Golf News for Golf Lovers: Jan 28, 2013

Monday, January 28, 2013

Nicklaus, Player pose with Bush

Updated: April 13, 2005, 11:54 PM ET

Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player showed off the Presidents Cup to the president himself Wednesday.

President Bush, honorary chairman of the 2005 Presidents Cup, posed for photos with the two golfers and the gold cup in the Oval Office.

Nicklaus and Player are returning as captains for the 2005 Presidents Cup, giving them a chance to settle last year's tie. Nicklaus is leading the U.S. team and Player, who is from South Africa, is heading the international team.

The Presidents Cup is scheduled for September at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Va., where it has been played in the United States every time since the matches began in 1994 between the Americans and an international team from everywhere in the world except Europe.

And this contest will look a lot different in at least one respect from the last Ryder Cup.

Nicklaus said he won't pair up golfers who don't want to play together in the Presidents Cup.

Nicklaus said he takes players' wishes into account while serving as captain.

"I don't think anybody should play with anybody they don't want to play with," Nicklaus said later in the day after the Oval Office visit. "I've asked the players: 'Guys, very quietly, if you want to, come to me and tell me if there's somebody you want to play with or somebody you don't want to play with.' "

Nicklaus' position is in contrast to that of U.S. Ryder Cup captain Hal Sutton, who paired Tiger Woods with Phil Mickelson despite their cool relationship. The pair looked uncomfortable on the course and lost twice as Europe defeated the U.S. team 18½-9{½.

Nicklaus and Player said they don't believe in a militant approach to the captaincy.

"These guys didn't get in this team by being motivated by somebody else," Nicklaus said. "I think what I say to them is basically be their friend, accommodate them, make sure I have plenty of tees, extra spikes, fresh towels, sunscreen."

Said Player: "I don't believe in that blood and guts approach. You don't have to start brainwashing your players."

The collegial approach the two bring to the Presidents Cup was on display in 2003, when they agreed to share the cup after the teams remained tied after regulation and three playoff holes between Woods and Ernie Els.

The PGA has changed the format, eliminating playoff holes and declaring a tie if the match is deadlocked at the end of regulation.

The Americans are 3-1-1 against the International team in the Presidents Cup.

ESPN Golf School with Ed Bowe!

Welcome to The Show! At noon ET on Thursday, Ed Bowe of ESPN Golf Schools Presented by Lexus will stop by to talk all your questions in chat.

Ed Bowe joined the ESPN Golf Schools Team in 2003 and serves as the Director of Training as well as a Lead Instructor. He is the former director of instruction for the Golf Digest Schools National Headquarters. Ed also co-wrote and starred in 3 one hour videos called "Golf Digest's Personal Instruction Video series" featuring Nick Price and he has over 15 years of instructing golf schools and has conducted over 1500 golf instructional outings.

This is as close to a one-on-one training session as you can get, so -- Ask Ed! Send in your questions now, join him for answers Thursday at noon ET!

This chat is exclusive to ESPN Insiders

Olazabal: 'I think the gap is smaller'

One of Tiger Woods' golfing buddies says the Masters champion is no longer dominant on the tour, and doesn't expect Woods to go on a title run similar to the one that included seven majors between 1999 and 2002.

Updated: April 13, 2005, 11:55 PM ET

Associated Press

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. -- One of Tiger Woods' golfing buddies says the Masters champion is no longer dominant on the tour, and doesn't expect Woods to go on a title run similar to the one that included seven majors between 1999 and 2002.

Fred Funk, who is good friends with Woods and knows the magic his pal carries in his golf bag, says he didn't sense the same invincibility when Woods won his fourth Masters this past Sunday.

"I don't see Tiger dominating like he did, I really don't," Funk said Wednesday as he prepared for the start of the MCI Heritage.

Funk and the rest of the tour remember all too well the days when Woods would grab the lead at a major and then relentlessly pull away as the field scrambled for second. Many times Woods left with a title and the feeling he couldn't be beaten.

Those days are gone, some of his peers say.

"I think the gap is smaller than it was when he had that wonderful stretch," Jose Maria Olazabal said.

Golfers "aren't scared of him anymore," Funk said.

Count Funk among them. He outlasted Woods and the rest of golf's Big Four --Vijay Singh, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson -- to win The Players Championship three weeks ago.

"It was a defining win, no question. By far the biggest one I've had," Funk said. "It's pretty neat to be called the players' champion. I heard that last week at Augusta."

Funk also heard the familiar cheers for Woods among the Georgia pines. Woods had taken a three-stroke lead over Chris DiMarco after three rounds. The scene was set for another runaway.

"I think Tiger and probably everybody else in the world thought he was going to win by seven (shots) or more," Funk said.

Instead, Funk watched Woods struggle down the stretch and barely hold on for a playoff. The iron to the back of the 16th green -- saved by Woods' chip-in birdie for the ages -- was followed by a blocked tee shot on No. 17 and a poor approach right of the 18th green. The later two mistakes led to bogeys and dropped him into a playoff with DiMarco.

"Those are three shots in a row that weren't typical Tiger when he's on his game," Funk said.

Funk said Woods showed his grit on the playoff hole with two remarkable shots and a solid birdie putt to win.

"But I just don't think Tiger is in total control of his game like he was before, even though he says he's close all the time," Funk said.

Even if Woods' game was the same as before, there are too many talented rivals right on his heels now.

"It's going to be difficult for him," said Olazabal, who won the Masters in 1994 and 1999. "I think he raised the level. He raised the bar."

Now, Olazabal and Funk say, several of those chasing players have met Woods' challenge.

Mickelson has three PGA Tour victories this year, the same as Woods, and battled his rival through the Ford Championship at Doral last month. Singh had overtaken Woods as the world's top-ranked golfer before surrendering that at the Masters.

"Vijay has played unbelievably great golf, ridiculous golf, the last two years," Funk said. "And Ernie (Els) and Retief (Goosen) and I think guys like Adam Scott are going to show up there at the top really quick."

Not here, they won't.

The week after the Masters has become a big week off for most of golf's biggest names. None of the Big Four is here. Neither is DiMarco.

"Somebody asked me who's the favorite this week, and I said I couldn't come up with 10 but I could come up with 100," said Jay Haas, playing his 29th MCI Heritage. "There are so many guys capable of getting hot."

That's precisely why few here think Woods' latest triumph might mean a tournament rush as in the past.

"I think he would have won by two, three or four (shots) years ago," Haas said. "He wouldn't have been close. There wouldn't have been a playoff."

Rivero, Luna, Borrego among leaders

Updated: April 14, 2005, 8:11 PM ET

Associated Press

SOTOGRANDE, Spain -- Spaniards Jose Rivero, Santiago Luna and Diego Borrego were among seven players to shoot 2-under 70 in the wind Thursday and share the first-round lead at the Spanish Open.

Also in front on the hilly San Roque course were Peter Hanson and Peter Gustafsson of Sweden, Emanuele Canonica of Italy and Steven O'Hara of Scotland.

"There is plenty of danger out there, especially off the tee," Hanson said. "You have to play really defensive and keep the ball in play."

Another six players were one shot off the lead.

Ireland's Paul McGinley, the highest-ranked player in the field, shot a 76 after a double-bogey 7 at his opening hole. England's Paul Broadhurst, a former Ryder Cup player who won the Portuguese Open two weeks ago, slumped to an 80 that included a quadruple-bogey 8. Paul Lawrie, the 1999 British Open champion, had a 72.

"My short game was good today," Lawrie said. "It has to be in this kind of weather because you're not going to hit many greens today."

Golf Clubs For Sale