WHAT? DID YOU WANT ME TO TAKE MY FERRARI?: Lake Nona Golf & Country Club defeated Isleworth Golf & Country Club, 17-13, to win the Tavistock Cup. It was the host course’s second victory since the cross-town rivalry began in 2004.
If excess is your thing, this is your golf heaven. If excess is a turnoff, this event is golfs answer to Antabuse. Even though the members of the winning team get to donate $100,000 each to the charity of their choice, everything else ' Isleworth members arriving by helicopter; Graeme McDowell winning $300,000 for having the low score on Day 2; hole-in-prizes including Audi cars, Air Nautique boats and private jet time ' only furthers the notion that PGA Tour players are spoiled worse than month-old milk. And this doesn’t include what it takes to get such major names ' most notably Tiger Woods ' to compete in a Monday-Tuesday tournament this close to the Masters. That can’t be cheap.
IS IT HOT IN HERE OR JUST ME?: Tiger Woods not only said he would be playing in this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, but surprised a lot of people by saying he was going to play in the Australian Masters in November.
Bad news for the Disney folks, as the Aussie event is scheduled the same week as theirs. Woods is reportedly taking a $3 million appearance fee to play Down Under. And he’s taking a lot of heat for it as well. At least half of that money is reportedly coming out of tax payers pockets. Is he worth it? That’s debatable. What’s not: Tiger will hate fielding questions revolving around this situation over the next eight months.
GOOSE IS GOLDEN: Retief Goosen won for the first time in nearly four years on the PGA Tour, making a 5-foot putt on the final hole for a one-stroke victory at the Transitions Championship.
Does this make Goosen a major player again? He putted like it was Shinnecock 2004, and the victory has to give him a King Kong confidence boost. Hes back to No. 22 in the world, from 39. So can he make a play for the green jacket? Lets hold off on this major and wait for the U.S. Open to roll around.
CONFIDENCE UN-ASSURED: Tom Lehman, just two weeks after turning 50, held the 54-hole lead at Innisbrook. He closed in 4-over 75, however, to finish in a tie for eighth.
Looking at the leaderboard Saturday night ' as impressive as it was in terms of name recognition: Lehman, Goosen, Howell, Stricker, Appleby, Immelman ' it seemed impossible to pick a favorite. None of them inspired confidence in being able to seal the deal come Sunday. But at least that made the final round interesting.
TURN, TURN, TURN: Pat Hurst won the LPGAs MasterCard Classic in Mexico. She started the final hole of regulation trailing Yani Tseng by one, but a Tseng bogey at the par-5 finishing hole combined with a Hurst birdie gave the veteran her sixth tour title and first since 2006.
Meanwhile, Lorena Ochoa finished one back. The Mexican superstar gave the locals plenty to cheer about with her opening 65, but she struggled over the final two rounds, needing four birdies over her final seven holes just to finish in second place.
GOOOAAAL: Two months after getting married, Annika Sorenstam announced that she and husband Mike McGee will be expecting their first child this fall.
Who’s better at setting goals and accomplishing them than Annika? After a professional career in which she achieved nearly everything possible she decides she wants to retire (check), get married (check) and start a family (check). Let’s get rid of this Geithner guy and put Sorenstam in as Treasury Secretary.
DIDN’T SEE THIS ONE COMING: Michelle Wie made it official as it was announced this past week that she will be managed and marketed by IMG, the same company who oversees the careers of Tiger Woods, Paul Creamer, Natalie Gulbis and so many more.
This is less surprising than when my grandmother told me Liberace was gay. The only surprise is that it didn’t happen three years ago when she initially turned professional.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: A movie is in the works about the life of Moe Norman. ... The LPGA lost another event in 2009 as the Bell Micro Classic was rescheduled for April, 2010. Estanislao Goya won the European Tours Madeira Islands Open. Chapchai Nirat broke Ernie Els Asian Tour record by winning the SAIL Open at 32 under par.
The director of ‘Rain Man’ is heading the project. Not sure if Mickey Rooney is available. ... How long before the LPGA has to become self sufficient in order to operate? Goya shot 69-67 in the first two rounds of the PGA Tours Puerto Rico Open before tying for 44th. That is believed to be the lowest 72-hole score on any tour.
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