Singh

  Vijay has won 3 Major championships, and has placed in the top 10 at the U.S. Open 7 different times.  You won't see him on the front pages of newspapers, but this guy can play.

5) Pat Perez

 Pat has claimed to have played Torrey Pines Golf Course over 1,000 times.  Need I say more? 

The Memorial Tournament is over, with a few Lefties in the field, and a couple of them in the top 10.

Former Masters Champion, Mike Weir, had a fantastic round on Sunday, moving day, with a 4 under par 68, unfortunately on the final day he finished with a 71 and a 4 way tie for 2nd, with Jerry Kelly, Justin Rose and Mathew Goggin. The eventual winner was Kenny Perry, who not only took home a nice winners cheque of $1,080,000, but became the only other person besides Tiger Woods to win the Memorial Tournament 3 times, possibly clinching a spot on the Ryder Cup.

Nick O'Hern (AUS) finished tied for 10th, with a disappointing final round of 76, leaving him 8 shots behind Perry.

Kiwi lefthand golfer Tim Wilkinson finished the tournament tied for 48th, 16 shots behind Perry after shooting 296, 72, 75, 75 and 74 respectively.

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