Tiger announced on his website yesterday that he would be returning next week at the Bridgestone. It will be his first round of Tournament golf in almost 3 months. Long-time friend Bryon Bell will be on his bag. Bell has caddied for Tiger twice before, and was also mentioned in tabloids as a go-between for Tiger and his mistresses:
High-school pal Bryon Bell, president of Tiger Woods Design, probably knew the most, reportedly helping with logistics for more than one affair, multiple sources said.
“He would coordinate my flight itineraries and make sure I was all set up to see Tiger,” admitted mistress Jamie Jungers, 26, told The News. “He was a very nice guy.”
Another source said Bell contacted Hollywood madam Michelle Braun to set up “introductions” between Tiger and her “models.”
“He was definitely the middleman for Tiger,” the source close to Braun said.
The announcement of Tiger’s return is a bit surprising given that his swing coach, Sean Foley, recently said that he hadn’t been hitting any balls with Tiger and didn’t know when he was coming back.
My understanding is that the lack of communication isn’t exactly atypical behavior for Tiger. And if I had to venture a guess, I would throw out there that Foley isn’t likely to last much longer as Tiger’s coach.
All of this does raise the question though: Is Tiger really back at 100%? Even if he’s physically at 100%, if he hasn’t been hitting balls, can he really compete next week?
by Derek on July 28, 2011
in LPGA
I kid, I kid! Apparently they’re playing the Women’s British Open this week (who knew?) and somebody decided that the one thing missing in this water hazard was a golf cart. Bada-bing bada-boom, problem solved.
ProGolfTalk
Phil Mickelson made an appearance on Charlie Rose earlier this week. Personally, I find Charlie Rose a bit dry for my taste, but Stephanie Wei presumably had some free time and transcribed the interesting bits:
“There’s nobody in the game who has benefited more from Tiger than myself,” said Phil when asked what his expectations were for Tiger. “He drove the purses up. He drove up the TV ratings. He increased the marketing expectations. He raised endorsement values.
“Nobody has been able to capitalize from that as much as I have so I will always be appreciative for what he has done for me, my family, the game of golf.”
“Tiger brought out my best game. He drove me to practice harder and work harder…Having that opponent driving and pushing you to get better is what helps people achieve higher levels of performance.
“I believe that today I’ve been playing better golf than I ever have. These coming four, five, six years will give me my best opportunities to win majors so I will contend in a lot of them. I want to contend and give myself opportunities on Sunday.”
You can check out the full interview here.
by Derek on July 27, 2011
in Deals
And of course with a new driver and hybrid, there has to be a new iron set right? The G20′s look to be building on the very successful G15 irons (you’d be surprised how many guys on tour are playing the G15′s even though their bag says Taylormade).
I definitely like the color scheme (super important, right?). They feature a multi-material badge to provide “solid feel and sound while enhancing distance control”.
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I’ve never had a hybrid in my bag before. But I have to say that these G20 hybrids look really nice. Interestingly, Ping went the opposite direction of the driver/woods and actually made the face of the G20 hybrids more compact while adding bounce and camber to improve turf interaction.
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Today was a pretty big day for the folks over at Ping. They spent the afternoon launching a ton of new products. They kicked things off with the announcement of the new G20 driver.
It basically looks like a cross between the G15 (my current driver) and the more recent K15. They’re using a new titanium (Ti 8-1-1) with a higher strength/weight ratio and have increased the overall face size and MOI of the driver.
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Just weeks after Russell Henley became only the 2nd amateur in history to win a Nationwide Tour event, his fellow University of Georgia teammate Harris English matched him by winning the Children’s Hospital Invitational. The final pairing actually consisted of two amateurs, leaving the professionals to vie for the title of “low-professional” (and of course 1st place prize money).
An amateur winning a professional event is almost unheard of, but to have it happen twice within a matter of months is mind-blowing. What exactly are they putting in the water over at UGA?
It must be something strong given English’s statements after his win. LSU’s John Peterson (the other amatuer in the final pairing and the ultimate 2nd place finisher) started things off with this gem:
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ESPN aired a great story on Vietnam veteran Mike Reader last week. Reader lost his legs in Vietnam but hasn’t let being in a wheelchair slow him down on the golf course. Last year he became the first golfer to ever roll his wheelchair down the fairways of St. Andrews, shooting a smooth 79.
Breaking 80 at St. Andrews is impressive. Doing it without legs is amazing.
ESPN E:60
