Golf Digest Search Results

Tiger outplayed by friend, playing partner Couples

Thu, 30 May 2013 23:36:00 GMT

DUBLIN, Ohio -- Tiger Woods has never won the Memorial Tournament without breaking par in the opening round. So to shoot a 1-under-par 71 Thursday at Muirfield Village GC would perhaps be the silver lining in a relatively frustrating day.

That he needed 30 putts spoiled a decent ball-striking round and got beat by playing partner Fred Couples, the 52-year-old Champions Tour player and U.S. Presidents Cup captain, certainly didn't make him happy, though he was able to joke about it at the end of a long, hot, windy afternoon.

"Yeah, he kicked my ass," Woods said of Couples, grinning.

"Can we say that word?" Couples said when the comment was relayed.

Well, if it fits.

Couples, who won the Memorial in 1998, snuck in a 15-foot par putt on the last to salvage a 2-under 70, while Woods bogeyed the final hole. A five-time winner of the Memorial, including last year, Woods seemed stuck in neutral throughout the day, mostly because the putter that has helped him to four PGA Tour wins already this year wasn't cooperating.

"I didn't score very well to how I hit it," Woods said, figuring he should have been at least a few strokes better. "I just didn't make anything today. I thought I hit good putts. I misread a couple pretty badly. The one on 18, I thought it was going to go left and the end and ended up going right. That was not very good."

But playing alongside Couples, who has become a good friend, and Keegan Bradley was a bright spot. "We had a good time. It had its moments."

Perhaps most of those moments belonged to Couples, who had wanted to play with the No. 1 player in the world.

"I won't lie to you, I asked to see if I could get paired [with Woods]; it probably might be my last time playing with Tiger," said Couples, who withdrew from last week's Senior PGA Championship because his bad back flared up. "Maybe at Augusta I might get paired with him. If he can be leading after two rounds again, maybe I'll get a shot at him. So I was blessed to play with him. And my goal when I play with him always is to try to hit it solid and stay out of his way. And today was a good one. I did beat him."

Related: Tiger's on-course "bromances"

Couples also played with Woods in the first two rounds last year. Woods went on to win the tournament.

Woods, who begins the second round on the 10th tee at 8:26 a.m. Friday, trails Masters champion Charl Schwartzel by six strokes after Schwartzel converted nine birdies in a 65. Scott Piercy was next at 66.

Fourteen-year-old amateur Guan Tianlang bogeyed two of his final three holes for a 72, but that was far better than No. 2 Rory McIlroy, who struggled to a 78.

Follow @DaveShedloski

13 Horribly-Timed Water Balls

Luke Kerr-Dineen — Mon, 13 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Recounting shots that found the drink at inopportune moments

The ballot for next year's Hall of Fame class should include . . .

Steve Hennessey — Thu, 09 May 2013 20:26:00 GMT

By Stephen Hennessey Early this week, the World Golf Hall of Fame inducted its 2013 class, highlighted by Fred Couples and Ken Venturi. Who will be in next year's class? Editor-in-Chief and Chairman Jerry Tarde has...

Get to know Roberto Castro, your early Players leader

Thu, 09 May 2013 18:14:00 GMT

By Alex Myers

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- He's an engineer and a writer. In other words, Roberto Castro isn't your average PGA Tour pro. And on Thursday, he did anything but shoot your average round of golf.

Playing in the Players for the first time, Castro fired a bogey-free 63 to tie the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course record shared by Greg Norman and Fred Couples -- a pair of big names he's never even met. Golf's "fifth major" has produced some surprises over the years, but a win this week by Castro might top them all.

The 27-year-old earned $755,095 in his rookie season on the PGA Tour in 2012 to narrowly keep his card for this year, and has only made seven of 14 cuts in 2013. Then again, a guy ranked No. 1,207 won at Quail Hollow last week, a fact not lost on Castro.

"It gets proven out here every week. Derek Ernst won last week in his eighth event and no one ever heard of him," said Castro, the nephew of Jenny Lidback, a Peruvian-born former LPGA star. "There are a lot of good players out here."

This was Castro's first competitive round at TPC Sawgrass, but he said he learned a lot playing a Wednesday practice round with Geoff Ogilvy and Matt Kuchar, the defending champion and a fellow Georgia Tech product. On Thursday, he put forth what playing partner Jimmy Walker called "the best iron round I've ever seen." Castro didn't seem too surprised by his 63, but he knows just how far he's come already in his career as a pro. On Tuesday, the man with a degree in industrial engineering tweeted this from his account, @cicioCASTRO:

"By my estimate the total purse of all the mini-tour events I played in 3 yrs wouldn't add up to what we're playing for this week. #Players"

When he's not shooting 63s in one of golf's biggest events, Castro is also a contributor to allthingsthataregood.org, a website covering music, books, travel and more. Here's a post where he reviews a courtesy car during the Waste Management Phoenix Open. His love of music is obvious in his PGA Tour profile, where he lists John Lennon, Bobby Jones and Tiger Woods as the three people he'd select to round out his dream foursome.

In that same bio, Castro lists Merion as the course he'd like to play. Three more days like this and he'll get that wish at next month's U.S. Open.

Follow @AlexMyers3

Ecco's Life Street Bootie (yes, it's a golf shoe)

John Strege — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:04:00 GMT

By John Strege The company that launched the hybrid golf shoe revolution with Fred Couples wearing Ecco Street Premiere shoes at the 2010 Masters continues to take golf shoes to places they haven't been before....

Who will give Tiger Woods' Hall of Fame induction speech?

Tue, 07 May 2013 21:24:00 GMT

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

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

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.

Follow @AlexMyers3

The Players Championship: Golf's Biggest Toss-up

Alex Myers — Fri, 03 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Why the Players is golf's most unpredictable event.

Jim Nantz Relishes "Bittersweet" Opportunity

Ed Sherman — Fri, 03 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Although one of the honorees will be absent, CBS announcer Jim Nantz is grateful for the chance to induct two close friends into the Hall of Fame.

A limited-edition Fred Couples Signature shirt

John Strege — Thu, 02 May 2013 20:10:00 GMT

By John Strege Apparel brand Ashworth Golf has released a limited-edition Fred Couples Signature shirt to commemorate Couples' induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame on Monday. Couples, 53, has been wearing Ashworth...

The Coolest Golfers Of All Time

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

As Fred Couples enters the Hall of Fame, we salute those golfers who have that certain something