Golf Digest Search Results

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 first golfer to use deer-antler spray from S.W.A.T.S? It's not who you think

Fri, 10 May 2013 12:59:00 GMT

By Craig Dolch

The first golfer to use deer-antler spray provided by S.W.A.T.S. (Sports With Alternatives to Steroids) founder Mitch Ross wasn't looking to gain a competitive advantage or extend his career.

Ken Green instead was trying to find relief from the mind-numbing pain he dealt with daily after an RV crash in 2009 killed his brother and girlfriend and led to his lower-right leg being amputated.

Green tried using deer-antler spray after his 2009 accident. Photo by Getty Images.

"Mitch had read about my issues and the pain problems I was having, so he contacted me in December of 2009," Green said Thursday from his West Palm Beach home. "My feeling was I was willing to try anything to help with the pain."

Related: Vijay Singh's choice to sue is curious

Three years later, Vijay Singh said he tried Ross' product, which eventually led to him filing a lawsuit Wednesday against the PGA Tour, charging the Tour with violating its duty of care and good faith while it investigated his use of the deer-antler spray.

Green unwittingly provided Singh with some ammunition in his lawsuit when in early 2010 he told his buddy Mark Calcavecchia about the deer-antler spray to help with Calcavecchia's chronic back and wrist injuries. Calcavecchia said he used the product for six weeks -- a claim Singh's lawyers cite in his lawsuit -- before the PGA Tour told Calcavecchia to stop using the product because it was on the tour's list of banned substances.

Green, who has used a prosthetic leg to compete in seven Champions Tour events since the accident, said he regrets drawing Calcavecchia into the controversy.

"I wish it hadn't happened," Green said. "Anytime you put someone in a bad situation, you feel bad about it. I didn't know enough of the story when it comes to the Tour. I was never worried about what was in the product (because he had no idea he would play again)."

Asked what he thought about Singh's lawsuit and the timing of it -- coming the day before the PGA Tour's signature event, the Players -- Green didn't mince words.

Related: Ken Green: "I can't believe I'm alive"

"It's clearly personal for him to do it the Wednesday before the TPC. Vijay has had his issues with (PGA Tour commissioner Tim) Finchem before. They've butted heads before," said Green, who also had his share of head-butting with the tour's commissioners during his 20-year career that included five PGA Tour wins and a Ryder Cup appearance.

"It's clearly a way of sticking it in Finchem's face," Green continued. "The Golf Channel seems to be concerned about how the players will react. I can promise you Vijay doesn't care what the players think."

While Green admits he was skeptical about Ross' product -- "Did I honestly think spraying something in my mouth and putting little chips on my body would help? No." -- he says he did receive a level of relief with his left ankle that was shattered in the accident.

"Honestly, I can say my ankle was a little better," Green said. "It didn't relieve the problem totally, but I got a drop in the pain. After about two or three more months, I stopped using both products."

The pain is still there. That's why the 54-year-old Green underwent another surgery last week to "relocate" a pair of nerves in his upper right leg that were causing constant misery. Green said that was the 11th surgery since his accident, along with eight other "procedures."

"I'm not sure if this is going to work," Green said, "but I'm encouraged by what I'm feeling."

Or not feeling.

Was Vijay Singh's biggest crime ignorance?

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 18:11:00 GMT

If Vijay Singh is disciplined by the PGA Tour for his admission of using a banned substance, it may be because he failed to follow the lead of Mark Calcavecchia.

Singh admitted to using deer antler spray, but said he didn't know it was banned.
Photo by Getty Images

Like Singh, who in a Sports Illustrated report this week admitted to using deer antler spray, Calcavecchia also experimented with products made by Sports With Alternatives To Steroids (S.W.A.T.S.), even endorsing them in a testimonial on the S.W.A.T.S. website. But in 2011, Calcavecchia was informed by the Champions Tour that the spray was a banned product because it was found to contain growth hormone. At that point, Calcavecchia acted swiftly, discontinuing his use immediately and asking that S.W.A.T.S. remove his endorsement from the company website.

"They told me to stop taking it and that was that," Calcavecchia told Golf World's Tim Rosaforte when reached Tuesday. "As soon as I found out it wasn't good and didn't conform to the rules, I quit taking it."

Calcavecchia's decision to stop using the spray wasn't a difficult one given that he noticed little difference in the two months he did take it. When first approached, he was told the spray would help address aches in his wrist, shoulders and back. He said he thought the spray helped his wrist "a little bit," but it had no impact elsewhere.

"It didn't help my back in the least," Calcavecchia said.

Though Calcavecchia's history with the spray was widely reported at the time, Singh said in a statement released Wednesday he didn't think there was anything wrong with using it.

"While I have used deer antler spray, at no time was I aware that it may contain a substance that is banned under the PGA Tour Anti-Doping Policy. In fact, when I first received the product, I reviewed the list of ingredients and did not see any prohibited substances. I am absolutely shocked that deer antler spray may contain a banned substance and am angry that I have put myself in this position."

According to Sports Illustrated, Singh paid S.W.A.T.S $9,000 for a variety of products and acknowledged using the banned spray "every couple of hours."

"I'm looking forward to some change in my body," Singh told the magazine. "It's really hard to feel the difference if you're only doing it for a couple of months."

The PGA Tour said it would be reviewing the Singh matter further. Singh said he would cooperate with the investigation.

-- Reporting from Tim Rosaforte and Sam Weinman

Relishing the Open vibe, Calcavecchia still hanging around

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 17:50:00 GMT

Mark Calcavecchia and his caddie/wife Brenda during the third round of the British Open. Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England -- J.H. Taylor's record appears safe, but that doesn't mean Mark Calcavecchia still isn't having a good time at the 141st British Open.

For a brief period Saturday during the third round at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, Calcavecchia was on a roll, making the turn at three-under 31 and in sight of the leaders 23 years after his Open triumph at Royal Troon.

A rollercoaster back nine severely diminished the 52-year-old's chance of breaking Taylor's record for longest gap between British Open wins (19 years). But it didn't dim his enthusiasm for being in the fray.

"Even if I hadn't won in '89, this is my favorite tournament that I've ever played in, even when I don't play so well, like last year when I missed the cut," Calcavecchia said after shooting 69. "I still love this tournament. The atmosphere is the best there is, even better than Augusta and even better than the U.S. Open."

Related: Unlikely British Open Champs

Calcavecchia bogeyed the 11th and double-bogeyed the 12th, but bounced back with two straight birdies before another bogey at 15. "It was adventuresome," Calcavecchia said, grateful that the weather has been pretty docile for three days. "If it would have been [windy] like it was Wednesday, you'd have seen some guys completely lose their mind. I teed off at 6:15 in the morning and it was blowing about 30. It was brutal. It's tiring to play this course, but at least it wasn't like that."

Tied for 10th as play wound down Saturday, Calcavecchia was looking forward to a good night's sleep and another try at Lytham Sunday. "I've got eight more years of this," Calcavecchia said of his past champion's exemption into the Open, "and I'll be looking forward to every one of them."

-- Bill Fields
Follow @BillFields1

The Most Unlikely British Open Champs

Alex Myers — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 04:00:00 GMT

A look back through the years at the players who were surprising winners at the oldest major.

Still an underdog, Joe Daley embraces chance for redemption at Senior Players

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 23:10:00 GMT

FOX CHAPEL, Pa. -- Joe Daley has spent years on golf's undercard, but Sunday at the Constellation Senior Players he will simply be an underdog.

After plugging away in the third round at Fox Chapel GC Saturday after a poor start to shoot a 68, Daley shares the 54-hole lead with Mark Calcavecchia at 12-under 198, one shot ahead of Fred Couples and Tom Lehman.

That trio has majors and millions. Daley, 51, has two Nationwide Tour wins in 272 starts. He has one top-10 in 59 PGA Tour events.

Photo by: Hunter Martin/Getty Images

On the penultimate hole of PGA Tour qualifying school in 2000, Daley got one of the worst breaks in golf history when a four-footer, rolling at perfect speed, somehow hit a raised cup liner just wrong and bounced out. He threw his cap to the ground in disgust and disbelief, and missed getting his card by one stroke.

The thin man -- "I'm swimming in these 32s," he said Friday, tugging at his waistband -- kept grinding. He had worked in offices until he was in his early-30s, and he loves the golf life, vagaries and all.

Bogeys at Nos. 3 and 4 Saturday were just the latest setbacks. "I made some mistakes early, but that's golf," Daley said. "Then I fought back and made some birdies and plugged on from there."

The Fox Chapel course suits his eye, reminding him of rolling layouts around the Philadelphia suburbs, where he grew up. Daley had respectable finishes in the first two Champions Tour events of 2012 after Monday-qualifying. He got into the Senior PGA Championship as a result, and he parlayed a 66-64 close to a T-4 there.

As Roger Chapman, the journeyman from England, proved at the Senior PGA, resumÃ©s don't win tournaments, golfers do.

Through three rounds, Daley is poised for his biggest day in golf but he'll try to go through it in increments of a few seconds. ClichÃ©s are boring, but they've worked for Daley through 54 holes.

"I'm taking it one shot at a time," he said. "Just being patient in my mind, staying focused on where I'm at and what I'm doing. For me, that's as simple as it gets. It's not complicated for me. When I do that, I control my emotions better and I'm more into what I'm doing. I'm happier too."

Against those names off the senior marquee, the odds won't be with Daley Sunday but then they never have been. A self-taught player, he has long been hooked on the self-reliant angle of professional golf. He will earn what he gets Sunday afternoon, hopefully with a smile on his face.

"This is a great opportunity for me," Daley said. "If I'm on that page of the attitude side, the outcome is always better than going the other way. When you stay on that positive, forward, can-do page, things happen and it's good. I'd rather be there than on the other end. Take the high road, you know?"

If the sport's many journeymen could summon some golf justice for one of their own, Daley's Sunday ride will end in victory with a four-footer on No. 18 that settles safely in the bottom of the cup.

-- Bill Fields
Follow @BillFields1

Video: Left-handed par save a "once-in-a-lifetime" shot for Pavin

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:05:00 GMT

It's not every day that you practice left-handed 8-iron shots from next to a tree root.

How about executing it on Sunday while tied for the lead, seeking your first Champions Tour victory?

You have to watch the video to truly appreciate Corey Pavin's spectacular par save on Sunday. He called it a "once-in-a-lifetime" shot, and Mark Calcavecchia said it was the best shot he's ever seen.

Photo by Stan Badz/PGA Tour

Pavin hit his tee shot on the par-3 14th hole into the woods to the left, right off the cartpath. He calmly flipped his 8-iron and chipped it to within five feet.

Enough explaining--watch the clip below (scroll to the 0:35 second mark).

--Stephen Hennessey

Follow @s_hennessey

The Year in Golf

Dan Jenkins — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Our annual quiz after 12 months of entertainment from Rory, Darren, Bubba, Tiger and the rest of the gang.

Westchester is familiar turf for Haas, others

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 21:01:00 GMT

HARRISON, N.Y. -- Familiarity often breeds comfort instead of contempt for golfers, and such is the case at this week's Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship.

After a few years in Maryland, the Champions Tour major championship relocated to Westchester CC for 2011. The site of a PGA Tour event from 1967 until 2007 - the Buick Classic in its last iteration -- Westchester is old school and also old hat for tour pros 50 and over. Of the 78 players in the field, only six had never competed in a PGA Tour event at this week's venue.

On the other hand, 11 golfers had played in at least 20 tour events at Westchester, topped by Jay Haas' 27 appearances. For Haas, who opened with a four-under 67, two strokes behind leader Jeff Sluman, having played 108 previous competitive rounds is (mostly) positive.

"I would certainly rather have played a course that many times than come in blind, but I've hit some shots in places on every hole out here where I don't want to be," Haas said. "I sometimes recall those - the wrong shots I hit at the wrong time. But there is nothing like familiarity. It's nice to come back to a course we have played. When we hit a shot we know whether it's good or bad, even if it's a blind shot over the top of a hill."

There are a couple of blind shots at Westchester, along with the traditional mix of narrow fairways, formidable but not outlandish rough and difficult greens - which were switched from poa annua to bentgrass last year. The course is a par 71 measuring 6,980 yards this week. A half-dozen holes are very tough, others easier, the result a nice variety.

"There are no surprises. It's pretty much what it's always been," said Mark Calcavecchia, who eagled the par-5 18th hole to shoot a first-round 69. "It's unique in the sense that there are some blind second shots. There are some holes where you've got a wedge or 9-iron in there, and it's like Pinehurst, you're afraid to go at the pin. Like No. 14. It's a 9-iron hole. But the pin was back-left. If you miss it 10 feet left or 10 feet long, you're making at least a bogey, maybe more. With a 9 iron, that's the last thing you want to do, so you play it like I did, 40 feet short and right. Even these little, short 'wedgy' holes, you have to be careful and think about what you're doing. You start short-siding or airmailing some of these greens, you're done."

Haas' opening round was nearly textbook in how he took advantage of the vulnerable holes - with the exception of a bogey-5 on the 314-yard 10th - and avoided trouble on the taxing holes. Haas' five birdies came after approaches with nothing more than a 9-iron, and he parred the five par 4s that are 440 yards or longer. Peter Senior, T-2 after a 66, was the rare player to subdue the 473-yard, par-4 12th hole, sinking a 35-footer after hitting a 3-wood from 240 yards. "That felt like an eagle to me," Senior said.

For Fred Couples, who played 20 PGA Tour events at Westchester and opened with a three-under 68, the venue is reminiscent of courses in his native Seattle. Going around it is like a trip around Riviera CC outside Los Angeles, one of his favorite tour stops. "This is very easy," Couples said of the recall factor. "I can remember shots I've hit. There are some holes that you can attack and make birdies, but at the same time, you can be shaking your head when you've got a wedge from 100 yards and you hit it over the green and you don't get up and down. This is a very tricky course."

-- Bill Fields

Calc continues quest for first Champions Tour win

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:00:00 GMT

TOLEDO, Ohio -- It's not a foregone conclusion that golfers with formidable rÃ©sumÃ©s on the PGA Tour will -- at the very least -- taste victory on the Champions Tour, but the odds certainly are with them.

Of the players who won at least 10 times on the PGA Tour, turned 50 since the senior circuit began in 1980 and played a minimum of 20 tournaments with the 50-and-over crowd, only seven have not won at least once on the Champions Tour. Ben Crenshaw, with 174 senior appearances, has the longest drought, followed by Calvin Peete (158), Curtis Strange (94), Mark McCumber (91), Hal Sutton (53), Mark Calcavecchia (26) and Corey Pavin (24).

While Crenshaw practiced hard at the far end of the Inverness Club range Tuesday afternoon in preparation for this week's U.S. Senior Open, the sweet-putting Hall of Famer is 59. A victory, however popular it would be, isn't likely to happen at this stage of the likable Texan's career.

More intriguing is when the relative senior newcomers Calcavecchia and Pavin will break through and if it could be at this week's major championship. Each of the 51-year-old former major champions (Calcavecchia at the 1989 British Open, Pavin at the 1995 U.S. Open) has been a leader-board presence on the Champions Tour. Over two seasons, Calcavecchia has 13 top 10s in 27 starts, Pavin 13 in 26 starts. They were also key figures in last week's Senior British Open at Walton Heath GC, Calcavecchia finishing second to Russ Cochran and Pavin T-3.