Smoltz Trying To Upstage Close Pal, Tiger?

Should former Braves pitcher give up on "fantasy"?
John Smoltz, the Atlanta Braves' former ace pitcher and a current TV analyst for the team is following through in pursuit of a dream to play professional golf.
Major media reports say that Smoltz will enter the qualifying event for the U.S. Open (June 17-20 at Pebble Beach) with a May 10 round at the Marietta Country Club (in Kennesaw??)
A USAToday report portrayed Smoltz as someone who didn't want to state publicly that he takes his chances seriously.
Would you agree that this escapade reminds us of Michael Jordan's flame-out attempt at playing Major League Baseball? And be advised: this may be a reality show in the making. Word is that Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is making a qualifying attempt as well. Can Jerry Rice, the Hall of Fame receiver who lingered around the NFL a tad too long, be far behind?
Agree, or not, leave a COMMENT below.

Atlanta hole-in-one witness tells all

Have you ever hit a hole-in-one?
If so, what's the story behind the shot?
The photo above is of one of my regular playing partners, Brent Dixon, after he aced the 168-yard third hole at the quirky Atlanta muni course, Candler Park.
The picture doesn't do the occasion justice. In fact, Dixon was so nonchalant about his feat that I had to coax him into posing for a shot AFTER we'd already teed off on the fourth hole.
(He did brim with glee, however, while phoning his father quickly and thanking him for introducing him to the game as a child.)
Kudos to Dixon, a gentleman on the course and a genteel admirer of the finer things in life off it.
If you've got a "first ace" story to relate, share it by clicking on the comment box below.
A. Scott Walton

Davis Rubs His Own Nose in PGA Rules

NO CRYING IN BASEBALL, NO FUDGING IN GOLF

By George Burnette
Fore!BlackGolfers Correspondent

A friend of mine introduced me to the game of golf. He hadn’t been playing long either. He told me he saw Calvin Peete on TV, read a “Snoopy” rules book, went and bought a starter set and headed over to Candler Park Golf Course in Atlanta, Georgia (Candler Park is the most municipal of our municpal golf courses here in Hotlanta). By the weekend duffer’s standards this friend would be considered naïve and stuffy; but only because the weekend duffer maintains a casual adherence to golf’s rules and etiquette whereas my friend enforced them with a Gestapo-like fervor. Such was my introduction to the game: and old habits die hard.

A few years ago I was watching a Tour event and saw Brian Davis, described here in an AP story, assessing one of the gnarliest lies you can imagine. As the camera zoomed in I saw him violate a very basic rule of golf concerning the movement of the ball. I don’t remember the exact situation but Brian got the Oscar for Best Golfer to pretend like he didn’t just cheat. There is no way he didn’t see what I saw. He suffered no repercussions other than this casual observer's disdain and disgust.

Brian had a similar experience - in a hazard - during a two-man sudden death playoff at Harbor Town this past Sunday. His club hit a reed in the hazard on his backswing. The TV cameras caught the violation. This time he called a penalty on himself and immediately conceded victory.

This series of events caused me to ask myself a few questions. Did Brian Davis come to the realization that if he chooses not to penalize himself the TV cameras may do it for him? Did he finally realize that if I saw the previous violation that I mentioned earlier millions of others could have too and that a repeat performance at Harbor Town would be cause for banishment? Will the tours around the world ask the networks to refrain from zooming in too close on shots so as to minimize controversy? Will instant replay ever play a role in golf?

A special thanks goes to Brian Davis for reaffirming my belief in the second chance.

Leave a COMMENT (below) to weigh in on Davis' dilemma.

Tiger Needs Earl In His Ear Right Now

By A. Scott Walton
If Earl Woods was among the living, his prodigal son Tiger might still be embroiled in this tragic "sex scandal" that won't go away.
The only difference: the 14-time Major tourney champ would have a paternal (not "enabling") presence he could trust wild boldly returning to modern sports' biggest stage.
Regardless of the original context in which the late elder Woods evoked the words, "I want to find out what your thinking was", and "Did you learn anything?", now looming in Nike Golf's new commercial, those words hover with more haunting earnestness than any shallow punditry rattling around ever since Tiger's PR tailspin started.
For all we know, it might not have been Madison Avenue masterminds who spearheaded the ads slated to run exclusively during the Masters. Maybe Tiger himself insisted that the next big product placement venture shouldn't be about "product" at all.
What better way to show true contrition than to stare down the scorning masses while the only voice of approval you've ever sought calls you to task?
And, whether he conceived the commercial or not, this much is certain: Tiger could have refused to appear in it.
If Nike stood by him throughout the debacle he admittedly caused, the sports giant surely would have obliged a snit-fit on the soundstage.
This commercial shows encouraging signs that Tiger hasn't been "Punk'd" by the ruin of his reputation. On the contrary: he's been "Scrooged".

All Eyes On Tiger ...

Woods meets the press on eve of Masters comback!
By A. Scott Walton
Throughout Masters Week, rely on Fore!BlackGolfers for a constant flow of updated news and commentary about Augusta National's major tournament. Here you can keep track of Tiger Woods' progress amid the media maelstrom, as well as his play, on a non-stop basis.
Connect with Fore!BlackGolfers on Twitter and on Facebook.

South Park Tears Tiger Woods To Shreds

ISN'T AMAZING HOW ONE ATHLETE RIVETS A PLANET?

Here's why Tiger's Augusta Gambit Makes Sense...
By George Burnette
What FBG has always strongly suspected and even predicted has been made official. The Masters will mark Tiger’s return to competitive golf. Looks like Eldrick’s flair for the dramatic has not waned as a result of his, now very public, indiscretions.

Original speculation was that he would return for the Tavistock Cup which on the surface made a lot of sense. That event is void of galleries and the pressure to win that a regular tourney or major would bring. And it’s media coverage normally does not extend beyond The Golf Channel.

Arnie’s Bay Hill Invitational was also bandied about as a possible source of the Tiger-man’s return. It’s right there in Tiger’s hometown of Orlando, he has a history of winning there and he and Arnie share mutual respect for one another. But it’s not as controlled an environment as that annual tourney at Augusta National. The staunch traditionalists that run the Masters will not entertain a media circus of ANY kind for ANY reason under ANY circumstances. I, for one, felt like Tiger would tune up for the Master’s by playing at least one regular tour event beforehand but the insulation the Master’s provides obviously trumped all.

Tiger's Caddie Break Silence, Shatters Trust?

By A. Scott Walton
Would Tiger Woods be better off ditching his long-time caddie, Steve Williams, before resuming his career?
For nearly a dozen years, they've forged the most successful on-course partnership in golf history; enriching them both beyond limits the PGA ever envisioned.
But how well do Woods and Williams really know each other? And how likely is it that Tiger reform notorious ways if the confidante his game relies on most claims that they're virtual strangers, and reportedly holds a grudge about the exposed marital infidelities?
The fiery New Zealander who's rarely been known to hold his tongue when it comes to advising and defending Woods' in the course of their 11-year relationship has just made the reckless move of telling a TV station that he's "mad" about the controversy Tiger's stirred up and that, as he's concerned, the world's greatest golfer was leading a double-life.
This from a guy who's gotten rich and famous toting Tiger's bag all these years? Is this really who's got Tiger's back when he returns to play?
LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW
GANG GREEN: The only player who belongs in the same sentence with Woods in any "all-time greatest golfer" context joins a growing number of pundits who feel certain that Tiger will compete at this year's Masters. Jack Nicklaus, who has 18 Major tourney titles to Tiger's 14, told media assembled for this week's Honda Classic that Woods will eventually 'figure out' his ordeal.
PARTING SHOT: If you haven't already discovered the new web site developed by the man who established himself as the "golf gear guru" for The Golf Channel, point your mouse toward Adam Barr's new channel pronto. It's packed with insider information about equipment, courses and the players who truly have "karma issues" right now.

Tiger's Apology: Proof of Priorities

By George Burnette
Reactions to Tiger’s private press conference have run the gamut from deeming him arrogant to bewilderment at the thought of him apologizing to anyone other than immediate family to suspicion that the silence-breaking statement was sterile, contrived and made-for-TV.
But much was unearthed while Tiger emoted for thirteen minutes:
We learned that his wife, Elin, (above left) is demanding that Tiger walk the walk rather than talk the talk.
We also learned that although he is one of the world’s most recognizable and, as a result, wealthy people, he maintains the unrealistic expectation that his private life should and will be kept private. His blood pressure reached camera smashing levels when he mentioned the paparazzi’s overzealous pursuit of Sam.
His first grouping of mass apologies was directed to his friends (some of whom, undoubtedly, admire and envy their buddy’s sexual conquests), his employees (whatever hit-in-the-pocket they took was negligible), his business partners (see: his employees), his foundation (those donations of time and money will soon rebound) and his Learning Academy students (this was sorely needed).
He admitted that he was both embarrassed and needed help. These self-admitted shortcomings go a long way in reeling in Joe Six-Pack.
He took as much pressure as possible off Elin.
He gave no timetable as to when his return to competitive golf may occur. Although he did use the words, if, return, this and year in the same paragraph.
His second wave of direct apologies was to his wife, his kids, his Mama, his (fist-pumping) friends, his foundation and to all the kids in and inspired by the “I am Tiger Woods” ads.
He managed to get in some housekeeping along the way. He dispelled rumors of Elin’s pugilistic exploits and of his alleged steroids use, but left us to wonder if prescription drug abuse is part of the puzzle. And there are Buddhists all over the world, especially in Asia, who are now getting around to doing something they’ve always wanted to do: take up golf.
He made mention of “core values” he was taught by his parents to believe in. There is a difference, however, in being “taught” to believe in something and coming to that conclusion on your own. Herein may lay the problem. When is Tiger going to stop taking instruction and do some soul-searching of his own? It’s high time that Butch, Stevie, Barkley, Jordan, Tida, Fluff, Hank, O’Meara, Cook, the image builders over at IMG and Nike and others get out of his ear so he can think for himself.
The world will find room in their hearts to forgive Tiger, but first Tiger needs to find room to sort out his life and his priorities.








Collage: NYDailyNews.com

Tiger Woods Faces the Nation

By A. Scott Walton
Say what you will about Tiger Woods, but the man who's bigger than the very sport he plays can't be labeled a coward.
A coward is someone who has the audacity to demand a stroke-by-stroke account of all of another man's infidelities.
A coward is someone who hides behind the false shield of a media credential to take indiscriminate shots (verbal and visual) of a man and his family in the obvious throes of anguish and disappointment.
A coward calls another man "arrogant" for stepping forward to apologize, but not confess the details of his sins to a public that cannot and will not do anything meaningful toward the redemption he seeks.
A coward passes judgement; cloaked in the devilish security blanket over his own hidden and misgiven thoughts and deeds.
A coward faults a man who declares that the privacy and security of his wife and children should be protected at all costs, and that any decent human being should want the same for their own household.
A coward wouldn't attempt in a lifetime what Tiger Woods achieved at the podium in 13 minutes today.
Every so-called "hero" has a flaw.
Tiger Woods just showed the courage to expose his much more than any of us has the right to know about.
FOR MORE: Watch the world's No. 1 golfer make his first public statement since things spiraled out of control here.
If you agree, or disagree, offer your thoughts in the COMMENT BOX below.

How Stellar Players Get Their "Groove" Back

Way back in July of '09, Fore!BlackGolfers posed the question of whether this year's new groove rules imposed on the PGA players' clubs would register on readers' range finders.
Six months later, there's a simmering suspicion that top players like Phil Mickelson and John Daly might (or might not, in the latter's case) be employing vintage Ping wedges with groove configurations that evade the new rules to their advantage.
In response to a controversy that will surely brew throughout the PGA players' transition to clubs with grooves that conform, guest blogger George Burnette takes aim at the parties responsible for the fracas in the first place...
By George Burnette
I mentioned previously that sports’ governing bodies’ ability to deal with the steroids issue will be tested in the upcoming months and years. As a precursor to that quagmire, the sport of golf is embroiled in a different messy controversy of it’s own. The issue of grooves is at the forefront and the sport’s second most visible player, Phil Mickelson, is at the center of the fuss.
The depth and shape of grooves largely determines the amount of spin one can apply to a shot. The PGA, in it’s zeal to minimize the effect that new technology has on competition, implemented new regulations which prohibit deep grooves with hard square edges. They did this knowing full well there was a loophole involving PING wedges manufactured before April 1, 1990 that could, and likely would, be exploited. The list of exploiters is growing every week and the biggest name amongst them is Mickelson.
Tour vet Scott McCarron has taken the mantle of lead whistleblower. Although he admits that the letter of the law has not been violated, I agree with him that the “spirit of the law” has. As more and more players stick square-grooved PING wedges into their bags, the slope for Tim Finchem and Co. gets slipperier and slipperier.
Will Finchem pull a page out of David Stern’s book and take deliberate and decisive action to nip this controversy in the bud? Will he somehow close the loophole? Will he force PING to file another lawsuit? Will he render an opinion or take sides? Stay tuned to Fore!BlackGolfers for answers and opinions to these and other burning questions.

Feel free to set Burnette straight in the COMMENT BOX (below the funky, flashback video) if you think his opinion's out of bounds.

Champions Tour Great Jim Thorpe Headed to Prison

"You want to beat me? Take me to a course with lots of water. I'll play chicken, because I can't stand to risk hitting a new ball into a water hazard. It's like throwing money away, man. Even playing for $100 a hole, I can't make myself take a chance of losing a $4 ball."
Jim Thorpe, Golf Digest, 2006
Shit happens. Sadly, sometimes, to decent people.
Such, it seems, is the case with three-time PGA Tour winner and frequent Champions Tour victor, Jim Thorpe.
The hard-scrabble golfer with the trademark Panama hat is going on forced sabbatical from golf because he's been sentenced to a year in prison for tax evasion.
Thorpe, who was raised dirt poor and suffered all the indignations heaped upon black golfers in the era that preceded Tiger Woods' reign, was never known to take the easy way out of anything.
But I happened to uncover a long-lost Golf Digest article about him that may offer tell-tale clues to Thorpe's undoing. In it, Thorpe describes how an act of kindness he committed while down to his precious last dollars led him into close connection with casino gambline operators. And he willfully divulges his fondness for betting on horse races, dice games, boxing matches, and the like.
Responding to the news, a chief blogger for the Golf Channel takes a rather pitiless view of Thorpe's plight.
But given Thorpe's back-story, and the way all John Daly's transgressions haven't kept him from pro golf's embrace, here's hoping that Gentleman Jim eventually gets to bask again on a sunny fairway on his way to victory.

Photo: Golf Digest

First It's Tiger. Now, Steroids? Pity the PGA.

Pro golf's governing body is being threatened with a lawsuit by a marginal player accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs.
Reliable sources report that Doug Barron (left) has a federal lawsuit filed against the PGA for branding him as golf's first violator of substance abuse policies, if that's what it takes to salvage his career. Meanwhile, Barron's playing in golf's version of the chittlin' circuit to keep his name in the news and to try and regain his pro card.
He has claimed that any traces of testosterone and beta (tension) blockers in his system were from doctors' prescriptions, and he even reported his use of them before the '09 St. Jude Classic in Memphis where he got busted. He's suing the PGA for black-balling him for a year unfairly.
Presumable, the PGA has the upper hand and pockets deep enough to bury Barron in the bunkers of he legal system. But if he manages to win acclaim on the upstart eGolf Professional Tour, steroids in golf could become a much more sensitive issue.

Wall Street Journal: What's Nike's 'Plan B'?

Nike hasn't severed its ties to the meal-ticket known as Tiger yet. But, as the Wall Street Journal is reporting, the brand that had virtually nothing to do with golf until it tattooed itself to the game's great, disgraced icon is having second thoughts.
Woods may have helped Nike generate more than $1.5 billion over the last two years, but what has he done for them lately?
With Woods taking an "indefinite" layoff from competition in the glare of scandals surrounding him, Nike must explore other options to stave off declining sales. Fortunately, the brand has two 2009 Major tourney winners _ Lucas Glover (U.S. Open) and Stewart Cink (British) _ as well as the perky prodigy Michelle Wie in its stable.
Credible sources say golf equipment sales were declining at an annual rate exceeding 10 percent even before the sad news surrounding Tiger was unleashed, and Nike hasn't been immune to the swoon.
The question, then, is whether the PGA and all its cohorts can keep on truckin' now that the gravy train is gone.

Tiger Woods' Next EA Sports Game Launching

Not every sponsor has jumped off Tiger Woods' back now that it's been revealed that he prowled outside of his marriage to Elin.
The golf press is now reporting on the fact that EA Sports is going forward with its new online golf game centered around Woods, and will soon allow select users to test-drive the "breakthrough" technology to help iron out wrinkles before it goes live.
Tiger’s transgressions are forgiven as far as EA Sports President Peter Moore seems concerned: the golfer Moore considers “one of the greatest athletes in history” has helped EA earn far more than half a billion dollars in just the U.S. over the last decade according to respected estimates.
(Visit the EA web site for "open beta" access to "Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online")
The U.K.'s Independent tribune has just declared the online (PC) game "instantly gratifying", adding that the best feature of what's considered a pre-cursor to the inevitable launch of "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10" for the Wii is, "the option to play it via a web browser; register at tigerwoodsonline.ea.com, create a golfing persona, and let your browser take care of the rest."
Apparently, SOMEBODY (besides Elin) thinks of Tiger as a commodity you can still take to the bank.




Photo: EA Sports

Obama Foresees Big Comeback for Tiger

According to a breaking ABC News blog post, President Barack Obama has been coaxed into endorsing the notion of redemption for disgraced golfer Tiger Woods.
According to ABC, Obama's quoted in the next issue of People magazine stating that, "I suspect that he will try to put his life back together again."
The Commander in Chief and the greatest golfer ever have reportedly met on several occasions.
Meanwhile, the mass media swirls with a tsunami of unsubstantiated rumors about the status of Woods' career, marriage and endorsement opportunities.
Keep relying on Fore!BlackGolfers for relevant updates as they occur, and visit the COMMENT box below to register your reaction.
Photo: Flickr

Jesper Parnevik Pokes Fun At Caged Tiger

"Of course, we're going to have to chat," he said. "Obviously, we're going to have to compete against each other." Jesper Parnevik, AP Jan. Jesper Parnevik has just anointed himself as the “Harry Reid” of professional golf.
The way he’s been talking out of the side of his mouth about Tiger Woods lately makes fervent viewers of the game hope and pray that the peacock of the PGA manages to retain and main his pro card for a few years hence.
That way, there’s at least the prospect that we’ll get to see a pairing between Woods and Parnevik, in which the former pummels the latter like he stole something.
In the minds of many who agree that there are certain Universal man rules that one should never run afoul of, Parnevik insinuated that Woods deserved a beat down from his estranged wife, Elin, once word first leaked and then flooded about his extra-marital affairs.
Now the course jester's gone way off the tracks be saying he's not sorry for describing Woods _ who, as of now, remains married to Parnevik's former nanny _ as a complete phony in his eyes.
Parnevik, who limps into this weekend's Sony Open on a wing and a prayer of again grasping elite status, said he's spoken harshly of Woods because he takes the issue of cheating on Elin "personal".
Personal? PERSONAL?
Just imagine how personal things might get if Tiger and Jesper ever get paired up in the future. If Woods was miked up, they'd have to bleep out half the telecast. And in the press conference afterward, Tiger would no doubt gnaw on the opportunity to detail why Jesper was so inferior to begin with.
One way or another, this saga will play out.
Parnevik points to people like his wife, close friends of Elin's, who have enough intimate knowledge to break the story wide open. With friends like Parnevik, who needs enemies?
Enjoy the beats, and hit us back in the COMMENT BOX below..









PHOTO: FLICKR

Charles Barkley's Golf Swing No Longer Funny

A year ago, replaying those first few YouTube clips of the Round Mound of Rebound's butchery on the golf course seemed like they'd be hilarious for eternity. No more.
Charles Barkley's second time hosting "Saturday Night Live" put an end to the merriment, when he spoofed the "Haney Project" series he had on The Golf Channel. Yes, his swing was "terrible" to start with.
But he didn't need to exaggerate it by sweeping a broom in the miniature kitchen SNL set up, did he?
Off the cuff, no out-of-shape, retired and unrepentent pro athlete is funnier than Barkley. Just like his golf swing before the planet learned how "terrible" it was; spontaneity is the key him.

Escort Claims Tiger Woods Is Bi-Sexual

As if the blistering essay by Buzz Bissinger in the latest issue of Vanity Fair wasn't damaging enough to Tiger Woods' public personna, now a high-paid Italian escort is reportedly shopping around a tell-all book in which she'll claim to have witnessed the golf superstar engaging in gay sex.
According to the web's celeb news receptacle RadarOnline, some tramp named Loredana Jolie Ferriolo is taking great pains to be spotted taking golf lessons in Florida these days while she tries to cash in on "arranged" romps with Woods. So far, she provides no proof of her claims of illicit sex with the 14-time Major tourney champ.
And, to date, not one money-grubbing male has stepped out to declare that he too was among the alleged list of concubines in Woods' wake. So this camp's not lending an ounce of credence to Ferriolo's gambit, and looks forward to the day when all the spotty claims go away.



Photo: Annie Leibovitz/VanityFair.com

Tiger Woods' Wife Has Her Wedding Ring Back On

Let the rampant speculation about the fate of Tiger Woods’ floundering marriage begin…AGAIN!
People magazine’s brandishing a brand new (uncredited) photo of the incomparable, philandering golfer’s wife (and baby mama to two heirs) on the ski slopes of the Swiss Alps, draped head-to-waist in virginal white with a cell phone tucked up to her lovely left ear.
Lo and behold, though: the fair, mistreated Elin has a blinging ring on her wedding finger in that shot of her in chic Chamonix, France!
A few week’s back, the media gaped at photos of her pumping gas into her luxury SUV without one on. This shot just fuel’s the flames.
Wouldn’t one run a much greater risk of losing an heirloom like that FOREVER on a ski slope than at the local GasUpNGo?
And what’s she saying on that phone in the midst of a slalom run?
“Take Your Name Off Your Phone”?
Or, “Gayle, tell Oprah I’ll call her back in a bit”?
Shoot your best shot in the comment box below!

Golf's True Black Pioneer, Bill Powell, Passes Away

Let's take a brief break from bemoaning Tiger Woods' self-imposed suspension from competitive golf, and take time instead to reflect respectfully on the passing of a true great pioneer of the game.
On New Year's Eve, Bill Powell _ credited as the first and only Black man to build and operate his own golf course _ passed away at age 93. Powell's Clearview Golf Club in East Canton, Ohio originally opened as a nine-hole track in 1948 and ultimately gained recognition as a National Historic Landmark.
After serving his country in the Air Force during World War II, Powell returned home to the harsh reality that he was barred because of his race from playing the game he'd grown to love as a caddy. Undeterred, he purchased a large parcel of land and employed his own back-breaking labor to create Clearview.
His obituary in the New York Times states: "In August 2009, when the P.G.A. of America held the 91st annual P.G.A. Championship in the Minneapolis area, it bestowed its highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, on Mr. Powell."
And in his acceptance speech, "He closed with his credo: 'Stand firm. Never give up. Never give in. Believe in yourself, even when others don’t'.”
It's pitiful that Woods is secluded away in shame right now and, thus, unable to publicly pay Powell his due accolades.