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Anchoring update: Fay says "no edits," USGA mum
Who will give Tiger Woods' Hall of Fame induction speech?
By Alex Myers
Tiger Woods will undoubtedly be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame when he's eligible at age 40 in 2016. Less certain is who will give his introduction speech at the ceremony.
Related: Woods' long road back to No. 1
The very private Woods doesn't let many people into his inner circle and even among those few, it's tough to pick a surefire candidate. Let's take a quick look at some of the possibilities:
Mark O'Meara: At one time, he would have seemed a lock for the job as Woods' close friend and mentor during the height of Tigermania. But Tiger and "Marko" haven't been seen together as much in recent years.
Chance of happening: Doubtful
Fred Couples: Woods' buddy showed a lot of faith in him at his lowest point as a golfer when he selected Tiger as a captain's pick for the 2011 Presidents Cup. That being said, Woods attended the Met Gala in New York rather than be in St. Augustine for Freddie's big night.
Chance of happening: Decent
Steve Williams: We're pretty sure saying you'd like "to shove it right up that black ass" when referring to your ex-boss is a permanent bridge burner.
Chance of happening: Not happening
Butch Harmon/Hank Haney: Not that Woods harbors ill will towards them, but he'd view choosing either as a sign of weakness and a slight at his current coach, Sean Foley.
Chance of happening: Not happening
Related: Woods and girlfriend hit the town in NYC
Sean Foley: Woods' latest swing coach would certainly get the nod over his former big-name instructors. But if Tiger still hasn't won his 15th major by the time he's 40, well, let's just say he won't be as high on his current teacher.
Chance of happening: Decent
Joe LaCava: Woods' replacement for Steve Williams is very supportive and keeps to himself more than his two predecessors. The duo needs to share a few major championship victories, though, first.
Chance of happening: Doubtful
Steve Stricker: He's famously assisted Woods on the greens, so why not with his Hall induction? Stricker just better take two boxes of tissues up to the podium with him.
Chance of happening: Good
Jim Nantz: He seems to do it for everyone else (Five times overall, including Fred Couples and Ken Venturi this year), so why not Tiger? On second thought...
Chance of happening: Doubtful
Related: Tiger's "bromances" through the years
Rory McIlroy: Tiger and Rory have developed a friendly rivalry. What a great gesture of sportsmanship this would be if they agreed to do the honors for each other's induction.
Chance of happening: Give it a few more years
Michael Jordan: It was reported that the two global icons weren't as friendly following Tiger's 2009 scandal, but Woods recently attended Jordan's wedding. That being said, showering praise on someone else, especially another athlete, doesn't seem up MJ's alley.
Chance of happening: Doubtful
David Feherty: Golf's top funnyman also happens to be very tight with Tiger. As long as he hasn't completely gone off the deep end by then, we think he'd be the perfect man for the job.
Chance of happening: Great
So, there you have it. Our money is on David Feherty, a man who always gets Woods to give a good post-round interview and who apparently shares a love of fart jokes with the game's biggest star. There, we've even predicted the topic of his opening joke.
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Trending: It's old Spock vs. new Spock in Audi Golf 'Challenge'
By Derek Evers
In anticipation of the Star Trek: Into Darkness release in theaters next week, Audi has come out with a new commercial that pits Leonard Nimoy (Spock from the original Star Trek series) and Zachary Quinto (Spock from the two most recent installments) in a race to the golf course. And while the outcome may be pretty predictable considering only one of them drives an Audi, what is not is Nimoy's comedic skills. Arguably his best work since the Simpson's "Monorail" episode, Nimoy overshadows his understudy stealing most of the scenes with laughs instead of technology. But don't worry Trekkies, there are still plenty of well-placed Star Trek references to keep purists happy.
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When it comes to putters, club designers don't always agree on skid versus roll
The Grind: Derek Ernst steps up, Tiger and Lindsey step out, & Players picks
By Alex Myers
Welcome to another editon of The Grind, where we don't understand the shock surrounding Derek Ernst's win at Quail Hollow. So what if he was the fourth alternate and ranked 1,207th in the world. There are SEVEN BILLION people in the world. You're legit if you crack the top 2,000 in anything. Like we've said before, the PGA Tour's slogan should really be: "These guys are ALL good." As Ernst proved, that includes guys who aren't even in a tournament's original field.
WE'RE BUYING
Derek Ernst. To win in your eighth PGA Tour event is remarkable, but the way he pulled it off was even more impressive. Ernst shot a back-nine 33, including a birdie on the difficult 18th hole to get into a playoff he eventually won. We just feel bad for him for all the Ernst & Young jokes that followed.
Haha that's OK. No one else had heard of me either.
Playoffs. On a sports weekend in which the Kentucky Derby stole most of the spotlight, golf had a trifecta of its own. Ernst won in extra holes, but so did Cristie Kerr on the LPGA and Esteban Toledo on the Champions Tour. And speaking of Toledo, he became the first Mexican winner on the senior circuit and he did it on Cinco de Mayo. How's that for timing?
Related: Golfers who play fast
David Lynn. Yes, the Englishman came up just short in what is perhaps the least-star-studded playoff in PGA Tour history. But on the bright side, after a strong opening-day performance at Augusta and this latest performance, he's not just "that guy who finished runner-up at the PGA Championship" anymore.
Jim Nantz. We'll admit, we're not the biggest Nantz fans, but we have to give props to a guy who inducts two players into the World Golf Hall of Fame on the same night and who has now given the speech for five players total. Jimmy, when you get your Hall call, we've got your back. We'll start making notes and practicing your Masters voice.
WE'RE SELLING
Withdrawals. Yes, the greens were bad, but the list of big-name withdrawals -- Dustin Johnson, Ian Poulter, David Toms, etc. -- was a little much. We're sure some of the nine guys who pulled out late (Derek Ernst should send them all thank-you notes) had legit excuses, but it sure didn't look good. Speaking of not looking good. . .
Quail Hollow's greens. We weren't fans of the excessive complaining and questionable WDs, but wow, were some of those greens brutal. To be fair, and most of the players were, Quail Hollow deserves a pass based on its track record. The good news is the course is putting in new Bermuda greens in a couple weeks and it has another four years before it hosts the PGA Championship.
World Golf Hall of Fame. If you're going to let two big-name, borderline candidates in (Sorry, Freddie and Monty), shouldn't you spread them out a little?
Related: Colin Montgomerie is a Hall of Famer? Really?
The Vijay Singh situation. This whole thing was just a mess from start to finish. First off, Singh admitted to using a banned substance. Yes, it has since been taken off WADA's list, but he admitted to using a banned substance while it was banned. It seemed like case closed, but the PGA Tour cleared him. Secondly, there's no real proof that deer-antler spray does anything!
Sunday TV coverage. Weather interfered with the PGA Tour yet again, but there's got to be a way to show live coverage instead of coming on tape-delayed an hour after anyone with electricity or a phone could learn the result. At least Derek Ernst had time to tell all his friends and family to set their DVRs.
ON TAP
The PGA Tour heads to PGA Tour headquarters for the Players. It used to be called the Players Championship. We don't blame you if you're confused.
Related: The top 10 players without a major
Random tournament fact: There are 17 other holes at TPC Sawgrass' Stadium course other than No. 17.
WEEKLY YAHOO! FANTASY LINEUP
Our homer Wake Forest picks laid an egg last week. Sorry. Wait, what are we apologizing for? Some guy named DEREK ERNST won!
Starters -- (A-List): Sergio Garcia. His biggest win came here in 2008, a year after he was runner-up in the event.
(B-List): Zach Johnson. ZJ has broken par at TPC Sawgrass nine of his past 12 rounds and he finished T-2 last year.
(B-List): Bo Van Pelt. We're back on the "BVP is due for a win" bandwagon after a T-6 at Quail Hollow.
(C-List): Jason Day. After a close call at the Masters, the young Australian seems poised for his first big title.
Bench -- Graeme McDowell, Nick Watney, Luke Donald, and Lee Westwood.
THIS WEEK IN DUSTIN JOHNSON-PAULINA GRETZKY DISPLAYS OF PUBLIC AFFECTION
DJ sends Paulina flowers! What does the other Paulina pic have to do with anything? Nothing.
THIS WEEK IN TIGER WOODS-LINDSEY VONN DISPLAYS OF PUBLIC AFFECTION
We joked about golf's newest power couple's lack of public affection last week, but they stepped it up this week by attending the Met Gala in New York together. Several surprises here. A.) It had to happen sometime, but this was a pretty publicized event for the couple's big debut; B.) The timing of it, since it's both the week of the Players and it occurred the same night of his friend, Fred Couples, getting inducted into the Hall of Fame; C.) It appears Tiger is wearing NO Nike apparel!
VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK
How bad were the greens at Quail Hollow last week? On the third hole on Friday, Sergio Garcia -- our pick to win the Players -- opted to chip a six-footer for par (below). He made it. Hey, we think we've found the solution to his putting problems!
RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK
-- Derek Ernst will not be recognized on the first tee on Thursday. By his playing partners: 2-to-1 odds
-- NBC, which owns the Golf Channel, will figure out a way to show live coverage on Sunday if tee times are moved up: LOCK
-- The phrase "watery grave" will get more air this week on NBC than during all other 2013 tournaments combined: LOCK
THIS AND THAT
A 12-year-old broke 80 in both rounds at the Volvo China Open, becoming the youngest golfer to ever play in a European Tour event. Yet somehow, ESPN UK wasn't impressed. We are not impressed with ESPN UK. . . . TPC Sawgrass has gotten so much rain of late that the famed island-green 17th hole actually was an island green at one point. Here's video proof. . . . Tying a bow tie is HARD. A group of friends took on the task to honor a buddy getting married and it was a struggle. I eventually did better than what's pictured (and also shaved and put on a dress shirt), but this effort came after more than an hour of hard work and a mini-nervous breakdown.
RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER
Who will give Tiger's Hall of Fame induction speech?
Why weren't we invited to the Met Gala? We can tie a bow tie!
Can deer-antler spray cure a slice?
-- Alex Myers is an Associate Editor for GolfDigest.com. Feel free to email him and please follow him on Twitter since he has self-esteem issues.
Barack Obama takes on Republicans... on the golf course
President Obama took politics to the golf course yesterday, playing an 18-hole round with Republican senators Saxby Chambliss (Ga.) and Bob Corker (Tenn.) along with Democratic senator Mark Udall (Colo.), according to USA TODAY. The foursome played the 6,759-yard South Course at Andrews Air Force Base near Camp Springs, Md. Obama fittingly teamed with Udall, but lost the match to the Republican senators, who were aided by Chambliss' hole-in-one on the par-3 11th hole, which measures 190 yards from the back tees.
Related: Photos of Obama playing golf through the years
Obama's use of the golf course -- nicknamed the "schmooze offensive" by some media outlets -- as a place to discuss and hopefully come to terms on major issues facing our country has made plenty of headlines since he first took office in 2009. Mark Knoller of CBS News estimated that President Obama played golf 113 times during his first term, which averages to about 28 or 29 rounds per year. Whether you think that number is too high or too low, it's hard to deny that the golf course is great place for reflection and discussion.
(Photo by Getty Images)
The President also seems to enjoy playing with good golfers. According to our 2011 ranking of top golfers in Washington, Chambliss carries a 7.4 index, Corker a 2.1 and Udall a 2 (he was the top-ranked Congressman on the list). It's clear that Obama is looking to improve his game, especially in the wake of his lesson with Butch Harmon and round with Tiger Woods earlier this year.
Related: Why Obama should play more golf
Hopefully, Obama, a 17-handicap in 2011, hit a few good shots and was able to implement some of what he learned from Tiger and Butch. Let's hope this round was also a step towards unclogging the current gridlock in Washington centered on issues like gun control, immigration, taxes, and the economy. Play away, Mr. President.
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The Players: Singular Sensation
No Punishment For Singh
NCAA picks men's D-I regionals teams
Tiger Woods, Lindsey Vonn walk red carpet together
By Alex Myers
When Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn first went public with their relationship, the 14-time major champion said, "We want to continue our relationship privately, as an ordinary couple." Apparently, he meant to say, "an ordinary celebrity couple."
Related: Golf's biggest power couples
Woods and Vonn walked their first red carpet together when they attended the Met Gala in New York on Monday night. US Weekly originally reported the couple's attendance and said Woods and Vonn were invited as guests of Vogue. The star-studded event was attended by Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, and Jennifer Lawrence, among others.
Vonn was part of Woods' gallery at the Masters, but the two hadn't made any public appearances together since their dating announcement. She wore red to support her boyfriend on Sunday and scaled Augusta's hilly terrain despite being in a knee brace from a recent skiing injury.
Woods hasn't played since the Masters, opting to skip last week's Wells Fargo Championship, an event he usually plays, at Quail Hollow. He will tee it up this week at the Players.
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Kelli Kuehne and PlayKleen golf towels
Derek Ernst's less-traveled road to PGA Tour success
From the May 6 edition of Golf World Monday:
Derek Ernst didn't come from nowhere -- it just appeared that way because of whom he beat and how he won the Wells Fargo Championship. The unheralded 22-year-old rookie from Northern California emerged from a pack of faltering world-class golfers that included Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy and childhood idol Nick Watney before winning a playoff against David Lynn, runner-up in last year's PGA Championship.
Related: What fans missed with no live TV coverage
Ernst got in as the fourth alternate at Wells Fargo and ranked No. 1,207 in the world when he arrived in Charlotte. He exited Quail Hollow with a spot in this week's Players and next year's Masters -- but that's not the most impressive part of his career. Not to Dwaine Knight, his college coach at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
To Knight, it was Ernst going through four stages of last year's Q school with a college degree. "It's interesting they don't get that shot any more," said Knight, referring to the emphasis put on the Web.com Tour and what that means to 2012 graduates like Ernst.
There is also a decorated amateur record that includes a runner-up to Corbin Mills in 37 holes of the 2011 U.S. Public Links and a victory over Billy Horschel in the opening round of the 2007 U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club in San Francisco as a 17-year-old. But Ernst flew under the radar because his parents didn't have the resources to play an AJGA schedule.
"We're just humble, middle-class people," said his father, Mark, a risk manager for Financial Pacific Insurance. "He didn't jump on a plane [to play the AJGA] because we didn't have the $30-$40 grand, but I always felt you have to learn to win at whatever level you're on. I know they're all working guys [in the Northern California GA], but they're all 2-handicaps."
As a boy, Ernst played NCGA events like the Napa City Amateur and the Salinas Valley Amateur. It wasn't until college that he played events like the Sunnehanna and the Pacific Coast Amateur, learning from an instructor at a driving range near his home in Clovis called "Hank's Swank Par-3 Golf Course and Driving Range." His caddie at Quail Hollow, Aaron Terry, was his instructor.
Related: Who are the fastest golfers on the PGA Tour?
Terry's deal was to charge Ernst minimum wage. He also worked with former Web.com Tour player Tommy Masters, who was Watney's coach before Watney moved over to Butch Harmon. But the person who helped him break through the mental barrier of missed cuts just came into his life last month.
That would be former LPGA player Susie Meyers at Ventana Canyon in Tucson. Meyers has been curator of Michael Thompson's career and was given props for Thompson's win at this year's Honda Classic. Ernst was on the alternate list that week, but when he didn't make the field drove to TPC Sawgrass for practice rounds, even though he was long way from qualifying for the Players.
So this is definitely not a kid from nowhere. He knew where he was going all along.
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