Here’s a news flash for the folks at The Golf Channel. You know, the people who are supposed to be saving golf because they managed to get PGA Tour events on a more obscure cable channel. They are not playing golf at 3 in the morning in France. The French are loony sure, but not that loony. Yet, the Golf Channel gives us the final round of the Evian Masters at 9 p.m. EST on a Saturday night. Or about nine hours after Michelle Wie’s done missing a few short putts, cursing her “bad breaks” and admiring the latest in sparkly watch ... full post »

Rolling Stone magazine isn’t just about rock & roll. It’s long dabbled in politics and national issues. Now, it’s joining the fray on Charles Barkley, bad golfer turned sudden loud Democrat. Rolling Stone National Affairs Tim Dickinson writes about Barkley telling TravelGolf.com “that the word conservative means discriminatory practically". This was all part of the fallout from Dan Quayle walking out on a John Mellencamp concert for Republican bashing at a Lake Tahoe celebrity golf tournament. Anyway, Rolling Stone proves to have some readers who could give the Wie Warriors a run in crazy logic. One writes that “Barkley can’t even speak ... full post »

No one expected Sergio Garcia to win the British Open even after that 65 on Saturday. Obviously, not even Sergio himself. So it’s no great shame that Garcia went out there and tripped all over himself, rang up four bogeys on the front nine and carded that nifty 73. You wouldn’t expect anything less from the PGA Tour’s mental midget. As noted in this column from May, 2005, Sergio makes Greg Norman and Phil Mickelson look like Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus. As advanced in this blog from Saturday night, fresh off that 65, Sergio had about as much chance of ... full post »

Who cares if they call it The British Open or The Open? (Though, personally after seeing how much The Open frustrates TravelGolf.com’s resident fuddy duddy Tim McDonald I’ve developed an affinity for that style.) What you have to call it is better than the U.S. Open. Isn’t it fun watching a golf tournament where the best players in the world have a chance to go for it? What novel thinking to set up a course that allows low numbers that can change everything in a flash. Nice to know that the eagle is not extinct in major championship golf. Any tournament that ... full post »

The New York Post’s famed Page Six is now turning to TravelGolf.com for some of its celebrity tidbits. At least when it comes to golf and politics. On Thursday, Page Six ran an item detailing how Dan Quayle walked out on a John Mellecamp concert for Mellencamp’s Republican bashing, and noted how it brought out Charles Barkley’s admission that he’s now an ex-Republican. Page Six included three quotes from TravelGolf.com’s reports. Now, the Post didn’t credit us for those quotes, but I’m sure Page Six celebrity editor Richard Johnson will invite me to a Project Runway party or something. The important thing is ... full post »

When John Mellencamp wasn’t ripping on Bush in a concert, Dan Quayle wasn’t walking out on Mellencamp and Charles Barkley wasn’t declaring that “Conservative means discriminatory", there was some actual golf played at the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe. This included a long drive contest in which Paul O’Neill, the heart of the Yankees World Series dynasty of recent past, uncorked a reported 357-yard drive. Which should have those fat guys on the Long Drive Tour howling to their commissioner/ball cleaner (believe that’s TravelGolf.com’s own William K. Wolfrum) the way Henry Aaron’s people are howling to Bud Selig. Now, I’m not ... full post »

When John Mellencamp let loose with a rip on the Bush administration in the middle of an celebrity golf tournament event concert, sending ex Vice President Dan Quayle marching for the exit, he may have shot a few shockwaves through the American Century Championship. But one of the biggest celebrities in the Lake Tahoe field - a man who used to be one of America’s biggest Republicans literally - wasn’t shedding any tears for Quayle. “He’s right,” Charles Barkley said of Mellencamp. “The word conservative means discriminatory practically. It’s a form of political discrimination. What do the Republicans run on? Against ... full post »

In the continuing attempt to make sure the celebrities playing golf in the American Century Championship get their every appetite sated, free VIP tickets to a special tournament set up John Mellencamp concert at Harvey’s Lake Tahoe were provided. Ex Vice President Dan Quayle, perhaps feeling a hankering for some tunes after a long day on the course, showed. Then, all political hell broke loose. In mid show Friday night, Mellencamp introduced a song with “This next one is for all the poor people who’ve been ignored by the current administration,” according to witnesses. Quayle almost immediately marched towards the exit from his ... full post »

Cedric The Entertainer appeared on The Tonight Show the night after he put on a private comedy show for the celebrity golfers and most favored sponsor guests of the American Century Championship. Guess which performance he was funnier in? And it wasn’t even close. If you want to see Cedric The Entertainer see him in Lake Tahoe when he’s cutting up in front of some of his celeb buds and a host of well-heeled fat cats. Ced hilariously read the tone of the Harrah’s theater when he came out in his all white suit, complete with his trademark straw hat, and started bumping ... full post »

At least Jerry Rice hasn’t let this Dancing With The Stars thing go to his head. Rice only danced with every hot blonde he could call up on the small stage overlooking the main bar at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe Wednesday night. Not that anyone could accuse Rice of being a player fixated on one prize - or several prizes. The best receiver in NFL history paid more attention to his own dance moves than the revolving blonde coeds shaking with him. At one point, Rice appeared to be checking out his reflection with an expression of near orgasmic joy. Who needs the ... full post »

Before Charles Barkley took over the main bar at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, he sat on the corner bar at the casino’s theater, riding Marcus Allen in a charity auction for the American Century Championship. As Allen bid - or more accurately Allen’s wife - bid on a Wimbledon trip, Barkley kept shouting insults and higher bids from his corner perch. Hoisting a drink the whole time of course. “You’re in the wrong league, little fella,” Barkley screamed at the 6-foot-2 Allen at one point. Auction emcee John O’Hurley - J. Peterman and Dancing With The Stars guy - pleaded with Allen at ... full post »

Nothing reveals the true character of a celebrity like the buffet experience. Lining up with the great unwashed masses and waiting to get your food? Trying to pick out the best piece of beef with those community medal claws? By yourself? Are you kidding me? What’s next? A middle seat in coach! But that’s what the A-List celebrity golfers at the American Century Championship had to deal with for dinner Wednesday night. OK, it wasn’t your usual buffet. The lobster tails, crab claws, filet mignons and fancy risotos were piled high throughout a huge ballroom at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe. And the masses they ... full post »

Forget strippers and “medicinal” mood aids. That’s so 1980s, so Pauly Shore rather than Johnny Depp. If you really want to see celebrities go wild these days, you need to turn to golf. No amount of pole gyrating can produce the craziness that happens when innocent, wholesome celebrities get addicted to the old game. Golf has practically become the drug of choice for the famously vain. And once the jones sets in, there’s no telling what’s going to happen. This is why blockheaded Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will make his return to the public scene as a golfer. Sure, Big Ben skidded ... full post »

Everyone who knows anything about sports understands that any world rankings that put someone who’s never won a single thing at No. 2 are as insane as Norman Bates. Michelle Wie being ranked the No. 2 women’s golfer in the world is equivalent to a 0-11 Northwestern team coming in at No. 2 in the college football polls because they had a few nice plays that made SportsCenter. But the women’s golf rankings usually don’t matter because the only souls who pay attention to them are Wie Warrior delusionals. Really, who cares? Let them have their fun. Only the rankings did mess ... full post »

No one really expected New Jersey’s budget crisis to shut down the Atlantic City casinos. When push came to slot machine whirl, the safe bet was the politicians would cave and keep the money bandits operating. But lo and behold, there was no last minute reprieve to keep the only place in the Garden State that Michael Jordan ever willingly visits open. At 8 a.m. this morning, janitors started locking the doors to Atlantic City’s casinos. Which surely means that it’s nearby golf courses will probably be filled with even more guys looking for action and side bets than usual. Some who ... full post »

Here’s betting that plenty of people involved with the LPGA and USGA were relieved to see the fat chick blow up like a firecracker on 4th of July’s eve in the U.S. Women’s Open playoff. Of course, none of them can actually say that. Just like no one can actually say that Pat Hurst, the rolling jello of the fairways, is beyond hefty or big boned. TravelGolf.com blogger Willy K. Liberal detailed the extent to which the mainstream media went to avoid using the word fat. Because it’s funny to brand guys like John Daly and Charles Barkley double wides, to rip ... full post »