Results for January 2009
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"A boozed-up band of xenophobic morons"
Golf writer John Huggan weighed in in Scotland on Sunday on the selection of Colin Montgomerie as the European Ryder Cup captain in 2010, explaining, as the headline said, why Monty's time is now. Among the reasons, Huggan explained, is that 2012 would not work inasmuch as the Ryder Cup then will be played at Medinah, outside Chicago, "a city...
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If only she could kick the ball
Brandi Chastain scored the winning goal for the U.S. in the 1999 Women's World Cup Soccer Final at the Rose Bowl in front of 90,000 screaming fans and has thrown out the first pitch at sold-out Yankee Stadium. None of that will prepare her playing in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am for the first time. The gritty Chastain welcomes the...
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PGA Tour vs. Ginn Resorts
The PGA Tour wasted no time suing Ginn Resorts, citing a breach of contract for withdrawing its sponsorship of the Champions Tour Ginn Championship. It's the tour's right, of course, but in doing so it seems to have forgotten that it was Ginn Resorts that bailed out the PGA Tour in 2007 by stepping in as a replacement for the...
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More bleeding
Bruno's Supermarkets has withdrawn as the presenting sponsor of the Champions Tour's Regions Charity Classic, the Birmingham (Ala.) Business Journal is reporting today. Bruno's founded the event in 1992, when it was known as the Bruno's Memorial Tournament. In 2006, Regions Financial Corp. took over title sponsorship, when it became the Regions Charity Classic Presented by Bruno's Supermarkets. There is...
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Youth movement
Amateur Cecilia Cho, 14, was tied for third after the first round of the New Zealand Women's Open, three strokes behind leader Katherine Hull. Amateur Alexis Thompson, 13, just received an invitation to play in the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the LPGA's first major. Korean-American Karen Kim, 9, of Linwood, Calif., is "being touted as the 'next Michelle Wie,'" according to...
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Tiger sighting
The Orlando Sentinel reported Friday that Tiger Woods attended the Orlando Magic-Cleveland Cavaliers game Thursday night. The paper observed that perhaps the best athletes from three sports were on hand, including NASCAR's Jimmie Johnson and the Cavaliers' own LeBron James. The question that remains is when Tiger will be seen at a golf tournament. It was posed to his instructor...
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Acrobat Dies at FBR Dinner Event
Angel Vera Rodriguez, an aerial acrobat, died Tuesday night Jan. 27 after performing at a dinner before the FBR Open. Angel Vera, as he was known by, was attempting to land from a height of about 15 or 20 feet when he fell on his head, according to witnesses. More than 700 people were attending the function at the Birds...
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The gravy train derailing
The news that Ginn Resorts has canceled its sponsorship of the LPGA Ginn Open and the Champions Tour Ginn Championship is probably a harbinger of a host of sponsorship problems in professional golf. A quick check of the financial health of Friedman Billings Ramsey Group Inc., for instance, reveals that its stock, which was trading as high as $3.68 a...
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"Better than a young Tiger Woods"
Rory McIlroy, 19, opened the Dubai Desert Classic with an eight-under par 64 that placed him in the lead and drew accolades from Mark O'Meara, who was asked the obligatory questions about comparisons with Tiger Woods at a similar age. O'Meara, who shot 77 playing alongside McIlroy on Thursday, told the Scotsman, "Ball-striking wise at 19, he's probably better than...
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PGA of America President Jim Remy on Captain Monty
ORLANDO -- Wednesday's selection of Colin Montgomerie as European Ryder Cup captain for the 2010 matches at Celtic Manor in Wales might have surprised a few observers on the home front who thought the Scotsman might make a bid to play in his ninth matches. Some eyebrows were raised in the U.S. as well, including those of Jim Remy, president...
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