Wednesday, February 24, 2010

“$52,000 worth of golf clubs stolen (Orange County Register)” plus 3 more

“$52,000 worth of golf clubs stolen (Orange County Register)” plus 3 more

$52,000 worth of golf clubs stolen (Orange County Register)

Posted: 24 Feb 2010 10:23 AM PST

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An investigation into $52,000 worth of stolen golf clubs led investigators from Palm Desert to Buena Park, where a man allegedly tried to sell the stolen clubs through eBay, according to authorities.

Three of eight stolen golf club sets were recovered in Buena Park after an investigator posed as a potential buyer of the stolen clubs, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

Gene Hae Park, a 42-year-old man from Buena Park, was taken into custody and authorities believe he may have been working with an accomplice.

According to a statement from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, John Kang and seven friends were staying at the Desert Springs Marriott Villas on Jan. 19. The group was visiting from New York and New Jersey.

The eight left their golf clubs inside a rental van. Investigators believe that in the early morning on Jan. 20, Park and another person broke into the van and took the eight sets of clubs, which were valued at $52,000.

In Feb. 22, a relative of one of the victims spotted Kang's golf clubs online being sold through eBay.

According to a statement issued by the sheriff's department, authorities identified Park as the seller and arranged to meet him in Buena Park. The clubs were identified as one of the sets taken from the January burglary and Park was taken into custody. Authorities searched Park's home and found two more sets there from the same burglary.

Park was arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property. Park is believed to have been in possession of all eight of the golf club sets and to have worked with an accomplice, according to the statement.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 760-836-1600 or 760-342-7867.

Contact the writer: shernandez@ocregister.com or 949-454-7361


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Tiger still holds golf hostage (AP via Yahoo! Sports)

Posted: 23 Feb 2010 02:02 PM PST

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MARANA, Ariz. (AP)—The latest gossip has Tiger Woods resuming his therapy some 2,000 miles away from where he made his public apology last Friday, which—if true—would be a comical coincidence in one respect.

He made more news in Arizona when he wasn't even there.

If nothing else, last week showed how much control Woods wields in the world of golf.

The opening round of the Match Play Championship typically is one of the most exciting days in golf, and it was every bit of that. Not because Steve Stricker became only the second No. 1 seed to go home or because 18-year-old Ryo Ishikawa won his last three holes to stay. The buzz centered on Woods' camp announcing that he was going to make his first public appearance in three months.

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem might have set a record by meeting with the media three times in five days. The first session Wednesday was to say very little. The third one Sunday was to take blame for not saying enough. In between was a news conference at the Sawgrass Marriott before more media than ever has covered The Players Championship.

Ernie Els was upset, and this was after he won his match.

Upon hearing that Woods was to speak in the middle of the first World Golf Championship of the year, Els tried to choose his words carefully until he said to Golfweek magazine, "It's selfish." And that was putting it mildly.

Other players who felt just as strongly managed to bite their tongues, or at least ask that tape recorders be turned off.

Ian Poulter inquired about the scene at the TPC Sawgrass during his final match, and when it was suggested that the only new development was Woods being seen and heard, Poulter stretched out his arms as if to say, "There is nothing else to add."

Not that someone didn't try.

After winning the Match Play Championship—the biggest win of his career and his first victory on American soil—the Englishman dressed all in pink nearly turned red when he heard a question from the back of the room.

"Does the Tiger Woods drama take away or diminish this championship to you in any way, just the media attention?"

Poulter's eyes widened and he stared for a second.

"Next question," he replied.

Some players get tired of taking Tiger questions when he's winning all the time. They don't like them any more when he's simply reading a statement into a camera.

The Golf Writers Association of America usually doesn't get this worked up unless the shuttle bus at the U.S. Open is running late. Woods created a flurry of passionate opinions that led the group to reject an offer of three seats in the room where Woods spoke, lobby for more reporters, receive a compromise of six seats, then vote 19-3 (with four abstentions) not to participate.

Could this all have been avoided? Woods said he was on a break from therapy (without saying what kind of therapy) and was to return the next day. Even if he had waited until the tournament was over, and had spoken on Monday, it still would have meant notifying everyone on Saturday—and that would have stolen attention away from Poulter's 7-and-6 semifinal victory over Sergio Garcia.

In the end, the resentment was over Woods still calling the shots. Most agree that he should have lost that right through so many selfish decisions that culminated with a sordid sex scandal, which brought disgrace to his family and damage to a sport that made him who he is, or was. It may be years before the extent of that damage is known.

His management team could have diffused some of the resentment by making more clear what this event was all about. The first word was an e-mail to say Woods was going to speak to a small group of associates and friends, and while it was not an open media event, "it is understood that there are many media who are interested in what he has to say."

Then came word that pool reporters—three wire services, three picked by the GWAA—would not be allowed to ask questions. It appeared to be another outrageous attempt to control the media.

For now, however, Woods does have the right to speak on his terms. He is not playing golf.

That day is coming, even if no one knows when. Woods only said that he would not rule out him playing this year. Once he returns to the PGA Tour, the only control he has over the media is what he chooses to answer. He can say he won't discuss his personal life. That won't stop the questions, and dodging them won't do him any good.

Former Masters chairman Hootie Johnson chose to speak to only five reporters during the nine months that Martha Burk became part of the golf vernacular with her campaign for Augusta National to have a female member.

Johnson was flanked by 60 members in green jackets when he spoke for the first time on the Wednesday before the 2003 Masters. He concluded his opening remarks by saying, "I will have nothing further to add about our membership or related issues." Then came more than 30 questions related to the controversy, and Johnson answered them all (just not to the media's liking).

The Masters has tight restrictions on the media that gets a credential, just not the questions they ask.

The ultimate question—whenever he decides to play—is how Woods chooses to answer them.

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Even without Tiger, golf can thrive on TV (AP via Yahoo! Sports)

Posted: 23 Feb 2010 01:02 PM PST

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NEW YORK (AP)—Television viewership will fall without Tiger Woods, but the networks that air the sport and the PGA Tour itself can handle the setback.

That's the word from several media analysts and the president of CBS Sports, which now is facing the possibility of covering the Masters Tournament just weeks from now with golf's biggest star conspicuously absent.

"We're all looking forward to him coming back, but until then we're doing perfectly fine," said Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports.

When Woods made his globally televised apology last Friday for serial infidelity, he said that "I do plan to return to golf one day, I just don't know when that day will be."

The statement leaves Woods with no deadline—so what will happen to the audience if he stays away from the course?

The first of four major tournaments on the PGA Tour, the Masters, which has long aired on CBS for the concluding rounds, ends April 11 this year. The U.S. Open follows in June on NBC. The British Open will be seen on ABC in July, and the PGA on CBS in August. Broadcast network coverage will be supplemented by coverage on cable networks.

Tournaments in which Woods isn't playing generally suffer a drop in viewership and a loss of advertising revenue, notes Larry Novenstern, executive vice president of Optimedia.

For the 15 or so tournaments where Woods might have been expected to play this year, Novenstern estimated the resulting advertising loss to networks would total between $10 million and $20 million. In comparison to other economic hardships challenging broadcasters right now, he says, "This is just a speed bump."

CBS' McManus agrees.

"Golf does better economically when Tiger is a major force on the PGA tour," he says, "but golf is still a valuable product for us."

There's no question Woods delivers a ratings kick for any tournament he plays in, ranging from 20 percent to as much as 50 percent.

"But a certain percent of Tiger's audience is not the traditional golf audience and, in effect, is not what many advertisers are looking for," says Neal Pilson, president of Pilson Communications, a media consulting firm, and a former president of CBS Sports. "If Tiger's in an event, you expect a 50 percent increase in ratings. You don't necessarily negotiate a 50 percent increase in the advertising rate."

Many of the advertisers are so-called "endemics"—brands like Callaway, Titleist and Nike that target products and messages specifically toward golf devotees.

"There's a strong, economically secure core audience for golf, and there is no indication that they have left," Pilson says. "The more casual audience that follows Tiger probably won't be back until he comes back again."

The Nielsen Co. has estimated that an average of 4.6 million viewers tuned in to tournaments played by Tiger in 2007-08. When Woods had knee surgery after winning the 2008 U.S. Open and missed the rest of the season, ratings sunk as much as 50 percent.

But consider this. Network ratings for the first three tournaments in 2009, all of which Woods also missed because of his knee ailment, when compared to this year's first three tournaments—also without Woods—show an audience growth of 29 percent.

"We think that's pretty promising for golf," says Stephen Master, vice president of Nielsen Sports. "Golf had pretty strong support before Tiger. Maybe people are getting used to the fact that, for a while, at least, Tiger won't be around."

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Man dies after being hit by golf cart (FOX30 / CBS47 Jacksonville)

Posted: 24 Feb 2010 01:05 PM PST

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A Jacksonville man who was hit by a golf cart over the weekend has died.

A hospital spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday that 62-year-old Michael Ronald Heim had died.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office reports that Heim was playing at the Queen's Harbour golf course Saturday when he stepped out of a cart to look for a ball. While Heim was behind his cart, another cart came up from behind and hit him, momentarily pinning him between the carts. He then fell and hit his head.

No charges have been filed.

___

Information from: The Florida Times-Union, http://www.jacksonville.com


©2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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