There
never is a shortage of stories about The Masters when it comes to
Tiger Woods.
During the week of the Super Bowl, New York Giants fullback Greg
Comella told about the time he and fellow Stanford students were
discussing plans for spring break. One was going to Arizona. Another
was going to Mexico. Woods, a freshman that year, said he was going
to The Masters.
"I
turn around and I'm like, 'Wow! The Masters! That's the toughest
ticket in sports,''' Comella said. "I knew he was a golfer, but
I had no idea he was a golfer of that magnitude.''
Comella said he'll never forget what Woods said next: "Dude, I'm
playing in it.''
During the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
at Poppy Hills, Woods and Jerry Chang had a delightful exchange
with a volunteer who asked if they both graduated from Stanford.
"I
did,'' Chang said. "He got a certificate of attendance.''
Woods, who left Stanford early to turn pro in 1996, had a quick
reply.
"Hey,
I have a doctorate,'' he said. ``They gave me an honorary doctorate
in sports philosophy in Thailand. And I've also got my master's.''
San Francisco Chronicle columnist C.W. Nevius, listening in on the
conversation, proved to be the perfect setup man.
"Really?
When did you get that?'' he asked Woods.
"In
1997,'' Woods said with a grin.
Mark
Calcavecchia will take longer to spend the Phoenix Open winnings
!. Allsport.
SPENDING
SPREE
Mark Calcavecchia earned $720,000 for winning the Phoenix Open,
the largest paycheck of his career. Expect the money to last a little
longer this time.
Back in 1989, when the purses were considerably smaller, Calcavecchia
won the Phoenix Open and Los Angeles and didn't waste any time draining
his bank account.
"On
Monday I bought a Porsche, and on Tuesday I bought a BMW,'' Calcavecchia
said. "I spent the whole thing right there. Gone. I can't spend
$720,000 -- not in a hurry, anyway. I have to take some time with
that.''
RUB
OF THE TIGER
Perhaps the best way to end a slump on the PGA Tour is to play in
Tiger Woods's unofficial tournament, the Williams World Challenge.
Tom Lehman had gone three years without a PGA Tour victory. He won
the Williams World Challenge over New Year's in 2000, then won the
Phoenix Open in his second start of the year.
Davis Love III had gone 34 months without a tour victory. He rallied
from four strokes down to win Woods's tournament in December. In
his second start of the 2001 season, he won the AT&T Pebble Beach
National Pro-Am.
IN
ARNIE'S CORNER
Gary Player was quick to rush to Arnold Palmer's defense last week
over the controversy with the King endorsing the non-conforming
ERC II driver.
"I
think the USGA should be ashamed of itself -- absolutely, 100 percent
ashamed,'' Player said, referring to president Trey Holland saying
Palmer would no longer have a visible role as honorary chairman
of the Members Program.
Player said the guilty party in the debate over equipment issues
is the USGA, saying it has been lax in curtailing technological
advancements in the ball. He found it ironic that the USGA does
not ban long putters, for one thing.
"The
USGA has been so weak over the last 15 years,'' he said. "They have
allowed people to putt with a putter on their nose, a putter on
their chest, a putter on their chin, which to me is ridiculous.
Nerves are just as much part of the game as anything.
"How
can they let that go?''
Player said it might be time for the PGA Tour to establish its own
rules.
JONES
CUP
The Jones Cup Invitational makes its debut Friday in Sea Island,
Ga., a 54-hole tournament that could grow up to become the Masters
for amateurs.
The 53-man field will play at Ocean Forest Golf Club, site of this
year's Walker Cup matches, and includes 13 of the top 22 players
in Golfweek magazine's rankings. Included are former NCAA champion
Luke Donald of England, U.S. Amateur runner-up James Driscoll, Public
Links champion D.J. Trahan and U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Greg Puga.
"We
wanted to initiate an elite amateur championship that would invite
the very best players in the world to Sea Island each year,'' said
Bill Jones III, chairman of The Sea Island Company.
Invitations went to top college players, mid-amateurs, U.S. juniors
and members of the Walker Cup team from Britain and Ireland.
FUTURE
OF GOLF
According to Greg Norman's crystal ball, the future of golf is so
strong that Tiger Woods will look like a hacker before he reaches
the Senior Tour.
During the Heineken Classic last week in Australia, Norman predicted
players will be far better in 20 years because of advanced studies
of the swing and the mental aspect of golf.
"Tiger
will probably look like a three- or four-handicapper in all honesty
20 years from now,'' Norman said. "The young kids now who are probably
four or five years old are going to be benefiting from all these
studies and changes that are taking place.
"Players
will get better and better, and we will see more Tiger Woods.''
DIVOTS
According to the Darrell Survey, more players used a Callaway golf
ball than a Titleist on the Senior Tour last week. The count was
37-36, and marked the first time that Titleist has lost a ball count.
Callaway has signed up players to use the ball who are not otherwise
affiliated with the company, although it said 10 of 37 players didn't
have a deal. ... New best buddies Tiger Woods and David Duval are
playing more practice rounds together, but they don't play for money.
"He's scared of me,'' Duval said. ... Rosie Jones and Notah Begay
will be inducted Wednesday into the Albuquerque City Sports Hall
of Fame.
STAT
OF THE WEEK
In three tournaments this year, Tiger Woods has finished a combined
29 strokes out of the lead. In the 10 stroke-play PGA Tour events
he did not win last year, he was a combined 42 strokes out of the
lead.
FINAL
WORD
"I
couldn't keep them lit." - Roger Maltbie, on why nicotine patches
didn't work for him when he stopped smoking.
