Woods 'done' talking about Garcia

Woods 'done' talking about Garcia










The Sports Xchange May 29, 2013 4:20 PMThe SportsXchange



Tiger Woods would like to see talk of his feud with Sergio Garcia go away, once and for all.

Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday before the start of the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio, Woods tried to deflect questions about Garcia.

"That's already done with," Woods said. "It's done; time to move on."

Asked about an inflammatory racial stereotype that Garcia used last week when speaking about Woods in England and other issues such as the R&A's recent ban on anchored putters and rules violations, Woods wasn't biting.

"I have four wins (this year)," Woods said with a straight face.

Tournament host Jack Nicklaus, whose 18 major championships are four more than Woods has won, addressed the situation between two of the world's top players rather succinctly.

"It's stupid," he said. "Do guys have an issue with one with another? They usually resolve it themselves. You guys want to resolve it in the newspapers today. I mean nobody needs that. And I think they both finally said it's enough. ... Today, you're in a fish bowl. And there are a lot of mountains made out of molehills."

Woods did address a question about racism.

"I live it," he said. "It's happened to me my entire life, and it's happened to me my entire career. So that doesn't surprise me. It exists all around the world, not just in the sport of golf. It exists everywhere."

Woods comes to Muirfield as the defending champion and five-time winner of the Memorial, which starts Thursday. It's his first event since winning The Players Championship earlier this month and a tuneup for the U.S. Open in two weeks ag Merion Golf Club, which he played on Tuesday.

"It's about this week and it's about winning this event," he said.

95th PGA Championship History Exhibit open through Labor Day

95th PGA Championship History Exhibit open through Labor Day











PGA.COM May 30, 2013 8:56 AM


PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- The 95th PGA Championship History Exhibit - Celebrating the Champions of the Season's Final Major -- will commemorate the Championship's return to New York by opening May 24, at the Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC).

From Friday, May 24 through Labor Day Monday, Sept. 2, golf enthusiasts and history lovers may enjoy a tour of some of the rarest artifacts and memorabilia which uncover the tradition of the PGA Championship and its past 94 Champions, including a display of defending PGA Champion Rory McIlroy, which will be unveiled on June 3.

The PGA Championship History Exhibit will be open daily in the Rochester Museum & Science Center's Patricia F. Hale Gallery: Mondays-Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sundays from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

The 95th PGA Championship will be conducted Aug. 5-11, at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y. The Rochester Museum & Science Center also hosted the PGA Championship Exhibit in 2003, when the PGA Championship was last conducted at Oak Hill and won by Shaun Micheel.

The PGA Championship History Exhibit debuted in Louisville, Ky., in 2000, and travels to host PGA Championship cities. The exhibit features memorabilia spanning from Jim Barnes' driver used to capture the inaugural Championship in 1916; a walking stick once used by the legendary Walter Hagen; Gene Sarazen's niblick (today's 9-iron); Jack Nicklaus' wedge, which he used as he captured the 1980 PGA Championship at Oak Hill; the wedge that Phil Mickelson's used to clinch his 2005 victory; Y.E. Yang's 3-hybrid that sealed his historic 2009 triumph; and memorabilia from McIlroy's historic win at Kiawah Island's famed Ocean Course.


"The PGA Championship History Exhibit is a special journey behind the great Champions who have been both premier performers and among the leaders of the advancement of golf worldwide," said PGA President Ted Bishop. "The PGA of America is pleased that the Rochester Museum & Science Center, a popular destination for both those in New York and tourists from around the globe for 100 years, will serve as host to this remarkable collection from Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day. New York is one of the great sports participation states in the country, and we anticipate we will have outstanding support once again leading up to the 95th PGA Championship this summer."

The RMSC opened its doors to the public on Sept. 13, 1912. The RMSC continues to celebrate its centennial year with the community it serves through various activities, events and opportunities, as it honors its past and looks forward to the next 100 years of discovery, exploration and inspiration. Offering fun and educational programs and experiences, the RMSC builds futures in the important areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The RMSC also serves as a community-gathering place where visitors participate in shared, hands-on learning. In addition, the RMSC seeks to boost the local economy through workforce preparation and tourism.

"We are eager to draw visitors to Rochester, as well as delight the many golf and history fans in our community with the PGA Championship History Exhibit," said Kate Bennett, president, Rochester Museum & Science Center. "It is a privilege to host an exhibit that honors a beloved tradition that families have enjoyed for years. Now, they can experience the PGA Championship together in a new way—its past and present all at once. This is an honor."

The Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC) is located at 657 East Avenue in Rochester, N.Y., 75 miles east of Buffalo; 80 miles west of Syracuse, N.Y.; 5 hours west of New York City; and 2.5 hours from Toronto. Admission to the Museum during the Exhibit is: $13 for adults; $12 for seniors and college students; $11 for children ages 3-11; and free for PGA members, RMSC members and children under age 3. Family and Guests of PGA members will pay a special $5 rate. For more information, visit www.rmsc.org. For questions on the golf exhibit, please call (585) 271-4320. About the 2013 PGA Championship

The PGA Championship perennially features the strongest field in golf and is considered one of the largest sporting events in the world. Since 1916, golf's best professionals have been competing for the PGA Championship's coveted Wanamaker Trophy; a list of champions that includes: Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, Davis Love III, Jack Nicklaus, Sam Snead, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan and Walter Hagen. Tickets will be available for purchase through the 2013 PGA Championship website, www.pga.com/pgachampionship, or by phone at (800) PGA-GOLF.

About The PGA of America

Since its founding in 1916, The PGA of America has maintained a twofold mission: to establish and elevate the standards of the profession and to grow interest and participation in the game of golf. By establishing and elevating the standards of the golf profession through world-class education, career services, marketing and research programs, The PGA enables its professionals to maximize their performance in their respective career paths and showcases them as experts in the game and in the multi-billion dollar golf industry. By creating and delivering world-class championships and innovative programs, The PGA of America elevates the public's interest in the game, the desire to play more golf, and ensures accessibility to the game for everyone, everywhere. As The PGA nears its centennial, the PGA brand represents the very best in golf.

About the Rochester Science & Museum Center

Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC) includes the Science Museum, Strasenburgh Planetarium and Cumming Nature Center. Offering experiences at the Museum with more than 200 interactive exhibits, Planetarium with a 65-foot dome and Nature Center on 900 acres, the RMSC stimulates community interest in exploration. In addition, the more than 1.2 million RMSC collection items tell the story of Rochester's past including its rich history of innovation and invention. RMSC receives major funding from Monroe County, where it is of the top two most visited attractions serving children and families. For more information about RMSC, visit www.rmsc.org.

Is Caroline Wozniacki Killing Rory McIlroy's Career?

Is Caroline Wozniacki Killing Rory McIlroy's Career?











Ryan Ballengee May 30, 2013 5:48 PM


COMMENTARY | Women make a lot men do a lot of crazy things. They make their hearts flutter, the ice in their veins melt and cause them to max out their credit cards on a nice diamond ring.



But do they ruin sports careers?



Ever since world No. 2 Rory McIlroy and Caroline Wozniacki got together in the summer
of 2011 after McIlroy broke through for his first major at the U.S. Open, the cynical thought has been that they'll ruin the other professionally speaking with all this love business.





With the Danish former No. 1 getting bounced in the second round of the French Open, and McIlroy opening the Memorial Tournament on Thursday with an embarrassing 6-over 78, the question is bound to arise again. After all, McIlroy is on the way to another missed cut, while Wozniacki hasn't advanced into the quarterfinals of any tournament she has entered since early April.



If it is being argued that Wozniacki is killing McIlroy's career, then certainly the opposite argument could be made.



Turns out, however, neither seems to have much of an effect on the other.



It should be first said that while a good golf result isn't exactly the same as a good tennis result, but it's not too hard to compare golf leaderboards and tennis brackets. It's 1.68-inch white balls and 2.63-inch fuzzy, neon balls, not apples and oranges. So a top-10 finish in golf is probably as good as making it to the quarterfinals or semifinals of a tennis tournament, depending on the size and strength of field.



Dating back to the start of the 2012 season -- accounting for the end of the relationship "honeymoon" period -- McIlroy and Wozniacki have competed in their respective sports at approximately the same time on 19 different occasions, including this week in Dublin, Ohio, and Roland Garros near Paris, respectively.



Of the 19 tournaments McIlroy and Wozniacki have played at about the same time, they have had similar-type finishes in 10 of those, or just a little more than half of the time. The trend lately has been for the lovebirds to fare about the same more often than not in 2013.



At the outset of the year, that wasn't true, however, as McIlroy traveled to Abu Dhabi to be unveiled as the next Nike Golf megastar staffer with a reported nine-figure endorsement deal...only to miss the cut. Meanwhile in Australia, Wozniacki advanced to the fourth round of the Aussie Open, the first major on the tennis calendar.



After that, though the next two concurrent-ish events had a lot in common. McIlroy was unceremoniously bounced in the first round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play in Arizona while Wozniacki was a Round 1 victim in Malaysia. Then a few weeks later, Caro got to the finals at Indian Wells, while McIlroy finished T-8 behind Tiger Woods while in the running on Sunday at Doral.



McIlroy enjoyed a decent first part of April, finishing runner-up in an emergency start against a lesser field at the Valero Texas Open before a top-25 effort at the Masters. It was right around then that Wozniacki dropped into a deep slump, where she has beaten no more than one opponent in her last five tournaments.



The Ulsterman, however, has also dropped into a May slump for the second consecutive year. He missed the cut last week at the BMW PGA Championship and his 78 to start at Muirfield Village has him poised to be a trunk-slammer on Friday. He missed three consecutive cuts in May last year before getting it together in Memphis, only to then miss the cut again at the U.S. Open.



Here's the thing, however: McIlroy is still No. 2 in the world and has a pair of majors. Wozniacki is dropping down the women's tennis rankings and has never hoisted a Grand Slam singles title. (McIlroy one-ups his girlfriend again, having been on two consecutive winning Ryder Cup teams. Wozniacki has never put much stock in the doubles game.)



But there's a lot more going on in the lives of both players than an undying love. It's a particularly turbulent time for McIlroy. He is reportedly cutting ties with his representation at Horizon Sports Management after just 18 months to step out on his own with his father, Gerry, leading Team McIlroy.



His ballstriking is outstanding, but McIlroy's putting is atrocious of late. He ranks 100th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting. He was 82nd last year, but was monumentally productive with the other 13 clubs in his bag.



Then there's the pressure of trying to stick close to Tiger Woods when he is clearly resurgent, having won four times on the PGA Tour this season, owning the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking by just-post-hydrant margins and the betting favorite to win a 15th major at next month's U.S. Open. And, oh yeah, they're on the same Nike Golf staff where it was expected at the outset of 2013 that they would be 1 and 1a for the Swoosh.



So if anyone if McIlro-rried about Rory and his prospects to win a third major in as many seasons, there are way more important things to fret about than Caroline Wozniacki.



Rory's got plenty of problems. Caroline isn't one.



Ryan Ballengee is a Washington, D.C.-based golf writer. His work has appeared on multiple digital outlets, including NBC Sports and Golf Channel. Follow him on Twitter @RyanBallengee.

Phil Mickelson Playing Smart at Merion

Phil Mickelson Playing Smart at Merion
Conservative Approach Off Tee Plus Steady Short Game Has Lefty in Great Position After First Round











Mark McLaughlin June 13, 2013 4:18 PM




COMMENTARY | Phil, you're no longer an idiot.

Your decision to leave driver in the bag offsets


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any questions we had about your transcontinental commute for a 7:11 am first-round tee time at the US Open at Merion Golf Club.



And your commitment to dial back your aggressive style to keep your ball in play around a penal, rain-soaked East Course at Merion is paying dividends in the form of a 3-under-par 67 and the early first-round lead.

That's a far cry from the freewheeling mentality you've carried into past US Opens, most notably the decision to hit driver on the 72nd hole at the 2006 Open at Winged Foot which led to double bogey, a bitter second place finish and your classic line, "I am such an idiot."

Sure is nice to be playing approaches from the fairways on 11 of 14 holes. And stroking birdie putts on 14 of 18 greens.

It must have been tough to play the 500-yard 18th hole with a three-wood and five-wood while your buddy Keegan Bradley was hitting driver, mid-iron but you ended up with a par.

It's also encouraging that your short game has not suffered from this new, low-key approach. Your clutch putts for par on the rugged third, fifth and sixth holes tell me that you can handle the misses that are inevitable on such a tightly pinched setup.

All those par saves remind me of your run at Winged Foot in 2006. Just don't go crazy with any heroic attempts to salvage wayward tee shots with 3-iron recoveries from the deep rough.

Your round even had some gravy, like the delicate 20-footer for birdie on the first hole, the kick-in birdie after a precise wedge to a rain-softened seventh green and then the bomb on the ninth, your 17th hole on probably your longest day of the year.

That rain delay had Merion playing about as receptive as it will all week and you took advantage. Even better, you can sleep in tomorrow morning while the afternoon wave finishes up their first rounds.

This calculated risk strategy seems to be working out. So far, so good.

Mark McLaughlin has reported on the PGA Tour for the New York Post, FoxSports.com, Greensboro News & Record, and Burlington (N.C.) Times-News. He is a past member of the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association. Follow him on Twitter@markmacduke.

Mystery of Merion starts to unfold at US Open

Mystery of Merion starts to unfold at US Open











PGA.COM June 13, 2013 4:41 PM

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View gallery
The U.S. Open has returned to Merion after 32 year away.(Getty Images)


By Doug Ferguson, Associated Press

ARDMORE, Pa. - The affection was genuine. Even better was beating Jack Nicklaus in a playoff. So when Lee Trevino got his hands on the U.S. Open trophy in 1971, the man who never lacked for one-liners gushed, "I love Merion, and I don't even know her last name."

For this generation of stars, Merion is more like a blind date.

No other course with four U.S. Opens had to wait such a long time - 32 years - for another chance to test the world's best players. Even with Tiger Woods back to No. 1 and winning at a ridiculous rate, so much of the talk at this major championship has been about Merion.

For years, it was considered too small to handle such a big tournament and the big hitters with their modern equipment. And with soft greens from more than 6 inches of rain in the last week, the question is whether the course will yield the kind of scores rarely seen at the toughest test in golf.

On Thursday, the mystery of Merion will start to unfold.

"It's been how long, 32 years? And with all the technology since then?" Steve Stricker said as he headed to the first tee Wednesday for one last practice round. "Someone asked me the other day about someone shooting a 62. And what I wanted to say was, `You're crazy.' But you just don't know. We don't know what's going to happen. And in a way, that's kind of cool."

Not so cool was the weather expected for the opening round.

Merion already took a beating last Friday when more than 3 inches of rain sent water over the edges of some bunkers and left small streams on fairways and greens. More rain on Monday caused the course to be closed three times.

The forecast called for increasing clouds, gusts and showers Thursday morning, with stronger storms likely to arrive around noon.

"Sure, we want it firm and fast," USGA Vice President Thomas O'Toole said Wednesday. "We happen to play a sport that's played outdoors. We received significant rain over the last week, and some tell us that we'll have even more significant rain tomorrow. So it's not a perfect world. It's not a perfect game. But we take what we're dealt with."

Whether a golf course is big or small, soft greens typically are a recipe for low scores. Then again, Merion is not a typical golf course.

It measures 6,996 yards on the scorecard - the shortest of any major championship in nine years - and has a stretch of seven holes in the middle that are short even by yesterday's standards. Compare those holes with the scorecard from when Ben Hogan won the 1950 U.S. Open at Merion, and four of those holes were actually longer by a few yards in Hogan's day.

Players typically reach for the wedge to chip out of the rough around the greens at the U.S. Open. At Merion, they could be hitting wedge into the green for their second shot on at least six holes. That's what has caused all the clamor about low scores.


And with the rain, it's reminiscent of how Congressional was vulnerable two years ago, when Rory McIlroy shattered U.S. Open scoring records at 16-under 268.

"I've been reading about how many scoring records are going to be broken," Nick Watney said. "I've been around here once. And I think that's insane. It's funny to me. People look at the yardage and think it's going to be easy. Even if it's soft, the greens are sloped. The rough is thick. OK, we'll have wedges into some of the greens, but that doesn't mean you make birdie on all those holes. There's enough tough holes to counteract that."

Even so, the winning score has gone down in each of the four previous U.S. Opens at Merion, from Olin Dutra at 13 over par in 1934 to David Graham winning at 7 under in 1981, the last time this major championship was here.

"Where did David Graham shoot 7 under? From there?" Nick Watney asked as he pointed the end of his driver to a spot some 30 yards from where he was standing. "Because he didn't do it from here."

Watney was standing in the middle of the putting green. He took three steps to his right and was standing on the 14th tee. As an example of longer holes being made more difficult, a new tee on the 464-yard hole is where members practice putting.

The biggest fear with rain on the horizon is what will happen the rest of the week. The forecast is reasonable after Thursday, but in soft conditions, balls start to pick up clumps of mud as the sun starts to dry the course. And while players often are allowed to lift, clean and place their golf balls in the fairway in muddy conditions on the PGA Tour, they don't do that at the U.S. Open.

The USGA famously referred to the local rule as "lift, clean and cheat."

"We wouldn't be adopting that rule this week," O'Toole said.

It all begins with Cliff Kresge hitting the opening shot of the 113th U.S. Open at 6:45 a.m. local timeThursday - weather permitting, of course.

Woods, McIlroy and Masters champion Adam Scott play Thursday afternoon in the power grouping of Nos. 1, 2 and 3 in the world. Sergio Garcia plays on the opposite side of the draw, teeing off Thursday morning. So does Phil Mickelson, who left Philadelphia on Monday when the weather was bad to practice in San Diego. He planned on being home, anyway, so he could watch his oldest daughter graduate from the eighth-grade. Mickelson was scheduled to arrive about 4:15 a.m. Thursday, just three hours before his tee time.

Stricker called Merion the "longest short course I've ever played." Graeme McDowell is another guy who isn't buying into the fear over low scoring.

"Everyone is saying that it's going to be 62s and 63s on this golf course, which I kind of disagree with at the minute," McDowell said. "I think 10 or 11 of these golf holes are as tough as any U.S. Open I've seen."

The lowest score in major championship history is 63, and it has happened only four times in the U.S. Open - Johnny Miller at Oakmont in 1973 on a soggy course, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf on the same day at Baltusrol in 1980 during a wet week, and Vijay Singh on a rain-softened course at Olympia Fields in 2003.

"You've got more birdie opportunities than ever," Ernie Els said. "I'm playing my 21st U.S. Open, so I've seen a lot of trouble out there. But this is one where you can get on a run. You can make some 3s. That's not a number that's really familiar in the U.S. Open. But as I say, you start missing shots, the rough is as bad as I've ever seen it."

Tiger Woods appears to tweak wrist on second swing of U.S. Open

Tiger Woods appears to tweak wrist on second swing of U.S. Open











Eric Adelson June 13, 2013 6:39 PMYahoo Sports





ARDMORE, Pa. – Five years after limping through his last major victory with a serious leg injury, Tiger Woods appears to be dealing with new pain.



Three times in 11 holes the No. 1 golfer in the world shook his left wrist after hitting a shot out of the thick rough at Merion Golf Club. The first came on the very first hole of the U.S. Open when Woods grimaced in after hitting the approach shot, only his second swing of the tournament.

Four holes later, Woods again landed in the right rough and used a wood to put his second shot onto the green. After following through, however, he winced and grabbed the same wrist.







View gallery.Woods struggled in the early goings Thursday. He was 1-over par through four holes before play was suspended due to weather – a delay he likely appreciated.



Woods' playing partners, Adam Scott and Rory McIlroy, were both 1-under under through four before the weather horn blew while the threesome was on the fifth green.

Woods dropped another stroke after play resumed, but got back to plus-1 after dropping a lengthy putt – 60 feet or so – on No. 6.

Then at 11, Woods again found himself in the rough and again he shook his wrist after hitting the shot, this time in the most demonstrative manner yet. A few moments later, as Woods was lining up a par putt, play was suspended for the day due to darkness. Tiger would make the putt after play resumed Friday, but bogey the 12th en route to a 3-over 73. he's six shots back of first-round leader Phil Mickelson, who fired an improbable 67.

All three shots that caused Woods' pain came while he was trying to hit out of the rough, which is quite deep at Merion. In both cases, Woods tried to recover from errant tee shots with forceful swings through the thick grass. He did not need any medical attention.

After the partial round, Woods didn't say much and didn't address his wrist. "I've got a lot of holes to play tomorrow," he said.

Wrist injuries are very common in golf, as players propel the club at rapid speeds through every swing. Woods tweaked his right wrist last year, in the first tournament of 2012 at Pebble Beach, yet did not need to withdraw.






Related coverage on Yahoo! Sports:

Duke notches first PGA Tour win in playoff over Stroud

Duke notches first PGA Tour win in playoff over Stroud











June 23, 2013 6:52 PM



(Reuters) - Tour veteran Ken Duke beat fellow AmericanChris Stroud with a birdie on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to win the Travelers Championship on Sunday to notch his first PGA victory at the age of 44.

After they both parred the 18th in the first hole of sudden-death, they returned to the 18th tee. This time Dukeknocked his approach inside three feet and sank the winning birdie putt after Stroud's long birdie try trickled by the hole.

Both players finished the regulation 72 holes in 12 under par at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, with Duke firing a four-under 66 and Stroud chipping in at the last to post a 67 and force the playoff.

Graham DeLaet of Canada finished one stroke out of the playoff on 11-under-par 269 after shooting 69.

Another stroke back was 2012 Masters champion Bubba Watson, who relinquished the lead with a triple-bogey six on the par-three 16th after finding the water fronting the green with his tee shot.

(Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Mark Meadows)