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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.

Woods puts Players struggles behind him, opens with 67

Thu, 09 May 2013 23:44:00 GMT

By Ron Sirak

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Talk about 24 hours of surprises. Not only does Vijay Singh sue the PGA Tour on the eve of its flagship tournament, but a day later both Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods prove they can actually play the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.

McIlroy, out in the morning wave Thursday at the Players, broke par for the first time in seven career rounds here, posting a six-under 66 that left him three strokes behind first-round leader Roberto Castro.

Tiger Woods' only misstep on Thursday at the Players was a bogey on the 18th hole. Photo by Getty Images

Then Woods played one of the best rounds of the afternoon wave, shooting a 67 that fell one hole short of his first bogey-free round at Sawgrass in his 56th crack at the course as he gave back a stroke on No. 18.

Woods, who has not really been in contention at the Players since winning here in 2001, now has a chance to go into the weekend with something to play for. McIlroy, meanwhile, has a chance to go into the weekend -- period. He had missed the cut in his three previous tries.

"I felt like I had to go out and shoot something in the 60s, the guys were going low," Woods, who was nine behind Castro before he even teed off, said after posting his best score here since the final round in 2007. "I made some good saves. I need to strike the ball a little better tomorrow. I missed in the right places today."

Only twice before has Woods had a lower score on the Stadium Course, shooting 66 in the third round in both 2000, when he finished second to Hal Sutton, and in 2001, when he was victorious.

There was a lot of the Old Tiger in this round. He made birdies on all four of the par-5s and made a couple of testy par-saving putts, the kind that keep the momentum of a round alive.

The positive trends that have led to three victories so far this year were in evidence again in the first round.

His misses off the tee are much better than they have been in years.
The controlled "stinger" drive with a fairway wood or a long iron is as beautifully-reliable as it once was.
His distance control with his irons -- especially from inside 150 yards -- is much better than it has been during the three-year process of learning the Sean Foley swing.
And, oh yeah, he is No. 1 in strokes gained/putting again. The putter has always been the great eraser for Tiger's mistakes and when he has the confidence that he can make up-and-downs to save par, he can really attack pins.

The only real item of concern was his very un-Tiger-like closing bogey. That perpetuates the uneasy feeling down deep that this version of Tiger, while still clearly the best player in the world, is missing something the Old Tiger had.

After driving to the fairway with a 5-wood, he missed the green long from 192 yards with an 8-iron, tried to finesse a delicate chip up the slope and left it short, then chipped again to tap-in distance for a bogey.

"It's a little bit of grainy down there," said Woods, who hates making bogeys ever, but was especially annoyed at this one, as evidenced by the detail of his answer to what happened on that chip at No. 18.

"It was too grainy to putt, because it gets up on top and switches grains," he said. "It goes back down grain. Sometimes I've used a 4â¿¿iron in there, but I thought that might chatter too much. I thought if my 60 has got too much bounce, so I went with a 56 to try to shallow it out at the bottom and it didn't work out. The grain snagged it and I hit it short."

Woods began the day in rather lackluster fashion, playing the first eight holes one-under par. Then he erupted in a burst reminiscent of the old days, making four birdies in a row beginning on No. 9.

And while the "miracle" up-and-downs of the old days may not be there are reliably often as they once were, they still lurk and he can still hit shots that take your breath away.

This is his best opening-round score in the 15 times he has played the Players -- by three strokes. That falls into the category of auspicious beginnings. Now let's see what comes next. A win here would be his biggest, by far, in a comeback that began last year at Bay Hill.

And, coming on a course where he has had such little success, it could give him the momentum -- and confidence, he needs to end his 0-for-five-year winless streak in the majors in the U.S. Open at Merion next month.

Follow @RonSirak

Masters Roundup: The Shots That Defined the Masters

Alex Myers and Sam Weinman — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Here are our picks for the Masters' most important shots.

The Masters: Sunday's Birdies and Bogeys

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Who were the winners and losers on Sunday at Augusta National? It's time to take a closer look with another edition of birdies and bogeys.

No conversation before Woods signed scorecard is "missing element"

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 16:59:00 GMT

By Sam Weinman

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- A conversation that never happened could be the biggest factor in the controversy surrounding Tiger Woods Saturday morning at Augusta National.

In a statement, Augusta National said it was alerted to a potential infraction on Tiger Woods' 15th hole by a caller, and that it reviewed the video of the drop while Woods was finishing up his second round. At that point, the club determined the drop, which was required after Woods' third shot landed in the water, was close enough to the original spot and Woods "complied with the Rules."

It was only after Woods' interview with ESPN's Tom Rinaldi, in which he acknowledged he was trying to drop two yards behind the original spot that the player's intent was clear, and the club was forced to assess a penalty. According to former USGA executive director David Fay, it shouldn't have reached that point.

"In any situation where there's a question about a ruling, a conversation takes place with the player before he signs his card," Fay said. "You bring the player in and say, 'We got a few calls, walk us through what happened.' Whether that conversation took place is the missing element."

In a follow-up conversation, Augusta National spokesmen said no such conversation took place, saying the sheer volume of questionable incidents makes such exchanges impractical. Woods' confirmed as much in a statement on Twitter in which he said he wasn't aware of his potential infraction when he signed his scorecard.

But even when Woods gave his interview, a conflict wasn't immediately apparent. The club said it wasn't alerted to an issue until a caller pointed out Woods' comments to Rinaldi until shortly after 10 p.m., three hours after the interview took place. The club wouldn't identify who the caller was.

Precedent for Tiger drop fiasco: Dow Finsterwald in 1960

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 14:18:00 GMT

By E. Michael Johnson

For those going nuts over Tiger Woods being given just a two-shot penalty instead of a disqualification, Augusta National did a similar thing with Dow Finsterwald in 1960.

Finsterwald practice putted on a green and the next day he was playing with Billy Casper when he went to do the same thing.

Casper told him, "Dow, I think that's against the rules."

Finsterwald then went to an official and told him what he had done. It should have been a disqualification. They gave him two shots instead. There is also Rule 33-7, which states: "A penalty of disqualification may in exceptional individual cases be waived, modifeid or imposed if the Committee considers such action warranted."

Tiger Woods DQ is unavoidable, former USGA chief says

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 13:25:00 GMT

By Sam Weinman

Editor's Note: This post was updated to reflect Woods was assessed a two-stroke penalty instead of being disqualified.

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Tiger Woods was not disqualified from the Masters because of his drop on the 15th hole Friday, and will instead be assessed a two-stroke penalty. But according to former USGA executive director David Fay, there was limited room for interpretation.

"Based on the way the rules are written I don't see how he's anything other than a spectator today," Fay said.

When informed the club had issued Woods a reprieve, allowing him to tee off at 1:45 p.m. at one under par, Fay altered his stance. "Apparently I was wrong," he said. "I look forward to being his spectator today."

In question was whether Woods' drop was, as the Rules of Golf dictates, "as near as possible" to the spot from which the original ball was last played. In an interview following his round, Woods acknowledged he dropped two yards back from his original spot because he wanted a better yardage. By that measure, Woods was in violation of Rule 26-1 and should have been assessed a one-stroke penalty. But since he didn't add that penalty to his scorecard, he signed for an incorrect score and would thus have to be disqualified.

"Six feet is not as near as possible, especially since he knew where the original spot was because of the divot," Fay said.

And even if Woods were confused by the rule, and didn't particularly benefit from the improved drop, Fay said Augusta National has little choice. "You have to operate with the rules you have, not the rules you want."

Update: The Masters Tournament Committee cited Rule 33-7/1 in only giving Woods a two-stroke penalty, saying it reviewed a potential infraction while Woods was playing the 18th hole Friday and deemed he had complied with the rules. It was only after Woods' TV interview that they opted to revisit the incident.

"The penalty of disqualification was waived by the Committee under Rule 33 as the Committee had previously reviewed the information and made its initial determination prior to the finish of the player's round."

Tiger Woods fortunate to still be playing in the Masters

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 13:19:00 GMT

By John Huggan

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- It's just about 9.30am on Saturday morning here at Augusta National and Tiger Woods is still in the field for the last two rounds of the 77th Masters Tournament.

He shouldn't be.

Following the clearly illegal drop Woods took on the 15th fairway yesterday, the world No. 1 should have been disqualified, not docked a retrospective two-shot penalty. While there was no intent to break any rule, Woods clearly did so. It was obvious, clear and apparent and should have led to him losing his chance to win a fifth green jacket, never mind that Rule 33-7 allows the committee to waive disqualification at their discretion.

When Tiger's third shot struck the pin and ricocheted back into the water in front of the green, Woods had various options under the rules. He could have proceeded to the designated drop area and played from there. He could have dropped a ball behind the water hazard, keeping the point at which the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball was dropped, with no limit to how far back he could go. Or he could have returned to where he hit the original shot and played another ball as close as possible to that spot.

Woods chose the last of those options, but clearly misunderstood - or was unaware of - his obligation to drop "as near as possible" to the original divot hole. In fact, he later explained to the world how he had actually dropped his second ball "two yards" behind the place he had just hit from. He did that to give himself what he felt would be a better yardage for the subsequent pitch.

A couple of things come immediately to mind:

a) Two yards away is not "as near as possible" b) The rules do not allow the player, at least in this instance, to choose a yardage he feels is most advantageous.

So the authorities should have had no alternative, given the amount of information Woods volunteered after his round. He, in effect, gave them no wiggle room in their deliberations. Which is key. Had Woods said nothing about his drop, the rules officials could have argued - maybe - that he had made enough of an effort to recreate his original shot. But he denied them that option.

So Woods should have been thrown out. Or, given that this is supposed to be a game of honor, he should have preempted the eventual decision and pulled out voluntarily. That would have been the right thing to do. As Tiger himself said yesterday, "Rules are rules."

Follow @johnhuggan

The Masters: Saturday's Birdies and Bogeys

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Who were the winners and losers on Saturday at Augusta National? It's time to take a closer look with another edition of birdies and bogeys.

The Interviews They'd Like Back

Alex Myers and Sam Weinman — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Bad jokes, snubs, and fits of brutal honesty in golf history that have merited a mulligan.