The snow is gone from the Match Play Championship in Marana, Ariz., and so are Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods.

In a stunning conclusion to what already is a bizarre week on Dove Mountain, Shane Lowry of Ireland made a 4-foot par putt on the 18th hole to eliminate Rory McIlroy in the opening round of golf‘s most unpredictable tournament.

It was the third time in the past four years the No. 1 seed went home after one round.

Moments later, Charles Howell III finished off a fabulous round in cold conditions by defeating Woods on the 17th hole. Howell, who had not faced Woods in match play since losing to him in the third round of the 1996 U.S. Amateur, played bogey-free on a course that still had patches of snow and ice after being cleared Thursday morning.

The match was all square when Howell hit a wedge that stopped inches from the cup on the 15th hole for a conceded birdie. Then, he holed a 25-foot birdie putt on the 16th and went 2 up when Woods badly missed a 12-foot birdie putt.

“I had nothing to lose,” said Howell, who started the year outside the top 100 in the world and hasn’t qualified for this World Golf Championship in five years. “In this format, match play is crazy. He’s Tiger Woods. I was lucky to hang in there.”

The final matches were played in near darkness, and they could have stopped after 15 holes. Woods wanted to play on, even though Howell had the momentum. Woods was 2 under for the day, and neither of them made a bogey.

“We both played well,” Woods said. “He made a couple of more birdies than I did. He played well, and he’s advancing.”

McIlroy, the No. 1 player in the world, built a 2-up lead early in the match until Lowry rallied and grabbed the moment by chipping in for birdie on the par-3 12th and then ripping a fairway metal to within a few feet for a conceded eagle on the 13th.

Lowry missed a short par putt on the 14th, only for McIlroy to give away the next hole with a tee shot into the desert and a bunker shot that flew over the 15th green and into a cactus. But the two-time major champion hung tough, coming up with a clutch birdie on  the 16th to stay in the game.

McIlroy nearly holed his bunker on the 18th, and Lowry followed with a steady shot out to 4 feet and calmly sank the putt.

“Deep down, I knew I could beat him,” Lowry said. “There’s a reason I’m here, and this is match play.”

For McIlroy, more questions are sure to follow him to Florida for his road to the Masters. He now has played only 54 holes in the first two months of the season, missing the cut in Abu Dhabi and losing in the first round at Dove Mountain.

The Match Play Championship lost its two biggest stars in one day. The only other time the top two seeds lost in the opening round was in 2002, when Woods and Mickelson lost at La Costa.

Louis Oosthuizen, the No. 4 seed, rallied to get past Richie Ramsay of Scotland. The opening round was halted Wednesday after 3½ hours because of a freak snowstorm that covered Dove Mountain with nearly 2 inches. It continued to snow at times overnight, and it took nearly five hours to clear snow from the golf course for the tournament to resume.

LPGA: Stacy Lewis shot a 9-under 63 in the first round to take a three-stroke lead at the LPGA Thailand in Chonburi. The American had an eagle on the par-4 third hole and added four more birdies on the front nine at the Siam Country Club Pattaya Old Course. She had two more birdies before a bogey at No. 16.

The 2012 LPGA Tour player of the year birdied the last two holes to finish three strokes ahead of Karine Icher (66).

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SHENZHEN, China — Ian Poulter showed he can be a star even when playing only for himself.

One month after leading an improbable European rally in the Ryder Cup, Poulter won for the first time this year. He closed with a 7-under 65 Sunday to come from four shots behind and win the HSBC Champions for his second career World Golf Championships title.

It won’t overshadow what he did at Medinah in the Ryder Cup — five straight birdies to pick up a crucial point in fourballs and winning his singles match to complete a 4-0 week. Even so, it was important to the Englishman that the year not pass without a victory of his own.

“I’ve only been one season without a victory and I certainly didn’t want to go another one,” Poulter said after his two-shot win at Mission Hills, which earned him the $1.2 million winner’s paycheque. “As well as I’ve played this year, it would have been a disappointment personally to have gone that year without winning.”

Phil Mickelson (68), Jason Dufner (64), Scott Piercy (65) and Ernie Els (67) tied for second. Lee Westwood and Louis Oosthuizen shared the 54-hole lead, but each shot a 72 in the final round to tie for sixth.

Poulter won for the first time since the World Match Play Championship in Spain in 2011. His other WGC title came in 2010 in Arizona at the Match Play Championship. Turns out he can also get it done in stroke play.

On a day when five players had at least a share of the lead at some point — and several others were close — it was the charismatic Poulter who was the steadiest. Starting the day four shots behind, he surged into the lead with four birdies on the front nine and two more after making the turn.

Mickelson and Els tried to stay close, but both wasted opportunities to pull even. Mickelson missed a five-foot par putt on No. 12, while Els dropped a shot on the 14th when his three-foot par putt caught the lip. He narrowly missed a birdie putt on the final hole.

“I know where I came up short,” Els said. “But other than that, I played it really nice and struck it nice. Almost made him think there on 18, that putt almost went in.”

Defending champion Martin Kaymer looked set to make a final-day comeback for the second straight year. Last year, the German birdied nine of his last 12 holes to rally from five shots down in the final round for an unlikely three-stroke victory. He started six shots behind Sunday and picked up five birdies in a six-hole stretch on the back nine until a triple bogey on the 17th.

Poulter, meanwhile, sank a five-foot putt on the 14th hole for birdie and a two-stroke lead. Then, after setting himself up with a 20-foot putt on the tricky 15th hole, he lined up the shot perfectly and dropped it for birdie.

He was so composed he didn’t even mind the cameras and cellphones in the gallery. He’s even tried some Chinese to quiet the crowd this week.

“I’m not sure what I’m saying. I’m trying to say ‘no telephones,’ ” he said with a laugh. “I backed away a number of times, but I was able to refocus knowing that there’s probably going to be a few photos taken during the swing.”

With Mickelson still in position to catch him, Poulter hit a difficult bunker shot on the 18th to 10 feet and holed the putt to seal the win.

“I saw what he was doing. I was aware,” Mickelson said. “So I tried to carve a few shots in to some of the pins and wasn’t able to get close enough to them to make birdies to catch him.”

It was another Englishman who started the day in front, playing the best golf of anyone in the field. Westwood putted brilliantly Saturday, making 11 birdies to shoot a 61, one of the lowest rounds of his career. Westwood jumped to a three-stroke advantage Sunday after making two birdies on the front nine. But that’s when his putting began to break down.

On the par-3 No. 5, he three-putted for a double bogey. He then missed putts within 10 feet on three consecutive holes before completely unravelling on the back nine with three bogeys, including one on the 15th when he hit a chip shot into a group of photographers.

Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, was unable to regain the form that saw him reach 16 under after two rounds — the lowest 36-hole score to par in a WGC event since the series began in 1999. He struggled with his putting for a second consecutive day and had four bogeys.

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Breezy Bend Country Club’s Jesse Skeleton was awarded the Golf Manitoba Amateur Golfer of the Year  for the first time at Golf Manitoba’s Annual Awards Dinner at the Southwood Golf & Country Club.

Skeleton won the Nott Autocorp Manitoba Men’s Amateur Championship for the first time and won the Manitoba Match Play Championship. He was a member of the Willingdon Cup team, competed at the National Men’s Amateur Championship in Winnipeg and finished 6th at the Glencoe Invitational in Calgary. He was a member of the Breezy Bend Team that finished 2nd in the individual division. Jesse is a member of the University of the Manitoba Bison Team and had three top five finishes in the fall schedule. Skeleton is currently ranked 13th on the Golf Canada national order of merit.

The other finalist for this premier award for amateur golf in Manitoba were Winnie Hyun of Southwood, Myles Sullivan of Portage and Josh Wytinck of the Pine Ridge Golf Club.

Three players earned honourable mentions for their strong 2011 campaigns: Aaron Cockerill of Teulon, Mindy Lichtman of St. Boniface and Jenna Roadley of Glendale.

The Gold Manitoba Amateur Golfer of the Year Award dates back to 1975, and was presented for the 37th time on October 18th.

A second prestigious awards was presented on Tuesday night to Rudy Bovin of the Southwood Golf & Country Club as the fifth recipient of the annual Golf Manitoba Distinguished Service Award.

Rudy began volunteering with the Manitoba Golf Association in 1980. He is founding member of the MGA Golf Annual Magaziine and from 1980 to 1982 was Chair of the Advertising Committee for that magazine.

In 1982, he became a starter and scorer at MGA events and remains committed to that volunteer role today with Golf Manitoba.

In 1983 he joined the MGA Board of Directors and was the Chair of the Tournament Committee in 1986/87 and the President in 1988. He also served as the Non-Playing Captain for the Willingdon Cup Team in 1985, 1986 and 1987.

From 1989 to 1994 he was nominated by the Manitoba Golf Association for the Board of Directors of the Manitoba Sport Federation, elected for 3 terms and Chair of Marketing Committee for four years.

He is current member of the Marketing and Communications Committee of Golf Manitoba.

He served on the Manitoba Golf Scholarship Fund Board of Directors from 1990 to 2010 and was President of that organization from 1999 to 2005.

He was also a member of the Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame Board of Directors form 2002 to 2007.

Rudy Bovin has been a member at the Southwood G&CC since 1966. He served on the Board of Directors from 1971 to 1978, was Member of the Year in 1976, President in 1977, Club Captain from 1990 to 1993 and honored in 2003 as a Life Member.

His devotion to amateur golf is extremely evident as he continues to be involved in committees and tournament activity after 31 years of dedicated service.

Along with the Distinguished Service Award, Golf Manitoba also recognized all volunteers within the Association for their years of service to the association. Recognition was given to those individuals reaching the five, ten, fifteen, twenty and twenty-five plus years of service benchmarks.

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The Golf Manitoba Selection Commitee has announced four finalists for the 2011 Amateur Golfer of the Year Award, which will be presented during the annual general meeting.

The four nominees, in alphabetical order are; Winnie Hyun of Southwood, Jesse Skeleton of Breezy Bend, Myles Sullivan of Portage and Josh Wytinck of Pine Ridge.

Winni Hyun is a first time nominee who won the Provincial Junior Women’s Championship and was 4th at the Provincial Women’s Amateur Championship. She was a member of Mabitoba’s Western Canada Games team where she finished fifth individually and helped the team capture a bronze medal. On the national scene, she made the cut at both the National Junior Girls Championship (62nd) and the National Women’s Amateur Championship (70th). SHe is currently ranked 76th on the Golf Canada national junior girl’s order of merit.

Jesse Skelton won the Nott Autocorp Manitoba Men’s Amateur Championship for the first time and won the Manitoba Match Play Championship. He was a member of the Willingdon Cup team, competed at the National Men’s Amateur Championship in Winnipeg (MC) and finished 6th at the Glencoe Invitational in Calgary. He was a member of the Breezy Bend Team that finished runner up at the Provincial Interclub Championship and finished 2nd in the individual division. Jesse is a member of the University Of Manitoba Bison Team and had three top five finishes in the fall schedule. Skeleton is currently ranked 13th on the Golf Canada national order of merit.

Myles Sullivan is the 2011 Men’s Junior Champion and finished 8th at the Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship. He finished tied for 6th at the National Men’s Junior Championship and tied 8th at the CN Prairie Future Links events. Myles is currently ranked 10th in the Golf Canada national junior men’s order of merit and 28th on the national men’s order of merit.

Josh Wytinck was the runner up at the Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship and finished tied for 25th at the Canadian University Championship where he lead after the first round. Josh is a member of the University of Manitoba Bison Golf Team where he won the Concordia invite and the Audsburg Invitational of Manitoba Bison Golf Team where he won the Concordia Invite and the Augsburg Invitaitonal and assisted the team with two victories. He has also tied two team records for low individual round and low 36 hole total. For these Bison Team accomplishments, Josh was awarded Bison Athlete of the Week twice as weel as the CTV Sports Star of the Week. Josh is ranked 38th on the Golf Canada national order of merit.

Three players earned honourable mentions for theire strong 2011 campaigns: Aaron Cockerill of Teulon, Mindy Lichtman of St. Boniface and Jenna Roadley of Glendale. Aaron Cockerill, the 2010 Amateur Golfer of the Year, was 5th at the Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship and finished runner up at the Glencoe Invitational in Calgary. He qualified for the Canadian Tour’s Players Cup and made it to the second round of the Match Play Championship.

Mindy Lichtman won the Women’s Match Play Championship and the City & District Championship. She also finished 3rd at the Manitoba Women’s Amateur and made the provincial women’s team.

Jenna Roadley was the runner up at the Women’s Amateur Championship and the Match Play Championship. She finished 32nd at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship, 4th at the Prairie Future Links Championship and qualified for the United States Junior Girls Championship.

The Amateur Golfer of the Year Awards dates back to 1975. It will be presented for the 37th time on October 18th.

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The Breezy Bend blaster just scored the biggest trophy of his burgeoning career.

Long-ball hitter Jesse Skelton won the 2011 Amateur Golfer of the Year Award at Golf Manitoba’s AGM held at the new Southwood Golf and Country Club on Tuesday night.

“It feels really good,” Skelton said. “I’m really excited about it. Outside of winning a tournament, this is the highest recognition you can get.”

Skelton, 23, emerged victorious over nominees Southwood’s Winnie Hyun, Portage la Prairie’s Myles Sullivan and Josh Wytinck of Pine Ridge.

Skelton earned the honour after winning the Nott Autocorp Manitoba Men’s Amateur Championship for the first time, and the Manitoba Match Play Championship. He was also a member of the Willingdon Cup team, competed at the national men’s amateur championship in Winnipeg and finished sixth at the Glencoe Invitational in Calgary.

“Winning the Manitoba Amateur tournament was the best highlight,” said the University of Manitoba commerce student who was also a member of the Breezy Bend team that finished second at the Provincial Interclub Championship. He finished second in the individual division.

Skelton is also a member of the University of Manitoba Bisons men’s golf team that had three top-five finishes in the fall schedule. He is currently ranked 13th on the Golf Canada national order of merit.

Skelton thanked all of the people who helped along the way, such as Bisons golf coach Garth Goodbrandson, Breezy Bend legend Garth Collings and his parents.

“Garth (Collings) was always looking out for me and calling me to ask how I did at tournaments,” Skelton said. “And if I didn’t do well, we’d usually talk it over, and I would always do well after talking to him.”

Hyun was a first-time nominee who won the Provincial Junior Women’s Championship and was fourth at the Provincial Women’s Amateur Championship. She was a member of Manitoba’s Western Canada Games team that won a bronze medal, and finished fifth individually. On the national scene, Hyun made the cut at both the National Junior Girls Championship (finishing 62nd) and the National Women’s Amateur Championship (70th). She is ranked 76th on the Golf Canada national junior girl’s order of merit.

Sullivan was the 2011 Manitoba Men’s Junior champ, finishing sixth at the nationals. He finished eighth at the men’s provincial amateur championship and tied for eighth at the CN Prairie Future Links event. Sullivan is ranked 10th in the Golf Canada national junior men’s order of merit and 28th on the national men’s order of merit.

Wytinck was second at the provincial men’s amateur championship and tied for 25th at the Canadian University Championship. Wytinck is also a member of the U of M golf team and won both the Concordia Invite and the Augsburg Invitational. He has also tied team records for low individual round (68) and low 36-hole total (139). Wytinck is ranked 38th on the Golf Canada national order of merit.

Honourable mentions went to Teulon’s Aaron Cockerill — the 2010 Amateur Golfer of the Year — Mindy Lichtman of St. Boniface and Glendale’s Jenna Roadley of Glendale.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/2011/10/18/skelton-named-manitoba-amateur-golfer-of-year

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The Central Plains region has an excellent chance to bring home some top-notch hardware at the Golf Manitoba annual general meeting and awards dinner at Southwood Golf and Country Club on Tuesday.

Portage’s Myles Sullivan and Breezy Bend’s Jesse Skelton (who hails from St. Francis Xavier) were two of the four nominees for the 2011 Amateur Golfer of the Year Award announced on Thursday.

Other finalists include Southwood’s Winnie Hyun and Pine Ridge’s Josh Wytinck.

Sullivan won the 2011 Men’s Provincial Junior Championship before finishing tied for sixth at the national event. He also was eighth at the Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship and tied for eighth at the CN Prairie Future Links event. He is currently 10th in the Golf Canada national junior men’s order of merit and 28th on the national men’s order of merit.

Skelton, meanwhile, won the Nott Autocorp Manitoba Men’s Amateur Championship held at Portage Golf Club, as well as the Manitoba Match Play Championship. Skelton competed at the National Men’s Amateur Championship. He also was a member of the Breezy Bend team that was second in the Provincial Interclub Championship, and is also a member of the University of Manitoba golf team, with whom he has recorded three top-five finishes this fall. He’s ranked 13th on the Golf Canada national order of mer

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Southwood’s Winnie Hyun is being recognized for her accomplishments on the links for the very first time.

Hyun was one of four nominees for the 2011 Amateur Golfer of the Year, the Golf Manitoba selection committee announced Wednesday.

The others were: Breezy Bend’s Jesse Skelton, Myles Sullivan of Portage la Prairie and Josh Wytinck of Pine Ridge.

The winner will be announced at Golf Manitoba’s AGM, to be held at the Southwood Golf and Country Club, Oct. 18.

Hyun won the Provincial Junior Women’s Championship and was also a member of Manitoba’s Western Canada Games team that won the bronze medal. She finished fifth there.

Skelton won both the Nott Autocorp Manitoba Men’s Amateur Championship — for the first time — and the Manitoba Match Play Championship. Skelton was also a member of the Breezy Bend team that finished second at the Provincial Interclub Championship, and was second in the individual division. Skelton is a member of the University of Manitoba Bisons golf team that had three top-five finishes in the fall.

Sullivan won the 2011 Men’s Junior Championship and tied for sixth at the National Men’s Junior Championship.

Wytinck was the runner-up at the Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship. He is also a member of the U of M golf team, and he won the Concordia Invite and the Augsburg Invitational. Wytinck tied team records for low individual round (68) and low 36-hole total (139).

Honourable mentions were given to Teulon’s Aaron Cockerill, the 2010 Amateur Golfer of the Year, St. Boniface’s Mindy Lichtman, who won two provincial championships, and Glendale’s Jenna Roadley.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/2011/10/12/manitoba-amateur-golfer-of-year-finalists-named

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Michelle Wie can’t wait to get back to Canada and defend her title at the CN Canadian Women’s Open.

The 21-year-old American is still looking for her first victory of 2011 with the top female golfers set to gather at Hillsdale Golf and Country Club in suburban Montreal later this month.

“I’ve never been to Montreal before so I’m especially excited to experience everything about it,” Wie said Wednesday on a conference call. “Being the defending champion I think it’s a great honour to be back. I’m very excited.”

The US$2.25-million event runs Aug. 25-28.

Wie earned her second career LPGA victory a year ago at Winnipeg’s St. Charles Country Club, where she finished three shots better than the field and was doused with champagne on the 18th green afterwards.

Her best result this year came at the season-opening event when she finished second in Thailand. Wie hasn’t posted a top-10 since the Sybase Match Play Championship in May.

“(The season got) off to a very solid start and obviously in the middle — you can see from my stats — I didn’t play as well as I want to,” she said. “It’s been a work in progress. Hopefully by the time my next tournament and the Canadian Open comes around I can start playing really good and have a really good solid finish.”

The long-hitting Wie has yet to play Hillsdale, but should find it to her liking. At more than 6,600 yards, it is one of the longest courses the LPGA players will face all season.

She’s hoping a return to Canada allows her to make more good memories both on and off the course.

“I’ve heard (Montreal) has a little bit of a European feel to it,” said Wie. “I always go to places with an open eye and open mind. I just want to eat around and go to different restaurants.

“If anyone has any suggestions for me I’d love to hear it.”

http://www.tsn.ca/golf/story/?id=373155

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For a guy who is used to contending and winning golf tournaments as a successful amateur, the graduation to the professional ranks has not been a smooth ride for Tyler Mancini.
Mancini, who plays out of Pine Ridge, has endured some tough patches during his first season on the Canadian Tour, missing the cut in each of his six starts.

It’s not exactly the start that Mancini — who captured the Manitoba Men’s Match Play Championship and the Manitoba Men’s Mid-Amateur title in 2009 — had envisioned.

However, where some individuals might be questioning their decision to take the next step, Mancini is more determined than ever to succeed.

“I feel like I could have made three or four cuts already and it’s getting a bit frustrating,” Mancini said in a recent interview. “I’m a competitive guy and I like to win. But you know what, I’ve improved a lot from last year. I’m a much better golfer now than I was last year. It’s a learning process.

“I’ve taken a beating this year and I’m still having lots of fun. I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else. I’m loving it. I love the competition that comes along with it and deep down, I know I’ve got the game. I just have to go out there, keep practising and keep working.”

The mental challenges associated with missing cuts is something Mancini is working hard to keep on the back burner, as he tries to let his talent take over.

“Unfortunately, it is in the back of your mind when you start a tournament, you’re thinking about making the cut this week and going out and getting some cash,” said Mancini. “But it’s not like I play conservative the first two days so I can hang in there. I’m trying to play aggressive and play smart, it’s just not working. You make a couple of mistakes here or there.
“It’s in the back of my mind, but I don’t think about it the whole round.”

While the results haven’t been there just yet, Mancini has noticed a difference in his own game.

“I’ve learned a lot, even from the beginning of the year,” said Mancini, who calls Lockport home. “I was nervous in the first couple of events, you’re out on the Canadian Tour and you wonder ‘Can I play with these guys?’

“Then after awhile, you start playing with all these different guys and you analyze and compare them to your own game and you realize you can play with these guys.”

Mancini believes if he make that first cut, things will go smoothly from there.

“That’s what I have to do, break that barrier,” said Mancini. “That’s the next step.”

With no cash to date on the Rolex Order of Merit money list, Mancini will be hard-pressed to finish inside the Top-80 to gain exempt status for 2011 but he’ll be much more prepared for Canadian Tour qualifying school in the fall, if it comes to that.

Mancini enjoyed a bit of down time following The Canadian Tour Players Cup event at his home course of Pine Ridge, but will be back in action from Aug. 12 to 15 at the Clublink Jane Rogers Championship at Greystone Golf Club in Halton Hills, Ont.

After spending part of last winter in Arizona working on his game, Mancini is planning to return this year and play a full season on the Gateway Tour.

“Lucky I have some great sponsor’s and family helping me out too, so right now it’s trying to play in as much stuff as I can and try to gain experience,” said Mancini. “It’s a whole different mentality than amateur golf, where even par can win the tournament.”

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MARANA, Ariz. — The latest gossip has Tiger Woods resuming his therapy some 2,000 miles away from where he made his public apology last Friday, which — if true — would be a comical coincidence in one respect.
He made more news in Arizona when he wasn’t even there.

If nothing else, last week showed how much control Woods wields in the world of golf.

The opening round of the Match Play Championship typically is one of the most exciting days in golf, and it was every bit of that. Not because Steve Stricker became only the second No. 1 seed to go home or because 18-year-old Ryo Ishikawa won his last three holes to stay. The buzz centered on Woods’ camp announcing that he was going to make his first public appearance in three months.

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem might have set a record by meeting with the media three times in five days. The first session Wednesday was to say very little. The third one Sunday was to take blame for not saying enough. In between was a news conference at the Sawgrass Marriott before more media than ever has covered The Players Championship.

Ernie Els was upset, and this was after he won his match.

Upon hearing that Woods was to speak in the middle of the first World Golf Championship of the year, Els tried to choose his words carefully until he said to Golfweek magazine, “It’s selfish.” And that was putting it mildly.

Other players who felt just as strongly managed to bite their tongues, or at least ask that tape recorders be turned off.

Ian Poulter inquired about the scene at the TPC Sawgrass during his final match, and when it was suggested that the only new development was Woods being seen and heard, Poulter stretched out his arms as if to say, “There is nothing else to add.”

Not that someone didn’t try.

After winning the Match Play Championship — the biggest win of his career and his first victory on American soil — the Englishman dressed all in pink nearly turned red when he heard a question from the back of the room.

“Does the Tiger Woods drama take away or diminish this championship to you in any way, just the media attention?”

Poulter’s eyes widened and he stared for a second.

“Next question,” he replied.

Some players get tired of taking Tiger questions when he’s winning all the time. They don’t like them any more when he’s simply reading a statement into a camera.

The Golf Writers Association of America usually doesn’t get this worked up unless the shuttle bus at the U.S. Open is running late. Woods created a flurry of passionate opinions that led the group to reject an offer of three seats in the room where Woods spoke, lobby for more reporters, receive a compromise of six seats, then vote 19-3 (with four abstentions) not to participate.

Could this all have been avoided? Woods said he was on a break from therapy (without saying what kind of therapy) and was to return the next day. Even if he had waited until the tournament was over, and had spoken on Monday, it still would have meant notifying everyone on Saturday — and that would have stolen attention away from Poulter’s 7-and-6 semifinal victory over Sergio Garcia.

In the end, the resentment was over Woods still calling the shots. Most agree that he should have lost that right through so many selfish decisions that culminated with a sordid sex scandal, which brought disgrace to his family and damage to a sport that made him who he is, or was. It may be years before the extent of that damage is known.

His management team could have diffused some of the resentment by making more clear what this event was all about. The first word was an e-mail to say Woods was going to speak to a small group of associates and friends, and while it was not an open media event, “it is understood that there are many media who are interested in what he has to say.”

Then came word that pool reporters — three wire services, three picked by the GWAA — would not be allowed to ask questions. It appeared to be another outrageous attempt to control the media.

For now, however, Woods does have the right to speak on his terms. He is not playing golf.

That day is coming, even if no one knows when. Woods only said that he would not rule out him playing this year. Once he returns to the PGA Tour, the only control he has over the media is what he chooses to answer. He can say he won’t discuss his personal life. That won’t stop the questions, and dodging them won’t do him any good.

Former Masters chairman Hootie Johnson chose to speak to only five reporters during the nine months that Martha Burk became part of the golf vernacular with her campaign for Augusta National to have a female member.

Johnson was flanked by 60 members in green jackets when he spoke for the first time on the Wednesday before the 2003 Masters. He concluded his opening remarks by saying, “I will have nothing further to add about our membership or related issues.” Then came more than 30 questions related to the controversy, and Johnson answered them all (just not to the media’s liking).

The Masters has tight restrictions on the media that gets a credential, just not the questions they ask.

The ultimate question — whenever he decides to play — is how Woods chooses to answer them.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/2010-02-23-2012216176_x.htm

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