Golf News May 20th, 2008
Memorial can't bank on a Tiger Woods comeback
It's T (for Tiger) minus four days now, which means Tiger Woods knows his time is running out before Friday's deadline to officially announce whether he's going to play in next week's Memorial tournament.
You can be sure that there are more than a few people keeping close tabs on the subject, probably no one more so than Jack Nicklaus, the Memorial's host.
"Sure, I hope he's coming to play, but I don't know for sure," Nicklaus said in a telephone interview. "But one thing I do know: If he does play, he needs to play this as a tournament to win it, and he shouldn't use it as a warmup for the U.S. Open."
Nicklaus said he has spoken to Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, once since Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee April 15 and that Steinberg told him that it was Woods' intention to play the Memorial.
Last week, Woods told reporters in a conference call that he had been able only to chip and putt in his rehabilitation from surgery and that he wouldn't have been able to compete if forced to play.
Johnnie Walker golf tournament to return to Perth in 2009
PERTH, Australia: The Johnnie Walker Classic golf tournament will return to Perth next February at the Vines Resort and Country Club.
The Feb. 19-22 tournament, co-sanctioned by the European, Asian and Australasian Tours, will be the fourth time the high-profile Asian event has been staged in Perth and the fifth in Australia.
"The Johnnie Walker Classic, one of Asia Pacific's most established and popular golf events, has always enjoyed tremendous success at the various exotic locations that it has visited, but we are especially looking forward to returning to Western Australia as it is a destination that offers fantastic weather, tremendous courses, excellent facilities and a truly warm welcome," tournament spokesman David Gates said.
No. 1-ranked Tiger Woods won the tournament in 1998 and 2000. Other previous winners include Greg Norman, Ernie Els and Adam Scott.
Santa Barbara's Perez wins individual golf title
The day began under hot and sticky conditions, which seemed like the right formula for a low-scoring golf event. But about 11 a.m. strong gusts began blowing through Mission Lakes Country Club in Desert Hot Springs.
Those winds wound up blowing in favor of the Santa Barbara boys' golf team.
Senior Andrew Perez shot a three-under-par 68 to win the Southern Section-Toyota boys' golf individual title. His Dons teammates, Shane Lebow and Jack Perry, shot 69 and 71 to finish third and fifth, respectively.
Perez, ranked No. 77 in the nation by the American Junior Golf Assn., beat Pepperdine-bound Johnny MacArthur of Newhall Hart in a two-hole playoff to win Santa Barbara's first individual title since 1972, when Tom Flanigan beat teammate Bruce Blakey.
Lebow, ranked No. 117 by the same association, beat Bryan Bergna of Riverside Poly in a two-hole playoff for third.
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Japan's Imada finally nabs first Tour win
After both players finished on 15 under-par -- the Japanese producing a final round of five-under -- they headed out to the par-five 18th for the playoff.
The closest Imada had previously come to a PGA victory was last year's AT&T tournament which he lost in a playoff to Zach Johnson after he hit water on the 18th.
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Tour returns to venerable Colonial for Crowne Plaza Invitational
At the 2007 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, Jim Furyk, Bernhard Langer, Rory Sabbatini and Scott Verplank were tied going into the final round at Colonial Country Club. Eighteen holes later, Furyk, Langer and Sabbatini were still tied, leading to the second consecutive playoff at Colonial.
Sabbatini ended the extra session by making birdie on the first playoff hole to pick up his fourth PGA TOUR title. A year earlier, Tim Herron defeated Richard S. Johnson in a playoff. Prior to that, there hadn't been a playoff at Colonial since 1992 (Bruce Lietzke over Corey Pavin).
This season, Sabbatini is 27th in the FedExCup standings, with his best finish a runner-up showing at the Sony Open in Hawaii and a tie for third at the Buick Invitational.
Phil Mickelson, the 2000 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial champion, is returning to Fort Worth for the first time since 2005. Besides his victory, Mickelson was runner-up in defense of his 2000 title and was eighth in 1994 -- his only other top-10 finishes in 12 starts.
'Taylor' of TaylorMade relishes game, equipment
Most players look at a golf club and see a piece of athletic equipment. Harry Taylor looks at a golf club and sees a work of art. The magnetic colors, slender curves, and sleek contours captivate the golf equipment designer in a way nothing else can.
"I look at equipment like an artist would look at a painting," said Taylor, 53, an Old Hickory resident whose name is famously attached to the brand TaylorMade.
Starting today, the PGA professional-turned-entrepreneur will try to take that piece of art and paint perfection on the golf course.
Taylor is among more than 150 golfers who will take part in the Tennessee Open at Gaylord Springs Golf Links this week.
The 54-hole stroke play competition will draw the top state's top competitors, including 13 past champions.
Taylor, who in 2007 finished tied for fifth, seven strokes behind winner Derek Rende, will vie for a top finish.
But he also will admire the tools of the trade. He can't
help himself. It is a significant part of his past and he hopes it continues to play into his future.
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