Well we'll just have to agree to disagree on that one. One thing most people seem to agree on is Sergio's "cry me a river" press conference in which he blamed everyone for himself for his 3 shot lead collapse. He whined about having to wait to hit his shot on one of the holes. He whined about the ball hitting the pin and bouncing 20 feet away from the hole. He whined about having to play more than just the guys in the field. He whined about never getting good breaks. Oh Sergio....WAAAAA, WAAAAA, WAAA!!

Kind of ironic that Garcia-known as just about the slowest player in golf who has made his playing partner and guys behind him wait and wait while he looks at the lie, decides which club to use, takes countless practice swings, finally sets up over the ball and then proceeds to wiggle his ass and choke up on the club- would have the nerve to blame having to wait for his loss!

OH MY GOD!!! TIGER!!! How did that putt not go in on the 18th that would've given him a 62 and the best round ever at a major? It was just like the commentator said...as if the golf gods said..."ungh ungh buddy" With about 2 inches left I was SURE it was going in and when it lipped out I couldn't believe it. What an amazing round of golf from Tiger Woods today in those conditions. Shaping up to be quite an interesting weekend. When Tiger is in contention I am definitely watching. Can't wait to see how the last 36 holes unfold.

Again...the 18th hole is cruel to Tiger in the 3rd round. 69 is the best anyone has ever shot following up a 63, and woods was inches again from a 68. Solid day for him, though. Would've been nice not to have tht one bogey and be up by 4 instead of 3, but its probably all relative. Tiger is 12/12 in majors when he goes into the final round with at least a share of the lead. He played very solid today. He had some issue hitting the fairways but did well getting to the greens in regulation. VERY STEADY!! The "paired with Tiger" effect continues as Verplank shot a dismal 74. Stephen Ames is another golfer like Rory Sabatini who opened up his mouth to talk about Tiger's beatability. Should be an interesting final round tomorrow with Tiger and Ames in the final pair. GO TIGER!!!!

OH...Sergio Garcia got DQ'd when he signed an incorrect scorecard. I ALMOST feel bad for feeling good about that. I can't stand that whining punk!

It's not going to be interesting at all, Tiger will win by 4-5 shots. I might not even watch.

This whole DQ issue just seems ridiculous to me. Why not have official scorers with each group on the course. This is like allowing Federer and Nadal to call their own lines during the French Open final. Why should the players in this day and age be allowed to be responsible for keeping their own scorecard? And from all accounts, this seemed like an honest mistake by Sergio.

As for today being interesting, I gotta agree with Golfer24. Tiger has never lost when leading going into the final round with a lead. And I can't imagine Stephen Ames is going to be the guy to stand up to Tiger. I suppose some guy could go out and shoot a 65 and Tiger could post a 70 but there are only 3 guys within 5 strokes-Ames, Woody Austin and John Senden-and the bets rounds by any of them so far this week is a 68. Tiger would have to have a complete meltdown to lose this one though all evidence is to the contrary.

The thing with the golfers having to keep their own scorecard is about tradition. I mean whats next. Allowing golfers to ride carts down the fairway. Sure it may be an honest mistake but its still a rule nonetheless and something you'd think people would double check. No sympathy for Sergio here.

As for the final round not being interesting. In terms of drama, probably not given Tiger's record when he has at least a share of the lead going into the final round of a major. I just want to see if he'll do the same thing to Ames that he did to Rory Sabbatini. And as great as Tiger is, you have to figure that there will be at least some point in his career when he loses while having a lead in the final round. I don't think it will happen today but ya never know!!!

There are alot of things that were traditions in sports (no tiebreaks in tennis, then no tiebreaks in decisive sets) but things can change without much or any disruption for the game, athletes or fans. I don't tink the scorecard thing is the same thing as riding a cart. Walking the course requires fitness. Keeping your own score just seems like one of those things that could be eliminated without any real change to the sport itself. Imagine if a guy wins the Masters and then signs the wrong card. That would just be bogus to me.

It's happened before..."What a stupid I am."

All the more ridiculous that you have to sign a scorecard kept by your playing partner.

Whats even more ridiculous to me is not being to keep track of your round and then not double checking something that you know can get you DQ'd if its incorrect. In addition, you've got a caddy to help you keep track of things. Sorry but signing an incorrect scorecard is just one of those things that should never happen. Its a part of the game and will continue to be a part of the game. I do see people's points though in thinking that it is very trivial. Yes, it would suck to win the Masters and then sign an incomplete scorecard but I think I'd be quite careful, especially at a major, to make sure it was correct. As an ESPN article wrote: "Garcia only has himself to blame"

Yeah I know it's the rule. I'm just saying it really doesn't need to be. And I am willing to bet my vast fortune that if Tiger did it, the rule would be changed immediately.

It's more than a rule, it's an integral part of the game. Players are responsible for an accurate count of their score for the day, including potentially calling a penalty on themselves that no one else may have seen.

And really, it's not difficult. You won't find much sympathy in the golf world for someone who signed an incorrect card.

It's a tournament!! Tiger should have been able to put this away on 13 but he's making a mess of the hole. I've always thought that it would take something physical to finally derail him, and the ankle tweak on 8 might have been just that.

Els and Woody Austin still have work to do though.

Oh Tiger. He should be arrested for getting the haters hopes all up only to have them DASHED because Woody and Els stumbled down the stretch and Tiger sunk some crucial shots. While it got tight at the end, there was not a doubt in my mind that in the end he would be on top. 12-0 when leading after 54 holes at a major. As for the supposed ankle/knee tweak??? I guess the commentators will say anything to add to the drama because clearly its just fine. GO TIGER!!! MAJOR # 13!!!!! WOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO!!!

BTW...where is Stephen Ames? I didn't see him after like the 4th or 5th hole. Stephen Stephen...after shooting under 70 for the first 3 rounds, the TIGER EFFECT strikes again!!

I seem to have missed where Woody Austin 'stumbled' at the end.

He didn't stumble the way Els did but he missed some opportunities. Woody did play a great round but was simply too many shots back from Tiger at the start of the day. The driver off 18? I guess he knew he had to try and make something happen but still ended up in a bad spot nonetheless.

AWWWW...TIGER'S BABY!!! First time I've seen it. I was wondering where Elin was. And the baby is in red, too.

Wow...I actually had nothing but positives for the most part about Woody Austin until his comments during his post round. Him saying he outplayed Tiger on Friday when Tiger shot 63. Umm...ok...yeah Woody. He had some other comments in there I thought were Sergio needs to take him out to dinner to thank him for taking the "fool" tag off his back.

Boo Weekley messes up Sergio's score again. I bet if Boo were going to be DQ'd for messing up his opponent's score he'd suddenly be able to add just fine.

I'm pretty happy with the FedEx Cup. Say what you will about its credibility given Phil and Tiger missing tournaments, but no one would care about these events without the new format. I've been to the Tour Championship at East Lake and it's usually a snoozefest, but not any more.

And how about Phil beating Tiger on Sunday in the same pairing, 66 to 67. Something seems to have clicked in his mental game...next year should be interesting.

Maybe it's time for this silly little antiquated tradition to end. Have official scorers and use technology to tabulate and verify the scores.

Congrats to Tiger for once again steamrolling the field to win the Tour Championship and for winning the $10,000,000 that comes with being the first FedEx Playoff Champion. Tiger has played a great month of golf and his last several rounds have all been in the 60s. Even though Phil nipped him a couple weeks ago, Tiger again uses his clubs to basically say "Lets see ya do it consistently week in and week out". Where is Phil at today? About 20 shots back of Tiger.

Another Tiger win. Now where's my remote...

Congrats to new Masters champ Trevor Immelman, the first South African to win since Gary Player in '78.

this is not 2007. It happened today.

Congrats to him. He's adorable....such a cutie. I always root for Tiger but at least the whole grand slam thing can be put to rest for the remainder of the golf season.

Major-league cutie! I almost never watch golf. The last time I watched golf was Jack Nicklaus's win at the 1986 Masters. But when I saw Immelman's adorable face and stocky build, yuppers, I was glued to the set. Anyway, as Immelman himself said, to win a major while competing against Tiger Woods in his prime is a enormous achievement. Congratulations, Trevor!

I don't know if I'd call Trevor Immelman "stocky," but it was majorly (cute) hot when he flexed his biceps while walking off the 18th green at the Masters.

So THAT is what it takes to get gay guys to watch golf

I was reading this article about how the oversized golf shirt is on the way out. This Nike designer was saying how they were getting Tiger to wear a more fitted shirt with shorter sleeves (above the elbow, rather than below). And I say yay! I couldn't stand those oversized shirts. I'd be swimming in a medium.

Now, if they put were the golfers in sleeveless shirts (a la Raphael Nadal and some other tennis players), they'll really get gay men paying attention. Keep showing off the guns, Trev!

Congrats to 22-year old Anthony Kim on his first PGA Tour victory. Kim wins the Wachovia Championship by 5 strokes.

Lots of 20-somethings winning on Tour this year. Ryan Moore also finished 2nd last week. I would not be surprised at all if Kim backs this up with two or three more wins in 2008.

I wonder what the non-golf media will say about Sergio winning the Players. Most of the talking heads seem to love ragging on him.

Sergio, you da man!

Congrats to Jay Haas on winning the Senior PGA yesterday. A few ironies were at work for him that day.
One was playing a solid 18th at the same hole that he butchered back at the '95 Ryder Cup to give the Euros the win.

In the immediate aftermath of that, just one Euro came over and gave him a consoling hug amidst their celebration. - Bernhard Langer.

So who was playing in the final group, and finished 2nd by a stroke behind Haas. Yep, Langer.

I myself was part in parcel self assigned to assist fellow HS alumnus Joey Sindelar to a victory, but he had too much ground to make up in a day. And the course wasn't going to allow someone to make a real surge despite the gorgeous weather conditions.

The US Open starts next week. I wonder how much Tiger's injury will bother him. The pairings for the first two rounds have been announced and how's this for an opening round group-Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott! The crowd following that group is going to be HUGE!

One of the greatest days as a Tiger Woods fan today. There are no more superlatives left to describe this man and his genius and strength on a golf course. Basically on one leg, missing fairways for the most part, yet he's in the driver's seat. What an amazing close on the back 9 to take the lead. We all know his record in majors with at least a share of the 54 hole lead. My dad and I are going to enjoy watching this tomorrow. I hope his knee holds up tomorrow. GO TIGER!!!

The stars were shining on Tiger today. He was all over the course, yet was sinking long putts and chipping them in off the green. For Rocco, being in 3rd might be to his advantage as he won't be paired with Tiger in the final round. Although Tiger's physical condition is the only thing that's going to stop him winning.

I really liked Lee Westwood's chances until that yip at the last. He looks like he's swinging great. I'm still not totally sold on how Tiger's knee will treat him tomorrow. An injury like that can get really sore the next day after you tweak it. Obviously you can't count out Ogilvy if people end up collapsing around him. The guy isn't the brightest bulb in the box but he can make pars. And Rocco has no chance in hell.

If history is any guide, the guys at +3 are more than in the thick of things, which would also bring Garcia and Els into the picture. Hopefully there is some actual drama tomorrow, not just a 2002 Masters style Tiger walkover.


IMO, one of the great injustices in tournament golf is that REALLY bad drives get rewarded with free drops or trampled lies because of the galleries, while merely awful shots are punished with four-inch US Open rough. There isn't really any way to rectify that, though, other than getting rid of spectators altogether.

Meanwhile...what happened to fat Phil? I tell ya...perhaps if the guy got in shape his game could actually improve to consistently try and compete with Tiger. The separation between him as world #2 and Tiger as world #1 is ridiculous.

I want anyone who yells "Get in the hole", especially when the guys are teeing off on the par 4 and par 5 holes, to be added to the People Who Should Be Shot thread. Good God, shut these morons up already!

THE LEGEND CONTINUES....UNBELIEVABLE FROM TIGER WOODS!!!! OH MY GOD!!!

I would consider being a larger fan of Tiger if I thought he had better sportsmanship and less of an ego.

But he is a legend for not only golf, but all sports... no denying that.

Would have been nice for someone else to win- especially someone who could use the W moreso than Tiger.

Agree with this. He is more than a bit of a brat on the course. There's also the Yankee effect--I don't understand why people love to root for the big guy.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around exactly what happened today. It was as if he managed to stop the knee pain through sheer force of will. You could see the discomfort flare up again on the last hole when his full-swing guard went down. Aside from that, after the first couple holes he looked 100% healthy. And then the final putt was vintage Tiger. The guy is just a mental freak.

Champ: Rocco Mediate. Awesome attitude, clutch when he needed to be. I'll be pulling for him tomorrow.

Honorable mention champ: the golf course. I like how the USGA has started to visit public tracks, and Torrey Pines probably solidified its spot in the rotation this week.

Chump: Lee Westwood. He was right there all day and let the round slip away with leaky shots that just weren't good enough. His swing looked fantastic but he didn't have control over the ball. The decision to go for the green on #13 was inexplicable. At least Tiger had eagled it twice already and may have thought he was living a charmed life on that hole. Westwood was 290 yards away and couldn't have put himself in a better position with a wood than even a mediocre layup.

Honorable mention chump: Ernie Els. Someone needs to get a putting coach.

Different strokes I guess. I personally don't see anything wrong with what Tiger does. He's a perfectionist so yeah he curses at times and will throw his clubs but I know how passionate and pissed off I get when I hit a bad tennis shot when the score is tight. Big deal. Athletes are more animated these days from every sport. People root for him because they know they are witness to a guy who will go down as the greatest golfer ever. Its the same thing with Roger Federer. Its easier for me to be behind a dominant player in an individual sport than a team. As for his sportsmanship, I've never heard him say a bad word about another player....yet chumps like Rory Sabatini and Woody Austin are constantly taking digs at him because they wish they were in his league.

Sign me up for the Tiger train. Don't see the "brat" thing at all. I do see and marvel at, superior skill and execution. How can anyone not salute the clutch performance?
I do wonder what he took for the pain yesterday as he mentioned in his interview that "he took something".

There's precedent for a California US Open upset -- Jack Fleck over Ben Hogan, and Scott Simpson over Tom Watson. Not that I would put money on Rocco.

You may be right. Tiger is certainly leaving the door open for Rocco. I thought that the 3 shot advantage he had would've sealed it but 2 bogeys in a row and pars by Rocco have the lead only 1 for Tiger. He better settle down or it will be an upset.

Ummm yeah...I'm as huge a Tiger fan as any but if you aren't rooting for Rocco at this point you don't have a heart. Drama to the very end on the 18th hole. He really hung in there and the guy deserves it so bad. He's played some great golf and stepped up to Tiger.

Well...its not the upset story most people were rooting for. Thats just a tough way to lose for Rocco but he made Tiger have to dig out and come up with some stuff. At least he pushed him. Don't hang your head Rocco. I hadn't paid much attention to him before now but I'm a fan of his now for that performance. CONGRATS TIGER!! Off the unlucky 13 and you did what you do best when it matters the most.

What must not be taken away though is how Tiger was able to hobble his way to this win. The guy has had no preparation since what....the Masters? He wasn't able to practice after each round because of the knee, and yet he's able to pull this thing off. Rocco would've been a great underdog story but this has got to be one of the sweetest wins for Tiger of them all because he was not 100% physically. This just adds to the legend in my opinion. To defeat the field playing often erratic and inconsistent and limping and grimacing is just amazing. People can hate on Tiger all they want and talk about him being a brat or too this or too that but the guy is just superb and his dominance in this game is unparalleled. Had it not been for the knee I think I would've been rooting for Rocco 100%. But the fact that Tiger dug deep through what the tour doctor said was more pain than the fans knew he was in makes this win my favorite of all of his wins.

And Tiger's daughter Alexis.....THE CUTEST!! She is adorable!!!

The rumors are flying that Tiger will have season-ending knee surgery and be out of commission until 2009. I wouldn't be surprised.

I don't know why he's being so coy about this. Maybe he feels like his intimidation factor will decrease if people know how bad the situation really is.

Just to refresh everyone's memory, this was probably what caused the recent problems:
http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/04/23/...rd-fist-pump-a/

I had to copy this great post on another golf message board.

Television's Ultimate Jinx Not Enough

History is littered with overwhelming favorites in all sports who fail at the cresendo of their fame ( Big Brown being the latest ).

With Tiger's dad splashed all over the screen in between holes ( telling us all over and over and over again , that his son would never meet his match mentally ) , I just knew once Rocco overcame the 3 stroke deficit to go up by one, that he had Tiger by the tail.

The "ultimate jinx" was in place and no one, not even the great Tiger Woods, could overcome it. Of all the majors that Tiger has pocketed, none, nada, zip, were as mentally taxing as the 2008 U. S. Open. It would take everything Tiger had mentally, to muster out a victory with his "bum" knee. On top of that, we have his dear departed father , telling us, reminding us, challenging us, to "dare" root against his son. It was all to much and surely the "Gods" would will Rocco to victory.

How many times have we seen them "fall", one by one, when we hear the announcer spout "he has made 22 straight field goals from this distance", or "he hasn't given up a home run in 82 straight innings" or "he is undefeated when leading and going into the final round in a major." We heard it ad nauseum about Tiger, this past weekend and still further, their is Tiger's pops telling all that would listen, that Tiger can't be beat (mentally).

Then, in Hollywood script like fashion, he shows exactly what his daddy was talking about. Who overcomes that kind of jinx? Unbelievable!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What a great post and I was thinking the EXACT same thing yesterday as that wonderful commercial kept airing during the tournament. When it got back to even and Rocco took the lead late I kept going back to that commercial thinking wow that great new commercial wouldn't seem as powerful as it is if he were to go and lose. But, he won and Earl was right. Great commercial!

Plenty of overwhelming favorites have won, though. The great upsets don't happen that often.