You have to give Tiger credit.  Even when he's still months away from swinging a golf club or competing in a tournament, he still manages to steal the show. 

With the golf world focused on the FedEx Cup (which Vijay Singh is quickly closing out) and the Ryder Cup, Woods has been in the spotlight over the past week. 

First, he sat down for an interview to promote his newest video game.  Did he have much to say?  Not really, plenty of yes and no questions and a little bit of humming.  Then, Tuesday, he announced through his website that he and his wife were expecting their second child.

Why bother bringing these two items to your attention.  It's just another example of the staying power Tiger has.  Analysts have been talking about life without Tiger for months now.  Even when other golfers are rising up and playing some great rounds, fans and the media are hooked on Tiger. 
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Following the weekend's LPGA Safeway Classic in Portland, reports have come out that the tour will require all players to learn English.  After two years on tour, those who fail to show a grasp of the language will have their memberships suspended.

According to the report, a written explanation of the policy has yet to be given to the players.

Unlike the PGA Tour, which typically sees only a handful of non-english speakers on a weekly basis, the LPGA's events feature a number of great foreign players (mainly from South Korea).  The numbers continue to grow, meaning more and more players are unable to communicate and relate to the tour's fan base.

Many people are calling the LPGA out on this new policy.  But, like many of the South Korean players, I agree with the tour and call it a good move.  If they want to draw more fans, they need to give them more than just the Gulbis', Pressel's and Creamer' ... Read More »

Over the years, Columbia Edgewater has seen its share of fantastic finishes at the LGPA Safeway Classic.  From Juli Inkster's win to qualify for the Hall of Fame, to Annika Sorenstam to Lorena Ochoa, the course has been a great venue for golf.  Sunday's finish held form.

With the tournament moving to Pumpkin Ridge next year, Columbia Edgewater got one more great tournament that ended with Kristie Kerr winning a three-woman playoff.  It was all made possible by a seven-under 65 on Sunday that allowed her to pick up the four strokes she needed to get back into contention.

After covering the event for years and even volunteering a couple of times, I know the work that goes into staging the tournament each and every year.  However, it's the club's members we should thank for giving us the opportunity to tromp all over their fairways and get an inside look at one of the area's best clubs.

Thanks to all the ladies who come out ... Read More »

It's no joke. 23 firefighters were dispatched to Persimmon Country Club on Monday to fight a fire that broke out near the clubhouse.  Investigators say the blaze started in a cart parked next to the pro shop.

The blaze was contained to two golf carts and some exterior paneling.  Damage to the carts and exterior of the building is estimated at roughly $40,000.

Right now, it like there's nothing suspicious going on, but we'll let you know if further investigation turns up anything.

The Puget Sound area's newest golf course just keeps getting more attention.  In addition to being awarded a US Amateur and a US Open, Chambers Bay has debuted at #8 in Golf Magazine's Top 100 Course List.

In addition to being a great golf course, Chambers Bay is perhaps one of the most accessible golf courses on the Golf Magazine list.  The rest of the top ten, in order, are Pacific Dunes, Pebble Beach, Whistling Straits, Kiawah Island, Pinehurst #2, Bandon Dunes, Bethpage Black, Spyglass Hill and TPC Sawgrass.  One could argue that both Bandon and Pacific Dunes have the same kind of accessibility, but that's not the case.  Both are much more difficult to get to.

Chambers Bay has a lot going for it because of it's location near a major population area and it's competitive price (when compared to other top ten courses). 

Let us know if you're interested in one of golf packages that can include Cham ... Read More »

Does it matter? Does it really matter to the average golfer?  Probably not, but the USGA issued a press released Tuesday that new rules regarding the grooves on a golf club had been passed.

To sum it up, the new rules pertain to grooves on the cross section of any club with a loft equal to or greater than 25 degrees.  They're aimed at making shots from the rough more difficult by reducing backspin.  The new rules will be in effect for any club manufactured after January 1st, 2010.

What's that mean for Joe Golfer?  Not much, really.  Most golfers don't generate the kind of clubhead speed on chip and pitch shots to be affected by the new rules.  These new rules are really targeting professional-caliber players that have had their way with greenside shots over the last decade.

Here's the full press release:

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Bend's newest golf club, Tetherow, opened with all the pomp and circumstance you'd expect.  Roughly a week after opening The Castle Course at St. Andrews, David McLay Kidd brought the kilts and bagpipes for a proper opening.

With Tetherow, Kidd has given Bend it's most unique golf course.  It's a break from the typical Northwest layouts that most of the resorts offer in the Central Oregon area.  It's a true links course with mounds, undulating greens, ragged bunkers and more. 

It's almost like a coastal links course was scooped up and moved to the desert.

The first time around, Tetherow isn't easy.  The many blind tee shots and difficult green complexes make it hard to decide which club to hit and where to hit it.  It's a great challenge, though, and one that people will remember and want to play it again.

Greg Norman's third place finish in last week's British Open garnered him an invitation to next month's PGA Championship.  The Shark says he'll give the TOUR an answer within 24 hours on whether or not he'll go.

What's the hang-up?  The 53-year-old says he's not sure his surgically repaired body would hold up to four straight weeks of competitive golf.  In addition to the British, Norman plans to play this week in the Senior British and next week in the US Senior.

If he thinks he can hold out, I'd encourage Norman to play.  It's an honor to get to play in the PGA Championship and Norman likely won't have many more chances to qualify.  He's proven that he still has what it takes to be competitive, especially around the greens.

It also wouldn't hurt for some of today's younger stars to play with more of the guys who really had to work to make their living in golf.  While it's true that Norman was one of the first ... Read More »

Michelle Wie announced Monday, following her disqualifiication from the LPGA State Farm Classic, that she would play in next week's Reno-Tahoe PGA Tour event.  It will be the eighth time she's played in a men's tour event.

She has yet to make a cut, which makes you wonder why she would want to add another blow to her already fragile psyche.  Wie has played so poorly the last few years that if she wants to continue playing golf, Q School will be her only option for next year (assuming she can't win $80,000 in her final LPGA event of the year).

I'm not against women playing sports against men.  There are just times when it doesn't make sense because it's not a level playing field.  Men's events are played on longer courses, making it harder for the women to compete.  The top 10 players on the PGA Tour are all over 301 yards in average driving distance, while the top 10 on ... Read More »

 Watching Tiger Woods win a major is a little like driving past a fender bender.  You don't wanna see it, but you can't help but turn and look.  Woods has taken the game of golf to new heights and his play in recent majors has been nothing short of remarkable.

There's something to be said, though, of a major championship that's completely unpredictable.  Without the option of betting on Tiger or the field, it's hard to say who'll step in to fill the void left by the world's top player.

I can think of one person who will and one who won't.

The sexy pick this week has been Ernie Els.  The Big Easy has won the British in the past, but I just don't see him playing well enough to come out on top.  Despite winning the Honda Classic ... Read More »