TULSA, Okla. – You wouldn’t think Stephen Ames has much in common with Rory Sabbatini. They both like to play fast. Other than that, not much.

They do have one other thing in common. They’ve both dissed Tiger Woods.

And paid the price.

Sabbatini is probably the more famous for it. He memorably called Woods “beatable.” Woods shot back, but Sabbatini stuck to his guns.

Woods went on to wipe the floor with him, but Sabbatini would not shut up. He kept talking about it, even after Woods wiped the floor with him and the rest of the field at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational.

Three months ago, Sabbatini said he wanted a piece of Woods at the Wachovia. He got it. Woods shot a 69 to Sabbatini’s 74.

Ames was actually the first to make the mistake of breaking bad on Woods. He said “anything can happen, especially where (Woods) is hitting it, before the 2006 Accenture Match Play Championship.

Woods left Ames in a puddle somewhere on the course.

Now, with Ames near the top of the leaderboard at the PGA Championship, he is being extra careful not to repeat his mistake, since Woods is still lurking.

When Ames was asked about it after his round, the normally jovial Canadian dared not even speak the Name of He Who Shall Not Be Dissed.

“I think (Sabbatini’s comments) were straight up front, what he said,” Ames said. “Mine was taken out of context completely. And I won’t get into that. We’ve talked about this already, we have. I think his was straight out. That’s what he said. Mine wasn’t.”

Canadians must be smarter than South Africans.

Read complete coverage of the tournament at WorldGolf.com.

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