March 21st, 2010 by PGA Golf Art

Ending months of rumor, innuendo and speculation, Tiger Woods today announced, in a statement posted on his Web site, that he will return to golf at The Masters. The Masters takes place April 8-11.

“The Masters is where I won my first major, and I view this tournament with great respect,” Woods is quoted in the post on tigerwoods.com. “After a long and necessary time away from the game, I feel like I’m ready to start my season at Augusta.”

Woods’ return had recently been rumored for the Tavistock Cup early next week, the Arnold Palmer Invitational later next week, and The Masters. The Masters is the winner.

“The major championships have always been a special focus in my career and, as a professional, I think Augusta is where I need to be, even though it’s been awhile since I last played,” Woods said.

Woods’ last tournament was the Australian Masters in mid-November, which he won. Less than two weeks later, Woods’ now-infamous one-car accident occurred outside his home. And shortly after that, the alleged “Tiger mistresses” started appearing in the pages of tabloids and gossip magazines, launching the Tiger Woods scandals.

While Woods will have missed nearly four months of tournament time by the time of The Masters, he has skipped only three PGA Tour events he normally plays: The Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines; the Accenture Match Play Championship; and the CA Championship. He always plays the Arnold Palmer Invitational, too, but won’t this year.

In his statement, Woods addressed his therapy and the decision about the timing of his return:

“I have undergone almost two months of inpatient therapy, and I am continuing my treatment. Although I’m returning to competition, I still have a lot of work to do in my personal life.

“When I finally got into a position to think about competitive golf again, it became apparent to me that the Masters would be the earliest I could play. I called both Joe Lewis and Arnold Palmer and expressed my regrets for not attending the Tavistock Cup and the Arnold Palmer Invitational. I again want to thank them both for their support and their understanding. Those are fantastic tournaments, and I look forward to competing in them again.”

Vote: How will Tiger Woods finish at the 2010 Masters?

It’s Official: Tiger Woods Back at The Masters originally appeared on About.com Golf on Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 at 10:58:10.

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March 20th, 2010 by PGA Golf Art

If so, we’d like to hear about your Masters experience. If you’ve attended The Masters, whether on practice days or tournament days, click over to the submission form and tell us what the experience was like. You can share advice for others and you can include a couple photos of your Masters trip.

Share your Masters experience

Have You Attended The Masters? originally appeared on About.com Golf on Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 at 05:22:05.

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March 19th, 2010 by PGA Golf Art

If so, we’d like to hear about your Masters experience. If you’ve attended The Masters, whether on practice days or tournament days, click over to the submission form and tell us what the experience was like. You can share advice for others and you can include a couple photos of your Masters trip.

Share your Masters experience

Have You Attended The Masters? originally appeared on About.com Golf on Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 at 05:22:05.

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March 18th, 2010 by PGA Golf Art

The PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open is finishing up today after weather delays last week, but it’s also the start of a new tournament week. The Tour heads to the Tampa, Fla., area this week for the Transitions Championship.

A South African won last week - Ernie Els at the WGC CA Championship - and a South African is the defending champion at the Transitions. That would be Retief Goosen, who in 2009 became the second double-winner at the Transitions.

The strong field includes Luke Donald, Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk, Sergio Garcia, Ryo Ishikawa, Geoff Ogilvy, Ian Poulter, Vijay Singh and Steve Stricker. John Daly and David Duval are also in the field.

Check the Transitions Championship tourney profile for the list of past champions and more tourney info.

This Week: Transitions Championship originally appeared on About.com Golf on Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 10:19:33.

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March 17th, 2010 by PGA Golf Art

The Acushnet Company (a subsidiary of Fortune Brands, Inc.) is the owner of the Titleist, Pinnacle and FootJoy brands.

And the Cobra Golf brand. But not for long. Acushnet has agreed to sell Cobra to Puma, whose golf business has heretofore been limited to accessories such as shoes and apparel.

“With the sale of Cobra, we have the opportunity to devote all of our resources to the global growth of our industry-leading Titleist and FootJoy brands,” Wally Uihlein, Chairman and CEO of Acushnet Company, says in the company news release announcing the sale.

Assuming regulatory approval, Puma acquires the Cobra brand, along with inventory, intellectual property and endorsement contracts. Camilo Villegas, Ian Poulter and J.B. Holmes are among the tour pros playing Cobra equipment.

Acushnet will continue to provide production and distribution of Cobra Golf equipment, along with customer service, for the time being, in agreement with Puma, until Puma is ready to assume those services itself. That servicing agreement extends beyond the closing of the sale, but the period of time is unspecified in the announcements today by Acushnet and Puma.

History of Cobra Golf

Acushnet Sells Cobra Golf to Puma originally appeared on About.com Golf on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 10:52:02.

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March 15th, 2010 by PGA Golf Art

What would happen if you tried to duplicate Camilo Villegas’ so-called “Spider-Man pose” for reading greens? I could probably get down into the position, but would need the help of three buddies to get back up again.

Villegas became a fan favorite early in his PGA Tour career, well before he established himself as a star by winning, in part due to the unique method he employs for reading greens. Villegas gets low. Very low. He strikes the Spider-Man pose. Check out some images of Villegas employing his green-reading technique, and cast your vote in a poll on the last page.

Camilo Villegas’ Spidey Sense originally appeared on About.com Golf on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at 21:11:31.

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March 14th, 2010 by PGA Golf Art

Paula Creamer withdrew from the LPGA season opener a couple weeks ago after re-injuring her left thumb. Since then, she’s posted a few updates on Twitter, including about the raft of hand specialists she’s visited. Creamer has had appointments in Detroit, Cincinnati and Alabama.

What are the findings? You only have to follow Creamer on Twitter to get the news straight from her. Short version: Strained ligament, hyperextended joint, return to LPGA action up in the air.

The (only slightly) longer version was posted in four tweets. I’ve put those tweets together into this statement from Creamer:

“Many of you have been wondering what the latest is with my thumb. I have been diagnosed as having a stretched ligament in my left thumb. This leads to hyperextension of my MCP joint. I’ve learned more in the last 2 weeks about orthopedic sports medicine than I ever thought I would. Anyway, I’m working with an occupational therapist now to determine if I can wear a support brace while playing. It’s too early right now to say when I’ll be able to return to play. Thanks everyone for your concern, support, and all the get well wishes you have sent.”

I’m sure I speak for our readers when adding our own get-well wishes. The LPGA needs Creamer’s star power. It’s three weeks before the LPGA plays again, at the Kia Classic Presented by J Golf, March 25-28.

See also:

• Paula Creamer pictures

Creamer Tweets Injury Update originally appeared on About.com Golf on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 11:22:05.

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March 13th, 2010 by PGA Golf Art

Tiger Woods is back practicing at the Isleworth Country Club driving range, and some fellow PGA Tour pros are taking notice. So far, Charles Howell III and J.B. Holmes have both shared the range with Woods, and both came away impressed.

Howell told CBSSports.com that he spent an hour with Woods, including watching Tiger hit balls. Did Woods look rusty? No:

“… (H)e looked as good as he ever has,” Howell said. “Seriously, he seemed like he was hitting it the same as he ever did.”

Holmes watched Woods from the other end of the Isleworth range, and told Golfweek:

“I watched him hit about five or six drivers, and it looked like they all ended up in a 10-yard area. I said to myself, ‘It looks like he’s hitting it pretty good.’ “

The Masters is one month away. Between then and now, there are two PGA Tour events that Woods plays, the WGC CA Championship next week and the Arnold Palmer Invitational March 25-28. There’s also the Tavistock Cup March 22-23, an event that has been the subject of speculation as a potential return target for Tiger.

Meanwhile, Jack Nicklaus said of Woods’ possible return, “I can’t imagine in 100 years he’s going to miss Augusta.”

What do you think?

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Tiger Turning Heads on Driving Range originally appeared on About.com Golf on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 13:42:11.

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March 12th, 2010 by PGA Golf Art

Tiger Woods is back practicing at the Isleworth Country Club driving range, and some fellow PGA Tour pros are taking notice. So far, Charles Howell III and J.B. Holmes have both shared the range with Woods, and both came away impressed.

Howell told CBSSports.com that he spent an hour with Woods, including watching Tiger hit balls. Did Woods look rusty? No:

“… (H)e looked as good as he ever has,” Howell said. “Seriously, he seemed like he was hitting it the same as he ever did.”

Holmes watched Woods from the other end of the Isleworth range, and told Golfweek:

“I watched him hit about five or six drivers, and it looked like they all ended up in a 10-yard area. I said to myself, ‘It looks like he’s hitting it pretty good.’ “

The Masters is one month away. Between then and now, there are two PGA Tour events that Woods plays, the WGC CA Championship next week and the Arnold Palmer Invitational March 25-28. There’s also the Tavistock Cup March 22-23, an event that has been the subject of speculation as a potential return target for Tiger.

Meanwhile, Jack Nicklaus said of Woods’ possible return, “I can’t imagine in 100 years he’s going to miss Augusta.”

What do you think?

<SCRIPT LANGUAGE= “javaScript” SRC=”http://guidepolls.about.com/golf/7727836248/poll.js?linkback=“>

Tiger Turning Heads on Driving Range originally appeared on About.com Golf on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 13:42:11.

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March 11th, 2010 by PGA Golf Art

John Daly’s reality TV show on the Golf Channel debuted this week. But John Daly’s reality remains far more attention-grabbing than any reality show.

Daly is taking fire today because he used his Twitter account to post a newspaper reporter’s cell phone number, to call that reporter a “jerk,” and to urge his followers to call the reporter. Presumably not to wish the reporter a good night and a pleasant tomorrow.

Here’s the chain the events:

• Back in 2005, Daly filed a lawsuit against Morris Publishing, a media company, claiming libel.
• As part of that lawsuit, the PGA Tour was forced to turn over its personnel file on Daly. That file thus became public record.
• Last year, the lawsuit was thrown out, and Daly was ordered to pay Morris’ court fees.
• On Tuesday, Gary Smits, a reporter for the Florida Times-Union - a newspaper owned by Morris Publishing - had an article detailing the contents of that personnel file: 456 pages of transgressions by Daly (more on that in a sec).
• Late Tuesday, Daly posted three tweets that included attacks on the reporter and the reporter’s cell phone number.
• Early Wednesday, Daly removed the tweets.

But the tweets have been saved for posterity by multiple sources, including the Associated Press, which reports this is how they read: Read more…

Discuss: John Daly’s Latest originally appeared on About.com Golf on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 17:38:31.

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