Golf Spelled Backwards

How big is the Woods name in golf? So big that it can lead news accounts about golfers committing to play a tournament - even when the Woods in question isn't Tiger. Like this, from GoldCoast.com.au : We may never get to see Tiger Woods strutting his stuff on the Gold Coast, but the city has secured the next best thing in terms of golfing royalty -- his niece Cheyenne. Cheyenne Woods will play the Australian Ladies Masters Feb. 1-3, and this article refers to her as a "headline act" even though she failed to secure exempt status on any tour for 2013. (Woods has conditional status on the Ladies European Tour.) Having the Woods name will always mean that Cheyenne will have opportunities other golfers at her level don't have; that she'll receive more attention than she (probably) deserves. But that cuts both way - she'll receive more criticism and scrutiny than she deserves, too. It's not her "fault" that she is Tiger Woods' niece, and she...

Hey, Kristie Smith, did you have a good Christmas? "Yes ... Yes! ... YES!!!" Spoilt girl!! Merry Christmas everyone🎄🎅 instagr.am/p/TpDbpOPcoU/ — Kristie Smith (@nikegolfchick) December 25, 2012 So just what are the Christmas gifts that have young Kristie Smith - an Australian pro with wins on the ALPG, Futures Tour, and Ladies European Tour - feeling so spoiled by her family? She gathered them into a group and shared the photo with her Twitter and Instagram followers: Hey, is that a ... vibrator? It sure is! And yet, Kristie shared this photo with the public - showed it off even - while noting that her Christmas haul made her feeled "spoilt." Good for her! May she and her new little friend achieve thousands of orgasms together!Not like it's something we don't all do ourselves. As that great poet Cyndi Lauper once put it: She bop, he bop, a-we bop, I bop, you bop, a-they bop What strikes me about this is the difference in attitudes about se...

Somewhere, Charles Barkley is saying, "thank you, Tyreke!" As in Tyreke Evans of the NBA, who might now have the worst celebrity golf swing: I'm suspicious. How can someone so athletic look so pathetic? Is this just a put-on? Surely he - or anyone - could do better than that. Right? Yes? No? For another contender for "worst celebrity golf swing," see our previous post, Yao Ming Can't Play Golf .

Here are some more photos of Rory McIlroy's new house, which he recently purchased for $9.5 million in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. The house is in a small, gated community named Old Gate, and it backs up to the Intracoastal Waterway. Presumably, Rory - and his love, Caroline Wozniacki - will have a nice, big boat of some sort, probably a yacht, sitting soon in the water out back. Rory's house, by the way, is the one with the dark gray roof; the sort of rusty tan-colored roof next door is the neighbor's house. On the other side of Rory's new Florida house is, currently, an empty lot. If I was Rory, I'd buy that empty lot myself to prevent anyone moving in next door. Because, looking at these photos makes it clear: This home doesn't really come with much in the way of seclusion or privacy. Privacy from riff-raff like you and me, sure; privacy from rich riff-raff? Not so much. I'm sure the home is absolutely lovely indoors; it has six bedrooms and...

Get that mother******* visor off your mother******* head! That's the message contained in Kangol's new Samuel L. Jackson collection of golf hats and caps. And Samuel L. Jackson is the coolest golfer on the planet, so are you going to argue? Jackson "worked closely with Kangol's design team to personally select each of the heritage shapes and fabrics within the collection," the company states . And continues: "While the Kangol Golf by Samuel L. Jackson collection offers nods to Kangol's history, it also incorporates ultra-modern performance treatments. The refined Heritage styles feature P2i's revolutionary, liquid-repellent ion-mask technology, which provides an undetectable coating, causing liquids to bead up and roll off the hats. "The range of hats incorporates Samuel L. Jackson's personal touches through use of his favorite colors, purple and yellow. The SLJ Jacquard print on the P2i Golf Spitfire was inspired by a vintage ha...

Hey, that's what its makers claim about the MagneCaddy! They wouldn't just make up a statement like that, right? So let's check out this invention so stupendously awesome that it "may be" better than the guttie, the Haskell ball, dimples, steel shafts, graphite shafts, metal woods, perimeter weighting, cast irons, the sand wedge and all the rest: MagneCaddy may be the greatest invention in golf history! Huh. I think they're overselling it. What do you think? I can see something like this coming in handy for some golfers - older golfers, golfers with back pain. You screw a powerful magnet into the butt end of the grip of one of your clubs - putter, I'll guess - and then you can pick up other clubs on the ground. How many clubs do you leave laying on the ground during a round of golf? Enough to pay $24.99 for the MagneCaddy? As I said, I can see it being useful for some golfers - but is it more useful than other grip-end attachments you can buy tha...

What I don't like about this Everybody Loves Raymond scene is that ridiculous phony golf set. But there are several things I do love about this scene: Patricia Heaton is hot anyway (if you're into MILFs). But this scene accurately shows just how hot a cute girl is when she puts on a golf outfit. And how smokin' hot she becomes once she plays golf in that outfit. Watch Ray after Debra tees off: He is suddenly consumed by lust for his wife. We've all been there, right? Ah, but couples and golf don't always mix, do they? And this scene shows us that side of the equation, too. Golf can create stress, and stress can cause curtness on the course - especially when one golfer is good and the other isn't. We've all been there, right?

There's nothing secretive, of course, about the need for many golf courses in places with warm summers by cool winters to overseed during winter months, in order to switch to a winter grass as their bermudagrass goes dormant. (If you don't understand why overseeding takes place, here's a good primer from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America). What I don't understand is why some golf courses are so secretive about their overseeding schedules. You know the ones: you call for a tee time, they don't say, "hey, we just overseeded"; you show up and pay, they don't say, "hey, we just overseeded"; you reach the first green before you realize, "hey, they just overseeded!" I got an email recently from a local course that I play often, announcing that they have completed their overseeding and, boy, are the greens in great shape! Funny, I don't recall getting an email from them before they started overseeding, saying...

Loudmouth Golf Apparel burst on the scene back around 2004, 2005, with its wild, wacky, eye-hurting, vision-blurring golf apparel. Golfers had spent decades trying to overcome the lingering stigma caused by those horrible 1970s golf fashions, and here was a company making clothes even uglier than those 1970s duds. That was the joke, of course. And a funny thing happened: Loudmouth caught on and grew, eventually signed John Daly and other tour pros, started showing up on the pro tours, and became kinda cool. And you know what happens when something because cool: Others start copying it. Royal & Awesome is the name of another apparel company that is turning out wild, wacky, crazy golf clothes. Here are a few pieces: See royalandawesome.com for more. Royal & Awesome makes men's and women's bottoms, plus flat caps and belts.

Hey, Bode Miller, you could put an eye out with that thing! Bode Miller is the onetime American Olympic skiing champ, still a skiing icon in the U.S. His wife is Morgan Miller (formerly Morgan Beck), a professional volleyball player and model. Our story begins innocently enough, with this jocular tweet by Bode: I played my first round of golf lefthanded yesterday.It was pretty amazing.Los of terrible shots for my wife to laugh at. — Bode Miller (@MillerBode) December 11, 2012 But soon, Bode's golfing "exploits" with his lovely missus took a dark turn: First major golfing catastrophy. :-( details soon,hospital now. — Bode Miller (@MillerBode) December 12, 2012 Hospital? Oh, no! What happened? Hit wife w golfball. #worstfeelingever — Bode Miller (@MillerBode) December 12, 2012 Yikes! "Worst feeling ever." Yeah, well, imagine how your wife feels! I'm not feeling so hot. Line drive to the face today with a golf ball from my darling husband.I st...

The PGA Tour, a few days ago, released the first six tournaments of its 2013-14 season schedule. One of those tournaments is the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, the tour's Las Vegas stop. Notice anything missing? Right: Justin Timberlake! For the past four years, since 2008, the tournament was called the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Timberlake was called the tournament host, he put on a charity concert during the week, played in the pro-am, made appearances during the broadcast, was a public and visible figure promoting the tournament. Now, no JT. OK, OK, you got me: This is actually old news. Way back in October it was announced that Timberlake wasn't returning. His contract expired - he signed a 4-year deal to put his name on the event, that deal expired after the 2012 tournament, and that deal wasn't renewed. I apparently had my head buried in a sand trap during October and missed this. But now that I know, the question is, why? Why...

What's the answer to the riddle posed in the headline? This: When we're talking about the John Daly drink! Get it? A John Daly cocktail combines tea and lemonade with vodka. Arizona Iced Teas markets the Arnold Palmer drink (iced tea/lemonade blend) and also markets Jack Nicklaus Lemonades. And Fuzzy Zoeller has his own vodka label, Fuzzy Vodka. So: Arnold + Jack + Fuzzy = John Daly! Hmm, what's that, you say? If the Arnold Palmer already combines tea and lemonade, then won't adding Jack Nicklaus lemonades throw off the recipe? Um ... shut up! Math was never my strong suit. Anyway: Yes, John Daly (the golfer) is now marketing John Dalys (the drink). Long John put together a company that is making Original John Daly Cocktails, which are bottled vodka cocktails (30 proof). There are three of them to start with, each combining lemonade and vodka with, respectively, raspberry tea, peach tea or sweet tea. Daly's been talking about John Daly cocktails on Twi...

In recent years, when something weird or wild happens during golf's swing through Australia, it's usually involved John Daly throwing something. Or Tiger Woods diddling something. Not this time. This time, it involves a couple of caddies throwing punches next to the practice putting green at the Australian Open. The caddies were Grant Buchanan (who works for James Nitties) and Matt Kelly (bagman for Marc Leishman). The incident happened before the first round on Thursday , and after an earlier "engagement" between the two at a casino: "On Thursday a physical altercation took place between two caddies just prior to their groups taking to the golf course," tournament director Andrew Langford-Jones said in a statement. "PGA Tour of Australasia officials met the caddies and their respective players immediately after their round to clarify details of the altercation. "Having spoken with those involved, there is still a need to speak with a num...

Who are the all-time highest earners in PGA Tour history? Here are the Top 25 golfers on the PGA Tour career money list at the end of 2012: 1. Tiger Woods, $100,950,700 2. Phil Mickelson, $67,644,698 3. Vijay Singh, $67,277,743 4. Jim Furyk, $52,719,459 5. Ernie Els, $44,771,409 6. Davis Love III, $42,208,476 7. David Toms, $38,865,778 8. Steve Stricker, $35,079,561 9. Justin Leonard, $31,861,400 10. Kenny Perry, $31,797,536 11. Stewart Cink, $30,836,995 12. Sergio Garcia, $30,582,574 13. Luke Donald, $28,860,433 14. Adam Scott, $28,306,454 15. Retief Goosen, $27,525,642 16. Scott Verplank, $27,400,942 17. K.J. Choi, $27,373,854 18. Mike Weir, $26,821,949 19. Stuart Appleby, $26,757,857 20. Robert Allenby, $26,408,821 21. Zach Johnson, $26,277,293 22. Geoff Ogilvy, $25,738,157 23. Rory Sabbatini, $25,464,837 24. Mark Calcavecchia, $24,147,827 25. Jerry Kelly, $23,845,162 What this list (and the full list , which you can view on PGATour.com) tells us is that ...

Last month, EA Sports revealed that Arnold Palmer joins Tiger Woods on the cover of the Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 gamebox. Now, we see the cover for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14: The Masters Historic Edition . Who's on the cover? Bobby Jones and Bubba Watson: What do you think Bobby Jones would think about being included in this? (Remember: Jones cashed in after his amateur competitive career ended, which, of course, doesn't mean he would approve of any given commercial endorsement.) Of course, by publishing this cover image and asking readers what they think of it, we are merely furthering EA Sports' marketing campaign for the game. Well played, EA Sports, well played.

No secret that golf's best players receive appearance fees - openly when playing outside of the USA, under-the-table (or through some other rule-skirting arrangement) inside the USA. And the most expensive golfer to buy for your tournament? Tiger Woods, natch. But Rory McIlroy appears to be giving Tiger a run for that money - Rory's price has gone up. You might recall several years back when Tiger got a reported $2 million to show up at the 2009 Australian Masters (he should have asked for more - that's where Woods' relationship with a woman not his wife was noticed by a tabloid). The Victorian state government - which is to say, Australian taxpayers - even picked up part of that tab to get Woods Down Under. Well, this year, the Australian Open thought it had bought the presence of McIlroy for $1 million. Tournament organizers believed they had a deal in place for that appearance fee - but then Rory went and won the PGA Championship, his second major. And that...

The 2012 - and final - PGA Tour Q-School wrapped up recently. And some of the veterans who failed to finish high enough on the money list also decided to skip going back to Q-School. What gives? Are they giving up on having full status? Are they too high-falutin' to go slumming in Q-School again? Not necessarily, and not necessarily. The PGA Tour has several other ways for veteran golfers to maintain fully exempt status, even if they fall below the cut-off point on the money list, even if they decline a trip to Q-School. Plan B is the Top 25 career money exemption, and Plan C is the Top 50 career money exemption. A golfer who is inside the Top 25 in PGA Tour career earnings can invoke an exemption to remain fully exemption. And likewise, a golfer inside the Top 50 in career earnings can do the same. Some golfers even use both, in back-to-back seasons. David Duval did that several years back, gaining two additional years of fully exempt status that he otherwise wouldn't have...

So, class, what do we think of Madcapz? I like 'em. They are "colorful caps with style and personality," their maker says, and who am I to argue? It's easier and easier to find silly, crazy, wacky, offbeat, wild colors and patterns - if that's your thing - in tops, bottoms, socks, even shoes. But not so much in golf caps. Unless the cap is sporting some kind of allegedly funny or daring graphic or slogan - in which case, the "funny" or "daring" is often just dumb or offensive. Madcapz are made for women. See more at madcapz.net .

You probably heard the news: Keegan Bradley, playing in his first tournament since the USGA/R&A proposed rule change that will (if finalized) ban anchoring, was heckled during the World Golf Challenge. Specifically, he was taunted with cries of "cheater!" How deplorable. But not entirely unpredictable. In fact, in the aftermath of the anchoring announcement, the (possible) bad treatment by fans of current anchorers was one of the issues raised as a potential point of worry. But let's get this straight: Anchoring a belly putter or broomstick putter was specifically allowed by the USGA and R&A for all these past years; it remains permissable right now ; and it will be 100-percent legal right up to until the very second it becomes illegal. Which, as of now, is expected to Jan. 1, 2016. A golfer anchoring a putter at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2015, will not be breaking the rules, and will have every right to be anchoring. So it was good to see the USGA coming down...

Old Tom Morris is not rolling over in his grave. But he might be turning his head and coughing. Because someone is on the hunt to find Old Tom's balls. His golf balls, that is. In 1891, Old Tom - probably the most important figure in golf history - was in Ireland for an exhibition of golfing. To warm-up, he practiced next to Lough Salt in County Donegal, hitting 20 balls into what is called Donegal Lake. And those ancient gutta percha golf balls, struck by Old Tom Morris, are, presumably, still down there in the silt at the bottom of the lake. And a team of divers is looking for them. The Independent newspaper of Ireland reports : At the end of the 19th century, four-times Open champion Morris was in the county to design the Rosapenna golf course. Local historians record an incident where the Scottish golfer stopped off at nearby Lough Salt to practise his swing. Now diver Gus O'Driscoll and four members of the Delta Specialist Diving Club are hoping they can find...