by Jeff Skinner

Who needs Tiger? We’ve got golf today!  The Transitions Championship features plenty of great golfers on a course that some call the toughest on the Florida swing and unlike most tracks in the sunshine State it even has hills!  Old guys, young guys, major champs and youngsters trying to make their mark will be walking the hills of The Innisbrook Copperhead Course.  It’s worth a watch.

World #2 Steve Stricker is looking for win #2 this year.  Ian Poulter probably has some new pants to show off.  Paddy Harrington is back from his visit with The Prez.  Ryan Moore brings his special style to Innisbrook.  Two of the most flamboyant and promising youngsters out there Ryo Ishikawa (back from his high school graduation) and Rickie Fowler return to play.  Old dudes looking to get it done are Freddy “The Funkmaster” Funk,  Paul “Sunshine”Goydos and “Mr. Cool”, Tommy Armour III.  Look at some of these groups:  Rocco, John Daly and J.P. Hayes, poor J.P. between Rocco’s chatting and JD’s bitchin he’ll have no peace.   Poulter, Sean O’Hair and Sergio Garcia gives us a clotheshorse, a string bean and a head case.  Do you think rookie Derek Lamely ever thought he’d be teamed in a “Winners” grouping.  He’ll spend two rounds with Stricker and first time winner Bill Haas.  Lucas Glover, Retief Goosen and Vijay Singh form a trio of major winners and popular players.  There’s much to watch and look forward to at the Transitions.  Who needs Tiger to have a great tournament?  We don’t, at least not this week.

by Jeff Skinner

So the next chapter in the Tiger Woods Saga is about to be written: The Comeback.  With his announcement that he’ll play in The Masters the “Tiger Watch” has shifted into overdrive.  It’s understandable why Woods chose Augusta for his comeback tournament.  The boys with the green jackets run a tight ship down there.  They won’t tolerate any heckling, screaming or hollering at Augusta.  So the press better watch out or they’ll be hustled out of there quicker than that guy who was caught running to get on line for a pimento and cheese sandwich last year.

Tiger’s decision to tee it up at the Masters can be described with one word: selfish.  Sure Tiger doesn’t want to miss a major but playing here just turns one of the most distinguished events in all of sport into a cheap circus.  If Woods had opted to make his return at another venue before The Masters the focus could be on the golf and not on Tiger’s return, but for his own self serving reasons Woods picked the biggest tournament of the season.

Somewhere there are a few Augusta members that must be grumbling about the spectacle that their beloved tournament will become when Woods and his travelling troupe come to town.  Publicly they’ll say they are glad Tiger’s back but they have to be wishing that he played before their tournament and gave someone else the pleasure of Tiger’s Circus. Jay Busbee of Devil ball echoes these sentiments and calls his decision short sighted.

The players can’t be too happy either as the first major is relegated to second tier status after everything Tiger.  “Whenever he comes back it’s going to draw a lot of attention to that tournament and the focus is going to be on him coming back,” Steve Stricker said last week. “I don’t know if Augusta would like that to happen, you know? To turn it into Tiger’s comeback instead of the Masters tournament itself.”

I can’t wait for The Masters, heck I can’t wait for any tournament, especially a major, but I’m not thrilled that The Tiger Show will get more coverage than the golf.  Maybe we’ll see a different Tiger: one with a lot less ego and little more humility…a guy can dream can’t he?

by Jeff Skinner

Up here in the Northeast the heavy rains of last week has washed away most of the remaining snow and that brings us a few days closer to opening day for the local golf courses.  With the memory of the Florida golf trip fading fast I’m anxiously awaiting the day when I can tee it up and once again walk down a fairway.  Now’s the time each swing is perfect, each drive lands in the fairway, every approach sits on the green and every putt dies in the hole.  It’s the time when we visualize all those great rounds we’ll be playing.  Hope springs eternal this time of year.  But before I run out and hit a few I’ll check out Jack’s video tip and be comforted in the fact that I haven’t blown it yet this year.

by Jeff Skinner

This is a special week for Ernie Els.  This is a special week for a special guy.  This week Els has seen more than his share of good fortune and winning the WGC CA Championship is only a small part of a wonderful time for Els and his family.  Every golfer at one time or another has paid homage to “The Golfing Gods” and Els is no different.  This time however it seems like The Gods are smiling upon Ernie.  Ernie is being deservedly rewarded by The Gods for all the hard work he has put in both on and off the course.  You see this week isn’t just about winning a golf tournament; it’s about much more than that for Ernie.

This has been an interesting time for Els.  Ernie was as happy as any golfer could be as he grabbed his first PGA Tour trophy since the 2008 Honda Classic.  Els played spectacular golf as he shot a 66 to finish four shots clear of his countrymen and friend Charl Schwartzel.  Els and Schwartzel were thrilled to be paired in the final round together but the seeds of this relationship were sown years ago in South Africa.  Twenty three years ago Schwartzel was two when his father and Els won a club tournament together.  The young Schwartzel also was a member of a junior golf team sponsored by Ernie’s foundation in South Africa.  As Gary Player was a mentor to up and coming South Africans, so has Els been to golfers like Schwartzel.   Schwartzel isn’t a regular PGA Tour player but he was here to play in the two WGC events so Els asked him to stay at his home while he was here.  I would venture to say it worked out fine for the both of them.  Els got to see one of his protégés perform very well on a big stage and he completes his comeback to the world’s elite golfers with the win.  Schwartzel gets to play with his hero, take home a check for $850,000 and establish himself as a player on the 2011 PGA Tour.

That alone would be enough to classify as a great week for Els, but there’s much more.  Last week Ernie was named as the winner of the Charlie Bartlett Award by the Golf Writers Association of America. The award is given a golfer for their “unselfish contributions to the betterment of society.”  Much of that betterment will take place today when Els hosts the 2^nd Annual Els for Autism Charity Pro-Am Golf Tournament.  Els and his wife, Liezl started the Els for Autism Foundation to help raise funds for autistic children.  Their son Ben, 7, is autistic and they have committed the foundation to raise $30 million towards a school and research center.  Last year’s tournament raised over $500,000 and this year’s is expected to raise more.

Els is pulling out some big guns for his tournament as Jack Nicklaus and Raymond Floyd will play as well as many other PGA pros like Stricker, Appleby, Allenby, Calcavecchia, Scott, Rose and Sabbatini are all scheduled to play.

Ernie Els is one of the more forthright players on tour.  He is honest, sincere and involved.  Certainly his win this week is very significant to his career but his play on the course is only a part of his life.  Els established his willingness to give back long ago in South Africa with his foundation and now he continues his benevolent work here.  This is one of the aspects that makes Els such an appealing and likable player.  He’s “The Big Easy” and he’s back.  Can he add “Masters Champion” to his list of titles next month? He thinks he’s ready to contend at Augusta and wouldn’t that be a special week for Ernie.

by Jeff Skinner

Even though the LPGA’s first tournament on US soil is still two weeks away, many American players have travelled the world to get their season started.  This past week saw a bunch of American’s put their games on display in Australia at the Women’s Australian Open.  The pros were joined by the hottest American amateur, Alexis Thompson as she made the trip to Melbourne worthwhile with a tie for sixteenth finish.

The honor of low American went to former Arkansas All-American, Stacy Lewis with her seventh place finish.  Lewis played solid golf all week and if not for an inconsistent putter could have contended for the win.  It has been a very successful early season swing for Lewis as she finished in well in all four tournaments and cashed some healthy checks.  She has finished T22, T38, T8 and seventh so far this year and has earned over $45,000.  More importantly she has been finding her game and has been getting much later final round tee times and been teamed with some of the world’s best.  Lewis is surely looking to break through this year for a win and looks to be off to a good start.

Excuse me if I don’t join the ranks of the millions of golf fans that are lamenting the absence of  Tiger Woods on the PGA Tour.  Excuse me if I’m not one of the fans looking for more Americans at the top of the CA Championship leaderboard.  The leaderboard looks fine to me.  It has plenty of star power and enough interesting stories to please a real golf fan.  A tourney doesn’t need Tiger or Phil winning to be interesting.  How’s this for a good story: Charl Schwartzel is playing in the final pairing with his countrymen and hero Ernie Els.  Schwartzel is a good Euro Tour player that was tabbed as “the next great South African golfer” by none other than Ernie Els.  But, Els isn’t about to step aside for Chartzel, Els has been reborn this season and had rededicated himself to this season and says his game is working in all areas. Els will be doing his best to hold off the changing of the guard of South African golf for at least one more round.

Paddy Harrington sits in second place and is looking to jumpstart his 2010 season.  Harrington is such an anomaly on the course.  He looks to be very focused over each shot, to the point of being a fairly slow player.  But at the same time he is loose, relaxed and smiling all the time.  His mental coach, Dr. Bob Rotella says Harrington is so relaxed he gets distracted by his own thoughts: he spends time on the course thinking of what he will tell the media after his round.

Robert Allenby is two strokes back and could put pressure on the leaders and if you’re looking for an American to claim the title how about Bill Haas.  Haas is only three strokes back and playing his best golf ever.   Don’t tell me this doesn’t have the makings of a great final round on The Blue Monster, it does.  If you can’t see that you must not be a real golf fan and you can spend your Sunday afternoon searching the web for Tiger sightings.

If you ask me this is what a PGA leaderboard should look like.  It has some superstars, major winners, young guns and some up and comers.  Els, Harrington, Singh, Weir are superstar major winners.  Haas and Holmes are the young guns.  Hansen, Schwartzel and Ikeda are the up and comers.  That leaves Robert Allenby who isn’t any of the above.  He’s just are really good player that hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since 2001.  But he did win twice around the world last year and might be playing his best golf right now, if he can manage to stop blowing up over the last few holes,  he may very well be the winner this week.  It should be an interesting final two rounds.

by Jeff Skinner

So my favorite writer from the New York Post, Mark Cannizzaro (covers my NY Jets too), has reported that Tiger Woods will return to the PGA Tour at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.  Soon after that The Associated Press counters that report with a story that contends that Woods will stay dormant until The Masters.  The Woods Camp made headlines by hiring public relations specialist Ari Fleischer and his fledgling “sports communication” company.  Fleischer is the former press secretary for former President Bush and lord knows he must have earned his money playing for “W’s” team.  The word among some in the sports business is that Fleischer’s firm hasn’t quite made the splash he was envisioning and the only reason is got this gig is due to some ties with Tiger’s agency, IMG.

In my book that is part of the problem.  Tiger’s public relation problem right now isn’t the fact that he’s a serial cheater with the low moral standards of a sports agent, we all know that.  His problem is that he is still surrounded by sports agents and handlers that are more concerned with image over substance.  IMG and the rest of the crew blew this fiasco from the start.  IMG has had Tiger from the start of his career and they have served him well financially.  Woods has earned more money than anyone could imagine and IMG had a big hand in all of that.  But they have failed him in handling this personal situation.  True, Tiger is at fault here but he was able to carry out this episode on IMG’s watch.  Where I come from that’s grounds for dismissal and IMG should be gone for letting Tiger spin out of control.  Now they bring Fleischer on board, a professional “Spin Doctor.”  Here is what Fleischer’s website looks like.  The last line says it all,”Ari Fleischer Sports Communications can help you handle the bad news and take advantage of the good.”

Yes, we have to “handle the bad news.”  Is this what Tiger needs now, more handling?  Tiger has always done everything different from the norm.  He has accomplished much and his unusual methods and goals have served him well, up to now.  Now it’s time for Tiger to do something really different, something Woods has never done before.  This time calls for Tiger to be his own man and not the phony, fabrication of a bunch of image consultants.

I don’t care where or when Tiger returns but this is what I’d like to see.  Take note Ari and IMG and try a little honesty for a change. Tiger, and only Tiger, walk into his pre-tournament press conference.  Let Woods stand there by himself without agents, publicists or spin doctors by his side.  Then Tiger can be different, as he likes to be, he can answer the questions without a script or rehearsed answers.  He shouldn’t even entertain questions concerning his wife and family and all those mistresses, those are out of bounds. Those questions he can give the “It’s personal, I’m not answering” response. But a question that asks him about himself, his feelings, his rehab, his self-image and of course his game should be answered.  Here’s something new for you Tiger: sit there and answer all the questions.  Take a page from Paddy Harrington, Phil Mickelson, Kenny Perry, Steve Stricker and Ernie Els.  They are huge stars that take the time to answer each question the press can ask and they do it honestly.  You don’t have to make a habit of it, but this one time a long, honest question and answer session will do more for you than anything else the “handlers” can come up with.

I find it comical that at a time when Tiger should be jettisoning some of “his people” he is hiring more.  Tiger has to realize that he isn’t the “all powerful Tiger” right now.  He’s a guy on the comeback trail and a little dose of honesty and humility would go a long way in putting this episode behind him.

by Jeff Skinner

Check out Golf World’s Senior Editor Mike Johnson as he breaks down his top ten golf innovations of the past twenty years.  In my opinion the most obvious is the big 460cc driver.  Everyone plays the biggest of the Big Dogs now.  But the innovation with the most impact has probably been the ball.  300 yard drives are the norm even for double digit hackers.  If Nicklaus played with these balls he would have never lost.

by Jeff Skinner

Chip Shots…

The Tiger watch has heated up in the last few days.  Reports have Tiger and Hank Haney working together at Isleworth and the speculation is that Woods will return sooner rather than later.  Tiger watcher and insider, John Hawkins thinks this is a sure sign Woods will play The Tavistock Cup then Bay Hill on his way to Augusta.

Ping Chairman and CEO John Solheim has once again shown the same class and dignity that made his father one of the most respected men in golf.  Solheim has agreed to waive his right to keep the Ping Eye 2 clubs from being banned from tour play.  The Pings created a firestorm of controversy when Phil Mickelson played them earlier this year.  Solheim made life easy for the PGA Tour and really took them off the hook.  He took the high road in allowing his clubs to be classified as illegal even though his company had won a lawsuit in 1990 to keep them legal forever.  Solheim didn’t want his clubs to be a distraction to the game of golf.

Some kids grow up and mature faster than others.  A 20 year old on the professional golf tours has no choice to grow up faster than most kids or he’ll be in trouble for sure.  Rory McIlroy showed he is wise beyond his youthful years when he sat down for lunch with Jack Nicklaus last week.  McIlroy wanted to “pick his brain” and glean any tip The Golden Bear could give him about closing the deal on a win.  Nicklaus told him what many parents preach to their eager children that want everything right away, patience.  “Learn to wait and bide your time and know that if you believe in yourself, that it will happen,” he said. “It will happen one of these days, so it’s just a matter of waiting and staying patient,” Nicklaus told him.  Pretty solid advice from a guy that knows what it takes to be the best.

Okay, so this is only remotely golf related but I have to vent about this one.  One of the funniest and most unique advertising campaigns is “The E-Trade Baby.”  You know the ad where the baby calls his buddy “Shankapotamus.” Well, in one of the most recent ads the kid looks to be having girl issues, yea, even at that age, and his female friend accuses him of two-timing her with “that milkaholic Lindsay.”  So in this world of narcissistic, self-important morons another one shows her colors.  Lindsay Lohan is suing E-Trade for $100 million for using her name without permission.  Are you kidding me?  Lohan actually thinks that was a reference to her?  Get real Lindsay. You’re not Elvis or Madonna.  Maybe if they called her “Skankapotamus” I might have made the connection.

It’s impossible not to be worn out by the John Daly saga.  I have run the whole gamut when it comes to John from cheering for him to dismissing him as an accident that is about to happen, to pulling for him during his many comebacks, especially during this most recent one.  But with the overkill by The Golf Channel promoting his show and his Twitter attack of a golf writer, I am just plain fed up with Daly.  I’m not the only one.  John Feinstein calls John out for his lack of effort on the golf course.  It seems Daly has been fined 21 times by the PGA Tour for “failing to give his best efforts on the golf course.”  Feinstein goes on to suggest that Daly could take a lesson from veteran Steve Flesch on how to do his job like a professional.

by Jeff Skinner

EA Sports has released their new Tiger Woods PGA ‘11 video game cover and for the first time ever Tiger Woods shares the cover with young phenom Rory McIlroy.  It could be construed that EA Sports is protecting itself and preparing for a future when Woods would not be their preferred endorser.  For years Tiger was the only PGA Tour player on the best selling golf video game.  According to EA Sports management the change has nothing to do with Tiger’s scandal and everything to do with marketing world wide.  The new game has a 12 man team, Ryder Cup option and they figure McIlroy will reach out to video game fans in Europe and throughout the world.  Even if they are hedging their bets, it’s still good business sense to try and broaden the appeal worldwide.  At this point Woods is probably happy to share the cover, at least EA Sports is still committed to him.  As long as he doesn’t have to share the royalty checks he’ll be fine with it.