Bet leads to diamond ring for caddie's wife

Bet leads to diamond ring for caddie's wife











PGA.COM April 7, 2013 6:15 PM

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Bubba Watson (l) and caddie Paul Tesori (r) are forever linked in Masters lore.(Getty Images)


By Doug Ferguson, Associated Press


The artistic, majestic wedge out of the trees and onto the 10th green at Augusta National. The tearful celebration. Slipping into that beautiful green jacket for the first time in Butler Cabin. The trophy presentation.

Bubba Watson finally had a chance to catch his breath when he sat down for dinner to honor the latest Masters champion.

And that's when it hit him.

''We're all upstairs at the dinner and he said, 'Dude, do you realize what this means?''' caddie Ted Scott recalled. ''And we're thinking, 'Yeah, Bubba. You're the Masters champion. This is a pretty big deal.' He stops dead in his tracks and he says, 'I've got to buy Paul that ring.' ''

Paul Tesori, the caddie for Webb Simpson, was listening to the playoff on the radio while driving home to Florida when Watson made his incredible escape and beat Louis Oosthuizen with a par. Tesori smiled when he thought about the ring and wondered if Watson even remembered his promise.

Leave it to Watson to have instant recall of such an insignificant moment compared with the magnitude of winning the Masters.

There are 350 varieties of more than 80,000 plants at Augusta National, but only one palm tree on the golf course. It now takes on new meaning for Watson, a reminder of how he ruined a caddie's bet with his wife over a wedding ring and made up for it by winning a green jacket.

It all started when Simpson had an extra ticket for the practice round that he gave to Tesori's wife, Michelle. Tesori was so excited about her first trip to the Masters that, as they drove to Augusta and he raved about the beauty of the golf course, he served up a challenge.

''I said, 'Honey, one of the cool things is that there's one palm tree on the property and half the players don't even know where it is. If you can find the palm tree, anything you want is yours,''' Tesori said.

She had been asking about a diamond ring that cost $10,000 and would complete her wedding band. Tesori figured he would buy it whenever Simpson won his next golf tournament, but he got caught up in the moment and offered that as the reward.

They played nine holes that Wednesday with the regular group - Watson, Simpson and Rickie Fowler. Jason Day joined them on the first tee, but his wrist was a little sore and so the Australian left them after three holes.

The lone palm at Augusta is tucked away to the right of the green on the par-3 fourth hole. This was the big moment.

And that's when Tesori made his first big mistake.

''Paul was talking to Bubba about it and I'm thinking to myself, 'This is not a good idea,''' Simpson said.

Sure enough, Watson had no clue about the only palm at Augusta National. And when he heard the deal Tesori had with his wife, Watson couldn't help himself.

''My best recollection is Bubba being his normal self and throwing Paul under the bus,'' Fowler said. ''There are certain secrets Bubba can keep if they need to be kept secret. But if it's something along the lines of a bet, and nothing that can hurt you too bad - like a $10,000 ring - that's out the door.''

Watson found the palm and began making a scene, his voice getting louder as he pointed to the tree.

Tesori urged him to keep it down, which only egged on Watson, who continued to raise his voice and point to the palm. Tesori's only hope was that his wife was far enough back in the crowd and couldn't see - or hear - what Watson was doing. But when the caddie reached the green and looked to the left, he was doomed.

''I found my wife in the crowd,'' he said. ''She's got her arms up in the air in a V formation, jumping up and down. And Bubba thinks it's the greatest thing in the world.''

Tesori felt otherwise.

''His face ... he looked like he was in shock,'' Scott, the caddie, said.

In some respects, it was like the Old Testament story of Samson offering to buy linen garments and a set of clothes for his 30 wedding guests if they could solve his riddle. The guests pressured his wife to get the answer, and they solved it on the last night of the wedding feast. Samson was so angry he killed 30 men and took their garments to pay off the bet.

This was just a ring.

And the man who ruined it all was the first to come to the rescue.

''I said, 'Hey, you lost. You better go down there and hug it,''' Watson said he told Tesori, meaning the tree. ''He was mad. He said, 'Why would you do that?' So I told him, 'Hey, if I win this week, I'll buy it.' Webb said he'd do it and Rickie said he'd do it, too. And then we totally forgot about it.''

Tesori was thrilled for Watson when the Masters ended that night - and so was his wife.

''She said I should send him a text,'' Tesori said. ''I said, no, I don't want to do that. He's not going to remember, and I would never even bring it up. I'm rooting for Bubba because he's a friend of mine.''

The next morning, he received a direct message on Twitter from Scott, who was with Watson during the hours after his Masters win. He told him about Watson's reaction that Sunday night when he remembered the ring.

''The look on Bubba's face was about the same look as Paul's face when she saw the tree,'' Scott said.

Watson never thought twice about his end of the bargain.

''If someone said you had to pay $10,000 to win the Masters? Shoot, everybody would do that,'' he said.

Even better, when Michelle Tesori went to the jewelry store and told the story, the owner knocked 25 percent off the price.

It's just a coincidence, but in the months after that practice round, Watson had a green jacket, Fowler won his first PGA Tour event at Quail Hollow, and Simpson followed with his first major championship at the U.S. Open. Too bad Day, the other player in their group, left early.

''It was a cool experience,'' Fowler said. ''For the three of us, we have that memory to look back on with that ring, because all three of us ended up having a pretty good year. That ring symbolizes something.''

Mickelson plays practice round with Condi Rice

Mickelson plays practice round with Condi Rice











PGA.COM April 7, 2013 6:51 PM

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Phil Mickelson said he asked Condoleezza Rice about countries, and she asked him about golf courses.(Getty …


By Doug Ferguson, Associated Press


AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Phil Mickelson has won three green jackets, and he was the one asking all the questions Sunday during a practice round at the Masters.

In his group was Augusta National's newest member -- former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

"Awesome," Mickelson said after playing 18 holes with his agent and Augusta National members Rice and Lee Styslinger. "She's one of my favorite people to be around. She's so knowledgeable and interesting to talk to. I always learn so much. When I saw she became a member, one of the first things I did was schedule a game close to Masters time. The fact she's here, we were able to work it out. It was really cool."

Rice and South Carolina financier Darla Moore made history in August when they became the first women invited to join the home of the Masters. Moore is not expected until later in the week.

Rice had lunch with Mickelson and then donned her green jacket to meet with other members on the practice range. Even though she has been a member for more than seven months, it was no less striking to see her in the elegantly tapered jacket that for eight decades had been worn only by men.

She slipped away without taking questions, which is not unusual. Members don't typically give interviews during the week of the Masters.

Mickelson couldn't stop talking about her -- especially her putting.

They played a $10 game in which they rotated partners every six holes, and it ended on a big note -- Rice made what Mickelson described as a 40-foot putt with about 18 feet of break on the final hole. That gave her a net birdie.

"Perfect pace," Mickelson said. "Her speed, touch, being able to read the greens. She one of the better members on the greens that I've seen."

"Every once in a while," Rice said as Mickelson gushed.

Sunday before the Masters is the last day members have the same access to the course as the players, and they occasionally play in the same group. Tiger Woods teed off with Steve Stricker and U.S. Amateur Public Links champion T.J. Vogel as Rice was finishing.

She walked over to the first tee to greet Woods, and they spent a few minutes chatting before Woods teed off. Woods spent two years at Stanford. Rice became the first black woman to be a Stanford provost in 1993, and she now is a professor of political economy at Stanford's Graduate School of Business. She's also one of the Cardinal's biggest sports fans, along with being a member of the U.S. Golf Association's nominating committee.

This day was just about golf -- except for Mickelson's inquiring mind. Lefty was asked if their round ever reached a point that he hounded Rice with too many questions. Mickelson laughed and said, "She kept asking me about the golf course, and I kept asking her about countries."

"It was really fun," he said. "And she can really putt."

Told about what Mickelson said, Rice laughed and said, "He's such a good friend. I've known him for years."

Mickelson was thrilled to learn Augusta National had invited women to join, and he said it wasn't long before he called Rice to arrange a game.

"As soon as I saw she was a member, I called her to work up a game, just like I did Arnold (Palmer) back in the day as an amateur," Mickelson said. "She's just one of my favorite people to be around."

Rice on the golf course -- and later in a green jacket -- attracted the most attention on an otherwise lazy day before one of the biggest weeks of the year.

Zach Johnson gave his caddie, Damon Green, the treat of a lifetime by inviting him to play. Graeme McDowell played with his University of Alabama-Birmingham golf bag in a game with Brandt Snedeker and Toby Wilt, an Augusta National member who was Snedeker's winning partner at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

The club's professional was on the tee, sending out members and players, just like any other country club. Masters week officially begins Monday, with the tournament starting Thursday. Yet, some players, like Mickelson and Adam Scott, have been around all weekend getting in their preparations before it gets too busy.

"My work is done," Scott said. "I've mapped out what I wanted to do. The course is the best I've ever seen it."

Mickelson did not plan to return to the course until Tuesday. Scott said he would putt for about an hour on Monday, and perhaps play nine holes Tuesday and Wednesday. He looked across the course, empty of fans, realizing it would be packed for the rest of the week.

"The next three days will be about having fun," Scott said. "And then you switch it back on for Thursday."

Park rolls to Kraft Nabisco crown

Park rolls to Kraft Nabisco crown










John Reger, The Sports Xchange April 7, 2013 9:50 PMThe SportsXchange


RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- Inbee Park saw nearly five years pass before she won her second major championship, but it was certainly worth the wait.


In the most dominating performance of her young career, Park shot a final-round 69 for a total of 15-under-par 273, defeating fellow South Korean So Yeon Ryu by four shots to win the Kraft Nabisco Championships. With the victory at Mission Hills Country Club's Dinah Shore Tournament Course, Park won $300,000 and moved up to second on the Rolex World Rankings.

"It feels very good," Park said. "It has been a while since I won a major, and this is my second major of my career, and it feels very special."

Park, who won the 2008 U.S. Women's Open at age 19, ran away with the final round Sunday, extending her three-shot lead to seven after two holes.

After Ryu, Sweden's Caroline Hedwall and Norway's Suzann Pettersen tied for third at 279.

Holding a lead in a tournament has not been a strong suit for Park. Coming into the Kraft Nabisco's final round, she was only 1-for-5 after she'd been on top through 54 holes, her lone victory at the 2012 Evian Masters.

Keeping this lead never appeared to be in doubt.

"It made my day much easier, that's for sure," Park said. "I holed a long one on the first hole."

Lizette Salas, who was in second place to begin the final round, wanted to put quick pressure on Park with a couple of early birdies, but her chances were effectively derailed when she double-bogeyed the first hole. Salas shot 77 and finished tied for 25th.

"Obviously I'm not very pleased with it, very disappointed in myself," said Salas, a 23-year-old from Southern California. "It was one of those days where it could have gone from bad to worse, and starting off with a double wasn't in the game plan."

After watching Park stripe her opening drive down the middle of the fairway, a common sight in the final round, Salas hooked her tee shot into the rough and only advanced it about 15 yards. Her third shot reached the front of the green, and her chip was 20 feet from the hole. Two putts later, Salas handed Park a three-shot swing.

Park's only mistake on the front nine was on No. 6, when her tee shot found the water. She hit her third shot to 18 feet and failed to make the par-saving putt.

On the back nine, Park made a bogey on No. 10, and for a moment it opened the door for Ryu, who shot the best round of the day, a 7-under 65.

"I felt so good to have a bogey-free round at a major tournament," Ryu said. "It feels really great, and I'm really proud of myself."

Ryu was able to get to within four shots, but Park made birdies on Nos. 12 and 13 to build the lead back to six. Park bogeyed No. 17, and Ryu made a birdie on the final hole, but by then the identity of the eventual champion was no longer in question.

"I think she was playing a different golf course," Ryu said. "She made it look so easy out there."

Park won four times last year and has continued her dominance this season, winning twice in five events. Park contended in majors as well, finishing in the top 10 nine out of 16 times since her U.S. Women's Open championship.

Among the majors, she previously struggled the most in the Kraft Nabisco, finishing tied for 29th and 26th the past two years. Her best finish at Mission Hills was ninth in 2008, the same year she won the Open.

"It is a very good start," Park said. "It's pressure off of me for the rest of the season. I'm just going to go out there and enjoy the season."

NOTES: Two-time champion Karrie Webb shot an even-par 72 Sunday. Webb, who won the event in 2000 and 2006, finished tied for fifth at 282. ... Salas had a substantial cheering section and was definitely a crowd favorite. Her mother and father made the 100-mile drive from Azusa, Calif., and were joined by other family and friends, including USC women's golf coach Andrea Gaston ... Park became the third South Korean and second consecutive to win the season's first major. Sun Young Yoo won last year, and Grace Park won in 2004.