Rory Sabbatini is three shots back of the lead at the second FedEx Cup tournament after a morning 68 in Boston. He currently is looking up at leaders Ryan Moore, who eagled 18, and Mike Weir, who apparently just remembered he still plays golf. Like everyone else, Sabbatini is probably paying much more attention to what Tiger Woods is doing. And Tiger is being outplayed at the moment by Phil Mickelson in that dream threesome - well, dream if you don’t include the done Vijay Singh. This gives Sabbatini hope. For the man who once ejected his sister from a golf cart ... full post »

HARRISON, N.Y. (Aug. 27, 2007) No one enjoys a good tweak of the largely pampered millionaires in pro golf more than myself. But taking shots at PGA Tour player K.J. Choi’s English as some did - including WorldGolf.com’s own PGA Punter who’s blog and stat insights I usually enjoy - are out of line and near disgraceful. Choi came to the U.S. late in his life, learned the language while trying to make a living in pro golf and make sure his family adjusted to a new country. Unlike many foreign athletes who know English perfectly and still hide behind an ... full post »

HARRISON, N.Y. (Aug. 26, 2007) - You’ll never catch Steve Stricker in one of those Tiger Woods nipple shirts. But now Tiger will have to catch him in the FedEx Cup standings. Stricker won the first Cup playoff tournament with Tiger nowhere in the state and took a nice early lead in the needlessly-complex point system. (Tiger’s in fourth without hitting a single shot). And, of course, Stricker could have cared less about any of that. The important thing for this much-battered 40-year-old is The Barclays win, his first win in six years, and the $1.26 million first-place event check that isn’t ... full post »

HARRISON, N.Y. (Aug 26, 2007) - Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els excited the crowd early in the final round of the FedEx Cup’s first event. There was Mickleson, having vowed to play like the old go-for-everything, brains-be-damned Phil, birdieing the first three holes this afternoon at Westchester Country Club to move to 10-under. There was Els, hitting his first shot of the day within six inches of the cup on par-3 first, and adding another birdie on No. 2 to move to 11-under. But Mickelson and Els have both made the turn onto the much tougher back nine, having gained no ... full post »

HARRISON, N.Y. (Aug. 25, 2007) - Steve Stricker leads the first ever FedEx Cup tournament heading into the final round of The Barclays. Hunter Mahan tied the course record at Westchester Country Club with a 9-under 62. But the most exciting golfer in the field is Ernie Els. Els had his fourth eagle of the tournament in the third round. He can’t remember the last time he’s had this many eagles in a single tournament because it’s been forever. Els finally seems to be recovered from the knee injury that’s dogged him for two full years though and golf fans can ... full post »

HARRISON, N.Y. (Aug 25, 2007) - Tiger Woods decided not to come to the New York area for the first tournament in PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem’s endlessly promoted FedEx Cup. But he will be in the city to promote his own video game Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 on Tuesday. If this doesn’t show where Woods’ priorities lie, nothing does. There is no denying Tiger is the greatest golfer of all time already, that he’s done more to pump up TV ratings than any single golfer in history too. But there is also no way to pretend that Woods is not ... full post »

HARRISON, N.Y. (Aug. 24, 2007) - Is the FedEx Cup destined to never live up to golf’s majors? Of course. Does PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem need to put in a rule eliminating no-show stars like Tiger Woods from the playoffs? Absolutely. Is the $10 million retirement fund prize the biggest joke in sports since the XFL? No doubt. Still, even with all that, there can no question that the FedEx Cup is a resounding success. You can see it in the number of media outlets that are here in the endless volume of stories being produced on this first of ... full post »

HARRISON, N.Y. - Vijay Singh sat in the Westchester Country Club locker room, staring straight ahead. The 44-year-old Singh who talked before the first FedEx Cup playoffs started about contending for major events until the age of 50 was looking at his new reality. Singh, No. 2 in the Cup standings only because he plays every single tournament imaginable, didn’t come close to scaring anyone but his travel agent at The Barclays. On this course that’s supposedly made for him - because he won it three times when the tournament didn’t matter and he was still had a majors pulse - ... full post »

HARRISON, N.Y. (Aug. 24, 2007) - A number of things have gone wrong with PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem’s first FedEx Cup. One thing that could not be working out better is Rich Beem’s emergence as the playoffs Cinderella at Westchester Country Club. Beem - who might as well have relocated to Iraq for all he’s done since stealing the 2002 PGA Championship from Tiger Woods - is still the funniest golfer on Tour (sorry Boo Weekley, you’re close). Only no one hears your jokes and riffs when you’re in 134th place. That’s where Beem stood in the 144-golfer FedEx Cup ... full post »

HARRISON, N.Y. (Aug. 23, 2007) - Rory Sabbatini fired a first-round 63 to take the lead in The Barclays, the first of the four FedEx Cup tournaments and he fired at the absent Tiger Woods again, completely dismissing Tiger’s “fatigue” claim. In other words, Sabbatini was Sabbatini, impossible to look away from on the course or in front of a microphone. Yet Sabbatini claims that fellow South African Ernie Els is just as cocky and abrasive as he is. “The funniest thing is, Ernie doesn’t remember this, but I met him for the first time when he was 18,” said Sabbatini, who ... full post »

HARRISON, N.Y. (Aug. 23, 2007) - PGA Tour veteran Jeff Maggert is either a religious reader of WorldGolf.com. Or he’s a rare genius among professional golfers. This afternoon at Westchester Country Club, Maggert argued for the same plan that yours truly campaigned in a WorldGolf.com column for spine-challenged PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem to adopt. The idea is that if you skip a tournament in the FedEx Cup playoffs, you’re eliminated from the playoffs. No excuses. No exceptions. So this week it would be goodbye Tiger Woods - if he still skipped The Barclays knowing that it would also put him out ... full post »

HARRISON, N.Y. (Aug. 23, 2007) - Anyone who’s really followed golf this year knows that the idea of Vijah Singh being the No. 2 player in the world makes as much sense as High School Musical 2 winning an Oscar. Singh isn’t even one of the 10 best players on Tour anymore. He might not be one of the Top 15. Yet there Singh stood second in the FedEx Cup standings heading into the first playoff tournament, The Barcleys, today. Even Singh seemed to realize the David Copperfield-sized illusion in this. “I’ve played poorly,” Singh said before he teed off. “Take ... full post »

HARRISON, N.Y. (Aug. 23, 2007) - The only thing that’s an easier target in sports right now than The FedEx Cup is Michael Vick. In fact, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem’s playoff baby has gotten such a bad rap that you half expect PETA to show up at the gates of Westchester Country Club and just start protesting on rote. No matter what you think of the Cup though, there is no denying some of its side benefits. Like a Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk pairing in the first two rounds of The Barclays, starting this morning. And what do we ... full post »

HARRISON, N.Y. (Aug 22, 2007) - A lot of people are dubious about New York mayor billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s claims that he isn’t interested in running for president. It turns out that they should be dubious about his golf game. Or at least his handicap claims. Bloomberg played in the pro-am for The Barclays, the first tournament in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup” playoffs, today as mayors are wont to do. He got to play in Phil Mickelson’s group because billionaires usually get what they want and … as you may have heard Tiger Woods isn’t here. Well, Bloomberg played as a ... full post »

HARRISON, N.Y. (Aug. 22, 2007) - With every top golfer but Tiger Woods playing in the FedEx Cup playoff’s first tournament, The Barclays, everyone’s assumed that the rest of the playoffs will have all the top players and Woods. Not so fast, Phil Mickelson let everyone know today in New York. Mickelson dropped some serious hints that while he’s playing this week, he might not be playing in Boston next week or Chicago the following week as the Cup moves into weeks two and three. “I’m not sure how it’s going to all play out,” Mickelson said. “My intent is to play ... full post »

HARRISON, N.Y. (Aug. 21, 2007) - PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem will not address the media at Westchester Country Club for the first leg in his beloved FedExCup until early Wednesday afternoon. But the PGA Tour’s players - you know the guys Finchem is supposed to be serving - are not exactly making it easy for him. Tweaking the FedExCup like David Letterman tweaks Paris Hilton has fast become the favorite past time of golf’s multi-millionaires. Boo Weekley could do a set at Caroline’s Comedy Club in the city with just his FedExCup material (stay tuned to WorldGolf.com this morning for ... full post »

HARRISON, N.Y. (Aug. 21, 2007) - With a steady rain pelting Westchester Country Club today, most of the top players stayed away from the site of this week’s Barclays tournament. Apparently, the thrill of the FedExCup does not bring about any majors-level preparations. In fact, many players chose a good dinner in New York City (about 40 minutes away from the course) over any extensive preparations. Or even little preparations. K.J. Choi turned out to be an exception. Choi, who is ranked fifth in the FedExCup standings heading into this first of the four playoff tournaments, spent a lot of time out ... full post »

Michael Vick’s plea bargain deal and guilty plea to dog fighting once again illustrates how the PGA Tour’s Tim Finchem has the easiest commissioner’s job in all of sports. Sure, Finchem has been in denial about steroids longer than Bud Selig (which is no easy task in blindness). Sure, Finchem’s transcendent mega superstar Tiger Woods is skipping the first tournament in the commish’s new playoff baby. But those are minor problems compared to the Vick mess and PETA’s unrelenting pursuit of justice and publicity (not necessarily in that order). In many ways, Finchem is getting a free pass in today’s sports world. ... full post »

The FedEx Cup already suffered from some serious credibility issues. Now Tiger Woods is threatening to make a mockery of it before it even begins. Tiger announced today that he is skipping the first event in the four-tournament FedEx Cup playoffs, next week’s Barclays Classic in New York City’s shadow. Woods cites exhaustion from the PGA Championship, but he might as well chalk it up to indifference. He’s not fooling anyone. This is no small blow to PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem who desperately needed all the Tour’s stars to commit in this first year to give a concept with plenty of ... full post »

Woody Austin is awfully proud of himself for finishing second in a major. So proud in fact that he lost his mind, Rory Sabbatini and Stephen Ames style. Austin talked like he’d actually won something at the PGA Championship. He babbled so much fact that he guaranteed himself a future beatdown - or three - by Tiger Woods in the near future. Having shot a 67 in Sunday’s final round to Tiger’s 69, Austin crowed, “I beat him today.” Later he argued that he’s convinced that Tiger didn’t even outplay him in the entire tournament, saying, “It just happens that he scored ... full post »

Tiger Woods essentially won his 13th major off one round - his 63 on Friday in vacation forsaken Tulsa. It’s the kind of round that Ernie Els and the incredible shrinking crybaby Sergio Garcia could never throw at Tiger in a tournament that matters. Which still does not make it one of the greatest rounds ever. From the moment Tiger shot that 63, it was destined to be forever overhyped. Because he’s Tiger, the best golfer of all time, better than Jack Nicklaus already. What’s already being forgotten - and surely will go completely unmentioned within two years - is that Tiger’s ... full post »

I’ve long championed nine-hole golf courses or golf courses actually offering nine-hole rates as a solution to the game’s time crunch. And TravelGolf.com’s readers respond by flooding us with comments about how they love a good nine-hole track too. And then, nobody plays the nine-hole courses that are out there. Well, I’ve found one nine-hole courses that actually has packed tee sheets and deserves them. It’s Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club in the greater Niagara Falls, Canada region. This course dates back to 1875 (yes, it’s the one thing I know older than TravelGolf.com’s own Tim McDonald) and it claims to be the oldest ... full post »

Those declaring Barry Bonds breaking Henry Aaron’s home run record the end of sports civilization are as in touch with reality as Paris Hilton or well … a reality TV star. Yes, there is more evidence linking Bonds to steroids than Sergio Garcia to bad fashion sense. Bonds broke the record under the standard conditions of his times. If you don’t think the majority of major league baseball was on performance enhancing drugs - and still is on the more potent and undetectable HGH - the Tooth Fairy is probably offering you a ride along on her rounds tonight. Those big ... full post »

Rory Sabbatini is the funniest guy in golf. Just not intentionally. The more Sabbatini opens his mouth, the more he plays the clown. Tiger Woods continues to make Sabbatini look like the Patrick Ewing of golf by destroying the South African whenever he makes one of his grandiose predictions about challenging Tiger. For those too young to remember, Ewing is the Knicks center who “guaranteed” that the Knicks would win countless playoff series. The Knicks kept losing Ewing’s guarantees, but Ewing was undeterred. He only pronounced more impending victories. That’s Sabbatini. He keeps baiting Tiger and then plays smaller than Mini Me. The ... full post »

All that talk about women’s golf drawing a lot of buzz needs to stop now. It holds about as much water as Lindsay Lohan’s the cocaine wasn’t mine defense. For the TV coverage of the Women’s British Open proves without a doubt that the decision makers that matter still regard women’s golf as a third-rate sport at best. You get more comprehensive coverage of hot dog eating contests and spelling bees in the U.S. Lorena Ochoa, the No. 1-ranked player in the world in desperate need of a signature victory, holds the six-shot lead she needs at historic St. Andrews and you’ll be ... full post »

Lorena Ochoa takes a two-shot lead into the second round of the Women’s British Open this morning. Which is all fine and dandy. But if Ochoa wants to end her 0-for-23 steak in the majors and make her No. 1 world ranking mean something, she needs to stretch this advantage to five shots by Saturday night. Minimum. Sergio Garcia blew a three-shot final round advantage at Carnoustie when everyone was handing him the Claret Jug already and Ochoa is more than capable of doing him one better at St. Andrews. As talented as Ochoa is, she is even more fragile when the pressure ... full post »

All these male sportswriters who’ve gone absolutely bonkers over Natalie Gulbis winning her first tournament in more than five years on Tour is hilarious but misguided. WorldGolf.com’s own Special K and BTuck’s reactions were predictable. But GolfDigest’s Ron Sirak practically awarded her a Purple Heart for finally coming up with a single W. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg in blog land. It’s like these guys expect Gulbis to invite them to the prom if they send enough verbal bouquets her way. Only problem is Gulbis was never the hottest golfer without a win. That honor did and still does belong ... full post »