[PAmedic]

love it love it love it. This one is for all things in the world of PRO golf.

kicking it off w/ one about my man, big JD. you wanna talk about a guy who knows what it is to hit rock bottom. And the hits just keep on coming, evidently.

Surprised by news, Daly still shoots 69

SAN DIEGO (AP) - John Daly blew a trail of smoke down the fairway with each puff from a cigarette, walking briskly after each shot and thrilling the crowd at the end with a 40-foot birdie putt to shoot 69 on the tough South Course at Torrey Pines in the first round of the Buick Invitational, seemingly without a care in the world.

Far from it.
The day before making his PGA Tour debut, Daly learned that his wife was being taken to jail to serve a five-month sentence on a federal charge involving a drug ring and an illegal gambling operation.

"It was just out of the clear blue," Daly said. "It was very tacky on the prosecuting attorney's part. Usually, you get two or three weeks so we can at least prepare, but he must not have kids. He's not a very nice guy, anyway."

Sherrie Miller Daly, his fourth wife, was first indicted in 2003, a few days after she gave birth to a son. She pleaded guilty in November 2004 to a charge of conspiracy to structure a transaction to evade the reporting requirement.

Daly said she was taken to the county jail in Lexington, Ky., on Wednesday, and a spokeswoman at the Federal Medical Center in Lexington said Sherrie Daly is scheduled to be released June 23.

Daly, a two-time major champion who won the Buick Invitational two years ago, said he would have withdrawn from the tournament had he known this was coming.

"I couldn't get there in time. That was the tough thing," Daly said. "If I had known this two or three weeks ago, I wouldn't be there. But there was nothing I could do."

He said his 2-year-old son, John, would join him next week in Phoenix, and that his mother-in-law would help with Austin, Sherrie Daly's son from a previous marriage. Daly also said Joe and Maggie Hardy, owners of 84 Lumber who have an endorsement contract with Daly, have offered to keep Austin at their resort in western Pennsylvania.

It was another bizarre chapter in the life of Daly, one of the most popular figures in golf because of how he deals publicly with so many personal problems - the divorces, two trips to alcohol rehab and one suspension from the tour because of his rash behavior.

He won the '91 PGA Championship at Crooked Stick as the ninth alternate, then turned in another surprise in 1995 at St. Andrews when he won the British Open in a playoff.

Daly has one PGA Tour victory since then, two years ago at Torrey Pines. Despite the turmoil at home, he managed to birdie his first three holes, survived a few bogeys down the stretch and finished with his long birdie putt on the 18th. He walked off the green to typical cheers.

Asked how he put his personal life aside, Daly offered a wry grin.

"You don't," he said. "I'm just out here."

[Sly Fox]

You don't know me .. like I know me ... you haven't walked in my shoes ...

[bigsmooth]

sly, i actually bought that music after hearing it so much on rome. it is very bad, as im sur you know from hearing that musical blast. JD is classic...i hope he does not go on a bender with his wife going to the hole for 5 months. JD is good for golf, and still has a great following on the tour.

[Sly Fox]

He plays the Shell Houston Open here in town every spring. The dude is a cartoon character. He hangs out outside his RV drinking beer all afternoon & evening after his rounds playing country music over his loudspeakers. He's the ultimate paradox ... a redneck country clubber.

[bigsmooth]

that RV of his is insane! yeah he is a piece of work. i try to go to 4 or 5 PGA events yearly and seeing JD at the US open was priceless. choking down 2 heaters per hole, pulling chocolate chip cookies from his golf bag, and chugging diet coke on the course, till he gets to the 19th hole . and all the while punding a golf ball 320 yards and drawing crowds like some of the top players in the game.

[WinthropEagleFan]

Yeah...JD is definitely a trip and alot of fun to watch. Only Tiger and Mickelson tend to have bigger galleries. I went to the first day of the Masters' practice round this past year and Daly got a hole-in-one on one of the Par 3s and the place exploded. I was lucky enough to be at that grandstand when he did it and people said you could hear the crowd roar from the other end of course...

[bigsmooth]

his fan appeal is just phenomenal. it is hard to believe he has two majors with all the turmoil in his life.

[PAmedic]

he's got talent like you wouldn't believe- thats the reason he's still competetive in spite of everything else going on.

[bigsmooth]

the tiger is lurking at torrey pines. it should be a fun sunday with tiger and "the gripper" sergio garcia in the final group.

[bigsmooth]

a very good playoff at torrey pines! i cannot believe olazabal missed that putt. tiger picks up where he left off.

[PAmedic]

Woods survives playoff to win at Torrey

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Tiger Woods made simple pars to win a three-way playoff against Australian rookie Nathan Green and two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal for the Buick Invitational title on Sunday.

Olazabal, playing a splendid bunker shot on the par-3 16th, missed a 4-foot par putt on the second extra hole at Torrey Pines Club to hand Woods a victory that was only easy at the end.
"It's not how you want to win," Woods said. "I had a chance to make birdie on 18 in the playoff and end it right there. You don't ever take joy out of seeing friends do that."

For Woods, it was the fourth time in 10 years that he won in his first U.S. PGA Tour event of the year, and he became the first four-time winner at the Buick Invitational on a course he played regularly as a kid.

The finish was reminiscent of the American Express Championship last October at Harding Park, where John Daly lost on the second extra hole by missing a 3-foot putt to give Woods the victory.

Just like then, Woods bowed his head and slowly walked over to shake hands.

It was a somber way to end a dynamic afternoon along the bluffs of the Pacific Ocean, where 12 players had a share of the lead at one point and there was an eight-way tie with six holes to play.

Woods, who three-putted three times during his final round of even-par 72, finally made the one that mattered with an 8-foot birdie on the 18th hole to get into the playoff and earn his 47th career tour victory.

"Of all the things that happened today, I said, 'At least you have a chance.' I shouldn't have had that opportunity," Woods said of his birdie on the 72nd hole. "I flipped it around, turned it into a positive situation. It felt good coming off the putter and found its way to the bottom."

Woods turned 30 at the end of 2005 and is starting his 10th full season on tour, and this was an ideal place for him to get going. This is the fourth tournament he has won at least four times, the others coming at Augusta National, Firestone and Bay Hill.

Green did all he could to pull off an improbable victory in only his second U.S. PGA Tour start.

The 30-year-old Green, who once worked in a crematorium managed by his parents, shot into the lead by holing a wedge for eagle from 77 yards on the 13th hole, held on for dear life and got into the playoff by making a 7-foot birdie putt on the 18th.

But he didn't last long.

The only player to hit the fairway on No. 18 in the playoff, his 3-wood went into the grandstand. After taking a free drop, his pitch didn't reach the green and he chunked the next one, moving it only inches and making bogey.

That sent Woods and Olazabal to the 16th, and the 39-year-old Spaniard appeared to escape trouble with a magnificent bunker shot that hopped into the first cut, then the fringe, then trickled downhill toward the cup. He had 4 feet to head to the next hole, but started walking in disgust as soon as the ball left his club.

Olazabal, whose last victory came four years ago at Torrey Pines, was the first to finish at 10-under 278 by two-putting for birdie on the 18th for a 69.

Green, who briefly had a two-shot lead after his eagle on No. 13, had five consecutive putts in the 8-foot range, all for par except the last one, which gave him a 72 and put him in the playoff.

"There's nothing to be disappointed about," Green said. "I've been an overachiever for the week."

Woods was one shot behind when he hit 5-wood into 75 feet on the 18th, only to see his eagle putt run too fast through the break, 8 feet by the cup. It was the longest putt he made all day.

He had a putt from about the same distance on No. 18 on the first playoff hole, but pulled it badly.

Two players were inches (centimeters) away from joining them in the playoff.

Lucas Glover had a 65-foot eagle putt on the 18th that was headed for the center of the cup, but stopped just short. In the same group, Arjun Atwal left himself a 5-footer for birdie, but he pushed it right of the cup.

Woods skipped the season-opening Mercedes Championships, and for those who didn't think the U.S. PGA Tour began until he showed up, the No. 1 player was part of a terrific show.

When he holed an 8-foot birdie on the 12th to reach 9 under, eight players were tied for the lead. Anyone could have won. Every shot mattered.

John Rollins came out of nowhere by holing a wedge from 119 yards for eagle on the 10th, and making a 60-foot birdie putt on the 14th. Phil Mickelson looked like a winner with one of those majestic flop shots on the 11th that cleared the bunker by a foot and set up an unlikely par save.

Mickelson looked like a prophet over the final five holes. He had said his game was rounding into form, with putting the final piece for it all to come together. Sure enough, he missed par putts of 5, 6 and 5 feet on three straight holes to fall out of contention, closing with a 73.

Jonathan Kaye birdied his last five holes to post at 9 under, and wasn't free to leave Torrey Pines until Olazabal coaxed his eagle putt within 2 feet for a birdie on the 18th.

It was the second time in three years that the winner failed to break par in the final round on the South Course, which played at 7,630 yards on Sunday and will host the U.S. Open in two years.

But if such a demanding course was meant to separate those at the top of their games, instead it created a leaderboard so jumbled throughout the final round that a dozen players could have won.

Woods contributed to that.

When co-leaders Sergio Garcia and Rod Pampling each dropped two shots through four holes, and Mickelson was plodding along with pars, Woods had ample opportunity to seize control. But he three-putted the fourth from 40 feet, then missed a three-foot putt for a three-putt bogey on the next hole.

Garcia, playing in the final group with Woods for the first time since the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage, hit into five bunkers and a beer tent on his first eight holes and went out in 40. He hung around to the final hole, needing an eagle to get into the playoff, but three-putted for par and a 75.

Pampling shot a 76 to finish three shots out of the playoff, in a tie for 10th.

[PAmedic]

Garcia, playing in the final group with Woods for the first time since the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage, hit into five bunkers and a beer tent on his first eight holes and went out in 40. He hung around to the final hole, needing an eagle to get into the playoff, but three-putted for par and a 75.

thats my kinda game, right there.

[PAmedic]

Woods hangs on to defend title at Doral

MIAMI (AP) - Tiger Woods played his best golf when he finally got some competition Sunday at Doral, then was at his worst when it no longer mattered.

Despite a bogey-bogey finish on the Blue Monster, Woods closed with a 3-under 69 for a one-shot victory over David Toms and Colombian rookie Camilo Villegas in the Ford Championship at Doral, his second PGA Tour victory of the year and the 13th time he has successfully defended a title.

Woods finished at 20-under 268 and never lost his lead on a breezy afternoon, and after Toms closed to within one shot with two straight birdies on the back nine, Woods found another gear. He holed a 12-foot birdie on the 11th, then became the only player to reach the 603-yard 12th in two shots for a birdie to restore his lead to three shots.

Toms made it easier for him at the end.

Woods, who hit a wedge over the 17th green to make his first bogey of the final round, was in the right rough on the daunting 18th hole, leading by one shot. He watched Toms run a 60-foot birdie putt some 10 feet past the hole, then miss the par putt for his first three-putt of the week.

Woods only needed a bogey, and it showed. He hit his approach well right into a bunker, blasted out to 12 feet and two-putted for a bogey.

"Anywhere inside the bleachers and I'm fine ... just as long as I can make bogey," Woods said. "A 'W' is a 'W."'

Woods' 48th career victory enhanced his reputation as golf's best closer. He now is 34-3 when he has at least a share of the 54-hole lead, and he has never lost in 20 tries when leading by at least two going into the last round.

He became the first repeat winner at Doral since Raymond Floyd won in 1980 and 1981.

Toms and Villegas each shot 67 to finish at 269.

Villegas, a 24-year-old darling of this large Latino crowd in south Florida, made two birdies over his final five holes and secured his PGA Tour card for next year. He also tied for second at the FBR Open at Phoenix, and now has earned more than $700,000 in the first two months.

He got within two shots of Woods early in the round, but couldn't sustain it.

"We are talking here about the best player in the world," Villegas said. "I played well. I had fun."

Toms quickly applied pressure with an 8-foot birdie on the par-5 10th, then a shot from the fairway bunker on the 11th to 15 feet for another birdie. And even after Woods extended his lead to three, Toms plugged away with a birdie on the 16th to keep in range.

But the 18th hole has been a problem all week for Toms, and he had 4-iron from the rough that left him no chance of taking on the flag. Toms had not paid attention to a leaderboard all day, knowing he still had an outside shot by the energy in the crowd.

An NBC analyst told him the score, and Toms suddenly felt the heat.

"I wasn't even nervous all day because I'm trying to catch the guy," Toms said. "All of a sudden, I've got a putt all the way across the green, big break, and I'm nervous because I'm just trying to two-putt. That's my mistake. But if I had been looking at it all day, then maybe I would have felt that way all the way through the back nine."

Woods saw Toms' ball on the green as he walked up the fairway, and he had a 9-iron in his hand from the rough.

"I was hoping I could grab a lie so if I had to make 4, I could," he said.

He went well right of the water and trouble and into a bunker, slightly against the back lip. It wasn't an easy shot, but Woods hit safely to 12 feet and needed only two putts to win.

His last four victories had come in playoff - the American Express Championship, Dunlop Phoenix, Buick Invitational and the Dubai Desert Classic.

Toms wasn't beating himself up for a bogey on the 18th, simply because it's one of the toughest closing holes on the PGA Tour. The average score was 4.5 on Sunday.

He was more frustrated by his 70 in the third round, which left him three shots behind Woods.

"When you play against Tiger, you can't slip up," Toms said. "You just have to play solid every day."

Even though Woods had a two-shot lead, he was in no position to play it safe with so many players poised to make a move and only a gentle breeze that took some teeth out of the Blue Monster.

Villegas made eagle on the first hole to get within one, and birdies on the sixth and seventh holes brought him to within two shots. But the young Colombian went seven straight holes without a birdie and fell too far behind.

With no one making a serious run, Woods kept it simple.

He added a birdie at No. 5 with a big drive and a sand wedge that spun back to 4 feet, and he hit wedge out of the rough on the sixth to 6 feet to reach 20 under.

Then Toms showed up, and Woods found another gear.

Woods now has won four of his six last tournaments worldwide. Doral will host a World Golf Championship next year, although that might make Woods even more tough. He already has won 10 of those.


Divots
Phil Mickelson hit into the water on the eighth and ninth holes and wound up with a 73 to tie for 12th. ... Tiger Woods' caddie, Steve Williams, recently took possession of a Ford GT that came with Woods' victory last year. This time, he opted for the copper Mustang. Asked if his wife had any say over who got the car, Woods said, "No, she has others." ... Jeff Sluman matched the best round of the day at 66 and moved up 27 spots into a tie for seventh. ... Among those in the gallery Sunday was seven-time LPGA winner Michelle McGann, who was watching Rich Beem. They both work with Dr. Michael Larden.

[bigsmooth]

anytime phil "snickerson" chokes it is ok with me. his C cups look like they could be a D cup by the masters! maybe "micklepickle" should back away form the table and hit the range!

[PAmedic]

oh no you didn't.

Leftie's my boy- where do you think I learned my mad golf skills?

[PAmedic]

this one's just for SMOOTHIE!

Mickelson completes wire-to-wire win

DULUTH, Georgia (AP) - After posting the lowest total of his career and finishing with the fourth-best score in relation to par in PGA Tour history, Phil Mickelson faced a big question:
Does he have anything left for the Masters this week?

For those who chased Mickelson in the BellSouth Classic, the answer was daunting.

"It was a great week, don't get me wrong, but I didn't feel like it couldn't be repeated," he said.

"I don't feel like I don't have more made putts or more iron shots in me or more drives in the fairway. I feel like I'm starting to play well. ... I expect to do the same, or I hope to do the same, at least."

Mickelson made a 24-foot eagle putt on No. 18 to cap his dominant, wire-to-wire victory Sunday with a score worthy of being remembered as more than just a Masters momentum-builder.

Mickelson's final-round 65 gave him a 28-under 260 total - a tournament record and also a personal mark - and a 13-stroke victory. Andy Bean (1979) and Dave Barr (1987) had 265 totals in the BellSouth. Mickelson's previous low 72-hole total in any tournament was 262 in the 2004 Bob Hope Classic.

Mickelson was three strokes away from the PGA Tour-record 31 under by Ernie Els in the 2003 Mercedes Championship on a par-73 course.

"He is doing absolutely everything right," said Johnson, who was part of Mickelson's threesome. "I can't think of a missed shot he hit, really. ... It was a display of just - whether you have a lead or don't have a lead - of perfect golf."

Mickelson, the 2004 Masters champion, will try to become the first player since Sandy Lyle in 1988 to win the Masters after winning the previous week. Lyle won the 1988 Greensboro Open before winning in Augusta.

Art Wall (1959 Azalea Open) and Sam Snead (1949 Greensboro Open) also had PGA Tour wins the week before winning in Augusta.

"I feel as though I'm starting to get really sharp as far as distance control and some of the areas I've been working on," Mickelson said. "I think those areas are going to be critical next week for a good performance at Augusta, especially given the changes and how difficult it's playing."

Added Mickelson: "But I can promise you, the scores will not be anywhere near."

Only Els, Joe Durant and Tim Herron have finished with better scores in relation to par. Durant (2001) and Herron (2003) each were 29 under through four rounds of the 90-hole Bob Hope Classic.

Jose Maria Olazabal and Zach Johnson tied for second at 15-under 273.

"He pretty much set the pace the first two days, and it was hard to catch him," Olazabal said.

Olazabal, who had a 69 Sunday, also tied for second in the BellSouth last year, losing in a five-man playoff won by Mickelson.

Johnson, the 2004 BellSouth champion, had a 70 Sunday and said the course didn't feel as if it should have given up a 28 under to any golfer.

"That's just unbelievable," Johnson said. "I mean, 13 shots better. That was complete domination."

Mickelson matched the course record with an opening 63 Thursday and was 5 under or better every day. The left-hander's first win of the year made him the tournament's first three-time champion. He also won the 2000 event.

J.J. Henry and Retief Goosen tied for fourth at 14 under. Goosen moved up with a 66 Sunday. Jonathan Byrd was sixth at 12 under.

Mickelson was on a roll, with an eagle and two birdies on his first five holes of the back nine, when play was halted due to the threat of lightning.

At the time of the afternoon delay, he was 27 under.

The 45-minute delay, which included a short but heavy rain, cooled Mickelson's hot streak. He bogeyed No. 15 and had two pars before his dramatic eagle finish.

This was the sixth time in eight years the tournament had a weather delay. Mickelson's first two wins here came in years the tournament was shortened to 54 holes due to bad weather.

The frequent struggles with bad weather helped persuade tournament organizers to move the event to May, beginning in 2007.

No one from the pack competing for second place made a sustained charge at Mickelson.

Mickelson began the back nine with a 10-stroke lead over Byrd. After a birdie on No. 10, Mickelson's slam-dunk of the day came on No. 13. He smashed his drive on the par-4, 322-yard hole, leaving himself a 4-foot putt for the eagle.

David Toms, the fourth-leading money winner on the tour who opened with a 75 Thursday, was 12 under the last three days. His 67 Sunday left him at 9-under 279.

Luke Donald, No. 8 on the money list, had a 66 Sunday to finish 10 under.

Davis Love III followed last week's second-round crash in The Players Championship with a 2-under 286. Love shared the lead last week with a first-round 65, but he missed the cut following his second-round 83.

[PAmedic]

and I say "guys" in the non-gender-specific tense.
Personally, I have no issue w/ it, assuming the LPGA has no problem allowing Tiger, Vijay or Ernie tee off at a ladies event as well. We wouldn't want to discriminate now, would we. Or admit that it wouldn't be fair to allow men in the ladies tourneys- hey, that would be sexist!

Wie commits to John Deere in July

EAST MOLINE, Ill. (AP) - Michelle Wie will take another crack at the PGA Tour, with the 16-year-old golfer competing at the John Deere Classic in July.

The tournament granted her a sponsor's exemption Wednesday.
This will be the fifth time Wie plays on the PGA Tour, and she had her most success at the John Deere. A year ago, Wie was inside the cut until a double bogey on the 16th hole and a bogey on the 17th to miss by two shots. The Hawaiian finished two rounds at 1-under 141.

"Michelle Wie is one of the biggest stars in golf today, and we are thrilled that she has accepted our invitation to play," tournament director Clair Peterson said.

Wie played the Sony Open this year, missing the cut for the third straight time. No woman has made the cut on the PGA Tour since Babe Zaharias in 1945.

The John Deere Classic will be held July 13-16.

[A.G.]

If I am not mistaken (and I rarely am), the LPGA has in its bylaws, a statement that a participant HAS to be female.

[bigsmooth]

great wire to wire win for the ole C cup! im sure he will be a big factor at augusta...im hoping for a tiger/snickerson final group on sunday.

[Hold My Own]

dont mean to change sex's on yall but did yall see the LPGA, Wee showed that she can hang, and not to mention Gulbis I had no idea she was that pretty and she also dated Big Ben in Pitt....Google has all the ins and outs

[bigsmooth]

HMO, you must get natalie's calendar...very nice my man. as far as wie, we all know she can hang... two thirds and one 1oth place finish in major championships, but she needs to win on the LPGA, instead of playing in PGA events righ now IMHO.

[PAmedic]

If I am not mistaken (and I rarely am), the LPGA has in its bylaws, a statement that a participant HAS to be female.

They may- the Euro-LPGA did as well until a trans-sexual was ready to sue them (or perhaps did successfully?) to gain admittance. Former guy, now girl - he/she plays regularly but I don't think IT is very competetive.


Its still a double standard: heroic stand for equality for the ladies and a simply ridiculous, unfair suggestion if a man were to propose it. Just ask Vijay how he feels about it- and his comments were about Annika Sorenstamm, who everyone respects.

[Hold My Own]

HMO, you must get natalie's calendar...very nice my man. as far as wie, we all know she can hang... two thirds and one 1oth place finish in major championships, but she needs to win on the LPGA, instead of playing in PGA events righ now IMHO.

Yeah, I went to Google Image's and a few from FHM and a few others came up, WOW....but it seems that Ricky Barnes may have something to say about me going and sweeping her off her feet....but boy what a catch!

[PAmedic]

Any of you fellow hackers watching this. Between the Golf Channel, USA and CBS its available pretty much 24/7.

Very wet yesterday but they managed to re-start the round at about 5:30 Eastern time and were able to play for a couple of hours- most had to wait until Sunday to finish up.

My man Phil has the lead at -3, Chad Campbell looked pretty strong earlier but I forsee Tiger making his normal charge. I don't see Freddie Couples hanging in there but I could be wrong. He's only made 22 straight cuts!

I'm thinking 4 or 5 under wins the thing.

[A.G.]

Medic's insightful analysis make one wonder if he is the Master of his domain??