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The Grind: Jason Collins' announcement, Rory's b-day gifts & pies in the face

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:30:00 GMT

Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we are really impressed by Jason Collins. It takes a lot of guts to do what he did. A finely-tuned professional athlete coming out and admitting he's a bad golfer? Well done. Ohhh, that wasn't the big announcement? He also did what?! Wow. Good for him and hopefully others will follow. And great job by him to pay tribute to a cause close to his heart by wearing the No. 98. We just hope he doesn't think that's the type of score he should settle for on the golf course. After all, the NBA's off-season coincides perfectly with the golf season in most of this country. Jason, get to work!

WE'RE BUYING

Billy Horschel. We saw this one coming when we plugged him into our lineup last week. Then again, didn't everyone? It seemed like Horschel was going to keep playing every week until he finally got his first PGA Tour win. A Sunday 64, including a dramatic 27-footer for birdie on the final hole, got it done. While the former college star probably felt this was a long time coming, he pleasantly reminded us that you don't have to take a long time to hit a shot to be a good golfer.

We'd hoot and holler like we just won a million bucks, too, if we just won a million bucks.

Tianlang Guan. For a second time this month, this 14-year-old phenom teed it up at a PGA Tour event and for a second time, he made the cut. To put this accomplishment in perspective, keep in mind Tiger Woods didn't make a PGA Tour cut until he was 19 and in his eighth try at the 1995 Masters.

Related: Golfers who play fast

Inbee Park. Or should we just start calling the No. 1 player in women's golf "Winbee"?

WE'RE SELLING

PGA Tour drug testing. Greg Norman ripped the PGA Tour's drug testing policy, pointing out that the Vijay Singh situation could just be the tip of the iceberg. While we agree the PGA Tour has been lax on this issue (there's no reason golf should lag behind other professional sports), we just wish it didn't come from Norman. Adam Scott's recent Masters win for Australia seems to have put Norman back in the spotlight -- and the Shark seems to be eating it up.

PGA Tour weather. From fog to snow, we've seen every possible type of delay in the book this year. But a lightning delay with the two contenders -- one of whom has been agonizingly close to getting his first tour win of late -- in the middle of the FINAL hole of regulation? C'mon, Mother Nature. That's just cruel.

Michael Jordan. We love MJ's passion for the game, but a wedding reception on a golf course? On a Saturday? How are the members of the Bear's Club supposed to keep their games sharp? Oh right, they all probably just played at one of their other clubs over the weekend. However, we are NOT selling Yvette Prieto, Jordan's new wife. In addition to being beautiful, she even puts up with sitting through Charlotte Bobcats games with the team owner (above).

ON TAP

Speaking of Charlotte, the PGA Tour heads there for the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow. Unfortunately, a couple of the course's greens had to undergo emergency replacement recently. This means the pros might actually have to play a couple less-than-perfect greens for the first time in years. What an OUTRAGE!

Random tournament fact: This is the only event in which Tiger Woods has missed the cut twice as a pro. In semi-related news, Tiger Woods isn't playing this week.

WEEKLY YAHOO! FANTASY LINEUP

Why were we such big fans of Horschel's win in New Orleans? A. We had him in our lineup last week; B. We pegged him as one of our Sleeper Picks heading into this season and highlighted him as the guy on the list with the most potential. Man, do we look smart now. . .

Starters -- (A-List): Bill Haas. The 2011 FedEx Cup champ played his college golf up the road at Wake Forest University and has a pair of T-4s on this course.

(B-List): Webb Simpson. Another Demon Deacon with a good track record here, Simpson lives in Charlotte. He'll get to feel what it's like to commute to work for a week and should have plenty of crowd support.

(B-List): Lucas Glover. The 54-hole leader in New Orleans is familiar with being in contention at Quail Hollow as well. He won here in 2011 and was a runner-up in 2009.

(C-List): Lee Westwood. The former World No. 1 finally got the hang of this track last year with a T-5 (68-66 over the weekend) and seems to be hitting his stride with back-to-back top 10s. We also liked his hungover report on Twitter following his 40th birthday celebration.

Bench -- Rory McIlroy (2010 champ), Zach Johnson, John Senden, Rickie Fowler (2012 champ).

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Geoff Shackelford's headline says it all: "Oosthuizen's 500-yard, 120-second cart path drive." As if these guys needed any help with distance.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

-- Phil Mickelson will conduct a 10-minute interview/lecture on Quail Hollow's two make-shift greens and the different types of Bermuda grass: 2-to-1 odds

-- Tianlang Guan has a lot of homework to catch up on: LOCK

-- Michael Jordan will find a way to play golf while on his honeymoon: LOCK

THIS WEEK IN DUSTIN JOHNSON-PAULINA GRETZKY PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION

Paulina tweeted this photo to DJ and he retweeted it. Teamwork!

THIS WEEK IN RORY MCILROY-CAROLINE WOZNIACKI PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION

Via Twitter: "Got these awesome early birthday presents last night from @CaroWozniacki! #lucky" Apparently, Rory loves him some Louis Vuitton.

THIS WEEK IN TIGER WOODS-LINDSEY VONN DISPLAYS OF PUBLIC AFFECTION

(. . . )

THIS AND THAT

A 12-year-old will play in this week's China Open,, breaking the European Tour record. Two questions: Why isn't Guan playing in this and is this kid his younger brother? . . . Muirfield was lengthened for this year's Open championship. Why? Because every course HAS to be lengthened before it hosts a major again. . . . Brad Faxon gave Jeff Sluman a vicious pie in the face after the two teamed up to win last week's Legends of Golf event on the Champions Tour (Unfortunately, there's no picture. Hence, the photo of Evan Longoria giving the treatment to a Rays teammate). It's one thing for younger guys to do this, but the over-50 crowd? We're just glad no one involved was hurt. . . .

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

When will a professional male golfer come out as gay?

Is this Dumb and Dumber sequel really going to happen?

What did Tiger get Michael and Yvette as a wedding gift?

-- 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.

Celebrity caddies in the Masters Par 3

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 20:03:00 GMT

By Sam Weinman

The Masters Par 3 is the rare tournament players aren't overly keen on winning. Or so goes the superstition since no one has ever won the Par 3 and the Masters in the same year.

But what the tournament lacks in cutthroat competition, it makes up for in surprise cameos. Take, for instance, the presence of Caroline Wozniacki, who caddied for boyfriend Rory McIlroy on Wednesday. The sight of a former world No. 1 tennis player in a caddie jumpsuit might be groundbreaking material if not for the fact that by Par 3 standards, celebrity caddies are nothing new.

Below our list of noteworthies:

Andy Roddick: The now-retired tennis star, himself an avid golfer, looped for Zach Johnson in the Par 3 in 2011. The two hadn't met prior to that day, but they got along well enough for Johnson to let Roddick get in a swing himself, which he summarily dunked in the water.

Matt Ryan: The Atlanta Falcons quarterback got the nod from Stewart Cink in 2012. Ryan, who had played a few rounds with Cink in the past, got in a swing as well, which he said drifted "way too far to the right."

Chris Evert: Are you picking up on the tennis player theme? Evert had married Greg Norman the previous summer when she caddied for the Shark in Par 3. In fact, Norman even made a hole in one on the sixth hole that day. It wasn't enough to save their marriage, however. They divorced later that year.

Kelly Tilghman: The Golf Channel anchor had a chance to caddie for Arnold Palmer in a group that also included Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player in 2008. Palmer allowed the former college golfer a swing of her own, which Tilghman barely cleared the water with.

David Robinson: The 7-foot-2 NBA All-Star center comprised one half of an odd couple when he looped for 5-foot-9 Corey Pavin in 1997. Robinson wasn't the only boldfaced name in a jumpsuit that week. Eagles lead singer Glen Frey caddied for Brad Faxon.

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The Grind: Jim Nantz's week, Tiger's task, Augusta's food & Masters picks

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:53:00 GMT

By Alex Myers

Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we're starting to question Jim Nantz's whole "Hello, friends" routine. After all, the guy will go straight from covering one of the most exciting Final Fours ever to working golf's most-anticipated event. Considering how jealous we all are, wouldn't "Hello, resentful viewers" be more appropriate? In any matter, the Masters is finally upon us. HELLO, FRIEND! We've missed you. . .

So that's why the grass is so perfect at Augusta National. . . (Photo: Getty Images)

WE'RE BUYING

The Masters Classic Chicken Sandwich. As in, we'd buy a sack of these bad boys to feast on all day if we were at Augusta National. After being off the menu for a couple years, this legend has returned to the Masters. The price is apparently up to $3 now (the highest of any food item), but they're well worth it. Those things are fit to be served at the Champions Dinner.

Martin Laird. OK, where did that come from?! Before his final-round 63 at TPC San Antonio netted him a third career PGA Tour victory, Laird had missed the cut in four of six events and a T-34 was his best finish in 2013. His club even finished in last place at the recent Tavistock Cup. The only downside for this win was the timing, as everyone's attention had already shifted toward Augusta before he even collected his winning check. At least, now the Scot will be teeing it up there.

Inbee Park. If we feel bad for Laird, then we really feel bad for the winner of the LPGA season's first major. John Daly has already received more attention for setting up his trailer at the Augusta Hooters this week.

WE'RE SELLING

Darren Clarke. We're nearing the two-year anniversary of the Northern Irishman's out-of-the-blue win at the British Open. It seems even more out-of-the-blue now considering how little he's done since. Clarke withdrew from the Masters earlier this week due to a pulled hamstring. That must be one bad hammy.

Sunburns. I go to Miami for a bachelor party, get out in the sun for a few hours for the first time this year, and I come back with my forehead and shoulders more red than the average Tiger Woods Sunday golf shirt. How come we never hear about this happening to tour pros? These guys really are good.

Donald Trump. Speaking of said trip to Miami, our group ventured to Doral, where I snapped the above lovely photo of the Blue Monster being renovated. First off, thanks, Donald, for not waiting to start digging until after our trip. Second, what are you doing? Are you trying to "Tiger-proof" a course where Woods has won eight times? Do you not want people to watch? You're fired!

ON TAP

It's Masters week. Woo! Enough said.

Random tournament fact: You probably know or have heard that the Masters is the most enjoyable event to attend, but what doesn't hurt that indisputable fact is that the civil atmosphere makes it the event in which tour wives and girlfriends mingle most. I was standing next to one a few years back when another patron started talking to her. "So, are you following Adam Scott?" he chuckled. "Um, no. I'm following my husband. . . Phil Mickelson."

WEEKLY YAHOO! FANTASY LINEUP

Gotta admit, there's not a lot of creativity this week, as I went with more chalk than in Dick Vitale's typical NCAA bracket. If you want to see some better analysis, check out GolfDigest.com's first-ever Masters fantasy draft. If I win, I get to run GeoffShackelford.com for a day. Just kidding, Geoff! Or am I. . .

Starters -- (A-List): Tiger Woods. In one word? Back. In another? Due. The march to Nicklaus' majors record resumes this week.

(B-List): Justin Rose. The third-ranked player in the world is going to win a major at some point. Why not now? (See above for answer)

(B-List): Matt Kuchar. Kuch has steadily been building toward breaking through at a major the past few years, including his close call at Augusta last year.

(C-List): Adam Scott. Like Rose and Kuchar, it just seems like a matter of time before he wins a big one. Doing it this week would be especially sweet after letting the claret jug slip away from him last summer.

Bench -- Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Fredrik Jacobson and Charl Schwartzel.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Not surprisingly, Augusta natives are very proud of having the attention of the sports world for the week. So much so that apparently some of the younger residents ditch "more normal" spring break activities to hang around for the week. And apparently, some of those people even feel strongly enough to write long, original songs about the experience. As this lovely, young lady says, "Sit back, relax, grab an Arnold Palmer and enjoy."

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

-- Tiger Woods will hit a shot out of the pine straw at some point: 2-to-1 odds

-- It will make for a fantastic photo: LOCK

-- Augusta National will run out of Masters Chicken Sandwiches, BEDLAM ensues: Let's not bet on this. It would be too painful for those there.

THIS AND THAT

The Masters unveiled a drive, chip and putt contest for kids, ages 7-15, beginning next year at Augusta National. Fourteen-year-old phenom Guan Tianlang, who is in the field this week, has been listed as an early favorite. . . . Caroline Wozniacki will caddie for boyfriend Rory McIlroy at Wednesday's Par-3 Contest. Wozzilroy! . . . Mojitos in Miami are really good.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

How many navy blazers does Jim Nantz own?

Why doesn't CBS do a "One Shining Moment" montage video for the Masters?

Can someone bring me one of those chicken sandwiches back from Augusta?

-- 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.

Golf World Monday: Rory's noticeable no-show

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 13:40:00 GMT

By E. Michael Johnson

From the March 25 issue of Golf World Monday:

Photo by Getty Images

Even when not playing, Rory McIlroy (shown watching girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki play a tennis match Thursday in Key Biscayne, Fla.) is a topic of conversation. However, it wasn't just that McIlroy took a week off. He took a pass on the Arnold Palmer Invitational and when you get an invite from The King, people expect you to show -- among them, Palmer.

"Frankly, I thought he was going to play," said Palmer. "I was as surprised as a lot of people when he decided he was not going to play."

Graeme McDowell, however, backed his fellow Ulsterman. "I don't think he is disrespecting [Palmer]," said McDowell. "It's Arnold's tournament, and he's an icon of our sport, but we all know what schedules are all about."

McDowell referenced his own experience with Jack Nicklaus' Memorial tournament, saying he was "embarrassed" about not playing, but it was merely a scheduling issue.

"I feel for guys like Rory who are in the spotlight," McDowell continued. "But it's a 50-50 one. The guys want to be here, and they want to respect the legends and traditions of the sport. But it's hard to play every week."

As McIlroy found out, sometimes it's hard not playing too.

Follow @EMichaelGW

Golf's Highest-Profile Couples

Alex Myers — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Our list of the golf couples with the most star power, both past and present.

'Woohoo!': The curly one's great year and what it portends

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 16:09:00 GMT

By John Strege

The curly one, as his tennis star girl friend Caroline Wozniacki routinely calls him, punctuated his remarkable year with an exclamation point on Sunday. Or rather she did. Three of them, in fact, none superfluous. "Woohoo! Great year from the curly one! Amazing finish!" she wrote on Twitter.

It was Tiger-like, chillingly efficient, Rory McIlroy closing his round and his season with five straight birdies that gave him a two-stroke victory in the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.

(Photo by Getty Images)

The payoff was Tiger-like, too. He previously had clinched the Race to Dubai, for which he received a $1 million bonus. The tournament victory pushed his Sunday take to $2.4 million, and he earned nearly $12 million for the season.

Comparisons to Woods are unavoidable, given McIlroy's ascent to No. 1 in the World Ranking and the dominance with which he is flirting. Context advises caution, however, notwithstanding the similarities: At 23, each won the PGA Championship, the second major for both, and each was named the PGA Tour player of the year.

McIlroy might be close to matching strides with Woods at a similar age, but Tiger had located a gear that separated him from history. In 1999, at 23, he won eight times. The following year, he won 10, including three major championships. The curve rapidly got steeper.

But context is no fun, unlike McIlroy, who exudes an infectious joy. In this regard, McIlroy has separated himself from Woods. Tiger's unsurpassed talent gave us a multitude of reasons to admire him, but none to embrace him. He steadfastly refused to let the outside world in, even for a glimpse. He named his yacht "Privacy" for a reason.

The curly one, conversely, has no aversion to allowing the outside world in. There was the photo he posted on Twitter of Wozniacki, head on arms, asleep, presumably in the clubhouse, during a long day at the Barclays Singapore Open a few weeks ago. She in turn posted a photo of McIlroy asleep on a Dubai beach the following week. "Just getting my revenge," she wrote.

Early last week, Wozniacki, a welcome interloper in a McIlroy news conference at Dubai, asked, "If you win this week, am I going to get a really nice Christmas present, and what am I going to get?" The banter that followed bespoke a man comfortable in a spotlight that is burner brighter by the week.

McIlroy won three of his last five starts on the PGA Tour and one his last four on the European Tour (finishing second and third in two of the other three). He also defeated Woods in an exhibition match in China.

Tiger's aversion to losing is second only to that of his surrendering preeminence. Keep that in mind moving forward. The next few years promise to be interesting, thanks to the curly one's emergence as a bona fide rival and threat. Woohoo! indeed.

Follow @JohnStrege

Tiger's friend and foe: Advantage Rory

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 23:12:00 GMT

By John Strege

It has become increasingly difficult to hang with Rory McIlroy these days, notwithstanding the curious and cozy relationship that apparently has permitted Tiger Woods to do so, at least away from a leader board.

McIlroy, 23, won the BMW Championship on Sunday, his second straight victory and third in four starts, including the PGA Championship. This is Tiger terrain -- young and dominant.

When Woods was both, others basked in his reflected glory, in and out of golf, from Mark O'Meara to Costner and Jordan, or Marko, Kev and MJ, as Tiger called them. Tiger now gives the appearance, at least, of being similarly smitten with the player who is auditioning for the role of his heir apparent. Maybe they're not BFFs, but Tiger and McIlroy obviously enjoy one another's company, which is wholly out of character for one of them.

Photo by Getty Images

McIlroy, for his part, is an amiable superstar, one who exudes warmth and connects with people for reasons beyond his impressive skill. His love interest, tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, even calls McIlroy "the curly one," as she did via Twitter when he won the Deutsche Bank Championship a week earlier. He doesn't seem to mind.

The public display of affection has never been part of Tiger's repertoire, and when it came to any who were viable threats to his supremacy, the notion that he was capable of warmth towards them was a foreign one.

It is possible that Woods, at 36, has matured and we'll even concede that he has. But if he has mellowed as a result, it can't be in his competitive interest to have done so. Woods always internalized the competition, taking personally whatever threat it posed and responding in the best way he knew how, by burying it on the golf course.

Recall that when Stephen Ames suggested Woods, as a result of his errant driving, was vulnerable at the Accenture Match Play Championship in 2006, this was Tiger's response in the wake of their match: "Nine and eight," he said, citing the score.

Now here comes a young talent, the best since Tiger was 23, already a winner of two major championships, and Woods befriends him, meanwhile finishing T-4 at the BMW Championship and third at the Deutsche Bank Championship a week earlier, three and two strokes behind McIlroy.

The temper tantrum that has been part of Woods' repertoire and even served a useful purpose, incentive to re-double his efforts at winning, seems to have gone missing. He was uncharacteristically talkative after his latest failure, even lauding McIlroy with words that others once routinely used in describing him: "He's putting on a show out there."

It does not compute.

Then again, maybe this is the new world order in golf. McIlroy's three most recent victories have come against the best players in the world. At one point on Sunday at Crooked Stick outside Indianapolis, he was tied with Lee Westwood, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh, with Dustin Johnson and Tiger, among others, in close pursuit.

"It's great to win events like this when the quality of the fields are so good," McIlroy said.

He, too, won this one without his A game, as Woods often did. It was a great show that failed to reach its full potential only because Tiger was unable to fulfill his obligation, increasingly the case, as it were.

Woods has become an enigma. He is still one of the best players in the world (now No. 2 in the World Ranking, behind McIlroy), yet he seems somewhat out of kilter. A man who preferred keeping his friends separate from his foes, now is chasing one who is both.

Advantage Rory.

Follow @JohnStrege

Trending: Rory's back to pimping tennis

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 20:32:00 GMT

If this were, say, two weeks ago; before he won his second major at the tender age of 23, critics might interpret Rory McIlroy's latest tennis promo as another example of how his hectic schedule alongside girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki is hampering his golf game. But since he's put all of that nonsense behind him, we can go back to watching the two of them with endearing jealousy as they traverse the world getting to do cool things like drive a tennis ball at the Yale Bowl during the New Haven Open. But we do have one question for Rory: You're always promoting tennis, when is Caroline going to give golf a plug?

-- Derek Evers
Follow @derekevers

Trending: Wozzilroy is at the Olympics

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:27:00 GMT

Wait, is it is at the Olympics, or are at the Olympics? Ah well, whether or not they qualify as plural these days is rather insignificant, Rory McIlory and Caroline Wozniacki are in love, and this week they bring that love to the Olympics.

Love struck? Rory McIlroy and Caroline Wozniacki arrive at Olympic Village. Photo: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

The much-documented relationship has taken some hits in recent weeks due to the decline in their professional performances since they've started dating. Some have even gone as far as to speculate it's the reason for their failures, and now McIlroy's fellow countryman Graeme McDowell has confirmed it is true -- at least he thinks so.

Speaking to Morning Drive this week, McDowell suggested the constant travel to be with Wozniacki is wearing Rory down, and the result we're seeing in his golf game is actually fatigue. But not to worry, "he's a young kid and he has all the talent in the world. It is only a matter of time [before he comes back]."

Let's be honest, who wouldn't want to gallivant around the globe as one of the sports world's "it" couples? And between Dubai appearance fees and underwear lines, neither one of them has to win another tournament and they'd still be set for life. While at some point the lack of success may hurt their popularity, for now we're just going to have to accept the fact that enjoying each other's company is as much on their agenda as winning. Or as McDowell puts it, "the boy's in love. He's crazy about her. It's not a bad problem to have."

Not a bad problem to have indeed, and at least for McIlroy, the focus will now shift to Wozniacki's on-court performance for the next couple of weeks. Not to mention, there's all that rampant Olympic Village sex to look forward to.

-- Derek Evers
Follow @derekevers

A year after his major breakthrough, is McIlroy a changed man?

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 14:37:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO -- All but grown up, though still with much to learn about golf and life, a lot has changed in the 12 months since Rory McIlroy became U.S Open champion. One year on from that sensational and already iconic eight-shot victory at Congressional, the cute wee mop-topped Belfast boy is all but gone, replaced now by a fair facsimile of the mature man he will soon enough become.

Not all of which is necessarily desirable or good, at least for those who yearn for true openness. Perhaps stung by the first real criticism of his professional career, the 23-year old Ulsterman is noticeably more careful in his public utterances, golf-related or otherwise. Where once there was a genuine kinship with a media that has covered his prodigious golfing feats since the age of six, there now exists a palpable wariness and even a growing suspicion of the (sometimes non-existent) hidden motive he imagines behind every question. He may not have anything to hide, but there are certainly areas of his ever-more jet set, Monte Carlo-based existence he'd rather not discuss.

Increasingly and understandably then, McIlroy takes refuge in the dull platitude and cliche, a stark contrast with the refreshing honesty and language he brought to the microphone and tape recorder earlier in his remarkable career. Where once he went for the verbal carry over the corner or distant bunker, these days he more often than not plays safely down the fairway. In other words, his interviews contain a lot more pars, fewer birdies and hardly any eagles.