Saturday, April 3, 2010

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Woods shamed himself but not game of <b>golf</b>

Posted: 03 Apr 2010 08:04 AM PDT

The azaleas will be in bloom as usual, because there are people who make sure of it at Augusta National. As a bonus this year, Jack and Arnie will reunite on the first tee.

Golf will be played as usual, and Jim Nantz will describe it all in reverential tones. By early evening next Sunday, someone will be wearing a green jacket.

The Masters will survive the sideshow born of the sordid tales of Tiger Woods, and that's only fitting.

Because while Woods has shamed himself plenty, he has done nothing to shame the game of golf.

Remember that when the circus begins at Augusta National on Monday, and Woods steps into the cross hairs of the once tepid golf media. Remember it, too, when he steps onto the first tee Thursday to hit a drive that will formally announce his return to golf.

Yes, he flaunted society's rules of engagement with his bevy of mistresses. He did a terrible thing to his wife and, because of that, a lot of people will never again regard him the same way.

But as the golf season begins anew in Georgia, life also begins anew for Woods. He'll be back on familiar ground, with a familiar goal replacing some new ones he may have learned in therapy.

And, after four long months spent judging Woods for what he did away from the golf course, maybe it's time to start judging him again for what he does on it.

The game deserves it. So, in a way, does Woods, whose remarkable run over the last 14 years changed the very way the game is played.

I've been among those who have taken Woods to task—and quite regularly— for the way he has handled this whole mess. I find it irritating that he still tries to control the message and portrays himself as a noble figure who somehow went astray around the same time he stopped meditating.

The details of some of his escapades—if true—are even more disturbing. I don't know how anyone can look at the infamous Woods glare now without either laughing or feeling queasy.

But this isn't about morality, or his startling lack of it. We've had plenty of time to digest and debate what Woods did and why.

This is about golf. And, really, that's how it should be as the game returns to one of its most revered places with a story line the late Bobby Jones could never have imagined when he built it.

Expect some commotion, at least outside the gates. The paparazzi will be in town, and so will every kook attempting to latch onto the moment for his or her 15 minutes of fame.

Expect a golf tournament inside, and, hopefully, nothing else.

That's what happened in 2003 when Martha Burk crusaded to enroll a woman at Augusta National. And that's what golf desperately needs now.

I'm among the minority that doesn't think Woods will do well in his first tournament since going into hiding and then into therapy. I think the combination of nerves and rust will not only prevent him from adding another green jacket to his collection, but may send him home before the weekend.

Still, he's got every right to try, no matter what anyone thinks about his personal life.

Yes, he could have been a better golf citizen by stopping occasionally to sign autographs or say hi to a spectator. And, long ago, he should have toned down his penchant for using expletives whenever something went awry on the course.

Woods himself seemed to acknowledge that when he vowed in his first public appearance since his accident to respect the game more.

But he never kicked his ball out from behind a tree when no one was looking, never coughed in his opponent's backswing. As far as we know he's never put down a 4 when he really made a 5.

Though some might argue that his transgressions did, indeed, hurt golf, what they really did was hurt Woods. The game survived without its greatest player because the game has always been about more than just one person.

Someday Woods will be replaced by the next phenom, just as Jones and Palmer and Nicklaus were before him. When that day comes, it will be time to take stock of his career and measure him against the greats of the past.

Those measurements, though, should be based solely on what he did on the golf course. There's no grading curve where Woods loses greatness points because he couldn't stop chasing women.

So go ahead and applaud Woods for the golfer he is. Or go ahead and turn away in disgust.

But remember this:

There's Tiger Woods the golfer and Tiger Woods the person.

One still has some redeeming qualities.

Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg(at)ap.org

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Nine issues in <b>golf</b> leading to the Masters

Posted: 03 Apr 2010 08:04 AM PDT

Some have not paid much attention to golf without Tiger Woods. Others don't tune it until the Masters gets under way. Consider this the front nine of issues in golf leading up to Augusta National:

1. Tiger Woods

The record shows that he is going after his second straight "Masters" title, having won the Australian Masters on Nov. 15. That was 12 days before one the most shocking scandals involving the private life of an athlete unfolded. Caught in a web of infidelity, Woods announced in December he was taking an indefinite break to try to save his marriage. He missed the first three months of the season, including two title defenses. He went from being one of the most revered figures in sports to a punch line. Not only is the Masters is first competition in five months, he faces a public that likely will no longer regard him as it once did.

2. New Grooves

The USGA adopted a new standard for grooves in 5-irons through wedges, changing the dimensions from what was called a "square groove" to a "V groove" that allowed for less spin. The idea was to put a premium on hitting fairways by making it tougher to spin the ball out of the rough. It has been too early in the season to determine if the new grooves are making a difference. But there has been anecdotal evidence of trouble with distance control because of balls jumping out of the rough on full shots, and players struggling with chipping. One litmus test figures to be Augusta National, especially from the first cut of rough and around the greens.

3. Ping Wedges

Because of a lawsuit settlement from 20 years ago, Ping Eye2 wedges made before April 1, 1990, were exempt from the USGA's new groove regulation. John Daly and Dean Wilson showed up at the Sony Open using Ping wedges with the square grooves. Phil Mickelson put a Ping wedge in his bag at Torrey Pines, leading Scott McCarron to say, "It's cheating." That set off big trouble for the PGA Tour, which had to abide by the settlement, and it caused division among players. The controversy ended when Ping CEO and chairman John Solheim waived the company's right that prevented the PGA Tour from enforcing the new grooves regulation. Ping wedges, like other square grooves, no longer are allowed.

4. Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson was the hottest player in golf when 2009 ended, winning the Tour Championship and the HSBC Champions in Shanghai, the latter playing with Tiger Woods in the final group. With Woods taking an "indefinite break" because of his infidelity, this figured to be a perfect time for Mickelson to fill the void and perhaps become No. 1 in the world for the first time in his career. He not only failed to win, it was the first time he failed to finish in the top three at any tournament before the Masters. Those close to him say his wife's recovery from breast cancer is taking a bigger toll than Mickelson is letting on.

5. English Revival

Only a decade ago, Lee Westwood was the only player from England among the top 100. Westwood won the European Tour money title last year, Paul Casey won three times worldwide, Ian Poulter won the Match Play Championship, and England suddenly is all the rage in golf. England has three players in the top 10 in the world, and eight players in the Masters.

6. Drought Busters

Ernie Els had gone two years with a victory until he ended the longest drought of his career with a four-shot victory in the World Golf Championship at Doral. Then, he won consecutive events for the first time in seven years with a two-shot victory at Bay Hill. Between those tournaments was The Transitions Championship at Innisbrook, where Jim Furyk won for the first time in 2 1/2 years. It was the longest Furyk had gone without winning since his first victory in 1995.

7. Parity

With Tiger Woods on indefinite leave, the search was on to see which player would fill the void. The answer was by committee. Thirteen players won the first 13 events on the PGA Tour until Ernie Els became the first multiple winner with his win at Bay Hill. Eight of the 13 winners on the PGA Tour are ranked among the top 30 in the world.

8. Sponsors

Despite the uncertainty surrounding Tiger Woods' image and his absence, the PGA Tour continued to make progress against a tough economy. It found a new title sponsor for San Diego (Farmers Insurance), added a Fall Series event at Sea Island (McGladrey) and added another Asia event in the fall to be played in Malaysia. But it did lose a sponsor for one of its World Golf Championships when CA decided not to renew its contract.

9. Tim Finchem

The Tiger Woods scandal made everyone a little testy, including PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem. In a rare display of temper, he became terse with an Australian reporter asking about Woods' relationship with a Canadian doctor. Finchem also conceded that he underestimated the amount of problems the Ping wedges would cause, and he apologized for not informing players at the Match Play Championship why Woods had chosen the middle of the tournament to speak publicly for the first time. "That's just a screw-up on my part," he said.

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Poulter goes from 4 handicap to top 10 in <b>golf</b>

Posted: 03 Apr 2010 07:04 AM PDT

PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP)—Ian Poulter doesn't see himself the way others do.

They see an Englishman with spiked hair who was brazen enough to wear all pink before a New York gallery in the final round of a U.S. Open. They see a player with the audacity to scatter golf tees with the final score—Europe 18 1/2 , USA 9 1/2—on the driving range in Ireland two weeks after the 2004 Ryder Cup, a playful jab at the Americans.

What they don't see is the photo Poulter keeps on his mobile phone of a rundown Ford Fiesta.

"My blue rust bucket," Poulter says proudly as he flips through the photos until he finds it. He bought the used car in 1995 with the meager earnings from winning a small-time tournament when he worked as an assistant pro.

The car didn't look like it could go very far. At the time, neither did Poulter, a 4 handicap when he turned pro.

But that's why he keeps the picture. It's a reminder of an amazing journey filled with defiance, determination and double portions of confidence, all of which helped him achieve so much with so little.

Poulter now goes to Augusta National as a serious candidate to win the Masters. He is coming off his first World Golf Championship title and is ranked in the top 10 in the world for the first time in his career.

Surprising? Not to him.

"When someone hasn't been exposed to golf at a high level early on, it becomes a shock when someone does something," Poulter said. "Eight-five percent of the top 50 in the world played college golf, the Walker Cup, good amateur golf. There's a background story that has them jumping on the train and going on their way.

"That's why it's a surprise to people why I've gotten so far."

At an age when his peers aspired to play in the Walker Cup or qualify for the British Open, Poulter, now 34, was putting new grips on clubs, changing spikes in soggy shoes, folding shirts in the pro shop and giving group lessons to juniors on the weekend. Between jobs, he watched Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros on TV, believing that could be him one day.

Poulter never doubted that. Not once.

"I didn't know any differently," he said. "I just felt that if I worked hard enough and practiced, then I would have a chance to get out on tour and win golf tournaments."

Few others had reason to believe him. Some even discouraged him.

His teachers mocked him for bringing golf clubs to class so he could hit balls on the soccer field during recess. They said he was wasting his time. The club manager at Chesfield Downs didn't make it easy, requiring Poulter to take holiday time to play in local tournaments.

One of those was the Panshanger Classic, where Poulter shot 66-66 and won 1,800 pounds (roughly $2,700 nowadays), money he used to buy his blue rust bucket. To prove a point, he took the trophy to the shop and set it on the counter for the club manager to see.

"I was not very politely asked to remove it," Poulter said. "He came into work and says, 'What's that?' I said, 'I've just won the tournament.' And he said, 'You can just take it off the counter.' I got a written warning for what I said to him, and I left a week later."

Small wonder he is perceived as brash and cocky.

Justin Rose, one of his best friends in golf and his roommate during their days in the minor leagues, recalls playing golf in South Africa not long after Poulter got his European Tour card for the first time.

"My brother remembers Ian saying, 'Now that I've got my European Tour card, it's going to be easy. I'll probably win a couple of times.' And my brother said, 'I just played with you and I beat you.' But that's the way he is," Rose said. "And it's served him in good stead. Now he has the game to back up the confidence. And he's always had the confidence."

Geoff Ogilvy also remembers playing with Poulter before his rookie season in Europe. In some respects, Poulter hasn't changed. He was brash and funny. But his golf? Ogilvy can't believe the turnaround.

"His game was not where it is now," Ogilvy said. "He had a lot going for him around the greens. From where he was then to now, he is the most improved player in the world. He was a 4 handicap when he turned pro. Most guys on tour were shooting 65 when they were 16.

"But his No. 1 attribute is belief," Ogilvy said. "He's not afraid. It's almost like he's very defiant."

Poulter is known as much—if not more—for his clothes than anything he has done on the golf course. He famously wore trousers of the Union Jack flag in the 2004 British Open at Royal Troon. Another year, he wore pants with the claret jug down one side of the leg. Ballesteros looked at them and said, "That's as close as he'll get to the claret jug."

Poulter is used to hearing doubts. It's been that way his whole life.

"There are plenty of naturally talented, better golfers out there," he said. "I just think mentally I might be stronger. And I've got a lot of self-belief in what I know I can do."

What makes his rise so remarkable is that he had so few good experiences to carry him through the struggles.

It was nothing like Rose, who had a heralded amateur career and tied for fourth in the 1998 British Open at age 17. He turned pro, then missed 21 consecutive cuts.

"What got me through it was belief that I had to be good to have the amateur career I did, and if I worked hard, I could get back," Rose said. "If I didn't have that, I would have struggled."

And what did Poulter rely on? Rose just shook his head.

"You see a lot of kids, and you almost want to say to them, 'Listen guys, enough is enough. Move on,"' Rose said. "It just shows you that sometimes that real determined streak … I mean, it's amazing where Ian has come from."

Poulter is more interested in where he's going.

He caught plenty of grief from a magazine interview two years ago in which he said when he reaches his full potential, "it will be just me and Tiger." It was a slap at the rest of the players, suggesting they didn't have what it took to challenge the world's No. 1. At the Match Play Championship that year, Woods passed Poulter walking out of the locker room and said, "Hey, No. 2."

But Poulter is rarely embarrassed over his words, his clothing, his play.

He has done a brilliant job marketing himself through his clothing, and he believes that in time, he will be known as much for his golf. A World Golf Championship certainly helps. A major championship would change everything.

"I would say a lot of people over time would probably see me as the golfer that has worked hard on his game," he said. "Yet you've still got people who don't watch a lot of golf that might think I'm cocky, arrogant, outspoken. I've heard it quite a lot. I see myself as someone who, from where I come from, always had the self-belief that I could achieve things in golf at a high level. And I'm now starting to achieve those goals.

"It's been a long time coming," he said. "But I've always believed that. Always. And I always will believe that."

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