AND ONE: Tiger and Elin Woods welcomed their second child into the world Sunday night. Charlie Axel Woods joins sister Sam Alexis into the Woods fold.
Looks like I win the company pool for correctly guessing the name. It was easy, really. Everyone knows Tiger has been playing the fiddle since he was 4-months-old and idolizes Charlie Daniels. What’s less known, however, is that Woods and Guns N’ Roses front man Axl Rose are very tight. So much so that Rose almost named his album ‘Chinese Democracy,’ a record 10 years in the making, ‘Cablanasian Democracy.’
BACK, BACK, BACK ...: Speculation continued to grow over when Woods would return to competition, with rumors having him coming back as early as the WGC-Accenture Match Play. Woods spoke on a national radio show and released his monthly e-mail newsletter last week, but gave no indication as to when he would come back following knee surgery.
With his son having been born, that opens the door ' from a family standpoint ' to return in two weeks at the Match Play; however, it just seems to make more sense for him to come back at Doral or Bay Hill. I’ll ask him when I stop by the hospital today.
RADIO WAVES: Anna Rawson, a member of the LET and LPGA, found herself in hot water after making some controversial comments on an Australian radio while competing in the Ladies Masters. The 27-year-old Aussie said the ‘media and industry ... still think we are at 25 years ago, you know, when the tour was full of, you know, a lot of dykes and unattractive females. Nobody wanted to watch.’
Rawson, who is more known for her looks than her game, insisted that the remarks were reflective of society’s outlook and not hers. She also said that she normally gets questions for her interviews beforehand and that she wasn’t able to think on her feet: ‘Radio is fast and they were asking questions,’ she said. Riiight ... Hopefully for her, this radio thing won’t catch on.
I AM TIGER WOODS: Nick Watney claimed his second PGA Tour title by rallying past John Rollins at the Buick Invitational. Watney birdied three of his final six holes at Torrey Pines, while Rollins bogeyed two of his final five.
Rollins really had no chance of winning, being a native Virginian. Watney, from Sacramento, Calif., became the 11th Buick winner in the last 12 years to hail from the Golden State ' and the first in five years not named Tiger Woods.
AN EYE ON AUGUSTA: Padraig Harrington, the 2008 PGA Tour Player of the Year, made his return to the States at the Buick, tying for 24th. After back-to-back 74s in Rounds 2 and 3, the reigning Open and PGA champion closed in 68.
Harrington usually doesn’t round into form until the middle of the season, but expect him to get sharp early. This year’s Masters isn’t just another major for the Irishman; it’s a chance to win three consecutive majors.
HUG IT OUT: Lorena Ochoa and Natalie Gulbis teamed to defeat Annika Sorenstam and Paula Creamer in the Annika Celebration at the Ginn Reunion Resort outside of Orlando, Fla. The winning side combined to shoot 8-under 64 to take home $30,000 apiece. The losers pocketed $20K.
It was cold, windy and wet at Reunion. Of course, by the end of the day, Gulbis had stripped off her rain pants in favor of her trademark ‘skort.’ What a trooper.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Vance Veazey won the 2009 Nationwide Tour lid-lifter in Panama. ... LPGA co-founder Betty Jameson died at age 89. ... Rocco Mediate withdrew from the Buick Invitational after undergoing minor artroscopic surgery. ... Rory McIlroy accepted an invitation to play in the Shell Houston Open. ... Tadd Fujikawa’s father pled guilty to drug trafficking.
Veazey defeated Garrett Willis in a playoff. ... Jameson, who won a pair of U.S. Women’s Amateurs and the U.S. Women’s Open, helped lay the ground work for the tour. ... Mediate’s agent wouldn’t specify the location of the surgery. We’re just glad it’s not his mouth. ... The SHO has already attracted a solid international field. Being the Masters lead-in has its advantages. ... Better news for Tadd: He was given an exemption into the Tour’s Puerto Rico Open.
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